19 The Broken Blade (2)
"Would you like a sword maybe? If I am to teach you something, I doubt that I can offer much with such a weapon", Ildurin said, secretly afraid that the blade might break.
The metal seemed frail and Ildurin could even detect some places where it looked rather thin. He did not wish to be the one to break it, but after the Ryan simply shook his head, he took note to not hit the blade in those weak points.
Then, in a second, Klyran rushed and their weapons clashed. It took Ildurin by surprise, who obviously did not expected him to move at such speed. He managed to dodge the first few jabs and created some distance between the two of them.
"You are fast. More so than a human should be capable of. This must have been working in your favour", the blonde commented as he paused and pointed his sword toward the ground.
"That is what Aldryn said to me. He believes that my speed is the only thing that allowed me to win so far in most of the battles that I faced", he said and looked Ildurin in the eyes with a serious expression.
"There is some truth to his words", the King simply nodded and then analysed his opponent.
Ildurin stuck his sword into the ground and then went to Klyran. He circled him and then went behind him and begun pushing his legs with his own.
"Make sure that your legs are wider apart", he said and pushed them into the right position, "One leg should be in front, while the other should be kept under your body. If you were to be attacked, it would give you more stability", he explained as he positioned Klyran's body.
In order to further prove his point, the blonde even asked him to go back to his original position and then pushed him. The action made the Ryan stumble and take a few steps back in order not to fall. After that, he made sure to stay in the position that Ildurin set him in and was pushed again. Klyran quickly noticed the difference. His knee bent a little to support his weight, but other than that, he had no difficulty standing his ground. He nodded to the King and then made sure to take the pose into consideration when resuming their spar.
While Klyran was fast, Ildurin's experience still gave him the advantage in battle. The King himself was faster than most humans, but it still fell a bit short of the Ryan. His vast knowledge allowed him to easily spot the weak points and exploit them while dodging the Ryan's attacks. He would dutifully stop and point out whenever it happened, making sure to explain to Klyran why something that he did was wrong. He taught him how to put more of his bodyweight behind the attacks, how to stay on his feet when taking a blow, and even told the Ryan about what he should look out for in a battle.
"You are learning fast" Ildurin said after a few hours, quickly noticing that the other Knights stopped their training and were watching the two of them for a while now.
It also attracted Klyran's attention, who looked around the two of them and noticed the crowd for the first time. It caused him to look at the King, expecting him to scold his men for stopping their training. To his surprise though, Ildurin turned to face them and shouted about how all of them should be watching their match carefully and remember every word that he said.
"Are you sure you don't want one of our swords?" the King asked again, looking at his opponent's thin blade, "It does not bring me any pleasure to say it, but your weapon looks frail. I would hate to be the one to break it. I tried until now to avoid any obvious weak point that it has, but once our match starts, I am unsure that I will be able to continue doing so."
Klyran simply shook his head and looked down at the blade. He could understand the fear that his new friend had. His weapon indeed looked on the verge of breaking. Some parts were uneven and thin. But that is just how the blade looked ever since he made it. Not to mention that despite the numerous battles that it went thought, it never broke. It made the Ryan confident that the metal of his world was much stronger than the one from here.
"It will be fine", he said with confidence, going back to the defensive position that he was taught that day.
"And if it breaks?" Ildurin asked and even mentioned how every time he hits it, he could feel the blade vibrate.
"Then it breaks", Klyran said with the same confidence, "If it is meant to break than I would rather it shatters here during this fight, then somewhere out there when I face a true enemy. And if it resists, than I will be even more confident about its ability to be my weapon."
While the words were spoken with confidence, the King could still see hesitation swirling in the Ryan's eyes. He deeply cared for the weapon that he crafted with his own hands. It must have served him for a few good years. There was also truth to his words. If Klyran couldn't trust his blade not to break during training, what is it to say that it will not shatter when an enemy will hit it.
"Very well then", the King said, "I will not be holding back."
In a mere second, the two of them nodded their heads and then sprinted toward each other. Their weapons clashed with a loud bang that echoed in the otherwise quiet field. Every soldier and Knight who were watching the match were holding their breath, fearing to disturb the two. They were all in awe of the speed that the newcomer manifested. They never saw before someone move as swift as him. It also made their respect for their King grow. There was not doubt in their minds that were they to face an enemy with such speed, there were low chances of them being victorious, yet their King was making up for his lack of speed with his experience and tact.
He dodged each blow and those that he couldn't dodge, he would block with the blunt side of his sword, or even parry them. Ildurin also did not miss the opportunity to insert an attack here and there himself. During the match, Klyran grew to be a bit more aggressive and angry. During his time in the human world, the only person who could match him was Aldryn, and he mostly gave credit for it to the Thrae that shared his body. Yet here was a simple human, who was winning in a fight against him. But he was not angry at Ildurin, but at himself. He could not help but think about how pathetic he was. If he was unable to win against a human, how could he ever match someone of his own kin.
As the fight prolonged, Klyran grew angrier and some blackness even swept at the edge of his eyes. Then, in a blink of an eye, Ildurin disappeared from his sight and he felt the ground disappear from underneath his feet. He fell to his knees and then a sharp sword was pressed into his throat.
"You remind me of myself from ten years ago. I fought once with the Kenman and he told me a thing about battles that I can never forget", the King said gently and helped Klyran back to his feet, "Never let anger get the better of you during a fight, it makes you blind and clouds your judgement. And a warrior in the thorn of anger has no honour and is not worth fighting against."
"I'm sorry", the Ryan said and bowed his head.
"Don't be", Ildurin laughed, "The Kenman actually said this to me before he made me collapse and pressed his weapon to my throat. Made me furious for a few seconds before my fall. But he is right. I grew to respect him that night."
A few moments after Klyran cooled down, Ildurin asked him if he wished to try and fight again, to which the Ryan only nodded. The two got into position again and resumed their match. Their weapons clashed, and one of them was always thrown around the field whenever the other would use his body weight behind an attack. Klyran heeded Ildurin's word and concentrated on the battle. In place of thinking about his own weakness, he tried to analyse every movement that the King made. He tried to copy him a few times, but quickly understood that while Ildurin gave him a few good lessons that day, he would not be able to teach him swordsmanship. The King's stance and movements were made to support a heavier weapon. While his sword was not a claymore, it was definitely heavier than Klyran's weapon. The Ryan quickly understood that trying to copy him was futile.
