Are Masters Watching?

Once outside the village, my goal was to get inside the forest and call out to them. Although unsure if the master would show themselves or even be there at all, I wanted to give it a try. 'They are masters, a bow string shouldn't be a problem for them', I thought at the edge of the forest. "Hey, are you guys there! I have a request!". There was no reply, but that didn't make me give up just yet. I circled the village through the forest, calling out once in a while.

'Are they really not around? I thought they were supposed to be my teachers. So far, they taught me nothing really…', I concluded before walking back to the village. A bow string wasn't something I could make. No one ever taught me that, and besides my weapon of choice wasn't a bow.

'Even buying one seems to be a problem… The villages are really not that well supplied. Or perhaps that one isn't. If worse comes to worst, I can always teach Jena how to use a sword, that's not such a bad alternative', I figured. The ability to wield any sort of weapon was much better than the inability to wield none.

'Let's see what the next day brings. Maybe someone in the village has an old bow for sale or something. Sara seems to be living well with her neighbours, so perhaps they'll help her out'. With that thought in mind, I left tomorrow problems for tomorrow.

Jena and Kalim didn't visit me at the tavern the next morning. I could guess the reason. The beginning stages of any sort of exercising were always difficult. The body had to adjust, and that took time. Before it could adjust, muscle pain was pretty much guaranteed. I would be surprised, or even shocked, if their muscles didn't hurt.

My assumptions were spot on. Both of them had a hard time getting out of the bed. "Let's go, guys. We have to continue the training despite the pain. We don't have to sprint, but we have to do at least one lap. Follow me, I'll lead the way", I said. They really struggled throughout that one lap. I never told them it would be easy, but they'd be shocked about the training my own mother put me through. There was no doubt in my mind they'd look at me weirdly, if I actually told them.

"Alright guys, take a short break for now. Let your body slowly adjust to the work-out, and you'll make it through the day somehow". I gave them some time to rest. Mostly because I wasn't as cruel as my mother.

Sara joined us outside, with good news to top it all off. "I found a traveller who said he can sell us a bow string… Though the price he asked for is a bit too expensive. How can one string cost four silvers? We can't afford to spend that much on a single string", she said. The price seemed really expensive, but there were no other strings available. 'Wait a minute… That's precisely how much silver coins I have in my pocket… That convenient traveller just happened to appear today, in the morning, with a string… That we need... I'm pretty sure it's that bastard', I figured.

The traveller couldn't be some random person. That had to be master Yater. "Sara, where is that traveller, and what does he look like?", I asked. "He should be at the tavern… Umm, brown hair, about forty years old and he's quite tall. His face looked common, not handsome, but not ugly either. His body was also wrapped in a brown cloak. Why do you ask?", she replied. "I'll pay him a visit, and get that string if he still has it... Alright you guys, that enough of a break. Start doing your squats now, and if I catch you slacking off, I'll teach you less", I instructed them, before leaving for the tavern.

There was only one person inside, fitting the description Sara gave me. "Are you the one selling the bow string?", I asked. "Hmm? Yes, I have a spare string. Are you interested in buying it?", the man replied. "What's the best price you can do for me?", I tried to lower the price. "For four silvers, the string is yours", he replied with the same price.

"How about three silvers and fifty coppers? Since you don't need it anyway, you'll get a nice profit too. Besides, this will help someone else out", I proposed. "I don't really have to sell…", before he finished, I added, "That's a steep price for one string anyway. Not only will you make profit, you can buy new one elsewhere. I must be an idiot to actually propose such a high price myself".

"... Young lady makes a lot of sense. Oh well, I'll lose some this time. We have a deal", he said before taking the string out. I handed him the exact amount of money, and took the string off the table. "Thanks... Next time, there's no need for such games", I said before leaving. The man didn't reply, he just smiled.

The string was good enough for a long bow, but Jena didn't need such a bow. 'I'm sure we can cut it, somehow. Though one of the loops will disappear, we'll have to make a new one… Hopefully, that's not a problem', I thought while heading back to Sara. "Here, this is the bow string. Though it's a bit long, we can probably modify it ourselves. Maybe we can leave it like that, allowing Jena to get a bigger bow when she grows up", I said.

"You bought it for us? That's four silvers, you didn't have to do it...", Sara replied, stunned. "It's fine. Besides, I paid less than that. Hmmm, if you want to repay that favour, how about providing me with some spices and empty bottles? Those things will be more useful to me inside the forest than the money", I proposed. "... Are you sure about that? I mean, we don't know each other that well, such gifts are…", Sara was still reluctant to accept.

"You are good people, and it wasn't free, right? I'm sure spices and bottles cost money too. Where I'm heading, they will be much more valuable than money", I said. She didn't know how to respond at first, but then gave me a hug and thanked me. "You really are a great person, you know? I'm happy to have met you… Kids, let's go collect your weapons!", she exclaimed. Jena was really surprised about the bow string. When Sara explained how we got it, she hugged and thanked me a few times. "Alright guys, let's go already. After all, the day isn't over yet", I said.

The old craftsman kept his word. He made a good and solid wooden sword for Kalim, as well as a bow for Jena. Both were made from wood, but looked really good. "I made the bow from elm wood, which is much more flexible and softer than oak. Since you have the string, we can add that in", he said while taking a look at the string.

He told us that modifying the string shouldn't pose a problem, though keeping it at original length was impossible. We had to cut it, and make a new loop. The craftsman was able to do that, and complete the bow. He didn't charge us anything for modifying the string, or hooking it onto the bow either.

"Alright, the bow should work, you just need arrows... It's not much and these aren't real arrows, but I made them for you. With their use, you can at least test the bow out, right? Don't worry, I'm not charging for them. If you need more of them though, I can make two arrows per one copper coin. They are made from elm as well, so they shouldn't break easily", he added while passing the bow and arrows to Jena.

After thanking the old craftsman, we left towards their house. "We can test the bow near the palisade, just to make sure no one gets hurt", I proposed. Kalim was really excited about his wooden sword. He swung it a few times, and seemed rather pleased. "The sword is small, at least compared to yours. It's also light, and made from wood… But, I like it", he said. Jena on the other hand, couldn't wait to try her new bow out. She already cherished the bow, despite never shooting from it.

"Kalim, you'll wait for a while. I need to explain some things to Jena. My sword knowledge is more extensive, therefore it will take longer to teach you things, alright?", I said once we arrived at their house. Kalim was about to complain, but then nodded with a smile. "Jena, can I have the bow for a second? I'll show you the basic stance", I asked. The bow was a bit small for me, but enough for the demonstration. Though I had to make sure not to break it.

"You will stand in this position, holding the bow in front of you like that. You are right handed right?", when Jena nodded, I continued, "The important part of this stance is stability. Once you notch the arrow and draw it, like so… You have to make sure to stay still and focus on your target. When releasing the arrow, simply let go of it. Don't make any movements with your hand, since that will affect its path".

After that explanation, I released the arrow. There was no target to shoot at, which meant I didn't make a fool out of myself. "Now you give it a try", I added before handing the bow back to her. Jena tried to repeat my stance, but it was all over the place. She had a hard time drawing the bow too. Well, she was only nine years old. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it sooner or later. Try shooting a few times…. Oh yea, wait a minute. Sara, do you have a strong thread or something like that?", I asked. She was a bit confused, but agreed to bring me some thread.

I grabbed a bit of the wolf's skin from my backpack, and wrapped it around Jena's arm. "This is to protect your arm from the string. I almost forgot about it. I'll try to make something better later, alright?", I explained. "Thank you, Anna", Jena said before resuming her practice. Almost none of her arrows left the bow, they pretty much sprung to the side or fell out. "Don't worry about it for now. The arrows don't have feathers at the end either, so it might be a bit weird. Just get used to the stance, to holding the bow and so on. I'll try to get some feathers for your arrows later, this should help with targeting", I added.

With Jena's practice sorted out, I focused on Kalim next. "Today, I will demonstrate the stances and ways to hold your sword. You have to get used to those stances, before you can attack or defend. Tomorrow, I'll introduce to you the basic attacking and defending moves. These basics are really important, and cannot be skipped. Therefore take those things seriously, and don't belittle them, alright?", I explained.

After Kalim nodded, I showed him the three basic stances and holds. Moreover, I explained why these stances were important, and how they'd affect him during the battle. "That sword looks really great. That can't be steel, right?". He even asked to hold it, but I declined. "When you learn a bit, I might let you hold it", I said. "Deal! I'll learn very quickly, and get to hold the sword. It's a promise, don't forget Anna", he said.

'Hehe, good luck with getting that stuff quickly. Though he will work harder to get that reward. I guess that's also good', I thought. Kalim tried the stances a few times, but came out with one conclusion. "These stances are really difficult…". "Hehe, no one said they were easy. Moreover, your balance is not very good. I'll try to help you... Actually both of you, to improve it. Though we will focus on that a bit later. Just try to get used to the stances for now", I explained, but then added, "Kalim, and you too Jena, I'll give you guys a bit longer to practice with your weapons. Then we will return to our exercises, alright?".

They wanted to practice more, but exercising was also important. "You really are teaching them, eh? I'm still shocked you are so young… You must've had it tough", Sara said to me while watching her kids practice. "Well, it wasn't easy for sure. I hope you can encourage them once I'm gone. It's easy for a child to lose motivation, but when a mother or father steps in, they will not give up so easily", I said.

"I'll try to encourage them. Come in, I'll make you something to drink. I also have the spices and bottles for you… Though I'm not sure how many you wanted", she replied. "Any amount will do, as long as my food tastes better, and I'm able to carry some water with me. Thank you", I replied while following her inside.