Morning workout

Alex rose before dawn, cleaned his gear and lit a fire. He then roused the young Edward from his sleep and lead him off a short distance so that they wouldn't disturb the sleeping noble lad.

"I need to see how well you handle a weapon. Draw your sword and strike at me, I will defend against you." Alex instructed.

Alex watched Edward with a critical eye, he held no displeasure for the lad, but if he was going to teach the boy how to survive in a kill-or-be-killed situation the boy needed a solid foundation. Alex wouldn't waste his time teaching the boy a style or school of martial art, those took too much time are were prone to flaws generated by the hubric assumption that they're the best style, so they are only good at fighting themselves. Wild animals and battlefields do not follow choreography, so Alex would focus on what was simple and effective in a wide variety of situations and let Edward grow into his own natural movements from there.

For that Alex was actually more pleased that what he was dealing with was basically a blank slate, meaning that he didn't have anything to un-teach. Edward's movements were all based on mimicry and held no trained pattern or physical memories drilled into him. The only drawback was that the learning curve for Edward would be completely dependent on the boy's own desires and willingness to learn.

"That's enough," Alex said as he easily parried another thrust, "You have a lot to learn, but your movements are quick. You have untapped raw talent. Any weapon's master who saw that and didn't offer you training should be ashamed of himself."

"Today we're going to teach you weapon theory, we'll start with practical tomorrow."

"Yes sir."

"Since you're holding a sword we'll begin with that. Every weapon is designed with a purpose, and to serve a set of strengths, there are always going to be a best set of ways to use a weapon and less effective ways to use it based on the way it was designed. What can you observe about your weapon."

Edward stared at the sword like he had never thought about it. "Well...it's...versatile."

"How so?"

"It has both a point and two sharp edges. So it can be used to stab or cut."

Alex chuckled, darker than intended, and Edward shifted uncomfortably.

"You are right that it is versatile, but it is versatile because it was complexly designed." Alex took the simple long sword and began to explain in depth, "Every part of the weapon IS the weapon, and needs to be treated as such. A sword is more than just the blade; the guard, the hilt, the pommel, all of these are parts of the weapon and need to be understood properly if you want to use the weapon to it's full potential.

"You pointed out the blade, two sharpened sides and a tapered point. But the sword is not sharpened on the sides because it favors the cut, it favors the thrust. The sharpened side and shape make it easier to thrust, like the blades of a spear, only much longer. The sword is a weapon of finesse and not strength, it is light enough to change its direction in haste, but sturdy enough to collide with a shield and not break. Swing it around in large arcs and someone is likely to take it from your hands.

"The guard of this sword is open but wide, you can use the ends like small hammers in a pinch, but most importantly they allow you more than one way to grip the hilt. The long sword's hilt is long enough to accommodate two hands, but balanced well enough to be used effectively with one. And lastly the pommel is the weight used to balance the end and length of the blade. Many pommels are decorative and are useless beyond storing an enchantment or two, but one like this is solid metal and hurts quite a bit if you are struck by it.

"Your weapon is versatile, because every part of it can be used for both attack and defense. There is a lot of freedom in how you choose to use it. But the blade is your point of greatest reach and should be your first choice in a fight for attacks. You made mostly thrusts, which was what you observed from your master's training, but I'm guessing that neither of you were told why."

Alex held the sword and demonstrated a few tight thrusts and parries with an invisible opponent demonstrating how the sword could be used without large deviation from a fencer's line. "With practice you can use a sword without the need of a shield and not endanger yourself in a duel, although I highly recommend using a shield in a field battle regardless of your skill with a sword.

"And speaking of shields, they are also weapons. They aren't just walls between you and your opponent, they are tools of war and not the reserved for cowards. You will see many shields in your travels, my personal favorite is the northern wooden shields. They are cheap in most places, but they are just as versatile as this sword if you understand them."

Alex picked up his round shield from his pack to explain, "The single handle in the middle makes it easy to hold and change the angle as you use it to deflect attacks or take your enemy by surprise." He handed the sword back to Edward, "Take a large swing at me and I'll show you."

Edward did as instructed and sank the entire blade into the edge of the shield. Very quickly Alex gave the shield a twist and yanked the sword from the hand of the lad before he knew what to expect, and drawing a dagger from his arm sheath in a single forward motion Alex brought the short blade to the youth's throat, "This is why you shouldn't underestimate the value of a cheap shield, your sword will take much more effort to remove from my shield that it took for you to put it there, and as long as the weapon is trapped in my shield it is my weapon, not yours. The shield also prevents you from seeing my actions and gives me freedom to make a counter attack that you cannot predict without extensive battle experience.

"Metal shields might be more durable, but the wooden shield gives a clever warrior the advantage. Never forget that, if a group of people chose to use a rock as their weapon when they could also chose a sword expect that there is a reason for it. Never assume you are better than your opponent, or they will surprise you. Always look for the surprise and then you can be happily disappointed when they don't surprise you. Any questions so far?"

Edward nodded and Alex took a step back, "Do you have a favorite weapon too?"

Alex chuckled as he put his dagger away, "I told you the shield is also a weapon. And it is among my favorites, but I don't have a single favorite." He pulled the sword free from his shield and held it up, "I spent most of my young life perfecting my skill with the sword, and so I am probably best with it. But the weapon that is most natural in my hands is the short spear. For theory training purposes think of it as a quarterstaff with a knife on the end and you'll be able to see several ways it can be used."

Edward's eyes lit up for a second, "Oh, I hadn't thought of that. Would the Halberd then be like an axe on a quarterstaff too?"

Alex shook his head, "No, actually. The balance is terrible to use the halberd like a long axe. The handle is also too long and will snap if you give it a proper swing. The halberd is actually meant to be used for infantry to combat mounted units. Like the pike it's length negates the height advantage of the mounted warrior, but the axe-like part of the halberd is better at catching a mounted man and pulling him off balance and tumbling to the ground. Both the axe and the hook on the back end if you have one can be used to this effect. However, the halberd is a good weapon for...unusually bold tactics when fighting large beasts and dragons. It's why some dragoon knights up in the spine use them."

"The Dragoons are real?"

"Very much so."

"And they can use the magic of dragons?"

"That is almost a necessity if you plan to hunt dragon, which is the sworn duty of their religion. They aren't good at much else, but they are the best at what they do. I know because I was saved by one a long time ago."

There was an obvious boyish fascination that Edward had with the Dragoon Knights, one that would probably always be unfulfilled. The young Alexander was obsessed with the legends of Lionheart, and there were no stories about how he'd been saved by a Dragoon while hunting a Dragon. The Dragoon had requested to be left out of the story and so Alex was left all the glory for the hunt that nearly killed him. He later killed a few more dragons to absolve his guilty conscious, but he would always remember the sight of one man fighting a dragon on equal footing, it was something that before his possession he would never be able to do, maybe now he could, but he lacked interest to try.

They spoke of a few more basic weapons, and by the time the young Alexander was awake Edward was beginning to understand how to see a weapon as a complete item rather than a simple instrument fashioned from wood and/or metal.

After breakfast and breaking camp the small troop continued south along the main road. Edward and young Alexander prattled on with boyish excitement about Edward's morning training, the Dragoons and Lionhart's various legends. Alex ignored them as best he could, but Demon expressed her annoyance in every conceivable manner until she exhausted herself and chose to nap the annoyance away. The two lads however remained completely unaware of her displeasure and her protests.