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[Doireann]

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Ciara went over her instructions carefully. She hadn’t realized she would actually be approved for the second stage. Looking down the line at all the other children, she sighed. She was by far the smallest one there. Sure, she was the youngest, but even her twin brother was bigger than her. She sat down, memorizing the words she had been given, before pulling out a second book. She had found it lying around, an odd book, detailing things she had never even considered. Sure, she had figured out how to make potions that explode and make fire, but this… this was a look into such extremes. Potions that force one to tell the truth, another to make one forget, and even those that killed with a single drop. This is what she had wanted to learn. Yes, she could heal herself if she got hurt, but so what? This information was far more powerful. The possibilities seemed endless. Put the book down, Ciara. This won’t help you on your task. Ciara thought to herself, then set the book down, sighing as she picked up her kryss and began practicing.

* * *

Doireann came home, exhausted, and threw her pack down on the table. From above she heard a very high pitched “Hi yaah.” She slowly went up the stairs to see what the commotion was. There, she saw her daughter, Ciara, practicing hitting the air with her kryss, her hand motions completely inaccurate. Doireann gave a sigh. This child of hers confused her. She didn’t want to fight, and seemed more interested in a book than in her weapons. Yet, the child was stubborn. She had a natural desire to study, yet didn’t really want to understand magery. She seemed more interested in the other magics instead. Even worse, she kept insisting on trying to use a weapon, when she was just so horrible with it. She walked over to Ciara and looked down. Her daughter didn’t even notice. She kept stabbing at the air, her hands still holding the weapon incorrectly.

Doireann reached down, and gently held the child’s hand, turning it in the correct direction. “Hit it holding the weapon this way. Your hand needs to hold it steadier than you have been. And balance your feet. The right foot in front of the left, and swing with your body, not your arms.” Ciara looked up, despondent. Doireann gave a small sigh. “Here, I’ll give you a secret. You are a girl. You don’t have the upper body strength that a boy does, right?” Ciara just nodded. Doireann took the kryss, and got into a fighting stance. “Moving the arms is good, but learn to minimilize it. For instance.” Doireann swung the sword straight, from behind her to straight in front of her. “Notice the hand. It goes simply to where I want. But, no real strength.” She then grinned at her daughter. “Come, let’s go outside.”

They went outside, a small trail of guards following behind discreetly, to a bare tree. “Ciara, this is your new practice tree.” Ciara looked at the tree skeptically. “Watch, I will show you the true trick to fighting with a sword like a girl.” She swung as she had in the house, and hit the tree. There was a slight sound, and a few bark chips fell. “Not impressive, is it?” Ciara shook her head. “Now, a girl is strongest in the hips, and all warriors must use their bodies.” She went back into position, then swung, this time moving her body with the sword. The sword hit the tree, this time sinking deep within the bark. Ciara’s eyes widened in surprise. Doireann handed the sword to her daughter, and nodded. “Go ahead, first without strength. When you get the motions right, then move your body.” Doireann sat, watching her daughter hit the tree over and over, not moving her body until she consistently got it correct. “Alright, now, move your body.” She got behind Ciara, and showed her, allowing her to feel the movements needed. Ciara concentrated, still nodding. Then, she pulled her sword back, and swung, hard. She gasped, seeing the sword stuck within the tree, below her mother’s mark.

“I did it! Mother, I did it! I actually did it!” Ciara’s screams could be heard all around. Doireann smiled in pride, and nodded.

“Keep doing it. We will get your body to know what to do. But remember, that’s just one move. We will get you up to speed, one small step at a time.” Doireann stepped back, and watched her daughter hit the tree, getting more consistent with her moves, again and again. Slowly, she began to show her how to hit from below, from her left, and more. Constantly first making her understand the arm movement, then the body movement. Ciara hoped she could get this all memorized fast. After all, she had only a week to be prepared for her task.