12th of Searing 4622
Hugo shielded his eyes from the sunlight as he once more entered the clearing that he and Bertrand had practised in before. Taking some enjoyment from the shade and how it seemed to mitigate the soft heat that was ever present in Daravin this time of year. As he once more entered the clearing he could see that Bertrand was already waiting for him, seemingly having finished his own practice routine as Hugo saw that the man in question was just sheeting his sword as Hugo arrived at the empty clearing. "Ah hello there my lord, there you are. Ready for another lesson?" Rolling his eyes Hugo responded. "Yes I'm ready for you to beat me blue with a valid excuse" At this response, Bertrand got a wide smile. "Admittedly I do enjoy that more than I probably should. Luckily for you, however, there will be no beating or swordfighting today."
Hugo tried to process this piece of information. "So I am learning swordfighting, but we will not be doing any swordfighting today." "Yes ! Precisely." Waiting a few seconds to confuse Hugo even more Bertrand finally responded. "Look, you now know the basics of defending yourself, but when we sparred I noticed that some of the fundamentals were missing. Sure you know how to deflect a blow now but your stance is so weak a harsh wind could break it. Also, when we are fighting you are moving like you are 60 years old, stiff and without grace, but I really shouldn't say that. Even your grandfather at 70 moved far better than that, how he would look upon you now." This was finally enough, Hugo could put up with all of the verbal jousting but referencing his grandfather's name like that was the final straw. "Bertrand, I know you enjoy this but this is far too much. You exceed your boundaries as my Valran. Act with at least a modicum of respect and deference." At this response Bertrand glared and stood still, just giving a look of contempt and just shaking his head. "You think this is about you? That this is an act of defiance?" The silence stretched out for far too long. Hugo was about to respond when a bitter laugh barked from Bertrand's mouth. "If you keep acting and behaving like that you will die." It was said so casually and simply, as if it was just a simple word with little meaning. Rather than a potentially implied threat or a grave message.
"Your Grandfather is dead, your father is dead. One from a lack of perception and the other from a lack of willpower. You have the willpower to survive a long time, but not with that pride. If this is what gets you angry, what happens when you have to keep your composure in battle? Will you let your emotions control you and be cut down by an opponent? " Hugo clenched his hands and grit his teeth. He wanted to punch Bertrand for his own arrogance and insubordination. About how he acted as if he was so much better than him whilst being far more flawed. But Hugo could not deny the wisdom in Bertrand's words. He had to be in control of his emotions, it could be fatal either in battle or in the political arena if that control lapsed. So rather than punching Bertrand's insufferable face Hugo slowly breathed in and out before nodding. His characteristic smile was gone for a moment. "Alright."
Bertrand kept giving him a certain look, the meaning of which Hugo could not discern, before nodding. "Good, now back to the lesson. First, just leave your sword and your sheath there in the shade." Hugo looked where Bertrand was pointing before following what he had said. Putting the sword and sheath on the ground and focusing on Bertrand in front of him. "Now go stand as you normally would if you had a sword in hand." Hugo began to do so, putting his left foot forward and beginning to turn so he presented as small a target as possible when Bertrand interjected. "Wrong !" Hugo constrained himself before looking at Bertrand, who was now standing in a similar position to him, but different. "Look at me, my hips are towards you, my left foot is facing forwards and the right foot is behind. This is a solid stance which will give you good footing if you are hit hard. Now, face my direction, keep your right leg straight and your left leg bent a bit. Good ! You got a decent basic stance. Now to practice balance for a bit." Bertrand moved forward closer to Hugo. "What you will do now is to balance on the back end of your feet. Make sure to hold it there. That way your entire mass is on the back end of your foot and you can practice keeping that part of your foot as grounded as possible. Now, I will lightly push you and you will attempt to maintain your balance. Got it? Good. " Hugo then did as Bertrand said, balancing on the back end of his feet. This was followed by Bertrand lightly pushing against his chest and Hugo subsequently trying to keep his balance. The first few initial times this didn't work out as well, but after about 5 minutes he managed to keep a solid balance. "Very good, now it is time to do the same exercise but this time you will balance the front part, 'the ball', of your feet." The exercise was repeated, with Bertrand pushing whilst Hugo tried to maintain his balance, but this time he had to try and not topple forwards or backwards. It took about a minute for him to find the right balance. There was a near call with Hugo losing a lot of his balance and almost falling onto the ground entirely, but he managed to shift his footing quickly enough. After all this Bertrand gave a satisfied nod. "That was not bad, now onto the next part."
"Now, go and lift a heavy item like that small rock there." Bertrand pointed to a stone the size of a leather ball used for kicking games. With some confusion, Hugo did so, with only a slight initial correction from Bertrand to "Keep your back straight and lift with your legs." He did so and then Bertrand came closer and Hugo froze as he felt Bertrand touching his backside. But not his butt for some reason, like above his butt but below his hip. Touching a weird hard bony part. "Do you feel this ? This is your tailbone, it is a part of your body that is very important for keeping your balance. So continue lifting that stone upwards and downwards." Hugo did so and felt, as Bertrand kept several fingers pressed on his tailbone, how it shifted in position. "Feel how your tailbone shift forwards and backwards as it tries to shift position. Do you feel it ?" Hugo nodded. "Yes I do" "Good, now we can continue with that exercise. Drop that stone and now go onto your back like me." Bertrand then laid his back down straight on the ground and put his legs in a V like position. Hugo still felt some degree of confusion but began to grasp some part of what Bertrand was telling him. So he shifted downwards and only cringed lightly as he felt his back and his clothes touch the grassy ground. "Alright your body is in position, keep it that way. Now, begin moving your tailbone, try not to move your hips too much and don't move your leg at all. Just move backwards and forwards and feel that some bone from earlier." It felt a little painful and awkward but Hugo did so, feeling as some part around his hip contorted and moved, going inward and outward. "Good, get that feeling, continue, don't bend your legs, just continue with your tailbone." After about a minute of Bertrand giving tips like that he finally replied with "Alright, stand up and go back to the basic stance from earlier. " Hugo did so, pushing himself off the ground, slightly rubbing his tailbone and going to that basic position.
"Now, just like earlier I will begin slightly pushing you. Try to put your tailbone in a good position, too far forward and you become imbalanced, too far backwards and you become imbalanced. If you find the right point midpoint you will have a strong balance." Bertrand came closer and once again pushed Hugo, he tried and partially succeeded in gaining his balance but it was not good enough. His balance still felt off, he tried to move his tailbone again but the effect was not significant enough. He saw that Bertrand was about to comment again but just then Hugo shifted his tailbone a bit forward and saw how Bertrand raised a curious eyebrow. "Good, that is just what you needed. Now we'll continue a few pushes and see if you maintain that position." It took a bit of effort and at this point, his backside was starting to get sore, but Hugo succeeded in finding the balance that Bertrand was talking about. The elder Valran then nodded.
Now, time to put all that stuff into practice. We'll stand opposite each other, in our stances and try to push each other, not too hard but try to get the other out of position. You can take one step to reposition or try to push, but a second step and you are out. Got it? Good. Hugo and Bertrand then stood opposite each other and first Bertrand began, trying to lightly push Hugo with the back of his hands. Hugo managed to maintain his balanced and with a similar push tried to push Bertrand, unsuccessfully. Now that it was clear Hugo understood how this worked, Bertrand countered with somewhat harder pushes, forcing Hugo to shift his body position to the right and take a step back. Hugo used his position to push Bertrand but the elder swordsman kept his position. Then countering with a push after Hugo overextended Hugo took the second step and was defeated. "Alright, good attempt. We'll do that another four times and then we'll call it done for today." After several repeats, with Hugo even managing to force Bertrand to take a step back once, the practice was done for today.
"Mhm, not bad my lord. You did well today." After wiping the sweat from his brow Hugo nodded. "Yes, and you give good instruction Bertrand.... I may have been somewhat off-balanced at the start, but you were right." Even as Hugo clenched his hands a bit, Bertrand nodded. "Aye, maybe. But I might have been a bit wrong as well." Bertrand then walked away, leaving the clearing and his master behind. Trying to push the spectre of an older Abreo away from his mind.
Hugo shielded his eyes from the sunlight as he once more entered the clearing that he and Bertrand had practised in before. Taking some enjoyment from the shade and how it seemed to mitigate the soft heat that was ever present in Daravin this time of year. As he once more entered the clearing he could see that Bertrand was already waiting for him, seemingly having finished his own practice routine as Hugo saw that the man in question was just sheeting his sword as Hugo arrived at the empty clearing. "Ah hello there my lord, there you are. Ready for another lesson?" Rolling his eyes Hugo responded. "Yes I'm ready for you to beat me blue with a valid excuse" At this response, Bertrand got a wide smile. "Admittedly I do enjoy that more than I probably should. Luckily for you, however, there will be no beating or swordfighting today."
Hugo tried to process this piece of information. "So I am learning swordfighting, but we will not be doing any swordfighting today." "Yes ! Precisely." Waiting a few seconds to confuse Hugo even more Bertrand finally responded. "Look, you now know the basics of defending yourself, but when we sparred I noticed that some of the fundamentals were missing. Sure you know how to deflect a blow now but your stance is so weak a harsh wind could break it. Also, when we are fighting you are moving like you are 60 years old, stiff and without grace, but I really shouldn't say that. Even your grandfather at 70 moved far better than that, how he would look upon you now." This was finally enough, Hugo could put up with all of the verbal jousting but referencing his grandfather's name like that was the final straw. "Bertrand, I know you enjoy this but this is far too much. You exceed your boundaries as my Valran. Act with at least a modicum of respect and deference." At this response Bertrand glared and stood still, just giving a look of contempt and just shaking his head. "You think this is about you? That this is an act of defiance?" The silence stretched out for far too long. Hugo was about to respond when a bitter laugh barked from Bertrand's mouth. "If you keep acting and behaving like that you will die." It was said so casually and simply, as if it was just a simple word with little meaning. Rather than a potentially implied threat or a grave message.
"Your Grandfather is dead, your father is dead. One from a lack of perception and the other from a lack of willpower. You have the willpower to survive a long time, but not with that pride. If this is what gets you angry, what happens when you have to keep your composure in battle? Will you let your emotions control you and be cut down by an opponent? " Hugo clenched his hands and grit his teeth. He wanted to punch Bertrand for his own arrogance and insubordination. About how he acted as if he was so much better than him whilst being far more flawed. But Hugo could not deny the wisdom in Bertrand's words. He had to be in control of his emotions, it could be fatal either in battle or in the political arena if that control lapsed. So rather than punching Bertrand's insufferable face Hugo slowly breathed in and out before nodding. His characteristic smile was gone for a moment. "Alright."
Bertrand kept giving him a certain look, the meaning of which Hugo could not discern, before nodding. "Good, now back to the lesson. First, just leave your sword and your sheath there in the shade." Hugo looked where Bertrand was pointing before following what he had said. Putting the sword and sheath on the ground and focusing on Bertrand in front of him. "Now go stand as you normally would if you had a sword in hand." Hugo began to do so, putting his left foot forward and beginning to turn so he presented as small a target as possible when Bertrand interjected. "Wrong !" Hugo constrained himself before looking at Bertrand, who was now standing in a similar position to him, but different. "Look at me, my hips are towards you, my left foot is facing forwards and the right foot is behind. This is a solid stance which will give you good footing if you are hit hard. Now, face my direction, keep your right leg straight and your left leg bent a bit. Good ! You got a decent basic stance. Now to practice balance for a bit." Bertrand moved forward closer to Hugo. "What you will do now is to balance on the back end of your feet. Make sure to hold it there. That way your entire mass is on the back end of your foot and you can practice keeping that part of your foot as grounded as possible. Now, I will lightly push you and you will attempt to maintain your balance. Got it? Good. " Hugo then did as Bertrand said, balancing on the back end of his feet. This was followed by Bertrand lightly pushing against his chest and Hugo subsequently trying to keep his balance. The first few initial times this didn't work out as well, but after about 5 minutes he managed to keep a solid balance. "Very good, now it is time to do the same exercise but this time you will balance the front part, 'the ball', of your feet." The exercise was repeated, with Bertrand pushing whilst Hugo tried to maintain his balance, but this time he had to try and not topple forwards or backwards. It took about a minute for him to find the right balance. There was a near call with Hugo losing a lot of his balance and almost falling onto the ground entirely, but he managed to shift his footing quickly enough. After all this Bertrand gave a satisfied nod. "That was not bad, now onto the next part."
"Now, go and lift a heavy item like that small rock there." Bertrand pointed to a stone the size of a leather ball used for kicking games. With some confusion, Hugo did so, with only a slight initial correction from Bertrand to "Keep your back straight and lift with your legs." He did so and then Bertrand came closer and Hugo froze as he felt Bertrand touching his backside. But not his butt for some reason, like above his butt but below his hip. Touching a weird hard bony part. "Do you feel this ? This is your tailbone, it is a part of your body that is very important for keeping your balance. So continue lifting that stone upwards and downwards." Hugo did so and felt, as Bertrand kept several fingers pressed on his tailbone, how it shifted in position. "Feel how your tailbone shift forwards and backwards as it tries to shift position. Do you feel it ?" Hugo nodded. "Yes I do" "Good, now we can continue with that exercise. Drop that stone and now go onto your back like me." Bertrand then laid his back down straight on the ground and put his legs in a V like position. Hugo still felt some degree of confusion but began to grasp some part of what Bertrand was telling him. So he shifted downwards and only cringed lightly as he felt his back and his clothes touch the grassy ground. "Alright your body is in position, keep it that way. Now, begin moving your tailbone, try not to move your hips too much and don't move your leg at all. Just move backwards and forwards and feel that some bone from earlier." It felt a little painful and awkward but Hugo did so, feeling as some part around his hip contorted and moved, going inward and outward. "Good, get that feeling, continue, don't bend your legs, just continue with your tailbone." After about a minute of Bertrand giving tips like that he finally replied with "Alright, stand up and go back to the basic stance from earlier. " Hugo did so, pushing himself off the ground, slightly rubbing his tailbone and going to that basic position.
"Now, just like earlier I will begin slightly pushing you. Try to put your tailbone in a good position, too far forward and you become imbalanced, too far backwards and you become imbalanced. If you find the right point midpoint you will have a strong balance." Bertrand came closer and once again pushed Hugo, he tried and partially succeeded in gaining his balance but it was not good enough. His balance still felt off, he tried to move his tailbone again but the effect was not significant enough. He saw that Bertrand was about to comment again but just then Hugo shifted his tailbone a bit forward and saw how Bertrand raised a curious eyebrow. "Good, that is just what you needed. Now we'll continue a few pushes and see if you maintain that position." It took a bit of effort and at this point, his backside was starting to get sore, but Hugo succeeded in finding the balance that Bertrand was talking about. The elder Valran then nodded.
Now, time to put all that stuff into practice. We'll stand opposite each other, in our stances and try to push each other, not too hard but try to get the other out of position. You can take one step to reposition or try to push, but a second step and you are out. Got it? Good. Hugo and Bertrand then stood opposite each other and first Bertrand began, trying to lightly push Hugo with the back of his hands. Hugo managed to maintain his balanced and with a similar push tried to push Bertrand, unsuccessfully. Now that it was clear Hugo understood how this worked, Bertrand countered with somewhat harder pushes, forcing Hugo to shift his body position to the right and take a step back. Hugo used his position to push Bertrand but the elder swordsman kept his position. Then countering with a push after Hugo overextended Hugo took the second step and was defeated. "Alright, good attempt. We'll do that another four times and then we'll call it done for today." After several repeats, with Hugo even managing to force Bertrand to take a step back once, the practice was done for today.
"Mhm, not bad my lord. You did well today." After wiping the sweat from his brow Hugo nodded. "Yes, and you give good instruction Bertrand.... I may have been somewhat off-balanced at the start, but you were right." Even as Hugo clenched his hands a bit, Bertrand nodded. "Aye, maybe. But I might have been a bit wrong as well." Bertrand then walked away, leaving the clearing and his master behind. Trying to push the spectre of an older Abreo away from his mind.
