In the familiar training courtyard, Noah gripped his wooden sword with some confidence.
The weapon felt lighter now, more natural in his hands than during his first clumsy attempts.
"Alright." Valeria crossed her arms, studying his stance.
"Show me whether you've been practicing or just slacking around."
Noah nodded, flowing through the basic forms she'd drilled into him.
High strike. Middle strike. Low strike.
His movements still lacked the grace of a swordsman, but they were much better.
At least I'm not embarrassing myself.
"Although you haven't improved much, you didn't get worse either."
Valeria's assessment stung with its honesty.
She's not wrong. I haven't practiced at all since my last visit here.
"Let's pick up where we left off."
From the sidelines, Finn sat with his usual notebook, quill scratching furiously across parchment.
The young man's eyes burned with desperation. He was just a man trying to learn swordsmanship.
Poor guy.
