Sorrow | Dune | Gurney Halleck

Chapter Three

Leto had requested that Mildred bring her new weapon to him, though. Hopefully after that Gurney and Clara would be relieved of their duty.

"I see you've returned." Leto spoke as they entered the room.

Gurney placed the weapon on his desk and Leto carefully undid the fabric. He examined the weapon before looking at his daughter. "It's a beautiful weapon. Perfect for you."

"I had a little help." Mildred admitted with a knowing smile.

"I'm sure you did." Leto treaded and ruffled his daughter's hair that was stuck to her forehead. "Gurney?"

"Sir?" He said.

"I was hoping that we could possibly start training Mildred in combat? She has to learn at some point. I think I was around her age when I learned. I was hoping you could train her." Leto requested.

Gurney froze in place. Train her. The Duke wanted him of all people to train his daughter to fight. He couldn't refuse for obvious reasons, but he wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea. "Umm, of course, sir."

"Thank you, Gurney. I can't think of anyone else better to train her. I'll have her meet you in the training room tomorrow morning?" He suggested.

Mildred beamed up at her father. She was going to be doing something different finally. Something that would be beneficial. She was going to learn to fight!

****
Mildred wouldn't admit it out loud, but she was slightly nervous as she was escorted to the training room situated in the castle. She had seen it numerous times. She had even been inside of it and watched her father train. It was different when you were the one being trained. She had been situated into a simple pair of trousers and a tunic. It was more suitable for training than a dress.

Her hair had been braided into a single braid down her back to ensure it didn't get in the way. When she arrived, Gurney was already there. He wore a simple outfit comparable to the one from yesterday. A short sleeve shirt tucked into a pair of pants and a pair of boots. Her sword laid on a table to the side of the room, gleaming as if it were waiting for her.

Gurney hadn't heard her. He was too busy trying to figure out how in the world he was going to train a child to fight. She was too young for normal training. However, he had to teach her something. Basics. He would start with basics. When he looked up from the table, there she stood with her hands clasped in front of her. "Lady Mildred."

"What shall I call you?" The young girl inquired.

"Just Gurney is fine." He told her.

She scrunched up her nose slightly as if she was concealing a laugh. "Gurney. What a funny name."

She had a sense of humor. Well, humor to a six year old. That would help. "It was the surname of a warrior that fought a very long time ago."

"Would you like to know how I got my name?" She asked curiously.

Not really, he thought to himself. "Sure."

"It means gentle strength. My father thought that should be the epitome of a future Duchess. She should be strong enough to lead but kind enough to love her people."

"That sounds fitting then. How about we begin?" Gurney suggested. He reached over to the table and produced a small, rectangle object. "Put this on your hand."

She took it from him. "What is it?"

"It's a shield. It will protect you while you learn. You'll still feel if you get hit. The impact won't harm you though." He explained.

She slipped it onto her hand and pressed a button before a light engulfed her. She looked at her hands mesmerized by the shield. She couldn't even feel it. All she could hear was the gently humming of it surrounding her. When Mildred envisioned learning to fight, she imagined herself gracefully taking down the enemy. That fantasy was shattered when Gurney handed her a stick slightly taller than her.

Her face dropped instantly. She didn't understand. Her father had a sword forged so she could use it to fight. Not some stupid stick. Gurney wouldn't allow himself to spare with her yet. Not until she learned to defend herself and until she older. For now she would practice on the three dummies in the room, much to her dismay.

"Hit the target." He simply spoke.

Mildred looked at him confused. She did as she was told though. It was a pathetic attempt to say the least. It would have more so annoyed the enemy than hurt them.

"Widen your stance." Gurney commanded.

This time her strike was slightly harder. Still, it would hardly done a thing.

"Use your upper body. You're small and need all the strength you can manage."

Her nostrils flared in angry at the mention of her size. She narrowed her eyes slightly and this time when she hit it a small thwak could be heard. Her movements were still sloppy.

"When you're fighting, both your opponent and you will be feeling a range of emotions. Anger. Fear. Sadness. You can't let those emotions affect you though. It will cause mistakes and potentially your life. You have to remain calm and clear headed." He spoke.

Even to someone as young as her, his words made sense. It just proved rather difficult given her age. She tried her best to have a clear head, whatever that meant. Her next hit was quite...graceful. While it looked almost effortless, the power behind it said otherwise. Mildred spun to look around at Gurney with a proud face. However, his face bore no emotion.

"Good." He said. "Again."

She did as she was told. She didn't know how many times he yelled 'again' at her. However, every time she struck the dummy, the better she became. She ignored her burning arms, the sweat dripping down her forehead. For once, she felt like what she was doing was meant for her. What she was doing in the very moment would help the future of her people.