Doris and Druvid were engaged in a practice sword fight. But do what Druvid would, there was no way he could win him. Even after a long tussle neither Doris was allowing him to win, nor allowing him to disengage. Druvid wasn't a man of patience.
'Stop. Stop. Stop.' Druvid threw up his sword and jumped aside talking off his helmet. Druvid was a fine young man with dark hair, his features demeanour and gait every bit was like that of a royal prince.
'Now you're showing off!'
'No, I am not.' Doris picked up the sword and handed it back to him, helping him rise from the sandy floor of the practice arena. 'I was actually trying to show you how to throw off your enemy if you cannot win him.'
'You mean, now you are teaching me?' Druvid scowled. 'Aren't our teachers enough for that?'
'Not teaching . Just showing you some secret tricks that I have discovered on my own. Look.'
Doris swung his sword over all where Druvid was looking at him puzzled.
'When the enemy is all over you, giving you no space, no moment and no chance to attack him, the easiest trick to over power him is this: You pretend you are losing and getting tired and you stagger like a step like this. The enemy thinks you're about to give up and chances are he will become careless. That's when you attack him and bring him down.
Confusing your enemy and allowing you to guess what you plan to do is ancient old trick.'
'Yeah, but I don't need this trick, if I have you. Have you forgotten what I said to you the other day? When I am king, you and I are going to be together. Like friends. Then you can use all your skills on training my military.'
'Excellent, Doris! Excellent!' The masters clapped from behind. They had come in when both of them were engaged in their fight and had overheard every word that Doris said.
'Masters!' They bowed to them respectfully, their eyes cast down at their feet.
'Doris, in my opinion it would be hard for us to say if you are a better warrior or a better teacher or a better student. You seem to be brilliant all three!'
'Thank you Masters. It is my greatest fortune that my attempts at learning are appreciated.'
Druvid scowled. It was clear the master wanted to talk to Doris only. So he excused himself and discreetly disappeared while the master held Doris affectionately by his shoulders and lead him to the inner hall and into his own chamber at the side of the large building.
'Sit down, Doris.' The master offered him a seat beside the table and himself sat down. His flowing white hair and great white beard presented a stunning contrast to Doris' own short black hair, moustaches and clipped short beard.
'You know we are an age old martial school where we provide free martial training to anyone and everyone who comes to us regardless of their name, birth and wealth. That's our tradition.'
'Yes master. I am aware of that.'
The master slowly poured out a tea for both of them. 'Hmm what was I saying?'
'It is the tradition of our school to teach all students indiscriminately.'
'Ah yes. So, I wanted to ask you why did you want to learn martial arts at all. You are from a priest family.'
'I am, master. My father was a priest. I will be one too. I just happened to have a great interest in martial arts so I decided to learn it.'
'You do not have any intention of pursuing it any further?'
'No. In my family it is important to follow the trade of your father.'
'That's a pity. You will make a really good warrior, I can say that with certainty, but, if you do not wish to become one then, I suppose there's no point in taking your skills to a higher level.'
'Higher level?' His eyes glittered.
'Just as students search for a suitable teacher, teachers too search for suitable students.'
'I am yours.'
There was a long silence in the room broken only by the sound produced by poring tea. Nobody spoke. The master was no doubt weighing his own preposition but Doris was already high with intoxication at the thought of 'something more'. His eyes shown like stars in the slowly darkening room. The light had still not been lit.
'You know which is the greatest weapon, Doris?' He sipped his tea slowly. 'Not the sword. Not the arrow. Not the skills. Not the expertise. It is the human mind that wields it all. Our mind tells us when we need a weapon, how to use it and what to do when we don't have any weapon at all.'
Doris' heartbeats started to quicken. His mouth ran dry. He couldn't take his eyes off the master's face.
'So, if one can train the mind, the mind can then, in turn, train the weapons. Not only train but control the weapons. The mind can control if you want to use your sword as your hand or ..... your hand as a sword.'
'Watch.' He took a twig from his flower vase, held it in both hands, closed his eyes and mumbled something. Then threw it at the candle holder hanging from the ceiling. All the candles lit in one single blaze as if by magic.
The room was bathed in its soft golden glow.
Doris stood up and kneeled before him in profound reverence. The master smiled.
'Your training begins tomorrow before sun rise.'
'I caught you.' Druvid jumped on Doris from behind and they both tumbled down the mountainous rocky path many and landed on the foot of a grassy patch under a tree. It was early morning and the sun wasn't yet completely risen. The grassy mountainous path was wet with dew and air as cold and crisp as ice.
'You?' Doris exclaimed. 'I thought it was a wild animal or something. I didn't hear you at all.' He brushed off the dust from his clothes and inspected his elbow. It was slightly grazed.
'Were you following me?'
'You are up to something, aren't you? What is it?'
'It wouldn't interest you.'
'Is it a girl?'
That made Doris laugh.
'No. I promised myself before coming here that I would marry only after I complete my martial training.'
'What is it then? Since some months you have changed. You are suddenly hard to find, you disappear mysteriously at odd times and no one knows where you're gone. It's not easy doing my assignments alone without your help, or chopping all that damned wood and carrying it home.'
Doris laughed harder.
'Tell me or I will tell everyone that you are doing something fishy.'
'It's a secret.'
'So, it is a girl. Who is she?'
'I am doing advanced martial training.'
'What's that?'
'It's like... like... learning new kind of weapons.' He plucked a blade of grass. 'Look at this. It is just a tender blade of grass, but with right intention and training you could make it a weapon.'
'Impossible. Show me.'
'That's what I am learning right now. And I wouldn't show you even if I could. Skills like this are not meant to show off or even prove something. They are powers and must be used only with pure intention and right purpose.'
'But what's the use of these powers and weapons if you can't even use them? You are not a warrior and don't even want to be one. It's also not like you are going to rescue Mistillies or.. or fight wars and rebellions or something. It's a waste of time.'
Doris shrugged his shoulders and sighed wistfully.
'May be it is a waste of time, but I am completely hooked and can't think of staying away from it. And that reminds me. Time for me to go.'
He stood up abruptly. 'But rescuing Mistillies is a good idea!' He left. In a few moments he was out of sight, disappeared in the mountain somewhere.
The sun had risen and filled the whole idyllic scene with its soft light. But inside the mountain cave it was pitch dark. As it is, the mouth of the cave was so small, Doris must crawl like an earthworm to enter inside. But once inside, the cave became large enough.
'You're late today.' Said the master severely.
'My apologies, my master.'
'Be seated.'
Doris sat down on animal fur spread over a flattish stone opposite his master's seat. Even in that pitch darkness they were able to see each other. But they didn't need to see each other or anything for that matter. They only had to close their eyes..!