Chapter 1

The armored figure sat silently atop his horse as it trotted, mulling to himself, I wonder if this village will be more enthusiastic than the last?

He stroked his horse's mane, and lightly tapped his horse with his boot. The horse nickered and increased its pace, galloping down the road towards the village.

The village of Vimml was not much to behold. The village hall was the largest building in the area, located along the main road leading into and out of the village. Small cottages were scattered across the countryside, and small numbers of people could be seen working their fields in the hot summer evening.

The armored man and his horse drew attention as they approached the village. Some of the villagers stopped their work and looked up, wondering if the lone man had come to raid their coffers. Unfortunately, or fortunately, the village consisted of simple folk with little to spare in terms of coins and material goods.

As the horse came to a stop outside the village hall, a small group of villagers gathered. Many were holding their pitchforks or other farming tools, and a small number had sheathed swords by their side. Poor or not, the villagers were not intending to be raided without a fight.

The man pulled off his helmet and announced, "Fear not, fair citizens of Vimml. I am Sir Rohea of the King's Honor Guard, and I am here in peace."

Several gasps were made by the villagers, and many stood in shock and awe. What was a knight, especially one from the Honor Guard, doing in their small village? After a few seconds of silence, a burly villager stepped forward.

He challenged, "What proof do you have that you are indeed Sir Rohea? I for one don't believe that one as esteemed as Sir Rohea would travel alone to our village, especially without his royal colors."

The other villagers looked at Rohea and his horse, and hushed whispers began spreading about the small group. Some tightened their grips on their weapons and tools.

Rohea gave a small laugh, and reached for the small pack hanging beside the saddle. He opened it to reveal the characteristic gold and purple cloths associated with the King's Honor Guard.

Rohea stepped off his horse and said, "Displaying my colors would scare away all the would-be ruffians who terrorize the roads." Upon seeing the royal cloths, the burly man quickly bowed and apologized to Rohea. Rohea waved his hand and replied, "There is no need to apologize. Your caution is well-deserved, as are the rest of you." Looking across the group, he continued, "I am here to train your local militia in case the war–"

The villagers looked visibly shaken at the suggestion of war, and more than a few re-tightened their grips on their weapons. The burly man looked like he was about to say something when Rohea placed his hand on the man's shoulder in a friendly gesture.

"The war is still far from your village, but local thugs may take the opportunity and raid your stores, and it'll be best to be prepared. From the bravery you've shown me when I arrived, I believe that your village will be safe from anyone who seeks you harm."

"We are simple folk, but we will put up a fight if we have to."

Rohea smiled and agreed, "Of that I have no doubt. I'll be holding basic combat training tomorrow at dawn, and then a sparring tournament at the end of the day. For now, is there a tavern where I can get a drink?"

The burly man replied, "I am Tolil, the local blacksmith. We don't get many visitors at our village, so we don't have a tavern. However, my wife Lisg makes the best ale in this area, and I would be honored if you would have a drink with us at our humble home."

"I would be happy to," Rohea said. "Please, lead the way."

Rohea gave a polite smile as he drank Lisg's ale.

If this is the best ale around here, Rohea thought. I'm not sure I can survive the worst!

"Would you like some more?" Lisg asked as Rohea placed an empty mug on the table.

"No, thanks," Rohea quickly replied. "I've had enough for now. So, Tolil, have you made weapons before?"

Tolil replied, "Yes, during my apprenticeship I helped my master make many swords and axes for the war. Since I have returned here I've made and repaired most of the farm tools, and a small number of swords."

Rohea nodded and said, "We will need you to make a sword and shield for every capable man, woman, and child in this village." He reached into a small pouch hanging off his belt and retrieved a gold coin. He placed the coin on the table and said, "This should cover most of your expenses."

Lisg's eyes widened as she saw the gold coin. The villagers scarcely had a spare silver coin, let alone a gold one. She started to reach out to pick up the coin. Tolil gently caught her hand and placed it on the table under his.

"This is too much, we are a small village."

Rohea gave a small chuckle and said, "The people of Vimml are truly as honest as I've heard. If I were back in Wolle, that coin would have disappeared, and I would be asked for more. Nevertheless, this is the amount that the king has laid out for your village."

Tolil nodded, saying, "I will use what I must, and split the rest among the village. But, swords and shields for everyone in this village? That seems excessive for the occasional thug."

Rohea remained silent for a short period before answering, "There may come a time when those swords and shields will mean life or death."

"Do you think the war will come here?" Lisg asked nervously.

"I pray not, but it is best to be prepared. How many of your villagers have had fighting experience?"

Tolil thought to himself for some time. "I believe Yev and Ter worked as town guards in Toggir for a number of years. The rest of us have had the occasional scuffle, but nothing in the form of organized fighting."

"Then tomorrow will be a new experience for most. I can only hope that one day is sufficient."

"Is it not possible for you to teach us for a longer period?" Tolil asked.

Rohea shook his head. "I have but a limited time to travel the land, and there are many villages like this one."

They chatted for some more time over food and ale, with Tolil asking questions about the capital and the lives of knights.

"So how does one become a knight?" Tolil asked.

"Knight candidates are usually chosen from pages who show potential," Rohea replied, with a small smile on his face.

Lisg caught the smile and asked, "Was that how it happened with you, Sir Rohea?"

Rohea grinned. "No, when I was a young upstart page, I challenged my master to a duel as he walked past me training."

"He agreed to the duel?" Tolil asked.

Rohea chuckled. His eyes looked into the distance as he recalled the experience. "No, he ignored me and started to walk away. I started charging him with my practice sword, thinking that I could get a hit before he realized it. The next thing I knew, I was on my back, and my sword was in his hands. He stuck my sword into the ground, and told me to train harder. I sprung up, grabbed my sword and swung at him again. This time, he drew his sword and parried my attack. When our swords connected, it felt like time stopped for a second, and he looked me in the eye and asked for my name. After I answered, he grabbed my sword and stuck it into the ground again. As he walked away, he told me to continue practicing. I did so, and when I was of age, he chose me to be his squire."

The air was chilly the next morning, but a large crowd was gathered outside the village hall. Rohea stood outside the door, with his sword sheathed at his side, and a small number of weapons and shields arranged neatly beside him.

"Good morning, fair folk of Vimml," Rohea started. "Thank you for coming here this morning. I will be instructing you in basic combat skills. But before I begin, who among you have had training in this area?"

The villagers looked around at each other, and no one said anything for some time. Finally, a lone voice spoke out, "I am Yevra, and I served in the town guard of Toggir. I was trained in basic drills and stances. Teril also served with me at the time."

Rohea nodded in acknowledgment. He continued looking around but no one else responded. "Okay," he said and beckoned to Yevra and Teril. "Both of you will help me with instructing the rest."

Yevra and Teril stepped out of the crowd and stood beside Rohea.

"Notice where Yevra and Teril are standing," Rohea said. "The first lesson is that fighting in a group increases your effectiveness tremendously. If you are outnumbered, retreat and regroup with the others. Never fight alone if you can help it."

Rohea took a step forward and unsheathed his sword. "Now, when you hold a sword, make sure you grip it tightly, with both hands if necessary. Losing your sword could mean losing your life." He sheathed his sword and walked to the group of weapons laid out on the ground.

Picking up two swords from the ground, one on each hand, he continued, "These are practice weapons. The main difference is that the edges are blunt, so you won't cut someone by mistake. However, don't misunderstand that they aren't dangerous. As many of you will find out today, these weapons can give nasty bruises."

He threw the swords at Yevra and Teril. Yevra deftly caught his from mid-air, while Teril fumbled and dropped the sword on the ground. Teril cursed quietly at himself.

Rohea picked up another practice sword. "Now, attack me, both of you," he exclaimed.

Yevra and Teril shot glances at each other, and then nodded. They split up and circled around Rohea, trying to be on both sides of him.

"Watch how they are positioning themselves," Rohea explained. "If one of them gets behind me, I'm done for. Never leave your back unguarded. This goes hand-in-hand with the first lesson of never fighting alone."

Yevra and Teril nodded again at each other and charged simultaneously. They swung quickly at Rohea, but their attacks were parried. Rohea kept his eyes on both of them, and slowly stepped backwards as he parried their subsequent attacks.

"Look what has happened," Rohea said to the crowd. "Both of them are now in front of me. This makes it much easier for me to do something like this."

After he finished his sentence, Rohea quickly stepped forward, parried a slash from Yevra, and kicked Teril to the ground. He then swung and landed a hard blow on Yevra's shoulder, causing Yevra to drop to one knee, and used the sword to support his weight.

Rohea carefully put his sword down on the ground, and extended both arms to Yevra and Teril. "Good job, both of you," he said and he helped them to their feet.

Turning to address the crowd again, Rohea said, "Now, there aren't enough practice swords for everyone. However, I want you to get into pairs, and spar with another pair. Use your hands and legs if necessary, but remember that this is not a brawl. Strike hard, strike fast, but stay alert to your surroundings. One group will be the aggressors and try to flank the other. The second group will be the defenders. Stay close to each other, and watch your backs!"

As the rest of the village started to pair up and begin sparring, Rohea turned back to face Yevra and Teril. "Now, based on just now, I think both of you should do fine with this task. I want you to individually walk to groups and offer advice on their techniques. After that, challenge the four of them to attack you. Do you think you can take on four at once?"

Yevra quickly nodded. Teril looked a little unsure, but nodded. "Will we be using our swords?" Teril asked.

"If you think you need to," Rohea replied.

Teril picked up the sword from where he had dropped it when he had fallen. Yevra looked at Rohea and shrugged. Yevra was still holding on to his sword and did not have any intentions of letting it go, especially when he was going to fight four at once.

Rohea walked from group to group, offering advice on how to improve the coordination between the pairs. He did not challenge any groups to spar against him. He turned to look at Yevra, and saw that a small group had formed around Yevra and the four he was sparring against.

The four villagers around Yevra tried to form a circle around him, but Yevra was quick and attacked those that were close to his sides. He managed to keep the four of them to the front of him, but was unable to gain any advantage beyond that.

Rohea walked over and observed for a short while. "Work as a team," he encouraged. "Yevra only has a certain reach. Two of you distract him, while the other two go behind him."

One of the villagers directly in front of Yevra gave a slight smile, and charged at him. Yevra deftly stepped aside and kicked the villager to the ground. Sensing that he had an opportunity, Yevra quickly attacked the remaining three and soon all four were on the ground, gasping for breath.

Teril, on the other hand, was not faring as well. The four he had engaged had already surrounded him, and Teril was being attacked from four directions at once. Try as he might, he could fend off one or two attacks, while the others landed kicks and punches. Rohea stepped over and gestured for them to stop.

"Good work, the four of you. You too, Teril," Rohea said. "Once you managed to surround him, there is little that Teril could have done."

The villagers nodded in response. "Yes, we sensed an opportunity and started to run around Teril. Teril couldn't keep up and we managed to surround him."

"The fact that you used 'we' shows that you were thinking as a team. Excellent!" Rohea commented.

The rest of the morning continued with Rohea, Vevra and Teril instructing the groups on their techniques and teamwork. As noon arrived, Rohea headed towards the village hall, turned to face the villagers and clapped his hands loudly.

"Everyone, excellent work with your practice today. You show great promise in working as a team. Remember that unity is strength! We'll break for lunch, and continue with more practice after."

"Okay, now that we are rested, I want to talk more about swords and shields." Rohea strapped a shield to his left arm, and picked up a sword with his right hand. "Swords and shields go hand-in-hand," he said as he hit the flat side of the sword against the shield. "If someone attacks you, you can parry it with your sword, or simply block it with the shield."

He gestured to Yevra and Teril to also equip themselves, and then continued, "Again, teamwork is key. While a shield can protect you, having multiple shields protects the entire group." Turning to face Yevra and Teril, Rohea asked, "I trust you are familiar with the locked-shields drill?"

Yevra and Teril nodded, and stood side by side, with their shields pressed together with no gap in between. Their swords were held firmly on their right arms, but behind the shields.

Rohea addressed the crowd again, "In this formation, no direct attack will succeed." He swung his sword at them and hit their shields with a loud crash. "However," he continued. "This allows them to strike at me together."

Yevra and Teril moved their shields apart quickly, and their swords came slashing outwards. As soon as it begun, the swords returned behind the shields, which were in their locked positions again.