Post by ipsey on Feb 24, 2021 6:57:46 GMT -5
She had found it odd when Gaius asked her to train his warriors. "I am not a warrior, Gaius. I do not go to war." She had told him, "War is what men do to each other when they are discontent with their power. I am a fighter." So she had told him no at first, and thought the matter to be settled. It was not.
Then he came to her and asked her to convince women to fight for him. He told her all of the promises he would make, for food and protection for their families. For safe homes and schooling. "That is not why we fight, Gaius." She had said to him fondly. "You cannot ask a woman to fight as a transaction." She caressed his cheek and took him to bed, and hoped that would satisfy him. It did not.
The third time he came to her, he asked if she would teach one fighter to teach others. "That is not how we learn, Gaius. You cannot teach someone to become a fighter." But she knew this would only end when she ended it. "Bring me the women who you would have fight for you, and I will see if there are any who have what it takes." He kissed her in his joy, pleased that he had won her over.
The next night she spent in his Domain, there were thirty women waiting for her in the space where she trained. Strong women, fast women, sturdy women. Women who were only there for the coin and the promise of work. Women who were there because they needed to prove themselves. Women who were there because they had no where else to go. They were all lined up and waiting for her orders. She gave none.
No orders, no instructions, no lessons. The first day, no fighting at all. She warmed up, and at first they just watched her, then some tried to copy her. Some of them were able to keep up with her during the warm up; others did not. Then for an hour she stood on her hands in the middle of the room - first on both hands, then one, then the other. They did not have her strength or endurance, and could not hold it like she did. Then on to the next task of balancing her body on one leg, shifting the other one from position to position. They could not match her. She gave them no praise or acknowledgement. All night long, she worked on her strength and her balance. They were all worn out long before she was finished; some left, and others stayed where they were. Before she left, she told them how to recover and when she would be back.
The next time she returned, there were fewer women; less than twenty. The ones who were there for the money and promise of safety were gone - there are easier ways to make money that demanded less of the body. She did not judge them, nor did she give approval to the ones who had returned. The ones who stayed had fire in their eyes. Tonight she worked on speed and reaction. She hooked a weighted bag by a chain to the ceiling, and pushed it to swing around the room while she moved from spot to spot. Whenever the bag hit her, she pushed it away. If they tried to follow her, the bag would knock them down. Some of them learned to push back. Lux ignored them, running through her paces and exercises as the women tried to keep up. Again they could not last as long as she did. Some left, some stayed. She told them how to recover, and when she would be back.
The third night, there were nine. She had instructed Valeria to prepare the room the day before; instead of clear floor space, things were scattered around the room; ropes, stones, buckets, tools, bricks, bottles; all manner of detritus. Lux freed a chicken into the room, and said whoever caught it could keep it. Then she hooked a chain to the ceiling and practiced climbing up and down and swinging while the women went at the work of catching the chicken. The woman who caught the chicken asked what she was supposed to do with it - Lux did not answer. She left with the animal, and some of the others milled about or tried some of the warmups that Lux had done before. Some of them even tried to climb as she did. When Lux finished, she left without saying anything, and did not return for some time.
When she returned there were only three left. One of the tallest and strongest, who had managed to keep up with Lux the best. Another who had no where else to go and nothing to turn to. The last was young, and wanted nothing to do with the world laid out for her. They all had potential. The wheat separated from the chaff, Lux started explaining without instructing. She told them what her warmup was for. She told them why strength and balance mattered. She told them why speed and reaction was important. She told them how she used her surroundings and tuned out distractions to focus on the task at hand. She told them that instruction was pointless to the endeavor of fighting. Anyone can learn to swing a sword or throw a punch or nock and fire an arrow. If that was what they were here for, they could learn it from watching and copying her. They could stay and emulate her if they wished, but she would not be instructing any of them on how to do it. They had to figure it out on their own. There are other places that will train warriors. What Lux did was different - Lux unleashed fighters.
She returned every night after that, for at least an hour; at different times between sunset and midnight. The three women practiced and trained together. Lux would arrive, interrupt what they were doing, and practice her skills - running, jumping, reacting, balancing, taking blows, taking tumbles. She would go through the moves of sword fighting, how to handle an axe, how to throw a punch and how to wrestle. She showed them how to string and fire a bow, and how to care for weapons. She showed them how to put on armor, and how to evade a blow. She did not teach - she showed. Then she would leave again, leaving them to it. The three of them stayed; and they learned from each other. If one of them did the lesson well, they would show the others how to do it. If they got injured, they would show up and watch until they recovered.
After weeks, she showed up, and without warning she attacked them. They took her on individually, and she took them down one by one, and told them again. They rose up against her together, and tried to overwhelm her. She took them down again. The next time they tried strategy and tactics; and they did better, yet she still prevailed. But she had seen what she needed to see. The tallest and strongest, and the young one who would make her own way, she sent on to Gaius' guards for formal martial training. They would be fine warriors.
The one with no where else to go and nothing to turn to had stayed through it all. More than a warrior, she was a fighter. She had nothing, so she had nothing to lose, and everything to gain. This one Lux could train. She could be her student. And so Lux taught her what she knew about fighting.
Then he came to her and asked her to convince women to fight for him. He told her all of the promises he would make, for food and protection for their families. For safe homes and schooling. "That is not why we fight, Gaius." She had said to him fondly. "You cannot ask a woman to fight as a transaction." She caressed his cheek and took him to bed, and hoped that would satisfy him. It did not.
The third time he came to her, he asked if she would teach one fighter to teach others. "That is not how we learn, Gaius. You cannot teach someone to become a fighter." But she knew this would only end when she ended it. "Bring me the women who you would have fight for you, and I will see if there are any who have what it takes." He kissed her in his joy, pleased that he had won her over.
The next night she spent in his Domain, there were thirty women waiting for her in the space where she trained. Strong women, fast women, sturdy women. Women who were only there for the coin and the promise of work. Women who were there because they needed to prove themselves. Women who were there because they had no where else to go. They were all lined up and waiting for her orders. She gave none.
No orders, no instructions, no lessons. The first day, no fighting at all. She warmed up, and at first they just watched her, then some tried to copy her. Some of them were able to keep up with her during the warm up; others did not. Then for an hour she stood on her hands in the middle of the room - first on both hands, then one, then the other. They did not have her strength or endurance, and could not hold it like she did. Then on to the next task of balancing her body on one leg, shifting the other one from position to position. They could not match her. She gave them no praise or acknowledgement. All night long, she worked on her strength and her balance. They were all worn out long before she was finished; some left, and others stayed where they were. Before she left, she told them how to recover and when she would be back.
The next time she returned, there were fewer women; less than twenty. The ones who were there for the money and promise of safety were gone - there are easier ways to make money that demanded less of the body. She did not judge them, nor did she give approval to the ones who had returned. The ones who stayed had fire in their eyes. Tonight she worked on speed and reaction. She hooked a weighted bag by a chain to the ceiling, and pushed it to swing around the room while she moved from spot to spot. Whenever the bag hit her, she pushed it away. If they tried to follow her, the bag would knock them down. Some of them learned to push back. Lux ignored them, running through her paces and exercises as the women tried to keep up. Again they could not last as long as she did. Some left, some stayed. She told them how to recover, and when she would be back.
The third night, there were nine. She had instructed Valeria to prepare the room the day before; instead of clear floor space, things were scattered around the room; ropes, stones, buckets, tools, bricks, bottles; all manner of detritus. Lux freed a chicken into the room, and said whoever caught it could keep it. Then she hooked a chain to the ceiling and practiced climbing up and down and swinging while the women went at the work of catching the chicken. The woman who caught the chicken asked what she was supposed to do with it - Lux did not answer. She left with the animal, and some of the others milled about or tried some of the warmups that Lux had done before. Some of them even tried to climb as she did. When Lux finished, she left without saying anything, and did not return for some time.
When she returned there were only three left. One of the tallest and strongest, who had managed to keep up with Lux the best. Another who had no where else to go and nothing to turn to. The last was young, and wanted nothing to do with the world laid out for her. They all had potential. The wheat separated from the chaff, Lux started explaining without instructing. She told them what her warmup was for. She told them why strength and balance mattered. She told them why speed and reaction was important. She told them how she used her surroundings and tuned out distractions to focus on the task at hand. She told them that instruction was pointless to the endeavor of fighting. Anyone can learn to swing a sword or throw a punch or nock and fire an arrow. If that was what they were here for, they could learn it from watching and copying her. They could stay and emulate her if they wished, but she would not be instructing any of them on how to do it. They had to figure it out on their own. There are other places that will train warriors. What Lux did was different - Lux unleashed fighters.
She returned every night after that, for at least an hour; at different times between sunset and midnight. The three women practiced and trained together. Lux would arrive, interrupt what they were doing, and practice her skills - running, jumping, reacting, balancing, taking blows, taking tumbles. She would go through the moves of sword fighting, how to handle an axe, how to throw a punch and how to wrestle. She showed them how to string and fire a bow, and how to care for weapons. She showed them how to put on armor, and how to evade a blow. She did not teach - she showed. Then she would leave again, leaving them to it. The three of them stayed; and they learned from each other. If one of them did the lesson well, they would show the others how to do it. If they got injured, they would show up and watch until they recovered.
After weeks, she showed up, and without warning she attacked them. They took her on individually, and she took them down one by one, and told them again. They rose up against her together, and tried to overwhelm her. She took them down again. The next time they tried strategy and tactics; and they did better, yet she still prevailed. But she had seen what she needed to see. The tallest and strongest, and the young one who would make her own way, she sent on to Gaius' guards for formal martial training. They would be fine warriors.
The one with no where else to go and nothing to turn to had stayed through it all. More than a warrior, she was a fighter. She had nothing, so she had nothing to lose, and everything to gain. This one Lux could train. She could be her student. And so Lux taught her what she knew about fighting.