Sel, Chapter 2 Options

[mplantinga]

This story sure brings back a lot of childhood memories. Keep up the great work.

[Tellie]

GOOD GOOD GOOD give us more. Well I shall be patient. GIVE US MORE NOW OR I'L KILL MYSEl (Ahem, I mean good work. sorry for my angry words earlyer in this post. clap clap

[Dantrag]

wow. I actually found time to update it in a reasonable time frame. Give me hugs! NOW!

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Sel was still Aril's study-partner, but they might as well worked alone. Sel was too ashamed, and Aril was too mad to speak.

Day after day, Sel and Retin fought, despite Athyn's efforts to separate them. It was getting to the point where Sel might have to be kicked out of the school.

The last fight Sel had with Retin at school was when he was sent home.

"He took my stuff all the time!" Sel told his mother when she asked why he was kicked out of school.

"When was the last time he took something?" His mother asked forcefully, her hands resting on her hips, but ready to go grab a belt at a moment's notice.

When Sel thought about it, he hadn't taken anything since the very first fight. "Yesterday." Sel lied, not exactly thinking it through.

"Then why did you get in a fight today?"

If Sel knew any curse words, he would have used all of them; his mother was the only one he couldn't outsmart, despite his cleverness.

"Because...uh...um...uh..." Sel continued with his uh's and um's before finally giving up. "Can I just go get the belt?"

"That would be best." his mother replied.

While Sel was getting the belt, there was a knock at the door. Looking up, Sel thanked whatever god might have been up there. At least his pain would be delayed.

Peering around the corner, he saw that it was Athyn Sarethi, his teacher and councillor of House Redoran.

He didn't get to overhear much, because his mother had told him to go outside for a moment while they talked. (If he had stayed anywhere inside the house, he would have overheard due to its small size.) The only thing he had heard was something about Athyn noticing that he was interested in something or another. Sel picked up some small rocks and began throwing them, watching them throw up dust where they landed.

About a half-hour later, Athyn walked outside and knelt down so that his eyes were level with Sel's.

"Your mother and I talked, and you're allowed back in school."

Sel was old enough to know that there was a condition or twelve. "Really?" he pretended to sound excited.

Athyn nodded. "You can come baack and I'm going to have one of my guards teach you how to use a sword."

This time he really was excited. "Really?"

Athyn nodded again. "But if I do this, you can't get in any more fights, and you have to do well in your studies." Athyn held out his hand. "Deal?"

Sel was apprehensive at first; no more fights and doing well in studies? His longing for some sort of adventure with a sword overcame his fear of school, and he soon found his small hand in Athyn's.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow." Athyn said, messing Sel's hair.

Sel nodded, a huge grin on his face.

[Tellie]

JAHOOOOO, more more more, I'm addicted to this story. Finally Sel is going to teach the way of the sword.

[mplantinga]

Great; that's exactly what we need: some kid who likes to start fights learning to use deadly weapons. Watch out Ald'ruhn; here comes Sel!!!

Thanks for another great update. I'm looking forward to seeing how this weapon training will change Sel's behavior in school.

(please accept these in lieu of hugs - no emoticon for those)

[Jonajosa]

It's a change from the story I "grew up" with but as long as it continues to be very deep and sudden I'll read it.

[minque]

I´ll give you a bunch of hugs ........gladly! I´m happy to see you continue your story....ahh it´s nice to see my dear Athyn as a teacher, you really makes him "real" to me ......go on Danny....mooooore please!

[Dantrag]

*triumphant music* Yeah, I don't know why it's playing either.

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"Ow!" Sel exclaimed after standing up. He was knocked over time after time; Dralen was not one to go easy on someone, even if it was someone as young as Sel. He was at his fourth or fifth day of training, and it wasn't going so well in his point of view. All he seemed to gain was bruises and scrapes.

"You aren't as strong as me. You can never hope to overpower me; you're going to have to use your size to your advantage."

Sel sighed; Dralen said that every day, and he stilll didn't know what that meant. All swordsmen were strong, right?

"Yes, sir." Sel replied, and charged back in, his small wooden sword leading the way.

Dralen easily blocked, and hit Sel over the head with his own, much larger wooden sword. Sel fell on the groun again, blinking a few times to gather his senses and hopefully rid himself of the stars he was seeing.

Dralen blinked a few times too; most children his age would be crying after that blow. In fact, he remembered having much older students crying after weaker blows.

"Come on. we'll take a break." Dralen said, suddenly regretting having hit the boy so hard.

"One more try?" Sel asked.

Dralen smiled. This boy never ceased to amaze him.

"Do you even understand what I'm saying when I say use your size to your advantage?"

Sel answered with an honest and blunt, "No."

Dralen chuckled. "And that would be why you charge me head-on all the time. You have a smaller body, and that makes you hard for me to hit. You need to be darting in and out of my reach, scoring minor hits until you tire me out. Use your head for something other than my target, boy."

Sel nodded. He put on a grim expression and charged again, this time darting to the left at the last minute, trying to fool Dralen. Dralen wasn't fooled, but by Sel could gather from his teacher's smile that he was getting the point. He darted away once more to the left before attacking Dralen's side. Dralen easily blocked, but his smile got much wider.

Sel continued using that same tactic, but he often acked away when he knew for sure that he couldn't hit his teacher. This time, he attacked head-on, but instead of eing whakced on the head, he dodged to the side, and swung is sword hopefully at Dralen's side.

Sel's hope faded as Dralen's sword doubled back to intercept his own, and went into a nasty counterattack that left him in the position that he had gotten used to; lying on his back.

"Very good. You lasted much longer that time."

"About ten seconds." Sel replied gloomily.

"You, a ten year-old. lasted ten seconds against House Redoran's trainer on your fourth lesson."

Sel smiled; the man had a point.

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enjoy.

[mplantinga]

Very nice. It's good to see Sel learning something and staying out of trouble. I had thought he'd be able to figure out the size advantage thing, but I guess he's not used to thinking in that way.

[minque]

Great Danny!.....I enjoy your story a lot! You have a very nice, humouristic way of writing...which pleases me a lot

I want more Sel!!!! ya hear me?

[Tellie]

Yes finally, I have been waiting in patience, now it was nice to see sel learning something usefull ( I have a feeling he is ging to make use of what he learnt later).

As always, a great update filled with qualiti writing and some humor in it. Keep up the good work danny. We need more my precioussss.

[Dantrag]

Yes finally, I have been waiting in patience, now it was nice to see sel learning something usefull ( I have a feeling he is ging to make use of what he learnt later).

As always, a great update filled with qualiti writing and some humor in it. Keep up the good work danny. We need more my precioussss.          

Okay, man, I'm cutting you off.

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"Why is he here?" Sel demanded, when Retin joined him and Dralen in the practice field.

"He is part of House Redoran, and has more right than you to be here." Dralen replied, annoyed by Sel's attitude. "If you don't like it, you can stop training under me."

Sel bowed his head and mumbled something to the effect of 'I'm sorry'.

"Good." Dralen replied, as if he could hear Sel's words. "Now get ready, I want you two to fight."

Sel pulled out his wooden, padded sword and stood in the center of the practice area, leaning on its hilt as he waited for his foe.

When Retin joined him, they immediately went at it, and the fight was fairly even. Whenever Sel thought he had gained a hit, Retin's sword was always there to block his own. When Retin smiled in satisfaction at a sure and accurate swing, he found himself hitting the air where Sel had once been.

Dralen wouldn't let them stop. Apparently, he wanted them both to forget their feud and do whatever was needed to do end their stupidity.

They fought for over an hour, neither of themm gaining the upper hand. They were both bruised in several places, but no more or less than the other.

"Truce?" Retin asked during a small break in the fighting.

"No." Sel replied, charging back in.

After several more similar conversations, Sel finally began one of them.

"Truce?" Sel asked, breathing heavily.

"Finally." Retin answered, immediately sitting down, no less tired than Sel.

Over the weeks, Retin and Sel were sparring partners, and they soon forgot their small quarrel and were soon the best of friends. Sel learned that Retin was a distant relative of Bolvyn Venim, a councillor in House Redoran, which was why he was also learning swordsmanship. He had to. Redorans were always fighters, and the nobles were supposed to be the best.

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End of chapter 2.

[mplantinga]

Thanks for another great update. It was good to see Sel and Retin find a way to end their feud. I hope that their relationship (now more good than bad) will continue to be a central feature of this story.

[minque]

Oops...a relative of Bolvyn Venim..?? Now we´re talkin´.....this is getting more and more exciting, i must say....so don´t let us wait too long....huh?

[Tellie]

So sorry, Dantrag. I did not mean anything unusual with that last post of mine, all I tryed to say is that it is so great what you are writing, that I expressed that we needed more in a rather stupid way.

Hope you will forgive me, as I love this story alot, and I swear by Azura that a post similar to that one I wrote earlyer, wont happen again.

[Dantrag]

So sorry, Dantrag. I did not mean anything unusual with that last post of mine, all I tryed to say is that it is so great what you are writing, that I expressed that we needed more in a rather stupid way.

Hope you will forgive me, as I love this story alot, and I swear by Azura that a post similar to that one I wrote earlyer, wont happen again.

You know I was kidding, right...? I was making a joke about your enthusiasm (which is appreciated)

This post has been edited by Dantrag: Dec 17 2005, 11:37 PM