Aria stepped forward, thrusting her rapier forward in a motion that she must have performed over a thousand times within the last few days. She kept her hand on her hip as the tip of her blade pierced the spot in the air that she focused on. The snap of her clothes echoing through the alley told her the movement was sharp, but when she held her position after the strike, Helbram walked up to her and tapped her feet.
“Your stance is too narrow,” he said. “The blade will pierce your foe but you will find yourself easily knocked off balance if you stand in such a way.”
To demonstrate, Helbram gave Aria’s shoulder a soft shove. The warrior’s hand caught her before she could fall into a full stumble, but his point was made. A huff escaped her lips and she twisted her mouth into a frown.
“Now now,” Helbram said with a smile, “you have made good progress for only a few days training.”
“But I can’t do anything right…” she muttered.
“Nonsense, there is plenty that you are doing right.” He lifted her sword arm up and traced the length of her rapier. “You are consistent with where you are aiming, the movement is sharp, and your hand remains steady.” Her arm dropped when he let it go. “I would say you are eighty percent of the way there. Once you get a hang of the remaining twenty, I have no doubt you will be on your way to be quite the fencer.”
Words of comfort, yet Aria could find no solace in them.
From the way he snorted, she knew Helbram could see that she was still frustrated. His hand rustled through her hair. “You will get there Aria, it is only a matter of time and practice.”
“Is that how you’re as strong as you are?”
“I would not call myself ‘strong’, but yes. The skills I possess are the results of constant training. Training that started when I was the age of eight.”
“Oh…”
Helbram knelt down, “And for two years after I started I still managed to smack myself in the face multiple times. For two years after that, I had moments where I would trip over my own feet.” He tapped her forehead. “Which goes to say that mastery is something that comes to everyone at a different pace. The most important part is consistency and the ability to appreciate every small step you take. That goes for everything, including magic.”
Aria looked back at the ground, “I’m no good at that either.”
“No good, or not able to do what you want to do?”
She tilted her head.
“Jahora and Elly have told me that your progress is actually quite impressive, but that your focus appears to be split during training.”
Her foot stamped against the dirt, “I try to concentrate, but… The Cold… it’s always pulling my thoughts away.”
“And so you fight against it.”
She nodded.
“Why?”
Aria looked at him with bewilderment, but the calmness to his expression told her that he already knew the answer. He was just waiting for her to say it.
“I’m scared,” she said. “It took so much before… I don’t want it to do that again.”
“When you sense the pull, does it feel like it did previously?”
She shook her head, “It’s less harsh, softer.”
“But you still do not trust it.”
“Yes.”
“Your fear is warranted,” Helbram said, “and when it comes to your past life a certain amount of caution should be taken, but I do believe that you should not ignore it entirely.”
“What if I turn into… someone else?”
Helbram placed a hand on her shoulder, “So long as you are true to yourself, that will not come to pass.”
“What does that mean? True to myself? What makes me… me?”
“That is up to you, Aria. We are here to provide guidance, but in the end who you are is what you choose to be. Your dreams, ambitions, what makes you laugh, what makes you cry; all of that plays a part in who you are. So long as what you are doing is in service to that, then I would say you are on the right track.”
Her brow furrowed and she looked to the ground, still unsure of what Helbram meant.
“...consider what The Cold is showing you to be a foundation,” he said, “a platform that you can build upon to further define yourself.” He tilted her head up and slipped back, flourishing her rapier in his hand. Helbram shifted into the stance that she practiced and tapped his hand against his waist.
“This stance can be seen as one such foundation,” he explained, “from here, all matters of strikes can be made.” He demonstrated a thrust, returned to the starting stance, and then showed her a slash. “And each of these could be considered foundations for different movements after that.” Multiple slices and stabs danced from his hand as he sent a flurry of blows through the air. “However, it all begins here,” he slipped back into the beginner stance, “If this foundation is strong, then anything built after it will in turn inherit that strength. It appears simple, but mastery over such a thing can take a significant amount of time. Many a swordsman would desire to have this inherently, to be able to claim such mastery out of instinct. Many spellcasters would as well.”
Helbram looked at Aria. “As a Shade, your past life has granted you the gift of such a foundation.”
“But it's not mine, it's not me.”
“No, it is not, but the fact that it exists within you cannot be denied. No one will fault you for wanting to ignore it, and we have played a part in telling you to do so,” he walked up to her and handed back the rapier. “Now, I am telling you to face it, to take what your past self has shown you and to turn it into your own. While a strong foundation is the bedrock of anything that wishes to last, it is what is built on top of it that truly defines the self. You have been granted a platform of steel and stone, Aria, and it would be a waste to ignore it.”
The stare that Helbram gave her was gentle, like it alway was, but there was an undercurrent of strength beneath his eyes that she could not help but feel resonating with her. She felt his resolution, not only in what he told her, but also in his belief in her. Belief that she would be able to do what he suggested. That, in turn, sparked a similar feeling within her, one that told her she could face the visions that sparked within her mind and turn them into her own.
“I’ll do my best,” she finally said.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Helbram smiled, “That is all I ask.”
“Could… could I try now?”
He stepped back from her and leaned against the alley wall, “Give it a go, I will be right here, and the moment that you feel something that you do not want, stop, understood?”
“Understood.”
Aria sheathed her rapier and closed her eyes. Her hands clasped together as she took in a deep breath, and like always she extended her senses outwards, reaching for the Aether that hovered around her. She drew in the energy and circulated it throughout her body. The sensation sent tingles sparking across her body, but she was used to the feeling enough to push it to the side. She continued to maintain the flow of energy, and when the power was flowing freely, she focused most of it towards her head.
Like clockwork, the moment that she did a chill spread across her body. It sent gooseflesh trailing down her back, but rather than the biting shivers of The Cold in her past, the chill that she felt was more like a cool breeze on a hot summer’s day. Such a feeling should have spurred her efforts on, but when it washed over her she could feel herself start to get carried away. It was then that the vision returned, the one of her past self’s hands, a Circle of Aether orbiting around her wrist. The focus that she directed towards her head drifted to her hand out of an instinct that was not hers, and she pushed back against it. She started to form the vision of fire in her head to push away The Cold, but Helbram’s voice rang out at that moment.
“Do not shy away from it, Aria. Face it and take from it what you want. Assert your control over it.”
As his voice echoed in her ears, she let go of the fire in her mind and gathered herself before pushing her thoughts towards both the chill and the vision. They froze at her efforts, a pause that she could feel radiating caution. She thought of the lady of ice she saw before, a presence that had not made herself known since that fateful day that felt so long ago. She remembered her regal air, the flawless beauty of her form, but beyond all that she remembered her face. It wasn’t cold like her form suggested, but instead was one that was full of mercy, a promise of escape. Given her pain at the time, that could be considered a kindness. The touch of The Cold this time was much like that; kind, yet powerful.
But mercy was not what Aria wanted, and kindness was not what she needed. The Cold… that would always be there, would remain an immutable part of her since birth. Perhaps the memories would be useful later, but they were not what she wanted to follow now. Instead, she embraced The Cold with her thoughts and pulled it further inward, feeling its cool touch permeate across her skin. Her heart embraced The Cold, wrapping it within the rhythm of its beat as she focused her thoughts. The Aether within her started to flow with much more ease, and she could feel the control she had over the energy start to grow. The vision from before drifted away and in its place she imagined Jahora, of the Circles around her head. More than that, she made that image her goal and set it in her mind.
When she did, the focus that was drifting towards her wrist vanished and she felt the Aether start to gather around her head. The Cold remained, but beyond its touch she was no longer burdened by the visions that it would bring. She maintained the flow to get a feel for it, but eventually let it go. For the first time in a while, frustration did not follow, and instead excitement brought a smile to her face.
Helbram gave her one of his own, “I take it that you have made some progress then?”
“I have.”
“And you did not feel anything off putting?”
“No, it felt… easy.”
“Good, remember that feeling, but always keep yourself as an anchor. Whatever steps you take from here, be sure that it is you that is making them.” He walked up to her and held out a fist, “Promise?”
She tapped her fist against his, “Promise.”
He ruffled her hair again and let out a breath, “Perfect, now that we have that sorted out, what say you to a spot of breakfast? I am sure Pius is cooking something up for us to try.”
She nodded and followed Helbram back to The Tree’s Root. Their entrance into the tavern summoned the attention of the two wolf cubs that waited within. They laid at the feet of Elly, Jahora, and Merida at first, but sprung to their feet at the first sight of Aria. Their leaps and relentless panting pulled the girl away from any thoughts that she may be having about her continued training, and she slipped into the bliss of the pups’ attention once again.
She heard the beginnings of a conversation between Helbram and Jahora, but decided the wolves vying for her attention were a much more worthwhile endeavor. What she could see, however, was a relieved smile across the Mage’s face.
The pups melted under Aria’s ministrations, particularly the white cub, who had been reduced to a puddle of fur on the ground. A soft laugh slipped from the girl’s lips and she somehow summoned more enthusiasm with her affections. The black cub, while enjoying Aria’s pets, seemed to be on the lookout for someone else. That someone revealed themselves as Leaf emerged from the back hall of the tavern.
The pup took off and hopped around the archer’s legs. He barked excitedly, loud enough to take even Merida aback.
“He’s quite attached,” the Druid observed, “I’m surprised, usually he was the shy one before we arrived in town.”
“Clearly he has sensed that Leaf is naught but cotton on the inside,” Helbram said with a sly grin.
The archer gave his companion a dull look, but said nothing. Instead, he knelt down and rubbed the black cub behind the ears. When the wolf started to pant excitedly, Aria could not help but feel a twinge of envy, even if the pup’s sister couldn’t seem to get enough of her touch.
“You know, I think it’s high time that we try to give them a name,” Merida suggested, “We may have only been in town for a few days but the two of them truly have become attached.”
“That sounds like a fine idea,” Jahora said, “though, I think we ought to let those two come up with something. They are the ones that the little ones are most affectionate with, after all.”
“I don’t know about that,” Elly said, “Leaf is very… blunt with his names.”
“Proving that it does not take blood to inherit habits,” Helbram added.
“Oh shut it," Leaf said, “It’s not that bad, I’ll prove it to you right now.” He held the black cub’s head in both of his hands and peered at him for a long while. “You’re always at my feet whenever I’m near, just following me around…” he smirked and looked up with a self-satisfied expression, “Shadow.”
Jahora looked at him with exasperation, “Really? Shadow?”
Merida giggled, “It is a bit simple, but there is beauty to find in that. Besides, I think he likes it.”
The rapid swish of the black cub’s tail told them the Druid was right.
“I knew it, I’ve got a feeling for these sort of things, you know.” Leaf ran his hands all over the cub’s head, “You like it too, don’t you, Shadow?”
Shadow barked in agreement and brushed up against Leaf’s leg. He laughed and let the pup follow him to the table.
“Well, if he likes it, then who are we to judge?” Helbram said. He looked over to Aria, who still had the white cub in her hands. “What about you, Aria? Have you come up with a name?”
Her eyes turned down to the wolf, who had comprehended the conversation enough to give the girl a look filled with anticipation and curiosity. The frosty color to the canine’s eyes were almost the same color as hers, and her fur was also similar to Aria’s own white hair. While she did not radiate the feeling directly, such an appearance gave the girl a similar feeling to how The Cold now made its presence known. It was no longer the harsh bite of ice, but rather the gentle chill of…
“Snow,” she said, “her name is Snow.”
The cub’s panting was the only approval that she needed.
“A fitting name,” Jahora said.
“Hold on, I came up with that name before!” Leaf said.
“Yes, but your reason was uninspired,” Elly countered.
“We don’t even know Aria’s!”
“Call it intuition, but I imagine that it is a much better one,” Helbram said, “Besides, she is much more charming about it.”
“What a load, isn’t that right, Shadow?”
The black cub barked in agreement.
Leaf looked at Aria with a reassuring expression, “For the record, I love the name, it only means you’re learnin’ from the best.”
Jahora laughed and shook her head.
Aria lifted the white cub up and smiled at her, “It’s a good name, right?”
Snow yipped and licked her face. She giggled and held the pup close as a warmth filled her chest. Warmth, and a sense of relief that she did not know she needed to feel. The morning had started with frustration, but so quickly had it given way to this moment, one that she would remember for days to come. One that, she realized, was another step in a long, long road that stretched out in front of her. It would be paved by bricks of her own making, but mixed and reinforced with those from a life that was both hers and not hers. In the end, what mattered was that she continued to walk it, and that day she found something that she did not know she was lacking.
The strength to keep pushing forward.