Despite having received no advance warning of Dustin's arrival at their homestead, Nathan and Kelly proved themselves to be exemplary hosts, providing the best accommodations they could with the resources they had. Upon hearing of Dustin's wounded forearm, Kelly had applied a homemade ointment to facilitate healing and bound it in bandages. After that, they all gathered around to eat dinner.

As Nathan had warned, the stew didn't dance nearly as flavorfully on Dustin's tongue as he would have liked, but nonetheless, its heartiness was thoroughly satisfying. On Dustin's request, Nathan spent almost the entire mealtime spouting story after story of his adventures on the battlefield alongside Manfred. Particularly amusing were the ones Dustin had already heard, but with extra details that Manfred himself had left out from either embarrassment or pure forgetfulness.

Dustin had been eager to have his first lesson that very night, but Nathan declined, remarking that a well-rested student is a more attentive student. So instead, the five in the homestead played a few board games, a highlight being when Kyle taught Dustin and Jude to play a strange and complicated one called Forbachean battle checkers. By and by, sleepiness settled over them all, so after showing Dustin and Jude to a spare room, the Korynns themselves retired.

The next morning after breakfast, Dustin left the table with Nathan, heart pounding in anticipation of having his first lesson. They headed back to the miscellaneous room he'd originally met Kyle in, and Nathan strode over to a back corner where a dusty wooden case sat atop a sturdy table. With a sigh, he undid the clasps holding the case closed and opened it to reveal a weathered sword Dustin identified as a falchion. Its broad blade bore a pair of dents, and the cutting edge had been chipped in a few spots, but it still managed to be a handsome weapon.

Nathan stared at the weapon in his hand fondly before slowly twirling it in his hand, evidently to refamiliarize himself with its weight. He winced a particular movement of his wrist, so repeated the movement slower and more carefully.

"We'll have to take this slow at first." Nathan said, "To tell you the truth, I haven't picked this thing up in years."

Dustin frowned. "Why?"

"What cause have I had to pull it out?" Nathan asked with a laugh, "There's nobody to spar with out here, and spears are better weapons for dealing with the rare wildlife that comes through."

"That surprises me. To me, a weapon is like a friend. You wouldn't suddenly stop talking to a friend for years, would you?"

"I would, and have."

Dustin halted, realizing how true that was. "I didn't think that one through very well, did I?"

"Not particularly." Nathan remarked with a chuckle, shifting his feet into an appropriate stance for swordfighting. "Now, let's begin. I want to first see where you're at, so a casual sparring match is in order."

A smirk spread across Dustin's lips as he slid his own arming sword from its sheath. "Prepare to be amazed, Sir Korynn."

"I may very well be amazed, but you have no guarantee that amazement will be of the favorable variety."

"I'm fairly certain of the outcome."

Nathan shook his head in exasperation. "Show me your best."

Dustin hardly hesitated a second before charging in with a telegraphed blow aimed at Nathan's shoulder. Nathan simply stepped aside and stuck out a leg afterward to trip Dustin.

Dustin's eyes widened, hand extended to catch his fall. His sword clattered to the ground. He rolled over after taking a second to collect his wits again, and to his surprise, Nathan hadn't made any move to take advantage of his compromised state. With a quick breath, he retrieved his sword and hopped back to his feet.

Resolving to be more strategic this time, Dustin made another obvious charge toward Nathan, only to redirect and aim a blow at his opposite shoulder. However, the seasoned swordsman swiftly pivoted and blocked that attack as well. He followed this up a return strike that would have cleaved right into Dustin's clavicle, had he truly been intending to make impact.

Dustin sighed and backed off so they could begin a new engagement. He reoriented himself carefully and exploded into action again, throwing what he thought to be his best Nathan's way.

But Nathan still stood his ground and knocked Dustin back, this time sending the overenthusiastic prince onto his hindquarters. He promptly helped Dustin back up with a chuckle, which Dustin accepted only reluctantly.

"You have heart, I'll give you that." Nathan remarked.

"I have heart?" Dustin echoed incredulously, "Just heart?"

"Well...I have more to say, but wanted to start on the right foot. To get somewhat more pedantic, your approach is bullish. You use your sword more as a horn than the sophisticated weapon it is. Now, if you had decked yourself out in spiked armor, perhaps that would be a viable approach, but I'd assume that's not your intention."

"Not at all. I am no clown, Sir Korynn."

"In that case, we'll have to work on seriously refining your technique." Nathan ran a hand over his beard. "How much have you learned so far, and who taught you?"

"I've taught myself everything I know."

"Ah, that would explain much."

Dustin glared. "Now, what is that supposed to mean?"

"Merely that your methods are so unconventional I could hardly imagine Monterayne having a knight practicing such methods."

"Unconventionality and innovation are not distant cousins. What if—"

"Your departures from convention are impractical and dangerous; let's set that straight right away." Nathan remarked with a chuckle. "The greatest innovators familiarize themselves with the old ways prior to paving a new path. One needs not reinvent the wheel simply to create a new design for a carriage."

Dustin hung his head and nodded. "Well, if that be so, how may I mend my technique?"

"The way I see it, there's little here to mend. We need to start afresh. I'd also like to test your defenses to see where your intuition leads you in that arena."

Dustin assented and steeled himself to block, parry, and dodge whatever Nathan threw his way, despite the fact he'd never formally learned how to do any of those things.

Nathan first lunged forward with an uppercut executed slowly enough Dustin was able to bat it away, only to realize that had been the intention all along. Dustin's counter had placed Nathan's blade just where it needed to be to swing back around and come for his neck. Dustin panicked and bashed his steel into Nathan's, emitting a metallic shriek and causing the older swordsman to cringe.

Both backed away, and Dustin awaited Nathan's next onslaught, which came in the way of a strong downward attack. Dustin blocked and pushed his attacker in one smooth move, but threw too much of his weight into the effort, allowing Nathan to simply step aside and simulate a stab into his ribs.

Dustin rolled his eyes. With a grunt, he shook his head and strove to do better in his next defense. Nathan rushed in with what appeared to be a strong overhead slash. Dustin raised his sword horizontally to defend, but Nathan deftly maneuvered his own blade underneath and pointedly showed that he could have gutted him. Inwardly, Dustin cursed himself for not acting faster to correct his error.

"The defense needs work, too." Nathan said in a matter of fact tone, "You work off instinct, I see. And instinct is a wonderful ally, but it needs to be tempered by experience."

"So...nothing I've ever worked on was ever of any use?"

"That would be an inaccurate statement. Perhaps you've failed thus far to help yourself along the journey to swordsmanship, but you have improved your strength and reflexes, and that does count for something. You just need technique to go with it, which I'll give you."

Dustin slowly nodded. "I do suppose that's what I came for, isn't it?"

"I would certainly hope that was the case." Nathan said with a smirk. "Let's begin with stances, since everything else can be improved or worsened by that."

With that, Nathan sunk into teaching Dustin how to place his feet for optimal control of all his combative functions, not to mention simply not losing his balance. The process proved time-consuming and frustrating for both due to Dustin's stubbornness, but little by little, the veteran swordsman began to make headway on the young prince's ignorance and chipping away at the inefficiencies. 

**** 

A/N: A bit of a short one this week, but hopefully enjoyable nonetheless! Dustin's first lesson looks to have been a mixed bag; we certainly have a long way to go if we're to make a truly great knight of him. Thankfully, I think Nathan can be trusted to do a good job, don't you think? 

(Now, I'd like to say that if you don't vote and comment on this, you might not do a good job on whatever you do after this, so maybe don't take the risk. 🤣) 

These threats are getting so ridiculous, I swear. 😂

Anyways, how're you enjoying the story so far? I know we're slowly building towards the main confrontation, but hope this buildup has been enjoyable up to now. 

And with that, I'm off. Hope you have a great week, and I'll see you in the next update! We'll be meeting a new character next week, so stay tuned. 😏