Balance

A Story by Tygon Panthera

This story is © 2015 by Marc-Dennis Horn. This story may not be sold or used for commercial profit in any form or fashion. This story may not be modified in any way. This story may not be posted on a mirror site or any other Internet site without the written permission of the author. This story may not be distributed on print, magnetic, electrical, optical or any other mediums.

Inspired by the works of AmiralAesir
All characters are © their respective owners.

"The most important thing in combat is control!"

The voice was not loud, but it did not have to be. It was spoken with utmost confidence and authority. That way it reached into every corner even more effectively than if the words had been screamed. 

"Do not listen to anyone talking about strength or power. Power is nothing without control."

The rest of the room was completely quiet. The only sound was the voice and the tapping of metal-framed hooves on the wooden floor. 

"With proper control you will be able to be victorious against opponents many times more powerful than you." 

A dozen pairs of eyes followed the owner of the voice on their way up and down the room. 

"And the beginning of proper control is balance! Without balance there can be no control. Without control there can be no victory."

The owner stopped in the center of the room. 

"Without balance you cannot hope to control yourselves. And without control over yourselves you will never be in control of the combat. No matter how strong an opponent is, if you are in control the strength you have will be sufficient. If you are in control every advantage your opponent has becomes irrelevant."

"I don't believe that."

The words had been just muttered but Lucille Raynes' ears twitched as they picked them up. "Mister Thiers, would you please assist me in a demonstration." The male cervine blinked in surprise. After a few moments however he rose and stepped forward. After all, it had not been a request but an instruction. And Miss Raynes' voice was hard to disobey. 

The tall doe waited until her pupil was standing right in front of her. Only then did she turn and walked to the wall behind her. Almost every inch of the walls that were not needed for something else was covered with weapons of countless kinds and styles. When she returned Lucille was carry two weapons. In her right was a short black stick with a tip of bare metal and an insulated grip. The other had a sword. A simple affair as far as blade weapons were concerned but it was undoubtedly effective at what it was supposed to be. Alain Thiers once again blinked in surprise as she handed him the sword. 

"Take your position," Miss Raynes said, nodding towards one of the spots that was marked as starting position for a duel. 

The male's eyes grew even wider. He stared at the sword on his hand, then up at his teacher. "Miss... Miss Raynes?" he asked, doubting that he had understood her correctly. An actual duel? In their first lesson? He had not expected that. Much less with a real weapon. The heft of the sword alone told him that it was the genuine article, not a training prop. 

"You have heard me. Take your position," the doe said again before she turned and walked to her own marked spot. 

The younger cervine swallowed and did as he was told. A moment later they stood facing each other. "Now attack me however you see fit."

"Miss Raynes?" Alain asked again, eyeing his weapon doubtfully. 

"In your own time," his teacher replied with no hint of mocking or sarcasm in her voice.

Eventually the male shrugged, gripped the sword with both hands and started running towards Miss Raynes. His hooves hammered at the ground, eating away the meters within seconds. The sword slashed out. However, Lucille Raynes wasn't there anymore. She had remained still, waiting for her pupil to get closer. At the last moment she sidestepped him and dropped to one knee. The stick she had chosen as a weapon, was a shock-stick, not unlike a cattle-prod. Much less powerful, of course. It was used for knife-fighting practice. It guaranteed that a stab that connected would be noticed. Lucille spun hers in her hand for a back-hand stab at Alain's lower back. The young male cried out in surprise and shock. To his credit, he managed to remain on his hooves, but he dropped the sword. 

Miss Raynes slowly rose back into a standing position. "As you could see, Mister Thier had several advantages. He had the superior weapon, the initiative of attack and he was already in motion, whereas I was standing still," she explained calmly as she gathered the fallen sword. "And yet, at no time had he been in control. He could chose his modus of attack, yet I was in control about where he would attack me. And he had not even himself under control. A reckless charge like that might be appropriate if you are trying to break down a door or as part of an angry mob. However, as an attack in combat it is completely unsuited. He lost control the moment he started to run, meaning he could neither bring his weapon nor his momentum to bear against me. Which is why he lost, despite his advantages. Thank you, Mister Thier. You may return to your seat."

The young male blushed some as he gathered himself and returned to his chair. There was some muffled laughing, but a stern look from Miss Raynes silenced it immediately. She had meant to teach a lesson but not to humiliate. Unfortunately for many combatants humiliation was part of a duel. And that was a lesson to be learned as well.

"Of course," the tall doe continued. "The physical balance of your body is only the first part of it. Mental balance is just as important. You must remain calm, but not so calm that you are not ready to fight. Balance!"

The lesson continued for the better part of two hours, moving from lecture to practices, physical as well as mental. By the time Miss Raynes dismissed her students mere seconds before the bell announced noon recess they were all quite exhausted, even though none of them would have said that they exerted themselves very much. 

"Mister Thiers, would you remain for just a minute."

The young male paused, then nodded. She had noticed that he was rather subdued after the demonstration. Intimidating him had not been her goal though, and she had to correct this before it became a problem. 

Miss Raynes waited until the other pupils had left before she spoke again. "You did well today," she said.

Alain Thiers blinked in surprise as he hear that. "I... I did?" he asks, not quite believing his ears. 

"Yes, you did," his teacher confirmed. "Continue with the exercises, like I have instructed and I am certain you will do better next time we duel."

"Of course, I will," he replied eagerly, but then his eyes went wide as he realized what else she said. "Wait... next time?"

"Of course." The tall female nodded. "How else am I to judge your progress if I do not duel you. Now off with you. I'm sure you do not wish to miss any more of your recess."

The younger cervine nodded, thanked her again and then hurried off. The sounds of hooves on the floor slowly faded, leaving her in silence. 

Lucille Raynes, formerly Mara Khan, sighed. So much for this plan. She had hoped that Kitsune Tsuki or at least her friend Noisette would sign up for her lessons, but no such luck. True, none of them were of any particular martial inclination. However, it wasn't unheard off young ladies to learn how to handle a weapon. It was marvelous exercise after all, for body as well as mind. And it never hurt being able to defend oneself should the need arise. But no such luck. It would have made it so much easier to keep an eye on the young vixen if she was attending her lessons. At the very least it would mean that she could have the occasional talk with Tsuki without rousing suspicion.

Oh well, no sense in complaining about what one could not change. She just would have watch over the Empress' daughter the old-fashioned way. A more difficult way, no doubt, but she would do it. It, like combat and so many other things, was just a matter of balance.