Requested by TheViolaBuddy
Warning: This story is rated P for Priam, because it contains themes of language. If you fear four syllables used in one word. Or if you have a phobia of words exceeding 8 letters in length. Then parental guidance is suggested. ...But your parents won't understand what he is saying either.
"So Robin, What do you think of Priam, is he is really a descendant of the Radiant hero?" Chrom asked in curiosity.
Robin just spent the last two hours talking with Priam and immediately slapped his head hearing his named mentioned.
"Gah, well I know he is a king. The king of destroying my ears! Ugh, he talked for hours about breathing! BREATHING!" Robin sighed and took a deep breath in extreme fatigue.
"What?"
"Ugh, don't get me started. And I thought Owain was bad! He rambles on and on about his chi and explains it in tremendous detail."
Chrom laughed as his friend animatedly moved his arms around. "Come on Robin, you must be exaggerating.
"Fine then you ask Priam one question." Robin violently threw his hand in the air, "Go ahead, just ask him one question!"
"Erm, perhaps some other time."
...
Owain stealthy followed Priam as the hero of legends ventured through a thick oak forest. Owain was following forty feet behind, and carefully trying not to be spotted. He could hardly contain his excitement knowing he would watch the descendant of the Radiant Hero sharpen his illustrious skills as a warrior.
Eventually, the two came to a giant lake filled with sparkling blue water. Trees surrounded the lake on all sides, and the water glistened as the sun reflected off its surface. Priam sat down at the edge of the giant lakes and watched the gentle breeze carry a Lilly pad. Owain hid behind a rock to observe him about fifty feet way, and gazed in awe as Priam unsheathed his blade; Ragnell.
Priam did not move as he watched the river. He called out in a low and frightening voice, "Reveal yourself! I have seen you follow me!"
Owain panicked as Priam's voice echoed through the landscape. He cursed to himself and did not dare move from his hiding place. How could he ever think that he would be able to spy on one of the greatest swordsmen in the world?
Priam continued to stare at the still water, he did not even look behind him when he said, "You are behind a rock and next to a tree stump. I will not say it again, Reveal yourself!"
Owain nervously walked out of his hiding spot. He slowly inched forward as his hands started shaking.
"Your name?" Priam asked in a cold voice.
"I... ...I-I am Owain."
"Why have you followed me here?"
"Y-your the greatest warrior in the world! Your fearlessness and fortitude are the pinnacle of the realm. ... ... I wanted to watch you train...I was hoping to learn from your extravagant and interminable skill."
Priam rose from the grass and turned around to examine the man. "Hmm, I will share my knowledge with anyone who seeks it. I will train you if that is acceptable with you."
"You! You Will!?"" Owain nearly fainted as his body surged with elation
Priam nodded his head, "What do you wish to learn?"
"E-Everything!" Owain cried without hesitation, and his body felt lighter than a feather.
"Sit down."
Owain immediately fell to the grass and sat down staring at his mentor with an open mouth. He could not believe this was actually happening.
"Give me your sword."
With his hands still shaking, Owain hastily removed his sword from its scabbard, and gave it to Priam. He grabbed it and frowned in disapproval.
"As a warrior, you NEVER let anyone touch your sword. Your sword is the embodiment of your soul. To separate it from your grasp kills your very reason to live." Priam handed the sword back and Owain cursed at himself for doing something so stupid!
"S-sorry it was an accident..I should have known-"
Priam waved his hand and said, "There are no accidents in this trade . An accident means death, and that is something I do not tolerate. Everything you do is deliberate and with a purpose. Understood?"
"Y-yes."
…
...
"What is the name of your sword Owain?"
A lump came across his throat, but Owain manged to say, "Missiletainn"
"Missiletainn was forged and birthed to you Owain. The two of you are forever bound to live life as one, and nothing will break your bond. Missiletainn deserves to be treated with respect and grace. Nothing else matters in this world accept for you and the blade. Have you been taking good care of her?"
"Y-yes! I sharpen my blade every hour, and I use it to-"
"Missiletainn is not an 'IT.' You call herby her name, she is a living and breathing person, and she deserved to be treated as such."
Owain punched himself in the chest for his idiocy, he had so much to learn from Priam. "I take care of Missiletainn with every fiber of my soul. I spend most of my day caring and ensuring her safety. Her blade is sharpened every hour, and I examine her feature to makes sure that no blemish or scratch should ever befall to her."
Priam nodded in satisfaction, "Good, I can see for myself that you have spent much time caring for her. As long as you protect and maintain her, then your edges will be sharp and your strikes will be stronger than a thousand men.
"Wow" Owain gasped in fascination "...Master Priam, if I may so bold, how does it feel to grip the legendary sword Ragnell?!"
"...Ragnell, the strength and elegance she holds is the finest thing I have ever felt in my life. She was betrothed to me when I was seventeen, and we have not parted since. Ragnell is the extension of my hand and carries swift justice to those who dare try to break our soul. The harsh winters did not brittle our resolve, and the grueling heat would not temper our bonds. We have faced many trials, and endured those that try to attack us. I owe my life and soul to Ragnell, for there is no reason to live without a sword that holds true and strikes with unyielding dynamism. Owain, To truly be a warrior, then the sword has to be your life. Nothing, and I mean nothing is more-
"Hold on, could you say that last part again?" Owain asked as he scribbled notes on a piece of paper. "...Is 'dynamism' spelt with one or two M's?"
Priam watched Owain write as fast as possible as he tried to catch up, and Priam smiled as he remembered the past. "Ah writing, I remember the day I learned this sacred art." He paused for effect and reminisced about his childhood.
...
"It was cold and frigid day in the month of February. The snow was falling, and the wolves were howling at the full moon. I was only but a child not over the year of six when a paper was slammed down unto a table and a quill was inserted into my right extremity. I caressed the writing utensil with great care and stared vividly at the crinkled snow-white paper in front of my countenance. With immense concentration and determination, I dipped my instrument into a vessel of black liquid and let my ink fall unto the white canvas. I was ready to paint a portrait of words, and nothing could stop me from achieving my ambition. The alphabet was my first confrontation as I looped and curved my quill with precise agility. Eventually, the paper submitted to my will, and the ink flowed onto the sheet as I spelled my first word, and then another. Soon, sentences formed before my eyes and I mocked the paper for its lack of resistance. I strengthened my skills in the coming months and brought paragraphs to life with my rigid handwriting. I thought no obstacle could stop me, but fortune disproved my assertion. Alas, when I was a young lad of seven, I was plagued with an incurable disease of writers block. I remember it well, it was a warm and gentle day in the month of-"
Seven hours later, they went back to camp and ate dinner with the rest of the Shepherds. The night soon came and Owain was in his tent laying in complete bliss. He spent the day with the renowned and revered Priam, and he had to constantly pinch himself to make sure it was not a dream.
He soaked up every word that the legend said, and memorized every graceful sentence that he crafted. He could hardly contain himself knowing that he would be training with Priam again tomorrow! Owain unsheathed his sword and admired it before sharpening it thrice and then retired to bed. He tossed and turned all night in anticipation for the morning.
He rose from his bed five hours later and waited patiently outside Priam's tent. He was told to meet Priam at his quarters when the sun peered over the mountains, but he just could not wait. He eagerly awaited for his next lesson.
...
After that, they ventured back into the forest and the inexplicable happened. Not a single word was muttered for thirty minutes! It was driving Owain crazy, and his mind was overwhelmed by the silence.
A few minutes later, they approached the lake and Priam inhaled the rich supply of oxygen. Owain mimicked Priam and sucked in the air with all of his strength, but he started to choke on it and felt a little dizzy.
"Now, today I will teach you the importance of your senses."
Owain quickly pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and prepared to write on it.
Priam shook his head, "You cannot learn this with a quill and parchment." Priam walked to a patch of yellow flowers and Owain followed. "Smell the flowers, Tell me what you feel."
*sniff* "Ah..Ah...Ahchoo!" Owain sneezed with spit flying into the ground below him.
"Did you feel the surge of energy that overtook your body? The flowers provided you with the strength of twenty men just now. One day, you will be able to harness that power and use it on the battlefield."
Owain gasped in shock, his mother had been hurting his training all along! She said that he had allergies and that he should stay away from flowers, but they were the key to becoming a true hero. How could she say such a terrible thing?
"Now, stick out your tongue, but do not swallow."
Owain did so, and felt a small ball drop onto it.
"What is it that I put in your mouth?"
Owain swished it back and forth in his mouth trying to recognize it. He started to feel a strange tingling feeling in his tongue.
"Is mmhunm, is it unh berryy?"
"Yes, but remember next time that it is poisonous." Priam said calmly
Owain spat it out in horror.
"There are some things in nature that try to hurt the energy flowing in our body. We must hone our sense to recognize these threats and expel them from our soul."
Owain nodded, and tried to wipe the stinging sensation out of his tongue with his hand.
...
Priam walked to the crystal blue lake and Owain followed him. "...What do you see when you look in the water?"
He squinted his eyes and stared at the lake. He saw a reflection of his face distorted by the ripples of the water "I see …me."
"And?"
Owain gazed even harder and noticed a tail flapping below the blue water. "I see a fish"
"And?"
Owain concentrated with all of his strength. However, the sun rose in the air and ricocheted its rays straight into Owain's eyes. "AH! I can't see!" He reeled back and fell onto a rock behind him. He landed straight on his funny bone, and he tried his best to hold in the pain.
Priam frowned and said, "You saw a life giving resource. Water is your greatest friend to supply your soul with liquid energy. It courses through your veins and invigorates you with strength. Without water, you are nearly as useless as an unarmed man. There is no worse way to die than by dehydration.
Owain grabbed his paper from his pocket and wrote down, Note: Always carry a canteen, and do not live in the desert.
"Now, close your eyes."
Owain closed his eyes and a dark blackness engulfed his vision. There was nothing but absolute silence as he stood with his eyes closed. However, after about two minutes he heard a faint voice call out.
"A true warrior does not need to see to find his way. Follow the sound of my voice." Priam's tone was quieter with each word.
Owain took a small step forward and felt the rock that he tripped on earlier. He knew exactly where he was and made a giant step straight to the sound of Priam's voice. However, the new terrain he was on was unfamiliar to him. Before he had a chance to think, the terrain sucked his leg up and he fell face forward. He started flailing his arms back and forth before he finally opened his eyes and noticed his surroundings. He had fallen into the lake.
...
After shaking the water off like a dog, Priam approached him and tried one last thing. There is one more sense that you need to learn. But instead of using it, you need to learn to ignore it."
"What's that?" Owain asked as he picked the water out of his ear.
"You need to find a way to ignore feelings. In the heat of battle, there is a chance that you will get hit, and your body will cry in pain. It is a limitation, and you need to overcome it."
"How do I do that?" Owain asked curiously.
"You have to repetitively hurt yourself so your body goes numb and you can no longer suffer its vice." Priam said knowing that it was a hard thing to ask for. But to be a true hero, it demanded sacrifices.
Owain finally smiled in delight, "That's easy! I do that everyday!"
"Every day?" Priam asked stunned.
"Yeah!" Owain said in delight knowing that he finally did something right "So far today, I hit my head on a tree branch, fell on a rock, and kicked my foot on something hard in the water. Oh, and don't even get me started on yesterday!
"Ah, your dedication inspires me Owain."
Owain smiled with pride, "How did you learn these technique master?"
Memories poured through Priam's skull.
"It was in the spring of my ninth year. The cool breeze blew on my face as I stood in a dueling stance next to a venerable old pine tree. All of a sudden, a bright orange pelted fox charged at me while I was concentrating on my training. He leapt into the air and dug his claw into the skin underneath my right armpit. The speed and force of the furry creature knocked my diminutive childish body down and disoriented me. I tumbled unto the ground coated in leaves and dirt with blood slowly emerging from my wound. Without hesitation, I grabbed the beast's neck with my hands and used my strength to throw it backwards. The force scared the fox and he dashed away realizing that his prey was too strong for his appetite. However, the climatic battle had forced me to forget my whereabouts, and I got up with no knowledge of which direction led to my home. I was without food and direction as I wandered throughout the woods for twelve days. There was nothing keeping me alive but my keen senses, and the energy of the forest. After those twelve days, I finally found the outlet to my plight. Upon leaving the forest I felt the warmth of the sun bombard my face. I had persevered against the vicious forest and it's traps. But that is when the inexplicable occurred. During my absence, a large cylindrical barrel appeared at my door step. I marveled and investigated this new event. I used my senses to -"
This pattern continued for many weeks. Owain would sharpen his skills listening to the honorable radiant scion. He would hurt himself in the process, and then listen to Priam describe an important part of his life in extraneous detail.
However, today was different as they were at the lake.
"Master Priam, I am ready for my next lesson!"
Priam stood there silently for a few minutes and it worried Owain. "You have significantly improved over these past few weeks Owain. Your dedication and perseverance is admirable."
"You honor me with your words." Owain felt his stomach flutter as he was complimented by his role model.
"But words are useless when action is needed." Priam said coldly.
"Right... What shall we do today then?"
"Today you will fight me. The winner will walk out of here alive."
"What?" Owain was confused and mortified
Priam drew his sword from its scabbard, "There can only be one hero to this world Owain. Surely you knew this before you started. Your final lesson will be a duel to the death."
"What!? No. I won't fight you!"
"The choice is not yours to make Owain. You desired this path to become a hero, and there is only one course of action to take. There can only be one Hero, and I do not intend to hand my title down lightly."
"B-but- I don't want to fight you for it! You can keep your title!" Owain desperately pleaded.
Priam sliced his the air in front of Owain. "I suggest you unsheathe Missiletainn or your death will be quick and shameful."
"B-but master!"
Priam lunged at Owain and he barely dodged the attack. He scrambled to grab his sword from its scabbard and barely deflected the next blow.
...
Priam charged into a wild frenzy and quickly crashed his sword down at Owain. The brute force behind the strike nearly crippled Owain's sword hand, but he managed to hold on and break the hold.
"Priam PLEASE stop this, I don't want to fight-"
"The time for words has passed." he struck again, and Owain dodged out-of-the-way.
Owain was panicking and his body was working against him. He wanted to run as fast as he could and get out of here... ... No...I can't run... Owain took a deep breath as Ragnell continued to assault his defensive blocks. My feelings are my weakness, I have to prevent them from clouding my judgment. Owain felt a wave of energy build up inside him and lashed back out.
"RRRARRGH!" Owain rushed at Priam and used the vigor flowing through his body as the two swords clashed in the morning sun.
He exposed a weakness in Priam's form and attacked with all of his might. However, Priam saw it coming and effortlessly avoided it.
"Well done, spotting the weaknesses in your opponent and acting accordingly."
The two exchanged volley after volley, and Owain was struggling to keep up. He could do nothing but defend against the blitz of deadly swings coming from Priam. I need to do something to turn the tide!
Owain backed away from Priam and quickly jumped up on to a small ridge. Priam sent another volley of strikes upwards, but Owain could counter them more easily since he was on the higher terrain.
"Nice use of the high ground. Forcing your opponent to be wary of his strikes or leave himself open to attack."
Owain paused for a second in surprise hearing him speak again and it gave Priam enough time to jump on to the ridge and equal the playing field.
The ferocious fighting continued and Owain was sweating tremendously. His entire back was covered in a pool of salty water.
"You are sweating profusely, Owain. I imagine that can make you very thirsty and very tired." Priam cried as he lashed out another wave of attacks.
Owain yelled back, "I drank three gallons of water today Priam! The only thing I need to worry about after this fight is finding a bathroom!"
The fight continued for over fifteen minutes as Owain relied on his training to survive the vicious onslaught. He was now severely fatigued and Priam was still going strong. He had only one card left to play before Priam would send his sword into his chest..
Owain swung his sword straight at the dirt below him and it went flying the air. The particles formed into a giant cloud and struck Priam in his eyes. He was instantly blinded.
"Excellent use of the environment." Priam called out and did not dare run his eyes, or it would only make it worse.
Owain let his guard down for a second and let out a quiet sigh thinking it was finally over. Priam heard the faint noise and violently thrust his sword at Owain. He just barely blocked it with Missiletainn, but the sheer force was too much for Owain and he fell to the ground.
He couldn't move as Priam's blade pointed at his chest. He was inches away from death, and there would be no way to dodge this attack.
…
…
"Well done Owain, with more practice and devotion; you will exceed my own skills one day." Priam sheathed his sword and extended his hand.
"W-what?!" Owain said in complete stupefaction.
"Your final lesson was a duel with me, but it would not be a true fight without the stakes of real battle."
Owain struggled to catch his breath and grabbed Priam's hand. "This was..."
Priam picked him up from the ground and said, "This was a real fight, and you fought remarkably. No one has survived that long against me in open combat."
Owain could not move, this was too much for him and he fainted.
…
"Priam I need to speak with you."
"Hmm? What is the matter Chrom?"
"...It's about that incident yesterday in the woods."
"Ah yes, I trust that Owain is recovering from his fatigue."
"Yes...he is recovering just fine. In fact he is telling everyone that he fought the legendary descendant of the Radiant Hero and lived to tell the tale. I have never seen him so happy in his life."
"Heh." Priam smirked.
"Look, I know you were just trying to teach him, but he could have seriously been hurt or worse. It was-"
Priam waved his hand in the air, "The boy was never in any danger. It is true that I did not hold back, but he fought valiantly and used the techniques I taught him to survive."
"Still, it just takes one accident and-"
"In my trade, there are no accidents. Only deliberate actions with a clear purpose. He was never in any danger."
"Regardless, I don't want to hear about you two trying to kill each other again."
"On the contrary, Robin has paired us up for combat."
"He did what?"
"Indeed, it happened a few hours ago as the sun peered over the mountainside. The birds were chirping and the flowers began to bloom. I was sharpening my sword at the time when Robin the Contriver approached me with the sentiment. He theorized that the two of us would be best suited to fight next to each other against the venomous foe that jeopardizes our humanity. I happily accepted the proposal and I will bravely fight alongside such a skilled champion of warfare... Ah, he reminds me so much of myself as a young lad. I was Owain's age when I dueled my father in the same fashion. It was midnight during the heart of July with only two candles illuminating the night sky. We gazed at each other and primed ourselves to fight to the death. I struck first and the battle began with the ringing of our swords echoing throughout the mountain side, it was a fierce battle, and the wind violently attacked both of our faces. Heh, but a mere wind storm was the least of our concerns. As my father lurched at me with Ragnell, the most improbable situation arose-"
Chrom raised a hand to his head and felt a massive headache coming along. He had a feeling that this would not end any time soon.