NOTES: And another genfic-prompt, this time from Jackie: Teyla - the first time she ever takes up her sticks to learn how to fight.

Learning

She felt clumsy, trying to go through the familiar motions with the unfamiliar weight in her hands. She was tired, having been at these exercises since dawn. Twice she overbalanced, the heavy wooden staves throwing off her sense of centre.

"I said to go slowly," Mahael said when she tried to increase the pace of the exercises. When she continued on at the swifter pace, his voice grew dark with warning. "Teyla."

Her arms dropped to her sides, the carved patterns brushing against her calves. The wooden staves were made for an adult, not a child, and she was tired. "If I go faster, they do not overbalance me so much," she argued.

"But neither would your body stretch and grow from the movement," came the reply. "You will learn."

Teyla felt like dumping the sticks and storming off. The look on her uncle's face warned her against such actions. She would receive succour from neither parent when they found out about her tantrum. Besides, she was thirteen winters grown, too mature for such childish fits of anger. And she had requested to learn this skill after watching Mahael perform his exercises.

She winced as her shoulders ached in the stretch out, but managed not to lose her balance in the pass and continued through the exercise, her teeth gritted in concentration.

Someday I will do this without pain, she said to herself. I will practise until the pain no longer bothers me. I will be good at this.

But when the pattern finished, she dropped her hands to her sides, panting, and waited for the verdict.

He will say I must do it again, she thought, resentful as the dark eyes studied her.

"Good," he said, and she stared at him.

"Good?"

A glimmer of amusement passed across his face. "Good."

The approval warmed her through her body, briefly negating the aches of her muscles. She smiled, anticipating her release from training.

Mahael's mouth twitched slightly. "Now, do it again."

Teyla's smile fell.

- fin -