I don't own Fire Emblem. I just love it.
Lesson #1: See With Your Eyes
"Point, Lady Lyndis"
"If that was a real fight she'd have taken your bloody head off!" Sain taunted.
A hardy crowd had assembled to watch Lyn and Hector spar. By the cheering and jeering of the onlookers, it was obvious to all who had made good on their promise to embarrass the other. Florina cheered, Wil hoorah-ed, and Kent collected his wager from Matthew. Oswin shook his head, Raven laughed, and Serra rushed to attend her liege-lord.
"Again!" Hector's axe was hoisted and swinging before his last cut had even mended.
He swung at Lyn to the same effect as last; he simply could not move his axe at the same speed that she could react to it. Try though he might to feint or misdirect or overpower, she was never where his blow landed. And no sooner could he realize that his axe needed to be somewhere else then her sword was between his plate mail…or across his under-leathers…or at his throat…
A single hit and his strength would have destroyed her, but she wasn't giving it to him.
"Point; Lady Lyndis!" Sir Marcus bellowed as Hector again found himself with his axe swinging wide and the point of a sword against his jugular. A grumble and another dispatch for Serra was the only indication that he had heard.
"…She's fast… " Eliwood opined, cheering for neither friend; watching the battle with Mark and observing the bout to gauge their abilities rather than stroke their egos. "Probably the fastest in our ranks…"
"..."
"…besides you, of course…" Eliwood added hastily as the master-at-arms and lord tactician who had saved the girl from the plains two years earlier and taught her every sword art she knew (and had since taken it upon himself to mentor all who fought besider her) shot him a dirty look. "Certainly faster than any foe we've crossed blades with."
"…The assassin I fought at the Dragon's Gate was faster." Mark's eyes followed his first pupil's movements. "Lyndis's speed will exceed his own when her technique is complete, but as of now…"
"…you don't think she could take him?"
"If they fought today, he would kill her 5 times before she hit the ground." Mark had only fought the fabled Angel of Death once, but once had been enough to leave an impression. None of his protégées were yet capable of crossing blades with him. Although some were getting closer than others…
"Point; Lady Lyndis"
"DAMN YOU VILE WOMAN…BE STILL!"
"…Hector is struggling…" Eliwood, observed.
"Is he now?" Mark thought otherwise.
"He never loses his composure like this when we fight."
"Do you really believe the difference between Hector and Lyndis is composure?"
"…No…" Eliwood responded slowly, thinking very carefully about what he was going to say next. He had suffered enough of Mark's lessons to know he was being tested. "…the difference is technique."
"Do you mean that Lyn's technique is superior to Hector's?"
"Point; Lady Lyndis!"
"No. Hector is as capable with his technique as Lyndis is with her own. I mean that Hector's technique matches up poorly against Lyn's."
"…Are you certain?" Mark's gaze never left the sparring partners.
"I am certain that Hector is no less reliable in a fight than Lyn, if that is what you are asking..."
"…I am asking you if you are certain a mismatch of techniques is the reason why Hector has yet to land a single hit? Look with your eyes; what do you see?"
"…I don't understand…"
"Don't understand. Perceive."
"Point; Lady Lyndis!"
"I perceive my fair lady showing power and grace rivaled only by her beauty," Sain chimed in.
"…that is because you see with your cock…" Mark chided.
"I perceive that this is no contest; Lady Lyndis's skill far surpasses Hector's," Kent offered.
"…that is because you see what you want to see…"
"I perceive that my young lord is fighting like a pissed-off teenager," Matthew quipped.
"…that he is. But not for the reason that you might think…
"Point; Lady Lyndis!"
"Its not just technique," Eliwood reasoned. "It is technique—Hector's axe matches up poorly against Lyn's sword—but its more than that. Even if Hector were wielding a sword he wouldn't be hitting her. Not like this…"
"Explain," Mark smiled ever-so-slightly.
"It is as you have always said. Speed and toughness—power and finesse—these are the fundamentals of combat. For all things there is a trade-off. Speed is the price of toughness and toughness the price of speed; for every level of armor gained a degree of movement is lost, and for every degree of movement gained a level of armor must be sacrificed. Power is the price of finesse and finesse the price of power; for every ounce of power unrestrained thrown into an attack the attack becomes more wild, and for every degree of precision gained power must be withheld."
"…and what does this mean?" Mark asked with what could have been a hint of curiosity or a hint of amusement.
"Hector cannot beat Lyn because he instinctively falls back upon power and toughness, and she instinctively falls back upon speed and finesse," Eliwood watched another one of Hector's axe blows land far off the mark and a swift strike from Lyn punish him for it. "The difference in speed is such that Hector and only Hector takes damage, and his advantage in power and toughness is no advantage at all. Against the same level of skill but no preference of fundamentals this would not be. Hector would prevail because a small disadvantage in speed would not be great enough to overcome his advantage in damage-per-swing and Lyn would falter because her small advantage in speed would not be enough to overcome a disadvantage in damage-per-swing, were they both to fight an opponent who evenly balanced power and toughness and finesse and speed…"
"…an opponent like yourself." Mark nodded his approval. "One who sees how the pieces fit and does not try to force them; but is swift when he needs to be swift and strong when he needs to be strong. You have learned well, Eliwood of Pharae, but you have not perceived."
"How do you mean?"
"The fundamentals are as you say, as are the applications. But that is not why Hector struggles."
"Then why?" now Eliwood was truly at a loss.
"Is there not one among you who is yet capable of seeing it?" Mark challenged. Still his gaze never left the sparring partners. "Look with your EYES."
"Point; Lady Lyndis!"
"…This isn't how Hector fights when he's serious," Florina piped up, and Mark's ever-so-slight smile widened to something more than ever-so-slight; something that could almost be called a grin. "He's letting her win."
KER-BRRRRRUUUUUUUUU-BRUUUUUU-BRUUUU-BRUUUU
Mark's hand shot straight up and a peel-of-thunder rumbled from his palm; the sparring stopped and all in attendance gave him their undivided attention, knowing that not another weapon would be swung until the Grandmaster spoke his mind.
"Have you forgotten everything I taught you Lyn!" Mark berated. "Are you not enraged?"
"Why should I be!? Hector said I could never beat him because I'm just a girl. Look how wrong he was!"
"…Florina, what were you just telling me?" Mark glowered.
"…well…u-u-u-u-um…it d-didn't really look like he was…"
"FIRST LESSON: SEE WITH YOUR EYES!" Mark shouted. "A blind man could see Hector wasn't even trying to hit you; he held back because he's afraid to hit a girl!"
"YOU DID WHAT!?" Lyn turned on Hector enraged and punched him in the side.
"…why would you tell her that…" Hector deadpanned.
"One more round; fight her for real this time," Mark commanded. "Fight her the way you fight ME."
"…she hits like a man…" Hector rubbed the unarmored spot Lyn had punched. "…why the hell not…" he hoisted his axe and made the come at me gesture.
"Now I'm REALLY going to let you have it…" Lyn charged.
…The first difference Lyn noticed was that Hector was so strong, he didn't really need to hold Wolf Beil with two hands.
…The second difference Lyn noticed was that when Hector had one hand free, he could use the plating on the back of it's gauntlet as a make-shift shield against her sword strikes while attacking with his axe.
…the third difference Lyn noticed was that when his axe wasn't in a position to hit her, that didn't mean his free hand wasn't in a position to hit her.
And that was the last thing Lyn noticed before a backhand from Hector knocked her unconscious.
"BASTARD; I'LL KILL YOU!" Sain drew his steel.
"Peace, Sain." Mark counseled.
"He hit her!"
"I told him to."
"He HIT HER-hit her. Like a…Like a…"
"…like every armored brute who knows he can hoist an axe with one hand and punch with the other will try to hit her." Mark finished coldly. "And because of what she has just learned, they will be less successful."
"…This was poorly done…" Kent scowled.
"Good," Mark did not flinch from Lyn's glare of resentment as Serra mended her back to her feet. "If it wasn't, she might forget."