Chapter 3

"Hyah!" Leviah swung her sword down, but Link blocked it with his own. She quickly rebounded with a swipe to the side. Her father parried it away. "You're doing better, my girl. Don't forget your defense, though."

Leviah kept pressing forward, edging Link back further. He watched her movements with a keen eye, seeing her flow from one attack to another. She had a tenacity even he lacked at her age, but she had much to learn before she would ever reach his level of skill. He already spotted three different serious faults in her stance and attack pattern. "Pull back a bit. You're pushing too hard and too fast."

She didn't listen. The moment she had Link against the rocks she swung one final time. Link countered, sending her strike far to the right. As she followed through, she tripped over Link's foot and fell to the ground. Before she could get up, a sword was held at her back, keeping her down. "I warned you, Lee, if you are all attack and no defense, someone will break your guard."

"Unless she was fast and strong enough to not allow an attempt in the first place." Ashei called out from the other side of the yard. She was working on a painting while she watched and listened to the lesson. Link rolled his eyes. "Maybe when she's older, but it's wiser for her to learn a more balanced style until then."

"The younger she is, the better she'll learn, yeah?" Ashei countered. Link was about to continue the argument, but felt they were losing focus. He let Leviah up and asked her directly. "Li'l Lee, since you are the one that needs a teacher, do you want me, or your mom to do it?"

"Um..." Leviah stood there thinking it over. Shortly, a wicked grin streaked her face. "I know! I'll learn from whoever beats the other in a duel!"

Link winced, knowing full well what the outcome of that would be. Though they hadn't practiced together in a while, Link always had the edge, and had yet to lose to Ashei. Of course, his wife would never back down from a challenge. She had already gotten up from her seat and strutted over to her husband. She took Leviah's sword in hand and pointed it at her husband. "You heard the girl: we'll settle this like warriors."

Link relinquished his reservations and raised his own blade, tapping hers to signal he was ready. Ashei moved fast, pressing the attack with unrivaled ferocity. She came in high and low, doing her best to nullify any attempts for counters. Link did not give up any ground like he allowed Leviah earlier.

As the two exchanged strikes, Rusl happened by and saw the fight. He moved next to Leviah to get a better view. "Where's Esekel?"

"Inside, trying to build his own fishing rod." Leviah didn't let her eyes off the dancing blades. Rusl too, had become enthralled with the two, gauging them closely.

Ashei was still on the attack, but she'd finally gotten Link to back up. Her strikes had increased in strength, so he knew that she only had a couple minutes before she'd wear out; probably less since she wasn't at her fittest. Nevertheless, he couldn't let his guard down until that moment.

"What's she doing?" Rusl thought out loud. This was her normal style of fighting, but it was played a bit too quickly. Link had noticed as well, but had marked it off as compensation for her weaker state. The barrage of thrusts and slashes continued to keep Link at bay. Soon, he found himself against the rocks again, but the opening he'd expected had yet to reveal itself.

All of a sudden, Ashei pressed even faster. Somehow, she'd been reserving her strength for an even more powerful advance. Though surprised, he did not allow her through his defenses. It was only a matter of time before she'd waver.

"Wait a minute..." Rusl had finally figured out her plan, but didn't dare warn Link if he hadn't yet done the same. Ashei's attacks had slowed ever so slightly, but it wasn't time yet. He waited patiently until...there!

Immediately after deflecting Ashei's attack, he saw the opening. He stepped forward while bringing up his counter...and felt the sting of her blade against his side. He stammered back, lost his balance, and fell to the ground, confused by what had just happened. Ashei merely grinned. Her first victory against him had finally been slated, and she had earned it verily.

"Complacency is unbecoming of a hero." She chided her husband.

Link ran through the events again in his head, trying to figure out what he'd done wrong. Seeing him struggle to find the answer, Rusl elucidated it for him. "She caught you in a pattern of movements, increasing her attack to keep your focus on her, rather than yourself."

It made sense to him now. She had led him into that counter, but it was actually a faint. Ashei was right: he'd become complacent while fighting her. Having acknowledged his defeat, he picked himself up and bowed dramatically to the victor. "Looks like I have some learning to do myself."

"Well, this is Leviah's lesson, not yours. So, hand over your weapon to her an-"

"Mom!" Esekel called from the house. "Yerik won't stop crying! I tried rocking him and everything! I think he's hungry!"

"Oh, this just has to be a joke!" Ashei mumbled to herself. She turned to Link, dropping the sword in the process, and sauntered back to the house. "You got lucky, again, but the next lesson will be mine to teach."

"Hey, Esekel!" Rusl shouted up to the boy. "I've brought the line you needed!"

"Thanks, Uncle Rusl!" Esekel rushed outside to take his gift, and, just as quickly, dashed back in. Rusl moved next to Link, still a bit shocked at his defeat. He did his best to console him. "She knows you better than you think."

Link smiled while shaking his head. "She's still testing ground here and there. Speaking of which, did she and Saffir talk recently about...'punishments'?"

Rusl raised an eyebrow. "Did she try to 'close the inn' on you?"

"Didn't just try it."

"You might be able to get back in if you do something really special, and not necessarily something directly related to what shut you down."

"Yeah," The hero agreed, rubbing his still throbbing side. "I'm guessing the goddesses are trying to teach me a little humility."

"Daddy!" Leviah whined, bringing Link's attention back to his daughter. "Sorry, Lee. Let's finish this lesson together."

"Mommy sure got you good, yeah daddy?" Link mussed with her hair. "Yeah, she sure did."

He positioned himself across from his daughter with his sword raised. "But until she starts giving you lessons, I'm teaching you as I see fit."

Leviah nodded her head and signaled her readiness. As expected, she started with a quick offense, while Link held his ground. Rusl continued to watch, giving insight as he saw fit. "Stay light on your feet, Leviah; got to stay agile."

Of all the times Yerik had to feed, it had to be after Ashei's triumph. Such a reward, she thought. He seemed to be nibbling harder, too. Why he was much more difficult to deal with than the others had been as infants baffled her.

As she rocked her child again, her eyes fell to Esekel stringing up his fishing rod. His stubby fingers were somehow working nimbly about the piece of crafted wood. Within mere minutes, his project was completed. He showed it off to his mother, quite proud. "Mom, look at it! I made it all by myself!"

She nodded and smiled in her typical motherly response. "Yes, you did. Are you going to try it out today?"

"Nah, I was fishing yesterday. I'm gonna work on my other thing." Esekel ran to his room to grab the needed materials. Alongside the fishing rod, the boy had started constructing his own ocarina. To his dismay, it had been far more difficult than he'd anticipated. Finding the right place to put the holes that sounded correct was incredibly challenging, especially since he was tone deaf. It still astounded his mother that he could do as much as he was at his age, and yet was creeping quite slowly in his school work.

He was about to begin chipping in some new holes when Ashei made a request of him. "Esekel, can you fetch my painting materials from outside real fast before you start?"

"Sure, mom." The boy eagerly left the house once more to assist his mother. Realizing that she didn't want to leave it out unattended, she hoped that her child could safely retrieve her art before either Leviah or Link somehow knocked it over, and considering how long she'd worked on that particular painting made it all the more important to her.

After only a minute or so, Esekel returned with the painting and brushes. He placed it against the table in front of Ashei and immediately returned to his project without a word. At first, Ashei was upset to see dirt covering her work, but when she looked at it again, she was actually intrigued. Most of the dirt had actually clung to the paint that represented the earth, giving it an interesting "popping" texture. It made her ponder trying other possible methods that could use earthly elements in her paintings.

Another hard bite reminded Ashei that she couldn't implement anything for the time being. Her hands were busy holding up Yerik. She would have to settle simply with thinking about the possibilities. She felt discouraged that everything she desired at the moment was put on hold for the child; the last vestiges of her more self-centered life still lingering in the back of her mind. She'd always pull through, though, knowing how much the benefits greatly outweighed the detriments, and she wouldn't honestly consider giving up on them.

Eventually, Yerik had quieted down, and came on the verge of sleep. Shortly afterwards, Leviah hopped through the door, putting away her wooden sword before dashing over to see Esekel's completed fishing pole. Link returned as well, but chose to sit next to Ashei on the couch. "If he's done feeding, I'll hold him if you'd like."

Ashei appreciated the gesture and handed the baby over to Link while she examined her painting more closely. After a careful second consideration, she decided against using the dirt for this particular project. Regardless of the added interest it drew, it also clashed with everything else on the canvas. She tore up the painting and tossed the pieces into the nearby waste basket. With a sigh, she picked up her brushes with a new drawing sheet and prepared to go back outside and start again.

"You know," Link's voice halted her series of actions. "That fight got me thinking: when was the last time we'd actually trained together?"

Ashei paused to recall the incident. "I believe it was when I was one-month pregnant with Yerik."

Link nodded once he affirmed the thought in his head. "Perhaps we should start again. I know you've been wanting to get rid of that-"

"If you call it what I think you're going to call it, you're gonna regret it just like yesterday. It's just baby fat."

Link stifled a laugh as to not wake the baby. "All right, fine. That brings up another point, though. That little game you played yesterday: don't think you're the only one who can play it."

"Oh, don't tell me you think you can outlast me." She spoke slyly.

"I am more experienced at it than you may recall. Remember that you weren't the first I played with."

Before Ashei could come up with a witty response, Leviah interrupted with a question. "What kind of game are you guys talking about?"

A slight redness came to Ashei's cheeks, unsure how to answer her question. Luckily, Link was quick to answer. "It's a grown-up game. You'll learn of it when you're old enough. The only thing you need to know right now is that your dad is better at it than your mother."

Ashei immediately recovered her stance with the mention of his quip. "Oh, we'll see about that!"

The baby stirred at the raised voice, which put everything at a standstill, seeing whether or not he would begin crying. For about a minute, there was dead silence. Shortly, the child began to doze once again. In a more whispered tone, Ashei finished her retort. "Starting tonight, you are going to regret saying 'no' to me!"

It wasn't too late after her bedtime, but Leviah was positive that both her parents were in their respective room. This gave her the confidence that she could easily sneak out of bed without being caught. Slowly and carefully, she descended the stairs to the second floor. The only light in the tiny hall was a lantern which was shut off. The young girl couldn't reach it, so she made it a point to tread the ground very lightly, and carefully.

Eventually she made it to the door of her parents' room. She listened closely for any strange sounds while searching for a large enough crack in the wood panels that would allow her to take a peek inside. The light was still on inside, so finding the small slivers that served as openings were easy, but none were large enough for her to see anything clearly. Finally, she picked one that was near the bottom of the door. Though larger than the others, it wasn't at a great angle, and required her to lay almost flat on the ground to see through.

Then she felt a hand touch her back. Slightly startled, she lurched upward, making the intruder stumble a few steps before recovering. When she saw who it was, she was both relieved and angry at the same time. In as harsh of a whisper as she could make, she lashed out at her younger brother. "What are you doing down here?!"

He replied in the exact same tone. "What am I doing down here?! What are you doing down here?!"

Leviah took a step away from the door, just to be certain their parents couldn't hear them. "Mom and dad said they were going to play a game tonight and I wanted to see what it was."

"They said it was a grown-up game. We can't play it."

"I'm not playing it. I just wanna watch them play it."

"You know that still counts." Esekel continued to fight her all the way.

"Come on! You can't tell me that you're not curious as to what it is now, right? Just listen, yeah?! It's so quiet, they must be up to something!"

Esekel approached the door and put his ear to it. Leviah was correct, it was almost completely silent inside. The only thing he could here was the occasional sound of both parents giggling or groaning, and something else that he couldn't quite figure out. It sounded kind of like they were slapping each other. He would only hear it occasionally, and always in very brief sessions. His curiosity was now at its fullest, and decided to look through the hole himself. That made Leviah upset.

"Hey! It was my idea, I get to look through there!"

"You already were looking when I got here! It's my turn to look now!" Esekel refused to move. Leviah tried to pull him away so that she could take his spot. "I found that one, so I get to use it! Find a different hole!"

The two were too frustrated to realize that they had begun to get louder, and the room had gotten quieter. Before they could figure it out, the door opened and the light shone brightly on their faces. The two looked up to see their father towering above them, arms at his side and wearing his workout clothes.

"Kids..." He began to ask, but never had a chance to finish. Immediately, Esekel began the accusations. "Leviah left the bedroom to see what game you were playing, and I just followed her to get her back!"

"Nuh-uh! The moment I told him what I was doing he took my spot and said I couldn't use it!"

"It was my turn to look!"

"You stole my spot!"

Link just sighed while putting a hand to his forehead to rub his temples. He let the kids go at it just long enough for them to let out their pent up energy. Then he put a hand on each one's shoulders, and the two immediately hushed. "Kids, do you really want to see what we were doing?"

The two nodded wildly. "Then we'll show you."

Link moved away from the door, allowing them to come in and see their mother. Ashei was standing just in front of the bed, also wearing her workout clothes. Link stood exactly opposite of her, and took a stance that was unfamiliar to the two kids. Leviah couldn't find words to describe it, though she was still learning. The two then put their arms up, and connected their wrists with each others. Then they just spun them around a little while; going one way then another, then someone would do something a little fast and try to slap the other. Ashei usually initiated these attempts, but Link would often block her with his arm and counter with a hit of his own. All the hits were fairly soft (though you could hear them connect), but incredibly fast. Leviah never could tell what exactly was going on because of the speed.

It was the most peculiar thing Leviah and Esekel had ever seen. "What are you doing?"

Ashei smiled, not stopping the ritual. "We're 'rolling hands,' Lee."

At that point, Link sped up a spin and tried to hit the side of her head, but it ended with Ashei pushing it away and hitting him right back. Link let out a chuckle, enjoying this workout.

"Is this that game you were talking about earlier?" Esekel asked her sister, who was just as confused as she. Both parents had to stop to laugh a little more loudly, but Ashei answered afterwards. "No. No, this is very different from that game. We can probably teach you this one later if you wish."

"But not the other one." Link intervened. "Sorry, kids, but like I said before, it really is a grown-up game."

He went back over to the kids once more and kneeled down to their level. "I don't want to find you two spying on us again."

"Why?" Esekel asked.

"Because you are supposed to obey us." Ashei took the reigns on the conversation. "Kids, we've been good parents to you, yeah?"

Their children nodded.

"Then you need to trust us when we tell you that you're not old enough to understand, and that it is improper for you to watch us if we're playing that game. Do you understand, Lee?"

"Yes, mommy." She hung her head low, feeling guilty.

"Do you understand, Esekel?" His father inquired.

"Yes, dad." He followed suit.

Link smiled and patted them both on the back. "Good. Now, off to bed; both of you."

He helped them out the door, turning the lantern on long enough for them to see their way up the stairs. As they made their ascent, he called out, "Don't forget: we're letting you off easy this time. If we do catch you trying to sneak a peak, your mother will get re-e-e-ally angry."

"Won't forget, daddy." Leviah remarked.

Link returned to the bedroom and closed the door firmly behind him. Now Ashei was glaring at him with her hands on her waist. "'Your mother will get angry'?"

"You implying you wouldn't?" Link asked with a smirk.

"Are you implying you wouldn't?" She cocked an eyebrow at him. "There is no way I'm going to let you win this 'game' now."

"All right, all right. I'll ease up on the teasing." He got up and took her hands into his. "But if we are going to play this game, shouldn't we commemorate it by making love once more before we start?"

Ashei sighed. "I suppose, but not until we finish this exercise."

She immediately went for another slap, which Link blocked. They continued their rolling exercise for a while longer. A thought suddenly occurred to Ashei. "You know, if 'the game' is actually us seeing who can hold out longer, then aren't the kids technically going to be watching us play it on a regular basis?"

"They don't have know that. Besides, do you still want to explain to them what we're holding out on?"

"I suppose not." Link attempted another strike to the face, but Ashei was able to counter and put him in a hold, almost throwing him over. He tapped out, and she helped him up. With another grin, Ashei began to boast. "That's two for me right now. The way things are, I think we can already expect who'll win the last one."

"I dunno. We'll just have to see..."

Forty minutes later, the two were lying next to each other in bed, glistening with sweat and breathing laboriously. Link looked over to his wife, speaking between his gasps. "Goddesses! This is going to be painful to beat you."

Ashei tilted her head over to her husband. "After that? I don't even care anymore. You win. Let's go again."

AN: The "rolling hands" exercise is taken straight out of Wing Chun (some variants called 'sticky hands').