Chapter Ten
"Ah! I almost forgot in all the hustle and bustle. I meant to give you this." he said, going to the other side of the room and rummaging around in a pile of strange objects for something. When he turned back to me, he held a decently sized pouch in his left hand, plus a larger, and much longer, bundle in the other hand.
He handed me the smaller bundle first, and I carefully unwrapped it. The sound of metal clinking against each other inside surprised me, and I opened it to behold and array of beautiful knives. There was a pair of slightly curved daggers with decorated hilts in swirling silver to go in dagger-holders on either side of me, along with one smaller straight knife in front of and behind the large daggers on each side. All of this came with a belt that went around my waist, which also had a small bag on it holding tiny throwing knives that were sharper than the daggers themselves.
When I unwrapped the larger pouch, Brom surprised me with three swords. Two of the swords were in a carrying pouch that went over my shoulders and under my cloak with only the ends of the sword handles sticking out into visible sight. The two swords were identical, and were long with a slight curve at the end. The blades were fairly thin and sleek, perfect if you were a small person who needed to move fast. However, when I applied all my pressure to them they didn't bend or show that it was any strain.
Brom demonstrated by crushing another blade that looked identical in two, and then by trying the same with my blades. On my blades it bent in such a small degree that you wouldn't see it unless you were keeping a very close eye on its movements, and even then it may be invisible to you.
The two blades said something on the sides in the elfish language, and as I strained to read it Brom translated it for me. "Garm's Thorta; Wolf's Truth. Wolves are the best at detecting lies, and trying to lie to one is nearly impossible. However, wolves enjoy the truth and make those who lie suffer painfully. I figured you may need all of this to help you out." he said, informatively and unabashedly.
I smiled, looking at all the weapons with glee. This was far better than I could have ever hoped for. Now if only I could figure out how to use them all properly; I could be a weapons expert! I thought with such pride and joy. I glanced over at Brom.
If he had these weapons in his possession, then surely he has been trained in how to use them. Perhaps he will teach me? I wondered silently to myself as Brom went digging into the pile again.
I took the sword and looked it over with an expert's eye for detail. As far as I could tell, no mere human could have forged it. It was obviously of elfish make, and it had a certain air of magic about its features. I lifted it, and the weight was surprising. For a large boy or young man, it wouldn't be a problem. But if I were to be injured and weakened I probably wouldn't get very far with it. The beautiful weapon was just too large for me. I laid it back down on the table.
"I can't use this weapon Brom; it's too large for me. If I were to be wounded and had this as my only available weapon, I'd need to be able to lift it. I'd fall to the ground if I tried lifting up this thing." I said, glancing at it with some mistrust. Brom smiled in a knowing way.
"Well then, I have just the thing for you. One more weapon couldn't hurt, right?" he said, grinning before going across the room to dig in another pile.
He pulled back from it with a quiver of arrows in his hand and gave it to me. I noticed with more than a little satisfaction that it clipped onto the sword-holder on my back and was able to fit over my cloak for easy reach, and still allowing me to grab my swords if I needed them. Brom dug around in a different pile and returned with a beautiful bow, one so well-made that I almost said I couldn't take it simply because it was too precious.
The bow, much like the sword, was also of elfish making, and looked as though it was flowing with elfish magic. It curved in a beautiful array of twisted wood that had been polished to a light sheen, and was inlaid with silver threads to increase the wood's strength. The string was soft and thin, but very durable as well. It wasn't very likely to break. I drew it back with a practiced archer's stance and tested its grip and strain ratios. It didn't strain the bow's framework, and it was firm within my hands.
I flipped it into the quiver full of arrows on my back, pleased that it had its own pouch within the quiver for it to rest inside safely. I noticed as I did this that the fletching on the arrows were feathers from a dove, the pristine white standing out drastically. I donned my forest green cloak with ease and felt the comfortable weight of weapons finally upon me. I sighed in relief and smiled. Now, I felt secure in my safety. I felt able to protect myself...almost.
I turned to Brom and embraced his as I laughed. "Thank you so much! I finally feel like I'm able to protect myself. Or at least I will once I learn to use all these weapons correctly." I told him shyly, a small blush covering my pale cheeks.
Brom raised a surprised eyebrow "A girl of your age and going through what you have, and you have no prior weapons training?" he asked in astonishment. I shook my head.
"No sir. I'm the one that used to make the weapons for the soldiers, not learn to use them myself." I explained. He nodded slowly, deep in thought. A light bulb seemed to flicker on in his head, for his eyes sudden lit up like a child on Christmas morning.
"I have an idea. You're a smart young woman, and you could use a bit of training I'll bet. How about you start coming here every day for lessons in anything I can think up. You'll learn to meditate and find an inner peace, you will learn to use all of your weapons, you will learn the history of Alagaesia, and you shall also learn the ancient language. It's time you got an education that could get you somewhere in the world. Besides, something about you seems very different from your average human, and this may help me figure out what it is. In a way, you're much like the elves. You'd be more suited for their race than ours." he commented as an after-thought.
I nodded, glee filling every inch of my form. "I'd love to learn all of that! It would be absolutely wonderful to learn of the history of everything. Can I ask for one other lesson as well?" I asked him, my eyes alight.
"You can ask." he said, an amused expression on his face.
"I want to learn everything that's in those books." I said, pointing to the shelf. "I want to learn about dragons, and every other creature in this world; myth or not. I want to learn about plants, and healing, and telepathic communication, even if they are abilities that I do not possess. I still want to learn." I told him, my eyes getting brighter and more joyful with each word I said. The thought of so much learning was incredible!
Brom stood there for a moment considering it before nodding and saying "Very well, but you must also realize I will give you a lot of homework. You will be quizzed each day when you enter my study." he said, watching me with an appraising eye. I nodded vigorously.
"Very well then. Each day after your noon meal you shall come up here to learn whatever I have to teach you, though it may frustrate you at the pace. Certain lessons will be taken slowly, and the simplest of thoughts or movements will be repeated for hours and hours until it becomes a part of you. Have patience and you'll be alright." he cautioned, and I smiled even brighter than before.
"You shall return to your home an hour before sunset so that you have time to prepare the evening meal and then have time that night to study on your own. I believe you already have a copy on the History of Alagaesia in your residence?" he asked. I nodded. "Very well then. You will study from that each night, and do whatever homework I request of you. You will listen to and obey your teacher and show constant respect. It would be rude not to." he said, grinning. I grinned back.
Brom sat down in his large chair by the fire to smoke his pipe and blow smoke rings once he had finished speaking. He turned and said "Make sure you're here every day; tell Garrow that I've become your teacher and you shall be joining me for lessons." I nodded silently, still smiling. "Now, go do your shopping and get home. If you hurry, you'll make it there by lunch and won't starve all day." he said, smiling and giving a small amused chuckle.
"Thank you Brom! This means more to me than you could ever imagine. Farewell!" I said, running out the back door with a whoop for joy. I was going to have lessons!