Hello people, and welcome back to Frozen: Lords of Storm and Stone. I hope you all had as good a Mother's Day as you can, and the same goes for those of you who celebrate Cinco de Maya. Anyway, welcome to Day three of Frozen Boot Camp...and with that, I will kill that joke especially since I technically didn't use it right, and I doubt anyone gives a crap.
After leaving Sigmund's arena, Elsa joined the rest of her family in Sigmund's throne room.
"Did you want to talk to him about something?" Lisa asked.
"I just wanted to know if he wanted to use magic during any of these duels." Elsa said.
"And?" Kristoff asked.
"Other then making his sword fight by itself, he can't imagine using magic against any of us...except me of course." Elsa said.
"Figures." Kristfoff said, then Lisa looked away.
"Problem?" Anna asked.
"No, I...I'm thinking about asking him to train me too." Lisa said.
"You're kidding..." Kristoff said.
"Not at all, I can't see myself bringing the fight to Absalom, but..." Lisa trailed off before sighing.
"Well, knowing how to use a sword won't hurt." Anna said seriously.
"My thoughts exactly." Lisa said.
"Well, I'm sure he'd be willing if you'd ask. I mean, what's the harm?" Elsa said.
"Right." Lisa said.
"And while you do that, I'm going to check in with Captain Lars, maybe get a new spear, and maybe get a refresher on glima with the rest of the ice harvesters." Kristoff said.
"I'm going to get some apples; I've been craving some since before we got started with Sigmund, and I can't wait any longer." Anna said.
"I'll go with you." Elsa said.
"Alright, I'll be here when you get back." Lisa said before the family went to the exit, and Anna waved at Lisa before leaving.
Sigmund was still in the arena looking over the place when Lisa walked in.
"I...was not expecting you all back so soon." Sigmund said.
"It's just me my liege; the others left to do other things." Lisa said.
"Then to what do I owe this visit?" Sigmund asked, then Lisa sighed.
"I was...I was thinking about asking you to show me how to use a blade." She said seriously, then Sigmund stared at her.
"Are you certain?" Sigmund asked.
"I've seen what you and the others can do, and...like I told them, I can't see myself on the front lines, I also don't want to feel useless if it really comes down to it." Lisa said.
"It's not that simple; knowing how to use a sword is one thing, having the will to use it is another." Sigmund said.
"I'm not afraid of Absalom's thugs." Lisa said.
"Again, it is not that simple." Sigmund said.
"Why not?" Lisa asked seriously.
"Lisa...have you seen people die before?" Sigmund asked.
"Yes...when me and Dietrich lost our home." Lisa said.
"Did you ever kill anyone yourself? Have you watch their last moments of life?" Sigmund asked.
"No." Lisa said.
"I have...more times than I can count, and to this day I hate being a part of it, whether it's necessary or not; whether my victims are innocent or not." Sigmund said.
"But...you're the legendary Lord of Stone..." Lisa trailed off.
"Being a legend isn't free, not by any means." Sigmund said seriously, then Lisa sighed.
"What about the people?" She asked.
"The people need me, on the battlefield, and at home, and that's all there is to it." Sigmund said.
"Don't you ever get tired of all this?" Lisa asked.
"Of course I do, which is precisely why I don't just surround myself with luxuries for the sake of it, and I do value the company of those around me. Otherwise...well, even my sanity has limits." Sigmund said.
"Right..." Lisa whispered.
"But to answer your question, I'm not against training you, but if you are forced to end the lives of those who try to end yours, I will not be responsible for whatever misery befalls you as a result." Sigmund said.
"I understand." Lisa said.
"I do apologize for talking about this so bluntly, but it is vital you think this though as much, and as thoroughly as possible before getting involved in this matter." Sigmund said.
"Thank you...Lord Sigmund." Lisa said.
"Now go, we will discuss this further when the others return." Sigmund said before Lisa left the arena.
Kristoff went to Captain Lars for a replacement spear, and when he got there, he spotted the ice harvesters practicing with their respective weaponry. When he asked about glima, Lars mentioned that glima was practiced in Sigmund's army all the time, especially with the ice harvesters. Kristoff then noticed some ice harvesters wrestling each other in the distant part of the training grounds, with one being pinned by the other, with the others watching, laughing, and cheering.
Kristoff then joined in, and quickly showed how versed he was in glima. The first ice harvester he fought tried to take Kristoff to the ground immediately, only for Kristoff to strengthen his stance, and push back. The rest of the ice harvesters watched as Kristoff demonstrated his prowess, and his opponent retreated before he composed himself.
The ice harvester then smiled before charging at Kristoff, who then picked him up, and slammed him into the ground, while being careful to not use too much force. The other ice harvesters immediately began cheering loudly, raising their fists, and looking at each other in disbelief. Kristoff then helped his opponent stand, shook hands with him, and embraced before another ice harvester challenged Kristoff.
In the meantime, Anna, Elsa, and Olaf went to the apple orchards, then began to take in the scenery.
"Wow..." Anna whispered as she looked over the apples on one of the trees.
"Wow indeed." Elsa breathed out.
"Wow...wow what?" Olaf asked.
"I will never get tire of seeing apples like this." Anna said.
"Oh...that's what wow is." Olaf said casually.
"Yes Olaf...that is what wow is." Anna said before picking some apples.
"I could freeze some for you." Elsa said.
"I think winter did a pretty good job, but I'm sure he or she appreciates that." Anna said.
"Clever..." Elsa said, before Anna shrugged.
"Eh, I try." She said casually.
"We could bring some to the soldiers when we fetch Kristoff." Elsa said, then Anna took a moment to think.
"Huh...good idea." She said before picking more apples.
"I think we're going to need a bucket." Elsa said seriously.
"I thought you were just going to make one...or two." Anna said before Elsa made two small buckets out of ice.
"I was." She said, before Anna stared at her, then filled each bucket with the apples.
When the two sisters reached the barracks, they saw Kristoff with Captain Lars, and a new spear.
"Hey honey." Anna said.
"Hey honey." Kristoff said before Anna hugged him, and Kristoff set the spear against a nearby rack, and returned the hug with both arms.
"How did it go?" Elsa asked.
"I...should probably wait until dinner, Sigmund has got to hear this..." Kristoff said.
"So do we." Anna said.
"I am certain His Lordship will be pleased to hear of your progress Your Majesties." Lars said, then Elsa put down a bucket of apples.
"Captain? We brought some apples for your men." She said.
"I thank you on their behalf. I am certain the ice harvesters Kristoff fought could use the additional rations." Lars said seriously.
"He worked them over that badly?" Anna asked.
"They also worked me over." Kristoff said seriously.
"You're solid as a rock; you can handle it." Anna said casually while tapping his abdomen with her fist.
"I love you too..." Kristoff groaned.
"Oh stop it." Anna said while waving him off.
"Anyway...it will be twilight soon, you should probably make your way back to Lord Sigmund in case he has further business with you." Lars said.
"Our plan exactly." Anna said.
"And do give him my regards, if you please." Lars said.
"We do please." Anna said casually.
"Before we go...Lisa is also with us." Elsa said, and Lars stared at Elsa.
"She...she wants to join the war...?" Lars asked seriously.
"I seriously doubt it, but she did watch our last bout of training." Elsa said, then Lars sighed.
"Thank heavens." He said.
"She did mention asking Sigmund to train her though, and it doesn't hurt to learn the ropes." Anna said.
"And with that, I cannot argue." Lars said.
"We should talk to Sigmund himself about it. They must've discussed the possibility by now." Kristoff said.
"Right." Anna said.
"Olaf?" Elsa asked.
"Yes?" Olaf asked.
"Would you like to stay here, or come back to the fortress?" Elsa asked.
"I'll come back to the fortress...unless you'd like to stay here?" Olaf asked.
"The fortress it is." Anna said casually.
"Until next time captain." Kristoff said.
"Here's to then Your Majesties." Lars said before the family left the barracks.
Back at the fortress, Sigmund was in his throne room, wielding and looking over two longswords.
"Sigmund?" Anna asked, then Sigmund turned to see them.
"Welcome back." He said.
"What's with the two swords?" Kristoff asked.
"These are your swords; I've take the liberty of turning them into swords that resemble my own. But of course, if they don't please, I can return them to the way they were." Sigmund said, then Anna and Kristoff looked at each other.
"Well, we did talk about it." Kristoff said.
"We'll try them later on." Anna said.
"Very well then." Sigmund said before setting the two swords down.
"We brought a bucket of apples with us, would you like some?" Elsa asked.
"I do appreciate that." Sigmund said, then Elsa made a knife out of ice, grabbed an apple, cut it in half, then gave both halves to Sigmund before he bit into one of them.
"So...did you think about how you could improve my new spear?" Kristoff asked.
"Excluding the tip and maybe the back part? No I haven't." Sigmund said.
"The back?" Kristoff asked as he looked over the back end of his spear.
"For counterbalancing." Sigmund said.
"O...k..." Kristoff said.
"Remember when he said that coating the whole spear in steel wasn't a good idea?" Anna asked.
"Yeah." Kristoff said.
"Well, there you go." Anna said.
"Where is Lisa?" Elsa asked.
"Ingmar brought our dinner shortly before you arrived, and Lisa is either eating, or waiting for us." Sigmund said.
"Well, let's not keep her waiting." Kristoff said before he gave his spear to Sigmund.
"You go, I'll join you later." Sigmund said.
"Alright." Kristoff said before the family went to the dining room.
When there, Lisa was there, cutting into some chicken, then she smiled when she saw the family.
"Welcome back!" She exclaimed.
"Good to be back." Anna said, then her eyes widened when she saw the rest of the plates full of food.
"Yeah, I set your plates up too, I hope you don't mind." Lisa said.
"That was sweet of you." Elsa said.
"Don't mention it." Lisa said before motioning to the table with her hand, then the family sat down, with Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff in front of her, and started eating.
"We also brought some apples if you'd like." Anna said.
"Yes I would, thanks." Lisa said before Elsa took an apple out of the basket, made a knife out of ice, then sliced the apple in half before giving it to Lisa.
"This looks familiar..." Olaf trailed off.
"That's because I did the same thing for Sigmund earlier." Elsa said.
"Oh...right..." Olaf said.
"Aren't you hungry Olaf?" Lisa asked.
"He doesn't eat, usually." Anna said.
"I don't have a stomach...or teeth..." Olaf said.
"Yet you tried to eat Anna's birthday cake on her nineteenth birthday." Elsa said casually, then Lisa giggled.
"He what?" She asked.
"It was an ice cream cake!" Olaf exclaimed.
"And who was it for?" Elsa asked softly.
"It was for Anna..." Olaf trailed off.
"Yes...it was." Elsa said, then Lisa smiled and shook her head.
"You two are adorable." She said, then the family got back to their meal. Everyone continuously ate the meats, bread, vegetables, and cheese prepared for them, as well as the apples Anna and Elsa brought. Eventually, Sigmund walked into the room, and Lisa gasped when she saw him.
"I trust you are all enjoying yourself?" Sigmund asked.
"Yes we are." Anna asked, then Sigmund spotted the last plate of food...next to Lisa.
"I hope it's o.k my liege." Lisa said softly.
"Yes Lisa, and the gesture is welcome." Sigmund said before sitting next to her, then started eating.
"Want another apple?" Anna asked.
"Two please." Sigmund said before Elsa cut two more apples, then Anna gave them to Sigmund.
"Is it good my lord?" Lisa asked.
"Of course, Chef Gunjar cooked it." Sigmund said simply, then Lisa smiled.
"True..." She said before she continued eating.
"Oh! Kristoff, tell Sigmund how your matches went." Anna said.
"Oh yeah, that's right. I fought six of the ice harvesters before getting my new spear." Kristoff said.
"I'll bet you kicked all of their butts in the process." Lisa said casually.
"Actually, I got my butt kicked twice, and three of them gave me a hard time. The first one was easy, but that's likely because he didn't take me seriously." Kristoff said.
"What was his name?" Sigmund asked, then Kristoff took a moment to think.
"I'm not sure; I didn't ask him." He said.
"Well, let that be a lesson: failing to take your opponent seriously enough is never wise." Sigmund said.
"To be fair, he did seem like he enjoyed himself, and he even told me, and I quote, you got me good." Kristoff said.
"Sounds like a nice guy." Anna said.
"He was." Kristoff said.
"Did you fight the harvesters without any breaks?" Sigmund asked.
"No, I fought three of them, then took a breather." Kristoff said.
"Did you lose twice afterwards, or beforehand?" Sigmund asked.
"Both times were beforehand." Kristoff said.
"Did you not take them seriously?" Sigmund asked.
"No, I took them seriously, and they beat me fair and square. Those guys do not play games..." Kristoff said.
"Well, there is that." Lisa said.
"Did you finish with Kristoff's spear?" Elsa asked.
"No, I tried some measurements, but then it occurred to me that it would be best if Kristoff felt the difference himself before the final decision is made." Sigmund said.
"This I have to see...after we finish eating of course." Lisa said, and with that, the group continued their feast.
Afterwards, the group went back to the throne room, and Sigmund gave the spear to Kristoff.
"Hold it out, with your hand in the middle." Sigmund said, then Kristoff followed his instructions.
"Like this?" He asked.
"Yes, now hold it steady." Sigmund said before he put both of his armored hands on either end of the spear. He then slowly and steadily moved his hands towards the center, with the spear being coated in metal every moment. Lisa in particular widened her eyes at the display; as far as her eyes could tell her, the metal coating the spear was coming out of nowhere.
Eventually, Sigmund coated two of the seven feet that made up the spear's length, and Kristoff showed no signs of straining. Sigmund then stopped and took a moment to think; he broke the spear's tip when he dueled Kristoff earlier, and he coated the entire foot's length of the spear below the tip. He then looked at the back end of the spear, and noted the difference in the amount of metal present there, as opposed to the amount of metal on the tip.
He then widened his eyes, and made the metal on the opposite end of Kristoff's spear form a small mace head.
"What the...?" Kristoff asked.
"Now you can bludgeon as well as stab with it, if the need arises." Sigmund said, then Kristoff grabbed his spear with both hands.
"How does it feel?" Elsa asked before Kristoff lifted the spear up and down.
"I've carried worse." He said casually.
"Try thrusting with it." Sigmund before he made a stone rise out of the ground, and float in mid-air. He then stepped aside, before Kristoff gripped his spear with both hands, then aimed at the stone carefully. He then sucked in a breath before thrusting forward, and his spear pierced all the way through the stone, and made it crumble, making everyone except Sigmund widen their eyes.
"Whoa!" Lisa exclaimed, then Kristoff looked at his spear.
"What did you do to this thing?" He asked seriously.
"I didn't just add metal to it, I hardened the metal as much as I could, and I sharpened the tip. In combination with the amount of strength you have, and the amount you put to use, that stone was an afterthought." Sigmund said.
"Are you going to do the same thing to the rest of your army's spears?" Anna asked.
"No, few people have the strength required for such an attack, and even fewer can afford to choose raw power over everything else." Sigmund said.
"That is a good point, since that was a stone I was trying to destroy, I hit it as hard as I could...and I concentrated as hard as I could." Kristoff said seriously.
"What about the wooden part?" Lisa asked, then Sigmund made the metal below the spear's tip fold, and move away from the shaft.
"As predicted, it took little to no damage..." He said.
"What about the mace head?" Elsa asked, then Sigmund reformed the stone Kristoff destroyed.
"Try smashing it." Sigmund said, then Kristoff flipped his spear around, held the end over his head, wound up, then bashed the stone hard enough to shatter it, with the pieces being launched away from Sigmund.
"Well...that answers that question." Anna said casually.
"However, I do not suggest using that spear during training." Sigmund said.
"You don't have to tell me twice." Kristoff said seriously.
"Then what can he use instead?" Lisa asked.
"Well, his training with a spear is complete as far as I'm concerned. All that's left at this point is keeping his skill sharp." Sigmund said.
"But?" Kristoff asked.
"I have yet to see how you are with a sword, especially a longsword." Sigmund said.
"I've never used a longsword before." Kristoff said.
"Neither have I." Anna said.
"Well, it isn't too late." Lisa said.
"Correct...and have either of you used a bow, crossbow, or even a musket?" Sigmund asked.
"None of those." Anna said.
"Well, we can settle that at a later date, but for now...there's something I have to apologize for." Sigmund said.
"And that would be?" Anna asked.
"Failing to dull our blades during our duels." Sigmund said.
"We were wearing pretty sturdy armor." Kristoff said.
"And that is the only thing that redeems my judgement, or lack thereof." Sigmund said.
"So don't worry about it." Elsa said.
"I have good reason to worry about it, specifically because Lisa is here." Sigmund said.
"Me?" Lisa asked.
"Yes, you asked me to show you how to use a sword, but there is no chance I will duel you in the clothes you're wearing now; you need steel covering you." Sigmund said seriously.
"I don't know..." Lisa said.
"Fortunately, using dull swords is a good work around, even if armor is being used." Sigmund said.
"Right, because how can you cut someone with a dull blade?" Kristoff said.
"It's still possible to hurt them, but cutting them is impossible, or at least much harder." Sigmund said.
"So do you want me to get armor first?" Lisa asked.
"That won't be necessary...learning how to use a sword, or any weapon properly is step one. If you can't do that, then...there is little point." Sigmund said.
"O.k." Lisa said.
"Then again...armor can help you even if you don't have a weapon, and I doubt I need to explain why." Sigmund said.
"I'm going to go on a limb and say that armor protects you from weapons, and then some." Kristoff said casually, then Sigmund smiled.
"That is a popular belief yes, and for good reason. Anyway...there is one advantage to using sharp blades in a duel, risky as it is, and that would be that sharp blades actually stick together." He said.
"What?" Lisa asked, then Sigmund grabbed the two longswords and pressed them together.
"See? Unlike a dull sword, or especially a wooden sword where the blades simply slide along each other, sharp blades actually stick together." He said.
"So if you use sharp swords, you sacrifice safety for a more accurate experience." Elsa said.
"I could not have said that better myself." Sigmund said before putting the swords down.
"So are swords completely useless if they get blunt?" Lisa asked.
"No, you can of course thrust with them...although that leads us back to square one when it comes to a simple duel." Sigmund said.
"Unless you're wearing good armor." Kristoff said.
"Even then, thrusting is risky, especially if you accidentally hit a weak spot in the armor." Sigmund said.
"Unless you somehow get rid of the weak spots." Anna said.
"Which is next to impossible without earth magic...or dwarven expertise for that matter." Sigmund said.
"What about weapons made of ice?" Lisa asked.
"That I do not know..." Sigmund said.
"Well, Elsa cut those apples quite well." Lisa said.
"My ice is far from normal." Elsa said seriously.
"Not to mention ice is quite sharp...although normal ice is quite brittle, of course magic ice is anyone's guess." Sigmund said.
"I don't know, Elsa's ice palace has a massive chandelier being held by a pretty thin chain." Kristoff said.
"Well...that answers that question." Anna said.
"You said that before." Kristoff said.
"I know." Anna said casually.
"Back to sharpness, it's also worth noting that not every cut is going to stop a fight, especially you don't hit a vital spot." Sigmund said.
"What?" Lisa asked.
"Yes, cuts are actually painless for the most part, or at least clean cuts are painless. I myself have been cut multiple times, and it wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't painful either." Sigmund said.
"It still doesn't sound like something to look forward to." Lisa said.
"Very true, I've even seen some ingenious men swing sharpened swords at each other, and not only was their technique non-existent, but so was their armor." Sigmund said.
"Let me guess, it didn't go well?" Kristoff asked.
"No...it didn't, at one point, one of them had their arm sliced open, and...he didn't notice. His opponent actually stopped the fight, pointed at his arm and told him he was cut." Sigmund said.
"Was he o.k.?" Lisa asked seriously.
"Yes, he did recover, he died because of a sickness months later, but I highly doubt they were related." Sigmund said.
"That's still horrible..." Lisa said.
"Yes it is, and even if he was hit in a vital spot, it would arguably not be much better than being hit in a non-vital spot." Sigmund said.
"Why?" Lisa asked.
"Because after his arm was cut, the man, whose name I never learned, had a harder time making a fist thanks to how deep the cut was." Sigmund said.
"Which means that his hand wasn't as useful, and depending on what your job is, that's not good." Kristoff said.
"Well, if that doesn't say don't spar with sharp blades, and no armor, I don't know what will." Anna said.
"Now, if you want to duel someone, with or without armor, and you're wise enough to use blunt swords, and you want to make it as close to a realistic experience as possible, then just hit your opponent harder." Sigmund said.
"Of course if you agree to not hit too hard." Anna said seriously.
"Right." Sigmund said, then everyone took a moment to think, before Lisa looked at Elsa.
"Are you alright Elsa? You were awfully quiet most of the time." Lisa asked.
"I'm fine, I just didn't have much to say." Elsa said.
"Well, I can't argue with that." Lisa said.
"Did you change your mind Lisa, or do you still want to learn how to use a sword?" Sigmund asked.
"Oh I have not changed my mind on anything my lord." Lisa said.
"Alright, now go wish your goats a good night. I will see you tomorrow." Sigmund said, then Lisa bowed.
"Good night my lord, and guests." She said casually, before the family watched her leaves.
So there you have it, how to practice and how not to practice with swords. Now, I've seen cases in real life, not in person but still, where people have done things as stupid as what his lordship described...and they were all very lucky. I'm not going to name names, even if I did know by heart the names of the people who threw wisdom out the window. Anyway...that's it for this chapter, please continue to Rate, Review, and Share...and stay tuned.