(Chapter Three)
Deep breath in, left foot forward, deep breath out, right foot out to my right…
"Freeze!"
She stopped so quickly that she almost fell flat on her face.
"No you don't! Move that foot back where it was," and Ducard pushed her foot back to the original position it had been in when he had told her to stop. She moved it to catch herself. "Don't step out so far, or…" he swept her right foot farther out to the right and she landed in a lopsided split with a pained look on her face.
"That is how you learn… You also should stretch more, beginning tomorrow, a full hour of stretches, and if I catch you slacking…"
He did not have to finish that sentence. He could tell from the startled look on her face, and the unconscious movement to touch the scar on the back of her neck.
---Flashback---
"No! No! No! When I told you to proceed in a particular order it was for a reason! Get up…" he impatiently dragged her from the floor to her feet, and still grasping the front of her tunic quickly and forcibly led her down the corridor to a railing overlooking the lake.
Without warning, he swept her, threw her over the railing and caught her by her left ankle.
She gasped in horror and a gasp of, "Master!" was heard before he replied.
"Be silent! You find yourself hanging here for two reasons. One! Your lack of attention to my orders and the second is to teach you that your actions always have consequences! Now, since you find yourself hanging here, you will figure out a way to save yourself, or I will drop you."
"What?!"
"You're getting heavy… I think I just might…"
"No! Ok, um,"
Ok, maybe if I can swing up and use my body's momentum to grasp my ankle, I can bend my knee drop my other foot to the balcony and… Well I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.
She swung up once and barely got past a basic crunch.
Come on, you can do it!
She swung again and this time was able to almost grasp her knees.
Come on, one more time, I'm sure I can get it this time!
She swung for a third and almost caught her ankle but missed.
Damn it! I better get this or…
She swung once more, and in frustration swung more violently. The force of her body coming quickly downward slammed the back of her neck- just below the brain stem- into the ledge that the railing was sitting on. The violence of the blow caused her to black out immediately and split the skin wide open so that her spinal chord was visible.
Ducard heard the thud and felt the immediate slackening of her muscles as she blacked out. He quickly yelled a command that sent two monks running and they helped him bring the unconscious and heavily bleeding student back over the railing and onto the ledge where they began to treat her wounds.
---End---
She bowed her head humbly. "I will do as you ask."
"Good, now," bending down to grasp her under her armpits he tugged her upward, "on your feet…"
"Very good," he observed her with her left leg bent so that she was lying on her thigh.
"Now extend your right leg straight behind you."
He watched dispassionately as the concentration on her face seemed incongruous with the shaking of her leg muscles. She was able to extend her right leg, and this time she was able to remain balanced.
"Good, now hands forward past your head."
She did as he instructed and still remained balanced while looking like a weirdly shaped 'T'.
"Now unbend your left knee," this would be interesting, she had never gotten this far before and he was uncertain as to whether she could complete the exercise.
Ok, just relax, focus on the actions of your body and maintain your balance.
She slowly un-bent her knee and did not even wobble.
"Good, complete the exercise."
Ok, all I have to do is to slowly bend in my right leg and bring it up to my chest then hold that there while I stand and then slowly bring that down to the other foot next to my left one then salute and I'm done!
She slowly brought her hands in toward her chest while she brought her knee up to her chest. Once she had herself all tucked in, she slowly stood up straight. Taking her time and controlling her breathing. She brought her right foot down and composed herself then saluted to her Master.
"Good, that is all for today," he stood up and left the training area.
She went later to the room where they meditated.
There was no door to this room, but there was a step immediately past the door, so she stopped when her toes touched the step and waited.
A voice came from the gloom, but it didn't matter to her, it was always dark.
"What does it mean to take another's life?"
"It is the termination of Chi flow throughout the body."
"Yes, what does it mean to take another's life?"
Ok, that was obviously not the answer he wanted…
She stood there with a puzzled look on her face for a few more minutes.
"I apologize Master, I do not know."
"What does is mean when someone is given an order?"
"They are told to do something and they do it."
This is one hell of a confusing conversation, what is he trying to ask?
"To the training room."
Uh-oh
After two hours of dodging and weaving and being beaten up by Ducard she was still no closer to an answer to his original question.
He stopped in mid-strike after she had fallen to the floor and stared up at her Master in fear.
"What is it that you fear?"
She swallowed hard before answering, "…you..."
"Why?"
"Because… when I do something wrong, I get punished."
He didn't do anything he just stared down at his prone, scared student.
"And when you were a child were you not punished?"
"Yes Master."
"So then how is the punishment I give you now any different from the punishment you received as a child?"
"The act of punishing is not different, it just that… you're mean about it."
He remained calm and went into instruction mode.
"When you were a child, did you not feel that those who cared for you were mean or unfair about the way they punished you?"
"Yes, but…"
"But?"
She turned her head away from him.
"Look at me."
She had no choice but to look into those piercing blue eyes. "As my student, you are as my child. As your teacher, I am as your guardian. And as such I will punish you when necessary to teach you the consequences your actions have. I do not punish merely to do so, I punish to teach a lesson. And what is that lesson I am trying to teach you?"
She looked away again.
This time he firmly grasped her chin and turned her head toward him. "Answer the question."
"Obediance. You are teaching me to obey you."
"I am not merely teaching you to obey me for the sake of obeying me, although that is important. I am teaching you to obey me so that when I instruct you, you follow my orders exactally so that your progress increases at a faster rate. If you did not obey me, your training would merely be a waste of my time."
"I'm sorry."
"Apologies are neither needed nor accepted, simply do as I ask the first time and we will not have difficulties. Disobey me and well, you know the consequences," and he touched the scar on the back of her neck. "Now, is this, conversation at an end?"
"Yes Master."
"Now, tell me what it means to end someone's life."
A/N: hmm, their relationship might be taking a more mentoring role rather then a mastering role. What do you think about the situation?