Chapter Thirty-Three: An Overdue Lesson
River after having breakfast went through the closet and after about an hour of going through it she found a stash of pants and shirts with a note attached. It read: When you can't stand a skirt. Juniper
She smiled to herself, happy that Juniper remembered that she much preferred pants to skirts on an every day basis. She slipped on a red pair of pants and a white short-sleeved shirt with puffed sleeves and had brown embroidery on it. Also within the bundle, she found a package that said on it some thing from the past. She opened it to find a pair of Kalee crystal earring studs and a necklace that was the same style as the earrings, she put them on with a fond memory of her fifteenth birthday that her and Juniper shared.
She put a belt on and hooked her two lightsabers onto the belt and headed for the big open room that she had seen the previous night. On her way there a droid told her that Grievous wanted to see her in the room she was headed too. And she continued on her way.
When she entered the room it was quite...too quite in fact. She didn't see any sign of him until she started scanning the beams. She caught sight of his cloak and she pulled out both her sabers realizing that he was literally stocking her like a predator stocks its prey before going in for the kill.
Her heart started racing and she calmed herself down and focused on her senses listening for him. She heard the faint sound of lightsabers and it was fastly approaching from above. She smiled to herself spun around igniting one of her double bladed sabers this one two purple blades descending from the hilt, but she still held the other one in her hand.
She felt impact with her saber and opened her eyes to see that she had blocked an airial surprise attack from her master. He had four sabers in his four hands and look of approval was in his eyes. She got into a better defense position but never taking her eyes off of him.
"Good now defend yourself and I will instruct your movements." He stared showering her with attacks coming from all four sabers.
She ignited her other saber now having a sum total of four blades. A look of surprise came into his eyes.
"You don't think that those once a week trips to Kamino were just to flirt now do you?" she said a smile spreading across her face as she forced him to step backwards with a series of her favorite attacks.
As the two fought River was feeling the best she had in a long time becoming one with her sabers and listening intently to her masters instructions. She blocked one of his attacks by force jumping over him and landing behind him.
"STOP!" he yelled.
She did.
"What?"
"Your not going to use those tricks in battle as long as you serve under me. Further more back on Kalee you didn't use that stupid force stuff to win battles you used your skill to overcome your enemy and you will continue in that frame of fighting. Understood?"
"Yes perfectly I just wanted to know how you would take me using that "trick" as you call it."
"And now you do," he said as he started dishing out more attacks that were a little more challenging than before.
But River wanting a challenge listened more intently to her master's guidance and easily blocked and attacked. She easily made up for the mistake she had made by using the force by doing her best which as he predicted was much better than the last lesson but that was probably due to having Windu beating her all the time over the past month that she spent with the Jedi.
They went like this for four hours non-stop and when they did stop was late mid-day and River wanted to keep going.
"Aw come on let's keep going pleeeeeeeease," she begged clasping her hands together and bringing her mouth into a pout.
"No I can't push you over your physical limits because I don't want an over cooked apprentice and I don't want to deal with a angry Dooku."
"Limit...limit!!! I don't have a limit. Do I look like I have a limit to you?" she huffed.
"You know that just as much as I do that it is the will of Count Dooku that you recover with no more damage to your being. And how am I to go against my superiors wishes?" he said getting a little irritated with her.
"Well up to the time that you became chief and general of the clan and our armies you stayed on a lower level of submission but came to me to fume when you were given an order you didn't like," she said truthfully.
"You see I still obeyed those orders though," he said rather triumphant.
He did have a point.
"Yeah I get your point... your the smatter one here when it comes to orders," she said as she was knocked down a peg.
Even though she was married to him he was still her master and mentor and would treat her as his padawan until she was able to do things on her own. But neither of them knew that this day was approaching just a little ways off.
She walked out of the room not wanting to stay there after the little lecture. Ooh how on earth can he do that? It's like he has multiple personalities. She thought to herself as she made her way to the conservatory to do some much needed sulking.