The Bladesinger

He had been traveling for a couple of days, expecting his prey to be on the way to Fonto. It was truly the only logical place for this suffering idiot to be heading, he decided. There were no other cities that would let him in and Fonto was a lawless place on the other side of the great forest, away from the sheriff’s men in Sota. He had to be heading there.

Torrence knew it was a long shot, but he needed this bounty. He was running low on funds and needed to be able to pay for further travels if he wanted to get to his real destination. This bounty was enormous, and he was bound and determined to collect it.

Saiquin was this fellow's name. A slave trader that crossed the line into abducting, abusing and then selling children across the ocean to Finch. This was bad and would have gotten him thrown in the dungeons for a while, except that the last two children he took were found, mutilated and tortured just outside Sota. They were the second born princes’ twins. Saiquin was spotted with them, climbing out the palace window where the twins slept.

A search was begun as quickly as could be, but it ended when the twins were found, a few hours later. It was decided that they were too much for Saiquin and he tried to hide his identity by killing them, then mutilating the bodies so they wouldn’t be recognized. Had it not been for the fact he was seen by a witness climbing out of the twins’ room, he may have gotten away, but now a bounty had been placed on him, dead rather than alive.

Torrence was not a bounty hunter by trade, but his experience and training lent to this occupation. He was a Bladesinger by trade and had all the training that came with it. He was one of only ten in the world and a Maestro Bladesinger, he was the highest ranking one. As most Bladesinger’s, he had been hired by the Grand Duke of Delena to be his personal guard and to head the Guards of the Province.

Now, however, his life had been changed in a blink of an eye. A black dragon had attacked Opsper, killing over half the population. The Grand Duke had charged Torrence with finding and destroying this dragon. He knew that he did not have the ability to find or destroy this dragon by himself, so he had set out for the famed Dragon Riders Mountain, past the village of Farishna. They were secretive, but they were known to be good and were the only ones who could face the colored dragon’s toe to toe. His training made him a good choice for any battle except that of a dragon led battle, where most of the fighting would be in the air.

His mind reeled back to his present situation just in time to feel the branch slam into his chest. He staggered backwards, trying desperately not to fall and to start breathing again. His vision was blurred by the tears that were trying to form in his eyes and his focus was waning as the light began to fade. He knew he needed to get his swords out, to prepare to defend himself, but his body simply did not want to do what he required it to do.

He realized that he was on his knees when he finally caught his breath and began to see clearly again. He looked up to see what looked to be a boy, standing over him, branch in hand. The boy was sneering down at him and saying something that Torrence couldn’t seem to hear or understand.

As things began to clear and his hearing seemed to come back, he sprang up from his knees and had both swords in hand faster than a human’s eyes could see. He had never understood how he was able to move so fast, but he was glad of it today.

“I’m sorry mister!” The boy exclaimed, backing up and dropping the branch, “I thought you were that guy that tried to force me to go with him. Said he would be back to collect me, that I would make him a lot of money.” He held his hands up to show that he no longer held the branch.

“How long ago did you see him?” Torrence asked

“He went through here first thing this morning. Drug me halfway across the forest before I got away.” He shivered as he spoke. “He had his hands all over me, wanting to know if I had reached manhood or not. He was a lot stronger than me, or I wouldn’t have let him do anything.” The boy said as tears began to form.

Torrence noticed the many bruises that were forming all over the boy and felt pity, but moreover, anger flared in his stomach as he thought of what was done.

“I’m looking for him and will make sure he can never do this again.” He said, as much to himself as to the boy. “What’s your name, son?” He asked, trying to add some compassion.

“Dannin, sir.” The boy said quietly. “You’re not going to hurt me too, are you?” He asked while getting the branch ready for another swing. “It won’t be easy if you are.” With that, he took a small step back.

“No, Dannin, I’m not going to hurt you. I’m going to hunt down the man who did.” He said and stood. “I’m going to bring him to justice.”

“Then, I’m going with you.” Dannin said, matter of factly, turned and began to walk. “I can hold my own and I don’t eat much. You’ll see.”

That said, Torrence wasn’t sure what to make of him. He seemed resolute, so he just followed him for a while, trying to figure out what just happened. Shortly after, they were walking beside each other and Torrence thought that he might like having an apprentice.

“Dannin, I’m Torrence. I’m a Bladesinger. Do you know what that is?” He asked as they were coming out of the forest.

“I think I have heard of them. Aren’t they supposed to be a really good swordsmen?” He asked, innocently. “I think one of my friends said his uncle was one, but, I don’t really know much about that.”

“Would you like to study under me, as an apprentice Bladesinger?” Torrence asked, thinking this to be an opportunity for them both.

“That would be great, but what would an apprentice do?” Dannin asked.

“Well, to start, we would have to get you some new clothes and get you eating right.” He looked him up and down. “Then I would start teaching you what you would need to learn to be a Bladesinger.”

“What do you want from me in return?” Dannin said rather low, turning to look at Torrence. “What do I have to do for you?”

Without skipping a beat, Torrence answered, “Be willing to learn, be obedient and be honest. Never lie to me, or anyone else, never give up, no matter how hard and always remember that learning new things makes you grow.” He looked at Dannin and smiled. “That’s basically it. We would be together for several years for your training to be complete, but you are never forced to stay.”

“I have no family, you know. I have no money, nothing to offer you in return.” Dannin said, matter-of-factly. “I thought apprentices had to pay for their training.”

“Only if it is required by the teacher, which I do not require.” He said with a smile. “I only require you to do your best and learn as much as possible. I will cover your living costs; you focus on your training.”

With that, the two walked towards the small village of Malise, snuggled in the valley. It was time for Dannin to become a new person.

Torrence wasn’t sure how he was going to do this, but he knew he couldn’t just leave Dannin there to become a slave. He could sense there was something special in him, that he just needed a chance. Torrence could already feel a bond forming and hoped that he would be able to teach Dannin how to be a great Bladesinger.

Their time in the village went quickly, as they purchased Dannin some new clothes and extra provisions for the road ahead. Torrence purchased Dannin a short sword that was well used, but a good start for the apprentice. They headed toward Fonto, expecting to make it there within a few days. Torrence had started his training with a regimen of exercises and learning how to handle a sword. Dannin was in good shape for his small frame and had great dexterity, so Torrence felt that he may make a good Bladesinger after all.

By the time the two had made it to Fonto, Dannin had already mastered the basic sword stances and was beginning to wield the sword like it was an extension of his arm. Torrence was impressed, as most didn’t master the basics for a year or so. Dannin had done it in days. It was as if he had been born to be a true Bladesinger.