Green Eyes

“Why are we stopping?” Selene questioned three days later. Glancing up at the sky, she noted that they had at least two more hours of daylight left.

“Two reasons,” Jared replied. “One we are at the edge of the Ra’anan Harosheth so this is our last warm night.”

“You call the last four nights warm?” Selene retorted.

“Warmer than we will be,” Jared returned. “The trees block the wind and provide a relative amount of insulation. For the next week we’ll be hiking across the Kidron Plains which has some hills but not much to block the wind. Trust me, it’ll be a lot colder.”

“And the second reason?” Selene crossed her arms. Her muscles had just gotten used to the long treks and she didn’t want them to atrophy now.

“We need to talk about your martial skill,” Jared told her as he unloaded a grateful Barak.

“My martial skill?” Selene cocked her head. “What do you mean?”

“That’s just my question,” Jared scrutinized her. “Twice now you’ve been completely helpless in a fight, which is unusual to say the least. When I handed you the sword in David’s Castle, you looked like you’d never held one before.”

“That’s because I haven’t,” Selene replied with a shrug.

Jared stared at her in mute astonishment. For once he had no belittling retort or snarky comment; Selene had finally managed to render him speechless.

“What?” she asked, not understanding his surprise.

“You’ve never held a sword?” he finally said incredulously. “Every Kalashonian at least knows how to swing a sword.”

“Uh, I don’t,” Selene started feeling uncomfortable.

“What kind of Kalashonian are you?” Jared demanded, still looking completely stunned.

“A bad one, apparently,” Selene dryly repeated.

“Do you at least know Form I?” he pleaded.

“Form what now?” Selene asked.

Jared smacked his forehead with his hand. “Unbelievable,” he groaned. “If Max wasn’t already dead, I would seriously consider killing him myself. How does he not teach her at the very least Form I?”

“I’m still here,” Selene snapped. “And don’t knock my father.”

“Sorry,” Jared shook his head. “I’ve just never met a Kalashonian that didn’t know at least two of the seven combat Forms.”

Selene shifted awkwardly in the snow. Once again she felt like she wasn’t good enough or worth anything. After all, Jared was essentially saying she was the worst Kalashonian around.

“Sorry,” she mumbled.

“It’s not your fault,” Jared tried to reassure. “And I didn’t mean to insult your father. It’s just when it comes to you, his decisions don’t really add up. He didn’t take you to Jerel; he didn’t tell you the truth; and he didn’t teach you how to fight. Martial arts are one thing that every Kalashonian is taught from the time they can walk. It’s just part of our culture.

“But I suppose it doesn’t matter at this point,” Jared shook his head. “That we can certainly remedy. Come on; it’s time you learned how to fight.”

“Is that really necessary?” Selene asked. “I mean I’m not really a violent person and I do have my powers.”

“Tell me how that’s worked out for you so far,” Jared raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

“Good point,” Selene admitted.

“Look,” Jared said, “in time your powers will develop to the point where martial arts are meaningless. But right now they are unpredictable and uncontrollable. Not only do they seem very temperamental about when they work, you can’t control them. You’re as likely to kill me as anyone else. So until you’ve got them figured out, you need to know how to defend yourself.”

“You seemed to do well enough for the both of us,” Selene flashed a grin.

Jared snorted. “Not at this rate,” he said. “Right now you’re like a dead limb; useless and in the way at the worst possible moments. You’re a distraction that forces me be in two places at once. Soon or later we’re going to find ourselves in a situation where I can’t protect both of us and if I’m gone, you’re toast.

“Secondly,” he added, “as the incident a few days ago proved, I’m not always going to be around. What are you going to do when I’m not there to bail you out? I can’t always be hovering over you.”

“Sorry to be such a burden,” Selene bit out, not sure if she was being sarcastic or hurt. Maybe both.

“That’s why I’m teaching you,” Jared told her. “Since you won’t be a burden to me or anyone else, it’s time you learned to take care of yourself.”

“Alright,” Selene relented. “So what do I need to learn?”

“We’ll start with Form I,” Jared replied taking off his sword and belt.

“Aren’t you going to need that?” Selene asked, pointing to the weapon.

“Not for Form I,” Jared shook his head. “It’s unarmed combat.”

“Oh,” Selene said disappointed. “When do I get to use swords?”

“I’m not letting you near my sword or anything else sharp for a while,” Jared informed her. “Now let’s get started.”

Selene stood beside Jared, ready to mimic him.

“This is the open stance for Form I,” he said taking a stance. His feet were wide apart. Jared’s right hand was chest level, parallel to the ground while is left hand came up under at a perpendicular angle. Selene tried to copy stance.

“Feet wider apart,” he instructed, tapping her moccasins with his boot.

Selene tried to move them further apart, feeling the fabric of her dress straining on her legs.

“Wider,” Jared ordered.

“I can’t,” protested Selene. “My dress is at its limits.”

Jared scrutinized the situation before drawing a knife from his belt and handing it to her. “Cut a slit waist high on either side,” he told her.

“What?” she exclaimed.

“You’re dress is too constricting,” he said. “You won’t be able to do most of the moves if you don’t have complete freedom of movement.”

“But I’m only wearing panties underneath!” Selene objected.

“Tough,” Jared shrugged. “You still have Mallon’s pants; put those on underneath.”

“But that would look horrible,” she complained.

“Who exactly are you trying to impress?” Jared amusedly raised his eyebrows. “The squirrels? Besides a dress with waist high slits and pants underneath is typical Kalashonian style precisely because it provides freedom of movement.”

“Why bother with dresses at all?” Selene grumbled.

“Because they can provide excellent protection,” Jared answered. “Here, feel this,” he held out one of the four flaps of his robe.

Selene rubbed it between her fingers. It was light, but surprisingly stiff as if steel was woven into the fabric.

“What is it?” she questioned.

“Kalashonian traveling tunic,” Jared replied. “It has steel thread as part of the fabric so it gives an extra level of protection.”

“What can it stop?” she asked.

“Anything but a straight attack from a blade or bow,” Jared supplied. “We’ll see if we can get you something like it in Beth Isaac. For now, this will have to do.”

“This better?” Selene queried several minutes later with her altered garment. Her legs were spread apart and hands in the ready position.

“Much,” Jared nodded getting himself in the opening stance.

“Why are my legs so far apart?” Selene questioned.

“This stance gives you a wide base, which keeps you balanced,” Jared answered. “Balance is the single most important thing in a fight because balance means body control.”

“I thought strength was,” Selene scrunched her forehead. “Or speed.”

“While both can give you an advantage,” Jared replied, “without balance they are useless. The unbalanced strike often goes, not always, but often goes awry. And no strike, no matter how strong or fast, is of any good if it misses. Before you worry about strength or speed, you must ensure that your blows go exactly where you want them to. Thus you must learn balance and by extension body control.

“That is the whole point of Form I or Yad Form: balance and body control,” he continued. “Without that, you can’t use a sword or bow or spear effectively. Thus, while the weakest of the forms it is also the most important because it sets the foundation for the rest.”

“Okay, I think I understand,” Selene nodded. “So what now?”

“Now we practice balance,” Jared answered. “Prepare to defend yourself.”

“What?!” Selene yelped. “Shouldn’t you show me some moves or something?”

“You’ll figure it out as we go along,” Jared told her.

Selene watched his careful, deliberate steps as he circled around her. “Good,” he said, “maintain visual contact with your opponent. Keep your balance,” he took a step closer. “Now defend yourself!” Jared threw a powerful punch at her midsection with his right fist.

It was all Selene could do not to topple over as she caught the punch in her hands, which were stinging from the impact. She felt all of her weight transfer to her back foot and she leaned back slightly.

And suddenly she was on her back, looking up at the snow-laden trees while stars danced in front of her eyes.

“What happened?” she gasped with the air returned to her lungs.

“You lost balance,” Jared answered. “When you caught the punch, the force drove all of your weight to your back foot which left you unbalanced. All I had to do was tap your front foot and down you went.”

“You never intended for the first punch to land, did you?” Selene guessed.

“Correct,” Jared confirmed. “An experienced fighter rarely intends his first strike to land; usually that is to set up a follow-up move.”

“What else was I supposed to do? Let you punch me?” Selene demanded as she got back to her feet.

“No, of course not,” Jared shook his head. “Body control is about more than controlling your own body; it is about controlling the body and energy of your opponent as well.”

“Huh?” Selene cocked her head. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Observe,” Jared instructed. “I want you to punch me with everything you have.”

Five minutes earlier, Selene would have hesitated to attack her friend. After landing her on her butt, she no longer had such reservations. She swung at him with everything she had.

Casually he flicked his right hand, catching her wrist on the back of his hand and deflecting her punch wide. Selene felt herself toppling forward as she stepped past him. A sudden boot on her back sent her faceplanting into the snow.

“Deflect, not block,” Jared told her when she brushed the snow out of her eyes. “Redirect energy and force where you want it to go. When you block, you absorb all of your opponent’s energy, which is both exhausting and likely to unbalance you. Deflecting allows you to redirect the opponent’s movement where you want to go, exposing and unbalancing him or her.”

“Like you did with Elijah the other night,” Selene recalled. “When you deflected his sword with your hand. Instead of stabbing you, he was pulled to far forward and opened himself up.”

“Precisely,” Jared nodded.

“How do I deflect like that?” Selene asked.

“Like this,” Jared demonstrated several sweeping motions with his hands, always returning them to the opening position. Selene followed him, copying the movements.

“Let me try,” she said a few minutes later.

“Defend yourself,” Jared warned as he attacked.

He struck at her head, but Selene caught his wrist with the back of her right hand and pushed it out of the way. She was about to celebrate her success as Jared stepped past her when he planted his right foot and pivoted backwards, driving his left elbow into her exposed temple.

Entire galaxies exploded across her vision as Selene felt herself get lifted completely off her feet and crash into the hard ground. For a long minute, Selene lay there convinced that she was dead. But then the tingling started on her pounding head and she blinked open her eyes to see Jared standing over her.

“I told you to watch for the follow-up move,” he admonished.

“Ohhh,” groaned Selene as she lay there, unable to move. “That really hurt.”

“If this was real, you’d be dead,” he pointed out. “Come on: you’re getting better but you still have a long ways to go.”

“I need I break,” she requested. “If only to give my head a break. I think you gave me a concussion.”

“No,” Jared refused. “You must learn to fight through injuries. Besides with your Navi healing powers, you’ll be fine in a few seconds anyway.”

Grasping her hand, he yanked her to her feet. Surprisingly Selene didn’t feel woozy or unsteady at all. Her head had even stopped throbbing. Super healing powers to the rescue, she thought to herself.

“What are you doing wrong?” he asked arms crossed.

“I don’t know,” Selene replied. “I thought I deflected you.”

“You did, the first attack,” Jared confirmed. “You’re doing two things wrong: one, while you deflected my first attack well, you didn’t get me off balance which allowed me to follow up my first attack with the blow to your head.”

“How am I supposed to do that?” Selene complained. “You’re too fast and strong!”

“Strength and speed are completely irrelevant,” Jared countered. “Men are naturally stronger than women yet women make just as great of warriors as men do. Why? Because while men are naturally stronger and women are naturally more agile, victory in battle is determined from the neck up, not the neck down.”

“Huh?” Selene didn’t understand.

“It’s the second thing you’re doing wrong,” Jared explained. “You’re thinking only one move at a time; you must learn to think two or three moves ahead. In other words, you must learn to think tactically.

“When you attacked me, I deflected your punch and immediately followed it up with a strike to your back. I was one step ahead of you,” Jared verbally replayed. “But when I attacked you, although you effectively deflected my punch, you had nothing to follow it up with. Thus you lost the momentary advantage you had to push me completely off balance and allowed me to regain the upper hand. In addition, you didn’t anticipate the follow-up move and so left yourself wide-open. You didn’t think ahead.”

“Oh,” Selene said as the light bulb went on. “What you’re saying is that victory doesn’t come by outmuscling your opponent, but by outthinking them.”

“Precisely,” Jared nodded the faintest hint of a smile creasing his face. “Anyone, regardless of strength, can learn to think ahead. And anyone, regardless of strength, can learn balance. If you master those two things, you can beat anyone, no matter how big or strong or fast they are. No matter how powerful a punch or how fast a slice of the sword, if it is anticipated, it can be easily countered.”

“So all I have to do is learn to think tactically and I’m good?” Selene asked.

“Ah, no,” Jared chuckled humorlessly.

“But you just said—”

“I said that the theory is to think tactically,” Jared cut off. “And as far as that goes, it is true. But for that to be of any use, you must know what moves to anticipate. Thinking three moves ahead is of no use if they are the wrong three moves. Remember that there are other combat forms, each with their own moves and styles.”

“How many are there?” Selene queried.

“Seven, well six,” Jared responded.

“Which is it? Seven or six,” Selene raised an eyebrow.

“Both,” Jared answered. “There are officially seven forms, but the seventh is nearly impossible to learn so practically there are only six forms.”

“What are they?” she asked.

“Form II is called the Herev-aleph Form,” Jared supplied. “Basically it is a single-sword form. Just a sword and nothing else; no shield or spear or knife.

“The next is called Herev-beth Form,” he continued. “This is similar to Form II, but adds a shield. It is probably the most popular form because it blends offense and defense but without the bulkiness of a spear, making it the most useful for everyday life.

“Form IV is called Hereba’im and like the name suggests, it uses dual swords,” he said. “It is almost strictly an offensive form and thus the most aggressive and complex of the forms, save Form VII. Because it relies so much on agility and speed, Form IV is particularly popular with woman as it plays to their natural strengths.

“Form V is the Chanyith-aleph Form. It utilizes a spear with a shield. This is the most popular form in the army because it is the most effective, despite being the most physically taxing,” he explained.

“More so than Form III?” Selene interjected.

“Much more, at least if used right,” Jared nodded. “The spear is a better offensive weapon, especially in a pitched battle because it has a longer reach. A sword is a more versatile weapon, but that lack of reach can be crippling, especially if a person is encumbered by a shield.

“Form VI is the Chanyith-beth Form which is a spear form without a shield,” Jared continued his education. “It essentially uses a spear like a staff with a very sharp point on one end. Although its defensive capabilities are limited, if mastered, Form VI can be very lethal because it is much lighter than any of the others and thus the warrior can outlast opponents.”

“And Form VII?” Selene asked.

“Form VII is called the Hiyah Form, which literally means ‘to be,’” Jared replied. “It can only be attained by mastering all other six forms. When a warrior reaches that point, he creates his own style, one that takes on his character and personality and life story. Form VII goes beyond a combat tool and becomes the very essence of who that person is. As such, each incarnation of Form VII, and they are very rare, are so utterly unique to the individual that they cannot be taught or learned by anyone else.”

“Wow,” she said when he was finished. The enormity of what she needed to learn was daunting. “I’m supposed to learn all of that?”

“Hardly,” Jared snorted. “Though given your lifespan, I suppose you could. After Form I, each of the forms are unique and take years to master individually, at least usually take years to master. Most Kalashonians learn Form I as a child and then as teenagers and young adults pick one of Forms II-VI to focus on and become proficient in that. Soldiers often learn a third form, though rarely do they master it.”

“So no matter what, I’ll always be vulnerable?” Selene asked resignedly.

“Haven’t you been paying attention?” Jared shook his head. “As a warrior, of course you’ll be vulnerable. Everyone is vulnerable. To become invincible means mastering Form VII, which means mastering Forms I-VI and that is next to impossible. I am one of only two people to have done it in the last thousand years.”

Selene’s eyes bugged out. “You’re saying that you can’t be beaten?” she exclaimed. “I can be overwhelmed,” Jared answered, “though it would take an entire legion to do it. But essentially, no I can’t. Because I not only know every form, but have mastered every form, I can perfectly predict every single move an opponent can make and counter it before they are even aware of their own strategy.”

“That’s got to be nice,” Selene commented.

“It is useful,” Jared agreed thoughtfully. “But it comes at a price. For me taking a life is now a clear, conscious choice. There is no getting swept away in the heat of battle or killing out of desperation. When I kill, it is because I decide that person must die.”

“That’s an awful responsibility,” Selene replied. As she looked at him for a brief moment it seemed like she saw faces dancing before Jared’s eyes. She blinked a couple of times and when she looked again, there was nothing.

“You’ve made some wrong decisions, haven’t you?” she guessed, though not entirely sure where that thought came from.

Jared raised a curious eyebrow, but nodded. “There are some I have killed that should have lived,” he said. “And some that I let live that should have died.”

“How can you do that?”

“Because I hold the power of life and death in my hands,” Jared answered. “Whether or not I have the right to is irrelevant; I have the power and therefore those decisions are mine to make. It is something that you will soon become far more familiar with than I.”

“My powers?” Selene guessed.

“Your powers,” Jared confirmed. “Compared to you, my power is nothing. You have the potential to wipe out entire cities with a thought if you so choose. And thus the burden of deciding life and death is yours to carry as well.”

Selene shivered at the thought. The idea that she could do something like that was too much. She didn’t feel all that powerful, especially after getting her butt repeatedly whipped by Jared.

“I didn’t ask for that kind of power,” she whispered.

“It is not a matter of asking,” Jared answered. “It is a matter of being. The fact is you do have that power and you must decide what to do with it.”

“How do you handle it?” she questioned.

“I have the strength of will and character to trust my judgment,” Jared replied. “I have been given the gift of war and so I must be meant to handle it. But it is a difficult thing; there is a reason so few have successfully become War Masters. Those who try but do not have the strength of character often go insane or become psychopaths.

“But that is one thing you do not have to worry about, I think,” Jared encouraged her. “Max may have been a failure in raising you to be a Navi and a Kalashonian, but he certainly did not fail in raising you as a person. You have a kind but fair heart, one of the kindest I have ever seen. I think in the end you will find that the burden is easier to bear than you believe, though still far from easy.”

Selene pondered his words for a minute. It wasn’t exactly encouraging, but it was something. At least their conversation explained a lot about Jared; no wonder he was able to tear through the soldiers with such ease. The conversation also made Selene feel more dejected about fighting; she was never going to be on his level.

“So if I can never hope to beat you, then how am I going to learn anything?” she demanded.

“Two reasons,” Jared held up a pair of fingers. “One, because I know just about everything there is to know about fighting, so I can teach you just about anything. Two, because if you can last ten seconds with me, whoever you do face will be easy. Now enough talk,” he dropped into his stance. “Looks like you got that break after all. Let’s go.”

Sighing, Selene got into her stance. It was going to be a long trip to Beth Isaac.