Blacksmith

Alexander looked out the door of his shop at the snow-capped mountains dominating the landscape to the east of his hometown of Riverpool.  He had been the town blacksmith for the past three years, ever since he finished working in Harsenburg, a small castle city in to the north in the Land of Iron.  When Alexander had been young, he found that he had a talent for working with metals.  His talent had been revealed in the quality of swords that his father produced.  Alex was only in charge of sharpening and polishing the blades at first, but his work was brighter and lasted longer than anything most smiths in the city could produce.  When he went to the city to begin his apprenticeship with a master, he found that he had a special eye for forging the steel needed for weapons.  The steel he made could hold an edge much sharper than any of the other apprentice's work.  His master had taken notice and Alexander was placed in charge of making swords for training soldiers.  Soon, he had created a reputation with the officers teaching the new recruits, the weapons they trained with were better than the ones sent into real battles.  

Alex soon found himself in charge of a small shop in the city, producing swords for many of the top military officials.  He had held the position for a few years when General Reiksmar, commander of the royal army in the Land of Iron, came in looking for a new blade.  The general was passing through on a military campaign against the Land of Stone to the north.  He wore his full suit of polished steel armor, covered in complex swirls of engravings.  The commander walked into the shop and laid two halves of a sword on the counter.

"I have need of a new sword, and I heard you are the best in this small town.  Could you have a new blade finished for me by the time my battalion ships out in three days?" The General said with an air of authority.

Alexander looked up from the shield he had been engraving and looked the General straight in the eye.  "I can have a sword finished for you by then, what did you have in mind?" he asked, not showing fear, even in the face of a man with his power.

The general seemed surprised by this question, "You think you can do more than a basic blade in such a short time?  The broken sword I have with me now took the smith nearly a month before the engravings were finished."  

"It's all a matter of the tools you use.  I work quickly while the steel is still hot.  This helps prevent flaws caused by tools and lets me work faster.  Once I form the blade itself, the rest is easy."

"Very interesting, but I'll leave the decoration up to you; you can use my old blade for a model and make changes where you see fit."

"That's fine.  Now we just need to find what sword will suit you best" Alex said as he stood up from his work bench.  He walked over to a rack on the wall full of swords of different lengths and sizes and picked a medium length straight blade with a wide base tapering to a sharp point.  "This looks like a good place to start," he said tossing the sword to the waiting general.  "I hope you're prepared for a little practice." He walked back to his work bench and produced another sword, long and curving with a blade on only one side.  "Defend yourself!" he yelled as he lunged at Reiksmar who barely had time to defend himself as he parried the blow.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" The Commander asked as he blocked the sword smith's strikes, "I am one of the greatest swordsmen in the country."

"Don't worry about me," Alex replied as he intensified his fighting, "Just try to hit me, I can't learn how you fight if you won't show me."

"Fine, no holding back, I just hope you know what you're doing." Reiksmar changed his stance as he switched from defending to attacking. He expected to quickly disarm the young metalworker, but he found himself fighting hard just to keep a hold on the new blade he was trying.  He attempted another strike but the sword flew out of his hand as Alex disarmed him.

"That's enough of that sword, let's try something different."  Alex walked to the back of the shop then came out with another sword; this one was long and skinny, the blade only about an inch and a half thick at the base.   "Maybe this one will work better.  The thin blade is stronger than it looks, and the lower weight makes it faster."  He handed the blade to the general and their fight began again.  

Reiksmar was surprised that he had lost so easily the first time and planned to do better with this next sword.  He started with a series of quick slashes; surprised at the speed he could swing the sword.  Still, Alex had no trouble matching his blows with the larger sword.  After another minute or so of fighting, Alex changed his tactics and fought on the offensive.  Reiksmar expected this, but found that he had to work harder to block with the lighter sword, and the longer blade made close combat more difficult.  After a few seconds of this, the general was disarmed and knocked to the ground.

"Very good!" Alex remarked as he helped Reiksmar to his feet.  "Your fighting style is good, but the sword isn't a good match for you.  Let's try something more like your own sword this time.  I've seen how you fight with unfamiliar weapons, now we'll see if you can match me with something you know."  The sword smith disappeared into the back of his shop and returned with a sword almost identical to the sword Reiksmar brought in except that this one had no engravings or decorations.  

"Why didn't you just offer me this when I first came in?" Reiksmar asked, puzzled by how close the blade was to his own.  "The blade you have here is better than anything I could have gotten elsewhere in the city, and you plan to make something brand new?  Why?"

"I figure that a sword should not break like yours under normal battle conditions, so it must not be right for you," Alex replied.  "Let's see how you fight with it, shall we?"

Reiksmar was annoyed that the smith thought his old sword was wrong for him; it had served him well through months of battle before it broke during a sparing match one day.  He   made a hard swing at Alex that would have disarmed most opponents with one blow, but the young sword maker deflected his blow like it was nothing.  "Good, but useless if it fails.  You left yourself completely open after that move," he criticized.  "Let's get back to the sparing now."  Alex took a swing at the commander, but Reiksmar blocked it and returned with a series of slashes.  Alex blocked them all angering the general.

"How do you fight like that?" Reiksmar asked, still trying to find an opening. "And your sword, I've never seen one like it before."

"I learned to fight from my father.  He trained in the Land of Water and passed the knowledge he gained on to me.  They fight with a fluid stance that allows them to counter almost any other style.  Against an Iron soldier like yourself, fighting with hard overpowering blows, I simply have to redirect your strength.  My sword is especially good at deflecting another's attacks, but when I want to finish a fight, the sword is sharp and strong enough to cut through armor.  I'm getting tired of fighting though, so I plan to finish this fight now."

The smith began slashing faster until the general could not keep up.  Alex raised his sword over his head and smashed the general's blade breaking it at the same place as the one lying on the counter inside.  "The way you fight was too much for the strength of your blade.  If I had just given you this one, it would have lasted for a month or two, but it would fail you in your most difficult battle.  I plan to make a sword that will be strong and fast enough to match your fighting." Alex commented as he picked up the pieces of the broken blade.  "Come back in three days and it will be ready for you."

Still angry at losing so easily, Reiksmar stalked away.  "You better have it done by then sword smith, otherwise there will be consequences for my humiliation," He called over his shoulder as he pushed through the crowd that had gathered to watch the two masters fight.

Alex began working on the blade the next day.  He chose a shorter sword for maneuverability, and strength, and he made the blade wide to give it strength and power.  As he formed the metal, he fused two types of steel, one type to make the edge hard and sharp enough to cut through chain mail, another softer steel to allow the core to flex and absorb impact.  With the blade finished, Alex began forming the hilt.  The grip was longer than usual to allow a two-handed fighting style, and the hand guard curved to catch a blade.  Alex engraved symbols along the blade to show the rank and power of the general, and he used decorative complex knots to adorn the hand guard.  As he was finishing polishing the blade on the last day he heard the clanking armor of the general outside his shop.

"Good to see you again, general!  I was just finishing your blade now," Alex called out as he opened the door.  The general was waiting with two officers from his army.  They appeared to be two of his best fighters from the way they carried themselves.  Even in their heavy armor, the two seemed light on their feet.

"Ah, I see you are a man of your word sword smith.  May I inspect the sword now?" the general appeared to be concealing excitement, even though he had threatened Alex at the end of their previous encounter.

"You will not be disappointed, sir.  This blade is the finest quality I have ever made, short of my own blade.  Were you hoping to try it out before you leave?"

"Yes, but I hoped to see how it handles against a fighter I know before I challenge you again.  This is my second in command, Officer Harrow.  He will be the swords first opponent."

"Very well, but don't tire yourself out too much.  You have a long travel ahead of you after this." Alex handed the blade and a scabbard to the general and stepped back to give the two space.  

Reiksmar tested the weight of the blade, finding its center of gravity at a perfect place for his stance.  The blade felt short, but Reiksmar knew that if he moved fast enough, reach didn't matter.  Harrow made the first move; his blow didn't catch the general by surprise though.  He had fought this man before and found that he had no trouble matching the officer.  After a few seconds of clashing, Reiksmar caught his opponent's blade against the hand guard and disarmed the man.

"Brilliant!" Alex exclaimed as he stepped back into the circle the two were fighting in.  "I knew that style would be perfect for you."

"Fair enough, but we still have our rematch to look forward to. I've been preparing for this."  

Alex drew his sword and prepared for the general's first strike.  The blow came sooner than expected, the general taking full advantage of the speed of his new sword.  He felt as Alex had to work hard to keep up with his swings.  Still the smith was an amazing fighter and Reiksmar had to defend himself occasionally.  After a few minutes of hard fighting, the victor was still not clear.  Alex was about to take the upper hand when he stumbled on a rock that had been dug up during their furious battle.  Reiksmar took the chance and disarmed the sword maker as he fell off balance.

"Congratulations general," Alex panted as the commander helped him to his feet.  "It's been quite a while since I was defeated in a duel."  

"I've never fought someone with skill like yours.  The only reason I was able to win was this sword you made me.  Perhaps you could join us in the Land of Stone, I could use a sword smith and someone of your skill is always a welcome addition to an army."

"Thank you for the offer, but I have to decline," Alex said. "I have to go home to take over the family shop.  My father is getting old, and it's my responsibility now."

"If you say so.  Maybe when we get back from the war, I'll be able to visit your new shop.  Doubtless, some of my officers will be looking for you to make them swords as well."

"Good luck to you sir.  May the sword serve you well, and come back victorious!"  Alex saluted the General as he walked away.  Knowing that their paths might cross again one day.