"Do you want to know something else I remember?" Kalan asks as he removes the bandaid from around D'aliah's arm. "You never wanted to be the heir to Aagar,"

"Doubtful," She scoffs

He unravels a new bandage, before crushing together a few tablets and bottled liquids he'd gathered from the drawer. "It's true."

"What would I want, if not to be an heir?"

"You wanted to be Tutel Coprii,"

"How could I become Tutel Coprii?"

Painting the pungent goo he's just created onto the bandage, he raises it to wrap around D'aliah's shoulder. "You'd already been accepted."

"When do we get to Nihil?" She rushes, avoiding the strenuous thoughts of her past as the subtle sting of the bandage muffles her wound.

He finishes wrapping the bandage around her arm, folding the end into the bandage before putting away the kit of supplements. "We'll arrive at East Nihil in a day or so,"

"We'll need to be careful when we arrive." He adds.

"Valantian presence might try executing us on sight," She says.

"No, no," Kalan chuckles, "That would be quite the waste of talent. Killing their heirs would not be of Valantian spirit."

"Valantian spirit," D'aliah utters. "Irilene has quite a way with words."

"She understands the power they have on our people," Kalan says. "It's not easy to convince an entire nation that you know what's best for them."

"Yet she does it with ease. Something about her is lost to me though." D'aliah replies.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not so sure," She responds, her body stiffening as her mind searches for a way to explain this feeling.

"Lost with the memories?"

She sighs, frustrated at herself. "This wasn't a problem until you showed up,"

He chuckles, "Kalan, the problem child. This will be how the records remember my name."

"And his bond D'aliah. The one who forgets." She adds as they both laugh. She eyes Kalan, about to speak but she bites her tongue. As though there's something she is ashamed to ask.

"Could I ask you to teach me," D'aliah pipes up.

"Teach you what?"

"Everything. If I was a Tutel Coprii I'd like to have that wisdom back," She says, leaning forward and sighing nervously.

"It would be easier getting your memories back," He responds. "I'm not sure I can give you all of that training within a day."

She leans back into her seat, her back thudding against the support. "I bet you just enjoy being more skilled than me," she utters, folding her arms as she will her eyes.

"That's exactly why I won't teach you." He chuckles.

"And if I need to protect myself? You wouldn't allow me to be overpowered again, would you?"

Kalan lets out a heavy breath, "Alright. I will try to remind you of some basic stances."

D'aliah smiles as she throws herself at Kalan, draping her arms around him with a tight hug. "Manipulating you is so simple," She chuckles.

Kalan rolls his eyes, smiling as he embraces the warmth of her hug. "I could say the same of you," He says as he stands up.

"How so?"

"Have you forgotten that I abducted you?" He smiles, winking at her as he leaves the room. "Let's go," He calls from the hallway.

D'aliah hops out of her seat. She looks over to her armor on the floor beside her, and momentarily opts to train in her under armor.

 

"To become a prophet of Luná, one must become an expert in their respective field and share the unknown wisdom it holds."

- The A'shic Records

 

The couples stand across from one another on the upper deck of the boat as it rocks to the beat of the ocean. They each have one of Kalan's daggers in hand, as they hold their respective stances.

"I presume you know the basics of armed combat considering you trained with a sword?"

D'aliah nods her head in response.

"Okay, then I can show you why these basics are useless to the Tutel Coprii. There are some basic concepts that will influence your strategy in any fight." He says as he twirls his blade between his fingers, "The first mover's advantage. Have you heard of it?"

"No,"

"The first combatant to strike is at an advantage because they have the tempo. Meaning, their opponent is forced into a defensive position. The longer you can keep an opponent acting defensively, the higher the chance of killing them before they kill you. Understand?"

D'aliah nods again, "This applies to ranged weapons too?"

"Yes, however, if you don't have a ranged weapon and your opponent does, it will be significantly more difficult to get the advantage. You will quickly be forced to defend, even though your goal is to close the distance and strike."

"What if I don't acquire the advantage against an opponent with equal range?"

The blade flips in the air before landing back into Kalan's hand. "Another good question. Then your goal is to break the offensive flow so that you can apply your offensive strategy… Understood?"

She nods again, readying herself and wiggling the blade in front of her face as a means of taunting Kalan. He assumes the same stance, raising his dagger and waiting for her to strike.

D'aliah slowly walks towards him, watching his body movement as she takes cautious steps until she reaches striking range. She thrusts her blade at Kalan to bait a reaction, swinging the blade just out of reach in hopes that he steps backward in response. But, Kalan parries and instantly strikes at D'aliah in response. She's caught off guard, parrying from left to right as Kalan combines one attack after another. She realizes she's encroaching on the barrier, her available space dwindling with each strike Kalan commits. She ducks beneath Kalan's next attack, hoping to use the space to step out of her precarious position and create space. She takes a wide step away from Kalan as she rises back up, but Kalan steps closer to her. He shoves her with his shoulder before she collides with the railing of the boat. The moment she looks back to Kalan, He has his blade pointed at her chest, with no options for escape.

He lowers his dagger, stepping back to his original position. "The second mover's advantage is that they can observe their opponent's behavior and identify a strategy or pattern before the first mover."

"You knew my strategy?" She asks.

"It was quite obvious when you didn't commit any of your strikes. I understand you wanted me to step towards the rails and corner myself. You are correct in trying to control your opponent's positioning, but if you intend to guide your opponent you must make them move. Bluffing will not help. They either move or die."

They both raise their weapons again. D'aliah thinks deeply, trying to decide on a strategy that he wouldn't anticipate.

"Ready?" He asks before she nods in response.

She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath in, and sprints the moment they open. When she reaches Kalan she extends her arm to full length and strikes aggressively at Kalan's chest. He steps backward before she attacks with two quick jabs to the same spot. He raises his blade to block the first strike before parrying the second. With no pause, she strikes with a backhanded slash at his head to hold onto the advantage. He ducks this strike, but his awkward positioning has him stumble. She follows up with a kick to his stomach, but he catches it. Then uses her now suspended leg to steady himself and correct his stance. He throws her leg in the air, tilting her backward before he kicks her standing leg. She tumbles to the floor but stands up in a hurry and corrects her stance.

"Are-"

"I'm fine, let's continue." She interrupts, completely focused on the fight.

Then both assume their stances when D'aliah steps in range. She lowers her body, striking towards his groin where he uses his blade to deflect the strike- perfect! She pulls back the low attack, baiting him into guarding the region when she kicks his dagger with all her force sending it flying across the deck. Now disarmed she lunges at his chest again, stopping before the blade makes contact and smiling with endearment.

He raises both hands in the air, "You're a quick learner."

"Maybe, But I won't learn anything if you don't attack."

"One step at a time," He says, walking over to pick up his dagger. "You had me positioned poorly... It's strange, but I remember my sister doing the same when we'd spar."

"Maybe, she learned it from me," D'aliah remarks, raising the blade as she takes an offensive stance.

"Maybe," He says, chuckling as he returns to his position and takes his stance

 

"Some believe there are beasts lurking in the depths of the Luná blue." - Unknown