The Talking Sword – Chapter 3 Post 3

Dawn looked from her grandfather to the sword then back again, “When does the sword choose?”

“Oh oh let answer this, please, c’mon, please, let me huh huh?” If the sword could have jumped up and down it could not have seemed more like a small child begging.

“Sword! This is serious,” Grandfather hissed through clenched jaws, “this is about the life my granddaughter will lead.”

“Bah, lighten up. You won’t scare her with words.”

“Sword, will you please tell me yourself when you choose whether I become the sworder?” Dawn asked quietly.

“I have…”

“Sword!” interrupted Grandfather, placing both hands on the table and rising from his seat.

“…to choose after you have made your own mind up. I have no desire to influence your decision. I did that once, just once, and never again.”

“Sword, don’t. Please, don’t.” Grandfather sat down again, his shoulders slumping.

“Granpa, is everything alright?” Dawn looked worried at the way all the anger had just fled her grandfather. He seemed suddenly small.

“He is talking about me,” said her grandfather in a quiet voice, “it was me that he told he had chosen, before I made my own choice.”

Dawn glanced at the sword, “Why was that so bad?”

“Sworder? Shall you answer or shall I?”

Grandfather lifted his head and looked directly into Dawn’s eyes. She could see tears welling, and his Adam’s apple bob up and down. “I became the first sworder ever to renounce the calling. It was the hardest decision I have ever made, and one that might just have been twenty years too late.”

“Belladonna, in my excitement of finding one such as your grandfather, one with the potential of being the greatest sworder ever, I influenced his choice. I may have stolen twenty years of his life. Where is the justice in that?”

“You keep talking about justice,” said Dawn, “what are you, some kind of enchanted sword of justice or something?”

“I think it is time for a history lesson,” said the sword.

 

Advertisement