A Strong Body, A Weapon of the Mind (Flashback)

[Hasre]

Spring 497 AV The palace of the North wind was like a small city. Hasre apprenticeship had been with his uncle so in all reality he hadn't ever left the safety of the North Wind walls, but none the less he wasn't any longer in the quiet halls of his parents, and at first the transition had been strange and trying to the young boy. His uncle was a quiet man who had never married, and to be honest in those early years Hasre hadn't known he had any other name then uncle. To be honest he wasn't even sure how he was his uncle, just that he was uncle and it was what he wanted to be called. His uncle was to teach him the ways of the wadj, and the northwind, and that was what he did. It was about Hasre 8 year of life that Uncle desided the boy was ready to learn the arts of the weapon. So it was that he summoned Hasre to the gym. Hasre was even at that age a handsome boy, showing promise of the man he would grow into. His dark hair was cut short, and his skin was beautifully pale, but his eyes were dark and deep. Their blue was like that of the coldest water, and even at the age the boy showed deep thought. Today thought there was a slightly worried look to them as he stood in the gym worried. He wore only a diaper type pant that allowed for exercising and gave him room to move with out all the normal trappings so common to one of his station. He looked over at his uncle who had desided not to consent to modesty and in the heat went naked. He was an older man, and his body was worn by the sun, and made him appeared older then he was. With out the make up he normally wore Hasre wondered if he was as old as grandfather. He did say anything though, as he had learned early that questions like that weren't important to his education. So it was that the two stood to the side as they watched a pair of guardsmen pratices with a couple different types of weapon. They had spent the first while going over the weapons as Hasre was to choose the weapon he would wish to learn with. He eye the short blade, the Gladius, brightly. It seemed good weapon with much versitility.

[Hasre]

Hasre looked up at Uncle after making it clear which weapon he would like to learn. The older man nodded his head and tapped his chin with two hands before seeming to come to a desision. "All right, that is an excellent choise." He turned to look at the scholarly little boy though. "You are a son of the North Wind and as such it is only proper that you learn how to use a weapon. Unfortantly you have taken after your mother side of the family and are a skinny little boy." Hasre looked up at the older man with an indinate face. He long ago stopped being hurt by the comments the man made. "Don't give me that look it is true." He turned and walked towards a section of the gym were there didn't appear to be any weapons fighting. "Have you ever heard of body building, or acrobatics?" The older man asked, but before Hasre could reply he answered for him. "Of course you haven't. So I will tell you. Body Building is basically making your body strong, and in some ways turning it into a piese of art. Acrobatics is when you learn how to move you body with grace, and make your body flexible." The little boy was rather scrawny, but he wouldn't have known that. He was in his mind only a child and would become big and strong until he was older. The old man though suspected without direct help the boy would stay skrawny. Handsome yes, but skrawny. "I am going to teach you the basics to both, and then you are going to practices them every day of your life." Hasre sighed, that ever day of your life list was growing rather long, and for the little boy it was growing really boring. "Now stand up straight over there." He said pointing into the center of a mat. Hasre looked at the old mans face and seeking the look didn't argue but instead walked to the spot were he was pointed to. He stood as straight as he could his six arms down at his side, his little boys chest puffed out. Uncle walked over and pocked him in the stomach. The posture folded in out itself as he cureled up for a moment. "With strong stomach mucles you wouldn't have been bothered by that, and if you want to weild something other then a rapier, then you need to but on some muscle my boy. So let us begin."