Light Sabres

The daughter's birthday has just passed, and she received several toys from her mother and I. The most significant of these were the Star Wars lightsabers : )

Originally, we had trouble finding anything other than the old Darth Vader one - red and ominous-sounding. But the girl insisted that it was fine, and that any lightsaber, regardless of the colour or how it sounded, would do her nicely. Since it was my wife who was footing the bill (heh heh heh), she went ahead and bought it for our girl. Needless to say, I wasn't all too enamoured with that decision. So I did a little hunting of my own.

After a bit of searching, I found that there was new stock somewhere else. Within the space of a hour, skipping out during a lunch break at my old office at Pulau Brani, I discovered that I could purchase both the Luke and the Anakin ones - green and blue respectively, at another shop close to my office. Honestly, I couldn't decide which of them to purchase at first. So, in the end, I got them both. Then I called the missus to tell her how I intended for the whole thing to turn out....

I went home and hid all three of the lightsabers, and waited for the daughter to hunt down her birthday present when the time came. When she pulled out the Anakin Skywalker one, her eyes went wide and she came running to me, telling me that something was not right. Then she found the Luke Skywalker one and decided that she preferred its green colour. She held on to it tightly, as she went around and searched for the Darth Vader one that she had originally convinced her mother to buy for her. When she found it, she promptly handed it over, telling me that she was keeping the green one.

So I told her that the Vader one will become mine, while the blue Anakin one will become her mother's.

Not that it mattered; she's playing with all three of them every chance she gets : )

Will put up pics of her with the toys soon, I hope.

Swords and Secrecy

I find myself speaking to my swords again, as the sun ends its descent. Too long have I neglected them, I fear. When I hear their voices, they are usually raised in complaint:

Wherefore hast thou abandoned us? Knowst not thou that the air is damp with the rains, and that rust cometh but a short step behind? Thou hast no excuse for this appalling neglect!

There is truth in what they say. So I have taken out my polishing cloths and oils, and set down to do that which I have put off for so long. It fortunate that I had coated the blades with a layer of wax ere I set them aside. That has kept rust from touching the steel. While not pristine, the weapons are in good shape.

The first one to receive my ministrations was one that I have aligned with the sun. It has been with me the longest, and has taken the most abuse. Next was the sword that I have associated with the moon, with its white hilt-wrappings and its lighter, fullered blade. Like the first, it has seen some use, though I have managed to prevent it from tasting blood, particularly my own. It is also the youngest blade amongst the trio, and it needs little work to keep it clean.

Last, I come to the warrior sword. Unlike the other two, I have never wielded it, against foes dead or alive, mobile or inanimate. Its blade is layered, folded steel, and a real pain to keep free of oxidation. Unlike the other two, I feel a certain resistance each time I practice with it. Those whom I have trusted to handle it have all assured me that the weapon is well-balanced and the weight is well within acceptable norms. Perhaps this resistance is only in my mind. Perhaps it is in my sinews, for I have not practiced with my blades as often as I used to. Perhaps my heart is to distracted to give in wholly to the song of the sword. Perhaps.

* * *

I could cite work as the reason for my neglect. It has been difficult of late, as my friends are aware. The demands on my time have left me short of sleep and patience with fools. The situation at home can hardly be called restful either, adding to the load.

But I will push those excuses aside. There is another reason, the true reason, why I have avoided my swords. It is a reason that I shall not put down here. I have merely mentioned it, so that one day, when this hiraedd is done, I shall read this and remember this darker part of my life.

Objects of Desire

A moon ago, when my coffers were suddenly flush with the largesse of the Hegemon, I found myself wandering the stores of the City, staring at what trinkets they had to offer. Indeed, it was a good time to peruse their wares, for there was some collusion amongst the storekeepers to lower their prices, in anticipation of the proclaimed rise in taxes. People were out in droves, seeking to spend their coin ere it was taken away.

It was at one of the many shops that lined the King's Road by the Old Beach, when the flash of honed steel caught my eye. Like many others who profess a love of the Arts Martial, I have always been susceptible to the lure of metalwork. Long swords, in particular those of the style of the Empire of the Sun, have ever been my weakness. So when I saw what was displayed in the window of that shop, I found myself striding within, even before I was aware of it. The message had missed my mind altogether, traveling from eye to feet in a moment.

The youth who tended the store was courteous and his welcome grew warmer still when my knowledge of weapons became apparent. The Swords of the Sun Kings were popular, and recent works by popular authors had only increased their desireability. We had a rather animated discussion regarding the strengths and weaknesses of those blades described in these works, particularly the massive two-handed swords: one wielded by a certain white-haired villain while the other, with a black blade, that belonged to an orange-haired student. Having replicas of these weapons available in the shop only encouraged our exchange, of course.

But in the end, I could not be diverted from my original purpose. As I have stated before, the Swords of the Sun Kings were my weakness. Three weapons did I remove from their stands and brandished to measure their length and weight. The heaviest of the trio was also the shortest. It had a thick blade, though it was not as wide as those of the other two. The second had a blade of folded steel, which I hold to be the most beautiful. The last, however, was unique in the fact that it did not have a guard.

I desired them all, I will freely admit. But I was loath to purchase all three, and not because of the paucity of my purse. Indeed, the generosity of the Hegemon had been great this last moon. However, my time was limited, as was the amount of space that was readily available in my rather meagre room:

Weapon-steel was hard to maintain, requiring a substantial amount of care and work to maintain them in their bright, polished state. They needed to be cleaned daily, and coated with oil or wax after each cleaning. Possessing two other swords of weapon-grade steel, I knew that I could, at most, upkeep one more blade. Thus, I found myself agonizing over which of the trio I should buy. Those who know of my other interests will see the reference to another swordsman, who also happens to be a pirate. Fortunately for me, I do not suffer from his inability to navigate even the simplest of towns.

Eventually, I made my decision. The latest of my acquisitions now graces the shelf next to its brethren, waiting as they do, for a time that I may fulfill the purpose for which they were made. Like any true swordsmen, I am resolved to meet death and mete death. But I also hope that such a time shall never come.

But which of them did I purchase, you ask.

Well, I shall reveal that shortly....