บท 15: Wooden Daggers

The next morning, the villagers woke up a bit earlier and got busy for some reason. I was finally told what was going on, once my task at the smithy began. "Once you finish here, you have the rest of your day off. Stay in your house, and don't come out. Someone important will be visiting today, and we don't want you to spoil the mood", Grond was rather brash.

"What about my food?", I asked just to make sure. "Don't worry, you'll get something... I'll even tell them to throw something nice as a bonus. Now, go to work", he replied. 'I'm not gonna say no to that. Hopefully, they give me some meat', I thought and went to work. While hammering away, a though came to my mind.

'Maybe I could start my practice sooner... I practiced how to throw wooden spears, perhaps it would be a good idea to learn how to throw knives or daggers'. I didn't have any knives or daggers of course, but since spears could be wooden, why couldn't daggers be wooden too. 'Fortunately, Grond leaves me alone for my task. There are sharp tools here, as well as wood... If I finish this ingot quickly, I might be able to whittle a dagger', I thought.

That day was a good opportunity as well. Because someone important was visiting, this meant no one would bother me. I could practice throwing to my heart content. With that plan in mind, I quickly processed the metal. One cycle after the other, the process slowly came to an end. I was sweating and my hands vibrating like mad, but I finished the ingot as fast, if not faster than Grond.

'I just need a few minutes for my arms to rest. Then I can go about my other business'. Fifteen minutes later, I was ready to start. There was about another hour or hour and a half before Grond returned. Of course, I'd hear him return, and I had a plan ready in case he came back earlier. I left the ingot unpolished on purpose, in order to create a cover once Grond returned.

Time went by quickly, and I was able to whittle two daggers. They weren't perfect or anything, but usable for my practice. I hid them next to the entrance to the smithy, then got back to my normal work. Grond returned while my hands were pounding the second ingot. He inspected the first one, then told me he'd finish what I started.

With my task completed, I walked to the entrance and quickly retrieved the two wooden daggers. Just as I placed them near my private area, the doors opened. It was the old man Village Chief. "Did Grond tell you to stay inside the house?", he asked. "Yes, I'll stay inside", "Good, you can go now", he replied and let me out.

My heart was beating so hard, I thought I'd faint. 'If he chose to search me then, I'd be in deep shit'. They would occasionally search me, especially after leaving the smithy. That used to happen in the first two weeks. They never found something, and didn't bother as much anymore.

Back at my house, I quickly stashed the two daggers underneath my pillow, and awaited my food. My heart was still beating rapidly, but I managed to make it. 'Next time, I'll have to place something like that elsewhere. If by sheer chance they search me and find a metal dagger... My life will become hell for sure', I thought while trying to calm down.

About half an hour later, someone knocked on the door. "Here's your food", said the woman, and handed me the tray before leaving. The tray contained one bowl of porridge, but there was another bowl with loads of meat, and two loaves of bread. 'Not bad, This should be enough for today'.

The meat was simply melting in my mouth, the seasonings never tasted that great. My roasted fish was akin to stale bread when compared to the meat they provided on that day. 'How long has it been since something like this entered my mouth? A year? Two? I already forgot such taste', I thought while tearing through the meat.

That meal was really satisfying. I felt full of energy, and ready to practice, but it wasn't the time yet. 'I'll start my practice once they get more busy. I don't need to attract attention now', with that thought in mind, I took it easy until late afternoon.

Once the sun began to set, I heard a festive atmosphere outside. 'So they are partying, good'. Just to make extra sure, I used my pillow and duvet in order to muffle the noise. I was able to take some nails out of the floorboards, and attached the duvet to the walls with their use. There was no target on my duvet, which made it hard to aim at something. '... I could use some ash from the fireplace. My duvet will get a bit dirty, but only on one side... Ah to heck with it, this will make it easier', I though.

Using my finger and the fine ash from the fireplace, I drew a small circle in the middle of the duvet. "This should do, now for the practice", I said to myself quietly. Standing about five metres away from my target, I threw the first dagger. 'Missed... Hmm, how about this way?'. I wasn't sure how to handle a dagger, or how to throw it. That meant figuring out the best way of holding it, as well as throwing it.

'This took a while, but this should be the best method... At least for me'. The method I chose was quite simple. I'd hold the dagger using three fingers including a thumb. As for the throwing, I'd raise my arm up while bending my elbow, then throw the dagger using the forward motion of my arm.

My aim wasn't the best, even using the most comfortable method. Besides, I only had two daggers. Once both of them were thrown, I had to go and collect them to try again. The time slowly passed, and the night time arrived. I stopped my practice at that point, then returned everything to its proper place. 'I don't want to leave the daggers under the bed, someone might find them... Chances are, they aren't going to look under the floor', I figured. One of the planks was loose due to the removed nails, and so it became my hiding spot.

The atmosphere outside was still lively. 'They'll probably drink well into the night. Especially that woodcutter, he smells like booze each time I meet him'. That wasn't my party anyway. I had to rest before the next day arrived, and could only hope the noises wouldn't disturb me too much.