Under Ugbard's tutelage, Kestrel Highcastle truly began her journey to the mastery of swordsmanship.
After besting her in numerous duels, her ego and pride was squashed even more and Kestrel understood that she truly knew nothing compared to the mountain man's knowledge.
She was more than willing to learn.
For some reason, Ugbard was also willing to teach her.
He gave her the fundamentals back from the beginning. Stance. Breath. Footwork. Timing. Patience.
Naturally, Kestrel hated that part. She hated being told she was sloppy, or that her talent was not enough. She hated being made to repeat basic forms until her wrists burned and her legs shook.
But the promise of becoming a stronger Swordsmaster was what kept her going. And so, she learned. That was the thing about Kestrel. She did not resent correction when she recognized it as truth. She just resented how long it took to become worth the correction.
And she became worth it quickly.
