The many years as a Swordsman had taught the Master not to show emotions prematurely before sizing up a situation and understanding it fully. He could feel the impatience of the young man, his anxiousness and inexperience with life.

"Perhaps I can teach you, but it will take some time and you must do everything I say."

The young man's eyes gleamed, "Oh yes, anything!" he agreed instantly..

From that day forward, a long and very special relationship began between the Swordmaster and the young man. He took the boy into his home, spending time and meals with him and slowly assigning him chores.

At first, the youth was eager to please and would draw water form the well, do the cleaning chores and scrub pots.

Each night the Swordmaster would spend time with him, telling him stories about life and each day he would instruct the young man to do more chores. Yet, never in any of this instruction did he tell the young man anything about wielding a sword.

The days turned into weeks and months. The young man began to grow restless. He would stare quietly at the pots he was scrubbing and asked himself.....

'How could this possibly make me a swordsman? I do not understand.'

Gradually he grew more discontented. He would stare at the Swordmaster, always wanting to ask him when would his sword instruction begin, but the Swordmaster would only smile at him quietly, nodding his head gently, as if to encourage the young man to get on with his chores.

Soon the young man began to dream of when he could wield a sword. As he would go about his chores, he became more impatient, stealing looks at the swords hanging on the wall of the hut, thinking about the battles the Swordmaster must have been through. His demeaner grew more intense. There was an edge to his character as each pot he scrubbed seemed to be another obstacle to his learning.

Continue.. The Boy and the Sword.