He made a face and lifted the sword crosswise to his mouth and bit down on the blade, leaving both hands free, and swung his arms as if to relieve tired muscles. He spat the sword back into his hand.
"You'd have a wider smile, Your Majesty, if you did that with a real sword."
"It has not escaped my attention that everyone here objects to the way I handle a practice sword. Perhaps you'd like to tell me why?"
"The essence of the practice sword is to help you acquire the use of the real sword. If you don't treat it like a real sword, Your Majesty, you thwart its purpose. Here in Attolia," he said condescendingly, emphasising Eugenides' foreignness, "we are taught to treat a practice sword with all the respect of a real weapon, so that no thoughtless mistakes are made."
"Oh," said the king, sounding amused, "in Eddis, we learn to keep track of the weapon we have in our hand."
He raised his sword. "Ready?"
"Ready," said Laecdomon.
"Begin."
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