Imagine being a warrior and helping to train Joxer.
You had seen warriors of every kind, loud and unruly blood soaked legends who carved their names into the world with a blade, and noble heroes with egos so big it almost diminished the good deeds they did.
And then there was Joxer. He tripped over a rock before he even reached you. You bit back a smile as he scrambled up, dusting himself off with all the dignity of a man who had just face planted in front of the very person he was trying to impress. “I meant to do that,” he said, chin lifting, confidence wobbling like a cart with a missing wheel.
“Of course you did,” you replied, far too warmly for mockery.
That was what set you apart from the rest, or so you like to think. In Joxer, you didn’t see a fool. You didn’t dismiss him. You saw someone trying —desperately, earnestly— to be something more. And you were going to make him into exactly that.
Training him became a personal mission. You corrected his stance, nudged his grip on the sword, stepped behind him to guide his shoulders when he forgot how to stand with the strength and stability of a warrior and not the weak kneed stance of a scarecrow caught in a breeze.
He listened to your instruction with singleminded concentration, tongue poking slightly between his teeth as he put your words into practice. He still missed swings, still stumbled, still occasionally yelped when he startled himself.
But sometimes, he got it right. And when he did, his face lit up like he’d conquered an empire.
“You see that,” he said once, breathless, eyes bright. “I did that.”
You laughed softly, pride curling in your chest. “You did.”
Joxer may never be the hero the bards would tell the great deeds of, but as you reached out, steadying him after another near fall, you realized something quieter, steadier. He may not be the world’s hero, but he was becoming yours.
For anon
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