Choosing a Sword
Tameth: Have you thought about my armor?
Author: Of course. You are primarily a scout, so you wear studded leather except on formal occasions.
Tameth: What’s on my feet?
Author: Soft leather boots…like buckskin.
Tameth: All right. What about my sword?
Author: Oh, it’s essentially a Katana.
Tameth: What? No, I want a broadsword.
Author: Nope. You aren’t big enough to wield a broadsword effectively. You are a woman after all, and don’t have the height or the brawn. You need a well balanced lighter weapon to fight with.
Tameth: Nope, I need a badass sword. Yup, I do. If you won’t let me carry a broadsword or a claymore, can I have one with a wicked handle and basket?
Author: Since when is flashy part of your style? You are a scout for the king, remember?
Tameth: So? Give me an evil little cutter with which to be fierce.
Author: Now listen…you are the character who sprang full grown from my forehead and informed me I could write while you dictated your character, likes, and dislikes. You are not flashy, you are not wicked, you don’t care what others think of you. Suddenly you want a sword that is entirely out of character?
Tameth: Well, yeah, I do. C’mon…something to give me an unexpected edge against the enemy, something with which to impress my men. Please? Oh, I know. How about a fantasy sword? They are so pretty and glowy and stuff. Can I have one of those?
Author: A. Fantasy. Sword. Are you kidding me? 
Are you freaking KIDDING ME?
Tameth: Well…uh. Maybe I’m just teasing you. C’mon I don’t want some boring old Katana.
Author: They are not boring! In fact, you are the only member of the king’s guard to have ever held or trained with one! People are curious about your sword. Women want your sword. Men fear it. It is perfectly balanced, perfectly suited to your size and strength…it’s perfect!
Tameth: Really? Katanas don’t exist in my world except mine? I’m the only one?
Author: Yes, you have the only Katana type sword, with its graceful curves and wicked edge. It is like you: graceful, delicately curved, and very deadly.
Tameth: Oh…well why didn’t you say so? I’ll take the Katana.
Author: Good.
Tameth: So…about my shield…
Ah, this is LOVELY!
My husband is a fight choreographer. Our family owns a business that rents out swords and teaches choreography. So this is RIGHT up our alley!
I’m impressed with your knowledge of the ultimate weapon. And I loved this snippet! Very well done!
I’ve always loved the graceful Katana, a weapon women can yield as effectively as men. It’s perfectly suited to Tameth (and I’m glad she finally agreed). Leave the brawny men their claymores, so they can do their blunt damage, lol. The Katana is beautiful.
I’m glad she agreed too. Personally my weapon of choice is a bastard/hand and a half sword – but then I have the height and strength to wield it and the balance and grace to do so more effectively than most men.
That or case daggers. Oh I so need to get back into fighting, reading this post makes me yearn for it in a way I haven’t in years now.
At under 5′2″ with a very low center of gravity, I think I’d like working with the Katana. I have no sword training at all, so cannot say I might not prefer a long dirk, lol. Still, I think about it sometimes, when the night air is crisp and makes me think of endless possibilities. If I lived in another time and p lace, which weapons would I wield best? And then I think it would be the same as now…a ready smile and a pen.