*Chapter 214: Horse Riding and Swordsmanship*

After spending two days at home with Bündchen, Richard returned to work.

The Lord of the Rings was about to start filming, and he needed to prepare before the shoot. The first thing he had to do was grow out his hair and beard to appear more mature. The second was to practice horseback riding and sword fighting.

In the novel, Aragorn is the 39th-generation descendant of the ancient human king Isildur and the heir to the throne of the human kingdom of Gondor, destined to become the future king of men. He grew up in the Elven realm, fell in love with the Elven princess Arwen but faced opposition, and later became a ranger, wandering through various regions and wilderness, gradually honing himself into a skilled warrior.

He is proficient in swordsmanship, horseback riding, and archery, with a particular emphasis on swordsmanship.

The script featured many scenes of heavy sword strikes, so before joining the cast, Richard contacted the film's swordsmanship instructor. He practiced sword fighting in a New York swordsmanship club while also learning horseback riding.

Previously, Richard had focused on martial arts and boxing, so he wasn't very familiar with swordsmanship and horseback riding. He had to learn them bit by bit.

*Thud! Thud!*

In the club, Richard wore protective gear and wielded a wooden practice sword as he sparred with the swordsmanship instructor. He swung the long wooden sword, striking left and right, forcing his opponent to retreat repeatedly.

"Richard, you don't need to use so much force. On set, we'll be using real swords, and if you hit like that, you'll hurt your opponent," the instructor reminded him.

"Got it!"

Richard eased up a bit, making it look like he was swinging with great force, but pulling back just before making contact. This way, the strikes appeared powerful without actually harming his opponent.

"Richard, your arms and wrists are still a bit stiff, and your movements aren't smooth enough. Pay more attention to practice," the instructor said as he demonstrated with his sword. The wooden sword in his hand moved fluidly, twisting and turning like a spiral sword, looking very cool.

"How do you practice that move, Ike? Can I learn it?" Richard asked with interest.

"Haha, it's simple. Just practice it every day, like this." The instructor demonstrated a few moves in slow motion while explaining, "If you stick with it for two or three weeks, you'll probably get the hang of it."

"Like this?"

Richard took the wooden sword and began rotating his arms and wrists. His movements were clumsy at first, and the wooden sword almost slipped from his hands. But after practicing seven or eight times, his wrists became more agile, and he could wield the sword in all directions, leaving a trail of afterimages.

Seeing this, the instructor was at a loss for words. This guy was too smart. He only needed one or two explanations to master a set of sword moves, leaving the instructor with no sense of accomplishment.

"Richard, the Aragorn you portray is a formidable warrior. His swordsmanship focuses more on practical combat rather than flashy moves. When practicing, concentrate on the basics—swinging, thrusting, pointing, lifting, intercepting, slicing, parrying, twisting, and sweeping. You can practice against dummies, paying attention not only to your hand movements but also to your footwork, moving forward and backward with agility, like this."

The instructor demonstrated, cutting through a few rubber dummies with fluid motions.

"I understand."

Richard mimicked the moves, practicing repeatedly with the dummies. After several tries, he realized that the footwork was similar to boxing—balanced and agile, with an added leap for a chopping strike.

"Besides that, your main focus should be learning mounted combat. This is more challenging as it tests both your swordsmanship and riding skills, which you'll need to practice over time," the instructor added.

"Got it!"

Richard practiced with the wooden sword, gradually becoming more proficient over two days.

"Richard, when practicing swordsmanship, don't just focus on the moves—consider the demeanor as well. Aragorn is the future king of men. His swordsmanship evolves from a ranger to a great general and king. You'll need to grasp this transformation based on the script, which will greatly benefit your performance," the instructor advised.

"I understand, Ike. Thank you for your guidance."

"You're welcome. You're the fastest learner I've ever taught. If you keep practicing, you might surpass what I can teach you in a few months," the instructor said with a smile, shaking his head.

"Haha, it's because you're a great teacher," Richard laughed. Thanks to his childhood training in martial arts and combat, his motor skills were highly developed, allowing him to pick up fighting techniques and weapons quickly.

After five days of practice, under the instructor's guidance, Richard had grasped the essentials of swordsmanship. The difference between him and the instructor now lay in experience; with enough practice, that gap would close as skill comes with repetition.

To speed up his learning, Richard often carried a wooden sword with him, practicing constantly—one swing, two swings, a thousand swings, two thousand swings.

At first, his wrists ached, his arms grew weary, and his palms bled from the friction. But these minor injuries didn't bother him; he simply endured the pain.

In the past, when training in martial arts and boxing, he often got injured. His arms and shoulders would swell, making it hard to lift them, and his wrists and fingers would swell like pig's trotters.

But Alvin had said that pain is a test for a boxer. If you can endure it, you'll get through it. If not, you can quit.

Richard, of course, never gave up. His strong recovery ability made him unafraid of injuries. After suffering through the initial months of pain, his muscles and bones adapted to the demands of training.Now, while practicing swordsmanship, Richard also relied on his strong recovery ability, ignoring the pain.

After his wrists swelled and subsided twice, and his blisters burst twice, his arms memorized the sword movements. From then on, practicing felt more effortless.

Besides swordsmanship, he also needed to practice horseback riding. There were many equestrian clubs in the Long Island area of New York, and through Ellie, he easily became a senior member of one of them, allowing him to keep and race horses at the club. He chose a large black horse with shiny fur, as he believed the color was auspicious.

He had never ridden a horse before, but after two hours of lessons with a coach, he had basically mastered it. For a man in great physical shape, learning to ride wasn’t difficult. By the end of the morning, he was able to gallop across the grassland.

"Hey, Bündchen, Angela, haven't you learned yet? Want me to help?" Richard laughed as he rode his horse.

"No need, I can handle it," Giselle replied, wearing a hat and a sexy riding outfit, tightly gripping the reins of her beautiful red horse.

"Yeah, it's just riding a horse. How hard can it be?" Angela said, kicking the side of her white horse, which joyfully began to trot.

"Angela, slow down, or you'll fall and hurt your rear," Giselle laughed.

"I'm not worried. I used to ride horses as a kid. Don’t forget, we have a lot of cowboys in Missouri!" Angela laughed loudly.

Richard smiled gently, nudged his horse, and caught up with Giselle.

The club's riding area had varied terrain—grasslands, forests, shallow water zones, and hills—which suited his needs perfectly.

After two days of training at the club, he was able to ride across all types of terrain, practicing his swordsmanship while riding. As Angela had said, he was becoming more and more like a knight.

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(End of the chapter)