The day has come for their first fencing lesson; Master Didier shows Hamlet and Laertes the attacks, prise-de-fer flèche allonge foin, parries, prime seconde tierce quarte quinte sixte septime octave, counterattacks, remise riposte. It seems natural to Laertes that the moves flow smoothly as the French words, and when Master Didier hands a blade to each of them and sets them to practice back to back, he repeats them under his breath, attacking parrying counterattacking, correcting himself as he pronounces a vowel incorrectly or leaves a part of himself unguarded, striving to imitate the fencing-master. (Master Didier also gives dancing lessons to Ophelia, allemande courante sarabande; she moves like a fairy and does not need to repeat the words to pronounce them perfectly when her father inquires after her progress.)
He steals glances back over his shoulder as he practices, watching Hamlet; the prince is good, Laertes thinks. He focuses on the imaginary figure in front of him and lunges.
Their matches can never really be entirely friendly.
