The Mirror Interactions . Rare Gifts . The Imperial trainer Captain Aldis , found in Solitude , asks the Dragonborn to find " The Mirror " so he can better train his men in the art of blocking . He says that it used to be standard equipment for a trainer . Content . The wind blew over the open plain , jostling the few trees within to move back and forth with the irritation of it . A young man in bright green turban approached the army and gave his chieftain ' s terms for peace to the commander . He was refused . It was to be battle , the battle of Ain - Kolur . So the Chief Lymbez had decreed his open defiance and his horsemen were at war once again . Many times the tribe had moved into territory that was not theirs to occupy , and many times the diplomatic approach had failed . It had come to this , at long last . It was just as well with Mindothrax . His allies may win or lose , but he would always survive . Though he had occasionally been on the losing side of a war , never once in all his thirty - four years had he lost in hand - to - hand combat . The two armies poured like dual frothing streams through the dust , and when they met a clamor rang out , echoing into the hills . Blood , the first liquor the clay had tasted in many a month , danced like powder . The high and low battle cries of the rival tribes met in harmony as the armies dug into one another ' s flesh . Mindothrax was in the element he loved . After ten hours of fighting with no ground given , both commanders called a mutual and honorable withdrawal from the field . The camp was positioned in a high - walled garden of an old burial ground , adorned by springtide blossoms . As Mindothrax toured the grounds , he was reminded of his childhood home . It was a happy and a sad recollection , the purity of childhood ambition , all of his schooling in the ways of battle , but tinged with memories of his poor mother . A beautiful woman looking down at her son with both pride and unspoken sorrow . She never talked about what troubled her , but it came as no surprise to any when she took the walk across the moors and was found days later , her throat slit open by her own hand . The army itself was like a colony of ants , newly shaken . Within a half hour ' s time after the end of the battle , they had reorganized as if by instinct . As the medicos looked to the wounded , someone remarked , with a measure of admiration and astonishment , “ Look at Mindothrax . His hair isn ' t even out of place . ” “ He is a mighty swordsman , ” said the attending physician . “ The sword is a greatly overvalued article , ” said Mindothrax , nevertheless pleased with the attention . “ Warriors pay too much attention to striking and not enough in defending strikes . The proper way to go into battle is to defend yourself , and to hit your opponent only when the ideal moment arises . ” “ I prefer a more straight - forward approach , ” smiled one of the wounded . “ It is the way of the horse men . ” “ If it is the way of the Bjoulsae tribes to fail , then I renounce my heritage , ” said Mindothrax , making a quick sign to the spirits that he was being expressive not blasphemous . “ Remember what the great blademaster Gaiden Shinji said , ' The best techniques are passed on by the survivors . ' I have been in thirty - six battles , and I haven ' t a scar to show for them . That is because I rely on my shield , and then my blade , in that order . ” “ What is your secret ? ” “ Think of melee as a mirror . I look to my opponent ' s left arm when I am striking with my right . If he is prepared to block my blow , I blow not . Why exert undue force ? ” Mindothrax cocked an eyebrow , “ But when I see his right arm tense , my left arm goes to my shield . You see , it takes twice as much power to send force than it does to deflect it . When your eye can recognize whether your opponent is striking from above , or at angle , or in an uppercut from below , you learn to pivot and place your shield just so to protect yourself . I could block for hours if need be , but it only takes a few minutes , or even seconds , for your opponent , used to battering , to leave a space open for your own strike . ” “ What was the longest you ' ve ever had to defend yourself ? ” asked the wounded man . “ I fought a man once for an hour ' s time , ” said Mindothrax . “ He was tireless with his bludgeoning , never giving me a moment to do aught but block his strikes . But finally , he took a moment too long in raising his cudgel and I found my mark in his chest . He struck my shield a thousand times , and I struck his heart but once . But that was enough . ” “ So he was your greatest opponent ? ” asked the medico . “ Oh , indeed not , ” said Mindothrax , turning his great shield so the silvery metal reflected his own face . “ There is he . ” The next day , the battle recommenced . Chief Iymbez had brought in reinforcements from the islands to the south . To the horror and disgrace of the tribe , mercenaries , renegade horsemen and even some Reachmen witches were included in the war . As Mindothrax stared across the field at the armies assembling , putting on his helmet and readying his shield and blade , he thought again of his poor mother . What had tortured her so ? Why had she never been able to look at her son without grief ? Between sunrise and sundown , the battle raged . A bright blue - sky overhead burned down on the combatants as they rushed against one another over and over again . In every melee , Mindothrax prevailed . A foe with an ax rained a series of strokes against his shield , but every one was deflected until at last Mindothrax could best the warrior . A spear maiden nearly pierced the shield with her first strike , but Mindothrax knew how to give with the blow , throwing her off balance and leaving her open for his counterstrike . Finally , he met a mercenary on the field , armed with shield and sword and a helm of golden bronze . For an hour and a half they battled . Mindothrax tried every trick he knew . When the mercenary tensed his left arm , he held back his strike . When his opponent rose his sword , his shield rose too and expertly blocked . For the first time in his life , he was battling another defensive fighter . Stationary , reflective , with energy to battle for days if need be . Occasionally , another warrior would enter into the fray , sometimes from Mindothrax ' s army , sometimes from his opponent ' s . These distractions were swiftly dispatched , and the champions returned to their fight . As they fought , circling one another , matching block for blow and blow for block , it dawned on Mindothrax that here at last he was fighting the perfect mirror . It became more a game , almost a dance , than a battle of blood . It was not until Mindothrax missed his own step , striking too soon , throwing himself off balance , that the promenade was ended . He saw , rather than felt , the mercenary ' s blade rip across him from throat to chest . A good strike . The sort he himself might have delivered . Mindothrax fell to the ground , feeling his life passing . The mercenary stood over him , prepared to give his worthy adversary the killing blow . It was a strange , honorable deed for an outsider to do , and Mindothrax was greatly moved . Across the battlefield , he heard someone call a name , similar to his own . “ Jurrifax ! ” The mercenary removed his helmet to answer the call . As he did so , Mindothrax saw through the slits of his helmet his own reflection in the man . It was his own close - set eyes , red and brown hair , thin and wide mouth , and blunt chin . For a moment he marveled at the mirror , before the stranger turned back to him and delivered the death stroke . Jurrifax returned to his commander and was well paid for his part in the day ' s victory . They retired for a hot meal under the stars in a garden by an old cairn that had previously been occupied by their foes . The mercenary was strangely quiet as he observed the land . “ Have you been here before , Jurrifax ? ” asked one of the tribesmen who had hired him . “ I was born a horseman just like you . My mother sold me when I was just a babe . I have always wondered how my life might have been different had I not been bartered away . I might never have been a mercenary . ” “ There are many things that decide our fate , ” said the witch . “ It is madness to try to see how you might have taken this turn or that in the world . There are none exactly like yourself , so it is foolish to compare . ” “ But there is one , ” said Jurrifax , looking to the stars . “ My master , before he set me free , said that my mother had twin sons when I was born . She could only afford to raise but one child , but somewhere out there , there is a man just like me . My brother . I hope to meet him . ” The witch saw the spirits before her and knew the truth that the twins had met already . She remained silent and stared into the fire , banishing the thoughts from her head , too wise to tell all .