Sincerely, yours (Completed)

Chapter 7

   Again!

   I exhaled sharply, blowing a sweaty dark curl out of my eyes, pushed hard off the ground, and jumped- fist over a boulder, then a pile of wooden rails. Then I scrambled up the rocky slope past the rails and down the steeper other side.

   Don't lose the pole, I told myself. For God's sake. Please. Don't. Lose. The. Pole.

   I made it to the bottom, dropped to my belly, and slid under the net into the mud pit. If I touched the wide-weave net stretching above me, I'd have to start over at the beginning of the course, and the trainer would add another stone to my pack and make me repeat the entire obstacle like he did to the others before me.

   I thought Caen will be treating us with ease but I was wrong. I get him. He want us to be the best knights but at least give us a break, I'm going to end up dead by the end of the day.

   This exercise looked easy while watching but it definitely isn't when you start exercising, it's a lot of work.

   "Come on Olivia! You can do it! You still have this small part!" Hearing everyone cheering for me with Caen give me a great power. I just get motivated when I work out with him. Today he helped a lot in the gym. Taught me how to correctly use some machines and how to go farther without getting tired or get out of breath.

   We won't have any rest with Caen since he asked us to wake up every day this week and hour before breakfast to a morning run around the building so we can train our legs more and get used to running distances.

   "We're going to learn the form, begin to master it, and above all, appreciate it. Learning how to sword fight is first defending yourself, attacking your opponent, and thinking what his next move would be. Get a tight hold of the handle and never ever strike like this," I'm pretty good at sword fighting but I like hearing our training explain it again. I feel like I'm back with my father in the woods, holding a small fake sword trying to learn the basics and then getting excited when my I win against him. "Come on, each on take a sword and stand in front of me here. Yes. We're going to start fighting with the air, learning different cuts that involved squeezing our abs and turning our hips, in a similar motion to someone trying to hit a hole in one. Each cut with the sword had to be done with pure precision to get it right. And after a week you're going to be able to fight with each other without getting yourself or your opponent hurt." A lot of injuries happened during this session. I can't even explain how they occurred with plastic swords. All I can say is that Lucas kept fighting with everyone.

   "Hey! You peasant! Watch where you are training and never get near me ever again!" argued Lucas with another defenseless boy but it was the only time I heard him speak up.

   "Don't tell me what to do or where to train. I have every right to be here as much as you so go and find someone else to bother because I'm tired of you and your endless orders." I feel you boy but it was a bad timing to say these words especially during this particular training session.

   "How dare you speak up to me? Do you think that I'm going to get scared by a few words that get out of your filthy mouth? Well let me tell you one thing. I'm your master here and no one is better than me," wow such big words for someone that didn't master his aiming yet. "I'm challenging you to a duel now in front of everyone and not to prove my point but to show them how to respect me." He's eager to fight.

   "Deal show me what you got Lucas" he spat out.

   The entire battle was two children hitting each other with a sword trying that it would kill the other. The scene was priceless that everyone in the room started laughing at their childish and irresponsible behavior. I wish I had a camera so I could show it to Jason and his friends later in the evening.