Lumina

20 ~ Breaking Point

Maizie

Sweat, fatigue, and hunger were not a preferable mix to the Princess of Terralum. In fact, all three of the inhibitors were most unwelcome this morning, yesterday morning, and every other morning! Vita had allowed Maizie's training to be cut in half down to only one hour a day, but even that was still too long! To the dismay of the aforementioned princess, Landon accepted this without even a hint of qualm.

Maizie was still seething.

"At what point-" she panted and jumped forward with a sweep of her practice sword- only different to a real sword in that it was dull, "-will Vita realize-" Her opponent smacked the blade away with his own and advanced, forcing the weapon from her hand with the effort equivalent to that of a toddler. "Augh! This is useless!"

Training her muscles she understood. Trousers, surprisingly, she had grown accustomed to, even appreciated the ones she now wore with the soft fabric reinforced in sensitive areas by leather. Early mornings by themselves Maizie no longer despised because it was time spent with Landon, and while she knew there was neither point in denying nor acting on her growing feelings, she allowed herself to enjoy the time with him as best she could.

But mastering weapons in mere weeks? Vita had gone mad to assume Maizie was even close in level to the guard captain.

Day one of her shortened training he had gone easy on her, only going over weaponry and fighting techniques Maizie had already learned. By day two they began focusing solely on her swordsmanship. Again. And again. And again. The rest of the week proved no better, with Maizie walking in today to see he had already cleared the room of all but two dull swords.

Throbbing palms threatened to disable any further use of her hands that Maizie bit her lip against as she bent to retrieve the iron nuisance. Another 'punishment'- the guard captain was no longer allowed to aid Maizie in healing the hurts brought on by training. To teach her lingering consequences, Vita had sneered.

There were some words of her own making Maizie had wanted to teach the demanding queen at that particular point in time, too.

Leather wrapping around the hilt tore a developing blister on her palm and Maizie let the sword clatter to the ground with a hiss. Wordlessly Landon inclined his brow in question. "My hands hurt," she whined.

Apathetically, as if she had not just cut herself, he said, "We're almost done. Again."

Maizie looked at the blood and puss slowly oozing from her palm and up to the captain, "Just tell her we finished the full hour."

"I'll not keep covering for you. I can have ointment brought to you. Pick up your weapon and try again."

Her jaw worked the words a moment, mulling the decision, and Maizie defiantly answered, "No. I am done for the day."

"Vita will not accept that and I won't tell her otherwise. Pick up your sword," the captain commanded, advancing on Maizie with his own raised in offense, "and try again."

"I cannot!" She reared stubbornly, kicking the weapon so that it skidded across the wooden floor, empty except for the princess and her trainer. "You must find this as ridiculous as I, Landon, to have been demanded of such an impossible task!"

Maizie turned, now yelling to herself and throwing her arms up in disgust, "Disarm the Guard Captain to end my training- hah! She mocks me- she mocks you! To even think-" Maizie faced the man, "how could I, with mere weeks of training, possibly disarm a man who has honed his skills for, what, your whole life!?"

"That is what I am tasked to teach you to do, and that is what you will train for, now pick up your sword," his growled command was enough to startle even Maizie into usurping her need for sympathy. With a frown she pushed up the sleeves of her purple tunic and stomped across the room to collect her weapon.