𝕭𝖔𝖔𝖐 𝕿𝖜𝖔
𝔖𝔲𝔪𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔶: From trolls to dragons to foreign princesses, Astraea Aphelion grows stronger as she
continues to navigate medieval Britain using her wit and heart, standing unshaken beside Merlin and Arthur as they face every threa...
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📍 Camelot
⏳May, 505 AD
Merlin and I sat beside each other on a table in the training field, watching as Arthur and a friendly knight called Sir Gareth worked together on testing the combat skills of a bunch of guys who were hoping to join the mighty Camelot army.
The string of about thirty men gathered around the field, waiting to have their names called so that they could spar against either the Prince or his knight. They were a fairly diverse bunch in everything but in gender, which left me wondering if it's at all possible for a girl to become a knight. If she's strong enough and passes the tests... would she be denied? I mean, not that I would qualify in the slightest. I'm just curious as to what it would take.
"Yikes," I cringed as Arthur easily knocked down a recruit, who hardly put up a fight as he tumbled to the ground with a groan of pain. "He's not even being that hard on 'em, I think," I noted. My eyes widened when the lanky guy tried to stand up, only to trip over air and fall backwards again.
The Prince turned towards my best friend and I with an exasperated look. I grinned and gave him a thumbs-up. His lips curved upwards a little bit and he visibly sighed before moving on to another recruit – a curly red-head that was a bit on the heavier side. Perhaps that will give him an advantage...
Never mind. Not half-a-minute passed before he was on the ground and clutching his arm in pain.
"What a snowflake," I mumbled to my best friend. "Y'know, I once rode an entire jumping course with a dislocated shoulder."
Merlin's eyes widened as he turned towards me, "Did you fall off beforehand?"
"Not off my horse... I tripped over a step when leaving the bathroom prior to my round and crashed against a wall."
The sorcerer chuckled and I shot him a smile before returning my attention to the training field, noticing that Arthur had finally found a decent opponent who was keeping up with him nicely. Then there was Gareth, who was carrying an unconscious guy over his shoulder, presumably on the way to the physician's chambers.
The Prince defeated the dude he was with, but still gave him a praising pat on the back before calling over someone else.
That someone else didn't last a second.
"Are Art's standards too high, or are these guys just plain terrible?" I asked Merlin in a whisper.
He tilted his head, "A little bit of both, I would say."
Arthur visibly sighed and then he began to approach us. I couldn't help the smile that instantly tugged at my lips as he moved closer and he also grinned a little when our eyes connected. "It is a good thing there are no present threats of war, or Camelot would be doomed," he huffed as he halted beside me and grabbed his canteen off the table.
