The Love of Lady Dimitrescu X Female Reader || One-Shots

The Union of Hearts Part 3

"Lift your blade higher!"

Already worn out, Donna gripped her hilt tighter and lifted her sword in Miranda's direction for the fourth time. She dug her feet into the ground and imitated the captain's fighting stance, like how she was shown.

"Good. Now block my incoming swing."

Donna couldn't help but hold her breath and recoil when Miranda advanced toward her with her weapon raised. "Wait! Wait! I'm not ready!"

Letting out a huff, the commander held back her exasperation. "Your enemy won't wait for you to be ready. Try again?"

"Why do I have this sword? I was hoping you'd give me a dagger? This weighs more than I thought it would." 

"You are not trained to handle one. I have instead provided you with one of the lightest blades. Do you notice how it's slimmer compared to mine?"

"What about a crossbow? I hear it requires minimal training and strength?"

"You have only one shot, and you don't have the option of missing your attackers. Besides, I'd fear you'd shoot yourself in the foot."

Taking offense, her mouth fell open slightly. "I-I refute that! You wouldn't believe just how many threads I can hold and how I keep track of all of them! Do not underestimate the skill of my hands."

"This isn't a matter of designing carpets and baskets. This is about your life. Now, prepare yourself for my attack, and try not to flinch. Do not take your eyes off me. You must read your opponent's body language, see how they move and if they're coming in from the side or right at you. Whatever you do, don't turn your back on them."

"Oh, so you all don't do that spinning thing?"

The captain's expression hardened. "You can turn your back to a corpse, but do not twirl around when you're engaged in a battle. Your opponent will not hesitate to stab you in the back."

"And spinning around would weaken your stance," Mahil added, standing by and evaluating her footwork with Miranda.

"Got it. No spinning," Donna mumbled, becoming disheartened at her role in saving you. She had had only two afternoons of training before she'd move into Szeged with the captain and the small group of soldiers this very night: Mihal, a woman with a crossbow, and a spearman. "Can we take a break now? My arms are killing me, and I'm pretty certain I just strained some muscle in my shoulder."

Miranda sheathed her sword. "Very well, take a rest. Our training ends here. We will make our way into the city in an hour."

"So, that armor you brought, are we going to wear that?" Donna asked, pointing at the equipment lying outside the commander's square tent.

"Yes. You will wear a cloak over the chest plate. However, your arms and legs will be free. The faster we can move, the better."

Donna nodded and let her weapon fall to the ground. She regarded her sword and prayed she wouldn't have to actually use it unless it meant saving your life or her own. Until then, she was compelled to adopt a pretense of bravado. "I can do that. I'll march straight into that city with you and rescue her. And then I'm keeping Y/N with me in my cottage, where it's safer. She's not going back to that castle of yours."

"I would not advise—"

She raised her hand to Miranda. "—I was joking! Mostly."

As peculiar as Donna was to her, Miranda understood her genuine concern for you. She'd do everything in her power to keep your friend safe. "We will find her, Donna. Don't lose hope."

"I hope she's alive..." Mahil mumbled to himself, preparing himself along with the others to disguise themselves.

From inside her cell, Cassandra was using her finger to draw a figurine in the dirt while speaking with you. "So, aren't you afraid? If you really are a princess — forgive me, queen or whatever, don't you wonder if they'll take you to another city? Maybe they've a public execution in mind for you? What if they torture you for information? You wouldn't betray Romania, would you?"