Keep Your Enemies Closer

A Sword of Steel and Strength

"A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Reyna panted, arms on her knees as she squinted up at Fabian. "Have I done enough push ups now?"

"I'll be the judge of that." The Sergeant hadn't even broken a sweat while he was exercising but there she was, shining with it and smelling awful. He gave her a faintly amused glance as she resisted the urge to heave. "I do have news for you though."

"Oh yeah?" Reyna's health had definitely improved since she'd been at the palace. No longer was she thin or weak, ribs visible through her skin. Now she was slim, healthy, energetic. Fabian had been a persistent trainer but she was glad for it - if she was going to uphold her end of the bargain with the Witches she'd need to learn how to kill and defend herself. If only Fabian knew he was preparing her for his best friend's slaughter. The interest of the soldiers had faded over time - they no longer minded her now when she came every morning. She felt...comfortable. Safe. Relaxed. Impossibly happy as much as she could be. 

"Ready to use a training sword?"

The training swords were nothing more than blunt sticks. Reyna wrapped her hand around the handle, gripping the rope tightly as Fabian faced opposite her. His feet were a comfortable width apart, the front foot facing forward in one way and the other in the opposite corner behind, toes pointing outward and heel lifted slightly. He had repeated the instructions to her multiple times and eventually she had gotten the hang of it. Next was the right way to hold a sword. She had mastered that easily, holding the sword the way she would a fork or a pen despite the constant dead weight it brought.

"Good." Fabian commented. "Now : your swing. The hardest part." 

The sword was light and she arced it without much difficulty, hearing the whoosh of the air. She sliced it downwards in a straight line and then tried from a different hand which was more difficult as she swung. Fabian nodded, satisfied. "How did you find that?"

"Not too hard." Reyna had to admit, she felt pleased with herself.

"Let's get you a proper sword and see how you fare with that." He stalked away and came back with a blunt iron sword. Simple, with no engravings or marks. "Give that a go." 

"How hard can it be?" Reyna scoffed, swinging the sword in an arc that ended up scraping across the ground. "Harder than you think." Fabian replied, lips fighting a smirk. He was insufferable. Reyna felt more determined than ever to prove herself - that she wasn't weak and was worthy. That smirk would falter then - she felt smug at the thought. 

Reyna rolled her eyes. "Second time lucky."She tried again but her palms were sweaty and the sword slipped out of her grip and clattered on the ground to her disappointment. "Third time lucky?" Fabian offered, folding his arms. 

She swung again but this time it spun out of her grip completely, clattering against the floor a metre away. Her arms ached as she bent to pick up the sword. Fabian tutted. "You're doing it all wrong." 

"Just you wait." 

Ten times later, Reyna was singing a different tune as she lay on the floor, the sword beside her. "I'm going to sleep now." She said, putting her hands over her eyes to shield herself from the sun. Fabian chuckled from above her, flint eyes amused. "Come on." He held out his hand and after a moment's hesitation, her heart beginning to beat faster for no apparent reason, she took it. He pulled Reyna to her feet with ease and picked up the sword, placing it in her hands. "Alright. Let me show you how its done."