- CASTLES CRUMBLING (A.S.) -

- 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐈𝐗 -

...you hate me and i want more.

REGINA PACED THE LENGTH of the large, circular practice room, going through her drills with ease. She had done such practice techniques more times than she could count; these skills were like a second language to her. What made it easier was that her lightsaber was all but an extension of her arm, moving as she thought of moving, relying on muscle memory, but more importantly the Force, to guide her movements.

In fact, she was so in-tune with the Force that she sensed the door open without even looking in that direction.

"Are you going to keep practicing or are we going to begin?"

Regina hit the switch of her yellowish-green bladed lightsaber and slowly turned to face her rival.

"You're late," was all she said in reply. It disgusted her, quite frankly. This was their first mandatory practice and he couldn't be on time. Believe it or not, she had better things to do than play around with Anakin Skywalker.

She didn't put her lightsaber away. On the contrary, she kept the weapon in her right hand, waiting to see what Skywalker would do. He was unpredictable.

"Oh, you know," he answered with a smirk, "had more important things to do." He ignited his new blue lightsaber, the hum of it echoing through the room. Regina smirked back, igniting her own again.

"I figured as much," she replied.

He crossed the room in three strides, his blade raised over his head, his long legs taking up more distance than she could have in five steps. This forced Regina to walk backward, her agility keeping herself on her feet as she kept her footwork flawless.

He jabbed at her blade with his, and she responded with a parry, taking up the defensive Soresu. But, having trained with Kenobi, the master of Form III, he was ready for that. Regina was forced to retreat again and again, his strong blows raining down on her from above as he took advantage of his superior height and strength.

She had to change tactics or this would be one short duel.

"Not bad, Skywalker," she managed to grin confidently, meeting his blue eyes as they locked blades. "Even for someone who forgot to properly begin the duel." She pushed off of his blade, using the Force, and sent him stumbling a few yards. He didn't reply right away, recovering quickly before spinning his blade and chopping down with a graceful yet powerful blow. It took all she had to keep herself from staggering backward.

"I've been told that I'm forgetful." Skywalker grinned, pausing slightly to gather himself for another heavy assault. Regina took advantage of the opening.

She took the offensive. Starting with a rapid flurry of attacks, she struck at Skywalker gracefully and elegantly yet practically and forcefully. And it worked. Within a few seconds, Skywalker was retreating to the far side.

"Where did you learn Form Seven?" he panted, his face, though hardly breaking a sweat, clearly getting there. Regina resisted the urge to smile and kept her mouth in a straight line, advancing on Skywalker. Vapaad was difficult to master, let alone for a Padawan. But she wasn't a master. Rather, she was a student, learning the basics. And what she had done was what she had just been taught and had made good use of her new knowledge. And it had been successful.