Ethan

Chapter Six

Sweat beaded my forehead as I ran the trail, following Thalia as best as I could. After meeting me several days ago, she decided to become my personal trainer and I was really wishing that I could escape this harsh training. 

She had told me that "a queen needs to know how to protect herself".

Well right now, I wished that I wasn't going to be a queen. She is giving me the training that royals go through. Ethan was running alongside me, but he looked as though he hasn't even broken a sweat. 

I saw the training field  coming into view and a relieved smile took over my face. We broke through the trees and as soon as my feet touched the grass, I stopped running. I was bent over with my hands on my knees, breathing harshly as I tried to catch my breath. With a groan, I dropped to the ground and rolled onto my back, staring up at the sky as I tried to collect myself.

Ethan's amused face came into view and I scowled. "What are you doing on the ground, little moon? We still have the training lesson to do."

"What?! Then what was all that running for?"

"That was just a warm up. Now," Thalia said, coming over and yanking me back to my feet. "Let's get started on combat."

Ethan chuckled at the look on my face. He took my hand and led me to a small circle that Thalia stood in the center of. She waved me in and I stepped into the ring only to feel something slap against my ankle. I jumped back out of the circle.

"What the hell was that?!" I shrieked, rubbing my stinging foot. I looked up to see Thalia twirling a bamboo stick around as she watched me with a bored face. 

"It's the lesson," she said. "You have to reach me and avoid being pushed out of the circle by my bamboo."

My jaw dropped. "Are you kidding me? There's no way I can do that!"

She shrugged. "Then we will do this until you can."

I turned my wide eyes on Ethan who had moved over to another circle that had a dummy, and was practicing with a sword. My gaze turned back to Thalia as she glanced to my mate and back at me.

"He did this too. Once you can do this, we will work on actual combat. For now, this is training your reflexes and quick thinking. Now," she stopped twirling the bamboo stick, pointing it at me. "Come get me."

I squared my shoulders and stepped into the circle again, though I quickly jumped to the left as I knew she would strike at my feet again. Suddenly there was a force on my chest and I was pushed back out of the circle, mid-jump, by the end of her bamboo stick. I landed on my rear and frowned, getting up again. 

Thalia motioned me forward again, I stepped into the ring and heard the whistling of the stick as she swung it at me. I moved my foot further forwards and braced myself for the impact of the stick. It connected with my left shin and I quickly reached down, grabbing the stick with my right hand and raising it as I twirled underneath, moving two steps closer to Thalia before the bamboo was ripped out of my hand and slapped against my right shoulder. 

I jumped back out of the circle and watched as she stood straight again, a glint in her eye. "That was good, Maya. Again!"

Shaking out my shoulder, I stepped back into the ring. The stick came whistling at me from the right, but I quickly reached down with my left arm and as soon as it connected, I moved my arm to push the stick over me as I stepped forward towards Thalia. She adjusted her grip and the bamboo came back at me, aiming for my left shoulder.

I raised my right arm, wincing as the bamboo slapped against my forearm, but I rotated my hand and grabbed the stick, bringing my left hand up near my right elbow to grab the stick there too, then I quickly jerked the stick. Thalia's grip tightened as the force I sent to try and throw the stick down out of her hands, reached her.