Long Live the Queen

Chapter 3

Owen must have trusted me more since the attack. He told me that we were headed to his own family's province, Sunvale, but we had to replenish our food in Keen before making the trek through the mountains. We had stopped to make camp a day ride from Keen before entering the town. I slid off my horse, patting its rump in a silent thanks.  "Ellen," Owen called. My head turned at his use of my actual name. He had taken to calling me Sapphire or Saph since he had taken from the castle. I went over to him, a scowl drew on my face. Before I could ask what he wanted, his fist made contact with my cheek. I stumbled back, the pain cracking like lightning across my face. My hand covered where he had hit me, fighting the tears that leaped all too readily to my eyes.

"What in the hell was that for?" I yelled, backing away from him. The corner of his mouth twitched up for a second. Was he laughing at my pain?

"Rule number one. Always be prepared for an attack." I felt my anger bubble up just underneath my skin bringing with it the bright red flush that began to hide the mark where he had hit me. He rocked back on his heels for a moment, his eyes narrowed as if he were peering into parts of my soul that I didn't want him to see.  "Now, when you are being attacked, your opponent is going to be much larger than you. You have to use your size to your advantage." I frowned, pulling my hand from my cheek and slowly nodding. If this was how all of his defense lessons were going to be, I wanted to be ready next time. Or just be able to land my blow in response. He stepped forward, lifting my arm by the wrist, pointing to my forearm. "I'm going to swing at you, and I want you to push my arm down with this part of your arm, then try to hit me." I nodded once more as he stepped back to allow room for us to practice.

He lifted his arm and swung at me, his movements slow and deliberate. I raised my arm, pushed his fist away, and tried to swing at him. "Great! Now I just have to hope that all my opponents are as slow as molasses." I rolled my eyes. If he was going to be this slow the entire time he taught me, I was going to be useless in an actual fight. He frowned in response to my bitter sarcasm. 

"I have to teach you before sparring with you." he snapped. I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms. I wanted to get him angry with me so I could have a good reason to punch him. "Again," he commanded. We practiced simple moves for hours until my arms began to ache, and not that I would ever admit it, but I was very grateful for how slow we started and that he gave me a chance to fix my errors. By the end of the session I was able to block a punch, land my own, and then roll out of the way fairly quickly. Owen almost seemed impressed by the speed at which I was learning.

"You've come a long way today, you should be proud." He complimented. I nodded, allowing the small smile that came to my face. I was proud. I didn't feel like the helpless little princess I was when he had taken me from the castle. The smile faded when I thought about the castle as my mind drifted to Rob. I crossed my arms and pushed onto the small spot we had made camp at. I watched angrily as Owen began making a fire and setting out our bedrolls. If he hadn't taken me from the castle, I wouldn't even need to learn how to fight. I remembered as a little girl watching my father sparr with his captain of the guard. He had seen me watching and would crouch in front of me, letting me look at his sword. I would never forget it, as he had told me he had the sapphire placed in the hilt so while he was gone, he would remember my eyes. I felt the hot tears push their way to my eyes and turned to go out of the clearing. I didn't want Owen to think I was still a weak and helpless girl from the castle. I looked up to the stars, trying to find him. After he had passed, Rob had thought of picking out a star for him. It normally gave me the strength to find it, but it only made my stomach turn to ashes again. I missed Rob. I could see the town lights from where I was standing on the edge of the woods. I watched as slowly the night turned dark and the lights went out in various houses as their occupants went to bed, my mind roaming back to the castle before my world had been turned upside down. Eventually, Owen approached me with some form of dried meat and bread.