A Ballad of Heroes

Chapter 3 - The Squires Training

Leaves were falling in the Wild Forest of Caer Gawch. Soon, the frosty wind drove them away, just as it did the autumn, and a little later, a frosty blanket covered the land. As always, a harsh winter was followed by the warming sun's rays, awakening the sleeping land from its slumber and finally heralding a new beginning. Rise, zenith, decline, and resurrection. An eternal cycle that nobody can resist because everything in this world is always subject to this change. 

A fresh wind blew over the country on this dull day of the early summer. It pushed down long stalks in its path, passed through the barren treetops, and made the banners flutter over the gray rock of the fortress of Caer Gawch. The sun possessed little strength in these young days of spring. A few hours ago, it had reclaimed the sky with its shades of orange-red and had since retreated behind a blanket of clouds that only occasionally broke open to let a few rays pass through.

But the men and boys training in the eastern courtyard would hardly have needed another heat source. Their bodies were glowing from the adrenaline of exertion alone. Soldiers competed against each other, surrounded by the high walls. Squires pounded straw training dummies, dragged buckets from one corner of the training field to another, and sat on stools where they laboriously cleaned boots with brushes or polished, gleaming armor. Here, the groans of the fighters, emitted from exertion, suppressed rage, and pure pain, filled the air. Weapons clanged and groaned under the weight of blows as they clashed. 

In a dance of steel and skill, opponents circled each other until the powerful whirring sound that always accompanied the blade stroke rose. Every squire who learned martial arts and every knight, warrior, and soldier knew this unique sound. And Arianna heard it too. The buzzing and humming that always left a poor soul to whom that blow applied only a fraction to react. Holding her breath, she jumped to the side and barely escaped the strike. Her breath was rapid and intermittent, her body was already burning, and sweat was pouring into her eyes. It ran down her cheeks and chin and dripped from there onto the collar of her tabard. A few strands of red hair had come loose from the braid and hung tangled in her features. Every muscle ached from the ordeal of hours of training, and she only narrowly escaped her opponent's next stroke.

"Stop running away like a cowardly mutt!" the giant who towered over her by almost two heads and whose upper arms were as thick as her thighs blared provocatively. Arianna flinched at the harsh command, her muscles tensing anew and her fingers gripping the hilt of her weapon tighter. Every dodge and leap cost her strength, and increasingly she realized she would succumb if she didn't finally find an opportunity. At that moment, Kay lunged and raised his sword far above his head for a final, brutal slash. Arianna saw the opportunity coming.

'Now!' it flashed through her mind, and with a loud roar, she lunged forward. A tight parry made the swords clash, then she dove under the sword and thrust the blade purposefully in the direction of his torso.

But just as the spark of hope for triumph sprouted in her, the kick caught her completely unexpectedly and hurled her back into the dirt. Lying on her back, the force pressed the air out of her lungs. She lay there panting and needed several seconds to realize what had just happened. Enough time for the tip of the blade to lock onto her neck.

"You lost." Kay, her stepbrother, enlightened her dryly. Eyes the color of dark hazel beneath a mop of brown hair lay set in the complex features of the warrior, a prominent scar stretching across his cheek. Laughter rolled over to her from the edge of the battlefield. Aelen and Cameron, two other squires of lords present, grinned derisively and put their heads together in whispers. Yet the bastards themselves had yet to accomplish anything!

Anger and disappointment rose like bitter bile in her throat as Kay pulled the blade away and reached out to help her to her feet. But this wounded her pride, which had been beaten into the dirt even more. Therefore, instead of accepting Kay's helping gesture, she pushed his hand away and turned, groaning onto her side.