𝕭𝖔𝖔𝖐 𝕿𝖜𝖔
𝔖𝔲𝔪𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔶: From trolls to dragons to foreign princesses, Astraea Aphelion grows stronger as she
continues to navigate medieval Britain using her wit and heart, standing unshaken beside Merlin and Arthur as they face every threa...
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📍 Camelot
⏳August, 506 AD
"Right... left... left... right... roll!"
The wooden sword barely missed my stomach as I rolled over the grass with a squeak. Instead, it got stuck on the dirt right next to me, causing me to blow out some air in relief. I quickly jumped back to my feet and used my own wooden weapon to fling it away from me as if it were a golf ball, leaving my opponent without a defence. I raised my sword to his throat and grinned.
"Your reflexes are improving, my lady," Sir Gareth complimented with a smile, making me mirror his gesture as I panted slightly.
I went towards my backpack, which lay at the base of a tree along with Dallas's equipment, and I pulled out my thermos to take a long drag of water. Then I returned to my friend and picked up my weapon.
"One more round?" I asked with a challenging smirk, feeling an energetic buzz coursing through my veins.
Gareth sighed. "One more," he said sternly while pointing a finger, which made me smile fully.
We got into position and I dashed to attack him first, but he was quick to shove me back with his shield. I stumbled backwards for a moment before I regained my balance.
"Weight on the back," he reminded me, then he shoved me again. This time, I remained steady as I shifted my weight to my left leg, which supported my body as my right one moved me around.
Our swords clashed over and over with cracking sounds, neither of us gaining the upper hand as the fight progressed evenly.
Suddenly, Gareth swiped at my feet, making me fall face-first onto the ground with a yelp. My sword flew out of my hand as I hurried to use my arm to avoid taking a bad hit, and the knight let his weapon hover above the back of my neck.
"Darn it," I mumbled as I rolled onto my back.
"You did well, Astra," Gareth assured me with a kind smile and he dropped his sword before offering a hand.
"Not good enough," I argued as he helped me to my feet.
"You are getting better with each try. You beat me twice today."
"Yeah, out of eight. I'd be dead if this was a war or an ambush."
Gareth chuckled and gently brushed some dirt and leaves off my shoulders. "My Lady, you forget I am a knight of Camelot. Trained under the very best. The fact that you can beat me at all speaks a lot."
He's not being cocky – just stating facts. And he makes an excellent point.
I let myself smile again and let out a long exhale. "You're right. I should be a bit more proud of myself," I said, earning a wink. I winked back and whistled Dallas over so that I could tack him up again.
