Nateaser: Reborn As My Love Interest

Cath - Chapter Fifty Three

She was determined.

I thought the Princess would give up on the training after the first day. She got tired early, and the next day the fatigue and muscle ache set in. She didn't complain as much as I expected though, and stopped playing the slavedriver. My palfrey had more time to rest.

"Okay, Cath, I'm ready." She announced, finishing her lunch. It was her third day of training. "Hand me the waterskin."

"We are a bit low..." I noted, giving her a flask instead. "The previous river seemed dirty, but there is a spring nearby. According to this map, the stream flows parallel to the Imperial Road."

She focused more on learning from me than looking for the Pope. We kept traveling deeper into Saipole but had yet to meet sentient beings. It was a huge country, and the fringes were deserted, as most of the continent.

"Should we wait until we get a refill first?" She asked, glancing at the map. I had a much better idea. Her arms must have been sore anyway.

"I think it would be best to work on your endurance today," I claimed, gathering our stuff. "It's not all just swinging the sword after all, you need to be able to outlast your opponents or fight after a forced march."

"Aww, but that's boring." She complained. Yes, she was the Princess I knew. "You want me to run a mile or something? Or do some trivial workout? I want to learn sword techniques."

"One mile? No, more like ten." I noted, rubbing my hands. "If Your Highness can still remember, all my latest fights happened after a long march or against multiple opponents. No matter my skill with the sword, if I lose my breath after the first few swings."

"Ten miles?" She was shocked. Ten miles was a little extreme, but we traveled a lot lately, so she should have been up to the task. She wasn't particularly keen on it though.

"Ten miles until the stream. I'll refill our waterskins, then we can start the actual sword training." I announced. I wanted to see how determined she was exactly... Since she demanded I train her, I was happy to oblige, but only if we did it seriously. "Or you'll remain thirsty..."

"You monster." She declared but started her preparations. She got rid of her heavy cloak and stretched her legs. I packed everything on the palfrey, and we were off running. She seemed surprised. "Huh, you are coming too? And in armor as well?"

"I'd be the worst trainer if I didn't do the same, what I expect from my soldiers," I noted, leading my horse alongside us. This way it could rest some too. We overworked the poor thing lately, and my armor set was light. I had heavier dresses back in Sanctuary... As a high-ranking officer, I had to attend lots of annoying parties. "Once your stamina built up, we could combine endurance and sword training. A light duel across ten miles."

"L-let's not get ahead of ourselves..." She lost her enthusiasm but did everything I asked of her. I never would have thought. She always seemed to be the annoying brat type, spoiled rotten, and abusing her powers to the max. "I'm aware, that I won't become a paladin in a single day. This wasn't just a passing whim, I plan for the long term."

"I'm glad to hear that. I didn't expect such a request from Your Majesty." I nodded and barely avoided a punch. Her aim was good, but she was way too slow. "Sorry, I know. I keep forgetting it."

"As long as nobody can hear it..." She let it slide, maybe because she was already out of breath, a mere five minutes into our jogging session. "How far is... The capital of... Saipole?"

"Well, we won't get there at the end of this ten-mile run," I said jokingly. "It's near the north-eastern corner of the continent... If I have to guess, about five hundred miles. But hard to say if there are still people living there. Let's make it to that stream, and maybe we can cool ourselves off in it."