Squire Hayseed

The Sword

There was no going back. The thought rattled around inside her head as she stared from one armored slat where eyes should be, to another. It banged especially loud when the portcullis slammed shut right behind the apple cart that brought them all here.

Hayley wrung her hands tighter around the holding part of the sword, her eyes narrowing to slits. Around her a dozen bangs and grunts reverberated through empty wooden benches and dirt splattered walls. She whipped her head to the metal helmet still sitting perfectly propped up on a pike, the rest of the dummies wooden internal organs remaining in place.

When the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, she didn't glance over at the face that'd been watching her since she hopped off the welcome wagon. That would give it all away. Grunting like the rest of those around her, she hefted the far too heavy sword up in her arms. A very unladylike sweat poured off her brow, her armpits, and down the back of a pair of itchy breeches. No one said a word about her attire, either they didn't recognize it or they were used to her kind being tossed into this den.

Regardless, she best make a show of it. Tipping her head back and launching a feral roar, Hayley ran full bore at the dummy. With a great heft of her wobbling arms, she jammed the sword into its side. What should have felled a grown man, foolishly got jammed into the dummy's side. And Hayley's feet forgot to stop. Her hands tried to remain gripped to the sword part, but it was stuck deep inside wooden offal. Still, she was stubborn, and knew a thing or two about not letting go.

Fingers knotted tight to the sword, Hayley's feet reached the end of the tether and her body launched into the air. Crap! Her ass pounded deep into the flighty dirt, a puff of sand momentarily disguising the girl that took a mighty fall. Pain radiated up her tailbone, but her hands were still on that blade.

She dipped her head back to check, which was when she noticed that every single other person in the group froze. Weapons of every make hung suspended in the air, eyes scrutinizing her mad dash to the dirt. The only noise was the wooden dummies squeaking back and forth on their springs.

"Uh," Hayley tried to bite down the blush burning on her cheeks. "Oops?"

"Recruit," the Knight-Captain's voice rang out, her southern drawl aimed right at the most unqualified recruit here who just took a dirt nap. Abandoning her hold, Hayley spun on her ass and looked right up into the woman's steely glare. She always expected Knights to be in that full on suit of metal, but Knight Erin wore only boiled leathers. A bland tunic was tugged over the front, the seal of the city gracing her strapped down chest instead of any of the order sigils dangling off pennants above their heads.

Erin drew a finger up to her brown cheek. She gave a quick toss off the apple of it, as if trying to remove something that wasn't there. Hayley blinked up in confusion, uncertain if this was another stupid test, when she felt it. With the back of her hand, she scrubbed at her own cheek, no doubt smearing the filth around more than removing it.

Sighing, Knight Erin stepped back from the useless girl. Her kinky black hair was coiffed high, a band of gold cinching it up in place. Hayley was quick to notice not only the glint but the fact that it was real. Dangerous to be wearing in this dirt choked arena; it could so easily go missing. The Knight's beady brown eyes burned into the girl scrabbling to her feet.

"Do not try it," they warned and Hayley smiled wide, as innocent as a sunrise.

"Resume your stance," Knight Erin ordered.

Batting at the dust on her burlap trousers, Hayley moved to grab onto her sword when the Knight threw up a hand. "Hold recruits!" she shouted, a dozen teenagers lowering their weapons.