The Warrior and The King: The Short Stories

6. First Lesson

From a writing prompt: "Gone was the timid child they once knew, and in their shoes stood a determined woman."

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Coming back into the cool of Erebor from her early morning run Kaylea Wolf caught a glimpse of motion as she passed the hall to the training room. She stopped to look and saw it was Thorin's daughter Freya, hesitantly swinging a sword much too big for her. She was practicing the moves Kaylea had been teaching her brothers the day before. The girl had been coming to watch her brothers train, but would never participate, firmly shaking her head whenever Kaylea asked her. Kaylea could not quite make out whether she really did not want to train, or was only doing what her mother told her. Freya would sit patiently in her beautiful dresses and watch her brothers, petting Hector and feeding the big wolf little bits of meat she had carefully saved for him.

Kaylea moved down the hall, keeping to the shadows between the archways. This was obviously not the first time Freya had practiced with a sword, and the girl had been paying attention. She must have been coming to practice on her own, when she could wear a simpler dress and not worry about her brothers making fun of her. Kaylea did not know the girl well, this was only the second time she had met her, but she could see she had the determination of her father. She was doing a side parry when she spotted Kaylea in the hall and gasped, dropping her weapon.

"Never give up your weapon, your highness," Kaylea told her, with a smile. She stepped into the training circle and picked up the sword, presenting it back to the young girl with a formal bow. "If you want to learn, I am happy to teach you alone, you only needed to ask."

Freya blushed bright red, hesitantly taking the sword from the tall warrior woman. Ever since the first time she met her she had secretly wanted to be like Kaylea Wolf. A great warrior, unafraid of anything, beautiful and independent and strong, riding off to great adventures on her black horse with the wolf at her side. But her mother told her such things were not for princesses, she must spend her days learning proper manners, having dresses fitted, on weaving and embroidery. She must learn how to be a proper wife.

Kaylea stepped back to a fighting stance. "Attack."

Freya looked at her in surprise. "You do not have a sword!"

Kaylea smiled slyly. "I do not need one." She started moving slowly to one side, Freya moved with her as she had seen her brothers do. She had watched Kaylea spar with her father and members of his guard, but had never seen her do it without a weapon. She stepped forward, swinging her sword.

Kaylea stepped and caught her wrist effortlessly. "I said attack!" She repeated, staring hard into the girl's eyes. "Now, come at me." She stepped back, circling the opposite direction. Freya took a deep breath and mirrored her, not really sure how to look for an opening. She moved forward quickly and swung her sword as hard as she could. She saw the warrior woman move and catch her arm, before she knew what was happening, she landed heavily on her back, Kaylea standing over her with the sword.

"That was much better," Kaylea said, offering her a hand up.

Freya stood and brushed her dress off, blushing again, how had she done that? She had no idea you could fight without a weapon. Kaylea was offering her the sword back, this time she shook her head. "I should get back. Mother says training with weapons is not ladylike."

Kaylea chuckled softly. "I think you can guess what I think of that, your highness. Of course, I do not fit your mother's definition of ladylike." She set the sword back in the rack and turned to face Freya across the circle. "I would say every woman should learn how to defend herself, one day soon you will be fighting off suitors."