Connie lost everything when the aliens attacked. Stolen from her home and placed in the arms of the invader's youngest leader, she must learn to leave everything she's ever known in order to survive. Through blood, sweat, and tears she earns her rig...
As Connie continues to grow as a knight, she notices the ever-growing distance between her and Steven, as his role as Pink Diamond takes more and more of his time.
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Concentrate Don't you want him to live? Right foot; left foot. Yes, but put your whole body into it.
She gripped the hilt of her blade.
The water was still, so flat and clear the surface mirrored her movements exactly. Unlike Earth, there was no wind to brush along the lake's edges, no birds calling, no rustling trees full of nature's critters. It was as if time itself had frozen.
But she hadn't.
Connie whipped around. Steel clashed against steel as Pearl slashed downwards. The lake's mirror shattered as their feet carried them through the shallow water, a reminder of the dangers that lurked within the seemingly fragile garden.
Sweat trickled down her brow, the force of the blow nearly buckling her. Veering to the side, she brought the sword upwards to defend once more.
Her teacher knocked it to the side.
"Concentrate," Pearl remarked coolly.
She nodded, though secretly she wanted to groan. How could she concentrate when Steven wasn't here? Of course, she understood his responsibilities as a Diamond, but lately, it felt like he was avoiding her.
It wasn't anything she had done, was it?
Pearl lunged forward like a viper.
Instinctively, Connie twisted sideways, jutting her blade to strike, only to find nothing but air.
She swerved. Right. Left. Right. She checked behind and above for good measure. It didn't matter where she looked, however; Pearl was gone.
And standing in place was practically asking for an outright defeat.
Her teeth pulled at the inner walls of her cheek.
Steven would have cheered her up right about now. Told her what a good job she was doing, how much improvement she had shown over the past year and a half. He believed in her in a way she never could.
Everything she did she did for him now.
She tried to get in the mindset of her dearest friend. Connie had gotten better. She was a natural, Steven and even Pearl had said so (no easy feat since the gem could be colder than ice at times).
Deep breath. Stance wide.
She could do this.
Balancing on the balls of her feet, she shot towards the tree-line. The open-air environment gave her too many openings for her teacher to exploit. But there was the risk of an ambush from that spot too, which meant she had to keep sharp.
