Nocebunt {A physical injury or harm}

"Today we shall be doing something different. Instead of the usual parings, I will be making pairs with one stronger person than the other. The stronger of the two is going to be mentoring the other person and the final marks will be based on the student's performance." Madame Kenna finished.

Arya sighed thankfully.

It seemed that she wouldn't have to duel today. Her body was still sore for the practice that she had with the royal Kalvrian forces. Other than that it had been a dream coming true. Sir Samuel had not gone easy on them as he had promised. Arya and Aaron had been expected to partake in all the exercises as well as the duels.

Arya had gotten the honour to duel with a knight but she had not displayed her best moves since Aaron was in the vicinity and she was hoping to keep them a secret until the tournament. In the end, despite all the pain and suffering, training with the knights had been a once in a life time opportunity and she could now apply her learning experiences.

"Silvia, Arya, Yasmin. You will be the only group of three." Madame Kenna said breaking Arya out of her gaze. She was just having a hard time focusing today.

Silvia and Yasmin came to stand in front of her and Arya took a moment to asses them. Based on Silvia's more defined arms, it was clear that she had either been practising more with swords or drawing a bow to improve her strength.

"Where were you the last couple of days?" Silvia asked.

"I was busy," Arya replied in a clipped tone.

Yasmin arched her eyebrows at Arya's voice yet she didn't say anything.

"Shall we start?" Arya asked curtly.

The pair nodded. Arya told them to stand in position and to her utter surprise, not only had Silvia gotten it right, Yasmin posture had been perfect. Arya nodded for them to begin their duel. The two of them started circling one another before Silvia tried jabbing it on the right calf of Yasmin. Yasmin blocked the shot and the two metal swords clashing producing sparks.

Based on a quick assessment, Arya could tell that Yasmin was a trained fighter. She had the precise movements of a swordsman, not a single step was wasted. Arya could see that she still had a lot to learn but did have some background in dueling. Silvia on the other hand was keeping on the ball of her feet trying not to get attacked by Yasmin.

"Grip the sword with both hands if you are unable to block with one!" Arya instructed Silvia.

She nodded, whipping sweat off her brows before gripping the pommel of the sword with both hands.

"Try predicating one another's movements, right now it's as if you are playing a game of cat and mice. You don't know which one of you will attack first so anything can happen at this point."

Both the girls nodded and continued circling one another. Arya could tell that Silvia was hesitant to attack and it would probably be Yasmin who would strike. Minutes later she was right as Yasmin's grip on her sword changed and she thrust her sword taking Silvia by surprise. The sword fell to the ground moments later.

"Enough." Arya said stepping back.

Both girls separated and Silvia went to pick up her sword.

"Could we take a small break?" Silvia asked.

Arya nodded, "five minutes and we will start again. This time both of you will be dueling against me."

Silvia's brown eyes widened and even Yasmin looked surprised. Arya ignored Silvia and turned to Yasmin to ask a question that had been nagging her for quite some while now.

"Have you been professional training with a sword before?"

Yasmin nodded. "I lived with a Bedouin tribe in the dessert of Arabia for about a year. The tribe leader was my father's cousin and he taught me a few things before I came here."

Arya nodded. "I could tell by the way you were fighting with Silvia. You clearly had experience."

Yasmin slightly smiled, "thank you."

Arya looked at the clock and brushed and stood up. The time had come for her to duel with both of them. This was actually the first time Arya was doing something like this in front of a crowd. She had been practicing with Lady Zelie and Madame Kenna for the past couple of weeks so Arya supposed that Yasmin and Silvia would be much easier to duel with. However, she wasn't so foolish to become cocky which would eventually lead to her downfall.

"Are you guys ready?" Arya questioned Yasmin and Silvia.

The two of them looked at one another before Yasmin shrugged and answered. "Yes, we are."

Arya nodded taking Anaz out of its sheath but before joining Yasmin and Silvia she went to one of the shelves that held glistening blades. She grabbed one that felt right in her hand before joining the two girls.

"You're going to duel with two swords?" Silvia asked her eyebrows raised in surprised.

Arya nodded calmly. Even Yasmin had looked surprised when Arya had arrived with two metal blades in her hands.

When she had trained with Sir Samuel and the other members of the Kalvrian Army Aaron and her had been given a quick course on how to fight with two swords. Arya and Aaron had picked it up fairly quickly but Arya knew what she was trying to accomplish today was going to be extremely difficulty. Not only was she using two swords but she would be facing two opponents as well.

Well if this didn't prepare her for the Heres Gladii, Arya wasn't sure what would. Gripping both swords by their pommel Arya turned towards the two girls, "we may begin now."

Arya had been extra careful to plan her moves ahead of time. She had seen the way both Yasmin and Silvia fought and she had chosen her position at the beginning of the duel. She had made sure that she was not directly in the middle of the two rather she was standing in front of the two. That way if one of the decided to strike her from behind, Arya would be able to stop them ahead of time.

She had also had consciously made sure that Yasmin was standing towards her right while Silvia to her left. Arya knew her dominant hand was the right and so she needed that hand to fight the stronger opponent which in this case was Yasmin. In a difficult battle like this, it was not only the strength and skills that determined the winner but the playing field as well.

Arya focused her gaze on both of the girls waiting for them to attack. She had a feeling that they would not attack as they were waiting to assess her strength. Arya mental shrugged. If they weren't going to attack first it would be their lost.

With her moves in mind, Arya skipped forward holding both the blades in her hands and thrusting it on her intended opponents. Yasmin blocked it while Silvia barely managed to block her sword. The metals clanked loudly and it was as if everyone in the room stopped to see their battle.

Arya didn't stop there. She took the blades and spun around making sure to keep moving and to keep the other two on their feet as well. There were sparks everywhere as Arya coordinated her movements with her swords.

Right, left, block, thrust, parry.

Arya felt as though she was in a zone. Her mind was submerged and she could almost see the next movements of the girls. She repeated the same movements she had been doing for a while when suddenly she changed her movements and quickly knocked the sword out of Silvia's hand.

The girl looked shocked but went to retrieve her sword and sit at the sideline like everyone else. Now Arya could focus on the opponent at hand, Yasmin. Arya herself dropped the second sword as she no longer required it. It was going to be a one-on-one battle after all. Anaz was the only sword in her hand a few moments later.

Yasmin was getting tired as her breaths were shallow and Arya knew that she didn't have the same stamina as her. She could either draw out the fight or she could end it right then and there as Yasmin's moves were becoming sloppy. Only when a duel was dragged out was when one could tell the superior swordsman. Inexperienced ones began displaying their moves while more experienced ones were taking greater care than they had originally been doing.

Seeing an open opportunity Arya struck quickly before Yasmin could do anything. The sword now lay an inch away from her chest. Both the girls were panting heavily.

A small smile lit Yasmin's face before she dropped her sword. "You win."

Arya nodded in acknowledgement before sheathing her sword once more. They girls had surrounded the fight and now awkwardly looked between her and Yasmin.

Madame Kenna stood to the side with her arms crossed over her chest. "What do you think you are all doing just standing like baboons? We have training to do! The Heres Gladii is merely a fortnight away!" she scolded the girls. They all obediently returned to what they had been doing expect for Yasmin, Silvia and her.

Madame Kenna walked towards them her hands on her hips a small smile flirting across her face. "You could have done it a lot quicker." She said.

Arya simply shook her head. She knew that Madame Kenna was teasing her but she did have a point. She had purposely drawn out the battle to get the perfect move. She could have ended the battle a lot earlier but her moves would have been sloppy and the danger was that Yasmin or Silvia would have been hurt since they had not been using blunted swords.

"But I must say you have improved from out training sessions." Madame Kenna said.

"Thank you," Arya replied.

Madame Kenna gave them one more nod before she went to see the rest of the girls in the room. As soon as Madame Kenna was out of ear shot Silvia began asking Arya questions excitedly.

"Where did you learn that from?" The surprise was clearly itched on her face.

Arya shook her head. Some things would never change. "Madame Kenna, Lady Zelie and Sir Samuel have been teaching me."

"Wait, are you taking about the Sir Samuel, commander of the armed Kalvrian forces?"

"Yes," Arya said. It wasn't like Silvia needed to know any more information.

"That is quite amazing, isn't it?" Silvia turned towards Yasmin who was still quite.

"I suppose so." Yasmin replied. "Although I am a tad bit angry that Arya defeated me. I did expect as much."

"You were pretty good in sword fighting," Arya commented.

Yasmin grinned. "Thank you, it was an honour to duel against you."

Arya nodded and they all elapsed into silence until the bell rang signaling that it was time for them to move to their next classes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Guide you horse to a light trough before jumping the bars. A good idea is to take an additional lap before you official have to jump." Madame Juliet commanded.

Arya was perched on Eclipse while all the other girls were on their horses as well. Madame Juliet like all the other teachers had been drilling them in what they should expect at the Heres Gladii. There were going to be multiple competitions on horseback including dressage, show jumping and cross-country.

Arya was expected to participate in show jumping and the racing portion. She had been training with Eclipse every other moment that she had not been either been reading through the Kalvarian History or training with Madame Kenna and Zelie. In fact, Madame Annie had turned the embroidery class into an extra dance class just so they could master all the ballroom dances around the world.

Arya's head was spinning with so much information she was sure that she would not remember a single dance at the ball. After all, she had more pressing matters to attend to. It had become exhausting as all the teachers were trying to implement perfection in their disciples. Sometimes it seemed as though the teachers were more worried than the students.

The days of the Heres Gladii were quickly approaching and Arya felt a flutter in her stomach. She wasn't sure what she should be prepared for and it was causing her a sense of nervousness. Of course she made sure to hide it well and not display it to the others.

"My father was overjoyed when I told I was part of the Heres Gladii. He's very close to the King so naturally I was bound to be chosen. Not to mention my fantastic skills on my horse." Jennica gloated. Her minty-green eyes were smiling as a group of girls surrounded her hanging on to her every word.

Arya on the other hand, rolled her eyes. It was hard to believe that some people thought so highly of themselves. Humbleness was one of the key characteristic that made a person more likeable. At least that's what the books said.

"Enough chit-chatting, the Heres Gladii is in a few more days and all you are doing is wasting my time as well as yours!" Madame Juliet shouted.

Everyone immediately became quite. It was very rare to see Madame Juliet raising her voice let alone screaming so when she did; it meant that she was very upset.

"I need all of you to line up in a straight line."

The group of girls ventured on their horses to create a straight line. Well the straightest line they could form with horses, that is.

"You will all be partaking in a race for the remainder of the class. This is not only a test of speed but endurance as well. There will be obstacles in the way and you will need to be sharp enough to maneuver your horses in the opposite direction. There will be a guard standing at the end of the track so make sure you don't miss her."

She turned her gaze to each of the riders. "Is that clear?"

There was a chorus of "yes, Madame Juliet."

She nodded. "Very well, you may now begin." Her hand went down and everyone was off.

Arya guided Eclipse extremely carefully in order to make that they didn't bump into anyone. She squeezed the side of the Eclipse urging him to go faster. Her horse complied and pretty soon they were racing through the forest.

Arya kept her eyes open but she couldn't help the feeling of the air brushing past her. Her hair had been pulled from its neat bun to a mess of midnight-blue locks. While Arya rarely had her hair down, it felt good to have windswept hair. Glancing ahead Arya saw that there was a log in the way of their path.

So this is what Madame Juliet had been taking about when she meant obstacles. Arya guided Eclipse and they jumped over the log with ease. Eclipse neighed and Arya could help but smile. It seemed like her horse loved this race as much as she did.

"Atta boy," Arya whispered into Eclipses mane.

They continued their journey jumping over various logs and other items of different statures. It was when Arya saw a stream that made her stop. Madame Juliet had clearly chosen this oath that contained water. She knew many of the riders would be stuck since their horse did not trust them or they didn't have any idea on how to guide their horses.

Luckily for Arya, her and Eclipse had known each other for years and they both had travelled together for the most part. In their travels they had come across a stream and it was Lady Zelie who had taught Arya how to guide Eclipse through the water ensuring that he would stay calm at all times.

"Hey boy, it's okay." Arya whispered.

She slowly led Eclipse into the water ensuring that his head was still above water while the rest of his body was submerged between the water. Eclipse began swimming with the current and they reached the other side in a matter of minutes. Eclipse shook his hair causing water to be expelled on Arya.

She shook her head and laughed. He had clearly done it on purpose.

"Come on boy, we have a race to win." She whispered and mounted on the stallion as well.

Her and Eclipse raced through the remaining portion of the ride. Arya kept her eyes open for the guard but she couldn't see anyone in miles.

It was weird.

Throughout the ride she had only seen a handful of riders. Arya had assumed it was due to the fact that they had been stopped by the river or the fact that they had wandered form the trial the Madame Juliet had market but it was very peculiar not see anyone in a while since the forest was only so big.

Just as she finished her thought she saw a glimpse of a rider ahead of her hidden by the trees. Arya saw the brunette hair and she immediately knew that it was Jennica. It seemed that she was ahead of her by mere steps. Picking up her pace she raced forward. Jennica had just noticed her and she urged her horse to go faster as well.

It was a neck and neck tie between the two of them but Arya wasn't ready to lose today. Up ahead she could see the bright blue guard's uniform indicating that they were almost at the finish line. Arya could see the finish line ahead of her but she felt a kick from the back and Eclipse went down with loud neigh.

Jennica crossed the finished line with a smirk on her face. Arya on the other hand dismounted to inspect Eclipse. It didn't look like it would be a long term injury but Eclipse would be bruised at his right leg. Arya would need to make sure that nobody rode him until the Heres Gladii allowing him time to heal. But that would mean that Arya could not ride him as well. She wouldn't be able to train with Eclipse prior to the tournament.

Suddenly Arya was fuming. Her hands were shaking in anger. She was not mad that she had lost. She was livid that Jennica had hurt Eclipse. He had done nothing wrong to her and she had no right to go around hitting an innocent animal.

Arya stormed over to Jennica her mind was hazy and clouded at the moment. Jennica had the never to give her an innocent smile. Although Arya was normal clam and good at controlling her anger, she could not do so when someone could have the nerve to hurt an animal.

"Who do you think that you can hurt an innocent animal?" Arya started. "I can't believe that you would feel the need for victory so much that you have to hurt someone. You might be happy with your win but I think it is repulsive, disgusting, and frankly not even something to be proud of. You had to cheat to win."

The guard rushed forth the separate the two of them. She turned towards Arya who was surprised to see that it was actually Bianca.

"That is enough." Bianca spoke in a low voice. She turned towards Jennica. "I saw what you did. You have been disqualified."

Jennica opened her mouth but Bianca cut in once again. "I will not report this incident to Madame Juliet if Arya agrees."

Jennica stared at Arya.

Arya looked away. A part of her had wanted for Jennica to get in trouble and not be a part of the Heres Gladii. The other side of her was more forgiving. She thought about the decision and decided that it would not be worth it. Just this once she would let it slide.

Arya nodded. "That is fine." Her gaze hardened. "But if you ever try to pull something like that again, I will make sure that it ends in a different way."

Jennica tilted her head to indicate that she had agreed to the terms. She turned her head the other way keeping her nose held high while Bianca announced that the winner was actually Arya. It was perfect timing at as the rest of the riders seemed to be trekking in. Bianca announced the rest of the winners while Arya kept mostly to herself making sure to stand near Eclipse. She wasn't going to let anyone hurt him once again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Who else dislikes Jennica? Raise you hand to say 'aye'. I mean she hurt Eclipse... What did you think about Arya loosing her cool? Arya is normally very collected but Jennica showed us a fraction of Arya's emotions we never get to see. The Heres Gladii is coming up! From the next chapter, the second part of the story is finally starting! I'm very excited. Please remember to vote and comment as usual! :)