Cutting the logs felt much more rigorous with the added fatigue of having fought Daryl for the first time, and it was evening by the time Daryl decided to stop. Once the two of them reentered the workshop, Mallory found the nearest bench at an empty table and sprawled herself out on her back, putting her arm over her face in hopes that it would let others know that she did not want to be bothered. It had been years since she laid out in the workshop like that, because it had been a long time since she felt so exhausted.

Daryl grimaced at her disposition. A few years ago, he did not really mind it when she did that, because she was only a little girl. However, being a young lady in such a vulnerable position with a room full of hypermasculine men, he felt the urge to scold her and sit up straight. Then, he thought about how hard she worked that day and the fact that she was no pushover, so he decided it would be alright. If Shay did not make her a better fitting outfit, though, he would have definitely told her to sit up regardless of her skills. With an exasperated grunt, he walked off to go fetch them their meal for the day.

About ten minutes after her master left, her partial slumber was interrupted by a familiar voice. "Psst, Mallory!" the voice whispered.

Mallory rolled her eyes awake, knowing exactly who it was. She groaned and wearily sat herself up, her exasperated expression unmoving. She met eyes with the rugged young man sitting a few feet across from her, and she asked, "What is it, Jeremy?"

He was smiling, but the corner of his mouth stretched a bit seeing how irritated she was. "Apologies, I couldn't tell if you were awake or not. I just wanted to ask you something, if that's alright."

Mallory closed her eyes and raised her brows. She opened them with the same staleness and repeated, "What is it, Jeremy?"

Jeremy chuckled anxiously and started, "Okay, so you're around Grace a lot, aren't you?"

"How many times are you gonna ask me that?"

"Well, you still are though, yes?"

Mallory nodded lazily.

"Alright, so, has she...said anything about me?"

Mallory furrowed her brow and shook her head.

Jeremy snapped his fingers and cursed under his breath. Then, he sighed and perked up a bit. He asked, "Well, how are things between her and that wizard?"

Fine. "She doesn't like the mustache."

Jeremy's eyes shifted side to side, and then he threw his hands up in a shrugging motion. "No one does. Besides, he can just shave it off it ever becomes a problem, right?"

Mallory rubbed her eyes. "I guess so."

He tilted his head a little closer. "So then...is there anything else?"

She stretched a corner of her lip and tried to think, even though it irritated her whenever he pried for information about them. Jeremy was always nice to her through the years, but all he seemed to want to talk about for the past year or so was Grace's relationship with Liam. It baffled her that he was still interested in her, given the fact she would see him with a new woman any time she saw him on the streets. Then again, he usually looked bored when he was with them. She figured that he just wanted someone more exciting, or someone he could relate with. In his eyes, it seemed, that person was Grace.

Of course, she was able to empathize with him, though. They were both infatuated with someone that they could not be with, so whenever he asked about them, she tried to tell him things he wanted to hear. After all, if there was a chance that Grace might choose to be with Jeremy instead of Liam, then maybe being around Liam would not hurt as much.

Once she took the moment to think of something to satisfy him, she remembered the argument they were having on the way to her house those weeks ago. "Well, Grace wants to take things slow, but Liam is a little pushy about it."

Jeremy nodded slowly and looked to his left. "Hmm, interesting..."

"I don't wanna say any more than that."

"Oh, no, that's perfect!" Jeremy assured, looking back at her with a flawless grin. He got up and walked over to pat her on the shoulder a few times. "Thank you, I appreciate it!" He turned around to walk away, but then he stopped himself to look back at her. "How have you been, by the way?"

Mallory saw the half genuine, half forced smile on his face and recognized it instantly. It was the look of someone who was trying to connect with the person he has been using. She smirked and nodded back at him, although she could tell the sincerity was not all there. "Fine."

"Yeah? The training's going well?"

Her eyes shifted away and she humped a shoulder in response.

His smile lowered a bit and he furrowed his brow. "Well, just make sure you're finding ways to switch things up."

She focused her attention back to him and asked, "What do you mean?"

Jeremy turned to face her once more and crossed his arms. "You see, back when I was training to be a swordsman, I found that doing the same types of exercises for too long, or without changing how you do them, will end up stunting your progress. I know your master probably wants you to do certain exercises with him every day, but that doesn't mean you can't find ways to train on your own time."

Mallory's eyes widened slightly, not expecting to hear the advice from someone who was usually so self-absorbed. She nodded and replied, "Okay, thank you."

"Of course!" he beamed, dropping his arms to his sides and turning to the back of the room. "Speaking of training, my dad's waiting out there so we can get back to sparring." With a wave of his hand, he walked off and said, "Good luck to you, Mallory!"

She waved back to him, thinking about what he told her as he exited the workshop. That is when something Daryl said to her came to mind. "I want you to become strong, too, but not like me..." Not like Daryl... Then, she remembered the time Grace saved her from Garrison the Gargantuan, and it occurred to her how incredible it was for someone so much smaller in stature could pierce through a hand as thick as his. Thinking back to that moment gave her an idea. I get it. I can learn from her, too!

***

Later that night, Grace arrived at the workshop after Daryl and Mallory had their meal and were ready to go. Mallory asked her master if it was alright to spend the night with Grace and her family, to which Daryl agreed as usual. The girls took Rod's horse, Jewel, back to the Pixley home. With Destiny already taken care of for the day, the two of them got ready for bed.

Mallory sat upright in bed, looking over at Grace setting up her blanket on the floor. "You really don't have to keep sleeping in the same room if you don't want to," Mallory assured.

"Ah, don't be silly," Grace responded, flashing her a smile and taking a seat on top of the sheet. "I never minded it. I just wanna make sure you feel safe, is all."

You're still worried about that stalker, huh? Mallory not only admired Grace for her spirit and her capability, but also her bravery. Standing up to Garrison, deciding to help her save her father, and even the implication that she was willing to take on some all-powerful stalker came from a certain confidence that Mallory yearned for. "Thank you...um Grace?"

"What is it?" she asked, noticing the tentative look on the girl's face.

"I've...always wondered how you were able to move so fast, and you cut through Garrison's hand so easily..."

Grace's smile vanished, thinking about that unusual night at the workshop. She put a finger to her chin and looked up in a quizzical manner. "Well, doing that wasn't exactly 'easy...' If I didn't have enough distance to run as fast as I did, I probably wouldn't have been able to pierce through him like that." Grace looked back at Mallory and held her slender arms up in a demonstrative manner. "Obviously, I'm not built like Daryl, or really any other swordsman at the guild, so I have to rely on speed for my attacks." She turned her head to look at her needle-like sword resting against the wall behind her. "Plus, I have to be careful with how I use my sabre. It's sturdier than it looks, but..." Then, Grace raised an eyebrow and turned back to Mallory with a chortle. "Wait, what made ya ask me about this now, sweetie?"

Mallory pursed her lips, and started, "It's just that I wanna become a swordsman as fast as I can. And I think finding different ways to train will help me."

Grace's smile vanished, her big blues getting wide as she began to realize what Mallory was getting at.

Mallory hardened her expression, a small smirk at the corner of her mouth. "I wanna know how you do it."

The corners of Grace's mouth raised, and her eyes got bright with excitement.

Mallory nodded and finished, "I want you to train me, too, Grace!"

Grace pressed her hands against her cheeks gasping with excitement. "Mallory, that's awesome!" She hopped to her feet and rushed over to give her a hug. Her face pressed next to Mallory's squealing, "This is so exciting!"

Mallory giggled and pat her on the back. Her smile lowered when a thought about her master came to mind. "Do you think Daryl would be okay with it?"

Grace scoffed audibly and pulled away from her friend. She gave her a haughty grin and put her hands on her hips. "He better be! 'Cause starting tomorrow, you're gonna learn from Grace the Gleeful!"

Mallory smiled back. "Okay, I'm looking forward to it."

***

Grace and Mallory were on their way to the workshop the next morning, or so Mallory thought, until Grace stopped at the end of the forest and turned around. Mallory looked back at her and asked, "What's wrong? Did you forget something?"

The swordswoman flashed her a devious grin and responded, "I think you forgot something!" Then, she started bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet, working her way into a jog in place. "We're training today! Remember?"

"Oh..." Mallory turned to Grace's side, still a bit lost as to what she was doing. She looked around at the bare trees that seemed so dead out of season and wondered why they were not on their way to the workshop anymore. Her eyes went back to Grace, who was still jogging merrily in the same spot. "Um, I remember, I just thought we were going to the workshop."

Grace shook her head, her hair swaying back and forth over her jawline. "Not enough space. The forest is perfect!"

Mallory raised an eyebrow and asked, "For what?"

Then, Grace stopped on her tip toes and leaned forward. She looked back at Mallory one more time and answered, "A race, silly!"

"W-what?" Mallory blurted, intimidated by the mere thought of having to race the woman so renowned for her speed.

Grace turned her attention back forward. "Catch me if ya can!" Like that, she took off in the blink of an eye.

Mallory staggered backwards seeing the lifeless leaves get blown backwards from her freakish sprint. Before she knew it, Grace was almost out of sight down the path from whence they came. She spurted out a desperate exhale and began to chase after her. Mallory was certainly much faster after doing so many laps up and down the stairs but competing against Grace's unmatched prowess was an entirely different task. Nevertheless, the girl ran with every ounce of willpower she had, giving it her best effort to catch up with the frenetic swordswoman.

Despite giving it her all, it seemed that Grace was only getting farther and farther away from her. Still, Mallory pushed harder and harder, her panting coming out louder and louder with each stride. Then, the flowing, blonde locks ahead of her seemed closer in reach. There was still a notable gap between the two of them, but it was not getting any bigger at that point. Mallory's brow shot up when she noticed the space between them was getting smaller. Am I actually catching up to her?

As soon as the thought crossed Mallory's mind, Grace whipped around, running backwards and smirking at the girl. "I slowed down for ya!" she called. "And you're still that far behind? C'mon, you can do better than that!" She whipped herself forward and made a turn towards a pathway to her right.

Once Mallory heard that and saw how fast she was able to vanish into the right pathway, her hopes of catching up were dashed. Her desire was replaced with frustration, and she attempted to pick up her pace once more. With fatigue setting in, though, she found it even harder to pursue her. When she made the right turn, she found that Grace had already vanished down that path. She let out an exasperated breath and forced her body forward, trying to make it to the next path before getting completely left in the dirt.

The route they took through the forest was like a square, circling back to their starting position. Grace made a giddy leap forward once she was back to where she began. She threw her arms up in the air with a, "Whew!" and swiped away some sweat from her forehead. "Haven't had a run like that in a while!" She placed her hands on her hips as she turned around, trying to spot her new student through the trees. After a moment, she placed a hand above her eyes and leaned forward, squinting to see if she could find any sign of the girl. "Man, I really left her behind, huh?"

Mallory's form got sloppy with exhaustion. She pushed her body as hard as she could for an extended amount of time just to keep up with Grace, yet she could see that she failed miserably as soon as she made it to the final bend. Shifting her body to turn almost caused her to trip, her upper body wobbly and her head bobbing back and forth. Her hair kept falling in front of her face, and whenever she would throw her head back to get it out of her vision, it would end up in the side of her mouth.

Grace straightened out her posture and hopped at the sight of the girl. She waved and called, "Hey, there you are!"

After spitting out a strand for the umpteenth time, Mallory made her way back to Grace, stopping herself by leaning forward and slapping her hands on her knees. The sudden halt did little to alleviate her wariness, but her body ached more than it did in some time, having made a lap around what must have been the entire Autumn Tree Forest.

Grace cringed at her disposition and placed a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. The girl looked up at her with a glare that rivaled Daryl's perpetual scowl. Grace's eyes got big, but then Mallory softened her look, as if she did not even realize how enraged she seemed until she saw Grace's reaction. Grace smirked with sympathy and assured, "This was your first time, and you did really good! Most people wouldn't have made it through the whole forest like you did just now, so don't be upset!"

Mallory frowned again and replied through panting, "You ran...before I did. We should've started...at the same time."

Grace's smile lowered, and she patted her on the shoulder before standing back upright. "You're right, but that's why I slowed down for ya, remember?"

Mallory's eyes shifted away, letting out a quiet growl. She wanted to argue, but at the same time she knew it would not have made any difference even if they did start at the same time.

"Anyway, you should get moving," Grace suggested, starting to walk off. "It's not really good to just stop after a run like that. Ya have to ease your body back into its original state, not force it back. So, let's get walking now."

Mallory agreed, slowly straightening herself out and following Grace. She still felt groggy, but she could already feel her heart rate decelerating. Her breathing became easier to control after walking by Grace's side for a while.

Grace observed her student's steadying countenance, and started, "Ready for some follow up advice?"

Mallory glanced at her and nodded, curious as to how this new training would tie in with sword fighting.

"So, you probably noticed by now that I run on my toes." She started walking on her tip toes as a brief demonstration, seeming to be moving faster just by doing so. "It may seem uncomfortable at first, but the benefits outweigh the negatives! Not only does it prevent a lot of stress on your lower legs, it also lengthens your stride. See how I'm already moving a bit faster?"

Mallory watched her with a raised brow. She was reminded of the night Grace saved her from Garrison, and how once she had him at the mercy of her sword, she was standing on the balls of her feet. Mallory had no idea how advantageous that could be until Grace demonstrated it for her in that moment. She nodded and replied, "Yes."

The swordswoman slowed down, walking at her normal pace. "I want you to try it next time we race. Do it every time, from here on out."

Mallory looked down at herself, wondering how running like that would feel. "Okay."

"Also, make sure you're aware of how you're breathing," Grace added. "Keeping your breathing steady while you run will help improve your stamina." She noticed a confused look on Mallory's face, and then explained, "You won't get tired as easily!"

Mallory nodded, appreciative of the swordswoman's tips for running faster and longer. However, she was still trying to figure out how to incorporate it into her training with Daryl. "Okay, so this training will help me get faster."

"Right!" Grace agreed, giving an enthusiastic nod.

Mallory knit her eyebrows. "But...do you think that'll be enough to help me beat Daryl?"

Grace stopped walking and silently gasped with a combination of shock and excitement. Mallory stopped at her side. "Wait," Grace started, "you're already sparring with him?"

"Yes," she answered, scratching the back of her head thinking about all her failed attempts from that day.

"Wow," Grace exhaled, a bright smile spreading across her face. "You're getting so close to becoming a part of the guild!"

Mallory averted her gaze with a half-hearted nod. Although she aimed to be one of the best, it still bothered her that joining the guild was her only choice. She knew that she could avoid becoming like Daryl and still become a swordsman, but she wished she could have lived a normal life with her father instead.

Grace's smile began to fade once she noticed the subtle pain in the girl's face. Then, she perked back up in order to answer her question. "There is one thing I forgot to mention about how I use my sword."

"What is it?"

Grace shrugged and answered, "I'm not actually much of a fighter!"

Mallory narrowed her eyes, jerking her head back. "What? What do you mean?"

"I never honed my skill to fight people," she explained, "I did it to protect people from the ones who do wanna fight. So, I was trained in a way so that I could take someone down in a flash, using my whole body." Grace patted the hardly visible sword guard that rested against her thigh. "Ya ever wonder why it's so small?"

Mallory shook her head. She always figured that maybe it was just for the element of surprise. No one would suspect that Grace could defend herself just by her appearance alone, so wielding such a miniscule weapon would not give away what she was capable of. In that moment, though, Mallory realized that surprising her opponents probably was not the only reason why it was so small.

Grace smirked and pointed to herself with her thumb. "It's because I'm the strong one, not my weapon!"

Mallory's eyes widened at her statement, finally realizing why she went so long in her training without using a sword.

Grace chuckled, walking past Mallory and gesturing for her to follow. "Looks like ya get it now!" she observed. "Always remember, Mallory, the sword is only an extension of yourself. It's all about what you do with it. That's what my dad taught me!"

Mallory followed her a moment after having the epiphany. She thought back to the very first time she used a sword, and how she complained about the shape it was in before she used it. The past few weeks her progress with cutting the logs had plateaued as well, and hearing Grace's advice gave her the perspective she needed. She thought about her run through the forest, and how she pushed herself using her entire body. Then, it dawned on her that she had been doing these full body workouts for a long time, and she knew how it all tied in with sword fighting. In her last attempt to take Daryl down before he ended their session, she took a different approach in which she utilized more than just the strength in her arms. When I use the sword, I can't rely on my arms alone. I have to use my whole body!

***