Fox

I stand up from where I was tying my boots and come face to face with a dull, gray sky. The heavy clouds threaten to break any second but that won't ruin my mood. It is the first session of my sword training class and I am buzzing with excitement. I haven't taken a skills class outside my kingdom in so long.

"Everyone gather round!" I hear the teacher say.

Eden and I find a spot in the standing crowd and wait for instructions. We make small talk while the teacher gathers all his students. A majority of the students are guys but there are a few other girls here which I'm glad to see.

The teacher comes to the front of everyone and announces the plan for today.

"Alright did everyone get that? Good. Swords are on the back wall over there, but don't forget to stretch before you start practicing. Oh, I forgot, later on, there will be a 1v1 sparring match with two students showcasing the things you have learned today. That's all!"

The teacher, Mr. Cain, I think if I heard him right, walks off and the crowd of students starts to scatter.

I walk with Eden and we choose our swords. They aren't the most well made but I'm grateful to be able to use one. I spot a place on the outskirts of the yard and we practice over there.

Some of the sword movements come naturally to me while others don't. I work on perfecting my form and helping Eden now and then.

At one point Eden managed to lose her balance and falls towards me. I tried to catch her but the result was her on top of me. I will admit it was hilarious but our outburst of laughter got us a few glares by some neighboring students.

Mr. Cain then decided it was a good time to gather up the class again.

"Alright everyone, come back over here. Ladies, I see you on the ground over there, this isn't a place to fool around."

We gathered ourselves and I will admit that I was a bit embarrassed.

"Anyways," The teacher continues, "Time to battle, who would like to volunteer?"

A few hands go up but I would rather not cause any more attention to myself so I try to stay unnoticed. This, sadly, did not work.

The teacher scans the crowd for a few seconds until his eyes land on me. Crap.

"What about this lovely lady right here? C'mon up here." He waves me forward and I reluctantly go up there. "Alright, here is our first fighter. What is your name ma'am?" He asks and I respond.

"Okay, now, who would like to spar with Fox?" I saw a few less hands than last time, but one hand from the back caught the teacher's eye.

"You sir, in the back, come up here." And to my surprise, it was the guy I literally ran into yesterday. I kinda wish a carriage would run me over right now but realize that I have a good chance of getting hurt in this spar anyway. I mean, the teacher picked one of the tallest guys here, I'm bound to be run over.

"And what is your name sir?"

"Robin."

The teacher nods and sends Robin and me to go get equipped.

We walk over to where everything is stored and I test out a few sword weights, trying to find the best one for me so I can destroy this guy. After that, I move over to the armor pads and that is when the guy, whose name is apparently Robin, leans over and talks to me.

"You know, fighting runs in my family, it basically gallops."

I turn my head to glare at him and I am met with a devilish grin.

"Should I act like I care?" And then returned the grin.

Robin gives a dark chuckle and heads towards the fighting ring where our other classmates are surrounded.

I make my way over as well. I hear the teacher quieting the loud chatter while I step into the ring. Robin is leaning over the side of the ropes and is hyping up the students. The teacher looks so done with him because he has just managed to make them quiet.

I stand quietly and catch my sister looking at me. She gives me a thumbs up from where she is standing in the crowd.

Mr. Cain then motions for Robin and me to come to the middle and explain the rules. After that, the fight started.

I lift my arm and immediately our swords meet. I move around the ring and make a few more swings. I avoid locking my sword with his, as it is easier for him to force me backward. At one point I manage to make him lose his footing and he stumbles a bit. Robin catches himself and we continue to fight.

It takes all of my energy to stay focused on his sword and ways I could attack him. I let out a sound of annoyance as some of my hair fell into my face. I whipped my head to the side to try and clear my vision but Robin was too fast and managed to move closer to me.

Before I could defend his move, he was standing behind me, holding my torso, while his sword was against my neck.

"Checkmate." He breathes quietly into my ear.

The crowd cheers for him but back at home, I was taught specifically how to get out of this. Annoyed by the fact that he thinks he could trap me, I gather strength and twist in a particular way.

While he's in surprise I get him to lose footing once again. He should gain some sort of balance. A small gust of wind could probably knock him over. That doesn't stop him though, because we continue to get into a series of swings once again.

"Alright, ALRIGHT." The teacher shouts over the noise and breaks up our fight. He informs us that we ran out of time.

Stepping out of the ring and walking back to return my gear I try to calm my adrenalin. My legs are shaking and my heart is bounding. My sword slightly slips out of my hand because of my sweaty palms.

Heavy footsteps sound behind me.

"Fox." I hear him call my name.

I spin around to see him still holding a grin. Sweat drips down his face and his shirt sticks to his torso. I wish for him to go jump in a lake.

I waited for him to crack an insult or a joke but all he said was,

"Good fight, don't you agree? I wasn't expecting much but wow did you literally knocked me off my feet."

Blinking in surprise I returned it politely.

"Er, thanks and yes it was a great fight. Robin, was your name right? You did well."

He nods and leaves and I am left in confusion. I can't figure him out. He's like the devil but can also act like a complete angel. So weird.

My thoughts are interrupted by an excited Eden.

"You did SO good!" She exclaims and hugs me.

I feel good now, but I'll feel even better after I get a nice, long bath. 

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End of chapter 5! Personally, I wish I could fight. Swords are cool ig.