“A devil has taken your family away. He has dragged your daughter from her bed, your son from his chores and your wife from your bed. He takes everything and leaves your land razed. And one day. One day, a woman comes in and says that she shares his blood. Shares his power. Am I to keep my mouth shut as my rulers shower her with luxury? Am I to accept that she is not an illusion by that same devil? Tell me. Tell my hands that have dug the graves of my family.”

“Let’s bring it on!”

In the center of a practice field, Lucia stood arms outstretched to the soldiers on each side of her. Her eyes glanced back and forth between the two as she bounced on the flats of her feet. In one instant, each wall of knights rushed her with all they had and each found themselves hitting the physical meat wall that was the Iron Hand. Deflected spears turned to splinters. Rusty axes became shrapnel sent flying as it bounced off her wrist. In the midst of nonlethal violence, a woman clad in fatigues stood as the Queen.

“C’mon you maggots! Can’t you muster a challenge? ”

As one man came to answer the call, he just as soon went flying with a blow from her fist into his worn-out chainmail.

“C’mon, c’mon! That can’t be all you have!”

Once more a group tried to charge at her, each of them failing as they were bonked on the head and left to wobble off onto the sidelines. Such a one-sided display of power left none to defy her as she stood tall against the knights, with not a bead of sweat on her brow. With all challengers defeated and not a spot on her, she turned to the commander.

“How’d I do?”

“Well, not a scratch on you. But one of them got a point on your back.”

“What? Really?”

“Yup. Whoever that was, recognize yourself.!”

Up came the hand of a knight with a dent in her helmet and dirt covering her helm. Her blonde hair and suntanned skin struggled to overcome the layer of dust on her cheeks. “ Private Rissa Lechant, sir!”

“Private Lechant! What allowed you to get a stab at our practice monster without getting sent flying like the rest?”

“Sir! I waited for the moment in between her strikes when her arms were busy.”

“And what gave you those moments?”

“While she focused on quick strikes and impacts, there were moments where she was overwhelmed by the decisions. In that instant, I made my strike.”

“Well, aren’t you an A student? You did well, Private. The rest of yah! Get off your asses and get this place back in working order.”

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

As the others grumbled and got back into place, Rissa received a firm pat on the back from Lucia.

“Congrats! You got a hit off.”

Back to business, Rissa stood as straight as a pole. “Thank you, Madame Hand!”

“Hey, I’m not your commanding officer. So knock that off. It's Lucia.”

“Well, thank you, Lucia. I’m sorry.”

“If you’re really sorry, you can make it up to me.”

After such a brutal battle, at least for one side. Lucia and her companion Rissa capped off the evening with a townie celebration and a mug of aged ale for the both of them.

“So I blew through the damn wall, like straight through!”

Rissa’s face was utterly gobsmacked.“No way. You’re why I had to change near the cow stables for a month?”

“Don’t blame me, blame the asshole who wanted to play target practice with me. ‘Test my durability’, they said.” Lucia scoffed. “Full power fireballs hurt. A lot of malice on the end of that. Same for your soldiers buds.”

“Yeah, sure. Are you paying?”

“Isn’t that the best thing about this job?” A glass was raised to the coins the hero had lost. “ I get enough money to pay for everyone's drinks.”

A smirk from Rissa. “But the sense not to?”

“At least now! No more getting buttered up by pretty men and women like you!”

With the expression unbound, the both of them laughed their asses off. Through the tears, Lucia got out a legible question.

“So what made you wanna be a soldier anyway?”

“Eh. Father was a farmer and Mother sewed. But with how supplies went bad with those laws the last Queen put down.”

“Labor and supplies went horrid.”

“Exactly. It was awful. So it was either get into a new field of work or a die. “

“And Soldier was your first choice?”

“Oh no, I wanted to be a jester. But kids will be kids.” Rissa took another drink from her mug. “I was a mercenary before but with how you and your brother have been handling things, I’d have to expand just to get out there. So Soldier was the next step.”

“Welcome to being the kingdom’s sellsword.”

“Hah. Cheers to that.”

A clatter of the mugs and a minor spilling of foam put the mark on their cheers.

“Soo. What’s the deal with you and the Black Death?”

Lucia’s face suddenly went stern. “What about em?”

“All the soldiers back in the bunks say that you’re their kid or them in disguise or something like that.”

“Do I look like it?”

“Your arms and legs get dark sometimes when you’re fighting.”

“Wouldn’t know.”

“I’m not trying to put you through anything or accuse you. I’m just curious and stupid.”

“Well you’re certainly one of those.. But no, I am as human as I am. Trust me, I had alot of people figure that out.”

“Damn.”

“How do you feel about this?”

“I didn’t bring you out here for an interview.”

“I know, I know. But c’mon.”

Lucia pondered her question. Thought back on getting dragged in the back of a cage to the kingdom. Adopted by a woman who didn’t deign to give her presence on her birthday. Living in a place where even a drop of food not paid for in blood was enough to put a target on their back to hiding her true face amongst those who thought it pertinent to insult her every move. All of that in one question. Freedom from the state to Freedom from the kingdom. Her chains were light as of now, weren’t they? All she could really say was.

“Feels pretty damn good.”