Breathing heavily, she let herself drop onto the stone that had become her usual spot to observe from. Taylor couldn’t suppress his smirk as he brought her a drinking flask with water.

She had almost reconsidered making him carry her, halfway up the hill. The muscles in her legs were screaming and she felt lightheaded. Still, the exertion felt good to her body. As if she was finally making progress toward healing from her ordeal.

Accepting the drinking flask, she shot him a smile in gratitude before taking a big gulp. He returned her smile before walking off to join the others on the field. She could see their curious glances and could guess the interrogation he would go through. Luckily for her, they still seemed to be too intimidated to approach her. She didn’t mind as it meant that they didn’t bother her.

Lidea looked at the tower door through which Warchief would normally come running down. Remembering the state he had been in that morning, she was surprised that Crystal had not told the men that he wouldn’t attend. She hoped that she had been able to help him. He had been in so much pain. Worse was that Crystal hadn’t been phased. Telling Lidea that this had happened before, and often.

As time dragged on, she started to believe that he wouldn’t arrive and prepared herself to tell the men an excuse. But as she gathered herself to stand, the door swooped open and an apologetic Warchief came running out. His energy made her frown. If she hadn’t seen him that morning, she wouldn’t have noticed anything. Although she could see the dark circles under his eyes when she paid attention.

“Sorry, sorry. The bed had a stranglehold on me.”

His charming demeanor and easy smile, made the men laugh and not criticize his tendency to be late. It also distracted anyone from taking a closer look. Making her wonder how often his act had caused her to not notice his pain. As he glanced over the men to her, their eyes met. A fleeting emotion weakened his smile before he looked away and recovered himself.

“Let’s start with general training, after that we will be splitting up into our groups and doing sparring matches.”

The men groaned in annoyance, but Warchief still kept them to their training. After their discussion a week ago, he had been diligently following her advice to always start training with physical exercises. To disgruntlement of the men who threw her an annoyed glance from time to time. Even though nobody had told them the change was due to her. They seemed to have connected the dots on their own.

Normally she would have been happy to see Warchief run through the exercises with them. But now she cringed every time he had to strain his back. More than once, she wanted to run up and stop him. She almost did but Warchief seemed to have noticed her intention as he looked over at her and shook his head. Still, she couldn’t help frowning. He must be suffering.

Knowing that she couldn’t change anything at the moment, she instead tried to focus on the men. Trying to take mental notes of their improvement, as she still didn’t have her notebook at hand to write them down. Yet she kept throwing worried glances at the man leading them.

He had worked up a healthy sweat and although most of his recruits had resorted to putting off their shirts. Warchief kept his on. She had noticed before that he preferred to keep his tunic on but never thought anything of it. Now knowing the scars that lay beneath, she understood why.

As they took a break, she couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Looking back at Warchief, she saw him approach. He was smiling broadly but she could see the signs of how tired he was. His darker skin was paler than normal and almost had a greyish sheen to it.

“It seems like I gave you a scare this morning.”

He had softened his voice, indicating that he didn’t want to share their conversation with the rest of the group. She thought of her answer a bit longer than she was supposed to. An awkward silence hung between them before he went to sit next to her with a sigh.

“You don’t have to worry about me this much. Believe me, Crystal wouldn’t let me get out of the infirmary if I couldn’t handle this.”

As he mentioned her name, she noticed that the healer hadn’t shown herself during the session. Which was unusual as she normally accompanied Lidea every day. Looking back at Warchief, she decided that he was probably right. The healer would have a better insight into what he could and couldn’t do. It wasn’t her business as to what he did with his health, but still, her curiosity pushed her to question him.

“You seemed to be having a nightmare… Is that what causes your powers to do that?”

The silence returned as he took the water flask from her and sipped off it mindlessly. Lidea had the idea that he used it as an excuse to give him more time to think before he would answer her. After satisfying his sudden thirst, he held the bottle in his hands. Stroking the embellishment with his right thumb. Occupying his hands as his eyes stared at the men enjoying their break. Though Lidea didn’t think it was them that he was seeing.

“Old memories. I have had them for a long time now.”

A gentle smile unfolded on his face as he turned back to her. His mind returned from the far-off place it had wandered to. Even with so few words, they both knew that the other understood. Lidea could only guess what those memories could be but didn’t think it was the right moment to ask him. Seemingly Warchief agreed as he was quick to change the subject.

“I wanted to talk to you about the sparring matches. You have been good at giving me advice from the sideline, but what would you think about helping me out directly? Your eye is better than mine when it comes to teaching them form.”

Lidea was amazed that he wanted to grant her that opportunity so soon. Sure, she had tried to help and give him pointers without being too overbearing. But it wasn’t as if she had been able to prove her skill to them. Still, Lidea wasn’t about to let such an opportunity slip by. Her hands had been itching through the training sessions she had seen. Wanting to scream every time she saw them doing something wrong.

“I would love to. If I don’t bother you.”

His smile grew triumphant and made Lidea’s gaze narrow. Somehow she had the idea that he was trying to take advantage of her. He seemingly took notice of her change in mood as he stood up and smiled innocently.

“So shall we start?”

His cheerfulness was contagious and she felt herself smile in return. Even if he wanted her to do his work for him, was it being used if she wanted to do it anyway?

“Yes, let’s start. Maybe these bastards will finally learn a thing or two.”

Warchief started to laugh and she smiled, trying to convey the confidence that her words invoked. She knew that she had the skills and experience to help them, but she didn’t know if they would be willing to listen to her. To them, she was the spoiled princess that got her legion killed.

“Get up everyone and grab your training weapons, we are going to start sparring. Lidea will be helping me today. If I were you, I would take advantage of learning from her what you can. Don’t forget that she was trained by possibly the best fighters in this country. Her knowledge is priceless.”

Lidea straightened up as everyone’s eyes turned to her. Knowing that she couldn’t show these men how unsure she was of herself. She wished that Warchief hadn’t given her such a lofty introduction, but it was better than that he would have left her to fend completely for herself. Her eyes glided over the group of men as she tried to get a feeling of how they received the news. The hostility from when she first arrived, had mostly died down but they still didn’t seem to know what to think of her. That she could work with.

“Thank you Warchief, I hope some of what I have learned can be of use.”

Some men smiled, others frowned but Lidea was feeling too jittery to be discouraged by the lukewarm reaction.

“Good, everyone hurry and pair up.”

She looked on as the men started to form their usual teams. Suddenly she wasn’t looking at the men of the resistance but at her own group of men. The ones that had entrusted her to lead, even if she had been the most inexperienced among them. Her hands trembled as her consciousness returned to the present, and she balled them into a fist to hide her distress.

Everything is fine. It won’t happen again. I won’t let it.

As the men started to fight, she had a hard time ignoring the blunders they made. She wanted to let them warm up before starting her interference. Warchief had a very hands-off approach, letting them fight and discover on their own. Although she thought it to be a good method for someone who already knew the basics, these men were just too inexperienced to accomplish much of anything that way.

As she walked between them, she took note of their footwork. Almost all of them had terrible balance, even those that they had considered having potential. A notable exception was Cedric. He was a short and lithe figure, whose movements reminded Lidea of a dancer more than a fighter. Strangely enough, he had decided to forego his usual sparring partner Kyrion, an older more timid kind of man, and had paired up with Firon instead. It was by far the most interesting fight among the matches. Firon was without a doubt the most talented amid the group. He clearly had fighting experience, but besides that, his figure alone would make him an intimidating opponent. Standing almost two meters tall, he towered over anyone else within the camp. With broad shoulders and a back roped with muscle, he looked as if he could squash people without much effort. He moved his training sword more like one would use a hammer, giving her the idea that he preferred other weapons over the sword if given the chance.

Despite the obvious difference in power, Cedric was holding his own. Avoiding the mighty sweeps intended to knock the weapon out of his hand. Lidea could see how he was trying to find an opening. In turn, Firon was growing more frustrated as the fight went on. She kept an eye on the pair, as the match was growing more heated as it dragged. At some point, Cedric lost his footing causing him to stagger backward. A fatal error and one that should have been the end of the match, but one look at Firon’s face told her that he wasn’t going to stop. He launched forward, aiming his weapon at Cedric’s chest, who in turn was frozen still in fright.

Her body moved unconsciously as she kicked Firon behind the knees. Taking him by surprise and causing him to buckle and nearly fall onto his opponent. He recovered before he actually fell and turned quick as a whip, intending on attacking her until she managed to break his concentration by waving her hand.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“Fight is over Firon. You won. No need to try and injure your allies in a practice match.”

For a moment the man seemed to still want to attack until her words penetrated through his battle haze. As he relaxed his stance and dropped the practice sword, she did the same in turn. Only now realizing that she hadn’t even had a weapon at hand.

The man didn’t acknowledge her but did turn to Cedric and reached his hand out to help him up.

“It was a good fight, sorry I lost myself in the moment there.”

Cedric didn’t seem to be too keen on accepting his hand but did share an uncertain smile before getting back up on his own.

“No problem can happen. Thank you for the practice.”

Firon grunted and looked a bit dejected before he turned away. As he left, Cedric shared a look with her and nodded gratefully. While she doubted that Firon had meant to hurt him, they were both aware that such a hit could have crippled him if it had landed.

“You are quick on your feet, but that alone won’t allow you to land a hit on him.”

He seemed annoyed at her assessment of his abilities. Although he wasn’t outwardly hostile to her like Firon was, that didn’t mean that he held a high opinion of her.

“I was trying to find an opening. It isn’t like I was just avoiding him for no reason.”

His tone sounded sullen and she nearly rolled her eyes at his childish behavior.

“Exactly. You were purely reacting to him, just avoiding. Avoiding an opponent’s attacks is a good skill to have, but you are only delaying your loss if you are waiting for him to create an opening. It is better to avoid his attacks in such a way that you create one yourself.”

“Create an opening, heh? Look, I am not like you. I’m not planning to hide behind my comrades when I go out and fight. So thank you for the help, but you can keep your guidance for yourself.”

This time, she did roll her eyes. Disappointed by his attitude but not surprised. It wasn’t the first time she encountered arrogance, and probably wouldn’t be the last. When she had first taken the reigns of Rhodry and decided for them to leave the stronghold. Many had protested. Looking at Rhodry instead of her, to get their commands. Rhodry had, however, just repeated what she had said.

It was him who had pushed her to lead, after all. The protests had died, when not a week after they had left her family home. The royal army had managed to collapse the structure using explosives.

Her decision was the only reason why they hadn’t been buried within its walls.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Taylor sauntering near them with a concerned expression on his face. Having wrapped up his sparring match, and wondering what the fuss was about.

Testing out her body by gently moving her body weight from one foot to the other, she decided that the climb uphill had tired her but not to a point that she couldn’t teach this man a lesson.

“Why don’t you try and attack me and I can show you what I mean?”

The disdain her proposal caused made her almost chuckle and she could nearly mouth along with his following protest.

“I don’t fight with the fairer sex. Again, thank you but I am not interested in your help.”

Behind Cedric, she could see Warchief approach who was frowning and preparing himself to say something. Only to stop as they locked eyes. Something in her face must have told him not to interfere, as he stopped his approach and slinked away to stand at the side. He smiled expectantly at her as if he was waiting for her to start the show.

She smiled in response before turning back to her reluctant student who had turned away and was starting to walk off. Before he could, she used the same trick as before to make him buckle. Unlike Firon, Cedric hadn’t been guarded and ended up falling flat onto his face, losing his practice sword in the progress. She used the toe of her boot to throw the piece of wood up in the air and grab it. Once in hand, she pressed its point into the middle of his back.

“Sorry to disappoint you, but war does not care about your morals or thoughts. Now stand up and face me. I don’t ask twice.”

His back was trembling as she removed the sword. Cedric hurriedly stood and turned to her, his face twisted in anger. Good. It meant that her actions had their intended effect. Taking a note out of Warchief’s book, she smiled smugly at him while throwing the practice sword to his feet. Knowing it would only infuriate him even more.

At a glance, she could see that others had started to join Warchief and were gathering in a big circle around the two of them. It seems like she would start teaching today.

“Let this be your first lesson. Never expect anyone to fight fair. On the battlefield morals don’t exist, only instincts and the will to survive. Now let’s do this again Cedric. Attack me, and I will show you how to properly avoid your opponent while keeping the upper hand.”

One of the men walked up to her, offering his sword to her but she gently pushed it away.

“I need no weapon to wipe the floor with someone like him.”

Lidea spoke loud enough so all would hear. Knowing the humiliation would only anger her opponent more. Pride was a funny thing that could cause the reasonable to make costly mistakes. It paid for them to learn quickly not to let their enemy control their emotions.

Looking at Cedric, his anger had turned to rage and she could practically see him spitting fire. Who knows in this group, he might actually start doing so.

“That’s it, I will teach you!”

To her disappointment, the only spitting he did, was the normal wet kind as he rushed toward her. Probably thinking he could simply overpower her with brute force. She had to actively remind herself not to smile too gleefully as she waited for the perfect moment to do a simple sidestep. As he rushed passed her, Lidea took hold of the wrist holding his sword and twisted it backward. His momentum caused his shoulder to be strained and he yelped in pain as he dropped the sword to the ground.

Now that he was disarmed, she let go of his arm and he stumbled forward. Only just avoiding falling again. She stepped back and created space between them, before widening her stance.

He turned to glare at her with mutiny in his eyes as he nursed the shoulder she had nearly dislocated. Although angry, he seemed to be more cautious and in control than he had been.

I knew that he was a fast learner.

“I thought you would teach me?”

This time she let herself smile before she turned to the crowd. Speaking to them as well as Cedric.

“Lesson number two, never let your opponent control the fight. That doesn’t mean only physical but also emotional. Anger can be useful, can make you stronger, or make you feel less pain. But when it takes away your reasoning, you are acting like nothing more than a dumb animal. Don’t give your opponent that power over you.”

Turning back to Cedric, she could see that he had already picked up his weapon and was gingerly moving his shoulder around to assess the possible damage. While doing so, he kept an eye on her, preventing Lidea from attacking him again. A smart but in this situation unnecessary precaution. She didn’t intend to attack him first, as it wasn’t the point of what she was trying to teach him. Anyway, she didn’t even have a weapon, putting her at a major disadvantage. So she waited.

Soon enough, he approached her again. Slower and less confident this time. He was looking at her as if she was a wild horse ready to kick him. A thought that made her chuckle and caused him to frown but she didn’t get the chance to say anything as he swiped sidewards toward her waist.

Too high to jump, too low to easily duck under. She could have stepped out of reach and it would have been great to avoid being hit, but wouldn’t bring any benefit to her. Instead, she leaped forward. Shock registered on his face, as she came to stand less than a hand width away from his face. That moment of surprise was enough for her to knock away his sword arm and grab hold of his neck.

“You were trying to reach me from too far away, opening yourself up for a counterattack. It is a risky move, as you could have easily grabbed hold of me and ended the fight there and then. But most people do not expect you to come closer when they are swinging a weapon at you. So you take advantage of their surprise to go for a vulnerable area. The eyes, the chin, the throat, or the groin are all good options.”

Lidea could feel him swallow under her hand and heard his haggard breathing. Maybe she was enjoying herself a bit too much. She had to remember that these recruits were fresh. Letting go of his throat, she was planning to step back and create distance but she didn’t get the chance. Instead, he grabbed her wrist and spun her towards him, moving his arm to her neck to hold her in a chokehold. He had taken her by surprise but she swiftly recovered. Bending over, she forced him to go with her and then shifted sidewards to put one of her legs behind his. Feeling that she was trying to do something, he strengthened the hold until he was really choking her. She knew that she had to act now and put all her weight into pushing him back so he tripped over her leg and they both fell over. She could hear him groan as he hit his head on the sand, the pain making him lose his grip. Lidea didn’t hesitate to break free and get on her feet. Picking up the sword that had laid forgotten on the ground. She pointed it at his chest, just as he had wanted to get up. He looked disgruntled at the sword as if it had somehow betrayed him and she grinned.

“Well done. The third lesson of today is one that Cedric here demonstrated. Find your opponent's weak spot and use it. My body is smaller and without a weapon, I was at a disadvantage. Grabbing me was the right call. The problem is, that I am very aware of my shortcomings and have worked to overcome them. I wouldn’t be alive if I hadn’t.”

Understanding and some sort of respect showed in Cedric’s brown eyes as he looked at her. He probably already understood his mistake, but Lidea wasn’t someone to pass up on rubbing someone’s nose into it.

“Lesson number four. Never underestimate your opponent. Let me make it abundantly clear. On the battlefield, you don’t have the luxury to protect someone who doesn’t pull their weight.”

Dropping his eyes down, she could see a hint of red on his cheeks. Though his darker skin hid it well.

Pulling back the sword, Lidea was about to ask him if he needed to pass by the healer when she could hear someone clapping off to the side of her.

“Good job for your first day. Though I would prefer it if you don’t damage the recruits.”

She didn’t need to see him to know that he was smiling again. His words dripped with his amusement.

Does this man never have a bad day in his life?

Before the thought even fully formed, memories of his scarred back reminded her that he probably had plenty. Though looking at him, she would have never been able to tell.

Forcing the depressing thoughts off her mind, she smiled back at him before answering.

“I tried keeping him whole, but he made it difficult. I told you, that he was a fast learner.”

He looked past her to Cedric, who was being helped up by one of his comrades.

“So you did. I already knew that you had a good eye.”

Turning towards the group, she saw that most were starting to saunter off. Even though Warchief hadn’t stated that training was over. Some habits were hard to break it seemed.

“You proved yourself. Let’s hope that they finally get the message. Are you alright? He seemed to be losing control at the end there.”

His concern warmed her heart but she waved it off as she looked around for the water bottle Taylor had given her. It took her a moment to realize that Warchief was holding it in his hand. Seemingly unaware that she might want it back.

“Everything is fine, he didn’t do anything that I hadn’t expected. Well, except when he suddenly grabbed me. He has good instincts, it will be a joy to work with him after a little attitude adjustment. I am parched though.”

She gave a poignant look at the bottle, and Warchief offered it to her without any hesitance. Gulping the water thankfully, she emptied the container before her thirst was quenched.

“So shall we go back to the infirmary?”

“We? Don’t you have work to do?”

His smile weakened to a sheepish version of the one he normally had as he rubbed his hand through his hair. The sign of social discomfort looked odd when an overly confident person did it.

“Crystal got mad, so I will be moving in for the time being. I was planning to discuss housing with you soon anyway. If you are planning to stay here for longer, then it would be nicer for you to live in one of the houses instead of staying at the infirmary. I’m not kicking you out, but I wanted to lay that offer on the table.”

It was no wonder that the healer had forced him to live under her supervision. She hoped Crystal would be able to help him recover or at least manage his symptoms better. Although she didn’t mind sharing, her thoughts immediately turned to her family's house.

“Is anyone living at the house of Chasseur? The one with the boar symbol?”

Thinking that they could walk while talking, she started walking towards the hill with a slight reluctance. How she wished the exercise field had been on the same level as the infirmary.

As they started walking up the slope, she felt herself tremble. A fact that didn’t go unnoticed.

“I know that you are fine. But tell me if you need a break.”

Lidea nodded, though she knew better. In no way was she going to need a break for climbing up a hill. The man next to her sighed deeply, giving her the impression that he had read her mind.

“I know which house you are talking about. There is nobody so it is yours for the taking. But I’m curious, why did you mention that one?”

“My grandfather from my mother's side is a Chasseur. I suppose if I have to live anywhere, it feels right to live there? It sounds foolish when I say it out loud.”

For a moment melancholy showed through the façade he kept up so obviously and she wondered what words had triggered his memories. Family?

“It doesn’t sound stupid at all. Well, it is yours for the taking.”

“Thank you, Warchief.”