A shiver ran down Aria’s spine. She had only imagined talking to Liza that day and maybe learning more about the world of hunters, but she never would have thought that she would use a sword right away.

She wasn’t ready. She didn’t feel like it. She didn’t want to.

“Why all the rush?” Liza asked, seeing the concern on the girl’s face.

“Times fly and we have to keep up.” Anton replied with his croaking voice, “Plus, if you recommended her, she has to prove her worth.”

The two approached Aria and the butler put down the sword.

“Take it.”

Aria stood up from the bench determinedly. She wasn’t afraid, perhaps because of the cold that had made her blood run cold inside her. She just wanted this moment to end and, if that meant demonstrating her skill with the sword, she would be fine with it.

They approached the center of the garden, while Sevastian and Yegveny moved to the side to follow the training. Liza also got up from the bench to join the two boys, perhaps because she was nervous or perhaps because she could see better from that position.

Aria could feel their gazes, their eyes and their thoughts turned on her. What if she made a bad impression? She had never even used a knife except to cut cakes, what could she possibly know about a sword?

“First of all, let’s look at the hilt.” Anton began, “Both hands must be firm on the hilt or the weapon will slip off.”

Aria gripped the sword tightly. It was heavy and she was so small that she couldn’t hold it for more than a few seconds. She gently placed the tip of the blade on the ground, to rest her arms, but with an intimidating look from Anton, she raised it again.

The blade moved voraciously from right to left and then from left to right and her hands began to shake.

“Remember that the sword is your best friend, if you lose it or it breaks you are dead.”

“I understand.” Aria said with an uncertain tone.

“To avoid this from happening, you must hit the opponent with the sharp part of the blade and not with the flat. Also, avoid hitting near the tip, it is the weakest part.”

Aria nodded, trying to keep all that information in mind.

“Now, try to hit me.”

The girl hesitated for a moment. Even if it would be difficult, if she hit him the iron blade would hurt him a lot. And he was just a pixie and such a small creature. She tried to follow his request anyway and tried to swing at Anton imitating the movements of Sev and Yegveny that she had seen before.

The swing was so slow and imprecise that the pixie didn’t even have to move. The blade stuck in the snow and, after a lot of effort, Aria managed to pull it out. The sword became even heavier with the snow that created a sort of white coating.

“Sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize, you have to hit me.” the master said as he began to circle her. He hit her in the left ear with his staff.

“Ouch!”

Instinctively, the girl turned and struck blindly. A first slash, then a second. But doing so only caused the sword to slip from her hands and stick into the ground once more.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Sorry again!” Aria exclaimed mortified. She ran to pick up the sword, but felt a sharp pain in her back that made her drop it.

“You need to be more careful, and didn’t I tell you before that you should always have your sword with you? If I were a vampire, what would have happened to you?”

“I’ll be careful.”

She gathered all her strength to stand up and straighten her dress, then pick up the sword and get back into a fighting stance.

The two hands were now firmly on the hilt and Aria concentrated on the goal: hitting the enemy.

He was very fast, much faster than her. And she was slow, damn slow. She felt the weight of the pressure on her shoulders and she met Liza’s eyes several times that encouraged her to continue and prove her worth.

She gripped the hilt so furiously that her palms almost bled. It didn’t matter, because if it hadn’t been it that hurt her, it would have been Anton.

Or the cold.

It wasn’t advisable to be out of the house for so long at that time of year, especially when it was snowing. A simple dress could not repel the elements, and looking down at her hands, she noticed that her fingers had turned purple.

“Ah!” she shouted as she charged a slash. Anton moved and the sword hit the air.

“Ah!” she shouted a second time, but still the blow did not land.

More than an hour passed from that moment. Aria did not manage to hit the pixie even once. She was tired, sweaty and her legs hurt a lot. As did her back, hands and head. Plus, she was hungry and thirsty and felt cold, so cold.

She wanted so much to ask for a break, to stop to rest and then resume training, but Anton seemed determined to continue and, every time he noticed a sign of weakness, he poked her with the stick to get her back in line.

She tried one last slash, but her speed had dropped dramatically; her hands were calloused and her breathing, labored, froze her blood.

“Ah!” was a half scream, before the blow stopped in mid-air.

The blade fell and the girl’s vision became blurred. She remained with her eyes open for a few seconds, long enough to understand that she was no longer breathing. Then, her eyes closed on their own and Aria fell like a leaf falling from a tree.

Time passed, how much was not given to know.

She opened her eyes again, lying on a bed inside a room of the academy. The sword had been placed on a nearby chair and, next to her, was Liza.

“Welcome awake.” said the huntress.

“What happened?”

“You fainted. Your body couldn’t handle the training.”

Aria’s head was about to explode, she wanted so much to be home right now, lying on her bed, much more comfortable, with a book in her hand to isolate herself from the world. She also wanted that damned vampire to never attack her and that the meeting with Liza had never happened, as well as her humiliation in front of all those hunters.

“I know what you’re thinking.” Liza interrupted her thoughts. “It’s normal to feel down. But you’ll become a formidable huntress, I promise.”

“I didn’t even manage to hit him once!” Aria exclaimed, agitated.

She realized she had to lower her voice immediately after.

“I mean, it’s humiliating, I felt humiliated!”

“You don’t have to worry about this, it’s normal. No one has ever succeeded the first time, except Adelphe, but he’s another story.”

“Who is he?”

“A hunter, the best in the field and even better than Sonia, but let's keep this between us, okay? But he hasn't lived here for a long time. I know he lives in the mountains now, but I haven't seen him in a while.”

The huntress took the Duchess's cold hand to offer her some tea.

“No matter what happens, you mustn't let yourself get down. Anton's training may be difficult for you, but you must continue to put in the effort and dedication. If you want to be a huntress, then you will.”

“Thank you, Liza.”

It was strange. The girl was her age or a little younger and was already capable of certain types of speeches. She felt relieved, however, because those words put her in a good mood.

Her stomach growled.

“Sorry, I'm really hungry.”

“It's almost dinner time, I can get you something.”

“Dinner time- What!?”

The girl looked out the window and only then noticed how the sun was already setting.

“Fuck! I have to get back to the palace!” she pushed the covers to the side to get out of bed, but her body buckled forward.

“You’re not strong enough.”

“But I have to! Don’t you understand?” she shouted, “My governess will be worried about me and if my father finds out that I’m here…” she grabbed the covers of the bed, pulling herself up as much as she could.

She then began to walk towards the door, hoping not to fall again.

“One step at a time.” she thought.

Her whole body ached and the hunger only amplified the pain.

“Aria.” the huntress called, “There’s another lesson tomorrow. Don’t miss it.”