The Promise of the Dawn

Chapter Twenty-One: Obstacles

The course was set up in three parts, each part getting progressively harder than the first, and it was virtually impossible to accomplish all three parts without dropping dead from a heart attack.

"Are you being serious right now?" Arthur questions as we stare out at the elaborate course set up throughout the field.

"What? This is easy compared to the courses I used to have to do." We both turn to look at The Duke with disapproving glances.

"Well do you want to survive your first mission or not?" The Duke questions.

"You act like this mission is life or death. But it can't be that bad... could it?" Arthur questions The Duke.

The Duke pauses and looks towards him with a disconcerting look as he says this.

"You start first, Arthur" The Duke replies, changing the subject instead and Arthur and I exchange concerned glances, as if both realizing at the same time that this was no normal mission.

Arthur begins the course with a renewed sense of determination, and I watch him as he begins the drills, The Duke following along with him as he completes each one, yelling at him to push harder. 

Ten push ups, ten high knees, ten more push ups, ten more high knees, repeat once more. Sprints dodging around the markers, sprints back, three times, then swing across the monkey bars, landing on the rope net. Crawl across the net successfully without falling, jump off, land.

Then it's on to the second level.

That is if you made it through the first. Arthur makes it all the way to the end of the first level, but as he jumps towards the rope net, he slips through one of the spaces in it, falling onto the hard ground with a pained groan.

"Arthur! You're supposed to land on the rope, not fall through it!" The Duke yells in disappointment.

"Respectfully sir, I'd like to see you try this" Arthur replies, dusting himself off and returning to the start in defeat.

"Stop making up excuses, Arthur. Amaris? You're next" The Duke demands.

"Yeah... I'm not sure I want to..."

"That wasn't a question. Now get your ass to the start" The Duke interrupts me.

I roll my eyes, trudging over to the start of the course and looking out at it, swallowing nervously.

"You'll start on my command. Ready, set, go!" The Duke yells, setting me off on the obstacle course of death.

I accomplish the push ups and high knees successfully, having been drilled on them countless times before, then set off on my sprints, dodging the markers gracefully, and reaching the monkey bars, which I have to jump to reach. At this point, my arms were already dying, and I struggle swinging from bar to bar, but make it to the end, swinging myself and landing on the edge of the net, where there are less holes.

"That's it, Amaris! Keep going!" I can hear The Duke yell.

With his words, I begin crawling along the side of the net carefully, being sure not to slip through the holes of the netting. I eventually reach the end of the net after what seems like ages of crawling, and I jump off the net, landing in a proud pose on the solid ground, which I'd never been more thankful for.

"Yes, Amaris! You did it!" The Duke yells at me.

I turn to glance towards him victoriously, unaware of the fact that the next obstacle was already swinging towards me, and I suddenly find myself knocked to the ground, the wind knocked out of me. I can hear The Duke and Arthur gasp in pain, as if they'd experienced it themselves by watching me. I lay on the ground for a second, trying to regain my breath as I stare up at the sky.