The Young Gladiatrix

Impact

As Cassius dragged her and Stephi around, Ash began to get more and more aggravated. No one had dragged her and a horse around like this for a very long time. Mainly because they knew better than to do so. She tightened her grip on the reins in her hand, the metal plating that covered her knuckles rattling with the aggression. She stared down the rail as a long inch and a half thick lance was pushed into her hand. "He has the same kind of lance, just a different colour. Aim for the shield that is on his nearest shoulder. He will aim for yours too. Either hit that, or unhorse him. If you miss. We will keep going until you don't miss. Accuracy, Assassina"  Stated Cassius not to kindly.
Ash stared down the rail at Caeser. He was much larger than her, both in height and muscle. If he hit her, she'd definitely be unhorsed. "Jousters! Come about!" called Lexus, one of the other jousters that remained around the arena to watch the joust. Ash turned Stephi down the rail before kicking the mare into a gallop, dropping the reins from her hand as she steadied her lance, lowering it down a few seconds too early to strike. Taking a strong hit herself from Caeser, his lance striking her directly on her shield. She lost her lance, but managed to regain her balance on the horse. Clenching her fists in anger at herself for not even managing to his Caeser.
Before she could do anything else, Cassius pushed the lance back into her hand. "Again" he growled, turning her and Stephi down the opposite side of the rail. Galloping once more, she lowered her lance a few seconds later, striking Caeser's shield, but not unhorsing him. Once again, he had struck her, but had failed to unhorse her. Cassius growled under his breath. He was looking for an unhorsing. And Ash seemed to know what she was doing. Or at least, that was how it looked. "Assassina! Either break that lance or unhorse him!" he snarled, watching as she and Caeser turned down the rail once more. Ash, feeling anger burning inside of her, charged down the rail once more. Her eyes like fire as she gripped her lance tighter. Shattering it on Caeser's shield, tossing the remains aside as she slowed Stephi to a trot. "Better! Now keep doing that!" yelled Cassius, signalling for Lexus to give her another lance.
Once she had a second lance, she rolled her shoulders slightly, shifting in the saddle. Seconds later, Caeser was charging towards her, giving her a split second to get Stephi down the rail. As she tried to steady her lance, Caesar slammed his own against her, hitting slightly off the shield, and striking her chest. Sending her to the ground, and successfully unhorsing her.
All Ash saw was ground, then sky as she fell. Groaning angrily at herself for being unhorsed. Cassius ran to her. "Assassina. Remember where you are?" he asked, keeping her on the ground for a moment. "Yes Sir. The arena" replied Ash, feeling sand in her armour. "Remember who I am?" he asked. He needed to make sure that she wa still aware. It was all standard procedure after an unhorsing. "Yes Sir. Cassius. Jouster" replied Ash once more. Cassius nodded, pulling her up. "Good. 2 minutes to get back on that horse. You're doing good. Now if you can unhorse him. We can move on"
Ash pulled herself back onto Stephi, settling once more in the saddle before taking her lance. She rolled her shoulders again, moving her neck around for a moment. Before walking Stephi to the rail. "Jousters! Come about! 5th pass" called Lexus, before giving the signal to joust. Both horses charged at the same time. Ash lowered her lance as Caeser did, slamming her lance against his shield, sending him to the ground, and shattering her lance again. "Yes Assassina!" called Cassius, clearly happy with Ash's performance.
Caeser however, was not so happy at being unhorsed by a novice. He stormed over to Ash and Stephi, dragging her from the saddle, and slamming her into the ground. The full force of his and her own armour crashing against her. It was an uncalled for action that earned a rather angry response from Cassius. He dragged Caeser off of Ash before he could do any more damage. "Don't you fucking do that. You unhorsed her. She unhorsed you" he growled, shoving Caesar away from him with a sneer.
Cassius then returned his attention to Ash. Crouching to her to remove her helmet. He pulled it off carefully, setting it next to her. "That won't count as an unhorsing since he dragged you from your mount. How you feeling?" he asked, helping her to sit up straight. "After being dragged from my horse? I feel great. I'd like to joust more though, Sir" said Ash, looking to Cassius. She was serious. And Cassius couldn't help but smile inwardly. Unhorsed once, dragged from her horse, and taken a few strong hits. And still wants to joust. Ash would be a professional by the time she was done training. She'd already proven herself within the first hour.

Now all she had to do was prove to Cassius and the other jousters that she was capable of racking up points and not giving them away herself. One thing that hadn't gone unoticed though was Ash's temper. Cassius had seen her tighten her grip on the reins, he'd seen her sneer at her opponent. If he didn't break her out of the anger. He'd see her unhorsed a lot more. Anger got in the way of a jousters judgement, and that is when they were unhorsed.
He had to break Ash out of her ways, and build her back up as a jouster. He had to instill that jouster mindset over the gladiatrix one. It would take time, but he'd make sure it happened.