The Pedro Pascal Files

Swift Sword // Pero Tovar

(Pero Tovar x F!Reader)

"¡De nuevo!" Tovar shouted at the young man. His armor rattled as he struggled to regain his balance. The sword was heavy and it was obvious he had not handled one before. Tovar was light on his feet, trying to catch the boy off guard at any moment. The boy swung the sword again; beads of sweat flew from his forehead. He was getting tired.

Using his weight and body's momentum, Tovar drove the young boy down again. "Agh! ¡Estás peleando con tus ojos! Usa tus instinctos. ¡Instinctos!" He shouted. The solid wooden doors came open and I stepped inside, accompanied by another guard.

I had been the only one in my village who volunteered to help the army fight. I had planned on faking my way through it all. I didn't think they'd allow women on the battlefield. After all, it's a man's place. Instead, I played up the part. I remained mostly silent. I knew I could wield a sword better than the boy. Tovar took him down once more.

"Leventarse." Tovar ordered. The boy rose up to his feet, still struggling. Tovar placed his hand on his shoulder, bearing his weight down. "O aprendes a pelear o haces las paces con Dios porque en el campo de batalla, mueres." The boy simply looked down. "Vamos." Tovar said, pushing him towards the door. The boy dropped the sword and scuffled away.

Tovar came walking over. The movements of his body were pleasant to look at. The sway of his body with his armor and the clanking sound that followed. My eyes wandered all across his face, stopping on his mustache. His lips were pouty, chapped and slightly aged by the sun. His skin was a darkened color and his eyes matched. What a lovely Spaniard.

He stopped before us, his hand falling to grip the hilt of his sword. "Otro?" Tovar asked the person who had brought me in. "Solo lo mejor para ti, Tovar." The man said, chuckling. Tovar scoffed, unamused. "Nombre?" He asked me. I remained silent. Tovar moved over to in front of me. He raised his brow, looking down on me. I wanted to shrink into my armor. "Nombre?" He growled again through gritted teeth. The man quickly interrupted. "El no habla. Bueno con una espada atravesada. Perfecto para ti." Tovar grunted, jerking his head towards the open space where he was previously practicing.

I just stepped away from him and the other man, heading for the mat. The conversation quickly ended between Tovar and the man. "Confio en que sepas como usar eso." He said, moving to stand across from me. He motioned towards the sword. I nodded my head. He drew his from the sheath, letting it make a pleasant ringing noise. My fingers gripped around the hilt of my sword, raising it to the proper height.

"Comenzar." He instructed. I immediately stepped forward, swinging my sword in time with his own. I blocked his advance, continuing to move forward. A small battle ensued between us as we moved around the mat attempting to get at each other. Finally, I slapped him against the bottom of the leg and used my other to bring him to his knees. We were both a little winded.

I rested my sword against his shoulder, lingering the blade near his throat. Sunlight spilled into the room. He looked up, causing the sun to give his eyes a shimmering hazel color. "Muy bueno." He said, softly. I swallowed thickly, dropping my sword down and allowing him up. "Pareces muy habil." He said. I just nodded my head. He turned away, doing something. "Pero...siempre debes estar...custodiado!" His movements were fast and before I knew it, I was on the ground.

He chuckled. "No tan consciente como crees." He touted. I went to sit up and the cover up fell off, revealing my hair that fell down from being held in place. Suddenly, it became knowledge that I was not a boy...but a girl. Tovar suddenly grew angry...he had been bested by a woman! Oh he, who was a great warrior and a greater mercenary had been brought to his knees by a woman!

I quickly moved, trying to pull the cover back over my head, but he reached down, attacking me. I surely thought the worst would come and let out a scream. His large hand flew to cover my mouth. "Silencio!" He snarled. His grip was tight and unyielding. I was breathing heavily and it started to calm down.