The Ghost of a Prince

Chapter 28

Valerie had an opinion about every single weapon Arthur had made her try. Lances were unnecessarily long and ridiculous to bear around during a fight; maces were fun to throw, but otherwise it felt ridiculous to hold them in a close contact; arrows were near useless when in a close fight, not to mention how complicated it was to make actually land where she wanted them to.

Swords, in her mind, remained as the superior weapon. She might not be able to throw them, but at least they were better in making sure the enemy got impaled before she did. They also were easier to control.

"Holy shit, this is heavy." Valerie sighed, doing her best to lift the warhammer. It nearly pulled her down with it as it went back to the ground. Arthur let out a loud laugh, drawing amusement of her inability to hold the weapon upright. She glared at him for a few seconds.

"It is." he grinned, only to take it and pick it up with a single hand. She scoffed in distaste. "It's only a matter that you gain some muscle, and after that you'll be carrying these as if they're nothing."

"I honestly can't see myself swinging this." Valerie taking it from Arthur's hand and letting it fall by her side, unwilling to strain herself more than necessary. "Can't we keep practicing with the bow and arrow? Or the lance? Or anything that I can actually lift?"

She reached once again for it, taking a deep breath as she tried to raise it, even if it was for a few seconds. She failed once again, and pointed at her failure as if Arthur hadn't seen it already.

He rose an eyebrow, looking at her up and down, teasing smile on his face. "Don't you want to be strong?"

Valerie rose an eyebrow at his question. "I'd rather be fast." she shrugged.

"Is there any rule against being both?" he pressed.

She paused, lips pressed into a line, her eyebrows knitting together. "No, but..."

"If you think you can come up with an excuse I can't refute I encourage you to keep trying, but you will most likely be wasting precious time that could be invested in making you stronger." He sentenced. Valerie rolled her eyes. "I mean, considering how often you get into fights, wouldn't it be fun if you could throw people over your head?" He tilted his head, talking like he was promising to tell her the numbers that would win her the lottery.

Valerie shook her head. "You are awful, has anyone ever told you that?"

"Never before, actually." he shook his head, putting a finger over his mouth. "I was called incompetent once, by Emrys."

Valerie giggled, before making a vague movement with her hand. "Since it's Merlin, I don't think it counts for much, he thinks everyone is incompetent." she shrugged, wondering how the man was faring on England on his own.

"Now, how do I lift that?" Valerie pointed at the warhammer still on the ground.

Arthur took a deep breath, giving the girl a small pat on the back. "First, you need your two hands, they are important for balance." he began, leaning down. Valerie imitated his movements, holding the weapon as he pointed.

"Next thing you raise it up and swing it, and that's pretty much it." he dismissed. Valerie stared at him, half in disbelief half in confusion. He had to be teasing her somehow.

Arthur's eyes opened wide, as if he had been reminded of something.

"You need to be sure to plant your feet well in the ground or it will take you with it." he explained. Valerie sighed figuring it was the best explanation she would get of him. She did as he had instructed, gathering strength out of every corner of her body and managed to lift it with success.