Ancient Cardos: The Knight Life

Chapter 4: Caged.

I woke up and my head was pounding with pain. My nose didn't feel right and I felt dried blood all over my face. What the hell had happened? Darwin turned on me and Oliver out of nowhere.

I was stuck in a cell. It had one lantern and one door. I couldn't see the outside world at all. My armor was gone. They took it all off and left me in my normal clothing. Darwin brought me here.

"I'm going to kill him." I thought to myself. I sat awake on the bed for what felt like forever until a knight opened my door and walked in.

"How are you feeling Ms. Claire?" The knight asked.

"Like a caged animal." I replied. The knight removed their helmet and it was Darwin.

"Well that's great. Because that is how dragons feel when we cage them. Of course they get chained down as well, but that would be too much for you."

"I don't care how a dragon feels." I said with an attitude. He walked over and offered to help me up. I took the opportunity. I stood next to him and punched him right in the face and probably broke his nose as he fell over against the wall. "Why send knights after me and Oliver?"

"Something that happens often is betrayal. Betrayal is something that can really mess with a person mentally. On the battlefield I am hoping that none of my knights turn on me, but betrayal is something that just happens. So I sent the knights to make you feel like you got betrayed.

"Because caging me was going to help anything." I said crossing my arms. He held his nose and I could see the blood running through his fingers. "Can I clean my face?"

He stood up with his hand over his nose still. I didn't feel bad at all. He bashed his shield in my face multiple times and my face still isn't clean. "Soon."

"I'm not done with you." I said giving him a stare. He just nodded and opened the door and let me out.

"You are going to be here a few days. When you leave, you will be a well trained knight."

I could not describe it correctly. My vision was messed up from that shield and I still had a headache. What I did notice, was knights. Walking and eating, playing each other in chess. Battling with wooden swords and shields. Every bit of floor, table, wall, roof, was all stone and I was inside a castle. What castle though? I was amazed by everything.

"Where are we?" I asked. Still surprised I was in a castle for once. "The castle of Roden, closest kingdom to Faldin, besides Waltendale." Darwin answered back quickly.

"I'm training here?" I was amazed from seeing so many knights doing whatever they wanted.

Darwin smiled and patted me on the back. "You need to clean up."

It was maybe three days later in the Roden Knight camp. I wouldn't know. I haven't seen the sun for a while. Everything we did was inside.

For a recap of what I've been through here is that I absolutely want to kill Darwin. I'm the only girl and all the guys here like to torture me and make fun of me by saying I don't belong. I'm used as their test dummy for combat. I spar against them and I lose every time. All of them mocking me, judging me, saying that I won't make it, that I could never be as great as my father. Well I gave them a few words last night.

They laughed and applauded and cheered, even the older ones drank a few more ales before I left. Oliver was right the other night. I can't handle being a knight. They really put me to shame. Darwin could only sit back and watch.

I sat alone in my small room, practicing my swing against a dummy I placed in there. I woke up, I fought it. Before going to bed I fight it.

I was scheduled to fight someone named Jason today. I've heard nothing about him, but for some reason some knights told me "hope you like sleeping." I was a little worried. Which was probably my main issue.

When the time came I was wearing all my armor and using a wooden sword like always. Don't want to kill anyone, but seriously injuring them is okay.

I stepped into the caged ring, all the knights watched with their helmets on. Who the hell is this Jason guy? Turns out when he stepped into the ring he had his helmet off. He was light skinned but tanned, green eyes and short black hair. He also had a nasty scar across the left side of his neck. He put his helmet on and glared down at me.

"Ladies first I suppose." He said. He held his sword with two hands and had it in front of him. I was in the same position as him.

I took a few steps forward and he swung fast, I barely had time to deflect and our swords bounced off each other. He showed no hesitation and swung right back into my ribs and cracked his sword against my armor.

I felt the impact a little.

"Point 1 Jason." Someone said. We went back to our sides of the cage and restarted the fight. He got a new sword because some of his old one was broken off on my armor.

This time he stepped forward and swung downward at my face. I held out my sword horizontally to block his strike. He countered it by kicking my leg and forced me to lose my balance and he hit me in the ribs again. This guy was frustrating me.

"Point 2. Jason. Begin Free Combat." Free Combat is their term for saying any fighting style goes. I used my single sword and a shield. He used two swords.

It began with him swing both of his swords at me horizontally. I stepped back and used my shield to block them. He spun around my shield and stabbed my chest. Not really, but the splinters in my armor prove it.

"Point three Jason. Hand to Hand combat begin." I had no training with Hand to Hand and to put the fight in short. He wrapped his arms around my neck and choked me until I passed out. This guy was really good and I was really bad.