The Lady Knight

Chapter VI: Swords and Scares

The Lady Knight

I cautiously peeked out, trembling slightly. Squashed in between the two pillars that faced the training fields, I stared on, unable to tear my eyes away.

It lay there among the grass blades and the droplets of dew, gleaming with the golden glow of the evening Sun, silently tempting me to approach it. Warm yearning blossomed in my heart as I swallowed.

I wanted to pick it up so badly.

I had never touched a sword in my life. Girls and women in Monrique were not allowed to dabble in warfare, and neither were they allowed to even approach weapons of any sort. We were considered the weaker, faint-hearted sex, unable to handle bloodshed.

Truth be told, I heard Papa telling Lord Louvre that women would hardly last five moments in battle.

In a way, he did speak the truth. The Ladies of the Society, after all, aspired to be graceful and elegant in all that they do. They were of the opinion that warfare was primitive and barbaric and it was men's work.

Their words, not mine. Never mine.

In any case, my father ought to be well aware of who could survive in a battlefield, and who could not. He was a great, experienced Commander General whom everyone was in awe of. I was proud that he was my father.

Despite all the restrictions, warfare fascinated me to no end. I loved to watch the Knights during their training sessions every day from my hiding place between the pillars. I had discovered the training fields during one of my many escapades about the Castle some time ago, and I have not been able to keep away since.

Indeed, I was especially fond of watching the Knights duel. They wielded their swords in such complicated wrist twists and movements, and in a blink of an eye, one of their swords would be on the floor!

I had witnessed many of them fighting for their honour, their pride, their country. It was a noble sport, and a pleasure to watch. Truth be told, it was my deepest, long-standing desire to join the army, and be able to duel like them to defend my country, as well as myself.

Nothing was as depressing as being well aware that I would never be able to do so, solely because I was a girl. It was so unfair.

However, at the moment, there was no one about. All were at dinner. No one would ever know.

All the while checking that no one was watching me, I crept out from the crook, and dashed across the fields with quick, light steps, feeling the grass blades of the training fields brush softly against my ankles,

I crouched down next to the sword, staring at it in wonder, unable to believe my fortune. I hesitantly reached out, and allowed my small fingers to close around the hilt of the blade. A strange, comfortable warmth enveloped my insides at that, the triumphant feeling of having acquired something I had wished for so long.

Standing up, I lifted the sword up with some difficulty, to admire the way it shone with the Sun's rays. It was heavier than I had been expecting, but the slight pain in my wrist was bearable. I knew I would become accustomed to it soon enough.

With that encouraging thought, I began to attempt some of the wrist exercises I had witnessed the Knights starting their duel trainings with. They had never seemed to like them, but for someone who had never held a sword in her life, it was truly exciting.

Indeed, imagine my joy when I had failed to drop it even once!

My eyebrows furrowed deeply in concentration, and beads of perspiration began to form on my forehead, as I increased my pace, twirling the sword until it became a bright silver blur before my eyes.