Asher sighed. As he was a boy, he'd been told he needed to pick up a sport. He'd decided on fencing, for it was something he was already familiar with from his training with the royal guard. However, that didn't mean that he felt comfortable walking into a group that was already acquainted with one another.
"You're going to be fine," Y/n assured him, having decided to accompany him to the amphitheatre just so she could get out of the dorms. She would've stayed in but Lonnie had also run off to somewhere, Mal was somewhere with Ben and Evie had dress fittings.
"I know I am, I'm just afraid I might be too good," Asher joked.
Y/n laughed. "Yeah, keep telling yourself that."
"That I will, princess," Asher smiled, saluting to her before they parted, Y/n going to climb the stairs to the balcony where people could watch, well, fencing practice and such.
Leaning on the railing, she observed with a smile as Asher entered the arena, Jay pulling him aside, saying something, and then gesturing to a guy, probably telling Asher who he'd have to pair up with.
Next, the girl made eye contact with Carlos, giving him a smile and a small wave. Carlos felt his cheeks heat up as he reciprocated the move. No matter how many times he'd seen it, there would always be a small detail in her smile that he hadn't noticed before and every time it would make his heart feel a little lighter and happier. Unbeknownst to him, Y/n felt the same way. That's exactly why she covered the lower half of her face by leaning onto her hand and averted her eyes to Jay, who now started speaking.
"All right, let's line it up, boys! Carlos, you're with me."
The boys, all in uniform, lined up. Y/n made a mental note to try to keep track of both Asher and Carlos, even when they all looked sort of the same.
"Assembler," Jay commanded. "Salute. Lower the point. Masks down."
Y/n grimaced. Somehow I'm already losing track of who's who.
"En garde."
A second later, the boys started sparring. The princess of the North decided to just scrap the mental note she'd made earlier because it would cause stress and take all the fun out of following the practice. Thus, she just watched as, one after another, they boys fell out and went to stand on the side.
All of a sudden, a new fighter ran in, joining Jay, the only one left and the only one Y/n could confidently pinpoint because of his hair, in the ring. Jay took his mask off, looking serious.
"Get him, Jay," Carlos encouraged.
Y/n followed the fight carefully. The fighting pattern of Jay's opponent seemed familiar. She assumed it was Asher but Asher was already out so... Is it really...?
After a minute or so, Jay was out of the ring and his opponent whipped his — or rather, her — mask off, revealing Lonnie.
Y/n huffed. I knew it. "Go, Lonnie!" she cheered, being loud but not embarrassingly so. Only the daughter of Mulan...
"Not bad," Jay said, agreeing with the crowd's general opinion.
"You should put me on the team," Lonnie said, getting straight to the point.
Jay shrugged, as if considering it.
Chad jumped in. "Hey, what? No, no, no..."
Y/n zoned out of his speech about rules and such, instead leaning further onto the railing and inspecting the guy in question thoughtfully. He'd remind me of a golden retriever if he wasn't so stupid. With a sigh, she pushed herself upright again, zoning back in just in time to hear the end of Chad's speech.
"A team will be comprised of a captain and eight men," he emphasised before waving the rule book at the crowd.
Lonnie looked at Jay.
Jay shrugged, showing true remorse on his face. "I'm sorry. Coach trusts me. I'm not going to stay captain if I just throw out the rule book."
"If my mother thought that way, she would've lost the war."
The words cut into Y/n's heart. She'd always understood the concept of having equal opportunities between the two sexes but, now that she'd heard those words and having been stuck because of a war for a while, it seemed as if she had a new perspective in things. When it came down to life or death, it was just important that there was someone fighting, no matter whether it was a man or a woman.
She watched as Lonnie walked out, seemingly not too disappointed. The girl probably had a plan anyway. Jay declared the practice to be over.
The crowd dispersed in a matter of moments, only Y/n was left to stand on the balcony. Thoughtfully, she stared down at the arena.
"Y/n, what'cha thinking about?" Carlos called up to her.
Y/n followed with her eyes as Dude ran from the side, barking happily in a vest of his own. The little mammal brought a smile to Y/n's eyes. She felt as if she could just reach out and pet it from where she was.
"Nothing," she finally answered. With a small sigh, she turned her eyes back to Carlos. "And at the same time everything."
"Yeah, I know the feeling," Carlos answered.
That moment, footsteps came back to the arena. There stood Asher, having already changed but still carrying not one but two fencing swords. He looked up at Y/n. "Are you coming or what, princess?"
Y/n laughed. "You read my mind, Ash. I'll be down in a second."
When Y/n was out of hearing range, Asher's smile dropped and he turned to Carlos. "I know what you're doing."
"Uhh, you do?" Carlos questioned carefully. The last thing his self-confidence needed was Y/n's childhood friend saying that he should better not even try.
"I do," Asher confirmed. "I promised her mother I'd protect her, you see. I'm not saying you can't do anything but I'm saying that I'll be watching you, alright?"
Carlos nodded. "Alright." He would not give Asher anything to worry about, he promised himself that.
Asher smiled again. "Great. Now, if you would, I'd like to spar with her a little. It always makes her feel better."
"Of course," Carlos nodded, a bit bitter about the fact that he wasn't the one sparring with the girl as he left the arena, Dude in tow. In the hallway, he bumped into Y/n.
The girl, oblivious to the conversation that'd taken place, beamed at him. "I'll catch you later, Carlos."
"Catch you later," he responded, watching her go. The boy bit the inside of his cheek in thought. If I don't ask her — and soon — Asher probably will.