that again.
They spent the next hour with Durak offering tips on how to wield the sword and mace. He showed her what worked for him and they tried to come up with ways to use her smaller frame to invent moves that would work for her. Aleena couldn't generate the force that Durak was capable of but she was quicker and more agile.
She learned that she'd been striking too hard and exhausting herself. A thrust that buried her blade into her opponent was no more effective than one that pierced the body. Putting that much force into a lunge made it not only tiring, but also wild and inaccurate. By the time Durak convinced her enough was enough , she was beyond exhausted. Her body was tingling and each step she took made her feel as though she would either float off the ground or collapse onto it.
"Why are you grinning?" Durak asked her.
"I won't let him beat me," Aleena said. "I have a friend who is a great warrior. I watched him when he barely knew how to hold a sword and now he has become a champion and a hero. I saw how he was beaten and laughed at many times while he learned his way, but he never gave up. He never backed down. He is my inspiration. He showed me what we're capable of."
"Not all men are the same," Durak pointed out. He grinned and added, "Or women."
"Do you really believe that?"
Durak laughed. "Of course I do. Otherwise everyone would be a Knight of Leander."
Aleena shrugged it off. "I can feel it inside me. In my heart. I know what I want to do. I don't know how, but I'll figure that out on the way."
Durak was silent as they walked through the halls and ended up at the feasting hall beneath the temple. "I admire you," he admitted. "I've always had things come easy to me. The sword, the mace, the bow, everything but riding. I never got along with the horses my father had so I didn't bother trying. That's been my problem. If I don't get something right away, it's hard for me to learn it because I don't want to try."
"You're afraid of failing," Aleena observed.
Durak shrugged. "I don't know, maybe."
"Don't be, it's the best way to learn."
He chuckled again. "I think watching you might be the best way to learn! Or at least working with you. Just today I taught myself a few things I'd never considered while teaching you."
"We make a good team," Aleena said.
"Just don't tell Celos that. I don't want him breathing down my neck like he does yours!"
She laughed at his joke. Durak had come across as a jerk at first but the more time she spent with him, the more she liked him. He'd be a good friend, she was sure of it. Then again, she'd thought the same thing of Celos and now look at him. "Has anybody made it through on their first testing?"
"Not in recent history," Durak told her. "Even Celos was here for two full tests. He became a recruit the day after a testing so he'd have the entire time to learn and be ready for it, but still it took him two tries."
Aleena flashed him a smile and then gathered her dinner and moved to a table. She gave her blessing for the food and then devoured it. By the time Durak joined her, she was finishing up the last of her meal. She grinned around a mouthful of bread and then washed it down with a cup of water. She leaned closer to him and said in a hushed voice. "I'll make it at my next one!"
Durak smirked, spilling some water down his chin in the process. He scowled and wiped his face clean with his hand. "You're going to need to do a lot of work and even then, I've heard there are a lot of people who don't want to see you succeed."
She glanced down at her empty plate and nodded. Sir Amos had told her the same thing. But he'd also told her that if she worked hard, she could do it, although not in so many words. "Why should that matter?" she looked back up at Durak and asked. "Whether I succeed or fail is up to me, not them. I will work harder than anyone. My only real challenge is you, and you already told me you're lazy when it comes to something you're not a natural
They spent the next hour with Durak offering tips on how to wield the sword and mace. He showed her what worked for him and they tried to come up with ways to use her smaller frame to invent moves that would work for her. Aleena couldn't generate the force that Durak was capable of but she was quicker and more agile.
She learned that she'd been striking too hard and exhausting herself. A thrust that buried her blade into her opponent was no more effective than one that pierced the body. Putting that much force into a lunge made it not only tiring, but also wild and inaccurate. By the time Durak convinced her enough was enough , she was beyond exhausted. Her body was tingling and each step she took made her feel as though she would either float off the ground or collapse onto it.
"Why are you grinning?" Durak asked her.
"I won't let him beat me," Aleena said. "I have a friend who is a great warrior. I watched him when he barely knew how to hold a sword and now he has become a champion and a hero. I saw how he was beaten and laughed at many times while he learned his way, but he never gave up. He never backed down. He is my inspiration. He showed me what we're capable of."
"Not all men are the same," Durak pointed out. He grinned and added, "Or women."
"Do you really believe that?"
Durak laughed. "Of course I do. Otherwise everyone would be a Knight of Leander."
Aleena shrugged it off. "I can feel it inside me. In my heart. I know what I want to do. I don't know how, but I'll figure that out on the way."
Durak was silent as they walked through the halls and ended up at the feasting hall beneath the temple. "I admire you," he admitted. "I've always had things come easy to me. The sword, the mace, the bow, everything but riding. I never got along with the horses my father had so I didn't bother trying. That's been my problem. If I don't get something right away, it's hard for me to learn it because I don't want to try."
"You're afraid of failing," Aleena observed.
Durak shrugged. "I don't know, maybe."
"Don't be, it's the best way to learn."
He chuckled again. "I think watching you might be the best way to learn! Or at least working with you. Just today I taught myself a few things I'd never considered while teaching you."
"We make a good team," Aleena said.
"Just don't tell Celos that. I don't want him breathing down my neck like he does yours!"
She laughed at his joke. Durak had come across as a jerk at first but the more time she spent with him, the more she liked him. He'd be a good friend, she was sure of it. Then again, she'd thought the same thing of Celos and now look at him. "Has anybody made it through on their first testing?"
"Not in recent history," Durak told her. "Even Celos was here for two full tests. He became a recruit the day after a testing so he'd have the entire time to learn and be ready for it, but still it took him two tries."
Aleena flashed him a smile and then gathered her dinner and moved to a table. She gave her blessing for the food and then devoured it. By the time Durak joined her, she was finishing up the last of her meal. She grinned around a mouthful of bread and then washed it down with a cup of water. She leaned closer to him and said in a hushed voice. "I'll make it at my next one!"
Durak smirked, spilling some water down his chin in the process. He scowled and wiped his face clean with his hand. "You're going to need to do a lot of work and even then, I've heard there are a lot of people who don't want to see you succeed."
She glanced down at her empty plate and nodded. Sir Amos had told her the same thing. But he'd also told her that if she worked hard, she could do it, although not in so many words. "Why should that matter?" she looked back up at Durak and asked. "Whether I succeed or fail is up to me, not them. I will work harder than anyone. My only real challenge is you, and you already told me you're lazy when it comes to something you're not a natural
Similar Books
