3 - A Knight’s Mandate (1)

The sound of groans and panting filled the morning air. In the morning sun's rays, dust swirled in the air as heavy boots pounded against the ground. Salt dripped from their brows as they breathed hard. The recruits were sweating profusely, their perspiration dripping between their shoulder blades and soaking their tunics beneath. They ran in a straight line, the ground beneath their feet shaking and cracking as they circled the training grounds. 

"Again!" shouted Dame Lieutenant Elara, her gaze narrowed. "Come on, ladies— what is this, a snail race?!" she taunted the men.

A round of laughter filled the air. This was how they trained every day: a warmup, followed by some exercises with the newer recruits. They weren't allowed to spar until their training reached a point where they could use a sword without breaking their arm. After their warmup, they spent a brief period of time learning about weapons and combat tactics in order to prepare them properly and quickly should they find themselves facing an enemy in battle.

Joon watched the session from afar, darkly-rimmed eyes scanning the recruits training as he leaned against the stone wall. Their movements weren't quite fluid yet, nor was their form perfect or their stance impeccable. But, given enough time, they would learn how to move and fight in unison. They had an impressive Knight to train them, after all. Dame Elara had been a valuable leader in their sister platoon, he recalled.

"Joon," a voice called from beside him. He turned. The Duke was approaching with a man at his side who was dressed in armor and carrying a long sword. 

He bowed politely. "Your Grace," Joon greeted, bowing low.

"This is Sir Lieutenant Gareth," the Duke introduced the man. He seemed older, but in good health; perhaps sixty years or so. "He is my right-hand man within the Knights of Suneo," he added.

Joon inclined his head. Sir Gareth gave him a respectful nod in return.

"I see you haven't run away, yet," the Duke continued with a slightly teasing tone. "Shall I take it that you have decided to join us?"

Sir Gareth interjected. "It is not permissible for outsiders to watch our training sessions." 

Joon's eyes flickered to him for a second before they returned to the Duke. "Yes, Your Grace."

"Splendid. You'll have to join the recruits; it's part of our regulations, but I'm sure you understand." 

"Yes, Your Grace," Joon replied, nodding slightly, "thank you." The Duke nodded to Sir Gareth, who promptly turned on his heels and walked away.

After he had left, the Duke smiled. "I have told him several times that he must stop being such a stick in the mud and learn to loosen up," he commented. "We can only do so much if we keep trying to force him to socialize with everyone else in the area."

Joon cracked a smile of his own, shrugging his broad shoulders. Sir Gareth was intimidating, but the war had seen him stare death in the face and tell it to back down. Prideful old men would not be enough to scare him away.

"Well," the Duke finished. "I'll leave you to it. Good luck, Joon. I expect to see you rise the ranks soon enough." 

Joon saluted him, watching as the Duke made his way back across the courtyard and vanished inside the castle. With a final glance, he turned and started heading toward the training grounds. The sun was rising higher into the sky, and the heat had begun to build up considerably during the training hour. 

"You," Dame Elara yelled when she caught sight of him, pointing to Joon. "Come here."

He obliged her request. Once she had him by her side, she handed him a wooden practice sword.

"This is Joon. He will be my assistant today. You all are very lucky that Joon has first-hand experience with fighting. The last group of recruits nearly lost their hands trying to help out," she boasted proudly. "Ok, Joon. Show them the grip first."

Joon nodded, lifting the wooden sword so the recruits could see it. 

"Right hand above left. Right hand aims, left hand controls the power. Give me a middle iron gate."

Joon adjusted his stance, legs spread shoulder width apart as he held the sword in front of his waist, tilting it downwards. 

"Great for quick responses," she explained, walking around him, suddenly pointing her sword near his chest. To his credit, Joon didn't flinch. "Terrible for defense— your whole torso is open. Complete iron gate next."

He nodded, moving his left foot forward, the sword held down and to the right, the sharp edge facing the opponent.

"This stance is pretty stable. Makes for strong and quick strikes from low to high, and you can easily move to another stance from here," she explained, gesturing at various spots on his body, by height. She turned to the recruits. "Okay, your turn now. Start with the grip. We've reviewed it a few times already, but it's important."

She watched as each recruit stepped forward and demonstrated the proper positioning of the hands for different positions before she called upon Joon to demonstrate the stances again, one at a time. Each time he did, it seemed like all the recruits fell over themselves to show off their own movements to impress them, and they kept repeating the technique until she was satisfied. 

When she saw Joon finish helping the last person, she approached him. "Alright," she said. "That's enough for now, everyone. We'll reconvene in an hour," she commanded. The recruits saluted sloppily and then began walking toward where their gear and armor lay discarded. 

"Joon!" she called out again. Joon immediately walked over to her, the wooden sword hanging loosely between his fingers. "Stay here and wait for me. I need to tell you something," Dame Elara ordered. 

He nodded in reply, but she didn't say any more. As soon as she was gone, the recruits broke out into a loud murmur and rushed over to the equipment to pack it up. Joon took his place once more against the wall, standing in the same place as before.

Dame Elara arrived shortly afterward, changed into a new set of tunics and leggings. "All right," she said briskly. "I'll get straight to the point. I think it's pointless that they're putting you through baby boot camp again, so I'm sending you to Sir Gareth and the Knights."

He raised an eyebrow. 

She rolled her eyes. "I know. His Grace told you to stick with the recruits, huh? That's his way of trying to get you to make some friends, you loner. I think you'd do just fine with the rest of the Knights. You're qualified, that's for sure."

He shrugged indifferently, turning around to begin walking away. He stopped dead in his tracks when Dame Elara put a hand on his shoulder, turning him around so that they were face to face. He stared into her eyes, feeling a little uncomfortable. It wasn't as though she had ever been intentionally kind to him.

She tilted her head, examining his face carefully. Eventually, she gave him a small smile. "What? Do you not care about the honor of the Knights? We fought together, you know?"

Joon didn't answer, but he lowered his gaze, looking down at his boots. "Nothing honorable about war," he muttered.

The corners of Dame Elara's lips twitched up. "Don't worry, boy," she reassured him. "You'll have plenty of time to redeem yourself if you want to. But you're wasting your time here with the recruits." She paused for a moment. "There isn't much I can teach you, anyway, if you're planning to get stronger," she admitted quietly. 

He sighed in defeat. Right. "Where do they train?"

She hid her smirk behind her hand. Caught him, hook, line, and sinker.