Ch.11 Training

The morning after Elric was given his tittle of Royal Playmate and protector, he was awoken just before dawn by a loud bang on his door. Before he could even get out of bed Elric could hear a gruff voice calling to to him saying, "Hay young hero you going to sleep all day, or are ya going to come train like the the king ordered." It was none other hat the captain of the guard himself. His very tall and well build body was covered in heavy chainmail that was under his blue uniform. He had made the rank of knight captain by the age of twenty-five and was now in his thirties and given his current duty as captain of the guards around two years ago.

Just as the captain was going to bang on the door again Elric opened it walking out saying; "good morning sir."

"Good good, I see you are already dressed and have your trusty lil sword on your hip. I do hope you are ready go go thru hell, as I'm gonna train you till ya drop. King Foust told me just to me sure not to hurt you to much as it would upset the princess to see you all beat up, beyond that he would leave it up to me."

" Yes sir, and how should I address you, Odis forgot to tell me your name captain."

"Just call me Captain Davis. Now lets get going. Today I will show you the way to the training grounds, but after today I expect you to show up every morning at this time on your own. If need be ask your maid to make sure you are awake on time." After saying this captain Davis led Elric who was of course followed by Blaze thru the castile to the knights' training grounds.

The the training grounds were a large open field that covered the same area as what three professional sports stadiums would cover on Earth. In one corner a row of training dummies could be seen where a group of knights along with their squires and knights in training practicing. In another area an archery range was set up, and on the other side of this training area was another where knights could be seen on hoarse back running carvery formation drills.

Captain Davis led Elric over to the training dummies who where in the shape of a man holding a sword an shield. There where a few other types of dummies as well, with one being a log with poles sticking out that would spin when it was struck making the one training with it doge or block the incoming strike. "Elric I want to see what Blake taught you without having to make you fight someone. Because I can't be sure if they would be able to hold back, so until I know that at lest you won't die fighting another trainee, I want to see you strike this dummy one thousand times."

"Captain Davis, I'm only five, I do not know if I can count that high." Elric said. "Well you are smart enough to figure out how to save the princess so I know you can do it, Just strike it 100 times, 100 times as that would be 1000. If you can't hit it that many times today just hit it till you can't lift your arm to swing your sword any longer. Like I said this training is going to be hell for you as I only know how to train knights and most of them where more than twice your age when first starting out with even wooden sword. Now begin." Captain Davis said to Elric.

Elric started striking the dummy, and soon found out that it too would spin like the pole log. If he struck the shield the sword would come at him, if he struck the sword the shield would come in for a block. Elric quickly adapted and also figured out if he made a strike to the head or chest that would result in a killing blow if it was a real person the dummy did not move much.

Four hours later Elric could be seen laying on the ground wiped out, with Blaze licking his face. But he did it 1000 strikes; this totally blew the captain's mind he had only thought that he would be able to do two to three hundred at most before giving up or being knocked silly by not knowing to defend after hitting it the first time. Captain Davis walked over to Elric and lifted him up saying, "Well done young hero, I can see that you are quite skilled and that Blake must have taught you everything he knows in a really short amount of time, that or you have been swinging that lil sword of yours from the time you could walk."

"I was a little bit "older" that that." Elric chuckled.

"Alright. You can be done for today as you did very good. tomorrow you will fight with a squire, I just hope it is not you that kills him by mistake. For now go wash up, you still have book learning to do along with the princess. I almost fell sorry for you; to have to be stuck in a room full of those stuffy old bags. All they ever seem to do is make our little princess cry from telling her how to stand, sit, walk, talk, eat, and bow. I would not be surprised if they tried to teach her how to poo in a proper and noble way; good luck you are gonna need it."

Elric and Blaze went back up to his room and wash up. On his way into his room he told the maid assigned to him to be sure to kelp wake him up on time in the mornings. After washing up Elric changed into a fresh set of semi formal cloths and went down stairs to the princess' study. She was already in there surrounded by four old men with long gray beards and a middle-aged woman who was in a ball gown. When Elric walked it they where in the middle of teaching her about how to properly arrange and use a dinner set for a state dinner. In front of her was seven plates of different size and over twenty utensils including a tinny tiny spoon for salt. Elric now understood the captains warning.

The lady told Elric to come and be seated next to the princess on her right. a maid brought over a set of plates and utensils that matched what was in front of princess Aalis and the group of old people started instructing him on the formal state dinner as well. Elric thought well looks like htis is going to be my life for awhile. I'm going to go to bed with a sore body and mind from all this training.