Chapter 43

A month had passed since Freya started to work as Lucius’ servant. He had spent so much time nagging her and it seemed that he did not like her being still. Compared to Archer, or even Sophia, Lucius nagged her so much. But Sophia had often hit her, something Lucius had never done, so in that respect, she supposed that she was able to consider herself lucky. Still, she felt bored by the tediousness of everyday life.

Lucius was leading his army to the forest today, and Freya stood around staring at the horses and supplies. She didn’t have anything particular that she had been tasked with, and she had been told that she couldn’t go anywhere. She thought to herself that Lucius was somewhat of a bully, and she wished that she were able to enjoy the nice sunshine with Archer, perhaps eating a chicken leg or two. Her sense of boredom was making her feel tired, so she bent down and picked up a branch to distract herself. She saw the white tights covering her legs, and wondered why she had been instructed to wear white. It didn’t make much sense, as her job often required her to get dirty, yet Lucius had insisted that she be dressed in white.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Gemini standing nearby and wondered why they had never exchanged many words apart from the standard common greetings. She resolved to try and talk with him now, and approached with a simple, “Hello Sir.” Gemini acknowledged Freya’s presence with a nod, so she continued, “His Majesty went to check for enemies in the forest.” Gemini didn’t seem to be in a talking mood and brusquely replied, “I know. I’m waiting for his request for backup.”

Freya suddenly remembered something from the recent past, and with some courage, she asked Gemini, “Sir, do you want to start repaying the debt that you owe me?” Gemini’s calm expression cracked and he snapped, “What on earth do you mean?” Freya smiled slyly and said, “You know, that time you tortured me.”

With a troubled expression, Gemini responded, “I already apologized about that. And if you remember correctly, I didn’t torture you in the true sense of the word.” Freya lifted her sleeve to reveal a faint red scar on her arm, and explained to Gemini, “You know that my skin is as soft as a baby goat. But this spot where the rope was just would not heal. And when the rains come, my wrists ache in pain. And you are aware of the reason for this, aren’t you?” Gemini sighed in resignation, and replied, “OK. Just tell me how you would have me pay you back. What is it that you require?” Gemini’s reaction made Freya realize that she now had an advantage over him and thought quickly but carefully about how she could best make use of this situation. With a smile, she announced, “I would like to learn swordsmanship.” Gemini looked horrified at the suggestion, so Freya continued, “It’s purely for self-defense. I have no ambition to become a knight or anything like that.” She had been getting stronger through her recent training with Archer, and now she was ready to learn some professional skills. Skills that would protect her from people like Shilo if they ever touched her again. Gemini had a pained expression on his face as he explained, “Swordsmanship isn’t something that anybody can learn by picking up a sword and swinging it around.” He knew how long it took to develop the stamina required for those who wished to become knights, and he was also aware that it was almost unheard of for a woman to do such a thing. She may be dressed in masculine clothing, but she was still a woman and certainly did not have the credentials to match a man. Gemini simply couldn’t understand why His Majesty had selected this woman to be so close to him when there were so many stronger men available.

Freya and Gemini were standing in the field and watching a group of topless men practice fighting. While she was staring at them, Freya asked Gemini, “So I have to do what those men over there are doing?” Gemini nodded in affirmation so Freya continued, “And if I can do that, then you will teach me?” Gemini hesitated a little and then started, “But…. but you are a….” Before he could finish his statement, Freya rolled up her sleeves and tucked her shirt into her pants. Gemini wasn’t sure where to direct his gaze at this point, but he reasoned to himself that he had to give her this chance because, after all, he had made a mistake with her in the past. He just hoped that she wouldn’t get hurt.

Freya seemed ready to fight at this point, so Gemini selected one of the men from the crowd to be her opponent. The man he selected was small and thin and did not attempt to hide his displeasure at being selected for such a task. He stared at Freya and rudely asked, “Are you just playing with us here because you’re a servant of His Majesty?” Freya didn’t seem bothered by his aggressive tone, and confidently replied, “I hope you can teach me well.” A crowd was forming around them as curious onlookers began to gather. Something like this was highly unusual, and a welcome break from the monotony of their daily existence. A referee had appeared and held a red flag and began to wave it in the direction of Freya and her opponent, who growled, “I won’t go easy on you because you’re a girl.”

The small, thin man charged at Freya and tried to grab her collar. He didn’t see the point of making any kind of strategy as this was clearly a matter of course. This young girl would have no idea about fighting and he was going to make her look extremely foolish. He imagined the praise and attention that he would get from his fellow soldiers in the evening as they drank together and laughed about the events that were about to transpire.

Unfortunately, he was so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn’t bothered with any kind of guard. Freya, quick as lightning, had recognized this and moved her head from left to right to quickly avoid him. She had practiced this kind of maneuver with Archer previously, and he was much bigger than the man who was currently in front of her. She easily dodged his charge and he flew right past her. When he turned around to face her again, his face was red with anger and he exclaimed, “You sneaky wench. Do you believe you can defeat me by simply moving out of my way?” With a loud yell, he launched himself at Freya again and this time she was too slow to avoid his charge. She flew through the air after his impact and landed in the corner, covered in dirt. Her opponent was laughing loudly, along with some of the crowd. Freya picked out Gemini’s face and saw that he was watching, motionless, with no expression.

Freya was shocked as she lay on the floor and tried to get her breath back. Surely she should have been able to dodge the skinny brute who had charged at her. He hadn’t seemed faster than Archer, who she had practiced with many times, but now she felt embarrassment at having been put down in the corner by him. Her opponent approached her, still grinning widely, and said, “If you give up now, I will stop.” Was his pride damaged at having to fight a lady? Freya resolved to continue, as she wanted to get the better of this man. She replied, “If it’s OK with you, I’d like to continue.”

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