“Again!”

Padraig’s voice cracked like a whip as he forced me to repeat the sword drill yet again. Annoying ass son of a bitch.

“Mother fucker...” Although I kept my voice as low as possible, I doubt my little protest managed to slip past that bastard’s ears. Honestly, he wasn’t really this much of a pain in my rear most of the time, but for some reason Padraig decided to really go to town on my ass today. I didn’t fuck up anything today or yesterday, so it’s just like... What gives, dude?

Again and again, my sword fell on the training dummy in front of me. Left, right, overhead, right backhand, backstep, parry, thrust. Rinse and repeat. It was the same old sequence that I’d performed countless times in the past and I’d long gotten tired of it, yet Padraig continued to insist that I practice it day after day among everything else that he’d taught me.

To make matters worse, it was the very first sequence that squires learned, and although it had been new to me on my first day, I’d been a squire for nearly three years now! None of the other squires practiced this combination. In fact, I doubt they even remembered it. So why was I the only squire in the entire Imperial Order who was forced to continue this charade?

Good fucking question, because I sure as hell didn’t have the answer.

I finished the sequence yet again, only to have Padraig repeat the same command. Normally, I was pretty good at following orders. Exemplary, even. But I had my limits, and he was slowly beginning to approach one of them. Actually, no. He’d pushed me past the breaking point, and I wasn’t going to do this stupid shit anymore.

I took up my stance in front of the training dummy, appearing as though I would actually continue carrying on his stupid ass orders. I cut left, right, and then I gathered all my strength before sending my weapon crashing down on the training dummy’s head. Although my training sword was blunt, it was still made of steel and more than capable of completely smashing the dummy into pieces.

I puffed my chest out in pride as I admired the fruits of my labor. Wooden pieces littered the ground before me, mercilessly reduced to splinters and sawdust by none other than my blade. A rather fine piece of work, if I do say so myself. There was no way this thing would get repaired before the end of the day.

“Whoops. Looks like the training dummy was a bit too weak for me, Padraig. Mind if we move on to something else?”

Padraig narrowed his eyes, but showed no other signs of displeasure despite the shit-eating grin plastered on my face. “No, that will be enough for today. You are dismissed, Medrauta.”

“Cool. Seeya tomorrow, Padraig. Same time?”

Unfortunately, he didn’t respond. Instead he simply turned and walked away without even a second glance. Honestly, I have no idea what the hell even goes on inside that man’s mind. One second he can be chastising you and the next he’s praising you. Either that, or he can be a hardass and a taciturn fuck like today. Talk about weird.

I picked up my towel resting on a bench not too far from the training grounds, planting the blunted training sword into the soft dirt beneath my feet. Normally, I’d be sitting down by now, but today I felt like staying on my feet for whatever reason. Maybe I was still a little pissed off about how Padraig wasted my time, but then again, he used to be the order’s commander, so there must’ve been a point to his training. Hopefully, at least.

“Medrauta! What’s with the long face?” Esmeralda grinned as she approached me. The dark-haired, emerald-eyed squire was a longtime friend of mine. Although I wasn’t exactly a well-received recruit in the Imperial Order due to my background as an orphan, she was the first one to extend a helping hand to me. I had no idea why she was so chummy with me, but I guess some things just happen. Besides, I wasn’t complaining either. She was great at brightening the mood despite her questionable intellect at times and a pretty awesome sparring partner.

“You tell me, Esme. Padraig’s been driving me fuckin’ insane the whole day. First, he made me run laps for reasons only Aluvsha knows, and then I’ve been on the same goddamn drill since noon.” I said as Esmeralda plopped herself down on the bench, taking a long swig of water from her flask. The sheen of sweat on her caramel skin told me that she’d been training rather hard today as well. No surprise there seeing as Esmeralda was one of the stronger squires.

“Yeah? Same here. I just got out of a crazy training session with Dame Carla. Know her?”

“Know of her. Haven’t really spoken with the senior knights too much seeing as they’ve got a stick up their ass. ‘Least they don’t talk shit or make me run bullshit errands anymore.”

Esmeralda grimaced. “Yeah... Dunno why they’re so stuck on pedigree. I mean, we’re all part of the same order, and it’s not like you’re dead weight either... Actually, now that I think about it, they might be jealous.”

“Jealous?” I squinted. “Jealous of... me?”

“I mean... Who else? You pretty much kicked Sir Uriel’s ass last year and then you fucked up Dame Helena just last month. I don’t think there’s ever been a squire as strong as you in the entire history of the empire,” Esmeralda shrugged. “Plus, you’re Sir Padraig’s personal squire. Hell, even I’m a little jealous of you.”

I couldn’t help but blush at the string of flattering remarks that Esmeralda just shot my way. As much as I wished otherwise, I wasn’t exactly immune to flattery, particularly when it was coming from one of my closest friends. “Oh... Uh, thanks I guess?”

Esmeralda flashed me a smile. “Yeah, no prob. Helps to have someone stroke your ego from time to time, huh? Anyway, you looked pretty bummed out, so I thought we could spend some time together. Blow off some steam and relax, y’know?”

“Sure,” I said. “No Melindra?”

“Not today. Mel got into deep shit with the stablemaster for taking a warhorse out without permission. It wouldn’t have been that bad, but she used it to sneak herself into a jousting tournament, and to make matters worse, the whole imperial family was watching.” Esmeralda shook her head in exasperation. While the dark-haired squire knew she could make a few questionable decisions herself from time to time, whatever Melindra had done was way beyond idiotic.

“Well... Did she at least win?” I asked.

“Nearly. The stablemaster went looking for his missing horse and nearly popped a vein when he saw Melindra in the quarterfinals. Obviously, she got disqualified immediately, but just between you and me... I think the stablemaster was pretty proud of her. Apparently, she would’ve won the pass.”

“That’s my girl,” I laughed. “So, where’re we headed, Esme?”

Esmeralda led me out of the training grounds and down a rather long street that ran parallel to the tall walls surrounding the Imperial Order’s headquarters. Looking from the outside made the whole place seem like a penal facility, but I suppose the inside wasn’t much different either. Although a few areas of the headquarters boasted a lot more amenities and comfortable accommodations like cushioned chairs, that sort of decoration was reserved only for places frequented by nobles. Squires like myself lived in spartan conditions just like all the other knight orders.

“Not far from here,” Esmeralda admitted. “With the Imperial Palace so close, we can’t really wander around much, what with all the patrols everywhere. It took me quite a while to find this place where we can have some peace and quiet. Might turn it into our little hangout spot or something.”

“Sounds good to me. I could do without some idiotic senior knight walking up to me every other day and challenging me to a duel.”

Esmeralda raised an eyebrow. “You know that’s partially your own fault for provoking them, right? Anyway, we’re here! Welcome to Esme’s super secret special retreat!”

I glanced around, nodding my approval. The area was free and devoid of patrolling guards despite its proximity to the Imperial Order’s headquarters. Located behind a wall at the end of a somewhat sketchy looking alleyway, the little outcrop was a slightly dangerous place to be. Seeing as the headquarters were built on the side of a mountain, a good deal of walls needed to be constructed even around the streets surrounding the structure. Because of that, the areas outside the walls weren’t exactly smooth and you’d get a few rocky edges jutting out from the mountain beneath.

The place Esmeralda had found was one of those edges and it stuck out larger than most other outcrops. In fact, there was even a beautiful tree with golden leaves growing on it with plenty of room for us to sit beneath. Well, “plenty” is sort of an overstatement, but I doubt we’d get too hurt even if we ended up falling to the bottom. Probably.

“Nice place. You sure it won’t collapse under our feet?”

Esmeralda shrugged. “This tree’s been here for way longer than we have, so it’s probably safe, right? Besides, it’s not too high up. I can still see the shingles on that roof over there.”

“Yeah, I guess so... Didja bring anything to eat?”

“Nope. You?”

“I literally followed you right after Padraig finished busting my ass.” I laughed. “But I guess it’s fine... Just watchin’ the scenery like this and seeing everyone go about their lives down below is alright too. I guess it... reminds me of what I’m trying to protect as a knight. Padraig might shove some bullshit my way from time to time, but I’m sure he’s got a reason for it.”

Esmeralda grinned, nodding in agreement. “Yeah... Honestly, I wanted to awaken as a noble, but... Now that my destiny is that of a knight, I feel like maybe Aluvsha really did make the right choice. I mean, I’m not really the religious sort, but... Y’know. Whenever I hold a sword in my hand, it just feels right.”

For a moment, the image of Esmeralda dressed in a fancy noblewoman’s dress flashed through my mind, and I shook my head like a duck shaking off water as I attempted to dispel the cursed thought. Her tall, muscular frame coupled with her tomboy attitude made her ill-fit when it came to appearing elegant, but she did have a different type of charm. One that was far better suited for the battlefield than the dainty ballrooms of nobility.

“You can say that again. I can’t imagine myself as a noble, much less you.”

Esmeralda laughed and nodded. “Yeah. It’d be tough for me to fit into those tiny dresses, huh? ‘Sides, I much prefer armor. Makes me feel safe and cozy.”

I nodded knowingly, a slight pang of annoyance striking me as I recalled how Padraig had prevented me from donning heavy armor. I understood his reasoning and the theory behind it, but I wanted to at least give it a shot. Maybe it wouldn’t be as restrictive as he thought, but then again, I doubt I was anywhere near as hardy as Esmeralda.

The two of us sat together in comfortable silence, staring off into the distance and watching the sun fall lower and lower against its blue backdrop. Though we had neither snacks nor drinks, the moment itself was more than enough to fill our weary souls. As the last rays of golden sunlight began to fade from the sky, an unfamiliar but upbeat tune filled the absence of the sun’s warmth.

A simple, rustic piece that brought your spirits up. Hardly the type of music that would accompany dusk. It was a nice tune, but never did I think such a piece would become instrumental to the woman who became my lady several years down the line.

I opened my eyes, a faint smile on my face as the memory of that day I spent with Esmeralda slowly faded from my waking mind. I turned, gazing at Viviane’s sleeping face. For a noblewoman who was more accustomed to sleeping in a warm bed, she certainly wasn’t having any problems sleeping outdoors.

But then again, perhaps raising her troops’ morale personally gave her the peace of mind to fall asleep so snugly. I ran a hand through her golden hair, appreciating her beauty for a moment before we were forced to continue marching yet again. Although I was worried about the speed of our troops, somehow I knew that wouldn’t be a problem any longer thanks to Viviane’s music.

...Thanks, Esme.