Chapter 35 - Strike

Siv turns flat on her back tossing the covers away and spreading her arms across the bed. She only got a little more than two hours of sleep last night. She stares at her intricately decorated canopy and sighs.

'Is it possible to die from insomnia?'

It is still dark outside, but Siv pushes herself out of bed, and walks to the bathroom to wash her face. Erling said that she would send her appropriate clothes for training, but she doesn't see any around. She quickly rings for Veda, feeling a bit guilty since it is way too early for most of the servants wake up time. Veda shows up minutes later with folded garments in her hands.

"Good morning, my lady." She sounds tired. "Here are the clothes that Captain Erling sent you."

"Thank you Veda." Siv takes them from her hands and unfolds them. Brown twill pants and a gray cotton tunic. Her eyes sparkle just by looking at them. She can't wait to wear them, it feels like she hasn't worn comfortable clothes in years.

"The shoes are being shined right now." Veda informs. "Let me help you change, my lady."

"No need, Veda." Siv beams. "I can do it. Just bring the shoes when they are ready, please." Veda hesitates for a moment before she bows.

"Yes, my lady."

Siv turns and studies the clothes again with excitement.

'Now the question is, how do we wear this without a corset or underwear?'

She decides to wear undergarment pants underneath. But the top is problematic. How can she train without a bra?

'Maybe I should introduce 'the bra' to this world. A sport's bra would be really convenient for training.'

She racks her brains to try and find a substitute to a bra, just for now, because she plans on making it later. Then, she remembers a montage from a movie she watched a long time ago, 'She's The Man' where Amanda Bynes used bandages to bind her chest as she pretended to be a boy.

"Lady Siv, the shoes are ready." Veda enters the room at the perfect moment.

"Veda, do we have any long cloth?"

"Long cloth?"

"Yes, maybe even a long but thin shawl." Veda disappears into the closet for a moment and comes back out with a few choices in her hands.

Siv chooses a floral print cotton shawl because it is the longest. Veda helps her wrap it around her chest and secure it in place. After she puts the tunic on, Siv jumps a few times even doing some jumping jacks to test the fabric.

'Oh yeah, genius.'

When Siv makes it to the training grounds, Erling is already sweating from her activities.

"Good morning Captain."

"Lady Siv." She bows slightly. "Are the clothes comfortable?"

"Yes, thank you. I will return them as soon as I have some made."

"Don't worry about it, my lady. You can keep them."

Siv looks around at the huge training grounds, it is straight out of a historical movie. A few buildings are scattered around and there is more than enough space for hundreds of people to train at the same time. She notices a few soldiers who watched them from a distance while whispering to each other.

"Don't pay attention to them." Erling says as she walks to one of the small buildings. Siv isn't sure whether to follow her or not, but she decides to stay put. She stands awkwardly, avoiding the men's eyes.

'Does Erling go through this crap every day?'

"Are you ready, my lady?" The captain walks back toward Siv while holding two wooden swords.

'She doesn't seem affected by all the staring and sneering at all.'

"Yes, I am, Captain."

"Good." She throws one of the swords to the ground. "Pick it up."

'Erling is in full Captain-mode now.'

Siv leans to pick up the wooden sword.

'Holy shit, it's heavy and big.'

"Did you expect it to be a feather?" Erling says as if she could read Siv's mind. She throws her wooden sword in the air with ease, then in a series of tosses, she moves it between her left and right hand. She lets the sword balance on the back of her hand as if it really were as light as a feather.

'Show off.'

"It is because you have no strength in your arm that you can't even pick it up with one hand. We will work on that first." Erling circles Siv a few times before facing her again. "Stand straight, your hips need to fully face your enemy." She orders. "Bend your knees a little, put your left leg forward. Your weight should be evenly distributed on both legs." Siv complies with every one of her orders. "Now, hold the sword up. Higher."

'Oh God.'

"Higher." Erling repeats. "You should have a good hold on the grip, but not too tight to the point of your hands hurting."

"Yes, Captain." Siv adjusts her hands on the grip. Her arms have already started to hurt from holding the heavy sword above her head. The captain walks around her again watching her posture. Siv's arms are starting to shake.

"Now watch." Erling takes the same position as Siv. "To strike, I am going to step forward with my right foot, not straight forward, but a little bit to the right so that I am a little off the line of attack of the enemy." The captain takes a step back and forth, demonstrating the movement. "Now." With a strike, Erling's sword makes a loud noise cutting through the air.

'Damn.'

"The strike down is not in a straight line, but a little bit tilted. Imagine cutting through your enemy's body, from left shoulder to right hip."

Erling's words disturb Siv a bit. She didn't really imagine that she would have to cut through someone's body. But as Erling strikes her sword a few more times to show her, she is faced by the reality of the situation. She would probably have to kill someone in order to survive.

"Your turn." Siv strikes with the determination she has just found. "Tighten your grip. Again." Erling starts circling her again.

Strike.

"Again."

Strike.

"Keep your eyes up. Again."

Strike.

"Straighten your back. Again."

Strike.

"Again."

Strike.