"What do you mean you are going to learn how to use a sword" said Annie in nothing but worry as she looked at Maddie who was beaming with happiness.
"I mean, Katarina agreed to teach us all how to use a sword" said Maddie as she smiled happily.
"Isn't that great?" asked Maddie as she smiled.
"Umm… I don't know about that Maddie; swords are rather dangerous... very dangerous" said Annie as she was folding her clothes.
"Oh there you go again Annie, being so careful, come on Annie, it's going to be cool, you already know how to use a bow, why don't you add sword fighting to that list as well" said Maddie.
"I don't know Maddie, I'm not really liking the idea" said Annie as she shook her head.
"Oh Annie, pleaseeee, pleaseee, I already got Matt on board he's down to learn how to use a sword, Curtis has agreed as well, and that Blondie is a show off, so please Annie, you are the only one that's left out now" said Maddie as she pleaded with Annie as Annie sighed.
"*Sigh*, Fine Maddie, fine" said Annie as she sighed.
"Yayyy" said Maddie as she laughed.
"I am only doing this to watch over you, because you are naturally dangerous, and adding a sword to that mix is a bad idea" said Annie.
"Oh you worry too much Annie, I won't kill anyone… except for that Blondie… if I could…" said Maddie.
"You see, and that's why I don't trust you, I don't want any heads falling off, and I warn you Maddie, don't you even dare try to hurt Prince Oliver, or else" said Annie.
"Oh fine, you have my word, gosh, what do you take me for, some sort of barbarian?" asked Maddie as she scoffed.
"You can be unpredictable sometimes" said Annie.
"True true, whatever" said Maddie.
"So what did you and Matt talk about when I was gone?" asked Maddie as she sat down on the bed.
"Well nothing much, Curtis said that he would ask Katarina when the storm would clear so we can get my powers back already, I'm just so relieved that it was actually worth it to come all the way here, I have to admit that I thought that we were just wasting our time here" said Annie as she sighed.
"Oh you and me both Annie, you and me both, no offence to Curtis, but I was sure that he was leading us in the wrong way" said Maddie as she laughed and Annie smiled.
"Yes, I can believe that" said Annie as she laughed, it was obvious that Maddie did not trust Curtis at all.
"Yeah, yeah, you don't have to rub it in" said Maddie as she laughed.
"Anyway, I'm going to talk to Matt, see you" said Maddie as she smiled and she got up as she walked out of the room as Annie shook her head and she smiled.
The next morning.
"So did you see your magic again?" asked Maddie as she and Annie walked out the back door to the training ground as she whispered.
"Nope, she's so annoying, she always does this, one moment she appears, and the next she disappears never to be seen again" said Annie as she sighed and she tied her hair into a ponytail.
"That does sound annoying, you seem to be enjoying your long hair now" said Maddie as she laughed.
"You know it's weird, I've been used to having short hair for so long" said Annie as she laughed.
"I can imagine" said Maddie as she and Annie walked past the trees as they saw, Ollie, Katrina, Matt and Curtis already on the open grassy ground as Ollie was talking to Katarina.
"I believe that a offensive approach during combat is the best" said Ollie as he smiled and he looked at Katarina.
"That may be so, but if you are too offensive, then you forget the importance of defence as well" said Katarina.
"But enough about that, you two finally decided to show up" said Katarina as she turned to look at Annie and Maddie who smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry" said Annie and Maddie as they both apologized.
"Hmm" said Katarina as she did not say anything at all, she was still busy wondering just who Ollie was, his understanding and knowledge of combat was something else, a normal person wouldn't have the amount of knowledge that he did.
"Alright, so does anyone here already know how to use a sword?" asked Katarina as Annie, Maddie, Matt and Curtis shook their heads as Ollie nodded proudly.
"What a surprise" said Katarina in a sarcastic tone as she sighed and she walked to a wooden shelf, wondering just why she agreed to this.
"A beginners, you need to know some basic safely rules" said Katarina as she turned to look at them.
"I will not tolerate any outbursts of anger, and I'm looking at you Maddie" said Katarina as she handed Maddie a sword.
"Hey, why me?" asked Maddie as everyone looked at her with a very obvious option as she scoffed.
"Hold your sword very delicately, your index finger and your middle finger have to both be extended along the both sides of the hilt, which is the handle of your sword" said Katarina as she gave Curtis, Matt and Annie a sword as Annie shook her head, wondering why she let Maddie talk her into this, she was not one for violence at all, she knew that there would be no need for her to ever need to use a sword.
"In sword fighting, we have something known as the two handle grip, but you don't need to know about that right now, I gave you beginner swords" said Katarina.
"So now, some ground rules, do not ever point your sword at someone if you are not in combat, do not accidentally drop your sword, mind your fingers and your toes" said Katarina as Maddie looked at her reflection in the blade, the sword was wayyy too shiny.
"And today, we are going to do nothing, than learn how to properly hold a sword, and how to stretch before attempting to use a sword" said Katarina.
"Aww, I thought that we would actually learn how to use it today" said Maddie.
"Not a chance, especially not when you are here" said Katarina as Maddie frowned, why did it seem like she was picking on her on purpose.
"Lady, I do not know what you are talking about" said Maddie as Katarina just looked at her.
"Anyway, Ollie, you can go practice over there" said Katarina as she looked at Ollie.
"Okay" said Ollie as he smiled, he was relieved that he did not have to sit here through a lesson on sword safety that he had already taken since he was five years old.
"See you guys, have fun" said Ollie as he smiled and Maddie scoffed as Annie laughed.
"Alright, let's get down to business" said Katarina as she looked at them all.
…
"Ugh, this is so boring, we didn't do anything fun" said Maddie as she groaned.
"Oh Maddie, you do realize that we are beginners" said Matt as he laughed and he shook his head.
"Whatever, it's still not fair, that Blondie got to go have fun" said Maddie as she and Matt walked back to the house as Ollie was ahead of them as Curtis said nothing as he walked ahead.
Annie was putting back her sword when Katarina walked behind her.
"Tell me something Annie" said Katarina as Annie behind her to see Katarina.
"Okay? What is it?" asked Annie.
"Who are you really?" asked Katarina as she had that question on her mind for a long time now, she would be stupid to actually think that Annie was a normal person.
"I don't understand…" said Annie as she feigned ignorance, she did not want another Ivor and Alina episode repeating again.
"You understand what I mean, who are you truly? I don't buy the idea of your hair growing overnight" said Katarina as she touched Annie's hair.
"Umm… I seriously don't know what you are talking about, I'm just Annie…" said Annie as she laughed awkwardly.
"Mhmm" said Katarina as she did not believe her at all.
"Alright then, you can go" said Katarina as Annie nodded and she quickly rushed to join the others as she breathed a sigh of relief, she did not know want Katarina being mean to them because she was a Grey.
Katarina looked as Annie ran away and she kept a blank expression on her face until she heard some rustling in the trees behind her.
"What are you doing here? I told you that I would come and see you" said Katarina as she turned to look at the trees.
"You never come and see me though" came the voice of an old woman in a black cloak as she walked to Katarina.
"Right…" said Katarina.
"Who were those children?" asked the woman.
"My guests, and no you cannot meet them" said Katarina as she closed the wooden shelf full of swords.
"I was not going to ask" said the old woman as Katarina scoffed out loud.
"Stay here, I will get you your things" said Katarina as she walked in the opposite direction as the woman scoffed.
"Always in a bad mood that girl" said the old woman to herself as she watched Katarina walk away.