You were on the verge of slaying half of the knights here.
The men were not subtle in their insults against you, practically shouting them out. They tried to get the rookies and the others to join them, some even threatening them. You were internally deadpanning at this immaturity. 'If this is the age of men, then I'm happy to be the one to destroy it.' you internally raged.
Only some of them looked apologetic, one of them being Commander Cole, who looked sheepish at this outcome. "I'm sorry for their. . . rudeness, Yuu."
You sighed. "It's alright, I might as well learn from this."
The knight who played the referee looked at both of you. "Are you ready?" you both readied your wooden swords. "Start!" Cole attacked first, thrusting his wooden blade at you. You parried in response before taking a step and clashing your wooden blade against his. The fight became a dangerous dance between you and the commander, eyes locked as your feet stepped in time with his as blades clashed against each other like lightning.
You both parried thrust and blocked each other.
Cole had an excited grin when facing you after blocking an attack from behind. "You're quite the swordsman, Maid Yuu."
"Your words flatter me, Commander," you replied evenly as you blocked a swipe of his blade.
His eyes were shaking with adrenaline and excitement, his focus was single-mindedness on you and your sword. In short, he lowered his guard when it comes to unpredictable things. You saw these as your chance as you thrust your blade at him, the two blades grazing each other before you flicked your wrist, and Cole's wooden sword was sent flying to the air.
Seeing him distracted and surprised, you quickly went to ground level, stuck out your leg, and swiped at his feet. You watched his shocked pupils of his as he hit the ground. You swiftly stood up, single-handedly caught his sword that went into the air, before pointing it at his neck. You ignored the shocked gasps of the knights as you stared down at Cole, distantly feeling the window blowing your bang away from your covered eye.
You heaved in breaths before flipping the sword you were pointing to its edge and handing it to Cole. "That was fun," you commented before handing him the other sword, dusting your dress, and walking away from the training area. The knights that previously jeered and insulted you stayed silent as they made way for you. You internally smirked at the result.
You'll have these men on their knees.
Cole ignored his comrades when they helped him up as he continued to stare at your back as your figure became smaller, heart pounding from the rush of battle and excitement and the blood roared in his veins. Incredible, was the one word he could summarize you. A woman that only appears in a hundred years, sue him for exaggerating.
He never met a single woman in the kingdom who could equal him, much less, fight!
Yet you, the usual kind and warm mother figure of the servant staff beat him against a swords fight. The power you held when you challenged him had him shivering in excitement as those silver eyes glinted under the sun. Eyes that resembled silver metal were crafted into jewelry for nobles and are too expensive for commoners. They held knowledge that only you know of, something he wouldn't understand. Your hair braided into a tight ponytail before it became messy as dozens of loose strands danced in the wind as you fought.
The way you fought him was a surprise as you managed to equal him on the footing and on speed, your strength is more than a regular woman. He knew that there was a civilization of strong women outside of the kingdom, to the point they were called monsters, but your strength didn't make you a monster.
It made him see you as something elegant and strong.
So calm, so mature, so - he could go on and on. And that was from one interaction.
But he fell into a pool of admiration.