Sergio couldn't believe what he just heard from his commander.
- How can she continue the training, her foot is swollen and she can't even walk!
- Something like that can happen in the war, the enemy won't be merciful and give her time to heal her wound. She must continue.
- But...
- I said she must continue. Unless she wanted to retreat and go back home. In that case, no one will hold her back.
Anastasia was feeling so much pain, she was a little bit surprised by the commander's orders.
" Wow, he is really heartless. "
But then she remembered the moment he checked the wound on her neck. She got mixed feelings about him.
- Anastasia can you walk? I will persuade the commander to let you go this time.
Anastasia smiled, then she tried to stand up on her own.
- I'm fine, Sergio. I will continue the training.
- Are you sure?
She looked at the commander with confidence:
- Yes, I am.
" I must do something about this swollen ankle. "
She ripped off a piece of cloth from her uniform, then she wrapped it around her twisted ankle.
" This way, I won't feel so much pain "
After that, she walked back to her position like it was nothing.
- I'm ready to continue.
- Good, we wasted enough time.
The commander continued the training without considering Anastasia's leg injury. He made her run, jump and made every kind of exercise. He kept watching her, waiting for her to complain or even to stop to take a breath, but she never did that. She kept enduring severe pain to complete the training without a flaw.
" Why is she so determined? She can break her ankle at this rate. Is training this important to her or...Maybe leaving this place is what concerns her more? I need to know more about that woman. "
Meanwhile, Anastasia was having so much pain. She wanted to stop several times, but the thought of going back and marrying that man pushed her further.
" This pain is nothing compared to what I lived in my past life. I shouldn't act like a spoiled noble and ruin this chance to change my future. "
While she was running, her injured ankle couldn't handle it anymore and she was about to fall. Suddenly the commander grabbed her and prevent her from falling.
Anastasia panicked:
- I'm....I'm sorry...it...it won't happen again.
She wanted to step away from him, but he kept grabbing her arm while glaring at her ankle. Then, and without notice, he announced the end of the training:
- TODAY'S TRAINING IS OVER, YOU CAN GO BACK TO YOUR TENTS, EVERYONE.
Then he left.
No one understood what was going on, but they felt so happy that their torture ended that day.
- Why he suddenly stopped?
- Maybe he has something else to do. I can't believe we already finished. Hurry up, let's go before he changes his mind.
Anastasia sat down immediately while holding her ankle. The pain became unbearable.
Zachary came in a hurry to help her walk to her tent.
- Come on, lean on me. I will help you.
He helped her walk until she reached the tent and sat on a chair.
- Sit down, I will help you to take off your shoe.
Anastasia pulled her leg:
- It's okay, Lucia will help me, thank you for bringing me here.
- As you wish...
Lucia came in a hurry:
- MY LADY! ARE YOU OKAY? SERGIO TOLD ME THAT YOU TWISTED YOUR ANKLE.
- Well, I can't say that I'm fine. My ankle is very swollen. Help me take off my shoes and bring some cold water. it will help me to release some pain.
At that moment, Sergio came with a strange man.
- This is the camp's doctor, it will check your ankle.
Anastasia hid her legs. She didn't want anyone to see the scars on her feet.
- No, it's okay. I can handle it.
- But, he must treat your wound. I'm sure that it gets serious after all that training.
- It is just a simple swollen, nothing serious. I will call for him if it gets worse.
Sergio felt that Anastasia wasn't comfortable, so he didn't want to insist any more.
- Alright, as you wish...
then they left
Lucia brought some cold water in a bucket, then she helped Anastasia to take off her shoes and the cloth wrapped around her ankle.
She became shocked when she saw how much the ankle was swollen and red:
- MY LADY! IT LOOKS VERY SERIOUS. SHOULDN'T WE CALL FOR A DOCTOR TO CHECK IT?
- Don't make a fuss over it, It is nothing. In the training camp, a doctor should be called only for emergencies.
Anastasia put her foot, carefully, in the water and tried to not show Lucia how much pain she was feeling to not make her worried.
- We are still in the middle of the day, you can go and do your job, I can handle this on my own.
- Thank god the commander released you early or your bone would be broken.
- Yeah, it was such a good coincidence.
" Did he end the training early because of my injury? But he was the one who ordered me to keep training without considering it. I must be wrong, He will never do such a thing for me. "
Sergio went back to the commander to report to him:
- She refused the doctor to examine her.
- She did?
- Yeah, she said her injury was not that bad, but...
- But what?
- I felt that she didn't want the doctor to see her foot.
- Really?... Did you bring to me her information?
- There is not that much... Her mother died when she was born and her father married another woman after a few years. At age of thirteen, she started her training, and then at age of seventeen, she decided to come here.
The commander was recalling how desperate she was when she begged him to stay.
- Keep searching, there must be something else...
At night, Anastasia was laying in her tent. She tried to not move so her ankle would heal faster.
- My lady, how do you feel?
- It still hurts.
- Of course, it does. It will take several days to heal.
Anastasia sighed:
- I don't know how am I going to train tomorrow.
- Who said that you will train?
Said the commander while showing in front of them...