The morning sun had barely risen when Elara heard a knock on her door. She groggily sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. The clock on her bedside table read 5:30 AM. She had expected this—Arthur had warned her the previous evening. It was time to start her real training.
"Ready, little princess?" Arthur's voice came from the other side of the door.
She sighed, dragging herself out of bed. "Coming, elder brother." Her body ached from the previous day's exercises, but she couldn't afford to slack off. If she wanted to become stronger, if she wanted to stand out at the military school, she had to push herself.
Elara quickly changed into her workout gear and joined her brother in the backyard. The crisp morning air hit her face, but she barely noticed it as she adjusted her form and prepared for the first grueling task of the day.
Arthur stood there, already in his running gear, looking ready for a full day of training. He raised an eyebrow as he saw her sluggish pace. "You're already falling behind," he teased with a grin, but there was no humor in his tone. "Let's go. We'll start with a 5-kilometer run. Don't even think about stopping."
Elara's stomach dropped. 5 kilometers? She had never pushed herself that far before. But she wasn't about to back down. "Fine," she muttered under her breath, though a part of her was already beginning to dread what lay ahead.
The run began at a brisk pace, with Arthur easily pulling ahead. Elara struggled to keep up, her breath coming in shallow bursts. Her legs burned with each step, the muscles protesting, but she pushed herself forward. The first kilometer felt like a breeze, but soon after, her body began to show signs of fatigue. She kept telling herself to keep going, that she had to push through, but the second and third kilometers felt like an eternity.
By the time they reached the fourth kilometer, Elara was gasping for air, her muscles begging for a break. She stumbled slightly, her legs wobbling beneath her, but she refused to stop.
Arthur turned around to check on her, his face serious. "You're slacking, Elara. Do you want to succeed or not?"
His words hit harder than she expected. He wasn't going to cut her any slack. Elara swallowed the bitterness rising in her throat. She wasn't about to disappoint him—or herself. With renewed determination, she pushed her legs to move faster, ignoring the burning sensation in her chest.
They finally reached the 5-kilometer mark, and Elara collapsed onto the grass, breathless and drenched in sweat. She struggled to keep her eyes open, her body feeling like it might give out.
Arthur stopped and stood over her, not even a hint of sympathy in his gaze. "You need to be tougher than this. This is just the beginning. If you can't keep up with this, then you won't last a single day at military school."
Elara swallowed, the sting of his words making her grit her teeth. She had to be stronger—she had to push herself. "I'm not done," she said, pulling herself up, her legs shaking. "What's next?"
Arthur looked at her for a long moment, then gave a small nod of approval. "Good. You're starting to show some grit. Let's move on."
The rest of the morning was a blur of drills and exercises that pushed her to her limits. From push-ups to sprints, strength training to endurance exercises, Elara's body was tested like never before. And as the hours passed, she realized something—she was lagging behind. She wasn't as strong as she thought she was. Every movement was a struggle, every exercise a battle. But she refused to quit.
After hours of relentless training, Arthur finally called it a day. She collapsed on the grass once again, drenched in sweat, her muscles aching like never before. But even as exhaustion threatened to overwhelm her, Elara felt something stir inside her—a quiet fire, a resolve that hadn't been there before. She knew this wasn't going to be easy, but she was ready to keep going.
Arthur stood over her, his face inscrutable. "Good work today," he said, though the words were more of an observation than praise. "But don't think for a second this gets you off easy. Tomorrow, we start all over again."
Elara barely managed to lift her head, offering him a tired smile. "I'll be ready," she promised, though her body was screaming at her to stop.
Arthur chuckled lightly, ruffling her hair. "You better be. Tomorrow's going to be even harder."
As Elara glared at her brother, her body refusing to move from exhaustion, she felt her eyelids drooping. Arthur noticed the look of utter fatigue in her eyes, and with a small smile, he bent down and scooped her up effortlessly, carrying her in a princess style back to the house.
Elara, too tired to protest, let out a quiet groan but didn't resist. She closed her eyes as he carried her, feeling the cool morning air brushing against her flushed face. Her limbs felt like jelly, and she couldn't remember the last time she'd been this physically drained.
Once inside, Arthur set her down gently, and they both headed straight to the showers to wash off the sweat and exhaustion from their grueling workout. Afterward, they sat down for breakfast, where Elara found herself eating with an appetite she hadn't expected. Despite the soreness and fatigue, the warm meal felt like the perfect reward for the hard work she'd put in.
As Elara wolfed down her breakfast, her mother shot her a disapproving look. "Elara, you're eating like a man! You need to remember to be ladylike." Her voice was filled with concern, though there was no mistaking the slight reprimand.
But despite the words, her mother's hands never stopped serving her more food, piling it onto Elara's plate. Elara barely looked up, her exhaustion overtaken by hunger, and continued to eat, thankful for the comfort of the warm meal. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been so hungry after a workout.
Her brother, Arthur, watched with an amused smile, but even he couldn't help but notice how much food Elara was putting away.
"Mom, she's not going to stop you know," Arthur teased, watching his sister eat to her limit.
Elara paused for a moment, her cheeks flushed, and shot him a glare, but she was too tired to argue. She just kept eating, savoring each bite.
Her mother smiled softly, her stern look softening. "You need your strength," she said, her tone becoming more gentle. "But remember, don't eat like this every day, my princess."
Elara merely nodded, too full to say much. She had learned the hard way to never underestimate how much fuel her body would need after such intense training.
Author's note
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