Matersson refused payment, saying Eleanor had already given him far more than any gold coin ever could. Over the course of the next weeks, I stayed at his farm, a smallholding half a day"s ride from the town. Every day we would train. He taught me to fight with sword and axe, how to defend myself with a shield or without. He punished every mistake I made, my body soon becoming a saga of cuts and bruises. I grew to hate him, the daily regime of exercises, moves, parries and ripostes relentless, without end. He told me to focus my hatred, and give iron to my limbs. Anger must be controlled, the desire to win all-important. So I strove to better him, to give him a taste of what he gave to me every day of my pitiful life.
Of course, no matter how hard I tried, he always answered every assault
