“Focus your attention on me, Ari. You need to make sure you’re prepared all the time.”
Arabella huffed, taking a step back from her sparring partner and lowering her arms to shake them vigorously. They had begun to ache only 10 minutes into their training session – but she was trying to power through the pain so that she could improve herself. After last night, and realising she still had a long way to go until she could properly defend herself, she wanted to make sure she was ready for anything.
“I know I do,” she stressed, rubbing her tired face anxiously with one hand, “I thought I was prepared, El.”
Her teacher sighed, relaxing his stance once he realised that they weren’t going to continue fighting anytime soon. “Ari, don’t let what happened shake your confidence. You’re strong,
