The Last Warrior Queen

Chapter 2

When I was younger and first came to the nunnery, I often asked the Head Mother where the crest on my necklace was from. No one in the kingdom had recognized it and I was told by a maid that it must be a kingdom that was destroyed long ago. The Head Mother would simply tell me that I would discover it’s origin when the time was right. Implying that she knew, but she would not tell me. It used to drive me mad.

But soon I had no time to dwell on it as my days were filled with training and learning. However, when laying in bed right before sleep took me, I would clutch my necklace and pray to God that he would let me know where my family came from. Eventually I decided that it must have something to do with my unusually good combat skills. Perhaps I’m descended from elite warriors from the north.

“Sylvia!”

My head shot up and my hand flew away from my necklace that I was absent-mindedly fiddling with.

“Yes Head Mother?”

“Quit daydreaming and get to the training grounds! You’ll be late!”

“Yes Head Mother I’m on my way.”

I quickly moved past Head Mother as she shook her head in dismay. I had been letting my mind wander a lot lately. Probably because I knew it was almost time for me to go back to Lord Regan and be married off. I was constantly praying that my husband would have most of his teeth, a gentle disposition, and many mistresses.

I hastily made my way to the training grounds and when I arrived a sword was tossed in my direction. I caught it without thinking and gave a side eye to the man who threw it at me.

“Well thank you for finally gracing us with your presence Sylvia”

My eyes narrowed at Sir Nolan. He was such a flirt and was a two faced liar who was not to be trusted in my opinion. Unfortunately he was a decent knight and wasn’t a bad teacher. Many of the girls greatly improved with his instruction.

Sir Nolan laughed heartily as I calmly walked over to the middle of the training grounds without a word in reply.

“Ah yes, lets get to it shall we? And Sylvia, I won’t go easy on you today. Your time here is almost up.”

A booming laugh came from behind me and everyone’s attention turned. It was Sir Roderick, the man who started training me when I first came here well before Sir Nolan’s arrival. Most ladies arrived when they were around 10 to 12 and anyone who was here with me initially had already left and been married off.

“Well do you hear that Sylvia? You don’t have to hold back anymore either!” Sir Roderick stated with his commanding voice.

I furrowed my brow at him, questioning if he really wanted me to show my full potential here on the training grounds to everyone. Once I turned ten he forbade me to go full out with any opponent when training. We did special trainings at night after that and most of the knights involved in training were sent to other posts. Sir Nolan arrived about a year after that and had never seen me at my full strength. I often either lost to him, or just barely won in an effort to hide my true skills.

Sir Roderick gave me a curt nod in response. I turned my attention back to Sir Nolan, who still had a cocky smirk on his face. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath and when I opened them it was like I was one with my surroundings.

I could see the fight before me. Like a musician looking at a piece of music and seeing how the notes will combine to become a melody and harmony. It was like a dance unfolding in front of my eyes and my eyes only. I was the only one who knew the steps and everyone else was just muddling through. Sir Roderick once told me that I looked like a graceful dancer when I fought, moving too fast and smoothly to be touched by any sword.

With one breath I knew the fight’s beginning, middle and end. It would begin with Sir Nolan on the offensive, opening with an aggressive attack to try and end things quickly. I would easily counter his attack and put him on the defensive. He was a skilled opponent and I would have to use a series of quick moves to put him off balance. It would end with me disarming him and my sword to his throat.

My eyes snapped to Sir Nolan who looked more than ready to fight.

“Begin!” Sir Roderick called.

And just like the vision I had seconds before, Sir Nolan rushed towards me. I moved in perfect time with the premonition, too quick for Sir Nolan to even react. Because I knew what was coming and he didn’t. In less than a minute I had my sword to his throat. He was left with a bewildered look on his face and without his weapon.

The sound of clapping rang out behind me and I quickly withdrew my sword and backed away from Sir Nolan. I turned to see Sir Roderick clapping with a huge grin on his face.

“Yes I think Sylvia is definitely ready to go out and face the world now.”

I smiled back at Sir Roderick and suddenly realized that soon I would be leaving this place forever. A wave of emotion passed over me, pricking my eyes with tears. That moment soon passed with Sir Nolan sputtering in disbelief behind me.

“What? How? When did she learn to do that? Is she even human? No one can move like that! Who are you?”

Sir Roderick placed a hand on my shoulder and said in a low voice “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him.”

He turned to everyone and said in a loud voice “That’s enough training today everyone. Back to your other duties.” With that everyone quickly dispersed, murmuring to each other. I sighed and began to walk back to the small armory to put up my sword.

“Sylvia!”

I quickly turned at the sound of my name and saw my best friend looking anxiously at me. Her large blue eyes were filled with worry and she nervously fiddled with the ends of her dark red hair.

“Ann, what is it? Is something wrong?” Ann knew almost everything about me, including my special training sessions, so I knew she wasn’t worried about what she just witnessed.

“There’s a messenger here for you, from House Regan!”

Damn. Here it is. I sighed and pulled Ann towards me to envelop her in a hug. I was of tall for a woman, but Ann was tiny. Her head barely reached my chest. I could feel her trembling and I knew she was crying.

“Please don’t cry Ann. Everything will be ok. We knew this day was upon us.”

I pulled away as Ann wiped her tears and nodded. “I’ll miss you Sylvia. You always make me feel like I can be someone worth while when I’m with you.”

I smiled down at her. “You are someone worth while Ann. Be brave ok?”

Ann nodded once again and gave me a quick hug before I headed off to the main hall to meet the messenger.