Like Swirling Leaves in the Wind

It was Hilde's first weapon session at the Knight Academy. The training grounds were at the inner courtyard of Pegasus's Keep. Fighting was a central aspect of the education as a knight and the students were supposed to be able to have a good view from the castle. Practice but also observation were crucial in order to become a better warrior. At the training grounds, Hilde could see the other cadets, mostly men, training on some training dummies. They were warming up and some of them started taking their shirts of, revealing their trained upper bodies. Hilde rolled her eyes. Of course it was important to be athletic in order to survive on the battlefield. But why the bragging? Was it because of pride or to show dominance right at the start? She just knew that if she started taking her shirt off, her career as a knight would end pretty soon in a scandal. Women could be warriors but it was expected that they remained calm and humble. But that's the tradition, I guess. She thought to herself.

Though, she was excited to have made it to the Academy, she also was a little nervous. Albeit she had trained with one-handed swords before, she always felt a little clumsy with them. Most swords she had tried just didn't feel right in her hand. She didn't know exactly why, though.

Hilde picked one of the swords from the armory and walked to one of the free training spots. Next to it stood Lieutenant Violet who assigned the training partners. "Sparrows, right?", she said. Hilde nodded. "You will spar with Firebrand today."

Her partner Thul Firebrand was a typical male knight. Tall, athletic, square-faced and, especially in his case, at least slightly arrogant. But Hilde had to admit that he was quite talented with the sword. While observing the other first year students to learn from them, she noticed that his technique and power was superior to most others. And she wasn't the only one to notice. It didn't take long until he had quite a group of students gathered around him and admiring him.

"Lieutenant, are you sure that it is a good idea to let us spar? I really don't want to hurt a girl," Thul asked. Lieutenant Violet raised an eyebrow. "Not that girls are weak, I just assumed that..." "Assumed what, cadet?" the Lieutenant interrupted. "It's nothing." Thul muttered. "I wouldn't have accepted anything else," the Lieutenant answered. Hilde hated these situations. It was bad enough to have all these disadvantages as a girl at the Knights Academy. But being pitied really was the icing on the cake. "Don't worry about me, I didn't come here to lose" Hilde said. Thul nodded "okay, but don't blame me if bruises ruin your face or anything."

Hilde flushed, but after the incident with Brogan, she decided that it would be wise not to attract that much attention again. She might be frustrated of the system and the men participating in it, but she didn't want to be the stereotypical "angry feminist". This time, she just wanted to practice her sword skills.

"Do you want me to get one of the foamed training swords? I don't want to be too hard on you" Thul said. "Let's just get started." Hilde replied. "As you wish," he said with a smirk.

After formally bowing heads towards one another, the sparring match started.

Thul lunged his sword for a downward strike. Hilde rolled to the side and countered with a slash. Thul deftly parried it. Hilde's thesis about his skills was valid after all.

She tried a three-step combination only to have her attack blocked on the third hit. Thul easily disarmed her. A kick to her stomach. She landed in the dirt.

Her sparring partner started laughing, "I knew Brogan was a loser. How else could he have been beaten by a girl?" Hilde flushed and stood up to get her sword.

In her mind, she weighed her options. Like most of the other cadets, Thul was superior to her in reach, strength and weight. The only advantage she had was speed.

She started a thrusting attack on Thul, who looked surprised and started a hasty blocking move, not knowing that Hilde planned it as a feint. She evaded Thul's counter and landed a hit on his side. A painful one.

This time, it was Thul flushing. "That will never happen again," he claimed. He started a three-step combo, once again disarming Hilde with the last move. A sufficient grin decorated his arrogant face. It was just no use. The sword felt too heavy, too unbalanced in her hand.

He punched her. She fell to the ground and hit her head.

"Stand up, Hilde" her sister said. Mira stood over her, after beating her again. "If we want to be knights, we cannot afford to lie in the dirt. We have to stand up again, no matter what. We have to work harder than them, no matter what. We have to train more than them and we will suffer more than them. But I promise you. In the end, we'll show them." Hilde stood up again, rubbing her head. That was weird, she thought. But remembering her sister and her dream felt empowering.

Suddenly, something metallic flew through the air and landed tip-first in the ground, before Hilde. She looked at Lieutenant Violet's face. "Try this one," she said.

Hilde looked at the rapier in the ground. It was also a blunt practice weapon, but it looked light and elegant. The blade was thin, but when she took the sword, it felt comfortable in her hand. Thul commented: "Great. Finally something useful - a sewing tool." The lieutenant nodded in Hilde's direction. Hilde positioned herself on the training ground, guarding herself with the new weapon.

Thul started attacking. This time, it was him using a thrust attack. Hilde eluded it with a side step. Thule pivoted and aimed to slash at Hilde's head. She dodged and countered with a powerful stab towards his chest. The other Cadet grunted in frustration. Hilde felt elated. The rapier fitted perfectly to her fighting style. Though it wasn't as heavy and couldn't generate as much force as other swords, her level of speed drastically increased. The Lieutenant observed her with seemingly growing interest. Hilde wondered about her motivations. But there was no time for these thoughts. She had to prove a point.

Once again, Hilde and Thul took positions. No more comments, no more laughing, no more pity. Just a sparring match between cadets. This time both took the initiative, the blades gave off sparks every time they met. Hilde was impressed by how easily she could keep up now. She parried, stabbed, blocked, thrusted, but with a lot more speed. The swords danced like swirling leaves in the wind: unpredictable and yet controlled. Finally Hilde countered Thul's attack with a riposte and gently tipped against his neck. "This one goes to me, I guess" she said. The whistle ended the practice session. Hilde hadn't noticed, but over the course of the fight a crowd of students had gathered around them. The men looked shocked while the few women looked at her with a mixture of disbelief and admiration. Had she really just beaten Thul? She thought back to her sister thanks Mira, maybe our dream can come true, after all.