Obstacle Course #2
“If I get stuck, I’ll have you look it over. You’re quite full of surprises, my friend,” I said, stifling a yawn.
“I think it would be best if you went to bed, my dear Cass. You have many long, hard days before you,” Vasin said as he nuzzled me with his big head.
“Very well, I’ll see you tomorrow.” I scratched his eye ridges for a moment before I headed in for the night.
Morning came in a flash. I felt like I’d just closed my eyes when Helena was gently shaking my shoulder to wake me. When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to see it was still dark outside.
“Is there something wrong?” I croaked, not really awake.
“It’s time to get ready to start training,” Helena said as she lit the candles in my room.
“The sun isn’t even up yet,” I grumbled.
“I know this will be rough at first, but this is how all our trainees are treated, and we can’t afford to change for you. I’ll be back with some breakfast while you get dressed. I suggest you wear something simple and loose.”
I tossed back the covers and hefted the trunk’s lid back, placing one of the candles close so I could see inside.
I pulled out supple leather pants, a chest wrap, and a simple white shirt.
I searched for the boots I’d worn yesterday and found they’d somehow made their way under the bed.
Finally dressed, I poured water into the wash bowl and scrubbed my face, washing away the last of my sleepiness with the cold water.
“Here’s something simple for you. It may not look like much, but it will stick to your bones,” Helena assured me as she placed the food on the table.
“I don’t think I can eat right now. I never was a fan of breakfast,” I said, wrinkling my nose as I looked at the bowl of lumpy mush.
“Starting now, you’ll be eating breakfast every morning. I won’t have you fainting from hunger later. Now eat up. Every. Last. Bite,” Helena demanded, pointing at the bowl.
The stuff tasted a lot better than it looked, which was a blessing. I’m not sure I could’ve forced myself to eat it if it had tasted bad. Helena watched me until I finished the last bite, and I even scraped the sides of the bowl to prove I was listening.
“Good. Now come down to the kitchen. Your first teacher is waiting for you.”
I sighed heavily, bracing myself for the start of this day.
When I entered the kitchen, I was greeted by the sight of a towering man a few years older than me.
His presence made the large room feel much smaller, and his blue eyes, which were so light they seemed gray, were trained on me.
I blinked, trying not to stare more than I already had been, but it was hard when he had a body like that.
His long blond hair was pulled away from his face but still hung freely past his shoulders, completing the look that would make any girl swoon.
“Lady Cassarah, I’m Abbott,” he said, bowing his head to me. “I’ll be your teacher for swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat skills.”
I took a heartbeat too long to respond, shocked by his decorum. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Abbott. I hope to learn much from you.”
Abbott smiled at me, making him even more handsome, if that was even possible. “Just Abbott. I’m no nobleman, Lady,” he corrected gently.
“Oh, of course, forgive me. Call me Cassarah. I’m no longer a noble lady,” I stammered, feeling flustered.
“Well then, Cassarah, shall we get started?” Abbott asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Of course. Please lead the way.” I gestured for him to proceed.
I followed behind his broad back, waving farewell to Helena, who smiled and waved back. I had to jog a little to keep up with Abbott’s long stride as we headed toward the forest, the sky starting to lighten into shades of purple as the sun climbed its way up.
I collided with something hard and almost fell to the ground when an arm shot out, wrapping around my waist to steady me.
I’d read silly romance poems and sonnets about how the mere touch of a man could ignite feelings in a woman, and now I knew that every word was true.
The heat from his arm blazed through me, causing me to shiver from a sensation I’d never experienced before.
“First lesson… you must keep your eyes focused on where you’re going at all times. Someday this simple practice will keep you alive,” Abbott said, letting me go.
I blushed. How could I have messed this up already? Not only did I crash into him, but now my mind was flooded with thoughts about feeling his muscular body against mine. If this was how things were starting out, I was in for a very long day.
“I understand. It won’t happen again,” I responded, knowing that was the answer my mother would’ve wanted to hear.
“Oh, it’ll happen many more times, but it’s best to get you to start paying attention to it from the very beginning.
” He winked, giving me a soft smile and setting me at ease.
“Today we’re just going to start with basic training and conditioning.
My guess is you haven’t done much physical work in your daily life. ”
“No, that’s definitely something I was never allowed to do. Unless you count dancing lessons as physical work.”
“Sadly, no. This is why we need to strengthen your body before we can even think about starting any other training. I’ll show you a set of drills you’ll work on every day until they become as easy as breathing. Then we can attempt to teach you some real fighting skills,” Abbott explained.
We walked into an empty clearing where torches were lit, making it easy to see. I noticed a few obstacles placed around the area, and I was curious to determine why they were there.
“All right, this is the starting point.” Abbott reached down and picked up a burlap sack with straps.
“For now, you’ll wear this rock-filled sack to speed up the strengthening process.
You must never lose this sack or let any rocks spill out as you go.
When this becomes too easy, I’ll add more rocks, and so on.
“With this sack on your back, you’ll run down this path ’til you reach the river, which you’ll cross.
Once on the other side, climb up the steps cut into the bluff, then find the fallen tree to get back across the river.
This will lead you to the tunnel in the mountain you must crawl through.
The tunnel will lead you back to the forest, where the path back is easy to figure out. Any questions?”
My mouth fell open in shock. There was no way I was going to survive this course. How did he think I could do all of that?
“I don’t know how to swim.” I could hear the panic rising in my voice. “How am I supposed to cross a river?”
“The first time is always the hardest, but it’s also the most important.
Once you do this, then you’ll know you can.
It gets better the next time and the time after that.
All you need to do is prove to yourself that you can do it,” Abbott said, putting his hands on my shoulders and squeezing them gently.
I looked up into his eyes and saw he truly felt like I could do this.
I envied his ability to make it sound so simple.
I wasn’t kidding when I said dancing was all the exercise I’d done in many years.
Did I even have the arm strength to climb up a rock wall?
Small, dark places didn’t bode well for me either, after being locked away in a closet as punishment.
Abbott leaned in closer, drawing my attention back to him. “I believe in you, Cassarah. Now you have to believe in yourself.”
I took a shuddering breath as he helped me secure the sack of rocks to my back. The weight settled heavily on my shoulders, trying to pull me backward. I looked down the shadowed path and back at Abbott.
“I won’t be too far from you, but unless you are in real trouble, I won’t help you. This is all on you and your determination, but know if you come back with an empty sack, you’ll do it twice tomorrow,” Abbott said cheerily.
Glaring at him, I started walking down the path, not really sure I was ready to face myself head-on.
“Pick up your feet, trainee, this isn’t a leisurely morning walk!” Abbott bellowed behind me, startling me into a jog. By the sound of it, a real angry Abbott was not someone I wanted to mess with.
I jogged until I ran out of breath. Stopping, I gasped for air, sweat rolling down my face and drenching my shirt.
Never in my life did I think I could sweat that much just from jogging.
I wiped my face with my sleeve as I trudged down the trail, walking until my breathing calmed.
The sound of running water quickened my steps, thinking how wonderful cold water to drink and splash on my face sounded.
I halted as soon as I crested the hill, daunted by the sight of the river.
This was no calm, gently flowing stream but a raging torrent rushing by.
There was no way I could make my way across that thing.
I would be carried away and drowned before I got two steps in.
I walked upstream to see if there was a calmer spot for me to cross, but no such luck.
Then I tried downstream with the same outcome.
Deciding I needed a moment to clear my mind, I walked over to the riverbank, dipped my hands in the freezing water, and slurped it down.
It was the best water I’d ever tasted, so crisp and cool it almost made my teeth hurt.
As I crouched at the water’s edge, I could see something strange about how the water flowed in a particular spot.
A bunch of loose boulders had found their place submerged under the water, but that wasn’t the cause of what I was seeing.
It was almost like something else was causing the water to crest around it.