
Aunt Jane looked at Alix and shook her head. “No, those loose breeches will just get caught on something. You need to change to something a bit more snug.”
Alix looked down and then up again. “But these make it easier to move.”
“You’ll move when you need to – I assure you, dear — and without one thought for your comfort,” she announced, “Now off to your lesson…after you’ve changed into the leathern breeches I gave you for sword practice.”
Begrudged, Alix returned to the bedchamber, slipped out of the forbidden breeches and into the tight, leather ones. All for the new sword tutor. A trip down into the east wing and an opened door revealed a lithe figure lunging and dancing across the parquet floor. Alix stepped into the room, closing the door with a faint ‘snick’. The figure stopped and spun about, sword at the ready.
“You’re a woman,” Alix noted with no little surprise.
“So are you,” the SwordMistress announced with a slight flick of her rapier, “Lady Jane says you’re prepared to take the next step up in your training. I told her I’d decide that. Pick a blade.”
The young woman lifted her eyebrow, but strode over to the rack and chose her favourite.
“Not that one,” Her tutor stated from behind, “I’ll break it in half. Take the third from the right. We’ll use both sword and dagger today. Prepare.”
Alix took up the weapon so designated and turned to regard the brusque woman. “I assume you have a name to go with your attitude.”
A swift smile just brushed the woman’s mouth. “My name is Caroline and you are stalling. Have at it.” On the last word, she drove forward in attack.
Alix barely had time to deflect and twist away from the strike. Her dark eyes blazed as she slashed her sword in the air to gain a feel for its balance, “Bad form.”
“Most of the people you’ll fight have no idea what that even means,” the swordmistress returned, “and if you say ‘bad form’ to them, they’ll laugh in your face. Any fight to the death is going to be with brawlers and n’er-do-wells who’ve been trained to do one thing – kill. Now set to.”
Alix leapt back to defend herself then set her jaw and took up the offense. She was able to back up only a few paces afore the woman drew the tip across the top of her hand as easily as a quill scratching parchment. Blood welled up as surely as Alix’s temper. She ignored the stinging pain from the wound and lunged forward. Caroline knocked the dagger from her left hand easily and kicked against the inside of her foot. The young woman stumbled and threw her free hand out for balance, grabbing quite accidentally a very firm breast as she tried to catch her balance. Another sharp pain, this one above her right eye, caught them both up short. As crimson began to cloud her vision, Alix growled, “I don’t care a flying frick if you laugh. Bad form.”
Caroline was horrified. She threw down her blade and came forward with a linen hankerchief in hand. “My Lady Alix! I…”
Alix took the woman’s wrists in her hands, pushed her back against the nearest wall and kissed her.