Kara
Perhaps it was the wind that caused my eyes to tear up when Cayden and I rode on our way to the training grounds or maybe it was tears of excitement and relief that my hard work had payed off.
Breathing in, I took in the scenery of the country I would take part in protecting in a matter of hours. The Empire of the Sun was truly a beautiful land with its vast fields of growing crops leading all the way to the capital that sprawled with light and joy. I felt happy and proud to be part of a country where the gods always shined the sun upon its followers and where the gloomy night never showed its face. Approaching the capital, I could see the spires tower above our heads, looking majestic and threatening at the same time.
As we rode through the city streets my excitement hastily turned into worry and anxiousness. Would I be suited for the role as a fighter within the royal guard? Would I be able to lift the burden of an entire country's safety on my shoulders? My concern must have shown on my face for my brother gave me a concerned look as we rode through the entryway to the training grounds. The stone walls felt intimidating enough to look at and seeing as everyone was already swinging their swords, I felt a tug in my stomach. We approached the stable with our horses and I said my goodbyes to Lightning, my sweet mare. My heart was beating like a war drum, causing my hands to shake vigorously. I felt a tap on my shoulder as Cayden looked at me with a reassuring look, easing the fear of me failing what I set out to do. I smiled at him, trying to hide it as best I could.
The training was about as difficult as ever and the worry only made it much worse. William, the second in command pushed me to my limits on multiple occasions, even pitting me up against two of the larger men in the group. One, two and three swords swings, and then a counterattack, knocking one of them to the ground. Williams satisfied smug and eyes filled with enjoyment burned my skin along with the hot sun, which only made sweat drip from my forehead even more. Concentrating under such circumstances was hard. Being pushed and pushed beyond my limits, I felt forced to sit down in for a minute or two to relax and calm my nerves. My body needed the break. Wiping off the excess liquid on my forehead, I went to get a drink of water when William's looming eyes left me, stepping away to converse with my brother and causing me to stop breathing for a moment. Having him not care about my performance was almost worse than him taunting me. I cursed under my breath as I realized that I had broken down at the wrong time and should have spared my stamina in order to better prove my worth near the end of training. I was very well aware of my own capabilities, but the other trainees and William especially, had a hard time believing I was an equal to any of them. My brother would always be doting on me and lengthy complimenting my abilities. Perhaps it had come off as favoritism to some, though I thought I had proved my worth on my own.
The other trainees had settled on the floor and benches with one another, leaving me to stand by myself. I had never tried to converse or befriend them and perhaps that was why they found me appalling and as a lesser part of the roster. It felt like ages passed as I sat frozen in place on the dirty ground, staring at Cayden's face, his expression turning from confident to increasingly grim. Likewise, the corners of my mouth turned downwards, and I took my eyes off of the two, trying to stop the quick pace of my breathing. The look on my brother's face had in no way been reassuring and as I tried to keep my hands still, I heard the dim sound of the two of them arguing coming to an end. I could sense what was coming and it was not good.
"If I may have everyone's attention!" my brother commanded, everyone turning their heads as per reflex.
He did not even dare look me in the eyes and kept his attention on the rest of the trainees as they rounded up in a circle around the commander and the captain.
"As you may know, some of our brothers fell in battle not long ago and we have been looking for people to take their place in the Royal Guard."
He sighed deeply, stepping back and letting William take over. Oh god.
"I shall name those picked," the sly commander said.
My ears must have stopped working, for a ringing replaced the sound of anything and everything as he started calling people's names out. I was locked in place, eyes wide open, terrified to be wrong in my assumptions that I was going to make it. Even then I must have still payed attention, when heat filled my face, as the anger took hold of my mind, clouding it.
"Carla.. Finnick. I think that's it," William stated looking up from the paper with a slight smile on his face, his eyes gaining hold of mine.
My name had not been called. The expression painted on my face had clearly been very telling as his smile but grew at my anger. Others had begun turning their heads towards mine and I felt the need to give the lousy commander a piece of my mind.
"This is ridiculous!" I yelled fiery eyed.
"Are we discontent with the soldiers picked?" William asked innocently, his look showing his true colors.
"It seems preposterous that you would leave the worthiest out of those picked!"
I took a step towards him, noticing my brother taking a wary step back. I had always had a bad temper, but never had I shown rage like this. My eyes were sparkling with flames and lightning directed towards our incompetent commander.
"You dare speak to your commander in such a tone? Foolish girl! If you are so worthy, why aren't you amongst the chosen?" he said mockingly, trying to come off surprised and offended he coudn't help but smile a little.
"That is what I am asking you, you foolish moron!"
"Maybe you would like to truly test if you are worthy?" he said, walking closer to me and eventually towering his upper body over mine.
"Maybe I would."
With our eyes locked in a dangerous dance, where neither of us would let the other take the lead, he eventually took a step back, signaling for others to take a few back as well, his eyes never leaving mine.
"You shall be judged in a trial by combat against yours truly then."
His very being pulsated with an aura of superiority and pride as he shouted the announcement for all of the capital to hear. Before I could even accept the challenge, people were forming a circle around us and some citizens came running from outside the grounds due to the yelling and cheering. I could tell that most of the spectators were rooting for William, though I heard my name called but a few times. Fights like these were not uncommon in the Empire of the Sun, but it surely was not every day that somebody was to be fighting against a commander - and a woman at that. Cayden looked at me with what either appeared to be worry. William was a guy with big muscles and plenty of scars covering his body, a testament to the amounts of battles that he had participated in - and won.
As per the unofficial rules, an inspector had to watch over the fight as to ensure that nobody was beaten completely senseless or killed and my brother volunteered unwillingly to take that responsibility upon himself. I gave little thought to my body aching for rest, as adrenaline and wrath pumped through my veins with every smirk and every look William gave me. Who was he to deem unworthy when I had outmatched opponents time after time under his command? Who was he to deem my efforts unsatisfactory?
The sound of my brother counting down and the crowd going mad disappeared as I took a deep breath, assessed the situation and struck.
The battle had begun.
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