There was a tap on Maiolaine’s door. She rolled over and looked outside to determine what time it was. It was almost daybreak. Who was knocking on her door at this time of the day? She heard the knock again. This time it was louder, and she heard the door hand jiggle like someone was trying to get in. 

“Open up! It’s your sister!” 

Maiolaine groaned as she lifted herself off of her bed. She knew she would have to answer the door or Emmaline would keep banging on it. She opened the door and gave her sister a scowl. 

“Good Morning, Glory!” Emmaline said as she patted Maiolaine on the head and made her way into the bedroom. “Yikes! You need to make your bed.” 

“I did just wake up,” Maiolaine said. “What do you want?” 

“To help you,” Emmaline said, smiling. 

“To what?” Maiolaine couldn’t believe her ears. “Help me with what?” 

“You really helped me with my essay, and I just wanted to return the favor by helping you with your weapons’ training. I feel it will help with your meditation.” 

“How will that help me with my meditation?” Maiolaine walked over to her side table and picked up a book to place back on her bookshelf. 

“It will help you defend yourself if you happen upon baddies in the forest.” 

Maiolaine slammed the book down on her vanity and said, “I can defend myself just fine. I don’t need your help, and I definitely don’t need Arber’s help. It would be nice if my clan would have even the slightest confidence in me!” 

Emmaline got up from off of Maiolaine’s bed and became defensive. 

“You know what! I came up here at a really crazy early hour of the morning to help! Talk about ungrateful!” 

Emmaline walked out of Maiolaine’s room and slammed the door behind her. Maiolaine gripped the chair and her arms burned. 

“Ow,” Maiolaine sucked in a breath to control the pain. 

She rubbed her arms to help calm the sting. They were hot to the touch. What was wrong with her? Mai felt angry. Angry with her own clan and they only want to protect her. Taking a few calming breaths, she ran out of the room to catch her sister. 

“Em! Wait!” Mai called after sister. “I’m really sorry. You’re right. I need extra training and I’d rather get help from you than… well, you know.” 

“Okay. Get dressed and let’s start,” Em smiled.

Maiolaine quickly got dressed and ran a brush through her hair. She joined her sister. On the walk to the training quarters, she felt the excitement coursing throughout Emmaline’s aura as her sister wanted to do this for a very long time. Emmaline loved teaching the art of weapons. 

Emmaline ran over to the weapons cart and pulled out four small daggers. 

“You are in luck, sister! I mastered the dagger first. Of course, that was only because of my age, they didn’t trust me with anything larger.” 

As she spoke her last word, she sent the dagger sailing through the air without even a glance at her target and hit it cleanly in the middle. A bullseye without setting an eye on it. It impressed even Maiolaine. 

“OK. The first lesson is to throw them at a target. Relax your body. Now, stand up straight. Don’t slouch.” 

“Relax, but stand up straight? That makes little sense,” Mai scoffed.

“OK. Look at my stance. You should relax your arms, but your spine should be erect. Place your right foot forward behind the left foot.” 

Emmaline showed Maiolaine the stance and motioned Maiolaine to copy her. 

“That’s good!” Emmaline handed her a throwing knife. “Get comfortable with your stance. Be relaxed but focused.” 

“Relax. Focus,” Maiolaine repeated, and she threw the knife, hitting the dummy a few inches below and to the right of the bullseye. 

“Not bad. Not bad,” Emmaline assessed. “Do that a couple more times.” 

Emmaline handed Maiolaine another knife and Maiolaine practiced once more. 

“Relax. Focus.” 

With each throw, Maiolaine inched closer to the bullseye. 

“See! This isn’t so terrible,” Emmaline said after she caught Maiolaine's smile bigger each time she got closer to the target. 

Maiolaine shrugged. “You are a better teacher than Uncle Arber.” 

“And less hairy.” 

They both laughed. There was something healing about it and Mai knew it was something they needed. 

“It’s good to know you here training so early in the morning.” Their uncle’s voice broke Mai’s concentration and her dagger missed the mark by a yard. “Looks like you need a lot more early morning training.” 

“I was doing fine until you interrupted.” 

“You are almost of age and Emmaline has mastered more than you and she is your twin."

Mai closed her eyes, hoping that she could escape anywhere. Be anywhere but here.

"She accepts who she is. She was born a Berserker, and she knows that’s her fate. That’s why she has the natural talent,” Arber said. “You, Maiolaine, for an unknown reason, can not accept that you are a Jovial. That’s what flows through your veins. You keep going after the unknown and so you will always be a mediocre Paladin.” 

Mai flinched at the word mediocre. Words escaped her. She said nothing. Arber walked away, knowing that he hit a nerve. 

“At least you’re not a poor Paladin,” Em later said. 

“Yeah. Thanks.” 

“Maybe Arber was right. Maybe that’s why it cut you so bad.” 

At this moment, Mai just wanted Em to be quiet. She did not wish to discuss this any further. 

“You have a problem accepting who you are. I 100 percent agree with him there. We are from a long line. Bred for one reason: to protect our people. Not everyone can be like us. Some even hate us for it. I know within my soul that is who I am. I am connected to that fate with all of me. Nothing can change who I am and I do not waste time trying to ‘fix’ me,” Em said 

“I'm not trying to 'fix' myself, Em. Something just does not sit right in my soul.” 

“That is what the problem is. As long as you keep chasing whatever the hell you’re chasing, you will never be the best you. Come on. Let’s do something else to release your stress.” 

“How could I release stress here?” 

“Oh, trust me. You haven’t released until you beat the crap outta someone.” 

“I still don’t understand why I need weapons’ training. It’s not like I’ll be in battle,” Mai said as she followed her sister to the sparring room. 

“You still need to know how to defend yourself,” Em said, cracking her neck and joints to loosen up. “Battles are unpredictable. You might find yourself in the thick of it in an instant. You need to prepare for any situation.” 

“You sound like the defense instructor.” 

“Maybe I should take her job then.” 

“Maybe,” Mai laughed. 

“You have had instruction just as long as me. Why do you still have these feelings about weapons training? You should recognize its importance.” 

“I do,” Mai sighed. “I just find it a waste of my time. For someone who is just there to nurse injured and exhausted people.” 

Em grunted. “Of course, we wouldn’t want to waste your precious library time. Come spar with me.” 

“Do I have to?” 

“Yes!” Em grabbed Mai’s wrist and led her to an open mat. 

Mai stood in front of her sister. Her body language showed all signs of boredom. Meanwhile, Em already had her fists clenched in front of her face, ready for the attack. She bounced back and forth from the left foot to the right. 

“Come on. Get ready. That’s your only warning.” 

Mai sighed and slowly raised her own fists. She did not need to do this. It was pointless. Before she finished her thought, Em’s fist came within centimeters of her nose. Mai flinched and tightened up her arms. 

“Okay. So you got two warnings. Only cuz you're my sister.” 

Mai stiffened up, resigned to the fact that Em would not give up and she would whoop her if she didn’t defend herself properly. Without warning, Em landed a kick at Mai’s side. Mai buckled sideways. 

“What the hell, Em! We are supposed to be sparring.” 

“You need to defend yourself. Actual sparring is for losers. Sparring makes you weak. It doesn’t help for what might happen out there. Defend yourself!” 

Mai was not at all prepared for this. In fact, she was a little annoyed by Em’s persistence that she defended herself. Em landed a blow to her neck. Mai grabbed her neck and coughed as she gasped for air. She wouldn’t leave this training room without bruises. She stood up as straight as possible and threw a punch in Em’s direction. Of course, it was easily blocked and countered. This time, it was a punch to the gut. Mai doubled over onto the mat. 

“You can’t even defend yourself with your fists.” 

Mai coughed. “You’re my sister. I trusted you’d go easy on me.” 

“That’s your first problem,” Em crouched down to look Mai in the face. “Trust no one.” 

Mai looked up at her sister. “Not even your own family?” 

“Especially your own family. That’s all for today.” 

Em offered her hand to her sister, and Mai grabbed it. Often she would wonder how Em was her twin, and this was one of those times. The same parents raised them and they had the same childhood, yet they had two different mindsets in life. 

“Let’s get breakfast.” 

“I’m not sure I can swallow. You damaged my esophagus.” 

“Oh. You’ll be all right. You’re a Trivett. We bounce back pretty easily.” 

Em placed her arm around her sister’s shoulders. Mai smiled at her and knew she did not wish to be Emmaline Trivett’s enemy. She had a new respect for her sister. 

“I don’t think I say this often enough, but I’m proud of you, sis. You’re amazing at defense and weapons and all that.” 

Em stopped walking. “You’ve never said that. You all right? I don’t remember hitting you in the head.” 

“Why can’t you just take the damn compliment?” 

“Tsk. Tsk. That’s not a very ladylike language.” 

“You’re insufferable.” 

“I love you, too, sis.”