Lei walked out of the house, feet still fuelled by the adrenaline rush brought on by her rush of anger, and the nervous anticipation of what was to come. She headed to the barn, where she opened the heavy oak door to reveal the space. Inside, the heady sweet smell of hay enveloped her, the dim light from the open door illuminating Clover, Lei's horse.

Clover looked up as Lei padded over to her, her black eyes filled with intelligence. Lei smiled briefly, trailing her hand through Clover's coat, the silky feel calming her down.

Now that Lei was thinking rationally, she felt slightly apprehensive. What was she doing? She was about to duel her father, and if she failed, she would never be able to go to the Castle. She had to win.

Giving Clover a final pat, Lei went to the hay bales at the back. There, she retrieved her longsword.

Out at the front of the house, her father was waiting, armed with a wooden pole. When Lei came into view, he looked at her sword and raised his eyebrows. "Where did you find that?"

Instead of answering, she stood in front of him. They stared each other down, Lei with determined silence and her father with quiet amusement. Her mother stood at the door, uncertain of if she wanted to stay or not. She cleared her throat. "Are you sure-?"

"If Lei wants to be a Ryder, she has to be strong enough first. If she can't beat a poor old farmer, then she has no chance of claiming that title." Lei gritted her teeth. Her father swung his weapon lazily, seemingly untroubled. He gestured for her to swing.

Lei didn't need to be told twice. She rushed forward, her sword pointed towards her target. She swung, only to be met with wood.

"You're weak." Her father scoffed, tugging back his pole. Lei glanced at it. She had left barely a dent.

She narrowed her eyes, focusing her concentration on her opponent. Lei wracked her brains, coming up with her advantages and disadvantages. He was bigger, and had more muscle. But he was also fighting on a full stomach, and he was getting old. Lei would have to use her small form and agility to have a chance at winning.

She kept on the offense, swinging her sword and jabbing. Her father stopped her attacks each turn. He swiped at her head, catching her cheek. Lei felt the thump of the wood as it hit her, and could feel blood rushing to the area. She knew that it was going to bruise later on, but she didn't let herself think on it. She backed up, shifting into a guard stance. Her father laughed. "Not fast enough, are we?"

She felt the same shameful anger that she had felt at the dining table. Lei's vision tunneled, and she gripped the sword hilt tighter. Again, she ran, sword raised in front of her.

And so the dance continued; Lei kept up the offense, while her father parried her blows, occasionally jabbing at her ribs.

Lei could sense that her father was growing tired, his movements becoming more sloppy as time went on. She decided to use that to her advantage, upping her speed.

It was working. Her father took a beating to the side of his chest, and another to his knee. He grunted. He was also going to bruise. In between his lumbering movements, Lei saw an opening. His left side was fully exposed.

Feeling triumphant, Lei shifted her weight to land a final blow. She raised her sword, but her hit never landed. She hadn't watched where she was standing. Her feet lost their footing in the wet mud and she slipped. On instinct Lei's hands went out in front of her, trying to soften the landing. As she crashed into the ground, Lei felt a searing pain shoot up her collarbone. She lifted her head to find that she had fallen on her sword, which was still gripped tightly in her left hand. She saw blood running down her neck from the gash on her collarbone, pooling into the mud and sinking into her clothing.

She felt faint-headed. In her woozy state she could make out the sound of her father laughing. "I didn't even need to beat her, the ground did it for me... She's not fit to be a Ryder. I knew it."

Lei felt arms grip her shoulders, hoisting her up from the mud. She looked down at herself. Her whole front was caked in it. As her mother led her inside, Lei turned back to look at the scene. Just before the door closed, she saw her father laughing, standing over the bloodstained longsword, half buried in the mud and surrounded by the pool of her blood.

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😳

Well, what's do we think of what just happened?

Lei hurt herself!!!! Aaaaaaaaahhhhh!!

Someone call an ambulance, quick!... Oh wait, they don't exist yet😅

What colour would you dye your hair?

I'm not really against any colour, but I think that purple or a dark green would be pretty cool!

Vote, comment, follow to invent ambulances!

R.Y💮