Haven: Chronicles of Warshard by Katherine Bogle Page B

our door. You need not protect me.” Haven raised a hand to their objections. “A queen who cannot die does not need protection. Though I cannot expect you three not to fight, you should not expect me not to join you.”
    Lareina, Malka, and Blythe sat in stunned silence. Smiles pulled at their lips. It had been a long time since they saw this side of their queen. As a girl, Haven had readily given up on everything she was not good at. Swordplay had been one of them. After her grievous failures she had sworn never to pick up a sword again, yet here she was pledging to her guards that she would be a survivor.
    “Of course we will train you after a speech like that,” Lareina sighed, hugging her friend and queen.
    “I suppose there’s no stopping it now,” Blythe agreed, a smile as wide as the sun lighting her features.
    “Once you learn how to use a sword I can even teach you the art of the bow,” Malka grinned.
    Haven couldn’t help but laugh. “Let’s take this one step at a time, ladies.”
    The very next day, Haven met her guard girls in one of the inner courtyards. Wooden and metal swords alike decorated the walls, shields in line beside them, sporting a range of shapes and colors. Haven couldn’t help but notice that Malka slipped a bow and quiver full of arrows amongst them. Taking it all in, Haven was nervous, but excited. Hair tied back, trousers on, she was ready.
    “You look more like a warrior already!” Lareina called to her queen as she entered.
    Blythe was already present, having set up the place, and Malka balanced on her heels nearby. Now that they had all arrived it was time to get down to business.
    “Take stance,” Blythe instructed.
    Wooden sword in one hand, shield in the other, Haven dropped back into what she could remember of a defensive stance. “How is this?”
    “Not bad, but you’re still too offensive in your footing.” She approached Haven and switched the positions of her sword and shield, nudging her feet further apart. “Better.” Lareina took up her sword and shield, standing opposite Haven, mirroring her position exactly.
    “Now strike like this,” Lareina said, demonstrating a simple maneuver.
    Haven gave it a try. She was clumsy and didn’t have the natural movement these girls had, but she was determined. “Tell me what I’m doing wrong,” she said, looking at Blythe.
    “Watch Lareina,” Blythe said, and Lareina demonstrated again. “Mimic her movements.” She paused. “And hold your blade like this.” She fixed Haven’s hold. “Try it again. You needn’t to hold the sword as if your life depends on it. Use it as an extension of yourself. If you don’t, you’ll keep fumbling like that.”
    Haven sighed and watched Lareina demonstrate several times, attempting to mimic her movements.
    “You’re getting there. Try this.”
    They continued, move after move, offensive, defensive, Lareina attacking first, Haven attacking first. They were at it for hours before Blythe called it quits. It was getting late and Haven was already incredibly sore. She hadn’t used her muscles in such a way since she was a girl. Though her guards seemed as determined as she, Haven was weary and happy for the day to end.
    “You’ll need to improve your strength before we let you try a real sword,” Blythe commented as they sat in a ring, Haven catching her breath. Haven knew this would happen and simply nodded. Haven was not a strong girl and never had been. She’d need to develop a lot of muscle to swing a real sword with any accuracy.
    “You should start lifting weights when you have the time, My Lady,” Blythe suggested.
    They all agreed.
    The following days, the four girls began to gather a crowd. The lessons were in a public courtyard so many passers-by stopped to see what the queen was up to. Haven improved as the days went on, even if it was a painfully slow process. She went to bed sore every night, did her paperwork quickly in the morning, and then adjourned to