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I tried to think about why I was upset. Probably Hannah’s letter, I assumed. It made me feel better in a big way. In a smaller way I could read her anger in the letter. She shouldn’t have to go through life permanently furious. It wouldn’t be healthy.
I was worried about my daughter. That’s what had me upset.
“These are… strange,” I said as Evan pulled a white shirt over my head and tucked it in to my pants.
The leather of the pants wasn’t touching me. There seemed to be a linen layer inside of them. I asked about it and the men didn’t have an answer. That’s how pants were made. Tomorrow they would slip a new linen in before they put them on me.
“It’s underwear,” I said as Bane put my boots on my feet.
“Earth word,” Kein answered strapping the sword to my waist.
The men stepped back and admired their handiwork for a moment. Evan finished dressing me by pulling my hair back into a tie. They all looked quite satisfied with themselves.
“Come on, then,” Bane said happily pulling the door open, “time to learn to fight!”
We walked into the sunshine and I relished having on clothes, a full outfit, for the first time on this world. I kicked rocks and walked around getting used to wearing shoes. Unlike my soft leather foot covers these had a thick sole and it felt like a steel toe.
“What are you doing?” Damien asked with his arms spread wide.
“She wanders,” Christof explained. “I told you, she likes to walk in circles.”
I looked at them and rolled my eyes.
We spent the afternoon outside in a field by the cabin. I soon realized teaching was Bane’s skill. He had a seeming endless supply of patience. As long as I was really trying he would let me learn at my own pace.
Bane’s tolerance only faded if I was lazy. If I wasn’t paying enough attention or not trying hard enough, I got the flat side of his blade.
“That hurts!” I yelled after the fifth time he slapped the outside of my thigh.
He wasn’t deterred and demanded I pay attention.
It was a frustrating and difficult lesson. I knew most of their moves, in a fashion. I had planted memories of them. My muscles had no experience, though. What I thought I was doing and what I was actually doing were two very different things.
According to Evan and Damien it was fun to watch. They sat on the sidelines laughing and talking about my performance. When Bane wanted to show me something one of them would come forward and demonstrate. That was the only time they shut up all afternoon.
Kein and Christof occasionally stopped by to check on us. It appeared they were hunting down supper and getting it prepared. Christof was kind enough not to comment on my ineptitude and Kein just sighed.
The training didn’t stop until nightfall. I was hot, dirty, and sore by the time it was over.
“Hannah was a better fighter than you are,” Damien informed me casually as we ate.
I took a drink to avoid choking on my food. It wasn’t clear how he knew that.Belongs to © n0velDrama.Org.
“The day she attacked us,” Christof said. “We got a good look at her skill, she was quite talented.”
I smiled and sent a silent thank you to the heavens. It relieved me to hear they thought she was strong.
After dinner we sat around and played a card game. I wore my new linen nightdress for the second time. It felt nice and normal.
Looking around the table I saw my family, not my Masters. They had freed me, but protected me out of love. There was nothing I would not do for these men.
The nightly sex was no longer job; it was bonding. Every touch of skin reminded me how much we cared for one another. I found myself craving them as much as they craved me.
We spent four days at the cabin. I trained hard in the day. My muscles were sore, but it was a good sore. I didn’t make a huge improvement, but I did get better.
“You could best a shopkeeper, perhaps,” Kein said as we loaded the transport to ride home.
“A young shopkeeper,” Evan amended.
“If he was unarmed,” Damien added, lifting the last of our bags up.
I just stuck my tongue out at them. It wasn’t my fault. I’d never been trained like this before.
We zipped toward the compound and the men stood casually talking as Kein drove.
I looked back at the mountains and smiled. Hannah was somewhere out there. She was successful and it made me proud.
I asked Damien to talk to Nu-reeh, I’d love to see her. He said he had already planned to ask, he was just waiting for their coupling. Satisfied and happy I rode back to the compound.