"Well done today! Again." Royland sheathes his sword, and then rubs his temples. "Honestly, sometimes I think you're the only one who's actually improving." You let out a light chuckle. "I sincerely doubt that. You're a good teacher, Ser." Royland shakes his head.
"If that were the case, half of our lads would know how to block and strike in unison by now." You shake your head. Despite what others said about him, Royland truly was a kind, caring, and considerate man. Yes, his training was hard and gruelling, and yes, he did have a harsh tongue when it came to his recruits' screw ups, but it was only because he was frustrated at this point. He'd been training the current men for three to six months, as they come and go, and none of them had improved within that time to deserve merit. You had been training under the watchful eye and skilful example of Ser Royland for only two months, and whenever he taught you something new, you would master it in a day or less, succeeding various sparring partners among the garrison.
However, many of the other recruits argued (in secret, of course) that Royland was going easy on you, because you were the only girl who had offered her assistance. The sentinel was reluctant at first; you were a young lass who'd barely held a sword till two months prior, but when he beared witness to the fire of determination shining in your eyes, Royland knew that he could not refuse.
"I appreciate how willing you are to learn, (Y/N). Are you sure you've not fought till now?" You nodded happily, feeling flattered that your teacher had noticed how naturally you'd adapted to swordplay.
"Oh well, no matter. Although at this rate, in a month or two I would've taught you everything I know." You stop yourself from scraping the ground with your foot - a nervous habit that Royland had noticed, but had decided not to comment upon.
"If you don't mind me asking, Ser, what will happen then?" You'd never admit it, but you had grown fond of your teacher and his iron-fisted yet nurturing nature. If your regimen were to change after mastering all the techniques you'd been taught, you'd rather screw up and not improve at all. This way, you would still get to see Royland daily for 10 hours or so, even if he was not directly addressing you. He would allow an hour for a warm up every morning starting from 8am, which also gave opportunity for the latecomers to arrive. The knights were allowed to warm up in any way they saw fit, whether it be sparring or using a training dummy.
At 10 o'clock, Royland would harmlessly demonstrate a new technique using a volunteer, which the members of the guard were expected to mimic using a partner. At 10:45, there was a break for food or going to the latrine, which lasted half an hour. At first, you sat with the rest of the recruits, but as time went on, their jealousy glimmered through, as noticeably less and less people talked to you. Eventually, you resorted to sitting by yourself, eating alone. Sometimes the children in the village would come and talk to you, asking about your training, and if you'll train them, or if you had a crush on any of the other guards; or if you wanted to play tag or catch or hide and seek. You appreciated their company, as it did sometimes get lonely, but it didn't affect you that much, and you did, on occasion, enjoy having some quality time to yourself.
Ser Royland seemed the same, actually. He would never sit with other people, and the only person he would talk to was Rodrik, always fretting over him and checking whether he was okay. This side was unexpected of a man such as Royland, with his rugged, scar-covered face and stern tone of voice - but it was overlooked by the men who worked in his garrison.
Lunch was at 1:45 every afternoon, and lasted 45 minutes. But from there onward, till 6 o'clock (where the session ended and dinner was served), everyone had to ask Royland personally if they wished to be dismissed, whether it was to get a cup of water or leave for the nearest latrine.
Royland was always encouraging those under his command to work together and help each other, but most of them could not even carry their own weight with the unrelenting training regimen. He spends 20 minutes with each man every day, trying to help them to improve their posture or grip, or speed or power; but most of the time, it seemed to go into one ear and out of the other. But you were different.
"Once you have mastered all I have to teach, you'll be able to aid me in my tutelage and help the men improve their swordsmanship, if that is what you'd wish." Trying to hide your excitement as much as possible, you replied. "Of course, Ser. It would be an honour." Royland gave you a strong pat on the back, albeit awkwardly - as if he was afraid of bruising you or offending you in some way - then he let out a hearty laugh. In fact, this was the first time you'd heard him laugh since training to become a knight of House Forrester, knowing all too well about his serious nature. "Any other recruit, and they would've been knocked on their ass by now. I knew I was right about you."