Knock knock
"Um, hello, Alexei? It's training time and... well, can you open the door already?"
A laugh emerged from the other side of the door. She sighed and pounded on the door again.
"ALEXEI! LET ME IN!"
More laughter. Julia groaned and started kicking the door.
"I swear if you don't open the door right now-"
"I'm not opening the door."
"WHY NOT?!" Julia yelled. "I NEED TO BE IN MY STATION WHEN FATHER GETS HERE OR ELSE HE'S GOING TO HAVE MY HEAD!"
"Just open the door. I'm not doing your dirty work."
Julia pounded on the door again and again, cursing her brother with each strike, the door rattling and trembling.
"Geez, Julia, you're going to break the door."
"I WON'T IF YOU OPEN IT!"
"... Julia."
Julia froze, her face turning bright red as she turned around. Her father towered over her, giving her a disapproving stare.
She gulped.
He stared.
She waited.
He raised his hand and Julia flinched, but then he made a dismissive gesture, telling her to get. the. heck. out. of. his. way.
Julia scurried to the side as Joseph Ares walked to the door and opened it with one turn of the knob.
She went white.
She watched as her father strolled into the enormous room, stand there for a moment, then turned back to Julia, who hadn't moved.
"Well?" he said, raising his eyebrows.
She opened her mouth just a bit in confusion before her brain actually started working and she rushed into the room, slamming the unlocked door behind her, unable to meet her father's gaze.
"I see you are late, Julia," said Joseph. "No matter. Get to your station."
"Yes, My Lord." Julia scrambled to her station, opposite Alexei, who stood there lazily, his hands on his hips, trying to stifle his laughter.
"Go on," said Lord Ares. "Spar. I'll be giving feedback."
Julia gulped, unsheathed her sword, and pointed it at Alexei. He grinned, throwing his sword up into the air and catching it perfectly below the hilt.
"Show off," she muttered as they charged at each other. Alexei swung at her throat, but she ducked, bringing her sword up to strike him from behind, but Alexei was already ahead of her. He stepped away from the blade and he bodyslammed her to the floor, sending them both tumbling. Julia struggled, but Alexei pinned her down.
"Alexei, good. You were unexpected. Julia, always keep moving, no matter what. Don't ever stay still. This is child's play."
"I wasn't staying still!" she protested. He ignored her.
"Round two, at your places, please."
Alexei waited for her to move this time, so Julia pounced, weaving around him like a snake, ready to strike whenever she found any weakness.
They stood like that, at a standstill, Julia circling Alexei menacingly, Alexei watching her every move with a trained, cautious eye.
He wasn't going to leave an opening anytime soon. She would have to make one for herself.
She jumped at him, and their swords clanged against each other. She gasped as her sword slipped from her hands, flying across the room. Alexei's eyes widened and he reached up, catching the sword perfectly on the grip.
Julia started, in a trance as Alexei handed her the sword, careful not to accidentally stab himself. That would be awkward.
"Did you see your face?" Alexei laughed. Julia groaned. How many times has she groaned today? Around forty, by now? "You were as scared as a bunny being chased by a wolf."
"That means that you're a big mean wolf and I'm the useless little bunny, hm?" she retorted. Alexei shrugged, and, seeing that Julia wasn't taking her sword from him, he let it clatter to the floor, the sound of metal against marble ringing through the stadium-like room.
"I'm pretty sure father sees us like that," Alexei grinned. "Though he wouldn't want me to eat you."
"You two! Quit messing around!" their father yelled somewhere in the corner of the room. Julia leaned over, picked up her sword, and stepped back. She glanced at her father, who stood with his usual brooding stare.
"Julia, what was that?!"
"I-"
"You dropped your weapon. And for no reason?"
Julia felt her cheeks turn bright red. "It slipped."
"If you were fighting a real rebel, say, the one in your dream the other night, would 'it slipped' be an excuse?"
She resisted the urge to punch him in the face. "No, My Lord."
"And you, Alexei." He pointed at Alexei, who looked quite smugly at her. "Good job. I hope with more time, Julia learns from you."
Alexei saluted him and Joseph gave a weirdly sinister grin. Julia looked at the floor.
"I'm needed. Good job, you two." He spun around, opened the unlocked door, stepped away, and slammed it behind him, leaving the two siblings to their own devices.
Alexei grinned, spinning his sword. "Another round?"
She stared at her sword, hanging so limply and lifeless in her hand, and she sheathed it. She looked away. "I... I'm tired."
She walked towards the door.
"Julia?" His voice was softer now.
"Yea?" The doorknob clicked as she turned it.
"You okay?"
"I'm fine."
And she slammed the door.
A/N I know, a bit of a cringe filler chapter before next week. Trust me, I'm disappointed in myself, you don't have to tell me. Maybe you at least laughed a bit at this scene? Yeah? So that reading this wouldn't have been a waste of your time? Ha.