Author's notes: Alright, finally some action! I have to admit - going into this with little knowledge of swordplay and having never written anything like this before, this was a challenge, but I think I'm satisfied with it.
There is a reference to one of my favorite Frozen fanfics called For the First Time in Never by JEGlass in this chapter. It will be painfully obvious for those of you that have read it, so I won't bother to say what it is. I couldn't resist.
Anyway, stay awesome and happy reading!
While Mondays were almost universally hated throughout the castle of Arendelle, they were actually the one day of the week that Anna looked forward to the most. Monday mornings were when the guards had their weekly combat training and Anna always made a point to wake up early every week to watch them. There was something about combat that intrigued the young princess and she had always enjoyed watching the guards train in the barracks courtyard ever since she was a girl.
When Anna was in her early teenage years, she had even insisted on learning to fight herself, much to the dismay of Captain Holdt, who would always have to kindly tell the princess that she had no need to learn to fight; that was the whole point of the Royal Guard, after all.
Eventually the spunky redhead gave up on learning herself, but she remained adamant about watching every training session promptly at 9 AM. This week was no exception; she awoke early and quickly braided her hair in order to make it to her usual spot on top of the stone wall that lined the barracks courtyard. She arrived and hoisted herself onto the ledge just as Captain Holdt began to address his men.
"Alright lads – You know the drill. Today we're going to cover basic sword techniques and –"
"Woo! Let's go Desi! Show us what you got!" Anna shouted from up above, raising her fists in the air as if she were at a sporting event.
The captain visibly cringed at the use of the princess' cutesy nickname for him and some of the guards had to stop themselves from snickering. The captain and guards were used to Anna's attendance at their combat sessions but Captain Holdt was always slightly irked by her enthusiastic cheers and comments while he was trying to teach his men important skills – some that might even be necessary for her own protection. If Anna wasn't the princess and daughter of a man he had sworn a life-oath to protect, he would be tempted to tell her to piss off.
He sighed before speaking again. "Right. Like I was saying, we'll start with the disarm. Grab a training weapon and a partner and begin some friendly sparring. And I shouldn't need to remind you that you should be working on the proper technique, not simply trying to overpower your opponent. Get to it!"
The guards barked a 'yessir' before dispersing and beginning their work. As the men started to spar with each other, Captain Holdt wandered around offering tips and critiquing their form. Anna noticed that he didn't look too pleased with their progress.
"No, no, Spaulding, look at your footwork… you need to lead the blow… Benson, we're practicing the disarm not the fall-on-your-ass technique… Jesus, you're all fighting like a bunch of women!" he finally shouted when his frustration got the better of him.
"If they're going to fight like women, perhaps they should learn from one."
The voice cut through the noise of clashing swords and armor like a knife through cheese. Everyone within earshot turned their heads to stare at its source.
Sophie emerged from the barracks wearing a well-tailored white fencing outfit, knee-high black boots, and fine leather gloves. Her hair was tied back into a sporty pony-tail and she was wearing a special pair of sleek glasses with a slender frame. They barely disguised the confidence in her eyes as she walked through the crowd of guards. She was brandishing one of the training swords that she had snatched from inside the barracks and hacked the air a few times with it as she approached the bewildered captain.
"Is this oak or hickory?" she asked, eyeing the practice blade closely.
The Captain looked around at his men who one-by-one stopped their exercise to look curiously at the woman. "Uhh, I believe it's white oak. Forgive me, but you are Princess Sophie, yes?"
"I see my reputation proceeds me. I assume you're the captain? Well, captain, how about I show your men how a real woman fights and then we'll see if it's something they can aspire to," she turned to address the onlookers. "Do I have any takers?"
Several guards exchanged glances with one another, utterly confused.
"Don't be afraid boys, it's only a friendly spar. I didn't think Arendelle's royal guard would be so timid."
Captain Holdt interjected. "It's not that, your highness, it's just… well, you're not only our guest but you're a Princess and – "
"Let her fight, Desi! Just because she's a princess doesn't mean she can't fight!" Anna called down from her perch. Holdt sensed there was a double meaning behind the redhead's words.
Sophie merely gestured to Anna on the wall and raised her eyebrows.
Holdt looked between Anna and Sophie for a moment and sighed. "Alright then… we are practicing disarming your opponent, is that something you're familiar with?" he asked Sophie. She nodded once.
"Revel, get over here and be our guest's partner. And the lot of you better stop gawking and do something useful," he shouted to the men who grunted and turned their attention back to their training. A tall guard with wavy brown hair emerged from the ranks and approached Sophie and the captain.
Holdt walked over and quietly spoke in his ear as Sophie began to do a few quick stretches. "If she gets hurt, Abram and Elsa will have my head, but I can't tell her to leave without looking rude. Just take it easy and keep her entertained, understand?"
Revel nodded and stepped up to the princess, training sword in hand. "Greetings, your highness. I can't say I've ever had the pleasure of sparring with royalty before…" He paused, unsure of how to proceed. "Er, are you prepared?"
Sophie eyed the guard and adjusted her glasses, standing upright with her heels together, turning so her left shoulder faced him. She extended her weapon in a ready position. "After you, my friend."
The guard smiled playfully as he readied his own weapon and approached the woman slowly. As soon as he was within arms-reach of the princess, before he could even go for a proper attack, Sophie made her move - two lightning-fast slashes, the first knocking the tip of Revel's weapon away and the second making contact with the handle in his grip, causing the wood sword to sail through the air and land on the ground several feet away with a harsh clang. The guard barely had time to process before he was disarmed and Sophie's blunt weapon was pointed straight at his throat.
Captain Holdt looked stunned and several of the nearby guards had taken notice of Sophie's impressive move. "Hoho, lads! Looks like you could learn a thing or two from our royal guest here! That was the quickest disarm I've seen in years! Revel, I'd pay attention if I were you," the captain laughed as Revel grudgingly walked over to pick up his blade with a defeated look on his face.
He approached Sophie again, sword raised. "Not bad, but I'll be prepared this time," he said, taking an aggressive step towards the princess. She attempted to disarm him again, but Revel was ready and parried her first blow. Before he could recover, though, Sophie stepped back slightly and batted his hand from the other side. His weapon flew from his grip a second time in the opposite direction. Revel just stared at where it landed, awestruck and embarrassed.
Sophie turned away from Revel and faced the captain. "I told you, I'll give them something to aspire to. Now, enough of the small-fries – Elsa tells me you're quite the fighter, Captain, and I'd just love to see the best Arendelle has to offer." She smiled and pointed her weapon at the man in a rather pompous gesture.
Holdt looked slightly taken aback at the sudden challenge, but by now, Sophie had attracted the attention of all the guards and they inched closer to watch the events unfolding at the center of the courtyard. One brave guard spoke up. "C'mon, Captain Holdt, show her what you've got!"
The comment spurred a round of agreement and encouragement from the other guards and Anna yelled down again, feeding off the excitement. "Yeah, go Desi! Kick her butt!"
Sophie looked up at the redhead and raised an eyebrow. Just whose side is she on, here?
Holdt was rather frustrated by the unexpected way his combat training was going today, but figured his men wouldn't get anything useful done anyway with Sophie around causing such a stir. He didn't exactly like to show off, but he was easily the best fighter among the guards. He couldn't turn down a direct challenge in front of all his men, especially one from a foreign woman who had just bested one of his better fighters like it was nothing.
"Alright, alright, lads, keep your britches on," he said as he took Revel's training sword. The men erupted in cheers and whoops. "But next week we're doing double rounds of combat to make up for this. Don't think you're gettin' away with slacking off for the day."
There were a few groans from the guards, but the punishment was quickly forgotten as Holdt stood across from Sophie and everyone else backed away to allow them adequate room to spar.
"Finally, someone with a backbone! First to disarm or land a lethal touch is the winner. Besides that, anything goes. Don't hold back on me, Captain, I do wish to make this enjoyable," Sophie stated as she took her ready stance, placing her heels together and turning her left shoulder to face her opponent.
"You sure you don't want to put on a sparring vest?" Holdt asked, not privy to the idea of landing a blow on an unprotected princess.
"You insult me captain. Just because I'm a woman doesn't mean I can't take a hit, although I don't intend to. Enough chit-chat, let's get started, I've been bored all morning."
Holdt grunted. "Ready when you are, Princess."
The guards formed a large circle around the two and began to cheer as the fighters locked eyes and approached each other. Sophie's face remained calm and stoic and she allowed the captain to advance, barely moving from her original stance. Holdt was the first to attack, lunging forward gracefully and meeting his weapon with hers. The two exchanged a few quick parries before Holdt backed off again, genuinely impressed with the speed of her reflexes. He lunged again, this time going for a lower attack to throw her off her balance, but Sophie was extremely light on her feet and easily sidestepped and fended off the blow.
Realizing that she was too fast for him to outmaneuver, he swung his sword in a high arc and forced her to block horizontally using both hands, hoping to rely on his strength to overpower her. Sophie staggered a tiny bit under the weight of the attack from her taller and stronger opponent, but kept her footing strong. She was able to gracefully move to the side and shove Holdt's sword in the other direction, causing him to lose his balance. She took the opportunity and hacked at his side, but Holdt saw it coming just in time and dodged backwards, the tip of Sophie's training sword just barely brushing his uniform.
"Good stuff, Princess. You've clearly been trained well," he said as he recovered.
Sophie smiled. "We royals tend to do things a little differently in Astor, I suppose."
There was a slight murmur throughout the crowd of guards in response to her comment, but the fighters didn't take notice as they clashed again. Sophie was suddenly on the offensive, pressuring Holdt with a flurry of attacks that he was barely able to keep up with. She kept her right hand behind her back and used her left to attack, all the while appearing composed and confident. Holdt was forced back to the edge of the circle before Sophie finally switched up her relentless assault and spun in place, delivering a horizontal blow that was so powerful it knocked Holdt's weight entirely onto his right foot. Sophie took the small window of opportunity and spun again, crouching low and delivering a sweeping kick to the captain's leg that sent him toppling over onto his back.
Before he was able to bring his weapon up to defend, Sophie was standing and had her sword at his chest. She smiled, victorious, and pushed her glasses towards her face.
The men were flabbergasted at the sight of their captain bested by a woman, a princess, no less, and there was a moment of awkward silence as everyone took in the unlikely scene. Sophie backed up and offered a hand to the captain, who accepted it and got back on his feet. Nobody dared say anything as the captain picked up his weapon, his face expressionless.
To the relief of the guards and Anna, the Captain burst into a hearty laughter. "Very impressive, my lady! I haven't had a fight like that in years! It's not every day you see a woman with moves like that!"
Anna called down again, sounding indignant. "Hey, I could fight like that, too, if somebody would have let me learn! Hmph!" She folded her arms and pouted.
Holdt ignored his princess' comment and addressed the men. "Take note, lads! That right there is true skill. Every one of you should be striving to be like Princess Sophie here," he shouted.
"Good fight, Captain. I enjoyed myself. Looks like my work here is do –"
"Oh, no you don't, Fi. You don't get to retire for the day just yet." Another new voice cut her off and Sophie whirled around to see Aaron had snuck into the courtyard sometime during their fight. He had a look on his face that was eerily similar to Sophie's at the start of her bout with Holdt.
Anna clapped her hands together. "Yay, Aaron's here too! You two should spar! Desi doesn't mind, right, Desi?"
"I'm sorry for the inconvenience my sister has caused, Captain. We didn't mean to ruin your training… we will leave immediately if you want us to," Aaron said.
"Bah, this session couldn't get any more derailed even if a bloody dinosaur were to show up. You two can do as you please, I'll make up for it later," Holdt replied with a shrug. "Besides, your sister is a master swordsman. It was a pleasure to see her in action." He offered Aaron the training sword and bowed his head slightly in respect to the prince.
Aaron nodded a thank-you and accepted the weapon, then turned to face Sophie who was grinning wickedly. "I didn't think you'd show up here. Weren't you the one who was worried about causing too much of a scene?"
Aaron tested the weight of the training sword with a few waves in the air before responding. "Well I heard the commotion and knew you must be up to something out here. I just figured I'd put you in your place so you didn't make that big head of yours even bigger."
Sophie stood at the ready and extended her sword towards Aaron. "Last I checked the score was tied at 28. Don't get cocky, dear brother."
Aaron readied himself as well, holding his weapon in his right hand and positioning himself in a way that almost exactly mirrored Sophie, his heels together and turned slightly the opposite way. "Guess this will be the tie-breaker then!" he exclaimed and charged forward, beginning the duel on the offensive.
Sophie was prepared and parried each blow gracefully, slowly stepping back and evading the onslaught of strikes. Aaron was just a quick as his sister and the two were exchanging hits so quickly that their weapons looked like a blur; the only thing suggesting they were even making contact was the consistent whack that filled the air with each parry. The guards watched in awe at the sight of the twins' artful bout, utterly mystified by the fact that this level of combat could come from royalty.
The only one that was making any noise was Anna, who was cheering and hollering from her vantage point on the wall, ecstatic about the amount of entertainment at today's training session. Her cheers were interrupted when she heard the door on her right leading inside the castle swing open and her sister emerged, looking concerned.
"Anna? What's going on out here? Are you alright?"
"Oh, hey Elsa! Looks like your friends decided to join the guard training today," Anna said pointing down to the barracks courtyard where Aaron and Sophie were the center of attention, their bodies moving so quickly and fluidly that they looked like a pair of dancers on a stage. Elsa watched wide-eyed from up above.
She had believed Sophie when she said that the twins were great fencers, but this was not exactly what Elsa had in mind. This was much more impressive than a prince and princess who enjoyed competitive fencing for sport in their free-time; this was a battle between two expert swordsmen of the highest caliber.
Sophie was now on the offensive, attacking Aaron with a renewed vigor, letting out small grunts with each blow. Captain Holdt could tell she was putting much more effort into this fight than she had previously; she had been almost eerily silent in the former bout, keeping her cool demeanor even in the midst of battle.
Now, there was a fire in her green eyes burning with an intensity that Holdt had never seen in his own men, or anyone for that matter. Aaron's eyes held the same intensity, but there was also a level of concentration and calm. He was calculating – plotting the perfect time to make a move that would throw his sister off - all he had to do was wait for it.
Sophie backed off and took a deep breath. She quickly tore off her glasses and tossed them to the nearest unsuspecting guard who barely caught them in time. "Hold those," she stated bluntly before diving back into battle with Aaron.
Aaron laughed as he deflected a high blow. "You're so set on beating me that you're willing to reveal the fact that your glasses are mostly for show? I'm impressed with the dedication, Fi."
She ignored him, continuing her assault. She grew more and more fatigued with each strike but kept it up regardless, adding to the force each time, slowly working away at Aaron's defenses. Aaron blocked each blow skillfully, but was losing control of his footing little by little and eventually Sophie saw her chance. She spun low and attempted the same sweeping kick that had taken out Holdt, but Aaron anticipated it and just barely managed to jump, avoiding the kick and delivering a vertical slash that had Sophie pinned low to the ground. He pushed his weight down, pressing the advantage, and Sophie struggled not to yield to the attack.
"Looks like it's about to be 28-29," Aaron grunted, convinced there was no way for Sophie to weasel her way out of the awkward position she was in.
"You're right," she said and then suddenly kicked out her foot and pushed Aaron's leg backwards. Since his entire weight was centered on the balls of his feet and he was leaning at a forty-five degree angle, Aaron lost all balance and fell forward. Sophie slipped under him, between his legs, and stood up in one quick motion.
She turned and jabbed her weapon lightly into Aaron's back as he fell onto his stomach and dropped his weapon, defeated.
"28-29, me."