Chapter 2

Oujay had been a huge help giving Matthew a tour of the school. Unfortunately, however, the one he considered his friend- or, at least, acquaintance- wasn't in the same training group as he, so Matthew was left alone once more. Standing in formation awkwardly, he listened to their instructor, Oswin, speak. The teen couldn't help but marvel at the knight, with his large armor and proud stance and booming voice... Perhaps, if he trained hard, he'd end up like that someday.

Oswin walked up and down the line of students with his arms behind his back, looking each of them up and down. Some were certainly more physically adept than others, but it was his job to whip all of them into shape. "I got one piece of advice for you all before we begin." His voice was sharp and commanding. "Don't get too friendly with each other in the first week. Guaranteed, half of these faces will be gone within a fortnight. This is not for the faint of heart." As he spoke, he coincidentally stopped directly in front of Matthew, and he leaned down to make intimidating eye contact with the teen. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Sir, yes sir!" Cain led the chant, making sure to be the loudest. He stood up straight and tall, determined to make a good impression. He could barely contain his excitement; this was the reason he'd joined to be a knight, not to know some boring history.

"Good!" Oswin barked, backing up to look at the line again. "Now... Let me see what you're made of. Your first assignment... I'll be your opponent, and I'm not going easy." He smirked at the sight of the fearful students. "Who wants to go first?"

When Oswin stopped in front of him, he could feel a knot growing in his neck; he wasn't sure what he was feeling. Fear from the knight's strong gaze? Anger at the knight for assuming he was weak? Doubt that he could actually do this? Probably all of the above. When Oswin continued past him, it was almost like a weight was lifted off his chest, and he, like everyone else, widened his eyes when Oswin announced that someone would have to fight him. Matthew kept quiet, but couldn't help but wonder who would be brave enough- or stupid enough- to volunteer for this?

The other knights were thinking the same as Matthew, wondering who would be dumb enough to ask to go first. Well, all except one.

"Sir, I accept the challenge!" Cain spoke out confidently, puffing his chest out to appear larger. Excitement shone in his bright red eyes, and he bounced a bit on his toes while keeping his posture straight.

Oswin raised an eyebrow; it was rare that a student actually stepped up without being called, especially on the first day. He was curious, so he beckoned Cain forward. "Your name, cadet?"

"My name is Cain, sir!" Cain approached the instructor, his heart beating rather quickly in his chest.

"Well, Cain... Draw your sword and come at me when you're ready. Give me everything you've got!" Oswin pulled out his own wooden sword and prepared himself; it was much too early to be using real blades. The worst injury the practice sword could give was a bad bruise.

While most other newbie knights only looked at Cain as though he was crazy, Matthew looked at him with a sense of awe. How was the other so confident in his abilities to go up against Oswin, a royal knight? Perhaps the boy who had helped him out in the hallway was more interesting than he had ever thought. From where he stood, he watched as the redhead foolishly and confidently held a wooden sword against their instructor.

Cain took a deep breath and then drew his wooden sword, holding it tightly in his hand. He had little doubt that the royal knight would lose this fight, but that didn't necessarily mean that Oswin would wipe the floor with him; Cain knew a thing or two about fighting. When he was ready, he lifted his sword and charged, letting out a cry as he attacked.

Oswin raised his own sword to block, and there was a loud thunk as the wood crashed together. He slipped his blade free and countered with a stab; Cain narrowly dodged, then went in for another slash. Once again, Oswin easily countered, but Cain was able to block the knight's attacks as well. "I said," Oswin challenged, "everything you've got!"

Cain's face became determined, and he readjusted his grip on the sword. He advanced again, starting to attack to one side- then quickly switched to the other, faking Oswin out. Oswin saw it coming and blocked; he could tell by Cain's stance what the student planned to do, so he was prepared. Still, he was impressed at the strength at which Cain came at him, and the confidence behind his attacks. "That's more like it!" He encouraged, though he didn't let his guard down for a second.

Matthew could feel himself tensing up subconsciously when Cain attacked the royal guard; he was expecting the older knight to retaliate, to send the redhead off flying... but instead, Oswin encouraged the younger knight, seeming just as surprised by Cain's strength and bravery as the rest of the students. Not allowed to do anything else, he watched Cain fight in front of everyone else, unable to keep a look of amazement off of his face.

Cain went at Oswin again and again, though after some time his footwork began to get a bit sloppy; he didn't have nearly the endurance as the seasoned knight, who had barely broken a sweat. Still, Cain kept up the right for an impressive length, much longer than the instructor thought he would; he smiled, pleased, as he blocked yet another of Cain's attacks.

Cain stepped back for a moment to catch his breath, still gripping the sword in both hands. Did the older knight have any weaknesses!? It certainly didn't seem so. Cain dashed forward again and attacked at an angle; he pressed hard as his wooden blade smashed against Oswin's, and he pushed back with all his might. Without warning, he twisted, shifting the weight from one side of the weapon to the other. The sudden pressure was enough to wrench Oswin's wrists in an awkward position and make him drop his practice sword. "Ha! Yes!" Cain cried out loudly with a grin, convinced that by some miracle he'd won, but his victory was cut short as Oswin struck out and popped him square in the jaw, sending him staggering backwards.

A blow with all his power likely would have shattered Cain's jaw, so Oswin held back... a little. "Don't be foolish. A sword isn't your only weapon," he said harshly. "And your own..." He advanced while Cain was still stunned from the blow, and instead of retrieving his own, he wrenched the practice sword from Cain's grasp and turned it on the redhead. "... Can be used against you." A rough shove sent Cain crashing to the ground, and Oswin had the wooden sword pointing at his throat.

There was a collective gasp amongst the crowd when Cain was struck in the jaw; Matthew visibly winced. It looked very painful, coupled with the fact Oswin was wearing so much armor... It was a disappointing sight to see the redhead laying on the ground, a sword pointed at his neck in defeat. Matthew swallowed hard, unable to take his eyes off the defeated redhead. Would they really all end up as strong as Oswin someday?

Cain rubbed his jaw and scowled as Oswin defeated him, though it was expected. To his surprise, Oswin offered a hand down towards him, and Cain hesitantly took it, allowing the knight to help him to his feet. The senior knight gave a smile and a nod of his head; Cain had earned just a bit of his respect, even if for just his courage alone. "You show real promise, cadet. Truth be told, no one's ever lasted nearly that long against me before on their first day. You keep up with your training, and you'll go far." He yanked the redhead to his feet, then the stern expression was back on his face. "Back in line, cadet!"

"Sir, yes sir!" Cain quickly returned to his spot in the line, though it was clear that he was beaming with pride at the praise from the instructor. He seemed to stand up just a bit straighter, his chin held high.

Matthew watched as Cain got back in line with the rest of them, staring at the redhead as long as he possibly could before Oswin started speaking once again. Pushing away his thoughts, he focused solely on the instructor. If he wanted to get better, he'd have to focus...