“Good idea. I can’t force myself to put on a stupid dress.”
Together we walked to the dining hall and picked up some breakfast that consisted of hearty oatmeal with plenty of butter and salt. We polished it off with several cups of strong black coffee.
“I’m surprised that I actually missed the food here. I guess starvation does that to you,” Frid said.
I looked around, noticing that we were completely alone in the dining area. It was probably because all men were busy doing whatever they thought was necessary.
After breakfast, we managed to find Cara and convinced her to show us a place within the castle where we could train. In order to do that, I had to give her some details on what we were about. She looked at me with curiosity as we walked to the lower levels of the building.
“Some of these rooms are never used. When they were building it, black clan was much larger, but with all the wars,crawlers, and then the council... our numbers are not what they used to be. I’m just curious. Do you know that women are not considered to be strong enough to fight?” Cara continued.
“Don’t you have two legs?” Frid asked.
“Yes, but –”
“Two arms and a head between them?”
"I understand what you're saying, but if we all fight, who will look after the children? Who will tend to gardens and make meals? Who will care for the elderly and the wounded?"
I watched both of them with curiosity, enjoying the exchange.
“All those thingsareimportant, I suppose.”
“That’s what I think too.” Cara said.
“What do you think?” Frid turned to face me.
"I believe that all of us should contribute in every way we can. Men should help with children, or cooking, when they can, and women should be able to fight. If we know that the city may be in danger, why leave women defenceless against whatever is to come?”
“I never thought about it that way.” Cara responded.
“How’s that different from what I just said?” Frid exclaimed.
We kept talking as we descended to the room below, which turned out to be filled with empty crates. Cara brought two oil lamps, and we placed them in opposite corners to light up the room.
“It’s so dark in here.” Frid muttered.
“We could try going outside next time.” Cara suggested and it occurred to me that she had invited herself to be a part of the training.
Frid made us start with some simple exercises to build up our strength. I was convinced that I was the weak link. I struggled with everything. It did not help that I never exercised aside from going on walks or doing some horseback riding. Unlike me, Cara physically worked most of the day, and Frid was a trained warrior.
“Tell me, when did you first come up with the idea to kill me?” I puffed, completing my second set of lunges.
“You think this is hard? This is nothing!” Frid was already on her next set.
“There’s nothing hard about it so far.” Cara was barely affected.
I pressed my lips tightly together, fighting my irritation. My feet, my ankles and hips burned as if they were on fire. I already knew that I would be hurting tomorrow and probably much longer than that.
When Cara left to fetch us some weapons, Frid waited for the door to close behind her, then turned toward me while I was still trying to finish the last set of squats.
“So... what is it about me and Victor?” she asked, trying to look unaffected, like it was no big deal.
“What?” I panted, nearly blacking out from the pain.
“From what I understand, there was something going on between us.”
“Oh, that...” I bit my lip, concentrating on my breathing as my legs shook under me.
