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 Around an hour after arriving at the Martel farm, both Maxine and Charles found themselves walking towards the forgery that was owned by the other side of the Martel family. Charles was somewhat confused about why they were doing it as Maxine was leaving her armour behind. He would have assumed that they were going so that she could have work on her sword or armour.

  There was also the possibility that she simply wanted to see her uncles. It had been a while since she last visited so it wouldn’t be too far out of the realm of reason that she just wanted to say hello to them. However, she hadn’t come across as the sentimental type so as they walked, he looked up to her. There was some reassurance, seeing her big again after everything that they had been through.

  “Maxine,” said Charles with a small amount of caution in his voice. He still wasn’t sure exactly what was going to happen but he knew that it couldn’t be anything bad. “May I ask why we’re going to the forgery?”

  “Of course, we’re going to obtain a sword for you,” replied Maxine as if it was the most normal thing that they had done.

  “Oh, I see.” He fell silent for a few moments before his mind made the connections. “Wait what? Y-You want me to have a sword?”

  “Yes, because during our time together I’ve realised something. It’s not safe and if you were to get hurt, I would never be able to forgive myself. Plus, as my squire it is my duty to teach you how to wield a sword and the ways of a knight.”

  “B-But I can’t wield a sword.” He couldn’t help but think back to the inn and how he had killed the murderous family. He vowed to never kill again or even use a weapon. “Maybe we could just forget about it.”

  “No. we will not Charles.” She looked down at him with a somewhat annoyed tone. In a way, she considered this a form of insubordination. “As you saw during our last outing, I might not always be there or able to protect you. So, you’re going to have to look out for yourself and that starts with learning to wield a sword.”

  Before Charles could say anything else in response to this, the pair had arrived at the forgery. They could hear the hammering as the work for the day was underway. The tall woman had to duck a fair amount to get through the small door and even when she stepped inside, she couldn’t stand up straight as the ceiling was too low.

  Inside she could see her Uncle Mike working away as well as a couple of her cousins. They were all of average height since they were from Sir Tucker’s side of the family. Her sudden appearance hadn’t gone unnoticed as they stopped for a moment from their work and looked up to her. Mike in particular put down his tools and took a couple of steps towards his giant niece. He had always found her to be quite intimidating but he knew that she would never harm him or any of his offspring. They were family after all.

  “Ah you’re back Maxine,” said Mike as he lifted up the goggles that he had been using to protect his eyes. “Does your armour need adjusting again?”

  “Not this time Uncle,” replied Maxine. She then gestured down to Charles who stood by her. “My squire needs a sword; do you have any available that would be suitable for him?” It was at this point in time that Mike looked at Charles, he could see a small man and this got him rubbing his chin as he began to think.

  “Hmm, there are a few options that he could go for. The first is a dagger, but then again it might not be suitable for close combat. There’s always a light sword, I think that might be the best option for your squire.”

  “Then may we trial a light sword and see if it is right for the job.” Charles remained quiet and felt like he didn’t really have much of a say in the matter. He knew that Maxine was only thinking about his safety but he was still unsure about all of this.

  “If that is what you want Maxine. Let me know if it’s the right sword for him and if not, you can try another.”

  “Thank you, Uncle.”

  With that Mike turned around and picked up a sword that had been recently made. As was requested, it was a light sword that looked nothing more than a dagger to Maxine. To Charles however it seemed like a standard sword. The hilt was standard and was designed to be used with one hand. The blade itself wasn’t particularly long and was relatively thin. It wasn’t too dissimilar to a sword that Maxine used to practice with when she was a young child.

  With the sword in hand, the pair stepped out into an open area that was between the farm and the forgery. The area wasn’t empty however as there were some straw dummies that were used for training and testing purposes. There were around half a dozen of them and Charles looked at them as he wasn’t sure what he was going to have to do. For the time being, he hadn’t even handled his sword yet.

  If he had been an experienced knight, Maxine would have thrown the sword at him in a manner where he would be able to catch the hilt. She knew better than to try this and simply handed him the sword and as he held onto it, he could feel some weight to it. When she had carried it, she had made it seem like it was as light as a feather. It was only a reminder to him just how strong she was.

  “Ok, we need to see if this blade is the best one for you,” said Maxine. She then pointed towards one of the straw dummies which were only a couple of metres away from them. “Attack this dummy and we’ll see what happens.”

  “D-Do I really have to ma’am?” replied Charles. He was getting nervous and began to revert to addressing her as ma’am rather than her actual name.

  “Yes, you do, now do as I command!” She placed her hands on her hips and gave him a small glare. It wasn’t something that she particularly wanted to do, but she thought that it was for his own good.

  Charles knew that there was no arguing with Maxine when she was like this so he closed his eyes and stepped towards the dummy. Using the sword, he began to slash at the dummy while she watched on. She was far from impressed as she could see his head leaning away from the dummy and his strikes were not precise. Instead it was like he was just waving his sword and striking points at random.

  This lasted for around a minute and Maxine could see that there was going to be a lot of work that would be needed. Even her brother when he first picked up a sword, wasn’t this manner. Then again, he had witnessed both his eldest sister and father practicing so he did have a tiny amount of experience. Charles had witnessed Maxine in combat but it was obvious that he hadn’t really taken anything in.

  “Stop!” stated Maxine after she had seen enough. Charles did as he was asked and looked up to her. From his point of view, she seemed to be a disappointed parent looking at a young child.

  “I-I’m sorry ma’am,” replied Charles. He knew that he had done pathetically and that she was not pleased with him.

 “Are you able to wield that sword easily?” To her it was more important that they had gotten the sword right, it was pointless trying to practice if it was the wrong one.

  “I-I think so ma’am.”

  “I told you that you no longer need to call me ma’am. You owe nothing to me now so we’re working together as equals rather than you serving under me. Do I make myself clear on this point?”

  “Y-Yes M…” He was about to call her ma’am again but stopped himself as he had just been told not to call her that. “Maxine.”

  “Now does the sword feel fine to you, yes or no?”

  “Well…” Charles seemed to be a little unsure about how to respond. Since he had never properly wielded a sword before he didn’t know whether it felt right or didn’t. For all he knew, he could be wielding a sword that was completely ill fit for him and yet he would say that it was alright. He just had to go with his gut feeling and simply state what he thought. “I think it’s alright.”

  “Good, then we move on from there.” She then drew her own sword and stood next to Charles. She took a stance before looking down at him, it seemed like he was receiving his first lesson. “Now to begin with, your stance is vitally important. If you’re stance is incorrect then your opponent could knock you off your feet before you even have a chance to swing your sword. Now stand as I do and remember it.

  Charles looked at the manner that Maxine was standing. She had her sword gripped tightly and she looked as though she was ready to cut an opponent in half. He couldn’t help but admire how strong she looked as she was definitely not an opponent that he wanted to face any time soon.

  There was one aspect of sword fighting that Maxine wanted to teach Charles but she decided against it. This was the intimidation factor which she used quite often, it helped weaken an opponent’s resolve or even prevented them from fighting in the first place. It was easy for someone like her to intimidate an opponent but not Charles. He wasn’t nine feet tall or had an impressive physique.

  Already she was seeing that power wouldn’t be his best option and instead speed would be his ally. Like she had been taught herself, there was no point in having powerful attacks if your opponent was too fast to be struck. Charles’s below average stature would make him capable of dodging many attacks. One downside was that his reach wouldn’t be as long as many other sword fighters.

  “Ok onto the next lesson,” said Maxine when she was sure that he had gotten the stance right. “You can’t just swing a sword like a stick and expect to win a fight, you need to be precise with your attacks. If you want to send your opponent off with a warning, you slash him but not too deeply that you strike any vital organs. Like this…” Maxine then stepped forward and slashed at the straw dummy. Her strike looked to be strong but when all was said and done, her sword only pierced the dummy slightly. The slash itself was also relatively small as it wasn’t over the entirety of the chest but instead a small one in the upper right-hand corner. “However, actually striking your opponent in this manner is more of a last resort. Instead your main goal is to disarm your opponent. If they don’t have their sword then they can’t defend themselves.”

  “I-I see.” He was taking in everything that she was saying although he did feel nervous about all of this.

  “Also, if you’re confronting someone one on one, never draw your sword against an unarmed opponent. Only a coward would perform such an act, unless the situation called for it.”

 “If I may ask, what situation would call for me to draw my sword on an unarmed opponent?” This was something that he really wanted to know as he didn’t want to do anything that angered her.

  “The first is if you’re in a situation where you feel like your life is in genuine danger. Like if you’ve been beaten to a bloody pulp and your opponent intends to kill you. The other is if you’re heavily outnumbered. Even then your sword should be more used to defuse the situation rather than to attack your enemies. Also defending yourself against a wild animal is acceptable. Like if you were to come across a bear and are unable to escape. Then you can draw your sword and defend yourself.”

  “I-I see.” He was still very nervous but he didn’t want to disappoint the woman standing before him.

  “Now I want you to slash the dummy like I showed you. Make your strike swift and fast but also don’t cut too deeply if you only want to send a warning.”

  Charles did step forward and he lifted his sword as he went to strike the dummy like he had intended. However, he found his balance to be unfavourable and when he slashed against the dummy it went deeper than he had wanted. Not just that but he got it stuck within the dummy and for the moment he couldn’t pull it back out.

  There were several seconds where he attempted to pull his sword out with not as much success as he would have liked immediately. All the while Maxine continued to stand there and watch. She did contemplate stepping in and helping but she thought that it was best to hang back and wait for the time being. Instead, she simply observed what was taking place and remained silent. It was only when he was able to free his sword that she stepped over and he knew that she probably wasn’t happy with him.

  “What was that just then?” asked Maxine. There was a hint of disappointment in her voice although it remained stern. “You looked more like you were falling over then than actually trying to attack it.”

  “I-I’m sorry, I lost my balance,” replied Charles. He didn’t think that she would take this as an excuse but he still said it anyway.

  “Do that in a real fight and you’ll be dead before you’ve even hit the ground. It’s not that difficult.”

  “That’s easy for you to say.” His fear was making him lash out a little at her. “I’m not as big as you.”

  “Neither is my father and yet he is one of the greatest warriors in the country, if he can do all that then you can do this.”

  Charles didn’t respond to this and instead simply held his sword. He began to think that Maxine was probably pushing him too much as this was his first lesson. Even so he attacked the dummy once again and this time kept his balance. His slash was still a little too deep but it was still better than the one he had tried before.

  For the next several minutes Charles continued to slash at the dummy while Maxine simply watched on. Her arms were folded as she more or less glared at what she was seeing. She was taking in everything that was happening and analysing it in her mind. To her, Charles’s attacks were too weak as any opponent with skill could block his attack with ease and then most likely take off his head.

  This was something that she thought was disappointing but, in the end, she simply lifted up her hand. Quickly he stopped and looked over to her as she continued to stand there. Her views had not changed in particular but she could see where they could build on things and hopefully move forwards.

  “I think that’s enough practicing for now,” said Maxine. “From what I can see, you’ve got a long way to go before I feel that you’re competent enough to wield that sword effectively. We’ll pick up where we left off tomorrow. But for now, let’s head back to the farmhouse, there’s probably some kind of errand that my mother could need some help with.”

  Charles was more than glad that the lesson was over and although he did feel like he had learned some important points, he didn’t feel very confident. In a way, he felt like he was letting her down.

  Something else that was on his mind was that as he swung the sword, he couldn’t help but think back to the inn and what had happened there. Nothing in the world would make him happier than forgetting what had taken place there. But alas he couldn’t simply erase it from his mind and would have to live with it for the rest of his days.

  Upon finishing the training for that day, Maxine and Charles made their way back to the farmhouse where they knew that Jessica was waiting for them. However, this time as they walked in, they could see the matriarch of the household but she quickly shushed them upon their entry.

  As it turned out both Jaime and Rina were napping and the last thing, she wanted was for them to wake up before they were ready. Because of this, everyone inside of the house had to be as quiet as they could. It was easy for Charles as he was quite small so his movements didn’t generate much noise.

  When it came to mother and daughter it was a different story. Since they were both at least eight and a half feet tall it meant that they were significantly heavier than a normal person. Each step they took had the risk of generating sound through creaking floors and the sound of them carrying their weight.

  Both Charles and Maxine found themselves sitting on the large sofa like bench where they had been before with Jessica sitting on a chair that was close by. She was curious about what they were going to do next and thought about how to ask her daughter for a few moments before the question came out of her lips.

  “So where are you planning on going after this?” asked Jessica. Her voice was quieter than it normally was. This was so that she didn’t wake the sleeping children. “Maybe somewhere to settle down and start a family?”

  “We’re not…” replied Maxine. At first her voice was quite loud but she suddenly stopped herself when her mother shushed her. “We’re not in a relationship.” Her voice this time was much quieter than it had been before. “I’m not sure where we’ll be going, maybe we’ll travel east again and see if we can find any work for my skills. I’m sure that there’s someone evading the law who needs capturing. Or there could be a wealthy merchant that needs protecting.”

  “Or you could enter the grand tournament that is going to be taking place soon.” She spoke with a whisper but it was quite nonchalant. This seemed to catch Maxine by surprise as she looked over to her mother with a confused look.

  “Tournament? What tournament?”

  “Oh, there’s some kind of tournament that will take place in Royal City. The winner gets any request from the King within reason and a kiss from the Princess. Your father was considering entering for a moment but you know how he did his back in. Maybe you can enter and try and get far in it.”

  “Any request from the King?” She paused for a moment as she thought about the possibilities that could take place from this. She saw it as her opportunity to earn her knighthood that they most desperately needed. “So, what do we do? Just go to Royal City near when the tournament starts?”

  “From what your father told me that’s not the case. He said that there were qualification rounds before you get there since it is a national tournament rather than a local one. I believe that the qualifiers are starting near Lake Town in a few days but I’m not entirely sure. Wait here just a second.” With that she stood up and walked away before returning a few minutes later with a slip of paper in her hands. She handed it to Maxine who began to look at it. “Everything about it is on here.”

  Maxine looked at the paper but her reading skills were subpar. Unlike her mother who was incapable of reading, Maxine was able to make out a few words but not enough to fully comprehend what was written. Instead she passed it over to Charles who began to look through it for her.

  Thankfully he was able to read and understand everything that was written down. From what he could see, it would be one of the biggest tournaments that Angleland had ever seen. It was expected that many knights and warriors would participate but only the best would be able to qualify for the main tournament in Royal City.

  Although Maxine remained stoic and calm, inside she was very excited as she imagined herself defeating every opponent in front of her and then being crowned the champion. Then she could prove all of her doubters to shame as she would earn the knighthood that she felt that she deserved.

  From Charles’s point of view, it was actually a promising as there was a cash prizes for finishing at certain levels of the tournament. Even if Maxine didn’t win, she would likely finish high enough for her to earn a sizeable prize. Although he doubted that anyone could defeat her. He had never seen her truly her struggle against an opponent while she was in her normal form. When she had been smaller, he had thought that a gust of wind would have defeated her.

  “Any idea about where I have to sign up?” asked Maxine as she looked over to Charles. He was still reading the letter and he quickly went back to the part that his very large friend wanted to hear.

  “From the looks of it, the you need to register in Lake Town and the qualifying rounds are taking place at the same time everywhere,” replied Charles. “I guess that they’re doing that to try and prevent someone from trying to re-enter the tournament.”

  “That does make sense. If someone were to lose, then they can’t just go to the next town or city over and try again. But still this is my chance for glory and of course you’re going to be by my side the entire way.”

  “What?” He was confused for a moment and he became worried about exactly what she meant. This was something that she was able to pick up pretty quickly and she placed her hand on his shoulder.

  “Don’t worry, I’m not expecting you to enter or anything like that. Instead I want you to be there to help and support me.” She couldn’t help but give him an uncharacteristic smile. “I don’t think I can do it without you.”

 “Thanks, I appreciate that.”

  Jessica watched on and she couldn’t help but feel happy about what she was seeing. She had feared that Maxine would never meet someone special to her thanks to her quest for knighthood. However, now she could see that Charles did mean a lot to her, even though she likely wouldn’t fully admit it.

  Although her thoughts were very happy about the situation, she couldn’t help but feel worried as well about Maxine entering the tournament. Although her daughter was incredibly large and strong, she knew that she wasn’t invincible. There was likely someone out there who could exploit her weaknesses and defeat her. A loss of that manner would likely devastate her and maybe even hinder her goal of becoming a knight.

  Any other thoughts that Jessica might have had were put to one side as she heard crying coming from one of the other rooms. Baby Rina had woken up and needed tending to, because of this, her maternal instincts kicked in and she made her way to her youngest and most likely final daughter.

  Maxine on the other hand had her mind on glory and she thought that the qualifiers would be a cakewalk for her. Now she would have to go to Lake Town and sign up before anything else happened. The sign-up period ended in four days so this gave them plenty of time to reach their destination and then sign up. As far as she was concerned, her quest was only a few stepping stones away from being completed.

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