Fallen Star: Reminiscence [boyxboy]

It was when the sun was still hiding behind the horizon a few days later, when I was introduced to the new cadets in unit 6. I had received a short instruction about the training manual and timetable the day before but I remembered most of it from my time as a knight in training so I was familiar with the process. While I had been trained by a personal instructor, the people in front of me were a mix of commoners and lower nobles that intended to join the knights that served directly under Duke Clovis. The chance of a spy in these ranks was the highest since a knight like this had a close connection to the head of military action and would receive much information about war strategies.

There were a total of 6 units, sorted by skill so the people in this group were the least promising new commers out of all applicants. The other 5 units trained in separate places under royal kights or generals of high status.

It was noon and the sun stood high in the cloudy sky above the dusty training grounds. It was a round field that offered different training utensils and a large space for combat training.
When I stepped in front of the group, I greeted them with a loud voice that was repeated in the same way by them. Upon observing the 20 men and women that were standing there, I noticed that about a three quarters of them had to be older than me. I also couldn't oversee the mistrusting glances that they sent over to me.

"I know, you must feel irritated by the fact that I am much younger than most instructors but I assure you that my position here is justified." I proclaimed and went over to the very first man in the front row. He had to be about 40 years old, his built was very big and his bald face looked down at me arrogantly since I stepped foot near them.

"To prove my worth to you as an instructor and to evaluate your abilities, I will spar with each one of you one on one. Whoever beats me gets to be the leader of unit 6 and my right hand man or woman in the unit." I explained and heard them mumbling excitedly. Some were suspicious of what I said and some seemed to be overly confident that they could win.
Of course, I wouldn't let anyone win that easily, but if someone were to try really hard to get the position of the leader, it'd make them suspicious immediately. In other words... the people that would be the hardest to fight were most likely to be spies. It was the first step to get to know them better.

Following what I had just explained I handed the arrogant guy in front of me a wooden sword and took one for myself. I proceeded to take off the armored vest and the gloves I was wearing and tied back the upper part of my blond locks that had grown so much that they'd get in the way during a fight.

"Wooden swords? What are we? Children?" The guy laughed uglyly and scraped his bald head with ridicule showing in his piggy eyes.

"A real knight can use anything at his disposal to fight. If you can only defend yourself with a sword, you will die first in a real fight" I walked away from him and waited at the center of the training field that we were using at the moment. The air was chilly and the wind blew through the fabric of my blouse softly. Other units were scattered around the area, receiving an introduction to the rules but I thought that could wait for now. Arrogant idiots like him needed to be put into place.

Two minutes later, the guy was lying in the dirt unconsciously. I was sure I only hit his head a little but it seemed like he couldn't take much despite his built.

"Next!" I shouted and turned my head to the rest of the cadets with a satisfied feeling. Their wide eyes and unsure whispers were exactly what I tried to provoke.

"Show me all you've got or you're going to end up like him." I encouraged them and pulled the guy away to place him somewhere on the side. He'd wake up soon enough... hopefully.

"In a real fight you should never underestimate your opponent but you should not back down if you're faced with a stronger opponent either. Swallow your pride, don't let emotions guide you and fight to protect your country!"