A little Peak at Chapter 11 of In the Shadows

 I'm still writing Chapter 10; but this scene just came to me on my walk home and felt like sharing some of it after writing it up this morning.
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Part of Chapter 11

   Kaari stood as tall as the five foot nine Renadel, whom she forced backwards across the castle courtyard.  She smiled a little smug with herself.  She knew that this would be the day that she proved she could handle herself on the battlefield.  She had been training with Captain Renadel since she was fourteen, and she was almost twenty now.   Her arms were muscled as only those of a swordsman, lithe and full of long muscles in her arms, shoulders, and legs.  Despite this slight build up of muscles she had a comely face that favored her mother's Unndalg heritage, but in every other aspect she resembled her father, the King of Norens. 

   Then out of the corner of her light blue eyes she caught sight of her mother on the balcony.  Her attacks began to falter some under that glowering green eyed gaze, and got even worse as the scowl of disapproval deepened in the slight wrinkle across her mother's brow.  She soon found herself falling backwards onto her butt.  She let out a yelp after she had fallen. 

   Renadel scolded her, "You let your guard down.  If you really want to fight on the battlefield you can let nothing distract you.  Your mind must always be on the battle, and your surroundings.   You will find that if you can hone this skill it will benefit in more ways then you can understand right now."

    She turned her gaze back to the balcony to see her mother grinning, as if to say that her failure in that round against Captain Renadel was proof that the art of war was not a woman's duty to learn.  The Crown Princess then turned her attentions back to Renadel.

   Kaari pouted her luscious red lips, "It's only practice.  We are using wooden swords after all."
    "Even a wooden sword can be a dangerous tool in trained hands."  he struck her shoulder hard but she did not cry out.  She pushed back the tears she felt raising to her blue eyes.  She didn't want to appear weak before her combat master.  Crown Princess Kaari was learning more then swordsmanship from Captain Renadel, but all the arts of the warrior; archery, daggers, hand to hand combat, swordsmanship, and how to properly wield a pole-arm. 

     "Why didn't you block?"  Renadel inquired.

    "I didn't think to block."   Kaari replied honestly.

    Renadel sadly shook his head, "You need to think fast in a real fight.  Remember that."

    Kaari raised up her hand as she so often did after she had lost a round.  Renadel only stood there staring at that outstretched hand.  Kaari asked meekly, "Aren't you, a gentlemen, Renadel?  Will you not help a Lady to her feet."

    Renadel took her hand and then as she began to raise she felt the wooden sword stab hard into your stomach, "Dead again, Princess.   You can't trust your enemy to always hold to your code of honor.  The important thing to remember is that it's easy to die, the real aim of any fight is to ensure that the poor bastard that's your opponent is the one that dies and you live.