Weapons Master Vira had trained every Arterisian royal for generations, her methods as sharp as the blades she forged. On the first day of training, she gathered the young princes and princesses in the courtyard, each eager to prove themselves.
Without a word, she tossed a wooden sword to the eldest prince, who lunged confidently. Vira dodged with ease, slipping behind him and tapping his back with the hilt of her own sword. “Dead,” she said casually, smirking at the shocked faces.
“Lesson one,” she called out, tossing her sword aside. “You know next to nothing. Your titles won’t save you on the battlefield.” The children stood silent, wide-eyed, as she grinned. "Now, we start for real." Her lessons of humility and skill began in earnest.