The Way We Fall

Chapter 76 (Tigris)

The first day of the tournament came quickly. Tigris had taken to privately training with Roche and her brothers to avoid any of her potential opponents from learning about her fighting style. Roche, the clumsy oaf, was a nightmare to train with.

"What is wrong with you?" Tigris snapped after Roche managed to nearly fall on her sword for the tenth time. Even after the last nine scares, Tigris' heart still leapt to her throat. "Do you have working muscles?"

"I do," Roche grumbled, "Sorry." The maid looked absolutely miserable as she hauled herself off the ground. Her eyes were glazed with exhaustion.

Tigris sighed. Yelling at Roche was like kicking a puppy. "Shield up." was all Tigris said. Roche groaned but dutifully held up the large shield. Tigris noted the large shadows staining the girl's face.

"You look terrible." she noted as she struck the shield. Roche grunted but surprisingly managed to stay on her feet.

"Thanks." she muttered, twisting to the side as Tigris shifted into a new position. Tigris' muscles stretched delightfully, and Roche's face became even clearer.

"You look like you haven't slept in days." Tigris clarified. Roche scowled at her, shoving the shield forward against the next blow.

"Well," Roche grunted, the next hit jolting up her arms visibly, "I'm still worried about the tournament. It's starting today and I think Sir Harold is still going to fight."

Tigris smacked the shield hard enough to send Roche flying back. She didn't want to admit it, but Tigris had been harbouring the same worries.

"You do know that I'm a capable fighter, right?" she teased, trying to shove away her concerns. Roche still had her stupidly concerned expression on her face, which looked even more pathetic when she was laid out on the ground. Tigris reached out her hand to help her up. "Look, chances are, I won't even have to fight him. There are plenty of other fighters he has to battle first before he can even fight me."

"Let's hope so." Roche muttered, dusting off her pants. A clod of mud fell off her knee. She scowled. "I assume you want to practise something else?"

"Yep." Tigris shoved her sword at Roche who gathered it wearily, "I think I'll work on my throwing."

"You throw stuff at me every morning."

"Perfect, so you have experience dodging then!" Tigris noted cheerfully. She felt a spurt of glee when Roche paled. "Go on and strap a target to your back, would you?"

Roche groaned but didn't fight back. When she turned, Tigris noticed a small patch of red growing on the girl's side.

"What's that?" Tigris asked, her chest tightening. Roche followed her gaze, touching her bleeding side gingerly.

"A cut."

"I can see that," Tigris sidled closer as Roche paled, "Did you get actually manage to cut yourself on the sword?"

"It certainly seems that way, doesn't it?" Roche pressed her hand against her side. Tigris sighed at her pallor. Roche and her fear of blood would be the death of her.

"Come here, let me see."

Roche stumbled back a step, her hand pressed against her side. "No need, I'll just go to Leinos."

"Come on, Roche. It's just a cut, I have bandages here." Nicks were inevitable when training. Leinos had gifted Tigris with a first aid kit when she was a child after one too many slices with her sword. She rarely needed it nowadays, but it came in handy with clumsy fighters like Roche.

Roche looked shaky enough that Tigris didn't want her walking alone in case she passed out. Tigris snagged her by the elbow, tugging her towards one of the benches at the edge of the training yard.