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Chapter 2
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All the students except for the first-years groaned when they learned that Dermot, Headmaster of the Kings' Academy, had changed the practical lesson schedule starting in the new week. The youngest class hadn't had enough time to become accustomed to the training programme to fully understand the annoyance of the other three classes.
"This is it," moaned Rupert of Thula, a third-year who sat at the table next to the older students. "We're doomed!"
Bren leaned over and hit him on the head with her bread roll at dinner the next evening. "Put a sack in it Rupert" she said.
"Doa bodno whenew scedu iya?" asked Torrance through a mouthful of mashed potatoes.
Everyone at the table and a few from the surrounding tables turned to stare at him; they were amazed that he could actually make a sound through that much food. "What?"
He swallowed and repeated slowly. "Does any body know what the new schedule is yet?"
"Apparently it won't be put up until Sunday night," Ashley informed courteously.
"We're doomed!" Rupert repeated while the other students just ignored him.
The older students had learnt not to be too surprised when the teachers at Kings' Academy did anything unexpected. They attended their lessons as usual, maybe caused a bit more trouble that they knew could get away with, and dealt with the changes when they came.

.o0o.

Bren and Ash got up shortly after dawn had fully risen on Monday to check the notice board outside of Dermot's office.
Ash swore politely. "It's a three week schedule."
"Damn, Rupert was right." Bren dramatically put her hands to her head. "We're going to die!"
"We'll handle it. We're fourth-year students aren't we." Ashley put on her most scholarly voice. "Golden rule number one: Never be late."
Bren chuckled quietly, conscious of the sleeping boys not up yet.
As result of being up early, the young women were one of the first ones to the dining hall. They decided to choose the table closest to the door so the teachers at the head table wouldn't overhear any of their friends' comments when they told them the news, just to be safe.
It was halfway through breakfast before Conner, Dale, Torrance and Perri walked in together. Sean and Tate of Snow Valley came in behind them and appeared to be having a heated discussion. They were still at it when the men had collected their trays and joined the two women at the table.
Dale sat down next to Ashley, winked at the women and nodded his head towards the arguing men. "Good morning ladies. Please forgive my two unfortunate friends for their rudeness."
"Since you were here before us, what does our fate have in store?" Perri asked of Bren.
"If you really must know -" she stole a quick glance at her best friend.
"Yes?"
"We have no idea whatsoever." Bren said, with innocence in every word.
"Come on, out with it," said Conner.
"Ok." Ash played along with Brenna's joke. "We are going for a short trip."
"When and where are we going?" Dale loved travelling.
Brenna strung them along, "Soon."
"To -" Ashley paused for a climatic effect and dropped her bombshell, "our lesson."
Dale punched her shoulder, though not hard enough to leave a mark. "That was mean, you two."
"Great, just great!" muttered Sean.
Bren shifted in her seat so she could see Sean. "What?" Brenna loved teasing these young men, so she needed new gossip.
The man shook his head. "Tate has gotten the best of me in our little discussion."
"Discussion of?" asked Ash.
"More like a debate over a girl," Dale butted in before Tate or Sean could answer. They stared at him furiously.
"A girl?" she joked. "It couldn't be one of us, could it?"
"Ash!" cried Sean irritably. "That's not funny."
Bren let out a chuckle. "To you it may not be, but to us, it's hilarious."
Ashley took on an all-knowing smile. "I bet I know who it is."
"No you don't" Tate said.
"Maybe I don't, but I'll hazard guess anyway."
"Go on, try."
"Diamond," she said.
All the boys were silent, avoiding comment by looking directly at their plates. The silence alone confirmed her guess. Diamond of Marsbelle was a third-year and had been attracting the attention of the male students for a while now.
Sean tried not to look sheepish but he failed. "Is it that obvious?"
The women nodded silently so they wouldn't crush their romantic friends' feelings, though it was probably too late for that. The table ate silently though they could still hear Torrance eating noisily down the end of their table. Bren got fed up and decided to break it.
"Would you like to know the details of the new schedule?"
"Do we have archery first up?" Tate asked hopefully.
"Unfortunately for you, no it's not archery."
Ash pushed away her finished breakfast. "We still have riding today."
"I thought they changed it for all the years" commented Perri.
"You haven't heard the rest of it." Ash nodded for Bren to tell them.
"It's going to be the same lessons but we'll be evaluated on our progress. Every third week all the years are going to be split into the classes that they are worst at during the two before. We get to attend these classes every day for that week."
Dale thumbed his nose. "I bet the teachers find a way to humiliate us."
Perri rolled his eyes at the man. "Stop being so morbid, you nitwit."
"Hey!"
Conner put in a rejoinder. "Well, you are a nit."
"Ashley" appealed Dale, "make them stop."
She sighed, ever the motherly figure in the group. "Perri, Conner, stop calling Dale an insect." Ash scolded lightly.
The two men meekly bore the reprimand but cheekily grinned behind Dale's back. This group always found that the best and most entertaining fun was with each other. Bren noticed that Conner was about to say something else but luckily for the man from Spring Mountain, it was time for the students to get to their lessons.
"Come ponies." Bren said in a superior, mocking tone. "We don't want to be whipped for being late, now do we?" The young men chortled. Her light humour always got them to laugh. She stood and put her tray away before proceeding out the door ahead of the others. Then she beckoned them like horses, with Ash bringing up the rear.
They reached the open yards and half of the students gave Violet a salute as they passed her on their way to the stables. Each entered the wide room at the back of the building and carried their tack to their horses' stalls.
Bren rubbed Swiftstar's black and white nose before throwing the blanket and saddle into place on the mare's strong back. She then quickly buckled the straps tightly on the polished leather before Swiftstar could do anything to make Bren's job harder. The woman led her mount down the middle isle where the other students also led their readied horses to the practice yard. Violet waved the fourth-years to mount and form a line at the edge of the enclosure.
A long jumping course had been set up, winding its merry way across the entire yard. A couple of jumps were constructed from pairs of barrels with a plank of wood placed on top. The rest were just piles of brush or small stacks of wood but all of the jumps were fairly spread out. Plump burlap sacks hung from several poles placed periodically around the course.
"Another day, another lesson" Violet said cheerily from the ground. "Anyone want to guess what we're doing today?"
"I'd guess we're jumping again" Tate answered.
"And?"
"Err."
"What are the sacks for?" asked Bren.
"I'm glad someone asked." Violet swept an arm to encompass the jumps. "Today you get to practice your fighting skills while you're on top of a horse. It is not only useful in battle but it will improve your riding skills as well."
"How, may I ask, are supposed to tackle this challenge?" Ashley piped up.
"All you have to do is get your mounts cleanly around the course and hit all targets with these poles." There was a row of short staffs about a metre long leaning against the fence next to Violet. "The sacks have to be hit hard and accurately and the powder inside the bags will indicate whether the blow was struck properly. Another thing, the poles are weighted." She smiled genially as if it was an every day occurrence. "Who wants to go first?"
The horse-mistress looked expectantly around the gathered group. Tate didn't meet her eye directly and the rest sat quietly to Bren's annoyance. She knew the fourth-years were quick into battle of any sought but the new evaluation must have jogged them into thinking that their skills weren't good enough. There was only one way to get better and that was to experience and practice. Bren kicked her mare forward and Violet gave her a bright smile, which she returned as she received the pole from the teacher. The student's eyes widened when she lifted the hefty pole in her right hand; it weighed approximately the same as a leaded broad sword.
"Geez, how much of this is actually wood?" she asked incredulously. "Are you trying to make us use the heaviest swords in training now?"
Violet shrugged. "I thought you could handle it just fine but I do have lighter poles for later."
Bren nodded acknowledgement of Violet's confidence in her strength and riding skills. She walked Swiftstar over to the course's starting point. The route of the jumps was similar to what they had been practising with before, a rounded zigzag across the yard.
She adjusted her grip on the pole and the reigns in her other hand then nudged Swiftstar into a trot with her boot heel. They cleared the first two brush piles and came upon the third, which had a sack hanging about one and a half metres off the ground. Brenna lowered the pole from her side, the tip dipping down and behind her right leg. She was careful to keep the pole from moving around too much so not to accidentally hit the mare. The student leaned forward as Swiftstar made the jump and swung the heavy pole into the middle of the sack as hard as she could, which sent out a small cloud of white powder. Swiftstar landed neatly on the other side and Bren raised the pole above her knee until the next target.
Three jumps later the obstacle was a barrel jump and the sack was located at her head height on top of the horse. However the sack was on the far side of its strut and to the left of the jump. Bren had to lift the pole safely over Swiftstar and strike the burlap bag on a swing towards her back and at the pinnacle of the mare's arch. Another white cloud heralded her success. Thus Bren rode her ebony mare through the course, hitting all the targets situated at differing heights. Swiftstar jumped cleanly over the last brush barrier and she headed back to the awaiting group.
Horse-mistress Violet obtained the weighted staff back from Bren. "Good round Brenna." The young woman smiled and returned to her place amongst the fourth-years. Violet turned to the next victim. "The next lucky volunteer is Conner. You're handy with a sword; let's see what you can do."
Conner grasped the pole Violet handed him and pushed his chestnut gelding to the start. "How hard can this be?" he commented before commencing his round.
The man was a good rider as all the fourth-years were and he controlled his horse well over the jumps. What Conner's problem was during his run, was the proper striking of the burlap sacks. He hit all of them; however none of them emitted the amount of powder that was in Bren's round. Conner hit two on the side and the majority of the others close to their centres.
The students exchanged glances and a couple of them sniggered behind their hands. Brenna was discreetly pleased with her self and had a nagging feeling that she would be one of the few that ride a good round.
The lesson wore on and Bren's prediction more or less came true. They all improved from their first round, now able to get dust from every burlap sack. Violet had introduced the lighter poles about the third rotation. The students who didn't perform well with the heavy staff were much better with the light one and visa versa with the others. A light weapon in Bren's capable hands after using a leaded one was a touch too light and she had to concentrate hard on not overcompensating on the weight difference.
The Academy's bell rung to end the lessons on the half hour before noon as expected. Violet ignored the impatient rustlings of the fourth-years until Ashley had completed her round and returned to the start. She collected the last of the staves from the students and then dismissed them.
Bren dismounted Swiftstar outside the stable entrance and walked her to the stall. The woman gave the mare a well deserved, long grooming once their tack was safely put away on their hooks. Swiftstar let out a soft whinny when Bren curried the spot between her whithers.
All of the fourth-year students made sure their mounts were well cared for then they cared for themselves. Lastly they stopped at their rooms to clean up before making their way to lunch.