Theresa Maria calmly wiped the blood from her knife, as calmly as most people would wash a dish. Her bodyguard stared, still panting from the fight. Once she put away the knife, he could no longer see where it was hidden. She smoothed back a strand of hair, and waited for the question.

“Where …how did you learn to fight so well, my lady.”

She sighed. She expected it, but it was tiresome none the less. “Close your mouth, and let’s continue walking.” She began, as she returned to her slow walking pace, so different from the quick movements of the previous moments. He followed, of course, but still looked surprised.

She spoke quietly as they continued their journey. “My brother began to teach me long, long ago. One morning he invited me to walk with him. When we were out of sight of the house, he began teaching me to fight. I was so eager to learn, I never questioned it. To this day I don’t know why. All I know for sure is that, around the same time, he stopped seeing some of his friends.”