The Knight's Mysterious Maid
Chapter 149: Doubt (2)

Chapter 149: Doubt (2)

"Why are you putting a helmet on my head? Do you plan to aim for it?" Annalise asked as Rafael was so kind as to put one of his helmets on her.

Before they went down to the river, Rafael made her wait in the yard, and then later returned with a helmet she knew belonged to him.

"No. It is just for safety," Rafael replied.

"Then, how about I wear the rest of your armour? There is no one here to see me in it. We should be careful of me getting struck on the side or anywhere else," Annalise said, crossing her fingers behind her back, hoping he would agree to it.

"The armour will be too heavy for you so it will weigh you down. You only need the helmet," Rafael said, tapping it to see how secure it was. She was smaller than him so it did not fit her right, but it should do the job for now.

"I think I will manage just fine. I bet many would pay to get their hands on this helmet. How many people have you let wear this?" Annalise asked, running her fingers on the side of the helmet. It was unbelievable that she got to wear it without sneaking around to get it when Rafael was not home.

"You are the first to wear it. Why would I share my helmets with anyone?" Rafael questioned.

He left Annalise’s side to pick up the wooden swords he placed on a large rock.

"You could have just let me borrow one of the old helmets the other knights have lying around. Or there must be spares somewhere. Why would you have me-"

"It is already on your head. Do not take it off unless you want me to stop here. If at any point you wish to stop, just say so and we’ll go no further. You do not need to push yourself," Rafael said as he handed her the sword.

Annalise gave the sword a quick swing to see how heavy it was. It could do a bit of damage if she used the right amount of strength. She would prefer for Rafael to not worry so much and let them use real swords, but this would do for now.

"How do we determine a winner?" Annalise asked. She had to know when to stop.

"The sword will be out of your hands or you have fallen flat on your ass," Rafael replied. It wouldn’t be hard to guess who the winner was. They would both have a feeling of when this match was over.

"I see. Then," Annalise said, pointing her sword down to the right of her. She gave him enough space to strike the front of her. "You can attack me when you are ready."

Once again, Rafael wished to know where this confidence came from. Whenever he trained against his knights, they would always have their swords positioned ready to defend themselves from any attack he would throw their way. However, Annalise stood with her sword pointed at the ground, inviting him in to try attacking her like she was defenseless.

He decided to humour her and unlike what he would have done with anyone else as it was a stupid move, he swung his sword, aiming for it to connect with the side of her helmet. This should be a short fight to get out the excitement Annalise was clearly feeling.

Many women looked to get jewellery or dresses from him, but here she was excited to be fighting against him. She made sarcastic remarks about him being a hero, but she was here excited to do this. Perhaps she was awaiting this moment to kill him. Tired of all the praises he received that she felt he did not deserve.

Annalise smiled as she dodged his sword. It would be one big headache she would have to deal with for the rest of the day if she let him hit her in the head. "What happened to the helmet being for safety?" She asked since he aimed for the helmet.

She moved swiftly to have her sword connect with his and push him away. As Rafael tried to block her attack, she raised her foot to kick his side.

"You didn’t say we only had to use swords. You are quick," she complimented him for being fast to avoid her kick. "You are a man who has spent many years in battle after all," Annalise said, putting down her foot.

After years of training, she had mastered the skill of delivering a strong blow with her right foot. All she needed to do was land the hit on her opponent to either knock them off their balance or wound them.

Rafael took off going easy on her, but seeing she had a few tricks up her sleeves, he decided against it for now. With ease, he lifted his sword, knocking away Annalise’s sword from on top of his.

Annalise bit her tongue to not laugh and reveal just how much she was enjoying this. It had been so long since she had a fight even if it was like this. It was a great letdown that she was not ready to kill him. A fight ending with blood was always satisfying.

Annalise could not control herself for much longer as when her sword connected with Rafael’s, creating a loud cracking noise, a giggle escaped her lips. She bit her lips to hide her shame in the girlish sound and stared at Rafael who was also shocked by the sound.

Embarrassed, Annalise pushed forward to send him away from her and tried to kick him once more as he moved.

Rafael grabbed her foot to stop the attack and pulled her towards him. He felt a stinging pain in his hand from her foot hitting the palm of his hand when he caught it. How she managed to kick him in the dress she wore now when she complained about dresses restricting her movement when they were at the festival puzzled him.

Having her foot caught did not worry Annalise. She kept herself balanced as he dragged her and attempted to hit him in the chest with her sword, but the attack was blocked by his sword. Rafael kept his hold on her leg in the midst of it.

Seeing that she was embarrassed by the sound she made, Rafael decided to take the chance to tease her.

"Are you embarrassed, Annalise?" He asked, smiling to infuriate her more.

"I am not," Annalise replied. She tried to yank her foot out of his hold and aimed her sword at the hand that was holding her.

Rafael took the hit to his left hand, but made up for it by hitting Annalise on her left side which was defenseless because she was focused on getting her leg released. It was astonishing that she was yet to fall after all the pulling he did on her leg.

"You said that your family are farmers. I am starting to doubt that," Rafael said.

There was strength and skill behind her movement like she had fought many times before this. He was going easy on her, but he was starting to get the feeling that she was also holding back. She kept up with him, blocking any attack or moving to avoid it.

"If your daughter wanted to move to another town all alone, wouldn’t you train her to make sure she could protect herself? You have lovely eyes, Rafael," Annalise said, in an effort to surprise him. "Ha!" She grinned, yanking her foot out of his hold.

"One little compliment from a lady and you are distracted. Don’t tell me the commander will be so easily defeated," she teased.

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