Lancelot's Smack Down

     “You have ten flights of stairs to climb. Can you
handle it?”
     “I can handle anything you can handle.”
     Nine flights later he was not so sure. He breathed
heavily, and a stitch in his side cried out. When they reached
the tenth floor, he sat down.
     Ahna smiled at him.
     “Not bad for a boy.”
     “I can do without your sarcasm.”
     “It’s not sarcasm. The Lady of the Lake enchanted
these steps as a further test. Not many males have managed
to walk up them.”
     “How many tests do I have to take before I pass?”
     “As many as necessary.”
     She walked into a short corridor. Two doors were on
each side. Several suits of armor lined the two walls.
“Your room is on the left. Mabuz sleeps on the
right.”
     “Why are we up here in the middle of nowhere?”
     “So you’ll stay out of trouble. Tomorrow, you begin
your advance fighting training.”
     “I don’t need any –“
     Ahna slapped him in the face.
     “What was that for?”
     “Your reflexes are bad.”
     “You didn’t give me any warning.”
     “Do you think someone bent on killing you will give
you any warning?”
     She slapped him again. “You’re slow, Lancelot.”
     “I am not—“
     She slapped him again. Infuriated, Lancelot lunged
for her. Ahna grabbed his arm and flipped him over her hip.
“You also let your anger overrule your common
sense.”
     Lancelot glared at her. “Who will be my teacher?”
     “Until further notice, I will.”