"What?" Maeve stopped chewing on the apple she had plucked from a tree nearby.
"Hit me," Senan repeated, spreading his arms wide. "I want tae see the power ye've got."
"Do it, lass!" Senan commanded.
Maeve knew an order when she heard it. She put the apple down on top of her coat and turned to face Senan. Taking a breath, she balled her hand into a fist and swung at him. Her fist connected with his chest, but he didn't even flinch.
"Nae strength," he said, shaking his head. Then, in a flash, his own arm swung up toward her. Without even thinking, Maeve ducked, avoiding the blow, and she darted out of the way. Senan pressed his attack, but Maeve rolled out of the way and stuck out her foot. His weight overbalanced on her leg and he tripped, falling to the ground.
Maeve stood back, breathing heavily. "Ye could have hurt me!" she protested.
Senan sat up from his fall and started to laugh. "I wouldnae have hit ye. I was pullin' me punches. But ye reacted well."
"What?"
"Ye've nae strength, but ye're fast and quick-witted. Aye, I went easy, but ye didnae ken that, and ye managed tae defend yerself. Ye'll do well if ye use those skills tae yer advantage," Senan told her. He gave her a proud smile, and Maeve felt flustered, unsure how she was supposed to feel in response. "Now we just have tae build up yer strength and yer discipline."
Maeve held out a hand and Senan took it, allowing her to help him to his feet. "How will I do that?" she asked. "Are ye gonnae train me? Do ye think it'll be enough?"
"That depends on ye," Senan told her seriously. "I can teach ye everythin' that I ken. I can help ye build yer muscles and hone yer knowledge. But what we do is up tae ye. If there's anythin' ye're nae comfortable with, we willnae fight. If ye change yer mind, we'll stop. If we get halfway north and ye find ye want a different life?—"
"I want tae learn," Maeve said immediately. "It doesnae matter if it hurts. It doesnae matter if ye bruise me or break me. I'll come out of it stronger, faster, better. And I'll never let anyone hurt me again."
Senan nodded approvingly. "Then we start now."
* * *
The next weeks were exhausting, repetitive and painful, but also exhilarating. They woke up every morning long before the sun rose and set off traveling on their horses, winding further and further north. Then they'd stop and eat some of their rations, or occasionally pause at a tavern or inn to eat, restock, and gather information. After that, they'd find a clear spot in the forest or high up on the hills and begin their training.
For the first week, all Maeve did was exercise on her own. Senan made her run laps, press up off the ground with her arms, and practice punching against the trees. The second week, they graduated to sparring together, with Maeve dodging and weaving Senan's attacks while she increasingly improved on her own. On the third week, he gave her a practice sword and started to teach her different moves and positions, and by the start of the fourth week, when they were almost at the spot where Senan had left his camp, they were combining all of the training into one, with Senan randomly demanding switches in an instant.
Maeve was black and blue, exhausted, sore, and some days so frustrated with her progress that she wanted to cry. But Senan was the best kind of teacher; he was gentle with his words and always made sure she was comfortable before they moved on to the next activity, and he offered praise when she did well and only positive suggestions when she made mistakes.
It was the last morning that they'd be traveling, according to Senan; they'd reach the village before the morning was over. Maeve and Senan both rode slowly, side by side with one another, talking as they went.
"Do ye think the other rebels will accept me?" Maeve asked him as they guided their horses along a winding path down a large hill. "As I am?"
"Yer trainin' is comin' along well, Mary," Senan reassured her. "Aye, ye've a way tae go, but ye're far from the weakest recruit we've ever had. Dinnae worry about such things."
"I'm nae worried about that. I'm worried about the fact that I'm a woman. After all, in me life… well, let's just say that's never been an advantage for me." She tried to play it off as a lighthearted joke, but she was sure that Senan noticed the bitterness that crept in at her words.
If he did, though, he didn't acknowledge it. Instead, he simply shrugged and said, "We have many women in the rebellion."
"Ye mean the White Sparrows?" Maeve asked. She'd told Senan a few days before that her life had been saved by one of the Sparrows, but she'd stayed vague about exactly how that had happened, and Senan hadn't pressed. He had confirmed, though, that the two rebellious groups worked closely together.
"Aye, but nae just among them. Most of the Sparrows are women, but they've a few men in their ranks. In the same way, most of our army is made of men, but there are plenty of women involved as well. They're spies and scouts and informants, aye, but many are also warriors in their own right. If that's what ye want for yerself, Maeve, then that's what ye'll have." Senan smiled. "And I'm sure ye'll be popular amongst them."
"Popular? What do ye mean?"
Senan chuckled. "Ye're charmin' and hardworkin'. Not tae mention ye're a bonny lass. People will be drawn tae ye, mark me words."
Though it was meant as a compliment, his words left a bad taste in Maeve's mouth. She knew that she was pretty, as he said, but it was honestly the last thing she wanted him to acknowledge about her. Her physical appearance was why her younger sister had always been so jealous of her, and why Malcolm Darach had chosen her to be his wife despite her being the middle child. It was what had made those guards in the prison think they had a right to say such horrible things, and what had tempted the disgusting attentions of Bill at the tavern.
None of those things were her fault, she knew that; the men in each case were the ones to be blamed every time. But regardless of that, Maeve did not want to think about being bonny. She just wanted to be free.
They reached the village a short time later, only to find that the rebel camp had moved on months before. Senan did not seem concerned or worried about this, so Maeve did not worry either.
"The redcoats raided," a young man explained. He had a patch over one eye and his arm around a woman who looked to be in the first stages of pregnancy. "They told those of us who were injured tae stay behind tae be safe. By the time they came back for us…"
