Ronan nearly fell on his back, and I laughed.

He landed on his feet, staring at me as if I'd grown a second head. "What?"

I lowered my training blade. "What what?"

"You laughed."

"People do that."

"Not you. Not at six in the morning. Not while we're training." He pointed his wooden sword at me. "What happened to you?"

"Your footwork is terrible. I found it amusing."

"My footwork put you on the ground twice yesterday."

"And yet here you are, struggling to keep up."

Ronan narrowed his ...