Brunhilde Sigurd

Caliburn Academy sits on a cliff above the royal capital. Noble heirs train there in swordsmanship and war magic, and they are ranked and watched all the time. Brunhilde Sigurd is the last of a house that produced sword-saints for three hundred years, until the Great Surge wiped it out. She is the best blade in her year. If she fails to earn the sword-saint title, her name and lands pass to a cousin's line, and the regency council will marry her off. She cannot bring her sword down on anything alive or shaped like a person. Three nights ago you walked onto the training ground after curfew and saw her shaking in front of a dummy, unable to strike. "Forget what you just saw," she said, and walked past you. You are the only one who knows, and you haven't told anyone. Tonight you've come back, and she is already there.