Tales of the Tournaments

Sofia stepped back into the Swedish locker room without her warmup top, the atmosphere of happy celebration still ongoing.

You would think we had won the World Cup already, she thought to herself. But just because we sent the US home, that's enough cause for the team to celebrate.

She shook off her unease. Come on, Sof, if it had been any other time, any other tournament before, you'd have been just as glad. You're going soft.

Then, amid all the singing and chanting, Sofia's ears caught someone whispering nearby. She slid quietly behind her locker and looked around, seeing Frido, Elin, Hanna, and Lina huddled together.

"We did it, but it was me, I did it," Lina was gloating. "I bet they'll be ashamed of themselves now, thinking they're so good, so smart, so big. We showed them, didn't we? Especially me. And Sof's little pet didn't even get up off the bench. Shows what her coach must think of her."

"Does their coach even think at all?" Frido scoffed.

"I dunno, they did good enough to hold us off to penalties," Hanna ventured. Lina rolled her eyes.

"All that really requires for penalties is a good keeper, and I'm not denying that Naeher's a good keeper. But so's Zecira. After all, we all beat Naeher, didn't we?"

"Zecira was the best keeper," Hanna said admiringly.

"Well, at least we didn't have to put up with the baby on the pitch," Lina scoffed. "I'd just like to see her try to score past Zecira. She couldn't do it. Dunno why Sofia bothers with the brat. I scored past her Big Alyssa, just goes to show who's bet--"

She didn't get any further. Sofia had come out from behind the locker and yanked her up by the collar of her jersey, pinning the Arsenal forward against the wall. 

"Do you have elves in the attic, stupid girl?" Sofia scowled. "Are your horses loose from the stables? You think you can get away with badmouthing Alyssa in front of me?"

"You weren't here!" Lina yelped. "Get off of me!"

"I will not get off of you, you little--"

"That is enough."

Sofia froze, and Lina gasped in relief. "Pernilla!" The Arsenal player wriggled out of Sofia's grasp, and turned to look at Jenna's girlfriend appealingly. "You saw what she did, didn't you? She pushed me against the wall, she insulted me, she--"

"Lina Mona Andréa Hurtig, you will be silent until you are asked to speak, little girl."

Lina sputtered, holding her hands out in protest. "But Pernil--" 

Lina was cut off with a yelp, as Pernilla whisked a soft white hand towel from behind her back, twirling it into a tail with a flick of her wrist, and snapping it down, catching Lina on the palm of her hand.

"That's Miss Pernilla to you young lady. And I believe I told you to be quiet. It's Sofia's turn to speak first."

Sofia stared, wide-eyed, open-mouthed at Miss Pernilla. "Um."

Lina pulled her hand to her chest, glaring at Pernilla, who was looking expectantly at Sofia.

"Well, little girl?"

"Lina was bragging about ending the Americans' run to the trophy, ma'am," Sofia said when she'd found her voice. "And then she insulted my lillasyster. Called her my pet, and a brat. I couldn't let her do that."

"Of course not, Sofia," Miss Pernilla agreed. "We don't speak about people that way, Lina," she said, turning a severe gaze on the younger footballer. "Do you understand me, young lady? You may speak."

"Yes ma'am," Lina said resentfully.

"And you, Eva Sofia," Miss Pernilla said firmly. Sofia gave Miss Pernilla a wary look. 

"Ma'am?"

"I have the perfect thing for both you little girls, losing your tempers with each other."

Sofia paled. The last time she'd been punished for fighting, she suddenly recalled with anxiety-inducing clarity, it had involved the birch paddle.

Before Sofia could worry too long, though, Miss Pernilla produced two bottles of HotShot from her bag.

Not, of course, that that wasn't worrying enough. "Ma'am, please--"

"Would you rather be paddled, Eva Sofia?"

Sofia shook her head. "No ma'am." 

Reluctantly, she swallowed the HotShot, and Lina downed hers with a grimace, fighting the urge to be ill.

When Sofia and Lina had recovered their composure, Pernilla led them back to the rest of the team. "Alright, little girls," Miss Pernilla said firmly. "There will be no more of this taunting Sofia. I should not have to tell any of you that we do not disrespect our opponents that way."

"Not without cause, at least," Stina said. "If they start it, we're allowed to finish it."

"Hmm." Pernilla pressed her lips together disapprovingly. "But I will not have a young girl, who was our guest, disrespected and spoken badly of just because she happened to be an opponent. She did nothing to deserve it."

Zecira Musovic looked like she was about to say something, then took a breath and changed course. "Even if she did something naughty, she's just a little girl," she said, "and it's been dealt with. There's no call to insult her."

"That's right, Zecira," Miss Pernilla said approvingly. "There's no call to insult their little one, especially after her naughtiness has been dealt with. Speaking of which." She let her gaze sweep the assembled Swedes. "Rebecka. Filippa. Nathalie. Come here, little girls. You too, Jonna."

Jonna Andersson gave Miss Pernilla a wary look, but joined the three younger players standing in front of Miss Pernilla. "Ma'am?"

Miss Pernilla didn't seem to be in a hurry to finish addressing them, however. "Sofia. Stina. Kosovare."

Sofia jumped slightly at being addressed, but realistically, she supposed there was more trouble to be dealt with than just the HotShot. She stood between Stina and Kosse, behind the younger four. 

"Lina," Miss Pernilla added, her gaze falling on the Arsenal forward, who stalked over with a scowl. 

"What?" Lina paused. "Miss Pernilla. Ma'am." 

"That's enough, little girl," Miss Pernilla said warningly. "Whether you want this done with here and now, or later in private, is up to you."

The Swedes exchanged slightly worried glances. "You mean in front of the team, ma'am?" Nathalie ventured.

"I had thought to handle it in your rooms, separately, but if Lina, here, insists on bratting at me, it could cost all of you."

"Is it...is it the birch paddle, ma'am?" Becka's voice wavered, and Miss Pernilla shook her head.

"Not this time. I've exchanged implements with Miss Julie. Foudy, that is."

"The American?" Jonna demanded.

"That's right," Miss Pernilla agreed, raising an eyebrow. "Afraid of unfamiliar implements, Jonna?"

She shook her head quickly, then pressed a hand to her face. "Ow," she whimpered. 

"Well, you've been hit in the face enough today, I certainly wasn't planning on aiming there."

"Are you alright, Jonna?" Kosse asked, putting an arm around the younger player.

"Hurts," Jonna muttered, muffled.

"How about you, Filippa?" Kosse queried. Filippa had been taken down by two of the Americans after all, though she'd been subbed off right away.

"Still hurts," Filippa admitted quietly.

"I do hate to have to smack you when you've been injured," Pernilla said. "But Jonna, you brought it on yourself, and Filippa, you ought to bave been subbed out the first time instead of insisting on staying in until those two could take you down."

Filippa looked anxiously at Miss Pernilla. "Is it going to be awful?"

"It's Miss Pernilla, when is it ever not?" Lina said under her breath. Unfortunately, Pernilla heard her.

"You're only making it worse for yourself young lady."

Caro walked over, taking Filippa's hand and squeezing gently. "Alright, what have you got for Jonna and Filippa, Miss Pernilla?" 

Miss Pernilla took out the butter paddle, the small wooden paddle she'd taken from Foudy's implements. The two girls eyed it a little apprehensively, though it seemed less threatening than the paddle Alex had jokingly gifted Caro 'in return for Sofia', and far less than the Ornas. 

"Here we go, Filippa, just hold onto me," Caro coaxed, and had her lean forward just enough to present her bottom for her smacks, arms wrapped around Caro and clinging tight.

Miss Pernilla gave Filippa two swats with the paddle, one to the middle of her bottom and one to her sit spots, and then helped her stand back upright. The two swats had been hard, and even if it wasn't a proper paddling it had been bad enough with her already in pain. 

Then it was Jonna's turn. Caro held her in position, as she got the same two smacks as Filippa, before she was helped up again. 

"There now," Caro said softly. "Good girls, it's alright." She took them through to the ice baths, settling them before returning to help Miss Pernilla with the others.

Next, Pernilla picked up the towel again.

Lina immediately backed away, but Pernilla turned away from her. "Nathalie, Rebecka."

They looked at Miss Pernilla, then at the towel as Pernilla spun it back into a tail. "Hands on knees and lean forward," she said after a moment's thought.

They obeyed, yelping as the towel cracked down once across their bottoms. It wasn't that they hadn't expected it, but it definitely stung more than they thought it would.

Towels were deceptively soft. Who knew they could get like that?

"That's it, little ones," Miss Pernilla soothed. "Just the one. Go on and join Jonna and Filippa now." 

The pair wasted no time.

Pernilla gave Sofia, Stina, Lina, and Kosse a long look. "I have half a mind to have the four of you wait for it."

Sofia and Stina exchanged an apprehensive look. 

"Why?" Stina asked bluntly, though Sofia could hear the worry underlying the question. She was worried, too. Maybe, she thought, it was because Becka and Nathalie were being handled solely for guilt in missing their shots, and they were among the youngest. Jonna and Filippa had been injured. None of them had really got what Sofia would consider a proper smacking. Maybe Miss Pernilla intended to take her time with them.

"The wait will be good for some of you." Miss Pernilla gave Lina a measured look. "Yes, I think we'll do that. Ice baths, everyone, now." 

The team scattered, and Sofia exhaled shakily, sticking close to Kosse, who she'd be rooming with later. "Kosse...Captain, I..."

"It's alright, Sofia," Kosse said quietly. "I know. Pernilla is our friend, remember."

Sofia nodded. "But Miss Pernilla is terrifying."

Kosse squeezed Sofia's shoulder gently as they sat in the ice bath together. "Afterward it'll be forgiven. Just like always."

Sofia nodded again. She exhaled slowly. "Kosse...Captain...do you think Pernilla, um, Miss Pernilla, is going to be awfully mad with us?"

Kosse smiled slightly. "Now you sound like your lillasyster."

Sofia blushed, and Kosse sighed, shaking her head.

"No, lillan, she's not going to be mad with us. And we did win, after all. But there's some things she can't excuse, like yellow cards--" Kosse grimaced, already resolving to send a very nice apology card to AT's Tia JJ. "And there's some things that just need taking care of sometimes."

"I guess that's true." Sofia sighed. "I don't...I don't feel very good about this, Kosse. I'm proud to play for Sweden, of course I am, but--"

Kosse shook her head, stroking Sofia's damp hair. "No, I know. If we'd played anyone else you would be perfectly happy, Sofia, lillan. I imagine you might have been happy enough to play the US if your lillasyster wasn't on the squad. But she was and is, and she had to watch our teams battle it out without getting up off the bench at all."

Sofia nodded reluctantly. "And now she has to go home to...to who knows what." 

Kosse squeezed her hand. "That's it, isn't it? You want to protect her from trouble, and you can't this time."

"I can't help her," Sofia whispered. "But I'm her storasyster. I should protect her. She's never had a big sister before, she needs one, and--"

Kosse stroked her shoulder gently. "You've done all you can, Sof," she said gently. "Now it's up to her team to look after her, and you know her mamas won't let anything bad happen to her. Nothing she can't handle."

Reluctantly, Sofia nodded. She shivered, and Kosse got up, tugging Sofia with her.

"Now it's time to dry off and go back to our room, I think."

Sofia blushed pink. "And...and Pernilla's going to find us there?"

"Miss Pernilla, remember, lillan. And yes," Kosse agreed.

Sofia nodded. "Miss Pernilla. Right," she corrected herself, as they got dry and dressed in comfortable clothes, joining the rest of the Swedes to return to the hotel.