Ordered apprentice inside to make a sword (5)
I believe the answer is:
blade
'a sword' is the definition.
(I know that sword can be written as blade)
'ordered apprentice inside' is the wordplay.
'ordered' becomes 'bade' (past tense of 'bid' as in to order).
'apprentice' becomes 'L' (as in a learner driver with L-plates on their car).
'inside' indicates putting letters inside.
'bade' placed around 'l' is 'BLADE'.
'to make' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for blade that I've seen before include "Leaf, of grass, say" , "Sword" , "Runner on an ice-skate" , "A knife, or a dashing fellow" , "Flat part of an oar" .)