Son of Night and Daughter of Stars

Chapter 4: The Valkyrie

Though Nyx had done the course many, many times before, it still managed to find new ways to put him on his ass. 

He'd been partnered with Katra and her friend Delia, and though both were very capable warriors, Delia had one of the worst clipping jobs Nyx had ever seen. It was obvious she'd fought the clipping because there was a huge scar in the membrane of her left wing, making it impossible for her to extend it. Delia wore a weighted armor plate on her shoulders to try and combat the lack of balance, but it didn't help much. They'd had to start the course over twice now because he hadn't been quick enough to catch her when she fell. 

"Try tucking them together," Nyx told her as they began the third time. "And try not to attempt extending them to catch yourself. That's what throws you off." 

Delia nodded, her arms out to balance herself. "Thanks." 

The Valkyries around him also seemed to take this advice, because they tucked their wings in tight. While Nyx himself had never had to deal with the trauma of a clipping, his father had once tied his wings together with magic for a month because Nyx had flown all the way to the human lands without telling anyone. By the time he'd flown back home, he'd been so tired that he'd fallen over, asleep, while his mother had yelled at him. He'd deserved it, honestly. He'd been gone for four days with no word. 

He couldn't even remember why he'd left. For all he knew, his mother had told him he couldn't go swimming in the Sidra in the middle of winter. 

And besides, it gave him the nudge he needed to begin his training. Learning to balance was the first step to becoming a warrior, after all. One couldn't fight if one was constantly tripping over their own feet. Or wings.

"Nyx, you're doing worse than I did my first time on the course," His aunt called from the sidelines. He turned to glare at her, but caught the wicked gleam in her eye and turned around in time to duck the swinging beam that had been about to knock him off his feet. 

Nyx inhaled deeply. Remember, murdering your aunt would be rather upsetting to your mother. 

Nyx continued through the course, periodically turning to make sure his teammates were beside him. The course was different from the last time he'd done it, with more things swinging than wobbling. He briefly wondered if Nesta could have done this on purpose. Again, he tried to remember what he'd done wrong this time. 

"Nyx!" Delia cried behind him. He felt her hand grab onto his sword sheath and yank him back just as a large blade came spinning out of the ground. 

"Woah!" Nyx yelled, stumbling back. "Thanks, Delia." 

Delia released him, smiling slightly. "No problem. Just try not to let your mind wander, maybe?" 

"Are you thinking about my sister?" Katra asked from behind them, stepping lightly over the now-hidden blade. She also had her wings tucked in tightly, despite the fact that she was one of the only Valkyries to remain un-clipped. 

"No," Nyx replied. "But maybe we can talk about her later, okay, Kat?" 

"Fine by me," Katra grunted as she jumped across the large gap in the course, ignoring Nyx's offered hand. 

----------------------------

"Amazing," Nesta drawled after Nyx's team finally finished the course. "You actually completed that. It took you two hours, but you did it." 

"Mother, lay off," Katra gasped as she stood tall, hands on her hips and gasping for air. 

Nesta raised her hands in surrender, but her eyes continued to promise violence. Nyx groaned from where he sat on the ground next to Delia. 

"Aunt Nesta-" 

"You all look like hell," Nyx twisted his head to look behind him, and saw his other cousin, Azura, grinning at him. Her staff lay across her shoulders in a relaxed stance, and her copper hair was tied in a traditional Valkyrie style with two sections braided and hanging by her ears. 

While not a Valkyrie, Azura did train with them from time to time. Unlike her mother, Azura favored a blunt but brutal staff as a weapon. Nyx had underestimated her once, and it had cost him fifty gold marks. Never again.

"Of course we do, Azura," Delia panted as she stretched out her wings. "We, unlike you, have spent our morning being productive." 

Azura pretended to look offended. "I'll have you know, there are other ways to be productive than training." 

"Really?" Artemis came running over to them, her sweaty hair sticking to her head. "Let's hear it." 

Azura huffed out a sigh. "You know, I'm not sure why I ever come here, anyway. All you ever do is tease me. It's rather degrading." 

"Because you're a glorified secretary, dear," Nesta pointed out. Azura stuck her tounge out. 

"I am not! I am the senior librarian-" 

"Assistant librarian, dear." Nesta corrected. Azura's cheeks turned red, and she scowled at them all as Nyx, Katra, and Delia wheezed out tired laughs. 

"Are you picking on my daughter, Nesta?" Gwyn walked over, her teal Siphons flashing in the midday sun as she stopped next to Azura. 

"Absolutely not," Nesta said haughtily.

"Yes," Azura said at the same time, her brown eyes squinting angrily. Gwyn laughed and put her arm around her daughter's shoulders. 

"Don't take it to heart, Zu," She told her. "They make fun of everyone they love." She and Nesta grinned at each other, which Nyx found unnerving. He glanced at the sky and found the sun was almost directly above. 

"Shit!" He barked, standing up straight. He winced at the sudden movement but extended his wings to take off. "Aunt Nesta, if I'm late, I'm telling Mother it's your fault." 

Nesta rolled her eyes. "Please do. I haven't seen my dear sister in a while." 

"You just saw her yesterday, Nes," Cassian called from behind them. Nesta cast her eyes to the sky. 

"It was dramatic, darling!" She yelled, throwing her hands up and turning away from Nyx to walk over to the rest of the Valkyries laying in various states of exhaustion. "Cool-down time, ladies." 

Ignoring the collective groan from the females around him, Nyx pushed off the ground and launched into the sky. 

The moment he was in the air, he felt better. He'd never quite get over the feeling flying gave him. It was freedom at its highest, brightest, and clearest. The wind racing through his hair, slicing across his face, his heart soaring up and down as he cut across the atmosphere... it was like no other feeling he'd ever found. It was one of the reasons he so loudly advocated for the Valkyries. To have this joy taken from you... he couldn't even imagine it. 

However, if he was any later to this meeting, he very well might be grounded for eternity. He'd just have to hope his mother wouldn't blast him all the way to the human lands for being late.