Shadows Whisper | | Azriel

41

Astryn woke up earlier the next morning and went right to the dining room. Cassian got there a few minutes after her and was visibly surprised to see her.

"I didn't think you'd be up this early," he commented, "let's eat and then we can go get started. We'll still take it pretty easy today."

He rambled on about more specifics as they ate and Astryn listened attentively. She didn't talk much, but Cassian didn't really expect her to.

As he said, it was still a relatively easy day. He had her go through the same set of stretches and balancing and breathing exercises. He corrected her posture a few times, carefully helping her move into the correct positions and explaining which muscles she was working.

They didn't go on for very long before Cassian decided Astryn needed a break. She sat for a bit and had some water before she insisted she was okay to keep going. They went for another hour for that before she limped back inside and took a bath.

The next morning, she woke up earlier again and beat Cassian to getting outside and started on her own.

"Do you ever sleep?" he asked, only half joking.

"Sometimes," she answered simply, "enough."

"Doubtful," he mumbled, shaking his head. "Don't push yourself too hard. You'll wear yourself out before you make any lasting difference."

She hesitated, like she was trying to decide whether or not she wanted to say anything.

"Being up—doing this stuff makes it quieter," she confessed, voice barely loud enough to hear, "it makes it feel less loud inside."

Cassian softened visibly.

"I understand that," he assured her, "not in the same way but...I do understand. It's still important to not push yourself over your limit though. You'll hurt yourself more than you'll help yourself."

"I won't push too far," she promised, "I'll stop when I need to."

Cassian nodded, and then they got started as usually did. Cassian was impressed with how quickly she had taken all the pointers he had given her, how she had perfected her form for everything he showed her.

"You're a better student than any of the little Illyrian brats," he joked, and she looked at him in confusion. "Did Azriel not tell you anything about where we come from?"

"I assumed it was just...here. Like the Night Court. Are you not from here?" she asked, eyebrows still furrowed in confusion.

"We're from part of the Night Court. Illyrians are a warrior race that we hail from. Rhysand is only half Illyrian and half High Fae. Most Illyrian males are trained for battle for their entire lives,"he informed her, though that didn't seem to do much to help her.

"Only the males?" she picked out that part to question.

"We're trying to change that," he mumbled, suddenly seeming so tired. "Illyrian customs don't value females as warriors. They aren't allowed to fly or fight. Males believe the females should be in the home, raising children and cooking and doing all the household tasks. Rhys has been trying to make changes ever since he became High Lord, but progress is slow. It's...there's a lot of history there. If you're interested in learning, I'll give you some lessons on our history later."

"I'd like to learn as much as possible," she replied, "if it's not too much trouble."

"No trouble at all," he dismissed the concern, "let's finish up here and both take some time to rest and then I'll show you to the library."

Astryn almost said that she hadn't ever been to a library before, but she stopped herself. She didn't see any point in saying it. She was sure he'd be able to guess that.

They continued training for a couple hours before he sent her inside. He agreed to meet her outside of her room in an hour so they could go to the library. Astryn was a little disappointed to find Azriel not in her room, but the shadows informed her he was working again. She didn't mind it. She enjoyed spending time with Cassian.

A part of her almost felt guilty for how comfortable she was with Cassian, how she was beginning to see him as a friend when she still wouldn't give any acceptance to Rhys even though she knew he wanted it.

She and Cassian spent hours in the library before Cassian decided it was time they stopped and had dinner.

"Azriel mentioned that there's...there's a city," Astryn brought up hesitantly as they ate, "would you go there with me?"

Cassian faltered, surprised by the request. A part of him wanted to suggest talking to Rhys about it first, having Rhys there for it too. He knew there was no way they could go into the city without Astryn being recognized as Rhys's sister, and Cassian wasn't entirely sure how that becoming public knowledge would go. But he couldn't tell her no, couldn't explain why it was slightly complicated and why they should tread carefully even if Velaris was the safest city in Prythian.

"Of course," he answered instead of voicing his concerns. If she wanted to go, he wouldn't scare her out of it by reminding her who she was related to. "Would you like to go tonight?"

"If that's okay," she said, quiet and nervous, "do I...is it something I have to discuss with Azriel first?"

"You don't need to get his approval," he dismissed the concern, "ever. If you want to go, we go."

Cassian knew Rhys didn't want anyone knowing about Astryn until the knew for certain who had been involved in her captivity, knew those involved weren't a danger to her and there wasn't a risk of her being snatched by them again. But Cassian knew he could keep her safe, and she probably wouldn't leave his side anyway. He wouldn't hold her back from any experience she wanted to have.

"Thank you," she told him, and he only waved it off. He wondered if she would ever stop being so polite.

"We can leave when we finish eating. It'll be dark by then. The city is the prettiest after dark."