Denial of the Whisper

Chapter Twenty-Seven.

Chapter Twenty-Seven.

"It's unfair how fit you are, considering that all of you drank so much more than I did", I groaned, as I walked up the steep hill to the castle with Dylana next to me. She'd apparently talked with Caaln the night before, that she would bring me and that he wouldn't need to pick me up. That stupi-...

Caaln.

Shocked, I halted my steps and looked at Dlyana.

"What is it?", she greened toothily.
"Caaln."

"No, I'm Dylana.", she laughed.

"No. He... did he bring me... ehm..."

"Yes, he carried you and brought you to bed."

I felt my cheeks warm up as I stared at her, horrified.

"But... but..."

"Calm down, Adri. He just put you there and draped the blanket over you.", Dylana tried to calm me down.
Brushing some hair strands out of my face, I shook my head. "By the almighty, how... embarrassing..."

"No, it isn't."

Decisive, she grabbed my hand and we continued walking while she went on "Nothing about that is embarrassing, and if I'm honest, we all somehow directed it towards this. It was a bit on purpose"

"But why?"

"Because despite it being a good opportunity to lighten up Nysh's mood, it was also an opportunity to try and make you relax a bit.", she explained.
"Who says I'm not relaxed?", I replied, but the firm expression in her eyes silenced me.

"I do. All do.", she laughed.

"Dylana?"

"Yes, dear?"

"You're really trying, don't you?", I asked and she stopped dead in her tracks, glancing me all over "Of course I am. We all are."

I looked at her for another long moment, then I nodded "Me too."

"Oh, there's our little sleepyhead", Caaln greeted us upon entering the courtyard.

I couldn't help myself than to roll my eyes at him, but not without asking "How come all of you look that awake?"
"We're used to it", he winked conspiratorially and waved at Dylana, who murmured something about going to the hall.

"So, how are you today?", Caaln grinned.
"Good. A bit...tired actually. And you, how are your injuries, everything healed?"

"Hm, for training, it'll do."

"Really?"

"Sure. We're not doing too much today, anyways. I thought... we could test your archery skills."

"Archery?"

"Yes, like a bow and an arrow?", he grinned, and I shook my head, stunned "On my first day here, Nyshard told you to teach me self-defence. Why archery now?", I was sceptical.

"Maybe because he has changed his mind, maybe because he thinks you'll be so bad in it that even of you would go havoc, you wouldn't manage to hurt any of us?", he chuckled and led me to where he had put the training bow.

I was a natural.

No, really... I was a natural at archery. I couldn't believe it, and from the looks of it, Caaln had trouble believing it, too. He asked three times, if I was sure that I had never shot an arrow before.