Queen Of Glass

Book 2 Chapter 19

It was cold and raining, and the mud between her toes let out a loud squelch as Celaena Sardothien felt herself sink even deeper into the hillside. The pouring rain beat down on her helmet, tap-tap-tapping in between Raonn's shouts of command. Goldryn was slippery and heavy in her hands, and the massive bronze shield that she held across her left arm seemed to have found itself a permanent place in the mud.
Every step was impossible—it took all her energy just to remove one foot from the calf-deep mud, and as soon as she had put it back down, it sunk in once again. Her armor weighed nearly as much as she did, and was so restrictive to her movements that Celaena could barely bend over to yank her circular shield from the mud. Her body was so sore that she felt as if she might die; and Celaena looked down to see that the several cuts running across her hands and forearms were still bleeding.
Raonn was barking something, but the assassin was so busy trying to keep herself from falling flat on her face that she missed his directions.
Which was probably a mistake.

Unable to properly see past the gold nosepiece of her helmet, Celaena stepped in a large hole (which had now become a puddle) that caused her entire right side to sink hip-deep into muddy water. Losing her balance, her left knee twisted painfully as the mud fought to keep it down, and Celaena completely let go of her shield and Goldryn as she collapsed onto her right side. Mud oozed in through the cheek guards of her helmet, and her head throbbed in unison with her left knee.
Frustration and anger swirled around in a dizzying waltz, and Celaena would have begun screaming had her mouth not been partially submerged. The rain had now become almost unnoticeable against her numbed skin, and Celaena could only tell of its presence by its furious knocking on her head. From her right, she could faintly hear laughing, and Celaena made no effort to remove herself as the noise grew louder. Her one dry eye saw a pair of booted feet and a short cape appear before her, and a moment later, a hooded, pale face placed itself in front of hers.
"Look at the mess that you've gotten yourself into!" he laughed louder, but Celaena lay still, wallowing in her fury and humiliation.
Nothing—no crown, no wealth, no glory—was worth this.
"You're not hurt, are you?" the Fae Prince inquired, sounding as insincere as a wolf telling a rabbit that it only eats plants. Celaena didn't reply.
Raonn studied her, his eyes scanning her twisted and dirty form for any signs of immediate injury. Upon finding none, he straightened his hood (a luxury she wasn't allowed) and cleared his throat. "Get up, let's go. You've still got a good two miles go to before you're through for the day."
Celaena's hands clenched into fists, but she still refused to move, choosing the feeling of floating twigs and earth against her face to the agony of training uphill and through the forest during a torrential downpour. Everyone at the chateau was inside, enjoying the warmth of the fire and fresh bowls of paestia...perhaps Leighanna was playing her instrument once again...they'd drink and eat and sing, their thoughts far away from the woman trapped in the mud on a miserably steep hill, preparing for something she didn't even understand.
She heard Raonn click his tongue, and Celaena heard him repeat: "Let's go," in a voice that was quickly losing its patience.
Celaena, knowing his eyes were upon her, closed her open eye and allowed herself to sink even further into the mud, her free nostril in danger of becoming submerged as well.
"Get up," Raonn snapped, and before she could react, she felt his bony hands tighten around her left forearm and pull. Celaena winced as his hands caused the bronze and leather gauntlet to squeeze and bruise her, but the prince paid no attention as he placed his free arm around her back to heave her out of the puddle. Celaena did nothing to help him move her, and she heard him emit a low growl as he realized her intentions.
In a burst of strength, Raonn pulled her so hard that Celaena went flying forward through the air before she landed, hard, on her left side. Free of the puddle, her face was covered in debris and mud, and Celaena felt her insides churn with annoyance as her left side began to sink into the soft ground.
She lay like a worm, waiting to sink completely beneath, but Raonn heaved her upwards again and pulled her onto her belly. With a clank and a burst of pain, Celaena's knee (the same she had just injured in her fall) slammed into her fallen shield, her greave vibrating from the impact.
Having had enough, the assassin howled in agony and anger, her fury directed at the snickering prince before her.
With every intention of harming him, Celaena pushed and heaved against the mud, her fingers recoiling as the slimy, thick mud oozed through them. Finally able to get her torso out of the mud, Celaena began to bellow her rage as she discovered that her armor did not allow for her bottom half to get up in the way that she desired.
She was stuck.
Celaena attempted to pivot her legs into an awkward position, fighting against gravity and the slippery slope, but all that she could accomplish was a position that made her, especially with the mud, look like a crouching toad.