A Court of Blessings & Dark Things

6. In Tether

Elain was panting with her hands on her knees. She looked around and saw her sisters move with such grace. She resented that, that they both were already trained by Cassian and Azriel. She was the girl out. She kind of always was, her sisters had their own lives, not that she minded. She much rather have her hands in the dirt listening to the birds all day than do or even be what her sisters are. She didn't know if she would amount to anything if she lived their lives, the amount that Feyre went through... it was often unimaginable that her little sister did all that. Between keeping them all alive and fed to dying, being reborn, becoming a High Lady. She wanted to be more, do more. Prove her worth. Her mind drifted to Az, her eyes following to where he stood. He stood tall with sweat decorating his body, her cheeks heated up as she kept her eyes on him. "I told you you shouldn't have come." Elain looked up to see Nesta, the sun beaming from behind her. "I'm fine. I just needed a breather. Is that a crime?" Nesta was about to retort when Nyxanna spoke, "Alright, I think that's enough for today. Thank you all for joining us and I hope you show up tomorrow bright eyed and bushy tailed!" Elain stood up ignoring Nesta walking towards Zaya and Nyxanna. "Zaya said that you would be able to help me train to get a handle on my powers?" Nyxanna spoke while looking behind her at Nesta. "Yeah, you're totally welcome to join me and Z!" She looked down at Elain's bright eyes, "We can start tomorrow morning before our training with everyone else. You can stop by the Town house." Elain smiled deeply, "That would be superb!" Zaya smiled, "Let's get you out of those Leathers." Elain nodded, "I'm so happy you said that." Zaya and Elain progressed inside the house to the room where her clothes were. "You know, if you don't like the leathers, I have a set similar made out of cotton. I used to wear them all the time." Elain tugged on her top as they passed by portraits that hung on the wall, all of them looking very similar. "Oh, that would be divine. I must say, these are.. not me. I'm honestly not so sure about this Rite either." Zaya's hair swayed as she tilted her head, "It's okay to not have been born a warrior. There are many other ways to keep yourself safe without learning violence." Elain stopped in her steps, "There is?" Zaya turned on her foot, "Why of course. The number one way to protect you and others is to be aware. Know your surroundings and keep an eye out for anything off. Especially with your Seer power, I bet it'll kick in to function more frequently and not take so much energy. Even just having Knowledge. My mom before she ever trained with the Slayers was a book worm, living in a new land she learned everything she could. Even about other worlds, she kept expanding her knowledge. Same with Zaries. He was the softest person you would have ever met, he wasn't born a warrior either. He loved books, I think he got it from our mom. She had so many books that he started reading. He got us out of trouble so many times without ever using violence, he used his smarts. Especially when it came to traps, he could spot those a mile away!" She tugged on her hair as she remembered those sweet memories of her twin. "So I don't have to force myself to physically fight, I can use knowledge. I guess I never thought of that." Zaya hummed tapping her chin, "You are very gifted in the garden and with food. Those could be a great asset to use. In Gaia we used to visit this Apothecary, it had everything from poisons to spells, herbs to animal parts. With your knowledge of gardening you could poison anyone you wanted just by knowing a plant they don't. Bake it into a cake and send it to this Koschei guy, maybe it'll just be the end of him." Elain's eyes widen, "You're a genius!" Zaya shook her head with a light giggle, "It's you who has the ability to, you're the actual genius." Elain put her hand in a fist and brought it up to her chest. "I am not boring. BUT I don't need everyone to know that. I can be like a thief in the night!" Zaya clapped her hands, "Yes! Girl, see, you are exactly who you are meant to be." Elain walked to Zaya and hugged her, "Thank you." Zaya held her back, "You're welcome." Zaya's stomach started to rumble, "Hey, maybe you could make me something yummy for my tummy." Elain pulled away laughing, "Let's go!"