Snowstorms and Hazel Melodies

Not All Damsels Need Saving

She never seemed shattered;
to me, she was a breathtaking mosaic of the battles she's won. 
- Matt Baker 

Fighting was a dance. A waltz of swords, footwork and muscle. Your mind works at an inhumane speed with only two things in mind: to harm and not to be harmed.
Adrenaline pulses through your veins and your heart thumps against the ribcage like it's suddenly not large enough. Since your mind is working at ten times faster than its usual speed, every useless and worrying thoughts that plague you wouldn't matter when all you are thinking of are slashes, footwork, arm placement, repeat.

It was therapy forged from blacksmith hearths and training rings.

That was what training was for Raina, after years of feeling helpless and powerless, the knowledge that she could finally protect herself and the others in her life was like learning to swim after spending her entire life drowning. The scars that marred her legs and forearms were proof of her weakness, one that she will never allow to repeat ever again. The callouses on Rai's palms and muscles in her stomach, arms, shoulders, legs and forearms were those of a centuries' old warrior trained through pain, anguish, blood and tears. The ground in which the female stood on, the smooth polished ground of the ring was a sacred space and the sword clasped in her hand was a Cauldron-blessed object. Raina's daggers were a symbol, one that screamed that she was to be feared, not one to be manipulated, not anymore. Never again.

Cassian didn't typically meet a fighter who reached the training grounds before he did. So, his surprise was warranted when the warlord was greeted by a flurry of blonde locks, silver blades, wintry magic and the scent of lilies. The 'flurry' was rather impressive, nothing Cassian hadn't already seen from her on the battlefield. Raina was a born-warrior, like him, like Azriel. It wasn't just eloquence that danced in her every step and slash, it was the mere fact that she is so engrossed in her training that, even with all her refined and keen senses, Cass's presence has gone unnoticed. The Commander of Night Court had trained and fought alongside many of the best warriors Prythian had ever hailed and the ones that impressed him could be counted on one hand. He might have to start counting on the other after seeing this.

Panting and gasping for much-needed breaths, Rai finally felt the extra presence in the grounds. An Illyrian who was not Azriel, much to Raina's disappointment, leaned against a stand of bows while doing what could be considered as assessing her.
"Cass".
Snapping out of his stare, her observer's mouth twisted into a smirk, "Rai-rai, someone's a morning bird".
"Guilty as charged. I haven't met many people who get up as early as me", Raina sheathed the daggers she was shredding the dummies with.
"Likewise. Azriel always preferred late nights and I don't even see the others around this vicinity".
A small chuckle escaped her lips, "Amren didn't seem like the training type".
"She's more of a kill-you-easily-with little-to-no-training type", it was said with a fondness Raina noticed he reserved for when talking of his family. She wondered if that was how her tone was when the subject was Mor or Vivi.
Smiling broadly, she pulled out a sword by her side, "Is it too early for a spar?".
Cassian rolled his eyes as he unsheathed his own sword, "It's never too early or too late".
"I'll make sure to keep that in mind when I wake you up at 3 am to train with me".

Both warriors sat heaving on the ground, swords beside them as they blinked out the spots forming in their vision. Several bruises and cuts littered the pair's arms but the pain was not to be seen in either of their eyes. While heavy, it was glittering and as soon as the ability of breath was returned to them, the gasps turned into laughter. Long, joyful laughter. The kind that made you forget what was happening around you and only aware of the joy that was flooding your body. The ache in their joints and the sting as the sweat trickled into open cuts were forgotten, non-existent in the face of post-sparring madness.
"I just released tension I didn't even know I had!" Cassian's words hardly coherent through the laughs that followed them.
Rai snorted, trying to calm herself down, "Why are we even laughing so much?".
"I don't even know!".
They laughed all over again. It was early morning, the Sun only just waking up and still in her dusty orange-yellow dress. Rays bounced off two genuinely happy (there was simply no other word for it), enjoying the tranquility before duties and thoughts trickled in.