The Tale of the Huntress

19. Fun and Games

"Tomorrow then. When the sun is highest in the sky, we will duel," Shei finished her statement and with that she bowed to her mother and left. Nova sank back into her seat as Lilium pulled on her hand.

"Momma, you're gonna fight aunty Shei?" She asked and Nova scowled at the fact that her daughter had given the wicked woman such a title. She nodded once before turning to finish her plate of food so that she could leave. After the plate was stripped clean, she bowed her head in Perrice's direction and fled the room to avoid the old lady's glare. Lilium and Iridian stayed behind to finish up since neither had touched much of their food yet.

Armageddon perked up at the loud cracking of the door as it swung open and his tail began to flick back and forth, giddy at her arrival. "That old hag and her spoiled miniature are the most horrid creatures I've ever come across," she growled out. Her best friend laid his head on her lap as she tightened her fists around the blanket below them. He pawed at her hand and she stroked his neck without a second thought. "But at least I will be fighting her tomorrow. There is no way a noble brat can overpower me," she grumbled and laid back on the bed to look up at the blank ceiling. The day's events had worn her down to the point that she no longer felt the need to stay awake for anything so she drifted off, excited to tear Shei apart the next day.

Iridian sat in the dining hall, awkwardly spooning mouthfuls of soup into his mouth to keep everyone from talking to him. Still Marissia turned her eyes to glance at him as if to ask how dinner went from peaceful chatter to such a chaotic mess. "Lilium, may I see your sketchbook?" Kai asked out of nowhere. Her face instantly lit up and she tucked a dark strand of hair behind a pointed ear with a cute nod. He pulled her pad over the table and flipped through the pages with a few "oohs" and "wows" to cater to her confidence as an artist and a child. "How do you know what a Nocturnus looks like?" He paused on the page and cast a curious glance over the table to her.

Iridian's spoon clattered into his bowl and he began fishing it out with a nervous expression. "Oh momma just told me what it looked like. A black lion with stars in its hair," she smiled at the picture in his hands. He nodded thoughtfully before returning the book to her and turning his eyes to his youngest brother.

"I apologize for my wife's behavior," he began in elven tongue and silence came over the table once more. "She has gone through a lot in her life and Shei was targeting her so she felt vulnerable."

"So you are saying your wife is like a scared animal that snaps when approached?" Perrice asked with a frown and raised brow. He shook his head with a laugh, realizing the irony in her statement.

"No quite the opposite. She snaps when her opponent mistakes themselves for the predator," his blue eyes met his mother's sharply and her nose twitched in confusion as to what he was insinuating but she didn't reply.

Kai pulled his brother and Lilium back once dinner was over and everyone else went their separate ways. "I'm sorry that we made your momma upset, Lilium. Shei just wants to make your grandma Perrice proud of her but she is going about it the wrong way," he spoke to the little one who nodded in response with big eyes. Then he turned to his brother and placed a hand on his shoulder. "And Iridian, father would love your family and that is all that matters," he smiled to his younger brother and left on that note.

Iridian pulled Lily behind him and was ready to get her into bed though she had way too much energy to go quietly. Once he creaked open the door and saw that Nova was sprawled out on the bed with Armageddon tucked beside her, he decided it best not to wake the sleeping beasts.

"How about this little flower," he started as he closed the door gently. "Let me show you where my favorite spot was when I grew up. We can practice for a bit too so that your mother can rest alright?"