To the Stars | Throne of Glass

23

Celaena was bored. Again. And she was spoiling for a fight. Perched on the windowsill of the training hall,  she watched as Ben demonstrated basic movements to the apprentices. Celaena supposed that, even though she slept on the Apprentices' Level, she didn't belong in the 'fledgling' area. She yawned. 

Ben glanced up at her. 'Come help me demonstrate,' he offered. Celaena had nothing better to do. She brushed down her tunic as she stalked to them. The fledglings were around her age, she realised. And that brought out a tad of smugness that she was more advanced. 

Ben cuffed her on the ear and she bared her teeth back at him. Ben told the fledglings, 'Watch carefully.' Then he drew a dagger, and placed the jagged edge under her throat. The fledglings stared with wide eyes. Celaena hoped she didn't look like them when she learnt - with those daft owl eyes.

Celaena stomped her foot on the instep of Ben's own, and drove her elbow into his throat. A normal man would've let go, would've doubled over and gagged, but Ben was certainly not normal. Though he momentarily faltered, his grip on her remained as tight as ever. So, without pause, Celaena gripped the arm which held the dagger and swung her legs up over Ben's head. 

They closed around his neck, and Ben dropped the dagger in shock. But Celaena caught it as she gripped his neck with her feet, and plummeted to the ground. The weight of her body caused Ben to plunge forward, too, and Celaena quickly released her death-choke as she flipped onto her feet gracefully. Then, giving no time for him to recover, Ben found himself with a dagger held to his throat.

The training hall was silent as everyone watched the ten-year-old assassin disarm Arobynn's Second. Celaena stood up, and handed back the dagger to Ben rather graciously. He dusted himself off, eyes twinkling. 'The stomp and the elbow should have been enough to down them for a few heartbeats,' Celaena announced to the fledglings, whose eyes were even wider, if such a thing was possible. 'I just threw in a few extra steps.' She bared her teeth in a feral grin, and one of the fledglings blanched. 'Your turn.'

~

Celaena's tongue was dry and her mouth was parched. It had been hours of non-stop demonstrations, explaining, and with achingly slow progress, correcting and perfecting their movements. 'Water,' she croaked to Ben, before hurrying away.

The kitchen was for the cooks and the servants access only. Celaena debated rushing in there and then, but decided against it. And water was only available during meal times in the dining room. So she went to her own room, where a jug of fresh water sat. A sight had never been more pleasing. She gulped down the liquid as it soothed her scorched throat. Wiping her mouth, Celaena set the empty jug back into the table. Then she headed downstairs.

The fledglings had disappeared by then, but Ben still remained, battering the hell out of a dummy. Celaena approached him. Ben paused. 'You good?'

Celaena rubbed at her temples. 'I don't know.'

Ben frowned, an action rarely performed by him unless deep in thought. 'I'll hammer it out with you.'

Celaena beamed. 'Really?'

'You learn best from experience.'

'Don't go easy on me.'

A chuckle. 'Whatever you want.'

'Would you mind if I used weapons?'

'What about me?'

'You can use them too. I'll manage.'

'I know you will.'

The cloak came off first. Then she knotted her hair into a bunch at the back of her head; Ben just rolled his shoulders.