To the Stars | Throne of Glass

51

Celaena frowned at Archer. He hadn't spoken a single word as he dragged her, beaming like a beautiful idiot, to one of the courtyards. She gripped a dagger tightly and dug the pommel into his ribs. Bright daylight blinded her momentarily. When the sparks disappeared, she could make out a figure standing in the courtyard. She didn't even need to see his face to know who he was.

'Sam!' Archer called.

Sam turned. There was a new gleam in his eyes, one of stone. Hard and cold.

Archer announced proudly, 'I hope you brought daggers. There are lots of bugs flying around today.'

Celaena snarled, whirling and ramming her fist into Archer's stomach. He twisted, but still wasn't fast enough. She struck his ribs.

He groaned and staggered away. 'Sorr-ee,' he muttered.

Celaena stalked towards Sam, whose hands slowly dropped to his side. It was a simple, casual movement, but Celaena had trained alongside him too often to know what it meant. Arobynn did it too. Everyone did, unconsciously.

She linked her hands, and pushed them behind her neck. 'I'm not going to attack you.'

Sam gave her a bored, disbelieving look.

She decided to take Archer's advice, and bring back some of their old rivalry. She flashed a grin at his icy face. 'There are lots of flies about, aren't there?'

~

'Forty-three!'

Celaena looked at the small pile of black dots on the ground underneath Sam's final dagger.

'That's nothing,' she scoffed. 'Sixty-two!'

Sam rolled his eyes. 'We only had fifty shots each, halfwit.'

Celaena huffed. 'Forty-nine.'

'Bah.'

Celaena was glad to see Sam back in good spirits. She walked to the wooden wall to collect her daggers. They'd had a contest to see who could pierce the most targets, in which today were flies, out of fifty rounds. Unsurprisingly, Celaena had won. But it was still fun. She wasn't sure if Sam had entirely forgiven her, though. Glancing back at him, he was currently using his shirt to clean his daggers. She walked over to him, sheathing her own blades into her belt; she'd clean them later. Looking up, he pushed his brows together. 'Arobynn is waiting for us.'

~

Celaena brandished the sword playfully at Sam. 'Get on with it,' Arobynn snapped. Heat rising to her cheeks, she wrinkled her nose and stuck out her tongue, whirling out of the way as Arobynn made to grab it. She realised he didn't want to make a fool of himself as he was unable to restrain her, so she stopped, and he thumped a soft blow onto the side of his head. 'Get on with it,' he repeated in a gentler voice.

Celaena watched Sam's feet. Having trained for almost three years together, they practically knew every one of each other's weaknesses - Arobynn encouraged that. Sam lunged first - as he always did, and she stepped back.

It was rather hard to fight simultaneously bearing in mind Sam's weaknesses as well as trying to work past them. He sidestepped, and struck low. Celaena parried quickly, and used a foot to land a mildly hard blow to his head, forcing Sam to retreat a step, and Celaena thrust her sword again. But Sam blocked, forcing her sword onto the outside, and he slammed a fist into her jaw.

She growled at the pain that lanced through her skull.

'Stop!'

Celaena froze as she prepared to dart forward. Sam froze, too, halfway in motion to blocking her swing.

'Notice how Sam has his entire right side undefended. And Sam, look at how Celaena grips the sword. Her left hand grips the sword looser. And her feet positioning-'

'Arobynn,' she said.

'Celaena, I know you were halfway lunging, but all your weight is put on the toes on your front foot. A little faster, and you can be easily unbalanced here.' He nudged her foot, which was positively aching as she remained balanced in the air, and Celaena staggered.

'Humph.'

Arobynn gave her a look, an unusual warmth and amusement dancing in his eyes. 'Start again, but bear that in mind.'

Immediately, Sam struck for her wrist. But Celaena was already moving, twisting out of reach. She didn't aim straight for his right side, but his stomach, and Sam lurched-

He paused.

Celaena stood, panting, her sword on his shoulder. For a heartbeat, she thought she'd won. Then, Sam slammed a knee into the pommel of her sword, hitting a pressure point in her arm. Her sword went flying, and Sam caught the hilt neatly.

But she was already moving, and slammed a foot into his groin. He let out an oomph, careening backwards. 'You can't do that!' he protested.

Pressing two daggers across his throat, she leaned in. 'Oh yes I can.'

Sam lashed out, and Celaena withdrew her blades, stepping backwards with a wide grin. 'Brute.'

'Bitch.'

Arobynn smiled at her as she strolled out of the room.

~

The winter air was already drifting away, even though Yulemas had just passed. Beltane in Terrasen wouldn't be far off from now...

Celaena sat in one of the large sitting rooms adjoining the front hallway of the Keep, a book in hand. She scanned page after page, the crackling fire warming her bare feet. Damn whoever told her off for wandering around shoeless! Her elbow slipped from its rest, and Celaena jolted. The fire was so lovely... it wouldn't do her any harm if she laid down for just a bit, would it?

~

Despite the sleep clouding her vision, and the grogginess in her limbs, Celaena's other senses remained strong. She was awake as soon as she heard shuffling by the door. 'Oh,' came a familiarly delicate, disgusted voice.

'Lysandra.' She yawned, standing.

Lysandra, to her disappointment, looked very nice, as she always did. 'Did you have a nice sleep? I could hear your snores from the entrance!'

Celaena rubbed her eyes. 'I had a lovely sleep, thank you. You ruined my dream, though. I was about to knock you unconscious. You looked terrible, all those welts and bruises... and you were bawling like a baby.'

Lysandra sniffed. 'You sounded like a pig.'

'So what if I did? You look like one, anyway.'

Lysandra instantly looked to where her corset would be. 'Oh, do I? How terrible,' she muttered to herself. Celaena still caught the words, and smirked as Lysandra lifted her head. 'I think that you would find that you look rather awful too.'

Celaena shrugged. 'Tunics are lovely.'

Lysandra brushed her satin dress. 'I would think otherwise. I shan't listen to the word of a wild and uncultivated lout.'

Celaena stiffened, hands reaching down to her sides. 'I am not uncultivated, nor a lout. How dare you-'

A miracle occurred, then and there, which saved Lysandra's life. Sam, eyes shining with reluctance and exasperation, appeared. 'Lysandra. Would you please come with me? Celaena, put down your daggers,' he added with a hiss.

She twirled the hilt. 'If you leave now, I won't be tempted to throw them.'

'Honestly, Celaena.' But he still left, Lysandra, glad to follow a more friendly assassin, in tow.