Swan Song ✧ STEVE ROGERS [✓]

68 - You Are Stronger Than You Know

FIVE WEEKS, FIVE DAYS LATER (EFT)

A CRY OF PAIN LEFT RAEVANNA'S LIPS AS HER BACK SLAMMED INTO A TREE, AND SHE FELL TO THE GROUND. Every part of her ached, she had several bruises and scrapes all over her body, and she was both exhausted and on the verge of giving up. This is too much, she thought to herself as she lay on the ground. I can't do this anymore. 

Six weeks had passed in Elyon, and Raevanna had made some gains with her training. She had learned the full requirements for the five branches, and had realized how much effort it took to master them. So far, she had mastered Pure Strength, Silent Flight, and Trust Your Instincts, but the last two - Overpower and Blind Faith - were the two she was struggling with. 

Blind Faith was one of the more difficult branches. Raevanna was taken to a tall cliff with a sea of thorns and sharp spikes at the bottom. Then, she had to fall backwards off the cliff and close her eyes, keeping her back to the spikes as she free-fell. Without turning around to see, she had to wait until the last possible second and sense the closeness of the spikes before spinning around and flying to safety. Erissa had told her that mastery of the branch requires blind faith in one's self and their abilities, which is why it was often referred to as the branch that tested a night fae emotionally, not physically. 

Pure Strength was said to be a difficult branch, but for Raevanna, it was one of the easier ones. It required her to smash her fist through Nekragonite - the strongest mineral on the island. It required great strength and control to break, both physically and emotionally, and even though it was often the last branch that was chosen to complete (and the one most night fae spend the longest time training for), it was the first one Raevanna was able to master. 

Silent Flight was the final branch of the three branches that Raevanna was able to master. She was required to fly into the air with their mentor (or in this case, her sister) and attempt to sneak up on her and overpower her without making a sound. Despite the fact that it was the most difficult branch to master and could only be started once Overpower had been mastered, Raevanna was able to master it, and in doing so she shot down the myth that silent flying was something a faery could do only if they were born with the ability. And, she quickly realized that it would become very helpful in all aspects of her life. 

However, after two weeks of trying and failing at the last two, Raevanna was feeling very discouraged. So, as Erissa ran up to her to finish the match, Raevanna got to her hands and knees and held out a hand to stop her. "Stop," Raevanna panted, then spat blood from her mouth before saying, "I... I yield." She took a shaky breath, trying her best not to injure her bruised ribs further. "I'm done." 

"That's fine," Erissa said as Raevanna got to her feet. "We can try tomorrow then." 

"No," Raevanna said, keeping one arm around her ribs. "I'm done, period." 

Erissa's eyes went wide in shock. "What, you mean you're giving up?" 

"Erissa, I can't do this," Raevanna said. "It's been two weeks and I've made no progress. I have two days before I'm supposed to go back to America. I'm tired, I'm sore, and I'm fed up. This is hopeless, I'm never gonna get it right." 

"Rae, you can't give up," Erissa said. "You're close to getting it, I can feel it. If we just give it one more try-" 

"No, Erissa!" Raevanna snapped, then took a deep breath and lowered her voice before saying, "I can't do this. I... I'm done." 

And with that, she spread her wings and took off into the sky, ignoring her sister's calls to come back. 

As Raevanna flew, she blinked a few times to get rid of her tears. She had thought she could do this, but she couldn't. She wasn't strong enough. She never would be strong enough. And she just had to accept that and move on.