Flightless Illyrian ( Azriel ff ) (On Hold)

7

More to Her Than Meets the Eye 2.0

He had to admit, he was quite surprise at her confession and challenge. It was her way of telling him that she knew how to fight, and indeed, by the way she planted her feet away from each other, the way she held the blade and shifted her weight, she wasn't bluffing.

But how good her claims were was yet to be seen. With Feyre, he'd had to begin with the basics. He'd taught her how to hold a knife, where to place her feet. However, Meissa was different. And so, at her open invitation, Cassian took his chances and obliged her.

She was quick, he had to give her that, as she instantly blocked his blow, the metal ringing loud. What he wasn't expecting was her swift attack as she turned and jabbed. A surprised chuckle came out of him as he swiftly moved out of the way and she lifted a brow.

Cass shook his head, "Alright, come at me. Let's see what you can do."

Meissa didn't need to be told twice as she feigned an attack to his chest and kicked out at his right knee. Cassian wasn't the General of Rhys's legions for being bested that easily. It was a game for him. He swung, dodging her kick and landing a blow on her shoulder, narrowly missing as she dropped into a crouch.

Okay. She was fast. Not your average Illyrian female. He reminded himself. She hadn't let the males take over her or subdue her. She had learned to put up a fight instead.

He stepped back as she rose and they circled each other. From there on, they both lost themselves in the sparring. She wasn't as good as him, but that was to be expected.

"Don't cringe before you attack," Cassian grunted as he ducked from her oncoming blade, "it gives you away. If your opponent is paying any attention, he'll know when the blow's coming."

Meissa only gave a small nod as indication that she'd heard him.

"What else? " she asked, grunting in pain on taking a hit just below her ribs.

"That," he answered, straightening up. "At times you're too focussed on the offensive that you leave your left flank completely open".

"And you really had to hit me that hard to make that point?" She dropped to the ground, scowling up at him.

Cass gave her a wicked grin "Well, at least now you know what to expect if you keep making that mistake."

He gave her a hand to help her up and she took it.

"I'm guessing your father taught you to fight like that?" The sad smile that formed on her lips told him enough as she nodded in confirmation.

"He taught you well." Az spoke from where he was leaning against the wall.

"There are Illyrians in the forces who wouldn't last in front of Cass for half as long as you did".

Meissa beamed at that. " He always said I was strong," she began. "He used to say that I was every bit an Illyrian warrior as any of the other warriors in the camp."

They watched as she moved to the jug of water that Cassian had brought and filled a cup.

"He wanted me to fight just as well and maybe one day prove the real worth of Illyrian females. That they could do more good when not confined to being used only for household chores and breading." Her fingers tightened their hold on the cup and Cass could feel Az's agreement as he bristled beside him.

Cassian also knew that both, he and his brother, felt ever increasing respect for the dead warrior. She went on and neither of them dared to interrupt.

"He believed I was strong enough to wield three or four siphons. Of course, we never really got to find out which it was."

By the cauldron. Many warriors were lucky enough to earn one or two siphons. But three or four. Those required considerable killing power. Enough so that that they were rare. But for her old man to have thought so...
He caught Azriel's glance. Even he was considering it.

They heard her draw in a deep breath, "I'm not very good at throwing knives though." She sighed, laughing a little. "I don't know why we never thought about that one. I want to learn."

She was looking at them now. "Az can teach you", before Az could say anything, Cass went on. "I don't really play with small things. Knives are more his kind of thing. He loooves knives. Can't get enough of em. " He crooned as Az closed his eyes and let out a long suffering sigh.

"Hmmm. I thought so too." She admitted, her lips twitching. "Knives are too intricate for a hulking brute like you. I'm willing to wager that you'd rather hit people with uprooted tree trunks."

"Ha ha ha. I'll have you know--"

"We can begin tomorrow", Az voiced from his side, a hint of a smile on his lips. "Come find me in the evening. In the morning, you can have your lessons on uprooting trees"

"For the last time, that is not--" Az put a hand on his shoulder, cutting him mid sentence.

"Let's get something to eat. Meissa has to meet with the Captain of the Guard later--"

"What? " Her eyes had gone as wide as saucers. "T- today? You think I'm ready? "

"From what I just witnessed, it won't be an overstatement to say that you're overqualified... " Azriel paused, Meissa was grinning from ear to ear now and Cass thought that perhaps, in how sorrowful and tired she looked, they'd all failed to realize just how beautiful she really was.

Az cleared his throat before resuming, "It's just a recommendation. The Captain will have the final say in the role that you'll get. Okay? "

"Yes." She vigorously nodded, her excitement clear in her now shining eyes.

They had also failed to noticed how radiant they were. A vibrant green, just like the sea. And just as deep. Beside him, Az seemed to be making the same observation, his expression, something Cass couldn't quite make out.

They were both brought back from their thoughts as she clapped her hands together. "So. Food first? "

"Huh?" Then he remembered, "Ahh. Right. Food first."

Author's note:

Hello ^•^
Sorry for being lost for a bit. Just pandemic things. 😅

Thanks for reading and voting and bearing with me :*
Y'all are the Best <3