Chapter 37
Sana cringed as she gripped the wooden sword in her hand while the other soldiers on the training ground sparred around her. She thought she'd be free of warrior training since the festive season was so close, but Zena and Oziel insisted she endure more basic training before the tour.
And, of course, Rhyel and Sune agreed with them. They said it was important for her to at least be able to defend herself when traveling and it was important that she kept up her training because one day soon, she would be challenging Zena for the title of General.
Sana heaved a sigh as she readied herself to strike a wooden dummy. She wasn't a fan of warrior training, but if she wanted to be the Lady of this House it was something she would have to learn to be good at.
It didn't help that Rhyel was watching her, though.
She didn't want him to see how terrible she was at this and it was distracting seeing him in his practice leathers. He was handsome in everything he wore, but goodness, seeing his marked up muscular arms on full display was making her ache for something she knew nothing about.
"Strike!" Oziel yelled, shattering her wayward thoughts.
She grit her teeth, raising her sword. She swung at the arm of the dummy and promptly missed.
"Again!" Oziel said as she tried again and missed.
"Stop! Stop," Rhyel said, holding up his hands and shaking his head. "This isn't working."
"I'm sorry." Sana hung her head as her shoulders drooped. "I can't wield a sword. I'm not...I'm not cut out for this."
"Yes, you are," Rhyel said, crossing the open terrace and sliding his hand on her shoulder. "But I don't think a sword is the right weapon for you. You don't like it, right?"
Sana shook her head. "Not really."
"Alright. Then why don't we try something else?" he said, taking the sword from her. "Come with me."
"O-okay," she said, following him inside to the armory that was full of weapons of all shapes and sizes lining the stone walls.
"Are you sure it's okay for me to choose something else?
I...I thought all ungifted warriors start with a sword or a bow and arrow and I'm... I'm not good at either of those. "
"Most do," Rhyel said, putting her wooden sword in a steel basket with the other training swords.
"But that's not always the case. Your friend Hallen, for instance, is terrible with a sword, but he's a master with a claw hammer.
" He shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned against a wooden bench.
"Is there a weapon in here that speaks to you? "
"I... I don't know," she said, looking at the wall full of shining battle axes, swords and daggers of all shapes and sizes.
She sighed, shaking her head. "Rhyel, I know if I want to be the Lady of this House I have to be the General, but I'm... I'm not sure I can wield any of these weapons on anyone or.
.. or lead the warriors into battle. It's just not. ..me."
Her eyes caught the sight of a long black staff with a double edge blade on both ends. She took a step closer and trailed her fingers along the smooth blade as if the weapon called her name and compelled her to touch it. "This is beautiful."
"You think so?" he said, stepping near her to pluck the staff from the wall. "Do you want to hold it?"
"Yes," she whispered, wrapping her hands around the smooth metal. Her heart thumped as a vision of herself riding into battle with her staff held high floated through her mind. Was... was this what Rhyel meant about a weapon speaking to her?
She grunted as the vision winked out of her mind and the weight of the staff clattered to the floor. "I...I think it's too heavy for me."
Maybe this wasn't the weapon for her.
"It is now, but if this is the weapon that speaks to you, then you'll grow into it," Rhyel said, taking the staff and hanging it back on the wall before grabbing a wooden replica from a steel basket. "You just have to start with the basics."
She sighed. "But what if I'm just as terrible with this as I am with the sword?" she said, taking the lighter practice staff from him. "What if...I can't do this?"
Rhyel slid his fingers to her chin, lifting her face to his.
"What if you can?" he said and the certainty in his eyes made a small flame of courage ignite in her belly.
"Being the General is more than just being a master on the battlefield.
Yes, you have to defeat the current General to hold the title, but beyond that, the role is more about you having faith in the warriors and providing encouragement to them to ensure they're the best at protecting the people of the north. "
"But Zena said she wanted to be a warrior like your mother. She was her idol, and I don't see how I could ever inspire anyone like that."
"My mother could wield a sword and spar with the likes of my father and Zekiel.
" Rhyel chuckled. "She had a way with words and rallied the warriors before they fought to secure the many breaches that used to plague the north, but she never saw a day in battle.
Fighting wasn't her forte and she never claimed that it was. "
Sana's eyes grew wide. "Really? But... but how did she gain the trust and respect from the soldiers if she never fought with them?"
Rhyel shrugged as a smile curled over his lips.
"Because she was the Lady of Darcanos and, as you've read in the history books, she took on the previous General, my aunt, Lady Elalia, and won.
That was all the warriors needed to see," he said, caressing her cheek with his thumb.
"And that's all you have to do to gain their trust and respect. "
Relief spread through her veins as she nodded. "Okay, that makes me feel a little better," she said, laughing softly. "But I still don't think I'll be ready to take on Zena anytime soon."
"You don't need to worry about that now. You have plenty of time to get ready for that," he said, sliding his hand from her cheek to her shoulder. "For now, you just need to learn the basics to defend yourself."
"Alright," she said, frowning. "Are the roads we're traveling on the tour going to be dangerous?"
"No, not particularly, but you never know what could happen and I'd feel better knowing you have basic skills to keep yourself safe," he said, nodding to the door. "Come on, let me teach you some techniques with your new weapon."
A smile tugged at Sana's lips as they walked back out to the training grounds. "Thank you for being so patient with me...with everything."
"You don't have to thank me for that," Rhyel said, shaking his head. "You're the one who's taking on all of these new things. I'm just honored to be of use to you."
A blush burned over Sana's cheeks as she nodded. "Well, I'm glad that I... I have you and everyone here to support me."
"A staff!" Oziel said, grinning as he slid his hands to his hips. "That's an excellent choice, my Lady."
"It is indeed," Zena said with her brown eyes full of pride. "Are you ready to try again?"
Sana gripped her staff and took a deep breath. "I am."
Rhyel smiled to himself as he sat on a stool at a wide, thick wooden table with black scorch marks from hot metal being molded into various weapons and blades.
He picked up Sana's small silver dagger.
The one she used to defend herself against the golems when she first arrived.
He trailed his finger along the curved blade and smiled to himself.
She claimed that wielding a weapon wasn't something she could do, yet she didn't hesitate to defend herself in that moment.
There was a fight inside of her. She might not see it, but he did.
Although her punches and kicks in training were weak and timid, she was quick to learn proper form in hand to hand combat and there was a spark in her when she practiced the moves he taught her.
It warmed his heart to see that satisfied smile on her face when she finally struck a dummy with her staff for the first time.
There was a glimmer of pride in her eyes, and he hoped that meant she was starting to believe she could become a warrior.
Rhyel sighed as he carefully untied the black leather woven around the handle of her dagger. Sana was so much more than what she thought and he was determined to help her see that.
"When are you going to tell her?" Zena said as she sashayed into the forge and sat down on the stool beside him.
Rhyel rolled his eyes as he clamped the naked blade onto the iron pole leaning against the table. "I'm not ready to tell Sana I have feelings for her. I've already told her I'm fond of her. She just started opening up to me and I don't want to scare her away."
"That's not what I'm talking about, but I'm glad you've gotten that far," Zena said as she tied her thick locs in a low ponytail. "What I mean is, when are you going to tell her you're the dragon in her dreams?"
Rhyel's heart clenched as stood and slid the blade into the blazing forge. "She told you about Kal?"
"She didn't say his name, but it wasn't hard to guess it was you." Zena shook her head. "Why are you sneaking into her head with your dragon mind magic? What are you thinking?"
Mm. Agreed, brother.
Kal grumbled.
You need to tell her.
Rhyel dragged a hand through his hair. "I don't know. She's more open with me as a dragon and it's...it's easier to encourage her that way."
"That's because she thinks you're a figment of her imagination," Zena huffed as she pointed a finger at him. "You need to tell her before she figures it out on her own and you don't want that to happen because all that work you think you're doing to encourage her will blow up in your face."
Zena's right. We don't want to lose Sana's faith in us.
Rhys growled.
"I know and I'll tell her."
"When?"
"When she's ready to know about the phoenix blood she's carrying," he said, opening a hatch of a smaller oven and taking out a ring mold. "That's when I'll tell her."
Zena raised an eyebrow as he sat the mold on the table. "Why then?"
"Because I'll be able to be honest about why my dragon awakened in me and why I'm more than just a Lord she's betrothed to," he said carefully, taking a blackened ring out of the mold and sliding it on to a slim silver cone.
"I'll be able to tell her I'm a Barshaa dragon and my purpose is to protect her phoenix blood. "
"I think you're making a mistake." Zena shook her head. "I don't think you should wait, but I guess I understand your thinking," she said, sighing as she nodded to the cone. "Is that the ring you made for Lady Sana from your scales?"
"It is," he said, tapping a small hammer against the warm metal. "This will keep Sana safe from any attacks should Lord Zehev try anything during the engagements."
"Mm," Zena said, as a sly grin tugged at her lips. "And how are you going to give this to her without telling her what it's for, hm?"
A blush burned over Rhyel's cheeks. "I... thought of giving it to her as a...symbol of my commitment to her."
"Ah, I see," Zena said, patting a hand on his back.
"That sounds like a good old-fashioned engagement, my friend.
" She smiled as her brown eyes shined with approval.
"That will make Lady Sana's debut all the more interesting to the nobles.
They'll wonder how she managed to get the fearsome Lord of Darcanos to commit so openly to marriage. "
Rhyel nodded, chuckling softly. "It will and selfishly, I hope this display of my commitment will show her family that I intend to treat Sana as the Lady she was always meant to be."
"Oh, I'm sure it'll show them more than that," Zena said, standing from her stool. "Do you want any help making Sana's staff?"
Rhyel raised an eyebrow. "How did you know that's what I was making?"
Zena rolled her eyes. "You haven't personally forged a weapon in years. Why else would you be in here unless it was to craft a perfectly tailored staff for your Lady?"
Rhyel's blush crept up to his ears as he turned back to the ring on the cone and tapped his hammer against it. "That's true," he murmured. "And yes, I wouldn't mind a little help."
"No problem," Zena said, turning the blade in the oven and sliding a few more iron rods with rectangular cubes attached at the ends into the forge.
"I love that you're doing all of this for Lady Sana.
I just..." She sighed. "I just hope you know what you're doing by keeping your dragon from her.
I don't want you to lose her trust in you. "
"I know and I don't plan on letting that happen," he said, sliding the ring off the cube and inspecting the roundness of it. "I'm only keeping it from her until she's ready to accept herself and everything I have to tell her."
"Alright." Zena sighed again, turning away from him to focus on heating the metal in the oven.
I want to tell you you're wrong and you should tell her now, but I...I agree with you, brother.
Kal huffed, stretching his claws.
Sana isn't ready to accept who we are as a dragon until she knows and accepts what's inside of her.
I know.
Rhyel sighed as he slipped the ring back on the cone and hammered out the imperfections.
He didn't want to overwhelm Sana by revealing he was the dragon she'd been dreaming of. Not when she's learning so many new things and preparing for the festive season. He certainly didn't want to reveal anything to her until she understood what kind of power she held in her veins.
The problem with his plan was that he wasn't sure how long it would take her to grasp the hints he'd been dropping about phoenixes in her dreams and realize he was talking about her.
He just had to hope when she was ready that she didn't resent him for waiting so long to reveal himself.
But damn it, I love that Rhyel's making Sana a staff and that ring ?? I just hope this doesn't all blow up in his face....