Chapter 42 – Dain
DAIN
Iwalked Azaria to the scribe offices just after sixth bell. We’d barely had a few hours of sleep, thanks to our lovely night wandering the woods and that late visit with Tywin. She’d already downed a mug of coffee the size of a bucket before we left the house.
Admin duty might not wear her down, but six hours of rookie sparring drills? That would. I told her to come back to my place after she finished. Said I’d look after her a little more. She’d promised to stop by after swinging by her place to grab a few things.
That little beast inside me settled. No more burning pain in my chest.
It was barely past the sixth bell when I reached the wing.
It was quiet, as usual—no one up yet. Just me and Azaria keeping the early hours like always.
I went to the kitchen, made myself some tea, and scanned the mountain of paperwork I’d ignored the last few days.
A lot to catch up on. I was settling into the right headspace when the front doors flew open.
Kael and Zeph marched in first, followed by Reyna, Lirael, and Thorne. The Thornvale siblings arrived last.
I glanced over them quickly—Elias finally looked like himself again, or as close as he could manage. I knew he’d spoken with Azaria recently. His solemn face told me everything.
Lyra was still quiet. Had been all week.
And Quinton.
He looked like shit.
He was pale and drawn, like he hadn’t slept in days.
The weight he carried showed in his entire frame.
No one teased him, but they spared him worried glances.
They all knew about his feelings for Azaria now, and from the looks they were giving him, they assumed that caused his collapse.
But I wasn’t so sure. Something told me there was more to it.
I’d need to speak to him when I got the chance.
“Is the Captain coming in today?” Kael asked from his usual spot on the sofa.
“No,” I said, setting my pen down. “Not for another month.”
“What do you mean, another month?” Reyna asked sharply. “What’s going on?”
I took a slow breath. “I met with Azaria yesterday. We both spoke to Tywin. He decided to punish her for insubordination.”
“What?” Reyna snapped. “What did she do?”
She only slit the throats of seventeen nobles and councilors. No big deal.
“She defied a direct order,” I said instead. “Tywin wasn’t happy.”
“Yes, you said that, Dain, but what exactly did she do?” Zeph asked, more pointed now.
“It doesn’t matter anymore. And I can’t say.”
“What’s the punishment?” Lirael asked carefully.
Quinton stepped closer, rage and heat rolling off him in waves. Even in his wrecked state, he looked ready to tear something apart. “If she’s back in those fucking cells again, I swear?—“
I cut him off, raising a hand. “She’s not in the cells. Or the dungeons.”
“Then what is it?” Thorne asked.
I folded my arms. “She’s to assist the scribes and admin officers. Every day. Starts at sixth bell, ends at midday. After lunch, she reports to the Academy to assist with drills and sparring with the new recruits—another six hours. She’s not allowed to leave either post until she’s dismissed.”
Silence.
“So… we can’t see her?” Kael asked.
“Only during the lunch hour,” I said.
“Is she all right?” Elias asked.
“She will be,” I said. “We talked. About what happened. She’s clearer now, more focused than I’ve seen her in weeks.” I meant it. This felt like a turning point.
“Scribes and academy?” Kael chuckled. “Stars above, Tywin is ruthless.”
“This is possibly the worst kind of punishment he could’ve given her,” Reyna grumbled. “Apart from locking her in isolation.”
“Why do you think that?” Lyra asked.
Reyna flicked a crumb off her sleeve, watching the others with that sly, knowing grin.
“Because he didn’t just bench her—he made sure everyone in the palace gets to see it, every single day.
It’s public. Humiliating. A month of scribe duty isn’t just busywork; it’s a message.
Look, even the captain answers to me.” She leaned forward, voice low, eyes bright.
“And the sparring? That’s the worst of it.
Azaria lives for control—strategy, command, never letting anyone see her slip.
Now she’s stuck getting smacked around by overexcited rookies, holding back, taking hits from idiots who barely know which end of a blade to hold.
She’s not locked up; she’s just… ordinary.
Forced to play nice. For someone like her, that’s hells. ”
Reyna paused, and her voice softened. “He wants her to feel it. Not just the bruises, but the humiliation. Every time she hears the scribes snicker, or a recruit lands a lucky shot, it’s Tywin reminding her that even the strongest captain can be brought low.”
Reyna got it exactly right.
“I still want to know what her crime was,” Zeph muttered. “She’s been gone for two weeks. Doing gods know what.”
You have no idea.
Then Lyra spoke, quiet and clear. “Dain… is she back?”
She didn’t mean physically.
I met her gaze. “Yes, Lyra. She’s back.” I gave a small smile. “We can all go tease the hells out of her at lunch.”
I probably should’ve warned her.
The squad spent the entire first half of the day prowling like restless wolves: glancing at the clock, doing everything but work.
The second the bell tolled midday, it was a stampede out the door.
I felt sorry for the poor scribes. They’d never seen a squad of full-grown adults so eager to harass their captain.
I followed at a safe distance—mostly out of self-preservation—with tea in hand.
Kael and Zeph led the charge, Reyna and Lirael right behind.
Thorne and Lyra fell in next, Elias and Quinton trailing at the rear.
Quinton’s every muscle was taut, his mood black as a pit.
For someone who wielded the deadliest magic on the continent, he felt too much. I’d have to keep an eye on him.
We stormed into the canteen, drawing stares as heads turned our way.
Azaria sat at her usual table: shirt sleeves rolled, trousers and boots crisp, hair pulled into a rough ponytail with strands slipping loose.
No battle braid today. Just practical, a little rumpled.
She looked ordinary. Calm. And not in a bad way.
The moment she spotted us barreling in, she dragged a hand down her face and hunched over her food.
Kael slid in beside her, grinning like a predator. “There she is! Queen of the scribes!”
Zeph dropped onto her other side, already snickering. “Heard Taeris had to call for backup this morning, Cap. You break his heart already?”
Reyna leaned across the table. “Honestly, Azaria, if you wanted to run away to the archives, you could’ve just said so.”
Azaria closed her eyes, let out a sigh worthy of sainthood, and braced for impact.
Lyra leaned in, stage-whispering, “I saw Taeris polishing your pens. That’s commitment.”
Lirael, perfectly deadpan: “Word is, he’s rewritten the ledger three times just to impress you.”
Elias, without missing a beat: “That, or he’s composing your name in the margins again.”
Azaria’s glare could’ve melted stone. “Piss off. All of you.”
Kael howled. “She doesn’t deny it! That’s love, I’m telling you.”
Azaria shot me a look—one I knew too well. I brushed her mind with a wisp of magic, just in case. And there it was:
Really, Dain?
I sipped my tea, unbothered.
They missed you, I thought back.
She stabbed her meat with unnecessary force.
You’ll pay for this.
Chaos erupted around us, banter flying in every direction. Azaria sat there, picking at her meal, but I caught her mouth twitch once or twice.
I glanced at Quinton. His shoulders had finally eased, the tension on his face settling into something close to relief. Seeing her calm and safe—maybe that was all he needed.
Azaria looked up, exasperated. “Is this going to be my life every lunch for the next thirty days?”
“Absolutely.”
“Totally.”
“Without a doubt.”
Azaria groaned. “Heavens take me.”
Kael smirked. “Not yet, Cap. We’ve got thirty-seven minutes left to ruin your lunch.”
I hid my grin behind my tea.
Welcome home, Cap.