Seraphina had adjusted surprisingly well to traveling. Her previous experience with horseback riding helped tremendously, even if it had been Aaron that taught her that skill.
Dante sighed, knowing that he could not speak ill of the other Elvish warrior. Aaron had come fifteen years ago to assist Calyx in reaching The Great Willow Tree and he stayed to make certain she was well taken care of. Like him, both of them had watched Seraphina grow from a child to a young woman and Seraphina's fascination with Aaron was apparent.
Dante had always been drawn to her. When she was just six years old, he was her rescuer. When she a child going through adolescence, he was her brother. He remembers when he walked into her cottage after being injured in the wilderness after making a long-awaited trip back to The Great Willow Tree. At Lady Crystobelle's demand that Seraphina tended his wounds, he sought out her hut and found Seraphina all grown up. She seemed so excited to see him. While she had tended his wounds, he wanted to speak about mates then, but then Aaron came in and all hopes were dashed as he watched them interact.
He never understood what it meant to feel like have his heart broken until he left her cottage that day, knowing his heart belongs to one woman and she did not belong to him.
A couple of days ago, he surveyed their makeshift camp, wondering where the little warrior wandered off to. He forced himself to his feet to hunt her down and found her attempting to knotch an arrow on the string of the bow. Shaking his head as she attempted to pull back on the string and the arrow zipped straight to the ground.
“It would help if you knotched your arrow correctly,” he told her, effectively causing her to jump.
She had blushed as she turned to face him. “I was just experimenting. Anders let me borrow his to practice.”
“I see.” He smirked when she pouted a little. He could not help but have found her a bit adorable when she was embarrassed. “Come on. Face the tree again.”
Sucking in a breath, she faced the tree. He got behind her and fixed her stance. His hands fit over hers. His body pressed against her back and he felt her body jump at the contact.
“Relax,” he murmured in her ear.
She bit her lip.
“Little warrior, trust me.”
With that, her muscles relaxed. He felt the tension give way finally and he helped prepare the arrow correctly. He positioned her correctly, drawing the arrow back against the string.
“Steady.” He stepped away then, allowing her to understand the weight of it by own hands and how the bow was aligned by her own strength. “Let go.”
The arrow once again zipped through the air but to its intended target. The impact against the wood of the tree caused a chunk of bark to fly off and Seraphina’s mouth dropped open in shock as she glanced over at him.
“I hit the tree,” she gasped.
He smiled at that. “Yes, aiming helps.” She rolled her eyes at him and he laughed before shrugging his shoulders. “Now attempt to hit the tree again.”
Seraphina’s eyes widened at that, but she slowly obliged. She attempted to follow through on the positioning and set up. The arrow flew the air. It was not right on target, but it at least hit the tree.
“Practice makes perfect,” he reminded her then and she nodded her head in understanding. “Remember it is a skill that improves with practice and mastery. The art of mastery is to practice until your best reflection of your perfection is achieved.”
Shaking out of his trance, Dante growled at the memory. He was torturing himself with it, but he stilled remembering the feel of her body pressed against his. The memory also reminded him why he was currently purchasing all these items - a sword, three throwing daggers and arrows, bracers to help with archery and projecting a shield of energy, and a scabbard with a halter. The sword, daggers, and arrows were adorned with sapphires from the Sapphire River.
Sapphires from the Sapphire River were magical due to the Fae Folk in the Crystal Forest. There was a distinction between Faeries and Elves, even though many still confused the two species. Both are woodland creatures that thrive in nature, but Faeries had innate elemental magic while Elves drew energy from nature. When he and his men traveled before to Amethystia, the crystal empire of the Fae Kingdom, Queen Hyacinth had his Elvish sword refined with sapphires from the Sapphire River, which granted him Fae like elemental powers over water.
Seraphina's Fae magic could help protect her as well and she was already a natural as she showcased at the fountain. Unlike him that needed the sapphires to wield water, the sapphires for her enhanced her innate elemental magic. Her power would be ungodly when she learned to wield it.
"I know you are not in the market for new weaponry," Lysander called to him with a smirk upon his face.
Dante knew it would only be downhill from here. He also knew it was futile since she would be wearing the new gear. "I promised Seraphina I would train her."
"Excellent choices." Lysander nodded and eyed the weapons before his eyes met his. "I believe these also cost a fortune. Does Sera know you are spending this much on gifts for her?"
"If it serves Seraphina well, it does not matter the cost."
Lysander gave him an amused but pointed look before he shrugged his shoulders. Dante glanced over at the other warriors watching the exchange. All of them were sporting smiles until they quickly looked away once caught. At least they had more tact than Lysander, who was currently smirking at him.
"If we did not grow up together--"
His longest friend chuckled. "I am aware. No need for threats, Dante. Sera is--"
"Seraphina," he corrected Lysander, letting his irritation for the harmless nickname show.
The endearment fell off Lysander's tongue so effortlessly he despised how truly intimate and affectionate it sounded. It was different from how all the others said it. With Lysander, it almost sounded too close to a sweet endearment for his liking. He was aware of how hypocritical his actions were. He often addressed her in an endearing manner, but she was...
His?
The revealing truth of his feelings caused his stomach to drop. He was so deep into his emotions for her that he could not deny what she meant to him.
Lysander's eyes shimmered with amusement at his displeasure. "Quite right, Seraphina is no longer a child as I am quite certain you have noticed by now. We all have seen your bond with one another. How long are you willing to prolong the inevitable?"
Dante shook his head at Lysander's antics before he took his leave after the merchandise was bought and wrapped from the full-size Faerie man, wearing a half-smile. His wings resembled a moth. It made him wonder what Seraphina's wings would look like.