Elara's POV
It took a while and non-stop begging from both Elaine and Kyra before I was able to forgive Elaine for what she did.Even though her reasons weren't really making lots of sense I let it slide.
It was already a new year,meaning Threshing was next month and classes had commenced as usual
The New Year's party was....nice,it could have gone better.We had just one class today and it was a training session
"It looked like someone had fun last night"Kyra said as she barged into my room,leaving the door wide open and went to sit on my bed.I grumbled as I stood to close it "Can you please close my door next time"
I plobbed right back on the bed,going over lecture notes that I had totally forgotten about
Then I felt Kyra nudge me a little, she kept doing that till it became annoying
I slammed my book shut and slowly looked at her "What do you want from me"
I looked at her and she was grinning from ear to ear "Who dragged you out of the hall?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about"I said looking through my notes again "I walked out myself cause I felt stuffy"
"Is that so....I could swear 'stuffy' name was Azriel"she replied laying down on the bed "Well Rhys practically ran after you when you were dragged out and didn't return"
When I said the party could have been better,I was referring to Rhys.I waited for him to do something,but all he did was stare from the second I walked in till the second I was dragged out
I wore that dress just for him,I wanted to feel his touch on the small of my bare back
I had no idea it would be this tough to get someone to even talk to you.Evander was never this kind of person.He was my ideal person,my perfect match in every way,he was never afraid to say what he wanted and what he didn't want.
"Did you ask Alden why he ran out?"I asked Kyra turning my neck to look at her and she nodded her head "I did,but he didn't give a reply"
"You could have asked Elaine to talk to Bran"I said
She let out a small laugh "Bran was flat out drunk,his cheeks were flushed and he kept talking and laughing non-stop.He gushed over Elaine till he fell asleep on the stairs"
*****
We were all seated in four massive circles,our numbers have depleted tremendously.Between the night of the party till now ten people were found dead.Everyone were seated according to their wing.Each wing leader stood at the center of each circle
There was a soft,rhythmic shushing that came from the edge of the room.Bran the leader of the third wing,sat crossed legged at the center of his cadets, a honing blade in one hand and a beautifully crafted sword in the other.The metallic harmony between the two filled the quiet training hall
Aurora,the Wing leader of the fourth wing,had been pacing back and forth tossing a dagger into the sky and catching it as it lands in-between her fingers.Most times when I look at her I wonder if I want to be her or marry her.She was exquisite
"Where is he?"she yelled startling everyone,the question was directed to Bran who stood like a pillar at the center of his cadets,his arms behind him and his feets few meters apart
He responded with a small shrug of his shoulders.The hall fell again into the soft melody between steels coming from Bran
Then we heard the unmistakable sound of his boots,echoing through the corridors.As the footsteps drew nearer,Bran stood and placed the blades at the edge of the wall and Aurora stood just like how Alden had been.
Rhys stood at the entrance of the hall accessing every.single.person.This went on for a few seconds before his index finger extended,pointing at five individuals "Get out" he declared with a firmness that cut through the air
Two of those were from his wing-my wing,and the rest were from Alden. They looked between themselves and looked at their wing leader who didn't say a word
"Did I stutter?"he growled and they all hurried to their feet and ran out.He walked towards the first wing as we were gathered in a circle and crossed over and no one dared say a word
"Today's class should be simple"he started "You will understand the concept of Offensive and Defensive"
"It is crucial to understand the optimal scenarios for offense and defense,it is not every fight you decide to dive in head first if you do that you're a dead man.There are fights were it is best to take few hits and wait for an advantage"
"Your Wing leaders are well adapted to it and will take it from here"
Soon after there were small talks coming from Aurora,Alden and Bran as they addressed their cadets.
We all looked at Rhys as he stood at our center,I could feel fear emanating from every one of them.Rhysand looked deadly as I stared at him now,there was no emotion on his face as usual but there was something that terrified me as I stared at him
"Who is first?"he asked his hands crossed across his shirt.We all looked around at one another before a ginger haired boy with freckles asked "What do you mean Commander?"
He turned to face him and said "It's you against me,you can pick yourself in pairs of twos or decide to go alone but you have to tell me if you're going offense or defense so I can wield the opposite.But there is a twist,there would be a one minute timer"he smirked before continuing "...we interchange after every minute"
Now there were small murmurs before a loud thud dragged our attention to Aurora who had just slammed two men into the wall "Who is next?" she asked with a grin on her face and it felt like I had gotten my answer,I wanted to be her.
We all looked back at our wing leader who had a cold look on his face.A pair stood up, a girl who introduced herself as Berry and a guy Elias.They said they would be on defense and Rhys gave a small smile and nodded
Elias and Berry charged at Rhys, throwing punches and kicks with determination. Their moves were like a coordinated dance,with sheer offense. However, Rhys, effortlessly blocked, dodged, and parried every attack.
Elias flipped and spun, attempting to catch Rhys off guard, while Berry aimed for swift, unexpected strikes. Yet, Rhys stood firm, his defensive maneuvers akin to an impenetrable fortress.
Within moments, Rhys managed to anticipate their moves and swiftly shifted the momentum. Precise counterattacks left Elias and Berry momentarily bewildered. The timer went off and a sly smile crept out of his lips and with that look in his eyes,he looked like a hunter staring at its prey
Rhysand switched from his usual defensive stance to a relentless offensive assault. His movements were swift, calculated, and surprisingly aggressive. Elias and Berry, caught off guard by this sudden shift, struggled to keep up.
Rhysand's strikes were like a storm, a barrage of punches and kicks raining down on his opponents. He weaved through their defenses with ease, exploiting every opening. Elias and Berry, despite their best efforts to counter, found themselves overwhelmed by Rhysand's offensive onslaught.
Within moments, Rhysand had them cornered, landing precise blows that left Elias and Berry breathless,they were sprawled on the ground and almost in tears when Rhys looked at the group around him and asked "Who. is.next?"
Those words sent chills down my spine,no one stood up or said anything for a long while before he said "If you're not motivated enough,I could bring Phoenix to help motivate you" and three pairs stood up immediately
Ever since we got into the Academy,everyone dreaded the name of Rhys dragon.Mentioning her name was as good as mentioning death
The training session commenced and every group failed,every single one.
The ginger haired boy came up to me while Kyra and Elaine paired with each other.It was left with just seven pairs and Rhys didn't look like one who was exhausted
The next people were Elaine and Kyra and immediately they stood up and faced Rhys,Bran and Alden yelled out "Commander" with a slight warning tone in unison.He looked over at them and he looked at Kyra and Elaine before he gestured for them to come at him with his hands
By the end of the fight,it was obvious he went easy on them because of his friends.He didn't crack their hands,knocked them out, broke their nose and yanked on their hair like he did the rest and I could feel his friends relax when they were seated on the mat
Now it was my turn,there was no one to beg on my behalf and I hope I wouldn't end up with a broken rib or worse.I stood up and as I looked at him,his eyes were on me not straying for a second.He ignored the ginger haired boy by my side which was to our advantage as the boy lunged for him
He tried to land quick jabs on Rhys which weren't quick enough as he blocked them effortlessly,the first minute was between Rhys and ginger haired boy and thirty seconds into it,he was bleeding from his nose and by the end of the minute he was knocked out
Now it was my turn,I just needed to hold on for a minute and it was over
Rhys unleashed a barrage of strikes, I evaded, parried, and blocked them.
As Rhys pressed forward, i focused on maintaining composure, waiting for the opportune moment to turn the tables. With a sudden shift in strategy, i skillfully dodged one of Rhys's powerful strikes and swiftly transitioned into a counterattack.
Now I was on the offense and I seamlessly lunged calculated strikes at Rhys but he only gave a small smile when it hit him across the face.My pulse quickened when he dragged me and I could feel strong arms closed around from behind and a not so tight grip across my throat.Panic surged
"Commander"I heard Aurora warn but his hands were still on my throat "I hope you had fun last night Elara" he said before he released me and gently pushed me away
I was stunned for the fact that it was the first time that he called me by my name and that the commander was Jealous.Commander Larsen was jealous.
The rest of the training went without much incident after that.No ones arm was broken and no one was left bleeding.Immediately we were done,he walked out