A Bloody Crown

Chapter 27: Mint

I was up late the rest of the night, working relentlessly to heal soldiers, provide what they needed, and ensure Feyre wasn't miserable. When the early morning hours crept over me, long past when Feyre had retired to see Rhys, and Mor and Nesta had vanished into their tents, I returned to mine.

It was small, pitched between Azriel's and Rhys's, and held my bags from the palace. A small cot had been set in the corner, likely by Feyre, and had some nice blankets and a soft pillow on it. I smiled internally at her kindness, but my face was too tired to make the movement.

I washed my hands in a small basin, cleaning off the dried blood and sticky from the bandages. My wings dragged along the tent floor, exhaustion building in my back as I walked to the small table and chair near the bed. 

Wincing, I took my boots off, setting them aside, and undid my leathers. Slipping into a set of ivory silk nightwear from the palace, made of a thin tank and small shorts, I crawled into bed, letting my wings drape over the edge of the bed.

I heard the air shift outside my closed tent flap, and listened for the boots walking next to me. Azriel had returned home.

Smiling softly, I drifted into sleep instantly.

* * *

At the break of dawn, only a few short hours later, voices were sounding outside my tent. Loud enough to wake me from my heavy sleep.

I sat up groggily, my hair half fallen out of its braid, and squinted at the opening flap. Cassian and Azriel were standing about ten feet from me, looking around the tent.

"Can I help you?" I asked hatefully, rubbing my eyes.

Cassian grinned, looking at my nightwear, and winked. "I think you can."

I gave him a vulgar gesture, then looked to Azriel. "Do you need something?"

"We came to see if you wanted to train with us for a couple hours instead of healing the whiny soldiers," Cassian interjected, ignoring the side eye from Azriel.

I nodded a couple times, then stood up, grateful I'd chosen to sleep with my shorts on. "I'll be out in twenty. Where can I get food?" I bit down on my hand to stifle a yawn, turning my head from them.

"By the campfire from last night," Cassian replied, looking at the various weapons I'd laid down in my tent throughout the night as I'd gotten tired of carrying them. Swords, daggers, arrows and bow. "This is.. quality stuff, Aelfrun. Where'd you get it?"

Turning my head slightly, taking my hair out of its braid to put a new one in, I winced. "I don't imagine you'll like the answer."

He tsked, setting the weapons back down. "And where'd you get your nighties?"

I gave him a lethal look, then another rude gesture after I'd finished my hair. "Do you have anything better to do but terrorize me? Train with anyone else?"

"Hmm.." he mocked me in thought, looking around the room and rubbing his chin. "No."

I sighed in annoyance. "Get out!"

Cassian laughed then exited through the flaps, likely deciding what punishment he'd put me through on my first day of Illyrian training. Azriel turned to leave behind him.

I turned my back to the door, taking off my top and shorts, leaving only my underwear on. Needing my training leathers from my other bag, I walked to it, and grabbed out the black material, noticing it didn't feel as nice as the true Illyrian wear as I put it on.

I slipped on my boots, sheathed all my weapons, then trotted outside to find Cass and Az. They were standing next to Rhys and a couple of the higher generals, nobody else being up yet.