𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 | Fighting
"You're training style is harsher than his." I stated simply, pointing at my mate, who was sulking. Cassian laughed at that, nodding his head as we began to go back and forth once more, our swords clashing against each other in a quick flurry at movements. "But you act too fast. Don't think ahead. It's good if you're going up against Illyrians, not so good going up against Darkbringers. We think ahead."
"I forgot how rude you could be." Cassian hummed. "I distinctly remember you commenting on my lack of wingspan."
"It's small."
"It's bigger than average."
"Not bigger than Azriel's." I shrugged causing Cassian to laugh once more as we went back and forth for a few minutes. Azriel had disappeared, still sulking about not being able to fight, leaving just the pair of us. I went high, before dropping all of my weight to the floor and taking Cassian's legs out so that I could pin him. "Good, good."
"I haven't seen that move before." Cassian groaned, winded, as I stood back upright. "Where did you learn it?"
"Hewn." I stabbed the practice sword into the dirt, before grabbing the water bottle. "It's a common type of move, trickery. You aim for a feint, and then you either fling your entire body weight at someone, or drop your entire bodyweight onto someone."
"Oh, similar to the technique of feint one way, jab somewhere else."
"Yes, except we only use this one if it's at the end of the match. You're looking to wind the opponent and then kill." I explained, before stretching. "If you don't get it right though, you'll most likely be ending up dead."
"I think that seems to be most of the strategies. If you don't get it right, you'll end up dead."
"You learn to get it right with that threat hanging over you." I shrugged, leaning forward until my chest was flat against the floor. Cassian hissed, as I looked up at him. "What?"
"Those scars. They're from having your wings cut, aren't they?"
"Who told you?"
"No one." Cassian shook his head, stretching next to me. "You forget, I'm the commander of the Illyrian army. I've seen a lot of stuff, attempted to put a stop to a lot of it as well. I know what a cut wing looks like."
"It was a long time ago." I sat upright, scratching at them. "You don't miss them as much after 500 years."
Cassian's own wings shuddered, and I strived to break the tension.
"They were still bigger than yours."
"Bullshit."
"Truth." I shot back, as Cassian's face twisted into a scowl. "Ask Rhysand, they were the same size as his when we were young. If I'd grown with them, they'd have been the same size as his."
"Are you going to keep bringing up my smaller wing size?"
"Oh absolutely. It's funny."
"Do you do this to Azriel? Tell him that his wing size is to big?"
"No, it's the perfect size." I snickered as Cassian mocked being sick. "What?"
"I didn't need to know."
"What?"
"I don't want to know what my brother does in his free time with his mate. That shit is disgusting."
"How'd you know?" I questioned. Azriel had never told Cassian.
The man chuckled, letting his hair out of the half-up, half-down tie that it was in.
"I'm not as stupid as Rhysand and Azriel paint me out to be. I knew as soon as you and I first met."
"But Rhysand didn't even know at that point!"
"He didn't?"
"No!"
"Damn, he was getting sloppy then." Cassian chuckled. "Azriel is notoriously quiet and antisocial. He refuses to speak if he doesn't have to but with you, he was a lot more outgoing."
"He barely said three words whilst we were there."
"Yeah, like I said, a lot more outgoing." Cassian retorted as I thought on it. "Then we chatted and I realised that you were even worse than he was. So it made sense. He was trying to be more outgoing to make you feel comfortable. I guessed, he'd only do that for his mate but I didn't want to say anything, especially cause after you were banished, Azriel retreated back in on himself and just put himself into his work."
"He was worried that you guys were going to be weird about it."
"Well, then he's an idiot. He's our brother, we wouldn't have been weird." Cassian rolled his eyes. "It's kind of cute though. Can't wait until you tell the others so I can Rhysand that he was worried about me and you getting together, when he should have been much more worried about Azriel."
I let out a bark of laughter at that, shaking my head in amusement as Cassian also began to chuckle.
"Are you two gonna get really disgustingly affectionate that?"
"You've met me, Cassian. I will absolutely not being doing that." I shook my head as Cassian laughed again. "Don't know though. It will be the first time we're actually allowed to be public in our relationship. We've always been hiding from someone or another."
"Look, we deal with Rhysand, who is a complete sap half the time. I'm sure we can deal with you and Azriel." Cassian leant down, helping me to my feet. "Just might shock all of us."
"I've got to tell Morrigan first. She doesn't like me cause of Keir."
"She's upset that the person who abused her is giving you a council."
"Well, she should have trusted that I punished him severely for it." I began to un-braid my hair. "He was not forgiven easily."
"I know."
"I don't think you do. We work differently from your Court of Daydreamers. What you do to others will be done to you. That's my motto." I shrugged. "I put three nails through Keir's stomach, tortured him and made him crawl back from the border of the Autumn Court to Hewn."
Cassian paused, looking down at me as I cocked an eyebrow.
"I thought the rumours were wrong when I met you, about you being somewhat evil."
"I think psychotic is the word they actually use." I chuckled. "All of it is true."
"You have a crown made from the siphons of fallen Illyrians?"
"Well, yes." I nodded. "I don't like it when little girls get harmed and I don't want to cut anyone's wings off, so the equivalent is taking someone's syphon, their channel of their powers."
"That's kind of mean."
"It's effective." Cassian nodded his head, before smiling.
"I like the way you think, Maiya."
"What?"
"What? You think I got called the Blood General by being nice." Cassian shook his head. "Damn, taking someone's syphons. I wish I'd thought of that sooner."
"You and I are going to get along very well." I nodded, as Cassian and I shared vaguely evil grins.
"I don't like that look." Azriel was holding a book beneath his arms, his eyebrows furrowed. "Maiya, you haven't been giving Cassian ideas, have you?"
"Me?" I pulled an innocent face, before chuckling. "Absolutely I have."
"She's an evil genius, Az." Cassian nodded. "Bring her to the war camps with her. She and I can have fun."
"Knowing that look, it means the two of you would have fun killing people, so I'm going to veto that decision before it can be made." The pair of us scowled, as Azriel rolled his eyes. "I should have know that introducing the pair of you would not have been my smartest idea."
"What do you mean?"
"You two are far too alike for your own good." Azriel replied, as Cassian wrapped an arm around the man's shoulder. He hissed, as I began to chuckle at the pair. "Get off me."
"I have been listening to your annoying mate telling me about my lack of wing length for the past few hours. Allow me the chance to annoy you."
"Annoy her!"
"No!" Cassian dropped all of his body weight into Azriel's arms as the pair went collapsing to the floor in a ball of limbs and wings. "She is now my closest friend. I don't want you or Rhysand anymore."
"We're brothers, dumbass!" Azriel yelped, kicking Cassian. "You can't take her anyway, she's mine."
"Watch me."
"She only likes Illyrian's with big wingspans and you're short!" Azriel gave Cassian another good natured kick, before wriggling out of the hold and grasping onto me with a scowl, pulling me away from Cassian. "You're not having her!"
"She's my friend now!"
"No!" Azriel growled, the shadows wrapping around us as I continued to laugh. My hysterics only grew as Azriel stuck his tongue out at his brother, before Cassian launched at both of us, sending us all tumbling to the ground.
"Do I want to ask?" We turned, looking at Rhysand, who's eyebrow was cocked. "Get off my sister."
"She's our sister now." Cassian corrected. "Learn to share."
"Do I get a say in this?"
"No!" All three Illyrians chorused back, as I chuckled.
Hiya,
Cassian and Maiya are pretty much the same person, both very violent and cruel soldiers, but she has now become Cassian and Rhysand's joint sister because communism. Also, Cassian just gets bullied by Azriel and Maiya and Az has been being more outgoing cause he knows that Maiya is even more antisocial than he is.
Let me know what you think,
Love Li xx