When Mina had shown up on her siblings' porch, Caleb had let her in without a word. He seemed to have figured out what had happened without Mina saying anything. She had gone up to her old room and collapsed on her bed, fighting against the urge to shed the tears building up in her eyes. She wouldn't allow herself to cry. She had brought this upon herself and she was determined to keep a strong front. Mina tossed and turned the entire night, eventually giving up on trying to sleep. She laid flat on her back, staring up at the ceiling in the darkness of her old bedroom. Her eyes itched from tiredness and from the tears she refused to shed.
Her mind kept playing over the events from the previous morning. The rage in her husband's eyes, the loving attitude from before completely washed away by his anger. Mina didn't blame him, he had every right to be angry with her. She had made a big decision on her own, and then hid it from him for multiple months. She only worried about the fact that they wouldn't be able to come back from this.
When daylight broke through her window, Mina sighed and threw the covers off her body. She sat up and rubbed her eyes until she saw spots. Getting up from her bed, she made her way downstairs to join her siblings for breakfast. When she got downstairs, Thali and Caleb were already sitting at the table eating. Thali looked up at the sound of her arrival, a pitying look on her face.
"Did you sleep at all?" she asked, taking in the sight of Mina's red rimmed eyes.
Mina shook her head and sat down next to her sister. She took the plate of food that Caleb offered her without a word and began to eat. She could feel both of them starring at her, waiting for her to offer some sort of explanation.
"You know you can't hide from him forever," Caleb said, turning his gaze away to focus on his plate.
"I know," Mina murmured under her breath.
Silence filled the room for a while before Thali broke it again. "You shouldn't have kept this from him. Especially not for so long."
Mina's fork clattered down on her plate and she turned to shoot an angry glare at her sister. "Wow Corric, you look and sound exactly like my sister! You don't think I know that? I've been hearing the same thing from him the entire time. I wish I could go back and change things, but I can't!"
Mina pushed herself away from the table and stormed back upstairs. Thali moved to follow her, but Caleb stopped her. "Leave her be," he said gently, "she just needs some time." Thali settled back into her chair and flinched at the sound of Mina's door slamming upstairs.
Mina sank to the floor on the other side of the door that she had just slammed. She ran her hands through her disheveled hair and banged her head against the door behind her. She sat on the floor for a few minutes, her eyes closed as she tried to make sense of the thoughts swirling inside her head. She felt bad for snapping at Thali. It wasn't her fault that everything was crashing down around her. Mina wished she could go back and change things, even if it was just a few moments so she could avoid lashing out at her sister.
Mina remained on the floor for a while, until her back was sore from the position she had been sitting in. She slowly got to her feet and walked over to her pack, pulling things out of it. She started to get ready for the day so she could get out of the house. It wouldn't do her any good to continue moping. Today was technically her day off, but her current situation was making her antsy, and she needed to burn off her frustration. She pulled on her training clothes and pulled her long hair back into a braid to keep it out of her face.
When Mina emerged from the bedroom, the house was quiet, signally that Caleb and Thali were both gone. She made her way down the stairs and out the door, shivering when the cold wind hit her. Determined, Mina closed the door behind her and started to run along the pathway to the entrance for the underground bunker. Descending to the lower portion of the Genii settlement, Mina made her way in the direction of the training center. When she entered the training room, she was surprised to find it nearly empty. Her attention was drawn by a noise in the hall, which prompted her to stick her head back out the door she had just entered. Nikomi stood with a group of other soldiers in the hall, waiting for something. She turned and noticed Mina standing in the doorway.
"Ah Mina, why don't you join us? I was just about to start a group endurance run," Nikomi called out, waving Mina over to join the group.
Mina crossed the hall and stood with her fellow trainees. She recognized a few as her eyes grazed over the group. Her eyes landed on Ladon, who gave her a small wave. Mina was surprised to see him. She didn't think he did much physical training anymore, as he was more invested in scientific studies. Apparently Cowen still required him to continue his training. She returned his wave and turned her attention to NIkomi. Nikomi raised her whistle to her lips and blew it, signifying it was time to start running.
Mina had done this many times on her own, but never with a group. She was nearly knocked over when the people around her starting moving at the sound of the whistle. Mina got her footing and starting running alongside the others, surprised she could keep pace with some of the people she knew to be more experienced. As the group made their way through the halls, people moved out of the way so they could pass. This was a regular occurrence, so everyone knew to stay out of the runners' path. As Mina approached a side hallway junction, she noticed her husband standing at the edge, watching the runners go by. She met his gaze briefly, but quickly turned her face away, focusing in front of her. This run was supposed to keep her mind off of him, not add more fuel to the flames. She passed by him and continued on with the rest of the group.
The run seemed to go on forever, turning many corners and going up and down stairs. Once Nikomi was satisfied that they had run far and long enough, she blew her whistle again, bringing the runners to a stop.
"Alright everyone, you are free to leave. Remember to stretch," she said to the group, waving them off to signal they were dismissed.
Mina made to walk off, but was stopped when Nikomi voice called out to her.
"Mina stop, I would like to speak with you," she said, walking over to where Mina was standing. Mina turned to face the taller woman and stood at attention. Nikomi waved her hand at her, dismissing her respectful stance. Mina eased out of her stance and looked at Nikomi questioningly. "Yes Commander, what can I do for you?"
Nikomi tilted her head to indicate for Mina to follow her as they walked back down the way they had come on the run. The two of them walked together in silence for a few moments before Nikomi spoke again. "It was good to have you as part of a group for once. I take it by the expression on your husband's face as I passed him, he knows the truth?"
Mina nodded silently, wondering if it was really that obvious that things had not gone well with Acastus when he found out her secret. "He isn't exactly happy about it. I'm afraid that we have reached a difficult part of our marriage."
Nikomi nodded in understanding. "Every couple goes through difficult patches, no matter their circumstances. I know I've had my fair share with my husband. Xander has not always supported every choice I've made, and you certainly can't expect Kolya to either."
"I know," Mina said, her face falling at the return of her feelings from that morning, "I just fear that this is something that we may not be able to come back from. He was so angry when he found out. I'm afraid that anything I do to fix things will blow up in my face, just like this did."
Nikomi scoffed at Mina's words, surprising her. "He will get over it. I'm sure his pride was just injured by the fact that you had to fix his mistakes."
Mina shook her head. "The thing is, I didn't get to fully explain my motivation before he blew up. He doesn't know the entire story of why I did what I did."
Nikomi's face softened and and stopped walking, holding out her arm to stop Mina. "Would you like me to speak with him? We may not always see eye to eye, but we do have a respectful understanding between us. As someone that is privy to the information behind this situation, it may do some good for him to hear it from me."
Mina was touched by Nikomi's offer but she shook her head again. "As much as I wish things could be fixed as soon as possible, I think this is something I have to deal with on my own."
Nikomi raised her eyebrows in surprise, but nodded in agreement. "Very well. Unless he comes to talk to me directly, I will stay out of it."
"Thank you commander," Mina said.
Nikomi reached out and rested her hand on Mina's shoulder. "Please call me Nikomi when it is the two of us. As hard as may have worked to get to my position, it still makes me feel weird to hear people address me as so, especially when it is someone like you that I have known for a long time."
Mina smiled up at the woman. "Thank you Nikomi. I hope things will get better between myself and Acastus, but it will only get better from my own actions, not those of others."
The following day, Mina showed up for her normal training session much better rested. The run from the previous day had exhausted her enough that she was able to sleep through the night. She was ready to tackle the day before her. Although Mina's secret was out, Nikomi continued her private training sessions with Caleb as her sparring partner. Today they were focusing on unarmed hand-to-hand combat. Mina liked sparring this way, as this was where she had the most experience. Her father had focused on this method, building upon the dance skills she had learned from her mother. It had always suited Mina well, allowing her to use her small stature to her advantage. She was able to evade her opponents strikes with her fluid motions. It wasn't very good for an offensive method of fighting, but it allowed her to avoid getting hurt when others used their larger size and strength against her.
Mina and Caleb sparred over the course of the morning, with Nikomi offering comments from the side of the room. They stopped for a break when Nikomi blew her whistle. As Mina turned away from her brother, she stopped short in her tracks when she saw her husband leaning against the wall of the training room. She hadn't noticed his presence, and she wondered how long he had been there watching.
"Commander," Caleb said, standing at attention when he noticed Kolya was in the room, "can we help you with something?"
Nikomi turned around to look at the man in question. "Commander Kolya. I wasn't aware you were here. If you are looking to use this training room, we will be finished in an hour or so."
Kolya left his place by the wall and crossed the room to join the small group. "Actually, I came to observe the Lieutenant's training. I wanted to see what has been happening for the past few months without my knowledge."
Mina flinched at the way he addressed her. Like she was nothing but an underling. She distanced herself from the group, walking over to drink her water, turning her back to her husband. She didn't want to look him in the face while he talked about her in a demeaning tone.
"I've been quite pleased with her training so far," Nikomi said, coming to Mina's defense against Kolya's critical attitude.
"We could provide you with a demonstration if you like Commander," Caleb offered.
Mina sighed at her brother's suggestion. That was the opposite of what she wanted to do right now. She placed her water bottle back down and turned to face the group. Her eyes drifted to her husband's face and she was surprised to see him looking back at her. She averted her eyes and returned to her place at her brother's side.
"I think I would like to see how she fairs against an experienced fighter," Kolya said as he started to pull his jacket off.
"I guess that would be alright. Mina?" Nikomi said, glancing at Mina.
Mina's eyes widened and she looked at her with a panicked expression. She knew that she wouldn't stand a chance against him. Nikomi took a step back, motioning for Caleb to follow her. Caleb glanced between the two commanders and his sister, his expression mirroring Mina's. He hadn't expected this either.
Mina took a deep breath and stood up straight, steeling herself against what was about to happen. She easily caught the staff that was tossed in her direction and moved into a defensive stance, ready for whatever her husband had to throw at her. She met his eyes and felt a determined expression cover her face. When he swung at her with his staff, Mina was prepared. She quickly moved out of the way, hitting away his blow. She moved forward to strike, but he blocked her easily, knocking her slightly off balance. Mina regained her balance in time to block another strike, the force of the blow vibrating through her arms as the staffs clashed together.
Mina glanced up at him and saw nothing but focus and determination. He was determined to make her fail. Anger swelled up inside her and she started a barrage of attacks, not giving him time to retaliate. When he blocked her last blow, Mina reacted in the only way she thought she could. She released her staff and spun around to kick him. She was surprised when her motion was stopped by him grabbing her foot, holding her in place in an awkward mid-kick position. Mina's eyes widened in a panic as she realized she was trapped. He used his hold on her foot to pull her off balance and cause her to fall. Mina hit the floor hard, forcing the air out of her lungs. She looked up at her husband in disbelief. He returned her look with one of disappointment.
"The ability to defend yourself will only get you so far. You are nowhere near ready to be put in any combat situation," he said before grabbing his jacket from the floor and exiting the training room.
Mina watched him walk out the door before she clambered to her feet, brushing off Caleb's attempt to help her up. She chased after her husband's retreating figure, calling after him.
"Commander!" she shouted multiple times as she followed him down the hall.
He ignored her calls until she stopped and yelled, "Acastus!".
Mina could feel herself shaking with anger and confusion as she watched him turn to face her. "Why are you so determined to see me fail? Does my failure make you happy?"
She could see his anger boiling beneath the surface, but for once he was keeping it in check.
"Of course I don't want you to fail. Failure would mean your death if it came at the wrong time. That is why I don't think you should be in this position in the first place. You don't have what it takes to make this work," he said calmly moving closer to her, causing her angry courage to wane a small amount at his closer presence.
His words sent a stabbing pain through Mina's chance. Not only did he not want her to do this, he didn't believe she could. She took a step back, her anger billowing up inside her again.
"You seem to be the only one that feels that way. Caleb, Nikomi, and even Cowen have more faith in me than you do. I thought that you would at least give me a chance to prove myself."
Losing her will to argue, Mina turned to walk away, but was stopped when Kolya reached out a grabbed her arm. She turned to glare at the offending hand on her arm, her eyes moving up to meet his.
"Cowen only pretends to have faith in you because he can use you to his own advantage. He will lose nothing if you fail. It will just be another experiment on his part. Your sacrifice will have been for nothing!" he said, his voice getting louder as he spoke.
Mina's expression softened a little at the concern in his last statement, but she still felt angry at his lack of faith in her. She pulled her arm from his grasp and started to walk away again.
"I know you think I did this just for the glory, but maybe you should take a step back and look at why I did it."
Kolya shook his head and his anger started to show again as he pointed at her. "I don't care why you did it. You need to walk away from this before you get hurt."
Mina spun around to face him again, anger burning in her eyes. "You have no right to tell me what to do Acastus! You are my husband, not my owner. And believe me, the former can change if you so wish."
Without another word, Mina stormed away, leaving Kolya standing in the hallway alone.
A/N: Please review and let me know what you think!