Note: I do not own these characters, all rights go to Sarah Maas.
-The story takes place on Nesta's first day at the Illyrian camps. Enjoy!
-1-
Nesta stood in the freezing cold.
Being in fighting leathers was a novelty.
Hell, wearing pants in the first place was a novelty.
They felt like a second skin. Too tight.
She felt everyone look at her but she held her head high, daring anyone to meet her gaze. A few males snickered at her as they passed.
She wanted to claw their eyes out.
It was a mistake to come here.
What did Feyre know about war camps anyway?
She still seethed with anger as she remembered that day they all gathered to tell her that she was exiled here. At the Illyrian mountains.
They told her that she was wasting her life.
If she was a man fucking a different woman every night and drinking himself into oblivion, no one would bat an eyelash. But for her, a woman, female now, it was unacceptable.
Fucking double standards.
Perhaps it would have been better for all of them if she had just bowed down to Rhys and been a nice little Acheron sister. Like Elain.
Like Feyre, who seemed to be in charge of her life.
What if you didn't care about life anymore?
The familiar darkness rose up in Nesta's chest, telling her to give in to it, to let it rule.
She took a deep breath and pushed it down, locking it deep inside and replaced it with anger.
She wished she had a drink.
She forced herself to go to the west part of the camp where the women were to train. She hoped Cassian wouldn't be the instructor. She didn't put it past him to come and taunt her on her first day.
She breathed some more cold air and joined the group of females waiting in line. There were around 30 in total. They looked at her with lowered but curious eyes.
Everyone knew who she was. What she had done. Who her sister is. That she and Cassian had a complicated history.
Nesta stared at each one of them until they looked away. She would not flinch. If she had to train, she would. She realized she wanted to learn how to defend herself. She remembered how weak she felt at those cursed moments when she couldn't help her father against the king of Hybern. Power was nothing without skill.
So she would keep head high and make the best of this situation.
She was Nesta Acheron.
2
They waited for an hour but the instructor never came.
A small boy around ten years old came instead to tell them that today's training would be cancelled and that they were to go and start their chores early. It's what they were good at anyway.
The little shit actually said that before he flew away.
If Nesta could spit fire she would burn that boy right then and there. She looked around at the other ladies and was shocked to see them just sigh and start leaving.
''What the hell?" said Nesta. "Cassian said we are to train every day! What bullshit is this?"
"Look, this is how it is," said a slim redhead. "We gather here every morning to "train" and they always find excuses to get out of it." She shrugged.
"This happens every day?" Nesta asked.
"Without fail," said a blonde petite female."Only when lord Cassian or the high Lord are here do we train. But simple stuff. Just to get them of their back."
"We are to bow and to serve only," said the redhead with venom.
These women are looked down on, only used in these camps and then discarded. Second class citizens. Nesta knew the feeling.
"What's the name of the instructor?" she said in an icy voice.
All the girls paused and turned to look at her. "You'll find him at the males training camp. His name is Spirton," said the redhead.
"Start doing warm up," said Nesta and started walking towards the sound of male sparing and shouting. On the way there she saw women carrying sacks twice their size, enormous baskets with firewood or supplies. They never paused to take a breath, only continued from one task to the nest.
The darkness inside Nesta stirred.
She finally reached the males' camp. There were about 100 young men training in hand to hand combat. Their grunts and curses filled the air. The male she assumed was Spirton stood at the side with a group of other males. They were in good spirits, looking at the trainees and laughing.
"I would laugh too," said Nesta as she stood behind him,"if my students were this incompetent."
All the males turned to look at her, incredulous either at her words or that a woman dared to address them. Probably both.
"And to think the females were supposed to have the same instructor!" she went on. "I suppose we should be lucky he decided to go jerk off the males instead of wasting the precious females' time." Nesta added a laugh to her performance.
Spirton was the colour of a red pepper. "I am the instructor. I'd watch my tongue girl if I were you."
"Hmm. I came to tell you that you are dismissed from the training of the females. We don't need another useless Illyrian male. Stick to your little boys!" spat Nesta.
"You don't speak to me like that!", he took a step toward Nesta, a vein popping in his forehead.
"Or what? You"ll train me?" she challenged.
Spirton was fuming. It was obvious he wanted to slap her but he also seemed to recognize her. The High lady's sister. The one with the deadly power who beheaded the king of Hybern.
"It's obvious that you can't do your job." Nesta looked at him up and down. "Choose someone else to train the females." She waited expectantly.
"I"ll do it." A male from behind stepped forward. He was massive and the side of his face was full of scars. He flapped his wings as if to stretch them.
Spirton looked at him but didn't object. "I have better things to do anyway. You'll start tomorrow of course." He smiled wickedly. "The time appointed to the females for training is spent. They are to return to their chores now. You as well."
What a bastard.
"They are to train for two hours," said Nesta in an bored voice. "Since the delay is your fault, we will take the next two hours. Get your boys to do the chores."
She turned to go back.
"Slut," said someone.
Nesta laughed. "Even human men, when they want to insult me, they at least have the balls to say it to my face. Yet, I am not surprised you do it behind my back." Nesta said it loud enough for everyone to hear. She gave them a final look over her shoulder and made her way back to the females' camp.
The male who volunteered to be the new instructor trailed after her. "I enjoyed this more than I should," he said.
"Glad you have time for amusement. The females don't have the same luxury." Nesta looked at him sideways, trying to size him up . She hoped he wasn't a dick. "Don't waste our time," she warned.
"I'm not planning on it," was all he said.
They reached the other camp just in time to stop the females from leaving for their chores. They all looked at Nesta and the new male with surprise. Some looked at the new male nervously. She hoped this guy was an improvement and not a new punishment for the females. Some of the girls seemed to recognize this male and some actually shivered. She hoped it was from the cold and not in fear.
"Good morning, ladies," said the male in a booming voice. "For those of you who don't know me, my name is Menos," he cast a look at Nesta," and I will be your new fighting instructor." He paused to look around at all the females."You have lost valuable time so we are going to start immediately. Fall in!"
The girls did as he said.
They stood in lines facing him."We will start with some basic moves and then we will move to sparing for the first day." The girls obeyed and followed his instructions as best as they could. Menos' style was to the point, he corrected the girls and guided them. He spoke in clipped words and shouted to be heard, not to be cruel.
The hours flew by without Nesta realizing it. The females were soaked with sweat as they were stretching at the end of the session."Tomorrow we start at dawn, ladies! Don't be late!" said Menos. Then he turned and left without even looking at Nesta.
The redhead female who spoke to Nesta before training walked up to her again. "How did you manage that?" she asked incredulous.
"He volunteered," said Nesta.
"Menos is the most formidable warrior in this camp. Well, after Cassian and the Shadowsinger, of course. He doesn't just volunteer to teach us. No one wants us." She paused. "I'm Rea, by the way.''
"Nesta". Nesta looked at the other female. "How long have you been here, Rea?"
"All my life. I was born here and to my mother's eternal disappointment, I was a female. So I serve here and try not to die."
"How long have you been training?" asked Nesta. She knew it was a new notion for the females to train.
"Theoretically for three years. But we never do any real training. Just training to bow our heads more and do more chores." Her tone turned bitter. "It's a good thing you are here. Having a noble female train with us may actually give us a chance to learn something. Maybe someone will bother to train us properly."
"I'm not a noble. Not even a Lady." said Nesta.
"We all know what you did. What you are. The males are afraid of you. The females look at you and hope. Hope for a better future." Rea looked at her seriously and seemed to make a decision. "Look, I can't imagine what it's like for you. Being Made. I won't pretend I understand you. But I will tell you this: You can make a difference for us. On your first day you managed to get us a real instructor. You can help the females. Use your influence to help us," she was dead serious.
Then Rea turned and went to help an old female carrying a heavy basket, leaving a stunned Nesta alone in the ring.
...
Cassian watched Nesta disappear into a tent in the kitchens.
He was right to stay away during the first day of her training. Seeing her in her tight Illyrian leathers made his cock twitch. They way the leather hugged every part of her curves made him want to put his hands all over her. He saw the way the other males were looking at her, too. They almost drooled over her, especially the younger ones. He wanted to beat them all to a pulp.
He reminded himself that he didn't have any rights on her, she hadn't wanted anything to do with him. She already hated him for bringing her here in the Illyrian camps.
It was the right thing to do, though. She would not waste away in that shitty apartment, drinking until she was unconscious every night and waking next to a different male every morning.
He tried not to think about those males. How they must have touched her, kissed her...
He snapped the practice sword he was holding in two.
Yes, no more fucking around in Veraris for Nesta. What if she started having affairs with men from the camp, though? He could not deal with it.
''Get a grip Cassian,'' he said to himself and dropped the broken sword in a nearby fire. He started to find Spirton planning to bust his ass for the stunt he pulled in the morning.
News travelled fast in the camp, especially when a small female humiliates a seasoned warrior.
Cassian would have paid good money to see this! He could picture Nesta glaring at Spirton with that unflinching stare, making her demands.
The image brought a small smile to his lips, for the first time in a long while.
''Cauldron pity on us all when she learns how to fight, too!''
Cassian found out that he couldn't wait to get into a ring with Nesta Acheron.
He smiled wider.
