Private Tales Strained Beginnings

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi disguised her laugh as a cough at Cass' blatant lie but the boys were scowling at him.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, Peter, but wasn't our model soldier here the one who got into a fight with our half giant on his first night in the citadel?"

"Why Alec I think you might be right. As I recall he was thrown about like a little rag doll, barely missed having an axe separate his head from shoulders."

"Wasn't that the same soldier who went into the fight pits drunk as a skunk?"

"Oh yes Alec, couldn't possible be our model soldier here. Perhaps we're thinking of the wrong Cassian who carried our Lady Commander in her towel through the streets and smacked her arse for all to see?"

Kain let out a howl of laughter.

 

[Fraeya]

She couldn't stop the smile from spreading on her face. At least these others didn't think she was scary. Something Jace had told her soon after they’d first met. Probably because they were exposed to monsters on an almost daily basis.

She and Cassian didn't shy away from a fight, it sounded like. She might be a little more thoughtful and strategic about which risks she took and how she entered a conflict but she certainly took risks. She had to. Had to at least try and be as cunning as the fae. Or she would’ve been dead a long time ago.

She managed to eat some more food. Chewing until the laughter ebbed, she looked to Cassian. A shy, hesitant look. “I was hoping maybe…you and I and Lexi could go hunting today?” Get more time to talk. More time to get to know each other away from the camp. And then she could provide some food back to them. Contribute something.

 

[Cassian]

Cassian's head was bowed as he ate, but his eyes rose to the two boys with a glare, his brow quirking.. "That was brotherly bonding. And fighting practice...And I did offer other's a smack of her arse as well..." he replied innocently, unable to fight the grin that broke his look of disgruntlement. "But I see you two have your brave pants on today.." his eyes narrowed, and he dug an elbow into Kain's ribs as he guffawed.

"Don't encourage them..." he snorted as he shovelled in another mouthful of food.

His blue-grey eyes drifted to Fraeya and his brows rose in surprise at her question. He glanced at Lexi, words catching in his throat for a moment. "I.. Sure, aye, lass. I'd like that." he nodded and cleared his throat, a small smile on his lips as he continued with his breakfast.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi hid her face in her mug as the boys rattled off a list of Cassian's Greatest Hits.

Her eye flickered briefly to Cassian to gauge his reaction to Fraeya's request before setting her mug down and finishing off the last scrap of food on her plate with a more casual shrug. She didn't want to take the lead on this relationship; that was for them to figure out. She also didn't want to overplay how proud she was of him for being able to open himself up to someone else.

"Sure," she stood and stretched lazily, ignoring the ache in her ribs. "Can you ride? The game closer to here is probably long gone after the chimera," Kain nodded absently in agreement.

 

[Fraeya]

The easy way Kain and the others joked with her brother. With Lexi. Was this what a real family looked like? She chewed on more eggs and some bacon. The smile on her brother’s face making one of her own curl on her lips.

Wild green eyes drifted to Lexi.

“You mean a horse, right?” She’d ridden all sorts of beasts. Mostly ones that required permission. She still asked horses before riding them as well. It was only polite.

She took a polite sip of tea.

 

[Cassian]

Cassian lifted his eyes from his food to look between Fraeya and Lexi for a moment before he swallowed and cleared his throat.. "What else would she mean?..." his brow quirked. Donkeys, camels, gryphons, dragons? He had only ever travelled by foot or horse, and that his sister might have known other beasts like Lexi's brother did was intriguing.

"What do..Fae, use?" he asked a little ignorantly. He had learned a lot over his past year or so with Lexi, but it seemed another world had been opened up to him that he knew absolutely nothing about.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi winced.

"Fae!?" Kain dropped his spoon and stared at Lexi in horror. Alec and Peter's expressions were not any better and the latter reached into his breast pocket no doubt the grab a hold of the silver dagger he wore there. Their group had once held one more and he had died at the hands of a water fae a day before they had met Cassian.

"It doesn't matter," she tried to soothe the group and grabbed Cassian by the elbow to hurl him to his feet. "I have a horse you can use Fraeya. We'll see you all later," when she would no doubt have to answer a thousand questions she didn't want to. Before Kain could say anything more she marched the siblings from the tent.

 

[Fraeya]

She flinched as Peter went to reach for something. Clear intent written on his face. She stood quickly, nearly too fast for a human and immediately put herself in a defensive position. Eyes darting between the three young men. She gripped her fork tightly, a bit of eggs still on the end as if it was a weapon.

She didnt have time to see their reactions as she and her brother were ushered from the tent. She still gripped the fork, popping the last bite of eggs into her mouth without a word. Without acknowledging how she just reacted to Lexi or Cassian.

There were makeshift stables already set up. The smell of hay permeating the air as they entered the shaded area. She looked to Cassian, an answer to his earlier question. “It depends on the court. Most fae probably use their own strength and just run. Spring court like to use horses. Winter court sometimes use dragons or wyverns or even their own wings.”

That was more in the fall. She’d heard stories of two pucca brothers with membranous wings. There was said to be a whole legion of flyers lead by one of them. She was just glad she’d never met them. Especially if they were like the prince. The prince as cold as his father.

 

[Cassian]

He hadn't missed the wild defensiveness of his younger sister, and his throat cleared as he exchanged a look with Peter, a pointed glance toward the weapon in his hand that told him to put it away as Lexi hauled him from the tent.

There was little point telling a wild rabbit it was safe, you had to prove it, and so he refrained from any comment and tried to remain casual despite his smirk at her choice of weapon.

"Courts?.." Those were seasons, were they not? His brow furrowed as he realised just how much he seemed not to know. Rose would no doubt have a few piles of books for him to struggle through when they returned home..

"Dragons??....Wait these fuckers-- sorry, these Fae are winged?" he rubbed at the back of his neck and blew out a long huff. "Well. It says a lot about you if you've managed to survive all this time with em, lass.." he muttered quietly and gave a proud smile. Kain and the boys weren't easily rattled, and they'd seen their share of monsters..

"'They teach you how to shoot a bow like that?.." his brow arched.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi let the siblings talk as she strode ahead a few paces and ran a hand down her face. If she could have run to the stables she would have, though her pace was brisk enough that young recruits would have probably had to job to keep up with her. Cassian and Fraeya didn't seem to have any problem with her barely concealed attempt to run from the conversation building at her back.

The two recruits who were tending the horses mistook her haste for anger and scrambled to get her and Cassian's horses ready for her as she approached.

"We'll be needing a third - saddle up Mabel," the chestnut with white socks was an easy enough horse to control. The last thing she wanted was the girl to break her neck. Lexi swung onto the white stallion with a nasty attitude as soon as he was mounted, handling the reins firmly as he frisked impatiently.

 

[Fraeya]

"Not so loud," she whispered strongly to her brother. Gaze flitted around the camp. Not at the other ravens, men and women under Lexi's command. But at the surrounding trees. The woods.

"They can have spies everywhere." She remembered rumors of one that wrapped himself in shadows. Another under the Erlking's command. She doubted the king would waste any of his spies on her. But...she couldn't be too sure.

Even at her warning, she couldn't help the small beam at Cassian' compliment. Perhaps she was stronger than she thought. She wandered over to Mabel as they saddled her up. Hand was held out, palm flat. The horse whinnied softly.

"I taught myself but one of them gave me the bow set." Delun had. Small payment for the work she did for him.

Hand came down the horse's neck gently as she whispered in a foreign language next to the horse's ear. She was asking permission to ride. And once she was satisfied she had it, she pulled herself into the saddle.

Gaze flickered to Cassian and Lexi.

"What do you two like to do..erm, when you're night fighting monsters or each other?" The latter was a joke, referring back to what one of the boys said about smacking Lexi on her ass and carrying her away.

 

[Cassian]

Honestly, if Fraeya hadn't had Lexi to back up her claims, he'd have thought the girl a few arrows short of a quiver. He blinked as she hushed him and looked around, as though there might have been something watching them and listening to them speak.. "Oh.. Eh, righ' lass.." he murmured quietly, scratching at the back of his head.

Whatever they were seemed to frighten her, hell they'd seemed to frighten the others too.. He'd try to leave it alone, for now. "Ah.." he nodded with a small smirk. "Our brother taught me when I was barely tall enough to hold a bow.." he smirked.

Her question had him laughing awkwardly under his breath as he watched Lexi mount her horse. The thing always seemed to glare at him.. "Well on the rare occasion our Commander is persuaded to take time off from her duties, we escape for a little while.." he smirked. "We like eating good food, drinking' good wine, dancin'.." he shrugged.

Cassian glanced behind him at the sound of a mew, the ginger cat bounding after the trio and leaping onto his back to scurry onto his shoulder. "Hates to think she's missin' somethin'.." he smiled and took the reins of his own chestnut horse.

"Y'alrigh' ?" he asked Lexi quietly as he looked up at her, a hand lifting to squeeze at her thigh.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

The stallion stopped moving when Cassian gripped her thigh. It always amazed her how quickly the horse had taken to him when even Kain had a hard time handling him. When they had come home from their holiday in Oban, Kain had been sporting several bruises from where the Stallion had taken off at a gallop with the Second in Command. Looking at him now you would think he was a placid gelding.

"Yeah," she let out a breath. She couldn't let the worry of a future conversation spoil this moment for him. She brushed her fingers over the stubble on his beard then tugged his hair playfully. "Get on your horse, I want to see who shoots better - you or your little sister," Lexi smirked and then plucked Red from Cass's shoulder before he could protest.

"My money's on Fraeya!" she called over her shoulder and spurred the Stallion out of the stableyard.

 

[Fraeya]

Fraeya grinned and urged her own horse with the white socks forward. Like music, singing and playing instruments. Like dancing. She’d always loved to ride. She felt the freest then. Stronger than a human. More like them. Faster.

She gave a whoop as she too passed her brother and caught up to Lexi’s horse. She gave the woman a wicked grin and quietly urged her horse forward across a shallow part of a stream. Water sprayed up behind them. There was a jump over a downed log and then a tight path through the trees. Loosely tied back hair snagged free, wild blonde ribbons whipping behind her and for a moment, she looked like she could be fae herself.

 

[Cassian]

His brow creased as he looked up at her with a knowing look. She wasn't alright, but if she didn't want to talk about it right now he understood and gave her a slow nod in resignation and huffed quietly. He leaned into those affectionate touches, gazing up at her in worship like some sort of bedazzled pup, his cheeks dimpling in a wide grin as she tugged at his hair.

Red half meowed, half purred as she found herself lifted from Cassian's shoulder, giving absolutely no protest and nuzzling into the commander instead.

"Traitor." Cassian grumbled at the ginger feline who simply blinked slowly back at him. He did as commanded and mounted his horse, laughing quietly as the three females in his life rode off ahead, and he clicked his tongue with a gentle nudge of his heels to take off after them.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi's brows rose as the girl streaked off ahead.

"Can't allow that now can we?" she murmured to her horse. The grey seemed to agree with her - or it could have just been his usual hot headedness - but as soon as she relaxed her reins the stallion was off. Threw the river they went, over fallen logs and over a narrow ledge. Deeper and deeper into the forest they drove where the game would be more plentiful, far away from the stench of dying monsters. It was only when the horses gleamed with sweat Lexi motioned for the group to slow down. If they continued on in a headless gallop the sound of their hurrying hooves would send every deer around them shooting for the bush.

A wicked grin split her face in two despite the quick rise and fall of her chest.

"I haven't ridden like that for a while," she admitted. At least, not on a horse.

 

[Fraeya]

A wide-smile split her face. The first genuine smile that had lit up her entire face in a long time. "Yeah," she breathed, giving her horse a pat. A few more fae words down to the beast. She had written like that a lot. When she was sent on mission to deliver messages to the other courts on Delun's and the Erlking's behalf, she had to ride like that through other borders and courts.

There were too many predators, courtless fae who saw humans as easy prey.

"He always that slow?" A teasing frown as she looked back at her brother. She was really trying to be...normal. Whatever that was. Swinging down from the saddle, her boots landed within the pine-straw floor of the forest. She took out her bow and arrow set. They'd been packed with her horse.

Head canted to the side as she stepped forward.

"A deer nearby and some wild turkeys." They couldn't be seen but she could hear them.

 

[Cassian]

"Hey now.." he grumbled at Fraeya as his horse caught up. "This poor girl has over six foot of solid muscle to carry!.... The horse does too." he grinned with a wink at Lexi as he patted the mare on the neck, unable to help but chortle at his own joke.

"Besides." he shifted. "It ain't the most comfortable for us men.." he grimaced and swung down from the horse, his hand stroking her face fondly.

He glanced around for the so called deer and turkeys, his brow furrowing. "Oh?.." He rubbed at the back of his neck. "Well, lead the way lass, if yer sure."

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi dismounted and led her horse away from to pasture amongst a small crop of trees whilst the siblings bantered back and forth. It reminded her a little of her and Damien and she wondered how she would have handled meeting him after a lifetime apart. It was a hard thing to imagine given how close the pair were even lands apart. She just hoped these two would have time to form the kind of relationship they deserved.

"We will follow you," she smiled and shouldered her own bow and quivers. A couple of turkeys would go down well with the soldiers back at the camp. Stepping over to Cassian she slid her hand into his and gave it a gentle squeeze.

 

[Fraeya]

She rolled her eyes at his joke but she couldn't stop her lips from twitching. Stepping lightly over the roots, rocks, and grasses, she moved near silently through the woods. She was careful to stay upwind.

And sure enough, after weaving through a few trees, the others would be able to hear a gobblegobble. She cringed slightly, hearing her brother's larger footsteps behind them. They were too close to the turkeys for her to retort about his six foot of solid muscle and how loud it was being.

Instead, she mock-glared at him over her shoulder eyes moving silently from his feet to his face and back to his feet as she brought a finger up to her lips to silently shush him.

Turning, she released an arrow with reflexes that should be too fast for a human.

 

[Cassian]

Cassian grinned at Fraeya as she was already rolling her eyes at his jokes. "Oh come on.." It had been a good joke!

He squeezed at Lexi's hand as he lifted it to press a kiss to her knuckles, his rock, as always..

Despite Fraeya's warnings that he be more careful, he felt at ease out here. It was a strange feeling, like some missing piece had suddenly fallen into place now that he could be a brother again. He had found brothers amongst his comrades, but he'd spent years wondering where she had gone and what she was like, and he wanted the chance to get to know her.

He stopped as his younger sister's glare came over her shoulder, and he realised in that moment just how much she looked like their mother. His lips twisted, and he stilled, dipping his chin in silent agreement as she shushed him, his eyes shifting to Lexi with amusement. Fabulous, another woman to put him in his place.

Cassian watched, stunned as Fraeya drew, nocked and released an arrow into a puff of feathers in the blink of an eye.

"Well fuck me."

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi struggled not to laugh at the pair. It was a different side to Cassian and one she was enjoying seeing. Sure there had been flashes of it - with Alec and Peter especially - but this was completely different. What was even nicer was how easily he slid into the role. She rubbed her thumb along the back of his hand with a smile and adjusted her eyepatch with her other hand. It was habit to wear it around her soldiers and civilians but out here she didn't need it. She'd just forgotten to take it off. Fiddling with it almost meant she missed the shot Fraeya took.

Her eye widened in shock and then she let out a low whistle.

"Looks like I bet on the right person," she laughed under her breath and gestured for Cassian to show them what he had.

 

[Fraeya]

Fuck me.

For a moment, a wild and free grin lit up her face. Nothing was chasing her. She was hunting to survive but not when she was at the point of starving. She was around…family. She was safe. A feeling she didnt experience often.

“You two save that for a tent far away from me,” a dry comment, as she looked at them both, the grin lingering on her face as she re-shouldered the bow. Her attention returned to her brother to see what kind of shot he was.

 

[Cassian]

Cassian mirrored the girl's grin and he laughed at her comment before feigning a look of innocence. He looked between them as they each waited expectantly on him.. "Well, she's frightened everythin' else off now ent she?" he muttered and drew his bow and continued along the trail into the woods, his footfalls quieter than any man of his stature had right to be.

He remained quiet as he walked for another few minutes before pausing at a clearing where a buck was grazing. Quietly he nocked his arrow and drew it back, his form strong, the feather grazing his chin when, snap.

He looked down at his boot which had just broken a twig, and then to the startled deer bound to flee. "Shit." he fired, but the creature had already sprung into action and the arrow slammed into a tree, sending up a bushel full of birds in chaos. He nocked another arrow and ran, determined to catch the fucking thing.

Another arrow flew, and then another, each followed by an even louder FUCK than the last as they missed.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi shook her head in a disapproving manner but the subtle slanted smile betrayed how amused she was by the whole thing.

"An Adonis, truly," she laughed under her breath and then glanced to Fraeya. "It is not quite as good as fae magic, but would you like to see what humans can use?" there was another subtle offer below the one voiced out loud. Lexi had never wanted to go down the path of a Scholar like Rose, who taught other Ravens how to wield the ancient brand of magic they used in combat, but she was one of the most skilled users in it. If anyone could teach her a few tricks quickly it would be her.

Lexi canted her head to the side in a gesture to follow.

They shadowed Cassian a few meters off then she quickened their pace to get ahead of them. When the noises were more of a din she slowed their pace and took up a spot with good vegetation for hiding in.

"Watch closely," she instructed and then with a deep breath she began to recite words in a language that weighed heavy on the shoulders. Suddenly, in the clearing ahead of them and apparently deaf to the noises Cassian was making, a stag walked in proudly and began to eat. In plain view of the approaching Cassian.