✦ 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ✦

Thirty Three

Nyx spun around with Mala, a small smirk lining his face.

"Aunty Nesta, lovely to see you, as always," he spoke with grace and a mild tinge of derision for whatever reason.

The female fae rolled her eyes. She as well was wearing Illyrian leathers near identical to Mala's. Her hair was golden brown, shimmering in the blazing sunlight above them all. When her line of sight made its way over to Mala she could sense the female's powering presence. Much like Amren she was cloaked in a sort of magical aura that Mala found hard to perceive. But she didn't dwell on it as "Aunty Nesta" spoke.

"You must be Mala then, I presume?"

Mala nodded in confirmation.

Nesta clapped her hands together, "As I'm guessing Nyx brought you here to train, he can leave you be and you can come with me."

She shooed Nyx away with her hands and waved Mala over to follow her. Nyx winked to Mala before he winnowed away, leaving her to follow after Nesta who didn't seem to mind the brief introduction between the two of them.

The training grounds around them were decorated with what looked to be obstacle courses of some kind. Other female fae were not only sparring and running through the different obstacles, but some were even meditating.

Instead of leading her over to one of the sparring arenas or an obstacle course, Nesta made her way over to the meditating fae, who were also intermixed with a few Illyrian females, though some didn't appear to have wings. The only way she could even tell if they were fae or not was by their ears, as of which she rightfully came up with the notion that they were Illyrian. In the back of her mind Mala could only pray that they didn't share very many personality traits with their opposite gender.

Nesta was a confident fae, walking across the grounds as if she owned them, which she might if Mala assumed that everyone Nyx knew was either Court royalty or wealthy.

Nesta sat down on a bench by the meditating females, expecting Mala to sit beside her, which she thankfully understood and eagerly sat down.

"I suppose proper introductions should be made, although there is hardly enough time in the day to go over everything," Nesta started off by saying.

"Nonetheless they should be made, and I will go first. My name is Nesta Archeron, Nyx is my nephew, and I am part of a female warrior group called the Valkyries. Now you," it was rushed and simple, but still managed to give Mala what she needed to know.

"Well, my name is Mala Ashryver Whitethorn Galathynius, and I am from a place called Terrasen, located somewhere far from here as I've learned. I am under the impression that Nyx brought me here to learn of how the Valkyries fight," her last sentence left a question hanging in the air, one that Nesta gladly answered.

"You're right, he did indeed bring you hear so I and others may teach you our ways. But before that, you must learn the most important part," she instructed, "The most valuable technique that we teach is the art of mind-stilling."

"Mind-stilling?" Mala asked, not quite catching on.

"Yes, the calming of the mind and emotions, which is of the upmost importance in battle and what we cherish most of all," Nesta relaxed and nodded her head at Mala approvingly when she did the same.

"The first step is to take three deep breaths, I will mentor you through this," Nesta instructed, more quietly than before.

"Breath in," it was a count of six before Nesta spoke again, "Breath out."

"Don't overthink it, rest your eyes now," Nesta closed her eyes, appearing perfectly at peace.

The breathing process was repeated two times more.

"Now acknowledge the sounds around you, but don't let them rule over you. Allow them to merely fade away," Nesta directed her.

The sounds surrounding Mala were quiet. Her fae senses picked up the steady breathing of those around her and further from her, the sparring matches of other female warriors. She could hear and feel the rustle of leaves, the boots crunching along pathways. Acknowledging all the sounds and noises around her was better said than done. Nesta gave her a moment to collect herself, she took it gratefully and attempted to center herself once more. In the end, they were merely sounds, the idea of them actually affecting her in any way was just that, an idea. An idea that hadn't taken shape yet, and never would if she had anything to say about it. Most of the noises around her wouldn't have any reason to evolve and attack her, which was more than enough of a reason to admit to their presence in her life and ultimately ignore them, letting them fade into the background. Mala took in a noisy breath, signaling to Nesta that she had figured it out for the most part.

"Now next you should assess how you are feeling. Don't dwell on it, but just acknowledge it," Nesta was not an impatient teacher by any means, but she was firm and blunt which gave Mala just the right amount of motivation.

Like sounds, her feelings were jumbled. They were tangled and warped around each other so much that it was hard for her to tell the difference between them. It was as if they were a stack of cards, and no matter how many she flipped over they were either too similar or drastically different. Frustration though, was prominent in her life. A never ending feeling that had festered as she spent more and more time in Prythian, unable to go home. But even so, she acknowledged it; embraced it even. Telling herself, yes she was frustrated, but that was it. She let go of the feeling, letting it sizzle out of existence.

Nesta didn't wait before moving on, "Assess your body for sore spots. If there are any, again, let it fade away."

Mala was indeed sore, her body was a battering of fight, having had fire rampage her skin and mind all night yesterday. Taking it all in, she went back to the same concept of letting the sores just fade away. A detachment of her pain was almost simple at that point, and she was able to move onto the next step.

"Now we're going to work on focused breathing. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Do ten of them, then start over. If a thought pops up, acknowledge it, then send it on its way. Tell yourself, 'I am the rock against which the surf crashes.' Your thoughts are the surf. Let them crash over you. Start over if you lose count," Nesta droned on as if she had said the same instructions on numerous occasions.

It was a substantial amount of information and instruction to process, so Mala started at the beginning. She made she her head was clear of any thoughts and let the sounds, her feelings, and her sores fade away. Like at the beginning of their meditative session she took in a deep breath and let it out for exactly six counts. After three more breaths, she fumbled, a worried though of anxiousness barging it into her head. She faintly remembered what Nesta had told her to do, thinking, I am the rock against which the surf crashes, before sending the thought away for good. She started over with her breathing.

Breath in.

Breath out.

Breath in.

Breath out.

Ten times.

Again.

Mala didn't know how mant times she had sent a troubling thought away.

Or how many times she repeated all the steps.

How many times she did a set of breathing.

Her mind stopped wandering and she lost count of her breaths.

Her head wasn't spinning, just resting, but this time it wasn't waiting for something; wasn't expecting anything. It simply sat in place, frozen. Mala opened her eyes, taking note once agin of the sounds around her. Her bitter feelings. Her painful sores. She let them all fade away, acknowledging them, and yet sending them away.

Nesta was watching her, the female wearing a proud smile on her face.

"Well done," was all she had to say as Mala smiled appreciatively, eyes filled with peace and wonder.

~tev <3