The Training: Arineth is Back

~Lyrielle~

“Snakes? You—what the hell is this training?” I demanded.

“To erase your fear,” she responded, pointing to the second tub. One bite, one burns—both will forge you. Stand up and see.”

I gulped visibly and stood, peering into the second tub, hoping it wasn’t worse. It was hot water, steaming and bubbling, the heat hitting my face like a slap. I turned to face her, giving her a questioning look. She said nothing and stepped into the first tub, sitting calmly as the snakes crawled around her. I expected her to scream, but she didn’t flinch. “They’re poisonous,” she said, “but they only attack when they sense fear. Show it, and you’ll die by their poison. Hide it, and they’ll bow.”

“There’s no way I’m getting into that tub,” I snapped, my heart racing so fast I could hear it.

“Oh, you will,” she chuckled, stepping out. As quickly as she left, the snakes slithered back into the tub. “The water’s next—it’ll scald your skin unless you steel your mind. That’s how your enemies should feel—afraid of you, not the other way around. You have to be ruthless and unforgiving!”

“Cara, tell me this isn’t real,” I whispered, my voice trembling.

“It’s real,” she growled back. “And we’re not dying here. Get up!”

I gulped again, staring at both tubs. “There’s no way I’m getting into that snake tub,” I repeated, my voice shaking in my mind. “I—”

“Don’t worry, you won’t get in yet,” she told me. “I have to train your mind first.” She pushed me toward the wall, and I stared at her, questioning what she was doing. And just like the others, a portal opened behind her. “We’ll meet again, little one,” she waved and then chuckled and I knew she was enjoying my fear beneath that mask.

This time, no woman came for me but there was a portal for me and I entered, The portal opened straight into a luxurious room. Silk curtains shimmered gold in soft candlelight, and the air smelled of jasmine—sweet, heavy, like the noble halls I’d lost. A carved chair sat at the center, its dark wood gleaming, and on it sat a masked woman, legs crossed, her posture sharp as a blade. It was beautiful but intimidating. “Welcome,” she greeted warmly, and I knew that voice. It was the first healer who’d patched my burns. “My name is Isha, and I’ll be training you to be a proper noblewoman.”

At least this training didn’t sound exhausting. That’s what I thought until it started, and she drilled me—how to walk with my chin up, carry my shoulders, eat without a sound, speak like my words could cut. I’d been a noble once, but this was different—finer, stricter—and every mistake earned me a sharp rap on the knuckles or a flick to the spine. When it finally ended at dusk, I stumbled back to my room, sore from head to toe, too tired to eat, even though my stomach gnawed at itself after hours of nothing.

The next four months were a blur of pain and grit. Natty came to me every dawn for physical training, and each time, I felt the stick cracking against my ribs, arms, and legs. On the other hand, the potions choked me during healing training; most of the time, I spilled the bitter brews and hurt myself, and I have to admit it stung like hell. As for the third trainer, whom I found out to be Alenora, it was worse. I couldn’t count how many times I was bitten by the snakes and had to be healed by her. Even at night, after the training, I dreamt about the snakes. The hot water was also cruel to my body, and it was so hard to cope for the first few months. I wanted to quit every day. As for Isha, training was much more enjoyable since it was all about becoming a perfect, strong woman.

Each time I tried to give up, I remembered what happened to my family and how the royal family was enjoying their lives. That made me desperate for power and to be at the top, so I trained harder, kept up with the hardship, learned to live with pain and by the fourth month of practice, I stopped falling when Natty attacked me. I was able to prepare potions without choking or spilling them. In the dark room, I could sit with the snakes without trembling in fear, and even though the water still burned, I could endure sitting inside it for hours. As for Isha’s lessons, it was easy, and I learned everything needed to be a proper woman.

The training was tough, but I managed to survive—barely.

Every now and then, I  thought of Arineth and wondered what he was doing, where he was, and why he hadn’t contacted me once in six months. One afternoon, when I was strolling alone in front of the building, the wind started blowing hard, shaking the building and lifting me off the ground. I tried to grab something, but nothing was close enough. Just when I thought I’d be pulled away, a hand caught me, turned me around, and landed in their arms.

The familiar tingling that sent shivers down my spine was the first sensation. I tried to convince myself it wasn’t him, that he wasn’t real and shouldn’t be here, but then the scent of cedarwood filled my nostrils. I lifted my head and saw him gazing at me with stoic gray eyes. “Still clumsy as ever,” he muttered under his breath in his low, deep voice.

I blinked, staring at him in disbelief, my eyes wide with shock as a flood of thoughts raced through my mind.

When had he arrived, and how had I failed to notice him?

“He looks different,” Cara’s voice echoed in my mind, and she wasn’t wrong—he did look more handsome, but that wasn’t the only difference.

There was something about him that had changed, something unrelated to me. Perhaps the time spent apart from me had shaped him this way.

“Surprised to see me?” he asked, his voice intimidating.

I quickly bowed my head in respect. “Your…” My words were suddenly cut short from my lips as I was pushed backward. My back slammed against the wall of the building, and I fell to the ground, groaning in pain. I raised my head and faced him, surprised but not shocked—he always did things like this. Still, I had thought he had changed.

Anger surged through me as I stood up and faced him. “What’s your problem?” I yelled at him.

I didn’t know where I had gained such confidence from. Maybe it was from the days I had spent training or the hardship I had gone through, but somehow, I could talk back to him without stuttering.

“Now you talk back,” he chuckled and slowly approached me. I gulped as he raised his hand and threw his fist toward me. I quickly responded by raising my hand to block, but it never came. Instead, something landed in front of my feet. “It seems you gained some strength while I was away. That is impressive,” he said in a tone that wasn’t condescending like his usual tone.

My eyes fluttered open to see a brown stick in front of me. I raised my head to look at him, seeking answers. “What…”

“Pick it up,” he ordered.

I gave him a questioning look, without knowing what he was trying to tell me. “You…”

In the blink of an eye, he was suddenly in front of me, accompanied by the wind that brushed a strand of hair to my forehead. He raised the stick to attack me, but I reacted quickly by blocking it.

“Oh!” he smirked as he pushed the stick harder against mine.

My legs and hands started shaking but I held onto the stick. I wasn't done not after what I had gone through for six months.