Page 120 of A Legacy of the Light

Since then, I spend my weekday mornings with him in the library researching what we can from the Darrow chambers. We haven’t found anything of note on the Dorche yet, and the Seòlta haven’t helped us find anything beyond that first time. That is something that even Finneus can’t explain.

He’s quickly become an incredibly important person in my life, and the thought of leaving him when I go makes my eyes sting. The fact that his presence feels so familiar and comforting to me remains a mystery.

My afternoons are spent training with Reyne, except on Sundays since we agreed that would be our rest day. Last week she finally deemed me fit enough to move onto basic hand-to-hand fighting after I could hold a plank for more than two minutes. She had commented on how surprised she was that a human could build up strength and stamina so quickly. I had to work really hard to school my face into a neutral expression and not tell her the truth. I trust Reyne, but whenever I think about telling her, Finneus’s warning rings in my head.

The dinner with Reyne and her parents happened about ten days after the ball, in their townhouse just beyond the palace walls. I was pleasantly surprised to find Cait there, too. Since then, it’s become a weekly thing. Hector has welcomed me with kindness and warmth, just as his daughter has.

Lady Garia tolerates me, and outright sneers at Cait. She mostly remains quiet while I’m there and has excused herself after dinner on all my visits, to which Cait normally makes a snarky comment that earns her a sharp look from her brother. Despite that, I love being there. Seeing the relationship between Reyne, her father, and Cait is definitely the highlight of my dinners with them. They’re close as a family and it reminds me of home.

A lot of my time is spent in the stables, too. I don’t take Mabel out on my own but help take care of the horses kept here. Fraser, the young stable hand that was there the day I returned from the ride with Tavish, looks uncomfortable whenever I offer him my assistance, but doesn’t object when I help him anyway. He’s sweet, albeit a bit shy, and tells me small bits about his life outside the palace walls.

Tavish and I write a few letters to each other, but he has been busy with the lords of Alba discussing the Dorche attacks. He doesn’t tell me much about them, other than that his frustration is growing with the council’s reluctance to do anything about the attacks, and that he misses me and can’t wait to take me out for that second ride we never got round to doing. My stomach flips when I read that in his neat handwriting. I couldn’t wipe the girlish smile off my face for four days after that first letter was delivered.

The staff around the palace have warmed to me, too. Colin greets me every time I pass through the kitchens. He’s even added those delicious raspberry and chocolate tarts to my dinner on more than one occasion since he found out how much I love them.

Reyne and I have taken a few trips into the city. The remnants of the Dorche attack are almost completely gone now, Raghnall’s statue has been cleaned of graffiti. I found out from Finneus that ‘mealltair’ meant ‘deceiver’ in the old Seelie language. When he told me, a swooping sensation took hold in my stomach and I couldn’t stop thinking about it for a few days.

With each trip into the city, I feel a lot more reassured that the drunk asshole was a one-off. Although him mistaking me for Elfayne’s ‘dead’ princess makes a whole lot more sense now. But I’m still relieved we haven’t seen him again.

While I seem to have settled into a routine the last few weeks, I feel like I could be doing more. Like I should be doing more. Not only to stop the Dorche invading my home world but also to protect the place that’s undeniably a part of me. The longer I’m here, the more I fall in love with the Seelie realm.

Everyday I learn something new about Elfayne, the people who live here, and my family history. Each piece of information is like a stone helping to build the bridge to my family legacy. Each new thing gives me an understanding of who Granny really is.

Finneus tells me personal stories about her, even points me to books that have tales about her victories in battle. I smile through tears every single time. He knew her so well. Turns out, she hadn’t changed much besides her name, and not using the light magic she could wield better than anyone in Seelie history.

◆◆◆

It’s a cold Wednesday afternoon in early December. Reyne told me to expect snow this week, and Tavish and the king are due back any day. I’m hit with a rush of nerves when I think about their return.

I can’t stop thinking about your lips, or how your skin felt under my touch. If you ever allow me the pleasure again, I will take my time tasting you.

Yours,

Tavish

His parting sentence in the last letter I received close to a week ago pulls my attention away from the training ring.

“Elsie, are you listening to me?” Reyne moans.

“Sorry,” I reply sheepishly and focus back on her.

Reyne runs through the basic fighting maneuvers she has been teaching me for the last week. I have to admit that she was right about getting my strength up. I can feel the power in my body as I throw the punches. I can feel the strength in my legs when I hold a fighting position and land a combination against the beige punching bag we have in the center of the ring we commandeer every day.

“Good, Elsie! Again!” she calls when I hit the bag with a strong right punch followed by a powerful kick. I do as she says, my breath sawing in and out of my lungs and sweat trickling down my back.

“You’re making such good progress.” Her encouragement makes me grin as I land a punch so hard that the bag topples over. “Easy now, lass, you don’t want to hurt yourself,” she chuckles, righting it before allowing me to continue.

After a few more combinations, Reyne stops me. “Okay, let’s learn some blocking techniques and then we’ll try some sparring, if you’re up to it?”

I look at her and wipe the back of my hand across my brow. “Against you?” I pant.

“Don’t worry. I’ll go easy on you the first time,” she winks and pulls the punching bag out of our way. I jog over to the water table to grab a quick drink.

Reyne is waiting for me in the middle of the ring when I rejoin her and she lowers herself into a fighting stance. “The key to defensive fighting is watching your opponent.”

“Like their body?”

“Aye, even the best fighters will tell you exactly what move they’re about to make. By watching their body and actions, you'll be able to predict what they’re going to do and block it.”