Upon returning to Elise’s house for the night, we ate a quick dinner together before retiring to our separate rooms. Lia and I waited a few minutes to give Marin enough time to change into her sleeping clothes, then knocked softly on her door. “Come in!” she called out from inside. We entered the room to find her sitting on the edge of the bed, wearing one of Lia’s nightgowns and writing in a small notebook on the bedside table. “What’s up?”
I gave Lia a light push on the small of her back, and she stepped forward. “Hey, Marin. Remember that conversation we had while we were in Kaldan, about how you wished you could learn how to fight?”
With a level of restraint I had never seen from her, Marin closed the notebook, stoppered her ink bottle, and sat with her hands folded in her lap. “Yes, I do. Why do you ask?”
“Well, I talked about it with Lux, and, uh, if you’re still interested, we think it would be a good idea. To teach you how to fight, I mean.” She tapped her fingers together nervously as she looked side to side, avoiding Marin’s eyes. “Obviously, you don’t have to say yes, but—”
Marin stood up from the bed and jumped forward, hugging Lia with so much force that I had to catch the pair before they crashed to the floor. “Thank you!” she cried, grasping blindly out at me as she buried her face in Lia’s shoulder. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” I stepped forward and offered out my hand, and she immediately pulled me into a group hug. “Thank you, both of you. Thank you.” Her voice broke as she continued her effusive thanks, and tears ran down her face.
I blinked down at her, momentarily stunned by the sudden outburst. “I didn’t know you were so enthusiastic about the idea,” I commented, gently rubbing her back. “Have you always wanted to be a fighter?”
“Primes, no!” she said, shaking her head. “Valandra was always the warrior of the family, and I was happy to leave it that way.” She rested her chin on Lia’s shoulder and looked up at me, her eyes glistening with sadness. “I always thought she was perfect. She fought against evil and kept our country safe, and no matter how hard things were, she was never afraid. But now,” she sniffled, and her lips started to quiver, “now I don’t know if that’s true. I didn’t want to believe you when you first came back from the keep, but after everything I’ve seen...What if...what if she’s a-always just...just been...”
She started to sob, but what she was trying to say was clear. “It’s alright, Marin. You’re safe now,” I whispered, scratching the top of her head in slow circles. “You don’t have to worry about her anymore.”
“No!” she yelled suddenly, startling me. “For the first time in my life, I DO have to worry about her! I have to worry about what she might do!” She took a step away from our group embrace and looked between us, her brow drawn back with an almost desperate concern. “I need to learn how to fight so that if Valandra shows up again, I can stop her from hurting anybody. You’re all…” she trailed off and looked down at her feet. “You’re all I have now. I can’t let her take that away.”
My throat tightened as she revealed her true motivations. She shouldn’t have to carry that burden. I still don't want to believe Val gave that order, but… My fists balled against my legs, and I stepped forward. "Marin.” Her face snapped up from the floor, and her bloodshot eyes met mine. “We’re going to teach you everything we know: fighting, magic, all of it. I promise you, the next time you meet your sister, you’ll be more powerful than she’s ever been.”
Lia’s hand appeared on my shoulder as she took her place beside me. “You don’t have to worry about us, Marin. We’ll all keep each other safe from now on.”
Marin’s head bobbed up and down, sending a fresh wave of tears down her cheeks. She wordlessly approached and hugged us again, resting her head between our shoulders. Although I could already tell from her demeanor that she was sincere, I confirmed it with a quick pulse of mana; the dim, flickering pink energy in her core exuded waves of pure joy, sadness, and worry. Lia and I comforted her until her tears dried up, then tucked her into bed for the night.
We stayed silent until we were back in our own room, preparing for bed. “I thought you hadn’t decided if we should teach Marin magic yet.”
“I didn’t know if we could trust her with it, but I do now,” I answered. “She’s been betrayed by someone she had complete faith in. I’ve been where she is now, and there’s no stopping that feeling; Marin’s going to fight harder than anybody to try and fix the broken piece inside of her.” I flopped face first into my pillow, consumed with the opposing emotions of resolve and defeat. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have let any of this happen in the first place.”
“Stop that,” Lia chided as she slid into bed. “Val’s decisions aren’t your fault, and you know it.” Her hand scratched at the base of my neck, and I melted into the fluffy mattress below us. “I agree with you, though. I think teaching Marin magic is the right thing to do.”
“Thanks, Lia,” I said, rolling onto my side. Her smile caught me off guard and warmed my heart before I had a chance
