Page 52 of Ava's Love of the Dragons
Lynn tilted her head sympathetically until Ava looked at her. Her lips curled in amusement. "Somehow I don't get the impression that he wants to stay out of your way."
She looked back at her soup. "We can't. The fate of the dragons is at stake."
Lynn sighed. "Yes, unfortunately. I'm glad you recognize that, because it would only bring you sorrow to get involved with him. I don't know him well, but I've read the reports about the dragon fighters and the battles. There's hardly anyone who takes his job as seriously as he does. That means he'll marry Princess Amelia in the coming weeks, no matter who his heart truly beats for. You don't want to be just some lover who forever stands in his shadow, do you?"
Her limbs suddenly felt as if she still hadn't finished training. But she already knew all this. Lynn hadn't told her anything new. Still, she wasn't able to answer.
Lynn placed a hand on her forearm, her voice empathetic. "I'm really sorry. Especially because I see that he feels the same way you do."
That was why it didn't help to talk about it. And that was why Master Clark's advice to face her feelings was absolutely stupid! Where would that lead?
Ava shrugged with forced nonchalance. "Don't worry about it." She wanted to change the subject, as talking about feelings wasn't her forte anyway.
"But Ava —" Lynn leaned forward, unwilling to let the matter rest, when Marcus came over with a cup of tea and sat down next to Ava on the bench with a flourish.
"There's my favorite fighter. You look pretty with those dirt streaks on your face. I could fall in love with you all over again." He winked at her mischievously, and Ava responded with a tired grin. Lynn noticed it approvingly.
"I'll leave you two alone." She was about to get up, but Ava shook her head.
"You don't have to. Tell me about the lessons with Lilly instead. Are they going well?"
"Don't worry. I know how to get the little rebel to study." Lynn raised her hands reassuringly and stood up. "I'm tired and I'm going to turn in. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night." She winked at Ava conspiratorially, which Marcus noticed. His grin grew wider.
"How lovely! I haven't had a chance to be alone with you in a long time. Would you like to go for a walk? We could look at the starry sky together. That's something you like doing, right?"
She brushed a loose strand of hair from her face that had escaped from her braid. She didn't like being responsible for making others feel bad. And she didn't want to rebuff Marcus again, but by trying again and again, he left her no choice. It felt like he stood before her every day, arms spread wide and heart wide open, regardless of the fact that she would hurt him. He was so different from her—fearless when it came to feelings. Shelooked up, but before she opened her mouth, he smiled at her calmly.
"I know what you're going to say, Ava, but I won't give up. Believe me, your heart beats for me, you just don't know it yet because this bull of a man keeps showing up." He gave an infectious laugh and raised the teacup to take a sip.
She didn't know whether to smirk or roll her eyes, so she pushed the last bite into her mouth and gathered up the dishes. "I need a shower and then I'm going straight to bed."
"Sounds great, I'm in." He grinned mischievously, but she just shook her head, and he nodded understandingly. When she wanted to bring her tray to the kitchen, he took it from her and struck a conciliatory tone. "Let me do that. Get some rest. See you tomorrow." His words sounded like those of a really good friend, which made her smile at him gratefully.
At that moment, Magg entered the dining hall, and all conversations halted at the sound of her heavy footsteps. When she saw Ava and Marcus together, she threw Ava a contemptuous look and stomped towards the cooking pots.
What had she done to her this time?
But Ava was too tired to try and analyze the cadet's behavior. She took advantage of the moment of distraction, as Kilian was talking to Ralph, and made to slip out of the room, but Allan spotted her.
"Hey Ava, old Dragon Guardian, how are you? You look like you've had a successful training day and got two extra hours on top as a reward." Laughing, he stood up from the table, arms spread wide as if he wanted to embrace the whole world. Ava couldn't help but go to him.
He hugged her as if they had been friends for years, and she returned the embrace just as warmly. She had liked the dragon fighter from the first moment—and not just because he hadprocured plenty of supplies for her and Lilly when they were hiding with the dragon egg in the old cave in the forest.
"Tired. Please excuse me, I just want to shower and sleep."
He waved it off. "Sure, combat training is tough. As our prophesied savior, you've earned your rest for once. Tomorrow you can prove again that you're even more legendary than the prophecy claims." He winked at her mischievously and sat down with the others.
As she shot him a smile goodbye, her gaze automatically fell on Kilian. He nodded to her briefly but said nothing, immediately turning back to Ralph. And that was probably for the best.
Chapter 25
In the next days of training, Ava heeded the master's advice and focused on herself. Instead of trying to fight like Magg, she challenged herself daily, and finally saw progress. Although she was still inferior to the cadet, she managed to land hits more often and dodge blows without being checkmated and constantly ending up in the sand.
In the evenings, Lynn would sit with her, applying tinctures to her wounds and engaging her in conversations, allowing her to avoid Kilian. Afterward, Ava would retire to her room. She didn't see the dragon leader as long as she didn't look in his direction, and then she could concentrate on her training. This helped her better control her emotions as well as her daggers, which now felt natural in her hands. By the end of the week, she was convinced she had found the right weapons.
The master rarely showed himself, which could only mean that he was also satisfied with her.
Magg continued to keep her distance but stopped making derogatory remarks and no longer groaned when Ava entered the arena or they fought against each other, which was definitely progress.
