The steel cut the air with a clean whistle.
Lyssara Drayvar spun on her left heel, her sword describing a perfect arc as her Aether crackled around the blade. The electric blue flash briefly illuminated the private training yard, and the energy flowed from her core into her arms more easily than the week before.
Better. Every day was a little better.
She completed the sequence of movements that Master Torin had secretly taught her during their nightly sessions. Her father had kept his word after discovering her training in the forest. Torin formally trained her now, although less frequently than Rylan due to the Master's responsibilities.
But Lyssara took advantage of every lesson. Every correction. Every technique.
Ten days had passed since Rylan left for the Edge Mountains with the bandit expedition. Ten days of training alone in this yard while the manor continued its usual routine.
Kael was also absent, spending more and more time in the city with Favius, Mika, and that knight Aldric. They no longer trained as much in the main courtyard. Her younger brother was building something in the shadows, Lyssara knew, although she didn't know exactly what.
But it didn't matter. Let Kael play his dark games. Let Rylan prove his worth in the mountains.
She had her own path.
Lyssara stopped, breathing deeply, feeling the sweat run down her back under her training clothes. Her body protested the three continuous hours of practice, but she ignored the pain.
Second-layer Apprentice. She was close to reaching the third. She could feel it. Every time she activated her Aether, the flow was smoother, more natural, more powerful.
She wouldn't just be the Drayvar daughter to consolidate matrimonial alliances.
She would be the new head of the family.
She would surpass Rylan. She would match him first, then surpass him. She would prove that a Drayvar woman could be as lethal, as powerful, as worthy of leading as any man.
And for that, she needed...
"Lyssara!"
The high-pitched, energetic voice pierced her thoughts like an arrow.
Lyssara closed her eyes briefly, sighing.
Of course.
She turned to see Celestia Valmar practically skipping into the training yard, her golden blonde hair bouncing with every step despite being perfectly styled. Even her training clothes, which technically should be practical and simple, somehow managed to look elegant and flattering on her.
"I finally found you! I've been looking all over the manor for you," Celestia said, reaching Lyssara with a brilliant smile.
"You've been here for hours, right... I saw some servants and they told me you've been training since dawn... don't you get tired?"
Lyssara wiped the sweat from her forehead with a cloth.
"Training is not optional for me, Celestia. It is necessary."
"Oh, but everything in moderation, dear," Celestia dramatically dropped onto a nearby bench, fanning herself with her hand.
"I trained for an hour this morning and that was enough... I don't understand how you can spend so much time doing the same thing over and over... it's terribly boring."
Lyssara began to clean her sword methodically.
"I thought you were with your mother and mine."
"Oh yes, I was, but they were talking about such boring things... the politics of that house... the marriages of that family... who offended whom at the last Solar Council meeting..." Celestia rolled her eyes expressively.
"I escaped before my brain melted from sheer boredom... besides, I wanted to see you... you're always training or reading or doing serious things... you need to have more fun."
She stood up with a fluid movement, approaching Lyssara with that inexhaustible energy that seemed to characterize her.
"Come on, let's do something fun... we could go see your mother's new dresses... I heard some arrived from Vaeloria and they are beautiful... or we could go to the city... there's a jewelry market I'm dying to visit..."
She paused, her smile becoming more mischievous.
"Or you could tell me more about your brother... Rylan, right... the handsome heir who went to train in the mountains a week ago..."
She sighed dramatically, placing a hand on her chest.
"He must be so brave facing bandits and wild beasts in those terrible mountains... when he returns... I'd like to see him... maybe we could have dinner together... get to know each other better..."
Lyssara looked at her with a completely flat expression.
"Rylan will return when the expedition is over. Not before. And no, we are not going to look at dresses. I have more important things to do."
Celestia pouted exaggeratedly.
"You are so boring sometimes... what could be more important than spending time with your dear friend..."
She emphasized the last words in a playful tone, blinking with feigned innocence.
Lyssara put her sword back in its sheath and began to walk toward the gardens. She needed to move, to think, and Celestia would follow her anyway.
As she always did.
Five years had passed since they met.
Lyssara was nine then, Celestia had just turned nine too, barely a few months older. It was at a party in Elyrion, a grand celebration for some political alliance between Great Houses that Lyssara barely remembered now.
Celestia had approached her with the absolute confidence of someone who had never been rejected in her life, declaring that they would be best friends because they were both daughters of Great Houses and that meant they should get along.
Lyssara, even then calculating, had seen an opportunity.
House Valmar was powerful, one of the six Great Houses, a close ally of House Draconis, and with significant influence in the imperial court. Having a connection with the daughter of the Valmar matriarch might be useful someday.
So she had accepted the friendship.
But Lyssara didn't really like Celestia.
She was too loud. Too distracted. Too superficial. She spoke without thinking, focused on trivial things like dresses and jewelry and handsome boys, and avoided anything that required sustained effort or discipline.
Yet, Lyssara needed her.
Because Celestia had achieved something that Lyssara had not yet officially managed: being accepted into the Imperial Academy.
Celestia would start when she turned sixteen, in a little over a year. She had been accepted despite being only a second-layer Apprentice like Lyssara, despite not taking training so seriously, despite being constantly distracted.
That had surprised Lyssara.
The Imperial Academy accepted only the best. It required merit in addition to lineage. Celestia clearly had connections and influence that Lyssara needed.
And that was exactly what she was looking for now.
They walked through the manor gardens in silence—well, silence on Lyssara's part. Celestia talked constantly, commenting on the flowers, the weather, a dress she had seen in a shop, a handsome boy she had met at a recent party.
Lyssara let the words flow like background noise while she organized her thoughts.
Finally, she stopped in a more private area of the garden, away from indiscreet ears.
"Celestia, I need your help with something."
Celestia stopped abruptly, her blue eyes shining with immediate interest.
"Oh, you're finally asking me for help... this must be good... tell me, tell me, tell me..."
She dropped onto a nearby stone bench, patting the space next to her with enthusiasm.
"Sit down, tell me everything... I love secrets and conspiracies..."
Lyssara sat down, choosing her words carefully.
"I know you were accepted into the Imperial Academy, that you will start when you turn sixteen."
She paused, looking directly at Celestia.
"I want to go too."
Celestia blinked, her mouth forming a small O of surprise.
"You... to the Academy...?"
She quickly recovered, leaning forward with genuine interest.
"But wait... I thought your father had already agreed to let you train... everyone in my house was talking about it... that Grand Duke Varen had given in and accepted that Lyssara Drayvar would become a warrior if she showed enough potential..."
"That's right," Lyssara confirmed. "My father agreed with my mother that if I showed real potential I could follow the warrior path instead of being immediately married off."
"Then what's the problem..."
"The problem is that showing potential by training only at the manor is not enough," Lyssara interrupted in a controlled voice.
"All true Drayvar warriors, everyone who is taken seriously, has been educated at the Imperial Academy... it's where connections are forged, where true merit is tested, where the recognition that matters is obtained."
She leaned slightly forward.
"I can be the best swordswoman in this manor and still be seen only as the Drayvar daughter who plays at being a warrior... but if I graduate from the Imperial Academy no one can question my place... no one can say that I don't deserve to lead."
Celestia studied her for a moment, and for the first time since she arrived, her expression showed something more than superficial amusement. It showed understanding.
"You want to be head of House Drayvar someday, right... not just a warrior... you want the real power..."
"I want what is rightfully mine by merit," Lyssara corrected. "And for that, I need to go to the Academy."
"But your mother already agreed to let you train... surely she will also agree to this..."
"My mother agreed under pressure from my father... but she still has plans for me... advantageous marriages, political alliances," Lyssara shook her head slightly. "I need more than just my father's approval... I need it to seem like an obvious, inevitable decision that benefits the whole family."
She looked directly at Celestia.
"That's why I need you."
Celestia leaned back against the bench, crossing her legs elegantly.
"Explain to me exactly what I need to do..."
"Your mother is here, at the manor, talking with mine right now... they'll be staying for a few days, I heard," Lyssara spoke calmly, every word measured.
"I need you to convince your mother to talk to mine... to recommend me for the Academy."
"Why would my mother do that... no offense, but she barely knows you..."
Lyssara had anticipated that question. She had the answer ready.
"Because your mother wants to strengthen ties with House Drayvar... we are the most powerful House in the south and House Valmar is always looking for strong allies," Lyssara explained. "If you tell your mother that you want me to go to the Academy with you, that it would be good to have a close friend there from a Great House in the south whom you can trust, she will consider it."
She leaned slightly.
"And if your mother suggests to mine that sending me to the Academy would be beneficial, that it would give me a refined education and important connections with other Great Houses in addition to experience in the imperial court, my mother will listen... because it comes from her closest friend, someone whose opinion she respects."
Celestia looked at her with new appreciation, a slow smile forming on her lips.
"Wow, Lyssara... I didn't know you could be so... strategic..."
She stood up, walking in small circles as she thought, her index finger touching her lips.
"The Academy is fun but it can also be lonely... everyone competes constantly... the daughters of the other Great Houses are complicated... having a real friend, someone at my level and from a powerful Great House, someone intelligent who can help me with boring things like strategy and politics while I help you with fun things like parties and social connections..."
She turned back to Lyssara, her smile widening.
"Yes, it could work... but what exactly do I gain by helping you... besides your company, which although sometimes boring is also useful..."
Lyssara had prepared this too.
"Direct connection with the future leader of House Drayvar... access to information that only someone inside this House could give you... protection at the Academy from someone who actually knows how to fight, not just plays at it."
She made a calculated pause.
"And if you really want to get to know Rylan better, having his sister as a close ally would definitely help you more than simply flirting with him at a dinner."
Celestia laughed, a musical and genuine sound.
"So you noticed my interest in your brother... of course you did, you're too perceptive for your own good..."
She approached Lyssara, extending her hand with a dramatic gesture.
"Very well, Lyssara Drayvar, you have a deal... I'll talk to my mother tonight... I'll tell her it would be wonderful to have you at the Academy with me... that we would help each other... that it would strengthen the ties between our Houses..."
Her smile became mischievous.
"And in return, you promise that at the Academy we will be true allies... that you will help me when I need serious help... and that you won't scold me too much when I prefer to go to parties instead of studying..."
Lyssara took her hand, the grip firm and solid.
"I promise we will be genuine allies. We will cover each other."
"Perfect... this is going to be fun... besides, seeing the faces of all those stuck-up girls from the other Great Houses when we both arrive together will be delicious..."
Celestia practically danced with excitement.
"Oh, and when Rylan returns from the mountains you have to introduce me to him properly... none of those boring formal introductions... I want a dinner, real conversation, a chance to show him that I'm much more than just a pretty face..."
Lyssara felt a small pang of irritation at the mention of her brother, but she suppressed it.
"When Rylan returns, we'll see."
"Excellent... now we can go look at those dresses... because if I'm going to convince my mother tonight I need to look absolutely perfect... and you should change too... you're all sweaty and disheveled... not a good look for a future leader of a Great House..."
Celestia took her arm, practically dragging her toward the manor.
Lyssara allowed herself to be dragged, a small smile touching her lips.
First step completed.
Celestia would convince her mother. Matriarch Valmar would talk to Elyn. And with the support of House Valmar and the already existing approval of her father, her mother would have no choice but to agree.
The Imperial Academy.
A little over a year to prepare. A little over a year to continue improving, to reach higher Aether levels, to perfect her skills.
And then, the real competition would begin.
That night, in one of the manor's private lounges, Elyn Drayvar and Matriarch Seraphine Valmar shared imported Nareth wine.
Seraphine Valmar was an impressive woman. At forty-five, she maintained a natural elegance that came from decades of navigating imperial politics. Her blonde hair with silver streaks was styled in an elaborate bun, and her blue eyes, so similar to her daughter's but much more calculating, watched Elyn with the familiarity of a twenty-year friendship.
"Celestia came to talk to me this afternoon about your daughter Lyssara," Seraphine said, taking a sip of her wine.
Elyn, sitting with perfect posture in her chair, raised an eyebrow.
"About Lyssara? What exactly did she say?"
"That she wants Lyssara to go to the Imperial Academy with her when they turn sixteen... she says it would be beneficial to have a close friend there from a Great House in the south, someone she can trust during the years of study, and that it would also strengthen the ties between our families."
Seraphine put her glass down on the table, looking at Elyn with a thoughtful expression.
"Your daughter is intelligent, Elyn... very intelligent... she managed to convince Celestia that this was a wonderful idea and Celestia came to ask me to support the request as if it had been her idea all along."
Elyn showed no surprise.
"Lyssara has always been perceptive... calculating... too much like me in some ways."
"And apparently now also formally trained... I heard Varen finally gave in to her requests."
"He gave in because she showed unbreakable determination... he found her training in secret in the forest and instead of punishing her, he decided she deserved a chance."
Elyn took her own glass, drinking slowly.
"We agreed that if she shows real potential she can follow the warrior path instead of an immediate marriage."
"And does the Imperial Academy fit into that plan?"
Elyn was silent for a moment.
"It wasn't in my original plans, but Varen is right about one thing... a daughter educated at the Imperial Academy is worth much more than one who only knows how to handle a sword in a private yard... the connections she would make there, the refined education, the first-hand exposure to imperial politics..."
"Exactly," Seraphine said, leaning slightly forward.
"And House Valmar would be delighted to support Lyssara's application... having the daughter of the Grand Duke of the South in the Academy along with Celestia would strengthen our ties considerably... they would be natural allies there."
"And what exactly does House Valmar gain from this?"
Seraphine smiled.
"Besides strengthening our personal friendship and the ties between our Houses, I gain peace of mind... Celestia is impulsive, distracted, brilliant in some ways but lacks real discipline," she explained with maternal candor.
"Having someone like Lyssara nearby, someone calculating and strategic, would help keep my daughter focused when it really matters."
She picked up her glass again.
"And honestly, Elyn, we both know that the political landscape is always changing... Great Houses need solid alliances, strong connections between the new generations... having our daughters as genuine allies at the Academy and afterward could be crucial for both families in the future."
Elyn considered the words for a long moment.
"I will speak to Varen, but I suspect he will approve... he has always favored giving opportunities based on merit."
"Excellent, then it is settled."
Seraphine raised her glass in a silent toast.
"To our daughters... may they be smarter than we were at their age."
Elyn touched her glass against Seraphine's, the crystal chiming softly.
"And more dangerous."
They drank together as the conversation drifted to lighter topics.
They talked about the upcoming social season in Vaeloria, the parties that would be held in the coming months, the marriages being negotiated between various minor Houses, and recent scandals in the imperial court.
"Your son Rylan will return soon from his expedition, right," Seraphine commented casually after a moment. "Celestia mentioned he is quite handsome... it seems my daughter has some interest in getting to know him better."
Elyn smiled slightly.
"Rylan is the heir... he will naturally attract attention... but he is still young, barely fifteen... marriages will be discussed when he is at least sixteen."
"Of course... although it's never too early to consider options and possibilities."
Seraphine looked at her with an amused expression.
"Have you considered an alliance between Rylan and Celestia... both are from Great Houses, both will eventually be heirs... it would be a powerful union that would consolidate our families even further."
Elyn considered the suggestion with her characteristic pragmatism.
"Celestia and Rylan could work well together... she is from House Valmar, your closeness to House Draconis is well known... it would consolidate our position considerably... and Celestia is charming when she wants to be."
"Charming is one word... exhausting is another."
Seraphine laughed with maternal affection.
"But yes, it could work... although honestly I think Celestia simply finds him attractive right now... you know how girls are at that age... it's probably just a phase... by the time they are both of marriageable age their interests might have changed completely."
"Or they might have deepened... time will tell."
They continued conversing late into the night, two matriarchs of Great Houses weaving plans and alliances with the ease that decades of experience navigating imperial politics provided.
They discussed dresses for the upcoming season, which families were rising in influence and which were descending, the best masters at the Imperial Academy, and which connections would be most valuable for their daughters.
Upstairs, in her room, Lyssara was awake.
She couldn't sleep. Too many things were swirling in her mind.
Celestia had done her part. Lyssara knew it because she had seen Matriarch Valmar seeking Elyn after dinner, she had observed their expressions from a distance, she had read the body language with the precision of years of practice.
The conversation had happened. The seeds were planted.
Now she just needed to wait. Be patient. Let the adults believe they had made the decision themselves.
She got out of bed and walked to the window, looking out over the dark training yard.