For Her Protection
POV: Alexandra
I was still wearing Jynx’s dress as I was discussing battle plans with the powers that be. I was suddenly aware of this after I briefed Lucien on the plans and Elder Enzo whisked him away. I looked over my shoulder to Jess and was relieved to see that Ronan was done talking to them. I excused myself from my little group there and walked up to her. I tapped her on the shoulder, “Hey, do you have a few minutes?” She turned around and smiled at me, “Yeah, I think so. What did you need?” I looked down at the formal wispy white dress I was wearing, “I need to change into something more…suitable for kicking ass and taking names.” She giggled, hooked her arm in mine, and led me to the stairs, “You need help to figure out what’s the best clothing for that. It’s a pity you’re so much taller than me. I’d lend you some of my gear. I think you might have something suitable though. Let’s go look.” We walked up the stairs and I felt a presence behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and Jynx was right behind me. I giggled, “You know, Jynx, I think I’m safe in my own home.” She grunted, “Not with so many people here. You don’t know if there are spies or someone with ill will toward you. Better to be safe.” For some reason this made me think of Apollo and how he wasn’t a fan of Lucien for this very behavior. I wondered what he would make of my newest bodyguard.
I didn’t understand why people would think I was completely open to an attack but then again I don’t know if Jynx knew about Sebastian. He hadn’t come out a whole lot lately. I saw him maybe once a day so he could eat, he would come out and nip at my finger to indicate he was hungry. He would promptly disappear back into my shadow when he was done. I had wondered if he would come out if I summoned him. We finally got to my room as the thought came to mind. As soon as the three of us entered the room, I took a deep breath, “I’m going to check on something and I need you not to react, Jynx.” I looked back at her and she nodded, “Of course, my lady. You command it and I will obey.” I looked down at my feet and said, “Sebastian? Will you come out?” The signature black wisp came out of my shadow and circled around my body until it settled at my feet. The shadow dog looked up at me waiting for me to talk to him and smiling all the while. I turned my head to Jynx, “This is my personal twenty-four seven protection. He is a gift from the Gods to keep me protected. He comes from Cerberus himself. He can triple his size and shows up when I am threatened enough to feel fear. Trust me, I am well protected at all times.” She widened her eyes and crouched to the dog. She held her hand out to him to let him smell her. He threw his ears back and cautiously approached her to sniff her hand. After a long sniff session, he bumped his head under her hand which indicated he wanted her affection. Sebastian was reclusive but when he wanted to have affection, he demanded it.
I turned my head to look at Jess who was in my wardrobe immediately looking for something suitable to go to battle in. She pulled out a black long sleeve shirt that was form hugging, a black pair of leggings and black sneakers. She walked over to the bed to lay it out so she could see it. She stepped back and scrutinized the outfit, shook her head and said to me, “Be right back. I have something that won’t need you to fit me exactly.” She walked out of the room while I turned my head back to the outfit and shrugged. It looked fine enough to me to be able to maneuver in. I had been taking some lessons from Jheelis in archery, it wasn’t much but I was accurate enough not to do any friendly fire. Jess walked back into the room with a case and placed it on the bed. She beckoned me over and I stood right next to her. She stroked the case once before telling me, “This is something I haven’t pulled out in a while but I want you to use it for this battle. It was my mother’s, she was a soldier in the Citadel. Did you know that?” She looked up at me and I shook my head. She looked back down at the case, “She died during the dragon attack, some of the debris fell down on top of her. They found her not long after they started to clean up.” She tapped the box and inhaled deeply, “I think it is fitting that this will help protect you. There are so many things about you that remind me about her. Your quiet strength, your determination to protect others and your quick wit. Those are things I admire in you that I so loved about her.” She opened the box to reveal a sheathed dagger that had an ornate hilt with a small yellow gem on top. She laid it out on top of the leggings to reveal that the sheath attaches to the leg. She stepped back to look at the ensemble again, nodded and whispered, “Perfect.” I nodded and gently placed my hand on her shoulder, “Thank you for this but are you sure?” She nodded and looked at me with tears welling in her eyes but she smiled through it, “Absolutely.”
In a way to break the sadness that hung in the air, we heard uncharacteristically loud giggles coming from Jynx. I wasn’t sure if she knew how to laugh until now. For the short time I knew her, she had an intensity about her that helped you to know that she meant business when she said she would protect you with her life. I turned to see that Sebastian was burying his head in her chest and he was making noises that I could only characterize as shadow dog speak. He would come up every once in a while to lick her on the face. Jess and I both giggled at the sight. I spoke my thoughts out loud, “Looks like someone is in love. Sorry, Bash, you might have competition…” Jynx looked up at me surprised, “What do you mean by that?” Jess smiled at her, “You don’t realize that Jheelis eyes you whenever you’re around him? He couldn’t hide his attraction to you even if he tried.” I saw a pinkish color creep into her face, “R-really?” I nodded at her, “I’ve observed the same.” She shrunk down from her normally confident stance to try to make herself smaller. It was like she was trying to disappear but she wasn’t a Goddess and her portal was too conspicuous to open up. She cleared her throat, “Shouldn’t you be getting ready?”
I decided not to tease her because she didn’t deserve it and she wasn’t wrong about me needing to get ready. I wasn’t shy about getting dressed in front of these women since they had been there before. I pulled off the dress and draped it gently on the bed, “Hey Jynx, I’ll have it cleaned and sent back to you.” She laughed, “You don’t need to, trust me. It will just go to waste sitting in my wardrobe. It looked gorgeous on you so you should have it.” I nodded, “Okay, I will keep it and consider it a gift from you then. In exchange, I owe you a coffee at the very least.” She shook her head, “I don’t drink coffee, my lady. I’m more of a tea drinker. His Majesty introduced me to something called a London Fog. I am obsessed.” I smiled back at her, “Sure, I will treat you to a London Fog then.” I pulled on the black shirt after replacing my white bra with a black one, pulled on the black leggings, strapped the sheathed blade to my leg and put on my socks and shoes. I walked over to my vanity and pulled my hair into a high ponytail. I pulled out a makeup wipe and swiped it across my face to pull off all the makeup I had put on the night before. I didn’t want to wear any in case we were sweating, it would get in the way. Just as I finished clearing the makeup from my face, I heard a knock on the door.
Jynx hopped up from her sitting on the floor and answered the door. He made a nervous giggle, “Hi Jheelis, what brings you here?” I shot a knowing glance at Jess who smiled back at me. Jess turned to the door, “You should probably let him in. We aren’t protecting Xan’s modesty here. She’s fully clothed.” She nodded and stepped away from the door to let him in. He was carrying a case as well but this one was noticeably bigger. He brought his case over to the tea table and placed it down. He looked over at me, “His Majesty has asked me to deliver this to you. We had hoped to give this to you once you went through your full training but circumstances being what they are…well…you know.” I approached him to get a better look at the case. It was cherrywood with ornate carving on the outside. The frame of the wood had a vine of roses carved into it and in the middle of the case a word: “Alexandra.” My name was painted black while the roses were painted gold. I ran my fingers across my name. It was spoken probably a thousand times in my short time here. I looked up at him confused, “What is this?” He smiled and winked at me, “This, my dear friend…” He unclipped the two brass clasps from the front and continued, “is the fae bow that every fae gets when they finish their training. This one is special in that it is one that is only made for fae royalty. It is imbued with a special power. His Majesty seems to think you can handle this type of power given your soul ancestry.” He pulled open the lid to reveal a gold and red bow and much like the case a vine of roses wrapped around the handle where the stems are gold and the petals were red.
He pulled it out and handed it to me, “I need you to hold it to see if you can handle fae power. I have another one less powerful sitting downstairs just in case.” I stared at it like it would burn me alive and asked, “What would happen if I cannot handle it?” He chuckled, “It’ll burn your hands a little.” I gasped and shot him a look, “You can chuckle about that?” He shrugged, “It was a nervous chuckle. Trust me, I don’t want you to get hurt. The boss wouldn’t be happy.” I looked at him seriously, “Renier’s version of justice?” He nodded, “You know it very well. Let’s just pray it doesn’t come down to that.” Jess sighed, “I heard what happened with Cal, that’s just messed up.” He looked down, “I wish I could’ve protected him. I’m just glad that Mordred was able to help him.” He shook his head and nudged the bow towards me, “No time like the present. Let’s just try.” I cautiously took the bow from his hands and felt a tingle and warmth travel up my arms to my face until the warmth reached my eyes. He smiled at me, “Golden eyes. You can handle the power. Are you ready for the battle to come?”
