"You!" Lena said, staring at Etna.

"Hi Princess," Etna replied, her tone was even, although Lena could see some emotion flickering in Etna's bright green eyes.

"Nice to see you again, Lena! Are you ready for your first day of training?" Enigma asked as Lena crossed the field to where Etna and Enigma stood. Lena was struck again by how identical Etna and Enigma looked. They were the same height, their eyes were the same, and most of their features were exact replicas of the others. For the first time, Lena noticed two differences she hadn't seen before. Enigma had pointed ears much like Katya's, but Etna's were not the same. In addition, Enigma seemed to be much more exhausted then Etna did. There was deep tiredness in her eyes that her bright smile could not hide. Etna's eyes flashed with that same indescribable emotion Lena had seen before.

"I guess I'm ready. I've never done anything like this before," Lena said.

"Don't worry about it. You'll learn soon enough." Enigma walked to a bench near where Ayen and Ryllae sat and unfastened her emerald green cloak, laying it down and retrieving a silver bow and a quiver of arrows from behind the bench.

When she straightened up Lena was surprised to see that Enigma's usual elegant gown had been replaced with brown leather armor. Dark brown leggings were covered by a skirt made of long strips of heavy material. The armor shirt she wore was made of many pieces of leather expertly stitched together to allow Enigma full range of mobility.

"Lena?"

Lena snapped out of a daze and realized that she had been staring at Enigma.

"Oh! Sorry, what?" Lena asked.

"I asked if you're ready to start?" Enigma asked.

"Yeah... sure. Sorry, I just... um... I guess I wasn't sure what elven armor was and this is the first time I have seen it. It's not really what I expected..." Lena said.

"What were you expecting?" Etna tilted her head to one side with an amused smirk playing at the corner of her mouth.

"I don't know really... I guess in books and stuff elves or fairies always wear like, sexy revealing armor that probably wouldn't actually protect them if you think about it...," Lena rambled, wishing she could shut up.

"What?!" Enigma gasped, raising her hand to her chest in mock offense. "You don't think I'm sexy?"

"No! I- you are! I mean- You're beautiful! I'm sure people would find you sexy! I- You're- you're very attractive! But I'm not... I don't...," Lena stammered, desperately trying to cover up her real feelings on this matter. She could not believe that she had admitted that she thought Enigma was beautiful... Behind Enigma, Lena could see Etna doubled over clutching her sides as she laughed hysterically, which made Lena's already fiery blush multiple shades darker.

"Relax, I was messing with you," Enigma giggled. "I know what kind of armor you mean. If any of them actually went into battle they'd get killed almost instantly. I prefer practicality when I fight anyway. Let's start!"

"You go first Enigma, then I'll go second." Etna walked to one of the benches and sat down to watch.

"What is Etna doing here?" Lena asked Enigma quietly, hoping Etna couldn't hear her.

"I'm going to be teaching you archery, but Etna is the most skilled swordmaster in Erinaea. She will be teaching you to use the sword," Enigma explained.

"Oh."

Lena couldn't find words to say more. Her stomach twisted with nerves as she set down her sword on a bench and walked back to Enigma with her bow and quiver. She was still afraid of Etna, but instead of panic as she had felt the day prior, Lena felt a heavy dread in its place.

"Watch me first, and then I'll show you how to do this," Enigma instructed once Lena had reached her.

They stood behind a mark on the field about thirty feet from the target. Lena watched as Enigma gripped her bow and in one smooth movement nocked an arrow. Enigma stood with her feet apart as she raised the bow until her arm was parallel with the ground. With a slow, deliberate motion Enigma pulled the string to her cheek. Her shoulders were somehow relaxed and tense at the same time. Her green eyes were narrowed with concentration as she released the string. In an instant, the arrow flew and imbedded perfectly in the center of the target. Lena's mouth dropped open in awe.

"That was amazing!"

"Oh just wait until you see her in battle! She can shoot an enemy through the heart at two hundred yards easy!" Etna yelled from the bench where she watched.

"I'm not that good," Enigma said gesturing to Etna as she walked to retrieve her arrow.

"Oh yeah, be modest. Maybe you wouldn't hit them through the heart, but you'd still hit them!" Etna replied.

"Okay, Lena, your turn." Enigma shook her head with a smile as she turned away from Etna. Enigma waited as Lena put on her archery glove before giving Lena her first instruction.

"Take your arrow and put it right here."

Lena copied what Enigma demonstrated and as she did, she noticed that the two leaves on Enigma's wrist were different once again. The green one was still vibrant and pure, but the red one seemed to have a few more spidery tendrils of black spreading through the delicate veins of the leaf. Enigma seemed to sense Lena's stare because she turned her wrist slightly and Lena looked up to see Enigma watching her. Lena's cheeks flushed pink again.

"Now that the arrow is in place, raise the bow and look at the center of the target." Enigma set her own bow down and put her hand on Lena's hand, guiding her movements. Enigma stood back to look at Lena's stance.

"Move your feet a bit farther apart. Shoulder width at least, and make sure you're stable and comfortable. Keep your bow arm up. It'll be heavy at first but with practice, you'll get stronger."

Lena did the corrections as Enigma spoke them and kept her gaze fixed on the small painted circle in the distance.

"Okay, now you're ready to draw. You probably won't hit the target at first, and that's okay. It's important to just get used to the motion. It's important to relax. It's easy to tense up when you draw, but that won't help you," Enigma said. Lena sighed and tried to relax.

"Put your fingers here like this, one above the arrow and two below. Pull it toward your cheek and hold it there for a moment." Enigma gently guided Lena's movements with her own hands as she directed Lena. Once Enigma was satisfied with Lena's position she stepped back. "Relax your shoulders but keep your arm drawn back. Good. Now when you're ready, let go."

Lena hesitated for a moment before letting the string slip from her fingers. The power behind it startled her slightly as the arrow rushed past her. There was a solid thunk as the arrow stuck firmly into the wood several feet away from the target. Ryllae and Ayen cheered from the bench and Etna clapped a few times.

"That's good!" Enigma praised. "You got enough strength behind it to get it that far! Now we will work on your accuracy."

The next few hours were spent shooting and retrieving arrows. Enigma would offer suggestions and adjust Lena's posture from time to time, and sure enough, by what must have been the one-hundredth shot, Lena finally hit the target. It wasn't the center, but as Lena came back from retrieving her arrow she couldn't help but feel pride as Enigma beamed at her with a brilliant smile.

"Good job!" Enigma said, walking to greet Lena. "How are you doing?"

"My arms are tired and sore, but I like archery! I'm getting better." Lena said, stretching her arms and back.

"Yeah, we've been working for quite a while today. It's nearly dark," Enigma said, seeming pleased with Lena's progress. Lena was surprised to look up at the sky and see that Enigma was right. It was, in fact, nearly nightfall. Looking over to the benches Lena saw that Ayen and Ryllae had gone home. Only Cyran and Etna remained as spectators. As Lena and Enigma approached the benches with their bows and quivers, Etna stood from her seat.

"How was it, Princess?" She asked. "Are you up for sword fighting today or would you rather just see a demonstration?"

"I think I've had a lot of training for one day, but I would be happy to see a demonstration," Lena said, glancing at Enigma.

"Sure! I'll be right back!" Etna stood and ran to the gate before slipping out into the twilight. Lena sat down on a bench and removed her archery glove, setting it beside her bow and quiver.

"Are you alright?" Lena asked, noticing that Enigma's gaze seemed slightly distant.

"Yes, I'm alright...," Enigma said, although she still seemed somewhat distracted.

"Enigma...?" Cyran said hesitantly, although his voice had an edge to it as though there was something more he was trying to say with the single word.

"I'm alright," Enigma repeated.

The gate at the far end of the field swung open and Etna entered again with someone dressed head to toe in light metal armor. The two walked out onto the field and over to where Lena and Enigma sat. The man in armor seemed to do a double-take as he saw Lena. As the man and Etna approached, Lena saw Etna looking at Enigma with a knowing look of unease.

Suddenly an owl called, long and low through the dusky night. Enigma jumped to her feet, snatched up her cloak and bow and ran. Before Lena could process what had happened, the gate was swinging shut and Enigma was gone.

Happy holidays everyone! I hope you all have a happy new year! Thank you so much for reading Black Armor! Your support means a lot to me!