｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ I r e n e    S i l v a ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

Riven

"We come to you live with footage from the Kástano ball." The nymph reporter's voice trills in the background as I walk past one of the mounted screens in the dining room. "Behind me, you can see the Royal family of Solaria arriving."

I glance back at the screen before grabbing a tray of food from a first year specialist, grinning at him when he feebly protests before turning back to get another tray of roast dinner from Doris the Lunch lady.

"Queen Luna is accompanied by her twin daughters Princess Stella and Princess Octavia,"

On the screen Octavia exits the car with confident grace behind her sister, the two pausing to stand for photographs as their mother continues down the carpet. I quickly take a seat on top of an empty table with a good view of the tv, munching on my chicken as reporters fire questions at the twins.

"Octavia! Octavia!"

"Princess, how is life at Alfea?"

"What is your response to the rumours of you finding the dead shepherd?"

"Octavia! Look over here!"

Around me chatter starts to build as the specialists trickle in from training, I look around in irritation at the many first years hogging up all the tables. That's not how it works here you little shits. First years get the shitty tables in the corner over there, the second and third years get their pick and the fourth years, well, they're too cool for the cafeteria. Dane and the first year I stole the lunch tray from are creating a ruckus reenacting a training sequence, much to the amusement of the audience in the lunch queue.

"Stella! Who was the girl you attacked?"

"Octavia! Stella! Look over here, look at the camera!"

"Stella! Are you dating Andreas of Eraklyon's son?"

"Octavia! Where did you go on your sabbatical?"

My feet tap roughly against the seat they're resting on as I glare at the reporter through the screen. Have they no shame? Genuinely, they ask anything and everything they think of. I was under the impression this was a political event, I assumed the questions would be more high brow and about politics. Rather than petty gossip and drama. I guess I am kinda curious about where pixie went on her sabbatical but that's because she's one of the few tolerable fairies in this place and therefore the closest thing I have to a friend beside Sky. Not because I'm some sad royalist wannabe fanboy obsessed with the royal's life.

"Oh lay off it Dane!"

Dane has grabbed one of the specialists in a playful head hold as he messes up the blond boy's hair. The two push and scuffle across the dining room floor, a few other specialists joining in till it's practically a rugby scrum. Their hoots and yells echo around, each sound magnified and reverberated until it's deafening.

Sweet Helios can't they do this outside where I'm not trying to eat.

I throw a piece of carrot at a specialist when he bumps into my table. Asshole. The table I'm sitting on shakes with each tremble and thud of movement from the pack in the centre. Out of the corner of my eye I see a few specialists escape from the carnage into the hallways, probably to go rat them out. Silva's going to rip them to pieces when he finds out.

Adrenaline rushes through me as the now fully evolved fight drifts closer and closer to my perch. Twisting my head in irritation I try to ignore the urge to dive in and join in, watching as the weaker second years succumb to their instincts and dive straight into the melee. A laugh of hysterical adrenaline bubbles out of me at the sight of the second years utterly demolishing the first years. Dane gets flipped over someone's shoulder and another, Kat I think, gets thrown down the length of the dinning floor. The whole fight pauses, everyone pausing in place as Kat slams into a table before sliding onto the ground. Cheers and hoots erupt when they see she's okay and merely sliding along the floor. Kat moves at an impressive speed before coming to rest against a pair of heeled boots.

Fuck

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!" Irene roars.

I freeze, hand paused midway to my mouth with a piece of food. Oh this is so much worse than Silva. Silence echoes through the area as the shapeshifter's rage fills the room, there's small thunks and shuffles as people slowly begin to get off tables, stand back up, release their friends from the very much illegal choke hold and face Irene's raging eyes. Gazes quickly dart to the floor as the clicking of heels reverberates fear into their very souls. I hastily place my fork back onto my plate, eyeing Irene's glowing eyes with eager fascination.

I bet none of those idiotic fucks even know why they're scared yet, Irene just has that power to put a bunch of animalistic nutjobs in their place. I mean, she's dating Silva and raised Sky for Helios' sake.

She stops in the centre.

"Would anyone care to explain?" She purrs, nothing but pure threat in her voice.

I can distinctly see and hear a few specialists swallow nervously.

"I asked a question." She snaps.

A few first years flinch in response, their heads quickly bowing low. Irene pivots on the spot, slowly surveying the room. A smirk curves on her face, twisting that long scar with it. She turns to walk back along the length of the room, no doubt to fill the silence with the predatory click of her heels before one of the first years breaks.

She makes it two steps before Dane confesses, "We- We were just messing around." he stutters.

Stupid shit.

Irene has gone still, her back to Dane.

"Messing around?" Her voice is the picture of innocence and I can practically hear her eyebrow arch and smirk form.

She whips around to face them.

"Messing around?" She states again, voice rising and more incredulous this time. "That was the best you could come up with."

The other first years quickly step away from Dane, leaving him singled out in a circle of his peers. The second years have smartly drifted to the back, no doubt hoping to hide and sneak away unseen.

"I-"

"Don't bother Dane." She sighs, rubbing at her forehead as her eyes stop glowing with power. "You're not the fist specialist to start a scrum in this hall and I doubt you'll be the last."

I scoff when I see the specialists nervously glance between each other, their getting restless. Not a good move. If they try to question Irene's authority then- oh. OH, that devilish woman. My eyes dart towards Silva's mate, seeing the way she stays still when she would normally reprimand, by now she would have dragged one of them by the ear out of the room. She wants them to challenge her, she wants to prove her worth. Oh how I love it when Irene does her version of Silva's welcome talk. Unlike Silva, she doesn't go about it like pussy and chooses actions over pretty words.

I had almost forgotten, but now I recognise the faces of a few fourth years who had obviously crept in to witness the show. Distantly, I see Sky stalk in through one of the doors. His gaze drifts over the crowd before landing on mine and raising his brows in question. I shrug in response. I've got no clue what your mother's going to do here either, but I definitely want to see it.

"Alright," Irene hums, voice soft and filled with such a false meekness that I see the older years begin to snigger. "Outside, the lot of you."

Irene strides out of the room, expecting the little ducklings to follow. They don't disappoint, and they don't disappoint us with their arrogance. When a few key instigators catch sight of a few third years sniggering they quickly follow on and when a handful of specialists whisper a few choice words a fire quickly stokes amongst the crowd and I can't help but grin. I glance up to see Sky by my side as the first years snigger on past us.

"Of course Irene's going to rat them out to Silva." I mock to Sky, watching as his eyes widen in shock and rage. "She really can't do anything for herself."

Sky practically boils with rage as he sees the first years chuckle at my words but I do my best to stare intently at him and try to convey the message of 'don't rip my head off you protective mutt, I'm hyping her up in the long run.'

He stares at me for a long moment, before I see him relax slightly and understanding flicker across his face. Sky grins and we both stand to follow the first years out.

Keeping close to the middle of the pack Sky and have a lovely conversation about how Irene's such a lovely and weak person. How it was so dashing and caring of Silva to take her on and keep her safe from everything that goes bump in the night. Sky even makes a few comments about how overly motherly she was, unable to even look at the swords in fear of the damage they would cause.

The crowd is practically thrumming with life and gossip as we reach the training ground. Third and fourth years are still training and I see Silva look over at us in confusion, his gaze snagging on his mate just enough to confirm the crowd's beliefs.

Sky quickly claps me on the shoulder, "Stay by her side, she'll need a wingman."

I roll my eyes but nod in agreement, knowing he means it genuinely as a show of power and authority, Sky runs off to Silva as I quickly stride through the crowd to reach Irene's side.

"What is meu filho doing?" She questions lowly so only we can hear.

"Your son is off to inform his father that he's going to want to get some popcorn out for the show."

Irene huffs a laugh and I can't help the pride that flickers in my chest at causing such a reaction.

"Of course he is. I assume mon guierre asked you to stay by my side. " She raises and eyebrow in question and I look up into the dusk light.

"It was your meu filho, actually." Irene hums but I stare at her in the dusk light as we get closer to the training mats. "When exactly are you going to tell him that you've been referring to him as 'your son' for years? That you've been letting hum call you mum for years?"

Irene tense as we halt in the centre of the grounds with a good view of both the specialist and fairy dorms.

"You know how he feels about calling Silva and mum and dad. He's not comfortable with it." She murmurs, eyes dimming as her shoulders sag.

I jokingly nudge her shoulder, "So changing the language you say it in makes it better."

She scoffs and rolls her eyes at me before we both jump onto a raised training mat and turn to face the crowd. I quickly turn with her but take a step back so that I'm clearly by her side but not her equal.

We stare impassively at the first years watching as they slowly quieten down, most of them looking between Irene and an approaching Silva with a small group of fourth and third years. The crowd practically froths at the mouth to have a chance at humiliating an apparently weak teacher, predators- the lot of them.

Silva's head tilts to side, his face blank as he stares at the first years, refusing to break his stare as he asks, "Will these be enough my love."

A few sniggers in the crowd but they quickly silence when the atmosphere begins to change and shift. Irene hums as she surveys the crowd and small ground.

"They'll do." Irene states as Silva indicates for Neve to light the fire stands dotted around the makeshift podium. Sky quickly jumps onto the platform mirroring my stance but on his mother's right.

Irene's voice echoes across the training grounds. "Must be nice to live in a world where you can be so soft," her eyes flash with rage. "Where you fear so little, disrespect seems like an option."

The crowd shuffles awkwardly, clearly realising she had heard their murmurs. The third and fourth years walk out to stand in front of the mat, each one of them an arms length away from the other, while Silva walks to stand in the middle of the row.

"It would appear my mate has been too soft on you," Her voice carries through the crowd before dropping into a sultry threat. Irene lifts a hand and flicks out her claws. "I'll have to rectify that."

There's pause, a silence before the storm, a savage grin splits my face and no doubt Sky's is doing the same. Helios, I love playing scary second in commands.

"FALL IN." She roars and the crowd jumps.

There's a scramble of movement as the first years move into 7 ordered ranks, each row in line with the standing specialists and Silva up front. Irene picks at her claws, cleaning them as if they were nails. She keeps her gaze solely on her claws, not bothering to give the first years her full attention as she draws theirs to the shifting ability she posses.

"Atten-TION." Irene commands.

They straighten up, chins ups, chest out and shoulders back. Each specialist is doing their best to mirror the other but there's still obvious room for improvement. Silva leads the specialists up front through the gaps, their row remains inline with each other as they move through and I can hear their remarks on distance and posture echoing through the grounds. The row reaches the end and they turn to attention at the back of the crowd and Silva nods to Irene, pride and glee clear on his face if the sadistic smirk is anything to go by.

"Present, ARMS." Her canines flash, reflecting white in the dim fire light.

A resounding sound of movement as hands are raised into a salute.

"You are here to train as soldiers," Irene calls lowering her arm, her voice calm and powerful in the silence. "Do not forget that. There is a time and place for comradeship and there is never time for disrespect, insubordination or-" Irene pauses, a light chuckle escaped her lips. "As your fellow specialist described it, messing around, fighting no less in a shared space. Or did you all forget that fairies and the children from the village also use that space for their lessons and meals."

Irene takes a step forward, the sound of her heels reverberating and I can see some of the first years' raised arms tremble. Not as easy as it seems to hold a salute is it, you little fucks?

"What kind of example are you giving them? What will the fairies think of the specialist they are supposed to bond with and trust? Especially if the school group of 10 year olds that I intervened with had entered the cafeteria."

The school group of- holy fuck. That wouldn't have ended well. Damaris, especially the young bucks like Dane, work themselves up into a frenzy during a fight. Not only is it terrifying to younger children to see them in such a rage but they have shit control as well. Irene's essentially asking them what would have happened if the fight had gotten mixed up with the children, how many they would have hurt.

Mama Silva isn't taking any prisoners today that's for sure.

"You are going to train till you remember your place once again," She commands, "And in the morning you will train again, and then you can all enjoy scrubbing every bathroom, kitchen, cafeteria and piece of weaponry in this whole school."

They're smart enough to try and conceal their sighs of irritation.

"Order, ARMS." Irene roars, shocking the specialist again if their jumps of surprise are any indication. "Open ranks, MARCH."

The thud of marching boots echoes into the darkening dusk light and when the movement stops the row of specialists at the back are led to the front by Silva who looks up at his mate with pure adoration before his face smooths off all emotions as he turns to face the first years.

"You will be divided by your columns, follows the specialist in front of you when you fall out," Irene commands. "You will rotate between exercises, spending 30 minutes on each."

There's silence as the first years accept their fate.

"Close, ranks, MARCH." Thundering boots once again fill the silence, "Parade, REST."

I can practically hear the sigh of relief, I can still remember the aches in my muscles when Irene pulled this trick on us during Sky and I's first year.

"Neve, I want your group starting on suicide runs- full length of the training pitch. Dolos..."

I zone out as Irene begins to list her commands. No doubt designed to exhaust the first years, they'll sleep like the dead tonight.

"Fall OUT." Irene roars and I watch with humour as the first years hesitantly walk away to their punishment, quite literally like lambs to the slaughter house.. I can practically see Irene boil with rage and when her body begins to crack shift I can't stop my gasp of surprise as she shifts into a griffin larger than a horse and roars at the specialists.

Cries of alarm and horro echo through the night as Iren lunges off the platform and playfull snaps at the trailing first years. Silva quickly clambers onto the platform beside us, wathcing his snarling mate with pure love, he turns and grins at some of the remaining fourth and third years who joined us on the platform.

"That's my mate." Silva declares with pride.

The third and fourth years drift back to their own training as Irene stops scaring the shit out of the first years. Silva shrugs of his coat and hops off the mat grabs a blanket from one of the supply boxes on the edge of the mat before clambering back up. The three of us remain still on the platform till Irene shifts into a smaller fox and trots to her mate. As she reaches Silva, Irene quickly shifts back, Sky and I averting our gaze to glare at anyone watching as Silva no doubt protectively wraps her bare body in the blanket and jacket.

"You were stunning my love." Silva declares and we take that as our cue to turn back and face Irene who is now wearing Silva's zipped up jacket underneath her large bundle of blankets.

"Holy fuck, Mãe." Sky exclaims as he looks at his mother figure is shock.

"Language." Silva reprimands but we all ignore him.

"Was that too much?" She frets and I burst into chuckles.

The trio turns to me in sync with frighteningly similar expressions.

"What?" I demand. "That was powerful as hell... and you treated us like shit during our first year so I feel it's only fair you pass it on."

Irene and Sky turn to each other, their movements a perfect mirror of the other. They shrug, nod and make a frowny agreeing face at the other. Freaky little family. I shudder and step off the platform, eager to see the first years suffer.

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4 hours later we trudge back into the specialist dorms, the first years too exhausted to even complain as many of them hit the showers. I see half of them not even bother, favouring turning into bed.

"Oi," Sky calls, his voice echoing in the silence. "Shower now, drink a bottle of water, take a shot of Hygieia potion and thank me in the morning."

There's the sound of grumbling through the hall but they follow Sky's commands, whether it's out of respect for him or fear of his mother I don't know.

Sky and I stumble through the darkened corridor, each shadow feeling longer and denser than the last. It feels like an eternity before we reach our dorm, a further thousand years for Sky to unlock the damn thing. I yawn, stumbling carelessly through the door before quickly rummaging through a drawer to find my pyjamas, I want that shower first.

"Your mother was in particularly good form today." I comment absently.

Sky stiffens. "Stop with this family shit Riv."

"Why?" I question, rubbing at my forehead in irritation. "They raised you, see you as their son and everytime you comment on it they get all-"

"I took that from them RIV!" He snaps, trembling with exhaustion fueled rage. "Don't you think a family guy like Silva would have wanted to start a family of his own."

Sky lets out an aggressive hum, looking so similar to Irene that I want to laugh. But I'm a good friend, so I do.

"Sky!" I exclaim, "You behave exactly like them, their mannerism and everything! And did you ever think that maybe they didn't want more kids, maybe they were content to have you or Irene didn't want to destroy her body through pregnancy and was mercifully blessed through you?"

Sky shakes his head, reaching for his clothes before storming towards the bathroom. "It's not the same Riv, you don't see the looks in their eyes when we talk about family."

The bathroom door slams and I slump onto the sofa with a snarl. Why must he be so oblivious? It's so blatantly obvious to everyone else that Irene and Silva adore him. Silva obviously feels some ridiculous amount of guilt about raising Sky in Andreas' stead if all his tales and reasoning is anything to go by.

I lurch from place on the sofa, feeling overtired with adrenaline. Racing down to the stables, desperate to see Wisp, I hardly notice how late and dark it has gotten. I'm so dead if I'm caught. I ditch my phone, lighter and cigarettes in the box by the door before greeting the sleepy horses.

Wisp is dozing when I reach her stall, softly whinnying at me when I coo in greeting.

"Hey girl," I sooth, reaching up the stroke the side of her neck before grabbing a brush to clean off the acquired muck before bed. "Sorry for the late visit, have the stable hands been taking care of you? You know I'll have a word with them if they aren't."

She stomps her feet in response and nuzzles into me, I smile in relief at her reassuring presence. I feel as if I'm finally able to unwind after all the excitement of the evening. For a long moment the stable fills with silence.

"Why must family be so complicated?" I blurt out.

"Irene is so desperate for Sky to see her as a mother, Silva clearly wants to say that he's Sky's father but Sky apparently doesn't seem like enough of a 'son' for him to do so, and Sky." I break out in hysterical, disbelieving laughter. "Sky spends so much time trying to be a soldier for a father that's not even alive- when Silva is literally standing in front of him."

I can't help but rant, my breath coming in gasping pants before I pause. "Though I suppose Silva is kinda sending mixed messages when he spends all of his time training Sky to be the soldier Andreas wanted."

Wisp stomps her feet and shuffles as I move to her other side, she's clearly agitated by my aggressive state.

"Sweet Helios, the lot of them are insane." I pause, calming down slightly as Wisp seems to get more riled up with my thoughts.

"Sky is so close to having the family life I've always wanted." I confess, "yet he's too naive to see it, or too caught up in grief."

A/N: Sorry for the extra thousand words.

Thoughts on Irene's character. I can't decide if I should make her:

A motherly figure for the group, have be someone the specialist all turn to and trust for guidance (Instead of just all being soldiers, making this last scene a way for her to gain their respect rather than an aspect of her character.)

Or make her a more strong and stereotypical male like character while having Silva be the overprotective one.