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Rhea of course could understand why Lin didn't like flying lessons - though she herself did enjoy flying, she was an empath after all - and for the moment she was willing to humour Lin, though she also understood, as a teacher, that sometimes it was necessary to force an unwanted lesson.

She was with Lin doing archery while Whisper sat back and kept an eye on both of them. Of course, with Rhea being an adult now, she didn't worry quite as much about her mistress misbehaving or doing things that she oughtn't, but the two of them were inseparable regardless.

"You know, Lin," Rhea said, watching Lin as she shot an arrow, "you're going to have to learn to fly eventually. Even if you were to just start of simple, like flying to retrieve your arrows instead of walking ... it might actually make it easier, you wouldn't have to struggle so much in the snow."

That was something that she didn't understand - of course, being an elf, she had never had that problem.

Rhea smiled encouragingly. "Besides, if you fall again, it's not like it will hurt," she pointed out. "The snow is soft ... which is probably why you keep sinking deeper in it."

She held her hand out to take Lin's bow from her, just in case she did fall. After all, while snow might not do anything to Lin, if she fell on the bow it might very well snap, and the backlash from the string could be quite painful.

"Not bad," Rhea smiled, "but try using your arms for balance as well. Like ... like jumping from a high height, throw your feet forward as if you're running or walking or something. Don't rely on your wings only."

She pursed her lips slightly. "And it may help if you slow down and try it slowly for a while until you get used to it," she added. "You're less likely to throw yourself off balance that way."

Rhea was waiting for Lin, and she held out one hand to take the arrows from her, holding the bow out for her in her other hand. "Perhaps it's a good thing you're here in the winter," she murmured. "In the summer there would be many more obstacles to your training, or at least it would almost be too easy for you, and you wouldn't become as strong as quickly."

"If you would like to," Rhea smiled at Lin. "Though we've done quite a bit today, perhaps we could go in for a hot drink. Besides, there's something I've been meaning to ask you. Would you like to go inside?"

Whisper's ear flicked slightly as she heard Rhea's words, and she padded silently closer, more than ready to go inside. Covered in fur or not, it was still a cold day by anyone's standards. Except perhaps Ruque's.

Rhea smiled warmly, her hazel eyes bright. "I'll put on some cider," she agreed, turning and heading towards the house.

Once they were inside, Rhea headed towards the kitchen, with Whisper padding after her, as always. "If you want to change into some warmer clothes," she told Lin over her shoulder, "we may have some clothes your size upstairs, unless you brought your own. Otherwise, we do have blankets, and the fire in the kitchen is lit."

Rhea giggled softly. "Sure," she agreed. "I'll get the cider on the fire first so that we don't have to wait as long for it."

Once in the kitchen, she headed down to the cellar to get a container of cider, and she poured it into the kettle that hung in the fireplace, and swung it out over the fire. That done, she smiled at Lin again. "Go ahead and sit down, I'll bring a blanket."

It only took Rhea a few minutes to get the blanket for Lin, and she came downstairs and wrapped it around Lin's shoulders, tucking it carefully over her wings.

"There," she smiled. "Now just let me check on the cider ..."

She got some cups from the cupboard and brought them over to the hearth, then lifted the lid of the kettle and sniffed at it.