A Court of Shift and shadow

XXV

Katies POV: 

The dress was amazing, the moss green fabric embroidered with silver thread, the full skirt flowed down around me. My now short hair was washed and styled to the occasion. No jewellery. That was redonant for this meeting. Feyre had the same dress as she had on the last one, the dark fabric with embroidered stones that glisten like the stars. Galad in a dark suit, decorated with silver threads. Cauldron, he looked gorgeous, how had I not realised that before? That My mate was the most beautiful fae on this earth... I met his violet eyes, and it got hard to breathe.

You look amazing, he said in my mind, calming my beating heart. Last night I was the one of us unable to sleep. One part due to being nervous for this meeting, and another due to his muscular back distracting me from falling asleep. I had just watched it, following the lines of small scars, and the tattoo I hadn't noticed before, the one of the Night Courts emblem on his shoulder blade. I knew tattoos were a part of the Courts tradition. Feyres inked hands and the same type of pattern was visible on the Ilyrians and Belinda's neck. But Galad didn't have them. And when I asked him in the morning why his answer had been.

"You get the right to bear them when you finish the Blood Rite, but I never did that. I could do all the training, but to kill and slather males that were supposed to be my allies got too hard. On one hand I did turn away from a legacy, but on the other... I started a new one, a High Lord that didn't kill for some game.'' I had let my hand trace over the tattoo.

"But you have killed before?"

"There was a small battle, the last standing human queen tried to invade. I was young, before Belinda even was born. A small group got into our camp and I acted in defence. Humans are so... fragile..." His words became distant. "I got this one after, to remind me that I will always have my court behind me. And always be its last defender." His hand found mine.

"I really do wish to never kill again, but Tamlin might be an exception."

"I will never ask that of you..." I had kissed his back. "But if you do, do it quickly, he doesn't deserve the energy of doing it slowly." I had been cold in my words, and meant every one of them. Even if this meeting was protected by the mountains powers of peace, one day we would meet and not have that to hold us back.

"Are you ready?" Feyre asked, And I got back to the now.

"Yes, I am." I said. "Let's go." Galad took my hand and we Winnowed. The black stone wall of the Mountain radiated power, just as I remembered it. I heard Feyre taking a deep breath, and I remembered that she had died in there so long ago. Galads hand was still in mine, giving it a hard squeeze.

You know, I don't think any of us like this meeting place. Galad said in my head. When the first letter came, they didn't say a word for two days.

I opened one letter in spring, one from the Autumn Court, he got furious.

I can understand that, it took almost four months to get a date for the meeting because he didn't answer. I just looked at him as we started to walk into the mountain. Tarquin was already there, Cresseida too.

"Good to see you again Katie." Tarquin said, a flash of a memory from our last encounter passed by. "Feyre."

"Tarquin." The two hugged. "How is everyone? How was the Summer Solstice?"

"Good and good." The two of them kept on talking.

Some alienses go deeper than others. Galad said, Ours with the Summer Court is one. Even after the fact that mom broke into Tarquins mind and stole what we needed to fix the wall...