A court of water and worlds

Chapter #42

"Elain wait," Azriel said grabbing her wrist before she could leave.
The moment he touched her wrist his shadows Scuttled back and he felt his powers weaken.
He felt weak. What the fuck?
He Shook off the feeling as Elain shook off his hand.
"I don't have time for this Azriel ," she said and he almost broke.
Mother, he always had when she said his name.
"Feyre," he said, "she needs you. She said you haven't been at the house," he paused and looked into her big brown eyes.
"Where have you been?"
"That isn't any of your concern," Elain said and he could faintly hear the bite in her words.
He sighed in frustration. He hadn't been able to find her these past few days. His shadows refused to look for her.
"I just— I need to know that you're ok," he finally said.
He saw gentleness flash in her eyes then, "Az," she said taking a deep breath, "I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me, I can take care of myself."
He was taken back by that.
She didn't need him, didn't want him.
Of course they had already been through this but every time he sees her, every time she says things like this his heart breaks.
He clears his throat and nods, "ok."
"Ok," she repeated and turned around and left.
Azriel closed his eyes and sighed as his shadows returned to him.
He needs to stop thinking about Elain. He needs to move on.
"I'm just going to apologize in advance because I'm extremely nosy, but what was that about?"
"By the mother," Azriel said, stumbling back startled.
"You can't sneak up on people like that, Gwyn," he said, holding his hand to his chest.
"Says you," she said and he turned around.
There she was, with her copper hair and ocean blue eyes looking more like the deep sea in the candle light.
"You are literally a spy and you have the audacity to tell me to stop sneaking up on people," she said crossing her arms, "if I was spying, you were the one who taught me how."
"Wow, so you're saying you actually listen when I try to teach you things," he said sarcastically.
This, this was what he needed. He needed it to be easy. Everything in his life was always so hard, especially Elain. he had always had the mentality that you have to work for everything. Things aren't supposed to be easy. Like Elain or when he used to be in love with Mor, it was always so hard.
Awkward conversations, and waiting, so much waiting. With Gwyn it was easy. She always said the right things and always had this weird ability to make him laugh for no reason, she was not even that funny.
He frowned at the thought. Ok, maybe she was a little funny, but he would never tell her that.
"I had all day to do Research cause Merrill didn't come in today so...." She trailed off waving her hand to the table full of books and papers.
"You found something?" He asked furrowing his brow.
She gave him a pointed look, "obviously," she said annoyed and he smiled.
He loved it when Gwyn was mad at him.
"But first, do you want to tell me what just happened between you guys?" She asked and he crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"It's none of your business, Gwyneth," Azriel masking his anger with Unnerving calm.
"If I remember correctly that is what Elain told you,"
"That's different," he said defensively, picking up some of Gwyns notes.
"Az," said with a sigh, "when people say that they can take care of themselves, they probably just want space. Plus, Elain isn't some ignorant little girl, I think if she truly needed help she would ask."
"Since when do you know what's best for Elain, you barely know her," Azriel said, annoyed that Gwyn thought she knew better.
"I never said I know her," Gwyn said, taking the papers out of Azriel's hands, "but if you think she needs you so much that's just your inner illyrian bastard coming out. You know," she trailed on, " possessive, aggressive—"
"I get it, us males are insufferable," Azriel said, cutting her off.
"See you get it. Now that that's over," Gwyn said, "shut up because I have a lot to tell you."
—-
"So you're saying that this dagger is the long lost dagger Gwyndolin?" Azriel asked enamored.
Had he really been carrying around Gwyndolin for five hundred years?
"Yeah," Gwyn said, opening up a silver book and handing it to him.
They were currently back in Azriel's study.
"The poem or riddle or whatever specifically states that the made items have specific owners. So I was thinking, what if you aren't the true owner?" She said sitting on his desk once again acting as though she owned the place.
Azriel didn't mind though, he liked seeing her in his space, seeing her comfortable here.
"But that doesn't make sense," he said thinking.
There was something about truth teller and himself he hadn't told Gwyn.
"What? because frankly none of this makes sense," she said, taking the book back from him.
If they were going to figure this out then he needed to be honest.
"How Gwyndolin is the bringer of light and life," he said and she snorted.
"Well it did make me glow so..." she trailed off.
Then maybe...
"Gwyn,"he said, getting her attention, "all my life I have been able to control darkness, not like Rhys. I'm not able to use it whenever like him, I'm only able to channel it through things."
"Like your shadows?" She asked and he nodded and her eyes widened.
"And like the shadow Piège," she said, gasping.
He nodded and she hit him, "why am I just learning about this?!"
"Because I didn't think it would be important!" He said putting his face in his hands.
"Hold on," Gwyn said, removing his hands from his face, "what does this have to do with the dagger?"
He sighed, "it allowed me to channel my dark magic through it, more than any other object."
He looked up at where Gwyn sat on his desk. He didn't think she was breathing.
"What if," she paused gulping down air, "what if you were supposed to be the owner of narben?" She asked.
"There's no way Gwyn," Azriel said, shaking his head.
There was absolutely no way he was worthy of the long lost sword narben.
"Think about it, you can control major amounts of darkness but only through objects," she said and unsheathed the truth teller from his side.
She started to glow, once again looking like a freaking goddess.
She shoved it in his hand, the glow quickly flickering out aside from the slight glow in her eyes.
"What the hell, Gwyn you can't do that. Are you ok?" He asked, worried. He got out of his chair and cupped her cheeks, looking her over for injuries.
She heaved a breath, "I'm— I'm fine, Az. I was just trying to make a point." She said and he glared at her.
This woman was going to be the death of him.
"And your point for giving me a heart attack was...?" He asked, staring into those devastatingly blue eyes.
"Pick the knife back up," she commanded and he did.
"See, she said you don't glow white moon light, or whatever the hell, like me but you faintly radiate darkness. Which leads me to believe that if you had narben... you would radiate way more darkness like I do light when I touch this," she finished and he sat back in his chair.
"I—I," he stuttered, "if you think I am the rightful owner or narben then that means," he paused, taking a breath.
"That means that you are the rightful owner of Gwyndolin," he said looking at the dagger.
"It would be the only explanation on why I glow," she said and he nodded.
They both just sat there in silence for a while.
He took the time to breathe.
How in the world would he be the rightful owner of narben.
His mother used to tell him stories about the sword. How it was ancient and powerful as was it's owner. She had told him how Narben defeated the undefeated and radiated death.
Darkness had owned him his whole life. He never thought it could be the other way around. He thought Darkness and death could be held by no one and nothing.
So there was absolutely no way he was the true owner.
He continued to focus on his breath and—-
out of the silence came moaning.
He sighed in annoyance. Really? Right now!?
He needs to talk to Nesta and Cassian about this.
"O by the mother," he heard Gwyn say and he looked up at her to find her giggling.
"Please, take me away. anywhere from here, like right now," Gwyn said, taking his hand and he huffed a laugh before winnowing them away.