A court of water and worlds

Chapter #45

Gwyn had been buzzing all morning.
She felt a strange unsettling feeling within her.
"What's wrong?" Flora asked in between bites of her pastry.
"I don't know," Gwyn frowned, "what do you feel?"
Flora closed her eyes and placed her hand on Gwyn's shoulder.
"You feel calm but..." Flora's brow furrowed, "I feel this other feeling settled way down within you. It's very faint but it feels alert and Aware."
"That's strange," Gwyn took a bite of her pastry, and Flora nodded in agreement.
"Does this have anything to do with you mysteriously Disappearing in the night," Flora narrowed her eyes at Gwyn.
"No."
"Where have you been going?" Flora's hand was still on Gwyn's shoulder, likely still picking up on her emotions.
''Your nervous," Flora noted, confirming Gwyn's suspicions.
"Why are you nervous? Where are you spending your nights, Gwyn?" Flora gave her a accusatory look.
"Cauldron Flora, it's nothing like that," Gwyn moved out of Flora's touch.
"What is it like then?" Flora crossed her arms.
"What's what like?" Nesta said, sitting down next to Gwyn, startling her.
"Nes, what are you doing here?" Gwyn smiled, taking her friends' glowing features.
"I just wanted to see you," Nesta said, eying the chocolate pastry.
"Are you talking to me or the pastry Nes?" Gwyn asked, taking a bite of her own.
"Can't it be both," Nesta said, shoving the pastry in her mouth.
"I can never get enough chocolate it seems," Nesta said around a mouth of pastry and Flora giggled.
Gwyn gave Nesta a knowing look.
It seems one of her pregnancy cravings was chocolate.
Gwyn was waiting for Nesta to tell her about the pregnancy but Gwyn was getting restless.
"So what were you guys talking about?" Nesta eyed Gwyn, taking another bite of the chocolate croissant.
"Nothing," Gwyn said at the same time Flora said, "well..."
Nesta's eyes darted to Flora, Gwyn felt bad for anyone who had to hold Nesta stare.
Gwyn could of course, but she hoped it wouldn't scare Flora off.
"Gwyn has been disappearing in the dead of night," Flora turned to Gwyn, "care to explain?"
Gwyn sighed and Nesta looked at her, mischief dancing in her eyes.
"I've just been going to the training room when I can't sleep," which technically wasn't a lie. Gwyn took another bite of her pastry.
"Hmmm," Nesta gave her an interrogating look.
What do you mean, "hmmm," Gwyn frowned.
"You know who has also been busy at night time?"
"Who?" Flora demanded.
"Azriel," Nesta finished off her pastry.
"You've been hanging out with the pretty shadowsinger?!" Flora practically squealed.
Like most females, Flora also found Azriel very, very attractive.
"Yeah, he trains at night time sometimes too, so we happen to see each other."
"So, you're telling me that you and Azriel have been meeting in the dead of night?" Flora asked and Nesta huffed a laugh.
Gwyn turned to glare at Nesta, "what? no interrogation from you Nes?"
"O no, you will be telling me every little detail, but it seems we have to get to practice," Nesta got up, still looking at Gwyn with a secret smile on her face.
Gwyn tried to take a breath. She had nothing to hide, why was she so nervous?
—-
Gwyn had just finished up working with Merrill who finally showed up. She had been hauled up in her room the past couple days, and Gwyn was starting to worry.
Gwyn went back to her room and changed into her night clothes then headed up to the house for a sleepover.
Gwyn was excited, it had been a while since their last sleepover.
She was definitely not thinking about the shadowsinger who could potentially be there.
Gwyn found Nesta and Emrie in the library.
She picked up the book she had started their last sleepover and laid across the couch, with her head in Emrie's lap and her feet in Nesta's.
They didn't even flinch, they just kept reading. The only sign that they were alive was Emrie running her fingers through Gwyn's hair.
Gwyn loved when she did that.
Gwyn opened her book and got to reading. Right as she started to fall into the book she realized how long it had been since she had last read. Gwyn continued reading even when her eyelids turned tired and droopy.
—-
"Nothing is going on between us," Gwyn insisted, taking a pillow from Nesta.
"But he took you out Gwyn, like on a date," Emrie smiled.
"It wasn't a date," Gwyn frowned, "I asked and he said it wasn't—-
"Wait, you asked him?" Emrie and Nesta both looked like they were going to burst into laughter.
"As a joke!" Gwyn threw a pillow at each of them.
"Well what did he say?" Nesta asked, catching the pillow.
"He said that it wasn't a date, and that he wouldn't take someone to a bakery for a date," Gwyn said and Emrie started coughing.
"You good Em," Nesta asked, handing her a glass of water and Emrie nodded.
"I'm fine, I've just been having this little cough lately."
"You should get it checked out," Gwyn was concerned.
"Don't worry Mor already booked an appointment with Madja, she quit the mother hen," Emrie smiled and Gwyn saw so much light in her friends eyes.
"How's that going?" Gwyn smiled at Emrie's blush.
"Ummm—- no, don't try to change the subject Gwyn."
Gwyn rolled her eyes, "there wasn't a subject to be changed."
"Yes there was. You and Az and love," Emrie said, holding up half a heart and Nesta finished it with her hand.
"We are not in love. We're friends."
Nesta raised her brow and said, "Gwyn, I don't think you get it so let me explain it to you. Firstly," she held up a finger, "Az doesn't like people, so the fact that he talked to you at all says a lot.
Secondly," she held up a second finger, "again he doesn't like people but he goes out of his way to spend time with you—-
"I wouldn't say goes out of his way—
"I'm not finished," Nesta added and Emrie looked like she was going to burst into laughter.
"And thirdly I think we should be sister in laws so...."
"Marriage," Emrie finished with a bright smile.
"You guys are terrible," Gwyn said, trying to stifle her smile.
"You like him right?" Nesta asked and Gwyn nodded.
"And he likes you—
"As a friend," Gwyn cut in pointing at Nesta.
"Actually we don't know how he feels, it is very hard to read his emotions," Nesta stated and Gwyn scrunched her brows.
"It's not that hard, all you have to do is look in his eyes."
"See," Emrie pointed at Gwyn, "you are in love."
"I am not!"
"I don't blame you," Emrie held up her hands defensively, "I'm gay and I still think he is gorgeous."
Nesta nodded her agreement.
"Nes, you have a mate," Gwyn gaped.
"Yes and I love him and he is definitely attractive, but Az is still prettier, in the Classical pretty kind of way."
Gwyn was shocked. She thought that mates are supposed to find each other the most attractive?
"Plus he has the biggest wingspan," Emrie snickered and Nes joined her.
"You guys act like I know what that means," Gwyn crossed her arms.
Nesta's jaw dropped, "we've truly never told you?"
Gwyn shook her head confused as to why a wingspan would even be relevant to this conversation.
Emrie and Nesta gave each other a look.
"What?" Gwyn demanded and so they told her.