Shadowsinger

Chapter 38

It was two days until Madja deemed her ribs healed and finally let Gwyn off bed rest, Azriel followed a few days later, under strict instructions that he was not, under any circumstances, to overexert himself. He'd looked a moment away from rushing into the training ring to join Cassian and Rhys in doing just that when Theia found them. Gwyn noticed her first, stifling a laugh at the angle of Theia's head, the knowing look in her eyes, that mother's instinct that her son was about to do something stupid.

"Azzy!" Azriel froze at the sound of his mother's voice, "I know you're not about to disobey Madja's orders," she swept across the room towards him, managing to summon that kernel of fear that only a mother's ire could by the time she'd taken two paces, and Gwyn lost the loose control she'd been maintaining, letting out a howl of laughter, which earned her a scowl from her, gods from her fiancé. Theia turned to Gwyn when she reached them, "It's great to see you up and getting back to it, Gwyn dear,"

"Mom!" Azriel complained, but halted his complaints at the harsh look his mother shot him,

"I'll deal with you in a moment," she smiled as she looped her arm through Gwyn's, shaking her head silently, "Stupid boy's gong to get himself hurt,"

"I'll look out for him," Gwyn promised,

"I know you will, dear, call it a mother's instinct to worry, and my experience with him,"

"You mean the way he doesn't understand how to rest after five centuries of time to figure it out? Oh, I know," Theia clasped Gwyn's hands in hers, turning to face her fully,

"I did come here for a reason, not just to check on Azzy," she shot a glance over her shoulder, to where Azriel was, reluctantly, working his way through a series of only light, easy exercises to test how his body was recovering. "A little bird told me that Azzy asked you a rather important question," she left the words hanging between them, and heat flooded Gwyn's face,

"He, yeah he did, I didn't realize you knew, we were going to tell you later, once we'd had a little bit or normalcy first,"

"I wouldn't have known, had it not been for Rhys' excited chattering about it almost all night, poor Feyre must have had to shield her ears to get any sleep. I got an earful just walking past their room to get to mine." Gwyn chuckled at the thought, remembering just how excited Azriel's brothers, both of them, had been, with Cassian barely managing to resist tackling Azriel in once of his typical bear hugs. Rhys had been more reserved, but was still practically bouncing with joy when Azriel had brought up the mention of ring shopping.

"They're idiots," Gwyn laughed and all three Illyrian males looked in their direction at the sound, an assessing stare, the one she'd seen when they fought, testing to see if Theia was really mad, and if they were all still in trouble. "Misbehaving children aren't they?"

"Always will be," Theia tried to school her tone to sound long-suffering, but Gwyn caught on to the note of fondness, she'd never want them to change, would always see Azriel as her little boy, and the others as the two wild youngsters who'd practically adopted him. "Besides that, has he given you a ring?"

"No, he's only been up for a day, and we haven't had time, we were going to go tomorrow,"

"Good," Gwyn furrowed her brows in surprise, "If you'd like, it'd mean a lot to me if you wore the ring I never got to, it was my mother's engagement ring, and I would have worn it, but I never wanted to marry, and I don't think I ever will. I'd have liked to pass it to my daughter, and, well there you are." Tears pricked Gwyn's eyes at Theia's words, until they were slipping down her face, and Theia was wrapping her arms around her, "I've always wanted a daughter, and you are all I could have asked for,"