A Court of Trust and Enemies

Prologue

She had almost died two times in her life, but now she was seeing herself die over and over again. Freezing to death as a human, by Tamlins claws when he dragged her to the Spring Court, by the Naga. The males that talked to her on Calanmai. Over and over, at all the events in her life. She saw Rhys crush her mind, that day he came by to threaten Tamlin. The attor slitting her throat, Amarantha ordering her killed instead of a bargain. Over and over did she die. The Middengard Wyrm trial, the second one when the spikes stabbed her body. Again and again. Every time she could have died in her life, she did. And she relieved it all over and over. Some, more cruel than others.

But the last one, the one before it all started over was the night Luna was born. Rhys never came back home, and her body gave out.

Axios words lingerd in her mind, Nyx was fighting to get the Night Court back. He had found his mate...

Who? She asked herself, trying to distract herself from the memories. Who is his mate? An illyrian? One from a different court? Was it even a female? Feyre had so many questions that she wanted to have answered. She hoped that whoever it was could stand by his side in this, that he or she supported her son. And she hoped that they were safe. Nyx had lost enough. And so had Luna.

Luna... Before her the memories faded from all the death, to one where she stood on the balcony over Velaris, holding Luna's hand during a Starfall. Music came from above them, in the House of Winds where guests were dancing and celebrating the amazing night.

"When will I be up there?" Luna asked. Holding on to her mothers hand.

"When Nyx is older." Ferye had said and kneeled down to her eight year old daughter. "He will do the Illyrian Blood rite, and once he returns, he can protect you." As the memory replayed in her mind Ferye started to question herself if it really was for the good of her family.

"But if he don't return?" Luna asked and moved her now short hair to the side, the wight stripe in her hair fell back in front of her face. "Not everyone comes back from the Rite."

"Nyx will, everything will be fine Luna." Feyre lifted her up. "Look at the stars instead, no need to be worried."

"Mom, why can he train and not me?"

"You can train, but here." Feyre had said. "Now, look at the stars." Luna had stayed quiet after that.

The next day Feyre had found Luna in her room with a book with instructions for sword fighting. Luna stood and tried to follow the instructions. Feyre had helped and not long after had Luna been allowed to start training with Nesta and Gwyn. She had been good, not a natural at it, but she had the spirit, the fire in her soul to train, to fight. Luna never gave up. She was too stubborn to do so. But as the years went on, something else changed around her. That fire, that fighting spirit started to come out more and more at home. She argued and screamed, often overreacting to small things. Feyre saw the memories and started to ask herself if that just was the consequences of them holding her isolated. If her anger and rage came from her being away from everyone and everything.

"It is just a little over twenty year of her life, she will be fine." Rhys and her had both said when they talked about it. But as the Darkness started to take over around her again Feyre started to remember a different story.

Azriel was trapped inside for just eleven years, and he never fully recovered. She closed her eyes and hoped that she was crying. What have I done?

___

Axios walked around the room, fearing that his brothers or father would come in and see his lie. He knew that he had taken two of his brothers to visit other courts, leaving him and his three of them to uphold the darkness, but the fear never left him. Every day he waited. The game they all were playing was hard and complicated, one misstep and it all could come crashing down around them. So far only Beron of the Autumn Court stood wholeheartedly on their side. Tarquin and Thesan had reconsidered, the Son had started to gain back the allies. Time was running out.

He had talked to the High Lord and Lady, both of them were estill alive by some miracle. Their powers still made sure they survived the crushing darkness, but not for long now. Soon... A whole year in this... Soon...

He landed on his bed, trying to get some sleep, but all he saw was Luna, his missing Luna. His... She just needed to come back to him and everything would be fine, he knew she had feelings for him, he knew that if he could explain himself she would stay. If she just came back to him he could tell her that he loved her, that he needed her.

No sleep found him, no rest came over him. He laid awake as his powers made sure the darkness around them stayed intact. Somehow the Son had found a weak spot and got some warriors inside. How? Axios asked himself that time and tiam again. How had they made an opening. Noone could make a light that bright... Axios sat up as a whisper came to him. The healers that had worked on him when he arrived. There was something different about her...

"A lightbringer..." Axios left his room and ran to his brothers. "They have a lightbringer!" He screamed. His three brothers turned their heads towards him.

"They are all killed..."

"No, they have a healer that has the light. She is how they made an opening."

"Then she must die." His older brother said and got up. "The healer is the son's mate. If we kill her, he will fall."

____

She flew past the border, leaving spring behind, under her an eternal summer bloomed. Then she came to winter as the sun set. Forcing her to find cover for the night. Her wings and back screamed in pain now, the tired muscles begging her to stop. But Luna would not stop, just rest for the night and then continue. She needed to get back to herself again, she needed to be Luna, and flying home was the first step in doing that.

She passed over the middle, seeing the menacing mountain fill her vision as she flew past it. Then she came to Dawn. Once more being forced to stop for the night there. She was starving right now, having little to now food with her and having no weapons to hunt with. Not that she had the training in how to prepare or cook the food, her clothes barely kept her warm enough to survive. But the spark inside of her had started to glow again. She was not gonna give up so easily, she would fight and fight until she couldn't anymore, and even then she would continue. All for her home, for her friends and family. For all of them who believed in her.

She passed into the Day Court that next morning, and flew until she saw the wall of darkness. The place that once had been her home, and not far from it. The Camp that housed all of those she cared for.

I am coming back. Luna told herself. I am coming home. The word opened a hole inside of her. Home... 

___

The prologue is perhaps a little shorter than the others. But I hope you will then be extra excited until the chapters come in May. 

And yes, we will get to meet a little of what Axios thinks and feels in this one. 

(I also realize that I STILL have not finished writing The Epilogue ... I really don't want to finish this project) 

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/Mymymoon