Lady of Nightmares | ACOTAR | Rhysand's Sister x Azriel

Bloodsoaked Wildflowers

It was one-hundred-and-ninety years after the birth of her first child that Aithusa once again found herself with a baby in her arms. A girl, this time, with the inky-black hair of Rhys and Morcant but her own dark brown eyes. Where her husband had named their son, Aithusa named their daughter; Rhiannon.

Rhiannon grew into a preocious and bold child. Where Rhys had always had a knack for making friends, her daughter seemed to delight in the opposite. She loved to argue even if she knew she was wrong, had a sizeable mean streak and was far too blunt for her own good. Like most little girls would, she liked the pretty dresses and attention that came with being the High Lord's daughter, though was not so inclined to abide by good manners. The idea of calling her demure, let alone sweet, was absurd.

Aithusa's daughter did amuse her, she would admit. Morcant often grew frustrated with Rhiannon's antics, and her mother's negligence in disciplining her for it. Whilst Rhys had also been bold as a child, he was nowhere near as brazen as his sister, and had always had an awareness of how he was expected to act around different people. He had always been good at playing a part, whereas Rhiannon did not care enough to bother being anything but what she wanted to be.

The girl was like her mother in that, at least, though Aithusa had never been nearly that obnoxious.

"But why isn't Rhys coming too?" Rhiannon bemoaned, hearing her own voice getting lost slightly in the wind as she and her mother flew towards Windhaven.

It was a fine day, the height of spring. The sky was not completely clear, the sun occasionally disappearing behind clouds, and the forests far below them were a vivid green colour as new leaves bloomed. As the Illyrian mountains loomed in the distance, Aithusa felt the fresh coolness in the air on her face, a wonderful compromise between the heat of the summer and winter's cold bite. 

"Because he's the great and powerful heir of the Night Court and has better things to do than visit his grandmother," Her mother said with a note of dryness in her tone, soaring beside her. The female never looked so alive as when she was in the sky. "I believe he's gone off hunting with Cassian and Azriel,"

"I want to go hunting with them," 

She was a better shot than Rhys by far, probably Cassian too because he was so impatient. And Azriel cheated by using his shadows. She was also very good at exaggerating, and had been told many times she had far too high an opinion of herself.

"Tough," Her mother snorted. "You have not seen your grandma in nearly a year. And you love going to her house besides - my Ma spoils you rotten,"

That was a good point, the female did spoil her rotten, even for the daughter of the High Lord of Night, who was spoiled by everyone except her parents. Rhiannon did miss her Nana Helene, missed her cosy house in Windhaven and her warm hugs. 

Neither of her parents enjoyed hugs very much, though Rhys always spun her around in his arms whenever he saw her. Cassian did too, when their father wasn't present. As for the mostly-silent Azriel, it was her who threw herself at him. She enjoyed the bemusement (and slight panic) that went through his eyes when she did so; most children were scared of the Shadowsinger, and, as it turned out, he was a little scared of them.

But Rhiannon was never one to give up on an argument, let alone for such a small thing as realising she was wrong.

"I don't like how they look at me at Windhaven," She said. "Or at you,"

"It's because my wings aren't clipped, and they know yours won't be," Her mother was never one to spare her from the harsh truth. "High Lady or not, they want me to be just another crippled female. I - Rhi drop down!"