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

Dead Little Birds

Her father never came back from Spring. Well, he did, but as a corpse in Rhys's arms.

Rhiannon had already known he was dead before her brother returned. Her mother had abruptly paused mid-conversation as they sat together waiting for their return, then let out a terrible scream, face twisting in anguish. That scream would haunt her for years to come.

"What's wrong with her?" Rhiannon backed up in alarm, panicked and scared, as Cassian and Azriel, who had been giving them some privacy, sprinted outside to the veranda upon hearing it. Her mother was ordinarily so reserved and put-together. "She never cries, what happened?" 

But Cassian did not hear her, simply kneeling down beside her mother. The female was now on her knees, arms wrapped around her head as though to block out the pain. He said nothing, just wrapped a shaking, crying Aithusa in his arms. The fact her mother let him do so without even a snapping comment was disturbing.

"Come on, Rhi," Azriel placed a hand on Rhiannon's shoulder and wordlessly led her away from her mother. She was so numb that she let him guide her, furiously wiping away her silent tears with the back of her hand.

"He's dead, isn't he?" She choked out, more horrified at her mother's uncharacteristically hysterical state than the death of her father. "Father's dead. Losing your mate can make you go mad. Is mother going to go mad? What about Rhys, is he dead too?"

"Rhys is not dead," The Shadowsinger said. "Otherwise the power of the High Lord would have gone to you,"

"I'm going to kill everyone in that wretched Spring Court," Her voice was shaking, and she hated it. "I'm going to make them wish they never dared lay a hand on me or Mother. Would you help me? You know how to hurt people," 

Azriel was silent for a moment.

"The Spring Court is not the same as the High Lord's family," He said carefully. 

"I don't care," She snapped back, though that was a lie. "I want the High Lord to see all his lands burn around him, as well as all his stupid sons,"

Rhiannon was angry, lashing out in reckless, self-destructive hope, trying to hide her own weakness with spite and fury. But Azriel did not react the way she wished; no reprimand, no cuff round the head, no disapproving glare. He didn't even walk away.

"Rhys will not let any of Fachan's sons live after what they tried to do to you," 

"Tried to?" She tried to glare, but had to look away, blinking furiously. "They did - " She broke off, refusing to look at him, hand rising to her mouth to stifle a sob.

"You're allowed to cry," The Shadowsinger said quietly.

"You never cry," She accused, even as more tears streamed down her face.

"I'm a spy and assassin for the Night Court, an Illyrian warrior - a Carynthian no less - and the High Lord's pet shadowsinger. I'd never hear the end of it," He said dryly, then his expression softened slightly. "You are a ten year old girl who just went through a terrible ordeal. Not to mention there's no one else here to see,"

To her embarrassment, she burst into noisy tears at that. She threw her arms around Azriel to hide her face, burying it in his chest. To her eternal gratitude, the notoriously prickly male let her, even hugging her back, albeit hesitantly.

Her brother appeared to them half an hour later, with all the power of a High Lord at his disposal, a distant look in his eyes and fresh blood on his hands. Rhiannon's tears turned to screams of rage - a full on tantrum - when he told her Tamlin still lived. Rhys had not said anything at all, just looked sad, even as she beat at his chest with furious but ineffective fists.