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

Wicked

Officially, Rhiannon lived in the Moonstone Palace. Voren seemed glad that she would not be invading his own personal apartments, and showed little desire to join her there unless they were discussing anything of import. She liked the palace, her father's preferred residence. It was already home, seeing as she had spent a lot of time there as a child.

Her work as liasion meant that she often travelled to Velaris, however, which she was always glad to do. Amongst many other reasons, it was always sweet to gloat about her progress to her brother and the rest of the Inner Circle, who had failed to make any real difference with the Hewn City at all. Not that they had really tried.

"I've got Keir considering laws that outlaw marriages where either participant is under the age of eighteen," Rhiannon said with no small amount of smugness.

This announcement was met with a set of dumbfounded stares.

"How?" Cassian was the first to speak. "You can't have just ordered him to - he hasn't come whining to Rhys,"

"I'm very persuasive," 

Her brother looked suspicious. "What did you do?" 

That angered her, for some reason. Rhiannon's smile sharpened. "Turns out if you actually act civil, charming and play along wtih their stupid rules and traditions, the Court of Nightmares is more receptive to small steps of progress,"

"What did you promise them? Keir didn't suddenly just grow a conscience"

His tone of voice irritated her even more. "I promised them nothing," She snapped. "I merely pointed out that embracing more modern customs and opening themselves to new ideas would benefit them greatly in terms of connections and trade with the outside world. Keir was resistant, as well as a few of his old cronies, but Voren backed me up and is more respected anyway. Keir had no choice but to give in to the pressure from the overwhelming majority,"

"When have the Court of Nightmares ever wanted connections to the outside world?" Mor sneered. Not at Rhiannon, but her dismissive tone still proved exactly why there had been no progress with her as liasion.

"What both sides can agree on is that they want influence and respect," Rhiannon explained, wondering why she had to spell it out. "Yes, there are scumbags in that place - your father prominent among them - but there are plenty more who are decent people, if a little backwards. You can't treat them all like second class citizens just because of where they come from, just because they happen to live in the same city as the likes of Keir,"

"They treat the rest of us like second class citizens," Her cousin protested. "You know what they did to me, Rhiannon, simply for not playing along. I feel terribly for those few decent people but the Court of Nightmares must be kept in line to stop their foul influence spreading,"

Rhiannon glared at her. Mor seemed taken aback, but before she could say a word, Rhiannon got  there first. "I've already got them discussing - considering - laws that will prevent children being betrothed. Laws that will prevent anyone being forced to marry against their will, prevent servants being mistreated, prevent lesser fae being openly discriminated against. Obviously it will take time to enact, and obviously more time to change, but even if it's slow then surely that benefits everyone?" 

Of course, this wasn't done by somehow turning her distant cousin Keir into any kind of good person. It had been done as everything was done in the Court of Nightmares; bargaining and bribery, which often turned into threats and blackmail. Two things Rhiannon was very good at, especially with Azriel often lurking around the Hewn City, and her own growing network of informants. Alongside Voren - and many of her other important and influential allies - Rhiannon had imparted on Keir and his cronies the importance of the Hewn City having connections outside its own walls, the benefits of opening up the city to more trade and culture.