The city was painted in blood. Bones and bodies adorned his beloved streets. Quarters destroyed, families broken.
He was responsible for this. He had failed to protect them. He had given Hybern the very weapon to wreck the very thing he spent decades protecting.
His heart broke a little more with every new corpse he saw, with every stain of blood.
Shame and guilt suffocated him, he could barely breathe.
He had done this.
"Rhys," A hand clapped him on the shoulder. "It isn't your fault,"
Despite what Cas said, he too looked riddled with unspeakable guilt and loss.
The High Lord did not respond as he continued walking, as he counted how many they had lost.
He passed by the art gallery and found a cluster of children holding each other tight, hiding in a corner, eyes closed.
Children who had no doubt been running in the streets laughing mere hours ago were now shaking with fear.
With trembling hands and an aching heart, the High Lord reached out to them, "It's alright now, come out."
Upon seeing Rhys, the children crashed into him without hesitation.
He raised them up in his arms, clenching a little girl against his chest, and felt her heart hammering against her chest. A little boy held his hand tightly. Rhysand saw a single tear run down his cheek, but the boy furrowed his brows and quickly wiped it away. Despite their fears, the children walked with him, never stumbling even as they passed by corpses and carnage.
As they crossed the bridge, more and more survivors stepped out, finding strength when they saw their High Lord.
But Rhysand did not feel like their High Lord. He had no business giving his people the impression that everything was okay. That he had everything in control. Because he did not. And he was just as afraid as they were.
But he could not show them that weakness. These were his people. And he had to be strong for them.
So he would not cry- could not cry.
He would do that later. Alone. Not now.
So Rhysand, High Lord of the Court of Dreams, raised his chin and marched.
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A Love From A Different World
FanfictionWhile trying to get answers about Maeve and the Vlag, Aelin accidentally opens a portal where she is transported to a mysterious land called Prythian. There she meets a close knit court of strange Fae who are suspicious of her. While trying to keep...
