A Court of Stars and Memories

45. Frustrated Concerns

The Dawn Court was everything Mitsi expected it to be and more. It didn't take long to adjust to her new surroundings, mostly thanks to Lysander, Orion, and Eira's constant company. Having her friends around made her feel more at ease than she had during her first few days in the Night Court.

She'd even been brave enough to officially meet Thesan and Ameer, albeit only when accompanied by Aramis and Eira. The High Lord and his mate were very welcoming, and Thesan seemed friendly, though Ameer was far more stoic.

Mitsi liked them both well enough, but she tried to keep out of their way for the most part. That wasn't difficult, given the size of the palace and how little she was actually there. The palace was massive and beautiful, situated above the clouds on one of the tallest mountains in the Dawn Court.

It was built from opalescent golden stone that shone with the brilliance of a thousand sunrises. Balconies, archways, verandas, and bridges connected each of the palace's glistening towers. Vines covered the numerous columns supporting the structure. Most were bare now, but a few periwinkle morning glories still clung to life.

Mitsi's room was just as beautiful as the outside of the palace. It was large and spacious, with marble floors of rose-gold and thick rugs a deep shade of mahogany. The bed was close to the same size as the one in her room at Seren and Azriel's. The elaborately carved headboard was decorated with faelights in the shape of rosebuds, and when they lit up, they filled the room with a warm glow.

The rest of the bedroom's furnishings were also made of polished mahogany, from the nightstands, to the writing desk, and even the spinet piano situated near the glass balcony doors. There was also a large fireplace to heat the room and several cushioned chairs sat before it.

The balcony had been Mitsi's favorite part thus far. It was placed at the perfect angle to view both sunrises and sunsets, and Mitsi hadn't missed a single one. She rose before dawn every morning and dressed quickly, before going outside to watch the sunrise spill across the land, like a rosy wine being poured from its bottle. And the sunsets...

Her favorite part about those was watching them with Lysander. He'd been accompanying her and Eira back to the palace in the evenings, and didn't leave until after the sun had set. When he'd discovered Mitsi out on her balcony their first night in the Dawn Court, she'd asked him to stay and together, they'd watch the sun sink below the horizon. The cycle had repeated every day since then.

And her days themselves were busier than ever. After traveling to the Peregryn training grounds in the morning, Mitsi began by stretching and running through a few drills with Aramis, Eira, and Orion. When they went to participate in their lessons, she sought out Lysander and they worked on her own.

True to his word, Lysander had started her with weapons as well. She was now practicing with a wooden dagger for almost two hours every day. Estelle had been helping them too, and Mitsi found herself enjoying the female's company.

She also enjoyed watching her and Lysander tease and bicker with one another. It was obvious the siblings were very close despite the distance between their homes. Mitsi didn't overlook Lysander's protectiveness of his sister either.

Sometimes, she wished she could question it. Was there a reason he was so protective of Estelle? Micah had never treated her quite like that. But Lysander's protection didn't just extend to Estelle.

There had been many times during training when Mitsi noticed Peregryn males passing by, their gazes lingering on her. As soon as Lysander saw them, he always stepped closer to her side and flared his wings, allowing the barest flash of magic to gleam from his siphons.

Mitsi even suspected he'd begun to curl a wing around her once or twice. He'd stopped before she could determine if that was really his intention. She didn't know what to make of it and she couldn't bring herself to ask.