A Court of Stars and Memories

49. Bargains and Promises

    As much as Mitsi missed Eira and Orion over the next few days, she had to admit that it was nice to be back in the Night Court. She hadn't realized how familiar it had become or how comfortable she'd begun to feel. She felt even more so now that the first snow had fallen, only a day after she and Lysander returned from the Dawn Court.

    Mitsi had spent most of the day outdoors with her siblings. The snow and cold reminded them all of the Winter Court. She'd missed home so much that night that she stayed awake and wrote a ten page letter to Colette and Cyrus, then copied it for Wynter and Elodie.

    She'd told them everything that had happened in the Dawn Court, including her experience drinking for the first time, and what happened afterwards with Lysander. She'd asked all of them for advice on where to go from there, and when she received their responses, they were relatively the same.

    Cyrus and Colette urged her to take things slowly and make sure Lysander was truly the male she wanted. Their words sounded very similar to Mina and Micah's constant warnings, although with a friendly, more caring tone.

    As for Wynter and Ellie, they'd also encouraged her to be sure of what she wanted, then added that she knew her own heart best. The pair had given her two separate letters in addition to their joint response, and Mitsi read each of them in turn.

    In his private letter, Wynter had encouraged her to try to learn more about Lysander's past, but to do so without prying too far, and to be open with her own history in turn. He said that it seemed like she was getting to know Lysander quite well as a person, but she should also understand what shaped him into who he was.

    If she learned all of that, she'd better know how to approach him and make her feelings known when the time was right. Ellie had simply told her to trust her own judgment. She would know when it was time to share how she felt, and she was the only one who truly knew what those feelings were.

    Ellie told her that despite Mina and Micah's reservations, she knew they would accept whatever choice Mitsi made, and had told her as much themselves in their own letters. She also told Mitsi not to worry about the distance between their Courts.

    Ellie promised that if things became official between them, but the time came for Mitsi to return to the Winter Court, she would do everything she could to help her and Lysander see each other regularly. All of that greatly eased some of Mitsi's concerns and she was doing her best to take their words to heart.

    She hadn't acted upon any of it, however. She wasn't sure how to, and she didn't know who to ask. Mitsi was avoiding talking to Mina and Micah about Lysander for now, and with Eira gone, there weren't many people she could turn to. She had yet to work up the courage to speak with Seren or Azriel, and she wasn't even going to try talking to Lysander directly.

    But despite her hesitation, things continued to change between them. Mitsi couldn't explain any of it, and she doubted Lysander could either. All she knew was that there was now something more between them.

    Something that had been growing for a while, but had only recently begun to bloom. Something bright and beautiful, but fragile and delicate. They were both taking care not to disturb, or even acknowledge it, but Mitsi knew they couldn't ignore it forever.

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    "Lift your leg higher," Mina ordered, grabbing Mitsi's leg by the calf and pushing it up. Mitsi ground her teeth against a startled yelp as the move stretched the back of her leg almost painfully. "We don't have as much upper body strength as a male, so we have to rely on our lower bodies more. That's where all of our muscles are. You need to learn to use them."