Starlight

11

"I'm taking you out of this house and away from all this planning." Mor says, dragging me out the townhouse door against Amren's protest. "Life isn't just about war anymore, it's about taking care of the child growing in there." I smile at her as she links my arm in hers and we make our way through the streets.

"Thank you, Mor." I say, leaning in close to her. She smiles as we saunter through the busy streets, the people waving as we pass them.

"There's a store up here I always wished we'd be able to shop in." She pulls me along to see a small boutique packed with small clothes, made for baby Fae.

"Oh... Mor..." My voice drifts off as we walk inside, my hands gliding against the fabrics. My eyes draw to the tiny dresses, made for newborn girls. I close my eyes and connect with my magic, searching within myself as my fingers hold the smooth fabric. "It's a girl." My voice comes out as just barely a whisper. "I can feel it." Mor leaps in joy, dancing around the shop at the new knowledge shared.

"All of it! Let's buy it all!" I laugh as she squeals in happiness.

...

She sits above me, holding that knife covered in my mother's jewels. I lay chained beneath her, my swollen stomach poking into the air. She grins at me, that wicked smile full of nothing but hatred.

"No, no please!" I cry out as she raises her knife.

"Poor Celesta." She plunges the knife into my stomach.

...

"Celesta!" Vossan calls to me, I wake to see him hovering above me, searching my face. My voice stings from the screaming that likely ensued, tears begin to flow from my eyes.

"It wasn't a memory." I say between sobs. "She... she..." My hand instinctively goes to my stomach and Vossan pulls me into his arms.

"Oh, starlight..." He strokes my hair with his hand and shushes me as I sob into his chest. "I will never let anyone hurt you, my love. No one will ever touch either of you."

"Vossan, what if he takes me? Like she did? It's not just me anymore." My body shakes as he holds me in his arms, I feel his muscles tense beneath his skin.

"They won't, I will never let anyone take you from me again." He pulls back and forces me to meet his eyes, pain and longing fills them. "I swear it to you, Celesta. I swear it on every god there is." I let out a shaky breath as he pulls me into his arms once more.

...

I fly through the air beside Azriel, Cassian, and Rhysand; Feyre tucked into his arms, as we head to one of the Illyrian War Camps. Vossan travels below us, sweeping as a shadow across the snowy ground. I feel them before they fly toward us, the onslaught of ash arrows soaring through the air, and Azriel is on me in a second. He pulls me against him in the air as a shield of red surrounds us. The ash arrows bounce off, though many of them aim for Rhysand's wings. We land and Rhys sets Feyre on the ground, anger shining within his violet eyes. Vossan appears in front of me, a protective hand placed over my stomach as he pushes me behind him.

"Track them." Rhysand growls, Vossan glances once more at me before following Azriel and Cassian into the forest. "Celesta-" His voice is full of worry as he beckons me closer.

"I'm fine, Rhys." I say as shadows begin to billow around me. I close my eyes as they spill down my body and seep into the woods, searching for any trails our attackers may have left behind. I let out an aggravated breath when my shadows discover not even a scent left behind. The darkness returns to me, sinking back into my skin as the rest of Rhysand's court appears.

"Nothing, you?" Cassian asks, I shake my head in response. "Gone without a trace, how can that be possible?"

"Spring Court?" Vossan asks, the painful memory of the same arrows ripping through my own wings surfaces, Vossan notices as I wince against it.

"No, they wouldn't be this precise. This clean, they'd want Feyre to know they're close." Azriel tells them, we all look to each other as our minds struggle to form answers.

"Come on, they could rally and head back towards us. Let's get to camp." Rhys says, pulling Feyre against him and taking to the sky. Vossan offers me a pleading hand and I take it, he pulls me tight against him and we disappear into shadow together. I crumble into his embrace as we soar across the ground.

...

I stand on the balcony of my mother's old house, watching carefully as Vossan spars against Azriel. The two spymasters move with quick, calculated movements, hardly landing a hit on each other. It looks as though they are dancing with one another, each strike flowing with the other.

"How long will we be here?" Feyre asks, walking out from the door behind me.

"Only a few days, this place is well protected for you to practice your own skills." I tell her, offering her a smile as she comes to stand beside me.

"How did you and Vossan meet? I never had a moment to ask you." I take her hand and lead her to the two seats waiting on the balcony, lowering myself into one as she does the same.

"Vossan and I met centuries ago, before the great War began, which I count as a blessing from the Cauldron itself. I was 25 when Vossan was first brought into my father's court beside Azriel, he was 27 at the time. I was stood behind my father's throne in the Court of Nightmares when they were both brought in, and I knew the moment we laid our eyes on one another, the bond clicked almost immediately.

I told my mother that night of what I felt, she told my father soon after. My father was one to show little emotion, but my mother could not have been happier that I had found my mate so young. Vossan knocked on my door that night, a bouquet of flowers black as the night sky in his hand, and asked me to journey with him to Velaris. We stood under the Rainbow as the stars shown against my skin, when he first called me his starlight. We sealed the bond soon after, my mother planned a beautiful wedding ceremony for the two of us.

During the war, my father continued to train me beside the Illyrians, he used my shape shifting power to overcome his enemies on the battlefield. Vossan was my saving grace in those times, I would have nightmares about the fire from my mouth that slaughtered dozens. He is the reason I am still living, I still stand to fight this new war now. We tried for centuries to conceive a child to no avail, not until now. He has never left my side, never shown me anything but immense love. Our bond was a match between two souls who were crafted by the Cauldron to be together, I count myself among the luckiest in the world." Feyre's smile is soft, gentle as she squeezes my hand.

"I have never felt so much love between two people, a love that has not dwindled in so many years together. You are incredibly lucky, Celesta." She says, I close my eyes and take a deep breath in, sending a kiss dancing down the bond to my mate. I open my eyes to see him smiling up at me, still sparing with his partner, as he returns the message of love.