It has been a day since Feyre and Rhysand left the camp, intent on needing a change of scenery, and yet I have heard no word from my brother. I walk through the Illyrian camps, watching as they train in the mud-soaked ground.
"Princess!" The group of young girls say to my right, their tiny wings just barely holding off the ground.
"Hello, little ones." I say, approaching them with a gentle smile. Two grip my hands with their tiny ones, others marvel at the purple of my dress.
"I heard you were coming, I made this for you." One little girl says, in her grasp sits a beautifully woven flower crown.
"It is beautiful!" I say, bending down to let her place it on my head. I do not rise from their height, allowing them to adjust my hair around the crown together.
"Are you having a baby, princess?" Another asks, eyes settled on the bump beneath my dress.
"Would you like to feel her?" I say, they all nod in excitement. Tiny hands cover my stomach, feeling for the heartbeat that grows below, the kick of a little foot. They giggle as they feel the movement, the sound wrapping around me like a warm embrace.
"Celesta!" I hear Cassian call, I look over the shoulder to see him running over the hill. "It's Rhys!" I look back to the little ones before me, careful not to allow the panic on my face to show.
"I'll see you again, pretty girls." I say, placing a hand on two of their faces before turning to hurry after Cassian. When I arrive at the house, Azriel is pulling Rhys into his arms and ushering him inside. Feyre and Mor remain nowhere to be seen, the guilt plaguing my brother's mind tells me exactly why.
I watch as Azriel washes the dirt from the High Lord's face, using magic to change his dirty clothes, and I sit down before him to begin tending his wounds. I place a glowing hand on his wing, the poison that once seeped through depleted from his veins, and begin healing the wounds that remain. The others leave the room, Vossan ushering them out to prepare for the conversation about to ensue.
"She found out she's your mate? Did you tell her?" I ask, watching his face carefully as my magic moves between each wound.
"She captured a Suriel in hopes of finding the cure to bloodbane and found out along the way. I should have told her sooner." He says, shame covering his face.
"I agree, but you've known my stance on this." He meets my eyes before quickly looking away. "I know your reasons, I know you felt it was better this way, but she has a right to be angry with you." He nods in agreement, his head still hanging between his shoulders.
"Do you know where they went?" I give him a sidelong glance before looking back to his wings.
"I wouldn't tell you if I did." I feel the drag of his magic against my mental shields. "You won't get through there, no matter how hard you try." He pulls back in defeat and lets out a breath. "She needs time, you need to give her that." I watch as the final wound seals and move back from him, pulling back to look at his wounded face.
I open my arms to him and he immediately obliges, he plants a kiss on my cheek before crumbling into me.
"I love you Rhys. She'll come back to you, I swear it." I say as the mighty High Lord hangs limp in my arms.
...
I dress once again in the regal clothes of the Night Court, watching in the mirror as Mor braids my hair. My silk black dress is tight against my skin, the bump on my stomach protruding through it. My collarbone lays exposed as the sleeves wrap tight against my skin, the bottom hem of the dress billowing out around my feet. Mor sweeps my hair up, placing the silver crown atop my head. On my earlobes sits silver stars, matching the ones that hang around my neck. I meet Vossan in his matching set outside, standing with the rest of our court.
"Ready?" Vossan asks, I nod as the wings extend from my back. I take to the sky moments after the rest, beginning our journey to the mortal lands.
...
Feyre knocks on the door, Nesta's face appears in the crack within the threshold. She ushers us in, her stone-cold gaze watching each one of us, and she eyes the bump on my stomach.
"Nice to see you again, Nesta." I say, offering her a gentle smile. She looks down to my swollen belly again, meeting my eyes soon after.
"A blessing." Is all she says, the tiniest bit of softness under her icy tone. Vossan pulls a seat forward, practically begging me to sit with his pleading eyes. As I lower into the seat before him, there is a tear in the magic surrounding us. The mortal queens have arrived, standing in all their glory before us. They take us all in, studying each of us with steady eyes.
"Thank you for meeting with us once more." Rhysand says, motioning for them to sit as he lowers himself into the chair behind him. The eldest queen looks to me, her piercing eyes boring into my skin.
"New life in these trying times." She says, I hear Vossan's grip tighten on the armrest beside him. I casually reach across and place a hand on his knee, crossing my own legs as I lean toward him.
"A blessing from the Cauldron." I say with a sweet smile. The meeting begins, Rhysand making the first move to speak.
Without warning, I'm swept into a vision.
Two halves of an ancient power, crackling as they weave together once more. Two young, beautiful hands disappearing into the thick, golden liquid held inside a sea of black. The flowers of spring wilting and decaying, falling to nothing but dust and ash. I stand on the sands of a sprawling beach, the rolling waves colored red as splintered ships lay within its waters. Above the horrors of death sits a single, gleaming star.
I blink as I'm thrown back into reality, the mortal queens gone and Rhysand's eyes full of fury. My gaze drifts from side to side, attempting for a moment to remember where I am, as pure shock covers my face. Vossan looks to me with immense concern, moving to kneel in front of me as everyone turns to look at him in confusion. He takes my hand as worry fills his eyes, covers his face.
"Starlight, what happened?" Vossan asks, the rage on Rhysand's face immediately disappears as he turns his full attention to me.
"I-I don't know. I was no longer here, it felt as though I was floating within the universe itself, looking down on the world as our lives played out." I say, the worry in Vossan's eyes only deepens as he subtly glances to Rhys.
"Let's get home, we can talk about it then." Rhys says, not taking his eyes off me.
YOU ARE READING
Starlight
Fanfiction"Celesta." His voice says, creeping around the corner and into the light that shines through the windows. "Princess of the Night Court." Tamlin's eyes bore into mine, I don't shy away from him as he moves closer. "The one who kidnaps what is mine."...
