The Princess & The Lord

Part 16

"How could you say something like that to her?" Nyx said to Bryn. Nyx was angry. He was livid.

"She did this to you. She almost got you killed." Bryn spat.

"She was your friend, how could you do that to her?" Nyx asked and he tried to shake off the thought.

"Because you almost died! Don't you see what she's doing to you? She has you wrapped around her finger. You're not thinking clearly. You are putting her first, before everything. You are to be the High Lord of the Night Court, you can't risk yourself on this girl." Bryn said.

"You're right. I'm going to be the High Lord, therefore I get to make the decisions. You weren't there. You have no idea what you're talking about. You have no idea how important she is to stopping this war. She didn't do this to me. I did this. I was trying to protect her. This could have been her." Nyx tried to explain.

"Good. It should have been," Bryn snapped.

"Get out." Nyx said. He tried to choke down his rage. "Get out!" He said again. But she didn't move. She was too stubborn. "Someone get her the fuck out of here!" He yelled to the hallway.

"I'm the only one who has your best interest at heart." Bryn said. "I'm trying to protect you from yourself."

Rhys walked through the door and stood between Nyx and Bryn.

"You've done enough tonight." Rhys said to Bryn. She looked up at him and immediately left the room-she could not refuse a command from her High Lord.

"She's wrong," Nyx said to his father. "I've never known something more clearly. I couldn't stand to see her get hurt."

"Bryn is just worried about you. Her life is tied to yours, she is to be your second. Her job is to protect you, to protect the Night Court. This in no way means what she said to Elena was right, but Bryn wants to protect you the same way you want to protect Elena." Rhys said carefully.

Nyx was quiet for a moment before he asked, "How did you know? That mother..." he trailed off.

"You just know. You spend ever waking moment thinking about her. You'd sell your soul just to see her smile. And at the same time she drives you insane. She pushes you; she challenges you. And even if it's not with you, all you what is for her to be happy." Rhys said with a small smile.

"But she's right. It could never work." Nyx said as he leaned his head back on the pillow behind him and stared at the ceiling.

Rhys didn't say anything. He just placed a soothing hand on Nyx's shoulder.
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Elena sat in the tub with her golden wet hair splattered across her back. She wrapped her arms around her bent legs and rested her head upon her knees.

Bryn was right. In every sense, except for one thing- she couldn't leave. This was her mess to clean up. And she would do whatever it took to make things right. But at that moment in time, she just wanted to forget about everything.

Elena climbed out of the bath and quickly dried off. She put on a comfortable dark green lounging set, brushed through her tangled her, and walked down the hallway. When she reached the door, she could hear the voices inside.

She knocked quietly and she could hear the voices stop. A few quiet footsteps later and the door opened. Those deep sapphire eyes lit with joy and a sly smile spread across his face as he brushed the moon white hair out of his eyes.

"There she is," Aster smiled as he opened the door wider to let her in.

Gavriel and Cal sat in the chairs near the balcony- the doors open wide. Elena flopped on Aster's bed and buried her face in a pillow.

"We heard you put on quite the show." Cal said from across the room as Aster shut the door.

"Mhhmm" Elena muffled from behind the pillow.

"Tell us about it, Lena." Gavriel said using her childhood nickname. "Father barely gave me any details."

"It was horrible," Elena said as she rolled over on her back and Aster flopped onto his stomach next to her, using a pillow to prop up his shoulders. "Those things-those demons- are just as horrible as they described. It's almost as though they had no thoughts, just driven by the instinct to kill."

"How are they getting here? He doesn't have the keys." Cal asked.

"He can use the magic of the barrier between the mortal realms and the fae. He can siphon just enough magic from the wall to temporarily open portals. At least we were successful in that front." Elena explained.

"What do you mean?" Gavriel asked.

"I sealed up the caves the Valg were hiding out in. It should push them away from the wall. They won't have as easy access to the wall especially now that the High Lord of the Spring Court is aware of what's going on." Elena said.

"High Lord," Aster snuffed. "Everything here is so different, yet still the same."

"Their fae have wings. But the fae don't have the distinct canines." Cal added.

"Their magic is strange. Their peoples are so separated, the humans and the fae," Gavriel jumped in.

"They don't believe in female rulers," Elena said. "Here, I would never have the chance to be a High Lady."

"But isn't Feyre's a High Lady?" Cal asked.

"She is, but only because Rhys wanted her to become High Lady. The line of succession here is different. The heir to each court has physical and magical markers. It does not always pass through first born. And throughout their history, their heirs have only been males."

"They seemed to be more advanced than us, but not in that area." Cal said disappointedly.

"Is it everything you thought it would be? Seeing these other worlds?" Gavriel asked.

"I spent hours upon hours looking through those portals, but I never thought I'd actually be here. This world- Velaris, it is truly beautiful." Elena said with a small smile.

"Never thought we would all be here though," Gavriel said with a laugh.

"I'm sorry I dragged you all into this," Elena said.

"We are sworn to protect you," Cal said as he gestured to himself and Gavriel.

"And we'd follow you anywhere," Aster added as he wrapped his hand around hers.

She looked down at their hands- a gesture that normally would make her heart race.