Ice, steel and shadows -ACOMAF au

Amelia

Footsteps. Soft, but there. Someone was in my room- and they were walking slowly, softly, as if to be undetected-

Rhysand- or even worse? Could it be...her? Did she know of my involvement with the Spring Court? Of my real identity? If she knew- I couldn't imagine what she'd do to Rhys, and Azriel, and Mor, and Cassian- well, she probably couldn't hurt Amren- and my parents, and Davina-

There was ice all over my body, my hands were trembling- it didn't feel like a choice as the ice rushed out of me and a scream pierced my ears.

Nothing felt real- I was drained, sweat running down my face and body, trembling all over as somebody- a lot of somebodies- came running in my room. I couldn't open my eyes, it felt as if they had been sewn shut.

A pair of arms wrapped around me- I couldn't breathe, I couldn't-

"This is your doing Kallias! I told you we weren't handling this right!" My mother's voice- broken, frail. Was I dreaming that I was back home again?

"What are you looking at?! Take her at the medics!" My father shouted, and I shivered, as the arms that were around me tightened their hold.

"Vivianne. You're choking her. Give her space." The arms subsided- someone was sobbing. Maybe I was. Cold fingers wrapped around my own- abnormally icy fingers, matching the ice in my veins. Grounding me.

I was slowly understanding my surroundings- the soft duvet underneath me, the blanket draped over me, the pillows behind me. The cold but fresh air coming in the room- I was not Under the Mountain and I was not in the Spring Court. I was home. Home.

I slowly opened my eyes- the first thing I saw was my father. Pale skin, blonde, almost white hair, and light blue eyes staring into mine, worry sweeping into them. His fingers were still gripping mine. I wetted my lips with my tongue and tasted saltiness- so I was crying.

"Oh darling." My father croaked before pulling me in his arms. His grip was firm and icy, but comforting nevertheless. As my dad pulled away, my mom came into the picture- her usually picture-perfect hair and makeup were both messed up and her hands seemed to still be shaking as she grabbed me in a bone-crushing hug.

She was shaking and crying, and so was I. She pulled away for a second, gripping my face. "We're so sorry darling. We...we just don't know how to handle this." She murmured, her voice breaking. "We're afraid all the time that Rhysand or anyone really is going to come here and grab you, and we'll once again be unable to do anything."

I shook my head, warm tears running down my face. "That's not going to happen mom. But if I stay in here a bit longer, I might as well go mad. And- well, Under the Mountain happened. We can't keep pretending it didn't."

My mother visibly shivered- I knew she hadn't experienced the horrors my father and I had firsthand, but hearing about it and being the one to stay back and defend the lands was probably more than enough for her. "We know now." My father gravely said. "And we need to get your power under control. Immediately."

The ice was still in my veins, burning me from inside out and I knew it was waiting to be unleashed. "What happened?" I slowly asked. I had heard a scream but I was almost certain I had been dreaming-

My parents exchanged a meaningful look I couldn't understand. The ice stilled and so did I. "What happened?" I repeated, my voice hoarse. My mother shallowed, and reached for my hand. I let her grip it. "You were- considering everything you've been through, it's only rational you're easily startled. Davina didn't alert you before entering your room, thinking she'd let you sleep while she cleaned and you- um, reacted badly." My father said, obviously holding back.