To Kill A Kingdom | ACOTAR ✔️

Chapter 23 - "Don't say such things like that."

Evette arrived at Feyre's family's old and ruined estate with her mother and uncle Caedmon. This morning she had awoken to Azriel still in her tent - he had been asleep, and they had grown closer in their slumber. One of his wings had been draped over her almost protectively - she found it was rather sweet.

And rather than wake him up, she settled back to sleep. And when she awoke next, she found a small note from him claiming he didn't wish to wake her. It was then that she knew that Azriel was kinder and nicer than he let on to most. She took that him showing her how kind he really was was a sure sign of their friendship.

Most of the day she had been running errands among her people, and avoiding questions about how none of them were killed even if they had received a killing blow. And about her magic. She still wore Azriel's shirt to this meeting - not having much want to change. She simply pulled on some leather trousers and some boots.

She found she didn't need a fancy dress and a crown for people to know who she was. She was the Black Queen of Angevin, it was obvious. Evette had tied her hair up into a partly neat updo.

Her and her family entered behind Tamlin, and upon their arrival she saw Feyre, Rhys, Azriel, and Lucien all stood waiting for them, before they were to be directed further into the house. "I do love what you've done with the place, Feyre." Evette mused jokingly as she gazed around the ruined estate.

Feyre snorted lightly. Her mother and uncle simply offered them nods before they proceeded further in. "Are you and your family okay?" Feyre asked her gently.

"We will be." Evette replied. "It's not their first time loosing a family member...though I suppose losing a son is much worse than loosing a brother and sister." Evette looked to where her mother and uncle disappeared off to. "She has Caedmon...he'll help her, and she'll help him. He basically raised us all beside her, after all."

"Speaking of death, I feel I must say I owe you...my Court and people owe you." Rhys added in. "You saved our Illyrian fighters from being obliterated. You saved Cassian from feeling those losses as if they were parts of himself. You saved many families from the need of mourning their dead. We will not forget that! Nor will the Illyrian's, they'll be...extra nice."

Evette shrugged lightly. "Is that why one of them began to like...flex his wings at me earlier?" Evette asked with furrowed brows. "I'm not familiar with...winged Fae customs. I figured it was a show of appreciation."

Rhys grimaced slightly, and glanced over at Azriel, whose shadows darkened around him. "Yeah, no." Rhys told her lightly. Evette frowned at this, and Rhys spoke through Feyre's mind and figured it was better to come form her.

"An Illyrian's wingspan correlates with the size of other appendages." Feyre clarified for her, making her make a small noise of realisation. Upon realising that the man was trying to show off. "Were his wings at least big?" Feyre asked her, making Lucien glanced between both the women.

Evette scoffed. "How would I know?" Evette asked her. "I don't know what signifies as big in Illyrian terms. But I'd say...like, average size. I don't know." She shrugged, and she looked between Rhys and Azriel. "Perhaps one day one of you can tell me about wings. No form of Fey have them...they're very fascinating to my kind."

"I'd be happy to." Azriel assured her with a nod. "And perhaps you can explain why some Fey have glowing eyes, while others don't."

"That actually has a fascinating answer." Evette told him, and she heard people approaching behind her. "I suppose I'll see you all inside. I hear people approaching." She looked between them all with a soft smile, before she moved to proceed further in, when someone called out for her.