A Court of Moon and Blood

Chapter Four

After what only seemed like minutes, we landed on top of familiar mountains, in the distance I could see my land. The lights from Velaris, though far away, I'd know them anywhere. Cassian let my legs go, making sure I planted them before letting me go fully. "You took that surprisingly well" A smile pulled along his lips as I looked at the two of them, "Why did you bring me back to my court..? I thought we were going to talk about Syrephael?" Azriel looked at the city lights before looking back at me, "You want honesty, we had to take you away from listening ears. Bringing you here is the safest place for words. Your land, your rules." I looked at him confused for a moment but I straightened my back as all of the wind had stopped hitting us.

A clear bubble seemed to form around the three of us. Sound proofed, stopping all the elements from touching us, and small pieces of color moving along its walls. "If you wanted a barrier you could've just asked.." Cassian looked at the shield with a smile, "Like you said at the meeting, we don't know anything about you, Princess. Assuming you have certain talents then finding out you don't would be.. disappointing, don't you think?" His head turned to look at me as I clenched my jaw slightly but I shook off the comment and looked back at Azriel, "So?" He tilted his head to the side before beginning to slightly pace in a straight line. "Your father and Kimerous fought in our lands. Though, we don't know why, things happened before the fight that we believe caused it. Your father and him had a treaty of trade between the courts. Do you know what it is?" Azriel's eyes met mine but I shook my head, "I found.. letters of confirmation between the two but never anything about what was being given or taken back.." He looked to the side, Cassian stepped towards me slightly, I looked at him. "Your father was trading information on the other courts. Nothing incriminating, but more of almost.. updates on what was happening with them. When meetings would occur, what happened in those meetings, who was at them. Basic things." My brows furrowed, "And what did he get in return?" Cassian looked at Azriel whose body turned to face me once again, "Reasons to stay away."

The words repeated in my mind. Reason to stay away from what? From the people? From our lands? The confusion must've shown on my face as Azriels stance straightened, "Your father and Kimerous used to rule on your lands together. Being brothers, your Full Moon Court and our Eclipse court were once just known as the Night Court. Before you were born, before the war of Amarantha. Before even me and Cassian were around. It was 1,000 years ago." I clenched my jaw, my father and that...man ruled...together? I shook my head slightly, "That doesn't...my father never told me about that?" Cassian smiled, seeming to know that I would say that, "Your father's treaty included that Kimerous would not only stay in our lands, but stay away from you. Though he never told Kimerous who, what, or where you were, he made it very clear that when their lands separated, that he was to come nowhere close to it because of something he cared more about than his court." I took a breath, an aching building in my chest. The treaty he had made.. was to not keep our lands safe.. but me?

Azriel turned to look at the city lights in the far distance, "The split originally happened because Kimerous wanted to rule over all the courts. Made it very apparent of that fact at every meeting, every gathering there was, your father and him were the strongest high lords. Hence why the other high lords refer to them as 'Yin and Yang'. They were what balanced each other's powers out. And then fighting, would shake the earth whenever they did. But due to them being such close matches in power, they couldn't kill one without both falling. They both needed the other alive to live." I raised my hands to the crown on my head, taking it off and lowering it so I could look at it in my hands, all of this information that he never told me. Everything he had hid from me...he didn't think I was ready...but could I blame him? I wasn't ready. I still wouldn't be ready for him to go. I wasn't ready for him to die, but.. would I ever be? Did he know when he left he would die..? My eyes broke from the crown as I looked at the both of them, seeming to be waiting for my response, "Why did they fight? If they had this...treaty of peace, what broke it?" They both looked at each other, as if asking one another if I could know. I clenched my jaw before stepping closer to both of them, "Tell me." My voice didn't crack, my head flinched after I spoke, the words slipped from my lips before I could decide if I really wanted to know the answer.