A Court of Games and Fate

Family Reunited

          Andromeda found herself firmly planted in her spot as her eyes continued to slowly adjust to the scene before her. The blonde female- Mor, she supposed- was swift in joining her collapsed father, firmly holding him as he shook frighteningly hard. Even in her father's most unhinged moments, she had never seen him fall completely apart like this. Who was his mate?

          Terror clenched Andromeda's gut after a moment. It couldn't have been her mother, right? She thought back to how distant he had been after the night everything went down. No, no it couldn't be her. He wouldn't have been able to hide that, but who else could it be?

          Seeing her father's state, she couldn't ponder on the answer for too long. Andromeda felt like she needed to run forward to him, but she merely watched as Mor and her father experienced their first moments together after fifty years of being separated. The two remaining members of their family... besides Andromeda.

          Andromeda did not know what to do. How to fit. She didn't know her place within this familial trio. She couldn't let her panic show now though. Not when her father was like this.

          "Dad?" she called, finally forcing her feet to move closer to the pair.

          Mor's head snapped up upon hearing her voice, her tear-filled eyes meeting the younger female's. The blonde female- her cousin? Aunt? -froze at the sight of her, her jaw slackening in surprise. Andromeda also froze. Did her father not tell them about her? Did the fae outside of the Mountain's court know about the princess? Rhysand mentioned that his circle could not leave Velaris due to the magic protection binding them to the city, but surely they must have heard something? Surely her father mentioned to Mor that he was returning with a daughter in tow?

          It didn't matter. Not at this moment.

          Andromeda ignored the stunned female and continued crossing to her father. She forced herself to also ignore the daytime sky just outside the floor-to-ceiling windows behind them as she knelt down to her knees in front of the male. Timidly, she reached forward and touched his clammy hand.

          "Dad? What happened?" Andromeda questioned mentally, figuring in his anguish he'd appreciate not saying the words aloud.

          Rhysand seemed to finally take in a full breath of air after many silent moments. His blotchy, violet eyes met her own, flooding her with grief and hopelessness. Andromeda held in her own tears, forcing herself to be put together for her father.

          "Feyre. She's my mate."

          After a few more minutes of the females trying to comfort the Lord, Rhysand finally began to compose himself after the revelation of the mating bond setting into place for him only minutes before winnowing away from the Mountain. Feyre was his mate. Andromeda was shocked, but not at the same time. Of course, there was a deeper reason behind his pull to the human-turned-Fae girl. Why he seemed so put out and frazzled these last few months. She was disappointed in herself for brushing it off as him simply being stressed over the outcome with Amarantha, but logically, she knew it still made sense.

          Leave it to that damn Cauldron to "gift" them with mating bonds to people they couldn't be with.

          Rhysand now stood against a large table, adjusting his tunic and picking off whatever dust it had collected. His eyes were still distant, but now he was at least able to focus on the reunion. Andromeda and Mor, now without the distraction of the collapsed male, were standing on opposite ends of the room. The two were cautiously staring the other down without trying to appear as so.