𝐀 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

𝟐𝟔

Azriel

     "Amren and Morrigan can stay," Madja ordered once we moved Arya to her room. I went to protest when Mor gave me a sympathetic look. "Az, we need to change and clean her. She wouldn't want to be exposed like that if you stay."

"Come on, brother," Cassian says but it was Rhys' look that got my feet moving out of the room.

My mate was alive.

She came back to me, to us.

She's been alive this whole time and we've been just here.

A spymaster, lord of bloodshed, and a High Lord not once thought that the body we buried wasn't her.

I closed my eyes as I felt the glow in my chest pulsing. A space that lay doormat and cold for half a millennium.

She was only in the mortal lands, we could have rescued her.

Did she feel we didn't care? Does she think we just gave up on her?

I lean against the wall opposite her bedroom door, staring at it as I hear the ladies move around inside.

"How long?" Cass asked breathlessly. "How long have you known she's alive?"

Rhys blinked away the gloss of silver in his eyes, "Around three and a half months now," he answered.

"I met her in Calanmai, she was glamoured as a human then. She sent a short mental message to me. Then I saw her again when I visited the Spring Court to scare Tamlin enough to send both her and Feyre, the human who's fallen in love with Tamlin. We spoke a little then, that was when I truly knew it was her and she's been alive this entire time."

"But how?" Cass interrogates.

"Arya and I haven't had the time to talk about it either Cass. All I know is she's resided in the mortal for decades, she raised Feyre and her sisters."

I found myself pitching in, "I'm guessing scaring Tamlin didn't work since they both ended up Under the Mountain?"

"It did work," Rhys sighs. "But then they both showed up Under the Mountain. Feyre fought for Tamlin and his court while Arya fought for the rest of Prythian. They made a bargain with," he swallows, "with Amarantha. They were to be given three tasks each and if they complete them, everyone gets freed."

"Fuck," Cass shakes his head. "Who made the killing blow?"

"Arya."

•❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅•

Arya

I woke up to delicate fingers running through my hair, I would have basked in the comfort if it weren't for the pounding in my head. I groan moving my head slowly.

"Careful," a voice of a familiar female says. I crack my eyes lightly to see Madja tending to one of my hands, "Madja."

"Princess," she says softly.

"Can I sit up?" I ask hoarsely, my eyes now adjusting to my surroundings. The fingers ran through my hair belonging to Morrigan whilst Armen stood at the end of the bed, watching Madja's movement with a careful eye. Ready to snap if the healer made the wrong move and credits go to Madja for seeming unbothered by the scary creature.

"Yes, but be careful," Madja says before she goes to help Mor to guide me to a sitting position. Our beloved healer goes back to my hands and Mor helps me take a few sips of water.

"How long have I been out?" I asked no one in particular but my eyes did land on Amren. "Considering the sun is coming up and you went unconscious past midnight, the majority of the night."