A Court of Heritance and Destiny

Part 2: During

Rhys looked down at the baby in his arms. Just a few minutes old. Their third child, and first daughter. He had a hard time believing it as she opened her eyes, a mirror to his. Both of his sons had blue, Nyxs was blue like the night sky, and Ikarads the same as Feyres. But here was little Vega, named after his sister, with violet eyes and the moon's light.

"She is perfect..." He whispered, slowly moving her back to Fayres arms. They needed this moment alone, if only for a few hours.

"No wings this time..." A hint of disappointment existed in her words.

"That doesn't matter to me. She will still learn the wind songs." He moved his finger over his daughter's cheek, and in response a magic he had not seen for six hundred years came forward.

Black sand swirled like tentacles around her, before fading out to nothing. Rhys just looked at his daughter.

"What was that? Shadows?" Feyre moved on the bed.

"No..." Rhys knew that he had tears in his eyes. "I have not seen that type of power since my sister..." It was hard to explain. His sister had been able to summon the black sand, one that could create and destroy everything in its path if she wanted too. But her powers had not made themselves seen until she was of age, and they had required a lot of training to control. But here his daughter was, summoning the sand at barely an hour old.

"We can face everything together." Feyre said, also letting her finger trace down her daughter's cheek. "Like we always do."

"Yes... Yes..."

___

The night outside of their bedroom was calm, a clear star filled night glowed out there, beyond the opened window. Rhys sat up and stared at the window and curtain that swayed in the wind. Getting up from the bed was a struggle, his mind tried to understand what just had happened, tried to find a rift in the magic around the house. But nothing... The little crib laid empty, the blankets tossed to the side.

A cry only heard once before came out over the Night Court, mountains trembled and trees cracked. The daughter of the High Lord and High Lady, was gone.

___

The City of Velaris was quiet under them, the late summer night heavy with sorrow as its people stood on the streets. The news that had been shared from their High Lord and Lady had shattered their hearts. A new Princess, gone, not dead, gone. Kidnapped. They saw how the Lord and Lady stood in all black, both still holding their backs straight as they talked, asking for help, suppert, love...

Prince Nyx stood next to his parents, they had told them that the Prince would start to rule over Velarias in the near future. They loved the Prince, then it was the second son. The one with the secret mate, the Illyrian stood there next to his brother, a large Hund at his legs. They had seen them, but a few whispered that they had seen a female in his home in the last months. But no one was certain.

The General, the made Sister, the Valkyries, The Morrigan, Amren, and lastly the Darkbringer. They all stood with their heads tilted down in respect and sorrow. Grieving for the lost girl.

The question filled the air once the announcement was over.

"Where is our lost Princess?"

____

While the magic around the lands made an everlasting spring bloom, they could not keep a winter storm out. Hard rain and hale beat down on the still unfinished buildings around his new plan. The wind screamed its song around the corners of unfinished walls and houses.

Tamlin sat in the only part of the Castle that was finished. His own chambers and the throne room. Rosehall was still cared for, but he needed a fresh start, a new way to rule his court. He had been high lord for almost 400 years now, it was time for a change. The plan had not been only his, some of his new advisors had lifted it from the citizens in his court. Asking for a city, for a way of living closer to him.

"It will secure your power." They had told him, and Tamlin did just that. The project would be costly, but the cofferts in the Spring Court ran deep, he was looking to reform a lot of things. To mend the broken trust between him and his citizens. It took time, but slowly he was coming there.

The wind didn't stop, it screamed louder outside of the windows and the High Lord walked over to them, ready to pull the curtains to dampen the sounds. But he froze. There in the dim rainy night a figure came walking, a cape warped around their body. Tamlin hurried out to the grand doors, opening them in one swift movement.

"Who walks there?" He called out, the storm almost took his words away. The figure didn't stop walking, no, they moved faster towards the grand entrance, and him. "Give me your name!" He called louder, ready to strike them down if not answered.

"Is that how you greet an old friend?" Her voice was uncannily similar to her sisters. Tamiln took a step back, seeing how Dorothea, sister to Ianthe, stood there on the staircase. "Can I come in?"

"Yes..." She had, just like her sister, joined the Prissteses, but while Ianthe had been blinded by the power she had access to, Dorothea had stayed on the ground. "I have already told your followers that I am not interested in what you have to offer, so what brings you here?" He closed the door behind them. The Prissteses cape dripped water on the floor, showing how truly hard the storm was.

"I have something to tell you." She moved her cape and there, tied to her chest was an infant child. No older than a few hours. "You have a daughter, High Lord, one born to give you an heir." Tamlin took a step back.

"Not possible."

"But yet here she is." Dorothea dragged her finger down the dark mop of hair on the baby. "Her mother joined you in the cave last year, she died in childbirth just hours ago." Tamlin held his eyes on the Priestesses , trying to understand what she was saying.

"You keep them." Children made during Calanmai stayed with the sisterhood, they grew up there, to join them or leave them once they became of age. "No child made during that night is mine." He didn't know how many might share his blood out in the world. But unless it was his mate, or a female he had crowned his Lady, they were not an heir. A girl even less.

"She killed her mother." Dorothea spoke with a voice that was colder than the winter rain. "Smell her, she has your power, the power to one day be strong enough to pass down to the crown." She lifted the baby from her chest, trying to place her in Tamlins shaking arms.

"She is no child of mine!" He refused, but the Priestesses placed her in his arms. Tamlin looked down, big brown eyes looked back up at him. But around her... He felt the power, like a mist surrounding her.

"The world is changing, High Lord, her existence is proof of that." Dorotea creased the child's cheek. "You need to change with it."

"Did you come here last fall to tell me this?" He asked, remembering the last time he had seen her.

"No... Then it was a different task I had been given. But now..." She smiled down at the girl, "She doesn't have a name, she will need one to be remembered, one to show how strong she will be."

"Freya." Tamlin didn't hesitate, a name so close and yet so far away from whom he once had loved. "Freya..." He lifted her closer, seeing how she closed her eyes to sleep.

"She needs to be protected." He could only agree. Tamlin turned on his heel and walked towards his own chamber, the blanket around Freya was a pale pink one, and so thin, not at all suitable for a rainy and cold night like this one. "She will need to be raised in this court, taught all its secrets and traditions." Dorotheas hands came up with a thicker blanket and together they swaddled her into it. "The Mother has seen you struggle for so long Tamlin, and she gave you a gift in return."

"She will be kept a secret..." Twice had Rhysands Spymaster been seen in this court, and the news of the never ending search for the missing Princess had reached his ears months ago. "Others might think that she is someone else..." But this child was his. He looked up at the Priestess, Dorothea had a soft smile on her lips, her face fixated on the baby. "Stay here."

"What?"

"Stay here, be her teacher, you once asked to serve my court, do so by being her governess." Everything was happening so fast. He needed to find someone to care for Freya, to raise her, to teach her the things he could not. "You are a scholar in your own right, Dorothea, help me." She continued to smile.

"Of course, My High Lord."