A Court of Heritance and Destiny

Chapter 10 Amaya

She was restless, or that was one way to describe the way her body itched to do something. With the Winter Solstice days away her training with others was on pause, and Amaya had already spent the full morning using her magic in her room. Forming all different kinds of shapes and objects, large and small. Then she had done her reading, going deep into the history books about her family and court. The laws and magic that governs the Night Court. But the clock had only just hit midday, leaving too much of the day remaining.

She had been out shopping, making sure to have something to give away this first real Solstice. Finding gifts was hard, but after some questioning she had found something, big or small, for everyone. Hoping to give back a large thanks for what she had been given a year earlier. For most it was mostly just tokens of her appreciation, belts, daggers, fun things that she hoped could represent the bond she felt to her family. But for her parents, she had filled notebooks with facts about herself as she grew up, or tried to. So much had only been told to her from others, but she wanted to give them that piece of her. To fill out the blanks of her life. All of the presents were already wrapped and ready, hiding in her closet. Leaving her with even less things to do as she started to walk around in her room.

The house was mostly empty, even if her training had been cancelled, other tasks were still happening. Azriel and Gwyn were still out on something, and had been for weeks now. Etera and Ikarad in the cabin, no words of when any of them would return, if they would return. Her own parents were visiting the Winter Could, a meeting between friends and not something that she needed to attend. Nyx and Nico were also away, visiting the Day Court. The male had no real family there, but he had some friends from his schooling, and Nyx wanted to meet them. Leaving Amaya totally alone.

Her mind wandered off, landing on the inky spot that was Orion. The male had spent most of his time in the Court of Nightmares, with Etera gone he had picked up some extra missions there. Leaving the two of them to meet less and less. She missed him, she really did, missed the day when he was her only company, missed the nights they shared. The stolen kisses, the passion under the glass ceiling.

With a frustrated sigh she started to walk around in her room, hoping that the movement could get rid of some of the restlessness in her bones. But after an hour, only the carpet under her showed a sign of giving in. Even more frustrated she threw herself on the bed, staring up at the painted stars. Her stars.

The room had truly turned into her room, many times more personal than the one she had had before. The bed was large and soft, decorated with more pillows and blankets than she had ever imagined needing, but after six months sleeping here, she couldn't imagine doing anything else. Then it was her wardrobe, a separate room connected to hers. It was not fully filled with clothes, yet. Most of it was just dayware, pants and shirts in different styles and materials. Like warmer wool, or glossy silk for more formal days. The dresses, all in pale colours, white, silver, pale pinks and blues. Different from the others in the Night Court black, but she wanted it that way, to stand out, to show them who she was. One of the many symbols she used to solidify her status.

On the opposite wall to the wardrobe, she had her desk and above it the large window overlooking the river and Velrais. Frost had grown along the lower edge of the glass, magic could keep it away, but she wanted the snow, wanted to see the seasons change outside of her window. The white landscape was so different from the green hedges she grew up with.

Then she had the painting her mother had given her. Her mother and father holding her hand as a child, Ikarad and Nyx on either side of them. Her father to her left, wingless, Ikarad with wings next to him, a light dusting of violet around his silhouette to show who he was. On her right, her mother and Nyx without his wings. Her family. And her friends. Her only friends.