A Court of Tears and Starlight

Welcome to the Night

I was in the clouds. Flying through endless night. The stars seemed to sing to me in a beautiful melody that was both sound and light. I couldn't understand the language they sang but somewhere in my heart I knew their words were for me. Waves of warmth and love wrapped around me like a blanket. I snuggled into that warmth and breathed in the sweet tingling of the night air. I sunk into a bed of clouds, hugged and tucked in as sweetly as a babe. From somewhere beyond this place I felt the soft warm brush of lips on my forehead and felt a strange sensation sweeping across my face. A familiar sense of nostalgia tugged at the edges of my consciousness and then I realised what it was. I was smiling. My eyes opened wide in shock.

Above me shone a thousand stars. The longer I stared, the deeper I looked into endless galaxies and hidden wonders. It seemed as though I was up many many miles high and with that thought I froze in terror. What if I moved and fell straight through this cloud to the world below? I felt my body grow rigid and my eyes widened in horror as I slowly pulled my eyes from the sky and scanned my surroundings. I sat up in surprise as I realised that I was in a very large, plush bed. A soft chuckling from the corner of the room alerted me to the fact that I was not alone.

"Good morning sunshine" came his soft sensual voice.

"Or should I say starlight?" he mused...

"as since the pouring of the Great Cauldron the sun has never shone in this place"

"Welcome to Night..."

I looked around me in wonder. Completely dazzled by the white marble walls, the rich and intricately carved mahogany furniture and the thick, soft, black carpet rug stretched out before a deep set fire place. I had never seen such luxury in my life. Yet despite all of the wealth around me, the true master piece was in the ceiling above me, bewitched to show the roaming of the galaxies through space and time.

Rhysand cleared his throat and looked at me expectantly.

Had he spoken? I raised an eyebrow in question.

He let out another bemused chuckle and replied "I asked if you liked your new dwelling"?

I blinked and stared at him without response. As I looked at him my smile faded and my face settled back into its blank mask. Too well I remembered his love for games under the mountain. My being here could only mean one thing; something was a foot in the Night Court and Rhysand needed a new piece on his game board. Or that he was bored with his other play things.

He gave a nonchalant shrug at my reaction, one which didn't quite ring true.

He then prowled towards me and stopped when his face was less than a foot from mine.

"You made a deal remember? and now we are going to have some fun" he purred.

I couldn't move or look away as he lent in until his lips brushed the edge of my ear and murmured "and some kinds of fun are best kept for night time"

I jerked back, annoyed at the blush creeping across my cheeks and the flush of warmth I felt surge through my tattooed arm.

Rhysand grinned with delight at my response before turning abruptly and striding towards the door. He swept around just before he exited and called "Dinner is in an hour. Please dress as befits one who is to accompany the Lord of Night".

I stared blankly at the doorway for a while before turning back and slowly sinking down on the edge of my bed. I think I would have stayed there all evening had not two shadow servants materialised before me. They were the ladies from under the mountain. They nodded politely before beckoning me to follow them into an adjacent doorway where a giant steaming, marbled tub awaited me.