A Court of Tears and Starlight

Calanmai

It was time.

I looked at myself in the mirror and a stranger stared back at me. Her stern eyes held mirth and sorrow in equal measure. Her brows were perfectly shaped and arched as if they knew a secret that she was quietly amused by. Soft curls were woven up into a fish braid that encircled her head. These were woven with star-light gems from the night court. Her cheeks flushed as she looked at those.

Rhysand knew about the ball.

She had awoken that morning with the sense that she had just missed something really important. She couldn't quite shake that nagging sensation that something was just out of her grasp. As she rolled out of bed and stretched her eyes widened at the small parcel and note resting on the table underneath the window. She approached it warily and her heart clenched and fluttered in her chest as she saw Rhysand's elegant script scrawled on the envelop.

Rhysand was here.

Or at least he had been in this very room with her and she had missed him. She felt a little bit crushed. He hadn't even woken her to steal a kiss or say hello. He must be really mad.

Her fingers tugged numbly at the delicate black ribbon binding the box. As she pulled the strands free and popped the lid her breath caught in her chest. Inside were silver hair pins, gracefully woven bands of silver that had been worked into a master piece of individual flowers. As the centre of each flower was a radiant gem that throbbed with its own inner light.

They were the most beautiful of their kind that I had ever seen. I noted with wonder that each held the light of a different hue. My hands fumbled the note as I opened the rich parchment and stared down at the perfect printed script.

These gems are dark and meaningless rocks until the starlight imbues them with its light and changes their shape forever.

As I with you.

I felt fat tears splash down my cheeks as I marvelled at the precious gift before me. How could he even begin to compare me to such beauty? I was uncultured, my tongue was sharp and ungracious, my looks were average, my temper was brutal and my heart was guarded. He had it all backwards. Rhys was the perfect one. The most beautiful face, eyes cut from the stars, the body of a demi-god, the tongue of a courtesan and that rolling bell like laugh that was warmer than the sun. He was the one who had infused me with light and life.

As Alis' expert hands tugged and wove my hair into the fish-plait braid her eyes had not been able to hold back the wonder and admiration of the hair pins... even if they were from Rhysand. I smiled wryly at her and she swatted my arm.

"It doesn't change the fact he is a nightmare," she retorted.

I smiled. If he was a nightmare then they were the only dreams that I ever wanted to have.

She chuckled and shook her head at my dreamy expression.

As she wove the gems through my hair their different shade of light glowed faintly around my head.

She stood back to admire her work and her eyes went wide and her hand flew up to her mouth.

"What?" I asked, alarmed at her sudden reaction.

She shook her head slowly and a lovely smile formed on her face.

"He crowned you," she said softly.

I started at her like she had gone completely mad. Her words made no sense at all.

As I turned to look in the mirror her hand gently touched the seven glowing gems on my head. The subtlety of their colours suddenly dawned on me. A different could per court. I smiled and my bottom lip began to quiver. Alis patted my shoulder knowingly as I took a few shallow sobbing breaths. Rhysand understood. He knew why I was doing this. His gift crowned me for all of Prythian and not just the Night Court.