Throne of Glass and ACOTAR Crossover (complete)

Chapter 8 - Feyre

The news Az gave Rhys and I away from the rest of the court is disturbing. The court of nightmares is on the brink of a revolt, with several parties pushing for an alliance with Hybern. They want freedom from Rhys and what they see as the restraints of the laws against killing and enslaving humans. 

Though I am newly returned to the court and all Rhys and I really want to do is find a bed and fall into it, we need to go. The court of nightmares needs to see its high lord and lady. They need to be shown that we are strong and any thought of revolution is foolish. 

And I think it will be a good opportunity to test the newcomers to the court. 

I know that my family, Rhys included, think I'm insane for bringing Celaena and Aedion here. We don't know them, they could be assassins planning to kill us in our sleep for all we know. But there's something about them, I think they could be useful. But I'm still wary, even more so after seeing the way Celaena can fight. I've never seen anyone best Cass with such ease, and from the expressionless on the faces of the rest of the inner circle, none of them has either. Hopefully this trip will give me a little more insight into our strange new allies. And I still have those two questions in my back pocket. 

I lead Mor and Celaena down a hall. We need to prepare and leave as soon as possible. I can tell that the separation from Aedion is causing Celaena no small amount of anxiety, but Rhys is helping him to get ready. The girl notices me watching her and immediately any outward sign of emotion is gone. "What preparations, exactly, are needed for this ... court of nightmares?" she purrs.

I smile and walk into a room to my right, my old room. Cerridwen is there bustling around. I turn to Celaena. "More than you might think actually. First we need to get suitably dressed. If we walked in there like this, they'd eat us alive. And second, we need to let you know what to expect. It isn't like here. The rules are different, the people we have to be are different".

The expression on Celaena's face tells me that she understands, perhaps too well. This isn't a new occasion for her. The information sits ill with me. 

We all jump and turn when the door opens loudly, but it is only Nuala, walking in with her arms full of dresses. She dumps them on a table and turns to us all with a grin. From the corner of my eye I see that Celaena is grinning like a madwoman at all the finery on the table. 

I walk over and start sorting through the mountains of fabric. Every dress is striking, revealing. I see the black one that I wore last time and smile briefly at the memory. I see Mor smirk at me and stick my tongue out at her. I finally find three dresses that I think might work and turn to see how Celaena's doing, only to see that she is knee deep in gowns and smiling like a child. 

She picks up four or five and walks into the bathroom to change. I raise an eyebrow at Mor, who shrugs in return. Celeana emerges a second later, wearing a breathtaking gold gown. The neckline plunges deep, and it hugs her curves all the way to the floor. On anyone else it would look gaudy, ridiculous, but somehow it suits her. She twirls for us. "Good?"

I nod mutely. Beside me, Mor does the same. Celaena takes a seat in front of a mirror and Cerrwiden gets to work on her face, darkening it, making it look mysterious, though it isn't as though it requires that much. The girl is basically a walking question mark. "So" she says, startling me out of my revery "you said that you had to tell me about how to act at this court?"

I take a deep breath and begin. 

It takes Mor and I the better part of an hour to find dresses, get our makeup done, and instruct Celaena on what to expect at the court of nightmares.  She seems to take it in stride, and doesn't even blink at the role I ask her to play. It worries me, but hopefully after tonight I, we, will know a bit more about the girl from another land. 

We descend into the front hall and are greeted by the appealing sight of our boys in dress wear. Rhys looks marvelous, as always, in his dark suit. I can't help but notice how Mor's eyes are drawn to Az. It makes me smile. Celaena's male, Aedion, looks decidedly uncomfortable in his own suit, almost a mirror to Rhys'. He's fidgeting and pulling at the cuffs, but a single look and raised eyebrow from Celaena has him standing ruler straight. I walk over and take Rhys' hand. "Is everybody up to date on the plan?" I ask him.

He nods, all the confirmation I need, and a second later he, I, and Mor have winnowed the whole group just outside of the court of nightmares. We all take a deep breath, and then Rhys and I dawn our masks. 

I see Celaena and Aedion take an involuntary step back at the look of ferocity and power that I can see on Rhys' face, and perhaps from the dark powerful mystery that is now around mine. Good. I smile, a cruel wicked expression, and gesture to the group to go in ahead of us. 

And so we enter the court of nightmares. 

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