A Court of Blood and Glory

Family Again

Rhysand

"I want to learn how to fly." Feyre said, and even though I'd expected her to ask something like that, I was still a little surprised to hear her say it.
"Excellent, I needed someone to batter." Azriel said, and I felt my temper rise in response to his threat. Even though Feyre was able to take care of herself I couldn't help but feel territorial around her, couldn't supress the need to defend her. It was from the mating bond, from having her gone for so long that I felt like the mating bond had only just been accepted again. Feyre, of course, realised this, and she placed a calming hand on my arm.
Don't worry, I won't let him hurt me too much.
That doesn't help.
Azriel noticed my discomfort and quickly changed the subject, choosing to talk about the upcoming meeting once more. "Have we gone over everything we need to before the meeting?" I appreciated his attempt to change the subject, as it gave me a chance to compose myself.
"We have, and we all know what we will need to do off by heart, so there is no need to go over the plans right now." I had done my head in the night before with all the planning, going over every detail down to the time we would arrive and who would enter the mountain first. I did not need to talk about them anymore. "If we have nothing else important to talk about I would like to take a nap."
"Are you sure? You were in bed for hours last night." Mor said, a grin on her face. Even though I was feeling back to normal, I was still a little groggy from my time in my memories with Feyre. I walked upstairs, Feyre opting to come with me, but did nothing other than sleep, my arms and wings wrapped around my mate, her wings gone once more.
We remained that way for hours, and I only stirred when my stomach growled from a lack of food, but Feyre remained asleep, worn out from her time with Tamlin. I left her in that room, but I filled it with darkness and stars, a sight to behold when she woke up. I didn't want her to feel alone ever again, didn't want her to awaken from a nightmare thinking she was in the Spring Court, never wanted her to feel trapped again. I wanted her to feel free, because she was a wolf that couldn't be caged.

Feyre

I woke up, surrounded by stars, my sleep free from nightmares, and I felt nothing but peace as I took in the sight, a sight meant to help me, a gift from Rhys to help me sleep. I could have remained there for some time, but duty called, and I knew I had to get up, had to do something to keep me from falling apart. And I knew that the first place to start wold be learning to fly.

Xxx

I went downstairs, dressed in my fighting leathers, and found the house empty.
Where are you?
It was unlike Rhys to leave me alone without warning.
With Devlon at the camp. I needed to check on how he was doing. Cassian is up in the House of Wind and Azriel is with me. Mor and Amren are around Velaris.
Ok Rhys. I love you.
As I you.
Well there went my plans for learning to fly, but maybe not to train. But first I wanted to see Velaris, see the rainbow once more, remind myself of everything I'd fought for. I went back to my room to change quickly, opting for a navy violet tunic, one that matched Rhys's eyes and lose black trousers. Despite the fact that I was back in Velaris I didn't want to wear any dresses, since they reminded me of how Tamlin made me dress. I opened the door, about to step onto the street, but was quickly stopped by a figure coming towards me. I was about to summon my darkness, but quickly stopped once I realised that it was Mor.
"Hey Feyre. How are you doing?" She asked me. I wasn't feeling at all ok; I was spooked by loud sounds and any fast movement. I felt like I would fall apart if I stopped moving, but I was going too fast, and I would soon crash. I felt like I was as fragile as glass, but too impenetrable to be reached, too broken to be saved. I was drowning, and I was slowly dying inside.
But I didn't say any of that.
"I'm fine." I said, putting a smile on my face.
"Feyre, you may be able to fool Tamlin, but I'm not so easily convinced. Talk to me, what is on your mind?" And I saw actual concern in her eyes, concern for me, not for my body. She took me back into the house and sat with me on the couch, bringing me a hot mug of hot chocolate to try and help me feel better.
Everything came pouring out, all of the gory details that I'd locked away from even Rhys, all of my nightmares and thoughts. Everything, and Mor listened to all of it, bore some of the burden. She didn't judge me for anything, didn't look at me differently. She was there for me, and she was helping me heal, helping me to return to how I once was.
"Have you told Rhys all of this yet?" She asked once I was done.
"Some of it, but I couldn't tell him everything. I thought that he would hate me for what I said about him." It was stupid, and I knew it. Rhys could never hate me, but the fear was still there, like a nagging thought that wouldn't go away.
"I think that you should tell him everything. He did the same thing with Amarantha, said awful things about those he loved, about himself, so that he could save us all, and none of us have ever hated him for it. He won't hate you, he won't care what you said about him. He will help you."
"Help me." I said. I'd started crying at some point, and Mor handed me a tissue to dry my tears.
"All the way, Feyre. I will help you all the way." And she meant it.
This was healing. It was not sex all night. It was not quiet nights and tears alone. It was not burning the world down out of revenge. It was talking with my family, it was opening up and sharing the burden. And every person I spoke to took some of the pain, took away some of the weight on my shoulders, slowly making the pain unnoticeable. I had a family to talk to, a family to share my story with.

Xxx

Rhys returned as the sun set, coming to the town house where he found Mor and myself talking over hot chocolate. "You two look like you're having fun." He said, his eyes gleaming as he took in our happiness. "That's a sound that I've missed." He said, referring to my laugh, and it looked as though some tension had left his shoulders.
Mor's eyes flicked between Rhys and I, and I saw the command in them: talk to him.
"Rhys, we need to talk." I said, and concern lined his face.
"Should I be worried?" He asked in a jockey manner, but I could tell that he feared the worst.
"No. There is no reason for anyone to be worried, not with this." Mor answered for me, and her words were for me as much as they were for Rhys. She gripped my hand, squeezing it lightly in reassurance, telling me that she was there for me.
"I need to tell you everything, everything that happened to me when I was in Spring." I paused, and he sat next to me, understanding on his face. He knew what I went through, and he would help me recover. So I told him everything, and he did just as Mor said he would. He comforted me and bore some of my pain. He didn't look at me differently, he didn't judge me, he only listened and helped me heal.
I did the same thing with Amren, Cassian, and Azriel when the showed up at the house later, and they were each as helpful as Mor and Rhys, each as understanding as the others, none of them seeing me as a monster. And when I joined Rhys in bed that night I knew that no nightmares would plague me, and that Rhys wouldn't need to fight them off, because I was healing, I was healing with my family besides me, ready to help me through everything that the world threw at me.