A Court of Fire and Gold

A Spark

   I closed the leather journal and lay my head down on the desk, attempting to rub the ache out of my tired eyes.  I had spent all night scouring old Night Court records for a cure or some solution to the mortal queen Vassa's firebird curse. I had never even met the woman but After meeting her during the war, Feyre and Rhysand are adamant about helping her.

   I don't deal with mortal queens anymore. They used to call me Morrigan, bringer of truth, and I was a beacon of light and power that would always protect the human realm. Now when I gaze into each new queen's eyes all I see is a bitter corruption that lays shame in my love's beautiful memory.

   As the years have passed, the pain from her absence has dulled to a small ache in my stomach that grows when we travel to the mortal world. Everything seems dull without her bright smile and the human world is not as pure as it was when Andromache ruled.

   Tomorrow we meet with the fire queen, Vassa to discuss the rebuilding of an empire and the freedom of a monarch. Originally I declined going, Rhysand didn't push me on this and I knew he understood from the glimmer of sadness that shone on his eyes. So I retired to my room without a second thought. But later that same night Feyre winnowed into my room and took a seat down on my bed.

  "Mor, you are the bravest person I know"

I sighted, "I just can't go, what if she's just like her? What if she's awful? What if she hates us? What if she's not like her? What if....."

"Vassa is a wonderful person and you need to suck it up for ten minutes so you can see what we all see in her heart. You are Morrigan from the War, and your gift is truth so come with us and judge what is true"

With that Feyre stood from the bed and vanished in a snap of black wind and stars.

  So here I sit, breaking my back over some stupid young queen who got tricked into a curse by a man she didn't even know at the time.

  Utterly frustrated and exhausted I closed my eyes and  amused myself by imagining what this queen looked like. Maybe she kept the beak in her human form and that's why so many people were limited to seeing her. Or she has bright red hair, a brand on her face from the deal, she may even be pregnant with an heir.
  Soon Vassa only felt like a figment of my imagination and I drifted off to sleep fearless if the day to come.

I was awoken with a stinging slap to the face, curtesy of my temporary roommate Amren.

"Get your lazy ass up, you are supposed to be leaving in 10 minutes for Greyson's old estate."

I scrambled out of bed, tripping over papers,books and of course a few empty bottles of Rhysand's best wine that I had enjoyed the night before. Nuala was patiently waiting for me in my closet, holding up my absolute favorite scarlet gown. As she finished zipping and tucking  all of my assets into the dress, Cerridwen's graveyard mists eased me into a char and she frantically tried to make sort of my snarled hair.

As soon as she was finished I winnowed right from the chair into Feyre and Rhysand's guest room in what used to be Greyson's estate.

"Finally dear cousin" Rhys murmured, "I was afraid you couldn't make it to the party"

"Oh shut up, I slept in asshole!"

"What a formidable excuse for the almighty Morrigan to be late!" Feyre teased, her eyes winking with mischief.

I was declined a response when a servant open the door, summoning us to the dining hall where we were to meet Vassa.

I snorted under my breath as I pictured who I was about to meet, remembering some of my ideas late last night. But the look Rhysand gave me promised a swift death if anymore of my carefully guarded immaturity slipped out during this meeting.