Wings and Heartbeats (Manorian Fanfiction and crossover between ACOTAR and TOG)

A Secret

"Rhys said that you can take Abraxos further west, there'll be some mountains," Dorian said, as he climbed the final steps to the rooftop where Abraxos was kept under a domed stone roof supported by clean white marble pillars, there were no walls, so the wind blew cold and brisk in the early morning sun.

Manon simply nodded from where she stood back faced towards him as she strapped Abraxos's harness and saddle on him. She then turned towards him, an eyebrow raised ", You're coming again?"

Dorian huffed. "Again?"

The witch only hummed. It was the first time he saw do anything related to music other than whistling, which was reserved for training specifically. It wasn't enchanting, not exactly, not those sweet notes sang at the Theater back in Rifthold, but rather a deep purr that emanated from her inner throat.

"Do you mind if I come?"

"No."

He cracked a grin at that, he saw her quickly face away, Dorian pretended not to notice it as he said ", Your hair is not braided."

"And?"

He coughed pointedly. "Are you not going to braid it?"

Manon smirked, head tilted at him playfully as she crooned ", Would you like to braid it for me, princeling?"

Abraxos snapped at a butterfly close to them, Manon looked at him ruefully, before making her climb onto her mount's back. It was safe to assume that it was meant as a joke, but a mischievous spark has already ignited as he sauntered closer to her. "Actually, I don't see why not."

He saw her whipped her head at him, one foot already secured and ready to make the jump. He gave a smirk as he got close enough to feel the heat of her body. He gently held one of her moon-white locks, the strands silken and smooth.

"A king that can braid," Manon muttered under her breath, though Dorian still caught it.

He laughed, the sound fluttering out of his chest, undiluted and unrestrained. "I wasn't always a king, you know."

"You're still a male royal."

"You'd be surprised at how many women I wowed by braiding their hair."

Manon snorted.

"It's true."

She only stood still, as he divided her thick and voluminous hair into sections, then took each part, overlaying and weaving, tucking and tugging until he left a considerable bit left at the end for her to tie. She handed him a slip of red velvet fabric, he recognized it as the piece that she had torn from her half-sister, Rhiannon's cape. He did not comment on it, only keeping to the peaceful silence that had draped around them. It was comfortable, healing silence, not an awkward and tense silence.

"There you go, your greatest majesty."

Manon rolled her eyes, a small smile on her lips, she ran a hand down the length of the braid, fingers testing. "It's loose," she commented, making no move to change it whatsoever, instead she continued as they were before, hopping onto Abraxos, as she waited for him to get on.

Instead, he rolled his shoulders, testing as he reached inside for that seed of warm freedom. He felt his bones knit and rearrange. He grew scales, he traded his limbs for four claw-tipped talons, he felt bat-like wings sprout from his back, he shrunk in height then grew larger, until he could reach Abraxos' eye level. The wyvern watched him in a wide interest.

Manon watched him in amusement and laughed when he finished his transformation. "You never ceased to surprise, princeling." He huffed, and Manon gave him an incredulous glance before giving Abraxos the command to leap, more like free-falling, if Abraxos would have it. Dorian spread his wings flapped, gave a running start, and leaped into the air, following in Manon's rear, her side, as she was on his.

-

Cassian landed with a thump on the river's estate door, Nesta still didn't live there, but after all the months spent in the Illyrian camp, she was simply grateful to see a clean and dry place. She dropped on her feet, swaying slightly, the heat from Cassian's arms disappeared immediately as he released her. 

"Not even a thank you," Cassian said, faking disbelief and hurt.

Nesta felt amusement spark within her, she was still getting used to feeling things once more, it was hard when the memory of the dark, empty, and yawning pit of darkness was still fresh within her mind. But Cass, he helped with him. Nevertheless, she gave him a glare before dusting her simply pale red dress, fading into pink.

Cass laughed at her usual behavior, not missing a beat.

"Not thankful for a ride full of bumps and unsteady wind," Nesta muttered.

"Oh yeah, let's go file a complaint against mother earth for that," Cass replied sarcastically.

She snorted ", She'll probably try to kill you as much as she can to just avoid your annoying self."

He gave her a wild grin ", Then she'll find that it'll be very hard to kill me with a bunch of dirt."

"Cassian, great Illyrian warrior," Nesta recited ruefully ", Died of natural causes because even nature was too sick of him."

Cass stuck out his tongue at her and Nesta gave him a glower as she did the same towards him.

"Brute."

"Bitch."

They both smiled after that.