A Court of Shadows and Thunder // AzrielxOC SlowBurn Romance, ACOTAR FanFiction

Chapter IX - New Beginnings

Azriel watched the people below, standing at the edge of a cliffside, away from the noise and the joy. He had attempted to follow Brianna when she slipped away from the dancing, for some reason felt compelled to go after her down some narrow streets, but after having turned a couple of corners, he realised what he was doing, and stopped himself short. Who was he now, to be following someone that was no more than a stranger, a mere political acquaintance, all because he could feel some sort of bond with her? Azriel shook his head, almost disappointed with himself. And before anyone would find him alone deep within the city of Allegrya, he took to the skies.

He had landed atop one of the protruding cliffs, onto a platform carved from the rock, surprisingly empty. Everyone wanted to be down there, where the life was. But Azriel thought that maybe, up here was the air was clear, he could think about the day's events properly.

For only ever rarely had he confronted Rhysand in that manner, had been actually open about how he felt. Though it was true, he could tell that Rhys was trying to be sneaky, trying to solve Azriel's feelings for him... but it wasn't his decision to do so. Now he knew that this would snowball into another talk when they'd eventually go home, on top of announcing his new position to the Inner Circle amid this whole political debacle.

A guide to the emissary of the Syrens. It didn't really sit well with Azriel, but he also couldn't outright deny a position appointed to him by his High Lord. Now thinking about the words he had said, he cringed at how childish he had acted toward Rhys. But to be a guide for Brianna... as much as Azriel hated to admit that Rhys might be right, this position as a guide had indeed opened up a new opportunity for him, to figure out... whatever was happening to him.

For Azriel could no longer deny what he had felt when he had watched Brianna and Dorian dance. Song after song, he had watched how Brianna laughed and smiled, how she had let Dorian spin her round, as if they had done so a hundred times over, watched his hands snake around her waist, how she let him, how her own hands were touching his neck, his arms... Whatever this bond was, whether it was because they were mates, or because of the fact that she wasn't the typical Syren that everyone thought she was, Azriel wanted more than anything to decipher why he was feeling so jealous, why he had felt like he had some sort of claim over Brianna, that he wanted to be the one to dance with her, that he wanted to shove Dorian aside and-

"You don't seem to enjoy parties at all, do you?"

Azriel whipped round to find Brianna sitting atop a rock, toying with one of the peonies that was once in her hair, but now between her fingers. It looked as though she had been sitting there a while, and Azriel wondered exactly how long she did.

But instead he thought of the words she told him when they had been in a similar situation, just a few days ago. "Did no one ever teach you that it's rude to spy on others?"

She didn't hide the big smile that appeared on her face. But Azriel did a great job of hiding the sudden blow to his ribs at the sight.

"You don't talk much, but when you do, you can be surprisingly funny," Brianna said as she pushed off the rock she was on, casually discarding the flower to the ground. She sauntered over to Azriel's half-turned position, her eyes falling onto the lights and crowd below. She joined his side, though still a distance apart, and they both gazed down at the city for a while.

"You know," Brianna said, breaking the silence, "Although your High Lord and Lady seem to have no difficulty in trusting us, you look like you're struggling quite a bit."

"When has anyone blatantly trusted a stranger?" Was Azriel's reply, though he wished it didn't come out as cold.

"I guess you're only funny sometimes," but Brianna's bright eyes turned to him, her voice losing all shred of humour, "And I trust you."