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

Chapter XIV - Some Kind of Girl

And with that graceful comment from Cassian, the Syren commanders and generals all bid their farewells to each other and to their prince. One by one, they shot to the skies, and went off to their respective duties. Only Boryas and Yohann remained, along with Dorian of course, who seemed to engage in some talk with Cassian, about the Watchers forces in particular, with Azriel and Brianna listening in.

And as much as Azriel tried his best to pay attention to what Boryas and Dorian were talking about with Cassian, explaining to him how many soldiers were employed to each factions, he could feel the burning stare emanating from Brianna, like her eyes had caught fire and tore into his flesh. And he knew why she looked at him so, he knew why he felt his stomach twist into knots again, as though there was another Syren laid out and dying in front of him.

For it was those words that Brianna had told him privately, in confidence, when they had struck their bargain. It was a secret, their secret, that Azriel had let it slip, even a little bit of it, to his High Lord and Lady, to his most trusted members of the Night Court. And then Cassian went and blurted it out in front of everyone, which was the worse way in which Brianna could have found out. And Azriel knew he needed to make amends, if not he'd never learn all that precious information.

But then, Boryas finally bid his farewells, Yohann taking flight with him, leaving the Illyrians with just Dorian and Brianna.

"As grim as that meeting was," Dorian spoke, turning to Cassian, "I hope you now have some insight as to what my army is like."

Cassian nodded, the information provided by Boryas and the other generals fresh in his mind. He almost marveled at it, at the inner workings of their army, how different the positions were, divided between Scouts, Watchers and soldiers, all serving their own purpose, all significant in their own way. It was more about using each warrior's strength to their advantages, which is something Cassian was deliberating installing within the Illyrian army. Perhaps some order would do them good, for it sure seemed like Dorian had found a structured and impressive way for his army to strive and function.

The Syren prince shot Cassian a small and polite smile, then walked right up to Brianna, until he had her shoulders between his hands, and eyes roving all over her body. It was like he didn't care about the two Illyrians watching him. And they also realised that nothing had ever stopped Dorian from acting this way toward Brianna before.

"Are you alright?" He finally asked her.

"Yes," Brianna told him, and when his eyes went to her bloody leathers, boots, arms, she added, "It's not my blood."

The same thing she told Azriel when he had looked at her that way.

His eyes narrowed slightly at her tone, "Some of it is." Like he knew all too well what the scent of her blood was, revealing what sort of ordeals those two have gone through in the past.

Brianna actually rolled her eyes at him, "You need to stop sniffing me," she shook his grip off of her  as she made to walk to the Illyrians, "I said I was fine."

Dorian looked grave, like what she said had hurt him, but it only lasted a split second, for he shot a smile to the Illyrians. "I'll be seeing you back in Allegrya, once you've had a good look at this sorry place."

And with that, he winnowed away, in a bright flash of light, without a single parting word to Brianna, who had remained stone faced as she watched those sparks of light disappear.

"Anyway," Brianna said, turning to them once more, and she had made half a smile appear on her face now, even if they didn't quite buy it, "I'll show you your rooms in the barracks, where you can wash off," that comment was more for Azriel than it was for Cassian, seeing how blood still coated his hands, "Then you'll have your little tour of the Watch before dinner."