Worlds of Light and Dark

Elentiya ••• The Story of The Stars

The warm sun beat down on Elentiya and Ayla as they walked along the cobblestone streets of Velaris. "What are you hungry for?" Ayla asked. Nothing had been planned for the day, so Ayla had invited Elentiya to lunch and a tour of the city.

Elentiya gave her a crooked smile, showing off her pointed canines, "Would a majestic regal such as yourself stoop low enough to have meat on a stick with me?"

Ayla let out a laugh, her eyes twinkling and in an over-dramatic voice replied, "Never darling, but I'll make an expectation just this once." Ayla fluttered her lashes like a distressed damsel and flicked a lock of hair over her shoulder. Elentyia burst out laughing, Ayla joining her.

Once they had calmed down, Ayla led Elentyia through the crowded streets. There were people and species of all types here some Elentyia had never seen. She recalled what Feyre had said once, most of Velaris' residents were nocturnal, preferring to live their lives under the beautiful sky and stars of Velaris then in its days. Indeed, there were significantly fewer people on the streets than there had been two nights ago. The city smelt like salt and lemon verbena and she smiled as it reminded her of her mother. The restaurants, shops, and bakeries lining the streets were filled with laughing people. Occasionally, as they walked, they passed by residential houses. They were made up of the same white sandstone and marble walls as the other buildings but were identifiable as houses by the little knickknacks that gave insight into the families that lived there.

A slight breeze picked up, swaying Elentyia's hair as they got closer to the river that flowed through Velaris's heart. "You know, when I was younger," Ayla started saying, "I used to believe the Sidra River was made out of stars." Elentyia stayed quiet, waiting for Ayla to continue. "I believed that the stars use to look down on our city and longed to experience our love and laughter with us. So sometimes," Her voice got dreamy and soft, "A rogue star would choose to fall from the sky and come down here to live with us. The people of Velaris eventually noticed the falling stars and how they would turn to liquid the color of deepest sapphire. So they dug an empty riverbed throughout the city so that the stars could fall in it and flow throughout the city. When they finished the riverbed they pronounced a holiday, Starfall. And every year, on that date, hundreds of stars would choose to fall and join us in Velaris. The sky was always more beautiful on the holiday and people reasoned the extra stars were coming to say farewell to the stars that would descend. To welcome the stars, the people of Velaris would stay up and dance and party in the glory of the stars. Eventually, so many stars came that the riverbed quickly filled up and we named it Sidra, which means of the stars. Our city quickly became known for its river of stars and was referred to as The City of Starlight."

Ayla paused for a bit and she looked up at the sky as if she could already see the stars that would come out tonight. Elentiya waited quietly, giving Ayla the time she needed to finish her story. After a few moments Ayla looked down from the sky, a peaceful sadness in her eyes, "That's the fairy tale anyway. My dad told me the story when I was very little and I never seemed to forget it. It was a story the kids in the city used to tell when my dad's mom was young. She was an Illyrian and although Illyrian females are never told stories of fantasy or hope, she would sneak down into the city at night and listen to them through bedroom windows. The story of the stars was her favorite and she would repeat it to my dad and his sister every Starfall. My dad liked it of course, but his sister loved it just as much as their mother and would beg to hear it every night. My dad can still recall how every time his sister went out into the city she would bring a silver coin." Ayla cupped her hands as if she could see a coin shinning in them, "And each time she would whisper a wish and throw the coin into the Sidra with the stars."

Elentyia didn't need to ask if Ayla's grandmother and aunt were still alive. She knew the sadness of a lost family member that you never got to meet. Someone you knew you would love more than the Earth itself but never got to see their smile or make them laugh. And even though Ayla didn't say it, Elentyia could read that sadness on her face. She reached out for Ayla's hand and squeezed it, "I'm sure they would have loved to know you cherished the story as much as them. And it's wonderful you feel close to them even though they're no longer in your life."

Ayla gave her a grateful, sad smile, "I'm named after my aunt. My parents originally considered naming me after my dad's mom but he knew she would have protested profusely. I'm told she was never a big fan of her name. Names don't matter as an Illyrian female, so she was given a bland common name. But she wanted to name her children after something special, something she loved. My dad's name means darkness, just like the night sky, and the meaning of his sister's name was moonlight."

Elentyia smiled at Ayla, "It's a beautiful name."

And Ayla smiled back, "I know."

(A/N: I decided to make this a two-parter as I have a lot more to say but was already close to a thousand words and figured this would make a good breakpoint. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story so far and I'm sorry for the veryyyyyyyyy late upload. But what did you guys think of the lore drop? Did you think it's a story in ACOTAR that people might have told? I also wanted to give a few shoutouts to the new supporters of this story! Thank you and , I hope you continue to enjoy where this goes!)