Flightless Illyrian ( Azriel ff ) (On Hold)

2.

New Place New Faces

She's hiding in a cave. She couldn't have risked a fire even though she couldn't feel her toes anymore. Neither could she sleep. They had been so close when she found this place to lie low. What if-

A branch snapped outside as if someone had stepped on it. Then more voices. They'd finally come. She turned to pick up her blades that she'd dropped a couple of feet away, reaching for the handle-
"I wouldn't bother if I were you" a masculine voice sneered from behind her. Before she could turn, four more males surrounded her.

"This is going to be fun", said another one just as an arrow embedded deep into her shoulder from the side. And then she was screaming.

"PLEASE!"

She woke up with a start. She had been dreaming she realized, wiping away sweat from her brow as she noticed something near the door. Almost as if a shadow had just walked out right through the door-

Wait! A door? She was in a room. She noticed the plush bed covered in cream coloured silk sheets. The light, gossamer curtains on huge, open windows. The room itself looked fit for a Lord, with furnishings in shades of creams and browns.

"What is this place?" She wondered aloud.

She taken just a single step towards one of the windows as the doors opened and she spun towards them.

"No". She whispered at what she saw and then louder "NO!"

It was an Illyrian warrior, blue siphons shone on the backs of both his hands. There was just one of them though. She could take him. She looked for something to use as a weapon. Of course, her blades had been taken away form her. She was backing away slowly. She needed something right now.

"Do not come any closer". She warned as she caught at the legs of a chair and tore apart two of them. One for each hand.

"Where am I?" She said to the male in front of her, now looking at her with a look of surprise. "And how did you find me?"

The male just folded his arms across his chest and looked at her. A mild fascination in his hazel eyes. What was he waiting for?

"Answer me", she said to him just as another male entered the room. So he wasn't alone after all.

"Whoaa! What is going on here?" the second male said. A small smile was now playing on his mouth, "Azriel, brother, you really need to work on your skills with the ladies",  he said " scaring and courting someone are definitely not two sides of a same coin-"

A half-hearted snarl from the first male, Azriel, cut him off mid sentence. That name though. Why did that name sound familiar?

"I asked you a question. Where the hell am I?"

"You're in Velaris." Said another male coming in through the door, another Illyrian but, there was a female too. And she wasn't Illyrian at all. She was high fae. "In fact, to be more specific, you're in my home. This place is called the House of Wind" He said with a warm smile.

Her confusion must have shown on her face as the female looked into the eyes of the third male, as if silently communicating, and then stepped ahead.

"We know you're confused right now. And we know that you're afraid of something. But I assure you, we mean you no harm", she said, taking another step closer,

"I'm Feyre, High Lady of the Night Court, and ", she said, pointing a hand towards the male she'd come with "this is Rhysand. High Lord of the Night Court."

It was suddenly getting a little harder to breathe as realization struck her. The female went on speaking, motioning towards the first two males on her right.

"And they are Cassian and Azriel" Cassian and Azriel. Yes, she had indeed heard those names before.

"We're the Court of Dreams," She went on, "and we want to help you however we can. Please. You don't have to be afraid of us"

Well, it did sound right. Two Illyrian members of his Court, a high fae mate, this house which might very well be a palace. What the hell was she even doing right now. The people standing right in front of her were her high lord and high lady. She quickly dropped the chair legs she had clenched in her hands and kneeled down, bowing her head once.

"Forgive me, high lord", she said, "high lady. I had no idea it was you. For a second there I thought I'd woken up to my worst nightmare".

"And what is that?" asked the second male. Cassian. Oh gods! He was the general.

"Illyrians," She whispered in a daze and then started, rising to her feet, realizing what she'd just said out loud, "I mean, no, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"It's alright" Azriel said, as a muscle feathered in his cheek. "Believe me, I think we all have an idea of exactly what you mean"

"And I think", added Lord Rhysand "that you have a story to tell us."

"Yes, my Lord" She nodded.

They all let out little chuckles at the way she said it with entire sincerity.

"You don't have to do that." The high lady said with an open smile. "We don't enforce all that here. You can simply call us by our names"

"Oh! Alrigh-", a loud grumbling came from her stomach then. She felt like digging a hole and jumping into it right then and there.

"Right. We should've thought of that first." The high Lord clicked his fingers and a tray full of hot food smelling like heaven appeared on the bed. She could only stand and watch.

"You should eat", he went on, "and then rest for some time. You look like you haven't had a decent meal in weeks" She could feel the blood rushing into her cheeks.

"We will see you at dinner. And then we can hear whatever it is that you will tell us" He said and they all turned to leave.

"Haven't you looked already?"

She asked, and perhaps she should have been scared for questioning the HIGH LORD like that, but maybe it was because of her genuine curiosity that he didn't look angry at all.  "I mean, you know, in the way that you can. While I was unconscious. Why wait to hear it from me?"

"Because I knew you weren't a threat. The wards wouldn't have let you in otherwise", he stated plainly. "And the condition in which Az had found you...," he continued with barely contained anger now entering his voice. "I didn't want to invade your mind and look at things that you might not be ready to show yet. Things that might make you uncomfortable when shared unwillingly." he said, his eyes softening.

He was right. He knew that he would find truths that she wasn't ready to show. Ugly, disgusting truths. Things that are unbearable. The horror. She swallowed hard.

"Thank you." It was all she could manage to say.

Rhysand just gave her a nod and offered her a small smile which she returned. Then they were gone and she could finally get some food into her system. She was safe. At least for now.

************

PS. Hello :)
I would really appreciate any suggestions or pointers that anyone would like to make. This journey has just begun for me and I'll be grateful for all the support.
If you think my story is any good, then please share it with other acotar fans too.

Also, I'll try to update as often and as quickly as I can <3