illyrianshadowslvt

[illyrianshadowslvt]

By Shadow, By Starlight [Chapter 1]

This is the first chapter of an Az fic I've been writing.

Summary: As Rhysand's younger sister, Aurelia was a dreamer in Velaris, beloved for her quiet strength and rare ability to create or soothe nightmares. But when a mission with her brother goes horribly wrong, Aurelia is captured and trapped in Hybern, enduring months of torment and isolation that threaten to break her spirit. When a flicker of hope allows her to escape, she returns to Velaris shattered but determined to reclaim her life. As she rebuilds herself with the help of her family and Azriel - the shadowsinger she has secretly loved for centuries - Aurelia must face her past, heal her broken magic, and stand strong against that forces that seek to unravel her world once more.

Warnings: depictions of imprisonment, trauma, emotional distress, and themes of recovery.

The darkness had become my only companion. 

The cold dungeon air in Hybern had felt like death itself - suffocating, pressing down on me until I thought I might disappear into the darkness forever. My magic had been all but drained, my body frail and broken from months and months of torment.

But then, I sensed it: a weakness in the wards surrounding Hybern. After months of feeling powerless, trapped, something within the magic flickered and faded. It was faint, but enough for me to take a chance. I didn't know how long I had been here, nor how much time had passed since Amarantha's defeat. All I knew was that I had to try. If I didn't try now, I might never escape. 

I focused on Velaris, on the home I had been torn from, on my family...on him. Azriel. The thought of him, of his warmth, his shadows, the way he looked at me that night before everything went wrong, gave me the final burst of strength I needed. My magic, weak as it was, flared for one last push. 

With a breathless gasp, I winnowed.

The magic tore through me, ragged and unstable, but somehow, it worked. I felt the familiar warmth of Velaris, the scent of jasmine and sea breeze filling my senses as I fell to the floor, the impact jarring through my bones.

My knees hit the ground, my arms buckling as I collapsed onto my hands. My vision blurred, the world around me spinning. But the familiar hum of magic in the air told my I was home.

Velaris. I made it.

But I couldn't move. Every part of me felt shattered, barely clinging to consciousness. Voices, frantic and disbelieving, echoed around me, but I couldn't make them out. All I could do was stay there, on my hands and knees, gasping for breath.

"Aurelia..." 

That voice. My heart stuttered at the sound of it. Azriel.

 I forced my head up, struggling to focus. Through the haze of my vision, I saw him - standing a few feet away, his face pale with shock, his hazel eyes wide and fill of emotions I couldn't even begin to comprehend. 

"Az..." My voice cracked, barely a whispered, but he heard me.

He moved faster than I'd ever seen, shadows trailing behind him as he crossed the room. He dropped to his knees beside m , pulling me into his arms, his grip tight as if he was afraid I might vanish again.

"You're here" he breathed, "You're alive." 

I pressed my face into his chest, breathing in the scent of night and cedar, the scent I had longed for all those months in the darkness. His arms wrapped around me, holding me together when I felt like I might crumble. "I didn't...I didn't think I'd make it." 

His grip on me tightened, his voice trembling as he whispered, "I've got you. You're safe." 

But I couldn't stop the question for escaping my lips, my voice hoarse with exhaustion and fear. "Azriel...how long?"

He stilled, his breath catching as if he didn't want to answer, as if speaking the words would make the nightmare real all over again.

"Three months," he whispered, his voice barely audible 

Three months. The weight of it crashed over me, heavier than I could have imagined. My body trembled, and I clung to Azriel, barely holding on to the realization of how much time had been stolen from me.

The moment was cut short by a second rush of footsteps. I could barely lift my head, but I recognized them immediately. Rhysand. My brother.

"Aurelia," he whispered, dropping to his knees beside Azriel. His violet eyes were filled with shock, disbelief, and a flicker of raw emotion I hadn't seen in so long. "How - how are you here?" 

I swallowed, trying to find my voice. "I sensed...weakness in the wards, I had to try" I felt the tears forming in my eyes "I couldn't die without seeing you guys again" 

Rhys's face darkened, but his hand was gentle as it brushed a strand of hair from my face. "You're safe now, we're going to take care of you" 

I was barely holding on, the last of my strength fading fast. Azriel's grip was the only thing keeping me from falling apart completely. 

But then, more voices, filled with shock and disbelief, echoed in the room. I didn't have to look to know who they were. I could feel them - my family. Cassian, Mor and Amren. 

[illyrianshadowslvt]

ACOTAR has sparked my love of reading again and with that my love of writing. I may be posting a fic I've been writing about Azriel or maybe some one shots.