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iydiamartinx · 21 days ago

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FLAMES OF STARLIGHT

𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻 | 𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌

Pairing: Poly!Azriel x OC x Lucien

❝ 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮. ❞

— 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐨𝐧

VAL LET OUT a low growl at the Queen's answer, and from beside her, Azriel tensed, ready to pull her back in case she would try and storm up to them.

"There is no time to consider," Mor countered. "Every day lost is another day that Hybern gets closer to shattering the wall."

"We will discuss amongst our companions, and inform you at our leisure."

Val grew tenser. Her body was like a snake coiling to strike.

"Do you not understand the risks you take in doing so?" Rhys questioned in what sounded like shock. "You need this alliance as much as we do."

The ancient queen shrugged her frail shoulders as if she couldn't be bothered to care for all the lives that were on the line. "Did you think we would be moved by your letter, your plea?" She sneered, jerking her chin to the guard closest to herself, and he pulled out a folded letter from his armour. Handing it over, the wicked hag began to read, "I write to you not as a High Lord, but as a male in love with a woman who was once human. I write to you to beg you to act quickly. To save her people—to help save my own. I write to you so one day we might know true peace. So I might one day be able to live in a world where the woman I love may visit her family without fear of hatred and reprisal. A better world."

If it were any other circumstance, Val would have walked right up to Rhysand and accepted him into the family without hesitation. His letter had solidified her belief that he was truly the best man for her sister. But currently, all she felt was burning anger as she heard the crone mock his vulnerable words so callously.

The old queen set down the letter before asking, "Who is to say that this is not all some grand manipulation?"

"What?" Mor blurted.

The golden queen nodded her agreement and dared to say to Mor, "A great many things have changed since the War. Since your so-called friendships with our ancestors. Perhaps you are not who you say you are. Perhaps the High Lord has crept into our minds to make us believe you are the Morrigan."

The twins seemed to move at the same time.

"This is the talk of madwomen," Nesta said softly. While Val snarled out, "Arrogant, stupid fools!"

Azriel placed his hand on Val's shoulder, trying to gently tug her back, but she sharply shrugged out of his grasp. Elain attempted to do the same thing with Nesta, but like Val, she stepped out of reach. No one would be stopping them, the twins were on a mission now.

"Give them the Book," Val demanded, her voice a dangerous growl.

The queens blinked at her audacity, their whole bodies stiffening.

Nesta snapped, "Give them the Book."

The eldest queen's face hardened at the twin's demand. "No." She hissed.

Before Val could spit out another insult, Nesta went on, "There are innocent people here in these lands. If you will not risk your necks against the forces that threaten us, then grant those people a fighting chance. Give my sister the Book."

The crone sighed sharply through her nose. "An evacuation may be possible—"

"You would need ten thousand ships," Nesta said, her voice breaking and Val grew angrier when she heard it—she couldn't bear to listen to the heartbreak in her twin's voice. "You would need an armada. I have calculated the numbers. And if you are readying for war, you will not send your ships to us. We are stranded here."

The crone gripped the polished arms of her chair as she leaned forward a bit. "Then I suggest asking one of your winged males to carry you across the sea, girl."

Nesta's throat bobbed. "Please, please—do not leave us to face this alone."

Hearing Nesta, Nesta out of everyone. Her strong, fierce and usually so composed sister beg was the final straw for Val as she let out a snarl, "Rot in the deepest hells, you miserable hag!"

Her words were so venomous that the crone recoiled in shock. Val wanted to spit insult after insult, even threaten those power-hungry queens to give them the book, but she could feel Nesta's pain as if it was her own, perhaps because it was. Only instead of despair, Val lashed out in anger.

In two strides, Val was by Nesta's side, placing a hand on her twin's shoulder, squeezing it in reassurance and support as she glared hatefully at the shell-shocked silent queens. Val would lay down her life before she let anything happen to her sisters, she would fight in the war if she had to, whatever it took to keep them safe.

It was Cassian who moved, drawing everyone's attention to him. Val eyed him warily, the protectiveness over her vulnerable twin still roaring through her veins, but she remained silent.

His eyes glanced at Val for a brief second before shifting to study Nesta. She was still glaring at the queens, her eyes lined with tears of rage and despair. When she finally noticed Cassian, she looked up at him.

His voice was rough as he said, "Five hundred years ago, I fought on battlefields not far from this house. I fought beside human and faerie alike, bled beside them. I will stand on that battlefield again, Nesta Archeron, to protect this house—your people. I can think of no better way to end my existence than to defend those who need it most."

A tear slid down Nesta's cheek, and Val watched as Cassian reached up a hand and wiped it away tenderly. Her sister didn't flinch from his touch—something she unconsciously did with any male who tried after the Tomas incident.

Nesta swallowed before finally turning away from Cassian. He stared at Nesta for a moment longer before his eyes shifted to Val.

Thank you. She mouthed, feeling her own eyes burn with emotions that she was desperately trying to lock away.

He nodded, his face soft before it hardened as he finally faced the queens who were pushing themselves up onto their feet.

Mor stood up as well. "Is it a sum you're after? Name your price, then." She demanded.

The golden queen let out a dismissive snort as their guards closed in around them. "We have all the riches we need. We will now return to our palace to deliberate with our sisters."

"You're already going to say no," Val snapped. Her hand on Nesta's shoulder slightly tightened in comfort. For her sister or for herself, she wasn't really sure.

The golden queen smirked. "Perhaps." She took the crone's withered hand.

The old queen lifted her chin. "We appreciate the gesture of your trust."

"Shove it up your shrivelled ass," Val hissed, but they were already gone.

Mor let out a swear. No one spoke, and Val's eyes drifted to her sister and Rhysand, the latter of which had his eyes set under the chair where the golden queen had sat. Val followed his gaze and saw a lead box.

Life and death and rebirth

Sun and moon and dark

Rot and bloom and bones

Hello, sweet thing.

Hello, lady of night, princess of decay. Hello, fanged beast and trembling fawn. Hello, mistress of shadow, companion of death. Love me, touch me, sing me, use me.

Val froze as she heard the book sing. But underneath its haunting song laid another voice, this one dark, more ancient, and somehow she knew that its words were meant for her and only her.

Your time has almost come. Death is upon you.

She felt the blood in her face drain, and she could only stand by silently as Rhysand picked it up and set it atop the chair. She didn't even need to see what was inside to already know the gift the golden queen left.

Rhysand looked to Val, Nesta and Elain.

Cassian still stuck close to Nesta while Azriel hovered just behind Val.

"It is your choice, ladies, whether you wish to remain here or come with us. You have heard the situation at hand. You have done the math about an evacuation." He gave a nod of approval as he met Nesta's gray-blue stare before shifting to look at Val. "Should you choose to remain, a unit of my soldiers will be here within the hour to guard this place. Should you wish to come live with us in that city we just showed them, I'd suggest packing now."

The colour had returned to Val's face by that time, she already knew the decision she would make, but this time it wasn't up to her. Instead, she looked to her sisters. The last time she made a decision for them resulted in her arguing with Nesta for days and enduring her silent ire. But that decision also meant helping Feyre. This one, this one was their decision.

Val didn't even need to speak for Nesta to know what she wanted to choose, and Nesta gave her a grateful nod when she saw the surrendered look on Val's face. Nesta looked to Elain.

"It is your choice," Nesta said to her gently.

Elain swallowed, thumbing the iron ring on her finger. "I—I can't. I..."

Val clenched her jaw, resisting the urge to disagree. Elain was making a decision based on her impending marriage to Graysen. If it had been up to Val, she would have never approved the wedding, yet just like most matters when it came to Elain, she had no say.

Velaris would have been safer, the smarter choice but Val swallowed down any arguments she had and nodded. She didn't like it, but she would respect Elain's decision. She could have chosen to go without them, and based on the hopeful look in Feyre's eyes. It was clear that's what she was hoping, but Val couldn't leave Nesta and Elain.

Feyre and her new friends were all strong enough to defend themselves. Nesta and Elain didn't even know how to fight. They needed her more.

Rhysand nodded understanding. "The sentries will be here, and remain unseen and unfelt. They will look after themselves. Should you change your minds, one will be waiting in this room every day at noon and at midnight for you to speak. My home is your home. Its doors are always open to you."

"Thank you," Val told him. "Should you ever need anything, our doors will always be open to you." Welcome to the family, she thought to him, opening her mind enough for him to hear the message. Wanting him to know she found him worthy of her sister.

Rhysand's eyes widened at her thought, and a brilliant smile crossed his lips at her acceptance of him.

He, Feyre and the others didn't linger after the decision to stay had been made. They had to get the book to Velaris, and after a quick goodbye, they were gone.

A small breath escaped Val's lips as she stared out the window. She could only hope that they had made the right choice by staying in the manor.

Death, screams, destruction. Everywhere Val looked, she was surrounded by it and in the midst of the chaos was a large black cauldron.

Like a moth drawn to a flame, Val began to walk closer. She walked through the black and silver fires. She walked past the corpses. Her bare blood-soaked feet only came to a stop when she was finally in front of the cauldron.

The sound of twin crows cawing could be heard over the screams. It was ominous and Val recognized what it meant, a symbol that Death was near.

Cold skeletal hands laid themselves onto her arms, yet she didn't turn around to look. The same ancient voice she heard under the book of the breathings began to speak.

Your time has almost come.

The black flames of darkness and the icy waters of death are upon you.

You cannot escape your fate.

You will burn.

A bloodcurdling scream was forced past Val's lips as she felt herself being pushed into the black waters of the cauldron. Darkness, it surrounded her, and no matter how hard she tried to claw free and swim to the surface, it continued to drag her down into its darkened depths.

Her lungs burned for air, and finally, she couldn't take it as her mouth opened to breathe, only for the dark waters to enter her lungs. Her lungs burned for air, and it only got worse as that sensation travelled to the rest of her body. Everything burned. In heat or in ice, she couldn't tell. All she knew was that her body burned as if every single one of her nerve endings was set on fire before freezing over.

Val screamed. Bubbles slipped past her lips. The water muffled the sound, but that was all Val could do as she suffered in the darkness for what felt like an eternity.

Over and over again, she screamed in pain and for air. She screamed until her throat was hoarse, and all she felt was numb.

You are mine. The voice whispered, and she felt herself suddenly pulled out of the waters by strong arms.

Now, wake up. It is not your time, yet. A flicker of confusion went through her weak body. Wake up. She wasn't comprehending the words. Cold, weak, and tired. She felt so tired. The hands on her arms tightened, and she felt a sudden, sharp jolt run through her body as the voice screamed, Wake up!

Val let out a sharp gasp as she sat up wildly, looking around only to find that she was in her bed. It had been another dream—no nightmare. This one had been more vivid than her other ones.

Sweat drenched her sleeping clothes, it had her hair clinging to her sticky skin, but Val didn't care. She was in her room safe. There was no fire, no drowning, no blood. Val let out a sigh of relief as she began to relax.

The distant sound of glass shattering broke the silence of Val's room, and her head snapped towards her closed door, and that sinking feeling of dread began to return.

The blood in her face drained as a familiar bloodcurdling scream soon followed.

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