#prythian priestesses

[wingedblooms]

Bright as the dawn

This meta is a continuation of Forbidden secrets and Blooming dreams, as it explores how Elain—glowing with the dawn—might restore the land and Cauldron, and has major spoilers for hofas. Please avoid if needed.

Long ago, Wyrd (Mother/Cauldron/Fate/Chaos) was once bound to the soul of Prythian’s world. She was pure, undiluted life until she was warped into a tool of destruction by the Asteri, imbued with their magic through, theoretically, the Void in the Book of Breathings. They claimed the magic of the land (most likely using ley lines, which seem to be the threads or veins of the land’s soul) to hide magic that would sustain them, much like how the Starborn daughters hid pieces of magic in the land where the ley lines—the fabric of the world—wove together, overlapping like a braid in a larger tapestry.

As we saw in the prophetic weaver scene with Feyre and Elain in acofas, iridescent light—embodying Hope—is the only light that can pierce the Void. We may see Elain and Azriel wield these elements through Truth-Teller and Gwydion to unmake the Asteri’s magical chains on the land and/or Wyrd, but I have also wondered if Elain herself, or in combination with someone else’s raw magic as @offtorivendell so beautifully wrote in her Dusk meta, could heal and unheal, make and unmake.

If Elain and Azriel address the land and Wyrd plot Sarah has set up, then I could see them mapping the secrets of the land and releasing the sacred peaks first, which might affect what many of us suspect is Elain’s pure, natural magic that mirrors the Wyrd and her land: Life itself. These challenges may help her level up as @willowmeres has suggested, and will teach her what she needs to know to unbind and restore Wyrd, which is likely to be more complex.

Wyrd was imbued with the Asteri’s magic, which in discussion with @silverlinedeyes, @psychee92, @cassianfanclub, @offtorivendell, and @psychologynerd at different points, reminded me of how the Valg imbued objects with their essence, and their essence was often described as a void.

It was a void. It was a new, dark hell.

Her magic had been a pulsing star that flared against the wall that the darkness had crafted between the top of his spine and the rest of it. She knew—knew without testing—that if she bypassed it, jumped right to the base of his spine … it would find her there, too. (tod)

The Asteri, like the Valg, devour light (life) like the Void in that weaver’s tapestry. It’s probably no coincidence that the Book of Breathings is made of two halves: Chaos and Void. Void may have very well been added by the Asteri to control the magic they imbued in Urd, and what was left behind might even be feeding off of the living half, Chaos (Wyrd). It may not be a matter of solely unbinding the two halves of the book.

Some wounds—like those inflicted by creatures of the Void—require the healer to walk the road with the patient.

If she could even find a way to help him. She’d promised to heal him, and though some injuries required the healer to walk the road with their patient, this injury of his— (tod)

Yrene learns how to destroy the Void by walking this road with Chaol, and I imagine something similar will be required of Elain. Yrene must tread where she fears to go most. In each big healing scene, she travels to the very core—or root—of the wound and uses her pure, undiluted powers of life to unbind her patient from the Valg and unmake the rotting void within them. She connects with them in body and soul, just like Elain might with Wyrd through her sight. Elain will also likely need to tread where she fears most to go, descending into Wyrd (magically and/or physically) to where the dark void festers.

And since this is no small feat, I imagine it rivaling the unmaking of Erawan:

Erawan panted as he approached. “Healer,” he breathed, his unholy power emanating from him like a black aura.

She backed away a step, closer to the balcony rail.

The dark king followed her, a predator closing in on long-awaited prey. “Do you know how long I have looked for you?” The wind tossed his golden hair.

“Do you even know what you can do?”

She hesitated, slamming into the balcony rail behind her, the drop so hideously endless.

“How do you think we took the keys in the first place?” A hateful, horrible smile. “In my world, your kind exists, too. Not healers to us, but executioners. Death-maidens. Capable of healing—but also unhealing. Unbinding the very fabric of life. Of worlds.” Erawan smirked. “So we took your kind. Used them to unbind the Wyrdgate. To rip the three pieces of it from its very essence. Maeve never learned it—and never shall.” His jagged breathing deepened as he savored each word, each step closer. “It took all of them to hew the keys from the gate—every one of the healers amongst my kind. But you, with your gifts—it would only take you to do it again. And with the keys now returned to the gate …” Another smile. “Maeve thinks I left to kill you, destroy you. Your little fire-queen thought so, too. She could not conceive that I wanted to find you. Before Maeve. Before any harm could come to you. And now that I have … What fun you and I shall have, Yrene Towers.”

Erawan reveals that Yrene, as a healer with raw magic, can unbind the very fabric of life, of worlds. If Elain was given the vision and gifts (such powers) to restore the land and Wyrd, as many of us suspect, she is going to need to unmake the magic of the parasite Asteri and unbind Urd from the soul, or fabric, of the world.

[…] Erawan’s power swelled, but Yrene was already glowing, bright as the far-off dawn.

Lysandra opened her talons, delicately dropping Yrene to the balcony stones, light streaming off her as she sprinted headfirst to Erawan.

[…]

Erawan screamed. But the sound was nothing compared to what came out of him as Yrene reached him, hands like burning stars, and slammed them upon his chest.

The world slowed and warped.

Yet Yrene was not afraid.

Not afraid at all of the blinding white light that erupted from her, searing into Erawan.

He arched, shrieking, but Damaris held him down, that ancient blade unwavering.

His dark power rose, a wave to devour the world.

[…]

Yrene did not let it touch her. Touch any of them.

Hope.

It was hope that Chaol had said she carried with her. Hope that now grew in her womb.

For a better future. For a free world.

[…]

The gods might have been gone, Silba with them, but Yrene could have sworn she felt those warm, gentle hands guiding her. Pushing upon Erawan’s chest as he thrashed, the force of a thousand dark suns trying to rip her apart.

Her power tore through them all.

Tore and shredded and ripped into him, into the writhing worm that lay inside.

The parasite. The infection that fed on life, on strength, on joy.

Distantly, far away, Yrene knew she was incandescent with light, brighter than a noontime sun. Knew that the dark king beneath her was nothing more than a writhing pit of snakes, biting at her, trying to poison her light.

You have no power over me, Yrene said to him. Into the body that housed that parasite of parasites.

I shall rip you apart, he hissed. Starting with that babe in your—

A thought and Yrene’s power flared brighter. Erawan screamed.

The power of creation and destruction. That’s what lay within her.

Life-Giver. World-Maker.

Bit by bit, she burned him up. Starting at his limbs, working inward.

Yrene glows bright as the far-off dawn, which reminded me of Elain glowing like the sun at dawn when her hair is unbound. This very subtle detail is one of many that might make Elain’s journey unique—her gifts seem to be deeply connected, or bound if you will, to both the land and Wyrd. I believe her journey might mirror the unbinding of the land and Wyrd: her powers fully blooming as the land does around her, and a bond she does not want unmade by the end. She is bound to Lucien against her will, just as he is to her, so will she unbind them by unraveling Urd’s unnatural chains? Will she feel a bond that is true in spirit at her core, or will she need to make her own with Azriel? A maker of her own fate. There are so many interesting possibilities that could be explored in their book.

And like the near-twin to her sister, Elain might possess pure, undiluted life like Yrene, allowing her to tear out void like the invasive presence it is.

And when her magic began to slow, Yrene held out a hand.

She didn’t feel the sting of her palm cutting open. Barely felt the pressure of the callused hand that linked with hers.

But when Dorian Havilliard’s raw magic barreled into her, Yrene gasped.

Gasped and turned into starlight, into warmth and strength and joy.

[…]

Yrene’s power was life itself. Pure, undiluted life. It nearly brought Dorian to his knees as it met with his own. As he handed over his power to her, willingly and gladly, Erawan prostrate before them. Impaled.

The demon king screamed.

[…]

Erawan could do nothing. Nothing against that raw magic, joining with Yrene’s, weaving into that world-making power.

The entire city, the plain, became blindingly bright. So bright that Elide and Lysandra shielded their eyes. Even Dorian shut his.

But Yrene saw it then. What lay at Erawan’s core.

The twisted, hateful creature inside. Old and seething, pale as death. Pale, from an eternity in darkness so complete it had never seen sunlight.

Had never seen her light, which now scalded his moon-white, ancient flesh.

Erawan writhed, contorting on the ground of whatever this place was inside him.

Pathetic, Yrene simply said.

[…]

And it was with the image of her mother still shining before him, showing him that mistake he’d never known he made, that Yrene clenched her fingers into a fist.

Erawan screamed.

Yrene’s fingers clenched tighter, and distantly, she felt her physical hand doing the same. Felt the sting of her nails cutting into her palms.

She did not listen to Erawan’s pleas. His threats.

She only tightened her fist. More and more.

Until he was nothing but a dark flame within it.

Until she squeezed her fist, one final time, and that dark flame snuffed out.

Yrene had the feeling of falling, of tumbling back into herself. And she was indeed falling, rocking back into Lysandra’s furry body, her hand slipping from Dorian’s. (koa)

When she is done, Yrene falls, tumbles back into herself like someone with the gift of sight. Elain’s sight is probably more extensive, but I think it’ll look very similar—part of her there, part of her deep within Wyrd (the Cauldron). And even with the vision and gifts Wyrd gave her, Elain will probably need help. Will she combine her raw magic with Azriel, like Yrene does with Dorian? Or her sisters like @silverlinedeyes, @offtorivendell, and I (as well as others I’m sure) have discussed? Or even in some kind of dawn ritual where priestesses, like healers, create a living chain of blooming life to ground and amplify her magic? I don’t know what I would love more, honestly.

Once the magic of the Asteri is unmade and Wyrd is unbound, I hope there is a scene where we finally see the goddess through Elain’s eyes, and Elain—like the calm and loving and resilient stag in this Fantasia sequence—reaches out her hand, lifts her up and out of the place that once chained her to the Void, and lets her power, pure and natural, flow through her before it rushes into the soul of the land, which can now rejoice with her freely.

[rubbish78]

WORK IN PROGRESS Ianthe cosplay from Acotar series 🌒

I want to get a better blonde wig for this and a blue circlet is coming soon!

[lordofhaterism]

Are High Priestesses usually as insane and theatrical about it as Ianthe or like is she just like that

[really-fanny-longbottom]

The Things We Do For Love

Pairings: Helion x Reader (platonic); Inner Circle x Reader (platonic)

Summary: Secrets can never be kept for long. Eventually, the truth always comes out, and so do the consequences of it.

Warnings: Mentions of blood/pregnancy/birth/fight/death (nothing too descriptive); there's a flashback scene in the middle.

Words: 7.6k

You are a scholar from Day Court. But you are not just a simple scholar - you are the best.  

You were known for graduating at the top of your class and for your impeccable reputation of never failing a project and never leaving a question unanswered.

You have always been a very curious person, and the fact that you grew up in Day Court gave you the privilege of having access to the best libraries with the best books in Prythian.

That's why books were your life and the fact you liked to have an answer for everything, even though Helion called you a know-it-all from time to time, and even if that irritated you a little, it was true.

Whenever a question arose that you didn't know the answer to, you made it your personal mission to find one. 

Even if it meant having to read dozens, if not hundreds of books, but that part you never care about. Besides, the libraries were your favorite places, especially the one near the pegasus stables.

The only thing you liked more than books was pegasus. You thought they were the most magnificent creatures your eyes had ever had the pleasure of seeing.

Your favorite was Meallan, who was also Helion's favorite. It was with him that you learned to ride a pegasus, and he was your favorite partner to fly and enjoy the sky.

Besides being curious, you were also a very adventurous person, and it was your sense of adventure that got you into trouble. 

One day, you decided that it would be a great idea to combine the two things you love most in this world - books and pegasus.  

So you tried flying with Meallan while reading one of your romance books, only to get distracted when the scenery in the book started to heat up and lose your balance.

Your luck? Meallan wasn't flying very high when it happened.  

Your bad luck? A broken leg and a very big and angry lecture from Helion.

When he heard what you did, he banned you from flying with Meallan or any of the other pegasus again for months.

Which led you to focus on books again for a while, which helped a lot during your recovery.

Your reputation caught Rhysand's attention.

The High Lord of the Night Court was in the middle of researching the Cauldron. Rumors about Hybern being in search of it for a new war had reached his ears, and as all High Lords should, he began to prepare for war but the truth is that his library could not be compared with those at Day Court.

Even with the help of the priestesses, he was unable to find almost anything. That's where you entered the equation.

During a meeting between the Night Court and Day Court at Helion's Palace, Rhys mentioned your name.

Helion wasn't surprised. He knew very well what you were capable of, and at that moment, he couldn't hide the pride he felt for you. 

He knew what Rhysand was about to ask of him. He wanted you to join him and his Inner Circle in Velaris and help with the research, and if possible, bring some books from your Court on the subject for them to read as well.

Helion had no problem with you helping them, afterall Rhys was one of his longest friends. 

The only thing he didn't like was putting you in the enemy's attention. If Hybern found out, you'd have a target on your back.

Helion explained his worries to Rhys and his Inner Circle that were seated beside him.

He explained to them how you were not just another citizen of his Court. 

You were important and very close to him. He told them how your mother was one of his best friends for centuries, and when she died, he took you under his care.

The Night Court assured him that they would treat you like family and that they would not let anything bad happen to you.

Before Helion could respond, your voice filled the conference room, “I’ll do it.”

All the heads turned in your direction, Helion leaned back in his chair and ran a hand over his face. "How many times do I have to tell you not to eavesdrop?"

With an innocent smile, you replied, "I wasn't eavesdropping. I was passing by, and I heard my name."

"Really? You were just passing by?" Helion didn't believe you for a second.

The Inner Circle watched the scene unfold in front of them with amusement in their faces.

"Hum hum" was your response.

Helion interlaced his hands and with an amused look - one that you knew very well and that meant he was about to corner you - "And where were you going, if I may ask?"

"I...Hum, I..." You paused to think. "Ah, I was going to the kitchen. Yes, that's where I was going." You finished with pride.

Helion chuckled. "The same kitchen that is on the other side of the palace, and you can't access it from this floor?"

Your smile fell, and you realized you had been caught. 

He was right, this floor was for political purposes only - Helion's office, the conference room they were in now, an armament room and the map room which was mainly used by Helion's General and his soldiers.

Everyone tried to contain their laughter at your expression and when you tried to come up with a quick response and couldn't, you decided to admit defeat "Okay, okay, I wasn't just passing by. What do you want me to say? You know I'm curious."

"Indeed, I do." He gave you a smile. Raising from his seat, he gestured for you to approach him, and when you did, he wrapped you in a side hug. "Y/N, meet the Inner Circle." 

You couldn't help but linger your gaze on the Shadowsinger. He was stupidly handsome, and no one should look that good. 

The laughter caught your attention, and when you looked at them, you noticed that everyone was smiling except Helion. 

Realizing what just happened, you said, "Shit. Did I just say that out loud?" A hand coming to cover your mouth that was starting to form into a nervous smile.

"Unfortunately." Helion replied with a roll of his eyes.

Another thing you were also, besides being curious and adventurous - is being honest. You are not, and you have never been afraid to say what you think and be direct about it. 

Helion has always really liked that trait of yours but not at the moment, especially when you're using it to flirt with the male in front of you.

"Okay, enough." He averted his gaze to Azriel. "Stop looking at her like that before I regret all of this." The Shadowsinger raised his hand in surrender with a smile.

Helion released a sigh before looking at you. "Are you sure about this? You don't have to do it if you don't want to."

You gave him an assured smile. "I'm sure. I can do this. Besides, it's what I was trained for, right?" That led you to another thought. "Oh, can you train me while I'm there?" You asked the General. 

Cassian was surprised by the question. No one ever asked him to train them before, and if they did, it wouldn't be a female. That made him happy, so he had no problem in saying, "Of course." 

"Awesome. I'm going to pack my things." You said with one last smile before exiting the room. 

"Alright. Rhys, I'm trusting you, all of you, with her. So... don't fuck this up, unless you would like to see me angry." Helion warned them with his High Lord voice.

Rhys giggled at his words but he knew the male meant every single one "We won't."

Helion turned his attention to Cassian. "Oh, and Cassian? Be careful when you eventually put a weapon on her hands. She's a little curious and clumsy even though she never lost or ruined a book, which is kinda a surprise, actually."

Cassian laughed, "It can't be that bad."

Helion also laughed before telling them one of your many stories "I once tried to teach her archery because she was interested and when I was teaching her how to shoot an arrow, she got distracted with a butterfly that was flying near her and the arrow that was supposed to go into the target, end up going into one of the gardener's legs. Who, by the way, was on the other side of the garden."

Cassian's smile dropped and he got a little pale.  Everyone else laughed but him.

"Oh, this is going to be fun." Morrigan said with a "I already like her," followed by Amren.

"Careful, got it." Cassian said before starting to re-think about his life's choices. 

-

You were finishing packing when Helion entered your bedroom chambers.

"Everything okay?" He asked you.

"Yes. I already have everything I need." You turned to look at him and when you saw his look you told him "Don't worry. I'm going to be fine."

"I know." He approached you and held you by your shoulders "Remember, no one can know. It needs to remain a secret." 

"Yes, I know. I'm not going to tell them." You assured him.

"Good. Now, have fun but please be careful with the weapons during training with Cassian. We wouldn't want you to lose a finger."

"Or him." You added, making you and the male giggle.

"Also, don't forget our agreement." Helion reminded you.

You rolled your eyes but with a laugh escaping your lips, "I know."

"Four letters during the week." He said while smiling at your antics, "Deal?"

"Deal." You said with a firm smile.

-

Everything was going well. 

You had been at the Night Court for about three months now and the research about the Cauldron and Hybern had progressed a lot with your help. 

You loved Velaris and adjusted very well but instead of staying with the Inner Circle, you decided to rent a house near the Sidra so you could explore the City of Starlight at your own pace. 

And because you never lived alone before and decided to try it - 'a new adventure' that's what you wrote to Helion in the letter. He didn't like that.

You also did that, so you had a reason for the Shadowsinger to fly you to the House and then back to yours - but you didn't share that part with Helion.

The library at the House of Wind made you feel at home and helped with your homesickness. 

The priestesses adored you and found your presence comforting. The only thing they didn't like very much was when you disappeared for a few hours and they had to alert the Inner Circle.  

They found you on the last floor of the library drinking tea while talking to Bryaxis much to Cassian's dismay. You almost gave all of them a heart attack.

When they asked you about it you blamed your curiosity. You had heard some priestesses talking about the creature that lived in the library while searching for a book. 

You went to the edge of the stairs and when you looked down, you found nothing, and you needed to know what this creature was like so your feet started moving before you could stop them. 

You end up finding that Bryaxis was really good at telling stories and you thought he was friendly. Cassian didn't like that.

You were doing remarkable work. Rhys had complimented you multiple times for it.

You were respecting the agreement and sending four letters as agreed and Cassian still had all his fingers and toes but the same couldn't be said about the ear he almost lost when you got distracted during sword training. 

Two months without any incident - or almost.

But that changed the day a letter from the Night Court arrived.

- 

Helion never winnowed so fast as he did when he received the letter from Rhysand explaining about what happened to you.

Helion was quick to grab Rhys by the colar of his shirt that he didn't even had time to react "What the fuck happened?" He yelled.

Rhys didn't want to admit it but at that moment he was a little afraid of the male so he told him everything. How you didn't show up in the library this morning and Clotho noticed your absence, how no one had seen you since last night and after checking if you were with Bryaxis which you weren't, they decided to come to your house to check on you, but instead found the door open and when they check the inside...

The house was destroyed. Broken furniture, paintings lying on the floor, shattered objects, torn cushions and then, blood.

Not just yours but also whoever invaded.

Apparently, training with Cassian paid off because you put up a good fight to those males.

And then there were the scents.

The scent of Autumn soldiers, at least five different scents lingered in the air but they were starting to disappear so they suspected you had been taken at least two hours ago.

And when the explanation ended, he finally released his friend's shirt and took a step back.

Helion panicked. He knew what this meant right before he came to Velaris. But he chose not to believe it and just dismissed it. Maybe it was just a coincidence.

But now, with all the evidence in front of his eyes, he couldn't deny it. Not anymore.

He had found out the truth and came for you.

All the emotions started overwhelming Helion - anger, worry, fear, rage.

But he was going to find you, and he was going to bring you home - to him. Even if it meant he would have to destroy Autumn with his bare hands, like he did once, to some beasts, all those centuries ago.

"Don't worry, Helion, we're going to find your scholar." Rhysand promised him.

"She's not just my scholar!" The High Lord of Day shouted - he shouted so loud that the birds that were posing on the trees flew away as fast as their wings allowed. 

Feyre moved forward and placed her hand on Helion's arm, trying to comfort him as much as she could. "What do you mean by that?"

Helion met the High Lady's eyes, and all she found in them was pain and fear. 

His lips trembled, and after taking a few deep breaths, he told her the truth. "She's my daughter." 

The Inner Circle stilled at his words. This was unknown to them, Helion had never mentioned a child of his own.

"Y/N is my daughter, and she's the princess of the Day Court." The High Lord of Day told them. The fear in his voice was noticeable. 

Before any of them had the chance to say something, Helion raised his hand and signaled his second in command to approach him; the male had refused to let his High Lord come alone after reading that letter "Benjen."

Benjen approached him and stood to his full height, ready to receive his orders. "Yes, High Lord?

"I need you to send a letter to Eris, tell him what happened and that he needs to come to Velaris as soon as he can." Helion paused for a second, very well aware of the gazes the Inner Circle were sending his way, "and also tell him not to show the letter to anyone, as soon as he finishes reading it, he must burn it immediately."

"Of course, High Lord." Bejen replied and gave a small nod before leaving to carry out the order that his High Lord entrusted to him.

At the exit of one of his most trusted friends, Helion looked back to the Inner Circle, and he only had a second to breathe before the Shadowsinger spoke.

"Why are you sending a letter to Eris? What does he have to do with Y/N?" He asked him, with worry and confusion on his face. If Autumn had really captured you, he didn't want to waste another minute.

"Everything." Was Helion's only response.

Tired of his riddles, Rhys spoke, from one High Lord to another. "Helion, tell us what's going on. How is Y/N your daughter, and why did I never know about it? How is Eris connected to her? And why was she taken by Autumn soldiers?" 

Helion released a long breath and pitched the bridge of his nose. He approached the High Lord of Night, and with a stern look and a firm voice, he said, "If I tell you, Rhysand, you and your Inner Circle can't tell anyone." 

Rhys looked back, and with the firm nods of his family, he returned his look to Helion before extending his hand for him to shake it. "I promise."

Helion took his hand, and the bargain was made. A tattoo in the shape of the sun appeared on the back of their necks.

Helion gave him a nod before telling him, "Y/N mother didn't die, and she wasn't just a random lover." 

The Inner Circle approached at the sound of the new information the Spell Cleaver was about to share with them.

He continued, "Y/N is the result of an affair that I had eighty-two years ago." Helion paused, aware of what he was about to say. "She's mine and Elowyn's daughter."

The Inner Circle gasped out loud, shock spreading through their features. 

Oh, this was bad - this was very bad.

"You mean..?" Feyre wasn't able to finish her sentence before Helion interrupted her.

"Yes." He said, looking at the High Lady again, "The Lady of Autumn is her mother." Helion sighed, "We kept it a secret all these years so Beron wouldn't find out, but apparently, he has."

Helion took a step back and passed a hand through his long black hair. "That's how Y/N is connected to Eris. He's her brother."

Cassian spoke for the first time since all of this happened. "But how does he know?" 

Helion looked at the General. "Because Eris was the one who brought Y/N to me on the day she was born."

Eight-two Years Ago

The sun had left a long time ago.

The night had already come with her dark sky, her shiny stars, and her smooth breeze.

The entire Prythian was thankful for it.

Every citizen from every Court just wanted today's day to end.

No one understood or had an explanation for the events of today. 

It didn't make sense. Prythian was in the height of winter - two weeks from the Winter Solstice - to be more precise. 

Even though the Seasonal Courts didn't follow the natural course of Nature, they, too, were affected.

During the entire day, the sun shined like it had never shined before and released a heat that Prythian had never felt.

Not even the Summer Court or the Day Court have had a sun like this before. And these were the two Courts best known for their hot suns.

Even Winter Court, known for their constant cold, and their land always decorated with snow and ice felt uncomfortable with the sun.

Nothing happened differently during the course of today's day to explain this reaction from the sun.

There was no reason for it.

Except, there was, they just didn't know that.

- 

The letter came a few minutes after Helion had finished his dinner.

He, too, was contemplating about the sun's behavior earlier. 

He even made his way to one of his many libraries to see if this event had ever happened before but he found nothing.

It wasn't strange for the sun to shine like it did today. They've had their fair share of hot summers but for the sun to shine like that during the winter? That didn't make sense.

And with all the libraries and even more the books he owned, there had to be an answer somewhere.

The High Lord of Day was in the middle of reading a book when the letter appeared on top of it.

The letter had brown tones with leaf patterns and an intense scent of pine - Autumn.

This was the second strange thing that happened today. Why - of all the Courts - would Autumn be sending him a letter?  

It was then that he noticed that the letter did not come from Beron. The stamped seal did not belong to the High Lord.  

No, the seal was in the shape of a hound. The Heir's beloved creatures and his personal seal.

Eris Vanserra sent him a letter - a personal letter.

Without further hesitation, Helion opened the letter and read the content hidden within. If he was confused before, he is even more now. 

The letter contained three simple instructions: "Meet me at the border between Day and Dawn in twenty minutes. Come alone and don't let anyone see you. Burn the letter once you finish reading it."

Now, this was even stranger than the sun's behavior.

- 

Helion knew that he was most likely making a mistake. 

Meeting alone with Eris at the border could very well be a trap, but on second thought, what reason did the Heir have to ambush him?

The answer is none.  

He knows that Eris is not the cruel and arrogant male he appears to be, he knows that deep down Eris is good, honest and kind and that the rest is nothing more than a mask that he had to create because of Beron.

That's why Helion followed his instructions. He just hopes he doesn't regret it.

As agreed, Eris appears exactly twenty minutes after sending the letter.  

The High Lord of Day decided to arrive a little earlier as a precaution, just to make sure there were no hidden hounds ready to attack his legs, especially today that he was wearing a new robe.

Helion had no idea what this secret meeting was about. He came to think that perhaps the Heir was moments away from asking him for help to take down Beron, but he came to the conclusion that if that were the case, it wasn't him that Eris would ask for help, but the Night Court, so he scrapped that idea and was left with no other.

Therefore, he had no expectations for this meeting - if it could be called that. 

But the last thing he expected was to see Eris Vanserra with a newborn in his arms.

-

The day was already feeling long, but with the sun shining like this and the unbearable heat that came from it, it only made it seem even longer.

Elowyn, Lady of the Autumn Court, had now been in labor for three hours.

The eighth child of Beron Vanserra and Elowyn was about to come into the world, and like all the other births, Beron was far away from the room where his wife was.  

But Eris was there, just like he was at all the births of his younger brothers, holding his mother's hand like he always did.

Eris loved his mother more than anything, and one of the reasons he wanted to overthrow Beron so much was so she could be free and happy.

He also knew that Lucien was her favorite son, and although it hurt him, he would still do anything for her, but what was unknown to Eris was that he was her favorite son too.

Eris was surprised when his mother announced that she was pregnant again. After all, Lucien was born more than four hundred years ago. Another brother was something the young Heir wasn't expecting.

But he couldn't not be happy, besides he always liked taking care of his brothers when they were younger, and after everything that happened maybe a baby was exactly what they needed.

As his mother pushed again, Eris began to think about all the things he was going to teach the new member of the family - fishing, hunting, fighting because in this world that is also important, reading, writing, camping but most importantly how to control the powers.

That was something Eris didn't have. 

No one taught him how to control and use his fire, and that led the healers to treat a lot of burns because of it, and he wasn't going to let this baby go through what he did.

His mother's scream shook him away from those thoughts, and Eris refocused all his attention on her and made sure to hold her hand tighter, assuring his mother that he wasn't going anywhere. Not until his brother is born.

Two hours later - with screams, pain, and sweat - a baby's cries burst into the room, bringing tears of happiness to the eyes of Elowyn and Eris.

But it was at that moment that the Mother made her first turn of events.

"It's a girl, my Lady." The head healer that was helping with the labor announced "a very healthy baby girl." 

Eris froze, not knowing how to react before this new information.

In over a thousand years, the Vanserra lineage has never had female descendants. 

This couldn't be possible.

"A girl?" Elowyn asked, exhaustion in her voice.

"Yes, my Lady." One of the healers that assisted with the birth and now holding the baby confirmed while walking closer to the bed. "It looks like you've been blessed, my Lady." 

Eris's grip on his mother's hand loosened, and the male stood up from the side of the bed where he had spent the last five hours crouched. Now raised to his full height, Eris saw his baby sister, and his heart stopped. 

And that was when the Mother made her second turn of events.

The baby didn't look like Eris or his mother or anyone in his family. Her hair wasn't red, her eyes weren't russet or brown, and her skin wasn't pale. 

She wasn't a daughter of Autumn. Meaning she wasn't Beron's daughter.

Eris took the baby from the healer's arms before speaking to all of them. "Leave us." 

The head healer asked before making her exit, "Should we announce the birth to the High Lord, my Prince?"

"No." Eris was quick to respond. He looked at the baby in his arms again before meeting the gaze of the female. "I'll tell him myself when he gets back from the meeting. Thank you for your help."

"Of course, my Prince." The healer turned to face Elowyn and bowed one more time before leaving the room "My Lady."

Elowyn gave her a small smile. "Thank you, Lydia." 

Now alone in the room, Eris finally looked at his mother and took a seat on her left side of the bed, and passed the baby to her arms.

At the sight of her daughter, Elowyn cried.

She knew what this meant. Beron was going to kill her and her child.

Her love affair had ended after becoming pregnant with Lucien, but after seeing Helion at the High Lords meeting three years ago, all the feelings that she had buried deep down in her heart came to the surface.

And as always, she wasn't able to stay away from the male she's always loved - the love of her life, her mate, and now the father of two of her children.

Elowyn ran her fingers over the delicate cheek of her daughter - her only daughter - and with tears running down her face, she looked at her firstborn and said to him in a low voice "He's going to kill us, isn't he?" 

It was Eris's turn to have tears in his eyes, but he didn't let them fall.

Placing one of his fingers in front of his little sister, Eris saw the baby wrap her small hand around his finger, and he could have sworn his heart skipped a beat at the gesture. 

He had a gentle smile on his lips as he looked at the newborn now sleeping in his mother's arms. Her hand still wrapped around her big brother's finger.

"She's Helion's, isn't she?" Eris asked without taking his eyes from the baby.

Elowyn's mouth opened in surprise. She never mentioned Helion to anyone, not even to Lydia who wasn't just the Court's head healer but also her dearest friend. "Wha-"

"It's okay, mom. I have known for a while." Eris gave her a small smile, eyes still directed to his sister.

"Since when?"

"Since Lucien." Eris finally looked at his mother. 

Eris gave a long sigh before revealing his opinion to his mother "If you would like to know, I wish you had married him and not Beron," Eris grabbed her hand and give it a tight squeeze before continuing "You deserve to be happy and well treated, mom, and I know that Helion does that and so much more. I've never seen you as happy as on the days you returned from your meetings with him."

Elowyn gave him a genuine smile before murmuring a "Thank you."

Eris chuckled, now putting the two pieces together. "This is why the sun is acting like crazy today, isn't it? Because she's a child of Day.

The same had happened with Lucien but it wasn't as strong as today and Lucien was born in the summer which didn't raise any suspicions.

His mother nodded her head in affirmation before returning her eyes to her daughter, and she gave a small laugh. "She looks just like him."

And it was true. Everything about you screamed Helion - your eyes, your hair, your skin, and even your nose. There was no doubt in it.

Concerned invaded her face, and Elowyn found herself holding the baby tighter to her chest. 

She looked at her son again. "What are we going to do?" 

Eris met her gaze before looking at the peaceful baby again, and his head started to work to come up with a plan. 

Even if you weren't Beron's you were still his sister - his baby sister - and he wasn't going to let that horrible male harm you. 

After a few minutes and after thinking about all the possible ways, Eris understood there was only one option - one that he hated.

But that didn't matter. What mattered was to keep you safe and alive even if it meant to send you away.

The tears returned to his eyes. He had to swallow the lump in his throat because he knew he was about to break his mother's heart.

After breathing a couple of times to calm his heart, he gathered enough courage to tell her, "I have a plan." 

And just like that, the Mother made her third and final turn of events.

- 

The High Lord of Day couldn't believe what was in front of him.

Eris Vanserra with a newborn in his arms? Things had just gotten far more interesting or dangerous.

The Heir of Autumn was walking in his direction and looking at his surroundings while doing it.

When he finally stood in front of the High Lord, Eris asked him, "Are you alone?"

With an annoyed look, Helion raised his arm to gesture around them and couldn't help but reply "Do you see anyone else here, Prince?"

"As far as I'm concerned, you could have soldiers hiding behind the trees ready to attack me at your signal, High Lord." He answered with a sarcastic smile.

Helion reciprocated his smile while adding, "I could say the same about you." 

Eris shrugged his shoulders and concluded, "I suppose that's true." 

Helion winked at him before his eyes moved to the baby in his arms. Trying to act as normal as possible and not let his curiosity take the better of him, Helion asked "Who's this little one? And why did you bring a baby here?" 

Helion didn't have a good view of you, only of the top of your head since the rest was hidden by the blanket.

At the question, Eris held you tighter in his arms, he looked to the High Lord - who was still busy staring at you, probably trying to get a better look - he wanted to see his reaction when he revealed the truth to him.

"This is my sister. She was born a few hours ago." The Heir said and moved the blanket so Helion could finally see you.

When Eris removed the blanket and Helion finally had a good view of you, he found it strange because he found you familiar, as if he had already seen you before but that was impossible.  

At your sight, confusion settled on the Spell Cleaver's features, and he scoffed before telling him, "She's your sister?" He gave Eris an incredulous look and then continued. "I hate to be the one telling you this, Eris, but she doesn't look li-"

You opened your eyes at the sound of his voice, making the High Lord of Day freeze in his place.

Helion stopped. His heart did, too. Realization entered him as he put the pieces together. 

He raised his head to look at the male in front of him, who only gave a nod of affirmation as his response.

Helion had to blink his eyes several times to make sure that he wasn't dreaming - that this was real.

Now with the new revelation of the Heir of Autumn, his previous thoughts made sense.

You looked just like him. 

"It's not possible." Helion said, more to himself than to the red headed male.

"It is. She's the living proof of that." Eris told him.

"The sun?" Helion asked and received another nod from the red-headed male.

Helion couldn't tear his eyes from. You were looking at him with your golden eyes - his eyes.

He felt weak in his knees. Helion always wanted children, he knew that since the moment he met Elowyn but the world hasn't been kind to them. 

By the Cauldron, he didn't even know Elowyn was pregnant. The last time they had seen each other was a little over ten months ago, but sometimes that happened, it had happened before.

When Beron was around a lot, it was difficult for her to leave without lifting any suspicions, so they would wait until they could.

Sometimes it took weeks, other times mouths, but Helion was patient, he would rather wait than risk her safety at Beron's rage.

But the wait was worthed because when they were together it was like the rest of the world disappeared and it was just the two of them. It was perfect. 

*

The room was lit by the first rays of the morning sun and a gentle breeze came through the window.

The two lovers were together in bed. After a long night of passion and romance, the two were in each other's arms with nothing but a sheet protecting them from the breeze.

Elowyn laughed again at the tickling sensation. She hit Helion's arm that was holding her against his chest "Stop", but she couldn't stop laughing.

"Why would I do that when I can hear that magnificent sound?" Helion joined her laugh.

But Helion was right. Elowyn only laughed when she was with him, and that was one of the reasons why she loved him so much.

The Lady rested her head on the High Lord's chest and released a long sigh before giving voice to her thoughts. "I wish I woke up like this every morning." She adjusted her head on the male's chest so she could look at him. "With you."

Helion lowered his head to meet her beautiful brown eyes. "Me too." He said with a sad smile. 

"Do you ever think about that? About how our life would be if we were together?" She asked him.

"Of course I do," he placed a hand on her hair and began to caress it as he spoke "The first thing I would do, would be to marry you and after making you my wife, I would make you my High Lady."

A smile began to form on her lips. "What else?" 

He reciprocated the smile and continued, "Afterwards, we would have our honeymoon at the Summer Court because I know how much you would like to visit there. And then, I would show you every place of your new Court. The libraries, the pegasus, the entire Palace and my favorite places" He paused for a second, sadness starting to make its way to his features "I would make you feel like home, and I would make you feel loved, seen and heard every single day. I would give you anything you asked of me, Sunshine."

A tear fell from Elowyn's eyes, and her lip trembled a little. "That sounds perfect. It would be a dream come true." 

Helion wiped her tears and told her "Yes it would be..." he gave her a weak smile. He, too, felt the pain of what they could only imagine."Would you like to hear the best part?"

When she nodded her head, he proceeded "After a few years of being married, if we were blessed enough and if you wanted, of course," he paused, a tear rolled down Helion's cheek "Children."

Elowyn didn't know what to say.  

She had confessed to Helion a long time ago how she wished she had run away from her family and married him instead of her current husband. How she wished she had been strong enough to stand up to her father and how she wished all her sons were his. 

Because this last confession was what held her back in Autumn, she was not capable of abandoning her sons and leaving them at the mercy of Beron. 

She couldn't wait for the day when Eris killed him so she could finally be what she always wanted - Lady of the Day Court but in this case she would be High Lady as Helion had told her and she didn't doubt for a second of his words.

But unlike Helion, the first thing she would do wouldn't be to marry him but to accept the mating bond. That beautiful, golden, and magical mating bond.

She tugged on the bond and a second later Helion did the same, finding the words she was looking for she said to him "Of course I would have children with you, Helion, that's not even a question." She giggled. "Can you imagine? Little versions of you and me running around and causing trouble?"

Helion couldn't hold back the laughter that escaped at her words "They would be troublemakers, wouldn't they?" 

Elowyn laughed even more "Of course they would be." Her laughter quieted and a hint of love adorned her face "Maybe I would finally have my little girl, I always wanted a daughter."

"Me too," Helion confessed, "I would name her after my mother in honor of her."

"Your mother was a remarkable female. It would be an honor to name our little sunshine after her." She said and dropped an arm around his waist.

"It would be my greatest achievement.'' He finished with a kiss on her forehead. 

They spent the rest of the morning in bed talking about the future they wanted more than anything and expressed their love one more time until Elowyn had to leave.

What they didn't know at the moment was that it was the last time they would see each other for a really long time.

*

The memory surged through Helion's mind like a wave. 

He remembers that day so well after all that day was only ten months ago. What a coincidence that on the last day they were together they talked about their future and their children and now, right in front of him, was their daughter.

Their little sunshine.

With a trembling voice, Helion spoke after a long time in silence "Can I hold her?" 

"Of course." Eris was quick to respond and passed you to your fathers arms. 

And that's when it happened. A moment that neither Helion nor Eris would ever forget.

In the second that you were in Helion's arms, both of your skins started glowing as bright as the sun had just a few hours ago.

The Day Court glow. 

"Wow." Eris whispered, amazed at what was happening.

"Indeed. She really is mine." Without taking his eyes from you, Helion asked "What's her name?"

"Y/N."

And once again, the High Lord froze on his spot. He felt overwhelmed with all the emotions he was feeling at once - love, surprise, gratitude, shock and happiness.

Seeing the strange behavior of Helion, Eris spoke "What is it?"

Helion looked at the male with a smile "That's my mother's name. I told Elowyn once how if I ever had a daughter, I would want to name her after her." 

Eris smiled at the kindness of his mother but he wasn't surprised, she was always like that.

"Elowyn." The High Lord of Day whispered.

Locking his gaze with the red-headed male, concern all written in his features at the well-being of the female he had been in love for centuries. He was so focused on you that he didn't remember to ask this earlier, "Elowyn. How is she?"

Eris released a long sigh. "Physically? She's fine but exhausted from the birth. Emotionally?  She's a wreck, but I suppose that's normal considering her only daughter has to be sent away."

"What?"

"That's why I sent you that letter, Helion. I came to bring her to you." Eris said, a firm look on his face. "She can't stay in Autumn. No matter how much I want." He murmured the last part to himself, but if Helion noticed he didn't show. "And no one can know about her, about who her mother really is, we need to keep this from Beron."

He nodded his head, and he agreed with the young Heir. Of course, you couldn't stay there. He didn't even want to imagine what Beron would do if he found out about you.

At the thought of the horrible male, confusion settled on his face again. "Wait. What about Beron? Certainly, he's going to notice that his supposed child is missing."

"Don't worry about Beron. I took care of it." Eris tried to be as vague as possible.

"How?" 

"You don't want to know besides that's not important right now. She is." He gestured to you, your skin still glowing and now grabbing one of Helion's fingers.

Eris gave a long breath, and then directed his gaze to you just for a second before raising it again to the High Lord "Are you going to take her?"

Helion scoffed, "What kind of question it's that?"

Eris released a long breath of relief, and a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He didn't doubt that the High Lord would refuse you, but he couldn't but be nervous at the same.

The Heir reached for the inside pocket of his coat and removed a letter, and Helion took his gaze from you to look at it.

"My mother wrote this for you. She told me to tell you to only read it once you're back home." He handed him the letter.

Helion's heart ached at the revelation of Elowyn calling his Court 'home'. He accepted the letter and thanked the red-headed male, and started making his way to leave.

But before he could, he stopped at the voice of the Heir calling for him. He turned around and faced him.

"I want to be part of her life." Eris confessed without hesitation. 

"What? We just agreed that no one can know about her, Eris. And that includes you. She can't know you as her brother." Helion explained.

"I know that." Seeing the confused look Helion gave him, it was his turn to explain."She doesn't have to know me as her brother. A friend will be enough." He paused for a second "Beron just nominated me as Autumn's emissary which means I will be the one going to your Court for meetings so I want to take that as an opportunity to get to know her and to see her grow. That's my only condition, I already lost Lucien, and I'm not going to lose her either.'

"Very well. As long as you share those moments with Elowyn. That's my only condition too." Helion replied. 

"Consider it done." Was the Heir's response.

Without further words, the two males parted away. One with a heart full and the other with an empty one. 

Present

Helion's heart was no longer full. How could it be, when you, the best thing that ever happened to him was missing?

He saw the Inner Circle's face at the big revelation he had just told them.

Rhys broke the silence "Why didn't you tell me? I could've helped you."

Helion met his gaze. "I couldn't risk it. Y/N is my number one priority, and she'll always be, so I did everything I had to do in order to keep her safe. I have no regrets."

Feyre interlaced her fingers with Rhysand's and asked the High Lord, "Does she know?"

"Only that she's my daughter. She doesn't know about Elowyn or Eris or the rest of her brothers." Helion answered.

"She never mentioned anything," Mor replied.

"I told her not to. Y/N knows that she's my weakness and that if my enemies knew about her connection to me, they would use it as leverage. So I made sure no one outside of Day knew it, except Eris and Elowyn, not even her other brothers knew it." Helion explained.

"So how did Beron find out?" It was Azriel's turn to say.

"I don't-" Helion began, but before he could continue, the Autumn Heir winnowed to their side.

As soon as Eris' eyes met Helion's, he marched towards him.

The Heir was angry, and he didn't spare a glance at the Inner Circle. 

With a firm voice, Eris demanded, "Where is she? Where is my sister?!"

A/n: Thank you for reading!

Taglist: @emryb @fantasyandshit @azrielover @shadowsingercassia @brieflyclassymortal @lilah-asteria @lure-of-writing @pruvii @olive-main @mybestfriendmademe

the beautiful dividers belong to @cafekitsune

[nestastits]

You know Nesta really is HER.

She laughed at the children of the blessed.

She can see through Fae glamours and magic.

She told the human queens they were cowards.

She stole from the Cauldron.

She had the Cauldron, the most revered artifact of the fae that has the ability to create life and destroy everything by basically being the womb of the Mother, terrified of her to the point it went after anyone else but her.

She slapped her sister’s toxic fiancé in the face and told him he never deserved her anyway after he insulted her.

She scared off her baby sister’s toxic ex, told him off for his treatment of her sister, pointed her finger at him, and told him she’d rip his head off if he told anyone they were in spring.

She changed the entire trajectory of the books bc Sarah just couldn’t hate her

Sarah’s original plan was to have her with Lucien but the moment Nesta and Cassian saw each other it was a done deal and Sarah (basically the real life mother/cauldron) had to rewrite the books.

She did the math on how many ships the human lands would need in order to evacuate from the war.

She scared a death lord with her Made Sword

She can willed all three dread troves and has a special connection with them to the point of being able to portal them to her

She has a special connection to THE MOTHER. And a bargain with the Cauldron.

She’s been called a Death God, Kingslayer, Lady Death, Queen of Queens, Witch, Pillager of Death, Witch from Oorid, and Death Herself.

She is a Valkyrie and Oristian.

She encouraged some of the priestesses from the library (ones who have spent centuries in there without leaving) to join training by showing them there was nothing to fear.

She got a a usually disdainful blacksmith to smile with her inquisitiveness.

She marked the king with a death promise then beheaded him in the war when she got the chance. And held up his head in victory of her promise being acomplished.

She killed the first Kelpie seen in hundreds of years. Beheaded it and held it’s head in the same way.

She awoke a House and made it sentimental by befriending it with her magic.

She stabbed a man’s dick in the Blood Rite.

She led her team through the Blood Rite. Like any good General would do.

She held the line, giving up the chance of the win, so her found sisters could survive.

She spoke about becoming the leader of the first complete female fighting group in Prythian after five hundred years.

She had actual Death Gods speaking highly of her. Fearing her too.

The most powerful high lord in prythian feared her.

She unmade someone to avenge her mate. Her power stopped time when she unleashed it fully. She saved her sister, nephew, and brother-in-law all in the same morning after completing the blood rite. Gave up a fraction of her power for it, but made a bargain with the cauldron and spoke with the mother. Told her baby sister “I love you” for the first time, this was also the first time Nesta had ever said ily out loud to anyone. Decided that she wanted to have a mating ceremony. Hugged her brother-in-law after his mate and babe almost died even though they had some issues. Again all of this happened in the same morning.

She gave her Mask to an untrustworthy friend and by doing so saved both Prythian and Midgard. Perhaps other worlds and universes too.

She has infinite range👏👏👏

Please add anything that I left out! My girl has done so much I forget to list them all.

[florencemtrash]

The Shadowsinger & The Inkbird: Chapter Ten

Azriel x Day Court Librarian Reader

Summary: Y/n's clairvoyance is a gift from the Mother, but it feels more like a curse. With the power to gain knowledge through touch alone, Y/n holes herself up in The Alcove and hopes her powers and parentage will remain a secret. But things will change after the Summer Solstice ball and a chance encounter with a certain Shadowsinger.

Warnings: Mentions of cannon-typical violence. Azriel and Y/n have a late night conversation. Fluff and other stuff.

The Shadowsinger & The Inkbird: Masterlist

Masterlist of Masterlists

“Gwyn says hi by the way.” 

Azriel choked on his coffee, bitter flavor rising in his throat. Nesta sauntered into the kitchen, cool eyes glaring at the back of his head. Your familiar silhouette was nowhere to be found. 

Not here. His shadows whispered. With Rhys.

“Calm down you idiot.” Nesta’s voice dripped with unrestrained contempt as she poured herself a cup and sat. His tan skin glistened with sweat after his morning training session, inky tattoos splashing across his bare chest and trailing over his shoulders, down his back, and up to his neck. In the cloudy afternoon light it was difficult to tell where his shadows ended and where his tattoos began. 

“Y/n’s not here. You’ll have to walk around half-naked some other time.” 

Azriel winced. “That isn’t what—”

Nesta brushed him off with a wave of her hand, eyes narrowing over her mug. Azriel felt like a bug pinned down under a microscope. A crushed butterfly about to hang.

“How is Gwyn doing?” he asked gingerly, casually. 

“She’s fine. Believe it or not, the world did not end when you broke up with her.”

Again he flinched. “I’m sorry, Nes,” he whispered rather pathetically. 

“I’m not the one you need to apologize to. But you already know that.” 

There seemed to be no shortage of people he needed to apologize to: Elain, Mor, Emerie, Gwyn, even Lucien — especially Lucien. His cheeks burned to think of the absolute mess of things he’d made. Feyre had been the quickest to forgive him for the debacle with Elain and Gwyn. But as Cassian had mentioned at dinner, there was a reason everyone was staying away from the River House, and the reason was him. 

Two years ago he’d challenged Lucien Vanserra to a blood duel for Elain’s hand. It had felt so right at the time, so obvious: three sisters for three brothers. But it was only when their deaths had loomed over her head with shocking reality that Elain realized what a horrible mistake she’d made. The mistake they’d made together. 

“Call it off,” she’d commanded him, blocking Lucien’s bloody, heaving body. The son of Autumn’s sword had been kicked away, scraping across the rock with an eerie scream and disappearing over the cliff edge. But Elain had stayed, soft brown eyes begging, “Do this and I will never forgive you. What we did… it wasn’t right. It was a mistake.”

A mistake, she’d called it. Years of silent longing and bare bone brushes of their hands in dark hallways. All a mistake. Those words had haunted him. They’d chased him into Gwyn’s kind arms where he once again mistook the friendship he felt towards her as love and broke her heart in the process. Add that to his lackluster response to Mor’s coming out and… well he had a lot of work ahead of him. 

He hoped he would be forgiven in time, but that didn’t mean he’d twiddle his thumbs until that day came. He scoured Prythian’s publishers for new releases of adventure, mystery, and romance books — the raunchier the better — and they showed up every month at Cagniv Library like clockwork. The priestesses still thought it was part of a trade bargain with the Day Court. He’d sent Elain and Lucien plenty of letters and gifts, but either they weren’t being opened or they weren’t bothering to respond. He wouldn’t blame them either way. As for Mor and Emerie, they were gone with the wind, too busy infiltrating lands and enjoying an extended honeymoon on the continent to bother with him. 

That cold stillness in Nesta’s eyes transformed into pity. It was hard not to be reminded of her own failures when she looked at him. Seeing him angry. Watching him crawl into the darkest corners of himself and burn every bridge he crossed had been a shock to Nesta’s system. A plunge into freezing waters that brought pain and clarity. 

She sighed, rubbing her temples. “Just give them time, Az. They’ll come around. If they did it for me, they’ll do it for you.” “I think our situations are rather different.” 

“I don’t.” 

“You didn’t try to kill anyone.”

She grimaced. “I came close.”  

He stayed silent for a long while. He washed his cup. He dried it. He put it in the cupboard. 

“Can you—can you please not tell Y/n?” he begged. His voice was small and quiet. He’d been a fool in the past and made terrible decisions in the name of love. Mor, Elain, and Gwyn. They’d all lived more in his mind than in his heart — people he could never fully grasp, and therefore never lose. They’d been safe. Easy. 

It didn’t feel that way with you. You felt solid and warm, even if he’d only touched you once. You felt more real to him than anyone else. You felt like someone he could actually have. Which meant he could lose you before you’d even become his to lose. 

“You can’t keep her in the dark forever. Not about your history, not about the bond. If you’re going to learn anything from your brothers, learn that.”  

“I know,” he whispered. “I just want to get it right this time.” He had to get it right this time. “I want her to fall in love with me because she wants me, not out of some sense of obligation. I want…” I want to be worthy of her.  

Nesta shook her head, a laugh escaping despite her best attempts to stifle it. Azriel looked at her like she’d gone mad.

She giggled again. “It’s funny. For a male as handsome and desirable as you, you have the worst fucking luck with women. The Mother must have a twisted sense of humor.” 

Maybe she did. But Azriel was still enough of a romantic to hope that he had learned from his mistakes, and that his bad luck would end with you. 

You shoved the notebook off Rhysand’s desk, loose papers flying out like uncoordinated doves. 

“I told you notetaking was a futile effort.” The High Lord didn’t even look at you, too busy searching for invisible dirt beneath his manicured fingernails.

You groaned and dropped your head against the book he’d handed you two hours before. 

Rhysand had to smile at your frustration. It was a wholly different experience teaching you magic compared to teaching Feyre. With Feyre, her greatest barrier had been her lack of knowledge (and her hatred of him at the time). She’d been thrust into the world of fae without preparation, but it had left her malleable and adaptable. It was like teaching a newborn how to walk — a mind that could absorb more because it knew so little.

But you knew too much. You could spout off magical theory at the drop of a hat. You were a pedagogical master with a thousand mnemonics to your name. You were the first to wake in all of Velaris, making your way to the Library before bodies could fill the streets, and you only returned when the crowds had either turned in for the night or gone out to drink until daybreak. You swallowed every history book on the Night Court, Clairvoyants, daemati, and death gods until you felt untethered from the earth — until your mind began to float outside your body, buzzing with thoughts that never went away. 

But none of that mattered. Your power was an immovable object that couldn’t be controlled by logic or studying. 

You shoved against that power now.

“Good,” Rhysand nodded, leaning against the window, “You’re getting better at it.” 

He lingered in your mind, hovering over the depths of your emotions and memories like a bird ready to break water. It had taken some time before you felt comfortable with the intrusion. Your first lesson together, Rhysand’s presence in your mind had made it impossible to focus. Panic had seized your mind and your body until you could do nothing more than brace your hands and feet against the chair’s leather upholstery. You could have sworn you saw a head of silver hair to your left. The gentle pitter patter of rain had sounded like dripping blood. 

It wasn’t like that anymore. Henna had left you with a useful skill — you could wind your consciousness around Rhysand and keep him there, suspended in that indescribable space where your thoughts lay so he could do no more damage than you permitted him. 

Through your mind he felt the narrowing of your power. You imagined it like a blanket wrapped around your body, suffocating but familiar. It was this power that laced your skin and made contact with others so hard. You imagined the fabric shortening, creeping up your arms and legs, curling around your torso and squeezing like a snake. Inch by inch you tightened it around you, burying it within your chest instead of carrying it openly like a wound. 

You held a music book between your hands — Nyx’s to be exact. The little Lordling showcased a certain aptitude for the piano his father could only dream of, and being as young and protected as he was, the worst kind of emotion imbued within its pages was agitation. You could hear one of the ballads written within it as clearly as if Nyx was sitting beside you plucking out the melody. 

Tighter. Tighter. Tighter. You swallowed your power. Pulled what was outside inwards. Slowly but surely the music faded away until the book was as all books should be — silent. 

Sweat beaded your brow. This was the most difficult part — not tuning out the music, but keeping the volume at zero. 

Rhysand checked his watch. Waited. Checked it again. 

You lasted thirty minutes before your power burst out along your skin once more like a thousand prickling needles. You shuddered, half-disappointed, half-grateful that you could hear the melody again.

Rhysand clapped his hands, slow and proud. The grandfather clock in the corner of the room was dangerously close to five bells. Rhysand nodded. 

“Perfect timing. We’re done for today.” 

“I can go for longer,” you pleaded. 

“I know you can.” Rhysand pushed off the wall, polished leather boots gleaming. He was wearing his Illyrian leathers this time, the scent of wind still clinging to his skin after a visit to the northern war camps.

Old Illyria lasted thousands of years. The clans used to flow up and down the Steppes, following the tundrabeast that lay claim to those mountainous regions and were said to speak for their god Ramiel — Starbreaker, Night Herder — after whom the mountain is named. They don’t move with the cold winds anymore, even if they’ve kept their names: Ironcrest, Bloodborn, Windhaven, Seawhip, Hawkseed, Timberbane, and a dozen others. And they don’t make sacrifices, although the Blood Rite might be a close—

Rhysand rapped his knuckles on the desk to grab your attention and splayed his fingers wide. “I also know that the moment I dismiss you, you’ll scamper off to the Library to work until you can’t see straight.” 

You shifted in your seat. “I like it there.”

“That’s besides the point. If you keep going at this pace you’ll burn out. Then you won’t be able to help anyone. Don’t think I haven’t noticed.” 

Your eyes widened ever so slightly. You hadn’t thought he’d noticed. “I know what it feels like to burn out and it’s not going to happen anytime soon. I promise.” 

Rhysand suppressed the urgent need to roll his eyes as you gathered your things and walked out the door. “And here I thought I worked too much,” he muttered beneath his breath. 

You carried Henna’s journal tucked within your new Librarian robes — black with ivory detailing and wide sleeves that narrowed at the wrists. You kept a hand on it during late nights at the Library. You ate with it propped open, black splotches swimming across the page like worms. You slept with it beneath your pillow. 

But alas, it would seem the book was going to make you work to wring meaning out of every odd symbol.

You were muttering to yourself as you walked back and forth in front of the fireplace. You’d effectively commandeered one of the reading rooms on the seventh floor, leaving the library only when required for Rhysand’s lessons. Helion’s most recent letter lay open on the table with Cherp’s resting just beneath it. A map hung crooked on the wall, four athenaeums circled in bleeding red ink alongside a list of books that had gone missing — the ones that people knew about at least. 

The Alcove, Ares House, Folkmen’s Bard, and most recently, Argot’s.

 Three Librarians dead. Their throats slit. Blood dribbling down their burgundy robes as they’d sat hunched over their desks. The week before it had been two from Ares House caught swaying from the third floor balcony. 

No one has any idea how it happened. The wards were never set off. Nothing in the Library was disrupted. I tell you this only because you deserve to know what’s happened to your people. Continue your training. Continue your research. Do whatever you need to do. But leave the court business to me, dear. I’ll write to you again when I can.

~ Helion 

“It doesn’t make sense,” you mumbled, drumming your fingers against your hip where the book remained silent. “None of this makes sense.” 

You’d used every ounce of Rhysand’s training on the book. You’d imagined your power sliding over it like water, fire, needles shooting through cowhide, a hammerstrike, every metaphor imaginable. You’d glared at it with an intensity that would have disintegrated a lesser object. 

When that failed, you had moved onto solving the murders and thefts at your father’s court. You couldn’t content yourself with sitting in one of the cushy, high-backed chairs in Rhysand’s office sipping imported tea in porcelain cups while athenaeums were on lockdown. 

The pattern was shockingly simple — Koschei was going after books that could be traced back to him. Books that might give his enemies the upper hand: folktales alluding to him and his siblings, translated texts from old Bauldish that might have proved useful in deciphering Henna’s book, secondary accounts of the age before High Lords ruled. 

If you were Koschei you’d go after Godswoods next — the collection of athenaeums dedicated to religion. Then on to The Gallows — the athenaeum on death and dying. The two were intricately tied to one another, but people tended to write books on dying before coming up with explanations for what comes after. You’d spent a great deal of time there following your mother’s death, and you could picture it now — solemn black bookshelves looping around a circular room that tapered up into a point like a blade pointed to the sky. 

You finished writing your letter to Helion, along with the list of books you wanted pulled from the archives. Cagniv Library may have been a glowing beacon in the Night Court, and a place of sanctuary for the priestesses, but it was nothing like you were used to.

You held the paper out in front of you, Helion’s glimmering pen tucked behind your sharp ears, and blew. The black letters lifted off the page and faded away like a breath in cold air. The message was already writing itself back into existence in Helion’s office.

“It doesn’t make sense.” 

You scribbled out another note, this one for yourself with another pen. You ripped it to pieces and fed it to the fire. 

What was Koschei looking for now? Was he still looking for the book that now rested against your hip, or had he turned to some other prize? And why kill the Librarians and set all of Day Court on high alert? 

Henna had been careful. She’d stayed hidden until she was forced to tear down the Alcove to get the book. Whoever was causing the killings now was either a showman or a fool. They left bodies hanging from rafters. They carved smiles into throats. They let the Librarians know what they were stealing whether they meant to or not. They left patterns scattered among wreckage for someone like you to figure out. 

It all felt… juvenile for lack of a better word. Someone young. Someone who wanted to prove themselves in a loud way. Someone whose ego hadn’t been tested yet and wasn’t listening to Koschei’s commands in their entirety. 

Azriel. 

You couldn’t help but think of him. 

Azriel was nothing like that. 

He wasn’t loud. He didn’t vy for attention. He didn’t seek the light in a room. His confidence was quiet and true. His kindness took the shape of the shadows that lingered by your ankles. It took the shape of the robes you wore now. He was the only one who’d seen them at The Alcove. He was the only one who could have requested the court seamstress to make a copy and leave it hanging in your closet.

No. Azriel was nothing like that.

Azriel’s eyes lit up like embers when you slid through the front door, weary but bright-eyed and cradling your journals against your chest. The shadows he’d left behind with you slithered across the floor like mist. 

She’s been in the Library all day. Working. The shadows whispered in his ear. She thought about you. 

Azriel smiled. He’d thought about you as well. “I was wondering where you’d gone.” 

You gasped, closing the door louder than you intended. You’d developed a talent for sneaking in and out of the River House unnoticed to the point where Cassian considered hiding bells in your pockets. Nyx had tried to do it as a joke, but you’d caught him giggling too loudly in your bedroom. 

You brightened immediately, a broad smile appearing on your face. Azriel felt his heart leap, then quiet as he caught the scent of parchment paper. 

“I thought you weren’t supposed to be back until tomorrow?” You whispered, tip-toeing through the dimly lit hallway to where Azriel was in the sitting room. You sank into the couch with a groan. The hardwood desks at the Library had not been kind to you. 

He shrugged and brushed back his wind-thickened hair, shifting to face you better. A crumb-coated plate lay on the table and he still wore his leathers. He must have just arrived home. 

“I flew as quick as I could. I wanted to be home.” With you. 

He’d gotten so used to the feeling of you sleeping across the hallway that he’d flown the last three days without sleep. It was worth it to see you again. From the looks of it, you’d not fared well in his absence either. Your eyes had that glassy, half-there sheen: a perfect mixture of exhaustion and mind-crackling clarity. 

“And how were the Mortal Lands?” You tucked your knees beneath you and leaned against your hand, fighting the sleep that seemed to grapple for you now that Azriel was home. His wings were spread wide and you resisted the urge to close the last few inches between you and the talon that glimmered in the faelight like obsidian glass.

You’d never been that far south. You’d never had reason to. But Azriel flew far and wide. The Continent was now Mor’s domain, but the secret goings of Prythian and the Mortal Lands belonged to him and him alone. The Spymaster of the Night Court. The Shadowsinger.

Azriel shook his head. “Quiet. Koschei hasn’t touched them yet as far as I can tell, and the Mortal Queens don’t care. They seem to think that they can handle Koschei because he’s agreed to bargains with them in the past.” 

You made a noise of disapproval. “Like they handled Hybern? The only reason they’re still standing is because fae fought their war.” 

The scattering of human armies that had arrived on that battlefield had belonged to no crown. They’d either fought for the bloodlust or the money. You could respect them for that. 

Azriel tipped his head to the side, following the curling of his shadows around his shoulders. “But they are still standing. They don’t know what we sacrificed to keep them safe. That’s the problem with humans. They forget too quickly and get complacent” 

“It would seem we have the opposite problem. We can’t help but remember everything,” you said, with no small amount of bitterness. 

He wanted to keep you talking. He wanted your thoughts. Wanted to fall asleep to the sound of your voice after three weeks of silence. You weren’t aware of it, but the bond had felt thin the further he’d traveled away from you. Like a tightrope stretched to its snapping point. Now that he was back, and you were here, his heart didn’t feel like such a strenuous burden.

He smiled. “I think that’s just you. I know plenty of fae who are forgetful and empty-minded.” He leaned back, stretching his wings out to the side, and winced. They were whipped raw and tender from the flight. 

Without thinking you got up and moved to the fireplace, feeding wood to the flames until it crackled happily. There was a reason Cassian and Azriel loved to bath their wings in sunlight every chance they got. The heat helped the soreness and eased the wind’s rough edge. 

It also drove color into your cheeks and set your hair alight in a soft golden haze. You were a marvel. An angel with a halo to match and Azriel drank in the sight. 

“Like who?”

“Cassian.” 

You smirked and chucked the last of the wood into the flame’s gaping mouth. 

Cass was far from empty-minded, but after decades of being feared as the Lord of Bloodshed he was grateful that people loved him enough to be just a little mean. He gave and received friendly blows like kisses on the cheek and smiled all the wider for it. To threaten his life was the same as saying I love you. It must be why the Mother had made Nesta his mate. She said I love you to him all hours of the day. 

Azriel asked you what you were thinking, and when you told him he felt some of that pain slide off his shoulders like rain. He threw his head back and laughed until his chest started to hurt again and you thought about how rare that sound must be, and how much you loved it. 

“How are the others? Rhysand told me Feyre’s sister is down there along with your friends.” 

Azriel sobered up quickly and cleared his throat. “Yes. Elain, Lucien, Jurian, and Vassa.”

His voice caught on two names: Elain and Lucien, and it didn't escape your notice. He sounded... nervous.

“And? Are they alright?”

He rolled his shoulders and looked out the window to the inky black sky. Vassa would be sleeping now in her human form, and if she was lucky, she’d wake up in the morning still within the manor’s grey stone walls. Safe. Home. 

He shook his head gravely. “They’re nothing short of terrified. Koschei has Vassa under a spell that would normally keep her tied to his lake. He let her go during the war against Hybern and he’s been allowing her to stay, but… everyone’s just holding their breath and trying to prepare for the day he’ll take her back.”

You shivered and wrapped one of the spare blankets around your shoulders. You couldn’t imagine a life where every waking moment held the risk of being torn away from everything you held dear. The anticipation would have broken you more than the act itself. 

“I’ve heard of her. The firebird.” You murmured softly. You imagined a creature with glowing eyes, blue-red feathers streaking behind like ribbons set on fire. Azriel narrowed his eyes in confusion, and you explained, “Ares House records all wartime information. I read the reports. We’re very thorough.”

Azriel smiled. “I would expect nothing less.”

Silence passed in comfort, and you couldn’t stop thinking about Vassa.

“Do you think they’d be able to stop it if Koschei did make her go back?” 

“I don’t know, Y/n.” And it was driving him mad to have Koschei hanging around like a forgotten word at the end of his tongue.

“I hate this,” you spat out, “The not knowing. I hate it.” 

Azriel stared at you, hazel eyes silently begging you to continue. Shadows curled around your body, gently tugging you closer to him until your knees were a whisper away from touching. 

You both sighed softly into the quiet air. Even the River House seemed to be at rest for the night. The usual background hum of cooking and cleaning were absent. It was just you and the Shadowsinger. 

“How are things going? With the book?” 

You slipped your hand through the slit in your robes and pulled it out. The gold chain rustled, glowing faintly from your touch. 

“It’s going.” You shoved the book back out of sight. You couldn’t even stand to look at it after the hours you’d spent agonizing over its pages. “Rhysand’s been teaching me to contain my power better. I can actually touch some things now.” 

But not him. Still not him. And it was killing you. 

Azriel gave another one of his small smiles. The ones that never failed to make the world a smaller, more manageable place. “That’s good.”

“I just… this may sound silly but, I’m not used to things being this hard. With my powers a lot of things just sort of came naturally for me. But now people are dying and I’m just sitting here on this very expensive couch and I can’t do the thing I was brought here to do and I… I don’t like feeling this useless.” 

“Hey, hey, hey,” Azriel murmured. He closed the space between you even more, shadows hovering over your face in silent permission. When you didn’t pull away they brushed back the strands of hair that had fallen over your face with a cool, silky touch. 

Azriel was all calm darkness and you imagined that if you reached out to touch his chest your hand might just slip through him like he wasn’t there at all. He seemed too good to be real. 

But he was real, and he was sitting close enough that you could feel the warmth of his breath fan your cheeks. 

“You’re not useless. Never believe that. Not even for a second. And even if you were useless, it wouldn’t matter. You’re worth more than the things you can do, remember?”

“I remember.” Your voice was quiet and thick. 

You rested your cheek in the crook of your arm as you gazed at him wearily. 

Azriel kept his hands out in the open, one hand reaching across the couch cushions before stopping mere inches away from yours. His shadows closed the remaining distance, slipping in between your fingers to mimic Azriel’s touch. 

“Did you uncover any more secrets of mine while I was gone?” Azriel asked as your eyelids began to droop. 

“I confess I forgot to look. But maybe now that you’re here, I’ll start again,” you mumbled into the encroaching dark.

“I look forward to it,” were the last words that filtered through your ears before you fell asleep to the untranslatable whispers of shadows. 

Nyx bounded down the stairs, leaping the last six steps before landing soundlessly on the floor with a soft bend of his knees — just like Azriel had taught him. Feyre gave a proud nod before ruffling his ebony hair and Rhysand beamed. 

Let me. Feyre adjusted the wrappings around Rhys’s chest that kept Velaria’s plump body swaddled and comfortable. Her pink lips opened in a yawn that had both mates sighing. 

“Uncle Az!” Nyx raced forward towards the sitting room and then froze, mouth opened in a surprised oh.

Azriel slept like the dead on the floor, chest rising and falling with the beat of his gentle breath. You lay stretched out on the couch, one arm propped beneath your head and the other dangling over your waist and off the cushions. Your fingers swayed an inch above Azriel’s chest, shadows swimming over his torso and creeping up your arms so that even in sleep you were connected to one another. 

Feyre gasped softly at the picture. The sunlight blanketing the both of you in peach fuzz. The faint uptick of Azriel’s lips and the smoothness of his brow. The way you looked like you were bleeding into him. The black of his shadows and your robes. 

Rhysand rubbed Nyx’s shoulder and kissed Feyre’s cheek.

Let them sleep, Nyx. We’ll get breakfast at Huth’s today.

Nyx let his parents lead him towards the door without protest. He’d never seen Uncle Az sleep so soundly in his life. 

<- Previous Chapter Next Chapter ->

______________

Author's Note:

Yeah... this slow burn is burning... but I just love it so much and I love writing all the sweet little moments they have and their conversations with one another and I hope you're enjoying it as well.

[asnowdriftsomewhere]

Daylight

Part 1 Cassian x f!reader

AN: Cassian has been on my mind a lot lately, so here is part 1 of a series of short stories about him being him ❤️

Summary: You are Helion's best courtier and researcher, but you have been... off lately. He hopes sending you to the Night Court will help you get back to your usual sunny self.

Warnings: depression, perfectionism, underlying unresolved issues

Word count: 1405

To be a member of Helion's Court was to exude excellence in every way. Perfection was the standard by which every member was held and the bar with which you measured yourself against your rivals. There were no mistakes, no second chances. If you could not stand in the light of Day gloriously unmarred and unbroken, then you had no place with his halls.

However, it wasn't Helion who held his people to such a standard but, rather, the drive of competition that you instilled in each other. The Court of Day had always been composed of fiercely ambitious individuals. He grew up marveling at the impressive work his fathers advisors had done when driven to prove themselves better than their colleagues. The previous High Lord fostered the cutthroat environment. He knew just the right thing to say to stoke the fires among his people and ensure that perfection was always achieved. Always in the spirit of healthy competition, of course. He didn't allow for things to devolve into petty squabbles or grudges that would only distract from the work. You never hated your companions. Were never frustrated by their achievements and successes. Only disappointed in your own abilities.

Perhaps that was why Helion sent you to work in the Night Court, in Rhysand’s library, under the house of wind. He saw how every accomplishment and accolade given to the other of the Court left you feeling hollow and despondent. You were his best researcher, his most knowledgeable Courtier, and yet he saw that light in you fading. Dulling to a mere ember when you once burned like the sun. He hoped that some time away from the high-pressure environment of his Court would reconstitute your usually sunny disposition and lift your spirits.

At first, it had the opposite effect. You never felt lower than when you walked the lowest levels of the library, tears falling quietly down your cheeks as you wandered through the stacks. He sent you away. He made you leave his court - leave the Grand Library - your home, and come here. Where you were left in suffocating silence as the Priestesses went about their own business. Researching whatever flight of fancy captured their attention in the moment and having no real structure about it that you could discern.

Not that you had the capacity to notice much of anything those first few days. You were a shell of a person, mindlessly snaking your way through the shelves as you idly assessed the collection of tombs you were to spend the next six months of your existence working with. It was perhaps one of the reasons you did not notice the dark wings and Illyrian presence following you into the shadows.

It wasn't even that Cassian was trying to hide that he was there. You simply did not pay attention enough to see him as he approached the sitting area at which you had gathered your materials. He didn't even know why he was there, really. Clotho had called him down to check on you after one of the Priestesses had informed her that you had not left the lowest levels in more than a fortnight. But why she didn't just wait for one of the others to get back from their trips baffled him. Mor and Az were on the continent doing what they did best. While Feyre and Rhys were currently on a tour through Prythian to strengthen ties with the other Courts. Even Amren was unavailable since Varian had come into town unexpectedly to see the tiny ancient one.

So here he was feeling five kinds of wrong as he approached you, a clearly unaware female alone in the dark. Though, as he made his way through the stacks to where you were reading, he supposed you weren't exactly sulking in the shadows as he half expected you to be when he had been summoned. Instead, as he descended into the lowest level he knew most avoided, he saw a light glowing dully through the rows of books. Something in his gut tugged him along, pulled him forward as if the mother herself were guiding him to the little sitting area and the female waiting there.

When he finally turned the corner, and there was nothing more hiding you from view, he felt his breath catch in his throat. You were simply beautiful, the most beautiful female he’d ever laid eyes on, and that wasn't even taking into account how your skin glowed like the sun itself prowled within your veins. An earth bound star, trapped in the dark.

You paid him no mind. If you were even aware of his presence, he didn't know. To focused on the tome before you to notice the male now gawking at you from the stacks. He shifted his weight, unsure of what to do as you continued ignoring him and the minutes dragged on. Finally, he cleared his throat, and you jumped back from the table. Your wooden chair chattering to the ground as you put distance between yourself and the Illyrian who seemed to appear out of nowhere.

“Hey, don't freak out,” he held up his hands. Showing you his empty palms as he gave you an awkward smile. “I'm not going to hurt you.”

“And yet your very presence does just that,” you sneered, your heart beating fast in your chest and your eyes darting to the darkened shelves that surrounded you. Too many places - there were too many places for others to hide-

“I'm just here to check on you,” he spoke evenly, his voice softer than any male you'd ever heard before. It made you still, “Clotho was concerned that you hadn't yet left the library.”

Your eyes narrowed on him, “And she couldn't be bothered to look for herself?”

He gave a half shrug, the movement slow and deliberate. You saw every muscle move. “She tried, and so did the other Priestesses. You didn't acknowledge them, and they don't like to be this deep for that long.”

You blinked once, your body shifting out of the half crouched stance you'd been in. “...They did?”

Cassian let out a soft breath, “Yes.”

“Oh,” a frown, more thoughtful than angry, pulled at your lips. “But why send you?”

He shrugged again, the movement more relaxed and natural though still slow. “I've been asking myself that question the whole way down.”

You didn't laugh, “Well, you can report to Clotho that I am just fine and in no need of coddling.”

He frowned at that, “Do you know how long it's been?”

You waved an idle hand, “A few days is nothing. Back home, I sometimes spent a week or more in the library. So they need not wo-”

“Seventeen days,” he cut you off, and you went still again. “Seventeen days without fresh air or sunlight-” you raised an eyebrow at him, a hand gesturing down to your glowing skin, and he relented, “You know what I mean.”

A heavy sigh came out of you, “I do. I hadn't… realized…” your voice trailed off as you dragged a hand down the text on the table in front of you.

He strained his neck forward, attempting to peer at the scrawled script without risking a step closer, “What are you researching anyway? Rhys didn't say. Just that you were coming for a few months and to clean out a spare room for you up at the house. One that you haven't deigned to use yet, by the way. Azriel has been absolutely devastated to know his hard work was for nothing.”

You slammed the book closed, “It's nothing. Don't worry about it.” The glare you threw his way was enough to deter any curiosity he'd been slowly building, and he held his hand up in surrender once again. “Tell Clotho not to worry. I'll manage my time better going forward. You can leave.” It was a dismissal, but he felt the truth in your words and turned around to return back to the High Priestess far above you. As he did, a flash caught his eye, and he stilled just inside the stacks. There, snaking through the books in a way he often saw Azriel's shadows do was a glowing fragment of sunshine. He watched it slide across the floor and circle your ankle before blending seamlessly into the light you emitted naturally.

A piece of daylight, returning to the sun.

Part 2

[daydreaming-nerd]

Young Love and Old Money (Cassian x Female! Reader) Part 12

Young Love and Old Money Masterlist

AN: Wow this took longer than I thought because I JUST graduated college, which has been a hard transition for me. Also in one of my grad photos I posed with ACOMAF and Fourth Wing and tagged both Sarah and Rebecca Yarros and REBECCA FUCKING DMed ME AND CONGRATULATED ME! So yeah that was insane.

Summary: She was the most beautiful woman in Prythian, sister to the High Lord of Night, and now she is the soon-to-be wife of Eris Vanserra. Despite her many titles and her aura of unattainability, Cassian can't help but fall deeply in love with the princess of the Night Court. But will it be enough to stop her impending wedding to a man who is sure to destroy her from the inside out?

Warnings: Smut, mating bond being accepted, territorial Cass, angst for Rhys

Word Count: 5,535

“And this is really what you want?” Rhysand asks me for the one-millionth time. 

“Yes brother,” I assure him, taking his hands in mine. 

“No ornate, over the top mating ceremony? No wedding with all seven courts in attendance? Need I remind you that you are the Princess of Velaris, The Jewel of Prythian. I am the High Lord of Night, simply speak it and it is done,” Rhysand fusses. 

I can’t help but laugh at his eagerness to lay the world at the feet of his little sister. He had already given me our mother’s sapphire encrusted diadem as my something blue and had the small temple decorated in faelights and night blooming jasmine. I could practically smell the sweet flowers from the other side of the double oak doors before me. If I peeked through the crack I would see my handsome mate, my cousin, Azriel, and Amren, all waiting for Rhys to walk me down the aisle. 

“Rhys, I already had a larger than life wedding. I want this one to be intimate and sweet, just my family,” I assure him and I see his shoulders relax. 

“I’m sorry that Autumn Court traditions didn’t allow me to walk you down the aisle last time,” he smiles, offering me his arm, which I take. 

“It’s okay that was just the practice wedding,” I tease, bumping into his shoulder. 

Rhys barks out a laugh, a real one, a sound I hadn’t heard from him in a long time. He looks over at me one last time, taking in my appearance before placing a kiss on the top of my head, “You look beautiful sister. Cassian is truly a very lucky male.”  

I smile, smoothing my dress over one last time before the double doors open to reveal the beautiful temple and my mate turns to meet my gaze.

The soft faelights cast a warm glow throughout the temple and the smiling faces of my family meet me as Rhys leads me down the aisle. Mor looks so happy she might squeal, Amren’s face dons a small smile, the biggest one I’ve seen from her, ever. Azriel looks at me for only a moment before turning his head to Cassian, watching his brother's reaction to seeing his future wife and mate.

Cassian was dressed immaculately, in one of the many jackets that he wore to the Autumn Court balls. But I didn’t care much about how he dressed, I was more focused on his eyes, how they glassed over as I walked closer to him. Such happiness and joy that lie in them, like he had been waiting for this day for many years. 

As I step up to him Rhys passes my hand to Cassian’s with a knowing glance. My general looked down upon me like I was the most precious thing he ever beheld. I squeezed his hands tighter to assure him that I was real. 

“You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, my love,” Cassian smiled before turning to the priestess. 

I don’t have time to say anything before the priestess begins to speak, seemingly more eager than the rest of us. 

“We gather here today to bear witness to the union of these two beings. If anyone should have any reason why these two shall not be joined please say so at once.” the priestess says. 

“This is also the time when I remind everyone that I have a knife,” Cassian says under his breath, earning a laugh from all of us. 

“Very well,” the priestess giggles. “Do you, y/n, youngest sister of our High Lord Rhysand and Princess of Velaris, take this male to be your lawfully wedded husband? In sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, as long as you shall live?” she asked me. 

“I do,” I smiled seeing the love pouring from Cassian’s eyes as I slid the simple gold band on his finger. There might have been five other people in the room but I couldn’t care less. Cassian’s hands gave mine a gentle squeeze, his way of showing me how happy he was to hear me say those two little words. 

“And do you, Cassian, General of the Night Courts Armies, take this female to be your lawfully wedded wife? In sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, as long as you shall live?” the priestess asks, looking at Cassian. He didn’t even notice her. 

“Hell yeah I do,” he laughs, earning a laugh from our family once more as he places his mother’s ring on my hand. 

“Princess if you would,” she said, gesturing to the small blackberry tart on the plate before her. 

When I asked Cassian what he wanted as his official mating offering he didn’t hesitate to ask for a blackberry tart. I was puzzled at first until he explained that we met because of a blackberry tart. The first day he saw me, reading on the couch of the townhouse he and Azriel had come over because my mother had made us all blackberry tarts.  It was after  his story that I realized he had thought about this for a long time.  

I picked up the small pastry off the ornate plate and offered it to Cass. He plucked it from my  hands like it was made of porcelain and took a bite, berry staining his lips. I couldn’t help but reach a  hand up to wipe the mess from his face. 

“Congratulations you two, you are now mates as well as husband and wife,” the priestess smiled fondly, taking a step back.

“C’mere you,” Cassian smirked, pulling me into a kiss. 

His mouth melded against mine, and immediately things felt…different. They were deeper, stronger. The bond between us seemed to glow even brighter.  I felt Cassian dip me, in order to kiss me deeper, earning cheers from our family, especially Mor. When we came up for air I felt like my skin was on fire, the need to touch and feel all of my mate consuming my very soul. Like all moral code I had was thrown out the window. I barely felt it when we broke apart for air. The only thing bringing me back to reality was Cassian’s hazel eyes darkening. 

“Rhys I’m sorry to say this, but I’m going to go fuck your sister now,” Cassian jested picking me up bridal style and walking back down the aisle. 

The sound of my brother’s protest and the family’s laughter followed us as we launched skyward the cold night air whipping my dress around. The stars seemed brighter tonight as we flew over the Sidra, making a beeline for the House of Wind. It wasn’t uncommon for mating ceremonies to end so abruptly, but most of the time the couple would give their thanks to all in attendance before caving to the frenzy. Then again since when were Cassian and I a normal couple?

We landed on the terrace of the House of Wind and the second we were on solid ground Cassian kissed me, not even stopping to put me down. 

“Cass put me down!” I laughed between kisses. 

“Over my dead body, we're going straight to our room,” he smiled storming off towards the door. 

That’s right, our room. I had moved all my things into his room just yesterday. Thankfully he didn’t have much of a wardrobe so my thousands of dresses fit perfectly. 

The house thankfully opened our bedroom door for us, but it closed promptly with a slam as Cassian’s foot kicked it shut. I felt my feet finally touch the ground as greedy hands roamed my waist. 

“You are truly the most beautiful bride, I am so lucky to have you,” Cassian beamed, taking in every inch of me. 

“I’m far luckier to call you my mate and my husband,” I hum, kissing him again as I begin ripping the buttons of his shirt open. 

“That’s right you’re my wife now,” he exclaimed, kissing me deeply. “I’ve waited so long to call you my wife y/n, you have no idea.” 

I felt his hands wander to the buttons of my dress, he fumbled with a few before the thing was ripped in two, buttons ricocheting off every wall and surface in the room. I gasped as the cold air hit my bareback.  I took a step back to reveal my surprise for my husband, one Mor insisted I needed tonight. 

As the intricate wedding dress pooled at my feet my white lingerie was revealed. I remembered when Mor took me shopping at her favorite shop, she claimed it was nonnegotiable, and as Casssian’s eyes nearly popped out of his head I could see why. 

“Fucking hell,” he moaned closing the distance between us by grabbing me by my waist. “Pinch me baby there’s no way you’re my wife,” he said, wandering his hands up and down my body setting my skin on fire. 

“Why don’t you get on your knees Cass,” I whisper in his ear, knowing his second surprise is waiting for him there. 

My general, and the Lord of Bloodshed, falls to his knees before me without even a protest. His eyes fell directly on the garter I was wearing on my thigh. Seemingly plain and white, but I smirked as his eyes widened once again as he saw the customization on it.  

Embroidered on the garther in red thread, read one name. 

‘Cassian’

“You’re going to kill me princess,” he groaned, pressing his head against my thigh.

I couldn’t help  but laugh at his reaction to the fabric around my thigh as I ran a hand through his hair, “So it’s safe to say you like it?” I ask.

“Like it? I fucking love it baby. I’m fucking you with this one tonight.” He smirks leaving open mouthed kisses on my thigh. 

“Damn it that thing is scratchy,” I giggle. I wasn’t lying, the lace had been rubbing against my leg all day. 

“Then allow me to take it off for you,” he said, pressing a kiss just above the lace. “Can’t have anything marring my princess’ perfect skin,” he smirked before grabbing the fabric with his teeth and pulling it down my leg. 

The sight of his dark eyes locking on mine as the lace slid off my leg was enough to have my knees buckle. Thankfully his hands on my hips kept me stable as the garter slid off my foot. He chucked the thing clear across the room before standing and picking me up in one fell swoop.  

I couldn’t help but giggle as he laid me ever so gently on our shared bed. Staring down at me, taking in every single inch of me. 

“My beautiful, beautiful mate,” he breathed, leaning over me to press a kiss to my lips before trailing his mouth down my neck. “Beautiful, exquisite, and all fucking mine,” he groaned accentuating each word with a kiss.  

“Cassian,” I breathed, feeling his mouth traveling to where I needed him most. “I need you now,” I pleaded. 

“Shhh not yet wife, I want to taste you first,” he grinned placing a kiss atop my clothed core before sliding the white lace down my legs and discarding it with the garter. 

A series of kisses lined my core before he parted my folds, licking a long stripe up the center of me flicking his tongue at my clit causing me to arch my back off the mattress. He took his time, swirling and suckling on every part of me. When his fingers slid into me slowly but surely it had me crying out in pleasure. 

I  looked down to where my husband feasted on me, his eyes staring directly into mine. He watched my every reaction to his tongue and his hands as he brought me closer and closer to the gods themselves. Those hazel eyes turned dark brown as they devoured every gasp of pleasure I let out.

“Cass I’m going to-” 

“Cum baby, I want my wife to cum all over my fucking face,” he growled thrusting his fingers into me faster. The change in his voice was so drastic, so deep it had me doing just that.   

I knew the fae were more primal, more needy during their mating but I had no clue it would be like this, no clue I would love it as much as I did. As I came down from my high I realized how badly I needed him unleashed, needed all him. 

“Fuck you taste so fucking good mate,” he groaned licking up whatever juices I left over. 

“Cass I need you,” I said with a guttural sound that didn’t even sound like me.

His eyes snapped up from my cunt to me, somehow even darker than they were moments ago. He crawled up my body, a look in his eyes that could only be described as pure male pride as he said with a smirk.

“Yeah wife? You need me?” he grinned, placing open mouthed kisses over my collarbones. 

“Yes Cass, I need you. I need all of you,” I pleaded, my nails raking down his now bareback. When his shirt had come off? I didn’t know. 

“I’m not myself right now y/n,” he gritted, trying to show restraint. “I’ve never needed you as badly as I do now.” 

“Take me Cass, I want you unleashed,” I begged, pulling him closer to me, just needing to feel his skin brush against mine. 

His pants were quickly discarded to wherever my clothes had gone and I felt his hard cock brush against my stomach. I found myself subconsciously bucking into it like my body was forcing me to. He thrusted inside me in one motion filling me to the brim and causing us both to let out unnatural sounds. 

“Ah oh god’s Cassian, it feels so good!” I cried, finally feeling the relief of having him inside me. 

The only response I got from Cassian I got was a low growl as he started rutting inside of me. The sensation was almost too much to take. I knew that once the mating bond was accepted sex was  different. There was nothing in the world that could compare. It was part of what made the mating bond so special. 

As I felt Cassian thrusting into me, and heard his moans of pleasure as my walls clenched around him I wondered if I would ever get enough of this. If I would ever be truly satisfied. No wonder they called it the frenzy, I could sleep with him inside me and I would still need more.

“Holy fuck baby you feel so good,” Cassian grunted, his face tightening in the process. 

“Cassian!” I screamed, unable to remember anything but the name of my mate. 

“Who’s fuckin pussy is this?” he roared, setting a brutal pace. 

“Yours Cass,” I cried, feeling myself falling over the edge at  his words. 

My orgasm ripped through me like a tidal wave, the pleasure branding my every nerve as I felt the aftershocks all over my body. I had never felt this way before.

“Fuckkk,” Cass moaned, sitting himself inside of me as I felt his load coat my walls. 

He collapsed beside me cradling me to his chest, both of us sweating and breathing heavily. My legs trembled from the aftershock of my release. 

“Shit princess, are you okay? Did I hurt you?” Cassian asked, tilting my chin up so he could assess my face. 

“No, no I’m fine,” I assured him before collapsing on his chest again. 

“I’m sorry I got a little rough there, it was-” 

“The bond,” I said, finishing his sentence. “Don’t worry I feel it too.” 

The heat returned to that spot between my legs and suddenly I needed to be closer to him, even though I was lying on top of him. I lifted my head to press kisses to his bare chest, my favorite activity to do. 

“Y/n if you don’t stop I’m gonna-” 

“I need you Cassian,” I said, cutting him off again with another kiss to his pec. 

His eyes lit up in amusement as he placed my hips over his already hard cock. I started grinding on him like my body was on autopilot. 

“Who am I to deny a princess?” he smirked, pressing a kiss to my lips. 

“We might be here a while,” I breathed, grasping his hair to pull him closer. 

“I can live with that,” he smiled.  

Cassian’s POV:

As expected the mating frenzy lasted about two weeks. Hell it would’ve been longer had Rhys not sent Azriel to break up the love fest. Apparently, there was still work to be done and my presence was needed at Windhaven. Devlon had been slacking in recruiting new troops, and with a war looming, and no Autumn Court soldiers to aid us, that wasn’t going to fly. 

Thankfully with a few ass kickings, Devlon finally got his shit in gear, and more Illyrians were being recruited and trained. Every day I flew up to impart my wisdom and of course make an example of a few of the older soldiers who thought they were ready for battle. 

The days were long, but it only made coming home to my mate all the more sweeter. I used to come home to an empty bed and a glass of whiskey, maybe even a female if I was lucky. At least I used to think I was lucky back then. Nothing compared to seeing y/n’s smiling face as I walked through the door every day.

 Sometimes she would be reading a book and I could sneak up on her and kiss her on the cheek.  Other times she would sneak up on me and wrap her arms around me before telling me I was stinky and needed a bath, a bath she always happily joined me in. One that was more fucking than it was washing. 

“Princess, are you almost ready?” I asked her, knocking on the bathroom door once again.  

With things in the camps finally starting to run according to schedule I finally had time to train y/n as she had asked me to. I couldn’t believe that she thought I wouldn’t want to. I had never been more proud of her for wanting to give herself that freedom, that peace of mind to know that she could defend herself if need be. I was grateful to be the one to help her. So grateful in fact that I went out and bought her some Illyrian training leathers.

She nearly squealed at the sight of them, but the second she touched them her face contorted. She told me that she was scared to wear them because even though she was half Illyrian she didn’t have wings. To which I explained to her that if anyone dared say a word about it they would find their head on a pike. Not that I thought anyone in Windhaven would dare insult their general’s mate. 

“Yeah I think so, are they always this tight?” she asked, throwing open the bathroom door. 

I had seen my mate in lavish dresses, wedding dresses, lingerie, and nothing at all, but seeing her in Illyrian fighting leathers? It was going to be a lot harder to keep my focus than I thought.

“Cass?” she chimed, snapping her fingers to get my attention. 

“Oh- um,” I stumbled. “Yes they are, they create less drag when flying and they keep your opponents from having something to grab onto,” I explain to her, unable to keep my eyes from wandering over her body.

“I suppose that makes sense,” she said, turning to look at herself in the mirror one last time. “I’m ready to go then.”  

We made our way to a terrace giving Azriel a wave as we took flight. It might’ve been faster to winnow to Windhaven, but I didn’t mind flying with y/n in my arms one bit. Not when I spent days thinking I never would again. Not when this relationship between us was so new. I still felt like it would be ripped away from me at any given moment, Cauldron knew everything else in my life had been. 

The weather in Velaris was beginning to warm up as spring was approaching, but in the Illyrian mountains there was still snow on the ground. As we neared Windhaven I felt y/n shiver and instinctively pulled her closer to me. I hadn’t told Devlon that we were coming to use the sparring ring and the practice grounds. I didn’t need to, I was the general, and more importantly y/n was their princess. Granted a princess they had never seen before, but still their superior nonetheless. 

Confused faces graced every man woman and child as I touched down at the edge of camp with y/n. They had all of course heard stories of y/n, maybe even seen paintings of her, but they had never once seen her in the flesh. Even though news traveled slowly here it wasn’t hard to guess who she was, not with all the stories of her beauty. I remembered Eris recounting one…

“Eyes like a storm, skin soft as rose petals and hair like threads of silk. The Jewel of Prythian and the weakness of every male…”

As we walked through the camp I understood why y/n hated large crowds so much. I remember she once told me that walking through a ballroom felt like being a painting put on display. As we walked hand in hand I noticed that every pair of eyes that found her also found me, which set me on edge. I looked down to see her blissfully unaware like she was completely unbothered by their stares. Still, I would keep on my toes. 

We approached a rogue training ring near the edge of the camp, and I felt y/n’s body language lighten as she ran over to a rack of wooden weapons picking up a sword. The look on her face was so enthusiastic I couldn’t help but smile at her. 

“You’re not quite ready for that one,” I laughed watching her swing the sword around like a toy. 

“Are you kidding me? Does this look ‘not ready’ to you?” She challenged, pointing the sword at me.

I cocked an eyebrow at the dull wood pointing at my chest. In one movement I grasped the end of the practice sword in one hand and pushed her down with the other. She fell to the mat with a thud, looking up at me like a toddler. 

“Hey!” she protested dusting herself off as I put the fake weapon back with the rest. 

“You asked me to treat you the same as I would any of my troops. Are you taking that statement back?” I challenged her. 

“No I just didn’t know you were going to push me,” she huffed. 

“Oh, I’m gonna do a lot more than just push you, princess,” I laughed ruffling her hair which was in a simple braid. “If you want to wield a sword you have to be strong enough for it. Which means we're going to be working on those muscles first.” 

“Okay let's do it!” she exclaimed. “Where do we start?” 

“You, start by giving me three laps around camp to get warmed up,” I said sitting on a nearby rock. 

“You’re not joining me?” she asked, crossing her arms. 

“And miss the view of you running away in those pants? Not a chance princess.” I smirked, getting comfortable where I sat. 

To my surprise, there were no further protests as she collected herself and began running around the camp. I was right about the view of my mate running in those tight Illyrian leathers, it would be a miracle if I let those things get home in one piece. 

Y/n ‘s first lap around the camp was a quick one, I forgot to tell her that it wasn’t about getting the laps done quickly, it was about warming up. I supposed that learning from one’s mistakes was the best way to learn though. Once she got through her second lap she had slowed down and by the time she came back to the mat her breaths were ragged. 

“By the cauldron how do you do that?” she asked out of breath. 

“That was three-quarters of a mile princess, my warm-up is five miles,” I laugh standing from the rock. 

Her eyes nearly pop out of her head at my words. She straightens up trying her best to control her breaths. 

“Now drop and give me twenty push-ups,” I said pointing to the mat. Y/n raised her eyebrows and started doing her pushups as asked. 

It wasn’t until a few moments later that I became acutely aware of the presence around us. Without turning my body from where my mate did her exercises, I lifted my gaze to find women and soldiers alike staring at y/n. I tried to act as if I didn’t see them there, turning my attention to my wife once more where she stood, wiping the sweat from her brow. 

“Good now let’s try something else,” I said, walking over towards the rack of weapons and grabbing weighted gloves. “Put these on and let's see how you’re able to swing.” 

I watched as she tied the gloves on and tried to hide my smile as the things flopped around her small hands. I could get her custom ones made later but for now, these would do. She put her hands up like she was ready to fight me and I helped her adjust her position to one that she might actually use.

“Alright now I’m going to hold out my hands and you’re going to punch in sequence, right, right, left, right. Do that over and over again.” I instruct her to hold up my bare hands. 

“Aren’t I going to hurt you though?” she asked, peering from behind her gloves. 

“One day you will,” I laughed. “But I promise I can handle a beginner. Now come on, lay a couple on me.”  

She cocked her head to the side as if she was still questioning my toughness, which was a slight bruise to my ego. Once she did the sequence a couple of times and I didn’t so much as flinch I could feel pride floating down the bond. Like she was proud to have me as a mate. 

My thoughts were interrupted as the interlopers aside us continued to ogle and whisper about us. Their numbers having doubled since the last time I looked. Y/n was completely focused on the series of punches, muttering the order under her breath. I couldn’t help but try and listen in on two females standing by us.

“Is that the princess?” 

“Why would the princess be here with the general?” 

“I’m not sure but she looks like a painting of y/n that I’ve seen before.” 

Y/n continued her exercises until I stopped her, as I wanted to try out a different sequence. I corrected her stance once more and made sure she was holding her fists properly before she picked up on the new pattern. My eyes flitted to a group of three or four soldiers looking at us and listened to their exchange.  

“Who the hell is that with the general?” 

“I think it’s the princess.”

“That’s not the princess you idiot, why would she be here? Rhysand keeps her locked up tight.” 

“Well, whoever she is I’m definitely taking a piece of her before I go home,” 

The male who made the final comment flared his wings as if to try and get y/n’s attention. 

I dropped my hands feeling a few of y/n’s lingering punches bounce off my chest before she realized what was happening. 

“Hey I was doing good!” she protested, attempting to raise her weighed down hands in the air. 

“Yeah that’s enough training for today,” I said tightly before sweeping her up in my arms and taking off into the air. Weighted gloves and all. 

“Cass!” she shouted over the winds. “What was that about? We just started!” 

“The whole camp was eye fucking you, we can train at home. I’ll bring some weights and equipment tomorrow,” I grumbled remembering the male's greedy eyes. 

“You territorial Illyrian prick!” she laughed, smacking me on the chest.

“Hey cut me some slack! The mating bond is still fresh!,” I laughed and the second I said it I saw  the understanding fill her eyes. 

“You’re lucky you’re so handsome,” she sighed leaning her head on my shoulder. 

I gave a small chuckle as we continued the short flight home. Training could start up again once we arrived at the townhouse. It would be easier to train her in private and more fun for when things got a little…well…heated.

y/n’s pov: 

Today marked a day I had hoped would never come. Feyre’s wedding.

When I told my brother of the planned event he said that he was well aware of his mate's upcoming nuptials. I begged and pleaded with him to call in his bargain with her just once, just to give the female a chance to get to know him, but he refused. Even Cassian told him of the pain he felt when I married Eris.  But Rhys was steadfast in letting Feyre be happy, and in the end, I let him do it, for every time I spoke her name there was a sadness in his eyes I couldn't stand to see. 

“Hey,” I said quietly, stepping onto the balcony of the townhouse where Rhys stood. 

Cassian sat dutifully inside waiting for his brother with a glass of whiskey. It was going to be a long night, and he had offered himself up as Rhys’ drinking buddy, an offer my brother happily took. I just wanted to speak to my brother once before Azriel took me home. 

“Hey sis,” Rhys said, looking worse for wear. 

As usual, his image was perfect. A perfectly tailored suit, hair set in place, a clean shave. But his eyes held all the sorrows of the world. Grief I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. I realized that this is exactly how Cassian felt the day I married Eris, and in that moment my heart broke twice. 

“Cassian’s inside with a couple of bottles of whiskey,” I gave him a half hearted smile wrapping an arm around him. 

“That was nice of him,” Rhys grinned weakly, tugging me closer to him. 

“Don’t give him too much credit he stole it from your liquor cabinet,” I laughed looking up toward my brother. I barely recognized him in this state. 

“Why am I not surprised,” he said, turning toward me. “Do you and Mor have everything you need for girls' night? You have enough wine and snacks right?” 

“Rhys,” I said, squeezing his hands. “You don’t always have to be so brave, you know? It’s okay to grieve. Especially with me, we promised no more walls, no more secrets.” 

I saw his violet eyes begin to glass over as he took in my words. In a way I was happy he felt he could be vulnerable with me again, that he didn’t have to wear the mask with me. However, I was sad that these were the circumstances. 

His arms pulled me into a tight hug and I felt his body shake ever so slightly, either in relief or in sadness. As I felt a drop on my bare shoulder I knew it was the latter and it killed me inside. 

“I’m going to lose her forever. She’s my mate and I’ll never even get to hold her.” he cried, his voice breaking. 

“Rhys I’m-” 

“I’ll have to sit here and watch her love him for the rest of my life,” he breathed. 

All I could do was hold him closer as I felt him breaking in my arms. The misery he felt echoed throughout the Illyrian mountains, and I wondered if today would be the day they finally crumbled. Before I could even try to console my brother he straightened, releasing me from his grasp and staring into the air behind me. 

“What? What is it?” I asked, grasping his shoulders.

“I-It’s her. It’s Feyre.” he stumbled as if coming to a shocking realization. 

“What’s wrong, is she hurt?” I panicked, willing to follow him anywhere to ensure her safety. The female wasn’t just my brother's mate, she had saved him from under the mountain, saved all of us, and saved me. I owed her my life.

“She wants to stop the wedding, she’s begging for someone to help- anyone to help.” Rhys rambled looking around him as if he was looking for some sort of sign. 

“Rhys… RHYS!” I shouted finally getting his attention. “Go get her,” I pleaded with him. 

Before I could get another word in he disappeared into a cloud of shadows, no doubt going to the Spring Court. Going to his mate.

To be continued…

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[shadowqueenjude]

I am absolutely certain that had Feyre played her cards right, she would've been worshipped as a goddess in Prythian. Think about it: this seemingly ordinary human girl with no power whatsoever walks right into the den of the faerie who has tormented Prythian for decades and by some miracle, she frees them all. They all see her die. They hear her neck snap. And by another miracle, she is brought back to life, even more beautiful than before. No doubt there were people who believed she was an reincarnation of the Goddess herself. Not to mention that Feyre and Tamlin's story is a retelling of Eros-Psyche, and Psyche does become the goddess of the human soul. She's Feyre Cursebreaker, savior of Prythian. Her wedding to a High Lord would have been presided over by the Head Priestess of Prythian. She could've had temples in her name. They might have even made her High Queen had she willed it. She might not have been as powerful magic-wise as the High Lords, but politically? For a brief time, she was the most powerful person in all of Prythian. Had Ianthe been her position, she would be High Queen of Prythian right now. But instead SJM focused on her magical abilities, claiming that despite having only one drop of each High Lord's magic, she is just as powerful as them. She doesn't understand that a woman learning to survive in a world full of men far more powerful than her is not anti-feminist, it's compelling. Example: Jude Duarte. If Feyre had had half a brain, she would've used her political influence to create equality between the High Fae, lesser faeries, and humans. But instead, her political influence was overlooked in favor of tHe MoSt PoWeRfUl HiGh LoRd To EvEr LiVe. Now that is absolutely NOT feminism: a woman's story being overshadowed by a toxic man.

[mycadences]

SJM said HOFAS would help set up the next ACOTAR book. And it did.

*HOFAS spoilers ahead!*

At the end of HOFAS, Bryce gave Gwydion to Nesta, bringing it back to the ACOTAR world.

Their names are practically identical. I don't know how you can see Gwydion and not think of Gwyn. It's like seeing a sword named Rhysarde and going "Oh yeah, totally doesn't sound like Rhysand at all. Yep." or a painting that is done by a Prythian artist called "Feyrere" and going "Hmm I wonder who that could be."

Now, get this: Gwydion was last used by some dude called Fionn. Why is that important?? And here, here is the part where your mind is going to be blown:

FIONN IS LITERALLY ANOTHER NAME FOR GWYN. HELLO.

More evidence if you need:

Who else had (I typed "has" initially *sobs*) a twin? Who else glows when she sings? Who else is connected to both Nesta and Azriel, and has a very high chance of obtaining the sword? Who also has the skills to actually WIELD the sword?

So, just to confirm the facts:

Gwydion, Gwyn and Fionn (the last wielder of Gwydion) are all related names in some way or another

Gwydion glows when it is being used, like how Gwyn glows when she is singing

Gwydion is a sword (duh). Gwyn is a priestess-Valkyrie who, you know, uses a sword. And uses it pretty darn well, too.

Gwydion is the twin to Azriel's Truth-teller. Gwyn herself was a twin.

Gwydion is now back in the ACOTAR world, being one of the most significant things to happen (in terms of ACOTAR storyline) in the HOFAS crossover.

(A little of an aside here: I'm not insisting that Gwynriel's book has to be next. I know there's... a bit of tension running between Gwynriels and Eluciens regarding whose book is next, and personally, it (the order) doesn't matter to me! It's a win-win for me either way lol. This post is more for those *cough you know who you are cough* who think that Gwynriel can't be endgame because of "plot reasons" when the plot clearly says otherwise.)

And I know after saying all this some people will still insist that Gwyn(riel) won't be important. *shrugs* But you know what? I don't really care. I'm making this post to remind fellow Gwyn(riels) not to worry and to stoke the embers of our hope.

After all, it is not blind confidence that inspires me, but ✨ irrefutable canon ✨

[writeroutoftime]

solemn vows

pairing: rhysand x reader

summary: joined by the inner circle, you and rhys get to have your mating ceremony, publicly declaring your love to your family

warnings/tags: none - just fluff!!

words: 1k

a/n: ahhh my first rhysand fic! look I love him and feyre together, but I also love him for myself too lol! of course I'm so excited to post this, but also very very nervous!! please be gentle lol, but I'd love to hear what you think! have a fabulous day!

as promised, tagging @captainsophiestark - enjoy!

(p.s. if anyone wants to request a story for rhys, cass, azriel, or lucien, please send it my way!)

oOoOo

The stars twinkled beautifully in the deep, dark night sky, shining down on you and your family like a blessing. Images of the night Rhysand took you to a nearby temple and had you sworn in as High Lady of the Night Court washed over you like a wave of comfort.

The ceremony had been a private affair. Vows shared only between you, Rhys, and the priestess who blessed the coronation. Vows that would soon be felt by the people of the night court, and across Prythian as a whole.

Your mating ceremony, however, was an intimate affair you and Rhys wanted to share with the Inner Circle - your chosen family. The people who stood by you time and time again, rooting for your happiness. Mor, Cassian, Azriel, and even Amren had thrown so much time and effort in helping you make the vision for your special day a reality.

And so, you now eagerly waited behind a pillar, clutching your bouquet of various, violet flowers. There was no doubt in your mind this was what you wanted, and when the orchestral music began, you took a deep breath and nodded to Cassian and Azriel.

Ever the gentle giants, the two had leapt at the opportunity to be a part of the event. You knew how much it had meant to them when you asked if they would walk down the aisle with you. So much so that it had caused tears from both males, though they would vehemently deny that fact if teased by anyone else.

With the two males flanked on either side, you walked down the aisle, your knees felt just a bit weaker than they had moments before when your eyes finally met Rhys' sparkling, violet ones. The waves of love and devotion sent down the bond almost knocked you off your feet. Similar messages were sent from your end, and the watery smile Rhys offered brought you such joy.

When you reached the end, you turned first to Cassian, then to Azriel, offering both males a kiss on the cheek and a nod of gratitude. As they made their way to sit with the rest of your family, you took your place next to Rhysand in front of the priestess here to bless the union.

She welcomed the small, but mighty crowd, and began to speak. "We are here tonight, blessed by the Mother and the Cauldron, to witness Rhys and y/n declare their mating bond for all in Prythian to see. It is not something done lightly, but rather a journey these two have agreed to partake in for the rest of eternity."

She then looked upon you and Rhys, offering a small smile, encouraging you to swear your own vows to each other.

"Rhysand," you began, already furiously blinking away the tears that clouded your eyes. "I have loved you from the moment I knew you. There is not a doubt in my mind that we are meant to be together. I am honored to stand beside you as your wife, your high lady, and your mate. I swear to you I will always protect our bond, protect you. That I will cherish each day together we are blessed with, and make sure you always know how much you are loved."

You sealed your vows by slipping the simple, but sturdy, silver ring onto Rhys' finger. Bringing your mate's hand to your mouth, you gently brushed your lips over the newly placed ring, delighting at the tug on your bond in response. So enraptured, in fact, you and Rhys were only half aware of the soft sobs that came from the crowd.

Rhys' violet eyes glistened with emotion as his large hands encapsulated yours in a firm grasp. "y/n, my high lady, my mate, my wife, with this hand, I will lift your sorrows." he began, eyes only for you, releasing his left hand to raise near his face. "Your cup will never empty, for I will be your wine, and I will light your way in darkness. With this ring, I ask you to be mine." he spoke, reaching out to grasp the matching ring and slip in onto your finger.

"If you both would now offer each other the wine from your chalice." the priestess said.

With almost practiced precision, you and Rhys reached out to each grab a chalice of wine. Linking arms with the other, you offered Rhys a smile before lifting your cup up to his lips as he did the same to you. As the chalices were placed back on the table, you felt a small drop fall down your face and shivered at the feather-light touch Rhys used to brush it away, only love and adoration in his eyes.

"Our High Lord and Lady have professed their vows to each other. May the Mother and Cauldron bless them for as long as they should live. May the rest of Prythian know the strength of their love as those here tonight have witnessed." the priestess declared, tying a black ribbon around yours and Rhys' hands, then offered the faintest smirk. "You may now kiss your bride."

The words were barely out of the priestess's mouth before Rhys leaned forward, cupping your cheek with his hands and pressing his lips against yours. You could feel the love pouring into your body, his lips soft, but sure. A kiss that reminded you of this beautiful, new start for you and your mate.

As the two of you pulled away, you both let out a slight gasp, looking down at your left hands. Swirls of Night Court ink adorned your left hands, a visual promise of the vows you had just declared.

"Hello, my darling wife." Rhys gazed down at you with a dazzling grin. "Let's see what fate has in store for us, shall we?

[wingedblooms]

Groundings

This is a Maasverse post, and as such, there are spoilers for all Maas series. Proceed with caution.

A mystic is someone who gains a heightened sense of consciousness and seeks to become one with divine beings. The word mystic derives from the Greek word to close the eyes or lips. When Elain uses powers that are reminiscent of mystics, she does this:

Elain again glanced at the map. At me. Then closed her eyes. Her eyes shifted shifted beneath her lids, the skin so delicate and colorless that the blue veins beneath were like small streams. "It moves...," she whispered. "It moves through the world like...like the breath of the western wind." (acowar)

As I mentioned in The Ancients, an oracle, which derives from the Latin word to pray or to speak, was believed to be a messenger, or conduit, for gods. In acowar, Feyre suspects that Elain hears the whisperings of the Cauldron. She is also more inclined to pray than her sisters, suggesting it to honor her father and using it when her younger sister is in mortal danger.

Had she beheld this, in whatever wanderings that new, inner sight granted her? Had the Cauldron whispered of it while we'd been away? I hadn't the heart to ask her. (acowar)

The Cauldron is connected to a divine trio (Mother, Cauldron, and Fate/Forces That Be) like the Three-Faced Goddess. Mystic and oracular powers seem to complement one another, and would suggest a deep connection with the gods. It makes sense for Elain to be able to gain higher consciousness, become one with gods, and act as a divine messenger and protector through her Sight with a combination of these gifts. I believe Nesta's interlude with the Mother was just the beginning. In The Ancients and The sense chanted, I mentioned that the Blueblood witches were known for their rituals in caverns and forests, and were considered oracles, mystics, and fanatics. The priestesses in the Night Court also have rituals in a cavern.

Gwyn huffed a soft laugh. “In part. We honor the Mother, and the Cauldron, and the Forces That Be. We have a service at dawn and at dusk, and on every holy day.” (acosf)

The dusk service helped Nesta scry with stones and bones. But what about the dawn service, a time of day Elain is repeatedly connected to?

Elain had already departed with Feyre, claiming she had to be up with the dawn to tend to an elderly faerie’s garden. Cassian didn’t exactly know why he suspected this wasn’t true. There had been some tightness in Elain’s face as she’d said it. Normally when she made such excuses, Lucien was around, but the male remained in the human lands with Jurian and Vassa. (acosf)

Elain wakes with the dawn to garden or bake, but Cassian suspects she wasn’t telling the truth in this scene. What could she have planned? This occurs after she says she can reacquaint herself with her powers, and that her family can find her when they wish to begin. It’s possible she began experimenting with her powers in earnest at this point. On winter solstice, Nesta suspects she might be training with the twins and/or spymaster, so that is one plausible option Sarah wanted to plant. Another possibility (and these can both be true, so it doesn’t have to be one or the other) is that Elain may have sought out knowledge about her gifts at the library and learned about the dawn ritual. Could the ritual the priestesses perform at dawn help Elain understand and hone at least one thread of her Sight? 

As Gwyn poured herself a glass, she said, “At the temple in Sangravah, we had a set of ancient movements that we would go through every sunrise. Not for battle training, but for calming the mind. We did cooldowns after those, too, though we called them groundings. The movements took us out of our bodies, in a way. Let us commune with the Mother. The groundings settled us back into the present world.” (acosf)

The wording here is interesting: the movements took them out of their bodies, in a way, and they used the groundings to settle back into the present world. This ritual sounds like what mystics might be able to do, and it also seems made for Elain for a few different reasons:

the time of day, as she is compared to the dawn;

the concept of drifting away to connect with the divine, as she sometimes behaves as though she isn’t entirely present;

the earthy term to remain tethered to the world, as she is a gardener and brings forth life from the ground.

What if the priestesses in the library do something similar at dawn through ancient movements rather than ancient songs (or both)? While it would make sense for this ritual to take place underground in the same cavern, there might be a reason reclusive Blueblood witches needed access to the wind. Does it help them become an unseen force, help them travel on the wind? I can imagine Elain with her eyes closed, embracing the song of the wind as the sun rises with her consciousness, her soul.

@silverdreamscape theorized about Gwyn and Elain using their powers together, and I think that’s a possibility given the presence of priestesses in the bonus. They will continue to play a part moving forward and one (or several) of them could be helpful as Elain explores her powers since they may also seek to commune with the divine. Like calls to like, after all.

Elain said to Azriel, perhaps the only two civilized ones here, “Can you truly fly?” He set down his fork, blinking. (acomaf)

She angled her head, hair shining like molten metal. “Do you sing?” He blinked. (Azriel’s bonus chapter) 

These conversations are separated by time and space, but they are eerie in their similarity. It’s like the Harp echoing Elain’s earlier words about reacquainting herself with her powers. And it inevitably brings me back to the two glass caverns: could the priestesses, and perhaps Gwyn specifically, function like sister-glass for Elain, linked in song and dreaming? What would it look like to commune with the Mother, or travel with the Cauldron? Something like this, I'd imagine:

I could not remove my hand. Could not pry my fingers away. I was being shredded apart, slowly, thoroughly. I flung my magic out, desperate for any chain to this world to save me, keep me from being devoured by the eternal, awful thing that now tried to drag me into its embrace. [...] Some tether slipped, and my mind slid closer to the Cauldron’s outstretched arms. I felt it touch me. 

And then I was half gone. Half there, standing silently next to the Cauldron, hand glued to the black rim. Half…elsewhere. (acowar)

Feyre becomes one with the Cauldron through a living bond. She is half there, half elsewhere like a mystic. This is a liminal space, like the time when services occur and the bridge where light and dark meet. It is a time of transformation. Elain's wooden rose is also placed in a liminal space next to the Mother on the mantel, giving us a big hint for her future:

Her gaze shifted to the carved wooden rose she’d placed upon the mantel, half-hidden in the shadows beside a figurine of a supple-bodied female, her upraised arms clasping a full moon between them. Some sort of primal goddess–perhaps even the Mother herself. (acosf)

Now, let's look at how the Cauldron moves through the world to imagine how Elain might move if she communes with it:

Flying through the world. Searching. The Cauldron now hunted for that power that had come so close … And now taunted it. Nesta. The Cauldron searched for her, searched for her as the king now sought her. It skimmed across the battlefield like an insect over the surface of a pond. (acowar)

-

Come, Nesta’s power seemed to sing. Come. The Cauldron caught her scent and hurtled us onward. We arrived before the king did. The Cauldron seemed to skid to a halt at the clearing. Seemed to coil and reel back, a snake poised to strike.

The Cauldron moves like a force, starting as an otherworldly bird of prey and shifting form as it moves. If this reminds you of Elain and Urd, the goddess of fate, you're tracking with me.

Time seemed to slow and warp. The dark power of the king speared toward us. Toward that clearing where I was neither seen nor heard, where I was nothing but a scrap of soul carried on a black wind. (acowar)

A scrap of soul on a black wind, she says? That sounds familiar.

But Mor scented nothing, saw nothing. The tendril of power she speared toward the woods revealed only the usual birds and small beasts. A hart drinking from a hole in an iced-over stream. Nothing, except— There, between a snarl of thorns. A patch of darkness. It did not move, did not seem to do anything but linger. And watch. Familiar and yet foreign. Something in her power whispered not to touch it, not to go near it. Even from this distance. Mor obeyed. But she still watched that darkness in the thorns, as if a shadow had fallen asleep amongst them. Not like Azriel’s shadows, twining and whispering. Something different. Something that stared back, watching her in turn. (acofas)

A patch of darkness between a snarl of thorns. Interesting. Familiar and yet foreign, like Silba’s voice. In Oorid, Nesta hears a mysterious voice and a disturbance in the thorns while she is on a mission to retrieve the mask. This voice attempts to warn her of the danger she faces, just like Elain warned Feyre in Hybern.

Run, a small voice whispered. Run and run, and do not look back. The voice was female, gentle. Wise and serene. 

-

Run. Was that voice merely all that remained of her human instincts, or something more? She gazed at her reflection as if it would tell her. 

-

Something rustled in the thorns of the island, and she snapped up her head, heart thundering as she scanned for that familiar male face and wings. But there was no sign of Cassian. And whatever was in that bramble…she should find another island to head for. (acosf)

The thorns remind Nesta of roses when she first arrives, and that patch of darkness on Mor's estate looked as though it had fallen asleep among the thorns...but it was still watchful, like the Eye of the Goddess. A dark bloom resting among the thorns, a scrap of soul on a black wind. This reminds me of Elain’s hidden movement and her mental gates, where the Cauldron made its deepest mark.

The gates to her mind … Solid iron, covered in vines of flowers—or it would have been. The blossoms were all sealed, sleeping buds tucked into tangles of leaves and thorns. (acowar)

Who would know about Nesta's mission in Oorid, and who would act from the shadows to help and protect her? There's a clear answer that takes us back to the the Cauldron's hunt for its stolen power.

Not again. I could not watch this play out again. Standing by, idle, while those I loved suffered. The Cauldron crept along with Nesta, a hound at her side.

A hound at her side, hmm? Now, where have I heard that recently?

...Az would have told him already if he'd wanted to share what had been hounding him enough to exercise at night, rather than in the morning with them. (acosf)

-

Elain was like a dog, loyal to whatever master kept her fed and in comfort. (acosf)

Feyre senses the Cauldron's surprise when Nesta covers Cassian with her body, just as Elain sensed its anger when power was taken from it. And when hope seems lost, Feyre begs for a divine intervention. And it comes not from the Cauldron, like she expected, but Elain.

Anything, I begged the Cauldron. Anything— 

The king’s hand began to drop. And then halted. A choking noise came out of him. For a moment, I thought the Cauldron had answered my pleas. But as a black blade broke through the king’s throat, spraying blood, I realized someone else had. Elain stepped out of a shadow behind him, and rammed Truth-Teller to the hilt through the back of the king’s neck as she snarled in his ear, “Don’t you touch my sister.” 

After hunting her down in different forms, the Cauldron creeps along Nesta like a hound at the end. Elain then appears out of shadow in its stead and snarls like a hound, fast as the wind and loyal to the end. I’ve wondered before if Elain’s Sight functions like this living bond. The Suriel comments on seeing her doe eyes from across the world, so I imagine her form may be fluid like the divine trio when she uses her Sight. Her eyes even shift beneath her lids as she hunts like the Cauldron, the blue veins compared to water.

Her eyes shifted beneath her lids, the skin so delicate and colorless that the blue veins beneath were like small streams. “It moves …,” she whispered. “It moves through the world like … like the breath of the western wind.” (acowar)

And when Mor explains the difference between faeries and witches at Nesta's request, the focus moves to Elain as she casually observes the tent. The light dances in her mass of hair as it shifts. All before her appearance is glamoured to help and protect others.

Elain silently surveyed the tent, head tipping back. Her mass of heavy brown-gold hair shifted with the movement, the faelight dancing among the silken strands. […] Elain at last slid into the chair near Mor’s, her dawn-pink dress—finer than the ones she usually wore—crinkling beneath her. “Will—will many of these soldiers die?” (acowar)

This dawn ritual, if it is in fact something similar to what priestesses did in Sangravah, might be enough to keep her grounded in most cases. But I can also imagine a scenario where Elain travels in the embrace of that eternal, ancient beast too long or too deep, and loses sight of her body and her home like the forest witch in the Hind's tale. How else might she find her way back if that happens?

"But one day, a warrior arrived in the forest. He'd heard of the monster so vicious none could kill it and live. She set out to slaughter him, but when the warrior beheld her, he was not afraid. He stared at her, and she at him, and he wept because he didn't see a thing of nightmares, but a creature of beauty. He saw her, and he was not afraid of her, and he loved her. [...] His love transformed her back into a witch, melting away all that she'd become. They dwelled in peace in the forest for the rest of their immortal lives." (hosab)

The forest witch had a warrior who found her transformation, her monstrous form and power, beautiful. His love for who she became, not who she once was grounded her. So, who is Elain's warrior? I believe it’s going to be someone who won't flee from a patch of darkness, familiar and yet foreign. Someone who acknowledges the beauty in her mighty power, and hears what she cannot say, sees the heavy burden that she bears. Someone whose gentle voice she can follow in the void, singing her home across space and time. Someone who embraces Elain in all her forms, their hand an anchor in the vast tapestry of the universe.

Series: wise woman. seer. witch.

[alexcollix7]

Sarah J Maas: plagiarism or inspiration

In this post we are going to discuss the various and stricking similaries between Sarah J Maas series TOG/ACOTAR with original books she admited to consume, as well as the use of direct lines from movies, books and tv shows in her books, and where do we draw the line in what we consider to be inspiration vs plagiarism.

As some people know, SJM is a big fan of Anne Bishop's work, especifically her Black Jewels trilogy. Some people already noticed similarities between the two series (and in her TOG books as well) in terms of storyline, races and characters, but it's not nearly talked about enough.

It's good to make clear that the first book of "the black jewels" was published in 1998 and the last one of the trilogy was published in 2000, over 12 years before acotar and TOG was even launched. So Bishop's work was around a long time before sjm started to publish her books.

That being said, let's start with the fact that the beginning of her first series TOG is pratically the same as the beginning of the second book of The Black Jewels, Heir to the Shadows, but with a different character:

"After a year of slavery in the Salt Mines of Endovier, Celaena Sardothien was accustomed to being escorted everywhere in shackles and at sword-point. Most of the thousands of slaves in Endovier received similar treatment—though an extra half-dozen guards always walked Celaena to and from the mines. That was expected by Adarlan’s most notorious assassin. What she did not usually expect, however, was a hooded man in black at her side—as there was now" (TOG, 2012)

"Surrounded by guards, Lucivar Yaslana, the half-breed Eyrien Warlord Prince, walked into the courtyard, fully expecting to hear the order for his execution. There was no other reason for a salt mine slave to be brought to this courtyard, and Zuultah, the Queen of Pruul, had good reason to want him dead. Prythian, the High Priestess of Askavi, still wanted him alive, still hoped to turn him to stud. But Prythian wasn't standing in the courtyard with Zuultah." (Heir to the Shadows, 1999).

So, Sarah's first work begins with a paragraph that is already really really similar to the first one in Bishop's second novel.

Now, let's then move on to the part that shocked me the most and made me sure of doing this post: The extreme and undeniable resemblance between the Illyrians with the Eyriens, a race portrayed in Bishop's Black Jewels books, who one of the main characters, Lucivar (coincidentally or not, Sarah's favorite one) is a part of.

The Eyriens are described to be warriors with tanned skin, gold eyes, and "batlike wings". Eyrien males are trained in hunting camps as children, and the females are forbidden to touch weapons. They are often found in a mountainous territory called "Askavi Terreille", and carry prejudice against half-eyriens. Does all that sounds familiar?

The Illyrians are so much like the Eyriens, it's not even funny. They have bat-like wings, the males are trained in camps, live by the mountains, have their own personalized weapons, and the females are usually mistreated and not allowed to fight. And what does Rhysand suffer from them? Prejudice, because he's half illyrian. Even their physical characteristics are the same: golden brown skin, hazel eyes, black hair. What mainly sets on them apart is their names (which still sound pretty similar) and the fact that the illyrians have tattoos.

"He spread his dark, membranous wings, trying to ease the ache in his back." ( Daughter of the blood, page 12)

"Indeed, it was still Rhysand’s face, his powerful male body, but flaring out behind him were massive black membranous wings—like a bat’s, like the Attor’s" (ACOTAR, page 348)

"Still, it was home, and centuries of enslaved exile had left him aching for the smell of clean mountain air, the taste of a sweet, cold stream, the silence of the woods, and, most of all, the mountains where the Eyrien race soare" (Daughter of the blood, page 16)

"The Illyrians … We love our people, and our traditions, but they dwell in clans and camps deep in the mountains of the North" (ACOMAF, page 165)

"He had never felt this weary, this beaten. Not as a half-breed boy in the Eyrien hunting camps, not in the countless courts he'd served in over the centuries since" (Heir to the darkness, page 13)

“When I turned eight, my mother brought me to one of the Illyrian war- camps . To be trained, as all Illyrian males were trained" ( ACOMAF, page 168)

”She kept resisting because Eyrien females traditionally didn’t touch a warrior’s weapons" (Queen of the darkness, page 151).

“Some camps issued decrees that if a female was caught training, she was to be deemed unmarriageable. I can’t fight against things like that, not without slaughtering the leaders of each camp and personally raising each and every one of their offspring.” (ACOMAF, page 434)

”There are reasons why Eyrien males are the warriors— Lucivar said, his eyes skimming over the women as he paced slowly down the line and back again.— We’re bigger, stronger, and we have the temperament for killing. You have other strengths and other skills. Most of the time, that works out well." (Queen of Darkness, page 156)

“The  Illyrians— Rhys smoothly cut in, that light finally returning to his gaze — Are unparalleled warriors, and are rich with stories and traditions. But they are also brutal and backward, particularly in regard to how they treat their females.” (ACOMAF, page 166)

"She wanted to cut the wings off, raise the boy as Dhemlan maybe. But he said no, in his soul the boy was Eyrien, and it would be kinder to kill him in the cradle than to cut his wings" (Daughter Of The Blood, page 138)

“I banned wing-clipping a long, long time ago, but … at the more zealous camps, deep within the mountains, they do it." (ACOMAF, page 434).

"But they’re good boys, and they’ll carry their weight. And they are full-blooded  Eyriens — he added.

— So they don’t carry the stigma of being half-breeds? — Lucivar asked with deadly control." (Queen of the Darkness, page 39)

"He gave Rhys command of a legion of Illyrians who hated him for being a half-breed" (ACOMAF, page 136)

"Then he called in his Ebon-gray Jewels and the wide leather belt that held his hunting knife and his Eyrien war blade" (Heir to the shadows, page 257)

"I went from physical defense to learning to wield an Illyrian blade, the weapon so fine, I’d nearly taken Cassian’s arm off." (ACOMAF, page 367)

Some people can look at this as simple inspiration, but others consider the races to be almost identical. Their prejudices, the place they live, the place where they train and how they train being the same, with only a few minor key points being changed.

In Bishop's work men and women are adressed and divided as "males" and "females". Their society is based the existence of jewels, where the darker someone's jewel is, the more powerful that person becomes.

The jewels are close to what SJM called siphons, used by the illyrians. They are a representation of the powers of members of the blood, serve as containers, and vary in colors. Siphons, however, are literally jewels who filter Illyrians powers, manipulating magic. Members of the blood can have more than one jewel, and illyrians can have more than one siphon.

"An uncut Jewel is a rare thing, little Sister —   Titian said, removing something from the box.    — Wait until you know who you are before you have it set. Then it will be more than a receptacle for the power your body can't hold; it will be a statement of what you are." (Daughter of the blood, page 71)

"He held up his hands, the backs to me so both jewels were on full display.— They’re called  Siphons . They concentrate and focus our power in battle.” (ACOMAF, page 162)

"The Black-Jeweled ring on his right hand glittered with an inner fire." (Daughter of the blood, page 39)

"Siphons atop his scarred hands flickered like rippling blue fire as he reached for the Attor." (ACOMAF, page 262)

" Your fingers clenched around that Jewel. There was a flash of Red light, and the guards were flung backward." ( Daughter of the blood, page 136)

"Cassian lifted his hand into the air. Red light exploded from his Siphon, blasting up and away" (ACOMAF, page 543)

"Her strength was gone. The Jewel hungaround her neck, dark and empty" (Daughter of the blood, page 399)

"Azriel’s blue Siphons were dull, muted. Utterly empty."  (ACOMAF, page 554)

The Blood possess some ability to sense and mask their psychic scent. The conception of "scent" not only acts as a way for them to recognize each other, but also sense their emotions, and seems to be highlighted between couples, with Daemon for using it in order to fantasize or look for Jaenelle. That matches perfectly SJM's universe where the Fae are able to feel each others scents, sensing their emotions through it, it being stronger between mated couples:

"The psychic scent was almost gone, but he recognized it. A dark scent. A powerful, terrifying, wonderful scent. He breathed deeply, and the lifetime hunger in him became intense".(Daughter of the blood, page 178).

"Like the body that housed it, a witch's psychic scent had a muskiness that a Blood male could find as arousing as the body—if not more so" (Daughter of the blood, page 184)

His  scent  drifted to her, darker, muskier than usual. She’d bet all the money she didn’t have that it was the scent of his arousal. (ACOSF, page 235)

"A room where she had slept would still be strong with her psychic scent, even if it had been cleaned"  (Daughter of the blood, page 182)

"Cassian had flown back up to the House. And found the oak door to the stairs open, Nesta’s  scent  lingering." (ACOSF, page 99)

"No psychic scent of emotions for the guards to play with as they put the sobbing man into the old, one-man boat." (Daughter of the blood, page 149)

"He didn’t need to use a psychic probe to know who was on the other side of the door. The scent of her fear was sufficient." (Queen of the darkness, page 120)

"Their faces were vacant. Not a trace of fear in them, or in their scents." (ACOSF, page 344)

"Those of us who have would notice the similarities in your psychic scents and reach the correct conclusion" ( Queen of Darkness, page 114)

"He didn’t believe me. So he grabbed Catrin, because our scents were nearly identical, you see" (ACOSF, page 652)

The basic unit of Blood society and government is a Queen and her Court. To create a Court, she must be at the age of majority and have twelve males who agree to be in her First Circle. Jaenelle creates hers in the second book, who is  denominated as the "dark court". How is Rhysan's court called? The night court. How is his unity of power named? "the inne circle". Rhysand's court is also referred as "the court of dreams", and Jaenelle is called "dreams made flesh".

"He hoped she'd be pleased to have the use of this place. He hoped he'd be invited when she established her own court. He wanted to see whom she selected for her First Circle" (Daughter of the Blood page 92)

"They’re Rhysand’s Inner Circle.The ones I’d heard mentioned that day at the Night Court—who Rhys kept going to meet." (ACOMAF, page 135)

"The living myth— Saetan whispered.— Dreams made flesh— His throat tightened. He closed his eyes." (Heir to the shadows, page 459)

“And what is this court? — I asked, gesturing to them. The most important question.

It was Cassian, eyes clear and bright as his Siphon, who said — The Court of Dreams.”

Remember Lucivar? The main Eyrien character? Well, it doesn't help sjm's case that he's incredibly similar to Cassian:

Because he's an eyrien, Lucivar was raised as a warrior and has bat wings, together with gold eyes and tanned skin. He also has long black hair and is considered to be well-built. Initially his jewels are birthright red, and later they descent into being ebon grey. Just like his father, he is known as having an explosive temper who often lead him to trouble. Thanks to him not being recognized by Saetan initially, Lucivar is seen as a bastard. This is not at all far from how Cassian is written.

Let's also keep in mind: Lucivar is also responsable for recruting and training Eyrien warriors in the Dark Court, later training the women who live in Ebon Askavi (which, as I will show later, is almost identical to the House of Wind).

Cassian's tragetory is marked by him being underlooked as a "bastard" and not being able to control his temper, and that is further developed in acosf. His appereance is carbon-copy of Lucivar (the only difference being that his eyes are hazel), and his siphons are red. He also happens to train illyrian warriors, and later Feyre, Nesta and the other priestesses from the library. Like Lucivar has a brotherly bond with Jaenelle and waits for her to be his queen, Cassian has a brotherly love for Feyre and respects her as his high lady:

"Unlike the other slaves who couldn't contain their misery or fear, there was no expression in Lucivar's gold eyes" (Daughter of the Blood, page 13)

"Like their High Lord, the males—warriors—were dark-haired, tan-skinned. But unlike Rhys, their eyes were hazel and fixed on me as I at last stepped close" (ACOMAF, page 155)

"She looked so pale against his light-brown skin, and he knew it wasn't simply because she was fair-skinned" (Daughter of the blood, page 19)

"She watched his light brown fingers play against her pale skin" (ACOSF, page 367)

"The man wore a leather vest and the black, skintight trousers favored by Eyrien warriors. His black hair fell to his shoulders, which was unusual for an Eyrien male. [..] A wild joy filled Daemon, even as his heart clogged his throat and tears stung his gold eyes. Lucivar." (Queen of the Darkness, page 45)

"Cassian surveyed Rhys from head to foot, his shoulder-length black hair shifting with the movement" (ACOMAF, page 155)

"Because he was a half-breed bastard, he had no hope of attaining a position of authority within a court, despite the rank of his jewels" (Daughter of the Blood, page 17)

"I can tell you how I hear Eris and Devlon and the others talk and, deep down, I still believe that I am a worthless bastard brute. That it doesn’t matter how many Siphons I have or how many battles I’ve won" (ACOSF, page 434)

"Tears stung Lucivar's eyes. Why, Daemon? What did she do to deserve being hurt like that?  His voice rose. He couldn't stop it. She was the Queen we had dreamed of serving. We had waited for her for so long.  You butchering whore, why did you have to kill her?" (Heir to the shadows, page 31)

"He’d thought about that painting a great deal in the days afterward—how it had made him feel, how close they’d all come to losing their High Lady before they’d ever met her." (ACOSF, page 43)

"Because he was a trained Eyrien warrior and had a temper that was explosive even for a Warlord Prince" (Daughter of the blood, page 16)

"Cassian was lounging in his chair, a glass of wine in his hand, staring at nothing. A brooding warrior-prince, contemplating the death of his enemies." (ACOSF, page 275)

"He could have caught him on the first pass. The young one will have to concede the battle, but it’ll stay in his mind that he put up a good fight. No, Lucivar understands how to train an Eyrien warrior.” (Queen of Darkness, page 103)

"Cassian prayed that the gods were watching over him as Rhys sipped from his tea and said,    

—You’re ready?

He leaned back in his seat. — I’ve gotten young warriors in line before." (ACOSF, page 43)

There's even a line when Lucivar is training the women in ebon askavi that hits very close to one used when Cassian is training the priestesses:

”If you can become half as proficient with this as she is, you’ll be able to take down any male except an Eyrien warrior —  Falonar said slowly. — And you’ll be able to take down half of them as well.” (Queen of the darkness, page 158)

"Cassian continued to train Nesta, Emerie, and Gwyn. The rain didn’t let up, and they were all soaked, but the exertion kept the bite of the cold away.— So this can really down a male in one move? [...] He concentrated on the females in front of him. — This move will knock anyone unconscious if you hit the right spot.” (ACOSF, page 385)

Daemon, his brother, is too very similar to Rhysand. He has the reputation of a sadist, after being tortured and used as slave in the hands of Dorotothea, close to how Rhys was known as a cruel fae who had to serve Amarantha (the way they a called is also pretty much the same, as well, being referred as their "pet" or "whore"). Daemon believes to be destined to Jaenelle, even before meeting her, sometimes feeling her touch, and dreaming or her, just like Rhysand talks about knowing Feyre was his mate, and dreaming of her before they met. He, like Saetan, Jaenelle, and Lucivar, is a black widow: which means he can access people's minds and thoughts, as well as communicate telephatically, exactly how daemanti in acotar have the ability to do.

"His face was a gift of his mysterious heritage, aristocratic and too beautifully shaped to be called merely handsome. He was tall and broad-shouldered. He kept his body well toned and muscular enough to please. His voice was deep and cultured, with a husky, seductive edge to it that made women go all misty-eyed. His gold eyes and thick black hair were typical of all three of Terreille's long-lived races, but his warm, golden-brown skin was a little lighter than the Hayllian aristos—more like the Dhemlan race." (Daughter of the blood, page 24)

"I stepped out of the shelter of my savior’s arm and turned to thank him. Standing before me was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen. Everything about the stranger radiated sensual grace and ease. High Fae, no doubt. His short black hair gleamed like a raven’s feathers" (ACOTAR, page 193)

"I had no answer to that—to the tenor in his rich, deep voice. So I examined the tattoos on his chest and arms, the glow of his tan skin , so golden now that he was no longer caged inside that mountain." (ACOMAF, page 289)

"Daemon smiled that cold, cruel smile. "Now you know what it's like to get into bed with Hayll's Whore." (Daughter of the blood, page 77)

"Lucien interrupted — What do you know about anything? You’re just Amarantha’s whore.

— Her whore I might be, but not without my reasons.” (ACOTAR, page 239)

"In his soul, he knew her. In his dreams, he saw her. He never envisioned a face. It always blurred if he tried to focus on it. But he could see her dressed in a robe made of dark, transparent spidersilk, a robe that slid from her shoulders as she moved, a robe that opened and closed as she walked, revealing bare, night-cool skin. And there would be a scent in the room that was her, a scent he would wake to, burying his face in her pillow after she was up and attending her own concerns." (Daughter of the Blood, page 27)

“Three years ago, he said quietly,  — I began to have these … dreams [...] The images were foggy, like looking through cloudy glass. They were brief—a flash here and there, every few months. I thought nothing of them, until one of the images was of a hand … This beautiful, human hand. Holding a brush. Painting—flowers on a table.” (ACOMAF, page 504)

“I saw you through your dreams—and I hoarded the images [...] I’d wake up with your scent in my nose, and it would haunt me all day, every step." (ACOMAF, page 505)

"There was a bitter taste in Daemon's mouth. The ashes of dreams. After all, he was Hayll's Whore, a pleasure slave, an amusement for the ladies no matter what their age, a way to pass the time" (Daughter of the blood, page 267)

"And he would be at that table in the town house, roaring with laughter—never again cold and cruel and solemn. Never again anyone’s slave or whore" (ACOMAF, page 497)

"You're my Queen,he thought fiercely. His body ached. She was his Queen. But with her family surrounding them, watching, there was nothing he could say or do to help her" (Daughter of the blood, page 360)

"My equal in every way; she would wear my crown, sit on a throne beside  mine. Never sidelined, never designated to breeding and parties and child-rearing. My queen." (ACOMAF, 598)

"He caught her wrists, holding her off with an ease that made her scream. He hit the Black shields on her inner barriers hard enough to make her work to keep them intact, but they wouldn't keep him out for long." (Daughter of the blood, page 302)

"My innate talents allow me to slip through the mental shields of anyone I wish, with or without that bridge—unless they’re very, very strong, or have trained extensively to keep those shields tight." (ACOMAF, page 59)

At some point Daemon is even called Jaenelle's mate:

"He’s here! Jaenelle’s mate is finally here!  Daemon felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him" (Heir to the shadows, page 117)

His position and title of highlord is parallelled a lot by how Saetan is decribed:

"High Lord of Hell, the Prince of the Darkness, the most powerful and dangerous Warlord Prince in the history of the Blood" (Daughter of the darkness, page 266)

"For what it’s worth, I’m the most powerful  High Lord in Prythian’s history" (ACOMAF, page 145)

Moving on to other similarities, Ebon Askavi, known as the black mountain or "the keep", who is put as a sanctuary, keeping a library containing the history of the blood, matches the form in which the house of wind is developed in sjm's books, with the palace also being embedded into a mountain. The Keep is a safe place where the high lord of hell reserves for the demon dead to rest, same as Rhysand turning the library into a home for the priestesses. And the whole Bryaxis situation? A creature who lives in the pit of the library? Well, Ebon askavi used to be the home of the prince of dragons: Lorn, who guess what? Used to reside beneath it. Finally, Bishop literally describes the palace as the place where "The winds meet".

"Saetan limped across the empty courtyard to the huge, open-metal doors embedded into the mountain itself, rang the bell, and waited to enter the Keep, the Black Mountain, Ebon Askavi, where the Winds meet. It was the repository for the Blood's history as well as a sanctuary for the darkest-Jeweled Blood. It was also the private lair of Witch" (Daughter of the blood, page 59)

"Draca led him through the corridors of  Ebon Askavi  toward a large stairwell that descended into the heart of the mountain." ( Daughter of the blood, page 431)

“Her throat closed at the surge of memories and at the sprawling view—the glimmering ribbon of the Sidra far below, the red-stoned palace built into the side of the flat-topped mountain itself." (ACOSF, page 49).

“I made this library into a refuge for them. Some come to heal, work as acolytes, and then leave; some take the oaths to the Cauldron and Mother to become priestesses and remain here forever" (ACOWAR, page 212)

"She still served the Keep itself, looking after the comfort of the scholars who came to study, of the Queens who needed a dark place to rest" (Daughter of the Blood, page 61)

"—  Who was here before them?

  —  A few cranky old scholars, who cursed me soundly when I relocated them to other libraries in the city. They still get access, but when and where is always approved by the priestesses.” (ACOWAR, page 213)

“There is a creature beneath the library. Do you know it?

Amren shut the book.

— Its name is  Bryaxis.

— What is it.

— You do not want to know, girl.” (ACOWAR, page 452).

"Mother Night, Saetan — Geoffrey said, his breathing ragged.  — The Keep is his lair.

He's been here all the time.

He hadn't expected Lorn to be so big. "(Heir to the shadows, page 476)

As for Amren being a unknown creature who was tuned into a faerie and lived centuries before everyone else? Same thing as Draca. She lived by the time Dragons ruled the world and was later turned into something "human", assisting the high lord of hell:

"When only the Queen and her Prince, Lorn, were left, the Queen bid her Consort farewell [...] When the last scale fell from her, she vanished. Some stories say her body was transformed into some other shape, though it still contained a dragon's soul" (Heir to the shadows, page 375).

  "— Why won’t Amren go in here?

  —  Because she was once a prisoner.

  — Not in that body, I take it.

   A cruel smile.

  — No. Not at all.” (ACOMAF, page 185)

"Spiraling? — Geoffrey thought for a moment and shook his head. — No, but that doesn't mean it can't happen. Ask Draca. Compared to her, you're still in the nursery and I'm just a stripling." (Daughter of the blood, page 243)

"In the countless millennia they had existed here in Prythian, Rhys—Rhys with his smirking and sarcasm and bedroom eyes ...And Amren was worse. And older than five thousand years." (ACOMAF, page 145)

"When they had first arrived at the Keep, Lucivar had given him a cryptic warning: Draca is a dragon in human form.The moment he’d seen the Seneschal, he’d understood what Lucivar meant. Her looks, combined with the feel of great age and old, deep power, had fascinated him." (Queen of the darkness, page 252)

"Because even though the short, delicate woman looked like High Fae … as Rhys had warned me, every instinct was roaring to run. To hide. [...] But Amren’s eyes …Her silver eyes were unlike anything I’d ever seen; a glimpse into the creature that I knew in my bones wasn’t High Fae. Or hadn’t been born that way."  (ACOMAF, page 158)

"Draca asked. Her unblinking reptilian eyes revealed nothing" (Daughter of the blood, page 431)

You can also find some of the names of characters and places of Anne Bishop's books in Sarah J Mass ones. For instance: Sarah admited Prythian was a trick on Pryddain from the chronicles of Pryddain but that she couldn't put the original name because it belonged to Phillip Alexander, so she choose Prythian. But one of the high priestesses in Bishop's trilogy is indeed named Prythian.

"Prythian, Askavi's High Priestess, couldn't leash his temper enough to serve witches he despised" (Daughter of the blood, page 16)

If you look at the titles of some of the TOGs books, you realize they are alike Anne Bishop's as well:

The thing is: where do we draw the line when it comes to inspiration in books? It's common to have some similarities between author's works, however, to have that many in lines, places, plots, on top of races and characters who are nearly identical to the ones someone created fourteen years before you? I don't know.

I don't appreciate Bishop's work, in fact, I suffered a lot to go through the trilogy, for problems like: explicit sexual violence, mutilation, and worst of all grooming (Daemon meets his so called soulmate when she's a child, and he kisses her when she's 12), which literally made feel sick, but, is clear Bishop came up with a lot of things a long time before SJM did.

Because her series of books came out by the 2000, most of sjm's target audience doesn't know Bishop's work, making it very easy to avoid comparison. This is one of the reasons why this situation becomes a big problem, because most of her fans think SJM work is totally original, and that she came up with 99% of the concepts by herself.

Besides the black jewels, Sarah was said to have taking scenes, plots and quotes from other original productions/books, like the lord of the rings (which she's also a huge fan):

For example, The White Tree of Gondor and Kingsflame.

The White Tree of Gordon only blooms when the rightful ruler sits on the throne. Coming to later bloom in Aragorn's coronation:

"And so the kingdom of Gondor sank into ruin, the line of kings failed, the white tree withered and the rule of Gondor was given over to lesser men."

Kingsflame, however, it’s a magical flower that first bloomed when Brannon arrived, proof that was a good king:

 "since those ancient days, only single blossoms had been spotted, so rare in their appearance that their appearance was deemed a sign that the land had blessed whatever ruler sat on Terrasen’s throne. (KOA 686)"

Similarly, the flower also blooms after Aelin’s Coronation:

Across every mountain, spread across the green canopy of Oakwald, carpeting the entire Plain of Theralis, the kingsflame was blooming. (KOA 984)

We also have the scene when Haldir arrives at helms deep:

"I bring word from Elrond of Rivendell.  An alliance once existed between Elves and men. Long ago we fought and died together. We come to honor that allegiance."

While Manon says this in KOA:

"Long ago the Crochans fought beside Terrasen, to honor the great debt we owed the Fae King Brannon for granting us a homeland."(KOA, page 693)

And don't forget, Aragorn saying:

"My friends, you bow to no one"

While Rhysand says this in ACOWAR:

"You bow to no one, was all he replied"

Don't forget, the conversation between Theoden and Gamling in the Two Towers movie:

"Theoden: Who am I, Gamling?

Gamling : You are our king, sire.

Theoden : And do you trust your king?

Gamling : Your men, my Lord, will follow you to whatever end.

Theoden : To whatever end... "

Followed by this conversation between Rowan and Aelin:

“—To whatever end? — she breathed.

Rowan followed her, as he had his entire life, long before they had ever met, before their souls had sparked into existence. —“To whatever end, Fireheart.”

We also have other examples, like treasure island:

"Look at you! Glowing like a solar fire. You're something special, Jim. You're gonna rattle the stars, you are!"  (Treasure Island-2003)

"You could rattle the stars," she whispered. "You could do anything, if only you dared. And deep down, you know it, too. That’s what scares you most. "( TOG page 385, chapter 54)

ASOIAF:

A quite similar phrase to "Queen that was promised" was used in GRRM’s ASOIAF,  where an ancient prophecy talked about a "Prince who was promised",  later it being reveleaded that they expected a boy, but the title was said to fall to Daenarys Targaryen (a queen). This is mentioned in " A dance of dragons" which was published in 2011. This prince is also mentioned as being “the Heir of Fire”.

"Westeros must unite beneath her one true king, the prince that was promised, Lord of Dragonstone and chosen of R'hllor" ( A dance with dragons, 2011)

"Perhaps it had all been for nothing. The Queen Who Was Promised" (KOA, page 121, 2018)

"He is fire made flesh, she thought, and so am I."  (A dance with dragons, page 949, 2011)

"Fire - he reminded her of fire made flesh."  (ACOWAR, 2017)

Harry Potter is added to list, as well:

Dumbledore: Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all those who live without love. (HP and the deathly hallows, page 705, 1997).

Rhysand: Be glad of your human heart, Feyre. Pity those who don’t feel anything at all. (ACOTAR, page 418, 2012).

"Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." (Harry Potter and the prisioner of Azkaban, 2004)

“Light can be found even in the darkest of hells” (ACOWAR, page 577, 2017)

The movie spirit:

Little Creek: Take care of her, Spirit-who-could-not-be-broken (Spirit, 2002)

Nehemia: I name you Elentiya, ‘Spirit That Cannot Be Broken.' (TOG, page 44)

Shadow and Bone:

The quote "like calls to like" explains one of the most important plot points in shadow and bone, the first book was published in 2012, and Sarah was mentioned in Leigh's acknowledgments as the person who gave her first review. She had used "magic calls to magic" before in throne of glass in 2012, yet the book was published in august, while Shadow and Bone came out before, in june. The principle of "like calls to like" in her books was mentioned by the time ACOMAF came out, in 2016, four years later. It was also used to describe attraction to objects of power, which follows Bardugo's concept.

Shadow and Bone: The grounding principle of the Small Science was “like calls to like" (page 113)

ACOMAF: The box—the Book—was silent. Then it said, Like calls to like  (page 350)

“The Grisha claims the amplifier, but the amplifier claims the Grisha, as well. Once it is done, there can be no other. Like calls to like, and the bond is made.” (page 130)

The movie troy:

"Menelaus : Prince? What prince? What son of a king would accept a man's hospitality, eat his food, drink his wine, embrace him in friendship, and then steal his wife in the middle of the night?

Paris : The sun was shining when your wife left you." (Troy, 2004)

“If you hadn’t stolen my bride away in the night, Rhysand, I would not have been forced to take such drastic measures to get her back.

I said quietly, The sun was shining when I left you.” (ACOWAR, page 396, 2017)

The Land before Time:

"Some things you see with your eyes. Other things you see with your heart." ( The Land before Time 1988)

"Some things you hear with your eyes. Other things you hear with your heart."( Crown of Midgnight, page 168, 2011)

Mulan:

"Shan Yu: How many men does it take to deliver a message?

The other Hun: One.

The Hun proceeds to shoot one of the imperial soldiers with an arrow." (Mulan, 1998)

“But it seems like tonight isn’t really your night, Elide said to the ilken, lifting the hatchet again over a shoulder. The ilken might have been whimpering as she smiled grimly.—Because it only takes one to deliver a message. And your companions are already on their way.

The axe fell.

Flesh and bone and blood spilled onto the stones.” (Empire of Storms, page 455, 2016)

There's more to show about the black jewels, but this posts is already huge, so I'm going to finish by talking a little bit about her new series: Crescent city, which people already pointed out to be similar to another series she also talked about before: The Fever series by Karn Marie Moning, published in 2007. Now, I don't think is the same case as the black jewels, because crescent city does follow a much more different story, but is still have matching characters and main storyline.

Darkfever tells the story of MacKayla, a girl who seemingly had a perfect life. After the murder of her sister, she sees herself obligated to make an alliance with the mysterious Jericho in order find her killer, whilst exploring her sidhe-seer powers. Crescent city, on the other hand, is also about a girl losing people close to her: her best friend and her crush, then deciding to solve their deaths by teaming up with the fallen angel Hunt.

Mackayla is a sidhe seer, a person who can see fae, and ends up in the book series as their queen, while Bryce is half fae. They are both extremely attractive girls, who love to party and take good care of their appereance. Jericho, however, is a handsome, tough supernatural being who resources to Mac in order to find answers, ending up getting involved with her. Lastly, Hunt is a fallen angel, who needs to make sure Bryce cooperates with the investigation, and develops feelings for her.

"My sister's whole body had holes in it, Inspector! Not just her arms! The coroner said they looked like teeth marks! — Not of any person or animal he'd been able to identify, though.— And parts of her were just fora!— I was shaking. I hated the memory. It made me sick to my stomach" (Dark Fever, page 71)

"She knew in her bones it was not a hallucination, what lay on that bed, knew in her bones that what bled out inside her chest was her heart. Danika lay there. In pieces" (Crescent City, page 74)

"Grieving wasn't going to bring her back, and it sure wasn't going to make me feel better about whoever'd killed her walking around alive out there somewhere, happy in their sick little psychotic way, while my sister lay icy and white beneath six feet of dirt" (Dark Fever, page 10)

"Briggs planned to hurt people, and he deserved to be in jail, but—he’d been wrongly accused of the murder.Danika’s killer was still out there" (Crescent City, page 145)

"I think I just finally expelled the last drop of moisture from my body that wasn't absolutely necessary to keep me alive. And rage watered my parched soul. I wanted answers. I wanted justice.I wanted revenge." (Dark fever, page 11)

"She didn’t know where to start.But she’d do it. Find whoever had done this.[...] She ground her teeth. She’d find whoever had done this and make them regret ever being born." (Crescent City, page 164)

Once again, Hunt has the exact same appeareance as Jericho, and their personalities are also pretty much alike.

"He studied me with his predator's gaze, assessing me from head to toe. I studied him back. He didn't just occupy space; he saturated it.The room had been full of books before, now it was full of him. About thirty, six foot two or three, he had dark hair, golden skin, and dark eyes. His features were strong, chiseled." (Dark Fever, page 36)

"An angel who reason and history reminded him was an ally, though every instinct roared the opposite.Predator. Killer. Monster. Hunt Athalar’s angular dark eyes, however, remained fixed on the window. On Bryce Quinlan." (House of earth and blood, page 80)

"Hunt nodded once, his golden-brown face betraying nothing." (House of earth and blood, page 81)

"Then the male leafed through Quinlan’s thin file, his shoulder-length black hair slipping over his unreadable face." (House of earth and blood, page 81)

Darkfever presentd V'lane as a third character, an attractive seelie prince, who rules the Tuatha Dé Dannan, and happens to go after Mackayla as revenge against Jericho. In crescent city, there third main character is Ruhn, Bryce's half brother, and who is he? A crowned prince of the fae. And what is his last name? Danaan.

"Even today, after all that I've seen, I couldn't begin to describe V'lane, prince of the Tuatha Dé Danaan." (Dark Fever, page 134)

"Thinking she’d get a nice, sweaty ride with a Prince of the Fae, she’d be sorely disappointed. He was in no shape for fucking right now." (Crescent city, page 199)

“I got a phone call, Naomi said. From Ruhn fucking Danaan. He’s livid that we didn’t notify Sky and Breath about bringing in the girl." (Crescent city, page 96)

The scene where Hunt goes to watch over Bryce in her apartment follows the exact same patterns of the scene Jericho goes to visit Mackayla in her home:

"A moment later, her phone buzzed on the coffee table. Right as her show began.She didn’t know the number, but she wasn’t at all surprised when she picked up, plopping down onto the cushions, and Hunt growled,

— Open the curtains. I want to watch the show.” (Crescent city, page 84)

"Someone knocking at my door awakened me [...] I glanced at my watch. It was two o'clock in the morning. I was sleepy and grumpy and didn't try to disguise it.

—Who is it?

— Jericho Barrons." (Dark Fever, page 40)

“Open the curtains.

— No, thank you.

— Or you could invite me in and make my job easier.

— Definitely no.

—Why?

— Because you can do your job just as well from that roof.” (Crescent City; page 184)

"Do you intend to open this door, Ms. Lane, or shall we converse where anyone might attend our business? [...]. If he was willing to trade, I had to open that door. Unless…

— We can trade through the door, I said.

— No

— Why not?

— I am a private person, Ms. Lane. This is not negotiable." (Dark Fever, page 41)

"His dark eyes didn’t so much as blink. Striking—that was the only word Bryce could think of to describe his handsome face, full of powerful lines and sharp cheekbones. — You can make this investigation easy, or you can make it hard.” (Crescent City, page 187)

" When I said nothing, he said softly — If you are not with me, Ms. Lane, you are against me. I have no mercy for my enemies.  

I shrugged." (Dark Fever, page 46)

So, I do believe SJM is the type author whose actions we need to discuss. Even if you see the whole thing with " The black jewels" is just an inspiration, you can't deny the fact there some exact lines of movies and books in her work. Plus: it's not just one quote or just one plot, but many.

If you ever try to read The Black Jewels trilogy you'll notice much more than what I brought in this post, and I do hope more people are able to research it. However, if you have any triggers regarding SA, mutil*tion, abuse, gr*mming, or torture scenes, I strongly recommend you do not read these books. They are not easy to go through, and the same thing goes to Dark Fever, although is a lot lighter.

Now, you can find more about the "Lord of the rings" and "Harry Potter" situation in here:

This is not a post trying to "cancel" sjm or simply attack her without reason. But I do believe we have to talk about her work and the problems with it, especially when it involves the work of other writers. If anyone has any more examples, or articles about this matter, quote this post with them if you can. I couldn't put more because you have a limit for tumblr posts, and it would be way too much. Anyway, thank you sticking here until the end.

[oristian]

Thanking @yazthebookish for this—I’ve been thinking about this all day, ever since I watched her story on Instagram with quotes from HOFAS. I unfortunately do not have HOFAS on Kindle yet as I have not started my Crescent City re-read, so most of the information I’m going to use for this mini theory/analysis is coming directly from the ACOTAR/Crescent City Wikia.

HOFAS SPOILERS ❗️

Truth Teller and Gwydion have been apart for centuries upon centuries ever since the fae from Prythian had been scattered into Migard, and beyond—Bryce Quinlan, being the female descendant of Theia and the rightful heir to the Starsword, brought the two blades together once more at the end of HOFAS. Essentially, Bryce was used as a conduit to kickstart one of the remaining ACOTAR arcs by bringing Gwydion back to Prythian.

The basis of my analysis/mini-theory has to do with the two individuals associated with Truth Teller and Gwydion, respectively—Enalius and Oleanna. Enalius being the first holder of Truth Teller, and Oleanna being the High Priestess that dipped Gwydion into the Cauldron and gave the blade its powers.

I had been caught up in this by looking at the wording and context surrounding Enalius and Oleanna. An Illyrian with Truth Teller, and a High Priestess with Gwydion. “When the knife and sword are reunited, so shall our people be.” Nesta is the current possessor of Gwydion, though she favors her Made sword, Ataraxia—why would a sword that became a pinnacle of her healing and growth be cast aside for Gwydion? My theory is that Gwyn will wield Gwydion and Azriel will wield Truth Teller and, together, the blades—that sing to one another—will reunite the fae of the Dusk Court. An Illyrian and a High Priestess. Light and Dark.

Truly, this is by no means claiming to be the end-all theory, just something interesting that I discovered and wanted to share with everyone. It is clear that Azriel’s book will be dealing with the Illyrian plot-line, and will intertwine with Nesta and the Valkyries once more, especially after the contents and info dump of HOFAS; that is why it was Azriel and Nesta as the ACOTAR representatives with Bryce. Gwydion is going to be a key contender in his book, and potentially an entire subplot arc.

[azrielslightintheshadows]

hello please could i request one where the reader was part of the inner circle for centuries and they were all very close. however, once the sisters come into the picture, they, without realising, neglect the reader and don’t realise until something happens to the reader, like her falling deathly sick or very badly injured etc. reader can be mated with any of the batboys, maybe with all three ;) very angsty with grovel and comfort 💗

ps love your writing 💗

My mate.

Bat boys x f!Reader (Mainly Azriel x f!Reader)

Warnings; mentions of abuse, trauma, scars and blood. Swearing.

Masterlist.

Sooo, the ending is not exactly what you asked me to write, but the story took me there. If you don't like it I can rewrite it :)

You were a toddler when your father found out that your mother had an affair with a lesser fae that resulted in you. He waited until your mother fell asleep and carried you into the Illyrian woods, he left you there with your blanket and returned home. You never found out what happened to your mother, and you didn’t care at all. Rhysand’s mother found you the next morning hiding under a tree’s root, she wiped your tears and carried you to her home. That was how you met Rhysand, Cassian and Azriel. You all grew up together, your friendship getting stronger as the years passed and a few months before Rhysand got trapped under the mountain the mating bond snapped.

You were training with Cassian when it happened. He kicked your legs making you fall on your back, your hands instantly grabbed his shoulders and you took him down with you. His face a few inches away from yours as you stared at each other, and it snapped. Both of you burst into laughter and immediately kissed. Rhysand and Azriel were ecstatic when they found out, congratulating both of you and talking about the mating ceremony.

Two days later you asked Azriel to take you to the city. You wanted to get the ingredients you would need to make Cassian’s favorite cake. You were flying back to the house of wind when you looked at Azriel’s face admiring his beauty as the sun fell on him, he glanced down at you and the bond snapped. You almost fell off the sky from the shock. When you landed you both ran to the library, trying to find a book that explained the situation. You didn’t find one. That night during dinner you announced it, both of you staring at Cassian and waiting for his reaction. He grinned and hugged Azriel shouting “We’re going to have so much fun”. Rhysand was smiling as he watched the scene, yet you didn’t miss the hurt that flashed in his eyes.

The next day Rhysand came into your room to ask you a few things about the mating ceremony, he wanted to know where you wanted it to happen and which priestess you preferred. You explained to him how you had imagined that moment, your eyes shining as you spoke and your cheeks heating up. He admired your face and pushed one strand of hair behind your ear making the bond snap into place. Both your faces paled as you stared at each other. He gulped and immediately called the others in his mind. You explained to them what happened, and their jaws dropped.

“Mother’s tits! Do we expect more mates to come?” Cassian exclaimed while Azriel shook his head.

You somehow managed to have a relationship without problems, the boys did everything in their power to keep you safe and happy and you managed to give everyone the same amount of attention. Then Feyre burst into your life, Rhysand became her friend under the mountain and when he found out that Tamlin was mistreating her, he sent Mor to take her. You didn’t mind that she took all your mate’s attention from you, you felt like you owed to her for saving him and Prythian. Afterall Cassian and Azriel were giving you enough attention, and you didn’t want to be greedy. But after a year her sisters were made, and Rhysand took them in to help them and everything changed. Cassian spent most of his time with Nesta and Azriel with Elain. They would cancel your dates, they wouldn’t show up for dinner leaving you alone with four cold plates and most importantly they would come to bed after you had fallen asleep and leave before you woke up.

When you confronted them about it, Cassian and Rhys called you selfish and greedy and stormed off. Azriel looked at you with guilt and quickly left when you screamed “get out”.  You couldn’t believe what was happening and you stayed back and watched your mates slowly falling in love with other females.

It had been a month since the last time you shared your bed with them, your relationship was non-existent, and you were slowly healing your heart. You got ready to go to the Hewn city to handle some problems Keir had caused. As usual no one was home so with a sigh you winnowed away. You were walking down the main hall of the castle when two males pounced on you from behind. You grabbed your dagger, but you were too late, one of them had already caught your wrist while the other one stabbed you repeatedly on your back. Your screams shook the whole court and you instantly opened the bond sending every ounce of pain to your mates. Black dots clouded your vision slightly, and your body went numb. You could only feel the adamant walls Rhys and Cassian had built around the bond and suddenly a wave of fear and rage. “Az” you whispered.

Shadows came like a wave in the room, and Azriel emerged from them, Truth-Teller in hand, his wings stretched wide and a deadly expression. The males took a few steps back with wide eyes as they saw your mate walking slowly towards them like a predator ready to pounce. You now understood why they called him God of death and goosebumps filled your body. You only heard screams and cries and bones cracking before a bloodied hand grabbed your shoulder and turned you on your back making you cry out in pain.

“Shh its okay I’ve got you angel” Azriel whispered and picked you up.

“I love you” you whispered before the darkness engulfed you.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

A groan left your lips as you tried to open your eyes.

“I’m here angel” Azriel’s deep voice rang in your ears.

“Az?” you asked and forced your eyes to open. The light burned your vision and in a blink Azriel’s shadows blocked the sun. He was sitting on a chair next to you, still covered in blood the only difference was that it had dried now.

“You’re okay” he smiled.

“What happened to them?” you croaked.

“I wanted to let them for you, but I couldn’t, I felt so much rage… I’m sorry” he lowered his gaze.

“It’s okay my love. Thank you.” You said softly.

The door opened and Rhysand walked in with Cassian behind him.

“You’re awake” Rhys gasped, and you nodded.

“Thank the Cauldron its been two days” Cassian exclaimed and grabbed your hand. You flinched and pulled your hand back harshly.

“Don’t” you snapped, and he frowned.

“Where were you when I needed you?” you yelled, your eyes filling with tears. “Both of you! If it wasn’t for Azriel I would be dead now!”

“Sweetheart we didn’t feel you” Rhys said softly.

“I know! Because you blocked the fucking bond! Where were you?” you sat straighter and with a soft whine that made Azriel growl and move closer.

“Y/n…” Cassian tried to speak but you stopped him.

“Where. The. Fuck. Were. You?”

“I was training Nesta” he mumbled and stared at the ground. You glanced at Rhysand who had a guilty look on his face.

“I was helping Feyre write a letter to Helion” he said.

“Get out!” you screamed. “Now! Get the fuck out… get out… get out!”

Azriel jumped on his feet and glared at his brothers, daring them to not listen to you. They quickly left the room, their faces red and their eyes filled with tears. Azriel quickly fetched a glass of water and gave it to you.

“Calm down angel” he mumbled as he placed a soft kiss on your head. “Don’t act like the perfect mate, you were ignoring me too.” You growled.

“I know and it broke my heart” his voice was soft and filled with regret.

“Then why did you do it?” your voice was raising.

“Because you have two perfect mates, a High Lord and a General. You don’t need a scarred monster to defile you!” he snapped.

“What? Are you serious?” your hands shook with rage.

“Yes! I’m a broken beast… you deserve way better”. He was yelling now. “You’re not! What the hell are you talking about? You are the exact opposite. Az you’ve been protecting me since the day you met me, you are the only one who cares about my day and my feelings, the only one who comforts me when I’m sad. You’ve proved multiple times that you would give your life for me. I don’t give a fuck about your scars, I love them. Would you leave me because of the scars on my back? Because I’m sure that they will not heal completely, I can feel them.”

“I would never leave you” his voice was barely above a whisper now.

“Okay shut up then.” You said and he chuckled.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

A few days later Madja announced that you are completely healed and offered to make a salve for your scars, but you denied. You wanted to show Azriel that its okay to have scars.

Cassian and Rhysand frequently checked on you, they would lurk around you with sad looks on their faces.

Azriel only left your side to get you whatever you needed. He even asked Elain to come to your room and he told her that he has a mate who he loves with all his heart and that he doesn’t want to spend time with her anymore. She nodded and left with her head bowed, a few days later she went on a date with Lucien.

You were currently getting ready for dinner, you had asked everyone to come because you had an announcement to make. Azriel was sitting on your bed behind you while you got dressed.

“Az can you help me with the zipper?” you asked as you checked your reflection on the mirror.

He got up with a smile and approached you. His hands traced your scars, his breath hitching as he leaned and pressed soft kisses on every scar making you shudder.

“So beautiful” he murmured on your back as he zipped your dress slowly. You smiled and leaned back into him.

“Let’s go handsome” you said softly, and he chuckled.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Everyone was sitting around the table waiting for you. Azriel pulled one chair for you, and you smiled thankfully. Cassian and Rhysand were staring at you with a guilty expression. You all ate in silence and after three glasses of wine you felt ready to speak so you stood up.

“I made a decision” you announced getting everyone’s attention. Nesta and Feyre nodded while Cassian and Rhys stared with panicked expressions.

“I know that Cassian fell in love with you Nesta and Rhysand with you Feyre.” You told them and they avoided your gaze.

Your mates opened their mouths but quickly shut them as you glared at them.

“Its okay, both females are wonderful, and I can see why you are pinning after them. So, I decided to let you go. I realized that I love you as friends and nothing more. I’m in love with Azriel though and it wouldn’t be fair to him if I allowed you to come back to me.” You smiled at Azriel who nodded. You had talked about it two days ago and he had told you that he doesn’t want to share you with anyone else.

“Are you sure about this?” Feyre asked you softly.

“Yes I’m sure.” You smiled.

Cassian and Rhys had tears in their eyes as they stared at you.

“Let’s go mate” you told Azriel and offered him your hand.

“My mate” he smiled, and you left the room with genuine smiles on your faces.

Because this ends with Azriel I will put it under him on the masterlist.

Princess chapter 7 coming later today!

[fanttasttica]

Shy priestess

Rhysand x reader

You were shy priestess working in the Library in Velaris who became friends with Morrigan. One day, she decided to became matchmaker and you became her first client.

warnings: smut (only indicated)

words: 3456

You loved working in the library. Maybe a story about why you got this job and how you got to Velaris isn't that nice at all, working here bringed you peace you never thought you wanted in the first place. You were growing up in one of the Illyrian camps and all you knew your whole life was work. Now you also had plenty of things you had to do, but you still had some time you could spend by doing something you enjoy, like reading and painting, chatting with some other Priestess. For the first time in your life, you had someone you could call your friends. Most of them were quite shy at first, but you couldn't blame them, since you were practically the same. But after you warmed up to each other, becoming friends was easy with them. And that's how it exactly was with Morrigan. You knew who she was, a rather important person for your court. One time, she visited the Library looking for some old books and maps she promised to bring to the High lord and she met you, asking for help. She was very friendly and very talkative, so it was easy to spend time in her presence. She was asking you questions but wasn't pushing you to talk, she herself managed to ensure that there was no awkward silence.

One day Morrigan once again visited you, only for a chat, when she dropped a bomb “I almost forgot! Rhysand will come tomorrow. He is again looking for some old books about Prythian, I don't honestly know why, nor that I care“ she shrugged. “But last time, he was very happy with the books you helped find me. So I told him your name and he will come to you, so you can help him” you were just sorting books on the shelves, and after this information, you nearly dropped them all. Turning at her with a nervous expression on your face. “High lord? High lord is going to come tomorrow expecting me to help him? Are you kidding?” As much as you loved her, you wanted to punch her right now. “Oh don't worry, Rhys is maybe a pain in my ass, but he is a really nice gentleman to ladies. He will be happy with any advice you will give him” it was easy for her to say that and you knew that she didn't mean any harm, but you were scared. He was the most powerful High lord in Prythian and a man you have never met before, this didn't help your shyness and nervousness. “If you say so..” you mumbled to yourself, turned back at her and continued to stock books on the shelves. “Hey.. don't worry. I already told him about your shyness, he will not push you into talking much.” your cheeks were red as tomatoes, not liking that Mor was telling High lord about how much shy you are. It was a pure fact, but you still weren't comfortable with it. “I am not here for that long.. I am sure there is someone better than me, who would be happy to help him.” You argued with her, knowing in advance, that this was a lost fight. Morrigan grinned at you. “Don't be so insecure. You are working really hard and know probably more things about this Library than other Priestesses, which are here for many years.” this was complimenting you, you couldn't lie. “And beside that.. They are not as beautiful as you..” she winked at you and you laughed, thinking that she was flirting with you for a joke. “Oh Mor, thank you, but I am not interested..” She shakes her head. “I am serious. You are very clever and beautiful, give yourself a little credit. And I would love to have you in my family.” After this sentence, it finally hit you. “You cannot possibly be serious! Don't even try to say that the reason why you are sending the High Lord to me is in hope that you will get us together!” Once again, you wanted to punch her and then run into your room and cry. This was a nightmare. “No! I really think you are very clever and will help him.. Possibility of matching you two together is just another dream of mine. You know, I love Rhys, but he needs someone who will put him in his place and also help him with his responsibilities. And if it helps with your nerves, you are not the first, I am trying to set up with him. I have been doing this for a few years now.” She smiled at you innocently and You rolled your eyes at her in response, not believing this audacity of hers. “Yeah.. that's definitely something you should be proud of..” 

The next day came too quickly. In the morning, you were deciding if you should get up or fake some terrible illness to avoid meeting with the High lord. You would be probably the first woman ever, who would do something like that. And it would not help anything.. Morrigan was way too stubborn for that. She would drag you to the House of wind, where she, High lord and other members of Inner circle live, only to introduce you two. Or she would drag High lord here another time, this time not giving you warning before head. Both scenarios seemed more embarrassing than meeting the High lord today, so you forced yourself to get up and get ready. 

You weren't sure when the High lord would make his appearance. Secretly you were still hoping that Morrigan was maybe just joking with you and he wasn't coming. Your hopes were getting bigger and bigger with the evening coming. You were finishing your work, only being maybe half an hour to retiring to your room, so you could have a free evening, when you suddenly heard steps coming your way. Sounds of confident footsteps were echoing loudly, since no one but you was in this part of the Library. The voice in the back of your head was already telling who it is. Maybe it was because of how powerful his aura was, but you knew, felt, that it was no other than the High lord himself. Once the footsteps stopped, you turned to look at him and oh boy.. You were stunned. It was the first time you saw him. Of course you heard that he was supposed to be incredibly handsome, but this? He was big, obviously very strong, his hair was perfect, eyes were addictive to look at and his smirk.. He made your legs weak. For the first few seconds you were looking at him quietly and he was doing the same. The look in his eyes with which his eyes were scanning made your cheeks red. “It's nice to meet you, High lord.” You bowed lightly, finally remembering some manners. He nodded, “The pleasure is all mine.” Shit, even his voice was sexy. How can you survive this without embarrassing yourself? “As you know, I am looking for something about Prythian, the earlier history, the better.” His kind eyes were smiling at you, as you nodded and gestured behind him. “The oldest books we have on this topic are right behind you.” You said and walked past him to the shelves, picking up some books and turning to face him. “There is something about the foundation of Prythian and the next book is about the first High lords.” You said and gave them to him, his fingers brushed softly yours, which made your heart beat faster. “Thank you, Y/N.” You looked down on your dress. “You are welcome, High lord.” You said respectfully and you two fell into silence. He cleared his throat. “Mor told me a lot of things about you.” He continued this awkward conversation, you wanted to end this, it was weird. “Yes, I believe in that. She can be very.. sharing.” He chuckled at these words. “Well, I would use other words, but yes.. She is very sharing. I don't want to know anything she said about me, but be sure that she speaks very highly about you.” You knew Morrigan wasn't telling anything bad about you, she wasn't like that, but you still planned on cursing her the next time she will come to visit you. “I have no doubts about it.” Single sentence as response, but it still took a lot from you. “Well.. I should probably take my leave now. Thank you for your time.” He smiled at you and you did the same. “It was no trouble, don't worry.” After that, he left you all alone. You were looking at the place where he was standing only a few seconds ago, not looking away for several minutes, as you were in trance. This was the most embarrassing and awkward conversation you ever had. And yet.. you somehow still enjoyed it? High lord seemed really nice and was trying to start a small conversation with you, it was a shame that you didn't make it easier for him. Shaking head, you returned to your work, but you couldn't focus on it anymore.

And you couldn't focus for many days after the meeting with the High lord. Still thinking about it, daydreaming about him. You didn't know what he had done to you and you felt stupid. You spent hardly five minutes and you developed a crush on him. What was maybe even worse is that you knew you were not the only one who had a crush on him and you knew that you weren't any more special than the other girls he had met. Nothing, this was nothing, it couldn't be. You were being stupid. “Y/N? Helooo?” You heard Morrigan behind you, you turned, so you were now facing her. “Yes?” Morrigan put her hands or her hips, shaking her head at you. “What's wrong with you girl? I was shouting at you like crazy for a while now. Are you okay?” You inhaled deeply, blinking fast. “I am okay, don't worry. I was just.. thinking, lost in my thoughts.” You admitted, praying that she will not ask anything more, but it seemed that she didn't have to. Her lips turned into a smirk. “I wonder who you were thinking about..” She grabbed your arms and led you to the chairs, which were in the middle of the room, next to a table. “So, tell me everything about your meeting with Rhysand. I already heard his point of view, but I want to hear yours.” You placed your head into your hands. “Mor.. Please.. This is just.. weird. I don't like this.” She pursed her lips, not taking this as an answer. “Oh please! Don't tell me he isn't your type. I am not judging his appearance, because it would be awkward, but I know that many girls are throwing themselves on him. So, talk.” You groaned and tried to sort your thoughts. What should you tell her? “It wasn't a long conversation. He came, I gave him books, he told me that you are talking about me often and in a good way. And that's practically everything. Nothing more, nothing less.” You shrugged and stood up from your chair, walking back to the table where you were working before. She was still sitting in the same spot, watching you. “My dear Y/N.. I already knew that. And I also know that you know that this isn't the answer I was looking for.” You rolled your eyes at her, nor that she could see you. “Okay.. Okay.. He is handsome. And he was also very nice, I suppose. Are you satisfied now?” She squealed and pulled you into a hug. She was happy, at first you weren't sure if she heard you right and didn't imagine something else. “Calm down.. I only like him. It's not like I am telling you that we are dating. There is.. nothing. Nothing, you understand? Maybe he is nice, but that doesnt mean I will do anything about it.” She was clearly disappointed in your words and was going to take this. Not giving up, she winked at you. “Maybe you won't, but I will.” 

Morrigan fulfilled her promise. The very next day, she came again and she was not the only one, she dragged Rhysand with her. The same scenario repeated the next day, the day after and after.. This meetings were embarrassing at first, but after some time, you warmed up to the High Lord, talking with him more comfortably, asking him questions and at one point you start forgetting Morrigan was here too. Of course she didn't mind. She was sitting quietly as a mouse and listening to you, most of the time smiling happily as she watched you two together. And one day? Rhysand came again, but this time without Morrigan. At first, you thought that she had more important work than being a matchmaker, but the next day, Rhysand came again, without her. “Is Morrigan ill or does she have so much work?” You asked him. Rhysand was sitting at the table with you, doing some paperwork, while you were looking at one book Clotho had given you, so that you can find some important information for her there. “She is perfectly well, why are you asking?” Rhysand looked up at you from his paper. “ You shrugged “Everytime you came, she was with you. I was just wondering if she is alright. It's a little bit weird that you are here without her.” You admitted to him. It was still unusual for you to talk with Rhysand as if he was a friend. Well.. in your mind, you were wishing that he could be something more than a friend, but you kept that to yourself, still thinking it was stupid from you. “Perhaps that's true.. But you know that I am not here because she forced me, right?” You raised your eyebrow. “You are not?” He once again managed to make your heart beat faster. The feeling as if you have butterflies in your stomach has also been added recently. “No, I am not. I.. to be honest, for the first time, I was here because of her. The next time, I took her with me for support and for you.” You didn't understand this right away. “For me?” He sighed and leaned back comfortably in the chair. “Yes. She told me that you were really shy and I saw that too. I wanted you to be more comfortable and well I thought that maybe with Mor, it would be easier for you.” Your cheeks were red, but you smiled at him. “That is so thoughtful and nice of you. Thank you.” He waved his hand, not wanting to take extra credits for what he did. “It was the smallest thing I could do. Nothing special, really.. But.. When we are already talking about this.. We both know why I was here for the first time. She tried to set us up. And I don't know how about you, but it worked for me..” He winked at you, a devilish smirk was on his lips, which you wanted to kiss so desperately.  “So I would like to invite you on a date. As you know, Starfall is coming and I was wondering if you would like to join me and my family. It's probably also time for you to meet them. Cassian is already very impatient and so is Azriel.” You were thinking for a while, before you finally nodded lightly, not knowing what did get yourself into.

“What I am saying is that you picked the wrong one for us. Little Rhysie is maybe a High lord, but I would be better. Just look at me!” You were after dinner in the house of Wind, on the night of Starfall, currently sitting on the couch with Cassian, who was already a little bit drunk. It was clear that he was saying those things to piss off Rhysand. And it was working. The male appeared next to you in a few seconds. “Cassian, can you go bother someone else? Azriel is having a calm evening, you can ruin his mood and not Y/N´s.” Rhysand was smirking at his brother, then he turned at you and his smile turned into a more honest one. “Who said that he was ruining my mood? And beside that, I think Cassian is a really good companion.” You decided to have a little fun with the High Lord. It worked, you saw change in his eyes, now they were challenging. “Oh my darling, I can show you that I am way better companion than he is. I only need to be one minute alone with you.” You pressed your legs together, as you felt your core throbbing. It was only one sentence, but it had a big impact. High Lord took your hand and helped you to stand up. “Come with me.” You followed him obediently, ignoring Cassian, when he was shouting at you to at least try to be quiet. You were glad that Mor wasn't here so she didn't see that, she would laugh at you  and then she would celebrate more than when she found out you were coming to the Starfall as Rhysand´s date. Rhysand led you to the small balcony on the other side of the house, so you could have some privacy, for the first time in this night. “You look breathtaking tonight.” Rhysand complimented you, still holding your hand, as you stood at the edge of the balcony, where there was a wonderful view of the city. “Thank you, you don't look bad yourself.” Every time you saw him, you thought the same thing, that he can possibly look better than before and yet.. It was true. You fell into comfortable silence, during which many stars appeared and started falling across the sky. It was amazing, you felt like you were dreaming. Feeling like a princess in this dress, standing next to your prince, who has now hugging you tightly. You weren't sure when he pulled you into his embrace, but you weren't protesting. You leaned your back against his strong chest and felt a little kiss on your exposed shoulder. You turned your head, so now you were facing him. His face was only centimeters from yours. You looked into his eyes and then on his lips. He understood what you were thinking of and leaned closer to you. He brushed his lips softly against yours, tasting you for the first time, but it wasn't enough for either of you. Your lips finally met, kissing properly this time, suddenly lost in each other. There wasn't anything but you two. Two souls, which had finally found each other. Two halves that came together.

“So.. I am waiting for your thanks.” Being woken up by Morrigan saying these words wasn't something you needed to experience, since you were in Rhysand ́s, your mates, bedroom and covered in nothing else but his white sheets. You groaned at her, burying your head in Rhysands chest, still half asleep.You had to catch up on your sleep, since Rhys decided to keep you awake for most of the night, pleasuring you, making you his. “We are grateful for your matchmaking skills, dear cousin, but I believe that this conversation can wait till later after we put some clothes on us.” She giggled happily, told you to take as much time as you need and left the room. “I'm wondering what clothes I am supposed to wear when you tore the only dress I have here last night.” You mumbled softly and sat up, while his sheets fell from your body, which was now exposed to him. Maybe you should cover up, but he already saw everything, so why bother. “Hmm.. “ Rhysands hand traveled from your bare back to your breast, finding one nipple and squeezed it. You bit your lips. “Today? You aren't going to put anything on yourself, because I am not going to let you get up from this bed, my darling. And tomorrow? I will buy you every dress in Velaris, if you wish.” You giggled “I think there is no need for that. I only need one.” Rhysand pushed you into the mattress and leaned over you. “If you think that I will allow you to leave the store with only one dress, you are pretty naive.” He started planting wet kisses on your neck, which already bore his marks from last night. “I am planning on spoiling you and there is no point arguing. I can be very convincing..” He licked his lips and let's say that you were convinced by him many times that day.