Daddy Azriel

Chapter 16: Skylah

"Ready to go?" my mate asks from the front entryway.
    Azriel is clad in his Illyrian leathers once again today. The blue siphons on the backs of his hands add a look of power to him. Not that anyone would ever mistaken him as powerless without the siphons. His shadows and the confident way that he holds himself could never be seen as defenseless.
    "I've never seen a male wear more than one siphon," I say offhandedly. "Before you and Cassian, that is."
    Siphons are given to Illyrian warriors when they have proven their worthiness and bravery. Bastard children are never seen as worthy for anything. For Azriel to have just one is an accomplishment in of itself, let alone more than one.
    "He has five more, but those only make an appearance when he's in battle," Cassian says from the living room.
    "You have seven siphons?"
    "Yes. Despite the Illyrian's disapproval." He said the words with such indifference that I'm beginning to wonder if he knows what a siphon even is. "Cassian has the same amount."
    "Red's a better color, though."
    Azriel glances at me then, at my eyes.
    "I disagree," he said quietly, almost to himself.
    Breaking free of the trance, otherwise known as Azriel's hazel eyes, I call to Feyre, who is also in the living room.
    "Are you sure that you're okay with watching Lovia, Feyre?"
    "Of course. I would much rather spend time with Lovia than Cassian. She's a better conversationalist."
    "I'm going to act like I didn't hear that," Cassian grumbled.
    "We're leaving now," Azriel cut in.
    "Have fun," Feyre told us both.
    My mate turned to me and ushered me out of the house as quickly as he could. He was not fast enough, however, to keep me from hearing Cassian say, "Don't have too much fun."
    When we stepped outside, Azriel said, "The Rainbow isn't far from here. Feyre and Rhys wanted their house to be close to it."
    "Because Feyre is an artist?"
    "Part of it. Rhys also loves the artist section of Velaris."
    "How did you meet the High Lord and Lady?"
    "I met Rhys and Cassian at the same time. We were younglings training in the same camp. Rhys's mother took Cass and I in."
    "She sounds very kind. Does she still live in the Illyrian camp?"
    His eyes shuttered. "No. She died long ago."
    "I'm sorry."
    "Thank you." Azriel looked at our surroundings. "I met Feyre about five-hundred years after meeting my brothers. Rhys had rescued her from another court and brought her here, with us. She became one of us almost instantly."
    "When he saved her, did they know...like us?" I ask. "Did they know they were mates?" It's the first time I've truly acknowledged the mating bond in front of him.
    "Rhys did, but not Feyre. And she was not very happy to find out from the Suriel."
    "The Suriel?" I exclaim. "Feyre caught the Suriel?"
    Azriel's laugh echoes through the lively streets. "More than once, actually."
    I knew that the High Lady was a talented and powerful warrior, but I would have never guessed that she was able to catch the Suriel multiple times.
    Just when I was about to ask how she did it, Azriel's words cut me off. "This is the Rainbow of Velaris."
    I had been so busy talking to my mate that I hadn't even realized that we had come to a stop in front of the most beautiful community to ever exist.
    The entire Rainbow is painted in bright, happy colors. People of all sorts are walking from shop to shop, laughing and smiling the entire time. In between the shops, art galleries are scattered. Someone is playing the flute in the street, while another sings lyrics to match the melody.
    In the center of it all, is a large building with a golden top.
    It's a theatre.
    For music.
    "That's the Theatre of Velaris," Azriel says from next to me, noticing my awe of the building. "Would you like to go inside?"
    "Can I?"
    "Of course."
    Azriel takes my hand in his own, his grip gentle. With a small tug, he leads me to the front doors, holding one open for me.
    The theatre instantly takes my breath away.
    Rows upon rows of velvety cushioned seats are placed in front of the stage. More line the upper levels, jutting out of the walls.
    "I didn't know that places like this existed."
    My camp had nothing like this, not even a stage. There was a lone shop that had supplies for instruments. I obtained my cello because my mother left it behind when she left after I was born. I learned the notes from the shopkeeper and went from there.
     Music became my escape from the world. When playing a song, I leave reality and go into the world of notes and strings. I find peace within myself while playing.
    Onen used to listen to me string notes for hours on end.
    Used to.
    It will never get easier to refer to him in the past tense.
    "The Rainbow has many theatres," Azriel says, stopping my mind from going to dark and twisted places. "But this is the grandest of them all."
    "Where is everyone?" I ask, looking around. The glorious room is empty.
    "Probably at home or somewhere else in the Rainbow. The next show isn't for another week and it's still early in the morning. The musicians won't be expected here until later in the day, I suspect."
    In a daze, I begin to walk forward, Azriel following close behind. I walk in the aisle between seats, hand brushing against the soft fabric of the chairs.
    Soon I reach the stage, and before I can process what I'm doing, my legs are climbing the stairs.
    The wooden stage is filled with chairs and music stands. They circle around a podium in the center.
    In front of the podium, at the front of the stage, there's a hole.
    "Why is part of the stage missing there?" I nod to where I speak of.
    "That's the pit. The orchestra typically performs from it during a play."
    I look down into the pit.
    "Is there a way to get inside it without jumping?"
    "There's a door next to the stairs of the stage."
    I'm moving before Azriel can say another word.
    "How do you know so much about the theatre?" I ask him. He has an answer for every question that I throw at him. 
    "I go to as many symphonies as I can."
    "Do you play any instruments?" My hand grabs the railing of the stairs as I say the words.
    "No. My mother played the violin, though." He's quiet for a second. "I find that listening to music makes me feel close to her. It gives me the opportunity to understand that part of her."
    Azriel rarely speaks of his mother. The only thing that he told me of her during my two weeks of bedrest was that she had died when he was eleven. For him to share this piece of him with me, is an honor. One that I don't think many receive.
    "I would've loved to play alongside her."
    The look on his face becomes so vulnerable, that I have to fold my hands together to keep myself from reaching out to him.
    "I think that she would've liked that," he says quietly.
    Unable to make eye contact any longer, I turn to the door to the pit as we approach it. Pushing it open, I'm saddened that in my twenty-two years of life, I never knew how appreciated music was by the rest of the world. That there were massive buildings dedicated entirely to art in all of its beautiful forms.
    Looking around the pit, it appears to be currently used as a storage room. There are music stands and instrument cases scattered across the area.
    I love it.
    "It's wonderfully messy," I state.
    "I'm glad you like it." Without looking up, I know that he's smiling. "You should play something."
    I look at him as though he's lost his mind. "I don't have my cello here."
    "Yes. And it's not like you can't play any of the dozens of instruments left unoccupied in here." He gives me a dry look.
    "None of these instruments are mine. I can't just start playing another person's cello."
    "Why not? No else is here."
    "Because it feels illegal to do so."
    "I won't tell anyone if you don't."
    Out of excuses other than a straight, no, I relent. "Fine."
    I grab the nearest cello case to me and begin to unzip it.
    Whoever the instrument belongs to, they certainly keep it in great condition. The cello itself is expensive looking and luxurious.
    Lifting it out, I sit down on the chair next to me and adjust the endpin and tune it. When the instrument is finally ready for playing, I look up at Azriel and say, "I guess it's time for me to play now."
    "Don't you need a sheet of music?"
    "I make up songs in my head and play them."
    "Of course you do," he says exasperated.
    Without another thought, I begin to play.
    I decide to play my favorite composition. The one I created in my mind when my daughter was born. At the time, I had lost all hope in my survival, and instead placed it in her own. The song represents my love for Lovia, my heartbreak in not getting the chance to know her, and my hope in her life.
    Like always, I become lost in my music. I shut my eyes and only picture the music and my daughter. If the world around me was falling into complete mayhem, I wouldn't even notice.
    I play for what could have been minutes or hours, before I reach the crescendo of the piece. The notes all come together in one last final send off.
    I don't open my eyes until I've strung the last notes. When I do, I'm breathless.
    Looking up at my mate, I'm met with awestruck and wonder filled eyes.
    "That was...I have no words to describe it," he says reverently. "I figured that you were talented, but I never would've guessed...I never would have guessed that." Azriel sits in the chair next to me. "Can you play me another song?" His eyes are pleading.
    So I do. I played my songs for Azriel for another two hours until we both decided to leave before anyone catches us.
    My worries were forgotten and replaced by contentment. The only things that existed in those two hours were Azriel and the stranger's cello.
    And I wouldn't have had it any other way.