A Court of Shifting Realities

Chapter One

Sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains,  casting a low light into the room. I stir from sleep, laying in a bed in the center of the room. My head lays on plush pillows and soft blankets are draped over my body.

I open my eyes, blinking a few times to clear my vision and look around the room. I don't recognize the area I'm in. Suddenly, I'm up, spinning around with my eyes wide open. I'm wide awake now.

Holy shit. Holy shit. Was I kidnapped? Oh my god, I was kidnapped. 

The room spins around me as I try to get a grip on what I remember last. My fingers go up to my hair, intertwining with the blonde locks and pulling as a desperate way to get my brain to work. 

I remember going to bed. I had showered and plugged my phone in before lying it on my-

Holy fuck! My phone!

I tear the bed apart, ripping the sheets from the mattress and throwing the pillows to the ground, but my phone is no where in sight. I'm in an unknown place with no memory of how I got there. And now my phone is missing.

Okay, Winnie, focus. I remember laying in bed and trying to go to sleep. Wait. No. I wasn't trying to sleep I was trying to-

I realize then what I had done. Where I had gone. I bolt for the window, thrashing the curtains to the side and throwing the double doors leading to the balcony open. 

My eyes widen even more as I take in the view in front of me. A mountain covered in powered white snow towered over the most beautiful city I have ever seen. My back hits the wall as I rear back, unable to process what I'm seeing.

I did it. I shifted.

Even though I had been trying to shift for months, I'm still thrown off by the fact that it had actually worked. Every morning that I had woken up without success there had always been that pit of disappointment in my stomach that told me I would never succeed. But I did.

I squeal from happiness as I turn from the balcony, heading back into the bedroom I had woken in. I didn't script much, wanting mostly everything to be a surprise to me as I live in this world. 

The only things I wrote down was my appearance, the time period I wanted to be in, and that there would be no danger in the world that would kill me or hurt me immensely. I did not want trauma out of this little adventure.

I'm so caught up in my own thoughts as I enter the room that I didn't even notice the other presence that had joined me. Feyre was standing at the now open doorway that led into the hallway. With what I had already seen, I know I'm in the House of Wind.

I jump when I finally notice Feyre, making my back bump into the bed stand directly behind me. 

"I'm sorry, I did not mean to frighten you." Feyre spoke, her hand coming up in front of her to show she meant no harm. I didn't think Feyre would hurt me anyway, but was relieved to know it for sure. "I had just come to check on you. You have been asleep for quit some time and you hit your head pretty hard out there."

Confusion clouded my mind as I try to remember falling or hitting my head sometime, but I can't recall the moment. 

"I'm sorry, what?" I say, "I hit my head?" 

Feyre's concern was evident on her face. I'm sure amnesia was not a good sign after hitting one's head, but I'm not too concerned being that I also shifted from a different dimension. 

"You fell from the sky." Feyre said, making my eyes widen with surprise, "Azriel saw you fall but couldn't get to you before you reached the ground. It is a miracle you are not dead or at least have broken bones."

I sit on the edge of the soft bed, just now remembering that all the sheets and pillows were torn off of it and now laying on the ground. My face floods with warmth as I look at the mess I had made. I stand quickly, moving to pick up what I had done.

"I'm sorry for the mess. I was a little flustered after waking in a room I did not recognize." I stammer out as I hurry to clean the room. Feyre stops me, taking the sheet from my hands and laying it on the bed.

"Do not worry about that. The House can pick it up it is not a big deal." As soon as she spoke, the sheets once on the floor disappeared and I look over to see the bed completely made. 

Damn, that's cool.

"What is your name?" Feyre asks, taking my hand in her own. 

"Winnie." I answer, following Feyre out the door and into the hall.

"I am Feyre, High Lady of the Night Court. Come, you must be hungry. There is food down stairs unless you don't feel up to meeting the rest of the Inner Circle." She says, stopping at the bottom of a staircase.

I just nod in response, not knowing what to say as panic set in. Would they like me? What if they think I'm a threat. What if they ask about where I came from.

I decide there, as we make our way up the stairs and towards the dining room, that I would fain ignorance on where I had come from. I will just tell them I have no memory of where I was before falling through the sky and that I have no idea how I got here. It seems to be the safest option to go with.

Feyre leads me into a room with a large dining table set in the center of the room. A large chandelier hangs from the ceiling made with candles instead of the familiar light bulbs I was used to.

Food lines the table as well. All different kinds of meats, vegetables, breads, and fruit that make my mouth water. But what really catches my attention are the people sitting around the table, all staring at me.

Cassian, Nesta, Azriel, Rhys, Mor, and Amren all sit before the food, their plates forgotten as they gawk at Feyre holding my hand. Even Nyx in his high top chair stopped to look at his mother and clap his hands together at the sight of her.

Rhys clears his throat, breaking the awkward silence as he stands to walk towards his mate. He places a smile on his face as he approaches me, but I know him too well to think that is a real smile. He is displeased with me being here, I know it.

"Hello, I am Rhysand, High Lord of the Night Court. I see you have already met my mate," Rhys's eyes shoot down to Feyre and I's joined hands, and I drop it immediately in respect for Rhys. I know how protective he is over her, and definitely don't want to start off on the wrong foot with the most powerful High Lord in history.

"Please, come sit and eat. You must be hungry after resting for so long." Rhys gestures toward an empty chair next to Mor as he guides Feyre back to where he was sitting and to the chair next to it, Nyx's high chair placed in between them. 

I sit, placing my hands on my lap and wiping the sweat from them. The awkward tension in the air was making me more nervous by the minute. For the first time since I had woken I notice what I was wearing. 

Long flowing black pants hang from my waist and a cropped shirt of the same color stops at my belly button. The clothes are made from the softest material I have ever felt. 

"So, Winnie is it?" Rhys drawls, taking a sip from his wine as he studies me, "How is it that you came across falling from the sky after appearing out of thin air?" 

Feyre smacks him on the arm, a warning glare in her eyes that tells him to back off a bit. I grin at that, my body vibrating with excitement from seeing my favorite people in front of my eyes. He merely shrugs and turns back to me, waiting. 

I look to Feyre as I think of what to say, the kindness in her eyes easing the tension in my muscles. I clear my throat, bringing my eyes back to the High Lord.

"I don't know." I say, trying my best to keep my voice steady, "I do not remember anything before waking up in the room down stairs." Rhys's eyebrows scrunch together at my answer as he tries to decide if I am to be trusted.

He must decide that I'm not a threat, or at least not one big enough to worry about with two Illyrian warriors and three High Fae at the table, because he relaxes more into his chair and gives me a genuine smile.

"Well, then in that case I guess this is your home now until you can remember where you came from." He raises his glass towards me in a toast and says, "Welcome to Velaris."