A Court of Golden Shadow || Elain x Azriel

Chapter 37 - The High Lady of Spring

"You know you don't have to do this." He noticed his voice startle her as she glanced up at Azriel through the mirror, the concern and anxiety still twisting her lovely features.

"I know." She huffed, touching her hair again in the mirror. "It's just—"

Azriel came up behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders as Nuala ducked her head in a bow and exited the room. He nodded toward Elain, searching her eyes, waiting for her to continue.

"I want to just hear their proposal." Elain's voice was quiet, somewhat unsteady. "I mean, my younger sister is a High Lady." She turned then, toward Azriel to look up at him, her innocent eyes wide and yearning. "And my elder sister is a Valkyrie... maybe I'm meant to have a title as well."

She turned back then, to the mirror as Azriel shook his head, rubbing his thumbs along the back of her neck. "High Lady... Valkyrie...it doesn't matter to me what your title is. It's never mattered. I just want you to be happy."

Elain smiled then, her doe eyes looking up at him in the mirror again, her head tilting into his hand, still warm on her head. "Thank you."

Azriel's senses flashed back to the present as he entered the main hall of Kallias' castle, taking the stairs two at a time.

Elain had decided to go forward with the meeting as a favor to Rhysand and Feyre, despite her trepidation about the situation. Clearly she felt guilty about turning down her mating bond with Lucien, no doubt trying to please Rhysand's political interests by considering this lunacy. Azriel felt deeply that Elain would be unhappy in Spring Court, but he chose not to reveal his feelings on the matter, deciding to trust her with the decision instead. She always seemed to choose what was best in the long run– even if it took some time.

Flashing back to the present, Azriel looked across the sprawling lobby of the castle.

The large staircase twisted and turned up the main spire, revealing the upper levels and living quarters, all warmed by roaring fires which were strangely glowing with blue flame instead of red. Somehow, Azriel was not surprised. He knew Kallias to have a particular distaste for the Autumn Court... perhaps the High Lord of Winter could simply not handle any red or orange flames in his presence. With the forest of Kelledurin looming behind the castle, Azriel was keen to believe that Kallias' court never ran out of wood for their fires. Probably enchanted with long lasting properties as well, he mused.

Making his way up to the glass meeting hall on the uppermost level, Azriel paused in shadow, watching servants pass by with goblets of wine and trays of warmed desserts. It seemed that Kallias was intent on making his guests comfortable today. Or maybe it was Viviane, he mused, seeing the petite female coming down the hallway toward the meeting hall. She was draped in thick blue velvet, her white hair piled on top of her head, the dress dark as night, but trimmed in white fox fur, the cuffs nearly swallowing her tiny hands. She held her shoulders back as she spoke in a low voice to a nearby servant before a crack sounded across the meeting room, her face flying up, the sound drawing Azriel's attention as well.

Looking over to the foyer in front of the glass meeting room, he realized that the first of the High Lords had just arrived.

"Viviane my dear. Lovely to see you." Thesan's voice echoed through the hallway, absorbing into the blue and white tapestries hung across the corridor, placed strategically for extra warmth.

The floors were carved in white birch, stained the lightest tone of pale wood, dark navy blue and white rugs sprawling across them, no doubt imported from the very court Azriel had just spent a month in. Bearskin rugs as well as elk heads and wolf tails were mounted along the walls, crystal chandeliers illuminating the dark hall alongside the blue flames peeking out from interspersed white marble fireplaces before ending in the receiving room outside the meeting room.