A Court of Heart and Fealty | Rhysand

Chapter 25: Silent Admissions

"You are all so boring and childish," Amren droaned, leaning back into her seat as she drank something as dark and red as wine, but much thicker and clung to the walls of the glass.

On Galadriel's side which wasn't occupied by the High Lord, Cassian bunched his brows as he took in her appearance. "Must be like a sauna under all those layers." He glanced at Azriel across from him in search of agreement. Azriel only looked in Galadriel's direction with a polite smile and hadn't seemed to register the conversation happening in front of him enough to respond, his body turned towards Mor. Galadriel couldn't quite gather what they had been talking about before her entrance.

"I don't like the cold," she defended, pulling the pale green coat tighter around her front, her stockings shifting against her skin as she rubbed her knees together.

"You lived in Autumn," Cassian stated rather loudly, wine sploshing around in the glass he waved around as he tried to make his point. "Don't you get immunity to it or something?"

"Do you sleep?" she inquired back, stuffing her plate with food as she did. Cassian eyed her choices; he'd been on her about a 'proper' diet ever since she started training 'under his command'. "You belong to the Night Court. The Court of Dreamers, as Rhysand so eloquently puts it." Galadriel placed a hand on her chest with a mocking, whimsical smile as she leant across to the High Lord on her left.

Rhysand rolled his eyes, shoving her back straight with his elbow, already sick of the taunts she had laid on him after he told her the name he had given this court. Satisfied with her measure of amusement, she looked back to Cassian, pointing at him with her steak knife. "Night Court—still sleep. Autumn Court—still get cold."

Azriel watched their volleying banter with thorough entertainment, though he didn't neglect his other companionship, keeping himself inserted with the conversation happening on Galadriel's other side.

That was mostly how their dinner went. Only one piece of meat was flung across the table, at least, and that was only by accident when Mor's heel drove into Azriel's toe, burrowing through even the tough layer of leather his boots were made from. It had scarcely missed Galadriel's face, a splatter of gravy striking just under her eye. More embarrassed than anything, especially when she became the subject of his apologies, she turned away until her face was clean and the topic had evolved.

With her arms loosely crossed over her full stomach, Galadriel meandered her way onto the large balcony that overlooked the city below. The stars were shining, more vibrant than any silver or diamond. Even though she had spent many nights staring at those same stars, they never looked like they did here in the Night Court. Just as the trees here didn't turn as bright as they did in the Autumn Court, the shade of the warmest fire.

Rhysand joined her, his steps slow until he reached the edge of the balcony and leant forward, crossing his arms over the stone railing. Galadriel didn't turn her head away from the city but watched him from the corner of her eyes.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," he began after a long reign of silence, "but you looked like you enjoyed tonight." The statement didn't need correcting, so she didn't say anything. Rhysand smiled at the emptiness, bowing his head for a moment. "You can't admit that you like it, can you?"

"I can," she snapped quietly. "Dinner was fun."

Turning, he rested the small of his back against the stone. The sky, nearly black, seemed to carry him, drape him like a cloak. The stars shone brighter around him, cresting him like a crown that none could ever steal from him. "Is that all you can admit?"

"The food was nice."

With a soft, resigned laugh, he murmured, "Alright."

Hiding her grin while he looked away, Galadriel took another step forward until she also pressed against the smoothed stone, letting her hands rest gently atop it. "I can admit..." She thought on it for a few more heartbeats. "I can admit I don't want this night to end."