A Court of Sun and Stars

A Court of Sun an Stars: Part 2

Edit: I changed the story a little bit so that the main character is no longer aware that she is the daughter of Helion, but this is the background chapter on her upbringing and such!! Hope you guys enjoy! :)

I carried a basket that was overflowing with strawberries back to my quaint cottage. I knew Mother would be waiting for me, and I was hoping she would bake one of her delicious, sweet strawberry pies with what I just picked.

Our cottage was not nearly what most High Fae inhabit, but it was not nearly as small as cottages in the mortal lands. It was made up of unevenly shaped gray stones, topped off with a slanted, dark slate roof. The windows were thrown open, and I could almost feel the sweet, summer breeze that flowed through it. Beds of flowers surrounded the perimeter, of all colors and sizes, which filled the surrounding area with a sweet floral scent. Our home was enclosed by towering oak and birch trees, and a small lake was located nearby. All the plants, flowers, and trees were vibrant and lush, due to the weather of Summer court. The whole scene looked incredibly erethral everytime I approached it after a long day of gathering food, or wandering through the warm summer lands.

As much as I loved my home, I often had urges to travel. I wanted to visit the city surrounding the High Lord's castle, or to the neighboring Spring or Autumn courts. I adored the endless warmth and greenery, but sometimes part of me wanted change.

"Looks like you got enough for me to make a pie," Mother said as I entered the cottage.

"Exactly was I was hoping for," I responded sweetly, I loved Mother she always knew exactly what I needed. Growing up with just Mother has created an unbreakable bond between the two of us. We have always known exactly what each other needed, and provided for each other. She has never treated me like a child, and I was eternally grateful for that. Though I was never permitted to leave our surrounding lands, Mother has emphasized the dangers of High Fae and lesser faeries that roamed throughout the Summer court... And other courts, like the Night court.

I never got formal education, never attended schools with other children my age. I aged much too fast anyway. I am only 18 years into my immortal existence, but I look my age, compared to other Fae who age much slower. It has never bothered me much, though I still fight that urge to travel, to see new lands, daily.

Mother taught me the history of the Prythian, of the War that went on hundreds of years ago. She also educated me on the courts of the Prythian; the snowy, cold Winter court, the crisp, colorful Autumn court, the rolling hills of the Spring court, the painted skies of the Dawn court, the sunny, blue-skied Day court, and of course the cruel, wicked Night court. I learned of the cunning, cold High Lord of the Night court Rhysand, and his torturous mountains. My mother taught me that if I ever found myself in the Night court, I should end my life immediately, for what they would do to me would make me beg the Cauldron for death. Everytime I thought of it, it made my hair rise and my spine shiver.

I brought my basket over to the sink, washing the plump berries thoroughly before grabbing a knife to slice them up. A warm breeze flowed through the house, bringing in the floral scents of our gardens, and I sighed happily, listening to the chirp of the birds as I continued slicing.

"I was thinking we could take a trip," Mother said beside me as she rolled out flaky pie dough. My head shot up immediately, stomach fluttering at the thought of travel.

"Yes! Oh please Mother can we?"

"Yes, yes child calm down. I was thinking you are old enough that we could visit one of the neighboring courts. Spring perhaps? There is a holiday coming up called Calanmai," she proposed, hands elbow deep in dough.

"Yes Calanmai! I remember you telling me about it, I think that sounds like a lovely idea," I replied, trying to contain my enthusiasm. My heart was soaring at the thought of travelling to the Spring court.

"Alright we leave in two days," Mother responded with a chuckle.

-

We filled our packs with food for the road, and a change of clothes. It should only take us a day or two to arrive, depending on how often we would need to stop for food. I was practically radiating excitement, I had been anticipating a trip like this for years.

We walked all day from sunrise to dusk, stopping at a tiny inn near the border of Spring court. After a quick breakfast of thick porridge, we set out again, hoping to arrive by dusk for that was when the celebrations would start.

As we walked my mind raced with what might happen tonight, what the Spring court would look like, what they would do at Calanmai. I thought of what I knew about Calanmai from my studies; roaring fires, music, tables of food and drink, High Fae and lesser faeries of all sorts gathering together to watch the High Lord of Spring court, Tamlin, perform the Great Rite.

As we watch the last golden rays of the sun dip between the flowery, rolling hills of the Spring court, a bundle of nerves started to tighten in my stomach. I was finally here, and it was so beautiful. Lands of eternal spring filled with weeping willows, meadows of flowers, budding trees, and ponds speckled with giant lily pads. I drank everything in, memorizing every detail of the scenery around me. Mother watched me with the ghost of a smile on her lips, I grinned back at her.

I heard it before I saw it. Off in the distance a steady beat of drums made a sort of ritualistic song, a song I felt beat through my body, my essence. Something shifted inside of me at the sound of the drums, like some animalistic, wild part of me was drifting to the surface. Mother laid a gentle hand on my arm, like she knew what was happening to me. Finally, we reached the estate of the Spring court, and the grounds of Calanmai.

Great, roaring bonfires were scattered throughout the mild, spring forest warming the air around us. Fae and faeries of all kind roamed about, species I have never seen before. I stared in awe as people danced around the fires, completely letting go of their bodies, letting the music sweep them away. I wanted that kind of freedom, wanted to let my body go like that and feel the music course throughout my body.

"Go, child, dance. Let your inner self surface and feel the music," Mother whispered in my ear. Excitement and something else, maybe some of that wildness, shot through my bones as I gave Mother one last smile before I headed over to the fire. And then I danced.

I let go of every thought in my body, every tense muscle, every fear of tonight, all of it. I let the steady beat of drums fill my being, felt it course through every vein, every nerve in my body until I was the music. I unleashed the part of me that had been building up ever since I heard that music and I danced. Wildly and untamed. Completely lost in the music and dancing I did not hear the man who had snuck up behind me, until he hit me hard enough to make me lose consciousness. And then the world went dark.

-

I awoke chained down to a table, icy stone against my naked body, chains made of bluish stone held down my arms and legs. The chains felt wrong, like part of me was being suppressed, like they were suffocating me. Deep, sudden panic shot through my body. Where was I? How did I get here? Where was Mother? My eyes whirled around the room I was chained in, it looked like some sort of dungeon, stone walls and floors coated with a sheen of slime. Chains hung from the walls around us and an oak table to my left was filled with an assortment of cruel looking daggers, knives, swords, and a light colored wood. My breathing became rapid and shallow as I started to panic, I felt the walls closing in around me, I couldn't breathe. I needed to get out of here, to get these damned chains off of me.

Suddenly a door I couldn't see swung open and I heard slow footsteps approaching. A wicked looking man stood above me, smirking down at me with an ungodly look.

"W-who are you?" I demanded, but it came out as barely more than a whisper.

"I' your worst nightmare," he replied with a dark chuckle. And then the pain began, and it did not stop for 50 years.