Answered Dreams (ACOTAR | ACOMAF | ACOWAR)

Chapter ☆ One

Velaris, the City of Starlight, was the Night Court's greatest secret, and no one understood the importance of maintaining that secret more so than its High Lord.

Rhysand never once doubted his decision to bring Feyre to his townhouse, never questioned her ability to understand the severity of the decision he made.

Getting her out of the townhouse, however, was proving to be a more difficult task.

So when she was finally ready to emerge from the confines of the nightmares and depression that kept her within her room on the best of days, Rhys was more than willing to show her his city.

She had been quiet most of the time, and he was uncertain if it was because she was too preoccupied with taking in the sights, or if she was too absorbed in her own wallowing to appreciate, or even deign to acknowledge, all the beauty that surrounded her.

Rhysand hoped it was the former rather than the latter.

"So, what shall we do next?" he finally asked as they approached the center of Velaris. "A visit to the Rainbow then the symphony? Or the symphony then a trip to the Rainbow for more supplies, then dinner? Choices, choices." He cut at glance at in her direction, a half smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Always with the choices. Don't you ever make a choice?" She merely spared him a brief look out of the corner of her eye, a slight smirk pulling at her lips. "Whatever you wish, High Lord."

Rhys scoffed at the formality but continued to stride ahead down the street towards one of the many bridges that crossed the Sidra. "Would you prefer I made all your choices for you and treated you like a six year old? Would you like me to hold your hand as we walk, too? I wouldn't mind," he teased, flashing her a grin as they walked.

"Holding my hand? That might not be such a bad idea at all." Feyre made a bold move, in contrast to her previous demeanor, as she reached over to take his hand. "As for treating me like a child, I dare you."

Rhys gave her hand a squeeze as she took his in her own, doing everything in his power to not overthink what the simple action meant between them. They continued their walk along the bridge until they reached his favorite spot, where the Rainbow of Velaris, its artists' quarter, stood out stark along the Sidra.

She stopped next to him, removing her hand from his so that she could brace her forearms on the railing of the bridge while she looked out over the river. It was an effort for Rhys to refrain from slipping into her mind. Especially now that she'd learned how to put up her mental shields, a brief look would not go unnoticed. He'd heard about it, possibly receive another shoe to the back of the head. But he would have given anything to know what she was thinking at that moment. Leaning against the railing beside her, the cold of the metal biting into the exposed strips of skin along his arms, his fingers gently brushing against Feyre's as he stared out over the Sidra.

Her eyes remained on the Sidra as it flowed beneath the bridge, the corners of her mouth twitching up ever so slightly. And slowly, Feyre turned towards him, leaning against the railing, stepping infinitesimally closer so as not to disrupt the contact his fingers had on her arm. Her gaze was nothing but playful as her lips twisted into a suggestive grin. "Is there something on your mind, High Lord?"

There was a lot on Rhysand's mind as of late. "Is there something on yours?" he countered, avoiding any type of serious conversation in which he was the subject under the microscope.

"Why don't you just read my mind and find out for yourself?"

"I could, but what fun would that be?" Rhysand purred.

Feyre merely shook her head and looked back out over the Sidra, to where the Rainbow stood, her eyes remaining on the reflection of the Rainbow as it played on the water. "I still want to paint you."