When we got back to the townhouse it too, seemed alive. Buzzing with noise and activity, all in preparation for starfall.
"I thought the celebration was held at the house of wind?" I questioned Eli as he reappeared infront of me after winnowing the boxes to my room.
He came and stood next to me observing the organised chaos. "Well, yes. Starfall is held at the house of wind but we have traditions here."
I wiggled my eyebrows at him. "I'm listening,"
"Don't get too excited. It's just all the family squeezing into the townhouse and we share stories, drink, play games, you know, family stuff."
"Oh, sounds fun,"
He smiled for a second but quickly shook it off.
"You are invited Star, you know that right?"
My head snapped back up.
"Really? It's okay if not, I understand it's a family thing and I'm not."
"My mom practically loves you more than me, you are a part of this family now,"
I beamed at his response, staring up at him with a stupid smile on my face which he returned until it dropped completely.
"What?" I asked, "what's wrong?"
"Well, there is one condition..."
"Go on,"
He paused for a second. Toying with his words before he said anything. Dragging on the suspense.
I playfully punched him in the arm, trying to ease the worry I could feel building up inside of me.
"Just tell me!"
He sighed dramatically and rested his head in his hands.
"You will have to wear the matching pjs my mom picks out for all of us."
My jaw dropped in disbelief and I had to fight the urge to laugh.
"No!"
"Oh yes! Every year I've been alive I've sat in this very room with the worlds finest warriors in matching pyjamas,"
I couldn't stop myself from giggling.
"I don't believe you! Surely not all of you! You don't expect me to believe that Amren sits here in matching pyjamas."
"According to my mother she was a tough cookie to crack but Varian pushed her towards it and now she sits, arms crossed and a face like a smacked arse every year!"
I was properly laughing now, holding a hand over my mouth to try and get it to stop.
"Why matching pjs?"
"I have been told the story but I can't remember now, I'm pretty sure it was something silly anyway. I don't mind though, I see the look on my moms face every year and her laugh is well worth us all looking incredibly stupid."
"Oh, I cannot wait now."
"You did hear me when I said you would be wearing them too?"
"Oh yes,"
"Then swipe that amused smile off your face, you will look just as stupid as the rest of us,"
I stood from the chair I had perched on, ready to go and investigate the heavenly smell coming from the kitchen. I looked back at Eli and winked, throwing my words over my shoulder,
"You should know by now I can pull anything off,"
I didn't look back to see his expression.
When I entered the kitchen I stopped short. I had been expecting to see Nuala or Cerridwen stirring something up, instead a short, petite woman stood in the centre of the room, mixing bowl in hand. I had seen her before but even if I hadn't the hair was a dead give away. Golden brown locks, twin to her two sisters. Elain; Eli's aunt stood before me. I had never seen her up close. She had kind of been at the meeting when I met all of the family. She had missed the introductions and instead of joining them fully I caught her lingering by the doorway, concealed by the shadows. She had wandered off halfway through, seemingly disinterested and I hadn't seen her since.
I drew on a smile and cleared my throat announcing my presence
"You must be Elain, Eli's aunt. It's so nice to finally meet you!"
Elain was beautiful, her smile as she met my eyes was captivating and I found myself pulled in by it. Like Feyre, she reminded me of my Aunt Elide, but with Elain it was different. She reminded me of Aunt Elides sweetness but unlike my aunt no fire was lit behind Elains eyes. She reminded me of a flower.
"Oh Evalin, It's so lovely to meet you! I have heard so much about you!"
Eli sweeped in behind me, his hand brushed mine as he made his way over to his aunt with a smile on his face.
"You aren't meant to tell her that, I have a reputation to uphold."
She just pinched his cheeks and batted him away as he tried to pinch the bowl out of her hands.
"My aunt here may be the best cook in all Velaris," Eli boasted proudly. He winnowed and managed to finally taste whatever was in the mixing bowl, "No, no I take that back she is the best," he added a quick wink before she could protest.
I was going to ask about the book. I knew I had asked Azriel to look into it but she was right here, I could find out what I needed and move on. It was on the tip of my tongue before Eli swaggered over to me, grabbed my hand and started to pull me out of the room.
"Come on Evie, I won't disrupt Aunt Elain's cooking for a second longer, you have embarrassing pyjamas to try on,"
As I let him drag me out my eyes did not stray from Elain's. She smiled sympathetically at me and I tried to return the favour but I stalled. Just as I was crossing the threshold out of the room her smile dropped, she was blank. Her face was void of any of the pleasant expression it had held only seconds before.
She was out of sight so I just let myself be pulled along by Eli a bit dazed.
He noticed my dead weight and stopped.
"What's up?"
I shook my head quickly and put on a smile. I'm sure it meant nothing, no need to worry him.
I shook my head and I started to lead the way "Come on loverboy, we wouldn't want to be late!"
When we returned back downstairs the townhouse was now fit to bursting with people. The inner circle were draped over various bits of furniture, still managing to look like they all slotted exactly into place. Eli smiled and dragged me into the room with him. He sunk down into the only available space, a small velvet armchair near the fire. I hesitated and looked around myself searching for an extra seat.
Eli's warm hands circled round my waist and pulled me down on top of him. I glared at him, feeling the apples of my cheeks heating up and no doubt turning an embarrassing shade of pink.
He showed no remorse to my flustered state, if anything it only made him seem more impressed with himself.
He just gave me one of his smiles that drove me insane and winked. "No other seats going spare, I'm just trying to save up some space!"
My only response was flicking his nose to which he scrunched up and then only smiled more. I readjusted myself so I was sat more to his side with my legs draped across him, it seemed more appropriate with his entire family surrounding us, well it was about as appropriate it was ever going to get.
As I looked around I was relieved to find no one had paid it much attention, I heaved a small sigh of relief and let myself fully relax.
Rhysand cleared his throat and the chatter ceased to a stop leaving him with the rooms full attention. There was no denying he was high lord but when he spoke his unending amount of power ceased to be and all that was left was Eli's dad.
"Welcome family, I hope you are enjoying this years choice of attire, of course picked out by my beautiful wife,"
Feyre sat next to him giggling away. She laughed so hard at one point she snorted which drew a laugh out from me.
Eli didn't lie when he said his moms laugh was worth it. This is exactly the type of stunt my mom would pull and then laugh herself silly at the outcome. The thought of it made me smile.
Rhys continued "of course for the occasion I have brought out the very best from my rapidly depleting collection," he snapped his fingers and a glass of wine appeared in everyone's hands and the cheer from Mor alone was enough to make me jump so hard I nearly sent the contents of my glass flying.
I regained my composure and received a half sympathetic look from Feyre who was still trying to rein in her laughter.
I took a long swig from my glass and smiled with delight.
'Your dad wasn't joking when he said this was the very best'
'He never jokes when it comes to wine' Eli's voice replied back into my head. Even though he had said nothing aloud I could hear his smile.
He loved his family. I could practically feel it radiating off him as we spent the rest of the night drinking and playing games. His smiled never faltered once and it made my own heart swell to see him so happy.
Elain had made a banquet of food, all neatly displayed on the table for each of us to take our choosing. We all had a seat around the table, chosen for us with the little fancy name cards, written in a floaty sort of handwriting I could only place as Elain's. I was sat in between Mor and her mate who had kindly introduced herself as Emerie. Eli had been seated down at the other side of the table which at first seemed odd to me but I soon brushed it off and spent the rest of the night playing drinking games with Mor Nesta and Cassian. Nesta had won, hands down. Much to Cassian's dismay.
When I finally stood from the dining room table it hit me all at once. Swaying from side to side I blessed and cursed Rhysands good wine.
In an effort to gain any composure I could possibly muster up I made a beeline for the courtyard. In the middle of the outdoor area sat a little metal table and chair, on to which I gratefully slid myself.
I found myself leaning back in my seat and looking up. The stars here seemed brighter.
Footsteps alerted me that I wasn't alone. I turned my head to see Rhysand standing an arms length away.
"Not gone already are we?"
I laughed dryly.
"For a quick second I thought so but i think I'm still able to walk in a relatively straight line, so no."
He smirked for a second before pulling over another chair and joining me.
"Any luck with the Ashweed?"
"No, nor with the missing pages."
"Don't beat yourself up to much, it could be seen as an impossible task,"
I couldn't think of anything to say in response. Instead I leg out a hum and felt us fall back into mutual silence. It dragged out for a second before he broke it.
"Are you okay?"
I hadn't really spoken to Rhys that much since I had gotten here but I knew he was a good man. A good father, a good husband to Feyre, a good friend and a good ruler. And maybe it was the wine making my head fuzzy and hindering my judgment but I couldn't stop the words from coming out of my mouth.
"Have you ever felt homesick?"
It was a stupid question but I didn't wait to hear his response.
"I used to feel it all the time. Which you think would be silly for a girl sat in her own room, in her own home. However, it still was a feeling that I could never seem to quite shake. I always thought I felt half empty. And now I'm here and I still feel that way but- it's different. And I can't put my finger on why but I just know that it is."
I laughed but it came out as a sort of a strangled sound.
"I think I'm going crazy."
"No, no you're not"
I looked up at him.
"This had been my home for centuries, my family and my friends were here and I was happy. So happy. But I still felt lost. Like I was still looking for home even when I was right here. It felt so stupid, and I knew there wasn't any place for me other than here so I let that feeling lie dormant. Until Feyre. That's when it all made sense."
He smiled softly to himself .
"You know that saying, home is where the heart is? I've found it's not always been the truth."
I sat in silence. Trying to fight through my wine clouded mind to really wrap my senses around what Rhys had just said.
Eli's slurred words cut through my contemplation."Star where are you?"
I turned to see his swaying figure stumbling towards me and I rushed to his side to save his face from kissing the dirt.
"I'm here," I smiled.
His drunken state topped mine by far, so with a quick shake of my head I tried to regain focus. I tipped his heavy arm over my shoulder and walked him back inside.
As I helped him up the stairs I had learned that he had tried to challenge Arwen into drinking with him and the girl had her mother's tolerance for liquor leaving Eli the sore loser who could now barely stand.
Struggling, I managed to flop Eli down onto his bed. Thank god he was already in pjs. I slowly started to creep out of the room.
"Don't go star," he mumbled, face buried in a mountain of pillows so I could barely hear him.
"My own bed is calling,"
He lifted his head so I could clearly see his face. "I didn't mean that."
"Wha-"
"Don't go."
Oh.
Realisation dawned over me and I felt like I had been frozen. I stood and gaped for a moment.
"I- You're drunk."
That was the only response I could give. The only thing I could say.
His head flopped back down onto the bed and I quickly hurried out his room and shut the door behind me. I lent back on it for a second. Regaining myself.
It was dark in the corridor but I knew the difference between shadows caused by the light and ones belonging to a certain spy.
"Come out shadowsinger."
The whispers became louder as he rounded the corner and faced me.
"I spoke to Elain."
"And?"
"Not the culprit. I went back and checked the library. Lots of the other books have pages missing. They are no pages of interest it just seems like a trend."
"Oh."
My heart sunk even further back into my chest.
"I'm sorry Evie. I'm sure something else will come up."
I just nodded in a sort of dismissal. "Thankyou, for asking."
He gave me a nod in return and sunk back into the darkness.
I let my head fall back and I closed my eyes. I felt like I was chasing nothing. Wandering through a maze with no way out. Dead end after dead end.
I breathed in and let it out. I did that again and again and again until I didn't feel so small.
Because I was my mothers daughter.
And when there was no way out, we threw everything to the wind and carved out our own path
with fire...
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Extra long chapter for you all today!! Don't worry, I can confirm the next chapter is Starfall and I won't drag it out any further lol.
Im really enjoying writing this story for you all and the amount of support I've received has just been out of the world. For the millionth time I want to Thankyou all for making this journey so fun and really motivating me. Whenever I'm in a bit of a writing slump all I have to see is one of your comments and I'm back on it so I owe you all!
Atm we are nearly at 37k reads, 1.46k votes and we are #1 in the throne of glass hashtag!! Everytime I open this app I'm blown away with how quickly this has grown and I'm eternally grateful!!
Okay ILY All And happy reading!!