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"I did some research," Rhys announced as he entered the sitting area making Aadya look up from the book.
It has been a few days since Aadya's breakdown. Neither of them brought it up again, turning their focus into making Aadya control her power and the power she stole from the High Lords of Prythain.
Rhys had been the one to leave Feyre at Spring after her week in the Night Court was over. He had informed Aadya that Mor had taken upon herself to teach Feyre, and Aadya was thankful.
Now they both, sat at the sitting area, in Rhys' private residence with piles and piles books surrounding them.
"You had the right idea," Rhys began as he sat next to Aadya, "to start practicing with control with small things. But you had the wrong approach. You said your magic is all about learning how the other's magic looks like, how it feels, what shape it is, and what it's uniqueness. You shouldn't force the High Lords power to come out," He placed his hands on his lap with a sigh. "You just have to study it."
"That's. . .That's brilliant," Aadya said in amazement.
While they both pretended that, that night didn't happen the effects were on full display in Aadya's behaviour. She talked lesser than usual, resorting for shaking her head or answering in few words. It was not bad with Rhysand as it was with others. Aadya couldn't bring herself to speak with Mor even for a few minutes.
Rhys pretended it didn't concern him, that she hadn't wrote to Helion in days, or left her room in nights to just feel the wind against her face. He pretended that he didn't notice how quite she had become. It didn't make it easier, but it will have to be enough for now, so he can find a solution.
"Let's start with identifying whose power is dominant on you," Rhys said as he stood up and snapped his fingers as a guard came in the room. He waved his hand towards the man, "What do you feel when you see him?"
"Nothing," Aadya shrugged.
"Good," he said. "Then you won't have any problem breaking him from the spell I put on him, but using Helion's power, not using your own."
Aadya winced at the remainder of Helion, but stood up tried to break Rhys' spell. She closed her eyes as she searched for the power she had got from Helion. A glimpse of a irregular structure flashed in front of her and the second she reached for it, it disappeared.
Determined to find it, she started her search again, and everytime she found it would slip right through her fingers. Aadya grumbled in anger and annoyance and opened her eyes to Rhys watching her carefully. "I can't!" She snapped. "Everytime I try to find it, it just slips away!"
Rhys sighed at her anger, and stepped in front her and took her hands in his. Aadya closed her eyes as she felt his hands against her cheek, warm. "Don't search for it Aadya darling," he said softly, his hands smoothing the furrow between her brows. "Will it to come to you. Focus on my voice and search for any of the High Lord's power. Let it flow through you."
Aadya did as he said, only focusing his voice, his presence and his fingers drawing small circles along her wrist and cheek. Once again she started to look inside, but stopped herself when she heard Rhys' voice telling her to let it come to her and search for it. So she stopped trying to dictate her powers, rather then mingle with it.
A few moments passed, and nothing seemed to be happening that's when she heard the silent hum of power floating through her body. Aadya spinned around trying to find the spot of the hum, and that's when she saw it.
A black smoke, almost like a cloud with wisp of black tendrils floating around it molding it into looking like a star. The twinkling of small dots caught her eyes and she immediately knew who's power had answered her call.
The High Lord of the Night. Rhysand
Aadya could have beamed in delight. She did it. She summoned one of the High Lord's power and it just happened to be the closest one to her. The cloud of smoke floated and made it's way towards Aadya and just as she reached out her hand to touch it, she was shook out of her reverie.
"Aadya!" Rhys' voice sounded through her head as she opened her eyes in surprise.
His hands were shaking her shoulder, but his eyes were not as frightened, neither was his voice. The violet eyes brimmed with amazement as he looked around causing Aadya to follow his actions.
She blinked, not believing the sight in front of her. The room was filled with night. The darkness of the night filled the room in every corner, with the stars twinkling in it. The guard that was standing before, was gone and only Aadya and Rhys remained chest to chest looking around in awe.
"Wha-What happened?" Aadya stammered. "Where is the guard?"
"He was never there," Rhys revealed making Aadya turn to him in shock. "You found my power and made it yours. The power, my power bend to your will and retarded the illusion that I had cast of the guard." His hands captured her cheeks and turned her towards him and he gave her a breathtaking smile making Aadya stuck in awe at him rather than her surroundings. "You did it."
"We," she whispered. "We did it." Her hands reached for his hands on her face and placed it over his large ones. "Thank you, Rhys. For helping me."
Rhys stayed silent. His eyes were watching her as the black in her hues slightly turned lighter, to a darker shade of grey. Maybe he could save her, afterall. Maybe he, himself was the answer to saving Aadya. "Always."
♚✭♛
Rhys had made it a daily habit to come to Aadya's room and stay there until one of them, usually Aadya, fell asleep. But today as Aadya came inside her room, the sight before her eyes made her pause.
Rhysand sat on top of the table facing the window, which framed the mountains, with a nightcourt sky as backdrop. But that was not what stoped Aadya. It was the bottle of liquor in his hands and his black tunic shirt, which was unbuttoned revealing his bare toned chest.
Aadya slightly swallowed at the sight in front of her as she let her eyes wander down, down, down and— no. She didn't want to know where that led to or maybe. . . She did. Cauldron, the sting that was always there in her heart whenever she was near Rhysand, grew strong.
The urge and desire to do something she shouldn't, increased.
"You're staring," Rhysand mumbled as he took a sip from the bottle. "It's rude," he added.
Aadya sighed as she forced herself to cross the threshold. She tilted her head slightly. "Do you not want me to?" No point in denying that she wasn't staring at him. Rhysand turned towards her as she undid her coat, revealing a small black dress, that was too improper to wear anywhere.
She heard Rhysand inhale a sharp, silent breath.
After weeks of staying here and planning and scheming, Mor had finally convinced Aadya to go out with her. Aadya usually evaded Mor, coming up with some excuse, but this time she lost. So Mor, had given her one of her own dresses that was too short for Aadya, and when she said it to Mor, all she received was 'a dress can never be short, just sexy.' And that's how she ended up going.
She turned to drop the coat on the table Rhysand was sitting, and took a step back when he suddenly got down from the table, standing directly in front of her. Aadya inhaled a sharp breath as Rhysand slowly indicated to the coat. "Does this mean Mor finally convinced you?"
After taking a moment to regain control on her brain, she stammered out a response. "Uh. . . Yeah, I guess." She ran her hand through her hair. "I wasn't half as bad, as I thought it would be."
Rhysand pulled her hand from out of her hair, as he stepped closer to her their chests brushing, his left hand still clutching her right one, his right hand started weaving through her raven locks, untangling the small tangles that the wind made.
"Hmm. . ." Rhysand hummed, seemingly distracted by what he was doing. His hands traveled from her hair, to her cheekbones slowly tracing the length of it.
"Are you drunk?" Aadya whispered breathlessly. She could feel Rhys step forward closing the last bit of gap between them, his front pressed against hers, as he bent his face a bit down to match her height. His lips slightly grazed hers making her inhale a sharp breath as she subconsciously closed her eyes and her hand went around his neck, gently trying to pull him in.
Rhysand's hand moved out of her dark hair and towards her throat, his four finger enclosing it in a soft but strong grip, as his thumb moved across her lower lip seemingly mesmerised by the action and her reaction to it. "Believe me when I say this, Aadya darling." Their lips now touched completely, every part of them touched with each other, the familiar feeling of their heart burn for something they both know they want, but just aren't ready to accept, returned."I'd want this even if I was sober."
And just before their lips can completely crash against each other's, Aadya was thrown away from the High Lord to the nearest wall. The girl was ensconced in a cocoon of darkness and fire and ice and wind, a cocoon that melted the gold jewellery she wore until the golden ore dropped away into the void, the emerald tumbling after it, leaving only one sole ring that was made by someone too powerful, on her left hand.
The raging force wrapped around Aadya, building walls around her, as if it was trying to protect her from everything that was outside of it. It took a few minutes for Aadya to force her power through any cracks she could find in the wall and completely destroying it as she fell back against the wall taking her first breath in the long few minutes before.
The second that the walls dropped, Rhysand was in front of her, his violet irises shining bright, as his hands cupped her face and making her look at him with droopy eyes and tired body barely holding onto consciousness. Aadya only had time to get out a few words before she was ensnared by the darkness again.
"Feyre. Get Feyre back here."
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[Unedited]
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New updates every Monday. Sorry about the hold on the story for this long, will try to be regular.
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