𝐂 𝐎 𝐒 𝐌 𝐈 𝐂 𝐋 𝐎 𝐕 𝐄 !
𝙲 𝙷 𝙰 𝙿 𝚃 𝙴 𝚁 𝚃 𝚆 𝙾 !
( 𝔴𝔢𝔩𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔢 𝔱𝔬 𝔳𝔢𝔩𝔞𝔯𝔦𝔰 ! )
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⬩❖⬩ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐀𝐘 𝐑𝐇𝐘𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐀 𝐁𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐋𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐄𝐒 𝐖𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐁𝐄 𝐀𝐍 𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓. The day had arrived where Ana would be leaving her world and coming to one of his many homes. Today was the day where his family would meet his mate. His body was alive with electricity as he paced the foyer of his palace above the Court of Nightmares. He was sure to dig a hole into the ground with how much he was moving, but he couldn't stop. Stopping would allow him to think and thinking was not good for him.
What if she hated Velaris? What if she hated his family? What if they hated her? What if she had changed since their last meeting? Sure, they'd kept in contact, but lately he could tell something was different. Something she wasn't telling him. It was bothering him to no end, but she didn't know about being his mate and what that meant to him, so he couldn't expect her to tell him everything. Not when he hasn't done the same.
"Stop pacing." Mor walked into the foyer, dressed in her usual red assortment with a glass of wine in her hands. It was early in the morning and she was drinking. Lovely. "You're going to wear a hole into the floor."
Rhys ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "I know, I know. But I can't stop."
Mor rolled her eyes. "God, you're acting like such an Illyrian baby. Woman up and stop worrying. She'll love this place, and from what you've told us of her, we'll love her as well." She sipped from her glass. "Though I'd understand if she didn't like Cassian. He's an idiot."
"I resent that," Cassian said as he entered the room, his arms crossed and his hair pulled back. He'd wanted to be one of the first to meet Anastasia, so he rushed through his morning training to get to the house on time. "Now when is she gonna get here? I wanna meet the one who killed the redheaded bitch."
Rhys sighed. "Cass, that's not all she is⎯"
"I know, I know." Cassian rolled his eyes. "She's your beautiful and graceful and enchanting and amazing and strong and intelligent blah, blah, blah mate."
The High Lord's pacing came to an abrupt stop as he realized something. While his family was aware of what Ana was to him, she didn't. And that would be a big problem for him if one of them decided to blab about it to her within the first few seconds of meeting her. By the Cauldron, they'd send her sprinting back to her world.
Mor noticed the fall of his face. "She does know about being your mate, right?" Rhys didn't answer. "Rhysand?"
He winced. "She may or may not know about it." Mor grabbed her heel and went to throw it at the High Lord, but Rhys held his hands up and waved them. "I haven't had a chance to tell her. What with everything going on, her dying, I thought I would keep this bit to myself until she wasn't on the verge of a mental breakdown."
It sounded like a good idea in his head, but as he said it out loud . . . well, it just sounded like a weak excuse to keep him from losing her. Though, with how quiet she'd been lately, he felt as if he'd already lost her. He tried asking her what was going on, but she'd always brush it off and say it was nothing. Rhys was getting worried. Especially during their shared dreams, when he saw how tired and skinny she looked.
Mor sighed heavily and pinched the bridge her nose in frustration. "Great. Now Cass and Az have to keep this secret from her. And you know how bad Cass is at keeping secrets from people." Cassian opened his mouth to protest but Mor stopped him. "Sorry, people close to us. He can't keep his big mouth shut. Ever."
Cassian crossed his arms. "I'm not that bad." The two gave him a look and he frowned. "Okay, maybe I am. But I'm working on it. And I won't spill, Rhys. I promise."
Rhys let out a breath and nodded. "I would appreciate that very much."
"Appreciate what?"
The members of the Inner Circle whipped around quickly, Rhys's eyes widening when they locked with the bright irises of Anastasia. She stood behind them, her golden hair in a loose braid and her lips tugged in a pout of confusion that made his heart quicken within his chest. There was a bag over her shoulder, and her usual dual kindjals were sheathed at her sides.
Rhysand couldn't speak. He couldn't believe she was there. Sure, he knew the bargain they'd made would force them into seeing each other no matter what, but still. Two weeks. It'd been two weeks since he'd seen her last, and yet it felt as though it had been two hundred years. He hadn't realized just how much he missed her being there physically until that moment.
Pick your jaw up from the floor, my love. You'll catch flies if it stays open any longer. Ana's voice filled his head, reminding him that she could see him.
He quickly straightened himself up and allowed his usual smirk to settle on his lips. "Darling."
Ana's pout turned into a bright smile as she dropped her bag and ran to him, practically jumping into his arms. Rhys caught her, laughing as her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms circled his neck. He allowed his head to nestle in her neck, taking a moment to just breathe her in. She was there. She was actually there.
He ignored the astounded looks on Mor's and Cassian's faces and just allowed himself this moment. The pounding of her heart and the feel of her skin against his was a reminder of her existence. Maybe the momentary death of her had affected him more than he'd wished to admit.
"It's good to see you, darling," he muttered into her hair.
He felt her smile against his shoulder. "It's good to see you, my love."
A throat cleared from beside them, followed by a smack and a yelp. Ana slowly settled herself on the ground and let go of Rhys, leaving him feeling cold. Rhys looked over to see that Mor had slapped Cass's arm, seeing as he was probably the one to cough and interrupt the moment.
"Sorry about him. He did not receive enough oxygen in the womb," Mor said, directing her comment to Ana. "I'm Morrigan, Rhys's cousin. But you can call me Mor."
Ana smiled, no ounce of embarrassment on her beautiful face. "Hi, I'm Ana. It's really nice to meet you, especially after the things Rhys has told me about you." She then turned her attention to Cass. "Longer hair and an obvious idiot. You must be Cassian."
Cass gaped at her while Mor laughed. "What lies has he been telling people?"
Rhys rolled his eyes. "Stop being dramatic. I only told her the truth."
"Obviously not if she thinks I'm an idiot." He crossed his arms and looked at Ana, who was holding back a laugh. "I'm not an idiot."
Ana leaned toward Rhys. "You got the 'baby' part right, too." She then clapped her hands. "So, where are the other two? After everything you've told me about Amren, I'm really excited to meet her."
Mor blinked. "That's a first." She then approached Ana and looped her arm with hers. "Come on. I'll show you around this house before you see the real show-stopper."
The blonde frowned. "Show-stopper? You mean⎯"
Yes, darling. Velaris.
Ana's smile grew, almost brightening the room with the light of a million stars.
Cassian chuckled. "Someone's excited."
"Why wouldn't I be excited?" Ana spun around to face him as they began to walk. "A beautiful city where everyone is at peace? Those people sure are lucky. I mean, if I'd grown up there . . ." She got a distant look in her eyes. Rhys watched as they lost their light for a split second before she snapped out of it. "By the Angel, I don't know if I'd ever want to leave."
Rhys tried to push his worry away for the time being. Ana was there, with him and his family. He'd ask her about everything else later in the week. After all, they had two weeks together. There was no need to rush.
"Well then, I'll make this tour extra short just so we can go and see Velaris," Mor said, matching Ana's excitement. "Come on! I need to find out everything about you that I can before we get to the townhouse and I lose you to Amren or Azriel. Or worse . . . Cassian."
The Illyrian beside Rhys gaped at the blonde. He didn't have a chance to argue as Mor dragged a giggling Ana away from them and further into the house. Rhys didn't bother with following after them, even if it was all his heart wished to do. Instead, he hung back with Cassian and waited for the teasing to commence.
"So . . ." Cassian draped an arm over Rhys's shoulders, giving him a roguish grin. "How badly did you wanna slam her against the wall and kiss her just then?" Rhys rolled his eyes and whacked his brother upside the head. "Come on! Like you weren't totally thinking about it!"
Despite the annoyed expression Rhys wore, he did find himself agreeing with him. The moment Ana's body had been pressed against his, he'd felt his heart leap from his chest. Just having her close to him made his blood rush and his body tingle.
"Shut up."
Cassian beamed. "Oh, you so were."
"I said shut up." He forced his blush down. "Come on. Let's go find them before Mor does something Mor like."
⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⬩❖⬩ ⎯⎯⎯⎯
To say Ana was amazed by the Night Court would be an understatement.
Rhys was proud to see that her smile never faltered throughout the entire tour of his palace above the Court of Nightmares. Her grin shone as bright as a million stars and her eyes twinkled with wonder at everything and anything. Every turn of a corner, every room, every floor made her gasp with delight. And the sight alone made Rhys's heart melt.
All his worries about her despising his court went out the metaphorical window the second he saw the light return to her eyes. It was as if being in Prythian restored some part of her that being in the other world dampened. It made him want to keep her there permanently, but he knew he couldn't. Not with her family being in that other world.
Mor and Ana hit it off quickly, which was no surprise to anyone. The two were practically made to be friends, and Rhys found himself growing a tad bit jealous over the amount of attention his cousin was receiving over him. Of course, that changed when Ana would talk down the bond to him, calling his pout adorable and cute. His lips were immediately in a smile, staying that way the rest of the time.
But now it was time to show Ana Velaris, the City of Starlight. The Court of Dreams. And all of those nerves returned at full force. Rhys couldn't stop himself from wondering if she would hate the city or not. He didn't know what he'd do if she did.
The four of them stood in the middle of the foyer once more, Ana's bag slung over her shoulder and her hand brushing Rhys's. The entirety of his court seemed to stretch out before them, mountains kissing the cloudless skies and creatures of all kinds soaring overhead. It was beautiful.
"Come on, Rhys! I wanna see Velaris!" Ana was bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement, her eyes full of childlike wonder. She tugged on his sleeve for extra measure. "I wanna meet Azriel and Amren! Come on!"
Rhys chuckled and took her hand. "Okay, okay. We're going." He shot a look to Cassian and Mor, who quickly winnowed away, leaving Ana stunned. You're very cute when you're excited.
Ana's cheeks reddened with a blush. "Shut up."
He just smiled in response, taking one last moment to admire her bright eyes and pink cheeks before stepping into the darkness. There was a moment of silence, where all he could feel was the gentle brush of wind and Ana's hand in his. Then, the darkness cleared and the beauty that was Velaris opened up before them.
A sharp intake of breath was all that could be heard from Ana's lips. Rhys looked over at her to find her frozen in utter awe and wonder. Her eyes matched the glittering waters of the city he loved dearly, her hair glimmering gold in the sunlight. The faint freckles that dotted her cheeks like constellations spring to life on her skin, bringing a sense of childlike beauty to her already attractive face.
Do you like it? He couldn't bring himself to ask her out loud, afraid his voice would fail him.
Ana blinked away her stupor and nodded rapidly. "Rhys, it's . . . I don't think words can describe just how amazing this place is." It reminds me so much of home.
His hand held hers tighter. New York?
She shook her head. No. My village in Russia. The cobblestone streets, the townhouses, the smiling faces . . .
Noticing the sadness creeping in, Rhys ran his thumb over her knuckles. "Would you like the tour of the town first, or would you like to meet the others?"
"The others! If I'm remembering correctly, the town is best toured at night when the stars are out." She sent him a cheeky grin. "And I've also heard it's not smart to keep Amren waiting."
Rhys chuckled. "You would be right about that."
He led her into the darkness once more, the two appearing outside his townhouse moments later. He could already hear the raucous laughter of Mor and Cassian, as well as the sharp tongue of Amren. Of course, it was no surprise to only hear Azriel's comments every now and them, the Shadowsinger most likely aware of Rhys's presence outside. That oh-so warm smile returned to his lips at the thought of his family, prompting him to open the door without hesitation.
Immediately, all heads were on him and Ana. Well, mostly Ana. The blonde grinned at the four, Mor and Cassian happily returning the gesture while Amren and Azriel opted for a simple nod of the head.
"Azriel, Amren, meet Ana," Rhys said, filling the silence.
Amren hummed as she stood from her place on one of the loungers, her silver eyes humming with energy. She studied Ana like how a painter would study its artwork, or maybe like how a predator would analyze its prey. Head cocking to the side, she allowed her usual serpentine smile to crawl across her ruby lips.
"Ah. Nice to finally meet the slayer of that red-headed bitch."
Ana smiled and mocked a curtsey. "Nice to finally meet the one who scares Rhysand shitless." Rhys gaped at the blonde but she ignored him, instead reaching into her pocket. "He also told me that you have a knack for shiny things."
Hanging from her delicate fingers was a necklace unlike any that Rhys had seen before. The dainty silver chain held up a shimmering red gem that seemed to dance with its own type of magic. Amren's eyes were practically glowing at the sight of the jewel, her fingers twitching with anticipation.
"Where did you come across such a magnificent specimen?" Amren asked, stepping closer.
Ana shrugged, passing it to the shorter female. "My friend Magnus bought it centuries ago in London. It's a red spinel he enchanted. Said to bring fortune to those who wear it. He gave it to me to give to you once he heard about your taste in gems."
Amren held the necklace as though it were the most precious creation. She then glanced at Ana with that same smile and pointed at her. "You. I like you." Her gaze then landed on Rhys. "Don't fuck up, High Lord."
Rhys gaped at her while the others erupted into rounds of boisterous laughter. Ana's soft giggles caused his eyes to snap toward her, finding her with her hand placed over her mouth. When her eyes met his, she sent him an apologetic smile that he knew wasn't one hundred percent real.
Sorry, my love. But the look on your face was just too funny. As if to make her point more obvious, she reached toward his face, placing a finger beneath his chin and closing his mouth for him. It took everything within him not to blush. There. Much better.
Rhys rolled his eyes playfully. Good to know you and the Ancient One will get along.
Ana shrugged and went back to looking at his family, her gaze then landing on Azriel, who had yet to speak. The spymaster eyed Ana with interest, having heard plenty of stories from Rhys about what she was like. Of course, Rhys could also see the hesitancy and suspicion in his brother's eyes. Mainly due to Ana's . . . foreign status and the fact that he knew little about her. But that inquisitive stare didn't keep Ana from giving him a smile.
"You must be Azriel. The . . . shadowsinger?" She cast a look at Rhys, who nodded. "We don't have anyone like that in my other world. If you don't mind me asking . . . what's it like? Speaking with shadows and controlling them in a way?"
Azriel eyed her for a moment, watching as she moved from Rhys's side and settled down on the couch beside Mor, who draped her feet across the girl's lap. Rhys was proud that his family was getting along so well with Ana. It warmed his heart.
"It was strange at first," Azriel finally admitted. "Felt like a tickle or a cold wind. And the shadows weren't always so obedient. Used to fly wherever they pleased."
"But you seem to have excellent control over them now. The amount of training that must've taken is . . . wow." Ana smiled at him. "My friend Magnus would be so jealous."
Amren piped up at the mention of the male. "The one who made my necklace?"
Ana nodded. "He's a warlock⎯half human half demon. His fingers sparkle and he does magic. But he can't yet control shadows. He's been working on it for centuries but still can't get it right."
"Wait, did you just say demon?" Cassian asked. Ana gave him a confused look but nodded nonetheless. "You guys have demons over there?"
The blonde shrugged. "Yeah. Demons, Shadowhunters, werewolves, vampires, warlocks, and Seelies⎯fae, I guess. There're more, but I can tell by your eyes that your brain is ready to blow."
Mor chuckled into her wine. "Don't worry, that's how he always looks."
Cassian responded with a vulgar gesture that had Ana laughing. The air in the room became relaxed and content, and Rhys watched with a loving smile as his family dove into animated conversations with Ana. After fifty years of torture, he was back home. And the sight of his family made him so abundantly happy.
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⬩❖⬩ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
𝐀 𝐔 𝐓 𝐇 𝐎 𝐑 𝐒 𝐍 𝐎 𝐓 𝐄 !
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⬩❖⬩ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
Here's the chapter you've been waiting for. So sorry it took so long! I'm in my final week of college before finals so I am spending all my freetime studying and preparing. I had this chapter halfway written for the past month but I haven't had the chance to finish it until right now at exactly 12:18 a.m. So yay!
Anyways, Ana is now in Velaris. This chapter is a little short and all over the place, but that's because it's just an intro. The next few chapters will involve Ana touring the city and getting used to her time with the Inner Circle. As you can see, they already love her, but I want to get into shenanigans with them soon.
Anyways, please comment and vote!
I love you all!
~ a.h.