Summary: Lysandra and Aedion enjoy a peace and freedom they never knew before Erawan and Maeve’s defeat. Still- something isn’t quite right. Aedion is keeping one of his desires secret, and Lysandra is determined to figure out what it is.
When I woke up this morning, the last thing I expected to happen today was to get an invitation to the Starfall celebration at the House of Wind. From Prince Rean himself, no less. I did not expect to do anything but cut cake after tedious cake until I could stop and watch what I could of Starfall from my bedroom window. I certainly did not expect to be flirted with by a prince.
I should really start setting my expectations higher.
Because here I am, dusting off the only gown I’ve ever owned, and stressing about how I’m going to fix my hair. Because I’m going to the House of Wind. With Prince Rean. My heart flutters even just thinking about him, with his mussed hair and flustered small talk, so un-prince like and yet still so charming.
My mother had come home just after he left, going on about this and that, completely distracted. But I could hardly contain my excitement for what had just happened.
“Mum, listen, you’ll never guess what just happened.” I follow her up the stairs to the apartment we live in above the shop.
“Did you meet a wise old woman who told you your future over a cup of apricot tea?”
“What? Mum, no. Even better. Prince Rean came here, to our shop, and bought all our cakes then invited me to go with him to Starfall at the House of Wind tonight!”
“Oh that’s a funny one, dear! I’ll have to get more creative next time.”
“Mum, I’m serious!”
She finally looks at me.
“Buttercup, you’re really going to Starfall with one of the princes?”
“Yes, Mum,” I say with no small amount of exasperation. I love my mother, but she can be a true piece of work sometimes.
She instantly worked herself into a frenzy, darting about the apartment, acting as if she were the one going to a party with a prince, not me.
Now, I step into my gown and stand in front of a floor-length mirror as she laces it up for me.
“Oh Mila,” she breathes, “just look at you. Fit for a prince.”
I snort. “A pretty dress doesn’t make me any more fit for him.”
I examine my reflexion, wondering if it really could. The dress certainly is pretty, with flowing gossamer skirts the same navy blue as a twilight sky. Gold embroidery decorates the bodice in a swirling design of flowers and stars. The dress may make me look more fit for the most powerful family in Prythian, but I don’t feel like I am.
I turn as I hear the front door of the apartment open and click shut behind my father.
“What’s all this?” He asks, noticing my dress and the general mood of excitement in the room.
“Your daughter,” Mum starts, “is going to the House of Wind with Prince Rean tonight.”
He stops dead in his tracks, eyebrows raised. “She is, is she?”
“It’s not that big of a deal,” I insist.
But it is a big deal. I can hardly keep my thoughts straight and I almost feel like I’m going to faint.
Get yourself together, Mila.
“Actually, Papa, I need your help.”
“Do you need me to threaten him if he ever hurts you?”
“No!” I jokingly scoff, “I need you to teach me how to dance.”
Rean
The room is already crowded with bodies, the air heavy and scented with jasmine. I stand near the door, waiting for her to arrive.
My friends and brother are already off dancing and drinking, likely raiding the food table. But I stand at the door and wait.
I can’t believe I did this. I probably scared her off, and she’s not going to show up.
I begin to pace, the movement calming my restless nerves.
How long until I’ve officially been stood up?
The door opens again, and I brace myself for the disappointment of seeing another stranger enter the room. But to my disbelief, it’s Mila, with her eyes wide and cheeks flushed, clutching the skirts of her dark blue gown. Her eyes find me in the crowd and a small smile of relief spreads across her face as she makes her way towards me.
“You came,” I say, still not quite believing it.
“You invited me. I didn’t think it right to refuse.”
Up close, I can see the golden detailing on her gown. Flowers and stars. Perfect for a daughter of both Spring and Night. I’m careful not to stare too long this time, but I can’t help but admire her.
I’ve never felt like this before, never been so instantly possessed by someone, and the feeling throws me off.
A word crosses my mind but I instantly brush it away. I’m getting ahead of myself.
“Come,” I lead her out to one of the balconies with fewer people occupying it. I’m thankful for the fresh air to cool my burning cheeks, to clear my muddled mind.
We stand at the railing, looking out over Velaris. At least, I’m looking at the city. I follow her gaze to the mountains in the distance with the rest of Prythian beyond them.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” She sighs, resting her elbows on the railing.
“You should see it from the sky.”
“Is it a date?”
I chuckle. She’s bold, I’ll give her that. “If you want it to be, I’d be happy to take you. Perhaps even later tonight.”
She nods, her eyes are still on the horizon. She looks totally at peace, and I see that she is longing to be out there. I know exactly how she feels.
Something moves across the sky, and I see the first of the beautiful display of falling stars, or spirits, or whatever they are.
Mila watches in awe, her lips parted and head raised to the starry sky.
“This is my first time seeing it this clearly,” she explains.
A few moments pass as we both admire the beauty of Starfall.
“Everyone deserves to experience this view at least once in their lives, don’t you think?”
I hum in agreement.
She pulls her gaze from the sky and turns to me, still leaning on the railing. “Do you want to dance?”
I was supposed to ask her that, I think. But I only say “I would love to.”
As if on cue, the musicians inside begin to play a slow, flowing waltz.
We move in time, her hands on my shoulders, mine on her waist.
I feel like I’m flying, the same rush filling my head.
There are many things I am unsure of in my life. But this–being with Mila–isn’t one of them. I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life.
Milena
We dance for what could have been years, hardly speaking, but not needing to. We are perfectly in time, bodies pressed together, minds synced. Like two parts of a whole.
I’ve been with males before. That is, I’ve been on awkward dates with them. But never anything like this. I’ve never felt such a deep connection with someone, and certainly not so soon after meeting them. And now, dancing with Rean, I feel more connected than I ever have with anyone in my life.
I lean my head against his chest, and his hands tighten on my waist.
“Do you want to go on that flight?” he whispers in my ear.
I meet his eyes and nod eagerly, unable to suppress my smile. He smiles back and in one smooth motion lifts me into his arms, one arm under my knees and the other around my back. Glorious wings appear on his back, dark and membranous.
And then we are shooting towards the sky, the ground far below and the wind on my cheeks. My stomach drops and I burst into a terrified laugh, clinging tight to Rean, who laughs in amusement. As Rean slows to a more leisurely pace, and I get my first real look at my surroundings, I am both terrified and in awe of the new world around me.
Lights flicker in the streets and homes below, but up here it is dark. The air fresher and cleaner than it is on the ground, and I wonder if I’ll ever be able to stand to breathe the air down there again.
I see why he loves it up here.
And the view–the glorious view he said I just had to see. Though the actual event of Starfall has ended, the sky is more than worth the terror of getting up here. The mountains rise like sleeping giants on the horizon, visible only because they block out the stars and leave the sky an endless black.
“Speechless?”
I drag my eyes from the horizon and look at Rean. “It’s… glorious.”
He smiles at me, but then it fades and red blooms on his cheeks.
“I want to kiss you,” he whispers.
“Then do it.”
We are close enough to share a breath, to feel each other’s heartbeats.
He presses his lips to mine, pulling me tighter against him.
My hands trail his chest, his shoulders, his neck, tangling in his hair.
A string between us pulls taut, and we both pull away in surprise.
And then the bastard drops me.
Wind rips around me, pulling my hair from its pins and lifting my skirts around me. A scream tears from my throat, my limbs thrash in search of purchase.
It is as I’m falling that I realize what just happened. A mating bond snapped into place between us.
I have a mate.
I only fall for a second before he catches me again.
“Oh my gods, Mila, I’m so sorry.”
Rean is frantic. I mean, he did just drop his mate. His mate. The thought makes my heart flutter. I’m his mate.
“Are you alright?”
I burst into a roaring laugh, much to his confusion. I manage to get out a few words telling him that yes, I’m fine, but I can’t stop the laughter. I think I’m overwhelmed, and this is the only reaction I can manage.
Rean brings us back down to the ground, and we both sit.
Eventually the shrieks of laughter subside to a giggle, but my head feels just as light, and this all feels no more like reality.
I have a mate. And it’s Prince Rean.
And he dropped me when he found out.
Should I be offended?
“Mila,” he says, now smiling and doing his best to not laugh with me. He brushes his fingers on my arm, and the bond between us tenses. This is going to take some getting used to.
“You’re my mate,” I state, fighting the fit of giggles that threaten to start again.
He looks at me seriously now, and I no longer have such an urge to laugh. Good, because we really do need to talk about what this means.
“We don’t have to decide anything right now,” he says. “We can take things slow, get to know each other. That’s not to say I don’t want to be your mate–believe me, I do, more than anything–but we can take our time with it. It’s not as if the bond will expire.”
“I think that’s a good idea. I don’t want you to be with me just because of some supernatural bond, and I don’t want to be with you because of it either.”
He pulls me into a hug, squeezing tight. This, I’d be happy to get used to.
“My parents,” I realize, “we should tell them. And yours.”
When I imagined meeting the High Lord and Lady, I did not imagine it being under these circumstances. A passing parade, a dinner party, maybe. But certainly not as their future daughter-in-law.
“We should go to yours first. I’m sure mine are… preoccupied.”
“Now?”
“Why not?”
I shrug and stand. “Let’s go, then.”
He lifts me back into his arms.
“Try not to drop me this time,” I tease.
Rean
I’m holding my mate in my arms. I’m actually holding my mate.
I thank the Cauldron for the hundredth time tonight. Not only do I have a mate, but I found her after only one hundred years. Few are often so lucky, sometimes waiting a thousand years or not finding them at all.
But here she is, and here I am, off to meet her parents.
We are nearing the street the bakery is on when I notice a smoky haze in the air, and it only gets stronger the closer we get to her home. I quicken my pace when I see the first of the flames.
I touch down in front of the bakery.
The bakery that is on fire.
I’m not quick enough to catch Mila as she falls to her knees.
Some princesses are delivered to mysterious castles to wait for their knights in shining armor to come rescue them. Other princesses are delivered to castles in flower fields to live out the rest of their days with their loving princes. And then, there’s the other princesses who are delivered to castles looming over a lava-filled lake, right into their prince’s arms.
Feyre is the wild, ferocious, and artistic princess of Prythian, a kingdom which she will rule one day since her older sisters are ineligible for the throne. However, before she inherits her kingdom, she is sent away, to a demon king’s home for a worthy knight to rescue her–who will then become her king to rule beside. Despite her unwillingness, she is whisked away to Noctis, one of the more dreadful demon realms. To her surprise, Feyre finds some of the most unexpected things there. A realm that houses friendly faces, and a charming king.
King Rhysand is “demon” king of Noctis, the realm of eternal moons and stars. He resides in his castle over a lake of lava, which may hold more things than just lava, though no one would dare go down there. He welcomes all to his realm, as long as they be of kind blood. Rhysand is engaged to his soon-to-be Queen, Amarantha. He says he is in love with her, but his friends seem to think otherwise. Eventually, so does he. And this is all because of a human princess who barges into the castle, demanding to be sent home.
Chapter 1 of My Moon, My Star, My Sun will be coming Friday, April 13, 2018.
A cool breeze off the Sidra stings my cheeks as I soar over the city. This is what I live for–moments where there is nothing but me and the sky and the cold air. The sun is beginning to rise over the water, chasing away the last of the stars and casting the world in an orange glow. This may not be the Dawn Court, but the sunrise is as beautiful as ever. Lights flicker on throughout Velaris, its people wake with the sun. At least, the people who live their lives during the day, rather than those who sleep while the sun is up to better enjoy the magnificent nights of my Court. I know my time of freedom is running out, and I take one last deep breath before turning back home to meet my parents. I may be their son, but no one leaves the High Lord and Lady of the Night Court waiting.
I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the hallway mirror as I walk through the House of Wind to the dining room for breakfast. My black hair is windblown and wild, my cheeks red from the biting cold. There will be no dodging their questions today. It’s too obvious that I’ve been out flying. Mom and Dad are already at the table when I enter the room, filling their plates with fruit and pastries. They exchange a glance with each other when they notice my state, no doubt having one of their silent bond-conversations.
“Have a nice flight, Rean?” Dad asks with a knowing smile.
“What? I wasn’t–” I stop trying to hide the fact that I took a morning flight when he levels me with a look that tells me there’s no use lying. “It was fine.” I scoop some melon on to my plate and stab a piece with my fork.
“Just fine?” Mom prods, “Did you go anywhere in particular?”
It’s not that I’m embarrassed of my flight, that would be ridiculous. It would be more embarrassing if I didn’t fly. And it’s not that I hate my parents. I love them, I really do. I just want to keep this one part of my life to myself. The sky’s the one place where I can be alone without watchful eyes and prodding questions. As much as I would prefer not to, I answer my mother’s question. “I just flew around a bit. Down by the Sidra to watch the sunrise.”
Corin, my twin, and this morning, my saving grace, saunters into the room, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He is definitely not the type to take a morning flight to watch the sunrise.
“Leave my poor brother alone, Mom,” he says, taking his seat across from me. I pass him the pot of coffee and mouth ‘thank-you’. “Anyway,” he continues, “shouldn’t you two be preparing for the party tonight?”
“Yes, we probably should,” Dad glances at the clock on the wall and stands up from his chair. High Lady Feyre stands up from her own and places her napkin on the table.
“Rean, don’t forget the desserts,” she reminds me, “and Corin, make sure the musicians are set up. And I mean really make sure. We don’t want a repeat of what happened last year, do we?”
“We’ve been over this, it wasn’t my fault,” Corin insists, “and besides, the musicians arrived eventually.”
Mom chuckles under her breath and shakes her head. “Happy Starfall,” she calls back to us as she and Dad leave.
“Always a pleasure with them.” My comment makes Corin roll his eyes, but he smiles. I know I won’t get much conversation out of him until he wakes up fully. Probably sometime around noon, knowing him. We may look alike, but it’s little things like sleeping habits that couldn’t be more different between us.
Finished with my breakfast, I say goodbye to my brother and head into the streets of Velaris to find desserts for the party. I had heard about a bakery that the people of Velaris are saying makes the best cakes in the city, and that’s what I’m going to find now. For the second time this morning, I take to the skies.
I find the bakery easily enough. It’s on the bottom floor of a charming little brick building on one of the busier streets. The outside brick is painted with an intricate swirling design in black paint that reminds me of a traditional Illyrian tattoo, much like the one that swirls across my chest. The front wall facing the street has a large window that allows people on the street to see inside the bakery and the display case inside. Even from outside I can smell the delicious aroma of vanilla and sugar, and it’s enough to set my mouth watering. I step up to the door and push on it, but it doesn’t open. Confused, I knock. After a moment, a female opens the door.
“I’m sorry, sir, but we’re–” she cuts herself off and her eyes widen, no doubt as she recognizes who I am. “Prince Rean, I’m sorry. Please, come in.” She steps to the side and holds the door open for me.
“No, I’m sorry, I should have known you wouldn’t be open yet. It’s still early. I can come back later–”
“Don’t be silly,” she gestures for me to come inside. Sighing, I step into the bakery.
It’s warm inside, especially compared to the chilled wind outside. The walls are painted with more of that design from the outer brick, but the background of the black swirls here is a vibrant pink. Mirrors and decorative frames are spaced along the walls, all in gold and silver. The entire room gives a feeling of warmth and luxury, filled with overstuffed chairs and tables for two. The most amazing though is the display case, despite it being only half full. The single tier cakes inside are intricate and colourful, topped with chocolate curls and pieces of fruit, curds and glazes. “These are… incredible,” I remark, nodding to the cakes on display. I turn to the female in time to see a grin spread across her face and red bloom on her cheeks.
“Thank you,” she says as she nervously tucks a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. When her smile fades I find myself wanting desperately for her to smile again, and the feeling catches me off guard. She produces a small notebook and a pen from the pocket of her apron and makes her way to the other side of the counter. “What can I get for you, Prince Rean?”
“Well,” I explain, “tonight, as you probably know, is Starfall.” She nods with a chuckle and I go on, “I have been put in charge of getting desserts for tonight’s party, and word on the street is you make the best cakes in the city. So I need all the cakes you have available today.”
“All of them?” she asks with raised eyebrows, “That’s about thirty cakes.”
“Perfect.”
“And they’re not all ready yet. It will take me about another hour to finish cutting and decorating them all, so you can leave and come back in a little while if you would like. Of course you could also just wait here, I can get you a drink and a slice.”
Really, I should leave and come back. But I find myself drawn to the bakery, to the young woman and her smile. “I can just wait here, if it’s no trouble.”
She smiles again and my heart lights up at the sight. “No trouble at all. I’ll just be back in the kitchen, if you want to take a seat.” She gestures to the lines of tables and turns toward the kitchen doors at the back of the bakery.
I feel my heart drop at the thought of her leaving, and I speak before I can stop myself. “I can keep you company.” I feel the heat rise on my cheeks. Corin was always better than me at flirtation… or whatever this is. All I know is that I want to spend more time with her, and if that means embarrassing myself and coming off as a fool, so be it.
She stops, seemingly surprised by my offer. The moments feel like hundreds of years as my heart pounds in my chest. Have I overstepped? Have I scared her off? I wish I could be more like Corin. He can speak to people as easily as I can push them away.
“Alright,” she smiles. I smile back and let out a breath. She turns back to the kitchen and I follow her in, thanking the cauldron for my small victory.
In the kitchen, the female–I should really ask for her name– sets to work on the cakes. Small, deft hands make quick work of shaving chocolate and slicing lemons and chopping fruit. She darts about the kitchen as I make myself comfortable leaning against one of the worktables. The silence that settles is comfortable, but I break it anyway.
“Do you have a name?” I ask, and instantly curse myself. Very smooth, Rean.
I at least win a smile for my embarrassment.
“I do,” she chuckles, not looking up from the cake she is icing on a turntable. Good, she can’t see how red my face is. “It’s Milena. Or Mila, by my family.”
“That’s a very beautiful name.” Almost as beautiful as the girl it belongs to. I drum my fingers absently on the table. She really is beautiful. Her blonde hair is braided back into a bun, but strands have come loose and hang free, framing her face in gold. Her green eyes are the colour of summer grass, and are warm and bright. They’re the kind of eyes I feel can see right into my soul, and they probably do. I don’t shy away from them, though, like I would with most people. I feel like I want her to see into my soul. Why am I so drawn to her?
“I can see you staring, Prince Rean.” That means she can also now see my face go as red as the strawberries she’s slicing. “I’m kidding, it’s okay. You’re probably just wondering how a girl from the Spring Court came to be working in Velaris, right?”
“You’re from the Spring Court?” I ask, then realizing I’ve blown my only chance of an excuse for my staring. I silently curse myself again.
“My parents were. They came here when my mother found out she was pregnant with me and opened up this bakery to make a living. They’re usually here too, but we expected today to be less busy because of the festivities tonight. So it’s just me today. And you.” Milena looks up at me and smiles. “I really am grateful for your company. It gets boring sometimes so I’m glad for the conversation, even if it means I have you stare at me the whole time.” The last part was said jokingly, but I can’t help but feel embarrassed again.
“What did your parents do in Spring?”
“They both worked at High Lord Tamlin’s manor. I’m not sure exactly why they wanted to leave, but I’m glad to live in Night instead of Spring.”
We fall back into another comfortable silence, and this time, I let it last. The rest of the time passes quickly, and before I know it, she is finished with my cakes and packing them into boxes tied with gold ribbon. With a snap of my fingers, the finished boxes vanish, sent up to the House of Wind. There is no more reason for me to be here, but I don’t want to leave. There is one way I can see her again, I just have to ask her. As I’m about to leave, I scrounge up what’s left of my courage and do it.
“Will you come to the House of Wind for Starfall tonight?”
She seems genuinely surprised, and takes a moment to find her words.
“I… well,” those piercing eyes find mine. “Alright.”
I smile so wide that my cheeks hurt. “I’ll see you there.”
I step out of the bakery and breathe in the fresh, cool air. That went well, I think.
For young fae, finding a place in the world can be tricky.
Rean is a Night Court Prince–one of the twin sons of the High Lord and Lady–but he feels out of place in his role. The vast Night Court sky is his only comfort, but eventually he will have to come back to the ground.
Milena is a daughter of the Spring Court born and raised in Velaris. When her parents came to the City of Starlight a hundred years ago, they opened a humble bakery that went on to become one of the most popular bakeries in the city. Taking up her role in the family, Milena is being trained to take the bakery as her own one day. But the purpose she craves can’t be found in the family business.
Milena and Rean live very different lives, but they have more in common than they think. When their paths cross, they find themselves drawn to one another in a way they can’t ignore. Together, they navigate failures and victories, joys and heartbreaks, love and hate, and try to find their place.
Chapter one of Starlight and Ashes comes Saturday, March 31
please send me an ask if you would like to be tagged!
I finally did it. I started writing my fic (and I’m kind of happy with it so far??)
anyway I’m excited and impulsive so I’m gonna share some info about it lol
it’s a next gen acotar fic
follows one of feysand’s sons and his love interest, and is told from both of their points of view
in my fic, feysand had twin sons, nessian had a daughter
I’m still deciding on details of who is with who, and things may change. I was planning having elucien but I can’t decide. These are minor details that have no influence on the plot
Summary: What if you’re always destined to find your soulmate? What if, in every life, you get to meet them, fall in love with them, live your new life with them, always under the same name? But what if you never remember it? Not their face, not how they loved you. Nothing. You just have this gut feeling…
Comment: This fic was written by Maryam ( @the-bookish-soul ). She’s one of the nicest people in here, has a few fics and shares my absolute love for Azriel. Thanks for doing this!!
Summary: What if you’re always destined to find your soulmate? What if, in every life, you get to meet them, fall in love with them, live your new life with them, always under the same name? But what if you never remember it? Not their face, not how they loved you. Nothing. You just have this gut feeling…
Comment: This fantastic fic was written by Jaclyn ( @wingsofanillyrian ) who has the most gorgeous Nessian fanfic ever. It was such a pleasure working with her and she was a delight to ask. I hope you like this as much as I do, and everyone go follow her if you don’t, she won’t disappoint!!!
foxboylucien 