Songs and Visions for Prythian
Chapter 2: The Crying Lady
Having parted ways, Elain and Azriel cannot seem to get their encounter on the Handsome out of their heads. They each seem at war with themselves how to feel about the encounter. Luckily, due to pure chance, or perhaps something else, their paths appear to converge, and they are bound to meet again.
The Summit has begun. And though Cassian is supposed to mind their rivals, and the politics of the meeting, he cannot help but indulge in a particular distraction.
Meanwhile Feyre sits at the seat of Power in Velaris, preoccupied with both her hardships, and the weight of a ruler.
Chapter 2: The Crying Lady
It had been a few days since she sent that wretched message to Cassian, and Feyre still felt faded with misery. She had been scolding herself endlessly for using their taboo. They simply didn't do that. Her friend was so strong, she couldn't imagine him using it, and she knew he'd forgive her. Still, she felt wretched. In the depths of starless nights, her nightmare rang in echoes of the taboo. remember, remember, remember
She closed her eyes, to get a breath of reprieve, but there was a knock on the window of her office, a stark reminder that the day of the Lady of Velaris had no room for idleness. She stepped out on the small balcony into the endless gloom of the day, to find a messenger gull with the daily news. The new shattered world held mostly pain for her, but she had to admit there were some ingenious inventions making life easier. Such as the dissemination of news via messenger seagulls, a new specialty of Dawn. It came as no surprise to her, Dawn have always been so fond of tinkering, and without magic, they have been inspired to design stunning creations.
The news had mostly been a continuation of the usual headaches in her life. Hybern was always expanding the navy, pretending to render justice, and poaching the youths of the seas for their brutal organization. Some islands in the east, the outer reaches of Summer have been burned down. Keir in the Nightmare Isles was once again employing war tactics of harassing Summer, stopping short of actually declaring war; the coward. And Tamlin announced another trade deal, typically toeing the line between being painfully neutral, and painfully useless.
There had also been a shipwreck in the sea between the human lands and Hybern. The cargo, a large shipment of iron ore washed up on the shores of some nearby unclaimed islands, along with large crates of fae-yarrow, henbane, and the lichen usnea.
In the section on local news, another curious tidbit caught her eye.
Three day riot on Dawnskerry!
The riot that began in the tavern 'the Grinning Shark' has now been ongoing for three days. The original perpetrators have not been caught, and the trigger for the event is rumored to be a spot of cheating at cards. Local authorities on Dawnskerry have yet to interfere, as the event has attracted an audience that has given some of the neighboring establishments that are not involved in the skirmish, a boost in sales.
Feyre pinched the bridge of her nose. Piracy, another headache in her life; these cursed pirates will be the end of her. A skirmish lasting several days, or even a few weeks was rare, but not unheard of. Dawn, however, couldn't possibly be reaching front page news. Not right now!
Almost instantly, the thought of pirates flooded her mind with silky, black, waist long hair, half woven in an impressive warrior braid, flowing with the song of the wind. The new tattoos that told tales of the sea, piercing blue eyes and midnight voice, were not welcome, but they came anyway. Must she yearn for that which she could not have for over a century, every single damnable day? She could hardly even think the word pirate without the hair and the piercings and the eyes running through her mind. If given the chance she would live the rest of her long life with the new name, and without their shared memories, if he'd just come back to her... just come back. And then her pain turned to anger, like it always did.
Thank you for reading! You're making a novice writer very happy :)
I was hoping to get this out by end of Elriel Month of 2026... so here's my late submission, if it still counts lol
As always, let me know if you want to be included in the notices!
Notes:
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