Chance Encounters (Mor x Reader)
Summary// Life in the Hewn City was anything but enchanting. Having to deal with backstabbing family and friends, and rudimentary politics, it was a place that you always dreamed to escape of. The only true happiness you could find was the night of Starfall each year, where you would journey up to see the stars streak across the sky and this year, meet someone new.
(This is my first time writing Mor and I truly hope I do her justice. I’m very nervous about it but this was such a sweet thing to write. I hope you enjoy! :)) @starfallweek
Prompt: Character A and Character B meet at Starfall
WARNINGS: None
The Court of Nightmares was bustling with excitement as Starfall grew closer by the hour. It was all anyone was talking about, giving you a nice break from the constant threats and schemes that were the usual tones of conversations.
You were currently sitting in your bedroom, lounging in your chair and writing in your journal when your door opened loudly. It was your older brother, his eyes cruel and smile just as wicked as he took the seat opposite of you. Not wanting to entertain any of his antics, you continued writing in hopes he would leave.
Unfortunately, he simply sat there and waited. It was only after ten minutes of uncomfortable silence that you finally sat your book and pencil down and looked at him.
“What do you want?” You asked tensely, crossing one leg over the other.
“Is that the welcome I get? And on Starfall?” He jeered while leaning back comfortably. “I thought we were closer than that.”
“If you have come to annoy me then you can leave, I am in the middle of writing.” You snapped. “I don’t want to play your games today.”
“I simply wanted to be one of the first ones to congratulate you on your engagement, dear sister.” He said sweetly, savoring the ashen look on your face when you immediately stood up.
“What are you talking about? What engagement? No one has proposed to me.” You said, your eyebrows furrowing together in worry. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
Your brother shook his head while sporting a large grin, motioning you to look out the door to see for yourself. It was only a few steps away but it was as if you had suddenly gotten tunnel vision, your heart pounding loudly in your ears as you peeked out into the main parlor.
Both of your parents stood there with an older gentleman who had greasy black hair and a smile that made your skin crawl. He was shaking hands with your father, clapping him on the shoulder as they conversed just loud enough for you to hear.
“I’m so glad we could arrange this union, sir. I think it will be most beneficial to us, even if it may take some time to grow on your daughter.” The man laughed, your stomach twisting in disgust as they talked about you like you were an object.
“Oh, it does not matter whether she adjusts to it or not, Nuhun.” Your father chuckled right along with him. “She knows what she was brought up for, the duty she is to fulfill just like every other breedable girl that lives in these halls.”
They both clinked glasses, your father’s last words making your spine go rigid. “She will bear you many children, Nuhun, and as she is fruitful to you I hope you keep your end of the deal with being fruitful to us.”
You stumbled back into your room, feeling as if you were going to throw up all of your dinner, while your brother laughed at your shocked state. “Gods am I glad I was born a male.” He taunted, leaving the room with a smile while your world crumbled around you.
It was always made clear to you that as the only girl in the family, your own significance was to secure matches that would strengthen the family. You couldn’t pursue your studies, couldn’t choose someone of your own, and every decision of your life was taken out of your hands from the moment they found out you were a girl.
Hewn City was a place you desperately wanted to escape from ever since you were a child. You would stay up late at night, dreaming of life above and what you could become, of who you could become if you weren’t limited by the patriarchal hell that you were stuck in.
You had been planning your getaway for quite some time but now it seemed that that dream was now also shattered. A small tear ran down your cheek as you ran your fingers over your journal, all of your best-kept hopes lying inside. It was all you had left.
Footsteps were making their way to you and you felt your fight or flight kick in, the voice of your “betrothed” making you tense in fear. You had heard his name before, and knew he was high up in the chain of politics in the Court of Nightmares, which told you just how savage he probably was.
Before you could even form a proper plan you found yourself grabbing your journal and cloak, throwing the latter around your body, and making a break for the door. You ran into your father, heard him shout angrily at you, but you were determined to get as far as you could.
It was your only chance.
The hallways were full of people heading up to the surface to watch Starfall, all of them too engrossed in themselves to notice you, and you used that to your advantage. You slipped and spun your way around the mass of bodies, your parent's voices growing more and more distant the closer you got to the main doors.
“Please, please, please…” You begged under your breath, looking for a break in the swarm, and finally seeing a tiny sliver of light. It only took you a few seconds to reach for it, not caring who you shoved out of the way as the first breath of fresh air hit your lungs.
Your knees fell to the ground as you raised your head to the sky, looking up at the first stars that were twinkling to life. An overwhelming sense of relief washed over you, the rest of the world falling silent as you soaked in this brief taste of freedom.
A hand on your shoulder made you jolt out of your serenity. You quickly rose to your feet and spun around, raising your hand to strike your father before running, until a soft, feminine voice stopped you.
“What are you running from?”
It was Morrigan. Right-hand woman to Rhysand, High Lord of the Night Court, and daughter of Keir. She frequented your city often, making sure everyone was in their places and pissing off her family in the process. You looked into her eyes, stunned by both her beauty and her actually speaking to you.
“Well?” She pressed, her brown eyes studying you closely. You swallowed thickly, looking down at your journal before back up at her.
“M-my parents, they’re planning on marrying me to-” You stopped midsentence when you saw the top of Nuhun’s head, terror written across your face as plain as day. “Please, please help me.”
She followed your line of vision and grimaced, turning back to look at you. “Take my hand.”
You followed her instructions with no hesitation, grabbing onto it tightly and closing your eyes as she winnowed the two of you somewhere hopefully far away. She cleared her throat and you opened your eyes, noticing that you now seemed to be in a house of some sort.
“Wow…” You breathed, your eyes catching the open window that had a view of an ocean that spanned for miles and miles. It was the most beautiful thing you had ever seen. “Where did you take me?”
“Somewhere safe, at least for now.” She responded, looking down at your hands that were still conjoined. You immediately flushed and let go, biting down on the inside of your cheek. “Now, tell me your name and what happened.”
It wasn’t a request, her gaze intimidating as you brought your journal up to your chest for security. “My name is Y/N, Y/N L/N. My father, he was making a deal to marry me off to a man, a stranger, and I just…I ran.”
Mor was being very cautious. She didn’t think you were a threat but she also acted stupidly, not even thinking that you could have other intentions just like the rest of the swine that lived in that mountain until she had already stolen you away. Rhysand was going to be pissed.
“Marriages get arranged every day in Hewn City, surely this wasn’t that much of a surprise.” She commented, offering you a chair which you gladly took. You frowned and stared at your lap, scared that she was going to take you back.
“I don’t want to marry him…” You said, your bottom lip quivering as those tears from earlier threatened to come back. “Him, all of them, they are so wicked and cruel and I thought I had more time to escape, to sneak out into the night and run away to wherever my heart took me but I didn’t. When I heard them talking, I just ran. I had to.”
Her eyes softened at your confession. She knew exactly what you meant, knew how you were feeling, and felt a strange sort of protectiveness over you. You and she seemed to be cut from the same cloth.
“I don’t have to stay here with you, I promise I won’t burden you anymore, I just, I needed to escape. I couldn’t do it anymore.” You whispered, raising your eyes to meet her soft brown ones. “I owe you my life.”
She laughed, her smile dazzling you as she said, “Sweet girl, you don’t owe me anything. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t like the rest of them.”
Her warm tone caught you off guard, making your heart skip a beat as you returned her smile with a tentative one of your own. “I promise I’m not. I think of myself as a, oh how do I describe it?” You question out loud, frowning as you rack your brain.
“Like a dreamer in a Court of Nightmares?” She answered for you, humming when you nodded immediately. “That’s exactly how I felt.”
It was refreshing to meet someone like Mor. She made you feel safe and welcome, if not a little awestruck as well. You were trying your best not to stare or ogle at her, your hands sweating every time she touched you.
The moon was rising in the sky and you suddenly remembered what night it was, standing abruptly to look out the window once more. “I completely forgot about Starfall. Do you have somewhere you need to be? If you could just drop me off somewhere safe, I can get out of your hair.”
Mor rolled her eyes and shook her head, her golden curls bouncing gently. “I won’t just leave you alone in a strange city. Have you ever seen Starfall?”
“A few times, when my family would take me up to watch it.” You replied with a shrug, gazing out into the night. “It’s been many years since that though.”
“Well, then I think you’ll like where I’m about to take you.” She winked, looking over your outfit and pursing her lips. “Do you want to change before we go? Or freshen up? Who knows, you might meet a nice male for a change.”
“Oh, well I-” You were about to say that you weren’t interested in any males, but knowing how people can still view people like that, you instead look to the side and mumble, “Yeah, maybe.”
Of course, she immediately picked up on the change in your demeanor. Her own heart seemed to speed up at her realization, being able to pick up on it so quickly as it was the exact same response she had given people countless times. She walked over to you and lifted up your chin, gazing at you tenderly.
“Or, perhaps, a nice female?” She cooed, enjoying how big your eyes grew. You didn’t know what to say, your throat dry, but luckily she took pity on you. She smirked and turned around, rummaging around her drawers until she pulled out a dress and tossed it to you.
“Here, this will look amazing on you. Go get changed and we can leave.” Mor said, watching you disappear behind the door of her bathroom before she reached for your journal. She briefly flipped through it, noting the drawings and dreams you scrawled out across the pages, before putting it back in its place.
A dreamer, just like her. And to meet on Starfall? Mor felt as if it were some kind of fate, not knowing you were behind the door feeling the exact same way.
You did your best to look presentable, stepping back out into the room and blushing when Mor gave you a low whistle. She held out her hand again and you took it without hesitation, feeling excited for once in your life as she said, “Let me take you to the Court of Dreams, Y/N.”