Synopsis: Y/n is the daughter of a healer in the city of Velaris. After a small incident, she moves to the House of the Wind to work for the High Lord, Rhysand. Everyone in the house seems to welcome her except Azriel, the second in command. Even though he is just blankly polite and does not acknowledge her much, she can't help but fall for him. Does Azriel return her feelings or remain unfeelingly aloof?
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Read Part 1 here.
Read Part 2 here.
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Part III
A few months later, Star fall was to commence soon.
Excitement was in the air, and I was looking forward to it too. Rhysand and Feyre were going to host a party, and preparations were already underway. Everyone pitched in to help between their usual duties, chattering about the outfits, the food, song and dance.
Mor and Feyre repeatedly asked me about my outfit for the event. I remained evasive, since I had no plans of actually attending the party. I'd be watching the sky from elsewhere. Even though I helped with the preparations as if I was going to attend, I was gradually emptying my quarters and shifting my things to an isolated property outside the city. This property was situated in a river valley backed by the large mountains surrounding Velaris. It was an inheritance passed down in our family, and I had remodelled the villa and the gardens with the help of my dad. It was a perfect place to avoid others, and I loved it very much. Father, on the other hand, didn't like to be alone for long periods of time and didn't visit it much.
While I was still in the process of shifting my things, I started sleeping less in the nights. I stayed awake at the kitchen table with a hot cup of tea, working my anatomy drawings or study notes. The one thing I'd miss when I left was the library, so I tried to make extensive notes and copied important paragraphs from the books I read.
One night, I decided on a change of scenery and took my materials to one of the many balconies, making myself comfortable on the thick carpet. As usual, I had some tea in my favourite cup and lots of lamps to illuminate my work.
I had placed the tea-cup along with a glass jar of coloured pencils on a side table so that I wouldn't accidentally knock them off with my elbow. Leaning against the balcony railing, I was copying a detailed anatomical diagram of an Illyrian wing in my journal.
A sudden gust of wind knocked over the table and shattered the tea-cup and glass jar. I jumped, dropping my journal as I watched the carpet soak up my drink and pencils scattered everywhere. My favourite cup was broken to fragments.
Azriel appeared before I had the time to think what to do next.
"Oh, sorry," he pointed at the shattered pieces.
I sighed. The glass jar could be replaced, but the tea-cup was from one of a collection set of my mother's. It hadn't broken into very tiny pieces, though. Maybe I could put it back together, even if it couldn't be used. I could use another cup for drinking and keep this one back in its shelf.
I unfolded a drawstring pouch from my pocket and gathered all the pieces. Azriel helped by collecting the remains of the glass jar and the scattered pencils. The tea stain on the carpet couldn't be helped.
He didn't leave immediately after we finished, so I offered him a cup of tea while I brewed some for myself. He accepted, and soon enough, we had our own mugs of the hot liquid and sitting next to each other on the balcony floor, looking out into the night.
He cleared his throat. "That cup was important to you."
I nodded. A tendril of his shadow flickered near his neck, and slipped out of sight. "It's from a set that belonged to my mother."
His expression dropped from his usual polite blankness. "I'm truly sorry. If there's any way I can help fix—"
I held up a hand. "It's alright. I'll fix it by myself later on."
I was curious as to why he had appeared here. He had never actually come to a place I was in out of his own volition. I asked him about it.
He did not give a direct answer. "You weren't there in the kitchen. I was looking for you everywhere."
I fell silent, turning over his reply in my mind, unsure of how to proceed. Meanwhile, he laid down his mug and picked up the journal I used for sketching. This journal in particular was just pages and pages of anatomical Illyrian wings with the parts labelled and side information. I had drawn them in every possible angle and technique I could think of.
He slowly thumbed through the pages, his own wings slightly trembling in the breeze.
"These are really accurate," he commented as he stopped at one of the pages. His eyebrows went up, and I leaned over a bit to see what he was looking at.
It was a shaded sketch of a pair of hands, with the palms turned up. And they had scars on them. Azriel's hands, which I had drawn one feverish night from memory. Fuck.
I straightened, cupping my own mug with both hands and intensely staring at it, determined not to face him or acknowledge the drawing. My ears and neck turned hot with embarrassment. He stayed on that page for a long time before closing the journal and carefully keeping it on the carpet between us.
"Why the wings?" He asked after a while.
I shrugged. "I miss having them."
"What happened?"
I narrowed a side glance at him. "I'm sure you know what happened."
One corner of his mouth tipped up. "I do. But I'd like to hear the account from you."
I shrugged. "Nothing much to tell. Father was sent on a mission. Mother was already dead by that time and he had to take me with him since there was nobody else at the time to look after me. The task went wrong, and the enemy soldiers ripped off both our wings and left us to die. Only, we were somehow revived and brought back to life. It was quite a while before I learned how to properly balance myself without my wings."
"This was during the war, yes?"
"Yes."
He turned to me and gave me a once-over. "Your mother was not Illyrian."
I nodded. "She was a high fae from the Summer Court. It's a thing in our family's ancestry. We come from a long line of powerful healers, and not all our mates are Illyrian. She survived my birth, even with my wings, but she died during the second along with the child."
Noticing the sadness that crept into my voice, he changed the subject by pointing at my journal. "Why my hands?"
I blushed, turning away from his inquisitive gaze. "I find them beautiful, that's all."
He opened his mouth to reply, but stood up abruptly, his head cocked to the side as if listening to something.
"I have to go."
Going like this only meant one thing. "Is Elaine in need of help?" My voice sounded strange to my own ears.
He was on his way to one of the archways, and halted mid-stride. "Yes. Why?"
I shook my head, motioning for him to leave. "It's nothing. Go on. Don't let me keep you."
He took a step towards me. "But—"
"Just go."
He left.
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I took a nap right there on the carpet until the early morning rays warmed my skin. When I was awake, I started gathering all my things to go back to my room. Cassian appeared and waved at me as I stood up, my arms weighed down with the books and the empty mugs.
"Good morning, my chicken soup."
I laughed. "Morning, Cassian."
During my stay, Cassian had once fallen ill with a stomach problem and wouldn't eat anything and spat out the medicine. I mixed all the herbal concoction in some chicken soup, its flavours masking the bitterness of the herbs and fed it to him until he was better. From then on, he started calling me his chicken soup and always came to me in case of injuries and other illnesses.
He took some of my books and started walking me to my quarters. "I've fetched you breakfast, its in your room."
"Thanks."
When we reached my room, we unloaded our things on a table and I sat on a chair, keeping the breakfast tray on my lap. He took a seat on my bed and thoughtfully chewed on a piece of fruit.
His wings were gently fluttering and I couldn't stop staring.
"How does it feel to fly?" I asked in a low voice. My wings were ripped before I could do so.
His eyes softened. What happened to me and father was not a secret, everyone knew about it. He suddenly grinned as if he had a great idea.
"What if I show you, instead of describing it?"
I didn't know what to say. "Um, I don't know, I'm a pretty chubby woman, I might be too heavy for you to—"
He groaned dramatically. "Oh, come on. I will be put to shame if I can't carry you!" He stood up. "Finish your breakfast. I'll take you right now."
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Tags:
@kalulakunundrum
@thelov3lybookworm
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Read Part 4 here.
Thank you for all the responses to my previous two parts of the story!
This fanfic can also be found in Wattpad, along with other exclusive parts like playlists and pictures. Here's the link: https://www.wattpad.com/story/358573037-long-way-home
EMPIRE OF THORNS - Chapter 10 - The Calm Before the Curse (on Wattpad) https://www.wattpad.com/1558905305-empire-of-thorns-chapter-10-the-calm-before-the?utm_source=web&utm_medium=tumblr&utm_content=share_reading&wp_uname=Mehruworld Sikander Ali was born with politics in his blood, power in his voice, and wolves at his gate. A rising star and the favored heir of Delhi's most controversial political dynasty, he trusts no one-except Davood, his silent shadow, and his dogs-Goldie and the deadly Tyson. His relationship with his father, Kabir, is strained, his loyalty lies with Khalid, the uncle who once protected him... but harbors darker secrets than anyone knows. Then comes Anmol Rajvansh-an idealistic, stubborn, and sunshine-spirited intern at a prestigious news agency. She dreams of exposing the truth. She also happens to loathe politicians, especially grumpy, arrogant, dog-owning ones like Sikander. Sparks fly-and not the romantic kind. Misunderstandings, betrayals, and secrets threaten to pull them apart. But Delhi has a way of weaving destinies, even when hearts resist. As scandals unravel and alliances shift, the battle isn't just for the Chief Minister's seat-it's for trust, forgiveness, and the chance to fall in love... with your sworn enemy. 💔 Grumpy x Sunshine 🗞️ Journalist x Politician 🐶 Two dogs and one terrified parrot ⚖️ Betrayal | Misunderstanding | Redemption | Hate-to-love | Political drama | Slow burn In a city where loyalty is currency, will love be their greatest gamble?
"Alpha, I know what you are going to say." Roy interrupted him.
"You do?"
"I know that he was my brother's mate, and they didn't announce it publicly because he had trouble accepting it. I am okay with whatever you decide, alpha. He is a traitor."
"Roy," Xavier paused, his gamma had clearly been misled, he wished Roy was around when Sean confessed all of that, so that he didn't have to be the one to break it to him.
"I killed Devon, Roy."
There was absolute silence as Roy digested the information thrown at him.
"What?" he laughed hesitantly.
"I killed him."
"You're supposed to love him," he whispered, his face showing how much pain he was in.
"I was, I didn't though."
"Roy," Xavier stopped him from, arguing any further, "Look at his eyes."
They both turned to look at Sean, Xavier continued, "There isn't much time until he completely loses his human nature and turns into a feral rogue, half of his emotions and what you're saying doesn't make sense to him now."
"Can I be excused?" Roy didn't wait for Xavier to answer, he walked out of the cell and while he was leaving the dungeon, he mind linked his alpha, asking him to give justice to his brother.
"I know, Alpha, you will kill me. But there is something I should let you know. I am not the only traitor here. Are you sure you can trust everyone? Betrayal is gonna hit you so close to home..." he smirked. Sean turned to look at Selena and winked at her. Selena covered the surprised look and didn't give him any reaction. Xavier didn't miss it.
The sound of the first bullet being fired didn't register to Sean, not until he felt the pain flooding his body, then the second on his stomach, and he third one, right on his heart. He was still not dead, gasping for breath, trying to get all the oxygen he could get when Xavier stood in front of him.
"If I wasn't taught control, and if I didn't know that your mother and brother are good people, I would have tortured you. You certainly would have deserved it."
Xavier had dealt with the situation maturely, his father had told him that. Sean didn't deserve mercy, but his family didn't need to have it any worse.
However, the damage that Sean and his partners intended was already done. Xavier didn't get the wink out of his mind, and he didn't forget how Selena didn't look surprised. His wolf called it bluff, but the 'what if's had already started haunting Xavier.
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I’m not one to self promote but I am so sick of seeing fanfics of soap operas that feed into the patriarchal bullshit that we as a youth are struggling from every day being called peak romance when all they do is glorify toxic relationships, even going as far as romanticizing marital r*pe, but part of the problem is the amount of people who actually enjoy reading them. It truly baffles me. If there are any people who are into Indian historical period dramas, folk lores, mythology or even YA and would like to see some queer representation with characters who belong to different cultures and would be kind enough to be willing to help me grow as a fic writer, my wattpad is @ Anjali_Dedha Come say hi. I am not perfect but I try not to write things that will make someones butthole clench in disgust. PEACE!
The insights of #ILMMBD.Keep reading and supporting the book. Link in bio 🔗. Liam Payne is a bad boy of the school along with his friends Zayn, Louis, Taylor and Justin. One day suddenly he meets a bitch who could really get along with him and annoy his ass who is none other than Cheryl Cole. They both share a past which is surely gonna change their lives. Because they fall for each other and there's the turning point! #wattpad #ILMBD #wattpadstories #wattpadindia #teenfiction (at Fiction) https://www.instagram.com/p/BsPRrqBFhwo/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=e6wqtxrqqndl
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Kashi aur abhay ki ek prem kahani
Dil-e-bekara
coming stories name-
love is just a game
Meera;the one day bride
her replaced groom
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