𝒜 𝒞𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝑅𝑒𝓈𝒾𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒮𝒸𝒶𝓇𝓈 | ᴀᴢʀɪᴇʟ

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Feyre strode down the hall in the House of Wind, a velvet emerald dress hugging the cinch of her waist. Her slim fingers stroked through her golden hair, fixing the slight disarray that Rhys had caused when he decided to do revolutions in the sky as they flew up from the town house. In her other hand was a book written on the first war with Hybern. She had longed to know more about her new home's history but didn't wish to ask her mate to relive that part of his life in such detail so she had asked Cassian if he knew of any history books since he had already shown to be fond of books on battle.

She could still hear the chiming laughter of Rhysand and Mor down in the main sitting room as they gathered before an evening meal as a proper family once more. It had been too long since she's had this part of her life back since leaving for the Spring Court.

Feyre knocked on Cassian's door with the bone of her knuckles.

"I swear I'm almost ready!" reverberated from the inside. Chuckling, Feyre opened the door to the General Commander's luxurious bedroom. It was always remarkably neat, though not as neat as Rhysand's. Cassian was indeed almost ready, donning a pair of clean black trousers with numerous pockets and a long-sleeved shirt in a matching shade of black. He double-looked at his High Lady. "Feyre," he greeted. "Am I that late that he sent you down here to get me like a dog?"

"No, Azriel and Amren haven't made an appearance yet," she said with a warm smile. "I actually came to return this." She held up the cover of the book and he made a face of recognition. "It was...informative."

Cassian understood what she meant and offered a tight smile as he took the book. "Let's hope we don't have to relive it again." Her smile tightened in response. He placed the book on a shelf, trailing his finger along the dark, polished wood. "Are your sisters coming tonight?"

Feyre tipped her head knowingly. "No, Nesta won't be there. She's locked herself up with Elain for the night. Elain doesn't want to come for... a few reasons but mainly to avoid Lucien. Lucien isn't coming either though."

"Didn't know we bothered inviting him," he jibed through a grin. Feyre twisted her lips in a playful reprimand of warning. Cassian's shoulders shook as he crossed them over his chest. His eyes drifted down over the shelves that had an open backing, not quite making it a bookshelf though he used it mostly as so. There were other trinkets, mostly odd gifts from hundreds of years' worth of celebrating. When he landed on the small chest near his feet, he looked back up to Feyre. He gestured for her to come closer.

Feyre lifted her brows but wandered further into his room as he crouched down and flipped the metal lock of the chest open. It looked untouched; one of the only things with evidence of dust in the entire chamber. He pulled out a wide piece of rolled parchment, sealed in place by its own permanence of being bent for so long. "You reminded me of this. I'll admit I had to search for a while to remember where I put it but—but this is a painting of Arwen." Feyre's eyes widened as she flickered them between her companion and the scroll as he unravelled it. "Rhys took any down that had her in them. Stored them somewhere and never told us where but I managed to steal this one before he took it."

It was a simple portrait, with a background the looked like it was somewhere in one of the sitting rooms of the House of Wind or the town house. The first thing that Feyre truly took notice in were the girl's eyes. Such a deep, rich shade of blue that they were a glistening mirror of Rhysand's. Everything about her was; from the eyes, to raven hair, the tanned skin and the slight uplift of her full lips that resembled something between a smirk and a smile. The young female sat formally, with set shoulders and her chin lifted and sitting on her forehead was a golden circlet with a slight point that dipped just above the middle of her dark brows. No doubt an official portrait of some kind. "She's beautiful."