Hey, so I left this longer than I meant to but it's here now! Thanks again for everyone being super nice and understanding about updates, I love you all. Yeah sorry some of the events (like starfall) got moved around but I couldn't see how else to put it in earlier and I like how it fits in here. Thanks as well for the comments about Mor and her orientation, that scene made me so nervous to write because I wanted to do it well but also knew there was no way I couldn't include it. xx

Feyre heard from her small room when the hired band started playing and the soft murmurings of people as they walked down the hallway to the ballroom.

She was anxiously clenching and unclenching her fists as she waited nervously for Mor to return. There had been an issue with a seafood dish that Mor had deemed a catastrophe and had gone to investigate, leaving Feyre to wait alone. She kept checking her phone by the minute, hoping to see a text that Mor was on her way back. Feyre really didn't want to have to enter the gala on her own.

Half an hour had passed and Feyre could now hear the party in full swing just a few rooms away. The sounds of people laughing and tinkling of glasses as people drank.

Where was Mor?

Just as Feyre was about to call her, her phone lit up with a text from Rhys. 'Everything okay?' He asked.

'Mor told me to wait for her.' Feyre responded, not wanting to admit that she just didn't want to go alone.

A few minutes passed before Rhys sent her another text. 'Mor's here with us. She said to just come out now because she'll still be a while.'

Taking a deep breath Feyre looked herself over in the mirror one last time. She glared at herself, willing her shoulders not to cave in slightly, for her neck to stand tall, and her face to be held high. She would not let fear, or her past, dictate how people would treat her tonight.

'Okay. Coming now.' Feyre quickly texted Rhys before stepping into the hallway.

Cassian had been slumped at a table, his hand under his jaw as he watched with amusement as Nesta and Azriel awkwardly stood near the buffet table together. Nesta was glaring at anyone who looked her way, as Azriel held a small plate of food he was picking at but not eating in an effort to keep himself occupied.

Cassian snorted in amusement at how miserable Azriel looked, despite him easily being one of the friendliest and most approachable one of their friends. Nesta had that effect on people. For people that weren't Cassian that is.

Putting on his best mischievous grin, Cassian thought he should go and relieve his brother from his obvious discomfort.

"Az, Rhys wants to see you." Cassian said, sauntering over.

Azriel looked visibly relieved, disappearing so fast he nearly forgot his unwavering manners, quickly nodding to Nesta as he left.

"What do you want?" Nesta asked icily.

"I'm actually just here for the food." Cassian said dismissing her entirely, as he grabbed a plate and started piling up food. "Nice dress." He added, eyeing up her dark blue gown.

Nesta absentmindedly plucked at the fabric. "Feyre picked it out for me."

"It suits you."

Nesta glanced at him suspiciously. "You're being nice?"

"I'm often nice, to people who are nice to me that is."

Nesta snorted. "Your friends would say otherwise."

"They only say it with love." Cassian paused, "What do your friends say about you Nesta?"

Nesta's face turned bright red. "I'm done talking to you." She said, turning to leave.

But Cassian gripped her wrist tightly to stop her, but not enough to hurt. "I know that Amren thinks you're incredibly smart. Mor admires your ferocity. Azriel thinks when you're not frowning you have quiet a lovely smile. And Rhys respects you. These are your friends Nesta. They care about you, why do you push them away?"

Nesta stared back defiantly at Cassian. Ignoring his question entirely as she stared him down, "And what do you think of me?"

Cassian opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly closed it. He turned his face away, letting go of her wrist. "… Enjoy the gala." He muttered before turning his back.

Elain had been sitting at a table with Amren, who only slightly terrified her, and Rhysand, who Elain couldn't stop herself from staring at. He was in a black suit with gold trim, the details so fine and exquisite Elain had to refrain from asking where he bought it.

He looked tense. His gaze constantly roving the hall searching for someone. Feyre. Elain immediately thought. She hadn't seen her youngest sister all night.

People were in constant revolvement of their table with many richly dressed men and women approaching Rhys to shake hands and talk quietly with him. Rhys happily introduced Elain to them who gushed over Elain's dress and hair, which she had entwined various flowers into. But Elain could tell Rhys was distracted.

"Should I go and check on her?" Elain asked.

"Feyre's fine, she'll be here soon." Amren interrupted coolly.

Rhys looked down once more at his phone in response. "She should be here by now." He said quietly.

But Elain was interrupted from answering by the shadow of a man standing over here. When she looked up she smiled sweetly into the face of Lucien.

"Lucien! You look great, you even brushed your hair." She joked.

Lucien self consciously smoothed down his long, tied back hair.

"I still think you should have let Elain braid it." Amren teased.

Lucien's face turned pink in embarrassment.

Just then the band picked up a fast beat that Elain recognised. She jumped to her feet, startling Lucien. "Come dance with me!" She squealed excitedly, pulling Lucien along by the hand.

Lucien looked back at Rhys for help, but Rhys only laughed and shrugged, urging him to follow Elain.

"Those two are… odd." Amren drawled from her chair, watching the two with feigned disinterest.

"Feyre thinks so too. I don't know what to do about it though." Rhys replied.

"Don't do anything. Let it run its course and see if it works out." Amren shrugged.

When Rhys again checked his phone Amren sighed in disgust. "Oh stop you're worrying, there she is."

Rhys looked up in time to see the great double doors opening and a small figure he would recognise anywhere, slip through. She tried to remain unspotted but as she approached the staircase to descend, the lighting hit her and audible gasps rose from the room.

From a dark corner Cassian had been watching Nesta as she slowly moved around the room. She must have been searching for Feyre or Elain, just for someone to talk to.

Well Cassian was done trying to talk and be nice to her. For tonight at least. The gala was full of plenty of interesting people that he would occupy himself with instead.

Just as Cassian got up to find an old friend, he noticed Nesta's head whipping to the doors as they opened. Her mouth dropped open in surprise as she took in whoever had just walked in.

Cassian followed her line of vision and saw Feyre enter shyly, wearing a dress that Cassian knew only Rhys could have found for her. He found himself smiling at the sight.

Elain was leading Lucien around the dance floor, trying to loosen him up from his stiff and proper demeanour. His hand was holding hers loosely and his other hand was resting high on her back in-between her shoulder blades.

"Come on Lucien! Stop watching your feet and dance with me properly." She teased.

Lucien slowly raised his eyes to hers, his cheeks turning pink again as she smiled encouragingly at him. His mouth opened to say something to her but Elain stopped moving, looking at something over his shoulder.

Lucien's heart sank. His request to take a walk with her outside in the garden forgotten on his lips as Elain dropped his hand.

Lucien turned to see what she was staring at and was shocked to see Feyre entering the ballroom, looking more beautiful and happy than he had ever seen her with Tamlin, even if her smile was slightly tinged with fear as she beheld the packed room of people.

Rhys lost his breath as he saw Feyre practically glowing in her dress, light bouncing off her and shimmering as she took a hesitant step down.

People cupped their hands to their mouths as they began whispering. Rhys heard words ricocheting around the hall, convinced they were all just as stunned as himself. Until he caught words like "Tamlin", and "gold digger".

Feyre must have heard them as well as her foot halted on the second step, hovering in place with a look of fear on her lovely face. Her eyes darted around the room quickly and the hand holding up the train of her dress trembled slightly.

Rhys stood slowly from the table. He began politely sidling past people, resisting the urge to push people out of the way in his need to get to Feyre. To show her he was there. That she could do this. That what the others thought didn't matter.

Eventually people saw him coming and started to part for him, making his process much quicker. As a ripple effect took part in the crowd, Feyre looked up, searching for the source of the disturbance.

When she finally found Rhys, their eyes met for just a second, Rhys accidentally stepping on someone's toe as he forgot to look where he was going.

Feyre's foot connected with the second step.

When Rhys reached the bottom of the stairs, he looked up at her and to Feyre's obvious surprise, he bowed at the waist, glancing up quickly to wink and offer her a challenging smile.

Somewhere from within the crowd Cassian wolf whistled, and Feyre had to stifle a laugh, moving down to the third step.

Seeing that Feyre was moving, Rhys straightened. Close enough now to properly see Feyre, as if from a distance he had only been looking at her through a frosted window. Now he could take in all of her beauty at once. His eyes raked up and down her body once, twice. Stopping to look at her face, her hair, not missing a single bit of detail.

Feyre blushed furiously under his stare. And suddenly it was if no one else in the room was there at all. She reached the bottom of the stairs, stopping before Rhys, who offered her his arm immediately.

Feyre slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow and allowed Rhys to escort her through the crowd, staring down those who looked at them too critically, and warmly smiling at those who also smiled at them.

He pulled her onto the dance floor as a new song was beginning by the band.

"I thought we both knew that I can't dance." Feyre joked in his ear, remembering their drunken night out.

"Luckily, I am a good enough dancer for both of us." Rhys laughed back. "You look lovely by the way." He added, running another appreciative glance over her.

"Thanks for the dress."

"It was nothing. Although I doubt Mor will ever forgive me."

"She was not impressed that you hid it from her." Feyre laughed.

"She doesn't look too mad right now." Rhys said, indicating with his head a column that Mor was watching them from, her hands clasped together tightly as she smiled softly at them.

"Is that Elain dancing with Lucien?" Feyre asked in shock, noticing the two nearby.

"She dragged him off right before you arrived."

"Lucien looks so stiff he could be a statue." Feyre giggled staring at his rigid form.

"I don't think Lucien is used to dancing with pretty girls." Rhys smiled down at her.

"Unlike you?" Feyre asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I thought I was used to it. Until tonight and I realised I'd never had the chance to dance with you."

Feyre took a step closer to Rhys as his hand on her back simultaneously pulled her towards him.

"How has Nesta been tonight?" Feyre almost hated to ask, stopping Rhys from where he was beginning to lower is face to hers.

Rhys growled roughly in the back of his throat. "I'd much rather talk about you right now." He said leaning in again.

But Feyre's hand gripped his tightly, to the point of nearly breaking the skin on his palm. "Everyone's staring Rhys."

Rhys took in her tense face. The way her eyes were constantly flitting to the watching crowd around them.

Rhys stopped moving, cupping her face with both of his hands. "I love you Feyre. And I don't give a damn what these people think. If I get a chance to show people how much I love you, I'll do it every time. If you think-"

Feyre cut Rhys off smoothly by raising herself on her toes to kiss him roughly. Ignoring the murmurs around them, she threw her arms around his neck as Rhys practically lifted her off her feet in his eagerness to return her kiss.

When Rhys bunched his hands in her hair, Feyre broke off the kiss smiling at him. "Mor spent at least on hour doing my hair, you'd better not wreck it." She laughed.

"I promise not to ruin your hair darling." Rhys whispered to her, leaning in once more.

"They're disgusting aren't they?" Amren said to Cassian who had joined her at her lone table.

Cassian looked again at Rhys and Feyre kissing in the middle of the room. "You're happy for them. Your foot's tapping, and you only do that when you're happy." Cassian pointed out.

"Only because they were both so stubborn I thought it'd never happen. Just like a certain other couple I know." She said dangerously.

"Amren you'll have to be a little more specific." Cassian rolled his eyes.

"I saw you talking to Nesta earlier." Amren said with glittering eyes.

"Yeah and look how well that worked out. Nesta wants nothing to do with us."

"You mean you?"

"Yeah, me too." Cassian sighed.

"Look's like your luck's about to change." Amren mused to herself.

Cassian looked up to ask what she meant when he saw Nesta bee lining for them. She stopped shy of their table, a foul mood practically rolling off her.

Cassian ignored her, not wanting to get into yet another fight. So nothing surprised him more than when Nesta spoke to him a single word, "Sorry."

"What?" Cassian sputtered.

"I said I'm sorry. I was unnecessarily cruel tonight." Nesta said, looking obviously uncomfortable.

"Just tonight?" Cassian asked with a grin.

"Don't push it."

"I'll only accept your apology on one condition." Cassian said wickedly.

Nesta eyed him up uneasily. "What condition?"

"You dance with me."

"Absolutely not."

"Come on Nes. We can't let Elain and Lucien of all people show us up." He said getting to his feet.

"Don't call me tha-" Nesta was cut off as Cassian pulled her by the arm to dance, Amren shaking her head in amusement at them.

Throughout the night Feyre drank and happily danced with Rhys, as well as Cassian when he asked to switch partners. Rhys had looked at her in fear as Cassian twirled Nesta towards him while Cassian reached for Feyre.

Feyre had laughed with Cassian as Rhys attempted to dance with Nesta who obviously was uncomfortable.

At one point Feyre noticed Mor talking to a pretty girl at the back of the room, the two laughing together.

Whenever Rhys let Feyre sit down to rest her already sore feet, they were constantly hounded by friends of Rhys who wished to be introduced. Out of all the people she met, one of her favourites was a tall, dark man who introduced himself as Tarquin when Rhys was busy talking to others.

He had kissed her hand formally and told her how stunning she looked, all within earshot of Rhys who appraised Tarquin with surprise. Feyre later learned that Rhys hadn't known the man that well but he was known to them and Rhys had been trying to schedule a meeting with him for months. He was both surprised and annoyed that he seemed to have taken such an interest in Feyre.

Later on Feyre was introduced to old friends of Rhys, Helion and Kallias. Kallias was friendly but was distracted from their conversation as he was always searching the crowd for the beautiful woman he had arrived with.

"I see why you've kept her hidden from us for so long Rhys, she is exquisite." Helion said after he had introduced himself to Feyre.

"Can you blame me, when everyone knows what a shameless flirt you are Helion." Rhys said, warmly shaking his friend's hand.

"Is this who you learnt it from?" Feyre asked Rhys, bumping his hip slightly.

Helion laughed while promising he would come visit for dinner more as he was intrigued by Feyre.

It wasn't long before Feyre had relaxed and begun to really enjoy herself.

Towards the end of the night Rhys took to the band stage to thank everyone for attending, as well as donating throughout the night. So much money had been raised that he now thought they stood a chance of being able to buy the land back from Hybern, allowing them all to keep their properties.

This news was met with cheers and loud clapping as Rhys lowered his head in thanks, before leaving the stage.

Rhys rejoined the small circle of his friends smiling at them all happily.

Feyre saw from the corner of her eye the front door opening and a man enter. She didn't recognise him but he had the dark hair and tanned skin of an Illyrian as he scanned the room, stopping when he saw Rhys.

He pushed people aside roughly until he had reached them, pulling Rhys aside to speak quietly with him. Feyre's heart stopped as she saw Rhys start shaking his head in disbelief, hands covering his face in what looked like grief.

Feyre was at his side in an instant. Their friends watching on anxiously. She reached out to grip his shoulder to get him to look at her. "What is it?"

When Rhys looked up his face was so angry, so on the brink of exploding with rage, that Feyre took an involuntary step back. At that Rhys's eyes widened as he read what Feyre was seeing, or rather comparing him with, and he immediately schooled his features into something much calmer.

Looking at his friends he steeled himself to tell them the news he had just received. "We're too late. Hybern has already blocked off the neighbourhood and has a team of bulldozers set up."