AN: This is totally cannon divergence and is loosely based off SJM character and story. This is something I wanted to explore and I hope you all enjoy!
Chapter One
ROOFTOPS
I closed my eyes. My chest even and breath slow. "Don't just see the city Lyra, feel it." That is what father said. I begin to imagine my daemati slipping silently through the minds of my people, my violet mist swiftly searching for those who do not belong. I was always astonished with my Daemati, the ways in which I could creep into peoples minds, see their dreams, their nightmares. However, it what intrigued me the most was the way in which I was able to become one with them. I decided very early on that I would never use my Daemati to invade someone's mind, but I would use it as a bystander in their mind. A simple observer. By doing this, I am able to smell the fresh baked bread from my mother's favourite corner store near the art district. I could feel the fresh mowed grass against my feet at the meadow near one of the smaller libraries that Auntie Gywn so often visited. Again, my father's words echo in my mind, "Feel what they feel, see what they see…then you are one with Velaris." Joy. Safety. Content. Busy. Mourning. That is what I feel throughout the city. Nothing more, nothing less.
"Lyra!"
I steady my focus. I must tune out the outside in order to scan properly.
"Gods, Lyra!"
Focus.
"For Cauldrons sake…L-Y-R-A!"
"WHAT?!" I turn to see my brother standing on the street below.
"You know what father said about standing on stranger's roofs…"
"It's the only way I can get a clear vantage." I complain.
Placing his hands on his hips he sighs, "You can find another way."
"I am not as good at flying as you, plus I need total focus."
"Then it is for that reason you should practice."
I look him over, "You know how I feel about my wings."
"Your wings work perfectly fine."
"But they are…"
"…perfectly fine for flying."
I stare at him annoyingly, growing tiresome of our usual argument about my misfotrunes. "What is it you rudely interrupted me for?"
He turns and heads towards the bridge leading to the river. "Get down. Father needs us."
THE OFFICE
"A rooftop…really Lyra?"
I turn to Nyx as we enter our father's office, "Snitch"
"I too am gifted with Daemati…and I pay special attention to those who mean the most to me." My father stated. "Although it makes it much easier when your brother informs me of your 'rooftopping'…"
"Ugh! You dirty little snitch!"
Nyx Chuckled, "You're lucky I didn't tell Auntie Nesta, she probably would have made you run the stairs at the House of Wind."
"Twice." Rhysand said with a laugh.
I stared at them both, "I hate how alike both of you are."
My father stood and walked around his desk, embracing me. He leaned his forehead against mine, "You are my life…"
I stared into the eyes that so closely matched mine, "…bound by blood and forged by fate."
He smiled and leaned back against the front of his desk. Behind, hung a portrait of starfall crafted with four dark silhouettes looking upon the celebration. My mother gifted it to my father when I was still in the womb, as a revealing gift for her pregnancy. Nyx told me father was so elated he dropped to his knees and cried at my mother's feet, gathering her legs in his arms and Father tells me Nyx nearly drowned in his tears when they told him of my conception.
I have faint memories of her whispering to me when I was still in her belly. "Your brother and father have been patiently waiting for you, so please come home safely." She would say and I would feel a warm loving heat encircle me. I came not to long after, a healthy baby to two overjoyed parents and an adoring brother. Now at the ripe age of 30, although still young, I was fully grown and was given several gifts from the cauldron, passed from my parents.
"No wings…?" Uncle Cassian had once said. Nyx smiled upon me as I lay in my crib, "She just doesn't want to show you them yet."
"A daemati…" Amren said in amazement, when I was three and accidently slipping into the minds of the inner circle. "It feels different than yours Rhys."
"I've never seen a fae winnow such a distance at this age, let alone as fully matured." Lucien had said after bringing me back from an accidental winnow to the Summer court when I was five.
I had matured further, with battle skills worthy of even taking Uncle Cassian down. Auntie Mor even stated that I would soon surpass both my brother and father. Though Nyx had his gifts too…
"What is it you summoned us here for?" Asked Nyx.
"Can a father not summon his children?"
"Not when we have other things to do." I said as I plopped my ass on one of the suede chairs.
Nyx took in our father and rolled his eyes. "And where is mom?"
Rhysand looked down at his feet, "She's mad at me…"
Nyx sighed, "What'd you do?" This was one of his many gifts. The peacemaker. The agreement creator. The seer of compromise. He will be a great High Lord.
Our father blew out a large breath and stared at the ceiling, "I may have mentioned the Rite to your mother…"
I looked up in surprise, "You'll let us take it?"
My father glanced at Nyx and then to me, "Not 'us', but your brother."
"What?"
"You are still too young."
I stared angrily at him, "I am one of the best warriors in the Night Court! Even Uncle Cassin says so!"
"He isn't saying you're not capable Lyra. He is saying it is not your time yet." Nyx said carefully. "The illyrian's need to see an heir go through the Rite before they even think to accept our family."
I stared both of them down, "I am an heir thought!"
"You know what I mean Lyra."
"But I am ready…and we could do it together, just like Father did with Cassian and Azriel." My father flinched at the mention of Azriel. "Plus you know how strong we are together Nyx!"
"Lyra, you understand that putting you in the Rite wouldn't help us in other ways, don't you? It pains me to say, but you are a female…"
I shot up, fire running through my veins, "And what does that have to do with anything…I never took you for prick Nyx." I regretted it as soon as it came out. Nyx was everything but a prick. He was loyal, intelligent, and compassionate. Not only was he a first class warrior, but he pledged his life to aiding others.
He paused, looking sadly at me. "This doesn't come easy Lyra. You know how the Illyrians think of females, let alone you – the half-breed's offspring. I am not accepted up there…Even the Valkyrie have issues up there and most of the train there every other day now."
"I could change their perspective, maybe they need a female heir to show..."
His eyes went dark, "You think so little of the Valkyrie? You think that over the last 86 years Auntie Nesta hasn't been fighting for female warriors? Gods, you've never even been to the war camps Lyra! You are a complete stranger to them."
"And whose fault is that!" I pointed to my father, who seemed to be conveniently quiet.
Nyx scowled, "Don't point fingers at those who are trying to protect you. They are backwards and we can only imagine what they would try to do to you on the mountain. You've heard what Emerie has said about the males up there."
Of course he would bring Emerie up, his long-standing crush on her is almost vomit inducing.
"Enough."
We both looked over to our father, he was standing a little taller than before. It only took a second, but I felt him push his High Lord energy towards us. It was hard to disobey him when he used it on us and rarely did he, "Nyx is to participate in the Rite this year. Lyra you will wait until I say you are ready. Is that understood?"
We both stood to face him, bowing our heads slightly, "Yes father."
THE GARDENS
"Unbelievable!" I glowered, as I re-told the events of this morning to Auntie Elain.
"Calm yourself, you'll scare my flowers." She said softly.
I turned to look at the peach irises in full bloom, "Sorry. Even Nyx was up in arms about it."
She smiled at me, handing me a mister, "They just want what's best for you…"
I began misting the flowers and their leaves, "What right do they have to tell me what is best for me?"
"Not too much." she said, urging me to move along the flowerbed.
"I am the daughter of the strongest High Lord and the Cursebreaker…I have every right to be there."
Elain's lips tightened, "It is for that reason that maybe you should not be there…"
Shifting my gaze to my aunt, I saw her deep in thought, eyeing a small batch of peonies. "Let your Aunt gather her thoughts when she 'sees'", my mother would say when I would complain about Aunt Elain's silent spells.
"You have been born into privilege and though, you have every right to make your own mind, that privilege comes with consequence. It comes with duty. You are one of the heirs to the Night Court and you do not get to use the gifts that have been blessed upon you to gain access to things that you want for yourself and otherwise wouldn't even dream of should you have been born a simple Female. You are the princess of the Court of Dreamers and therefore, you are not exempt from those responsibilities, to those sacrifices for your people." She paused and looked at me lovingly, "You are a great warrior my Lyra, but you will be an even better successor to the High Lady of the Night Court when your time comes, but you need to be patient. To endure."
"What if I don't want to be the High Lady?" I asked quietly.
Elain paused and looked at me carefully. "You say High Lady like it is static. Oh, my Lyra…A High Lady can be many things..."
I returned my focus back on to the irises. "He won't even let me go up to the camps…I feel like the least he could do is let me go there…"
"A compromise can always be made." She said slyly.
THE DINING ROOM
"He's too young Rhys."
"He is older than I was when I did it."
"You were different Rhys, you grew up in a camp."
"Which is why I have made him wait this long…Feyre, Nyx is nearly 85 years old now…it is his time."
"He is our son…" she whispered.
"I would not be sending him in unless I knew completely that he was ready. He is just as precious to me as he is to you."
I could hear the hurt in my mother's voice, "You know that's not what I was implying."
Before my father could reply I stepped into the dining room, making my presence known. For the rest of the afternoon, I spent my time amongst the gardens my Aunt so tediously looked after. After my complaining, we spent little time on the subject and instead mainly worked in silence. That was one of Aunt Elain's gifts – a gift my mother said was given to her as a human – to say something of merit and then let you stew in it until you made your mind.
My mother and Father were standing at the head of the table, nearest to the floor to ceiling windows that opened up to the river landscape behind the house.
"The rite isn't for another few weeks…" I looked at my mother and smiled sheepishly – a smile that I've seen my father give her so many times whilst growing up – "…I will train with him. I have surpassed Uncle Cassian and Auntie Mor. It's even rumoured I'm better than father now."
My mother glanced my way and gave a worried smile, "Lyra…"
"I promise to make sure he is ready." I stated boldly, looking deep into her blue eyes. "He is my life…"
"…Bound by blood and forged by fate." Nyx finished, standing tall at my side.
Our parents looked us over, love and pride ran down our family bond.
Feyre looked from Nyx to Rhysand, "Okay."
He smiled lovingly at her, exchanging a silent conversation in their minds, beckoning a hopeful smile.
"I think Lyra should join me in Windhaven while we train." Nyx said abruptly.
I whipped my head around in surprise. Peacemaker.
"I think she should join me to train until the Rite. It will be good practice for her to train and they will see how good she is…even if she doesn't do the Rite yet."
"Is that so…" Our mother said inquisitively.
"No." My father replied, "Absolutely fucking not."
Elain glided into the room, "I think that's a splendid idea! It's about time she goes up there."
Rhysand glared at my aunt, "No. Fucking. Way."
"Father…"
"If you want to train, I will send you over to Helion."
Nyx sighed, "You've already done that. She will come with me."
My brother rarely disagreed with my father and even more rarely stood his ground on these disagreements.
"I want to go father. You won't allow me into the Rite, at least let me have this...call it a compromise if you will."
My mother took her seat beside Elain, "You will stay at the House of Wind with Your Aunt Nesta. You will not be permitted to stay in the camp unless for training reasons or unless you are with an escort. Is that understood?"
My father looked at my mother in disbelief, "You're joking…you know what they would do to her."
Nyx took the seat across from my mother, "Uncle Cass will be there too…and I bet Aunt Nesta will send for some Valkyrie to watch over her too."
"Emerie will also be present." Elain chimed in, grinning at Nyx.
Blush crept up his neck and to his ears, "That is also true."
My mother started pouring the wine that magically appeared on the table. "There really is no debate Rhys, Lyra has every right to go up there. She may take my seat one day and the Illyrians won't accept her if they don't know her."
My father exhaled, his violet eyes meeting mine. Is this truly what you want? He whispered in my mind.
With my head and my heart.
He smiled gently, "As you wish then."
