Previously on "A Court of Fear and Ice"

With Rian's help, Lexi arrives in the City of Starlight and is taken to the House of Wind. There, she meets Cassian and Nesta, Conri's parents, and learns that Cassian is a rather bad poet.

Chapter 15

Standing on a balcony and looking at the city beneath me, I was still wondering how it was possible to be in the most important place for Rhysand and Feyre. The place that was hidden for so many years under his spell and later withstood the attack of Hybern's army. The place that was a refuge and then home for lots of fairies, who lived there in peace and prosperity.

Inhaling deeply, I smelt the salty and lemony breeze that was now moving my hair. God, I was so freaking happy I could be here and see all of it. To witness the beauty of the city and its people. Fairies, I reminded myself and suddenly started feeling cold as the wind blew again. Well, my clothes weren't the perfect outfit for early spring, as I asked the girls about the season, so I went inside and wrapped my arms around me, trying to get warm.

The room I was sharing with Meleri and Cerys was quite small, in contrast to my little kidnapper's huge bright bedroom in the residence. It had high dark walls, a beautiful chandelier hanging from the ceiling and three big windows overlooking the city. There were also three identical beds and a stone grey living room set where Cerys was now sitting.

"The city is absolutely breathtaking," I said, taking a seat opposite her. "I knew it would be incredible but seeing it with my own eyes… Just wow."

Cerys smiled. "I'm glad to hear it. Even after so many years, I still consider Velaris the most beautiful city in Prythian. I love spending time here."

"So is it still hard to get here?" I asked. "I remember the city was hidden and even the redheaded bitch couldn't find it."

"Well, yes, it is hard to get here but more and more fairies are coming to stay here. We love visitors, though." She flashed me a smile.

"To be honest, I didn't think you would show me your precious city," I admitted, setting my eyes upon the view behind the window. "And I do appreciate the gesture." I looked at her and smiled slightly.

She shrugged. "Don't mention it. I'm happy you like it here. The City of Starlight welcomes everyone – young and old, female and male. It's like a safe haven. Maybe someday I will make Velaris my home forever and never leave."

"Great idea." I tucked my feet beneath me. "Where would you like to live? Here, in the House of Wind? Or in one of the townhouses?"

"I haven't decided yet. But I would have to fight with one of my siblings over living here," she said and made a wry face. "My eldest brother, as the rightful heir, is the Prince of Velaris."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course he is."

She laughed. "You're not really fond of him, are you?" When I shrugged, she added, "He's not that bad. Sure, he can sometimes act like an arsehole, but for me he has been the best eldest brother I could have ever dreamt of. He's been supporting me and looking after me since the day I was born. I'd be always there for him, just as he has been for me."

"You're a good sister, you know," I said, smiling. "I wish my two younger sisters could say the same about me. I do love them but sometimes they can be like two pains in the arse." I sighed.

"I know what you're talking about." She giggled. "It's really hard to be a good sister. Especially when one of your siblings is going to do something really stupid and there is no way you can stop it." She frowned and bit her lip. "Just like Rian."

"I'm guessing you're talking about his future marriage," I replied.

She nodded.

"What is she like?" I asked.

"Eirwen is practically the same age as Rian so I've known her my whole life," she said. "We've never been friends because she had her two cousins, and I had Ciaran. We've never spent a lot of time together, too. Sure, we met at parties our parents hosted over the years, and visited each other if our courts extended such invitations, but it was never a friendship. An acquaintance, yes, but not a friendship."

"I see. And what about her relationship with Rian?" I asked, suddenly curious. "Just friends?"

Cerys whispered, "Well, there were rumours they had a thing years ago but it ended back then. I was too young to pay heed to it but from what I've learned they spent some time together." She was silent for a second and then added quietly, "In bed."

"Oh, really?" I raised my brows. So the handsome muppet was going to marry his old flame? Interesting. "Is she the one Rian was in love with?" I asked.

Cerys narrowed her eyes slightly and gave me a look. "I'm sorry, but how would you know that?"

Knowing that my cheeks were warm and red, I peered down at my hands. "Meleri just mentioned it the other day. She didn't tell me much about that."

"Good," Cerys said softly and I looked at her. "Let it stay that way, Lexi." And then she smiled slightly but it wasn't a nice smile I had recently seen on her face. No, this one was strained and full of unspoken warnings to back off from this story. "Sometimes it's better to stay away from others' business, don't you think?" she asked.

Did I go too far?, I thought, feeling uneasy. In that moment, I came to realise that I had to cease treating them as imaginary beings and start seeing them as real people. Whom there were, I reminded myself, watching Cerys. As much as I wanted to know everything about them, I didn't mean to pry into their lives, book characters or not.

"I suppose so," I muttered.

"Excellent. I'm sure you don't want to make a bad impression and then leave our court, do you?" When I shook my head several times, she said, "I'm glad we agree on that one. Should I bring you some refreshments, Lexi?"

I sighed inwardly. "Yes, please."

"Then I'll get you something." Cerys flashed me a smile and then left the room, not asking me to join her.

When the door closed behind her, I covered my face with a hand and whispered, "Shit. Me and my big mouth."

###

When Cerys didn't come back after ten minutes, or at least it seemed so as checking the time was now impossible, I began to worry. At first, all I could think about were unpleasant yet quite harmless scenarios involving a hopping mad Rian who would charge into the room and give me a lecture about minding my own business. Or a furious Rhysand who would do the same thing and then kick me out of his house.

But the real fun was about to start because, in my mind, I saw all the horrible things they were going to do to me – beginning with locking me in the Court of Nightmares and never letting me go, completely wiping my memory and making me believe I was someone else, and ending with smoking me with just a thought after endless tortures.

Mentally exhausted, I was now lying on the bed, staring mindlessly at the ceiling. Suddenly, an image of burning people flashed before my eyes. It seemed so real that I was truly afraid of it and felt my heart racing. I've watched too many films, I thought, feeling a shiver ran up my spine. Then I groaned in despair when more horrible things came to my mind. "Good God," I said, covering my eyes, "I'm going to die."

"So are we all," a male voice cut in and I turned my head left. I was so preoccupied with the possible tortures I could get that I hadn't heard the door open.

Dressed in a midnight blue shirt and dark trousers, Rian walked into the room, leaving the door open, and came to a stop in front of the bed I was lying on. "Why didn't you get changed?" he asked, crossing his arms on his chest. "The dinner will begin in fifteen minutes and you're still not ready."

"What dinner?" I asked and sat up.

He frowned. "The one that will start in fifteen minutes?"

I rolled my eyes. "I've never heard of such a dinner."

"Oh, they're really nice and usually start in fifteen minutes," he added angrily, still frowning and crossing his arms. "I was sent to retrieve you as quickly as possible and show you to the dining room. So here I am." Rian smiled slightly, fixing his eyes on my clothes. "And you're not even ready."

I stood up, putting my feet on the floor and trying not to remind myself of all the thoughts I had earlier. Of all the tortures I had envisioned, done by his hand. I'll stop watching such films and series, I promised myself. I must stop doing it.

"What's wrong?" he asked, suddenly wary. "Are you hurt?" He approached me and peered into my face, leaning close.

It was my turn to frown. "No. Why would I be?"

Rian straightened up but still seemed to be uneasy as he said, "You've just flinched a bit."

"No, I'm fine," I said, feeling perplexed by his behaviour. Why was he paying so much attention to me? I thought he disliked me. "I've been just thinking about something and that's all." I flashed him a faint smile.

He didn't seem convinced but luckily dropped the topic. "The dinner," he said suddenly. "Get changed and let's go. We have fourteen minutes."

"There's one little problem, Mr Rhysandson."

He clenched his jaw slightly and I noticed that he had shaved. "Meaning?"

"I have nothing else to wear," I said, opening my arms and peering down at myself. "This is all I got from Meleri. I don't have gowns or dresses." I looked at him. "I don't have anything appropriate enough to wear for a dinner."

When our eyes met, I notice he was thinking over my words. After a while he pointed at the window and a white shirt appeared hanging from his index finger. "The offer still holds," he drawled, smiling lazily. Then, he sniffed his own shirt and added, "What a wonderful smell. I just can't get enough of it." He put it closer to me. "You will like it too, lovely Alexandra. Sniff and then try it on."

I sighed. "Thank you but no thank you."

"Come on, try it on." He was smiling invitingly, still holding the shirt towards me. "Just today. So you can smell this wonderful crisp fragrance."

I shook my head. "No," I said firmly.

"Ah, shit," Rian whispered, making the shirt disappear. "I lost the bet."

I laughed. "I'm not even sorry."

"You should be, honey." He crossed his arms again. "I've lost a small fortune because of you, lovely Alexandra."

Shrugging, I started going towards the door, leaving him next to the bed. "Then I guess you should write it into my list of complaints," I said. "By the time I leave your court, it might be quite long, don't you think?"

"It's already long." Rian didn't move and was still standing in the same place, next to the bed. "Are you sure you want to wear this?" he asked, looking suggestively at my clothes. I was wearing a pale pink top with matching baggy harem trousers and white flatties I got two days ago from Feyre. I liked the shoes very much and wore them everywhere.

When I nodded several times, Rian added, "Fair enough. I could have got you something else but it's on your head then, lovely Alexandra. But remember, don't blame me later."

"Yeah, yeah." I waved my hand. "You know, Rian, I'll be generous and let you say 'I told you' in front of everyone in the dining room."

His eyes twinkled at the thought but he didn't say anything. Instead, he went pass me and motioned me to enter the corridor.

Suddenly feeling nervous, I asked, "It's just dinner, right?"

"Just dinner," he confirmed, smiling politely.

Then, we left the room.

###

When we reached our destination, I wanted to murder that handsome muppet with my own hands.

Just as the rest of the House of Wind, the dining room was big and built of dark stone. Its walls were high and draped in millions of glittering dots that made the whole room look like an enormous surface of a dark lake. The dots, most presumably crystals, were sparkling like stars and were covering the walls, the floor and the ceiling of the room. It was absolutely amazing. There were also gigantic chandeliers with black candles that were floating in the air above the big table.

But I stopped admiring the room when I noticed all the fairies inside. Dressed in elegant clothes, they were talking and laughing and having the time of their lives. Women were wearing mostly long dark dresses, men had shirts or tunics and trousers, and I…

I, on the other hand, looked like a fucking Cinderella who didn't get the chance to meet her fucking fairy godmother and attended the ball without her fucking beautiful blue gown. Or, as in my case, didn't listen to her fucking fairy.

Turning towards Rian with a murderous look in my eyes, I opened my mouth to tell him everything that was now on my mind. But he leant closer and whispered into my ear, "I told you."

Then, he left my side and approached Conri. It didn't escape my notice that his cousin was also wearing an elegant tunic and dark trousers.

Everyone dressed up, except me, I thought. Seething with anger, I observed Rian's back and was thinking about all the awful things I would do to him if I ever had a chance, starting with shaving his hair off (even his eyebrows) and ending with catapulting him tied-up over the House. Oh, and the scream that would come from his mouth…

Detecting a move from the corner of my eye, I turned my head right and saw Cerys in a pretty dark blue gown. "I'm glad you're here," she said, stopping next to me. With her hair tied in a loose braid, she didn't look like the princess warrior I saw the first day. "Lexi, I apologise I didn't tell you about the dinner. I had completely forgotten about that when we started talking about him." She seemed genuinely sorry.

"Hmm," was my answer.

Cerys made a sad face. "I'm really sorry, Lexi."

"Yeah," I muttered and looked around, feeling a bit upset. It seemed to me that I was the only one dressed casually. "I should have listened to that handsome muppet when he told me about changing my clothes."

"Don't worry. No one will notice that you didn't dress up," Cerys said softly. "Or at least no one will say that aloud."

Longingly, I glanced at her dark blue gown. Gleaming like a starry night, the dress clung to her perfectly and highlighted all her curves. Only now did I notice Cerys's slender and ideal body, and wished I could look like that.

"I thought you weren't allowed to attend such dinners, Melly," Cerys said and smiled. I looked over my shoulder and saw Meleri, wearing a burgundy dress, who was walking towards us with a young redheaded woman at her side. "Whom did you bribe? Mother or Father? Or both of them?"

Meleri flashed her a smile. "No one. Rian let me come here, knowingly and wilfully."

I lifted one eyebrow but didn't say anything. Apparently, the heir to the Night Court thought he could dispose his father and mother's dominion and make decisions in their stead, giving anyone the nod right and left.

My little kidnapper glanced at my clothes and, frowning, asked, "Why are you still wearing your pink outfit?"

Crossing my arms on my chest and eyeing Cerys, I hissed, "No one?"

She shrugged. "You know, Meleri is still learning this and that about social contact."

"Please continue as if I am not even here," Meleri said and crossed her arms like me. "Treat me like a child as you have always done."

Cerys put an arm around her younger sister and kissed her head. "Oh, sweetie, don't be angry with me," she said. "You do realise I love you and I must protect you at all cost. I'm your elder sister and have the right to sometimes make fun of you, though." She gave her a poke on her nose.

Meleri rolled her eyes but eventually smiled.

Looking over the sisters, I set my eyes upon the redheaded woman who came with my little kidnapper. She had a lovely round face with hazel eyes and a shapely nose covered in freckles. Her reddish brown hair was short and curly, bringing orange candyfloss into my mind. She was really gorgeous, though I didn't recollect her from the books. Maybe she was from the Autumn Court, considering her reddish hair and freckles.

Having noticed that I was staring at her, the woman gave me a look and smiled. "Hello," she said sweetly. She had a warm and soothing voice, perfect for reading audiobooks. "You must be Lexi. Meleri told me a lot about you. I'm Zareen."

"Nice to meet you, Zareen," I answered, showing some teeth. Ah, then her name is Zareen, I thought. No, I definitely don't know that one.

Smiling, Zareen added, "I've heard you're my cousins' guest."

Cousins?

"And you travelled here from another world. Is that true?" she asked quietly.

I nodded. "From a world without magic where there are just humans. No fairies. No magic."

"No magic?" She frowned. "I know humans don't have magic but surely there must be some fairies in your land." When I shook my head, she furrowed her eyebrows again and asked, "Then how would Bryaxis be able to bring you to our court without magic in your world?"

Shrugging, I said, "I don't know. But I'm here, aren't I?"

"And we're happy because of that," Cerys broke in, looping her arm through mine. "Our court needed an unusual guest who would bring some freshness into our rusty lives and entertain us with glorious stories of other realms." She beamed. "I believe our parents are ready to begin the dinner so let's have a seat."

Still holding my arm, Cerys started walking slowly towards the big dinner table that was now surrounded by the fairies. Meleri and Zareen minced behind us, talking quietly.

Next to the table, I picked up Rian and Merlin who were talking with a white-haired woman in a pale blue gown. I didn't see her face so I began wondering who that might be.

"Lexi, you will sit between Conri and Zareen," Cerys said. "I'll be next to Con and our guest of honour."

"And who's the guest of honour?" I asked, still looking at the table. I noticed that Rhysand and Conri were having a conversation with a white-haired man. I frowned. First I saw a woman, now there was a man. Who are they?, I thought. Are they from the Winter Court?

Cerys lowered her voice. "The High Lord and Lady of the Winter Court are here with their two children, Eirwen and Fannar."

"Eirwen? She's from the Winter Court? Really?" I asked with surprise. "And she's Kallias's daughter?" Cerys nodded. "Okay. I didn't see that coming," I said, frowning. "Well, I really wasn't expecting this. I thought Eirwen was an Illyrian or someone from your court, but the Winter Court… Where is she?"

Cerys slowed down. "In front of us. She's talking with Rian and Uncle Mel. See that dress? It's made of real ice. I'm not joking," she added when I snorted. "I've touched it a couple of times – every time by accident, of course – and it was cold. Like freezing cold."

"Wow. She's Kallias and Viviane's daughter," I said, still astonished. "I didn't know they had children."

Cerys laughed. "Don't tell me. There was nothing about that in the stories you read?" When I nodded, she went on, "Then you've never heard of Zareen, am I right?"

"Well, yes, I haven't," I responded, glancing at her. "I don't know her from the stories."

"No wonder." Cerys smiled. "She's barely fifty years old and your stories seem to predate Rian's birth. Zareen is Auntie Mor's daughter."

I gasped. "Seriously?"

She chuckled as if my surprise was funny to her. "Auntie Mor has three daughters, Zareen, Shani and Rosalba. Zareen is the youngest and lives with Auntie Mor in Athelwood. My other cousins reside in the Summer Court with their mates."

"So Morrigan's married, then?" I asked. I wished the golden hair fairy would finally meet the love of her life and live happily ever after. But Cerys's answer wasn't what I was hoping for.

"No, unfortunately not." She made a sad face. "She's still waiting for her mate. The girls were adopted by her when they were wee babies."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. About still waiting for the love of her life," I added quickly. "I think it's wonderful she has children as she seemed to be a warm-hearted person in the stories."

"Well, she is the best aunt I've ever had. As you know, there is also Aunt Amren who is great, but…" Cerys shrugged. "She's Aunt Amren."

I laughed. "Say no more."

Fixing my eyes on the table in front of me, I couldn't help but notice it was now half packed with guests the High Lord and Lady invited to the dinner. I spotted Feyre in a silver gown, which was sparkling like teeny weeny diamonds, and Rhysand in a dark tunic who were talking with two white-haired people.

Frozen, I didn't blink for a few seconds when my eyes set upon Jack Frost and Elsa from Arendelle. Holy shit. All the pictures I saw and all the videos I watched with my sisters had now come true – the two fairies in front of me were the perfect incarnations of two imaginary characters.

Dressed in a light blue tunic that was richly decorated with a gleaming silver thread, white-haired Kallias seemed to be made of ice and snow. Though I didn't see his whole face, his left profile was enough for me to find him handsome and really young. But all the fairies looked like that, didn't they? Kallias's clothes looked expensive and there was even fur on his sleeves and collar. And to think the room was getting hotter with every passing minute.

Tall and slender, Viviane matched her husband's appearance. Her long straight hair was left loose and there was a small tiara on the top of her white head. Long and lacy, her gown was silver and white, and made her look like a delicate snowflake. Just as Kallias, Viviane had fur on the sleeves and neckline of her gown. Good God, I thought, they must really like feeling cold.

"I used to be Auntie Mor's favourite," Cerys said and brought me back to reality. I glanced at her and noticed a faint smile on her lips.

Looking back at the sovereigns of the Winter Court, I asked, "Used to?"

"Yes." Cerys wrinkled her nose. "When I was fifteen, I accidently put her hair on fire."

I burst out laughing, drawing the attention of the other white-haired woman who looked over her shoulder and gave me a curious look.

Pronunciation guide:

Zareen = [za - reen] (meaning: golden)

Shani = [sha - nee] (meaning: red, scarlet)

Rosalba = [roz - al - ba] (meaning: white rose)

Fannar = [fan - nar] (meaning: snow drift)