You're drifting like a fire
Buried deep under the water
Your resting on your laurels
Is stepping on my toes
Whose side are you on?
What side is this anyway?
Put down your sword and crown
Come lay with me on the ground.
Come lay with me on the ground.
Nesta went into the bathroom to run hot water for the bath, and Cassian drifted over to stand in the doorway, watching her.
She was lifting small bottles to her face and sniffing delicately. After smelling several, she picked two and squeezed a couple of drops from both bottles into the pooling water.
Cassian's nose twitched as the soothing scents of lavender and chamomile filled the air.
"Maybe this will help you relax as well," she offered. He grinned back lazily. The floral scents and the warm steam from the tub were making him sleepy, though.
"Turn around." Nesta's eyes narrowed, but Cassian put his hands up complacently and obeyed, turning to face a wall, although she could not stop his thoughts.
He could hear the fabric sliding over her skin as her nightgown and undergarments dropped to the floor. She stepped into the bath, which was filled halfway and clouded with bubbles. "You can turn around now."
Cassian turned; Nesta's hair was tucked up into a bun and she sank down into the bubble bath, everything beneath her shoulders submerged. Her long, blonde eyelashes fluttered as she sighed quietly.
Cassian was trying his hardest not to let his mind dwell in the gutter for too long. He moved towards her, and she handed him a shampoo bottle and a wide-toothed comb.
Her eyes were wary, but she watched as he seated himself on a small stool next to the tub, which looked comically small in his presence, and began lathering up the shampoo in his large, scarred hands.
Cassian reached towards her with his hands, a question in his eyes, and Nesta shifted in the tub so that he was facing the back of her head.
Gently, Cassian lathered the shampoo into the roots of her hair, massaging her scalp and coaxing the tension from her skin. As he continued washing her hair, some of the tension in her neck and shoulders released as well. Her long, golden-brown hair clung to her wet skin, and Cassian occasionally ran the comb through to brush out any knots or snags.
After thoroughly shampooing her hair, Cassian grabbed the wooden pail nearby and handed it to Nesta, who submerged it in the tub. She leaned forward and dumped the hot water over her head, rinsing out the shampoo. Bubbles and waves cascaded against the walls of the tub.
Next, she placed some sort of oil in her hair and twisted her long, wet hair into a bun atop her head. Although she was still partially submerged, she placed her hands on her hips. "I can do the rest myself."
Cassian smirked at that. "Are you sure you don't need help? I'm sure I can help with the hard to reach places."
Nesta couldn't decide whether to be more annoyed or amused.
Cassian put his hands up again. "Hey, I'm just a lowly bastard servant, after all. Your wish is my command, milady."
Nesta raised an eyebrow in amusement at that.
"Fine, you may stay and help me wash my back," she allowed, her chin up. "Don't get any strange thoughts, though."
Cassian was definitely feeling smug, but he tried not to show it. He nodded and waited until she had washed up, and then she sat on the edge of the tub and reluctantly handed him the lathered loofah.
They sat in silence as he carefully scrubbed every inch of her back. Although he couldn't see Nesta's face, he imagined she was satisfied as he could hear a soft sigh occasionally.
Afterwards, she rinsed off, and he handed her a towel before leaving her to get dressed.
He was seated at the desk with his head in his hands, lost in thought, when Nesta stepped out in her pale-blue nightgown, still drying her hair with a towel.
"Cassian."
The sound made him jump slightly. "Oh, Nesta. I was wai… I just wanted to tell you goodnight before heading back to my place."
Nesta watched him with her ice grey eyes for a moment, her expression unreadable.
Cassian tried not to fidget, his wings rustling slightly.
"You can stay here for tonight… If you'd like."
She slid into her bed and looked at him, a question in her eyes.
Cassian just nodded, slightly stunned. Eventually he came back to his senses and cleared his throat.
"I'll ahh.. I'll also wash up then." He hastily made his way to the bathroom and took a quick shower, brushing his teeth with a spare toothbrush he found in the cupboard.
Although he could not have taken more than 10 minutes, Cassian could already tell Nesta was sound asleep by the sound of her breathing by the time he stepped out of the bathroom. He smiled crookedly; he was not disappointed because it meant she was comfortable enough to fall asleep in his presence, albeit he had been showering at the time.
Hopefully, he could get into bed without disrupting her…
Cassian crept over to the empty side of the bed and while leaning on the bed, slowly slid one leg under the covers. As he lifted his other leg up, his shin collided with the side of the bed with a resounding thunk.
"Fuck!" he swore aloud and froze.
Nesta made a sound and shifted in her sleep but seemed not to wake. Cassian let out the breath he was holding and gingerly lifted his hurt leg into the bed.
Mother, that hurt… But at least Nesta didn't wake up. Well then, I think should plan a date for us… But I can think about that tomorrow, I should try to sleep now.
Cassian laid awake staring at the ceiling for a while, but he did not feel as anxious as he usually did when trying to fall asleep. Maybe it was because he could hear Nesta's every breath, which he counted until he got distracted and lost count, and then started over again once he remembered he had been counting…
Eventually, Cassian counted 244 breaths before he finally drifted off to sleep.
Cassian arranged for his date with Nesta to be in Rhys's private garden, and two days later, he brought her to the exquisite and well-kept garden. The private garden was dedicated to Rhys's mother, who had passed centuries ago, and it was well-maintained and well-loved, even by the groundskeepers and gardeners. Hedges lined the walkways of some of the more private areas, whereas other areas were surrounded by flower beds and open to public view.
There were so many flowers of various species, Elain would probably have believed she had gone to a place beyond Death.
"So… what do you think Nesta?" After some time walking in silence, Cassian cleared his throat and spoke up.
Truth be told, Nesta was pleasantly surprised by how beautiful the place was. She gave him a sidelong glance, and he thought she was not going to reply at first, but then she spoke. "It's beautiful, of course. It seems wrong to speak here. How do you know about this place?"
Crow's feet lines appeared by Cassian's eyes as his mouth quirked up into a fond smile. "I grew up in this household, and the garden didn't always look like this. It's grown over the centuries. Rhys used to bring girls here."
"And you?"
Cassian shot her a sly look. "Not me. Never had anyone I really wanted to bring, and I didn't come here as much as Rhys did, anyway. I can barely tell two flowers apart."
Nesta remained quiet, but she carefully examined and stored away every precious truth Cassian told her about himself. She was remembering yesterday morning, how they had both woken up after sharing the same bed, and how surprisingly comfortable she still was with his presence.
Although the last time Cassian had come here was some decades ago, he still remembered the history of the garden and the stories he'd been told by Rhys and his mother. Occasionally, he would point out rare, important flowers that would not naturally bloom in the garden otherwise.
"Some flowers are gifts from other Courts, and some require special magic to bloom properly if the atmosphere is not quite right," he had explained.
"They're all beautiful," Nesta murmured, "I would love to come here with Elain someday… the public garden of course, not the private ones.
"I'm sure Rhys wouldn't mind; you're both Feyre's sisters. He wouldn't begrudge her anything."
She shrugged. "All the same. Some spaces should remain… private. Sacred."
Cassian kept himself from rolling his eyes, but he did remind her that Rhys used to bring girls here to impress them.
They continued to walk a little ways in silence after that, until they reached a crossroads with a large fountain in the middle, surrounded by hedges.
"Well, that's the end of the public viewing. Now begins the private tour. This way, Nesta." Cassian walked past the fountain towards one of the many unmarked paths and beckoned her.
Nesta followed along, curious as to where the path would lead.
"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Nesta asked doubtfully as soon as they walked into what she discovered was a maze of hedges.
Cassian smirked. "Afraid you'll get lost in here? Don't worry, I've still got my wings." He flexed them slightly.
"No, I'm just afraid you'll embarrass yourself," she replied derisively.
He winced but was still grinning. "Ouch. Don't worry, it should only be a short walk from here." True to his word, after walking around the winding path for five minutes, they reached what looked like a dead end.
Finally, we've reached the end of this ridiculous maze, Nesta thought. In front of her was an archway carved from a wide hedge, and strands of flower vines fell across the archway. Cassian brushed aside some of the vines, and Nesta was drawn forward. But it might have been worth it…
She deeply inhaled the fragrance of the flowers as she stepped beneath the archway and took in the surroundings.
They had ended up on the cliffside. Across from her was a stone wall and an ancient-appearing wooden bench, slightly overgrown with vines and flowers. Surrounding the clearing were trees and wildflowers, but there was a clear view of the deep blue skies, and Nesta could hear the waves crashing down below.
She slowly walked into the meadow like she was in a trance, and Cassian just let her take it all in. To be honest, Cassian could not remember the last time he had been in this exact clearing, but it must have been when he was very young. He and Rhys had loved to play hide-and-seek and chase each other around in the hedges. It was Rhys who had reminded him of the private clearing and recommended he take Nesta to it when Cassian had casually mentioned his date idea yesterday, and he was glad he had followed Rhys's advice.
A stone wall with vines intertwined separated them from the edge of the craggy cliff. She wandered to the wall and peered over, where she stared directly down into a large pile of sharp, slick rocks. Stepping back, her eyes flickered over the circular enclosure, big enough for maybe eight people to stretch out comfortably, the walls comprised of trees, hedges, and flowers. The grass before them was dotted with patches of lovely wildflowers in varying hues.
Cassian had whipped out a thick blanket from the basket he was carrying and was now sitting on it, leaning back on his hands watching her.
"Do you like it?"
Her eyes flickered to a bright red bird swooping overhead. "What is there not to like?"
Cassian laughed, and Nesta could sense his relief. Smiling, he patted the spot next to him, the picnic basket on his other side. "Hungry?"
She drifted over and sank down onto the blanket, both legs to one side.
"Can anyone see or… hear us?" Nesta whispered, feeling like if she spoke too loudly… she was disrupting something special, something sacred. Cassian's mouth twitched.
"Not unless you count the birds and bees." She smacked his shoulder lightly and he could not help but let out a chuckle.
She savored the sound, trying not to smile too much. She had been so close to never hearing that sound again, never hearing his voice or seeing his beautiful and irritating face… She didn't know how much it would bother her until right before the Cauldron had struck and she had screamed in fear for him.
Cassian idly observed as a pale green moth fluttered through the grasses, with feathery wings and dull colors, although it was exquisitely patterned. His eyes drifted to an iridescent, blue butterfly sucking nectar from a flower nearby, the edges of its wings thinly lined in black. He noticed Nesta looking towards the same one.
"Beautiful," she breathed, her eyes drinking in the beauty of undisturbed nature. Funny, he was thinking the same about her.
The waves of the sea ceaselessly struck the shore, sighing against the sand as the tide pulled the wave's wandering fingers back. Birds occasionally chirped and cawed to their mates and their offspring while insects buzzed and chirruped in the grass and bushes.
They feasted on the delicious picnic lunch prepared for them by Nualla and Ceridwen, with the help of Elain. Cassian refilled both of their glasses with sparkling lemonade.
Nesta seemed content to just sit and stare out into the sparkling sea, forever, with her long hair blowing in the wind. Cassian tried not to be too obvious as he watched her.
She finally turned to him and smiled, and Cassian felt his heart swell. He squeezed her hand and lightly pressed it to his lips.
"Thank you… for today. It was exactly what I needed," Nesta said.
Cassian was at a loss for words. "No, of course, that's what… You know, that's what mates are for, right?"
She laughed lightly. "I think mates are more trouble than they're worth."
He pouted slightly at that, and she laughed again, a wondrous, tinkling sound that Cassian wished he could record and replay over and over, again.
"I'll always be here for you," Cassian said suddenly.
Nesta turned to look at him, her blue eyes steely, seemingly unsurprised by his sudden proclamation. "And I, you. Wherever we go, we go together."
"Always?"
"Always."