Azriel POV

It couldn't be possible. This girl, this girl was Malidia. Malidia. This was the woman who had laughed with us centuries ago, who had won over the whole of Prythian with one sentence, and had disappeared without a trace one hundred and fifty years ago.

"Surprise?" She said weakly, but a smile tugged on her lips. Cassian stared, mouth agape. I knew my jaw had dropped slightly too, and I couldn't be bothered lifting it up. He was shocked alright, and there was no way he was the only one.

"How…?" He breathed. "It can't be possible. This has to be some huge joke." He started shaking his head, as if trying to clear it.

I glanced at Malidia, and she had a sly grin on her face. Her eyes lit with humour, and as she saw me looking, her mouth split into a smile.

"Hello Azriel," she said. "How are you, it's been a while." I raised my eyebrow. There was no doubting it, only Malidia could make this into a joke.

"What?" Cassian sputtered. "You just appeared after a century and a half, look on deaths door, and now you're making jokes?"

The smile died from her face, and something much more chilling replaced it. "I may have been gone for a century and a half, and I may look like I'm about to die, but I have the right to say what I want, when I want. Got it?"

Cassian looked ready to argue, but I intervened. "Of course," I said, stopping Cassian with a look. "There is no reason you can't make a joke. Cassian, could you wait outside?"

"No, I cannot." Came his indignant reply. "I can stay right here."

"I'll meet you outside Cassian." My tone was firm, and he glanced at me, and curiosity filled his eyes.

He stood up and stalked off. When I heard the door click shut I turned back to Malidia. She had watched the whole display with her striking amber eyes. Her head was cocked to the side, as it was when she was thinking.

"What was that about?" she asked. Her eyes flicked back and forth across my face, looking for something. When they settled on my eyes once again, she laid back, and stared.

"Nothing." I said. Then, dropping my voice to stop Cassian from hearing, I spoke. "You said you were being chased by people from Hybern. Why?"

She swallowed, the movement of her throat barely perceptible. "They were hunting me. That's all you need to know." She looked at me, as if daring me to say otherwise. I sighed, clearly I wasn't going to get anything out of Malidia on that subject.

"Why didn't you tell us who you were?" I asked. She started, and lifted her gaze to the ceiling the rolled her eyes.

"Would you believe me if I told you? Would you really want to know?" She responded. I fought to hide a growl.

"If I asked," I began, "then I obviously want to know." My tone brooked no room for argument. She huffed, and crossed her arms.

"I was being hunted, and if I didn't tell you then I had more chance of staying out of their grasp." Malidia stated. I glanced over her, and saw her whole body stiffen up. She wasn't lying, but she also wasn't telling the whole truth. I pondered over this, until I saw her staring at me warily.

The sudden clarity that hit me, made my eyes widen. "So what you're trying to say is, you didn't want to tell us, because if you didn't, then you'd be able to leave without having to say anything. You could have just answered our questions, healed, then disappeared into the night." Terror and… something else I couldn't place flickered through her eyes, turning the amber dull. "And most of all, you're scared of something. You're on the run, and you don't want to go back. You want to be free."

Malidia pulled her knees to her chest, and buried her face in them. I sat on the bed, and waited. Soon enough, she lifted a tear streaked face and looked me in the eye. "Yes." She croaked out, her voice hoarse. "That's why. It's been so long, and I heard about what happened with Hybern, everyone did. So I thought if I told you who I was, you would reject me. And after everything, the thought of more pain is just, I just can't bear it." She closed her eyes, and rocked back and forth.

I was about to comfort her when something struck me. "After what?" I blurted. She lifted her head to me. No longer was that vulnerability in her eyes, instead it was replaced with a firm resolve that said it all. Malidia wasn't telling me anything yet.

I put my hand on hers. "Malidia." I murmured. "Why would we ever turn our backs on you? You used to be one of us, and you can be again."

"Maybe."

I smiled weakly, and she returned it, except stronger and more confident. I removed my hand, and stood up. She stretched out and yawned. I mentally smacked myself. How could I be so thoughtless? She looks like she hasn't slept for days, and here I am keeping her up.

"Malidia." She blinked at me blearily. "You need to sleep. Now."

"But—" she protested.

"This isn't up for debate. You need sleep. Desperately. I'll see you in the morning." I said firmly. Her shoulders slumped as realised there was no arguing with me here, and laid her head on the pillow. She pulled the blankets over her shoulder and turned on her back.

For a moment, I admired the cascade of ebony hair, as well as the white wings that were neatly folded behind her. The wings that hadn't been there one hundred and fifty years ago. I'd have to ask her about them.

When the sound of her breathing evened out and her whole body relaxed, I turned on my heel, and as I left the room, my magic swept through the room and extinguished every candle and faelight.

"Goodnight." I whispered, and clicked the door shut, before locking it. Despite how much I trusted her, I knew that Rhys, Amren and Mor would want to see her again and I wouldn't put it past her to leave.

Cassian was waiting outside the door, looking at me with raised brows. "What took so long?" He smirked.

I glared at him, but said nothing. He kept a smug grin on his face as we walked. I resisted the urge to kick him, and kept moving at a brisk pace.

We entered Rhys' study without knocking, and he sighed.

"I swear, you two never learn manners."

"Apologies High Prick. We shall knock before entering thy study again." Cassian replied. Rhys's rumble of laughter echoed through the room.

"Well," he began, "As much as I'd like to think you just wanted to talk, there's obviously something else. And, the only something else I can think of would have to be the girl. So, what is it?" Cassian snorted.

"Do you want to tell him, or shall I?" He glanced at me. I rolled my eyes.

"I'll do it." I said, before adding. "And don't interrupt." His answering grin gave me no assurances. I began to speak, telling Rhys exactly what had happened, but when I got up to where we had discovered exactly who the person we had found in the forest was, I hesitated.

Rhys eyed me curiously, but I pulled through the momentary pause, and said quickly, too quickly. "It's Malidia." I looked at Rhys' face once again, but he seemed too shocked to respond, almost as if he'd misheard me, so I repeated it. "Rhys, it's Malidia. She's alive, and here."

He stared at me, completely bewildered. He shook his head, as if trying to wake himself up. "It can't be. She's been gone for years."

Pretty much my reaction. I thought. Cassian said something, and I started thinking. This wasn't the same woman who has disappeared all that time ago. Something had changed in her, and I had the feeling it wasn't all that good.

I returned my attention to the conversation, and heard Rhys ask, "Where the hell has she been?" I pondered how to answer this subtly, but Cassian answered before I could.

"She said it so quietly that only Azriel heard, and judging by his reaction to it, and the fact he said nothing after that, I'd say it's not exactly what we'd expect." I sighed inwardly. Of course he had to go and do that, of course he had to.

They were both staring at me expectantly, and I groaned. I slumped into one of the chairs, and draped dropped my wings over the back of it. Then I said it. Just one word.

"Hybern."

The silence was so thick I could cut it with a knife. Then, Rhys overcame his shock. "What? The Malidia I remember would never stay in Hybern."

I waited for them to catch up, and when Rhys remembered my description of her terror when we were asking her about the people following her, he answered his own question.

"She wasn't staying there, was she? She was being held there, and she escaped." I nodded, my only confirmation.

Cassian was still silent. I glanced at him, and was about to ask what was wrong, but he asked me a question first.

"What were you talking to her about when you told me to leave the room?" He stared at me, as if testing for any kind of reaction. I tried not to let anything show, and I succeeded, because his stare turned to a glare.

Rhys was looking at me curiously. "What do you mean, you told Cassian to leave the room and then talked to her?" He asked. I huffed.

"I told Cassian to leave the room and then talked to Malidia." I answered, dodging around the subject. Cassian still looked annoyed, and Rhys' expression was beginning to mirror it.

"Azriel," Cassian said, "What were you talking about?" I crossed my arms. They weren't getting a response from me on this one.

Rhys sighed, and I knew what was coming. "This isn't a question. I need to know. Tell us what you were talking about." His voice wasn't questioning, it was full of raw power and command. Power that I once yielded to. But not anymore.

So, for almost the first time since talking about my own past, I denied my brothers something. "No." I wasn't stupid enough to tell them what Malidia had told me. She hadn't wanted me to find out, so she could tell the others of her own free will, when and where she wanted.

They had surprise written all over their faces, but they stopped asking. They knew by now it was a waste of time.

I stood up from the chair, and left the study. I heard them talk again quietly, and my shadows fed me details. I ignored it.

I found myself at the nearest window, and unlatched it. I climbed onto the ledge, felt the breeze through my hair, on my face, in my soul, and stepped off. I free-fell for half a second, and then snapped my wings open and soared.

The world passed by below me, as I glided above. Despite flying for centuries, it still seemed new and exciting. Maybe it had something to do with being locked in a cell for the first eleven years of my life, and hearing the call of the wind but not being able to answer it.

As I flew, I tried to clear my head, but my thoughts kept staying back to Malidia. I thought of her, tired, bruised and battered, and currently sleeping off all her exhaustion. I remembered her reaction to being locked inside the room, and loosed a string of curses.

So what if the others wanted to see her again? She'd probably been locked in a cell in Hybern, or never allowed to fly, and what did we do? Lock her in a room. She wouldn't be able to leave, and she might very well panic, like I had when going into small dark rooms or like Feyre when she returned from Under the Mountain.

I flew back to the palace, and seeing as I couldn't be bothered to go through the hallways, I just flew to the outside of her room and looked in through the window. She was still asleep, so I broke through Cassian's shields against the window, and opened it. I climbed inside, then moved to unlock the door.

Even if she tried to leave, she wouldn't get far, and either way, if I was here to keep an eye on her it wouldn't matter that she can leave.

I pulled up a chair, and sat beside her bed. I left the windows open and a breeze fluttered in and stirred her hair. She lifted her face into it, and I smiled at the calm on Malidia's face while she slept.

I gently stroked her hair, letting the black hair fall through my fingers onto her shoulder. I pulled the blankets up to her chin. Malidia adjusted herself so my hand was on her cheek. I brushed it gently, tucking a lock of her behind her ear.

I pulled my arm back, and settled into the couch. I watched her, and soon my eyelids began to drop. I stretched and closed my eyes, relaxing, and I fell into a deep sleep.

Malidia POV

I woke, and stretched, then instantly regretted it. Pain shot down my whole body, and I hissed. I turned my head, wincing, to see Azriel sleeping in a chair by the bed. I rolled my eyes, the whole room was stopping me from getting out, and yet he was still here. Typical. He didn't trust me enough to not try and leave.

I lay there for a moment, before gathering my resolve, and slowly, pulled back the sheets and placed my feet on the floor. I realised I was still in my clothes from yesterday, and I was still filthy, so I pushed myself up and limped to the bathing room, leaning against the wall.

I paused just inside the doorway and pulled my clothes off, wincing at the movement. I lay in the bathtub. The water began running, and I moaned at the warmth of it. I rested my head on the back of the tub, and soaked in the water. I closed my eyes.

It wasn't long before I heard footsteps. I cracked my eyelids open, and looked at Azriel, who was leaning against the doorframe, his powerful wings folded behind him. I tried to speak, but the words couldn't form in my mouth.

He smiled at me, and I suddenly found myself smiling back. His hazel eyes were looking into my own, and he moved towards me.

He placed some clothes on the floor next to the tub, and then perched on the edge of it himself. I cocked my head, and I finally got some words out.

"Why were you sleeping in my room?" I asked. He seemed to take a while to realise I was speaking to him, but he answered.

"Rhys and Cassian were asking what I was talking to you about, but I didn't answer. I flew away, then decided to come here. I figured it wasn't fair to you to leave you in this room with no way out if you had most likely just come from a cell in Hybern." He said, looking at me warily. I stared at him.

"Why would you do that for me? Why bother keeping my secret? Why bother caring about what I feel? Does it really matter if I panic?" My mind was in a flurry, and it was hard to believe someone cared.

"I don't know if you remember Malidia," he said seriously, "but I always cared about what you felt. It doesn't matter that you haven't been here for years, I will not tell anyone anything unless you want me to. I promise you that." I felt my eyes start to tear up, and before I knew it, I was crying. I'd forgotten what it was like to have someone care.

Azriel moved closer to the head of the tub, and stroked my hair. I instantly relaxed at his touch, and he gripped my hand. He kicked his shoes off, and placed his feet into the bath. I placed my head on his lap as he stroked my hair. I closed my eyes and started purring.

We sat there for a while, and I started to speak.

"In Hybern," I started, "I was a prisoner." I felt Azriel stiffen up, but he didn't stop stroking. I continued.

"I was tortured, and I did despicable things. I can't tell you everything right now, and it'll take time, but I'll answer two questions honestly." I looked into his eyes, and hoped he saw the offering for what it was. A chance to rebuild our old friendship.

He considered, and asked the one question I wasn't prepared for. "Where did your wings come from?" I smiled, Az would be the only one to ask me this question when he knew I wouldn't be entirely comfortable with other questions.

"I've always had them, but I was taught to hide them as I grew older. I'm the last of my people and we have a unique ability to hide our wings inside our backs." I rolled over to show him my wings, and the small scars running near the base of them. "Whenever they go inside, it's incredibly painful, so I don't do it much, but I released them for the first time in two hundred years a week ago, when I escaped from Hybern."

He tilted my chin to look into my eyes and asked, "Can I touch them?"

"Of course."

He stood up, and walked around and ran his fingers along the framework. I never let people touch my wings, so I stiffened up a little, and he pulled away immediately.

"I'm sorry." He said, and he seemed genuinely concerned.

"Keep going." I breathed.

Azriel started touching them again, and his fingers moved lightly and expertly across my wings. He got to a certain point, and I hissed. It hurt.

He disappeared for a moment, and I just laid in the tub, realising the water had gone cold. I was about to get out when he returned. Azriel had a cloth and he gently washed my wings.

When he finished I whispered, "Why'd you stop?" He chuckled.

"Come on. Out." He said. I groaned, and he lifted me up. He set me on the floor, and my legs shook with supporting my weight. He turned his head, giving me privacy, all while griping my waist to keep me steady as I dressed.

When I was clothed in a simple tunic and pants, he turned to look at me. Azriel smiled again, and said, "I've missed you. I didn't realise how much I missed you until I saw you again."

I just stepped into him, and embraced him. "I've missed you too." I said. I turned to walk back toward the living room, but I got one step before falling.

Azriel had a hand on my waist before I could fall any further, and helped me stand straight. I leaned into his warmth, and walked with him holding my weight. I sat on the bed, and he sat beside me. His scent overpowered me, the smell of mist and cedar fighting its way into my nostrils until it was all I could smell.

"Are you alright Malidia?" He asked.

"Why wouldn't I be? I haven't been this safe or happy for a hundred and fifty years. I'm doing great." I responded.

He raised his brows at me as if to say he knew I was lying. I was, but not entirely. I was safe, and happy, and only because of Azriel.

I was about to say something when a knock on the door sounded.

I looked at Azriel, and saw his face go slightly pale, and I asked, "Who is it?"

There was another knock, and Azriel pulled his arm back from my waist. The door cracked open, and I got the answer to my question.

Cassian walked in, raising his brows at me and Azriel sitting on the bed. Then a second person entered, and I understood why Azriel removed his arm from my waist and why he seemed kind of shocked.

I had the same feeling as I beheld the second person who entered. I wasn't scared, or angry, or shocked, just unprepared.

I was so unprepared to see Rhys again, for the first time in years.

Well, well, well. That was one unexpected reunion. I'm sorry I took so long to update, I just ran out of ideas, but now I've got some pretty good ideas for the next few chapters. Anyway, tell me what you think of this story.

-CrystalShadowStar