After Lysandra had been given the chance to eat and rest for a couple of hours, the queen and her best friend found themselves in a cozy sitting room with just Rhys and Feyre.

The rest of the inner circle had split off to either explore the city some more or retire to the rooms they had graciously been given for the duration of their stay in Terresen.

The topics had been flowing while they all sipped tea. During a lull in conversation Feyre decided to sate her curiosity about Lysandra.

She cleared her throat gently to gain the shifter's attention, "Can you shift into anything? Or is it just animals?"

Aelin and Lysandra exchanged mischievous smirks. "Well, there was that time we tricked the pirate lord Rolfe into thinking there were two of Aelin." At the questioning looks thrown her way, she continued, "At the time Aelin was travelling under her old alias, Celaena Sardothien Adarlans Assassin. Oh, the look on his face was priceless when she introduced Aelin Galathynius and in walked an exact copy of herself!"

They all shared a laugh while the queen and her best friend shared the story of their time a Skulls Bay. When they had calmed down somewhat, Feyre levelled a contemplative expression at Lysandra. "Have you ever tried to partially shift?"

The shapeshifter raised one perfectly shaped brow. "What do you mean?"

"My magic allows me to shapeshift among other things and I can use it to give myself wings without needing to fully shift into an animal."

Lysandra thought for a second. "You know, it never occurred to me before that it would even be possible."

The High Lord and Lady looked genuinely surprised by this admission. "Why?"

Aelin explained "Fae on this continent either have a humanoid form, or an animal form. They can't partially shift." A dangerous smile spread across Lysandra's face. "Now though, I have so many ideas about the things I could do."

Aelin turned to her friend suddenly, I bright smile on her face. "You could even try making humanoid versions of your animal forms that allow you to have the fighting ability and still be able to speak to us."

"That would have been so helpful During the war" The two friends were sombre for a few seconds, before the shapeshifter turned to the High Lord and Lady and asked, "Do you have shapeshifters on your continent?"

Rhys and Feyre shared a look. "Not exactly" Rhys started. "Our continent is divided into seven Courts, and each is ruled over by a High Lord. Each High Lord has his own beastly form that aids in the protection of the fae that live within his borders."

Lysandra mulled this over for a minute before looking at Feyre with confusion. "You mentioned earlier that you possess shifter magic, but Rhys just said only High Lords can shapeshift. How is this possible?"

Feyre gave them an apologetic look. "My circumstances are a bit unique compared to other fae, I was born completely human." Twin gasps came from the two women sitting opposite.

Aelin was able to master her shock first and demand Feyre explain herself.

The High Lady exchanged a look with her mate, their eyes un-focusing as they conversed mentally. When they came to, their eyes were full of pain, but Feyre answered them by saying "Our story starts in a tiny rundown cottage on the edge of the fae lands…"

By the time they got to the part where Feyre was killed by Amarantha, Lysandra and Aelin had silent tears running down their faces, partially out of sympathy for Feyre's torment and partially because the story was bringing back memories of what they themselves had been through as well.

"And then I felt her neck break" Rhys' voice broke as he said this. He stopped to take a shuddering breath while Feyre rubbed his arm to reassure him that she was still here and with him.

He continued "I didn't know she was my mate yet, but I felt the snap inside me as it happened" a sob escaped him, "Then Tamlin was there, shouting for the other High Lords to do something to bring her back."

Rhys shared a watery smile with his mate.

"We gave up a kernel of our power, all seven of us, and used it to fix her body and bring her back to life. In doing so, the magic remade Feyre's body into a fae and she gained the ability to used magic from all seven Courts, including a beast form of her own."

Lysandra perked up at this, looking almost gleeful as she asked. "Ooh does it have big claws and teeth?" The shifter's excitement drew chuckles from the other three people at the table.

Feyre gave them a sheepish smile. "I don't actually know what it looks like."

Lysandra gave her a quizzical look. "Why not?" Feyre shrugged, "The High Lord's beast forms are a manifestation of their inner selves and the magic they possess. I'm afraid of what mine will look like considering I have magic from all seven Courts."

Lysandra thought for a moment. She shared a look with Aelin as they came to the same conclusion, twin smirks on their faces. "We know a place."