A Court of Light and Fire (ACOTAR)

Chapter Four

⚠️ TW: mentions of nausea/vomiting; mild panic attack and symptoms ⚠️

~~~~~~~~~~~

'I haven't seen Feyre since that day...' Celeste's voice trailed off, and Rhysand nodded for her to continue.

It had been four days since Celeste had come to full consciousness - enough time for her to finally be capable of sitting upright without support from Madja when her wings appeared, but not yet enough, according to the others, for the entirety of this mess to be explained to the girl in full. Hence, the High Lord now sat on the edge of her mattress upon her request, waiting for the girl to ask her first question.

He was going to give her the answers she craved at last.

'The High Lady's too busy to visit her sister now, is she?' Celeste chuckled, but she wasn't truly amused by the lack of her sister's presence. Feyre would have visited her by now, if she could have.

Her laughter faded away entirely when the High Lord's smile dropped, his eyes flicking to his black suit-jacket's sleeve. He picked a speck of lint from the fabric, rolling it between his fingers before his eyes met with hers once again. Was he... nervous? 'Celeste, I...'

His face had grown grave. Nausea roiled in her stomach. 'Feyre's here, isn't she?'

Rhysand didn't answer right away.

'Where is Feyre, Rhysand?' She pushed. She was really going to be sick now.

The male ran a palm over his features, his previously-tame hair ruffling with the movement.

He didn't meet her gaze.

He took a deep breath.

'Feyre left with Tamlin to save the rest of us.' His throat bobbed as he finally lifted his face. 'She is working to gather more information about the Spring Court for us.'

Celeste's mind was frozen. Whatever she had been imagining - this was far worse. 'She's what?'

'I didn't know until it was too late.' The male reached a hand to rest on Celeste's shoulder. She shoved it away just as quickly.

'He's going to kill her, Rhysand.' The male flinched at the words. The bile rose up her throat now. 'A mouse finally caught in its death trap.'

A shiver went up her spine as her vision blurred.

That man could do so much worse than that to her sister.

'He will do no such thing,' Rhys' voice was sharp, but it wasn't cold as he rose from the mattress. Only when she had to tilt her head up to meet his gaze did she realise she was now standing beside her bed, too. 'I have tabs on her, as do Azriel's spies. The moment she wants to leave, we will get her out of there.'

'It might be too late by the time we know, Rhysand.' Celeste's wings appeared on her spine, but her fingernails dug into the wooden headboard of her bed, holding her upright. She lifted her other fist to his chest, poking a finger against the muscle of his torso. 'Let me speak to her with those mind-powers of yours.'

'I'm sorry, Celeste.' He didn't shove her prodding finger away. 'Every conversation risks being tracked by the Faeries around Feyre - it would do more harm than good for your sister.'

A glow began to expand in the corners of Celeste's vision, but she didn't care about the rays of light creeping to curl around her calves as her eyes flickered between the male's own pair. She didn't know if she wanted to scream at him, or cry for her sister, and get on her knees and beg the male to let her go to Feyre.

But Celeste wouldn't be able to do any of those, even if she tried. Her breath was caught in her chest; every inhale grew more shallow as the seconds passed.

She couldn't breathe.

'I'll make a bargain with you, Celeste.' Rhys reached out a hand to the girl. The touch steadied her, brought her back into the room with the male. The anger swirling up her chest had simmered into a stinging in her eyes now. Her teary gaze met Rhysand's soft eyes.

 She could breathe again.

She took a deep breath. Nodded for him to continue.

'I promise that nothing will happen to your sister. The moment she wishes to leave, I will ensure she is returned home safely.' He extended a hand to the girl, close enough for her to reach if she dropped her finger from his chest. 'So long as you promise to trust me.'

Celeste glanced at his palm. Looked down at her own. Her mind was still hazy, but she could see the offer clearly enough. 'You promise?'

Rhysand's eyes glistened - with sorrow, or loyalty, or his own unspoken suffering, she couldn't tell. 'I promise with my life, Celeste.'

Her heartbeat thrummed in her ears.

Celeste reached out her hand. But before Rhysand's fingers could interlock with her own-

'What do you get out of this deal?' Her hand sat only an inch from his own now.

A gentle smile spread across the male's lips. 'I get a sister.' A flash in his gaze, then it was gone. 'And I get to show you that this new world may not be as dark as you have been taught to believe it to be.'

She pondered the words for a moment. Stared at the closeness of his fingers.

This deal was more than just a bargain for her peace of mind. This was something permanent, etched onto her skin for however long the Mother deemed fit. It was a sign that Celeste was learning to understand this new world she was stepping into - that she understood this life and body and skin that would be tainted by the markings were now her own for however long she lived.

She looked up at Rhys's eyes. He was at least a head taller than the child. 'Extend the promise of safety to all my sisters indefinitely, and you have yourself a deal.'

'I would have that done even without a bargain, Celeste,' his violet eyes met her blue ones as his voice softened. 'But consider the promise extended to all of the Archeron family, too.'

She didn't break his stare as she connected her hand with the High Lord's.

Upon their touch, a tingling begun to spread over her heart. She glanced down the top of her shirt, and saw a heart with two hunting arrows crossed over it etched onto her skin. Her eyes met Rhysand's, and from the hand he held over his own chest, she knew a matching tattoo would be inked upon his skin there, just as Feyre had once explained to her.

When the sensation settled, the weight on her back disappeared and the flurry of light behind her sept out through the windows once more, Celeste eventually found the words to speak again.

'Rhys?' she asked the male quietly.

He quirked a brow down to the girl. A breath, and she stumbled towards the bathroom door.

'I think I'm going to be sick.'

The next few minutes became a blur of cold bathroom tiles and visions of flowers and foxes. They swept her into the oblivion once more.

~~~~~

A/N:

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! We have some more inner circle interactions coming up soon, so stay excited for those!

Fun fact! This chapter was initially only going to be included as a flashback scene in the next chapter, but with the length and detail, I felt it was more impactful as its own part!

As always, thank you for reading and interacting!

Charlotte🤍