A Court Of Moondust And Shadows (Azrielxoc)

The Mortal Queens

    Azriel was lost in his own head again, he could hear the voices of the inner circle around him at the dinner table and yet he could not make out the words. They didn't comment on his absence, they were used to it and never cared enough to question it because that was just how he was. And that was alright, people leaving him alone with his dark thoughts. They preferred letting him sit silent in a corner when they knew he was in a foul mood. He looked at his untouched plate, no one commented on that either. He didn't blame them though, he knew that he wasn't easy to comfort or understand. His darkness was too much for them to deal with sometimes so they let him handle it alone. They would sometimes try, but walked away when it was too much. When he was too much...

   But Rayna didn't... his shadows whispered

 There was a shift in his eyes, his gaze turning softer. The thought of the girl with hair of fire and a temper to match it brought him back from his dark thoughts. His shadows were right as they always tended to be. She had seen him too lost in his own mind and went out of her way to bring him back. She, a mere mortal, dared to reach into his head, find him and bring him out.

  He hadn't seen her in weeks and it was as if with her absence growing, so did the ache in his chest. He subtly enough asked about her during both of the meeting with the queens, Cassian asked about her too. They got the same response every time, she was as see but was soon to return. Azriel wasn't sure what their definition of soon was. He could tell the human sisters missed her. They decided to stay in the Mortal Lands. Being at sea actually made Azriel worry less about Rayna becoming a victim of war. As long as she was far away from the action she would be fine, alive. 

 He felt numb and he was falling back into the dark pits of his mind without anyone to bring him back. The upcoming war didn't make things easier either.

   'At least your sisters aren't cowards.' Mor's voice echoed through the room. 'The girl, whatever her name was, she ran away leaving her supposed friends alone. Her people are in need and she just runs away to save her own skin.' She took a sip of her wine, a disgusted look on her face.

 Cassian said nothing, even Feyre was quite. Azriel looked at the all too familiar faces around the table, they all agreed. Sudden rage blurred his vision as he forced his voice to remain even.

  'You know nothing about Rayna.' He spoke through gritted teeth.

 Mor raised a brow, her head falling back as she laughed loudly.

   'And you do?' She bit back.

  Yes. Yes, he wanted to scream it. He knew she adored caramel. She enjoyed reading murder mysteries for the dark romance more than for the actual plot. She baked when she was stressed and cooked when she needed a distraction. She knew every star and constellation by heart from how long she had been on boats. She liked tea with strong herbs and...

  'I heard she is married. I assume her husband would fight so maybe he took her away to safety.' Feyre joined in the gossip.

 Everybody flinched slightly when the sound of shattered glass echoed through the room. All eyes turned to Azriel who kept his eyes on his now covered in pieces of glass food.

   'I apologize, I have gripped it too tight.'

 Husband. The word echoed in his head again and again. A husband she was not in love with and yet was there. He was there. Azriel's hand moved to his dagger, he could make him not be there anymore.

  °•▪︎♤▪︎•°

     'I can't feel my hands and I swear it's an effort to keep my eyes open.' Rayna complained as she climbed off the ship.