A Court of Lost Stars-Chapter 43: Written in Hearts of Stone

Sweet peach juice dribbled down Nova's chin. With her shoes resting at the base of the tree she was perched in, she pressed her feet against the calloused bark and leaned back against its gnarled trunk.

Nova felt the earth and let it sing to her- a soft hum that pleasantly tingled her skin, down to her bones.

In two short hours, they would travel to the Dawn Court, and Nova would attend her first High Lord meeting. She'd been nervous before, but now after last night...

She was terrified.

Before she'd left for her morning run and meditation session, Nova had already decided she would not allow anything to throw her. Whether they introduced her as Princess of the Night Court or not, shiny crown and all, she would keep her composure. Keep it together for today and be back on the Island by tonight. She'd curl against Adira's warm embrace and drift to sleep as she scratched nails across her back.

Nova had the choice to set boundaries. She could leave Velaris, perhaps occasionally visit, and keep her circle small on the Island.

She could be happy.

Sighing, Nova bit into the last bite of the tender flesh of the fruit, leaving behind a mere slimy pit. She stared at it for a long moment and managed a small smile.

"Well, none should go to waste, after all, " she murmured before gracefully clambering down from the tree. She walked along the muddy bank, relishing the feel of the mud between her toes, and found a suitable open spot. Kneeling in the grass, she dug through the soil and placed the pit into the earth before covering it again in its dark resting place.

Nova leaned back on her heels and smiled. "Perhaps I'll revisit you one day, and you'll be as beautiful as your sister. Don't be too impatient. It takes time to grow," she said, patting the top of the dirt, "But it's well worth it."

Damp against her pants, she pulled her knees to her chest and sat in front of the freshly planted seed.

"I have this plan in my mind. I'll go to the meeting, and that will be that. A check off a list. I'll return home, to my Island, and I'll be happy..." Nova furrowed her brows. "Yet, yesterday, I was presented as a Princess. As a potential ruler of the Night Court- a High Lady."

Snorting, she shook her head and pursed her lips into a thin line. "I want to do important things, but I want to have a chance to choose them. Until now, it always seemed I'd been able to do that. I decided to train as hard as I did to become a Valkyrie because I wanted it. I wanted it more than anything. It's difficult to leave a life of selfish desires when it's all that was ever expected of you." Nova rested her chin on her knees and stared at the little mound of earth, releasing a soft sigh. "I don't hate it here, but staying would mean moving on from everything I've wanted. Everything I've worked for. How do you do that? How do you dismantle your life...and survive?"

Though the seed didn't answer, a soft wind tousled the loose hair around her temple.

Nova's lips curled into a small smile. "Thank you for listening."

While normally she enjoyed the brisk jog back to the townhouse, today she walked. Nova embraced the mild weather, knowing that sooner or later, cold would creep through and destroy the life in its path. It would certainly make way for new beginnings, but Nova didn't care for the cold. She'd much rather have the warmth of humidity cling to her skin than the dusting of frost.

The place was unusually quiet as Nova slipped in through the back door and closed it with a soft click behind her. Before visiting Hewn City, Mor had mentioned that tonight they'd be celebrating at the House of Wind- perhaps they were all preparing. The vision of Mor concocting some elaborate cocktail while Nesta scorned her choice of garnish infiltrated her thoughts.

She was still laughing to herself as she walked toward the stairs, eager to get clean and in fresh clothing, but a subtle scraping sound caught her ear before she took the first step. Glancing over her shoulder, she listened.

There it was again.

Turning, Nova started toward the sound and realized it came from the art room. She paused at the edge of the door and peeked beyond the jam. There, sitting on a wooden stool, was her mother. She was dressed in a simple shirt and leggings splattered in various hues of paint.

"You can come in," Feyre said, arching a brow as Nova inched around the door.

"I don't mean to distract you..."

"Not at all," Feyre offered with a small smile and cleansed the bristles in water before setting it aside on a narrow shelf below the easel.

The atmosphere had been tense since they'd returned from the Court of Nightmares yesterday, and to be honest, Feyre didn't know how to alter it. She couldn't undo their mistake, so she did the next best thing she knew.

She painted.

Nova stepped into the room, and her curious gaze settled on the piece her mother was working on. Two women, lounging on a chaise, stared back at her. They equally held kindness in their eyes through the warmth of their smiles, but the woman on the right had wisdom. Nova could see it...feel it.

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"I feel like I know them."

Smiling softly, Feyre nodded. "Hm, they are your family."

She cast a quick glance at her and frowned as she pointed in the direction to the left. The woman is holding the book in her lap. "Your father's sister, your aunt. Nisha," she gestured to the older woman, holding her head high, "and his mother. Your grandmother."

"What was her name?"

Feyre laughed and nodded, "You'll have to ask Rhysand that."

Tilting her head, Nova smiled before biting her lower lip. "Why are they not here?"

Quiet for a moment, Feyre nodded, "They died. Long ago."

"Oh..." Nova frowned, trying to take that in. "How did they die?"

"Hm, they died protecting the people they loved." She turned to meet her daughter's eyes. "I never met them; they were well before my time, but I'm sure others will be able to tell you stories if you ever wish to hear them."

Tugging at the hem of her shirt, Nova swallowed and nodded. "About yesterday..."

"Nova, we are so sorry-"

"I know," Nova said, cutting her off before she could continue. "I don't need to hear more apologies. I know you are." She inwardly cringed at the hostility of her voice, but she stayed firm. "I need to know that you don't have any surprises today. No random crownings or...indoctrinations."

"No, none," Feyre answered quickly and frowned. "Everything you already know will be discussed. There will be no surprises," she smiled softly, "no crownings."

Everything I already know.

It sounded like her being the future High Lady of the Night Court would be a heavy topic at the table, but she'd prepared herself for that this morning. Nova had to treat this as any other day- another training session.

"When we return, we can have another archery lesson. If you'd like." Feyre offered hesitantly.

Nova swallowed and forced a tight smile. "Maybe."

Without another word, she drifted up the stairs to her room, where she gently shut the door behind her and glanced to the left. Her sight landed on the untouched crown that still sat on the vanity. Hesitantly, she pushed off the door and ambled over, taking the silver and crystal between her fingers before lifting it and letting it hover above her head. Staring at herself, she wrinkled her nose and placed it back down with haste.

Certainly not.

Nova was a warrior.

Not a princess.

Why not both?

"Oh, shut up." She rolled her eyes at herself before turning her back to the mirror. She stared vacantly at the wall, willing herself to feel peace. To control that chaos that stirred within.

And she did.

When her gaze drifted to the vase of bluebells on her bedside.

Chewing her lower lip, Nova approached the table and let her fingertips caress the silky petals. Then, she plucked three of them, stem and all, and carefully slipped them into her pocket. Peter's presence had been able to calm her during the bonfire, so why couldn't his gift do the same at the meeting?

She intended to visit him at the bakery afterward, but that time couldn't come quickly enough.

Nova imagined them lying in the meadow and eating sticky buns. She'd ask him how business had been at the bakery that day, and he'd then return with a question about how eventful training was. They'd talk unabashedly about their passions until the fireflies emerged and rose-gold painted the sky.

Smiling softly to herself, she patted her pocket with light affection.

If there was one reason to stay in Velaris...it was Peter.

Hollis closed his eyes and breathed in the scents around him. He didn't know what would happen after the meeting today- where he'd be. Oddly enough, the place he dreaded going to was now one he didn't want to leave. He could grow accustomed to the muggy heat if it meant breathing in the comforting scents of the flowers. Then again, he did miss the familiar fragrance of the pine trees with the fresh, crisp morning air.

Having trained through the morning, Hollis felt more prepared today than he had in a long time. While he'd like to thank his perseverance and Bran's training advice solely, the truth was, he'd felt much calmer after last night. When his fear of the unknown began to take over as he lay restless in bed, the softest, warmest touch soothed his soul.

Leon meandered over and, whole gnawing on the grass he'd picked up on the way, nudged Hollis' shoulder.

With a chuckle, he glanced up. "I'll miss you, too." He murmured, stroking his nose. "I'll try to visit. If I can."

"Not saying goodbyes already, are you?" Bran asked with a slight smile, hands in his pockets, as he stopped beside him.

Hollis was quiet, still looking out at the trees where the shadows crept like quick-growing vines. "Today's the meeting."

"Yes."

Pursing his lips, he nodded. "Everything is going to change." He tilted his head back to look at the Illyrian—his friend. "And I don't know how much of it will be for good."

It had only been a week since he'd left the Winter Court. Seven days away from his home wasn't enough to change who he was. Hollis knew in his heart he didn't have what it took to be the difference the Courts needed...what Nova needed. It wasn't within him to make life-altering decisions like the one he was expected to make today.

The union, while seemingly simplistic, was another layer of chains around his anxiety-riddled existence.

"I'll never be strong enough for her." Hollis contended. "For them. It doesn't matter how many hours I put into training. I'll always be the coward who hid behind a tree in the face of danger."

Bran settled an intense gaze on him, one Hollis wouldn't meet.

"You call yourself a coward for being afraid. That's not what makes you a coward."

Looking up, Hollis met his eyes now, unable to form words as they caught in his throat.

Bran continued, narrowing his eyes. "No one is born a leader, Hollis. Blood has nothing to do with the ability to find strength within yourself. It's discipline. It's disregarding the trepidation you have and moving forward despite them. You think of confidence as an elite warrior charging into battle as the only way to have courage, but confidence is quiet, too. It's standing in your resolve, regardless of the barrier. Dammit, Hollis. I tremble at the foot of my fears, but I never lower my sword."

Staring up at him, Hollis didn't know what to say. What to think...what to feel. No words in his head could be strung together to form a coherent response.

Finally, Bran nodded and said, "So, stand up."

Descending the stairs, Nova forced back the acidic bile that rose in the back of her throat. She suddenly regretted eating that peach- had she not learned her lesson from before?

Her family stood in the foyer, waiting for her. It would only be the three of them attending, but it was nice to have a supportive send-off. Who knew what lay in wait at the Dawn Court. Nova had been so preoccupied with the notion that she might be introduced that she'd forgotten who she'd be introduced to.

This wasn't a random acquaintance on the street of the Rainbow District, who might smile at her in passing and move on with their lives. She would be surrounded by the High Lords of Prythian- the rulers of the Courts. That wasn't something to take lightly, and her body knew it, judging by how her hands tingled with a cold sweat.

Rhysand offered a comforting smile, "We're right here for you...we'll always be right here."

Swallowing, Nova nodded and steeled herself, though it took effort to keep her jaw from trembling.

"Are you ready?" Feyre asked gently, brows puckered with concern as she offered her hand.

While Nova hadn't completely forgiven them for the incident in the Court of Nightmares, she had no choice but to lean on them now.

With a nod, she exhaled, "I'll be okay."

Taking her father's outstretched hand, and, after a blink, they stood before the palace of the Dawn Court. Nova turned in a slow circle as a rush of serenity encompassed her, soothing her frayed nerves. The golden light above, casting a luminous glow above the rose-colored clouds, reminded her of the peace she felt while meditating.

"I feel like I've been here before..."

Feyre tilted her head to the side as she studied her. "Perhaps in your mind you have. You did have visions of sorts when you first were with us."

That could explain the drawings Nova had found in her trunk under the window. Most seemed the frantic scribblings of a child learning to use graphite, but when Nova held them, it was like holding a piece of herself.

She couldn't explain it.

"Shall we?" Rhysand offered a small, crooked smile. "I imagine they're all waiting."

Oh, right. The meeting. Nova wanted to grimace, but kept her expression placid as she nodded and walked with them toward the palace.

Calm.

Control.

Nova worked to keep her heart rate slow as they entered and were directed down long corridors until they were met with an ornate hallway that led to a massive set of doors. Beyond, she could hear the low murmurs of conversation. This time, she couldn't calm her pulse.

Why was she so panicked?

Reaching into her pocket, her thumb brushed against the soft petals of Peter's flowers, and she breathed deeply again.

This is hardly about me. Likely, they'll pay very little attention to me. I'm not a High Lady. I don't rule the Night Court. They have no reason to attend to me; if they do, try not to be 'socially illiterate', as Kyra would say.

The doors opened toward them, and as expected, the glossy, circular table was already occupied by the other High Lords. Though not just High Lords, Nova noticed as she stepped over the threshold between her parents. Two men and a woman sat to the left, diagonal to the empty chairs meant for them. They looked eerily similar with snowy-white hair and pale skin, but it was the one in the middle. His eyes, she could swear she'd seen that shade of cobalt before.

As they entered, the conversations ceased, and Nova looked around the table. She expected their eyes to be trained on her parents, but they weren't. They watched...her. A sickening crawling of tiny legs scampered down the backs of her legs as they stared at her with silent curiosity.

There she is... Hollis thought, focusing on his breathing as he stared at her. She'd grown. Of course she had, he silently scolded himself. Though it was obvious she was no longer the girl who adorned herself with stolen jewelry and pranced around a mansion while breaking valuable items. The woman standing at the edge of the table, four chairs from him, was a warrior. It could be seen in her features. The fierceness of her brow set over guarded, violet eyes.

Nova was easily the most gorgeous person Hollis had ever seen, and he was deathly afraid of her.

Then, Thesan stood and offered a nod and a welcoming smile. "It's been some time since we last met. I'm glad to see you are well."

Blinking, Nova tried to recall a time she'd met him, or any other High Lords, for that matter. Had she? Never before had she been told so; it wasn't naturally something she assumed.

Beron, to the right and directly opposite Hollis, scoffed. "She does speak, doesn't she?"

His tone grated against the nerves Nova had tried in vain to polish earlier, but before she could rebut, a hand touched her arm, and it didn't belong to either of her parents.

Turning, she was met with Elain's teary eyes. "We wanted to visit. Oh, how you've grown..." Elain squeezed her arms lightly.

Lucien stood by her side, smiling, and said, "I dare say the obstacle course has treated you well."

"Enough with the semantics," Beron curled his lip, "Get on with what we're meant to do here, or am I the only one who seems to remember why we're here?"

Sitting gracefully in his chair, Rhysand leveled a curling smile on Beron. "So good to see you again. You remember my daughter. She caused you to storm out of the last meeting?"

Beron ground his teeth as everyone slowly retook their seats, Nova between her parents, but her eyes remained on Beron. The heated energy he spewed from somewhere within wasn't something she liked. In fact, it felt dangerous to be within the same vicinity.

Trusting her instincts meant staying away from him.

Helion rolled his eyes. "I think we can spare a moment of idle chatter if it helps everyone feel a little more comfortable."

"Comfort has not been the fate of my Court." Beron shook his head with a grumble.

"That's surprising," Rhysand purred, "Considering the only thing you've given up in times of trouble is your ability to trade."

Maintaining his composure, Hollis snuck a quick glance at Nova, but she seemed to be studying Beron with extreme scrutiny. Not that he blamed her, especially after the year they'd had. The inability to trade goods had put many of their people at risk, and Hollis couldn't understand why unity seemed so terrible in Beron's eyes.

"Much to my dismay," Thesan murmured, "We do have much to discuss."

Beron chimed in again. "Is this meeting for discussion or action? It has been ten years. I was under the impression the union would be occurring today."

Union? What union? Nova thought.

"That was never discussed explicitly," Feyre defended without hesitation.

"We have waited ten years for fate to decide, and now it has." Beron shook his head with a growl that resonated deep within his throat.

Nova's eyes scanned the faces at the table. Tarquin, yes, of the Summer Court. Helion, Kallias. She met a pair of blue eyes as hers roamed, but he instantly lowered his gaze.

"How much more proof do you need?" Beron continued vehemently, and Nova turned her attention to him. "The fall itself?" His tone shifted into something nasty with condescension. "Haven't your precious Nova and Hollis suffered enough at the hands of fate?"

The fall?

"Does no one agree?" Beron asked. "You all believe we should continue to wait as our lands fall to rot and ruin? How many have buried, Thesan? The fresh graves on the foothills look terribly suspicious."

"That's enough..." Thesan spoke, voice calm but firm.

"You're right. It is enough. Enough waiting for this marriage. Join them now and be done with it!"

Marriage?

With a sickening twist of her stomach, Nova's heart leapt into her throat. Sweat beaded at her forehead as the pieces fit together in a horrific puzzle. The sound of nothing flooded her ears as everyone and everything was drowned, and it was only she who witnessed the shattering of her soul.

"Nova?" Taqruin's tranquil voice came through the high-pitched buzz in her head.

She felt the sudden need to lie down as darkness crept around the edges of her vision.

"Nova?" Rhysand sat up a little taller and, with a worried scowl, took her hand in his. "Nova, what's wrong?"

Hollis stiffened as he watched Nova's deep olive skin pale unnaturally. She looked as though she might be sick, and a sudden panic swept through Hollis, forcing him to move his chair backward, ready to move toward her.

Her voice was so low that no one at the table could hear her.

"What?" Feyre asked gently as she squeezed her arm. Elain moved swiftly across the room, followed by the splashing sound of water pouring into a glass.

Nova's lips moved again with slow decterity, "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

Silence fell across the table.

Brows furrowing in confusion, Feyre shook her head, "Nesta told you. She said she-" But as Nova slowly turned her head to look at her mother with cold, fear-filled eyes, Feyre was crushed with the brutal truth.

The memory of sitting with Nesta over a coffee and scone in the House of Wind surfaced.

Yes, Feyre, I told her, and she doesn't wish to speak of it. Leave it be.

Nova slowly shook her head as the cold, numb fear replaced white-hot anger. Setting her jaw, heat flushed through her body, bringing the color back to her skin.

"Tell me everything."

They did.

Nova sat back in her chair, staring into nothing as she recounted the information. None of it was black and white; it was intermingled shades of gray. Just and unjust. She didn't dare look in Hollis' direction; the only person whose eyes she could meet was Thesan's, who spoke calmly and plainly about the prophecy and what was meant to be done to stop it.

After a long pause, she asked, "People have died because of this?"

Thesan's somber eyes, heavy with grief, were the only answer she needed.

Continuing, Nova pursed her lips and tried to relax the muscles of her shoulders, but she was far too rigid in her posture to do that. "A union doesn't have to equate a marriage. A simple bond shouldn't have to be anything more than that. If it's written in the stars, let it be while we live our separate lives."

"I'm afraid it's not always as simple as that." Thesan offered gently.

Nova sighed and rubbed her temples, "Of course it's not."

"Are these your only concerns?" Beron asked, his voice breaking with impatience. "Or can we move on to what needs to be done?"

All heads turned to Beron, but he stared at Nova with a curled lip.

Nova stared back, then nodded, "Yes, I do believe it's the only two concerns I have." She said, offering him both of her middle fingers as Helion snorted into his chalice and her father smirked with pride.

A slow, deliberate sigh escaped Beron as he leaned forward. "I warn you now. Attempting to evade this will destroy us all, and I have no interest in waiting any longer."

"And I have no interest in a conversation with you."

Nova met Beron's gaze, and though it was apparent he glowered at her with every attempt to intimidate her, Hollis watched her fearlessly face down the dragon himself with steel in her veins. He had no idea how she managed to walk into a room of High Lords and demand respect, least of all from Beron.

Glancing sideways at his father, Kallias watched Nova and Beron intently, jaw tight as his gaze occasionally flitted to Rhysand with silent questions.

"You have no right to walk in here and decide the fate of the Courts, girl. This is beyond you." Beron fumed.

As Feyre parted her lips to retaliate, Nova's tongue was sharp and quick, "You know, maybe if you were just a little more flexible, you'd have the capability of getting your head out of your own ass."

Every jaw dropped, and Hollis stared at her with wide eyes, unable to stop the grin that morphed his mouth.

Helion smirked to himself and shrugged, "She's not wrong..."

Standing to his feet, Beron stared down at Nova, but she did not drop her gaze. "You will regret this day. I assure you."

There wouldn't be a union today, Hollis realized.

Nova was a force to be reckoned with, and if she demanded a day to dismantle the plans Beron had set to replace with her own, she would. Did that make Hollis a mindless follower to say nothing? To not intervene once?

Possibly.

But what could he say? Nova had hardly looked at him; he felt more like the paint on the wall, observing the conversation than a working pawn in this horrific game of chance. Still, to say nothing...to do nothing while Nova stood against what Beron tried to force would make him the coward he'd always believed himself to be.

Before he could think better of it, Hollis said, "However you'd like to proceed," he began as Nova met his eyes, "I will support it."

Looking at Hollis with unabashed curiosity, Nova had partially forgotten he was there. That was a bit rude of her, wasn't it? Then again, she had a lot on her mind. Including the Autumn Court bully, who seemed to be trying to make himself appear larger to her.

Nova nodded, regarding Hollis in silence. She knew of him, but didn't know him. Bran and Kyra had mentioned him at the bonfire, but that was the extent. He, too, was a victim of this. Trapped in the throes of fate, just as she was. If they were going to find a way to make this work, they'd have to support each other.

Fuck, this already sounds like a marriage, Nova internally grumbled.

"We can reconvene in two days' time," Thesan announced, assessing everyone in turn, much to Beron's chagrin as he slowly lowered himself into his seat.

Two days.

Nova had two days to figure out what she was going to do...what they were going to do.

"In two days," Thesan continued, his serious gaze lingering on Hollis, then Nova, "If you have not decided for yourself what will be done, then we will proceed as initially planned. I hope you find a solution that works best for both of you. We, the unbiased party...unanimously agree it is not within our right to deny the safety of the people in all the Courts for the sake of two."

The unbiased party- Rhysand glanced at Tarquin and Helion, who didn't meet his gaze. The three of them had decided this, and he couldn't blame them.

"Until we meet again." Thesan nodded to Nova and Hollis before he stood to his feet.

Feyre turned to Nova, reaching her hand toward her arm, but Nova was already standing. Frowning, she watched her stalk toward the doors.

"Where are you going?" Elain asked, moving to stand too as she held Lucien's arm.

Nova didn't look back as she answered, "I'm going to go murder Nesta."