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You sighed in frustration from your boredom. It had been a week since your mate had visited you and you hated that it always took him so long. The only consolation was that he brought you a gift each time that he came so that you would be more comfortable. You looked around and admired the way that your dumb prison cell looked and felt like a home but it didn’t make it any less of a prison. Had your mate not been so thoughtful for you, you would be slinging things around in your annoyance.
There was so much energy built up within you and you hated the High Lord for locking you up like some animal. So what if you had a lot of power? So what if it was hard to control? So what if you lost control one time? You groaned again as you walked to your cell gate and then hissed when you touched the ward yet again. Azriel and Rhysand were the only ones that were able to walk through it and whereas you were thankful for that, it still made you want to throttle your mate’s brother for letting his father lock you away.
After so long in the silent darkness, it wasn’t hard to pick up the sound of someone walking into the Prison. You began bouncing up and down, gripping the bars of your cell door in excitement because you just knew it was your mate. That was until you heard two sets of feet. You frowned, wondering who could be in this despicable place. As soon as you caught the familiar scent, glee and mischief ran through you.
“Ooohhh, Rhysie!!” you called out and just barely caught the soft sigh. “Come play with me!”
“Not now,” he replied simply.
“But I’m so bored,” you complained, stomping your foot in the process. “Pleeeeaaaase!”
“I said no.”
“Well let your friend come play with me then.” There was a pause that contradicted his sharp, annoyed tone. “It’s the least that you could do.”
“I believe we do enough.”
You bristled, upset that he wouldn’t even come within seeing distance of you. The curious need to know who the female was ate at you as you plopped down onto the plush bed. Footsteps headed in the opposite direction and you were on your feet and back to your cell gate within a heartbeat.
“Aw, come on, Rhys!” you yelled. “You’re really going to go see that asshole instead of me?”
“Can’t you shut your maniac up?”
The Bone Carver’s voice drifted down the hallway to you and so many retorts flew through your head. You wanted to know why the High Lord would want to speak to him of all people instead of interacting with you and your wonderful personality.
“I’ll show you a maniac!” you scoffed. “Go ahead and come down here with your little bones.”
“Shut the hell up!”
A chorus of similar words hit your ears and even though you didn’t know who the voices belonged to, you began to argue back with them. The ensuing argument distracted you and threats were being thrown throughout the walls of the Prison for whoever could hear them and reply. It lasted long enough that you hadn’t noticed that Rhysand and his guest had even left.
“You could’ve told me that they were leaving, asshole,” you snapped down the hallway but the only response from the carver was a quiet chuckle.
“If I ever get out of this cell,” one prisoner started. “You’re the first one I’m ripping to shreds!”
“Oh, you think so you little prick!?”
Another round of arguments began and a few names that you recognized could be heard so that was who you directed most of your insults to. Once they were tired of your unrelenting threats, they decided to ignore you. The silence felt like it was driving you completely mad and all that you wanted was to be outside and feel the sun on your face. It felt like it had been an eternity within the darkness and it was driving you crazier than you were already claimed to be.
Extreme boredom hit you again so you began making as much noise as possible just to annoy your cellmates. As usual, it worked and you knew that some of them would most definitely come for you first if they were able to break free of their cell. Lanthys was the main one that echoed through the walls the most even though his cell was heavily warded. The air around you fell silent when more footsteps were heard but you didn’t dare get your hopes up until cobalt blue siphons glinted off the soft fae lights.
“Hey!!” you exclaimed, running as fast as you could to your cell door.
“I missed you too,” Azriel chuckled when you launched yourself onto him as soon as he slipped through.
“Rhys was here earlier.” You pulled back to look at him with a pout. “He wouldn’t bring his friend to say hello.”
“Maybe next time.” He placed a quick kiss on your lips before pushing you back towards your small bed. “It sounded as if my wonderful mate was causing trouble yet again.”
“They told me to shut up! I had to defend myself!”
“Rhysand told me about it.” A coy smirk formed on his face and you wanted nothing more than to wipe it off. “And that was hours ago.”
“I was bored,” you said simply, shrugging your shoulders as if it was no big deal.
“Perhaps a gift will help with that,” he said quietly, pulling a small box out of his pocket.
You grinned, your legs bouncing in anticipation of what it could be. A quiet gasp escaped you when he opened it to reveal a necklace with a cobalt blue heart shaped pendant. Your squeal of happiness couldn’t be contained as he placed it around your neck.
“You are the absolute best mate that anyone could have,” you muttered as you wrapped your arms around his neck.
The usual argument about which one of you was the best mate began and you were a giggling mess when he pushed you back on the bed playfully. Your time with him was always so cherished, especially when you didn’t know when you would see him again. The two of you laid there for what was probably a long time for your mate but nowhere near long enough for you before he was murmuring that he had to go.
“Take me with you,” you whined as he relaced his leathers. “Pretty please.”
“You know I would if I could,” he whispered, brushing his nose with yours.
“I just want to go outside.” You tried your pout paired with puppy eyes and he looked so torn. “Why can’t I go?”
“Love,” he sighed, rubbing his temples. “You know good and damn well why you can’t go outside.”
“It was one time!”
“One time too many.”
“Tell Rhysie I’ll be on my best behavior,” you laughed. “I’ll even pinky promise.”
“Your arguments with your.. friends is considered your best behavior,” he replied pointedly.
“You’re no fun at all.”
You could only laugh when he chuckled but sadness and frustration hit you again when he left after giving you one last kiss.
Azriel hated leaving you and he wanted nothing more than to oblige your request but his hands were tied. It had hurt him more than anything than to see you locked away for something that wasn’t entirely your fault. Your power was great and would be useful if it could be honed but it was just as chaotic as your personality. More times than not, he felt defiance and chaos flowing through the bond and it was all that he needed to know that you were riling the other prisoners up for entertainment.
He imagined more than he cared to admit about what it would be like to not have to visit you in that horrible place, to have you by his side each night. Instead of that, he was only allowed a few hours but he had never told you that it was a rule in place. If it wasn’t for that, he would be with you constantly no matter how much he hated the Prison.
“Who was she?”
Feyre’s voice drifted to him from the sitting room from where he was in the foyer. He had forgotten on his flight back that the female had an indirect interaction with his mate. Rhysand chuckled, the sound half amused and half annoyed, before he fell silent and Azriel knew that meant that his brother knew he was there. It wasn’t until he took a seat did his brother look at him with amusement twinkling in his eyes.
“I trust that your mate was on her best behavior.”
“Always.” He rolled his eyes and Cassian snorted while the High Lord laughed. “One couldn’t ask for anyone more well behaved.”
“That was.. Your mate?” Feyre asked, watching him with wide eyes full of surprise.
“How Az got stuck with Y/N is beyond me,” Cassian huffed. “Poor guy.”
“Watch it,” Azriel growled while shooting his brother a hateful glare.
“Why is she in there?”
Azriel turned his attention to a stray thread on the armrest of the chair that he was in because he wasn’t able to bring himself to explain it. It had all been a chaotic mess that had unraveled within what felt like a blink of an eye. He hadn’t been there for you and he couldn’t help but wonder if he could have made a difference in your fate.
“She is there,” Rhys sighed. “Because she is a danger to herself and others.”
“What does that mean?”
“She has the ability to turn people against each other.” The High Lord’s eyes went distant and Azriel wondered if he was reliving the day as well. “My father recruited her in the last war but a few days before the final battle, she lost control and half of the camp was left standing. He was terrified of her so he placed her there for ‘the better of the world.’”
Azriel bristled at the memory and how he had been so angry and heartbroken all at once to know that his mate had lost everything. The loss of their soldiers had been a tragedy and cost them a great deal but he never thought your punishment fair. There were so many other ways that it could have worked out that didn’t include you being cast into the dark with no way out. The previous High Lord had been a coward simply for that alone.
“Don’t forget she has that super speed too,” Cassian added.
“Could she not be trained?”
“I’m sure she could have been but she wasn’t given the chance,” Rhys answered with a shake of his head. “Even if it wasn’t for just that, she is the first in a long time to have those sorts of abilities so there is no one to train her.”
“I’m sorry, Az.” He glanced at Feyre who had a small, sad smile on her face. “Neither of you deserve that.”
“The three of us did our best to talk my father out of it but he wouldn’t hear any of it. It didn’t matter if it was his spymaster’s mate.” The High Lord’s eyes shifted from distant to bright, glimmering amusement. “But she is a great extra punishment for the other prisoners.”
“My mate,” Azriel started through gritted teeth. “Is not your personal form of amusement.”
“She isn’t.” His brother shook his head again before he glanced at Feyre and then back at him. “I wonder if she would like to fight in another war.”
As soon as he learned of the plans to release the Bone Carver, he so desperately wanted to ask his High Lord if he could do the same for his mate. The bond that always glowed within him begged him to try but he never followed through because he knew what your asking price would be. Not only that, he didn’t want that one kernel of hope to be ripped from him.
“If we’re getting the Bone Carver,” Feyre muttered thoughtfully. “We could get her too.”
“You know what she’s going to ask for,” he stated simply when everyone looked at him.
“Perhaps she would like a bit of a compromise,” Rhysand offered. “She fights for us and we can give her a home on the outskirts of Velaris.”
“It’s that simple?” he asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
“It will be well warded by Helion himself just as a precaution,” the High Lord agreed, the stars in his eyes dancing in happiness for him. “She will have her freedom but only within the wards.”
He nodded his head in confirmation and immediately left, launching into the sky with a force that he hadn’t used in a long time. It felt like the first ray of hope that he had been given since he found out that you were his mate, the one thing that he had always wanted but had been taken from him. The bond within him sang and glowed, curiosity meeting his end in what he assumed was you wanting to know what had him so elated.
Your face lit up when you saw him for the second time within a day since it was something that had only happened less than a handful of times since you had been locked away. Love and chaotic excitement from your end of the bond hit him like tidal waves and he cursed when he realized that he couldn’t get back into your cell until tomorrow.
“You’re back!” you exclaimed breathlessly, a silly grin spreading on your face before it fell as you looked him over. “Is everything okay?”
“I want to offer you a bargain.” You scrunched your nose in confusion and he was unable to stop his chuckle from how adorable you looked. “We need your help in the war.”
You had been excited beyond belief when you realized that your mate had come by twice in one day to see. Just like any other time, he made no move to come in and he would never tell you why. All that you wanted was to be with him but here you were, stuck in a never ending cycle of cold and darkness.
“I’m not going to go outside to be used just for you to lock me back up,” you stated matter of factly.
“What if I told you that a part of the bargain included you never coming back here?”
Silence stemmed between the two of you as you tried to decide if he was playing some cruel joke on you. You didn’t mind helping or fighting but the thought of being used only to be cast aside hurt. His face fell when he undoubtedly felt that hurt flowing down the bond.
“Rhys says that once it’s over, he’ll give you a home on the outskirts of Velaris,” he started in a gentle voice. “You would be free and we would be together.”
“What’s the catch?” The two of you watched each other for a moment and when he didn’t respond, you continued. “If something sounds too good to be true then it usually is. So what’s the rest?”
“He wants Helion to place wards around the property just as a safety precaution.”
Azriel watched you carefully and you noted that he was in spymaster mode where he was reading everything despite the fact that he could feel it in the bond. It took a few heartbeats to register what was happening. Wards were something that you could live with, especially if it meant seeing your mate more than once a week.
“It’s a bargain.”
As soon as the words left your mouth, a tingling sensation branded itself on the back of your neck. You knew it had for Azriel as well since his hand shot directly up to the spot. He obeyed your silent motion for him to turn around and you couldn’t stop the fit of giggles that you fell into.
“What?” he asked in an exasperated tone.
“Seems fitting,” you laughed, turning around and pulling your hair out of the way to show him.
“A chaos star,” he chuckled. “Very fitting indeed.”
You grinned cheesily and the bond shined brighter than ever. He seemed just as excited as you and all that you had to do was win a war. It couldn’t be that hard, could it?
“Oh, Rhysie!” Azriel chuckled at your sing-song voice as you skipped closer to them. “I hope you have my house ready.”
“You are rather optimistic.” The High Lord rubbed his temples in exasperation. “It is ready sans the wards.”
“I’ll take down this whole damn army by myself if I have to.”
Azriel pulled you close, relishing in the few moments of peace that he had with you before the battle began. You had fought them on every order of where you should be placed and your exact role until he finally intervened. He was stuck on the sidelines due to his injuries from rescuing Elain and that was the only reason that you agreed to do as asked.
“Remember that you only do your part when it’s time,” he whispered, placing a light kiss against your lips before looking at the battlefield.
“Why the hell do they get to be out there and I don’t!?” you exclaimed when you saw the Bone Carver, the Weaver, and Bryaxis heading into the midst of the fight that was unfolding.
“Because we actually care about you, Y/N,” Rhys answered even though he didn’t look in your direction.
“I’m a pain in your ass,” you replied flatly and Azriel had to bite his lip to keep from laughing.
“That you are,” his brother agreed with a quiet chuckle.
Azriel had to place a shield around his end of the bond when all of your emotions became too much for him to handle as he focused on the battle. He watched out of his peripheral as you shifted on your feet in anticipation and he knew that they wouldn’t be able to hold you back for as long as they wanted.
Just as he suspected, you were running and were out of sight before they barely had time to comprehend that you had left their sides. The only reason that they knew that they knew that you had begun your reign of terror was when the Illyrians in the air paused and screams from the far end of the battlefield could be heard.
His heart dropped when Nesta began screaming Cassian's name but before he could call out for you, you were already back beside them. Your nose was scrunched in distaste at the sight that unraveled with the Cauldron. By the time that the second wave had passed and Rhysand had ordered all of you back to the field, you finally appeared truly worried.
“You better not die, Shadowsinger,” you whispered, brushing your lips lightly over his.
“Likewise,” he choked out, his worry flowing down the bond relentlessly. “I love you.”
“I love you more.”
Before anything else could be said, you were out of sight again. With the way that wars of this size worked, he would be unable to keep tabs on you and although he had faith in you, he would feel better if he was by your side. He tugged on the bond each time he felt a tinge of pain from your end and you simply tugged back in reassurance. A sigh of relief hit him once things went quiet and you were instantly in his arms again.
It was short lived because as soon as Feyre’s screams echoed through the now quiet field, you were both running in that direction. He hadn’t seen you cry but a handful of times and the only time that you did so as hard as you were now was when you were locked away. For as much as you annoyed Rhysand endlessly, you loved him deeply and even once both Amren and the former were alive and well, your tears still hadn’t stopped.
“Talk to me, love.” Azriel pulled you close before brushing the hair from your face. “Everything is okay now.”
You sniffled while nodding your head and sending all of your love to him through the bright golden thread that connected you both.
You were happy that the war was won and everyone was safe but you were anxious to see your new home. Even though your powers were depleted from overuse, you were still warded within your tent while meetings were had and everything was settled. Your mate’s smile when he came to take you to your new home had your excitement bubbling to a degree that you had never felt before. Judging by his quiet laugh, he was more than likely thinking the same thing.
Your new residence was more than you could have ever hoped for. Azriel had worked so hard to make your cell as bearable and comfortable as possible but it could never hold a candle for what he had done for you now. He kept you pulled close to him on the couch in the sitting room while Helion worked on warding the outside. That was up until you decided to try a different approach.
“Helion, dear, love of my life,” you started sweetly, grinning up at him through the ward that he was still working on. “You know you want to talk Rhys out of this little plan for me.”
“Maybe another day,” the High Lord chuckled and Rhysand just shook his head in amusement.
“Behave, dear,” Azriel muttered into your ear, causing shivers to run down your spine before he pulled you back inside. “I do believe that you deserve a reward for all of the hard work that you did.”
“Rewards are good,” you hummed. “Only as long as you stay here with me.”
“Always.”
A shy smile spread across your face as he pulled you close again and you were sure to push all of your love and appreciation for him down the bond. You would always love and cherish him until your dying day, no matter the cost and you knew that he would do the same.