moonlight

expressing  her  emotions  had  never  come  easily  to  her.  perhaps  it  was  the  anger—always  simmering  beneath  the  surface,  pushing  away  any  feeling  that  might  invite  true  happiness.  and  yet,  sienna  allowed  her  a  lightness,  that  took  all  of  it  away  a  hint  of  pink  crept  to  Ilayda’s  cheeks,  lingering  as  sienna  complimented  her  dress.  truth  be  told,  the  excitement  of  gifting  her  the  dresses  had  been  stained  with  worry.  that  perhaps,  she  wasn’t  as  good  as  she  thought.  but  sienna’s  words  softened  the  crease  in  her  forehead,  the  tension  melting  into  something  warmer.  crinkles  wandering  to  her  eyes  as  she  smiled.  “thank  you.  It  means  a  lot  to  me,  really.”  if  sienna  said  it,  she’d  believe  her.  finally  allowing  herself  to  stop  doubting.  “after  all,  you  were  the  one  who  taught  me  to  make  these  dresses.  I  owe  you  my  life.”  as  dramatic  as  it  sounded,  it  was  nothing  but  the  truth.  without  sienna,  she  would  have  been  lost—useless. she  gestured  to  the  fabric.  “i  tried  to  find  the  perfect  shade  of  pink  to  match  your  hair.  though,  honestly,  your  gorgeous  red  locks  would  look  good  with  any  color.  please,  try  it  on!  i  need  to  see  it.”  her  excitement  bubbled  over.  “I  can  adjust  it  if  needed—I  brought  all  my  materials  with  me.”  that,  of  course,  hadn’t  been  by  accident.  ilayda  had  hoped  sienna  might  still  have  more  to  teach  her. “i  wouldn’t  blame  anyone  for  looking,”   she  added  with  a  laugh,  quickly  glancing  around  as  if  someone  might  be  watching.  then,  dramatically  lowering  her  voice,  she  whispered,  “  the  coast  is  clear.  but  you’d  better  hurry,  some  fae  are  approaching.”

( 𐫱 ) 𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗳𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲. though  there  are  a  certain,  small  handful  of  fae  for  whom  derya  might  wander  a  bit  further.  it  was  beyond  time  for  them  to  break,  having  allowed  the  forge  to  cool  for  the  last  twenty  minutes,  setting  aside  the  steel  sword  upon  which  they  had  been  carving  designs  down  the  blade's  centre  for  the  better  part  of  an  hour.  all  these  little  tasks,  which  create  an  overarching  narrative  which  drives  their  life;  they  are  sore  about  how  something  else  seems  to  be  infringing  upon  it.  don't  count  current  company  amongst  those  numbers,  they  berate  themself,  or  else  you'll  lose  what  little  meaning  life  has  left  for  yourself.  not  allowing  these  thoughts  to  appear  on  their  otherwise  stoic  countenance,  that  bout  of  seriousness  fades  a  bit  at  being  approached  as  they  near  the  table  set  aside  for  casual  beverages.  “finding  yourself  in  need  of  a  drink  too?"  ask  they,  not  wanting  their  gruffness  to  overshadow  everything. / @feathcrcd ; @dcwnthercad ; @cresccents .

“so…  how  are  you…?”  her  words  stumbled  awkwardly  out  of  her  mouth,  wondering  when  they  lost  the  sharpness  that  were  always  reserved  for  them.  

KIM JI WON as Hong Hae In in QUEEN OF TEARS (2024)

for  a  moment,  she  stared  at  the  other,  wondering  how  she  could  be  of  any  use  ,  if  she  was  aware  that  with  her  words,  she  greatly  overestimated  herself,  claiming  to  be  of  any  more  help  than  those  books,  possessing  so  much  knowledge.  but  yurim,  faced  none  of  these  thoughts  aloud  (  as  if  she’d  ever  dare  )  and  instead  a  feigned  smile  resided  in  her  lips,  lacking  any  of  the  pretended  warmth  of  her  words.  “  surely,  we  can,  is  there  any  useful  information  you  might’ve  came  across ?”  she  asked,  not  really  interested  in  the  answer  as  she  doubted  that  anyone  was  as  good  as  her  in  doing  their  research.  yet,  today,  she  found  herself  to  be  patient  enough  to  await  an  answer.  “  i’d  love  to  help  you  out,   however,  i  must  admit  i  haven’t  found  any  answer  yet.  i  assume  the  winter  court  is  as  clueless  as  we  are,  no?  ”

a  sigh  fell  from  her  lips,   the  movements  of  her  eyes  ,  now  rolling  with  annoyance,   hidden  one  last  time  before  she  dropped  the  fabric  covering  her  face.   her  hand  shifted  to  her  forehead,  pushing  the  cape  backwards  and  falling  back  to  crossing  her  arms  when  she  finally  spoke.  “  i  see,  you’re  still  as  rigid  as  ever  .  admit  it  you  were  scared  for  a  moment,  no  ?  ”  her  lips  twitched  with  an  irritated  smile,  forced  upon  her  lips  as  she  didn’t  wish  to  be  rude  again,  as  she  was  the  one  about  to  ask  a  favor.  “  i  know  you  do  not  give  out  favors  for  free  but  i’m  here  to  ask  you  for  one  .  it’s  not  much.  “  she  added,  hoping  that  it  would  somehow  soften  him,  or  at  least  not  make  him  refuse  it  right  away  .  “  and  you  technically  don’t  have  to  do  more  than  you  usually  do  …”

the corner of her lips tilt upward, amused by the idea of her cousin scheming in this way. then, transparently, further entertained by ilayda’s straightforwardness. jia returns the inquiry with a strong gaze of her own, peering into the depths of ilayda’s eyes — “but why would we want that?” she still couldn’t pinpoint the right word to describe the shade of her eyes, not just green, but a little blue, with some burnt flecks. jia liked the illyrian (although her species still hung awkwardly in her mouth, the new vocabulary left a weird taste behind). she didn’t mince words and did not try to push her buttons like the male populous of the mainlanders. maybe that was the issue. the males: so hellbent on getting under her skin it seemed. so, in turn, she planned to get under theirs. “do you think we’ve taken control over his majesty to bend him to our evil will?”

𝔦 . finding  herself  returning  jia’s  gaze,  she  was  getting  lost  in  the  endless  depth  of  her  eyes,  touched  by  the  warmth  of  the  slightest  hint  of  gold,  and  yet  mysterious  and  captivating  as  the  court  itself  she  hailed  from,  hiding  untold  stories  that  were  gently  pulling  her  in.  as  jia’s  voice  interrupted  her  thoughts,  ilayda  could  pinpoint  the  moment  she  needed  to  snap  out  of  her  thoughts,  remembering  that  she  came  for  answers  instead  of  an  exchange  of  silence.  “  i’m  not  sure  .  i  thought  those  dragons  might  have  spoken  to  you,  or  dropped  some  hints  ?  signs  ?  do  they  even  speak  ?”  she  blinked,  embarrassment  shadowing  her  earlier  determination.  ever  since  ilayda  met  jia,  she’d  always  thought  of  her  possessing  all  the  knowledge  of  the  world,  so  much  that  she  didn’t  expect  her  to  ask  a  question  in  return.  “  i  wouldn’t  mind  if  you  did,  i’d  rather  be  controlled  by  the  ‘evil’  dusk  court  than  the  king.  ”  although  she  was  jesting,  worry  shifted  the  usual  ease  in  her  voice  and  with  not  having  even  one  question  answered,  she  knew  it’d  soon  start  to  grow.  “  so  is  your  cousin  planning  to  do  anything  about  it  ?”  ilayda  knew  it  was  better  not  to  ask  about  such  matters  but  she  couldn’t  help  but  be  curious.  “  or  is  it  on  us  and  i’ll  need  to  teach  you  how  to  murder  a  king.”

things had turned tense and he could feel it in the air as the fae moved swiftly in the hallways between meetings and mother knows what else to discuss the change in the monarchy. eldar had used the opportunity where most appeared busy to use the almost empty sparring ground. he was not completely alone, of course, but he wasn't one to complain since being completely alone was actually intolerable for the illyrian. he also didn't have to look for a sparring partner since there was a day court warrior who had had the same idea as him. eldar advanced on him so quickly he realized that he'd have to go easy on the redhead and this, in truth, would have to turn into more of an endurance training, which he did not mind either. eldar found himself sweaty and exhausted enough after going a couple of rounds with him, so he ended the training with a handshake, pulled off his shirt to wipe the sweat off his face and walked towards the barrel of fresh water, his eyes recognizing another illyrian lingering right by it. the male felt sudden tightness in his chest, his heart skipping a beat with recognition. ilayda. fuck. eldar hadn't deliberately avoided the female, but he didn't exactly feel like facing her either. he didn't want to deal with his own complicated feelings that were brought to the surface by her. guilt, fear and shame. all those serious things. he didn't want to face what he had done for her. it was way easier to plaster an easy smile on his face and to act as though he did not have a care in the world. " look at you, " he spoke to her, his eyes locked on hers as he threw his shirt over his right shoulder and went for a mug to fill with water. " enjoying the view. " but the second she turned her attention to him, really, the memory lingered right in front of his face. the paleness of her face as her lids had closed and all that blood on her. on him. eldar took a deep breath and a large gulp of water to swallow it all up. " how is dusk court treating you ? " he asked afterwards. that seemed the normal thing to do.

𝔦 . eyes  widening,  lips  parted  as  she  gave  a  quiet  gasp.  only  a  moment  ago,  she’d  found  herself  in  a  safe  distance,  taken  in  by  an  iteration  of  the  past  that  had  rarely  felt  so  tangible.  she’d  believed  that  she’d  changed,  that  the  illyrian  part  of  her  really  died  when  she  couldn’t  even  beg  for  life,  yet,  she  caught  herself  staring,  just  like  back  then,  shameful  with  admiration,  envious  that  her  body  could  never  mirror  the  same  precise  movements.  “  i  surely  did  enjoy  the  view  when  you  covered  your  face  .  ”  she  snorted  as  she  fell  back,  resorting  to  the  usual  insults.  since  ilayda  had  left  the  camps,  her  temper  had  cooled  down  with  losing  the  constant  strain  of  having  to  meet  certain  expectations.  but  eldar,  he  was  aggravating  enough  that  ilayda  would  fall  back  into  those  old  patterns,  finding  comfort  in  crude  words  instead  of  facing  the  complicated  emotions  she  was  supposed  to  feel  towards  the  person  who  saved  her.    “  you’re  sweating  so  much,  I  doubt  the  shirt  will  suffice,  mind  if  i  help  you  ?”  she  mused,  her  lips  curling  with  childish  mischief  ,  when  she  dipped  her  hands  into  the  cool  water,  flicking  it  forward  and  sending  a  spray  of  water  towards  him.  but  the  amusement  tugging  at  her  features  only  lasted  for  a  moment  with  the  reminder  of  why  she  came  to  look  for  him  in  the  first  place.  the  news  of  the  king  had  stolen  enough  of  her  pride,  that  she  could  admit  that  she  was  worried  about  eldar,  an  odd  revelation  that  she  still  needed  to  get  used  to.  “  very  well.”  she  shrugged,  “   at  least  the  dusk  fae  don’t  seem  to  avoid  me.”  she  added  under  her  breath,  saving  herself  the  embarrassment  from  throwing  around  baseless  accusations  .  truth  to  be  told,  she  wasn’t  sure  if  he  was  in  fact  avoiding  her  or  if  he  was  simply  busy  with  whatever  a  fourth  child  of  a  high  ruling  family  was,  and  still,  ilayda  couldn’t  deny  the  disappointment  that  she  barely  got  to  talk  to  him,  feeling  foolish  that  she’d  ever  thought  that  their  connection  had  surpassed  the  point  of  rivalry  and  her  own  resentment.  “  what  about  you  ?  i  guess  you’re  well,  although  i  must  say,  you’re  a  little  out  of  shape  but  i  assume  it’s  only  natural  since  you  don’t  need  to  defeat  me  anymore.  ”

hesitation  lingered  in  the  distance  she  found  herself  in,  watching  her  cousin  as  well  as  the  high  ruler,  appearing  to  be  quite  pathetic  even  from  the  sole  glimpse  of  his  back.  she  could’ve  ignored  him,  leaving  him  to  whatever  he  was  going  through  and  indulge  in  the  fact  that  he  appeared  to  be  quite  miserable,  yet,  as  a  matter  of  fact  she  was  still  curious  about  his  plans  as  it  was  inevitable  to  be  not  involved  in  any  of  the  future  decision  involving  their  court.  “  have  you  ever  been  a  good  companion?”  she  stepped  closer,  amusement  playing  on  her  lips,  disguising  her  words  as  a  jest  and  not  a  truth  she  felt.  “  a  thorn?   you  seem  to  be  quite  poetic  today,  i  might  dare  to  say  misery  suits  you,  it  makes  you  quite  mysterious,  brooding  .”  yurim  continued,  finding  childish  delight  in  teasing  him.  “  considering  the  recent  developments,  i’m  curious  about  how  you  feel  about  all  of  this.  ”  

“my apologies,” ulka laughs half-apologetically, unwittingly plucking yurim’s book off the shelf before fluttering out of the autumn fae’s way. “with the brightest minds in prythian all gathered under one roof, i’m thinking that the answer won’t be found in a book.” ulka was hardly as diligent as the day scholar, but even she felt compelled to find out more. she loved to uncover mysteries and learn about the world they lived in, but it was beginning to seem like every fae trapped in the dusk court was doing rounds through the library. ulka grabs one of the books off of the other fae’s stockpile. — skimming the title. she nods appreciatively. “a nice collection you’re building.”

“  thank  you,   it’s  fine.”  yurim  replied,  a  default  reply  to  match  her  polished  exterior  and  yet  her  eyes  followed  the  book  the  general  stole  from  her  sight,  irritation  tucking  the  corner  of  her  perfectly  painted  smile.  “  that  book  is  quite  boring,  i  wouldn't  recommend  it  unless  you  plan  on  falling  asleep  in  troubled  times  like  these.”  she  said,  hidden  intentions  concealed  by  a  lie  as  she  planned  taking  it  with  her  later.  “  there  must  be  a  lot  of  things  on  your  mind  as  the  day  court’s  general,  no?  ”  her  voice  was  wrapped  in  feigned  concern,  brows  bumping  together,  awaiting  an  answer.  “  you  think  these  are  the  brightest  minds?  then  why  are  we  still  stuck  here?  ”  amusement  disrupted  her  facade,  and  for  once  genuine  laughter  escaped  her  throat.  none  of  them  were  capable,  and  she  could  admit  that  she  wasn’t  excluded  either.  “  so,  if  there  aren’t  any  answers  in  here,  i’d  like  to  know  what  you  might  think  has  happened  to  the  king?  i  doubt  that  he  was  bright  enough  to  come  up  with  whatever  has  happened  to  him.”