what do you believe?

Kaden hadn’t had time to think about anything but what had happened at the wedding. He was busy talking to the other high lords, making plans for attacks with his war council. He hadn’t even had a moment to himself. He felt bad. He didn’t want everyone to think that he was ignoring them. Especially not his sisters or Luciana. He knew they didn’t have anything official between the two of them. But he enjoyed the time he spent with her. It felt like the only time he could just be himself without the crown of the autumn court weighing him down.  

He was thrilled when he found the note from Luciana in his bedroom. He was glad that she still wanted to see him. He looked forward to their meeting the whole day. It was probably the only thing that got him through the talks of war. When he left his bedroom at midnight, he did his best not to be seen by any of the guards or the servants. He just wanted one night to himself and Luciana. He smiled when he saw her sitting on the bench. He sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulder.  “I got your message. I’m glad you wanted to see me.” 

Admittedly, sitting alone with her thoughts wasn’t the best idea for Lucy. Especially after what had happened during their trip to the Night Court. Even if they didn’t have anything serious, she didn’t want to be a point of weakness for him. What would happen if someone from another court found out and used it against him? She was torn from her thoughts when she saw movement from the corner of her eye.

Looking up, Luciana gave a soft smile as Kaden sat next to her. Her small form moved closer to him, his warmth making her automatically feel comfortable. “Of course I would want to see you.” She told him, leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. Her lips lingered against his for a moment before pulling back completely. Her mind was still racing from her thoughts before Kaden arrived, unable to help but worry about what could happen with this war. Despite the lump in her throat, she pressed her forehead to his and closed her eyes.

Lucy remained silent for a moment before finally letting her thoughts be heard. “I’m worried...” Her voice wavered, but she ignored it as much as she could. “... about what could happen to the civilians, or to the princesses... or to you.” She mused. After a second or two of thought, she pulled back from Kaden and gave a nervous laugh. “Sorry. I had just been thinking about this mess before you got here.”

Cian’s cheeks were flushed pink as he turned to see his best mate, The Night Court capital was packed with Astralis’ citizens all excited for the royal wedding. After the attack on the Autumn Lord, Cian (and many other Autumn Courtiers) advised Autumn’s Lord, Kaden Bahatti, to return to the safety of the Court castle. Cian was grateful that his hindsight had his bring a few Banshees along with Autumn’s convoy. Cian stayed behind to clean up the mess with the Night Court Council. 

However, tonight was his last night in the Night Court lands; he was happy to leave. His only piece of home was a pub where he smuggled a keg of Winter Court Ale for the festivities. Cian did like the Night Court’s elegance, but he longed for the wind swept craigs of home. Tonight, he was going to finish the keg, slept it off, and get on a coach back to Autumn Court. By the time that Luciana arrived in the dingy pub he was already drunk. His quaffed red curls were now wild and wirey; he used his power of sway and convinced the gaggle of musicians to play a proper jig. Drum beats and mandolin picking  filled the pub and Cian was hopping over crossed swords, a common jig in Autumn Court. “Lucy!” Cian wailed, “come grab a flagon. Drink with me!”

Despite being in the Night Court, the music that was playing in the bar was more familar to her. Considering how she had spotted Cian enjoying himself, Lucy figured he must have asked them to play music from their court. When she got his attention, the dark haired woman couldn’t help but let out a loud laugh at his reaction. “Haven’t you had plenty to drink?” She asked him, though she easily got a drink as he had mentioned. 

The barkeep handed her the flagon full of wine shortly after making her request. Lucy made her way to Cian to wrap an arm around his shoulder and brought him down closer to her height. “Alright, I have my drink!” She giggled and let go of him so she could lift the drink to her lips, taking a long sip of the wine. 

After the wedding, Luciana knew the tension had grown to an all new high in the Autumn Court. It had been a couple of days since arriving back, and the woman had drowned herself in doing whatever job she could. Sure, she had been taught how she needed to handle this kind of thing, but with the threat looming closer, she struggled to think straight. Since getting back, she hadn’t even seen Kaden. There was so much going on that it didn’t really surprise her they hadn’t crossed paths in the castle, but she had also wanted to give both of them time to process the tragedy at the wedding. 

It was the early afternoon when she managed to slip a note in his room, setting the small piece of paper on one of his nightstands. It would probably be awhile before he would even return to his room, but she just hoped he saw it before it passed the time she wrote down. 

Meet me at the fountain in the garden at midnight? I miss you. Even if you don’t want to talk, I just want to see you.  - Luciana As midnight approached, Luciana hadn’t bothered to change into anything more comfortable. There were bound to be guards almost everywhere she went. Hopefully she could get Kaden to herself for at least a few minutes without one of the guards seeing them. Her walk to the garden was a short one, though the one to the fountain was a bit longer. As she walked, she took in the sight of the trees with the perfect autumn colored leaves, as well as the flowers that had survived into the new season. Once she was at the fountain, she moved to sit down on one of the stone benches, eyes focused on the water as she waited.

Arabella had been in court all morning, bedecked in the traditional robes of the Summer Court princess as she watched the High Lady tear her opponents asunder. It had been an exhausting exercise, keeping a perfectly passive persona as Fae were given harsh punishments for questionable charges, and the occasional smile that she had to give made a part of her restless with disgust. As much as she could feign her way through these corrupted sessions, she always left feeling unusually tired, guilt for her inaction weighing her down more than the ample hairpins that had been so meticulously placed in her hair.

As court was adjourned, she wasted no time escaping from the room, slipping out with all the notice of a shadow as she sought refuge elsewhere. Her room was by no means a sanctuary from the prying eyes of the Summer Court, or the sharp ears of her mother’s spies, but it was a place where she could breathe a little easier. She let out a quiet sigh of relief as she closed the door behind her, hand reaching up to pull hairpin after hairpin out to free herself of the excessive garb. “Finally…“ Arabella could feel the tension ease as she freed her ebony hair from the complicated updo, the dull ache lessening to a slight throb as she restored the circulation around the back of her neck. Without any other engagements that day, she could finally slip into something far more comfortable, and get working on the new texts that Ashir had helped to smuggle in from the Night Court not so long ago.

 A peaceful afternoon was a rare gift, in a place as dangerous as the Summer Court.

But as she pulled her closet door open, simply to fetch something simpler to wear, she found herself face to face with a complete and total stranger. “W-What the-” Arabella, startled, scrambled back, feeling the quick pull of her magic on any source of water she could reach. Who was this person? An assassin? A spy from one of the nobility? Immediately, the walls came scrambling up again, the flash of fear slipping back behind a blank expression as her fingers tingled with pent up magic. The calmness came back; a defensive instinct in the wake of an unexpected situation. 

“Who let you in here? Explain yourself. Now.”

As the door opened, Luciana kept herself still and did her best to breathe silently. This was probably going to backfire on her, but she was willing to try and get away with hiding until the person left. The lady in waiting could just barely hear a female voice, leaving as quickly as it came. She really should have argued to send one of the proper spies over. The thoughts rushed through her head until footsteps approached the closet. ‘Fuck.’

Brown eyes grew wide as the princess opened the door and spotted her. Her eyes quickly flickered to the princess’ hands, trying to check if she had a weapon. Well, a physical one at least. “Shush!” Lucy defensively whispered to the other, holding her hands up to show she didn’t have a weapon in hand. “If you let me come out and keep quiet, I’ll tell you. I’m a lady in waiting for the Autumn Court.” Lucy explained, hands staying up in the air. This wasn’t going as well as she had hoped. 

“I’m not here to hurt you. I just want to talk. Besides, look at me. Do I really look like I’m the fighting type?” She raised a brow from curiousity. Luciana never usually came off as the type to use violence, but she still knew how to when she needed it. Hopefully, she wouldn’t need it at any point that day.

What was the best thing to do when war was threatening to strike soon? Drink. Lucy intended to do just that. She never really drank enough to get completely drunk, but this was one night where she would let herself go. Given the stress of everything, who could blame her for needing a night of drinking? She stopped to the cabin to get changed into more comfortable clothing before leaving and headed to the bar. When she walked in, her ears were met with the sound of music, drunken shouting and plenty of conversations that were had at different tables. Luciana was ready to head to the bar itself before she noticed a familar face. With a grin, she went over and wrapped an arm around Cian’s shoulder. “How am I not surprised to see you here? Gonna buy me a drink?” 

The party was well underway without her assistance, Celine had observed, and aside from instilling the fear of her into a few ruly recruits, the Resistance was operating with frightening efficiency. It seemed a scare or two was all that was needed for the evening, and with Noa and Santiago well in sight, there seemed little need for the hunter to play her prescribed role all night. But it certainly didn’t mean her work was finished. It simply meant the target of her attentions had shifted to new prey. 

This one she had been following for a while, watching the stranger chasing after the skirts of those who she knew held a significant place in Autumn. After some time, it seemed as though she had been left to her own devices to enjoy the festivities, separating from her little flock as soon as air was required. A chance. She followed after the other woman, careful to note just how many people were watching as she slipped out of sight and onto the balcony.

“It’s not every day you get to stargaze in the Night Court. They say if you look closely enough, you can see stories. About yourself, about the past, or more interestingly, the future. I’d recommend the carriage ride if you haven’t already.“ Celine smiled, accepting the Fae’s silent offer to sit by her. So she was a friendly one. All the better for her own interests. “I’m sure your own Court must look resplendent as well, doesn’t it?” She asked, her voice light and open. This was a Fae who would be drawn far more to honey than vinegar, if the bright attire and overt friendliness was any clue. 

“Luciana, you say. A darling name indeed. Mine’s Celine, and it’s most certainly a pleasure.” She crossed her legs, studying the stranger with deep interest. “So what’s a sweetling like yourself doing out here all alone? Not used to the party scene?”

There were so many unique activities to do at the reception that Lisabeth was honestly in awe of Night Court. She loved Autumn Court because they were all like family but their events were never anything of this kind of scale. Lisabeth was all too happy to lead the way toward where the painters were doing their portrait work. Her eyes watched all the different displays as she tried to figure out just how the artists could be so detailed and make it look so effortless. “Oh no, I haven’t danced except trying to get to the back of the dessert display,” she laughed for a moment. Lisabeth had never really been one for dancing anyway. “Hiding things from Matthew rarely goes well. I’ve taken to distracting him with baked goods and just tell him like it is,” she chuckled for a moment as she looked for which artist might be the best to select. “What about the one in the back? The lighting there looks beautiful since it overlooks the garden?”

The way Lisbeth acted so excited made Lucy smile, finding it almost gave her a feeling of comfort. It seemed so normal, and that was all she wanted sometimes. “Honestly, I can’t blame you. I might get banned if I go over there again. The cheesecake bites are so good.” She groaned at the thought, a soft laugh following. The point of hiding things from her brother made Lucy nod, a sense of relief filling her that she didn’t have to worry about something like that with a sibling. The closest thing she had to sibling was Cian. The mention of where she should get their art done made her nod and smile. “Seems perfect!” Lucy held onto Lisbeth’s hand and gently led her along towards the artist. “You know, you really do look amazing tonight, Lisbeth. You look gorgeous everyday, but it’s a nice change to see everyone in fancy attire.”

A small smile curled on his lips as Luciana moved next to him. He has cherished her friendship from the start; he always thought of her like the sister he lost to his past. She’s been a fixture of his left ever since he started in court. As much as Matthew is in his life. Cian can always think of a moment that Luciana was there with him as well. Cian waved over to the servant for another glass of champagne and replied to Luciana. “I’ve had my interest lie elsewhere tonight,” he motioned to the procession that circled the Night Court’s Lord, Beaumont, and the blushing bride—the nymph from the garden—Sophia.

“I don’t want Lord Bahatti caught off guard,” the red-head confessed as he sipped his from his new sauce of champagne. He took a breath and smiled again. “However, Lady Lucy… Have you broken the soft hearts any Astralis’ lords?”

Luciana had never been close with her own family, and honestly found it easier to be herself once they weren’t around. Thankfully, Cian had never met her parents since he joined the court shortly after her mother passed. It made it easy for Lucy to cling to any friends she started to make, and Cian was one of the closer ones. She still debated on telling him about what went on between her and Kaden, but she held back with the issues that were lurking over their court.

Lucy could feel the slight ache in her feet as she went outside to the balcony. With a soft sigh, she took a seat on a nearby bench, taking in the sights of the area as she relaxed. After dancing for a solid half hour, Luciana could feel the pain from her high heels shooting through her, causing her to go take a seat outside to recover. Lucy was silent as she admired what she could see of the stars, Her mind wandered a bit until she caught onto a sound near her. 

Looking up, Lucy spotted someone who seemed to be coming out to the balcony. The dark haired woman carefully moved to free up the area next to her. “It’s a pretty night. Starting to think twice about going out to stargaze.” The lady in waiting spoke up, trying her best to strike up a conversation. Sure, she was probably being too friendly, but she wanted to learn about the courts she hardly interacted with. “Oh, I’m Luciana, by the way.”

location: wedding reception

with: @inthewingsx​

while most of her evening had been spent guarding the desserts area, lisabeth was about ready to explore more of the reception when she saw luciana. “luc, your dress!” she exclaimed as she had a small meltdown over just how beautiful her friend looked. lisabeth had always been a touch more emotional than she meant to be and the color and cut of the dress just looked so beautiful on luciana that lisabeth couldn’t help but be in awe. she brought her friend in close for a hug, still beaming as she pulled away about just how adorable the other looked. “come on, we must our portrait done. we have to commemorate this!” linking her arm with the other’s, lisabeth started guiding over to where she had seen the painters earlier in the evening before lisabeth had parked herself in the desserts station. “did you dance with anyone cute yet? i think i saw a lot of faces that i did not recognize. who knew night court was so large?”

The reception was nice, which Lucy had to admit to herself. She still wasn’t a fan of such public weddings, but at least they could provide the guests with a good time afterwards. The dark haired woman jumped a bit when she heard her name and looked to see Lisbeth, causing the lady in waiting to sigh in relief. The compliment made Lucy blush as she let out a soft laugh. “You’re one to talk. You look gorgeous tonight, as per usual.” She hugged the other back, a smile on her face. The suggestion of portraits seemed like a good idea, and Luciana wasn’t going to turn down something fun with her close friend. As they walked, Lucy shook her head as she laughed. “No, I haven’t danced with anyone cute... yet.” She noted before looking to Lisbeth. “What about you? Anyone you’ve danced with that you had to hide from Matthew?”

Kaden was thrilled when his sisters had asked for Lucy to come with them to the wedding. Having her around would definitely make him feel better. He had sent her a note to meet him before everyone gathered to go the the ceremony. He needed just a few minutes alone with her before they had to focus on everything else. He heard his door open as he was fixing his tie in the mirror. He turned around when she came in. She was a vision in soft yellows, reminding him of a soft sunrise in spring. 

“If I didn’t know better I would say you dressed for a party in the dawn court.” He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. He lifted her chin to kiss her softly. “Will you come see me tonight after the party is over? We can sneak out and go see the stars so we don’t have to worry about getting caught here.” 

Brown eyes lit up as Luciana watched Kaden come towards her. Feeling his arms around her sent shivers down her spine as a sense of comfort washed over her. She knew that this needed to stay casual, but after countless nights together now, it was hard to not get attached. The kiss gave her the sensation of butterflies, kissing him back before he spoke. She let out a soft sigh and shook her head.

The music that filled the reception room was covered up by the sound of countless voices, talking about the wedding, the outfits, the decorations and anything else that could be brought up. Luciana simply stood there, feeling a bit of exhaustion already threatening to kick in. She really disliked weddings, especially when she hardly knew exactly who was getting married. The princesses had needed her though, and she wasn’t going to refuse. She let out a tired sigh, grabbing a glass of wine and wandering around the room.

As much a Luciana disliked weddings, she had to admit that this one was a fairly nice one. It was even nicer when the reception had a lot of good food and good alcohol. Her eyes wandered the room, making sure to keep an eye on the princesses as she got herself a drink. Once she was sure they were fine for the time being, her gaze drifted to look and find anyone else she knew. Thankfully, Gemma wasn’t too far away.

Lucy got along well the the royal advisor, even if at times she thought that Gemma could be a bit much. She still appreciated her honestly and the same loyalty to the court that Luciana had. As she approached the woman, she grabbed one of the snacks there and brought it with her. “Enjoying yourself?” The lady in waiting tilted her head in curiousity as she held out the snacks to the other to take one. 

“I have to say, at least the alcohol and food are good.”