🐧🐵🐸🐻🐯🐧

“Sophie stepped forward, holding out a shallow velvet box on which had been placed two rings, both with the Herondale design. Inside each ring had been etched a single image of lightning, a nod to Tessa’s Starkweather heritage, and six words: the last dream of my soul. Will didn’t care if the quote wouldn’t mean anything to other people. It meant everything to him and Tessa.” Just a reminder to pre-order Chain of Gold if you’re reading in English — the special first editions will contain the short story “Fairytale of London” about Will an Tessa’s wedding (and wedding night 💒) — once the first editions sell out, they’re gone! 💋

And as a way to apologize for all the tears spilled after my Top 10 times my heart broke for Rhysand post

#1 Prof. Rhysand at his best

“Look … ” “Good,” he murmured. “I didn’t ask for your approval.” Rhys chuckled. “Ab … Absolutely.” It took me longer than I wanted to admit to figure that out. The next word was even worse. “De … Del … ” I deigned to glance at him, brows raised. “Delicious,” he purred. My brows now knotted. I read the next two words, then whipped my face toward him. “You look absolutely delicious today, Feyre?! That’s what you wrote?”

OR

several sentences I was to write every day, swapping out words, each one more obnoxious than the last: Rhysand is the most handsome High Lord. Rhysand is the most delightful High Lord.Rhysand is the most cunning High Lord.

Rhysand is interesting; Rhysand is gorgeous; Rhysand is flawless.

Rhysand is a spectacular person. Rhysand is the center of my world. Rhysand is the best lover a female can ever dream of.

#2 King of Proposals

My mother gave it to the Weaver. And then she told me that if I were to marry or mate, then the female would either have to be smart or strong enough to get it back. And if the female wasn’t either of those things, then she wouldn’t survive the marriage. I promised my mother that any potential bride or mate would have the test … And so it sat there for centuries.” “So I won my wedding ring without even being asked if I wanted to marry you.” “Perhaps.”

#3 For someone who keeps asking for some gratitude

* “You’re a bastard. You made it clear enough that I had … reservations.” “Such gratitude, as always.” I struggled to get down a single, deep breath. “What do you want from me?” “Want? I want you to say thank you, first of all.“

* “Make it go away,” I said, and he laughed. “You humans are truly grateful creatures, aren’t you?”

* “Get out.” “As usual, your gratitude is overwhelming.”

he surely has no idea how to receive it

“Thank you. For everything—for what you did. Then … and now.” “Even after the Weaver? After this morning with my trap for the Attor?” My nostrils flared. “You ruin everything.”

#4 A 500+ years old with a bedtime

“We’ll move things around. It’s fine. This one,” I added with a glare in Rhys’s direction, “is only cranky because he’s old and it’s past his bedtime.”

#5 Mature, serious and responsible ruler

At least you make up for your shameless flirting by being one hell of a High Lord.

He’d returned that evening, smirking like a cat, and had merely said “One hell of a High Lord?” by way of greeting.

#6 No introduction needed for this one

“As wonderful as it is to see you, Feyre, darling,” Rhysand said, sprawled on the bed, his head propped up by a hand, “do I want to know why you’re digging through my fireplace?”

#7 Champion of insults

“You can leave if you’re just going to insult me.” “But I’m so good at it.” He flashed one of his grins.

#8 It certainly was the type of flattery that won Rhys’ heart

"You’re a disgusting bastard.” “I’ll have to ask Tamlin is this kind of flattery won his heart.”

#9 A true gentleman

Rhysand examined the wound, a smile appearing on his sensuous lips. “Oh, that’s wonderfully gruesome.” I swore at him, and he chuckled. “Such words from a lady.” “Get out,” I wheezed.

#10 ‘He gestured to his perfect face’ - even when Feyre 'hated him’ there was no denying it

“Why did Amarantha target you?” I dared ask. “Why make you her whore?” “Beyond the obvious?” He gestured to his perfect face.

#1 When she never smiled at him

I waited for you at breakfast, but you slept in. Or avoided me, apparently. And I tried to catch your eye this afternoon, but you were so good at shutting me out completely.” “Is that what got under your skin? That I shut you out, or that it was so easy for Tarquin to get in?” “What got under my skin,” Rhys said, his breathing a bit uneven, “is that you smiled at him.” The rest of the world faded to mist as the words sank in. “You are jealous.”

and that one time she finally did

His fingers tightened on mine, and I looked up. He was smiling at me. And looked so un-High-Lord-like with the glowing dust on the side of his face that I grinned back. I hadn’t even realized what I’d done until his own smile faded, and his mouth parted slightly. “Smile again,” he whispered. I hadn’t smiled for him. Ever. Or laughed. Under the Mountain, I had never grinned, never chuckled. And afterward … And this male before me … my friend … For all that he had done, I had never given him either. Even when I had just … I had just painted something. On him. For him. I’d—painted again. So I smiled at him, broad and without restraint. “You’re exquisite,” he breathed.

#2 When Rhys confessed to having his wishes unfulfilled

“Isn’t that what High Lords do?” My breath clouded in front of me in the brisk night. “Whatever they please?” He studied my face. “There are a great many things that I wish to do, and don’t get to.”

#3 When we find out what his nightmares were about

“I’m sorry I didn’t find a way to spare you from what happened Under the Mountain,” Rhys said with equal quiet. “From dying. From wanting to die.” I began to shake my head, but he said, “I have two kinds of nightmares: the ones where I’m again Amarantha’s whore or my friends are … And the ones where I hear your neck snap and see the light leave your eyes.”

#4 When the High Lord of Night Court physically flinched from an emotional wound

“What is it that you want, Feyre?” I had no answer. I didn’t know. Not anymore. “What is it that you want, Feyre?” I stayed silent. His laugh was bitter, soft. “I thought so. Perhaps you should take some time to figure that out one of these days.” “Perhaps I don’t know what I want, but at least I don’t hide what I am behind a mask,” I seethed. “At least I let them see who I am, broken bits and all. Yes—it’s to save your people. But what about the other masks, Rhys? What about letting your friends see your real face? But maybe it’s easier not to. Because what if you did let someone in? And what if they saw everything, and still walked away? Who could blame them—who would want to bother with that sort of mess?” He flinched. The most powerful High Lord in history flinched. And I knew I’d hit hard—and deep. Too hard. Too deep.

and when we learned how deep that wound went

“Why didn’t you tell me?” “You were in love with him; you were going to marry him. And then you… you were enduring everything and it didn’t feel right to tell you.” “I deserved to know.” “The other night you told me you wanted a distraction, you wanted fun. Not a mating bond. And not to someone like me - a mess.” So the words I’d spat after the Court of Nightmares had haunted him

#5 When he considered settling for ‘whatever pieces she offered him’

“You think I didn’t want to tell you? You think I liked hearing you wanted me only for amusement and release? You think it didn’t drive me out of my mind so completely that those bastards shot me out of the sky because I was too busy wondering if I should tell you, or wait - or maybe take whatever pieces that you offered me and be happy with it? Or that maybe I should let you go so you don’t have a lifetime of assassins and High Lords hunting you down for being with me?”

#6 When he cried…

“But then she snapped your neck.” Tears rolled down his face. “And I felt you die,” he whispered.

But I was being ripped apart from the inside out, and I thrashed, unable to out-scream the pain. “Feyre!” someone roared. No, not someone—Rhysand. Rhysand yelled my name again - yelled it as though he cared 

-A Court of Thornes and Roses

#7 When he spent 3 months thinking she hated him

“And for three months… for three months I tried to convince myself that you were better off without me. I tried to convince myself that everything I’d done had made you hate me.”

#8 When he put her happiness above his own

“I heard you were going to marry him, and I told myself you were happy. I should let you be happy, even if it killed me. Even if you were my mate, you’d earned that happiness.”

#9 When he thought he wasn’t that type of person for her

“I heard what you told him,” he said. “That you thought it would be easy to fall in love with him. You meant it, too.” “So?” It was the only thing I could think of to say. “I was jealous—of that. That I’m not … that sort of person. For anyone.“

#10 When we found out that all this time he had been in love with Feyre

“It killed me, Feyre, to send you back. To see you waste away, month by month. It killed me to know he was sharing your bed. Not just because you were my mate, but because I … ” He glanced down, then up at me again. “I knew … I knew I was in love with you that moment I picked up the knife to kill Amarantha.”

Quotes from ACOMAF and ACOTAR

So this originally was supposed to be a quick little oneshot, but then it turned into a 6,300 word bombshell. Shout out to @tacmc  for being my ever faithful beta/bff, and helping out with this one before it was posted, for helping me with when I didn’t think I could finish it. For a while, it had me very emotional, but she helped me power through it. I made her cry, so hopefully, it’s what you’re looking for!

Alright, without further ado… Tiny Hearts.