Free Your Imagination

"How sure are we that this is going to work?"

Cassian's words cut through the air like a sharp breeze, breathing new life into the roam. The life being a weeks-old question.

Could they really make the jump to another world.

"There's no telling," Amren stated bluntly. "All we can hope for is that those books haven't been gathering dust in Rhys' library over the centuries for absolutely nothing."

Azriel watched the small female. The way he had watched her for the last fortnight, nose buried in book after book, desperately searching for the answers they so desperately sought. Amren had been nothing short of miraculous, gathering a plethora of possibilities to help them make the journey to Midgard.

"Do you have everything you need?" Rhys asked, his arms folded, shoulders stiff with unreleased tension.

"I believe so," Amren replied, glancing at the stash atop the oak dinner table, including but not limited to an assortment of dried vegetation, bird feathers, odd-coloured liquids and bones from a source Azriel hoped he'd never come to know. "All that's left is to decide which lucky males and females get to cross the boundaries of space and time."

No one moved, and rightfully so. They had no idea what to expect of the world Bryce Quinlan hailed from, other than the atrocities she'd shown them.

"I'll go."

Azriel watched as Cassian's eyes widened in horror at Nesta's statement. His brother shook his head, muttering to his mate under his breath, begging, pleading that she reconsider.

"Enough, Cassian," Nesta snapped, eyes blazing with those all too familiar silver flames. "I said I'm going, and that's final."

Azriel sympathised with his brother. If it were his mate, he would do anything to keep her someplace out of harm's way. But Nesta was not his mate. She was a warrior. A Valkyrie. She would let no male take her power away from her.

"I should go as well," Rhysand breathed, wincing slightly at the thought of having Nesta as a travel companion. "I suggested this plan. It's only fair I present it."

Feyre was easy to read when in the company of friends and family. Her face was an open book. Azriel knew the idea of being separated pained his High Lady, and his High Lord, especially so soon after Nyx's arrival into the family. But Feyre knew what needed to be done to ensure a safe world for their son to grow up in.

The youngest Archeron sister nodded. "I'll stay, ensure the court continues to run smoothly. Cassian should stay as well. We don't want the Illyrian camps to fall into disarray."

Cassian opened his mouth to object, but one scathing look from Rhys had him clamping his jaw shut with a huff. In any other situation, the action might have been funny. But there was nothing funny about potentially bridging the gap between life and death.

Mor was the next to volunteer, saying something about wanting a first-hand glance at what a night out looks like on another planet, but Azriel's mind had wandered elsewhere. He couldn't help but feel like something was edging him to join this 'little' expedition. Like a rope had been tied to his wrist and was tugging him along a path.

Azriel's shadows skittered as he announced his decision. He'd go to Midgard.

"Well if my favourite Night Court duo are going, it must be a sign that I join!"

Azriel cursed under his breath, turning to see Helion waltzing through the entryway. He'd chastise his shadows later for their lack of vigilance.

"What if it's a sign to stay away?" Mor drawled, challenge gleaming in her eyes.

Helion gasped dramatically, a hand finding its way to the centre of his bronzed chest. "Why, Morrigan. You wound me."

Rhys cleared his throat, putting an end to the dramatic skit. "It's settled then. Nesta, Mor, Azriel, Helion, and I will find Bryce Quinlan and the solution to all of our problems."

Rhys turned his gaze to Amren. "Whenever you're prepared."

Azriel took his place beside Rhys, observing the vicious black-haired female drop the various ingredients into a mortar and pestle, grinding the contents into a coarse powder before adding some form of liquid to create an obnoxious yellow paste.

"You'll only need a thumbnail's worth," she said, passing the bowl to each member of their group. "Place it on your tongue, and swallow when you're ready."

The five of them said their goodbyes, heard the silent prayers for safe travels and formed a small circle. One glance around the room could be their undoing, could be the reason their mission failed. One selfish reason to stay and live out their days in as much happiness as possible.

"Well," Mor said, glancing owlishly at the disgusting paste. "We always did say to whatever end."

"To whatever end," they agreed.

And then they took the leap.

Oh my gosh guys, I'm so sorry it's been so long. I've been trying to grapple with an increased workload, and writer's block on top of everything. Thank you for being patient, and I hope you can continue to be. This is a bit of a filler chapter for the next to come, but I hope you enjoy it in any case :)

Please let me know if you'd like to be added to the Tag List!

"I'll take that as a not going to happen, then."

Moments later, Mor and Feyre entered the room, having just gotten back from a shopping spree - per Mor's request.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Mor exclaimed, noticing what the males were staring at. "They're still dancing around one another? I thought after months apart Az would have finally grown a pair and confessed!"

"How long has this been going on for, exactly?" Feyre asked, curiosity grasping her mind in its firm hand.

"Just over a hundred years," Cassian revealed, still watching the scene before them.

"Should we do something about it?"

All heads whipped towards the recently made fae female, a series of devilish grins forming.

"What do you propose, Feyre darling?" Rhys purred.

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After the morning's failure - the brownies she'd attempted to make turning out more similar to bricks than delicious baked goods - Y/n had made her way to the library to revel in her most favourite activity. Reading

For forty blissful minutes, she'd enjoyed being pulled into the world of creative literacy, letting her imagination run free.

That was until Cassian flew through the main door in a flurry of limbs and wings, breath heaving in and out of his lungs.

"Y/n, you need to come to Madja's quick. It's Az. There was an accident."

In an instant she was on her feet, moving with practised precision to the healer's quarters, as fast as her steps would take her.

"Azriel! Are you ok? What happened?" she'd all but screeched as she'd come to a halt in Madja's workshop.

However, the scene before Y/n stopped her in her tracks. Azriel was in the room, but perfectly uninjured. But that was not what caused her to still. What had caused her immediate shock was the sight of Azriel - fearsome Shadowsinger of the Night Court - tied to a chair with a cloth stuffed in his mouth.

"Have fun lovebirds!"

Y/n spun around quick enough to catch Cassian shutting the dense wooden door, bolting it from the outside. At a loss for words, she turned back to Azriel, but quickly doubled over in laughter as she observed his less than amused expression.

"I'm sorry Az," she cackled, gasping for breath, "but you look absolutely hilarious right now!"

Y/n stepped forward, giggles still slipping from her lips as she removed the gag from Azriel's mouth.

"Fucking Rhys," he muttered as she proceeded to release him from his restraints. "He told me you'd been in an accident and to get here as quickly as possible."

"Cassian said the same to me regarding you," she confessed as he stood, finally free.

The pair stared at each other, getting lost in the comfort of one another's gazes. Azriel reached out to clasp her hand, running his scarred hands over her smooth skin.

"I was really worried," Azriel admitted, voice barely a whisper.

"Me too," Y/n breathed, afraid she might spook him.

Another moment passed before Azriel spoke.

"May I kiss you?"

There were no words left for her to utter, so Y/n simply nodded. His lips were on hers within a second, moulding them together. They moved in sync, like a song that had longed to be played.

Azriel pulled back, resting his forehead against hers as they gazed at one another, giddy smiles growing on their faces.

"If it wasn't apparent, I really like you, Y/n," he said gently.

She laughed, head shaking in disbelief. "Took you long enough, Shadowsinger."

-------------------

"Do you think we succeeded?" Mor asked quietly, ear pressed to the door.

"I don't know. I can't hear anythi-" Cassian began, only to be interrupted by a rather ear-piercing growl, followed by a body hitting the door and a feminine moan.

"Oh Mother above, no! I didn't sign up for this!" Cassian wailed, sprinting away from the door as quickly as he could.

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Hi lovelies!

I finally had time to write out the second part of Gadzooks, as requested :)

More to come soon!

Also, a reminder that if you would like to be added to my tag list, to indicate in the comments ;)

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The day had begun as usual. The sun had filtered through the sheer fabric of the curtains, illuminating the bedroom with the soft light of morning. Eris had placed gentle kisses on her neck before making his way into the bathroom, preparing for a gruelling day full of meetings.

Y/n had eaten her breakfast on the terrace, as she did every morning, and observed Eris' prized smokehounds engage in play fights. For creatures that were supposed to strike fear in the hearts of the most fearsome warriors, to her they just looked like balls of fluff.

And then everything took a turn for the worst.

Swirling shadows enveloped her body, dragging her up and away from her seat. Y/n could vaguely make out the tattooed arms that caged her to a solid chest. Before she could scream, a cloth was placed gently over her mouth. Hard enough to muffle the noise, yet soft enough to allow her to breathe.

Y/n's mind went into overdrive, her fear sparking down that golden mating bond. There was nothing she could do as she watched the red and orange trees of Autumn disappear from view, nothing she could do when day turned to night.

At last, those shadows dissipated from around her body, revealing the faces of seven people. At the centre of the group stood Rhysand, High Lord of the Night Court.

She watched as his lips twitched into a devasting grin.

"Apologies for the abrupt departure, lady, but-"

"I hope you are not likening kidnapping to a consensual trip, my lord, because they are very much not the same thing," she hissed, teeth bared in challenge.

"I will admit, our methods were slightly... unceremonious, but necessary nonetheless."

Y/n stared wide eyes, mouth agape, at the raven-haired High Lord. How dare he! How dare he attempt to justify his actions!

A sudden wave of nausea drifted over her, stomach twisting.

"Oh gods, I think I'm going to be sick," she muttered, a hand coming to rest over her slightly rounded stomach.

Feyre's eyes widened in alarm, swiftly summoning a bucket and passing it over. Y/n hunched over and hurled, the stress finally consuming her.

"You idiot, Rhys! She's pregnant and you just stole her from her home!" Feyre shouted at her mate, guilt and sympathy crawling up her throat.

"Feyre darling, I swear I didn't know! If I had, we would have never gone ahead with the plan," Rhys pleaded, eyes flashing in apology.

"I should fucking hope so Rhysand, because you had no right, no fucking right to abduct my mate," a voice growled from behind the High Lord of Night.

Eris...

Her mate strode in, a vision of power and fury. The fire that flowed through his veins now glowed brightly in his eyes, highlighting the level of his anger, and the temper that threatened to tear the room apart.

He was at her side in an instant, hand raising to rest over hers on her stomach, lips meeting her forehead gently.

"Are you alright, love?"

Y/n waved him off. "Fine darling, more irritated than anything else."

Eris turned to the inner circle, teeth bared. "I'm in half a mind to slaughter you all for the stress you've caused my mate and unborn child."

Rhys stepped forward, hands raised in surrender. "I swear on the Mother, Eris, had we known, we would have never touched her. You have my most sincere apologies. We were simply looking for a way to persuade you to join our cause."

"And you thought the best way was to kidnap my pregnant mate? Not to simply ask first?" he hissed, arms having circled around her waist protectively.

No one moved, let alone spoke. It was as though the air in the room had frozen, freezing everything in the frame.

"If I ever catch you in Autumn again.... if I ever catch you looking at my mate, let alone touching her, I will obliterate you before you have a chance to retaliate," Eris swore, giving each member of the inner circle one last vicious look, before winnowing them back to the safety of their home.

After a moment of silence, Cassian's voice filled the void.

"Well, I guess future vacations in Autumn are out of the question."

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Hi lovelies!

As you might have seen, I had a 2k draft ready that seemingly deleted itself :(

So while I attempt to rewrite that draft, I thought I would quickly write something for the last request in my inbox, as an apology for the delay :)

I'm very excited for the posts to come, even after the lost draft fiasco, and I can't wait to share everything with you!