Falling Stars
@starfallweek 2025 March 21st Prompt: Character A is confused about the meaning of Starfall and misinterprets the entire evening.
Starfall was coming up.
Bad news: No one had actually told you what it was about. Any discussions about it between the Inner Circle and your recently Made sisters, you had coincidentally missed.
It wasn’t on purpose. What with, you know, the war and getting used to immortality and magic powers, it didn’t seem like the most pressing of concerns. You were blameless, how would a former human know to ask about an event that they didn’t know existed until the week of?
Unforeseen side-effect, all you could do was infer what Star-Fall as a name could mean. And it didn’t sound pleasant to you. At all. Falling stars sounded dangerous and scary. Like a magical natural disaster.
You were terrified.
You noticed all over Velaris, lights were going out in homes across the city. Good. People were either hunkering down or evacuating. You had been told that you’d be flown up to the House of Wind for the event. Hiding in the depths of the library sounded like an excellent idea.
Azriel brought you up earlier than he would have expected you to ask, but assuming you’d want some time to get ready for it, he didn’t argue.
He was puzzled by your tense nature though. He thought you were doing better with the whole adjusting process. But, if any family knew about good and bad days, it was this one.
“Are you alright?” he asked tentatively as he set you down.
“As I can be,” you responded, “where’s everyone else?”
Azriel didn’t need his shadows to read you, the anxiety was written all over you.
“Probably still making preparations, why?”
Your voice came out like a sigh of relief, one he had difficulty understanding, “okay, that’s, that’s fine. I’ll leave them to it, then. I’ll be waiting in the library.”
Azriel was about to ask another question, try to figure out what was bothering you, but you sped off before he could. Frowning, he sent a shadow after you, if not to help him figure you out, then at least to offer you comfort. He’d been surprised by your affection for the little black wisps, but eventually warmed to the notion that you liked them. He didn’t dare to think that the affection you had for them extended in similar levels to him. You were his High Lady’s sibling and a friend. As much as his heart longed to chase after you, he’d let you be.
An hour passed. He’d expected to receive notice from the shadow that you’d started dressing for the party. Nothing. It hadn’t even left your side. But, then again, who was he to know how much time you needed. Maybe you were lost in a good book. He sent two more off to the library, just in case.
Another hour and everyone else was already here. Still no sign of you, no message from his shadows.
“Something wrong, Az?” Feyre asked him, noticing his puzzled expression.
He confided what he’d noticed about you earlier, simultaneously asking if she’d seen or heard from you.
Upon hearing a no, he’d made up his mind, he’d go looking for you. Feyre thanked him as he went but he wasn’t doing it for her. Her tone and smile suggested she knew that.
Once inside the library, he sent his shadows out, stalking the shelves in search of you. He’d ordered them in no uncertain terms this time to report directly back to him if they found you.
Moments later, a shadow sped back to him, swirling around his wrist and tugging urgently toward the stairs to the lower levels.
The rest of his shadows were with you, sequestered in a back corner, when he found you. They were rolling over your shoulders and arms in a way that suggested comfort.
They quickly darted back to him as you moved to stand.
“Az! Thank goodness you’re here, where is everybody?”
“They’re upstairs-“ he began, but you frantically cut him off.
“-Well we’ve got to get to get them down here, come on!”
He had to throw his wings out behind him to steady himself as you pushed past him. He chased after you, grabbing your wrist as soon as he could get close enough.
He softly said your name, willing you to stillness as he said, “slow down, what’s wrong?”
“Slow down? What’s wrong?” you repeated as if he’d grown a second head, “why are you being so calm about this?”
“About what, sweetheart?”
“Starfall! It’s dangerous!”
That stilled him, stunned in his confusion. “Starfall isn’t dangerous.”
You fully stopped then, your expression a mirror of his own. “What do you mean?”
“We,” Az paused, “we told you about Starfall, didn’t we?”
You shook your head.
Azriel raised his head, finally understanding.
“Come on,” he said, hand tentatively slipping around yours. When you didn’t flinch away from the texture, instead twining your fingers with his scarred ones, he continued. “I’ll show you.”
You reluctantly followed behind him and he tried to ignore the shutter in his heart at the trust you always placed in him. He led you up and out of the library, happy to see the event hadn’t started yet.
He coaxed you out and onto a balcony as the house seemed to hold its breath.
“And you’re sure it’s safe,” you said, still standing a ways back from where he comfortably leaned on a column.
“You aren’t in any danger,” he reiterated with an amused smile, “but I’ll protect you nonetheless.”
You broached a step forward. Then another, and another until you were next to him.
“What’s going to happen?” you asked, a small piece of the childlike wonder you and your sisters had lost in your human lives creeping in.
“You’ll see.”
You blinked and almost missed it as ribbons of starlight began shooting across the sky in a kaleidoscope of color. Beautiful, and nowhere near dangerous. An awe filled gasp tore out of you and you leaned forward, eager to see it all.
“Better than the library, huh?” Azriel chuckled beside you.
“It’s beautiful.”
Azriel, not that you could see him, was looking at you, the lights of Starfall illuminating your face.
“It sure is,” he breathed.
This may have been your first Starfall, but to him, watching you, it felt like he was seeing it for the first time too.
