"Father" you smile at Hellion as you walk into the sunlit dining room where he was sat reading a book from the library. You didn't know what the book was about, it seemed like one your father wouldn't let you get your hands on. That proved correct when he lightly closed the book at the sound of your voice and appearance in front of him.

"Hello, my little light. How are you today" he says placing the book down on the chair next to him.

"I'm well, I woke up in good time despite staying up last night to chart the stars! I knew you had that important meeting today" you smile softly taking a seat opposite him.

"We, have an important meeting" he says, sipping at the tea that the maids had given him earlier on as it wasn't steaming like the fresh one that had been placed in front of you was.

"Thank you" you smile kindly to the maids, Cerfel who'd also placed your fruit breakfast infront of you. "We father? I imagined i'd be staying here?" you ask, confusion across your face at the idea that your father wanted you there. Of course he'd trained you in all kinds of politics and warfare but he'd done so well keeping you away from official meetings that you assumed you wouldn't be invited until your father deemed you adult enough to deal with it despite being over 150 years old.

"Yes, we! Your mother will be attending the Dawn Court as Escort to the High Lady and her sisters and has requested that she see's you" he says, his tone a little clipped as if it was something he was dreading. And if you were being honest, so were you.

Your mother hadn’t reached out in nearly 100 years, so why now?

"Why? She barely acknowledges my existence" you say, stuffing some of the juicy cut fruit into your mouth, chewing whilst holding eyecontact with your father.

"I know, darling. Come let us choose a gown for you to wear today!" He says taking a step away from the table coming round to your side and holding a hand out for you. You take it with a sigh, before smiling and kissing his head.

"Thank you"

Once in your room you and your father, with the help of your maid go through potential options. Hellion however had his mind on one dress he'd had the seamstress make you for your 100th birthday. Sky blue in colour, golden accents coming down the bodice and silk fabric that fell down around you making it look like soft waves of water or clouds were surrounding you.

You put it on with help from your made who later starts to style your hair and give you bangles and rings only in gold and sky blue. After your daidem was placed on your head, sun shapes across the spikes pointing up.

"The true Princess of Day, you make me so proud!" he smiles.

Before you know it, your father is winnowing the pair of you to the Dawn Court Palace that he was very much acquainted with.

“Thesan” he smiles pulling the male in for a hug.

“Hellion, always a pleasure. But even more of a pleasure to grant us the presence of your gorgeous daughter” Thesan says, colour rising to your tan cheeks.

“Thank you High Lord” you say, bowing slightly to him which only elicits a laugh from him.

“No need to do that Princess. We don’t have such rash formalities for Princess’ here” he offers and you nod, before he directs you and your father to the main room where everyone already is waiting.

“We were late?” You whisper to him, to which your dad shakes his head.

“A high lord is never late” he says before strutting over to Kallias and Tarquin. You remain behind awkwardly shuffling. You could feel gazes on you which made the anxiety worse.

Turning your head you spot the night court. Their High Lord and Lady, Rhysand and Feyre who you’d spotted when you’d been trapped under the mountain, Cassian and Azriel, Feyre’s two sisters and finally your eyes land on your mother who is fussing about Nesta’s hair.

Rhysand was the first gaze that you caught, his purple eyes wide as he looked over you. He could immediately tell you were like him. Half Illyrian which meant you were both able to conceal your wings.

Then you felt Feyre’s gaze join her mates, obviously he’d said something to her, a gasp coming from her. Which led to Azriel being more attentive to what had gained his high lady’s attention.

He’d been watching Elain, entranced by her beauty yet again. But when his eyes landed on you the world seemed to slow down. All voices that were currently going on seemed to be drowned out and all he could focus on was you. Everything about you. He went to step forward but was stopped by Rhys who had been unfortunate enough to enter his mind just as Azriel’s thoughts became lewd.

She’s your mate? Rhysand’s voice entered his mind snapping him out of his bubble of joy after finding his mate after all this time. 500 years of waiting and here she was, as radiant as the sun during the day and as captivating as a moonlit night.

Yes

Az, I know you’ve waited longer than most, but you have to wait a little longer. Rhys offers and Azriels gaze snaps to his but before he could question it the meeting started.

You still had yet to look at him and Azriel could feel that the bond hadn’t snapped for you yet which frustrated him increasingly. Your gaze was solely on Cisca, Feyre, Nesta and Elain’s sworn protector.

The gaze wasn’t one he could pin and Azriel prided himself of the way he was easily able to read people. But you were like a blank when he looked.

And he kept looking at you hoping that finally your eyes would meet his.

The meeting ended, an agreement made between the courts. You’d gotten up, excusing yourself from your father walking out the room and down the corridor. Azriel sunk into his shadows following her as she left.

“Y/N” a voice calls and it almost makes Azriel loose concentration.

So that was your name, he couldn’t help but think to himself. He wanted to desperately test the word on his tongue to see how it would sound but he knew he had to remain quiet.

You stopped in your tracks, pausing but not turning to look at Cisca. Azriel was confused as to why Feyre’s guard was here talking to you.

As you turn round, and Azriel sees the two of you opposite one another his eyes widen. You’d of course taken after Hellion, after all he was a High Lord and carried the dominant gene, but what shocked him was the uncanny resemblance you held to this Illyrian woman.

“My daughter” she smiles confirming what Azriel had thought.

“Mother” his mate replies with all the angst in the world, a grit in her tone Azriel wished he would never hear directed at him.

“I - you’ve grown into such a beautiful young fae my dear. You are … glowing” she smiles before stepping closer. “Let me see them darling” she says and you knew what she meant, as you revealed wings that hadn’t been there before. Ones you’d hidden. They were long leathery ones like his that he hadn’t expected.

They were concealable like Rhysands where you were only half Illyrian.

“My daughter. I’m so so sorry my duty has kept me away from you. I’ve wished nothing more than to spend time with you. And … if you want the High Lord has given me permission to house you in the Night Court whenever you desire” she adds and you look at her with a frown.

“I never want to go to that place” you say venom in your tone.

“But - I thought I could make up for lost time. Please you have to understand Y/N, I’m under duty to Rhysand and his father before him” she says and tears brim in your eyes.

“I’m happy in the day court with the father who raised me when my mother dropped me on his doorstep unable to care for me! I’m happy with the man who raised me to be both compassionate and combative. The man who taught me how to break spells and curses, using the ability he gave me. Then man who stuck by my side whenever anyone would question my wings as a child because I didn’t understand how to conceal them! So no, I will not take up your late invitation. I don’t want anything to do with the night court!” You say, all while tears are streaming down your face.

“Y/N please” she begs, a horrible look of begging and panic on her face.

“Cisca” a voice joins the conversation and it’s your father who you run over to, his arms open and waiting for you.

“What are you doing?” He asks looking at the woman who once used to very much love.

“I just wanted time” she says, a sad twinge in her tone.

“I’ll talk to her, get yourself back to your court. Please Cisca” he whispers to her, pain in his own heart knowing how horrible it must feel. He wouldn’t probably go insane at the thought of you not wanting to be around him.

“Please promise me you’ll try convince her” she says, tears in her green eyes.

“Of course” he says before kissing her head swiftly ending the conversation. He then led the pair of you away out the corridor and back to where Thesan was.

“You can come out now Azriel” Cisca says making him curse under his breath before he rounds the corner from a dark spot he’d been hiding in.