A Court of Lost Stars-Chapter 12: Ephialtes

Elain sat on the couch at the House of Wind with Nova, reading her a new book about a squirrel that had forgotten where it hid its nuts for the winter. Meanwhile, the others were gathered around the table, enjoying tea and wine. Various treats were laid out on the table as they toasted their victory from the day before.

Feyre felt she could breathe easily for the first time in weeks. While there was no telling what the future held, wasn't that life? At this moment, it was a time to reflect and celebrate.

Lucien grinned wide, "She called him that?"

Smirking, Rhys nodded. "That she did. In front of all the other High Lords, no less."

"Oh," he chuckled, "I wish I could have seen his face..." He trailed off and frowned. "I know my father well. He'll plot, if not for the sake of his people, then out of spite. Though, he hardly has an ally. With Tamlin changing course."

"Unless that's a ploy too," Amren added, "It wouldn't be the first time he's manipulated the trust of others. Don't be too comfortable with the thought of a changing heart. It still beats only for himself."

Cassian smiled then and shrugged, "Either way. It at least buys us enough time to teach Nova to wield a blade."

That seemed to catch Nesta's attention, "You intend to train her?" She asked, arching a brow.

Rhys smiled bitterly. "You know," he started, sipping his wine, "For someone who doesn't want anything to do with her, you seem awfully interested in her training regimen."

Rhys... Feyre warned softly against his mind.

Without lowering her gaze, Nesta tapped her fingers against the tabletop. "Was there a question in there somewhere?"

"That's because I didn't ask one," Rhys said with an unwavering gaze. I'm telling you. You will not intervene in her training or instill your desires into her dreams. She will always be free to make her own choices."

"Agreed," Nesta said, taking another long sip of wine.

Lucien cleared his throat, trying to ease the tension. He directed his attention to Cassian and Azriel. "In your absence, I installed a new feature to her obstacle course. A rock climbing wall. It stands above the netting, should she fall."

Grinning like a fiend, Cassian clapped his hands. "Alright, Nova."

Nova looked up from the book Elain held in her lap and grinned as if she knew she was about to be given the chance to use her muscles.

The climbing wall Lucien had built was an excellent edition, and the moment Nova laid eyes on it, she was struck with glee. Not Cassian or Azriel had the heart to make her wait to use it after her first lesson with combat, so they stood and watched her scale the wall.

It stood ten feet taller than the pole and came out at the top at an angle. It forced Nova to use more of her core to keep herself from falling. They watched her scale her way to the top using the climbing holds that jutted out and carefully let her feet move away from the wall and hang by her fingertips. Nova pulled her legs up and pressed her feet to the underside of the wall, then let herself drop onto the netting below.

When Nova came bounding over to guzzle the water they'd brought, Cassian took the opportunity to capture her attention. Guiding her to the training circle, he smiled. "Your uncle Az and I will teach you how to defend yourself, alright?"

Nova tilted her head and quickly lost interest. She turned and pointed at her obstacle course.

"First training, then play." Cas smiled.

It was a good thing Nova was trusting of them, or Cas wouldn't have been able to take her hand in his. "We're going to work on throwing using your hands to throw a punch."

"Punch?"

Cas nodded, grinning as he helped form her hand into a fist, keeping her thumb outside her fingers before adjusting her stance, but the moment he'd move her shoulder or foot, she'd revert. This happened three times before he pursed his lips.

"Az, come punch me."

Smirking, Azriel pushed himself off the wall, "If you insist."

"Nova, watch Uncle Az, alright?" Cas said as Az shifted into a fighting stance.

Nova watched with wide eyes as Azriel punched Cassian's upheld hands. Right, left, right, left. Nova put her hands to her mouth as she gasped, watching them fight. Az stepped back, and they looked at Nova with a soft chuckle.

"It's practice, Nova. Come here," Cas said and waited until she was in front of him before holding his hands up, "Now it's your turn. Hold your fist, hit my hand."

Nova stared at him with a furrowed, worried brow.

Chuckling, Cas encouraged her again. "Go on. Punch."

Hesitantly, Nova inched forward, but instead of throwing her fist at him, she pressed a soft kiss to each of his calloused palms. She shook her head, "No, ouch."

There was a part of him that wanted to be frustrated- a part that wanted her to be ready to defend herself, but then the other side, the soft side, smiled gently in return.

Azriel wore his own smile and nodded. "Maybe we start with a different skill first. At least until she understands the purpose isn't to hurt us."

Nodding, Cassian agreed as he released a long sigh. "I suppose you're right." What kind of exercise could they do that would require using skills she hadn't previously shown? He grinned, "Hey, Nova. Want to play dodgeball?"

"How's the training going?" Rhys asked as he and Feyre ventured into the training arena. Raising his brow, he smirked as he watched Cas and Az throwing bouncing fabric balls at Nova, who dodged, tucked, and rolled away from each one.

"Pretty good," Cas smirked over his shoulder as they neared – Feyre laughed, shaking her head as she watched Nova laugh as she ducked another ball, "We tried to start with establishing her stance and throwing a punch, but she refused to hit us. So I started making her dodge to see how her coordination and spatial awareness is," he chuckled, "Then she started making faces at me every time I missed her. So now she's dodging both."

Az smirked, "I say we bend the rules this year. Nova's on my team for the snowball fight."

Scoffing, Rhys rolled his eyes, "My daughter, my team. We'll kick ass."

Nova scooped up a ball and threw it wildly. She had a strong arm but terrible aim, and Cassian sucked in a harsh breath as his knees buckled.

"You're on your own, Az," Cas managed as he limped to the side.

Feyre cringed. "I think it's time for a break," she addressed Nova and offered her hand to her. "Elain has asked if you'd like to help in the garden after lunch." Together, they walked inside, and Feyre heard Rhys snicker.

"Walk it off."

"Fuck off."

After Nova finished lunch, Feyre took her to the gardens, where Elain waited for them. Some time ago, Lucien built Elain a greenhouse so that she could till the earth even during the harsh winter months.

"Cas and Az are in the training area if you need anything. Rhys and I will return in an hour."

"Or two...or three," Rhys said in the doorway. He was leaning against the doorjam, hands in his pockets, wearing a wicked smirk. After Nova almost walked in on them the last time they'd had an intimate moment, they'd decided it would be best to take their activities elsewhere for now.

Rolling her eyes, she smiled, "Have fun." She squeezed Nova's hand and left with Rhys, disappearing.

Elain smiled at Nova. "Alright, time to get to work."

Entering the greenhouse, Nova looked up and around the place, wonderstruck. She looked through one of the windows in the back, realizing that if she stood on her toes, she could partially see Az and Cas sparring.

"Nova," Elain called to her, and she quickly skipped over to her, "Some of the fruits and vegetables are ready to be picked, while others need a bit of weeding."

"Weeding?" Nova asked.

Elain smiled, ran her fingers over the top of the soil, and carefully removed a deeply rooted weed. "The weeds steal the water from the other plants, so we need to take them out." Elain set the weed in a little container. "See? You try."

Nova looked down at the collection of weeds that scattered before her. She reached her hand in and gasped, pulling back.

"Oh," Elain, "Yes, I forgot. Some of them have hidden prickles."

"Prickles?" Nova asked, looking at her fingers where tiny beads of blood rose to the surface. "Ouch." She frowned as Elain reached to the side and offered her a pair of gloves, but Nova pushed them away.

Elain smiled softly, "I'll put them here if you want them." It seemed something distracted Nova the next instant, staring intently at the dirt before plunging her fingers in. She pulled out a long, wriggly worm and held it up with a grin.

"It's a worm." Elain smiled. "They're little gardeners, too. They eat the dirt and leave behind better soil."

"Worm?" Nova asked.

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Elain nodded and reached to pick up a trowel. When she looked back over... "Oh! Nova, no, don't eat the..."

It was too late. Nova had already swallowed the worm that wriggled down her throat. Elain placed her hand to her mouth, not to stop laughing but to stop her lunch from reappearing. It took a moment to steel herself. "Don't...eat anymore, please."

By the time Elain finished showing her niece how to harvest, seed, and water the garden, Nova had dirt smudges on her forehead, neck, and up her arms. They left the greenhouse and went into the townhouse where Rhys and Feyre had returned, and Az and Cas were discussing new strategies for teaching Nova defensive skills in a way she'd understand.

Feyre smiled as Nova skipped to them, holding a dirty potato. "How did the gardening go?" She asked, taking the offered vegetable.

"She did well," Elain smiled and then bit her lip, "But you may want to check her pockets sooner rather than later."

Their interest piqued, Az and Cas glanced at Rhys, who raised a brow as he looked down at Nova. He smiled crookedly and held out his hand, saying, "Pockets."

Nova let out a long, defeated sigh. She hung her head as she dug into her left pocket and pulled out two earthworms. Placing them into his hand, Rhys cringed as Cas snorted. She started to sneak around them as Rhys tapped her shoulder. He held out his other hand. "Both pockets."

She groaned dramatically and fished her hand into the other one, handing him three more.

"Did she put them anywhere else?" Rhys asked Elain.

Cringing, she answered, "None that she didn't eat."

"They would have made a decent meal in the forest when options were scarce, I suppose," Feyre said as Cas shuddered.

"Let's go wash up for dinner." Elain smiled and guided Nova toward the bathroom.

It wasn't long later that Mor joined them, and they all sat down at the table, their plates in front of them. For each meal, Rhys tried placing something different on her plate for Nova to try. Usually, she would scarf down the whole plate; he'd have been surprised if she'd ever tasted it.

Using her fork with a full-fisted grasp, Nova stabbed a piece of sliced banana and started to put it in her mouth but stopped just before it could reach her lips. Sniffing the fruit, a strangled gag made its way up her throat.

Feyre instinctively moved the plate out of her way, ready to jump into action if she threw up. "Really?" She smiled at Nova. "You eat worms and then gag at a banana?"

Nova giggled. "Hmm, yuck."

With dinner finished, Nova and Feyre rested on the couch while the others played a card game at the table. With her head on her mother's lap, Nova's eyes drooped little by little while Feyre ran a comb through her hair. The soft caress against her scalp sent tingles down her spine, relaxing her body further until she was fast asleep.

Even when Feyre was sure Nova was asleep, she continued combing her hair, locking the moment into memory. She paid little attention to the conversations at the table but glanced over when she felt the weight of eyes on her. Meeting Rhys' burning eyes, she couldn't help but smile.

A light color of pink flushed her cheeks. He gazed at her with desire, but it was different than the look he'd given her earlier. He was a father watching his mate nurture their child. There was a different kind of heat behind his gaze.

The lights in the townhouse began to flicker.

Lifting her gaze to the ceiling, Feyre frowned and looked out the window with a worried brow. The last storm they'd had, Nova had been terrified. However, as she peered into the night, she didn't see lightning. She didn't even see rain. She glanced over at Rhys, and her eyes widened.

Was this what Lucien had warned them against? Everyone shared the same thought.

The Illyrian Warriors were on their feet instantly, and Feyre started to rouse Nova, but when she looked down, she watched tears silently stream down Nova's cheeks.

"Nova?" Feyre asked, but she was met with her panicked whine. The lights shuddered as Nova began squirming in her sleep.

"She's having a nightmare," Rhys said and moved to the couch quickly. He kneeled before them and placed a hand on Nova's forehead. "It's alright, sweetheart, wake up. You're safe."

Nova's eyes snapped open. She let out a piercing scream.

Instinctively, Feyre placed her hands on her ears as a wave of dizzy nausea rocked between them. All around them, the windows shattered outward from the sudden burst of power Nova released.

"Nova!" Rhys took her face in his hands, trying to lock eyes with her as Az, Cas, and Mor surrounded them, facing away as a makeshift shield against whatever opposing force. "Look at me," Rhys whispered. Hey...hey. Look at me."

Nova's wild eyes finally settled on his as deep sobs shuddered through her body. She grabbed her knee as the tears fell. "Hurt!" She cried as Rhys stroked circles against her cheeks.

"You're not hurt. It was a nightmare, my love. It's okay. You're safe." Rhys murmured soothingly.

When Nova had quieted a little, Cas gave a low whistle. "Damn..." He said low in his voice. Looking around, he saw everything in the space, including glass, had been reduced to a fine powder. Feyre rubbed gentle circles against Nova's back as Rhys carefully pried her fingers from the knee she held.

"Whatever she was dreaming about must have felt very real," Rhys murmured, "I don't see anything."

Feyre looked over at Az and Cas, who watched Nova now with concern. "She didn't twist her knee during training, did she?"

Cas shook his head. "Not that I ever saw. If she had, we would have known."

"Ouch." Nova touched her thigh now. "Hurt."

Feyre stroked her hair behind her ear, "It was just a bad dream. You're not hurt."

After a long minute, Nova was able to settle a little, her eyelids drooping, but before she drifted off again, she whispered, "Burn."

Rhys and Feyre exchanged a worried glance just as Lucien suddenly winnowed into the townhouse. His eyes widened as he took in the damage. Blinking, he looked at the group.

"Elain had a nightmare," the faces that stared at him paled, "She dreamt Velaris was on fire."