Stardust (Azriel X Reader)

Calm Before the Storm

(Y/N)'s POV

After the incident with your magic at the training ring which nearly resulted in a disaster, you had been cautiously experimenting with your magical abilities.

Azriel had been giving you pointers on natural ways to relieve the tension of your magic without it being overly noticeable and were non explosive.

So far, they seemed to be working and the more you got accustomed to using your magic, the less magic you had to release every day. Eventually, it got to the point where you weren't needing to release any magic because it had grown more accustomed to your being.

Rhysand and Feyre were currently away from the townhouse, meeting with the other High Lords about what to do with the ever increasing attacks on the innocent people living within their Courts. The attacks were beginning to become more and more frequent and left an ever-growing amount of power in their wake. Luckily, no one had been killed... Yet.

Azriel, Amren, Mor and Cassian were tasked with keeping an eye on the Night Court while the High Lord and Lady were away, meaning you had less training sessions with Azriel. You had gotten into habit of running through the drills yourself and began testing both your limits physically as well as magically. You even had begun experimenting with winnowing, an extremely dangerous ability, but you never practiced with it for too long. However, the more that you got accustomed to the shadows, the less intimidating they seemed.

Currently, you were fighting a makeshift dummy made out of cloth and grass in one of the indoor training rooms of the House of Wind. You held your practice blade straight up and down in front of you, your eyes closed as you focused all of your energy into the blade. This was a habit you had gotten yourself used to since you began training by yourself. It brought all of your attention and focus to your training and you found yourself to be more productive when you did this as opposed to when you jumped straight into training.

Opening your eyes, you looked at the dummy across the room. You were ready to begin. Taking a deep breath, you began to charge towards the dummy, coming at it from the right, your sword glinting underneath the skylight in the ceiling. You were still using the blade Azriel had given you weeks ago, and while you knew you should and could move onto a heavier blade, its beautiful gold hilt and strong blade still held a special place in your heart. Besides, the fact that Azriel had picked it out for you made you treasure the sword even more. Just before you reached the dummy, you concentrated all of your magic into your being and opened a portal to winnow.

The shadows within that first appeared to be threatening, seemed more like old friends to you now. Time was seemingly nonexistent, but you knew that seconds were crucial when it came to an attack. As fast as you arrived, you focused all of your magic into another portal opening just behind the left side of the dummy. As you came back into reality, you swung your blade down across the dummy's backside, leaving a slash in its fabric. Leaping back in front of it, you released a cry of joy and relief as you slid to a stop.

That had been the first time you had been able to winnow and attack the dummy successfully without messing up the timing. Grinning to yourself happily, you retook your stance and began to repeat the action, but at a faster pace.

As you continued to integrate in this technique with your other attacks in a sequence that you had created, you never noticed the figure observing you and your skills from the arched entryway.

Azriel's POV

I watched as (Y/N) struck the dummy again and again, picking up speed with each attack. I was in complete awe, dumbstruck at the fact that she was taking her training to a whole new level. However, I shouldn't have been surprised. With her newfound magical abilities, the Guardian of the Seven Courts would arise and her power levels would be unimaginable and may only be compared to those of Amren's. She would lose herself and her humanity if we didn't train her properly for the power that would soon be at her disposal.

(Y/N) struck the dummy for the final time, her sword slicing the dummy into a million pieces. She stood over it, panting and covered with sweat. She looked fearless and powerful, just as I knew the Guardian would be. Scanning her finishing form, I noticed which blade she held in her hands and my heart practically skipped a beat. She was still using the sword I had given her on the first morning training before the incident with the ancient being who had finally given herself a name in a recent attack on a nearby town- Tamisra.

It wasn't fair. The way that this legend was going to end. I clenched my fist in frustration as I took in (Y/N) and let myself reach out to her through our bond. Almost immediately, she responded to it, and a feeling of surprise seemed to echo its way to me. I couldn't help it. She was mine- at least she was supposed to be. But now, my mate would be the one to sacrifice herself in order to save our world. I didn't even believe that I would be capable of ever having a mate, but she was right there. And I couldn't tell her. Not now and certainly not ever. She wouldn't live to ever see the future I had been so stupidly envisioning for ourselves. She was all I wanted-and she was forbidden.

Sensing my presence, she turned around and locked her (c) eyes with mine. I had to remind myself to breathe. Her beauty took my breath away instantly.

"Azriel... How long have you been standing there?" She asked me, tilting her head to the side.

"Long enough to notice that you've taken up learning how to winnow by yourself. And doing it repeatedly." I remarked, crossing my arms over my chest. "Do you realize how dangerous it is to do on your own?"

Embarrassed, (Y/N) looked at the ground. "I'm sorry, Az. I've been trying to get better at it so that you wouldn't have to worry about having to train me as hard. I know you've been super busy, especially with Rhysand and Feyre absent from the Night Court at the moment."

I pushed off the wall I had been leaning on and walked over to (Y/N), dropping my arms to my side as I did. As I approached her, I lifted my right arm up towards her face. Grabbing her chin firmly with my right hand, I tilted her head up towards me, making her look me in the eyes.

"You realize that you not only could've gotten lost in the Shadow Realm, but you could've lost your senses too?" Sighing, I ran my left hand through my hair, angry at myself for not fully warning her. "Look, I just don't want you to get hurt. The Shadow Realm can be especially dangerous to those who are inexperienced."

Taking a deep breath, I continued to reveal one of my secrets to her. "It took me 3 days, (Y/N), to get out of the Shadow Realm. And I've never been the same person ever since."

After a moment of silence and taking in my words, she spoke the truth. "That's how you became a Shadowsinger, isn't it?"

"Not entirely... But my point is, I would train with you if you wanted. I just don't want you to become lost forever. Is that clear?" I told her as fiercely as I could. She nodded, her eyes showing me her confusion as to the way I was acting, but understanding all the same.

I let go of her chin and turned away, heading for the exit. I clenched my right hand into a fist and shook my head. Fuck... Why did I have to become so protective of her? If I keep this up, she'll know how I truly feel and who we are meant to be together.

I heard her call my name after me, but I didn't turn around. I just disappeared into the shadows.