Wildfire and Stars Eternal

Chapter 41: The Stars

It was beauty as she'd never seen before. Ribbons of stardust chased each other across the sky, their light reflected in the glassy black mirror of the Sidra river below her. The music began, and the sound of those strings seemed to fill her heart, the sounds of the people around her beginning to dance and celebrate making her feel lighter than she had in days. 

The stardust cascaded across the sky in a myriad of movement and song, peaceful and wonderful and joyous. 

Aelin tore her eyes away from the night sky to look at the Court of Dreams. Mor had grabbed Cassian and pulled him over to Azriel, and the three of them had begun to dance together. It was clear the two males were merely following Mor, whose sky blue dress looked as if it were spun with morning dew as she danced in circles with her friends. 

Aelin turned to find Feyre watching her, the starlight above them casting her in a glittering diamond glow.

"So? What do you think?" Feyre asked her. 

"It's... it's beautiful," Aelin whispered, so in awe she could hardly speak. She could hardly remember how to move her body, it was so beautiful. The stars, the music...finally, she blinked a few times, then turned her head to look at Rowan. "Rowan, care to dance with me?" 

Rowan, who'd still had his gaze fixed on the sky, looked down at her. The wonder on his face became even stronger when his eyes met hers. 

"Always, Fireheart," He replied softly. He took the cup from her hand and set it on a nearby table, then pulled her into the crowd. She put her hand on his shoulder, and he pulled her close, turning them in a slow circle. The music around them strummed low and quiet, sad and yet so heartbreakingly beautiful. Aelin found herself humming along as they spun, as she twirled the skirts of her dress around her ankles, her feet taking every step her mate took. 

Rowan's eyes never left her face, and his steps never faltered as he led them through the crowd. His hand on her waist was a solid anchor, guiding her in an unhurried, graceful dance. And as Tessia's melody in the air began to grow, Aelin leaned backward to cast her eyes to the heavens. 

Rowan's hand tightened on her waist as drums joined into the chorus of harps, and the beat of the song increased. But Aelin wasn't afraid. She went into it gladly, the pace of her spinning rising as the music began to soar. She rose up onto her toes, and without her even having to say anything, Rowan began following her. Her feet moved to keep in time with her heart, which kept perfect time with the music as it sang through her body. 

She leaned into every turn, watching the stars fall across the sky above her. She felt alive, and free, and as if she were one of those stars, streaking across the sky in an infinite refrain. 

Just when she thought Tessia's music couldn't get any more beautiful, the instruments stopped playing. And the only sound in the air was the crowd, hundreds of people singing in harmony to the stars. Aelin slowly stopped turning, and her heels touched the ground once more, the song of the people around her fading as it ended. 

She released her skirt and placed her hand against Rowan's cheek, looking away from the sky to look at him. 

"I always forget what a wonderful dancer you are," She said, then stood on her toes to kiss him. Even with her eyes closed, she could see that wondrous glow gracing the heavens above them. 

Rowan pulled back and pressed his forehead to hers. "You're ten times better than I am. When you're around music, it's hard for me to think of anything but how beautiful you look, Fireheart." 

Aelin laughed and stepped back to look at him again. Before she could say anything, however, a ball of light came flying from nowhere and struck Rowan in his face. 

Aelin cried out, but then a sharp laugh escaped her throat. "What the hell?" 

Rowan reached up a hand and dragged his fingers through the glowing splatter on his face. His features turned bemused. "No one told us we might get hit by falling stars." 

Aelin laughed again and reached out with both hands, smearing the paint-like stardust across his cheeks. "You look beautiful, dearest. Practically glowing." 

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As much as Rowan wanted to go home, he was so grateful they'd stayed for Starfall. The look on Aelin's face as she spun across the dance floor with Feyre was well worth the extra day spent in Prythian. Aelin deserved one last night with her friend. He watched as she dragged Tessia onto the floor as well, the young girl laughing. 

Rhys drank deeply from his cup. "I expect you'll be leaving tomorrow, then?" 

"Sadly, yes," Rowan replied. "As much as I'm sure she'd like to stay longer, Aelin does have a kingdom to run." 

"It's just as well, I suppose," Rhys said. He grinned at Rowan over the rim of his cup. "I get the feeling that if she stayed longer, Velaris might have run into some more problems." 

From across the room, a woman's laughter filled the air. Rowan glanced over and saw Feyre, Tessia, and Aelin in the middle of the balcony, Aelin holding Feyre's arm above her head as she spun in a circle, Tessia next to them, laughing and clapping. The glowing grin on the High Lady's face could have put the falling stars to shame. And Aelin's laughter and delight had caused her tiara to light with soft golden flames.  

"It's a shame, though," Rhys admitted. "I rather liked having you two here. You might cause trouble, but I'm going to miss you both anyways." 

Aelin met Rowan's eyes across the floor. She grinned at him, fire crackling at the top of her head. 

"Beleive it or not, High Lord," Rowan replied, smiling back at his mate. "I'm going to miss you all too." 

Absolutley lovely Aelin cosplay by lyo_cosplay!!

Ok so, funny story: I spent probably a MONTH looking for the perfect dress for Aelin to wear to Starfall. I debated between black dresses, gold dresses, silver... and then I found this green dress online in a completely unrelated search. And the second I saw it, I was like "That is perfect."

Then, literally not even a week later, this lovely cosplayer i follow named lyo_cosplay posted the picture at the top of the chapter WEARING THE EXACT DRESS I HAD PICKED 😮😮😮Literally, it was fate. I had to use the picture. 

Ok now that I'm typing this it isn't an amazing story but it's still funny to me 😅

Also, writing that dance scene... music is a huge part of writing for me, so while I was writing this, I was listening to the "Hadestown" soundtrack. Specifically, "Epic III." That's the song I imagine Rowan and Aelin dancing to. It's my favorite song in the entire play, the instruments in it, the singing of Orpheus, Hades, Persephone, and the dead chorus, and that acapella part near the end... I literally cannot describe how beautiful it is. I get chills every. single. time. 

(Again, another chapter I went back and added Tessia in becuz I'm an idiot.)