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The townhouse in Velaris was nothing how I expected to be. I had thought that it would be wreathed in darkness, made of the same obsidian stone that the palace was made of but it wasn't.
The foyer was covered with a plush red carpet, surrounded by warm wood-panelled walls that were covered with artwork. A staircase lead upwards and further into the house, as I looked around in awe.
"This is-" Rhysand chuckled as I became speechless, watching me with a warm grin.
"It's not all doom and gloom." He muttered, holding out an arm so that he could show me around. "This is the family townhouse though only Maiya and I use it. But she's banished to Hewn, so it's only me now."
He opened the door to my left, showing a large sitting room with worn furniture and bookshelves all over the walls. My eyes widened at the thought of how much I could read whilst I was here. The door to our right led to a dining room with a long, Cherrywood table that could easily fit ten people. The slender hallway stretched on ahead as Rhysand pointed out rooms; a kitchen, a larger sitting room just off of the dining room and a room filled with training equipment.
"It's beautiful, Rhysand, what is this place?" I turned to him, cocking an eyebrow.
"Velaris. The City of Starlight." Rhysand smiled, looking the epitome of calm but I could feel his excitement down the bond. He wanted to show me this.
"You're excited."
"You're getting better at reading the bond." Rhysand quipped back, before nodding his head. "I want to show you around before I could back to the Southern war camps, so that you feel comfortable."
"I'd like that."
"Well, then come on. You are lucky to have the best tour guide of Velaris, not to mention the most handsome." I laughed at his words, shaking my head. "You do not think I am handsome?"
"I have yet to meet anyone else, so I can not make a judgement."
"Maybe that is why I haven't let you meet anyone else." He grinned, looking more and more his age as time went on. The Rhysand that I first met when discussing the arranged marriage was completely different from this one now in front of me. He was full of life. "However, I do wish for you to meet some friends of mine."
"You have friends?" I joked, before wincing. That was a joke that I would have made at my own brother, and I did not know if I had offended him.
Instead, I was met with a booming laughter as Rhysand tilted his head back at my quip. I froze, before my smile returned. He tried to quieten his laughter, opening the door for me as he did.
"Sorry."
"Don't be, that was good." Rhysand grinned, as I stepped out into the warm summer sun. The front lawn was neat, filled with flowers of all different varieties, and a high wrought iron fence bordered it all. Fae meandered along the cobbled street, the sound mixing together in a cacophony of laughter and happiness.
