✦ 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ✦

One

"Mala!" she heard her mother shout from afar.

"I'm on my way!" she yelled back.

The female raced down the stairs, zipping through halls, as her light footed feet quickly padded across the elaborately carpeted floors.

Her blonde, almost pale as a white silver moon flew behind her, the long locks tangled with the breeze flitting in from the windows, the wind determined to entwine it to no end.

Mala swore under her breath as she neared the last stairwell, her breath a harsh pant.

"I heard that!" a booming male voice announced.

"Shut your trap Aedion," she cursed him.

Mala could hear a faint chuckle from the next room over. No doubt where the rest of  the court members were.

Another body fell into step next to her when she slowed herself enough to walk.

"My mother would be livid if I spoke like that to anyone," an amused voice tittered from beside her.

Mala glanced over to the other female.

"Of course she would Serenity, your mother actually worries about how others view her daughter."

That broke an almost startled laugh out of her.

"Oh, don't be silly now Mala, you know that's not entirely true," Serenity countered, still giggling slightly.

It was hard to say who the woman looked more like. Uncle Lorcan or Aunt Elide. Mala often pondered over it, because Serenity looked as much alike to both of them.

She had wavy black hair, with dark eyes that shone with warmth and kindness, overshadowing the harsh edge underlying them.

Darkness seemed to hang from her, kin to her father, and her sharp features emitted the small amount of Ironteeth witchblood that she inherited from her mother.

Mala never seemed to understand how Serenity could always seem to have such a tender-hearted nature, with the shadow of her father looming over her all the time.

The two of them continued walking down the grand staircase, paces matching each other perfectly.

Before even entering the courtroom, Mala could already hear the chimes of glasses and heated conversations.

Court meetings were certainly never dull in Terresan.

Heels clicked against the tiled floor, the figure wearing them displaying a recognizable grace.

"There you both are," the female stopping in front of them, "while you two were dallying, I've been here stuck with all there insufferable wine addicts," she chided them.

Xaylah, the magnificent daughter of Aedion Ashryver and Lysandra Ennar Ashryver. Heir to Caraverre, and a striking, vigorous, opponent to face in combat.

It was fate, if there was any left, that the heirs of Terresan's lands were born females, if only to provide each other good company.

Mala grinned in fake earnest, "Apologies my fair lady, it is my dying wish that you accept my feelings of my deep grief filled regret." She fluttered her long lashed eyes that were purposfully filled with hoaxed affliction.

Serenity played off of her words just as she would have hoped, "We have come to save you from your dreadful fate, may we accompany you back to the courtroom, ever so enchanting maiden?" she blinked up at Xaylah from the small curtsey she had produced during her 'apology'.

Xaylah let out a sigh, but mirth danced in her emerald eyes. When she deemed Mala and Serenity truthful enough to follow her, she turned around.

Her dirty blonde short cut hair was styled with golden hairpins, no doubt to try and recover any sort of semblance of courtesy.

For when one met Xaylah in battle, one might not meet anyone ever again.

The three females turned the corner to the courtroom, soon in step with each other when Mala and Serenity caught up with Xaylah.

One of the first things Mala noticed when she came through the courtroom doorway was her mother.

Aelin Ashryver Whitethorn Galathynius.

There was never a need for queenly titles, for anyone at all to introduce her.

Her mother was a force to be reckoned with, and her name was whispered over fires in lands Mala had never even known existed.

Mala couldn't even begin to count the amount of times people had to referred to her mother as a living goddess, a saint, their savior.

It was both appropriate and highly inappropriate that Mala was named after a goddess herself.

Her mother sat at the head of the long, wide, wooden table, furnished with golden designs of suns, fires, and lights.

She appeared deep in thought as she sipped carefully from her wine glass, not even looking up at the three females entering the room.

Rowan, Mala's father, sat at the other end of the table, and unlike Aelin, seemed to notice his daughter's presence when he shifted in his seat to acknowledge her.

His face appeared tense, while the other members of the court debated amongst themselves while nursing champagne glasses.

As he turned back around, Aedion, who stood by the door ushered the females to their seats.

They were seated next each other at almost every meeting, to their parents dismay. Giving them the opportunity to conspire and gossip with each other almost always ended up with them all in giggling fits. Not entirely proper for young ladies during court.

"I need you three to stay quiet this time you hear me? This meeting is very important," Aedion whispered to them seriously once they'd taken their seats.

Any trace of merriment on their faces changed to skepticism as they frowned.

Mala realized why her mother was so deep in thought when the matter of the meeting came about.

Aelin cleared her throat, demanding the ladies and lords to the quiet themselves, demanding their attention to her.

"There has... been a severe disturbance as of late, one that we cannot forgo any longer," she stated, meeting the eyes of all the court members seated, her face blank as she spoke the next words.

"Another Wyrdgate has been found."

~tev <3