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"Rhysand!" I lifted my dress, hurrying down the stairs as I saw my husband in the doorway. It had been months since I had seen him.
"Hi..." He trailed off, neither of us knowing whether to give the other person a hug or to just shake hands. I made the decision, stepping forward and wrapping my arms around him gently. His hands were careful, hovering over my waist as we stood there for a moment. "I have something for you."
"You do?"
Rhysand hummed, before presenting me with a bouquet of flowers, that glimmered in colours of orange and red, similar to a sunset.
"Oh they're beautiful." I smiled up at him in thanks, before hurrying to find a vase and water for them. "Thank you, Rhysand."
He smiled, a warm one as I turned back to him.
"Are we ready to go?" He nodded, holding his arm out to me. I didn't hesitate this time when I took it, drawing myself closer to him. "You look beautiful, Carasai."
"Cara is fine." I told him gently. We had been married for months, and in reality, only my father called me by my full name. "Everyone calls me Cara."
"My friends call me Rhys." He smiled, before tightening his hold on me as we winnowed from the townhouse in Velaris. I kept my eyes closed, as the wind tugged at my loose hair. When I opened my eyes again, we were in a cooler area of the mountains, no sight of civilisation around us for the most part. "This is Windhaven."
"Windhaven?" I looked around, staring up at the towering stones of jagged rocks, covered with ice and snow. Each one seemed to look like a sword, weathered by years of rain and wind, leaving the Illyrian camp in the centre of it all, somewhat protected. Yet every time the wind whistled through, it sounded as if someone was screaming.
"The central camp." Rhysand explained, shrugging off his cloak to wrap around my shoulders. I was a Day Court member, this cooler temperature did not agree with me. "The best warriors in the other war camps are sent to train here."
"Were you sent here because you were the prince?"
"No, I trained in one of the Southern War Camps with Cassian, before coming here. Then, we met Azriel, who's from the Northern War Camps, and the three of us trained here." Rhysand explained, hooking his arm through mine once more as he lead me through the camp. It was filled with large wooden cabins, training areas, weapons stores, blacksmiths and the like. There were hundreds of Illyrian men around, of all ages, from young boys up to full grown adults. But no women, at all. I was very much a lone figure. "Azriel finished before Cassian and I, because he's a little older. That's why he now works with my father, but Cassian and I finished training this year."
"There are no women?" I twisted, searching for any Illyrian women in the crowd but there was no one. "Why are there no female soldiers?"
Rhysand tried to form words for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing. He didn't say anything for a moment, trying to work out how best to phrase his next statement.
