A Court of Heart and Fealty | Rhysand

Chapter 26: A Tale

Chapter 26: A Tale

They settled in an empty park by the very edge of the Sidra. It was mostly a rolling field, enclosed by foliage and water. There were enough trees that come a summer's day there would be plenty of shady spots to choose from and the scattered bushels of flowers left a pleasant aroma. It was a part of the city she had never been to—well, it didn't even seem part of the city itself, the amber lights muddling together in the far distance. Rhysand let her down on the grass, quiet, letting her explore. Galadriel headed towards the stone edge where the river softly lapped at, staring down at the black water.

"I like coming here when I need a break from everything," Rhysand said, coming up behind her. Another piece of himself he was offering her. "Not many people know about it."

She wished it were closer to the rest of the city simply so she could enjoy strolling here herself. It would take an hour's walk from her eye's calculation. Though she could always winnow, she supposed. "You better stop showing it to people then," she told him.

"I think I'm alright at the moment." His gaze was turned up towards the sky, skin almost glowing beneath it as if he breathed in the starlight, as if it fed him. "Besides, if I've shown someone this place, I wouldn't mind finding them here."

Galadriel crossed her arms loosely over her stomach, mostly to keep the edges of her coat tucked closed to her body. "How long is that list of people?"

"At the moment?" He hummed pensively. "Just one."

A blush crept across her face that ruined the glare she shot at him for the flirt. He laughed at her then gestured to follow him. He led her to a bench with a deep seat, the wooden back curved like a spine. His wings evaporated into nothing as he sat, and she followed him down a moment later. They were still close enough to see the details of the Sidra's shore, a few boats that sailed near mere silhouettes against the buildings and mountains behind them.

"I hear you've been working in a patisserie," he said.

Galadriel had been comfortable in the silence that had been growing, but she didn't shy from talking either. "I have. Cassian helped me with it actually."

"I heard about that too." Rhysand deeper into the seat, crossing an ankle over a knee. "Are you enjoying it?"

She thought about the few shifts she had taken there already. It was busy work, which she didn't mind, but most of it was spent out front with the customers rather than in the kitchen where she truly wanted to be, learning how they made the tarts and the doughs and the biscuits. "I am," she decided it. "It gives me something to do."

"I was getting worried that you might refuse to leave the villa at all one day." He said so gently—a prod as much as it was a true concern. "You've been... Cooped up."

She frowned at him. "Is that what Azriel has been telling you?" She assumed, as Amren had pointed out, that the spymaster had been keeping an eye on her. Sure, she wasn't leaving the house as much as might have done under other circumstances, but she wasn't a hermit.

Rhysand remained an image of calm. "He's mentioned it. But I've also checked in every now and then." It took her a moment to understand that he meant into her mind. "I thought that maybe you didn't think the city is safe for you."

"No," she whispered, just barely shaking her head. It would wound him to think that she believed such a thing—that something he held so close to his heart was something she kept away from. "I know the city is safe. And I've come out here with you, haven't I? I came to the dinner, I've been out with Cassian, and Mor and I went to lunch the other day."

He leant closer, angling to face her directly. "Ah, so now you're just shoving it in my face that you have been out and about, but just not with me." His face was bright with mocking, and she placed her hand against it to shove it back.