A Court Of Shadow and Blood

☆ Court of Dreams ☆

They'd decided on going to the Townhouse, since it was closer to them. Eblis's heart melted when she saw the oh-so-familiar wooden interior, the worn furniture that bespoke love and use. So different from the pale, deathly cast to everything in Hybern, the constant coldness. She almost shivered at the mere thought of walking through those dreaded halls again, of sitting before a throne of bone or curled in a dark cell with rotted hay prodding her endlessly.

She let a hand trail across the paneling of the wall as she strode down a hall to where her old room had been. The memory of it was faint but she could count the steps exactly that it took to her room, and could count the doors she passed before she found it. Eblis's mouth tightened with old memories good and bad as she slowly pushed into it, the door swinging open on silent hinges.

She recalled the small, single bed nestled in the corner of her room, what the sunny disposition her younger self had reflected upon the room. Everything was cast in warm woods, her bed sheets the color of hot sand, the upholstered chairs and throw pillows holding tints of white-capped waves. A simple fur rug took over the floor, the hide bleached a bright snow color, and was utterly soft beneath her now-bare feet. Her toes waggled in it.

Now atop the dresser sat a decanter, weighed with jewels and amulets that would look beautiful nestled in folds of jade, the rubies shimmering in the faelights. The bed was made, windows and mirror spotless, and the room warmed to just the right temperature.

She surveyed her surroundings, smelling something like Cassian within it and the ever-so-faint scent of Amren. It had been used recently, then, by Cassian. She smiled at the thought of the hulking warrior sleeping on the small, child-sized bed before she went to the dresser. One of the drawers slid out smoothly, revealing clothes and fur coats and long dresses. She rummaged through a certain folded pile, pulling out a simple short-sleeved shirt before going in search of some leggings.

Her weapons had been taken by Rhysand, the male saying he would keep them safe while she showered. She smiled at the thought of how he'd gingerly taken it from her, trying ever-so-hard to not touch where her own hands held the blade—even as a part of her worried at being unarmed.

She quickly stripped of her disgusting-smelling clothes, not even bothering to throw them in the wash pile as they were thrown into a trash-can. Eblis ignored her reflection in the tall mirror, not wanting to confront the plentiful flecks and stretches of pale skin, as well as the ribs she could so clearly see after a long, hungry week of travel. Instead, she went to the washbasin and the mirror above it, where she could only see to her neck. Though she stared at her reflection, all she cared to note was her thick, oily blonde hair that resembled the locks her mother had, before she was killed. Her lips pinched together. She knew she would have to relive that memory, and soon. No one would believe her otherwise. 

After a quick peering at her gray eyes—which should’ve been violet, like her brothers—Eblis took a very long bath. She made sure to scrub the rest of the dye from her hair when she soaked, only stepping out to get right back into some clothes, not a moment of hesitation. She was eager to talk with her brother, to reminisce and learn of everything that had happened. Within the walls of Hybern, she'd mostly only ever heard of successes on the King's part, rarely ever any losses. She was slightly smug with the fact that she didn't hear anything from the Night Court, however fearful that also made her at the same time.

So she had had only what everyone else told her about them for centuries, and she knew how biased their opinions would be since they were whispered in Hybern, but cauldron damn her, she'd still been scared to see Rhys. However, he seemed relatively unbothered by her presence, and perhaps it was too much time spent among two-faced murderers, but Eblis found it eery how easily he'd trusted her.