I slowly opened my eyes to a raging headache.

I lay on something impossibly soft- a bed. I was covered in a large plush blanket and my hair was loose around me. A pressure on my hand tightened and a voice said,

"She's waking up."

My eyes slowly opened and I took in my surroundings. I was in a large bed in an even bigger room with floors made of dark marble.

My hand was being held by a beautiful female High Fae with pointed ears and long curled blonde hair. Morrigan, or Mor as Azriel had called her. I furrowed my eyebrows and she rested a damp cloth on my forehead.

"Easy. You've lost a lot of blood." She said gently.

I stared at her blankly and swallowed hard. "Where...where am I?"

"The Court of Dreams." She replied. "You've been a big help to us by telling Azriel about your surroundings." Her tone was tight.

I clenched my jaw. "Is there a problem?"

"Not at all. We're working on a spell to break the one on your clamps. Just rest for now, alright? Rhysand wants to talk to you when you're ready."

I froze. "The High Lord wants to speak to me?"

"Yes." She looks at me and must notice the panic on my face because she said, "It's nothing serious."

I nodded and then asked, "Where is Azriel?"

"I can get him if you'd like." She says and I merely nodded.

She stood up and left and I lifted a hand and looked at the bandages wrapped around it. I had more wrapped around my torso, and my jaw was sore. Probabaly bruised. I laid on my side and my clawed wings were stretched out behind me.

I looked up when Azriel appeared in the doorway, wings folded in tight behind him. His face remained expressionless and he nodded once to Mor and she hesitated, then left. As soon as the door closed behind her with a click, he immediately looked less stiff and he came over and sat down on the side of the bed.

"Hey." I said softly.

"Hey." He replied and looked at me and he asked, "Are you alright? How are you feeling?"

"I'm ok." I said and scratched at my arm. I looked at him. "I know this is probably a stupid question, but...why did you bother to keep talking to me while I was in that cell? Every day?"

"Figured it would be good way to get some information." He says and shrugs his shoulders.

I raised an eyebrow. "That was an outright lie. Come on. I want to know. You have always seemed interested in me."

He stared at me and remained silent for a long time, then said, "I've never meet another Shadowsinger. And...you're special."

I scoffed. "I am not."

He shook his head. "Maybe not to you." Before I could give an answer to that, he said, "The High Lord wants to talk to you about what you saw and what you know."

"Alright. Let's get this over with, then." I said and sat up, wincing.

He lifted a scarred hand to my shoulder and pushed me back. "He'll come to you."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "That doesn't seem right. The High Lord-"

"Rhys isn't like other High Lords. He's a bit more...laid back."

"I...Alright. He can come whenever he's ready."

He nodded once, then stood up and left the room. I positioned the pillows so I could sit up more, determined to look stronger in the High Lord's presence. At least somewhat dignified as well. I was in his house after all.

The door opened again and this time Azriel returned with the High Lord and General Cassian.

I was going to die here. They were going to demand information, then lock me up.

"We aren't going to hurt you, Adrianna." Rhysand said calmly. I looked into those violet eyes and clenched my jaw. He slid his hands into his pockets and I said,

"If you could stay out of my head, I would appreciate it."

Cassian snorted and when Azriel gave him a demeaning look, he just crossed his arms over his chest in an attempt to look sophisticated.

"If you don't want me in your head, put your walls up." Rhysand replied. "But I'm not here to just go trough your head, Adrianna. I am here to ask you a few things."

I nodded and folded my hands in my lap.

"Why were your wings clamped, and who clamped them?"

I was surprised that this was his first question. "Well, I was caught flying. Practicing and trying to teach myself to fly. I was then brought before my father and he ordered I be clamped instead of clipped like the other females. There's more shame with clamps. My father was good at shaming me."

"Did he apply the clamps?" He asked.

"No. The guard Regim did. I killed him in the Ring." I said and clenched my jaw. He had done a lot more than that.

"So the guard is dead now. So that means your clamps can be removed."

I looked up at him suddenly. "What? I was always told that it was my father's magic on the clamps."

"Well, yes and no, but it was mostly Regim's. Now that he's dead, I can remove them. If you would like."

I gawked at him. I felt tears prick at my vision. "I haven't had use of my wings for twenty-two years. I don't even know if...if they're salvageable."

"I can help with any damage to them." He said gently. "It's your choice, and I will only do it if you allow me to."

I looked at him closely. "I...With all due respect, what do you know about wings?"

He smirked, and as if in reply, a pair of Illyrian wings sprouted from his back and I gasped. Cassian seemed amused, but Azriel just watched calculatingly. "I am half Illyrian and half High Fae." Rhysand said and I clenched my jaw. Why was he being so open? "I can fix your wings and remove the clamps, but I know wings are a sensitive matter, so I first ask for your permission."

I swallowed hard and nodded. I turned slowly and sat cross-legged on the bed and straightened my wings out towards him. His hands were surprisingly warm and gentle as they rested over the clamps and one by one, they fell to the ground with a thump and a clang and I shuddered.

When they were gone, I moved my wings out to the sides and surveyed the damage. The long bones that stretched out the membrane were bent at awkward angles where they had been broken and healed wrong. At the other location for the clamps, scar tissue ran up and down the dark scales and I reached up to scratch at them.

"Wait." Cassian suddenly said, stepping towards me. I stiffened and I raised his hands and said gently, "Don't scratch at the scales. If you try to get rid of the dead ones that way, they won't grow back. Trust me. I've dealt a lot of damage to these before." He pointed at the pair that sprouted from his shoulders.

I lowered my hand and nodded and my wings drooped around me onto the bed. I looked down at my hands as a tear slid down my cheek. "Thank you." I whispered.

Rhysand's hand moved to my chin and he gently tilted my face up to me. "Here you won't receive any judgement or shame. We are all here with our scars, our faults, our fears, and our shames. Do not be ashamed for its our scars that show we made it."

He moved his hand and I let out a shaky breath and rubbed at my arms. "What else did you want to know?"

"Can you walk?"

I looked up at him. I slid my legs over the side of the bed and saw I now wore loose pants. A blush colored my cheeks as I realized I wore very little clothing and the shirt I wore was open in the back for wings, and only covered my chest with a thin strap connecting in the back and another looped over my neck to keep it on, yet it was still impossibly loose.

If the bandages weren't there, my stomach would have shown clearly.

My bare feet touched the floor and I slowly stood up and I wrapped an arm around my side.

I took a slow step forward and winced.

Then, Azriel was next to me. He offered me an arm and I looked at him once, then looped my arm through his.

Azriel helped me along as Rhysand lead the way out of the room and Cassian followed behind. We made our way down the many halls and corridors and I marveled at the beauty of the palace.

Then, we came out to a large pavilion with a long table with several chairs set up around it with holes in the back for Illyrian wings.

But my attention was drawn to the view outside. A long shining river cut through a glimmering city in the distance. Stars twinkled in the sky and colors shifted through it. Blue, turquoise, pink, and purple.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Azriel whispered and I nodded, unable to pull my gaze from the sky. "I still have yet to get used to the sky some days."

I looked at him then and frowned. "What do you mean?"

"We have a lot more in common than you'd believe." He merely replied.

I looked back out at the view and Rhysand said from behind me, "This is the city of Velaris."

"How is it still intact like this? I heard stories of how the other courts were destroyed. But this...doesn't even seem touched. I don't think I've ever heard of Velaris, either."

High Lord Rhysand sighed. "There is much to explain. It'll come in time. But for now, rest. Let's get your wings in working order first."