The nights had become restful, as opposed to being awoken to the pain of needing more tonic. Now she slept blissfully through from night until dawn, but when she opened her eyes, she frowned at the sight of the sun already high in the sky.
Was it noon?
Rolling over in bed, she glared at the empty corners of the room. Why hadn't anyone woken her? If she was going to get better, she needed to get back to her usual schedule. Even if she couldn't run, she could at least maintain her daily structure. She glanced at the door and pursed her lips, eyes flitting between the door and the window seat. It would only be a few steps; she did plenty of stepping yesterday, and if she just used the objects around her to stabilize, she'd get to the window without a problem.
Sliding the comforter off, she rolled her body to the edge of the bed with a bit of effort, and bracing her hand against the nightstand, moved herself to a sitting position. Alright, a quarter of the way there. She could do this, but just as she was about to lift herself off the bed, the door opened. Though his voice was cheery, her nerves grated like the sting of a skinned knee.
"You're awake," Hollis smiled as he set his box on the foot of the bed before approaching her, "Here, I'll help you."
Without warning, though gently, he placed his hand under her left arm and wrapped his right arm around her waist, stabilizing her to his side. "Madja said if I help you, I'm to do it like this. Does it feel alright?"
"It's fine," Nova muttered, jaw clenched as she stared at the ground.
"Where would you like to go?"
"The window."
Nodding, Hollis happily complied and guided her to the window seat. "I did choose a horse today."
She stared at the window, focusing less on what lay beyond and her reflection. Willing her brows to relax, she tried to concentrate on her jaw. Don't be so bothered, he's helping you, she scolded herself.
"Nova?"
"Hm?" She asked, turning to look at him, realizing he had pulled up another chair across from her so the tiny table could be between them.
"The horse I talked about yesterday, I chose Baylor. He's young, but not so set in his ways that he can't be taught out of his bad habits. Like throwing riders," he chuckled.
"Hm…" Nova nodded.
Frowning, he tentatively asked, "Are you alright?"
She sharply glanced his way, and he pursed his lips, "Right, terrible question." Clearing his throat, he nodded and said, "I brought something if you'd be interested."
As curiosity set in, she eyed him for a long moment before looking around the room. "What is it?"
With a dimpled grin, Hollis rose and crossed the room to retrieve the box he'd left on the bed, to which Nova wrinkled her nose at.
"Don't worry, it's not an exercise. Well, not physical."
Upon opening the box, a small rush of warmth filled Nova as she stared inside at the chessboard. It was unlike any she'd ever seen before. Each piece was made with some swirled marble, and the board itself was a slab of crystal.
"It's for you," Hollis smiled sheepishly as he set the table with the ornate game pieces.
Raising her brows, Nova looked up at him, "What do you mean it's for me?"
Hollis shrugged, "I thought you might like it in here, so it's yours."
"Hollis, you don't have to give me anything…"
"I want to."
She cringed and picked up one of the game pieces…they really were beautiful.
Noticing her hesitation, Hollis chewed his lower lip, "How about this. We'll play for it. If I win, you keep the game, but if you win, I give you the game."
Pulling back her head, she settled an incredulous look on him, staring into his playful gaze.
"Are you trying to manipulate me?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Me?" Hollis asked, feigning offense. "I…would never."
Nova smirked and leaned forward, "I'll keep it under these circumstances. If I win, you have to deliver a message for me."
"Deal."
With snort, Nova moved her first pawn.
Nesta entered the private parlor and was overwhelmed by the presence of Gwyn's silencing magic. Closing the door behind her, her gaze flitted between Gwyn, Emerie, and Ana.
"Who exactly called this meeting?" Nesta asked, her glare, dripping with disdain, settled on Ana.
But it was Emerie who narrowed her eyes and said, "I did."
Nesta frowned as she met her stare.
"This is about Nova," Emerie frowned, folding her arms and cocked her hip to the side, "With the numerous accounts you ignored me and continued walking, refusing to speak to me, I had to call a meeting of sorts. Because this…Nesta, what the hell happened? Any time we talked about Nova's future, you never once spoke of this."
"What do you want from me, Emerie?" Nesta asked tiredly, shoulders lowering a little as she crossed the space to the small liquor cabinet.
Emerie scoffed, "What do I want? Answers, Nesta. I want some fucking answers."
After pouring a healthy amount of sloshing amber liquid into her crystal, she took a sip and glanced at Ana, who dared to be sewing. Illyrian leathers, it seemed. Likely Azriel's, though her fingers trembled with each stitch.
"Ana won't answer, not out of obstinacy, but fear." Emerie clenched her jaw. "So, I'll ask again…what happened?"
Nesta lowered herself into a chair, crossed her ankles, and swallowed a mouthful of burning scotch. "Nova wasn't ready for this life," she finally murmured, "I intended to tell her when I found answers of my own, but they called for her before I had them."
Frowning, Gwyn leaned forward and shook her head. "You were trying to find a way to stop the prophecy, we assumed that, but why would that be such a terrible thing to share with us?"
She glanced at Ana, who wiped away a solitary tear from her cheek and continued sewing with blurry vision.
"I suppose you'll all know eventually…" Nesta trailed off in a murmur, lost in a far-off gaze.
As the afternoon waned to evening, Hollis leaned back in his chair and puffed out a sigh as he stared at the board between them. The marble pieces indicated that Nova had won three times in a row, as Hollis had declared the need for a rematch.
"Alright, I concede." He smirked and rubbed the back of his neck as his head leaned lopsidedly to the side. "Are you good at everything you do?"
With a shrug, Nova reset the game board and said, "No, but I have a message to write."
"Fine." Hollis stood while fighting a grin and crossed the room to retrieve her request. He kneeled at the desk and took the top piece of clean stationery along with a quill and an ink well. Returning, he set it in front of her, and Nova didn't hesitate to dip the quill and scrawl, rather untidily, across the paper. She paused and looked up to see him watching her.
"Do you mind?"
"Sorry…" Hollis instinctively turned on his heels and shoved his hands into his pockets as he rocked back and forth from his heels to his toes.
With a satisfied smile, Nova folded the paper, slipped it into an envelope, and sealed it shut. Holding it out between pinched fingers, "Please deliver this to Azriel. You are to hand it to him without a word."
Frowning, Hollis glanced down at the letter and back up at her, noting the serious turn of her brow. "Is something wrong?" He asked with a worried whisper.
"Please, give this to him. Not a word."
Hollis took a deep breath and nodded, "Of course…" Whatever lay within the confines of this envelope must have been terribly important. He continued, "I'll be right back."
As he vacated her room, Nova smirked to herself, sipped her tea, and, while looking out the window over the grounds, said, "I'm sure you will…"
It didn't take long for Hollis to find where Azriel was, in the same parlor Ana seemed to be occupying much of her time. In his company were also Rhysand, Feyre, Cassian, and, of course, Ana.
Don't say a word, give it to him.
Before he could allow anyone to speak to him, he walked to Azriel, who was sprawled back tiredly on the couch, and extended the envelope to him.
Arching a brow, Az glanced down at the offering, looked around the room at the other confused faces, and took the envelope and opened it to remove the letter hidden within. He read the single sentence on the page, raised both brows, and looked up at Hollis in shock.
A sudden cold sweat trailed down Hollis's back. Had he done something wrong?
Was Nova telling him to keep him from her room?
Ana peered over Azriel's forearm, and her eyes widened, but her lips twitched as she fought a grin, "Oh…" She then placed a hand on Az's wrist. "It's Nova's handwriting."
"What's it say?" Cas asked with a frown, hopped from his seat, and rounded the couch to read over his shoulder, only to burst into a bellowing cackle with such force he took a step back.
It might have been past his better judgment, but Hollis snatched the stationery back and stared down at the message. In Nova's scratchy scrawl, it read.
You're so pretty.
Love, Hollis
Blinking, Hollis scoffed and scolded, "Nova!" He tossed the letter and bounded upstairs to let her know precisely what he thought of her task for him, followed by the sounds of Rhysand and Feyre bursting into fits of laughter behind him as they read the letter, no doubt.
Though as he ascended the stairs, he too couldn't help but laugh.
Upon re-entering Nova's room, Hollis narrowed his eyes at her. She still sat in the window and wore a broad grin that made the light dance in her eyes. It had been so long since he'd seen that sparkle, and he didn't want to risk extinguishing it. He chuckled and shook his head as he closed the door behind him.
"Very funny," he said, sitting across from her in the same seat he had before.
Nova nodded with a grin, "I thought so."
Laughing, Hollis shook his head, "You should have seen the look on his face. You'd have thought I'd offered him a severed finger."
A bursting giggle erupted from Nova with such force she had to place her hand over her mouth, "I did win, fair and square. And I'll be keeping the chessboard, thank you."
Hollis grinned, leaning back in the chair a little as Nova released a soft sigh, her laughter quieting.
"I think this is something I can be alright with."
Tilting his head to the side, Hollis studied her, "What?"
"Being friends," Nova pursed her lips in a thin line and tapped her fingers against the table, "I think this will be an alright arrangement if we can be…friends."
The notion had been pressing on Nova for some time now, since she stopped taking the tonics and really understood the gravity of what they'd done. What their future might look like with this bond. It wasn't an easy conclusion to come to, but a necessary one.
"I'm not someone to love," Nova murmured, not meeting the icy blue of Hollis's eyes, "I never wanted to get married. Never intended to, not even to…" Adira's face emerged in her thoughts, followed by Peter. "I can be a lot of things for other people, but this, us…" She trailed off and met his gaze. Did it look somber? "I can only ever be your friend."
Hollis was quiet for a long moment; the silence between them was deafening. "I understand," he finally said, "I feel the same."
No, he didn't.
The bond they shared might be a tattoo for her, but for Hollis? It was so much more. He could still feel that golden thread tugging at his heart with every breath she took, and while it was a lie that he didn't feel anything more than friendship, it wasn't a lie that he understood. And though it brought a dagger to his chest with repeated strokes, he would do as she requested.
He would remain her friend. He'd be there for her as friends do, and he'd be grateful she could at least remain in his life. Her calm…her peace. The way her mere presence soothed his jagged edges.
If she was happy, then he could be too.
It was late, and Hollis had retreated to his room. While Nova hated that she'd had to have that conversation, she felt better knowing it was over. He knew her intentions, and it seemed he was going to be respectful of that. Hopefully, that would mean no more gifts to try and win her affections, or not spending time with her with the hope that she'd eventually say yes to him.
She wouldn't.
A knock at her door startled her. Gritting her teeth, she sat up a little bit in bed and said, "Come in." She could sense her father on the other side of the door, but as it swung open, she raised a brow at his smirking expression.
"What?"
Rhysand shook his head and chuckled as he stepped inside, closed the door, and took the seat nearest her bed. "Your letter?"
Snorting, Nova laid her head back as her father released a belting laugh. He shook his head and wiped the moisture from his eyes, "You put poor Hollis through the wringer with that one. I didn't think anyone from the Winter Court could turn so red."
"In my defense, he did agree to the terms of the deal. I win the chess game, and he delivers a letter. I never said I had to tell him the contents."
Leaned back in his chair, Rhys shook his head, chin resting in his hand as he smiled, "Hm…how are you feeling?"
She shrugged, "Stronger. I'll probably be able to start helping more in a few days."
Her father's smile fell, brows lowering with concern, "Madja and Emerie sing a different tune. You're not ready to jump back into your old life, not yet. If you try too soon, you'll only make things worse. Have patience, there is no hurry in your health."
Nova didn't respond, letting her eyes wander away from his. She knew that, but it was easier said than done.
Nodding with understanding, Rhys managed a small smile, "Mor says we're both just alike, and I see it now."
She glanced at him and frowned as he continued, "I never wanted help either. Always thought of myself as undeserving of it. I'd probably still believe that if you're mother hadn't forced it on me," he chuckled, "How dare she tell me I'm worthy of other's concern and affection?"
Nova didn't respond, and Rhys didn't push. Instead, together, they watched the sun dip below the copse of trees and snow-capped mountains in the distance in comfortable silence. With it came the chill of night, something Nova used to relish. She recalled running through darkness as mud slapped her bare legs, sprinting until her body burned with exhilaration. Now, the only thing that came with the darkness was numbing cold.
Her father stood from his chair to stoke the fire, and as he did, Nova turned to the unlit candle to her left. Used frequently by Madja, it was nearly to the end of its life, and Nova wondered if they had a store of more somewhere in the palace. She raised her hand to the wick and focused her attention, intending to bring out a flame for a little extra warmth near her bedside, but as she concentrated, the strangest thing happened.
Nothing.
Looking at her hand, Nova furrowed her brows and lifted her hand again to encourage a spark, but nothing came of it.
"Nova? Is something wrong?" Rhys asked, watching her from the fireplace with a concerned twist of his brow.
Glancing over at him, Nova swallowed harshly, "My abilities are gone."