It was well past the midnight stroke when they left Rita's and took haven in the House of Wind. Quiet on the hill, most everyone who had helped with cleaning the townhouse had gone to bed.
A few remained. Her parents and uncles, Mor and Amren, and Madja (who had come to Velaris to gather more ingredients for tonics for the people of the Winter Court) all sat at the table, intending to play a card game while discussing renovation ideas. Apparently, Cassian wanted a body of water in the outdoor training arena and Nova had a sneaking suspicion he'd had the idea with her in mind. Bran and Kyra were on the couch, though Kyra looked liable to fall asleep any moment. It had been a long day, after all. Nova herself was preparing for bed as she left the main sitting area and walked the hall to the room she'd seldom used those years ago.
Upon entering, Nova paused and took the room in. It wasn't as she once remembered it. Oh, that would be because it wasn't hers. It was Azriel's room, she remembered entering it briefly before when she followed him to retrieve his boots from the closet. As she turned to leave, she froze. What is that on the bed? She pondered as she took a step closer to get a better look at the dark outline of a small pair of wings.
Flashing images flitted across her mind.
The searing burn of the delicate membrane being ripped apart…the trembling crunch of cartilage and the scent of warm iron in the air with each pass of the blunt blades of the saw.
A dark, leaky basement. Staring at the thinly stretched and pinned to the wall while she lay on her belly on the cold stone, unable to move as Zaylor…neasua rose in the back of her throat, and she quickly averted her eyes. Breathing in through her nose, she stood there for what felt like an eternity. When the violent memories began to ebb away, leaving behind a throbbing pain of remembrance, she took a step forward and then another step.
Taking the wings – her wings - in her hands, she studied them. No more than four feet in total diameter, it was riddled with tears, and the images came back—a vision of visceral carnage. Yet, with it, she also tasted the sky. She felt the warm night breeze through her hair and the cool trickle of water as the rain dripped from the moss overhead. Where there was sorrow, there was also freedom.
She loved flying.
A tear trickled down her cheek, which she quickly wiped away and breathed a shuddering breath. Another moment to gather herself, she cradled the wings to her chest and walked out of the room and down the hall.
Bran looked up, and one would think he'd witnessed an apparition the way he stared at her, but it wasn't until she walked toward the table that the room hushed.
"Nova…" Rhys breathed, frozen in his seat. When they'd asked Azriel to keep her wings in his room, it had been with the intent to keep her from seeing them. At least until she was ready, they didn't know what kind of response they would create.
Breaths held and eyes wide, they stared at her, waiting, but what Nova said next, they didn't anticipate.
Turning to Madja, she asked, "I don't suppose you could sew these back on?" She asked, quirking a small smile.
With hesitation, Madja returned the small smile with a sad one of her own, "No, I'm afraid that wouldn't be possible."
"I thought not."
Another moment of quiet before Feyre gently asked, "What would you like to do with them?"
Nova's smile widened into a grin, "I think I'd like them to fly one last time…"
The billowing smoke painted the night sky an ethereal gray as they stacked more wood onto the pile. Those who were still awake gathered in the center of Windhaven. Most of the Illyrians were already asleep or at least in bed, none the wiser of the ceremonial pyre situated just outside their doors.
As everyone gathered around the spitting flames, Nova held her wings in a grip that was probably tighter than it needed to be, and when the fire was tall enough that it could singe off her eyebrows, she tossed the wings into its center.
Watching quietly and hands clasped, Feyre gently asked, "Do you want to say anything, Nova?"
"Should I?"
Smiling, she shrugged, "Only if you'd like to. Sometimes it helps to say goodbye. Even if it's symbolic."
Racking her brain, Nova said the only thing she could think of in the moment, "To the people who took my freedom. On multiple accounts. Have fun in Hell…" Cas quirked a smirk, "Oh, and I hope the devil made you his bitch."
Snorting, Cassian quickly hid his face as Nova grinned.
"If I don't laugh, I'll cry, and I am so tired of crying."
Feyre nodded and released a light laugh as she side-hugged her waist. "I think that's the perfect send-off."
"Couldn't have said it better myself." Rhys grinned and squeezed her hand.
Sharing a snicker, she met Bran and Kyra's humored gaze, and looked up at the orange glow against the stars. She watched the flecks of ash, the last bits of her past, finally, fly away into welcomed freedom.
Nova and Bran stayed longer than the rest, watching the embers diminish in quiet solace. Sitting across from each other, Nova couldn't help but ask what she'd been wondering for days.
"How are you and Finch?" She asked.
Bran smiled and chuckled lightly as he nudged one of the embers with a long stick to urge it a little longer. "We're good. Very good, actually."
"Good." She'd been so worried after Peter's death about what might become of Finch, and it was a relief to know they were doing well despite the impending doom that hovered above, threatening to release the end of the world.
"What about you and Hollis?"
Arching a brow, her smile dropped, "What about me and Hollis?"
Bran eyed her for a long moment as he carefully calculated his response, "I just…noticed the way you two act around each other. I thought…"
"No," Nova replied quickly with a shake of her head, "Hollis and I are just friends and content to be so. We had that discussion months ago, and it still stands."
She'd been diligent today, keeping conversations light and not lingering. She didn't stand too close and ensured her body language matched her intentions. She spoke to Hollis today, just as she would with any of her other friends.
Nova continued, perhaps a bit more vehemently than she intended, "We have mutual camaraderie and that's it. Nothing more."
"Nova," Bran said gently, holding his palms out in earnest, "I believe you."
Pursing her lips into a thin line, she tried to relax her stiffened shoulders. Before she could worry her brain too much, Bran asked, "So, you plan to stay here a while?"
With a nod, she looked around the camp, "I'll gather some things tomorrow evening and stay here, just for a couple of weeks. I just…I need to focus on myself for a little bit. Without distraction."
Without Hollis.
"Without being called away while I'm trying to concentrate."
Without Hollis.
Bran nodded and braced his hands on the log he sat on. "I can understand that," he said, swallowing and drumming his fingers against the rough wood. "Can I just ask you one thing?"
Furrowing her brow, Nova nodded.
"Take the time you need, but don't alienate yourself," Bran murmured, meeting her eyes, "I know it's a lot sometimes, but know that you do have people you can lean on. We might not be able to fix every problem, but we'll always stand by your side through them."
Well, that shit hit like a ton of bricks.
Nova, forcing herself to stay neutral, nodded. "I know…" And she did, it was a lesson she wouldn't soon forget.
With the passing months, the air had grown much colder, even in the Night Court. Despite her leather, Nova was ready to get out of the chill.
"I have one more question…" Bran's lips curved into a smile.
Raising a brow, Nova stood and placed her hands on her hips as she stretched her legs, "What might that be?"
After a moment of hesitation, he looked up at the sky, "Is flying something you'd like to feel again?"
Even though his question sent her heart into her throat, a rush of excitement flowed through her veins. "Oh…Bran, I don't know…" There were so many things to consider. What if it brought back panicked memories? If she panicked, she couldn't guarantee she'd be the best passenger.
"I can go as fast or slow as you need," Bran offered her his hand, and with a warm smile that matched his hazel eyes, asked, "Do you trust me?"
Nova breathed in a shaky breath and smiled softly, "With my life…"
Reaching forward, she took his hand. Despite the extra muscle she'd gained, he lifted her into his arms with ease. Letting out a laugh, she shook her head and wrapped her arms around his neck. Resting her head on his shoulder, she saw his wings expand to their full size. With the wind beneath them, Bran pushed off the ground, and they took flight.
She sucked in a sharp gasp and held her breath and pinched her eyes closed. Her grip tightened as her body stiffened with the sensation of tendrils of rushed air all around her, tickling her hair against her neck.
"Nova," Bran chuckled against her ear, "look…"
Finally taking in a breath, Nova opened one eye and then the other. Surrounded by a blanket of stars, her jaw dropped as she twisted her head to look around. Bran kept them suspended with his wings, but didn't move in one direction or the other. The snow-capped mountain peaks, the dots of lights below, resembled Velaris…it was all so beautiful she couldn't fathom them into words.
"Wow…"
Chuckling, Bran asked. "Where would you like to go?"
Nova turned to face him and grinned, "The lake. As fast as you can go."
He raised both brows, but nodded, "If it's too much, just…bite my wing."
With a snort of laughter, Nova squeezed his neck tighter just in time before he soared through the sky with ferocious speed. With the tickles that skated up and down her torso, she was certain they'd left her belly somewhere behind. Still giggling as they stopped above the lake, Bran, breathless with a red glow against his dark complexion, shook his head and laughed too.
"Let's drop."
Bran reeled back with wide eyes and laughed again, "What?!" But the excitement that glittered in her eyes, the sparkle he hadn't seen for years, was more breathtaking than the stars themselves, and this request he could not deny her.
"Okay," he smiled, "Three…two…" Before he could say one, he released her and tucked his wings in tight. With wild laughter, they plummeted and sliced through the icy water.
Breaking the surface, Nova gasped and slicked back her hair. The water was biting yet invigorating. She laughed as Bran came up next, sucking in a breath. Together they shuddered from the cold, treading the inky darkness which looked like another galaxy from the reflection above.
"You alright?" Bran asked, catching his breath.
Grinning, Nova nodded and looked up at the sky, then down at the water. She hadn't taken a bath in months. She'd only cleansed herself with showers- even filled sinks had filled her with a moment of panic. Now her body was treading water in a massive lake.
Lying back, she let her body float on the surface. Her face cradled by a line of water, it covered her ears and deafened her to all outside noises.
"I am Nova Archeron," she murmured, "and I am not afraid."
She let her face submerge, and her fear did not consume her.