As all eyes were on her, Auriella walked down to Thesan's side, ignoring his hand that was still reached out.

She looked at the High Lords and their company, nodding her head at them, which they all returned. Her shadows shifted, brightened almost as if they were stunned that the High Lord of the Night Court was in front of them.

Helion cleared his throat, "Well, now that everyone is here, I suppose we are able to speak about why we are here?" He asks.

Thesan takes a deep breath, "I believe we all know why you both are here, Helion. So, why not let out everything that you want to say so we can get this over with?" He asks.

Rhysand chuckles, "If you wanted to get this over with, you should have accepted our five requests we sent you these past three years. Instead, you have ignored us, letting this drag on for longer than it should have." He says.

Auriella scoffs. Five requests to meet in three years? She wanted to scream at her father, but she kept her calm. She was curious as to why Helion and Rhysand came here and if she blew up in front of her father, it would be good for no one.

Thesan nods, bringing the glass of wine up to his mouth, "Well, you are here now, Rhysand. So, if you only came to argue, I suggest you leave my home before I make you." He says to them.

Helion rolls his eyes, "Enough, this isn't about us," he looks to the Children of Dawn, "This is about the Daughter and Son of Dawn." He says.

Thesan shifts in his seat. Auriella knew that he was not looking forward to this conversation, but she ached to have her questions answered. "My brother and I were hoping this day would come," she turned to her father, "where we would finally have answers," Auriella says.

Helion smirks, "Of course, Daughter of Dawn. We have some answers to your long-awaited questions. But we were hoping we could ask a few of our own." He turned to Damian, "Son of Dawn, do you know what you did on that field three years ago?" He asked.

Damian shrugs, "All I know was that a blast from the Cauldron threw me into the air. I landed a few feet away from my sister, went to retrieve my sword, and before I knew it... I was glowing. It was a power I had only seen by you. I never knew I had it until that moment." He explains.

Auriella always remembered that moment. It was like the sun had sent a ray of its power to her brother, making him glow on the field, blinding his enemies until he took them down with Wrathbringer. Combined with his training and experience, he was unstoppable to take down.

Her brother continues, "I was confused, but I had ignored it because I needed to make sure that my sister was okay. When I saw her," he turned to Auriella, "She was covered in a darkness I had never seen before. It swirled around her, even around her sword, as if it gave her power." He finishes.

Rhysand looks at Auriella, "You have never seen it before? The shadows, I mean. Have they ever appeared before the war, even in..." he trails off.

Auriella knew exactly what he meant. She shakes her head, "No, not Under the Mountain. I had... dreams about them. But they never appeared. I would have noticed and others would have too, including you." She tells him.

"Have you been training yourself?" Rhysand asks.

Auriella shrugs, "I have been training, but only with Soulender. I feel like that is the only reason why my shadows stay with me. It's because I'm trying." She tells him.

Helion nods, "The power of Day and Night are in the core of both of you. You have had no reason to utilize it because that is not what you are not assigned to do," he turns to Thesan, "Your children must start using their abilities if not, it could be dangerous for the both of them and you know it." He tells him.

Damian narrows his eyes, "That doesn't make sense. How dangerous could it be? It should be our choice on whether or not to use them." He says.

Rhysand shakes his head, "Your abilities are the core of you. If you do not ever utilize them in some way, even in training, they start to fade. It also brings their host along with them," he turns to Auriella, "Have you felt your shadows fading as if they are leaving you?" He asks.

The Daughter of Dawn nods, "As the days pass, I feel them growing restless, tired of waiting around for me to use them. I used them on the field, but that was when I was filled with adrenaline. I commanded them before, but now, I don't need them to do anything for me." She tells him.

Rhysand looks to Cassian for a moment before looking back, "You know what you are, do you?" He asks.

Auriella stays silent for a moment, her mind immediately going to Azriel. Her heart tightens at the thought of him, but she lets herself remember the shadows that swirled around him. She remembers how he fought, using his shadows to move back and forth with speed. He was stronger with them by his side.

He was the Spymaster of the Night Court, but his abilities were of a...

"Shadowsinger is the name, isn't it?" She asks him.

Rhysand nods, "Yes, that is what you are. The same as my Spymaster," a smirk appears on his lips, "Azriel." He says. Auriella had no doubt that he knew, along with Cassian, who looked around the room as if nothing was happening.

Helion looks to Damian, "And you are a Spell-Cleaver, less powerful than me, but powerful nonetheless. If you were trained enough, you could also use your power to heal." He says.

Thesan shakes his head, "How is this possible? Auriella and Damian are biological twins. It's unheard of that one twin differs from the other, especially their abilities. It's ironic that Damian has the power of Day and Auriella of Night. Have you learned anything about their parentage?" He asks.

Helion turns to his son, Lucien, "I must admit when Helion told me this, I doubted that it was true. From what my mate, Elain, and I researched, your father was most likely from the Day Court. He must have been a distant relative of Helion. Who? We don't know as he has many of them." Lucien says.

Rhysand turns to Cassian, who clears his throat, "From the extensive research Amren and I have done, we believe that your mother was of the Night Court. We went through countless books and records in our library, finding bits and pieces, but not enough to explain why you both are this way. As of now, we are still looking." Cassian tells them.

Helion lets out a deep breath, "That is why, Thesan, we would like to ask permission, from you and your children, if you would allow them to come to our courts. Auriella would be under the supervision of Rhysand and Damian would be under mine." He announces.

Auriella feels her father become rigid. Rhysand takes the silence as a moment to speak, "Thesan, Helion, and I have spoken about this days after the war. We want to help your children. They could assist us in finding answers, but also, we are able to train them so that nothing catastrophic happens to them." He explains.

Auriella looks over to her father, waiting for his response. Her heart beats fast, wondering if he would allow her to make this choice for herself, or if she would have to beg him.

Her mind is jumbled, unsure of what to do. On one hand, Rhysand and Helion are right. They are both trying to find reasons as to why she and Damian are the way that they are. Her shadows tug at her, also influencing her decision.

On the other, Auriella would be leaving both of her fathers' to handle things alone, while she is off in some other court that she doesn't know. She felt like she would be abandoning them. There was no telling what could happen in her absence and she didn't want to think about it, but she had to.

Auriella remembers that she had come close to dying by her own mind. Being at home all the time did not help. She wasn't able to do anything to keep herself occupied and away from the thoughts that haunted her. She was only allowed to train with her sword but had no idea how to train her ability.

Her eyes brim with tears. She knew that if she didn't leave, Auriella might never survive her battle with the darkness. She would lose the connection with her shadows and disappear along with them.

And Azriel...

Again, her shadows tightened around her. Her last words to him through their bond. I hope I see you again.

This was her chance to. She craved to see him again, to finally speak with him, to understand this bond that they shared. She wondered if he thought the same thing. Maybe he wasn't here with his High Lord because he didn't want to see her, to be reminded of what he shared with her.

It didn't matter. Even if she saw him with someone else, it would be enough for her to leave the bond alone and move on with her life. She would still train herself and stabilize herself mentally to regain the life she once had before Amarantha, before the war. A life filled with happiness and joy.

Her mind was already made up.

Thesan bit his lip, nodding. He looked at both of the High Lords, "Give me a day with my children to speak on the matter. Tomorrow morning, you will have my answer." He tells them.

Helion and Rhysand look at each other for a moment, before nodding. Then as quick as lightning, they all winnowed away.

Auriella and Damian made their way down from their father's throne, turning to look at him. Zephyr made his way up next to Thesan, looking down at their children. For a moment, there was silence. Thesan only stared at them, calculating what he was going to do.

But Auriella would not let this be his choice. This was something he had no control over.

Before her father spoke, she did first. "I'm going." She says, without breaking her stare from the High Lord of Dawn, whose face immediately became red.

"What do you mean? You haven't given this any thought yet. We still need to talk about this as a family." He tells her through gritted teeth.

She shakes her head, "I have given this enough thought. Rhysand and Helion explained their intentions of what they wanted us to do. I want answers and I intend to find them." She says to her fathers.

Zephyr steps forward, "Ella, they are dangerous. We don't know what they are capable of or even if they will keep their word. We do not want to risk your lives for information that you might not find." He says.

Auriella scoffs, "They haven't found information on anything because they didn't have us. We are the main source. Damian and I will have to scour the Day and Night Court. The answers are there, we just have to be smart enough to uncover them." She says to them.

Damian takes a deep breath, "As much as I do not like leaving the both of you, Auriella and I deserve answers. You both have refused to give us any. Also, if we do not leave, we could potentially die because our powers will wither us away," he swallows, "and fathers, this isn't your choice to make. It is ours." He tells them.

Auriella turns to her brother, grabbing his hand, giving him a small smile. Damian nods, "If Auriella is set on going to the Night Court, then I will head to Day. That is my decision." He says.

Thesan stands from his throne, slowly walking towards his children. He stops inches away from them. "Aside from what was said today, what is another reason why I should let you both leave the safety of our court?" He asks.

Auriella looks down to Perseus, who sat beside her. Her friend who saved her.

"Because I'm dying here," She breathes without looking away from her companion. Her eyes quickly fill with tears and she lets them fall.

Slowly, Auriella looks up at Thesan, whose face was now pale. She shrugs, "I'm dying here, father. I feel suffocated, abandoned, and ashamed. I still suffer from what happened Under the Mountain. She is still in my mind every night, clawing at my head, whispering horrible things to me. There are times where I believe that we never really made it out, that at any moment, I will wake up in the cold cell she kept me in."

She continues, "I have tried everything to battle the darkness inside of me, but eventually, I will give in. So, if you do not let me go, I will die here, from my mind or from my power. That is my reason." She finishes.

Thesan nods, walking back to his throne. He plops down onto it, his eyes focused on the ground. Zephyr has tears running down his face, but he keeps silent. Damian squeezes his sister's hand, bringing it to his lips. She had never told him about any of it.

"Then you two better get some rest," Thesan says, his voice shaking.

Auriella lets go of her brother's hand, whistling at Perseus to follow her. As she walks away from her fathers' to her bedroom, she wipes the tears from her face, hardening herself once more.

The next morning, Auriella's attendants changed her into an orange suit, which hugged her body perfectly. A long cape had been embedded in it, letting it cover the scars she had on her back. Her nerves had bothered her all morning, but in reality, she could not wait to leave, to see a court that was much different than hers.

To see him.

Once her attendants were finished, Auriella turned to them, "You both have been such a big part of my life. I don't know what I would do without you both, but hopefully, I can manage." She says, making them laugh.

She continues, "I don't know when I'll come back, but for the meantime, you are both dismissed from duty. You are able to leave back to your courts, or stay here. It is ultimately your choice." She says.

Her attendants nod and embrace her, "Be careful, Auriella. We hope you find what you are looking for. And we will be here when you get back." Lara says.

Auriella and Damian arrive in front of the throne room doors at the same time. She pulls her brother to an embrace, "Take care of yourself and be careful. You and I bow to no one, not even them." He tells her.

Damian looks down at Perseus, "Watch over her, little mutt. Make sure she doesn't get into unwanted trouble." He says, earning a bark of agreement from the wolf.

The throne room doors open, revealing the sight from the day before. Rhysand and Cassian stood on one side. Helion and Lucien on the other. Thesan stood in between them.

The Children of Dawn made their way up to their father. He looked exhausted as if their choices had affected him for the entire night. A tear ran down his face when he looked at Auriella, she wiped it away with her thumb.

Thesan pulled both of his children into an embrace, kissing both of their heads. "Be safe. Come back soon." He whispered to them and they nodded.

Once he pulled away and turned back to the High Lords, his voice became stern. "Rhysand and Helion, if anything happens to either of my children under your care, I will not hesitate to declare war. My family, like yours, is my main priority. Let this be my first and final warning." He tells them.

The High Lords nod, saying nothing.

Auriella looks for Zephyr, who stands next to the throne. She smiles at him, mouthing "I love you". He smiles at his daughter, mouthing the same.

Rhysand approaches Auriella, "If you are ready to go, Daughter of Dawn, Cassian will take your wolf. You will come with me." He tells her.

Auriella looks up at him, looking into his violet eyes. "I'm ready." She says, handing over Perseus's leash to Cassian, who puts it on her wolf with ease.

Rhysand reaches his hand out to her and she grabs it.

The Daughter of Dawn looks to her family once more before being winnowed away to the Night Court.