Ruth and Auriella blended into the crowd that was struggling to get out from the mountain, pushing and shoving their way forward. The dark corridors slowly became bright, signaling that they were close to the exit. Auriella was frantic, not wanting to spend another moment in the wretched mountain.

And soon, the brightness blinded her.

She smelled the scent of nature and looked up at the blue sky. She dropped to her knees, even where there were people running around her. She sobbed, feeling the grass beneath her, and knew that this wasn't a dream.

She was finally free.

Ruth immediately came to her side, helping her off of the ground, yelling something at her that she couldn't make out. Auriella kept admiring the world she hadn't seen in nearly forty years. She stared at the bright green trees, seeing nature moving around her in the chaos.

As they both ran away from the mountain, Auriella could hear her old friend crying beside her. She didn't realize that she was too. Their frail bodies quickly ran out of air, needing to catch their breaths. The women collapsed on the grass, gripping the soil in their hands, sobbing through their gritted teeth.

The Daughter of Dawn couldn't comprehend everything that had happened. She couldn't believe that Feyre had done it. She had got them out, sacrificing her own life in the process.

Amarantha was dead. The High Lords, along with the rest of the captured fae, were free from the Deceiver's grasp. One moment, Auriella believed it to be impossible to ever see the sunlight again, to ever be with her family again. Then the next, she was out, the sun shining down upon her and the rest of the fae as if it were celebrating with them.

Auriella knew that her fathers were probably looking for her in the chaos, but she wouldn't go back there. She would rather die than go back inside of that torturous mountain.

She felt hands go onto both of her cheeks, making her lookup. Ruth was there, breathing heavily, her tears spilling down onto the dirt. The woman smiled at the Daughter of Dawn, "We made it, Ella. We made it." She said.

Auriella shook her head, sobbing, "Am I dreaming? Wake me up if I'm dreaming!" She yelled. To her, this couldn't be real. It all happened too fast.

Ruth kissed her forehead, nodding. "We. Are. Free." She said as if trying to make herself believe it too. The woman wrapped her arms around the Daughter of Dawn, hugging her tightly, repeating the words, letting Auriella drink them in.

Her friend smelled of rosemary and soil, still having the same tight grip as she did that day. She quietly shushed into Auriella's ear as she cried into her shoulder, reminding her that they were no longer Under the Mountain, that they were...

"...free. We are free, my light," Ruth whispered, lifting Auriella's head from her shoulder.

Even with the absence of the sun, her friend's crystal gray eyes shined, gleaming from the fallen tears. She grinned, "I can't believe you are here. There hasn't been a moment where I didn't think of you. How are you?" She asked.

Auriella shook her head, not even able to form an answer.

In many ways, Ruth was a mother to her. When Auriella would come into the servants' hall battered and bloody, Ruth was right there, ready to heal her wounds. She would comfort her throughout all of the pain, occasionally whispering stories about her life in Prythian before being forced Under the Mountain.

Auriella would close her eyes as if she were being tucked into bed by her mother. Her fathers' would do the same, but they didn't have the same sweetness in their voice as Ruth did. It would sometimes lull the Daughter of Dawn to sleep on that table she was always put on.

Ruth wasn't obligated to do anything for Auriella, but she cared for her as her own daughter, wanting her to survive. She was one of the reasons why Auriella was alive, reminding herself that her friend was still out there, probably thinking of her and her wellbeing.

She was right.

"I almost didn't make it," Ruth's motherly grin disappeared, knowing exactly what she meant, "She almost won, Ruth, but I couldn't do it." Auriella breathed, letting out a sob.

Her friend smoothened her hair, wiping the tears from her face. "Oh, my light, how I should have been there for you. We could've healed together, but after everything that happened, I had to rush back to my court. I'm sorry." She says.

Auriella shakes her head, "No, it's alright. I'm fine now." She says.

"You still lie to yourself after all these years? My light, you are not fine. I can see the same empty face you carried in Under the Mountain. Do not pretend with me." Ruth whispers, her face stern and filled with worry.

Auriella? Azriel's voice streams down the bond.

She looks back at the group, seeing them all with concerned looks on their faces. Azriel stares at her with worried eyes. She could feel him try to give her comfort but she ignored the warm feeling that blossomed inside of her chest.

Auriella clears her throat, wiping the tears from her face. "Um, sorry." She mutters.

Morrigan steps forward, "You and Ruth know each other?" She asks.

Ruth nods, rubbing Auriella's back, "Third Commander, that is a story for another time. Right now, the sisterhood is waiting for you and Nesta. Were you all heading there?" She asks.

Nesta nods, "Yes, we are. We should get moving before Devlon comes and bothers us again." She says before walking in front of the group.

Cassian goes up to Auriella, "Are you sure you feel okay enough to be here? We could take you back to the house and try again tomorrow." He tells her, his voice gentle and caring.

Ruth loops her arm through hers, "Oh, she'll be alright. I know my little girl. Everyone sheds tears when they see someone they love dearly after a long time." She says. Auriella looks at her, a small smile tugging at her mouth.

Let me hear it from you, Auriella. Are you alright? Azriel asks through the bond.

She looks into those hazel eyes, hoping to not get lost in them. He stared at her, ready to drag her out of here if she didn't feel comfortable or safe anymore. His shadows rushed around him as if they too were wondering how she felt.

I'm fine, Azriel. Let's keep moving. She sends down the bond.

Once the group made it to the sisterhood compound, Auriella watched as Illyrian women trained on the main floor, dueling with their bare hands. The rest of the women cheered them on, circling around the sparring mat.

The two women who were dueling spit blood onto the mat, but kept their fighting stance alive, ready for the next strike either of them were going to give. The women briefly looked at their leaders, Morrigan and Nesta, who silently watched at the sidelines.

It seemed that both of the women were desperate to impress them.

Ruth lets out an annoyed sigh, "Once the leaders are here, all hell breaks loose. I'll have to heal the whole day if this keeps up." She says.

When Auriella is about to ask why, one of the women scream, bleeding profusely from her nose. She doesn't back down, swinging at the other Illyrian woman, striking her in the stomach with her foot, before pinning her down on the floor.

"Is this how they always train?" Auriella asks, seeing other Illyrian women trying to stop the fight from escalating further than it already has.

Ruth scoffs, "These women want to show the war-camp just how powerful they are. Morrigan and Nesta are in charge of picking one female that they deem strong enough to fight against one male that Devlon picks. The sick bastard came up with the idea, thinking that it would prove that women only belong in the houses instead of the battlefield."

"These women are not afraid, Ella. They each want to prove to the leaders that they are ready to fight against the male, even if they could potentially get killed. Last year was the first fight between the sisterhood and the brotherhood. Unfortunately, Olrun lost. She trained herself to hell and back but the men in the war-camps are too strong and brutal. They can take more hits than we can." She explains.

Auriella shakes her head, "That's horrible." She breathes, seeing how the two Illyrian women's heads were torn open, blood streaming down their faces. Morrigan and Nesta were speaking amongst themselves as if talking about how the women performed.

How does Rhysand even allow this? Auriella sent down the bond.

He doesn't. He let the brotherhood and sisterhood make the choice together. Rhys and Feyre don't want this, but ultimately, it was out of their hands. Azriel explains.

They are the High Lord and High Lady of the Night Court. This shouldn't be out of their hands. They have to stop this before someone dies. She says.

Rhys and Feyre let their people choose. And they did. All of them. A majority of them thought that it was a good thing, to let the two sexes fight once a year to prove a point. He says.

The Daughter of Dawn was horrified that Rhysand and Feyre would allow this brutality in their court. But she understood why they put it up to a vote, to wonder if this is what their court wanted. Auriella remembered her father doing the same once, putting the vote up to the people who wanted tavern duels to be allowed. A majority ruled yes.

Not even half a year after the vote passed, there were eighty-three deaths. But somehow, tavern duels were still entertaining to the people, still yearning and betting on the fights.

Ruth clears her throat, "It is. The good thing is that the fights change. This year it is a sword battle. Right now, the women are training to build up muscle. In two weeks, the brotherhood and the sisterhood will line up, and the leaders of each will have to choose one that will fight. They are given two months of preparation and in the following week, the fight takes place in the Arena of Nightmares, which is in Hewn City, the most wretched place of all. Those people take pleasure in seeing a good fight, and if it ends in death, even better for them." She says.

"Isn't that the Court of Nightmares?" Auriella asks.

Ruth nods, smirking, "So, you've heard of it? If you were told that it was all bad and there was nothing good about it, you would be right. Except, they do have good wine." She says, making them both chuckle.

As Ruth makes her way towards the injured women, Azriel stands by Auriella's side, making her heart jump. She had forgotten he was behind her.

Perseus had stopped growling and barking, standing in the middle between the two Shadowsingers. Auriella looks down at her wolf, "Good boy." She says, giving him a small smile. He waged his tail in response.

"Did you see the first duel?" Auriella asked her mate.

Azriel kept staring forward, as if taking in the place, "Yes, I did. It didn't even last five minutes." He says, crossing his arms against his chest.

"Did Olrun die?" She asked.

The Spymaster shook his head, "No, but she wasn't the same after it. Her brain was damaged to the point where she lost a lot of her memories. At one point, she had no recollection of her children." He says.

Before Auriella could say anything, Morrigan and Nesta walked towards her, their faces stern. The Third Commander nodded her head once, "Daughter of Dawn, come with us. We want you to meet the sisterhood." She says.

"LINE UP!" Nesta yelled, making all the women pay attention and follow the sudden orders. They all got into one line. Auriella counted twelve of them.

The females were beautiful, their muscular bodies ready to rip apart anyone. Their gazes towards the Daughter of Dawn were dark and deadly, but one warning growl from her wolf and the Spymaster was enough to let them tear their eyes away from her.

Auriella felt a tingling sensation run through her body at the sound of her mate's growl, but she ignored it.

"I know you all are eager to train and with good reason. The choosing is two weeks away and each of you is to prepare yourselves. In other news, the Daughter of Dawn will be coming to the compound to train herself to master her own abilities as a shadowsinger," the Third Commander looks over to Auriella, "and she will be helping each of you wield a sword since she is extremely experienced." She reveals.

Auriella stared at her wide-eyed. She hadn't planned this. There was no way she could train these women. This wasn't what she was here for.

What the hell is going on? She asked her mate.

He didn't respond.

She looked over to Azriel who stayed frozen in his spot. He trembled slightly, the rage boiling underneath his skin. He wanted to get her out of there and take her back to Velaris.

Cassian stood beside Auriella, grinning. "Ah, did you think our duel was for nothing? I had to test to see how good you were with a sword, Daughter of Dawn. Did you think that Rhysand would only bring you here if you didn't have anything for us to benefit off from?" He asked.

Azriel, did you know about this? She asks, ignoring the general's words.

Again, the Spymaster doesn't respond. His shadows swirled around him as if they were panicking, showing her that he didn't know, that this was as much as a surprise to him as it was to her.

Morrigan gestures for Auriella to step forward, "Daughter of Dawn, why don't you introduce yourself to the sisterhood?" She asks, smiling.

Auriella takes a deep breath, stepping up onto the mat, Perseus following her every step. She looked at Morrigan and Nesta, staring into their unreadable eyes. The Third Commander stepped aside, but Nesta lingered a bit longer, their gazes unwavering.

Auriella knew that there was something that the Archeron sister was hiding, something that she couldn't make out. Nesta was reading her too as if trying to find that same secret.

After a few moments, she scoffed, stepping aside, leaving Auriella standing in the middle of the mat, all eyes on her.

She nodded at the women, "You all may know me as the Daughter of Dawn, but my name is Auriella. This opportunity was... unexpected, to say the least. I can say that I will try my best to train you to fight with a sword, but in the end, it will be up to you to show me and your leaders that you can."

Auriella continues, "The High Lord of Dawn, the Captain of Peregryns, and the Son of Dawn, were the ones who taught me all I know today. I guess you can say that I know enough. You may not like me and do not like that I am in your territory, but frankly, I don't care. If you do not want to learn from me, then you may step away."

A sense of admiration went down the bond.

She waited for a few moments, wondering if one of them would leave. But all of them stayed still, silent, and staring at the Daughter of Dawn. Auriella smiled, "Wonderful. I look forward to working with all of you." She says.

In reality, she was terrified.

I will help you. Azriel says to her.

This time, it was her that didn't reply.