Chapter Text
Staring out at Velaris from the balcony at the House of Wind, Azriel let his mind wander. For once, he wasn't restless. He felt calm, peaceful almost, and he couldn't quite figure out why.
He was still working far too much, and war was looming again. Yet the aching in his chest had eased, his sleepless nights had become fewer and his yearning for Elain, and even Mor, had become an infrequent part of his thoughts. What had caused this shift?
His musings were interrupted by the gentle sound of footsteps from the dining room. He turned just in time to see Gwyn emerge from the glass doors.
Of course, he should have guessed it would be her. His shadows never seemed to warn him when she was coming.
"Good evening," he greeted her with a small smile. "What are you doing up so late?"
"I could ask you the same thing," she teased with a glimmer of amusement in her teal eyes. "It's almost 1 a.m., we should probably both be sleeping."
"Fair enough," he chuckled. "I'm sure Cassian and Nesta would agree with you."
He watched as she made her way over to the edge of the balcony to stand by him. As she came to a stop, his shadows danced across the distance between them and settled themselves in her red-brown hair, as they often did lately.
He had stopped trying to keep his shadows from going near her weeks ago. She didn't seem to mind (she had said as much), and they wouldn't listen anyway. They seemed to like her too much to pay attention to his commands when she was present.
"Were you in the training ring again?" He asked, noting the leathers she was still wearing.
"Yes," she admitted with a shy smile. "I can't help myself. I want to perfect that dagger technique you showed me."
He couldn't stop himself from grinning at her. She was just as obsessive as he was about conquering any challenge that presented itself.
In the few months he'd been training her, both alone and in groups, he'd learned they both shared a deep love of competition and strategy. It was something he admired about her.
"Don't worry," he encouraged her. "I'm sure you'll get it in no time. In a few weeks, you probably won't even need me to teach you anymore. You'll have mastered everything."
At that, her face unexpectedly clouded.
"Are you going to stop training with me?" She asked, a hint of disappointment in her tone.
"No, of course I'll still train with you," he quickly responded. "Someone needs to make sure your technique stays consistent, and we both know Cassian is too distracted to do it."
Her face lit back up at his answer. Good, he thought. He hated seeing her the slightest bit unhappy.
"Nesta isn't much better these days," she playfully replied. "That reminds me, I have something for you."
"You have something for me?" He questioned, taken aback by her statement. He was so rarely shocked, but she seemed to have a talent for it.
"Did I forget a holiday? I didn't know we were exchanging gifts." He couldn't recall any summer holiday that required presents.
She laughed at his confusion, irreverent amusement dancing across her freckled face.
"Calm down, it's just something I made for you," she said. "I was going to slip it under your door, but I saw the lights on and knew you must be out here."
He tried to hide his curiosity and nervousness as she slipped a hand into her pocket to retrieve the item.
She pulled out what appeared to be a delicately braided bracelet of blue, black and gold threads with a small charm in the middle.
Her hands shook slightly as she handed it to him, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks.
"It's a friendship bracelet," she explained, the words quickly tumbling out of her. "The colors are supposed to match your spirit. I know it doesn't really go with your normal all black look. You don't have to wear it. If you don't want to, I mean. I just wanted to –. "
"I'll wear it," he interrupted, already moving to tie it on his wrist. "It's perfect. I... I don't...you didn't have to do this, Gwyn."
A friendship bracelet. For him. He'd never had anyone make him anything like it. He suddenly couldn't speak around the unexpected lump in his throat.
Her blush deepened as she watched him finish securing the bracelet. His shadows gently grazed her cheek as if they wanted to feel the warmth pooling there.
"Thank you," he finally choked out, bringing his eyes up to meet hers. "I'm sorry I don't have anything to give you in return."
"It's alright," she quietly responded. "I wasn't expecting anything, I just wanted to give it to you because you're my friend. You are my friend, right?"
"Yes," he said, a strange spark building deep in his chest. "Of course, I'm your friend."
That is what they were, wasn't it? Friends. After all, they had been training together for months, with long-winded debates frequently ensuing afterward. And he'd lost count of how many times she'd found him on this very balcony and they'd fallen into easy conversation about everything from astronomy to the ridiculous plots of her favorite romance novels. Gwyn had most certainly become his friend these last few months. A very good friend.
"I'm glad you like it," she said, bringing him out of his reverie. "I should probably go to bed. I have to help Merrill in the morning, and she won't be happy if I'm late."
"Yes, you're right," he replied, his thoughts drifting back to the precious gift on his wrist. "I should probably try to get some rest too,"
"Well, good night," she said as she moved towards the door, his shadows still dancing around her.
"Gwyn?" He called after her.
"Yes?"
"I'm glad we're friends."
"Me too, Azriel," she smiled, happiness radiating from her. "Sleep well."
"Good night, Gwyn," he said as she disappeared into the house.
As her footsteps faded into nothing, he couldn't help the smile that slowly spread across his face. Gwyn was his friend. The thought made his heart burst in a way he wasn't quite sure he understood, but he didn't care. He would explore the feeling later. For now, it was enough to just know...Gwyn was his friend.