A Court of War and Starlight
| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | A Court of War and Starlight |
| Author(s): | sarahviehmann |
| Date(s): | May - July 2016 |
| Length: | 222,287 words, 76 chapters |
| Genre(s): | Multiship, het |
| Fandom(s): | A Court of Thorns and Roses |
| Relationship(s): | |
| External Links: | Archive of Our Own, Tumblr, Podfic |
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A Court of War and Starlight is a popular ACOTAR fanfiction and podfic written by author Sarah Viehmann. The fic was written between May 2016 and July 2016, prior to the release of A Court of Wings and Ruin, and is Viehmann's own vision of the final book of the series. There are also 13 accompanying one-shots that reveal details of scenes involving Elain and Lucien as well as Nesta and Cassian.
Summary
The fic begins in the Spring Court in the weeks before Calanmai (based on the author's belief that ACOMAF ended before Calanmai). Feyre learns of Tamlin's plan to allow Hybern to use the magic of Calanmai to recharge the Cauldron through Tamlin and Feyre performing the Rite. Feyre eventually reveals her identiy and plan to Lucien, who agrees to support her. Feyre hunts the White Stag herself and learns that Spring has been hoarding the magic of Calanmai for centuries, so she sets it free to restore the balance across Prythian. She reunites with Rhys, but shortly after is confronted by Tamlin and Ianthe. Ianthe turns on Tamlin and Feyre kills her.
Feyre, Rhys, and their allies flee to the border with the Summer Court, where they are ambushed by Hybern. Tarquin appears to aide them and allows them to cross to his court, but during the confrontation, the Cauldron attaches itself to Nesta and Hybern takes Mor hostage. Tamlin is taken by Tarquin and held under arrest in the Spring Court while Feyre and Rhys renegotiate peace with Tarquin, under the condition that the Book of Breathings is returned. Feyre and Rhys return briefly to Velaris to retrieve Amren, Cassian, and Elain. They fortify the shield over the city before they leave and Rhys asks Feyre to marry him.
Upon returning to the Summer Court, Hybern invades Feyre and Rhys's dreams, wresting a promise from Feyre that she and her sisters will turn themselves over by the Summer Solstice or else he will kill Mor and invade the human lands. Rhys is able to invade Hybern's mind and finds out that he is cursed to become mortal on the Summer Solstice from the Mortal Curse, placed on him after he killed the last High King of Prythian, Dagda (the hero who rid the realm of the wicked and powerful Fomorians). Only placing his feet on the Stone of Danann will heal him and make him High King. When Feyre and Rhys tell the others of the bargain, Nesta is furious and attacks Feyre with her unrestrained magic, nearly killing her. Feyre survives, but with bad burns that are resistant to her healing. Seeking further alliances as well as healing magic, Feyre, Rhys, and Nesta go to the Day Court, where goodwill is extended and Feyre's burns are healed and Helion tries to free Nesta from the Cauldron. During this time, they learn that Feyre and her sisters are actually part Fae through their mother, and Nesta has been keeping the secret since childhood.
They receive word that the Dawn Court is marching on the Night Court. While in battle, Feyre fights Uxía, the High Lady of the Dawn Court, who is allied with Hybern in hopes that he will cure her mate and her daughters. After the successful battle, Keir is accused of treason, but he gloats that Hybern has captured Elain while she and her new mate Lucien were negotiating with the High Lord and Lord of Winter Court. Feyre is furious and insists on going to save her, but Rhys thinks they should stay and defend Velaris from Hybern's impending attack. They fight and leave angry at each other.
Feyre defends the Summer Court from Hybern and also succeeds in freeing Nesta from the Cauldron. She then goes to the Spring Court, where Feyre and Azriel free Mor. Feyre is cornered and captured by a Bogge and put on a ship to sail to the Fortunate Isle, where Miryam and Drakon are hiding the Stone of Danann. They manage to escape the ship and swim to the island for shelter, where they meet Miryam and Drakon. Again Drakon'd orders, Feyre joins the battle and finds that their allies have arrived. Nesta is forced to give up the Cauldron to Hybern, and he uses it to resurrect Amarantha. They take Feyre to the Stone of Danann to force her to activate it for Hybern, but the Stone rejects him. Rhys arrives in beast form to save Feyre. There is a temporary cease-fire, but this ends when Miryam turns Feyre and Rhys over to Hybern, thinking this will save her island. Feyre heals the Dawn Court family and they ally with her to help her save Rhys. She is restrained, however, and forced to watch as Amarantha cuts off Rhys's wings. Feyre drags him to the Stone of Danann after the battle resumes around them, and she must cling to his soul the way he clung to hers Under the Mountain to save him. The Stone of Danann crowns them High King and High Queen of Prythian. Nesta has killed Hybern, but Mor and Azriel have died in the fighting. They are all taken to the Sacred Mountain, where Feyre and Rhys are crowned despite their mourning of their friends. Then Amarantha, who survived the battle, appears. However, the Mortal Curse that plagued Hybern has transferred to her, and she becomes mortal in the middle of fighting Feyre and Rhysand.
Rhys and Feyre open the door to allow Amren and the other Fomorians to return to their world. On the other side, they find Mor and Azriel ready to return—but they also learn that the Mortal Curse now affects all of Prythian. Everyone is now mortal. Only a pledge from the assembly makes the mortality conditional, designed to kill off the evil and immoral and purge the land. Rhys and Feyre rearrange the courts of Prythian and are formally married nine months later.
List of OCs
- Lady Hermia
- Lady of the Autumn Court. She has gold fingers on her left hand, gifted to her by her son after Beron cut them off under Amarantha's orders for assisting Feyre.
- Princess Aracely
- Princess of the Day Court and granddaughter of High Lord Helion. She was born Under the Mountain, where her parents were killed, and she was tormented as Amarantha's handmaiden.
- Lord Akihiro
- Mate of High Lord Kallias of the Winter Court.
- Prince Masaru
- Nephew of Kallias and Akihiro, heir to the Winter Court and former partner of Lucien.
- Seren
- A servant in the Court of Nightmares whom Feyre recruits to report of treasonous activity.
- High Lady Uxía
- (pron. Oo-CHEE-ah) High Lady of the Dawn Court, wielder of the Sword of Light
- High Lord Cibrán
- (pron. THEE-bron) High Lord of the Dawn Court, whose magic is corrupted after being kept away from the sun while Under the Mountain.
- Princess Léocadia
- Eldest daughter of Uxía and Cibrán. Her magic is also corrupted, though she is a powerful warrior and wields a macuahuitl.
- Princess Iria
- The second daughter of Uxía and Cibrán. Despite being second-born, she is the heir of Dawn Court's magic, though she is likewise corrupted like her father and sisters. She wields both poison darts and an obsidian blade.
- Princess Maristela
- Third daughter of Uxía and Cibrán, corrupted like her father and sisters. She wields a staff and uses her limber frame to fight.
- Tomer
- The butler of Miryam and Drakon
- Daniela Archeron
- The mother of Feyre, Nesta, and Elain
- Azrael
- A powerful being from another world, after whom Azriel was named.
Reception and comments
Omg. This is the best thing i have literally read that isn't canon and i swear this should be the actual third boom. It was so beautiful and heart wrenching and i will never thank you enough for gifting this beautiful masterpiece to us. And as the others have put before me they clearly agree. So thank you! You are such a talented writer and i can't believe this is over. I read this whole thing in less than two days and i've not even regretted it! I'm sad it's over but i couldn't of asked for a better ending! Keep writing because i can't wait to read what you write next xxx
I generally regard fanfics with snobbish disdain, but this beautiful beautiful story...... It made me and it damned me. I have one of the most important exams of my life coming soon, and instead of studying for it, I am here reading this glorious story. I honestly had trouble reminding myself that this is not actually the third book, that there are more books planned in this series, but god you handled everything with such finesse that it is so hard to convince myself of that fact.
Are you sure you are not Sarah J Maas and did not secretly write the third book? Because this is amazing!!!!!!! I'm just in awe of your work and I salute you
Just so you know, I think of your ACOWAS fanfic as the legit ACOTAR 3. ACOWAR disappointed me so much, esp with how SJM treated Lucien and Mor.[1]