Chapter 41

The Night Court prepares for a High Lords meeting scheduled to take place in the Dawn Court. Feysand and their companions finalize diplomatic details while Amren searches the Book for a solution to fix the wall. On the morning of departure, Feyre wears a stunning starlight gown and a crown of silver, diamonds, and moons—gifts from Rhysand's family treasury—cementing her role as his equal and High Lady.

The chapter opens with two days of frantic preparation for the upcoming High Lords meeting. Azriel has returned from delivering Mor's messages about moving up the meeting date, but the proposed location was rejected by all courts. After extensive negotiations, the Dawn Court is finally agreed upon as a neutral enough location, as it is close to the middle of the realm and Rhysand maintains decent relations with Thesan, its High Lord. The night before departure, Rhysand, Mor, and Azriel gather at the town house to review all available intelligence about Thesan's palace, including escape routes, while Nesta and Amren continue training in the sitting room. Amren discovers a promising passage in the Book that might help fix the wall and declares she needs only a few more days to decipher it. That night, Feyre struggles to sleep, haunted by memories of Hybern—Azriel's injury, Mor's trauma, and Rhysand's desperation. The next morning, as the group assembles in the foyer, Feyre wears a refashioned gown from Starfall with sheer silk panels flowing behind her like starlight. More significantly, she wears a crown from Rhysand's family treasury: a piece of silver and diamond fashioned into swirls of stars and moon phases, with a crescent moon apex flanked by exploding stars. Rhysand had shown her the treasure chamber the previous night—a warded vault containing ten thousand years of jewels organized meticulously, with an entire wall of crowns illuminated by glowworms. He had told her it all belonged to her by law and tradition, and she chose this crown by feel rather than appearance. As Rhysand descends the stairs, his reaction to seeing her in the crown conveys deep emotion. Cassian compliments her appearance awkwardly, earning ribbing from Mor and Azriel. Feyre and Cassian's easy rapport is notable given the shadows still dimming his eyes from Adriata. Unexpectedly, Nesta appears dressed in a dark blue gown with no jewelry, and she compliments Feyre's appearance—a shocking gesture of kindness. When Feyre questions why Nesta is dressed so formally, Nesta reveals she is going with them to the meeting.