Shaera watched the two women most evidently sisters struggle against the twins grip, both no match for the fae's strength, Brannagh and Dagdan shoved the girls forward onto their knees, the force caused an echoing thud to chime around the room. The king rose from his stone throne, peering down at the two young mortal girls, his gaze intrigued yet cold, always cold.

Shaera wore a simpler burgundy dress that hugged her more curved figure, her hair pulled into an elegant bun. Dark strands framed her face. The girls in front of her looked afraid, yet the eldest looking had a glint, hate, hunger, and revenge. Shae slipped into both girl's minds briefly, Nesta and Elain. She ventured further in, trying to put a face to the name Feyre Archeron.

"Shaera explain why these young girls are here" the king's droned voice rang out, Shae pulled herself from their minds... Shame. Both girls stilled slightly, the younger one hiccuping every so often her body riddled with shakes. Shae inclined her head before she descended the steps and stood a good metre from the girls.

"You're not here to be harmed, you're not prisoners, but guests, we simply need you as leverage for your dear sister" Shae tried her best to sound polite, the malice of her intentions bubbled in the coves of her constant complacency. The eldest stared her down, her golden brown locks splayed across her shoulders, she rose to her feet slowly. Shae felt it first, the wet splatter across her face... the woman had spat at her... spat in her face...Shaera just stood there for a moment completely and utterly dumbfounded, the guards surged forward and pulled Feyre Archeron's sister back to her knees. Even the twins seemed to shrink in the anticipation of Shae's reaction. The dark-haired woman clicked her tongue and wiped the slobber off her face, wiping it on the guard next to her, whose face remained forward and unbothered. She could imagine him later when he returned to the privacy of his home, vigorously scrubbing away at the shoulder cursing her name into oblivion. The spit didn't even bother Shae, she quite enjoyed the mortal girl's defiance, her complete and utter disregard for her powerlessness, it was refreshing. Yet spitting at the commander of Hybern's armies was completely and utterly out of the question. She had a reputation to uphold. So she made Nesta Archeron Scream.

Nesta clutched her head as a violent spur of darkness encased her senses, agony ripped through her temples, the eldest Archeron considered ripping the hair from her scalp in an attempt to levitate the pain. She'd never felt anything like it before. Memories suppressed pulsed to the surface She could feel Elain's body rack with sobs as she clutched onto her big sister's withering form

"Shaera-" the king's voice rang out he made his way down the steps, his pace even and controlled, his hand found its way onto the woman's shoulder. Shae often lost herself within the mental destruction of others, there were so many ways to truly rip someone apart, destroy their memories, their consciousness, or perhaps make them rip themselves apart. The king's touch pulled her from her violent burst of mental talons and blood. Her glazed eyes refocused as she looked up at the king, she simply nodded and turned on her heels ascending the steps 

"-Take them to their room" the command was a simple one, the guards pulled the girls to their feet, Nesta now shaking along with her sister, not from fear but shock,  her mind felt weak, unhinged, not her own. She felt violated. The sisters were escorted from the hall. Brannagh and Dagdan followed behind the flurry of guards taking the girls to their temporary room. Shae cleared her throat

"Well I think that went well" she stated at the king whose eyes flared with amusement. 

"Yes my dear, you do know how to make new company feel welcome-" his voice was laced with sarcasm and humour. Shae let out a small chuckle, it was moments like these she saw the fae he once was before she had convinced him to broaden his Lands, his armies before she'd joined his ranks. It was a gateway to the past, oh she missed the person he used to be. Now he sacrificed all for the end he desired, even Shae. The king cleared his throat. 

"-The Lord of Night court, Feyre Archeron and his band of irritants should arrive in due time, to nullify the cauldron" Shae frowned, nullify the cauldron? The power from that thing pulsed through the walls, the ethereal swirling of the water, so deathly terrifying yet ever the so entrancing. Shae turned her gaze to the king

"What would you like me to do until then?" She tilted her head slightly in question, a strand framing her face fell to the side slightly, Shae frowned in annoyance and moved the piece of hair out of the way. Her dark brows remained slightly furrowed as she continued to stare at the king who smirked slightly

"Take off that dress, I think it's time our new ally met the commander of my armies and not the dainty creature I painted you to be. Don't you think?" The ruler questioned the amusement bubbling in his eyes,

"About time" Shae hummed as she sent a grin towards the king before exiting the room, when she reached the corridor she half grew into a sprint, finally, she could wear trousers. It sounded ridiculous... but dresses really are the epitome of all evil

•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•

Shae's eyes snapped open. There it was again, the feeling. Shadows didn't dance around the room this time. The place was barren, lifeless. Moonlight trickled in through the bars, the commander pulled herself from the bed, the black silk sheets rustled from the movement. Bare feet hit the stone floor, Shaera frowned the tug in her chest beginning to ache. Perhaps it was a heart attack, they were known to occur especially when people were placed under stress, and Shae being, well Shae was never not stressed, even when she sat within her thoughts, she stressed about the very things she thought about. Her dark eyes scaled the abyss above, scattered with the burning embers of stars she sighed, longing filled her chest. A gentle breeze caressed her face. Memories of blood and agony invaded Shae's mind. You'd think being as powerful as she was she could banish torments of the past.

In her distraction, she didn't hear the footsteps approach behind her. Warm breath hit the back of her neck, Shae turned in a panic her limbs flew up ready to annihilate the shadowed figure. Before she sent her killing blow she was met with the forest green orbs of the Lord of Spring Court A deep frown spread across the dark-haired woman she took a slight step back being closely paralleled with a bare torso wasn't something she enjoyed... if she thought about it, really pondered it, she quite disliked men, repulsed by them actually...perhaps women were more suited to her taste.

"What are you doing here?" Shae's voice cut through the silence her ebony orbs filled with boredom and confusion, in all honesty, if the lord tried to sleep with her tonight she'd slice off his dick, she was sleep-deprived and would much prefer to be sleep deprived within her thoughts. Tamlin's eyes were unreadable as he simply stood in front of the commander. Shae let out a sigh 

"I'm not going to fuck you if that's what you're here for" Her tone was sharp and dismissive she went to slip past the fae towering over her but his hand shot out and grabbed her muscled bicep.

"Feyre can't know"  His voice was husked and deep green clashed with the inky void of her irises, his grip was tight on her arm. Shae's nostrils flared

"Isn't your wife to be entitled to know you who you've slept with while she's been away?" He growled in frustration and shoved the smaller woman into the stone pillar, her head smashing onto the hard surface. A dent was left in its wake. Shae blinked, the impact fogged her vision slightly, the blonde hair of the lord swayed tauntingly in front of her his face now level with hers.

"Feyre won't find out" The dark-haired woman blinked up at the lord through her thick lashes a bellowing laughter ripped from her mouth amusement twinkled in her irises

"I think your lover is more than capable of finding things out for herself"  She continued to chuckle to herself, Tamlin's anger stirred, his fingers dug into her arm sharp nails piercing into her flesh. Shae frowned peering down at the blood now cascading down her arms, now only feeling the wet spot on the back of her head.  All amusement drained from her eyes 

"Let go" her voice came out in a calm yet commanding tone Tamlin's nails dug further into her arm, Shae couldn't hold in the wince that came with the agony ripping through her arm

"You're a whore, a thing to pass my time, know your place and keep your mouth shut" His lips brushed her ear the hair on Shae's neck stood on end. Danger. She felt threatened. The king had the cauldron keeping her powers contained until he willed her to be able to use them again. With what little powers she had access to there was no way she could tear into a high lord's mind or even dent it in the slightest, She was stuck between a rock and a hard place. So Shae did the only thing she could do. She backed down, shrunk against the pillar, the furthest away from the Highlord she could get, even with his talons deeply embedded into her arm. The light of the moon highlighted the amusement swirling in his irises.

"I'm glad we understand each other" his smile filled with malice as he looked down at the woman his other hand scraping thin scratches along her jaw. He ripped his nails from her arm, Shae let out a strained grunt the high lord of spring backed away. He sent her one last look of warning before he left the room.

•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*• (depression time)

Shae slid down the pillar blood from the back of her scalp creating a crimson line as she lowered. Blood dropped infrequent rhythmic drips creating a pool on the cold floor. Her knees rested against her chest as she stared into the space Tamlin once stood. She'd felt powerless. Shaera pulled herself up from the ground and slowly got back into the black silk sheets, laying her throbbing head onto the cushiony goodness. Shae didn't go into shock, Shaera and shock, though an alliteration in itself wasn't compatible in any sense. She stared into the only darkness in her unshocked state, her thoughts wandering until sleep encased her into its embrace.

Raiden's beheaded figure lay sprawled in a mud-filled battle field, vultures circling above his corpse. Jorah was pinned to a wooden stake his dark skin, torn apart an expression of fear painting his features as he hung there, congealed blood clinging to every limb. Then Kyra her beautiful auburn hair torn from her head lay in tuffs around her bleeding scalp like a halo, her sea-blue eyes lifeless, cuts scattered across her body. She couldn't save them, she couldn't tear apart 200 minds in a matter of moments and because of that, they'd been torn apart instead. Mutilated. Destroyed from the face of the world.

And then there Shae was again, stumbling through the masses of corpses trying to wake them up, trying to slip into their mind and pull them back. Darkness remained, their consciousness gone never returning onto the mortal plains. She stood completely and utterly powerless drowning in the rain. Her family had been ripped from her grasp, she sunk to her knees into the blood engraved mud. She turned her gaze to the greying skies, the world cried with her, violet eyes scanned the skies looking for her family to fly through the clouds back to her, laughing soaring through the air like they once did those years before the war. Lighting flashed across the sky, thunder ringing out moments later deafening the dark-haired girl. A murky puddle had formed by her knees, she glanced down briefly. Instead of the violet irises, she adorned for those many years, an inky abyss had taken its place. She felt numb, Dead but alive. Shae flexed her fingers caked in mud, cuts lined her limbs, the battle had lasted days, She stood from the ground and stared at her family for the last time. She wasn't dead no, but a part of her was, she hauled all their bodies one by one, beyond the battlefield, to an untouched meadow, glistening with poppies. It took her hours, she dug 3 graves and buried her loved ones. One by one their bodies were reclaimed by the earth. The last goodbye. Shae looked at the rising sun and smiled.

•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•
The commander of Hybern blinked, sunlight seeped into the darkest points of the room now, light ricocheted off the mirror by the dresser, the blood that seeped from her arm had dried, a shaky breath left her mouth as she heaved herself to her feet, Shaera walked to the mirror and looked into her coal-black eyes, longing for the violet pools that used to stare back at her all those years ago.

There was a knock on the door, Shae had no intention to tell them to come in, yet they didn't ask. Jurian strolled into the commander's room, his face content and ever the scheming, a small smirk painted his features until he laid eyes on the woman standing by the mirror

"What in Prythians name happened to you" confusion plastered its way across his face as he stared at Shae's dishevelled appearance. The dark-haired woman frowned and sneered in the resurrected man's direction.

"You don't exist to ask questions, now fuck off" she growled at him through gritted teeth. Jurian back up slightly with his hands raised in surrender

"I've just come to inform you the intruders should be arriving soon" his tone was droned and bored as he moved his gaze up and down the woman in front of him. Shae simply sent him a dismissive nod and turned back to the mirror accessing the scratches along her jaw. With a sigh she made her way to the bathroom to bathe and finally dress, fitting the status that she was. Shae exited the room, her sepia coloured trousers hugged her legs, an off white tunic adorned her torso along with a leather jacket darker than her trousers covered her arms, brushing rather painfully against the wounds on her left arm, her black boots echoed down the halls. A woman's scream ripped through the air, a scuffling of footsteps signalled the arrival of the intruders. Shaera sped up her pace as she walked to the throne room. With the king's theatrics she wouldn't expect the showdown to occur anywhere else.

Shaera walked into the throne room the group stood with their backs to her were an interesting bunch. Two women one blonde the other with hair matching their prisoners. Feyre Archeron. Three men also stood in her wake, grand wings protruding from their backs, Shaera's heart ached at the sight, she frowned and moved around the group, her gaze narrowing on the injured one, pain gripped his features, an ash bolt protruding from his chest. The commander frowned, the poison would most definitely kill him if they didn't get that bolt out soon. Shae peeled her gaze from the man her eyes moving to look at the Highlord of the Spring Court, his grand entrance keeping her masked from the entirety of the room's attention. The violet-eyed man straightened at the sight of him as the un-injured Illyrian snarled.

The brunette haired fae let out a breathy "no" as her eyes locked with her ex-lovers a war raged within their gazes, Tamlin took a longing step towards Feyre who recoiled at the sight of him stood aligned with the king of Hybern 

"No-" she repeated louder, the despair dripping through like the sand in a timer, flowing, always flowing.

"-What was the cost," The violet-eyed Illyrian said softly from beside the middle Archeron sister. He stepped forward ever so slightly to shield the fae woman. Tamlin didn't take his gaze off of Feyre, ignoring the winged man. Feyre moved around him staring the High Lord of the Spring Court down.

"What have you done?" Her tone was filled with anger and betrayal. It was like a game in Shae's eyes. The tensions within the room were exhilarating, the castle no longer slept soundly, it was alive.

Shaera noticed the cauldron... how in the world did that get there? In her confusion her gaze found itself on the injured Illyrian yet again, his head was hung, face grimaced from the pain. His hair was dark like hers yet his eyes, hazel burned with rage and pain. She didn't know how long she'd been staring at the man but then thing she knew her name was being called.

"Shaera" a voice rang out across the vast expanse of the room. The dark-haired woman snapped her gaze away from the man and locked eyes with the king who gestured her up to his throne of bones. 

"I can't have my commander hiding in the shadows" his voice was laced with malice and amusement. Tamlin's gaze snapped to hers, specifically the scratches along her jaw and her stone-cold expression, eyes founded with a new sense of deadness. The high lord of spring court had been deceived, he thought he threatened a whore, a highly regarded whore, but a whore nonetheless. Shae inclined her head briefly before she made her way past the group.

"He sold Prythian out to us in order to get you back" Her eyes met with Feyre's, the fae's gaze not as daunting as her mortal sister yet it held such power, however, tamed at that very moment, she fought to free it with every moment she could. The Archeron moved her gaze pleading to Lucien, from the woman's reaction the commander could already see Tamlin's second reaction.

"You're insane" the un-injured Illyrian hissed in Tamlin's direction.

"Feyre" the high lord of the spring court stretched his hand out, beckoning the woman like she was no better than a dog trained to respond when called.

Shae approached the hazel-eyed Illyrian while the room was shrouded in the lover's theatrics. She stopped in front of the injured man. The blonde woman moved forward slightly. Shae snapped her eyes up to meet hers, daring her to move closer. After all, their powers were nullified, what could she do, stab her? Then what, they'd all get slaughtered. Well besides the Archeron. Azriel lifted his gaze to meet hers. Something snapped in Shaera. From the look on the injured Illyrian's face something did for him too. The shadows that danced, the aching feeling in her chest the night before, the feeling of never being truly alone for the past week, all because he was close, he spied on them, on her. The commander only faltered for a second. A second too long for the High Lord of the night court not to notice. What was she meant to do with the newfound information, tell the king? What good would that do? Shae stepped forward and ripped the bolt from the man's chest. He grunted from the pain blood began to pool from his wound.

"I suggest you think of something fast, otherwise your friend's going to bleed out-" she stopped and cleared her throat 

"-I suspected it's better than slowly dying from the poison" she spoke softly, barely above a whisper she lingered for a moment before she turned on her heels and stalked up the steps brushing past the High lord of spring court

"Now why did you do that my dear?" Shae's head was suddenly filled with the king's voice. He'd given her control of her powers. She hid the initial shock well, behind a mask of boredom and complacency.

"Making friends" she replied bluntly keeping her gaze fixated on the injured Illyrian concern bubbling in the depths of her chest: the king chuckled dryly. To others he looked insane, well more insane than usual, chuckling at nothing in particular. But from the glint in the violet eyes of the fae man, he knew. Shae felt his mental walls harden. A small smirk crept onto her face, She'd just been established as the biggest threat in the room, they had a secret, a secret the high lord of the night court didn't want anyone to know, especially her. She was a bigger threat than Tamlin, which in all honesty made her feel rather honoured.

"Now you,-" the king gestured to Feyre 

"-are a very difficult female to get hold of-" he glanced at Shae who nodded in agreement. 'Her sisters weren't though' the commander thought to herself in amusement. Maybe having to mentally stimulate herself for so long had finally decayed her sense of humour. She was pretty sure that was the case. 

"-Of course, we've agreed that you'll work for me once you've returned home to your husband-" he stopped, Shae sighed. Here we go. 

"-Or husband-to-be, I can't remember" he humoured the room. The dark-haired woman rolled her eyes. From the corner of her eye, she saw the red-haired fae paling as time passed.

"Tamlin," he murmured, his Amber gaze pleading towards his friend who still had his hand outstretched.

"I'm taking you home" he stated, anger flaring in his eyes, Feyre stepped back slightly towards the Rhysand who stared down Tamlin, his body was angled slightly towards Shaera, ready to react The commander was too busy, her half-arsed listening was yet again down to the man injured before her. Perhaps she could clot his blood, control his body from the inside... Make it do something, he was getting too pale. Jurian said something that made the entirety of the room tense. Shae moved her gaze across the group before her, calculating. They clutched onto each other, supporting each other. They were a family. And here she stood on the side ready to rip that apart. She was extremely conflicted. She can deal with physical conflict. Moral conflict wasn't her forte.

"Break the bond between you two" that's all Shae caught from the rest of the sentence. Her eyes snapped to the tattoos visible on Feyre Archeron's hand. A snort of amusement left her. A pair of violet eyes snapped in her direction, as her gaze fixated on the tattoo. Not the one visible, the one hidden behind the glamour. They were blind, all of them, and that truly tickled something within Shae. How could they not see it? A look of, not fear but something else crossed the High Lord of the Night Courts' eyes, he stared at Shae, almost pleading. The woman shrugged and turned away, it wasn't her job to detect courtroom deceits, she'd stick to her job commanding armies. Well, that's how she chose to justify it. Morally conflicted yet again.

"Please" Feyre whispered, oh the actress she was. Shae couldn't quite shake the feeling that she was watching a highly rehearsed production at the grandest of theatres.

"How else is Tamlin to have his bride? He can't very well have a wife who runs off to another male once a month" Hurry up, stop toying with them. Shae hissed into the king's mind the ruler dismissed her message with a subtle flick of his hand, she grumbled in frustration.

Rhysand was deathly still. Shaera watched him, she could feel him picking away at the spell that kept his magic contained, slowly he was chipping away at it. She continued to watch him work.

"Don't. Don't let him. I told you- I told you that I was fine. That I left-" the young woman's voice cracked as she stared at her ex-lover with betrayal

"You weren't well-" the High Lord snarled. Shae stared at him with complete and utter disbelief... she couldn't understand the man before her. He was insane, possessive couldn't even touch upon what was wrong with this man. He'd smashed her head against a pillar and nearly tore her arm off to keep Feyre Archeron from knowing they'd slept together. 

"-He used that bond to manipulate you. Why do you think I was gone so often? I was looking for a way to get you free. And you left" Shaera didn't blame the ex mortal for running off to another man, she wouldn't last 5 minutes living with this fae. He'd either tear her apart or she'd fry his brain.

"I left because I was going to die in that house!" Gods, he'd locked her in his home, after she'd been locked in that cell. Yes. She knew what was happening in those final months, she'd even visited under the mountain, within the shadows of course. The king wouldn't let Amarantha run completely wild. Amarantha... Shaera's eyes flickered over the violet-eyed fae, that's where she'd seen him... Amarantha's whore, always by that woman's side. Shaera did argue the king had let the lead run a little loose on his guard dog, that guard dog had acquired their very own pet. The king clicked his tongue annoyance prevalent on his features.

"Not what you expected, is it?" He turned his gaze towards Tamlin before letting it rest on Shae. 

"Get the sisters ready this is growing into a tedious lovers spat. " She nodded, turning her head towards one of her soldiers, Firdan his name was. She knew all their names. Retrieve the mortals for me Firdan. The fae didn't even flinch at the voice in his skull before he nodded and left his post by the door.

"Come home with me, now"

"No"

"Feyre" Rhysand breathed subtly a command unflinching in his tone. Then Shae saw it. Smelt it on them both. The bond. A mating bond. She doubted if it was anything but consensual, there was no manipulation here. The sound of a sword being drawn ripped Shae from her mind, Jurian had to unsheath his sword gaze focused on the blonde standing by Azriel, the injured Illyrian stood up straighter at the new threat a blood-filled rage crossing his face. Of course, he has a thing for blondes Shae grumbled within her inner monologue.

"Jurian if you don't lower your sword I'll snap your wrist off and feed it to you" she still stood by the bone throne with the king

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Edit: I do be trying to go through and edit abit before releasing chapter 19? Or 20 idk

Edited: May 11th 2022