Azriel bristled as Jurian's sword remained pointed at the pretty blonde by his side, the other Illyrian's back straightened along with his wings as his shoulders broadened taking on a defensive stance. Shaera shifted her weight off the throne ready to drag the resurrected half-wit back to wherever he crawled out from, Yet before the commander could do anything rash, the Archeron's voice cut through the growing tensions in the throne room

"I'll come with you-" Shaera pulled her eyes from her rogue subordinate and let them rest upon the fae girl who stared at the high lord of the spring court and Lucien

"-I'll come with you... if you leave them alone. Just let them go" to put things lightly, everything went to shit. Tamlin went into a rage at his lost lover, who ultimately was able to break from the cauldron's power suppression and winnow away from the lunatic of a man and back into the arms of her mate who swung an extremely strong strike at Tamlin's face. Shaera was confused, how on earth did she break its hold... her brow furrowed as she stared at the girl latched onto her mate. Shae shifted about on the spot, one minute slack leaning against the throne the next her weight changing to her right leg ready to intervene in the dramatic lover's spat. Tamlin's face was now blooded as he stumbled back to Lucien his heaved breath the only sound echoing around the room. Shae stared at the fae whose face was slacked, blood trickling down from his nose and past his lip, the red droplet hitting the stone floor. Time slowed. Then Shaera felt it... the mating bond, Feyre and Rhysands, stronger this time... Tamlin. The dark-eyed woman snapped her gaze to the bleeding Lord whose face had morphed from betrayal to pure white-hot rage. He snapped his head towards the couple.

Shaera felt her heart drop in her chest, she kicked off the throne and surged towards the high lord of the spring court hastily grabbing onto his bicep her nails digging into his flesh slightly 

"Don't" she breathed, staring up at Tamlin, whose rage-filled gaze flickered down to meet hers he went to pull his arm from her grasp until the king's laugh ripped through the tense silence that had encased the room. 

"I don't believe it. Your bride left you only to find her mate. The mother has a warped send of humour, it seems." The king continued to grin he alternated his gaze between Tamlin and Shaera to Feyre and Rhysand. 

"And what talent—tell me girl: how did you unravel that spell?" Shaera loosened her grip on Tamlin's arm waiting intently for an explanation, some form of hint, anything... but it never came Feyre's knees weakened as she stared at Tamlin her lip trembled 

"I'm sorry" she whispered her eyes watery. Shaera felt Tamlin's muscle tense under her slacked grip,

"You!-" The lord snarled and tore his arm from the commander's grip his face more animal than far

"-What did you do to her!"  The hair on the back of Shaera's neck stood on end her head filling with violent whispers, the stench of death wafted from the hall doors. Her eyes widened her instincts as a commander kicking in as she moved forward and stood in front of Tamlin who snarled at her

"Go back to Lucien now" her face slack and emotionless as though she was carved from stone her tone cold and commanding. Tamlin stared down at the woman he'd grown used to sharing his bed, this was not the woman he knew for those weeks. As if on queue the grand hall doors flew open, Shaera snapped her head around shoving Tamlin towards Lucien who had found a very comfortable spot by a pillar, it seemed as though he was trying his best to melt into the very walls. Soldiers poured into the room, some looking like the Attor Shaera was used to commanding and others looked more disfigured, uglier, angrier. She frowned, those were not her soldiers. The clanging of their armour, the chiming of their weapons and the maliciousness of their thoughts were sending Shaera's head spiralling she clenched her eyes closed for a moment in an attempt to dispel the voices.

The clanging of armour and weapons ceased. 

"Do you know the wonders I'm going to achieve with the cauldron?-" The king questioned no one in particular. The occupants of the room remained silent 

"-Anyone want to guess?-" He raised his eyebrows amused, a small smirk slithering across his features. He looked over at Shaera before pointing to her

"-No guessing from you, that would be cheating-" Shaera rolled her eyes, releasing an unamused breath, his smirk grew.  Feyre Archeron's patience must have grown thin her power bubbling beneath the surface of her flesh, as soon as it was there, it was gone again. The cauldron had reinstated its control. 

"-Oh, how the cauldron purrs in your presence, did you plan to use it? Destroy it?-" The king rested his back on the throne, he hummed 

"-With that book, you could do anything you wished-" The fae woman remained silent, the king tutted, Shaera frowned and turned towards the man upon the thrown, he turned his gaze to her

"The prisoners are taking too long" the king's voice echoed in her skull, Shae blinked then nodded slightly making her way down the room, her boots silent against the stone floor her dark curly hair bouncing with her steps. Her inky gaze grazed over the injured Illyrian whose hazel eyes locked with her own, he looked paler, blood was dripping onto the floor by his feet, his arms hung loosely over both the blonde fae and his Illyrian friend. He blinked keeping his eyes connected with her own, they looked... pleading. He was pleading with her, not to help him... help his family. , a remotely attractive Illyrian man looks at her all pleadingly and she's about to go tip-toeing down the path of morally compassed heroics.
No, no she wasn't. Shaera pulled her gaze away from his and continued out the room, the king's voice continued but was quickly drowned out by her distance from the throne room and the human soldiers that were marching down the hall towards her. Four also very human monarchy looking figures walking in amidst the mass. Human soldiers. Human princesses? Queens? Who knew. This was not in their plan. They had sat for hours, planning, planning today of all days. Not once had he mentioned humans. Shaera growled under her breath so now she was being left out of the loop, and she was his commander, after all these years he hadn't let her in on something. It wasn't a matter of trust, was it? He did trust her did he not... she made sure he trusted her, doing everything he ever asked her to do. Shaera came toe to toe with one of the soldiers his breath hitting her face

"Move" his voice twanged with metallic as he spoke from behind the helmet his armoured form towering over her own. He just told her to move, he wants her to move. He wants the fucking commander of Hybern's army to move out of HIS way, Shaera's nostrils flared 

"I won't ask again" her dark eyes snapped up to peer into the slots beneath the helmet, dull blue irises stared back at her. She hummed turning her right foot inwards slightly. 

"No, no you will not" she spoke with such eloquent calmness, the calm before the storm.

Shaera pushed off her right leg and pummelled the man into the stone wall, his armour clashing like the roaring thunder as he smacked into the surface, she brought her left leg up smacking her knee into his groin simultaneously slipping the dagger from her boot. The blade slipped into her grasp like silk sashaying in the breeze, the steel blade, it was like a lightning strike making an impact with its mark. The man gurgled bringing his hand up to Shaera's wrist which was now positioned just before the small gap between the man's chest plate and helmet, the small weakness in his armour. The commander pulled the dagger from his throat, a small amount of blood squirting up the side of her face, she wiped the dagger on the man's trouser leg before he slid down the wall and remained choking on the blood now filling his lungs. She slipped the dagger back into her boot before turning her gaze on the still men and horrified women. She grinned.

"You'll be taking the side entrance" Shaera gestured to the passage to her right 

"Now if you'll excuse me" the soldiers parted ever so slightly so she could slip her way through the middle of the group, one of the royal ladies shuddered as Shaera brushed past her shoulder. The dark-haired woman frowned after she passed all the soldiers... she didn't mean to do that, she brought her left hand up and wiped the side of her face, there wasn't a lot of blood, but there was blood nonetheless. Shaera didn't know what came over her, she just got so angry... the king had kept things from her and the human soldier didn't even know who she was. The dark-eyed woman blinked down at her hand standing in the empty hall. She shook her head and made her way towards the oak door at the end of the endless winding hallways, straight, right, left, right again. Then there was the door, she'd requested that the sisters be given a room and not simply thrown into the depth of the Hybern prison.

Shaera sighed and opened the door, the hinges ached at the movement... the room was dark. It wasn't meant to be dark. The thick burgundy curtains were drawn closed and the candles utop the desks were blown out. Shaera walked into the room not cautionary at all, and not 5 seconds later she had to snap her left hand up and grab the arm of the eldest Archeron sister, who had in her grasp, a sharpened chair leg? 

"I see you didn't like furniture-" she hummed, Nesta swung her other arm around and smacked Shaera across the face. 

"-Bitch!-" Shaera exclaimed as she squeezed the girl's wrist making her drop the rather well-carved stake. She shoved Nesta against the wall pinning her, Shaera mentally pushed at the cauldron's hold on her power, its control letting up slightly to allow the dark-haired woman to slam into the eldest Archeron's mind and ultimately cast her under her will. Nesta's resistance slacked and finally came to a halt, Shaera let go, her gaze slithering over to her youngest sister cowering on the bed 

"-I suggest you get up and follow me quietly,  politely even...because this whole mind thing" she paused and tapped Nesta's temple
"Not very pleasant" the young girl uncurled her legs and slipped off the bed and cowered towards Shaera, the dark-haired woman moved forward and yanked the girl forward, the brunette let out a small squeak at the action. Before she left The commander saw the body of the Soldier she'd sent a small while ago, crumpled on the floor.
Shaera pulled Elain down the hall quite swiftly and Nesta unwillingly marched beside them.

*******************

Elain started sobbing as they made their way towards the side entrance of the throne room 

"P-please, wh-why are you doing this" the girl asked starting to hiccup. Shaera paused just outside the door, she turned and looked at Elain 

"I have to" Elain's lip quivered Shaera stared into the girls watering bloodshot doe eyes and then turned to Nesta whose face remained slack but eyes flared with the breath of a thousand fire drake. She sighed. 

"You won't die." Shaera stared into the girl's eyes, Elain's lip stopped quivering 

"If you feel yourself slipping, look for me" The youngest Archeron frowned 

"I- I don't.." Shaera gripped the girl's shoulders staring her down 

"When you go under, don't listen to the voices, don't look at the things you see, it's not real, just look for me, I am real. And I can get you out" the doe-eyed girl stared into the inky blackness of Shaera's irises for a second longer before she nodded her head, her tears drying but her eyes still puffy from them. Shaera cursed herself, she was doing moral hero shit, she told herself she wasn't doing moral hero shit. But the way that girl stared at her, was the same way
Kyra stared at her that day. The day Shaera promised her she wouldn't die. Green irises replaced with brown. She wouldn't let the girl die. Not this time. Shaera turned to Nesta, thought fire still blazed in her soul and the promise of death sat upon her tongue, Nesta Archeron looked at the dark-haired commander with something similar to hope. Hope that her sister would live.  Shaera nodded once more at Elain who held herself with a little less fear and glanced over once more at Nesta, who looked past her to the door. The dark-haired woman sighed before opening the door  leading the girls inside.

**********************

The king of Hybern expected something more dramatic than what he got, he expected tears, blood, screaming, instead he got his commander one side of her face adorned with dry blood and the other side with a red mark that was already beginning to bruise. Two girls not in as much of a state as he hoped so.

"Don't look so disappointed, I nearly got impaled by a chair leg for you" Shaera humoured stepping further into the room. The Archeron sisters trailing behind her. 

"I see you used your little trick on the older one-" the king chuckled as he looked upon the eldest Archeron sister who still stood motionless by Shaera's side. The king noticed how the youngest cowered behind the commander, as though the dark-haired woman would protect her, his eyes lingered for a moment before turning his attention back to the other occupants. 

"-You made a very big mistake- the day you went after the book I had no need for it, I was content to let it lie hidden-" he moved his eyes to the high lord of the night court 

"-But. The moment your forces started sniffing around... I thought who better to be my liaison to the human realm than my newly reborn friend, Jurian? He'd just finished all those months of recovering from the process, and longed to see what his former home had become, he was more than happy to visit the continent for an extended visit" the king smirked and looked at Jurian briefly before his gaze flickered to the queens who smiled and bowed their heads. Shaera frowned, and snapped her eyes to Jurian her mind stabbing into his, the man hissed lowly 

"Detailed mapping mission my arse" she hissed, her voice bouncing around his skull Jurian's laugh echoed back 

"He doesn't tell you everything, you know" He hummed back Shaera recoiled from his mind and in turn, he smirked in reply. He doesn't tell her everything, but he said all those years ago, she must know everything to be his commander... unless, she no longer was the commander. Realisation dawned across her features, she'd been given half-arsed details for months, plans that couldn't possibly work,  Dagdan and Brannagh had been more smug than usual, more taunting, he'd made her a whore for the high lord of spring court. This was bad. She had become nothing more than a pawn in his game of chess. Shaera zoned back in 

"Such impressive attempts to infiltrate their sacred palace, shadow singer— and utter proof to their majesties, of course, that your court is not as benevolent as you seem" the king smirked at Azriel who could hardly lift his head to snarl back. He was going to be dead soon if they didn't get out soon. Shaera stepped forward slightly 

"Can we stop playing this endless game of cat and mouse,  it's growing tedious" the king frowned and looked down at Shaera 

"But my dear you haven't done your part in explaining how we got our hands of dear Feyre's sisters" the dark-haired woman sighed and cleared her throat before connecting her gaze with Feyre's 

"Ianthe. Ianthe gave us... me, the location of your sisters, then w- I ordered them to be brought here"  Shaera didn't want to shift the blame, it was her, her plan, if she simply dismissed the information those girls would still be home... but would they, with the new realisation of her faltering position of power, it's unlikely she could have swayed anything, Lucien moved from the pillar and looked at Shaera 

"She sold out —she sold out Feyre's family. To you" his face had slackened into disbelief, Shaera held his gaze and nodded before she flickered her gaze to the floor and took a step back to where Elain stood 

"Sold out?" The king snorted 

"Or saved from the shackles of mortal death? Ianthe offered us two women, no doubt strong-willed like their sister, who could prove to our queens, that if one has strength that there will be no doubt in their path to eternal life" Shaera closed her eyes for a moment, she breathed deeply in 1, 2, 3, out 1, 2, 3 

"Nesta" Shaera whispered she turned her gaze towards the eldest Archeron, understanding flickered in the woman's eyes, Shaera released Nesta from her control,

"Don't you-!" Feyre was cut off quickly by the king 

"I would suggest bracing yourself" he humoured,the Archeron practically tackled her youngest sister to the ground as the king released his power onto the room, The high lord of the night court shielded his mate, and the uninjured Illyrian flared his wings to protect Azriel, the searing heat beginning to tear through the very flesh, time slowed. Shaera stared at the scene before her, stared at the family all clasping onto each other in the fight to stay together and stay alive. She stared at the Illyrian's wings being shredded every second he kept them flared to keep his brother alive. Shaera exhaled. Fuck it.

The woman surged forward, she aimed to bring the Illyrian flaring his wings out down first along with Azriel, any longer and his wings would be nothing more. She dove and tackled both men to the ground, Cassian pinned by her left hand and Azriel pinned by her right. The power of the king tore into the flesh on her back, like thousands of glass shards smashing against her spine, Azriel stared up at her. She looked down at him, her teeth gritted through the pain, her black curls blew in front of her face. Why? That's what his gaze said, why save him, why save his brother's wings? She knew why, deep down she knew.

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3172
January 5 2021
Edited: March 11th 2021 Probably will have to edit it again because I miss stuff 😂😭

Edited: May 11th 2022
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