𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟐

"𝘖𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘶𝘯"

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╰┈˚ · ° .  "ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀɴᴏᴏɴ." ᴍᴀɪᴠᴇɴ ꜱᴀɪᴅ ꜰʟᴜɴɢɪɴɢ ᴏᴘᴇɴ the doors of the dining room.

Lucien and Tamlin both sprawled in their chairs. The girl could have sworn that the red-haired fae was sleeping upright, fork in hand.

"It seems like you two didn't get enough sleep." Maiven smirked, wiggling her eyebrows at the two. They both just groaned probably because of the louder tone that the human girl decide to use just to annoy them

As Mai opened her mouth to speak again Feyre walked into the room

"Good afternoon." She said cheerfully, with an especially saccharine smile for the High Lord.

Maiven glanced at her sister immediately noticing the bite mark on her neck. At that sight, the assassin raised an eyebrow at her twin, grinning as her eyes danced between Feyre and the blond-haired fae. The huntress looked at her sister matching her grin as she took the seat across from Lucien, not her usual place facing Tamlin next to Maiven.

The younger Archeron took the goblet of wine in her hand, twirling the liquid inside of it a couple of times before taking a sip of it. A small laugh left her lips as she murmured "Oh this will be so fun"

Lucien looked at her. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "You look ... refreshed," Lucien observed, speaking to Feyre "Sleep well?"

"Like a babe." She answered, smiling at him before taking another bite of her food.

Lucien's eyes travel inexorably to her neck, wideding as he took in the noticeable mark on the girl's skin

"What is that bruise?" Lucien demanded.

Feyre pointed with her fork to Tamlin. "Ask him. He did it."

Lucien looked from Tamlin to her then back again at the High Lord "Why does Feyre have a bruise on her neck from you?" He asked with no small amount of amusement.

"I bit her," Tamlin said, not pausing as he cut his steak. "We ran into each other in the hall after the Rite. She seems to have a death wish," he went on, cutting his meat. "So, if Feyre can't be bothered to listen to orders, then I can't be held accountable for the consequences."

"Accountable?" Feyre sputtered, placing her hands flat on the table. "You cornered me in the hall like a wolf with a rabbit!"

Lucien propped an arm on the table and covered his mouth with his hand, his russet eye bright. He looked at Maiven for a second, she too was straining herself trying to contain the laugh that was begging to be left out.

"While I might not have been myself, Lucien and I both told you to stay in your room," Tamlin said calmly

"Faerie pig!" Feyre yelled before storming out of the door.

Lucien and Mai made eye contact at that was the last straw. They burst into a loud laugh, almost tipping back in their chairs. Even Tamlin was smiling.

"That was so good" Maiven said between laughs

"Shouldn't you be the one that protects her? Why did you let her go there?" Tamlin asked growling slightly

"I protect her. I don't control her." The human girl explained. Slowly as he was a mere child.

Maiven stood up from her chair. Her eyes landed on Tamlin one last time before pivoting on her heels. Another laugh erupted from her mouth as she walked out of the room and started to search for her sister.

She needed the details.

•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

╰┈˚ · ° .  "Well, tell me if this is not a beautiful sight." Maiven said. Sarcasm dripping heavily from her words as she watched the scene in front of her with an amused expression

Feyre looked at her sister jabbing her side lightly with her elbow shaking her head

They had found a head in the garden. A bleeding male High Fae head—spiked atop a fountain statue of a great heron flapping its wings. The stone was soaked in enough blood to suggest that the head had been fresh when someone had impaled it on the heron's upraised bill.

"He obviously is not from the Spring Court" Maiven commented noticing the lack of mask of his face

"Not Autumn Court," Lucien explained. "I don't recognize him at all."

"Neither do I." Tamlin answered. A soft, vicious growl laced his words

Lucien stepped into the small pool in which the statue stood—striding through the red water until he peered up at the anguished face.

"They branded him behind the ear with a sigil," Lucien said, swearing. "A mountain with three stars—"

"Night Court," Tamlin said too quietly.

The Night Court—the northernmost bit of Prythian. A land of darkness and starlight.

"Why... why would they do this?" Feyre breathed.

"The Night Court does what it wants," Tamlin said. "They live by their own codes, their own corrupt morals."

"They're all sadistic killers," Lucien said. "They delight in torture of every kind—and would find this sort of stunt to be amusing."

"Cute" With an eye roll Mai commented

"Amusing, but not a message?" Feyre asked

"No, it's a message." The younger twin started. Her head tilted to one side "They want him." she pointed a finger at Tamlin " To know that they can get in and out of his defenses, to commit a crime like this without being seen, without being captured. Is to install fear" Maiven explained as she examined the severed head from distance

"It's exactly what the High Lord of the Night Court would find amusing. The bastard." Lucien expressed

Tamlin brushed a thumb against Feyre's shoulder. "You're still safe here. This was just their idea of a prank."

"This isn't connected to the blight?" She asked.

"Only in that they know the blight is again awakening—and want us to know they're circling the Spring Court like vultures, should our wards fall further. I won't let that happen." Tamlin told her "They'll get what's coming to them soon enough. Hopefully the blight will wreck them, too."

As Lucien walked away to take care of the head, Maiven glanced back at Feyre, kissing her head before walking away from the pair.

This blight seems like bullshit to me. 

•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

╰┈˚ · ° .  Maiven awoke the next day to the sound of merry fiddling, and when she looked out the window, the garden was bedecked in ribbons and streamers. On the distant hills, she spied the makings of fires and maypoles being raised. When the girl had asked Merissa, her maid, she simply had said, "Summer Solstice. The main celebration used to be at the Summer Court, but ... things are different. So now we have one here, too. You and your sister are both going."

Hopefully there will be wine— The human girl thought

That afternoon the twins decided to prepare themselves together.

Maivein really wanted to know what was happening between her sister and the High Lord.

Feyre passed Maiven the dress that she had chosen for her with a bright smile on her face making her twin roll her eyes at her.

Mai walked behind the room divider before putting it on.

It was a floor-length red dress with a flowy skirt and a high side slit. Wide neckline and open back with criss-cross straps to highlight it

༺☽༓☾༻

༺☽༓☾༻

"I thought you would like it more in this color than in the pastel ones" Feyre explained

Maiven moved her head to look at her sister. With a warm smile she replied "I do. Thank you"

She had never really worn a dress like this before. Her scars were visible for everyone to see. It made her slightly uncomfortable. Maiven had never been ashamed of them but no one other than Merissa had seen them. Feyre, of course knew, she had seen them before, in the mortal lands she sometimes caught glimpses of them in the flash moment when Mai was changing but never for enough time to actually have a good look at them. Especially the one on her back where many long scars adorned the skin. The scars that came out from of the punishments.

Maiven exhaled a big breath trying to calm her erratic heart before walking away from behind the room divider.

Feyre had already worn her cornflower-blue chiffon gown. She truly looked beautiful.

Maiven caught her eyes traveling to her exposed flesh and tried to shift the attention twirling around, showing off her dress.

"You're beautiful." She breathed with a big smile. Tears forming in her eyes.

"I'm nothing compared to you, dear twin." Maiven said.

"I'm sorry" Feyre whispered shutting her eyes as the tears started to pour out

Mai knew why she was apologizing but it wasn't her fault. Tears now gathered in her eyes too as she watched her sister try to compose herself. Maiven brought Feyre into her arms. Tightly hugging her before connecting their foreheads together.

"It's okay, Feyre. I'm okay" Mai knew that it was mostly a lie but she had no choice but to be fine.

Feyre raised her small hand to her sister's face wiping the tear that fell from her eye.

"I love you" She whispered

Maiven smiled. Her heart warmed at her sister's words but she couldn't say it back and not because she didn't love Feyre. Her years with The League stripped the girl of any emotion, because they were a weakness to their eyes. Love was a weakness. And to this days Maiven still couldn't utter those words. But Feyre knew that her sister loved her and she knew that she just couldn't say it back.

After their talk Merissa and Alis entered the room and helped the twins finish their look. They added powders and colors to their lips and cheeks and adjusted their hair.

Feyre's was left unbounded but with a garland of pink, white, and blue wildflowers around the crown of her head. Maiven golden-brown hair was down her shoulders in their natural waves with the small section of strands near her neck styled in small braids that were visible as the hair shifted.

Once, finally ready, Maiven slipped on her right thigh the leg harness with her knife, hiding it from the view behind the soft fabric of the dress.

Feyre noticing her sister shaked her head with a small amused laugh

"Better be prepared for anything" Maiven said looking up at her sister with an innocent look earning a chuckle from her

The Archeron twins intertwined their hands together before finally climbing down the stairs of the mansion.

Lucien and Tamlin stood at the end of the staircase. Mai glanced at Feyre whose attention was already fixed to the blond-haired Fae.

She really likes him— Maiven thought with a barely noticeable smile. But it was there.

"Cauldron boil me," Lucien whistled as he looked at the twins. "They look positively Fae."

The male scanned Maiven's body frowning as he took in her scars for the first time but it was quickly replaced by a flirty smirk

"Well, you look ravishing, Maiven" Lucien commented

"Thank you Lucien"

"Are you not going to compliment me?" The fae asked grinning arrogantly

Maiven looked at him up and down before answering with a plain "No"

Tamlin erupted in a full blown laugh as he looked at his emissary as Lucien's face fell for a second before being replaced by another grin. One even wider. To his eyes this was just another challenge.

"I'm surprised we are even allowed to participate tonight." Feyre said after Tamlin's laugh calmed down

"Unfortunately for you and your neck," Lucien countered, "tonight's just a party."

"Do you lie awake at night to come up with all your witty replies for the following day?"

Lucien winked at her and Tamlin laughed and offered her his arm. "He's right," the High Lord said. "Solstice celebrates when day and night are equal—it's a time of neutrality, when everyone can take down their hair and simply enjoy being a faerie—not High Fae or faerie, just us, and nothing else."

"So there's singing and dancing and excessive drinking," Lucien chimed in, falling into step beside Maiven. "And dallying," he added with a wicked grin.

"I like the excessive drinking part" Mai stated while looking at Lucien with a raised eyebrow "And of course, the dallying"

"Oh I like those parts too" He answered interviewing their arms together

In all honesty, nothing could ever happen between them. Lucien for sure was good looking and funny but he really wasn't her type. But flirting, on the other hand, was still a good option. 

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╰┈˚ · ° .  Maiven knew that she was a sad drunk. The one time she got drunk around people, she shared too many details of her not so happy and miserable life.

Now surrounded by faeries, by enemies mostly, she couldn't allow herself to lose her common sense. But a drunk Lucien and a sober Maiven was definitely a no. So she allowed herself to be tipsy, sipping her normal wine as she continued to listen to the drunken words that came out of the red-haired Fae.

It was amusing, Mai could admit that. Seeing all those faeries around her, drunk on faerie wine, dancing and laughing around without a care in the world. Just like she could admit that there was jealousy at the sight. She couldn't remember when was the last time she felt so carefree.

"So tell me, come on. You are a mystery. A mystery that I want to solve" Lucien said, his words slurred by the effect of his drunken state

"Then I will never take the opportunity to solve the mystery from you, dear Lucien. I'm not that cruel" Maiven responded with a smile gracing her features.

Lucien let out a groan followed by a huff

"Are you pouting, Lucien?" The human girl asked amused by the sight

"Yes" He simply answered before adding "I might look stupid with this mask on, but I'm not."

"Are you sure?" Maiven remarked with a snort.

Lucien rolled his eyes to the human girl before speaking again "I can still recognize the signs of a whip. Even in my drunken state" He observed. His tone almost a whisper

Maiven froze at the revelation. He was right, the scars on her back were from a whip. This will teach you discipline, he used to say. For a second Maiven was back there, bleeding and in pain on the cold floor of The Temple's dungeons trying to contain any sort of reaction. Never show pain. He always repeated.

Maiven never answered Lucien, she just drowned all the wine in her cup. She usually would have covered her emotions with a cold and blank facade, but perhaps it was that Lucien was drunk or that she was really tipsy, that she allowed her own mask to slip a bit.

"I'm sorry. I will not bring it up anymore. I don't know what happened to you but I'm sure that it was not something that you like to remember. You are stronger than what all of us thought, Maiven. Maybe even more than what Feyre think"

At the words of the red haired Fae, Maiven didn't know what to do. So she just looked at him nodding slightly adding "You are not as bad as I thought you would be Lucien"

After that the golden-brown haired human turned around. She refilled her cup one last time trading her normal wine for the faerie one before snatching the entire bottle and sprinting back to her room.

The night passed quickly in her drunken state from the Faerie wine. She drank alone, in her room, with cheeks wet from the tears that didn't seem to want to stop. 

✎

˗ˏˋ 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 ˊˎ˗

Hello everyone! New chapter!

This was a lot. I will repeat this again. This is not a light story. Maiven has a lot of trauma. But I will promise to you that she will be fine in the end. Hopefully. There is probably just one last chapter before the end of act 1 sooooo.

Happy new year to everyone!

Anyway please if you liked this chapter, leave a comment and a star. I really appreciate it.

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞!

– 𝐋𝐨𝐥𝐚 ☾