𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟖

" 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥  "

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╰┈˚ · ° .  ᴛʜᴇ ᴀʀᴄʜᴇʀᴏɴ ꜰᴀᴍɪʟʏ ʜᴀᴅ ʟᴏꜱᴛ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ꜰᴏʀᴛᴜɴᴇ.They were forced to move out of their home.

With the money that they have left, the family moved into a cottage made out of gray stones. Just two rooms and a bathroom. The only remnant of their wealth was the carved ironwood bed that belonged to their deceased mother. The bed where all the Archeron sisters were born in and where now, they all sleep.

A ten-year-old Maiven walked through the village. She wanted to explore the place where she was going to live.

The village was busy. It was the market day. Vendors yelled from their stalls. The smell of smoke and coal coated the already thick air.

Maiven was unaware of the danger that she had put herself in.

She was cladded in a clean dress and her hands were free of any sign of labor.

The ten-year-old passed through the crowd till she reached the beginning of the forest. The air there was cleaner, fresher. The girl walked just enough that the noises from the market were faint but she could still hear them. This way she knew how to find her way back to the village and then to the cottage.

Suddenly, steps sounded from behind her. Three pairs to be exact.

Maiven turned around and there, walking towards her, three men cladded in dirty clothes grinned at her.

"Look what we got here" One said. He was bald and had a thick beard that covered the lower part of his face.

"I think the little lady is lost" Another spoke, mocking the girl. He was short and slender and spotted a scar across his cheek

The third one was the one that scared Maiven the most. He didn't talk, he just stared at her. His hand rested on his hip where a hunting knife was sheathed.

Maiven's eyes widened at the sight of the three men. She was scared. She knew that something was going to happen to her. Her eyes danced between the men, her heart beating loudly in her ears.

On the ground laid a fallen branch that she quickly took in her hands. It was thick and heavy and she barely managed to keep it raised.

"Stay back!" She yelled with a trembling voice.

The bald man and the short one bursted into laughs making Maiven take a couple of steps back.

"Stay ba-" She couldn't finish her phrase as the third man was in front of her tugging the branch out of her hands, throwing it behind her.

"Give us your money and nothing will happen to you" The man said.

Before she could understand what she was doing Maiven started to run. Away from the men, deeper into the forest. She managed to get away just a few steps before she was thrown to the ground.

The bald man and the short one stayed in their spot. With their backs resting on the trees while wide grins adorned their faces.

The third man caged Mai to the ground, his knife just a few inches away from her face as she continued to struggle

Her hand searched the ground for something, anything to protect herself with. The rough surfaces of the branch came in contact with her hand and she didn't wait a second to tighten her grip on it before smacking it to the man's head as hard as she could.

"Fuck!" He cursed

Surprised by the hit the man loosed the grip on the knife making it fall to the ground.

Maiven tried to sneak away from him but he immediately regained his strength back but he was not quick enough to take the weapon back.

Maiven plunged the knife into the man's throat. Blood splashed everywhere on her. On her dress. On her hair and face. On her hands.

The little girl could just stare as the dead men fell next to her.

I killed him! I killed someone!–– Her mind panicked but on the outside Maiven couldn't move.

She didn't even know if she was still breathing.

"Bitch" The bald man with the thick beard yelled.

The two remaining men started to walk towards her but they didn't get far.

A black haired man came out from behind the trees where he was previously watching the entire scene.

Cladden in dark clothes and leathers with a sword in his hand. And in mere seconds the two men were dead.

Maiven rose from the ground, shaking on her legs. The black haired man turned around. His pointed ears visible through his long hair.

Maiven wanted to scream. She wanted to run away.

Faerie. He was a faerie. A High Fae.

She was terrified.

"What a murderous little creature you are" He purred

The male took the knife from Maiven's shaking hand.

A metaling scent filled the air. It was thick and heavy. It was magic.

The male grinned. He was already imagining her future. His little creature.

The black haired male grabbed Maiven's left wrist and sliced the knife through her palm. The wound scarred as soon as it opened.

"You owe me a life debt now, my little creature"

And before the girl could say anything, the male winnowed her away.

The knife that she was threatened with. The same knife that she had used to kill a man with. And the same knife that sealed her fate.

•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

╰┈˚ · ° .  Maiven was still kneeled on the ground, the crowd made with faeries and high fae watched the interaction with curiosity.

Feyre didn't move from her place. She knew who this male was.

Amarantha sat on the throne, amusement clear on her face.

"I thought that your last punishment was enough. But I guess not, because you are here" Braken said with a cold tone pacing around the girl

"She killed one of my guards. Oh, it was fantastic. You trained her perfectly." The queen spoke "But... I must say her manners might need some adjustment" She smirked

Braked stopped in front of Mai, clutching tightly her chin in his hand.

"Don't touch her!" Feyre shouted

At the sound of her voice Maiven thought that her heart was going to burst out of her chest

"I suggest you keep your mouth shut. I know that you have a bargain with the queen so I can't really kill you. But don't test me" Braken replied

But Feyre didn't care. She looked at her sister, her twin and it was like she wasn't there. Her eyes were dead. Her face was void of emotions. Her pasture was straight and unmoving and it didn't even seem that she was breathing. "Mai" She whispered

"Don't bother. She won't talk until I command her to" Braken explained waving a nonchalant hand "Rise" He said to Maiven.

The girl rose to her feet. Legs slightly open and arms behind her back.

Rhysand's heart clenched at the sight. His magic rumbled inside of him. It wanted to reach out for her, just like it did on Calanmai, but he quickly repressed it. And with it, any emotion that transpired out of his mask.

"I must apologize for the action of my assassin. To make amends, Maiven could stay here while her sister does her tasks. Well, at least for the little time that she will survive them. Maiven will be your sword. She will kill and torture anyone that you asked her to. She is really good at it" He explained his offer with a cunning smile

"It's perfect!" Amaranthat shouted clapping her hands "I really look forward to test it"

After that Feyre was dragged away. The girl still tried to see if her twin would look at her. But Maiven didn't move, not until Braken made her sign to follow him outside.

The black haired fae just stared down at her without emitting a sound and then he took her left hand between his own. The hand where the thick scar adorned the skin at the center of her palm.

"Remember who you belong to, little creature" He said calmly. "I will make you have a new uniform and your weapons back. Don't disappoint me again or you know what will happen"

That was the last thing he said before he walked away from her.

Her family. That is what he always used to put her back in line.

Two guards lead her back to her cell where just hours later, a chest filled with her weapons and clean League's uniforms magically appeared.

•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

╰┈˚ · ° .  The day after, Amarantha decided to put at use Braken's gift for her.

Maiven was the gift.

She made her torture a faerie for what seemed to her days but it were a mere couple of hours. Blood was still coating her hands as she was escorted back to her cell.

Maiven sat down on the bed, that was just a pallet covered in straws with a thin blanket. Her eyes didn't move from her hands.

She knew that probably that faerie didn't do anything to deserve what Mai had done to her. Her agonizing screams still ringed into her ears just as loud as when they first tore from the faerie's throat.

She couldn't stop staring at the red that painted her fair skin

Blood. So much blood.

She would never be able to wash it off. Not from her hands, not from her mind, not from her heart.

It stained her soul.

The door of her cell silently opened. It was the High Lord of the Night Court. Dressed in a perfectly tailored suit as his power radiates everywhere from him.

"What do you want?" Maiven hissed glaring at Rhysand

Rhysand tsked before he casually strolled forward and rested his back on the wall.

He didn't know why he was there. He just knew that he needed to be there.

"Why are you here Rhysand?" Maiven asked. She just wanted for him to get out of here so she could go to sleep.

She was exhausted

The now familiar scent of magic filled the air as a bowl with clean water and a rug appeared in the High Lord's hands.

Rhysand moved from his spot and sat down next to Mai

The human girl furrowed her eyebrows

"What are you doing?" The Archeron girl asked confused as the male started to wet the rug

"Helping you" Rhysand murmured "Now shut up"

Maiven stared at him with a raised eyebrow as Rhys took her hands and started to wash them with the wet rug.

They didn't speak. Minutes passed before with a snap the High Lord made the bowl of water and the rug disappear.

He rose to his feet and he started to walk out.

"It wasn't your fault" He whispered before closing the cell door behind him.

After that Maiven laid down on the bed. She was exhausted and trying to understand what the fuck had just happened with Rhysand was not helping the headache that was already forming in her brain.

Mai closed her eyes and soon she fell asleep. But nightmares didn't follow her this time.

She dreamed again. Of Velaris. The city of Starlight. 

༺☽༓☾༻

༺☽༓☾༻

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˗ˏˋ 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 ˊˎ˗

Hello everyone! New chapter!

Yes this is how Maiven became an assassin and yes she has a life debt with Braken, meaning: Just her death will make her free from him.

Now you all know the meaning of the scar on her hand, the one she always touches. And of her knife, the one that she wanted back when they first arrived at the Spring Court.

(The photo is how I imagined the knife btw)

I want to specify that between Rhysand and Maiven there will be no romantic feelings. Rhys didn't read her mind to know that the blood was bothering her. He just read her body language and somehow he just knew  that something was wrong ;)

Anyways thank you for reading this and if you'd like, please, let me know what you thought of this chapter with a comment and a star.

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞!

– 𝐋𝐨𝐥𝐚 ☾