𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎

" 𝘕𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 "

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╰┈˚ · ° .  ʜᴏᴜʀꜱ ʜᴀᴅ ᴘᴀꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ꜰᴇʏʀᴇ'ꜱ ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ ᴛᴀꜱᴋ when Maiven was called by Amarantha.

The guards escorted her to an already familiar room down in the dungeons.

Probably Amarantha's favorite place, well, other than her throne room.

The room was cold and moisty and the blood stained the floor. In the middle of it there was a chair. A blue-haired faerie sat on it bounded by ropes.

Another chair, more similar to a small throne, was placed near a wall. Exactly where Amarantha would sit comfortably, while watching who she declared to be tortured. It wasn't for information or because they were traitors. No, it was for the queen's pleasure

A sick show just made for her.

Hours and hours passed with Maiven torturing the blue-haired faerie before she died. Her unusual blue blood painted the assassin's hands.

The show had ended for the queen but what Maiven had done would haunt her for the rest of her life.

"What is your name?" Maiven had whispered just before the faerie's last breath

Layla. That was her name. And it was already scarred into her soul.

Maiven knew that she would end up forgetting her name, just like she had already forgotten the dozens before the blue-haired faerie, but at least she knew who she had killed.

With the now dry blood still coating her hands, Maiven was escorted back to her cell where in the dark corner, the High Lord of the Night Court was hidden.

The door slammed behind her, caging the human girl again in the room.

"Did you stay there for long, Rhysand?" Maiven asked, sitting down on her bed.

Rhysand tsked before walking to stand in front of Mai.

"I came to inform you that I healed your sister" Rhysand saint with a smirk.

Maiven raised her head and stared at him. She was happy that Feyre was healed but she knew that the High Lord didn't do it from the kindness of his heart.

"What? Are you not going to thank me?" Rhysand asked, sitting down next to the assassin.

The tung of magic filled Maiven's nostril as a bowl of water and a rug appeared in the High Lord's hands.

Rhysand extended one of his hands forward. A silent demand for the girl to give him her blood-coated hands. Maiven rolled her eyes but she complied nonetheless.

"What bargain did she make with you?" The Archeron girl inquired as

Rhysand smirk morphed into a smug grin as he stopped cleaning the girl's hands to answer her question. "I healed her arm in exchange for her living with me a week every months" He explained

Mai studied the High Lord's face. For a second she thought that Rhysand was joking, but no, he was completely serious.

Maiven burst out laughing. Tears gathered in the corner of her eyes at how much she was laughing. Oh she had not had this much fun in a while.

"Do you fancy my sister, Rhysand?" Maiven asked once she had calmed down.

"No, but I have my motives for doing that" He scoffed

"Your motive is just pissing of Tamlin" The golden-brown haired girl told him with a chuckle

"True." Rhysand said before starting to clean once again Maiven's hands

"Did we do a bargain that I have no knowledge of?" the human girl asked

Rhysand looked up at her in question and Mai just answered pointing down at her hands with her head.

The raven-haired Fae rolled his eyes "No Vee. Can't I do something just for kindness? Maybe I just enjoy your company" At his answer Maiven scoffed "And stop calling me Rhysand. It makes me feel like my actions to gain your friendship are all in vain" The High Lord added with a wicked smirk

"Vee?" Maiven asked with an amused smile "No one calls me that."

"Exactly my point." Rhysand said with a wink before snapping his fingers together to make the bowl of water and rug disappear.

He then rose to his feet and passed his hands down his suit to smooth it out.

"Thank you." Maiven said with a sigh "For this" she explained without looking at him "And for what you did with Feyre." Mai then started to smile and glanced up at Rhysand "And don't worry, your secret is safe with me. I will not tell Feyre about it" She teased him

Rhysand groaned "I'm already regretting this" He mumbled

Maiven snorted at the High Lord before waving her fingers at him "Goodnight, Rhys"

"Goodnight, Vee." He mumbled, walking out of the cell.

A smile formed on Rhysand's lips. He felt it. An emotion that he didn't think he could possibly feel down here Under the Mountain.

The feeling of being home. Just like what he felt every time he was in Velaris.

•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

╰┈˚ · ° .  Days and weeks passed. Everytime that Maiven was called to perform for Amarantha, Rhysand was waiting for her back in her cell with a bowl of water and a clean rug

Sometimes they talked, others they just stayed in silence with just the noise of water to fill the space.

Week after week and soon the entire month passed and Feyre had to face her second task.

But no guards came to escort Maiven out of her cell.

Hours passed before her door opened revealing Rhysand.

"Rhys, what happened?" Maiven asked "Is she..." She couldn't even finish her phrase because even the thought that her sister was dead would have been enough to make her crumble on her knees

"She is alive" Rhys answered "She had to read and solve a riddle and then pull one of the three levers or she and Lucien would have died."

"What?!" Maiven shouted

Feyre can't read so how is she alive?–– Maiven thought

Her eyes widened at the only possible solution that could have gotten her twin alive out of her task. And without thinking the human girl threw her arm around the High Lord's body.

She felt him stiffen from the sudden hug. He wasn't expecting her to hug him. But then his arms raised, and he was hugging her back.

"Thank you" She whispered before breaking the hug

"Come with me." Rhysand said quietly "She needs you"

They walked down the hallways of the dungeons, hiding in the shadows from the guards.

Rhys stopped in front of a cell before opening it as silently as he could

Feyre turned her head as she heard the door open. Her eyes were red and bloodshot from crying.

"Oh Feyre " Maiven breathed out as she walked into the cell.

The younger twin kneeled next to her sister's bed with tears forming at the corner of her eyes.

"Mai?" Feyre whispered.

"It's me" Maiven answered nodding "It's me Fey" She repeated

Feyre threw herself into her sister's arms as she started to sob loudly. Maiven raised her head to look at Rhysand who gave her a nod and signaled with his hand a five before shutting the door behind him.

She just had five minutes

"Feyre, look at me. Please" Maiven pleaded, catching her twin sister's face between her hands "I don't have much time but you have to listen, alright?" Feyre nodded with tears down her face "You will win the third task too. I know that you will. I believe in you. You can do this, alright. You are strong, never forget it."

A tear escaped from Maiven's eyes as she looked at her twin. She just wished that she could say those three words.

The older twin nodded at her sister before burying her head into the crook of her neck.

"You are strong too, Mai. The strongest person I know" Feyre whispered

A sob built up inside Maiven's chest but the girl would not let it out.

A light knock echoed into the cold cell. The time was up.

"I have to go. I'm sorry" Mai whispered before kissing the girl's head

Another sob escaped the older girl's mouth as she hugged her sister even tighter 

"I love you" Feyre said. But she knew that her twin would not say it back, so she laid down on her bed and turned on the other side.

Maiven stood up from her crouched position and dried the tears that had wetted her cheeks. Out from Feyre's cell Maiven met Rhysand's violet eyes, which softened as soon as he saw the remaining traces of her tears

Mai turned her head away from him and started to walk away.

"Let's just go back." 

✎

˗ˏˋ 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 ˊˎ˗

Hello everyone! New chapter!

This is more of a filler chapter tbh. My thoughts while writing this was that even with a single nod Mai would have helped Feyre for her second task and Amarantha knew that so she didn't want her there. It made sense to me.

We are almost at the end of Act 2 everyone!!! And this book has an Act 3 too and nope, it's not the beginning of ACOMAF.

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 ☾