𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘙𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳 

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╰┈˚ · ° .  THE DOUBLE OAK DOORS CLOSED BEHIND ME with too loud thud that echoed all around, and it felt more like an omen. With only torches to light my way inside, I took the stairs for the second level where there was only an hallway to greet, three doors on each side and a final one painted red at the end. Two guards stood at the side of it.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, I coated my dread with nothingness and I forced my heartbeat to be stable as I raised my hand to knock. But before my scarred knuckles could come in contact with the wooden surface, Bracken's voice echoed from the other side of the door.

"Enter." His words were an absolute command.

With his Fae senses he already knew that it was me. So with eyes casted to the floor, I opened the door.

"Sit" Another command. It came after minutes that I stood motionless in front of his desk waiting for his directives.

I sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk lowering the veil down to my neck.

"Talk." Braken loved to speak in single words. It filled him with pride, fueling his love for power that he held when even with so little, a single word, he could command everyone to do as he said.

"I was brought to Prythian with my sister by a Fae. A High Lord. Feyre had killed a wolf on a hunt. We later found out that he was Fae too. By some law of the Treaty, Prythian must have claimed her life. In a way or another. I decided to go with her to protect her. He took us both to his court because we wouldn't say who had killed the wolf. We stayed there all these months. We arrived back this morning." I explained with as few words as I could. The quicker we could go through this, the better it would be. Less time with him meant lessening the probabilities to give away my fear and quickened heartbeat.

One of the most important rules that Braken had for his assassins was to not lie to him. Ever. So I had to tell the truth. I was too afraid of the consequences on my family to lie straight to his face. And he knew that perfectly. I was already in too much trouble to lie.

He was the only thing that scared me beyond imagination.

"So you decided to go to Prythian without my permission." Braken stated. He tilted his head the way a predator would, an eyebrow rising to the statement. His voice was calm just like always. Dripping with coldness that almost made me shiver. "You went to Prythian and you are still alive. I have to say, I am very proud of that but your insubordination can not go unpunished, as you know. Even if you left a message where you explained everything. Even after you helped me with that little business above the wall."

And as I already know when I stepped inside the Temple, my action did not go unpunished. I was thrown into the further down cells in the dungeons, the one reserved for torture and punishments. Three days came and went before I was permitted outside. And fortunately, back to my family.

Even if healed— at least enough that the worst injuries were not bleeding anymore— by the magic of the head of The League possessed, my back was still sore and filled with wounds and stained with blood, fresh and crusted over. The echo of the whip still resonated in my ears long after the punishment finished.

The first thing that I did once back in my room was bathing. Cleaning away the dirt and blood and applying healing salves to the tears in the skin of my back. And after that, trying to stall talking with my sisters for some more time, I decided to go downstairs to the kitchen and search for some food. After all, the last time I ate had been three days before.

But right at the foyer of the ground floor, before the stairs, there stood Nesta. As always her hair were perfectly braided, the dress that she wore suited her, highlighting her sharp features and cold eyes.

"Maiven." She spoke my name with a coldness that made me remember all those times that Feyre and I spent in the forest during the harsh winters. "Where have you been for the last three days?"

When we were younger, I remember the time when Nesta would read me books before sleeping, how she would help me braid my hair. She had taught me how to do crown hairstyle, a braid that we both used to this day, only for different purposes. She used to say that we were much alike, and as we grew up, our relationship changed to anger-spoken words and colder hearts. Because she was right, we were always too similar.

"I had to take care of some business. Going to Aunt Ripleigh again had not been in my plans when Feyre and I went there." Maiven answered, matching the iciness of her tone and mirroring her perfect posture even if my back cried at the sudden stiffness.

With calculating eyes Nesta studied me, too carefully. "What happened to your back?" She asked. I was aware that I was slightly limping as my back twitched with pain at every second, so it wasn't that much of a surprise when she asked me that.

"Is none of your business, Nesta." I replied. I did the same as she did, I studied from head to toe, using one of her favorite expressions. Disdain. "Not that you even care anyway."

"I know you and Feyre did not go to Aunt Ripleigh." Nesta confessed, a twitch to her lips that betrayed how she was holding back her rage and a snarl, "It seems I'm the only one that remembers that day. Father and Elain have no idea."

"What do you want me to say?" I asked, softening the ice coldness in my tone and marble like features.

"The truth." She simply answered as if it was that easy. "And the truth of where you have been for those four years since now I know that there is no Aunt Ripleigh. Feyre confirmed it already."

"You don't want to, Nesta. Remain in the unknown, it is better that way." I said after a tired sigh as I pinched the bridge of my nose between two of my fingers. I wanted to tell her, but no good would come from that anyways. So why put that burden on her shoulders too.

Without waiting for her reply, I swallowed any imminent rising emotion as I made to walk to the kitchen. I was very hungry.

"Mai!" A voice came, loud, ungracefully and quick steps to be heard as Feyre jogged down the stairs in a rush.

I knew that Feyre could understand where I had gone for the last three days. At least, have an idea of it. I knew that as heartbroken as she was for Tamlin, her heart ached even more with the knowledge that I had gone back to The Temple.

"I was so worried." She ran towards me, not wasting another second to bring me into a hug. Her hands on my back definitely did not help with the already there pain.

I breathed heavily, eyes squeezed shut to contain the groans of pain that wanted to escape my lips. Sensing that, Feyre fortunately broke the hug, careful of the placement of her hands.

"Mai?" She whispered with wide eyes, almost already tearing up as she understood from the punishments that I had received during the years the gravity of my injuries.

"I'm fine, Fey. Don't worry." I said, trying to give her the most reassuring smile that I could.

My twins shook her head, her hand brushed my cheek until she placed a kiss on my forehead. Between bits of food, I made Feyre tell me everything that had happened in my absence. Apparently I had missed a ball.

At least a good thing came out of this.

────༺☽༓☾༻────

╰┈˚ · ° .   The following afternoon, all the Archeron family gathered together to eat lunch. And for once, it wasn't something that Feyre and I had to hunt first.

I had the previous night talked with both my father and my sister Elain, spinning lies after lies of the time with Aunt Ripleigh, and how nice it was that I got to see her again after all these years.

"I'm thinking of buying the Beddor land,'' the Archeron patriarch told to Elain, who was the only one of his daughters that was listening to him at the moment. "I heard a rumor it'll go up for sale soon, since none of the family survived, and it would be a good investment property. Perhaps one of you girls might build a house on it when you're ready."

Elain nodded, completely interested in our father's words, but the name Beddor was like a beacon for both Feyre and I.

"What happened to the Beddors?" My twin asked our family, trying to keep her panic down.

"Oh, it was awful," Elain said. "Their house burned down, and everyone died. Well, they couldn't find Clare's or Ava's body, but..." She looked down at her plate. "It happened in the dead of night—the family, their servants, everyone. The day before you came home to us, actually."

"Clare and Ava Beddor." Feyre said slowly as if to be sure of the names, catching my eyes in the meantime.

"Our friends, remember?" Elain asked.

It had to be a coincidence. Had to be. Right? It probably was not, but one can dream. I had given those names to Rhysand. And if it wasn't, at least our father and sisters were still alive.

"Feyre?" our father called her name. It was clear that Feyre was panicking over the information just received.

"Quiet." Nesta hissed at him.

Feyre's eyes traveled to me, and it was in that moment that I understood what she was thinking. She had just found the excuse to go back. She wanted to go back. She had to go back.

"You must listen very carefully," Feyre started.

"Feyre, don't. It's done." I said sternly but my sister didn't listen and continued to speak.

"Everything we have told you must remain a secret. You do not come looking for me. You do not speak my name again to anyone."

"Why do you have to do this, Fey." I said, pleading at her with my eyes to change her so stubborn mind.

"I have to." Feyre insisted before turning to the rest of our family again. "Do not speak of my name again to anyone."

"What are you talking about?" Their father gaped at her from the end of the table. Elain glanced at her, shifting in her seat. But Nesta held Feyre's gaze. Unflinching.

"I think something very bad might be happening in Prythian," Feyre said softly.

"Prythian!" The father and Elain blurted. But Nesta held up a hand to silence them.

Feyre went on, "If you won't leave, then hire guards—hire scouts to watch the wall, the forest. The village, too." She rose from her seat followed closely by everyone. "The first sign of danger, the first rumor you hear of the wall being breached or even something being strange, you get on a ship and go. You sail far away, as far south as you can get, to someplace the faeries would never desire."

Their father and Elain began blinking, as if clearing some fog from their minds—as if emerging from a deep sleep. But Nesta followed Feyre into the hall, up the stairs. And I couldn't help but go after them.

"The Beddors," Nesta said. "That was meant to be us. But you gave them a fake name—those wicked faeries who threatened your High Lord." Feyre nodded. "Is there going to be an invasion?"

"I don't know. I don't know what's happening. We were told that there was a kind of sickness that had made their powers weaken or go wild, a blight on the land that had damaged the safety of their borders and could kill people if it struck badly enough. They—they said it was surging again... on the move. The last I heard, it wasn't near enough to harm our lands. But if the Spring Court is about to fall, then the blight has to be getting close, and Tamlin... Tamlin was one of the last bastions keeping the other courts in check—the deadly courts. And I think he's in danger."

"There is no Blight, Feyre." I stated.

"What?"

"The Blight was only a cover story. It's Amarantha, the woman that Rhysand spoke of."

"How do you know?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I put the pieces together. Do you understand now? Why is it dangerous? Tamlin was trying to protect you by sending you away."

"But he is not safe."

"I don't care!"

"I love him!"

"And love will get you killed, Feyre." I said, calming my tone down. I left the room deciding to go to mine.

She would go, with or without me, that was clear. But if I left with her again, there would be only one outcome for me, I would live the rest of my life on the run waiting for death day after day. Because Braken would not let me live after another infraction. And I would never let him capture me alive, because I knew the price would be my family's death. Watching as he tortured them in front of my eyes for days until he deemed it enough and killed them. And then he would leave me to rot in a cell knowing that it had been my fault. There was no fun without having me to assist at his sickening actions.

Maybe death was not such a bad idea after all. I could finally be free.

And so, with my mind made up, I wore the leathers of the League of the Assassins, stacked my body with weapons and strapped the hunting knife to my tight to its rightful place. And after that, I followed after Feyre, who was already starting to walk down the hall towards the stairs when she caught sight of me.

"You are going too." Nesta said. Not a question but a complete statement.

"Yes." I nodded my head.

"I can't ask you to come with me. You already did the first time. You already risked enough for me. I can't let you do this again." Feyre said, tears brimming in her blue-gray eyes.

"You didn't ask me to go with you to Prythian the first time. Just like you are not asking me to follow you there once again. I chose to go on my own accord when Tamlin came to the cottage. And now I am choosing to go back there with you." I explained to my sister, my tone a bit colder than I would've liked.

Feyre wanted to say something. She wanted to convince me to stay here. She wanted to protect me. But she sighed, speaking of something else insted.

"I know you don't understand why I have to go but... I hope that one day you will. I hope that you'll get to love someone so much that you'll do anything for them." She whispered with a soft hand placed above my shoulder.

With a derisive and bitter laugh only aimed at myself I replied, "Only someone as drenched in darkness and shadows as me could ever love me, Feyre." I shrugged the hand off my shoulder. "And I do not wish to have such burden." I didn't let her reply, passing by her side and continuing to go downstairs.

Elain, to our surprise, had already preferred two horses, a satchel of food, and supplies ready when we all hurried down the stairs. Our father was nowhere in sight, but Elain threw her arms around both Feyre and I, and, holding tightly she said, "I remember—I remember all of it now."

"Be on your guard. All of you." Feyre told her as we stepped back from the hug.

Elain nodded, tears in her eyes. "I would have liked to see the continent with you." She said to Feyre with a trembling voice.

"Maybe someday," Feyre answered the girl, wiping away her tears from her soft cheeks.

I took my sister's face between my hands leaving a gentle kiss on her forehead. Without looking at Nesta— I couldn't bear to see whatever she held in her gray eyes, always too sharp and attentive— I squeezed her hand. The strength in which she did it back was almost alarming.

A last goodbye.

I remember thinking that there was no going back now.

And as I simultaneously mounted the black horse alongside my sister on her own, we didn't waste another second.

Direction: Spring Court.

There was no going back now— How right I was.

✎

˗ˏˋ 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 ˊˎ˗

Hello everyone!

Second chapter! Things are getting dark here.

I want you all to understand that Maiven loves her sisters more than anything, but she is too emotionally cold to show it!

I definitely know what I did with all that speech of love.

I love Maiven. She is really a character that I love to write. She is so complex. I hope you like her too!

Anyways, thank you for reading this chapter, I'll see you on Tuesday!

˚ · ° . 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞 . ° · ˚

𝐓𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲

𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞!

– 𝐋𝐨𝐥𝐚 ☾