𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟎

"𝘝𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴 "

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╰┈˚ · ° .  I WAS DREAMING AGAIN. DREAMING OF VELARIS. 

My eyes traveled through the deep sapphire blue of the river and to the white marble, warm sandstone and red stones of the buildings. People, children, were laughing while walking down the streets. Home. Dreaming of Velaris always felt like going back home.

"Feyre!" someone roared. The deep voice echoed through my ears.

Rhysand. The voice was Rhysand's.

Not yet, I didn't want to stop dreaming of Velaris.

And then I was pulled away, and the perspective of the city changed. I was at the top of a tower high enough that I could almost touch the stars above. It took me a second to realize that it wasn't my eyes that I was looking through. Wings ruffled at my back, and from the peripheral view I could see the resemblance with the one of bats. Majestic and beautiful, fit for a warrior.

"Stop," Another voice said, piercing through. "Please."

Feyre.

Memories slammed back into my head at the speed of light. All my life flashed before her eyes.

I was dead.

"Say that you don't love him!" I could hear the anger in Amarantha's voice as she shrieked.

Velaris started to fade as I could hear more and more sounds. The last thing that I remember seeing before all went black were scarred hands. Burns littered the skin until the wrist, a brutal accident might have happened for the hands, definitely belonging to a male, to be this badly scarred, and contrasting that brutality, like a caress, shadows moved around his fingers traveling up until I could no longer see up arms covered in leather. A majestic sight that made me want to just stop and admire, but there was no time, because soon, the male was sending a pang to my heart, and I could hear, feel my body slowly coming back to sense, but I could not see, my body still frozen in death.

"Amarantha, stop this," Tamlin begged "Stop. I'm sorry—I'm sorry for what I said about Clythia all those years ago. Please."

"Say that you don't truly love him," Amarantha spat, "Admit to your inconstant heart."

"Amarantha, please," Tamlin moaned. "I'll do anything."

"I'll deal with you later," she snarled at him.

"Love," Feyre breathed out. Her eyes locked on her sister's dead body. "The answer to the riddle..." she got out, choking on her own blood looking at Amarantha. Love, Maiven had sacrificed her own freedom just to protect her family from Braken, and now she had given her life for her only because she cared, she loved them. "is... love."

And then her spine cracked just as I opened my eyes.

Tears streamed down my face as I looked at my twin. Bloodied and bruised, beaten and dead on the cold marble floor of a desolate throne room.

I had failed her.

"No." Amarantha whispered before a golden light exploded. The queen was blasted back, thrown against the far wall, and Tamlin let out a roar that shook the mountain as he launched himself at her, shifting into his beast form. She was shoved against the wall by his strength but soon, she recovered, sending him flying back with her own magic.

I raised from the floor as quick as my aching body allowed me to, gripping the sword that was clattered next to my body. I felt nothing as I rose, my heart, my soul, everything that remained human left with the last beat of Feyre's heart.

I thought—

Not important anymore because she was dead.

Amarantha and Tamling fought. Their magic clashing against each other.

"I am your queen!" Amarantha snarled "You ca-"

Amarantha's words stopped as a sword pierced her heart. The queen's eyes widened as silence fell into the room. I withdrew my sword before in a precise motion, no pity, no second thought, I cutted Amarantha's head off.

"Not anymore." I spoke. My voice was so dark and hollow that I barely recognized the sound of it.

My own blood stained my clothes, neck and face. My golden-brown hair wet with the liquid making them a deep shade of crimson red as droplets fell down staining the marble floor. And most of all, my rounded ears were now pointed.

I was High Fae.

"Maiven." Rhysand breathed out in disbelief, he took a step back once my dead eyes fell on him. There was no Maiven, not without Feyre.

I took the queen's head by her red hair, eyes wide open like her mouth, and with sure steps I strided towards her treacherous trone. Sitting her head just there for everyone to admire.

And then my eyes landed on my sister as I made my way towards her. With the grace that only High Fae could master, I fell down to my knees, the bones more resistant than ever made crack on the floor as my sword clattered beside me. Feyre. I cradled her limp, broken body to my chest as tears streamed freely down my face. My heart beated so loudly that I wasn't sure how it had not stopped yet. My sister, my twin, my better half. She was gone.

I could vaguely hear in the distance as Tamlin slammed to his knees as sobs broke from his throat at the sight of his dead girlfriend. But I didn't care about anyone other than my twin. I was alive. Why was I alive and Feyre was not. She deserved to live much more than I did. My thoughts spinned as I rocked her sister's body. Her already cold forehead attached to mine. Within deep myself, I felt something. Magic. It builded and builded up with sorrow until there was nothing left that let it out.

The ground shook, screams could be heard but nothing pierced through my grief. The coughing started then, I could feel each and everyone's heart beating through the room, the power that they held inside of them and I wanted nothing more than to take it to bring my sister back.

"Vee!" Rhysand's voice echoed through my being with the scent of rain, salt, and citrus.

"Bring her back." I said as everything stopped. The mountain didn't shake, people didn't cough up blood anymore. They only stared at me as I broke. "Bring her back." I repeated sending harsh glared to the couple of High Lords that were surrounding us. "She gave everything for you. You are only free because of her. Give her a kernel of your powers to bring her back. It happened before." I said, the grief in my voice was unmistakable even under the dead and hollow tone.

Someone approached then. And the first speck of hope lightened my heart.

A tall, handsome brown-haired man wearing the color of fall. The High Lord of the Autumn Court opened his fingers and tipped over his hand. A glittering spark fell upon Feyre. It flared and vanished as it touched her chest.

"Do not forget this, Slayer." He said before disappearing again in the crowd.

Two more figures approached—both handsome and young. The brown-skinned one on the left wore a tunic of blue and green, and atop his white-blond head was a garland of roses—the High Lord of the Summer Court. His pale-skinned companion, clad in colors of white and gray, possessed a crown of shimmering ice. The High Lord of the Winter Court.

Chins raised, shoulders back, they, too, dropped those glittering kernels upon Feyre. Another High Lord approached, also bestowing upon Feyre a drop of light. He glowed brightest of them all, The High Lord of the Dawn Court. Then the High Lord of the Day Court, clad in white and gold, his dark skin gleaming with an inner light, presented his similar gift, and smiled sadly at Tamlin before he walked away.

Rhysand stepped forward "For what she gave," Rhysand said, extending a hand, "we'll bestow what our predecessors have granted to few before." He paused. "For what you both gave." he added, looking at me as he opened his hand and let the seed of light fall on Feyre.

Tamlin crawled forward. He tenderly brushed aside Feyre's matted hair and I had to restrain a snarl. His hand glowed bright as the rising sun, and in the center of his palm, that strange, shining bud formed.

"I love you," he whispered, and kissed her as he laid his hand on her heart.

────༺☽༓☾༻────

╰┈˚ · ° .  I ran out of the throne room before Feyre could wake up like a coward. I couldn't face her. Not after what had happened. It had been my plan that in the end failed us.

I ran away still bloodied and stumbled upon a small balcony jutting out of the side of the mountain. The light blinded me after so long without it, but then a land of snow capped mountains greeted me. The rock of this mountain was brown and bare—not even a blade of grass or a crystal of ice gleamed on it.

I stayed there, alone, just looking at those mountains and breathing the fresh air for what seemed like hours before steps sounded from behind.

"You need a bath." Rhysand commented as he walked forward.

"I know." I answered with a chuckle "Is she..."

"She is probably sleeping next to blondie as we speak." Rhysand jested with a sour undertone.

At his answer I glanced at him, grinning. The first upbeat emotion that I felt since I somewhat had come back to life. "Are you jealous, Rhys?" I teased.

Rhysand scoffed and shook his head. "You are not going to stop with that, are you?" He said with a sighing even if he could not conceal how his lips were tilted upwards in a smile.

My grin was an enough answer for The High Lord. "So... How am I alive and, well, High Fae?" I asked. I really wanted to know.

Rhys looked at me but even him apparently had no answer. Or not one that he wanted to say as of now.

"I don't know, Vee. I don't know." he said, staring at the mountains before us.

Loosing up his shoulders a pair of wings appeared behind his back resembling much the one of a bat.

Too similar to the one of the male in my dream. I had to refrain from saying anything about it as I looked at them, my heart sleeping a beat at the sight.

"You have wings?" I asked with wide disbelief filled eyes. Rhysand grinned cheekily down at me as he moved his wings, stretching them open before tucking them in.

"You have red hair now." He noted. Even under the blood and the grime on my hair, with this light the difference in the color was stark. Like blood and rubies the crimson red color shone from beneath.

"Add it to the list of the things that do not make sense." I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "But at least I can learn to conceal this at least." I waved a hand in the general direction of my head for my hair.

"You want to glamour your hair?" He asked with a frown.

"One thing at a time, Rhys. It's the only thing that I control for now, so yes."

His magic waved over me and suddenly I appeared clean with my hair back to their original color.

"Thanks." I muttered.

"Well, I like it though." Rhys commented. "It suits you."

"I like them too." I stated after a second with a small smile.

We stayed in a comfortable silence until, all of a sudden, Rhys turned towards me.

"What?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You are free now." He said. Rhys motion from my left hand where no scar was there glare back at me.

And he was right. I was free. My debt with Braken ended the moment I died, and the lack of scar on my left palm proved it. I was free. Free of him and of being an assassin. Free of his orders.

A smile formed on my lips. Wider than any of the ones I had done in so much time.

"I am." I said though a laugh

"What are you going to do with your freedom now?"

"I'm going back to the Spring Court. After what she went through here, Feyre will not be the same and not just because she is High Fae now. I don't want to leave her alone" I explained, making Rhys nod with a sigh.

I faced the High Lord of the Night Court and let another smile grace my features.

"Thank you." I said with gratitude "It's a goodbye for now but I know that I will see you again soon, Rhys. After all, you have a bargain with my sister." I winked at him before pivoting on my heels and walked back inside.

"Goodbye Vee."

────༺☽༓☾༻────

╰┈˚ · ° .  A knock sounded on the door of the room that I would stay in for the night before we would go back to the Spring Court. I didn't need much to know who it was.

"Come in." I called out, placing the sword that I was cleaning back in its sheath.

Feyre opened the door, her eyes traveled around the room until they set on me.

We could do nothing but stare at each other, taking in all the new features that came with being High Fae.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, swallowing the lump in her throat at the sight of my twin. Not dead. She is not dead.

Feyre looked down, her blue eyes watering as everything came back to her at an overwhelming speed. "I-"

Feyre clenched her jaw but those tears remained contained in her eyes.

"It wasn't your fault." Feyre whispered.

I furrowed my eyebrows as I stepped closer to my sister leading her to the bed. I waited in silence and Feyre was ready to continue.

"I could see what happened after my death. It was through Rhysand's eyes, probably because of the bargain that we made." She explained, the last phrase through a rumble. "I saw you cradling my body to your chest. I know you, I know what you were thinking." she said as the tears escaped her eyes even against her will.

I looked down at the ground and squeezed her fists together. I just wished I could forget how Feyre looked in my arms. How her blood stained my hands and how she felt as I rocked her dead body trying to understand why. Why was I alive and her sister wasn't?

"I know that you said it was your choice to come here but, I also know that you did it for me. You risked everything for me. When Braken was in the throne room I saw your face, I could feel your fear. But you were not afraid for yourself. No, you were afraid for me. Even if that was your plan. You knew he would come at some point and you made sure he would. And today, today you died Mai." Feyre sobbed "And I'm only alive because you made the High Lords use their power to bring me back."

I hugged my sister tightly against me, her head hidden in the crook of my neck. And we didn't move until both our tears were dried.

"I saw something too when I died." I revealed.

"You did?" Feyre asked, her eyebrows lowered in confusion.

"Just like you did, I saw something through the eyes of some else."

"Who was it?" She asked

"I don't know who it was. Only that he was a male, definitely Fae or faerie and..." I trailed off slightly, my heart clenched in my chest as I thought about his scars. I didn't even know why it did that. "His hands were badly burned."

"Did you see something else through his eyes?" She questioned confused. "Was he here?"

"No he wasn't, I'm sure of that." I replied but I didn't say he was in a city that I dreamed of since I could remember.

"Weird." She commented before silence stretched between us only to be broken by Feyre. "It just took the both of us dying for you to say I love you." Feyre joked with a teasing grin.

"Yes. I admit that my timing sucks." I couldn't help but grin back at her.

We laughed before we joined our foreheads together just like our hands were tightly intertwined with each other.

"I love you." Feyre whispered.

And I smiled before whispering back "I love you too."

✎

˗ˏˋ 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 ˊˎ˗

Hello everyone!

We all know from which eyes she saw when he was dead.

Why do you think that she is alive?

By the way, yes Maiven's hair is now red, more like a crimson red. Her own blood soaked her hair, and the magic that brought her back clinged to that and passed the color to her hair,

I thought that it could fit her, you'll see more why in the third act. I'm sure it will make much more sense!!

I'm so excited for you to read act three!! Is small but it's probably my favorite!!

Thank you for reading!! A bigger thank you for those of you that commented and liked my chapters!! I appreciate each one of you!

˚ · ° . 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞 . ° · ˚

𝐓𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲

𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞!

– 𝐋𝐨𝐥𝐚 ☾