.・。.・゜✭・.

Early dawn had just begun to break across the sky, staining the rolling estates of the Spring Court in rosy light.

There, glittering beneath a lone ray of amber sun, Elina Moon twirled, surrounded by little dancing beings of gold and light. Her lips were twisted into a soft smile, singing along with the gentle song of the sprites as they brought the forever-luminous days of spring upon the land.

'Dance, dance in the month of May
Dance, dance for the Queen of Faey
Oh my sisters, dance and sing
Dance around the faery ring.'

"Elina, Elina," The little sprites giggled and twirled, tugging at the rose gold curls that fell over the fae's shoulders. Elina laughed quietly, grasping her dress of pink tulle and lifting it slightly, revealing her bare feet beneath, spinning in time with the sprites.

"Good morning to you too," The pink-haired fae hummed, allowing herself to be swept up in the sweet song, singing and dancing freely while the sprites glimmered and darted around her. It was only the low timbre of a familiar voice that broke Elina from her spell.

"Elina," Lucien said, letting out a sigh of relief when he spotted the girl. "I should have known you were out here," He said, a small, sad smile lifting the corners of his lips. Elina's hands fell, a horrible cold feeling welling in her chest when she caught sight of Lucien's eye, his russet eye, not marred with metal, was shining, loss haunting his handsome face.

"What's happened?" Elina questioned, stepping away from the sprites and instead into the Autumn male's warm embrace. He simply held her there for a few moments, face buried in her rosy curls, inhaling the smell that was entirely Elina. Vanilla and strawberries.

"Andras is dead," Lucien finally confessed, leaning back so that the fae in his arms could take in his lovely tortured face, haloed in golden light, golden skin glowing and copper hair glittering. But his eye, Elina longed for the days when Lucien's gaze didn't look so shattered. "Tamlin felt it late last night, he's already crossed the border in search of the one responsible." Ever the emissianary, even when he had lost a friend. Elina's dreamer's heart wilted.

"Oh, Lucien," She murmured sadly, drawing him back into her arms, pressing her face to his chest in hopes that if they stayed this way long enough, all of their worries and fears would melt away, leaving only them behind in a world no longer riddled with rot and decay. "Maybe it could be the one..." She said hopefully, her voice muffled against the fabric of Lucien's tunic.

"If only the mother would be so kind," Lucien replied tightly, pressing a kiss atop the fae's head.

"We have to have hope, Lucien," Elina said. "If we don't have hope, we cease to exist, especially now." Lucien didn't respond, or couldn't, Elina couldn't be sure, but the pair stayed there, twined in each other's arms until the sun was high in the sky and the sprites had long since abandoned the spot beside them. When they finally pulled apart, a single tear dripped down Lucien's cheek, one that he quickly brushed away, taking Elina's arm and leading her back into the house.

.・。.・゜✭・.

Elina sat before her desk, fingers twined in thin cotton as she swiftly threaded a needle through the pale green bodice, a patchwork of yellow and gold sunflowers appearing upon the fabric. The only sound that echoed through the large bedroom was Elina's silver voice, a song lost to time slipping from her lips so quietly it could have been the whisper of the wind swirling gently outside the window.

'Lavenders blue, dilly, dilly                                          Lavender's green                                                              When I am king, dilly, dilly                                            You shall be queen.'

A knock sounded from outside before the door swung open. Lucien entered, his quick stride falling when he caught sight of Elina, his lips tugging into an involuntary smile.

"Elina," He said, watching as the girl turned in her chair, smiling so brightly at him she could have melted even the coldest of hearts. "It's time."

"He's back?" The fae asked, placing her stitching down onto the desk and standing up, fanning out her dress of white satin and frills, the long sleeves falling past her fingertips. Lucien nodded slowly, stepping forward and taking Elina's hand into his own, squeezing it softly, the cold metal of her rings biting into his callosed skin.

"Yes," He said, already leading Elina from her bedroom. Instead stepping into the hall, Elina could hear the echo of voices bouncing up the stairs. One was the low gravelly tone of Tamlin, but the other was sharp and high and... feminine.

"A girl?" Elina questioned, looking up at Lucien, eyes glimmering with excitement.

"It seems so," He said as the pair began to descend the stairs. "Elina..." Lucien said after a few moments of silence had settled over them, "Be on your guard, okay?" He requested, "If she truly did kill Andras... was have no idea how dangerous this mortal could be."

"I know, Luc," The fae said softly. "I'll be careful." She said, not allowing any more of Lucien's troubled thoughts to spill as they entered the dining room.

Tamlin was seated at the head of the table, so the pair quickly headed to his side, where they fell into bows. Lucien was the first to straighten.

"Well?" He questioned.

"Well, what?" Tamlin echoed, his head tilting to the side. Elina blinked back at him before turning slightly.

"Is Andras dead then?" They already knew, but the strain in Lucien's voice told Elina that deep down, the male had hoped that Tamlin had somehow made a mistake, and the severance of the bond between Tamlin and Andras had been broken in some other way.

"I'm sorry," Was all the High Lord said, an echo of grief in his baratone voice.

"How?" Lucien demanded, using his hand, still laced with Elina's, to pull the girl closer so that her side was pressed against his. It was sweet, something in the action reminding Elina of how Lucien would walk with her mother through the bustling streets of Lux, always keeping Genevive close. Even though the woman was more than capable of protecting herself.

"An ash arrow," Tamlin told them, a hiss escaped from Lucien's lips. "The Treaty's summons led me to the mortal. I gave her safe haven." The lie... Elina wondered vaguely if the love this mortal was destined to feel could even be genuine if it was all built upon a lie. Or maybe that was all apart of her fun.

"A girl - a mortal girl actually killed Andras," Lucien said in disbelief, shaking his head as he turned and looked down to the end of the table only to find no mortal girl waiting. "And the summons found the girl responsible."

A cruel laugh escaped Tamlin, his gold mask glittering as he pointed a single finger at the wall beside the door, "The Treaty's magic brought me straight to her doorstep."

Lucien whirled around in one sharp movement, dropping Elina's hand and leaving the girl to turn for herself and look upon the mortal who could save them all for the first time.

"You're joking," Lucien sniffed sharply. "This scrawny thing brought down Andras with a single ash arrow?" His tone was cold and unkind, causing Elina's nose to scrunch in distaste. The mortal girl was pressed against the wall, her entire body tense, ready to spring at any moment, eyes glittering like shards of glass.

"She admitted to it," Tamlin said, taking a sip from his large goblet. "She didn't try to deny it."

Lucien sank back, resting upon the edge of the table, his eyes darting between the mortal girl and Elina.

"Well..." He seethed, "Now we're stuck with that, thanks to your useless mercy, and you've ruined..." The mortal girl took one step away from the wall, body still coiled like a snake ready to strike.

"Did you enjoy killing my friend, human?" Lucien questioned, "Did you hesitate, or was the hatred in your heart riding you too hard to consider sparing him? It must have been so satisfying for a small mortal thing like you to take him down."

"Lucien," Elina sighed, placing her hand on the male's shoulder and rubbing it. Tamlin smiled slightly in thanks at the pink haired fae. Autumn males truly had fire in their veins. "Enough." But Lucien shook her off. Always the protector.
"Anyway, perhaps there's a way too..."

"Lucien," Tamlin growled, "Behave." He warned. Lucien went rigid before suddenly springing from the table and dropping into a deep bow before the girl. The mortal looked slightly stunned at his actions before her face switched back into a scowl.

"My apologies, Lady," He crooned with a swish of his hand. "I'm Lucien. Courtier and Emissianary." He said with a small smile, "Your eyes are like stars, and your hair like burnished gold."

"And I'm Elina," The pink-haired fae announced, smiling gently at the girl, and though her eyes widened slightly when she drew her attention to Elina, she made no move to return the gesture. Instead, her gaze flicked hesitantly between the three.

"Her name is Feyre," Tamlin told them after it was clear that the girl wasn't going to talk. "Alis will take you to your room. You could use a bath and fresh clothes," Tamlin said dismissively, now turning his attention to the meal laid out before him.

"Oh, I'll take her to her room," Elina said, already stepping toward Feyre. "Alis is preparing her bath; no bother making her come down here." She hummed, smiling at the mortal once again.

"Very well," Tamlin said carelessly while Lucien, on the other hand, was stricken, staring at Elina with unveiled horror.

"Elina," He said lowly, shaking his head, but the fae only shook her head with a smile.

"No ash arrows here," She said, so quietly that Feyre's delicate mortal ears would not pick up on it. Lucien's eye narrowed beneath his russet mask, but other than that, he said nothing else.

"Come, Feyre." Elina sang, gesturing towards the door, and slowly Feyre stepped out of the room, allowing Elina to guide her up the stairs and away from the door fae who discussed the girl loudly despite her still being in earshot. "Ignore them," Elina said, glancing up at Feyre, who frowned slightly. "Although I cannot vouch for the fact, I'm sure mortal men are just as grating as fae males."

The two walked through the lavish halls of the
Spring Manor. Elina pointed out a few portraits and statues along the way, and she couldn't help but notice how Feyre's stare lingered on the landscapes. But before long, they were at Feyre's door.

"My room is just down the hall," Elina told her, pointing at her door, the dark stained wood was decorated with whirls of pink and violet, "Please do ignore the mess of what we hoped would be flowers on it, neither Lucien or I are very artistic," She laughed as she opened Feyre's door and led the mortal inside.

Inside, Feyre was quickly ushered into the bath by Alis and Corinne, Elina's usual handmaiden. The pair made quick work of washing the girl and cutting her long golden hair before finally bundling her into a large robe and depositing her at the seat of her dresser.

"Can I please just have my clothes back?" Feyre was begging Alis, her eyes impossibly round. She had been pleading relentlessly since she had been taken from the bath and laid eyes upon the turquoise dress laid out for her on the bed. In a huff, Alis had stormed from the room, leaving just Elina, Feyre, and Corinne, but the latter was already busying themself draining the bathtub.

"Is something wrong with the dress?" Elina asked softly from where she sat on the bed, "Because we have lots of others, I can give you one of my own if you would like. Though they might be a bit short on you..." She murmured thoughtfully.

"I don't like dresses," Was all Feyre said before Alis entered the room, a bundle of clothing in her hands.

"You want to wear this?" She demanded, her bark-like skin flushing slightly. She was holding up a grey rag that may have once resembled a shirt, but it hung so limply that Elina would have mistaken it for a dishrag had she not known better. "It fell apart the moment the laundresses put it in water." She held up a few scraps of brown. "Here's what's left of your pants." Feyre's expression crumbled.

"Will you wear the dress now?" Alis questioned, but the mortal only sunk back into her seat.

"Let me try something," Elina requested, already standing up and walking from the room before Alis could say anything.

Once in her bedroom, Elina opened the large wooden chest at the end of the bed. She dug through the piles of fabric before she finally found a pair of ruch brown trousers. They were slightly flowy, a patchwork of yellow fabric along the seams with little white flowers pressed into the fabric. She then grasped a flowy white shirt and a simple black tunic made of velvet and silk. Elina bundled them up before walking back into Feyre's room and handing her the clothes.

"Trousers and a tunic," Elina explained when she saw the mortal's furrowed brows. "I made them myself," She added with a small smile. At this, Feyre nodded. Standing up and dressing herself in the garments. She looked pleased, but it was hard for Elina to tell. Once dressed Alis ushered Feyre into a low-backed chair beside the fireplace and began brushing and braiding her golden hair.

"You're hardly more than skin and bones," Alis told the mortal.

"Winter does that to poor mortals," Feyre
replied sharply.

"If you're wise, you'll keep your mouth shut and your ears open. It'll do you more good here than a loose tongue. And keep your wits about you... Even your senses will try to betray you here." Alis informed her.  "Some folk are bound to be upset about Andras. Yet if you ask me, Andras was a good sentinel, but he knew what he would face when he crossed the wall—knew he'd likely find trouble. And the others understand the terms of the Treaty, too—even if they might resent your presence here, thanks to the mercy of our master. So, keep your head down, and none of them will bother you. Though Lucien—he could do with someone snapping at him if you've the courage for it."

"Oh, Alis, are you trying to terrify the girl?" Elina sighed sadly, shaking her head. "Our people are fickle creatures, Feyre. They like to be feared, but it is better to remember that there were many things before us, and there will be many after us."

"This one will try to fill your head with stories," Alis said, scowling over at the pink-haired fae.
"Ridiculous, even to our standards," She huffed shortly.

"The sprites and the nixies would disagree with you there, Alis. They talk, and many of us have just forgotten how to listen." The elder fae didn't respond, only shaking her head as she finished Feyre's hair and began to usher her from the room.

"Come along, Feyre darling, I'm sure you must be hungry. It's a long ride from the mortal realm," Elina said, taking the girl's hand and leading her down the steps, surprised at just how warm Feyre's hand felt in her own.

.・。.・゜✭・.

🌸 oh my god we are so back,,, it has been over two months but finally the first chapter is here ! honestly i have been so busy with uni and work recently but i finally got the motivation to write ! so i really hope you guys enjoy this chapter, i've tried to remember as much as i could of the first version but things are gonna be different so i apologise but i hope you liked this new take 🙏🏻

🌸 also naming all the original characters barbie names... i'm so locked in it's unreal.

🌸 also my sweet elina getting some new hobbies, my girl makes dresses because she's the cutest girl in the entire world and i adore her. and her singing the song from cinderella, SHES SO PERFECT AHHH

🌸 anyways thank you so much for reading and i hope you liked it and i'll see you all soon ! mwah !