Dreams of Spring (Tamlin x Hyacinth Novella)

Chapter Four

The sun's rays filtered through the large open windows of the Spring Court Mansion, illuminating the breakfast table set for Tamlin, Cin, and the ever-spirited Cresseida.

The scent of freshly brewed coffee mingled with the aroma of buttered toast and strawberry jam.

"Ugh," Cresseida faked a gag and playfully rolled her eyes. "I think I prefer the days when you two are apart and not making heart eyes at each other. I feel incredibly single."

Cin couldn't help but blush at Cresseida's teasing remark, and Tamlin's chuckle only made her blush even harder, turning the daisies on the table into red tulips.

"Have you decided which courts we'll be informing of the betrothal?" Cin asked, trying to steer the conversation away from her and Tamlin's obvious affections.

Tamlin took a bite of his toast before he answered her, "Summer and Winter, so far. Tarquin and Kallias have already accepted my visit requests, once we've finished our tour here, we're to leave for Summer and then Winter. Winter will be our last stop before we return home."

"And the rest of them?" Cresseida asked, her eyes burning with curiosity. The gold rings in her hair glistened in the dewy morning sunlight.

"Invites will be sent out, I suppose," Tamlin shrugged. Whether they attended or not didn't bother him. Tamlin barely cared about the extended guest list as it stood. All the people he cared about lived in the Spring Court anyway. "But I don't suspect any other courts will be bothered to attend. A High Lord's wedding isn't nearly as entertaining as you two make it out to be."

Cin looked at Tamlin, curious, "What about Thesan? I'm sure you could convince him to be there."

The High Lord of the Dawn Court had been a tough one to convince of Tamlin's change but after some prodding and gifts, Thesan had relented. He'd invited them to spend a week in Dawn and though Tamlin was needed in Spring, he needed the alliance more.

So they'd gone to the lavish Dawn Court.

Thesan and Tamlin had spent the week talking, drinking, and swapping stories about Spring's best fighters against Dawn's Peregryns, and building a relationship that hadn't truly formed before Amarantha. All the while Aravi, Thesan's lover, had shown Cin everything the Dawn Court had to offer.

Their visit had coincided with one of the most enchanting and revered festivals of the Dawn Court, known as Ittisam. As the sun ascended after the full moon, a spectacle of wonder and beauty unfolded. The longest sunrise of the year was celebrated with much exuberance and fervor, as the dawn's light spread its warm embrace over the court.

Ittisam was a time of jubilation, a time of dancing and revelry, where the air was filled with the sweet melodies of music and the intoxicating aroma of exotic flowers. The Dawn Court was awash with a vivid palette of colors, as the revelers dressed themselves in an array of stunning red, orange, yellow, gold, purple, and pink outfits. They danced with abandon, lost in the joy and ecstasy of the moment, as they offered their adoration and gratitude to the sun for its life-giving warmth and light.

Cin recalled how the hours had stretched into the morning and the festivities continued, with drinks flowing and songs of praise ringing through the air. The celebration of Ittisam had been a time of profound magic, a moment when the boundaries between the fae and the divine seemed to dissolve, and all were caught up in the enchantment of the dawn.

Aravi was the General of Thesan's Aerial army and yet, when he took off his gold armour, he was as wild and spirited as any fae could be.

Cin was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of Tamlin buttering another slice of toast with strawberry jam. The grating of the knife against the crispy toast filled the room.

"Thesan and I may be on better terms, but after the stunt Feyre pulled at the High lords' meeting, he is avoiding them at all costs. Attending my wedding would draw a line in the sand that Dawn is not ready for." Tamlin pointed out.

Cin's frown deepened, Feyre had done a lot of things at that meeting. "What did she do?"

"She broke through his wards," Tamlin replied nonchalantly. "Thesan's wards prevented the high lords from using their power and yet, Feyre tapped into Tarquin's power to nearly drown Beron, then tapped into Beron's power and burned Lady Anwarah. Don't even get me started on how Rhysand was able to sew my lips shut."

"Do you think my cousin will get his power back if we kill them?" Cresseida narrowed her eyes, resting on her elbows as she leaned forward. The humour that had danced in her eyes just a moment before was gone.

Tamlin shook his head, "It doesn't work that way. Or at least I don't think it does. There's never been a thing like Feyre before, and I don't think the High lords would ever be stupid enough to do it again."

Cin knew the truth of those 'gifts', but she couldn't discern if Cresseida knew, if Tarquin had shared it with her. Cin wondered as she gazed at the beautiful Summer Princess, if she knew how Rhysand had warped her cousin's mind Under The Mountain to give a sliver of his soul to resurrect Feyre, and then how Feyre had unknowingly done the same thing to get the high lords to resurrect Rhysand after the Cauldron was destroyed.

There was no line they wouldn't cross for each other, and that made them dangerous.

"Well," Cresseida chimed, sliding against the back of her chair, "We should invite Aravi to one of our meetings, Cin. I haven't seen him in years."

"No, thank you." Tamlin piped in, cutting off whatever plan Cin had started to form. "I have enough to deal with as it is. Between the two of you, and Abina, I would rather not see what happens when this group gets a feathered fae into its hooks."

"It could be fun." Cin pleaded, pouting playfully. Cresseida burst into laughter as Tamlin reached across the table to flick his beloved's nose.

"Spring would never recover." Tamlin rolled his eyes, a bemused expression on his face.

Cresseida leaned back in her chair and regarded them with a grin, "Well, you two seem to be doing a pretty good job of that so far. I mean, I don't think I've ever seen the Spring Court so lively and prosperous. "

"All it too was countless hours of blood, sweat and tears." Cin winked.