A Surface of Pressure and Burden

Chapter 17: A Letter of Updates and Conclusions

Dear Feyre,

I don't even know where to begin! Lord Rhysand said he'd delivered my last letter to you, but I hadn't heard back from you, so in case you didn't get it, I'll just update you on everything that's happened since I saw you Under the Mountain.

With the help of Rhysand, Will's sisters and I rescued him from Oberon House. Feyre, I didn't even have a chance to tell you about that, but I followed you that night that Tamlin appeared at our cottage, and was captured by Todstule, a disgraced Low Fae who had been kicked out of Prythian, and that's where I met Will. Now we're at Cowscross together - but I'll get back to that in a minute.

Will is an expert in magical law and he helped Rhysand get out of the soul-binding contract he'd signed with Prythian Plus. Now he and his fiance Everard are living their best lives back in the Night Court - although Rhysand's crossed Over the Wall several times to meet with Will and I about our new foundation - but I'll get back to that too. There's just so much to say!

After saving Will, we went back to the cottage to look for Dad and Elain. Well, what a long story that turned out to be- Rhysand didn't know this, but when Tamlin kidnapped you to star in Amaranthathon, the network actually gave Elain and Dad a new house with lots of fancy things and money. They had even put a changeling version of me in the house with them - but Elain said she always knew something was up, and the truth all came out when the changeling forgot to have her spells in place one morning, and Elain came downstairs up to see a rabbit-eared Low Fae in the kitchen.

It was so wonderful to see her again - while I was gone, she actually got engaged to Tomas Mandray, remember him? It seems like another lifetime when he and I were headed to the Solstice Dance. It wasn't what I expected, but they're really cute together! Elain is helping Tomas to expand his woodcutting business into carving giant wooden bears that people buy to set in front of their houses. It's not really my style, but they seem to love making them!

You'll never guess what Dad is up to these days - after the new house and money came in from the faeries, he found his injured back/knee/leg/arm to be suddenly cured. He attributes it to some plant oils he had bought in the marketplace shortly before Tamlin's appearance, and he's now touring the country promoting the healing power of these oils. They're "only" 75 coppers a box. He says his goal is to take the tour Over the Wall one day- who knows, maybe he'll make it to the Spring Court.

Anyway, onto the most exciting news! Rhysand worked it out where Will inherited Todstule's house and everything in it. I know you didn't feel this way about Tamlin and the Spring Court, but neither of us wanted anything to do with a place where we'd been kidnapped and imprisoned, so we sold the house and its furnishings to Lord Whiskerton, one of Todstule's more mouse-like Low Fae neighbors (I took one of his robes, though). We've poured the proceeds into a new foundation we've established here at Cowscross. They just hired their first female professor, and she's helping us as well, along with Will's seven sisters, who are quite a force of nature when they have a goal to accomplish. Elain and Tomas have already pledged a regular donation from their thriving businesses, too! With this foundation, we want to help every girl in the nearby villages learn how to read - and we're making weekly deliveries of food and supplies to needy families so their girls can carve more learning time out of their many chores and responsibilities. I don't know how you'll feel about this, but I've decided to call it the Feyre Foundation - after the girl I failed to teach to read, and who didn't need my help in the end...

I'm sorry, I'm doing my best to believe that you're happy and that you made the choices you wanted to, just as Elain and I have. But Feyre, if you ever look around and feel like you no longer see the magic in Prythian, please know you can always come back to us. I mean, you should probably get your own place. But, you know. Emotionally.

Anyway, I better wrap this up so I can finish preparing for my final exams here at Cowscross. I can't believe this first semester has gone so quickly! I think I'm ready to declare my speciality in the spring - I'm going to study Scripts and Writing. I'll be reading the world's greatest works and developing my own skills as a writer. Professor Trilby - that's the female professor I mentioned - is my advisor, and I'm learning so much from her already. Will thinks I should write the story of my time in Oberon House and Under the Mountain - who knows, maybe I'll do just that!

We all think of you often and would love to hear from you, if you have time to reply to this letter. We're also all getting together - Will and his family, Elain and Tomas, Dad, the Widow Maykre, Lord Rhysand and Everard, and Clare Beddor and her family - for a giant Winter Solstice feast in a few weeks. It will be the night of the Solstice, in the new place that Prythian Plus gave Dad and Elain. Rhysand knows where it is, and if you ask around in the village, they all know as well. I know you're busy with Our Happily Ever After, but we'd love to have you join us. And - against my better judgment, but everyone insisted - Tamlin should come too. Also against my better judgment, some roasted venison at our table wouldn't be amiss.

All my love,

Nesta

THE END