Angels Grave

~ Chapter 2 ~

For her, 5 years passed like it was nothing – it was nothing - and she got overly attached and familiar with the bright girl. She had taught the girl the proper way to hold and fire a bow, the first few misfires endangering Zhysa's life but she eventually got the hang of it. Zhysa also taught the girl the art of tracking, looking for broken branches, tracks, uneven rubs – anything.

That shy and flighty girl disappeared revealing a sharp tongued youth that could rival Zhysa's own sarcastic tendencies. One that one many occasions tried to pry into her purposely secretive life. But as Zhysa recalled her mother's teaching's before she passed away, she gave small pieces of information to the inquisitive girl.

One time in particular came to Zhysa's mind as she watched Feyre ramble on about her dalliances with that farm boy.

***

It was spring. 2 years after she had first met the girl and the snow of winter had long melted away and the bright colours came pushing through the soil. Green, purples, night blues and sunset yellows, every damn colour on the spectrum.

She suspected that Feyre saw those plant much more brightly that Zhysa did, penchant to her desire of painting.

That strange girl had asked her of faeries. She has assumed that Zhysa would know more than the average person living close to the wall that divided Prythian and the human lands – and of course she did, considering she was fae herself. She had turned to the girl who was watching her weed the newly emerging weeds near her house.

"Zhysa, have you ever crossed the wall?" Zhysa had immediately tensed, her mind flying to the possibility that the girl had figured out her true nature. She had breathed out evenly and turned to face the 16 year-old girl.

"What brought up this question Feyre?" Zhysa's eyes were trained on the girl, looking for any tells.

Feyre had just grinned. "The Children of the Blessed came into town today. They were sprouting their beliefs of the fae again and I was curious since you live closer than others"

Zhysa's white knuckles visibly relaxed.

"I have girl, many, many years ago and I hope to never again" Zhysa bluntly said and returned to her weeding.

Feyre's jaw dropped.

"Would... would you be willing to tell me? About Prythian... and the Fae" Zhysa looked at the girl amusingly.

"Are they really that enchanting? The Fae? You want to know so many things"

Feyre grumbled at her. Zhysa laughed and gestured for them to move onto the bench near the cottage door.

They sat down and Zhysa prepared herself to talk.

"I was very young, only around my mid-twenties and my mother and her ... husband had just died a few years before. My mother had always told me that Prythian was a beautiful place but also a place of danger. So as she admired that mysterious land so much I went to visit" Zhysa looked to Feyre to see her hanging onto every word.

"Prythian has 7 Court Lords, the most powerful fae of all. I entered the Spring Court first and I couldn't describe it. It was literally spring personified, everywhere you would turn flowers bloomed, fruits hung from branches and strange creatures walked that earth. These were the fae. I saw some with wings, scales, claws, even gills. They were omniscient and beautiful"

"Soon after I left as a pack of ... bad faeries chased me out" Zhysa turned her body to face Feyre.

"You need to understand that all fae are dangerous. Most if they find a human in their lands will immediately slaughter it. Prythian – at least at the moment – is not a place for humans"