Dead Spring

Chapter 5 - Feyre

I took the paper from the air and opened it with a small frown, this reminded me of Rhys's notes.

'Feyre, I can tell you can't hear me anymore, is everything ok?'

A pen clattered onto the table. I had no idea what to write back, did I tell him I was in another world or did I play it off like I was fine. I decided to tell him, then at least one person would know.

'Rhys, I'm in another world, I'm not sure how I got here but the people I am with are nice. You're old, do you have any idea how I can get home?'

I held the paper and pen in my palm until they vanished.

"What was that?" Aelin asked.

"The male who gave me the tattoo can mind talk, he has apparently been trying to talk to me, but I haven't heart so he went old school and wrote a note." I told her, looking at the eye on my palm.

"Does your tattoo mean anything?" Rowan asked.

"Yes, in the Night Court it is a tradition to have bargains marked on skin, I didn't know that when I made the bargain, but I guess I kind of like it now. When I was still human, I was locked in a cell Under the Mountain after doing my first trial to free Tamlin from an evil queen and I was seriously injured. Rhys, who is the High Lord of Night, offered to heal me in exchange for me spending one week a month with him." I told him, looking up from my palm.

"That sounds like an interesting story." Aelin said with a smile.

"Not as interesting as yours," I replied, she had told me her story, with the help of everyone around the table over dinner and it definitely sounded crazy.

"Will you tell us?" Elide asked.

"Ok, I guess I should give you a bit of information of my world first though. Prythian, is split into seven courts, the middle and the Human Lands. At the bottom is the human lands, then the Spring Court is above that, the two are separated by the wall, the Summer and Autumn Court are both above that, next to each other with Winter above them both. They are the four seasonal courts, the middle separates them from the three solar courts, Dawn, Day, and Night who go up in that order. Each court is ruled by a High Lord, I guess it is a little like a king, but they have more power, their word is law, and their people expect them to protect them because their magic is the strongest in the world, inherited from their forefathers." I told them, recalling the map from Tamlin's library.

"Ok, now that you know that I guess I can tell you, my story. I was born human in a small village near the wall, we were poor so at fourteen I went out to hunt. My nineteenth winter I killed a wolf, the next day Tamlin smashed down my door and took me to the Spring Court because the wolf was one of his guards, I found out he was the High Lord of Spring not long after. There was a curse on him though and I was the only one who could break it, but I didn't know, an evil queen dragged him under a mountain in the middle and I went after them to get him back. the queen offered me a bargain, if I completed three trials, one at each full moon then she would set Prythian free or if I solved her riddle at any time then she would set them free. I agreed and we give the riddle before I was beaten into unconsciousness. The first trial came, and I was shoved in a mud pit, I was told to defeat the Middengard wyrm. I killed it my setting a trap of bones, but I was gravely injured in the proses, one of the bones from my trap went through my arm. That was when Rhys made me the bargain. My next trial I was shoved in another pit, this time Lucien, who I considered my friend, was there too. White hot spikes began descending from the ceiling and would crush us if I didn't answer the question etched on the wall. The only issue was that I couldn't read, using the eye in my palm Rhys helped me answer the question and we both lived. For the third trial three hooded fae were shown to me, the queen told me all I had to do was kill them, just like I had once killed the wolf, all three of them were innocent. The first male begged me not to, but I did, the second female asked me to make it quick, I did. The third person was unhooded, and they were Tamlin. There was a part of the curse that I didn't know about though, Tamlin's heart had been turned to stone. I stabbed him and he lived. The curse wasn't broken however, when making the bargain I was told that solving the riddle would free Prythian instantaneously, she didn't say the same about the trials. She began to torture me and with my last breath I answered the riddle, she snapped my neck. Tamlin killed her then each High Lord stepped forwards and offered me a spark of their magic, bringing me back to life but as you can see, I came back fae. I went back with Tamlin, for three months I planned out wedding and Rhysand never came in to call in out bargain. On my wedding day I realised I wasn't ready to get married. Rhysand appeared and took me to the Night Court. He did the same the next month. the day I came here I begged Tamlin to let me go with him to help him, but he refused, shutting me in the house with a wall of air, I panicked and ended up here." My hands were shaking by the end, I couldn't help it, the faces of those two fae were all I could think about.

"Come on, it's been a long day and we could all do with some rest." Aelin said with a small smile.

She took me back up to the room I had first awoken in and I saw a night dress on the bed.

"Try and get some sleep, we are having a late breakfast tomorrow because it is the lead up to a holiday here so don't worry about having to wake early." Aelin told me.

"Thank you for being so kind and welcoming." I said, she took my hand.

"I'm glad I could help, and you should be proud of yourself for what you achieved today." She said before walking out.

I got changed and slipped under the covers. I got to sleep in record time and for the first night in a long time I didn't wake once.