Amaryllis POV -
My nightmares ruled my life so completely that if I wasn't in my room, attempting to and failing to rest, I was wandering our court in my animal form. When I returned, I was surprised to see a strange intimacy had emerged between my brother and Feyre. Lucien's reactions were also something that surprised me, whilst I knew that he didn't completely trust Feyre, his complete opposition of the pair actually spending any time together or getting closer in any way irritated me. He wasn't one of the people directly affected if this plan fell through. Sure, it'd be bad for him, but Tam and I... I don't even want to think about it.
As the dawn approached, I found myself unable to sleep. My entire body just seemed unable to relax for long enough so, there was no point in wasting anymore time trying. As I was wandering down to the kitchens, the faint flicker of candlelight caught my attention. Peaking around the corner, I could see the door to the study was slightly ajar. Tiptoeing over, I peeked inside. Feyre sat hunched over a small desk in the corner, a lamp in front of her and surrounded by books. Her fingers traced the words as she whispered,
"She grab-bed...grabbed her shoe, sta...nd.... standing from her pos...po." When she stumbled over the last word, Feyre seemed to huff in frustration and made a note on some scrap paper. Feyre couldn't read. As much as I knew that Feyre would be mortified that I had seen this moment of vulnerability, I couldn't seem to look away as she continued to try and finish the page, noting down word after word as she came across them. Eventually, she pushed the paper away, face flushed and red. Standing from the table, she began to wander around the library, waking quietly through the shelves.
I slipped into the room, tracking the humans' steps until I found her, gazing up at my mother's mural. "Feyre," I whispered. The human jumped, whipping around, her hand unconsciously grasping for a weapon. I held my hands up, before wrapping my robe tighter around myself. "Amy," She hissed, pressing a hand to her forehead. "You scared the shit out of me."
I shuffled closer, letting my eyes drift over the dark shadows under hers. "You should be in bed." I whispered, concerned. Why couldn't she sleep? Feyre raised a brow before motioning to me. "So should you." She challenged. I nodded, conceding the point. Motioning towards the mural on the wall, I stepped up beside Feyre.
"My mother made this, before I was born. It depicts the story of our world." I explained, I pointed at the stylized image of a black cauldron being held by glowing, slender female hands. "It began with The Cauldron." The hands were tipping it, effervescent liquid spilling over, rife with knowledge and words written in an ancient language, writing the story of the world past, present and future. "The Cauldron formed our world, bringing everything you know into existence. Beings of ancient power once roamed this world." I swept a hand over the multicolored map, each territory with ornate depictions of the creatures who lived there.
The next panel was the most detailed. "Then came the wars, faeries and humans in a bloody slaughter." The depictions of bloody soldiers and charging hoards were difficult to look at. "I was young when these wars began, not yet old enough to truly take part. But Tamlin led some of our father's war bands. Finally, the Treaty was struck."
The final panel was of Prythian as it was known today. With the wall dividing the continent and the seven courts. Feyre's face grew stony as she drew closer to the mural and placed her hand over the human lands. Compared to the detailed and beautifully colored faery lands, the human lands were blank and uncared about. She scanned the map before her eyes lingered on the Night court. Whilst the other courts had details, town ships and capital cities, the Night court was blank other than depictions of mountains and starry skies.
I felt my eyes be drawn to the great Mountain in the center of our land. The most sacred place, believed to have once been the resting place of the Cauldron. It was where my people had been created...Now it was home to the foulest creature in the world. Amarantha had made a pure and magical place into a pit of suffering and pain.
