Artemis didn't attend Feyre's second task and Amarantha didn't seek her out. Artemis had returned to her closet room and cried the entire night. She was crying for two reasons, and when Rhys sought her out after Feyre's trial, all the older brother did was hold his baby sister and let her cry.
Artemis wanted to be strong, but it was immensely difficult seeing as she had one of two options regarding the life of her daughter. She could either fulfill the bargain and hold her daughter every second of the week she was allotted or she could slip between the cracks of the bargain's loopholes and end her pregnancy. The latter made her cry harder. She knew Rhys knew what was going on inside her mind, but he said nothing as he comforted her.
Rhys was successful in convincing Artemis to go back to his room, and when they entered, Artemis went to the couch and curled up with the blanket that was on the cushions. She wasn't able to pull her knees to her chest because of how big her belly had gotten, but she was more comfortable than she was in the closet. And thus, created a pattern. For the next three weeks. Artemis sat and slept on the couch.
Rhys tried and tried to talk to his sister, but it was as if she was shut off from herself. She would hardly look at him and she only ever spoke with a whisper. It was so hard for Rhys to watch his sister slowly fade away right before him. There were days that Feyre would even visit, but Artemis could only give the human a fake smile and tell her she was just fine. Feyre didn't believe a lick of Artemis's words, but she didn't say anything either.
Rhys was reluctant to leave Artemis alone to go to the parties to keep Feyre distracted, but after making sure she was asleep, he went to party after party. The week before Feyre's final task, Rhys was watching the human dance around while under the influence of the wine he gave her. Feyre was a completely different person while under the wine's spell. He was able to actually talk to her instead of tormenting her.
When the song was done, Feyre stumbled up to where Rhys was standing and he had to put his hands on her shoulders to keep her from falling.
"Do all you do is brood?"
Rhys just shook his head. "I've got a lot on my mind." He reached behind him and grabbed another goblet and handed it to her.
Feyre took the wine but didn't immediately drink it. Instead, she let out a breath, making her golden-brown hair fly from her face. "I don't need a babysitter."
Rhys scoffed. "Yes, I think you do."
Feyre took a sip of the wine and her body tilted slightly. She caught herself and the goblet spilled slightly.
"I'm fine."
Though, as she drank the last of the spilled wine, she glanced over to Tamlin, who was sitting at Amarantha's side.
Rhys nearly growled when he noticed the look, but he kept his notions to himself. Though, if he could keep Feyre's attention on him, then maybe Feyre's stupid human feelings would shift. Rhys just let out a breath and reached for Feyre's hand. He dragged Feyre out to the floor as another song started and for a few moments, Rhys smiled as he danced with the human in his arms.
***
Artemis knew that Rhys was at the party, but she also knew that she was in so much pain. She had woken up from her slumber to a sharp pain in her side. It was so intense, that it caused her vision to be clouded with black dots. She put pressure on the spot, but it did little to help. She slowly shifted to sitting and as she did, she felt the babe in her belly drop down. The feeling was familiar and it brought absolute fear to her chest.
Artemis shifted her hands so that she was cradling the bottom of her belly, almost as if she was trying to keep her little girl high in her body. As she lifted up her belly, the sharp shooting pain returned to not one but both her sides. It radiated to her back and she had to cry out at the pain. She hunched forward and that seemed to help some. She felt a tightness in her abdomen and she let out a deep breath.
She was completely alone and she knew that nearly everybody in the court was at the party on nearly the other side of the mountain. Even if she did shout for Rhys, either by mind or mouth, he wouldn't be able to hear her. And there was no need to call for her brother when she had just a few shots of pain in her body.
Artemis leaned back against the back of the couch and let out another breath. She still cradled her belly and when the pain was gone, she sighed in relief. She was still nearly three months away from giving birth and even the closeness of that timeline scared her. She couldn't do what she wanted to do, which was end the pregnancy so that Amarantha could never have the little girl and use her the way that Artemis had been used.
As she leaned back, the images of her darling son came to her mind. She only had six years with him, but she loved every moment of it. As she thought about her son, tears started in the back of her eyes. One of her favourite memories resurfaced and she couldn't help but let a wide smile form on her lips.
***
The small thud that sounded from the veranda, had Artemis pushing the blanket off of her body and setting her book down. She wasn't rushing to the sound because this wasn't the first one, and when she got to the veranda doors, she saw Cassian, Azriel, and Rhys surrounding the small dark-haired child with a large smile.
Artemis leaned on the door frame with her arms across her chest. The boy in the center quickly jumped from the ground and fisted his tiny hands. The wings behind him were already starting to flap again. He concentrated for a moment before he trusted the strength in his wings and kicked off the ground. The child hovered about three feet in the air with his wings working hard.
Artemis smiled as Rhys and Cass and Az all cheered him on. The boy was laughing, but his concentration dipped and his wings faltered. He came crashing to the tiles and the air was pushed from his little body. But when he jumped up, he turned to Artemis with a huge smile on his face.
"Did you see that? Did you see that? I was higher!"
Artemis pushed off the frame and nodded. "That was amazing!"
The little boy kept his smile as he pumped his little fists in the air.
Artemis laughed and held out her hand. "Come on, let's take a break. You've been at it for hours."
Aesyr shook his head. "I almost got it. Please, just a few more times? Please, mom?"
Artemis looked at Aesyr's big silver eyes and saw the faux pout on his lip.
"Oh really? And who taught you that look?"
Aesyr slowly smiled and pointed to Rhys. "He said you used to do that to him."
Artemis looked up at her brother. "Tattling on me now?"
Rhys just shrugged his shoulders with a smirk.
"Please, mom? I just want to try to fly across the veranda."
Artemis pursed her lips and looked to each of the men. They, too, had a pout on their faces.
Artemis shook her head with a scoff. "I love how all of you are in on this." Then she nodded to Aesyr. "Okay, two times across, then you have to eat lunch."
Aesyr let his smile grow and it warmed Artemis's heart. Aesyr hurried to one end of the veranda and Rhys, Cass, and Az all lined up by the wall that separated the veranda from the long drop to the ground. Artemis stayed by the door as Aesyr readied himself on the far end.
"Remember, you don't have to be high, you just need to get across."
Cassian nodded to his son and the boy let out a breath.
Aesyr concentrated on his body and soon his leathery wings were in motion. Just as before, he made sure he was stable before he kicked off of the ground. This time, he didn't rise up, but forward. He still wasn't quite sure what to do with his arms, so he fisted his hands. The little strain on his face was adorable and Artemis smiled.
It was a slow process, but Aesyr was determined. He kept the beat of his wings steady as he worked his way across the veranda. Once he got to the other side, he clumsily dropped to his feet and whirled to face everyone. The smile on his face was the best vision in the world. Artemis clapped with the men and the little boy jumped up and down in triumph.
"Mom! Did you see? I did it! I did it!"
Artemis kept her smile. "I saw! That was great!"
"Can I go three more times? Please?"
Artemis carefully observed her son and she noticed that he wasn't as tired as she would have thought after practicing for hours.
She looked over to Cassian and the man tilted his head with a smile.
Artemis chuckled. "Okay, three more times. Then lunch."
The boy beamed and started moving his wings again.
"Watch out dad, I'm gonna be faster than you one day."
Cassian chuckled. "We'll have to see about that."
"And I'll fly higher than Uncle Rhys and I'll fly smoother than Uncle Az."
Aesyr got off of the ground and crossed the tiles faster than his first time. When he landed he immediately turned around and started again. Though, when he got to the middle, Cassian reached forward and tickled Aesyr's side. The boy's concentration vanished as he laughed and he dropped to the ground with a huff.
"Hey! That's cheating!"
Cassian smiled and shook his head. "If you're going to be so good at flying, then learning how to deflect an attack should come next."
Aesyr stuck his tongue out and gave Cassian a raspberry. Cassian's eyes went wide and Aesyr knew what was coming.
The boy started running from his father and every so often, Aesyr would jump into the air and fly a few feet before landing and running again. Soon, Azriel joined them and used his winnowing abilities to jump in front of Aesyr to trick him. The laughing that filled Artemis's ears was pure light. Rhys pushed off of the wall and had to avoid the teasing as he came across to Artemis.
He stood next to her with his arms crossed.
"He's doing really well."
Artemis kept her smile. "I am absolutely in love with the relationship he has with all of you."
The chasing and teasing continued on the veranda and all Artemis could do was live in the moment. It was times like these that she wished she could stay in forever. Just watching her family laugh and play was the highlight of her life.