Finally, they were at the door and Rhys knocked on it. They were waiting just a few moments before the door was opened by Feyre. "You'd think they'd been told plague had befallen the house." He mused as his brows lifted, as Feyre opened the door wider. Once they were all inside she closed the door.
"My sister Elain can convince anyone to do anything with a few smiles." Feyre explained as to how all of the servants had disappeared.
Cassian let out a low whistle as he took in the entry hall they were all stood in - taking in the ornate furniture, and the paintings. "Your father must be a fine merchant." Cassian told her. "I've seen castles with less wealth."
"My father is away on business - and attending a meeting in Neva about the threat of Prythian." Feyre replied.
"Prythian?" Cassian faced her. "Not Hybern?"
"It's possible my sisters were mistaken - your lands are foreign to them." Feyre explained as Evette pushed her cloak's hood down from her face. "They merely said 'above the wall'. I assumed they thought it was Prythian."
Azriel was so silent as he moved forwards that even she didn't hear him move. That creeped her out - especially since her hearing was great. "If humans are aware of the threat, rallying against it, then that might give us an advantage when contacting the queens."
"Come." Rhys said as he nodded his head at Feyre to lead the way further into the estate. "Let's make this introduction."
When they entered the room the humans were waiting for them in, Feyre crossed the room first as Evette and the others remained a step behind her. And slowly, the two human women took in each of them, and Evette wondered when they'd wrap things up here already so she could see her family that, luckily, didn't live too far away from here.
One of the women stepped in front of the other protectively, a fist behind her gown as she did. Evette tried not to look amused at the action, and felt that she may have not succeeded as much as she had hoped as Cassian elbowed her in the ribs, hard.
"My sisters, Nesta and Elain Archeron." Feyre introduced them, and Evette heard their hearts racing. And was able to see their terror and fear swirling around them elegantly. Feyre inclined her head to the left. "Cassian." She inclined it to the right. "Azriel." She half turned. "Rhysand, High Lord of the Night Court. And Princess Evette of Angevin."
Both of the women looked at Evette, who stared back at them blankly, tilting her head ever so softly. "Thank you for your hospitality - and generosity." Rhys pulled their attention from Evette with a warm smile.
Elain tried to offer a smile back, but failed in doing so while Nesta looked through them all, her gaze cold. "The cook left dinner on the table. We should eat before it goes cold." She said before she strode off to sit at the head of the table.
"Nice to meet you." Elain managed to get out, and she looked to Evette and inclined her head in what she assumed to be some sort of show of respect. Elain then moved to take a seat at the table as well. Evette wrinkled her nose and supposed it was okay if the woman didn't know. Cassian was grimacing, and Rhys' brows had raised, and when Evette glanced at Azriel it looked as though he'd rather be anywhere else.
They all headed for the table, and Evette followed behind them slowly, wanting to get out of there. She just knew this was going to be a very tense meal - she resented such things, because she could always feel the awkwardness, which always amplified her own. Nesta stood at the head of the table, with Elain on her left and Feyre on her right. Cassian took a seat beside Elain, Rhys sat beside Feyre, and Azriel beside him.
Evette sat beside Cassian - and as she did she was hit by his wing as he tried adjusting them around the chair. "Watch where you put that thing!" Evette mumbled to him with a glare.
Soon, they all had food before them. Evette looked at the food she had before her - she saw whipped potatoes, and some roast chicken, and some beetroots. She supposed it was decent. Evette began to eat the food as she kept her eyes on her food and the table. "Is there something wrong with our food?" Nesta asked, making Evette look up slowly and she found she was looking at Feyre.
"No." Feyre replied as she swallowed, and drank many gulps of water.
"So you can't eat normal food anymore - or are you too good for it?" Nesta asked - it was both a question and a challenge. Rhys' fork clanged on the plate, as Elain made a distressed sound. However, Evette's eyes nervously shot to the emotions swirling in the air. Worry and fear from Elain, and irritation, disgust, and hints of fear from Nesta.
And they were making their way over to her, sensing her empath powers.
Feyre placed a hand flat upon the table. "I can eat, drink, fuck, and fight just as well as I did before." Feyre said, causing Cassian to choke on his water, while Azriel shifted in his seat angling to spring between them if it was needed.
However, the emotions began to swirl around Evette, who lifted her hand and tried to waft them away from her in as much concealed irritation as she could, trying to play the movement off as her scratching at her neck. But they persisted.
"If you ever come to Prythian, you will discover why your food tastes so different." Rhys said, and Nesta looked down her nose at him. Evette was wafting her hand at them desperately, hiding and shrinking behind Cassian's body as she did so none of the others could see.
"I have little interest in ever setting foot in your land, so I'll have to take your word on it." Nesta said, as Evette swatted at the emotions. However, as her hand made contact with the emotion this time, she watched in utter bewilderment as her body seemed to absorb it. Evette stared at her hand with wide eyes, gaping, as she had never done that before.
"Nesta, please." Elain murmured softly, just as someone cleared their throats. It wasn't loud enough to grab the other's attention, but was at the type of volume that suggested they were trying to get the attention of someone with enhanced hearing. Evette's wide-eyed stare went from her palm, and met Azriel's hazel gaze.
He raised a brow at her in question - having obviously noticed her freak out.
Evette quickly lowered her hand down to her lap upon finding his questioning gaze - she moved her hand so fast you might've thought she had been burned. Evette looked away from the man and simply grabbed her water and drank it.
"What are you looking at?" Nesta snarled at Cassian, whose brows rose in amusement.
"Someone who let her youngest sister risk her life every day in the woods while she did nothing." Cassian retorted. "Someone who let a fourteen year old child go out into that forest, so close to the wall. Your sister died - died to save my people. She is willing to do so again to protect you from war. So don't expect me to sit here with my mouth shut while you sneer at her for a choice she did not get to make - and insult my people in the process."
Nesta barely blinked - she only studied Cassian before she turned to Feyre, dismissing the man. Cassian's face became feral as Evette snorted in amusement. This, however, caused the woman to settle her hard and heavy gaze on her.
"Shouldn't the Princess of the Fae be lecturing me instead of him?" The woman asked her in a slight sneer, merely gesturing to Cassian with her head. "And could you not save your own people? What's the point of being a Princess if you can't protect your people?"
Evette turned and settled her gaze upon the woman, looking her up and down slowly. "If they were my people...they'd have not been in trouble in the first place." Evette said simply, disregarding the human for her food and eating some chicken.
"It...it is very hard, you understand, to...accept it." Elain's voice wobbled as she spoke. She looked through them all. "We are raised this way. We hear stories of your kind crossing the wall to hurt us. Our own neighbour, Clare Beddor, was taken, her family murdered. It's all very disorientating."
"I can imagine." Azriel offered her a polite smile as Cassian shot the man a glare.
Elain straightened in her seat and looked at Cassian. "And as for Feyre's hunting during those years, it was not Nesta's neglect alone that is to blame." Elain said. "We were scared, and had received no training, and everything had been taken, and we failed her. Both of us." Nesta remained silent.
Feyre grabbed Nesta's arm gently as she drew the woman's attention to her. "Can we just...start over?" Feyre asked, and Evette felt pride roar from the woman, and she winced slightly. She felt as if having the Siphon necklace had amplified many of the emotions she felt from people - or had amplified her concept of receiving them.
At this, she swiftly lifted her hand to her necklace, and removed it. She didn't want to be surrounded by so many strangers with it on - not with the way it was effecting her Empath powers.
"Fine." She said, and they all returned to eating.
"Can you truly fly?" Elain sparked conversation with Azriel, as he probably appeared quite civilised to her. In Evette's opinion, it was the wrong one to speak to. Out of the three of them, she'd have chosen Cassian to speak to a hundred times over. Azriel put his fork down as he blinked.
"Yes." He replied. "Cassian and I hail from a race of faeries called Illyrians. We're born hearing the song of the wind."
"That's very beautiful." Elain replied. "Is it not - frightening, though? To fly so high?"
"It is sometimes." Azriel replied, and Cassian tore his attention from Nesta to nod along with him. "If you are caught in a storm, if the current drops away. But we are trained so thoroughly that the fear is gone before we're out of swaddling."
"You look like High Fae." Nesta cut in. "But you are not?"
"Only the High Fae who look like them are High Fae." Cassian drawled as he waved a hand towards Feyre and Rhys. "Everyone else, any other differences, mark you as what they like to call 'lesser' faeries. Except for Evette here...she's something different to a High Fae and would never ever be considered a lesser faerie. A different type of faerie."
"Lesser faerie has become a term used for ease, but masks a long, bloody history of injustices." Rhys added in. "Many lesser faeries resent the term - and wish for us all to be called one thing. Just like Evette's kind."
"Rightly so." Cassian nodded.
Nesta surveyed Feyre. "But you were not High Fae - not to begin. So what do they call you?" She asked.
"Feyre is whoever she chooses to be." Rhys said.
Nesta turned to look at Evette. "And you? What do they call you if not a High Fae? What kind are you Princess of?"
"The Fey - with an ey. We're an older kind than the High Fae - more powerful. They're simply...branched off versions of us." Evette replied with a shrug. "The Fey - we are a mortal type of faerie. Our name - the Fey - translates to Fated To Die. It's a bit dramatic for my taste...but it is what it is."
"Mortal faeries?" Nesta repeated. "How come we don't know about you?"
"Some do know about us - a small collection." Evette replied. "We never brutalised humans so we never were talked about much. And that's how we preferred it."
"Write your letter to the queens tonight." Nesta said as she faced the others again. "Tomorrow, Elain and I will go to the village to dispatch it. If the queens do come here," she glanced icily after Cassian, "I'd suggest bracing yourselves for prejudices far deeper than ours. And contemplating how you plan to get us all out of this mess should things go sour."
"We'll take that into account." Rhys told her smoothly. "Hopefully Evette can convince her family on this side of the wall to offer help to you as well."
"What?" Evette snapped lightly, her Siphon necklace in one hand, her other hand flat on the table. "And when were you going to tell me this?"
"When you needed to know." Rhys replied. "We didn't think you'd come if we told you back in Prythian." Evette narrowed her eyes sharply at the man, feeling a whole lot of anger at the man. At all four of them, actually. She had known it was a trap - but she wasn't expecting them wanting to pull her human family into this. The mere nerve of them all had her furious. At this moment, the lights around them hummed loudly, and they shook gently.
"Evette!" Azriel said with a warning tone in his voice from where he sat across from her, glancing at the lights as he did. "Do remember where you are."
Evette loosened her grip on the Siphon, and the humming ceased. She still glared at Rhys though. "I am not some pawn you can play with in your game of war, Rhysand!" Evette snapped at him hotly. "And nor are my human family! I do not bend to your will, and nor will they." She glared at him. "Asshole!"
"I assume you'll want to stay the night." Nesta began, moving her gaze from Evette slowly.
"If it's not too much trouble, then yes." Feyre replied. "We'll leave after breakfast tomorrow." Nesta smiled and Elain beamed.
"Good." She smiled. "I think there are a few bedrooms ready - "
"We'll need three." Rhys interrupted quietly. "Preferably next to each other, with two beds in at least two of them." Feyre furrowed her brows at the man, who faced her. "Magic is different across the wall - at least for us. So our shields, our senses, might not work right. I'm taking no chances. Especially in a house with a woman betrothed to a man who gave her an iron engagement ring."
Evette tensed up sharply at hearing this, and allowed her gaze to fall onto the woman, who flushed. While iron didn't harm the Fae, it gravely harmed the Fey. It burned them - it seared through their skin, it melted their skin. It drained them of power if it touched their skin.
"The - the bedrooms that have two beds aren't next to each other." She murmured.
"We'll move things around. It's fine." Feyre replied with a sigh. "This one," she shot a glare at Rhys, "is only cranky because he's old and it's past his bedtime." Rhys chuckled, and Cassian grinned. And Elain offered her own when she saw Azriel's ease.
It seemed that only Evette and Nesta were the only ones not at ease at all. Evette's face had hardened and she was gazing around the table as if one of them would pounce upon her, her gaze narrowed slightly.
Nesta stood from the table. "If we're done eating, then this meal is over."
•••
While Rhys, Feyre, Cassian, and Azriel worked on writing the letter to the queens, Evette had took to finding any and all possible exits. And once she had done so, she retired to her room that she had all to herself, thankfully. Evette was in the middle of tying her hair up when there was a knock at the door.
Evette already knew who it was before she even made her way over to the door. She could feel his magic - it was cold, looming, and dark as usual.
She opened the door to find Azriel there. "What is it?" She asked the man. "If this is about my family, I don't want to hear it." She added on bluntly.
"It's about the dinner." He told her, his voice no longer holding the blunt coldness. It sounded...almost soft. And she knew instantly he wasn't here for a nice little chat. "Can I come in?"
Against her better judgment, she stepped aside and allowed him in. She had a good idea what it was about if not her family. "What happened?" He asked her finally.
"You're gonna have to be a little more specific." Evette mused to him as she moved to sit on her bed, as he stood leant against it's wooden footboard at the bottom of it. "That could mean pretty much anything. A lot has happened."
"You know what I mean." He deadpanned.
"Do I?" Evette feigned ignorance. "You do know I'm the Empath, not the daemati, right?" She asked. "You're probably going to have to be a little more specific."
"Are you really going to make me say it?"
"Say what?" Evette raised a brow, stretching out on the bed, her legs stretched out and leaning back on her hands. She crossed one of her legs over the other, looking directly at him in a challenge.
Azriel let out an irritable sigh, and for once she was able to receive an emotion from him - irritation. It seeped from him slowly - she had found that he was very closed off when it came to his emotions. It made him enjoyable to be around - but the fact that he was a spymaster and he was a shadowsinger also made him unenjoyable to be around. She felt as though his shadows watched her every move and hissed things about her to him that he wasn't able to pick up from just looking at her.
"You were freaking out at dinner before you removed your Siphon. And you looked at your hand as if it grew legs." He replied, irritation lacing his words. "Why?"
Sometimes, Evette hated that she couldn't lie.
"That's not how this works." Evette mused to him as she gestured between them lazily. "You don't get to keep information from me, and get to expect all answers from me. As...as if I owe you guys - because I don't. I'm not here because we're friends, I'm not here because we're allies, and I'm not here because I owe you or feel indebted to you. I'm here so the King of Hybern doesn't destroy the wall resulting in my father's and his family's death's."
"It was hardly my personal choice to keep it from you." Azriel pointed out - he remembered specifically telling Rhys that Evette would not react too well. But Rhys had waved him off and said he'd deal with it.
"Well, it's my personal choice to not tell you a thing about what that was." Evette retorted blankly. "Goodnight, Shadowsinger."