Lucien
"For cauldrons sake Tam - either spit it out or get over it. But stop the silent brooding already."
Tam's green eyes glowed and I could see his claws shooting out as he gripped his knife and fork.
"There's nothing to spit out" he growled at me - spittle flying from his mouth.
I cocked a smug eyebrow at him and swallowed back my laughter. Anyone else would turn and run right now. Or at least back out of the room, making sure they weren't being chased down and slayed by my furious friend. Unfortunately not me. I couldn't go - as much as I wanted to. I cursed under my breath as I threw my chair back from the table; my dinner untouched on my still steaming plate.
"Sit down" Tam glared at me.
"No" I growled back. "I'm sick of you moping around like a sad puppy who's lost his bone."
Tamlin let out a guttural snarl and lunged at me.
Ok! Ok! Comparing Feyre to a bone wasn't the smartest decision of my life but I was so sick of his love sick arse moping about.
I dodged the onslaught and backed up with my knife and fork held sky high in surrender.
Tamlin looked between my hands and my face and let out a low chuckle that swiftly evolved into a full throated laugh.
I begrudgingly smiled - I suppose I did look kind of pathetic with my utensils waving about in the air.
"Tamlin - " I began.
He scowled again.
"She has moved on. You have to deal with it. Rhysand didn't steal her. They are mates. Mates!!!"
He continued to glare at me.
"You know what that means" I went on. "Just look at your mother for Cauldron's sake. She knew the cruelty and brutality of your father and yet she was helpless against their bond."
His eyes became glacial at the mention of his father. I swallowed wondering, not for the first time tonight, if I had finally gone too far.
Finally his head bowed and his shoulders crumpled as he ran his hands roughly through his golden hair. When he looked up at me my heart clenched painfully. I carried the death of my lover buried deep down within me, yet it only took the heart broken eyes of my friend to jolt that memory right up to the surface. I swallowed down my own agony and looked up at him with all the honestly I could muster.
"She needs you" I said gently.
He looked down at the floor, refusing to acknowledge the painful words that he knew were true.
"Tam -" I started, pausing until he finally looked up at me.
"She can't face what is to come alone. There is a war coming and she is not going to be ready. Yet they will wield her as their weapon all the same."
He snarled at this but didn't move from where he stood. Seconds later regret and resignation flashed across his face and he gave one curt nod.
I held in a huge sigh of relief.
Calamai was only 48 hours away and then all of Prythian was going to be torn apart when Rhysand claimed Feyre.
Damn Rhysand! I cursed inwardly, knowing full well that this one time it wasn't his fault. I growled internally feeling cheated of this opportunity to hate and blame him. Life was so much easier when I could just fantasise about ripping out his smug, cocky, good-for-nothing throat. But now I couldn't. Not without hurting Feyre and destroying Prythian. Cauldron above! this was complicated. Cheated of a life long feud and forced to defend that arrogant prat all within the same day.
"I need a drink" I growled out loud shaking my head.
Tam threw me a lop-sided smile as out of nowhere two bottles of well aged red appeared in his paws. He tossed me one, along with a knowing grin and we held up our bottles in salute.
"Now that is something we can agree on" he chuckled.
__________________________________________________________________________________
FEYRE
I trudged my way up to the manor, my feet growing heavier with each step. I hadn't seen Tamlin since before I left. Hadn't even seen him when he had forced his way through my walls and rescued me from the cave in within the mines. Rhys had been sketchy on the details from that day, but I suspected that somewhere in mix Tam had discovered that Rhysand and I were mates. Cauldron help me - I was not looking forward to that confrontation.
I knocked timidly on the door and waited a while but there was no answer. I frowned at the strangeness of it. Tamlin had the sharpest ears going and the Suriel had assured me he was home.
I knocked again loudly and waited. Still no answer. I pressed my ear up against the door curiously and could hear loud booming laughter from within and then suddenly the onslaught of a raunchy tune from Pyrthian's finest fiddler. What the hell was going on?
I strained to hear more and caught the very close scraping of metal as the door handle turned. Unfortunately I realised too late to pull back and I tumbled shamefully forward onto the lobby fall. I heard a gasp and then the bemused chuckle of a familiar voice.
"Help me up Alis" I grumbled as I stretched up a hand to the bark brown faerie grinning down at me.
She laughed again and complied, pulling me to my feet.
"What is going on?" I asked as the fiddling in the other room grew unbearable loud.
Alis rolled her eyes "a dozen bottles of the 1000 year old vintage" she said with a disbelieving shake of her head. "It was a gift fit to buy a kingdom and those uncouth savages have managed to down it in a matter of hours."
"What savages?" I murmured utterly confused.
Alis just gave me an amused smile and cocked her head by way of daring me to go and see for myself.
I felt a nervous flutter in my tummy as I neared the dining room, the fiddle growing louder with every step that carried me towards them. I took a deep breath and then peeped my head around the corner to a sight I never thought I would live to see.
Tamlin and Lucien - dancing bare foot on the dining table. Their lips were stained wine red and their shirts were untucked and unbuttoned from the vigorous jig they were now attempting to punish the table with. I chocked on my own laughter as I looked up in delighted horror at the chaotic mess before me.
"Feeeeeeeeyreeeeeee" Lucien squealed with drunken delight as he leapt from the table and bounded towards me. He hooked one arm around me and swung me into the room. I was now laughing so hard that I gasped for breath as he hurled me around and around.
"Lucien! Stop - "
"S-s-top-"
I gasped between my fits of laughter.
I glared up at Tam in protest but he only fiddled away even harder.
"No - Start! Start!" Luce cackled as he passed me the wine with a gracious flourish of his wrist.
I looked down at the bottle and then back up at Tam and Luce. Something in my heart was aching. It broke me to be like this with my best friends again. I hadn't realised how much I had missed messing around with them until this moment.
To hell with saving the world.
I raised my bottle in salute to Tam and he raised his fiddle right back at me.
I laughed and threw my head back as the bold flavours of the well aged red hit the back of my throat.
Cauldron me damed! I thought as I took another swig.
After all - there were far worse ways to throw away the wealth of an entire kingdom.
***
I awoke sprawled ungraciously upside down on the top of my old bed. Still fully clothed in my uncomfortably tight flying suit and my breath reeking of last night's bender.
I groaned as I rolled over to discover Lucien beside me. I sat upright in horror and saw that Tam was balled up awkwardly on the floor as though he had fallen off the bed at some point and been to drunk to notice.
I groaned and was met by a nearby soft chuckle as Alis pulled open the blinds.
Lucien joined my groan of protest yanking my pillow over and onto his face.
Tamlin rolled over on the floor and stared up at the ceiling in a bewildered daze that made me giggle.
He looked up at me in surprise and then around the room in confusion.
"If you would like an explanation, look no further than the two dozen bottles of empty red downstairs" Alis said dryly before tuning and exiting the room.
Tam rolled up into a sitting position and looked up at me with a lost boyish expression.
I felt my stomach flip in traitorous circles as I stared down at his bright green eyes.
Had last night been a mistake?
Did he hate me now he was sober?
I could feel my eyes growing wider and wider as my thoughts began to panic. I felt the room begin to spin as I grew dizzier and dizzier from hyperventilating.
Tam crawled over to me and the only thing I could see were his lovely green eyes coming towards me.
He gently caressed my face, cupping my cheeks tenderly between his giant hands.
"Shhhhh Feyre" he murmured soothingly.
I felt myself instantly begin to relax as his hand began to stroke my hair reassuringly.
"It's going to be ok" he murmured and I felt a tear splash down onto my cheek because I really truly believed him.
I stumbled forward and threw my arms around his neck. He tensed and held still for a minute before his arms came up around my waist and he pulled me against his chest, stoking my back in soothing circles.
Our moment of reconciliation was completely ruined by the firm pillow that flew across the room and smacked us both across the head.
"For cauldron's sake could you be anymore dramatic?" Lucien cursed.
"Can't a Faerie be left to enjoy his hangover in peace?" he snarled at us and then rolled over to cover his face from the daylight that was now glaring in from the pulled blinds.
Tam and I looked at each other and then smirked as a glass of water appeared in Tamlin's hand. He offered it to me and raised his eyebrows in question.
It was as if he'd said "I dare you."
I hesitated but a moment before grabbing the glass, sloshing its contents all over Lucien and hauling arse out of that room in one seamless and life-fearing moment of truth.
Tamlin roared in laughter as Lucien yelled and then stormed out of the room after me.
***
Three hours later we all sat at the dining table, moving our half touched food around our plates. I sighed out loud as I realised that days like these would likely be few and far between with all that was looming on the not so distant horizon.
Lucien raised an eyebrow in question at me.
"I just wish that it was all over" I said quietly.
Neither of them answered as they both stared down at their plates despondently.
"I mean it just seems like some cruel joke..." I continue.
"Like Amarantha was the worst thing I could ever imagine in my darkest nightmares and now I find out that she was but a flea compared to the threat of Hybern."
Tamlin and Lucien shudder as a shared sense of foreboding sweeps across the room.
"Will you help me?" I ask them quietly.
Tamlin and Lucien look up at me and as my eyes search their faces I see the answer written there as clear as day.
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Hey Everyone,
Gosh I love these three. Makes me want to go back and re-read them laughing and having their picnic in Tam's favourite spot.
One more night till Calanmai so don't worry- you will be getting your next Rhysand fix soon!
Thanks for all the votes and love - I am so humbled that you like my little tale.
Till next time,
Spinlight xo