Of High Lords and Heirs

5

There was a pounding behind her ear as she woke up the next morning. It was almost as though someone had taken a cricket bat and knocked her unconcious. But that couldn't possibly have happened though, could it?

She was so distracted by the pounding in her head, that at first she didn't notice the lack of noise. The silence was almost smothering. What on earth did those blasted nephews of hers think they were up to? They normally never let her sleep in of a morning. Besides, the general hustle and bustle of the palace and city in the morning didn't allow for much idleness in the servants. But on second thoughts, even the sounds of the palace and of Adriata in general, had completely vanished.

With a sigh, Alis slowly opened her eyes. With a shock, Alis saw that she was not in the servants' quarters in the palace at Adriata, but the her old room in the servants' quarters in Rosehall Manor. In the Spring Court. The residence of the High Lord of the Spring Court. The High Lord whom she had not seen since she left his employ over ten years ago during the War.Y

es, Alis had served in the Spring Court during Amarantha's reign. But she and her nephews had returned home to the Summer Court when the War began to heat up. Which then begged the question, what had happened? Alis definitely remembered going to sleep in her room in the palace of Adriata. So what happened during the ensuring time since? How long had it been since she was taken? How long had she been here? Why was she there in the first place? What about her nephews? Were they at least safe and sound? Would her cousin look after them the way she would? Why on earth had Tamlin thought to kidnap her for? What made him think that she had something to give him?

All of sudden, a key rattled in the locked door. Immediately, Alis jumped to her feet, wanting to be prepared for anything. As the door opened, she was stunned to see an overly blonde simpering High Priestess that she had believed to be have perished during the war.

Knew that Ianthe had died, because Feyre had told her about the trick she had played on her, leading to her being consumed by the Weaver of the Wood. How on earth had the horribly insipid priestess survived it? There was no way that the Weaver would have let her go alive.

"Welcome back to Rosehall Manor, mistress Alis," the Priestess simpered at her, as inane and trite as she had remembered. "Ought I call you mistress, though, Alis? You are only a servant after all. Just a lowly maid. Born to do nothing but serve your betters."

"Neither you nor Tamlin are my betters, Ianthe," Alis retorted sharply. "Why have you brought me here anyway? Why have you kidnapped me? Why couldn't you just leave me be?"

"What do you mean?" Ianthe looked genuinely confused and surprised. Almost hurt. As though her feelings had been genuinely hurt. "You have merely been brought here to serve Lord Tamlin, as you did before you ran during the war. And you took your nephews with you, further depriving Tamlin of another two potential workers. I wouldn't worry about them if I were you, they were left behind in the Summer Court. But what I don't understand is why everyone thinks we kidnapped them when we are merely returning them to where they are meant to be. Lord Tamlin would never dare kidnap anyone. He has far too much honour for that."

Alis didn't know what Ianthe thought she was talking about. If Ianthe was telling the truth, and that was a pretty big if, then it logically meant that she and Tamlin had kidnapped someone else. And if Ianthe was telling the truth and it wasn't her nephews, then who was it? Alis just prayed that it wasn't Feyre, that Tamlin and Ianthe hadn't been dumb enough or stupid enough to infiltrate the Night Court...

But then again, this was Tamlin and Ianthe that she was talking about. Alis could picture them being exactly that dumb. If it was Feyre that they had kidnapped, Alis knew that she was strong enough to survive them. No, it was herself that Alis wasn't so sure about.