A Court Of Flowers And Shadows {Azriel Shadowsinger}

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Feyre had spent the entirety of the day in bed, completely unaware of everything that had happened just down the hall from her. It had been decided that things would stay that way. Feyre trusting Rhys was crucial to them being able to win this war but Amara felt like trust couldn't be earned if they were keeping things from her.

There was one thing that had always cheered Feyre up on a bad day so Amara made her way in to town, stopping at the bakery. A cherry tart. It was a specialty of Alis' and while this would never be Alis' baking, the cherry tart in this bakery was to die for. At least that was how Amara felt but she also might be biased because of her friendship with the head baker. Dolores was one of the few people who never asked Amara about her time in the Spring Court or expected an answer to every question she had. The two had spent many nights talking and drinking wine in the kitchen of the bakery, Amara ranting about Azriel or anything else going on in her life while Dolores worked on some of the pastries and doughs that she would need for the next day, always happy to be a sounding board for her friend. It definitely wasn't a friendship that anybody had expected but it was a beautiful friendship nonetheless.

The worker for the day looked up and smiled when she saw Amara who had recently become a regular. Not that she hadn't been before but she was definitely here a lot more than she had been on previous occasions.

"Dolores! Your girlfriend is here!" Brigette yelled before she went back to serving the customer in front of her.

One time Dolores and Amara had gotten very very drunk and Brigette had come back to work to grab the keys she'd forgotten to see the pair kissing. She hadn't let it drop ever since but Dolores and Amara were close enough that it didn't really matter.

Dolores came out with a grin on her face. "Hey! I thought I wouldn't see you for another couple of hours," she commented as she hugged Amara.

"I thought I'd pop by a bit earlier and grab something sweet. There's a friend in need," Amara said softly, wiping the flour off of Dolores' cheek and forehead.

"Well, as I always say-"

"Sweet fixes everything," Amara and Brigette chimed in, cutting Dolores off who frowned. After all, it was the catch phrase of the bakery so it was a bit hard for the two of them to forget Dolores' key catchphrase.

"I hate you both," Dolores chimed, sending Brigette a look before she turned back to Amara. "What can I get you, anyway?"

"Wow, Dolores that is some great customer service. I hope you speak to all your customers like that. I mean, you must if you're so packed," Amara teased, earning a swat on the shoulder from Dolores. "In all seriousness though, I need a couple of cherry tarts."

Dolores raised an eyebrow at her before she went to go and get two cherry tarts, popping them in to a small box. Dolores was a rather small fae, probably only a few inches taller than Amren. She had chin length white hair and dark blue eyes that meant that Amara and Brigette often teased her that they would one day lose her in the snow during the winter, which of course resulted in Dolores flipping them both off and walking a bit ahead of them... and then getting lost in the crowd. She also had what Amara had taken to calling Short People Syndrome, or SPS for short. Of course, Amren had this as well but people knew better than to say it to her face. It was just an observation that Amara had noticed that shorter people also tended to have shorter fuses so all of their emotions came out a lot quicker than anyone else's might have. Her theory was that there was only so much space in their bodies to hold that much emotion so it had to come out one way or another. It just happened sooner the shorter you were.

Brigette was almost an exact opposite of Dolores. Where Dolores was short and fiery, Brigette was tall and sensitive. Her long black hair reached her hips and she always wore it pinned up when she was in the bakery, much to Dolores' content. Her dark green eyes were so comforting and where Dolores was indifferent about physical contact, Brigette would hug anyone whenever she wanted. Brigette had power rolling off of her and whenever Amara had asked, she had quickly changed the conversation topic. There was something about that power that made you relax, unlike when you were around someone who had the same amount and it made you wary around them, Rhys and Amara were prime examples of that.

A soft sigh left Dolores' lips as she handed Amara the box. "I still think you should just move in with me so I can see you more often."

"And while that is an amazing offer, I would hate to keep you up all night with my nightmares," Amara told her softly. This was a conversation that they had often.

"You say that every time and every time I tell you that it doesn't matter because you'll be hanging out with me and away from your mate who won't talk to you."

"Oh, he kissed me the other day."

Brigette dropped the cup that she'd been carrying and turned to Amara. Dolores looked like she might pass out. One of the old regulars choked on her tea. The rest of the customers just looked confused at the reactions of the three women, no understanding the reasoning behind it.

"He... you... he..." Dolores stammered out. "He kissed you?!"

"Are you seriously yelling about this?" Amara asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"WHY DID YOU NOT TELL ME?!"

"I've kind of been a bit busy!"

"Get out of my shop," Dolores said as she crossed her arms over her chest. "And don't come back until this evening with one of the High Lord's expensive bottles of wine because I expect details."

"You're being dramatic," Amara commented as she made her way to the door.

"And you're being too calm," Brigette called after her.

Amara rolled her eyes but, as always, left the little bakery with a smile on her face. That was until she got back to the Townhouse and to Feyre's room. She sighed softly when she saw how bad she looked, noting the amulet that was in her hands. It looked familiar and to Amren's taste so she was assuming that Amren had something to do with it and why Feyre seemed to be clutching it so tightly.

Feyre looked up from the amulet in her hands and over to Amara, a weak smile on her face. "Hey. I'm assuming you've come in to tell me that I didn't completely fail today?"

"Nope. I am here to fill you with sugary treats and tell you a story," Amara told her with a shrug, sitting down on Feyre's bed. She set the box down and opened it up to reveal the two cherry tarts and a couple of mini apple pies that Dolores had thrown in as well.

"What's the story?" Feyre asked as she picked up one of the mini apple pies.

"It's about a girl who had everything that she could have ever wanted, but not the one thing that she needed."