The Lions and the Lamb: A Tamlin x Rhysand x OC Story

Chapter 5: Tamlin's Fury

That evening, I dined again with Tamlin and Lucien. A delightful dinner of roasted chicken, soft sweet rolls, greens, and a sort of sparkling wine that I never had the pleasure of tasting until now.

Of course like the past days, I was still weak from the magic and was perched on Tamlin's sturdy lap as he fed me. I wondered if I'd come to miss being close to him after I got my strength back. I couldn't bare the thought of being away from him, whether it was a few feet or not. It was like a strange sort of magnetism, him being the north field and me being the south, constantly pulling towards each other. I never experienced anything like it before, not ever with a human and let alone with a high fae.

"What was life like in your world, Alanna?" Lucien asked before shoving a rather large piece of chicken in his mouth. I looked up at him momentarily, and looked down almost as fast.

"It was...hard. I didn't have the luxury of three meals a day and delicious food, nor did I have such a comfortable bed to sleep in. There, you were rich or poor, and if you were poor you didn't matter. You'd be left to perish and no one would even bat an eye." I explained carefully, my tone flat and dead.

"I see." Was all he said in reply. What else could he say? That he was sorry? His tone and look in his remaining eye already showed enough pity to tell me he was sorry.

Tamlin spoke next.

"Would you like to see the garden?" He asked, to which I nodded eagerly.

We passed many walls and corners, and I for one was shocked at how he didn't tire of holding me so much, and how he didn't get lost in this maze of a manor. We finally made it to the back door, and what revealed itself made my breath hitch.

The garden, he called it, was more like a work of art. White roses formed a tunnel into the rest of it, stone statues of sweet woodland animals and fragrant herb plots filled my senses. Tamlin laughed softly and set me down on a stone bench.

"What do you think?" He asked.

"I-It's unlike anything I've ever seen. Calling it beautiful doesn't do it justice..." I remarked, my eyes traveling across the seemingly endless amount of flowers. Tamlin looked at me with those beautiful forest green eyes, and they lit up.

"Alanna, I'd like you to stay here. In these past few days, I've grown very fond of you. Of course, you are free to do as you please after your strength returns. But, if you stay, I will send out search parties for your father and will assure that he is well taken care of." The wheels in my mind stopped, and I was taken aback in the best way possible.

"Oh Tamlin, I...you really mean it?"

"I do. Stay here, with me." And he kisses my cheek. His lips were plush and soft as silk, his straight nose pressing into my cheek as he did so.

"Then I'll stay." I replied, burying my face into the crook of his neck. He smelled like the forest, with a delicious sandalwood-vanilla like after-scent.

I had never felt so blessed in my life. All of my suffering in life had seemingly led me to this one point in time. Where I could comfortably live and be truly happy. Tamlin was truly too good. To kind...Until I heard his rage for the first time.

I was in my bedroom, resting before Alis came to take care of me when I heard a low growl from Tamlin accompanied by Lucien's voice. Something about a "Rhysand" and the Night Court. A loud crash followed, it echoing all throughout the manor. What could it have been that angered him so much? The kind Fae I knew seemed to have another side to him, a side of an immortal and angry High Lord. I prayed that anger would never be directed towards me as I cowered in my sheets.

That morning, Tamlin didn't come to get me out of bed, and nor did he ever come to bed. Instead, it was Alis, the one who normally helped bathe me and get me into easy for bed.

"Where is he?" I asked her eagerly. She gave me one glance for a split second before replying.

"He had to go out for his duty. Being High Lord isn't so easy all the time." I nodded in understanding.

By the time I got to breakfast, I was alone. Just me in that huge dining room. Alis served me a simple breakfast of porridge and some different berries and other fruits. Her feeding me wasn't nearly as intimate as with Tamlin, as the spoon hit my top teeth. When I was done, she talked finally.

"You may go to the library or anywhere else in the manor. Until someone can accompany you outside, you need to stay in. I cannot tell you much about why Tamlin took leave, but you need to do as I say."

"When is he going to be back?" I asked, brows furrowed.

"Next week."

I spent the next three days in the huge library Tamlin had shown me, absorbing and breathing the literature. The books I found, kept me company while I was not being fed, bathed or dressed by Alis. I was worried about him...he was no longer there with me to comfort me when I woke up from my nightmares...and he hadn't even said goodbye before he left. It must have been right after he got angry that he left. Who was Rhysand? And what dealings did he have in the Night Court?