A Court of Lichen and Twilight / An ACOTAR Fanfiction

Chapter Nine: The Caged Bird

True to his word, at the first light of dawn cracking through my window pane, an enormous figure burst through my door. The sound had bludgeoned my ear drums from the decibels it created by his force. Quickly I pulled the robe over my chest and covered myself to become seated. My restraints groaned when I went to brush my hair off my face.

Tamlin set a small, silver tea tray before me on the bed, crossing his arms after it settled. Sleep still formed in my eyes and I rubbed them to rid the sand that collected in their tear ducts. When I beheld the breakfast before me, an unsettling sense of dread spread over me.

The last time something like this was served to me here caused a scene and an argument.

Two eggs, fried but blackened on the one side and a link of cold but fully smoked sausage sat on it. While I had no aversion to eggs since they were plentiful back home, the meat made me want to vomit at it's sight.

He must've seen the expression of disgust cross my face, nose slightly crinkled. "I don't recall a criminal of my court ever receiving a home cooked breakfast before and making a face. You're lucky to even-"

"Good morning to you, too, High Lord," I chided. I picked up the blunt dagger he provided on the plate, cut into an egg, and popped a piece of the crispy white outer edge into my mouth. The savory flavor was inviting on my starved stomach. My first solid food in three weeks, I realized. Hot and wet saliva rushed at the taste of sulfuric egg greeting it on my tongue. Runny yellow yolk spewed out and ran into the sausage link that I disdained.

"Your dressings need changed. I've found some clothing for you to change into, however, it will need altered in the back," he sneered. His tone of voice changed on the word 'altered' and his eyes shot to my wings as if they were eyesores. I felt degraded, but I hid it well and continued about my breaking my fast.

"I don't need you. If you give me the supplies I'll do it myself," I told him, finishing the rest of the egg in just three other bites. I cut into the second one, this one more runny than the first. It had probably hit the hot pan last as it wasn't as black on it's bottom either.

He ignored my comments while he watched me eat. "You're in need of a bath as well. My intention was as the sedation let up on you yesterday to let you have one. But your little stunt outside the estate derailed that one, didn't it?"

"You mean the part where your claws almost ripped my ankle to unfixable shreds?" I had gone on to shove the rest of the remaining egg into my mouth and swallow as my mind begged for more food to eat. I lightly pushed the sausage around to feign interest.

His angry growls and heightened pulse only made me snicker internally. He didn't respond. Just proceeded to stew.

"I'm finished. I'd take the tray myself and head over to my bathing room but tragically," I joked, "I'm a little tied up at the moment." I brought my hands up and out in front of me to show him the cloth strips tying me to the bedposts. I gave him a little smirk to further singe his ego.

The restraints popped away in an instant. His eyebrow raised in an arch. "You're not finished entirely."

"I'm full." I looked at the sausage rolling around in the remnant yellow yolk smattered on the tray. I gulped at the anxiety thinking about eating it.

"Meat isn't a luxury around my court anymore. If I don't hunt it we don't eat it," he rasped. "This is some of the last smoked pieces I have left before I get our next serving today in the woods."

"Then you can have it," I got up from the bed and stretched my hands over my head. Kinks and muscle knots from sleeping askew with my wings not out of my way popped and crackled. A searing pain caught my abdomen when the full body stretch pulled taughtly on the deep remaining wounds. It made me curl back into my regular form almost instantly from its shock. If my lightning was available, it surely would've wanted to strike.