A Court of Blood and Grief

1

There was a tall figure standing in front of her bathed in sunlight. With ruffled golden hair that seemed to catch the light of the sun from every direction. With warm honey brown eyes that always brought her comfort. With a smile as bright and as warm as the summer sun. With hands covered in calluses from wood chopping reaching for her own. With his dopey smile staring right at her, she couldn't help but return it with a love struck wonder in her bright blue eyes. With a voice that made her name sound like a symphony coming from his pink lips. "Andromeda," whispered with such tenderness and such care. Alive right in front of her. Him. He was right there. Reaching for her

The youngest Archeron was cut from her daydream by a soft gasp, "Feyre!" The second oldest Archeron sister exclaimed. The youngest girl's curiosity was caught when she heard the hunger dripping from Elain's voice. When she turned she was met with the sight of Feyre standing in the door with a doe draped over her shoulder. "Where did you get that?"

"Where do you think I got it," Feyre snapped back, her voice tinged with annoyance. Hearing the exhaustion in her older sister's voice, Andromeda found herself looking down with guilt and shame. Feyre had woken up before her to go out on her own and of course she wouldn't wake up her youngest sister to help her.

Standing up and walking over to help her sister. Andromeda reached up to take the doe off her sister's shoulders to put on the table. Feyre's eyes instantly softened when they met her own.

"You should have woken me, I could have helped." Andromeda didn't like when Feyre went out into the woods alone. It made her nervous. She worried that one day her sister would go into the woods and then never come out.

"I heard you woke up with a nightmare last night, you needed your sleep. '' Feyre countered with a softness in her voice. Gone was the sharp voice she used with Elain.

Andy refrained from snapping back that if she had been woken up by her nightmare then she needed sleep too. "I'm fine I could have helped," she stated firmly.

Feyre didn't say anything, only giving her a worried look. "Im fine," Andy repeated, coming out harsher than she meant it. She hated when Feyre worried about her when there were so many more important things she should worry about. Feyre, as if noticing exactly what her younger sister was thinking just gave her a soft nod of the head and then walked past her to peel the wolf pelt from the doe's body.

The two youngest archeron sisters turned back to Elain when she questioned "Will it take you long to clean it?"

Andy couldn't help but roll her eyes at her older sister. Elain and Nesta always sat back and did nothing; they never appreciated how much Feyre did for them. Although Andromeda couldn't blame them she had been the same. Andy hadn't realized how much she underappreciated Feyre until a year ago when she lost Him. Hunter Ashsong, her best friend. The boy with the radiant smile blessed by the sun. The boy that called her beautiful like it was her name. The boy who appears in her dreams. The boy who lurks in her nightmares. The boy who stared at her even when there was a sky full of stars. The boy that those same stars swooped down to steal him away from her. The boy she loved too late. Hunter Ashsong, her best friend.

The younger girl was snapped out of her depressing thoughts by a voice. "Feyre." their father's deep rumble came from the fire. His dark beard was neatly trimmed. "What luck you had today-in bringing us such a feast."

From beside their father, Nesta snorted. Not surprising anyone. Any bit of praise for anyone, especially for Feyre, resulted in her dismissal. And any word from their father usually resulted in her ridicule as well.

Both of the sisters shot Nesta a glare. Of all of them, Nesta had taken the loss of their fortune the hardest. She had quietly resented their father from the moment they had to leave their manor.