A Court of Sun and Flame

CHAPTER ELEVEN

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one."

~ C.S. Lewis

TRIGGER WARNING: MENTIONS OF DEATH

I don't give anyone else a chance to react before I'm in front of Nesta. I snarl at her, fangs I didn't know I had protruding. Who does this female think she is? What right does she have, not only bringing up Him but also mum?

"I didn't."

Fear shines in her eyes and I know I've done the job. That deep rooted fear for faes coming up to the surface. She wants to trigger me, well two can play at that game. She wants to fear the fae at the table, when she is one of them? I'll give her something to fear. Something real.

Her fear turned to pride, I took her bags, "I heard stories about your kind. Those that prey on other people's fear."

"Was this when you were sitting on your arse claiming to be all high and mighty neglecting your younger sibling. The same sister that kept you fed. The same sister that tried everything to protect you. You're no better than your father"

I knew I hit the right spot by the contortion of her face. Her left hand coming up to slap me across the face, when a hand grabs her wrist.

"Don't you dare lay a hand on my sister."

I hear movement behind me, my eyes not leaving Nesta's, the smirk growing on my face. A quiet yet demanding voice speaking to Lucien, "Get your hand off my sister you - you half-breed bastard."

Lucien releases his grip on Nesta, enough to turn around to look at his mate. Everyone else shocked by the words that have left the innocent child's lips. Not only had she just insulted my brother, but she had insulted the inner court of the High Lord.

"I suggest you sit back down sweetheart before you get the ass whopping you deserve. He is your mate, and you better start accepting that because that precious human of yours isn't going to take you back. You are fae now. So I suggest you get your head out of fairytale land and face start facing reality," I pause long enough to look at the warriors sat at the table too shocked to react, while also seemingly unsure as to whether or not they should defend themselves, "Not to mention the fact that you have just insulted the closest members of the people who have taken you in and treated you with a kindest you most definitely do not deserve."

I feel a hand grab the back of my hair, pulling me back around the face then. Face to face with a seething Nesta I just smile, my fangs once again on show.

"How about I show you how uncivilised I can really be?"

One sentence has everyone standing. Aunty Amren moving towards me and Nesta, my held out hand being the only thing to stop her. Azriel's shadows leaving him and surrounding me as if protecting me from whatever powers Nesta received from her dive in the cauldron.

The voice of the High Lady causes my fangs to retract, "Remove your hand from my best friend's head and leave, before I let Rhys go through with his threat."

"That threat being?"

"To send you somewhere far worse than the darkest corners of my court."

Slowly but surely the hand gripping my hair loosens enough for me to push the bitch away from me.

"I did not survive the death of my mother, my father disowning me plus two hundred years in a dungeon to have you try and use it against me, you petulant child!"

Before anything else can happen hands grab me by the waist and pull me away from the situation. Too wound up by Nesta, I don't even flinch or register what is happening.

My bond with Lucien telling me he is not happy with who has a hold of me. But after reassuring him I would be fine and nothing would happen he let me go.

One second we were in the tense atmosphere of the dining room, and the next we were outside. The hands finally release me and Cassian comes into view. He looks at me before opening his mouth, proceeding to close it almost as if rethinking whatever he wanted to say.

"Don't just stand there like a fish, come out with it then."

"I want to show you something if you'll let me?"

I nod my head, so he once again grabs hold of me and we are off.

***

The city disappears from sight. Replaced by forest.

The forest disappears. Replaced by mountains.

Moments later an abandoned village comes into sight. Cassian lands in the centre of the village, letting me go. The whole place in ruins. I spin round to try and understand why we are here but I ultimately end up looking back to Cassian.

His eyes focused on a specific place within the village. Following his gaze I saw what was a house, "that was my home." I look back to him and notice the anguish on his face.

"What happened?"

"I'm a bastard."

"Cassian-"

"They kicked me out of this village, my mother not so much. She was worked to death, among other things," I cringed at the thought, but thankful he didn't go into details, "once I had completed my training, I came back to try and find her, instead I found out she was dead, her body rolled off the mountain. She didn't get a burial. She was treated like she was nothing. Rhys and Az helped me destroy the place."

That would explain the ruins.

"After the showdown on the ice, I went back to my camp. I knew my mother was dead but I still went back. They had destroyed the house. There was no trace of us left. Almost as if we hadn't existed. I screamed and destroyed the houses in the surrounding area. I didn't stick around long enough to see how my damage I caused."

"That was you?"

I look at him, cringing while nodding my head. A small smile approached his face as he pulled me into a side hug.

"You aren't the only 'bastard' who can destroy their home village."

"I guess we bastards gotta stick together then."

"You're damn right we do."

I knew I said that right thing by the laugh that erupted from the warrior next to me. I momentarily look away from him back to the house that was once his, before returning to his face.

"I want you to train me. Combat. Flying. Everything. I'm done feeling powerless."

"By the looks of things you aren't too powerless," he also looks at the house before returning my gaze, "we start at dawn."

"Sounds like a horrible time."

He starts walking away laughing while shouting behind his shoulder, "you're the one who wants to train."

I jump after him, shouting back, "But dawn? Really?" He continues laughing at my reaction, "Asshat."

"I heard that."

"You were supposed to...asshat."