To The Ones Who Can't Dream

chapter 42 - The Middengard Wrym

Time passed and while Lucien looked fine on the outside, Seren could tell that he was barely holding it together. She slowly made her way over to him and pretended to observe the drinks that were next to him. Quietly she said, "I'll distract Amarantha. Go find Feyre and heal her. She needs to know she hasn't been abandoned."

Lucien side-eyed her before asking, "Why are you doing this?"

Seren shrugged, "She is the one sent to save us all."

But truly, it was more than that. Seren had taken a liking to the mortal. She had an unbreakable spirit and had willingly risked her life for Tamlin. Although Seren hated Tamlin for everything he had done to Rhys, Feyre believed she loved him. Seren's heart broke for Feyre though. Tamlin hadn't done a single thing when Feyre stood in front of the most powerful fae in Prythian and confessed her love for him. He just stared at her blankly. And now Feyre had gotten herself into this mess and would most likely die trying to save Tamlin.

Lucien winnowed away before anybody could notice him. Seren sauntered up to where Amarantha was sitting with Tamlin. Bowing before her, Seren said, "I wanted to commend you for your excellent bargain with the human. It was so very smart of you and will offer everyone some entertainment while the girl fights for her life."

Tamlin finally turned his head and sent a glare at Seren. She sent him one right back, disgusted by how he reacted with Feyre earlier. Amarantha smiled at Seren, "Thank you Seren. Why don't you stay and keep us company for a little bit."

She couldn't deny Amarantha, so she stood beside Tamlin's throne. She felt the eyes of other fae upon her, wondering what game she was playing. Seren kept her face neutral though and pretended she was bored up here. Boredom wasn't hard to portray since she was being forced to stand next to Tamlin. She soon saw Lucien back, talking with one of his brothers. She thanked Amarantha for her time but then excused herself back and made for the door.

Rhys appeared by her and they silently made their way back to their room. Sighing, Seren collapsed on the bed and kicked off her heels. Rhys undid his tie and shrugged out of his suit jacket before saying, "This is it. The girl might be our way out of this mountain."

Seren glanced at him, "Do you think she has what it takes to beat Amarantha?"

"I don't know. But maybe with our help, she could do it. It seems Lucien and her have a connection which could also help her."

Seren scoffed, "Unfortunately, it seems Tamlin does not reciprocate her feelings. Did you notice he showed literally no reaction to Feyre appearing here? I wanted to walk up and punch him. She risked her life coming here, and it seems like he doesn't care. I know he is probably trying to mask his feelings so Amarantha doesn't have another reason to punish her, but Amarantha already knows Feyre means something to Tamlin."

Rhys nodded, "If the roles were reversed and it was I sitting next to Amarantha watching the person I love risk their life for me, I wouldn't be able to hold myself back. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something happened to her because she was trying to save me."

The first full moon was tonight. That meant that it was Feyre's first task. Seren had tried to figure out what the first task would be so she could somewhat prepare Feyre but Amarantha had refused to tell anyone. Amarantha was still insisting on dressing Seren so predictably, Seren was in a bright red dress.

They had all been told to assemble in a room Seren had never been in. As soon as she entered, the stench of old, rotten mud hit her. She saw Amarantha and Tamlin on their thrones overlooking a large pit. Seren was at a loss for what this challenge could be. Yes, there was a maze in the pit but surely Amarantha had come up with something more deadly than just solving a maze.

She came to a halt beside Rhys and Helion as they also surveyed the maze. Everybody wore slightly confused looks as to what the challenge could be. But soon, Seren heard something big roaming around inside the pit. It slowly came into view and Seren realized it was the Middengard Wrym.

It looked like an oversized worm with razor sharp teeth. By the Cauldron, Feyre had to fight this thing? With no magic or weapons? Bets were passed around as to how long Feyre would last against the monster and Seren shuddered. Wasn't anyone here rooting for Feyre? She was their salvation and no matter what any of the other fae say, she was their only hope. One glance at Tamlin confirmed that he held no reaction to Feyre's first challenge. On the other hand, Lucien looked like he was about to be sick.

The doors banged open and Feyre walked in. She looked terrified but kept her head up. Seren admired her guts as she approached Amarantha. After exchanging a few words with her, Feyre was knocked into the pit by the Attor. She landed with a thud and that was bound to leave a couple bruises. Tamlin just stared straight ahead at nothing and Seren's wings rustled in agitation.

Feyre looked around, but with her human senses couldn't tell what she was supposed to be doing. The fae around her snickered and sneered at her cluelessness. But it didn't take long before Feyre found out what was in the maze with her. The shock was audible on her face as she stared down the Middengard Wrym.

She turned tail and ran. But humans could only run that fast for so long and Feyre had been kept in a cell for almost a month now. She was soon gasping for breath as the Wrym gained on her. At the last moment, Feyre threw herself in between two walls that were too small for the Wrym to fit through.

As soon as she lost the monster Feyre began walking quickly around the maze, trying to find anything that would help her. She soon stumbled across the bones the Middengard Wrym had left behind. Seren could practically see Feyre's brain thinking and mulling all of the information over she had gathered so far.

She dropped and started rolling in the mud, coating herself in it. Seren raised her eyebrows in surprise, how in the Cauldron had Feyre figured out that the Wrym was blind and relied on its smell to guide it. Murmurs of surprise raced around the crowd. Feyre started gathering bones and sharpening them. She then lined them up in the small crater and stuck them into the ground.

Grabbing as many bones as she could, she slowly made her way around the maze and stuck the bones into the walls. Feyre gave herself a couple moments to gather herself before she squared her shoulders and started walking, presumably looking for the Wrym. Seren admired her courage and intellect, she was proof that humans were just as cunning as fae.

Seren could see that the monster was fast approaching Feyre, but she couldn't sense its movements. She was about to shout out to warn Feyre about the incoming Wrym when Lucien yelled, "Feyre! To your left!"
Her head snapped that way as she beheld the creature in front of her. And she ran for her life. At each corner, Feyre grabbed the bones she had planted into the wall and swung herself quickly around to the next pathway. The Wrym was gaining on her, basically breathing down on her neck when she swung around the last corner. It was a straight shot to the trap Feyre had laid for the monster.

Putting everything she had into it, Feyre pumped her arms and threw herself across the small crater. By the time the Middengard Wrym realized what had happened, it was falling down into the crater. With a splat, the Wrym impaled itself upon the bones. Silence ensued. Nobody said anything as Feyre laid on her back, breathing heavily.

When she recovered, she grabbed another bone and tossed it between her hands a couple times. Then, Feyre chucked the bone up to where Amarantha was sitting with Tamlin. The bone stuck into the mud a couple inches away from Amarantha and sent mud flying all over her. Before she could stop it, Seren chuckled.

AN: Seren's dress