A Court of Secrets and Moonlight

34: Stuck

Lucien

92 years ago

-

The golden waters of the Ingysi dripped from me as I trudged through the brush. I hadn't sent word that I'd be coming, didn't even plan on it before making a last minute choice. I had no idea if she would even be here.

But today was Jesminda's birthday.

I didn't know why going to see Leur seemed like the best option. Normally, I'd just drown myself in a few bottles of wine and hopefully sleep until a new day dawned. But something drew me here today, into this far away land, occupied only by a lost princess and her guards.

We weren't the best of friends. I honestly did not know her well enough to make a judgement. All I truly saw when I looked at her was the sadness that lingered in her eyes, the desperation in her stare. The girl that Tamlin had told me so many stories about seemed to be long gone, lost to the years spent in exile. Perhaps that was why I was here, looking for the memory of a friend who always knew how to pull you from your problems. Tamlin had never given up hope though, always persistent, always coming through, trying to bring that ghost back, bringing her things from her home.

Namely, the small grey cat that hissed at me as I crossed the bridge. Lunet was perched on the edge of the railing, blue eyes narrowed at me as I passed. I never knew exactly why that cat didn't like me. I didn't particularly like the mangey thing either.

Leur and Tamlin were in the middle of a fight right now. Well, it was more so that Leur was pissed and Tamlin was afraid of her. Her temper was certainly in tune with one I'd expect from a Night Court Princess. Though, I couldn't disagree that she was right to be mad. Amarantha, a Hybern commander with a sordid history with Tamlin and a still burning hatred for Leur, had recently made appearances in Prythian. She was apparently a trade ambassador now, but I always got a bad feeling from her. I didn't particularly buy her reformed act, even as the other High Lord's entertained her and threw parties for her. Tamlin had decided we were not to tell Leur a word about Amarantha.

I didn't see why it mattered if she knew or not. She was trapped here, so there was nothing she could do. I disagreed with keeping it from her but obeyed Tamlin nonetheless. The issue was that Leur was both a ridiculously powerful Daemati and a Shadowsinger. The big secret had lasted for all of five minutes, and w e hadn't been back in a few weeks while Tamlin sulked and licked his wounds.

And now here I was, and I still wasn't entirely sure why.

Leur was in the center of the training ring that sat towards the back of the property, smooth paved grey rock and a small storage building filled with various weapons. She was wearing shorts, the tattoos on her legs disrupted by the scars on her knees. Sweat darkened the cotton of the black tank top she wore, light lavender shadows swirling around her, braided hair messy as she went through a series of exercises and movements. I recognized them as the Illyrian training that Tamlin sometimes did, though far less proficiently than the way she moved.

I stood on the edge of the ring and watched, waiting for her to notice me as Lunet wandered into the training ring. As if the cat were tattling on me to her owner, Leur stopped her sit ups and golden eyes trained on me. A blink, and they flashed back to violet.

"Tell me Tamlin isn't here to apologize." She groaned, sitting up and grabbing the towel that had been sitting next to her. She wiped the sweat from her brow.

"It's just me." I raised my hands, "But I'd be a bad friend if I didn't tell you he is sorry."

She stood, "Yeah, well he can shove his apology up his ass for now. I'm not done being mad at him yet."