Fate had her remain with her father and youngest sister the day the debt collectors came.
It was fate that her father let her go.
It was fate that gave her a new husband, a new home.
It was fate that her younger sister disappeared.
It was fate that...
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Feyre had been in the Spring Court for nearly two months and everyone was getting anxious.
Iyla attempted to balance her time spent working toward her future and also helping her sisters acclimate to their new lives. Neither sister was inclined to accept their fate, so neither viewed Iyla's efforts with a positive perception.
Elain remained slightly isolated in her grief, only allowing Nesta and Iyla to spend any time with her. The older twin was still wary about the other Fae, and desperately sad about the loss of her fiancé. The darker haired twin worried that even if they could somehow go back to the human realm, she wouldn't be welcomed back by the young lordling, or his family. As it got closer and closer to the date that her wedding date, Elain grew more despondent. She would eat when forced, but she spent most of her time gazing into the distance and would occasionally whisper, "I want to go home," or "we were to be married soon."
Iyla tried to engage Elain in other topics, and the only thing that seemed to draw her out were conversations about the gardens of the estate. It prompted the younger of the two to repeat her offer that Elain and Nesta move to the Townhouse where she thought the two of them might be more comfortable with the larger gardens. The viper guarding Elain wouldn't hear of it.
Nesta was torn between actively avoiding everyone or treating them with absolute animosity. If the oldest Archeron was seen outside of her room or the library, she would busy herself by sneering or antagonizing the others with her rude comments. Iyla tried to comfort her on more than one occasion, but Nesta made it clear she would handle her depression as she saw fit. Alone.
"Nesta, please," Iyla called out to her sister as the oldest walked out of the library as soon as Iyla entered.
Nesta turned to her younger sister and demanded, "Please, what, Iyla? Please forget that Elain and I lost our humanity to these creatures. Please forget that Feyre accidentally ruined our lives when she dragged us unnecessarily into her new life. Please ignore the fact that she made us the villains in the narrative of her life that she shared with a whole group of people, then abandoned us to them? Please forget everything you knew and loved to play house with a bunch of human haters? Please physically exhaust yourself with pointless physical activity so you can attempt to fit into the group you never wanted to be a part of? Tell me Iyla, what are you asking me for today?" Each statement spat more viciously than the last.
Iyla had finally had enough. "Please stop being a cunt, Nesta," she snapped. "Please stop being such a vile snake and lashing out on anyone trying to help you."
"Help me?" Nesta asked quietly with a sneer. "We are fae because of them, sweet sister. They did this to us, maybe inadvertently, but it was their fault. I don't wish to be here. I don't wish to help them, and they owe us. It is as simple as that," she sniped and then attempted to walk away.
Iyla wasn't taking Nesta's dismissal. She'd had enough hostility from Nesta to last a lifetime.
"It is not their fucking fault you are Fae. Feyre is literally risking her life right now to help us win a gods-damned war that was heading to our human home anyway. She didn't abandon us," Iyla got louder and louder with each statement. "I'm sorry you're miserable and the only way you know how to cope with your own feelings is to drag everyone else down around you, but fuck you. Fuck you, Nesta!" she shouted. "You and Elain aren't the only people who have fucking problems, but you're the only one acting like a godsdamned cunt about it. These people owe us fucking nothing and they are helping us. They took us in rather than let that King take us. They have fed us, clothed us, they befriended us, or tried to anyway. They've offered to help you learn about their culture, your new fucking culture. They've done everything they could to make you comfortable even though they owe us nothing and you're spitting in their face like the nasty piece of work our mother was. I hope you're proud. You're just like her."
