Heir of Spring

Lucien Visits

Two weeks later

Lucien urged the horse through the iron gates and into the long un-trimmed grass. The horse trotted up towards the ramshackle manor. As they approached the steps up to the door Lucien leapt off his steed and tied him to a post in the garden. There was no point putting the horse in the stables, it had long since fallen into disrepair.

Lucien walked up the steps and prepared to knock on the door, only to find the door swung open of its own accord. Lucien sighed. He did not look forward to these visits. Every time he came to the Spring Court Tamlin was in a worse state than before. Lucien knew that if Tamlin couldn't even close the door, this visit was going to be very disheartening. 

"Tamlin?" He called into the dark house. Silence ensued. "Tamlin, it's me." No one replied. Lucien checked every room, worried that Tamlin might have stopped bothering to keep himself alive. He searched every room, each one more damaged than the room before. Lucien was confused to find the house empty and made his way into the garden.

"Tamlin! Where are you?" He yelled into the overgrown grounds. Still, no one replied to his calls. Lucien stood with grass waving about his knees and looked around the gardens. Soon he started to hear loud sounds of... building? At least Tamlin had finally found something to do. As Lucien got closer he could also hear a sort of mewling and whining. Had Tamlin got a pet!? Tam could barely look after himself, let alone some kind of animal. 

Lucien sighed and plunged into the waiting trees towards the noise, calling as he went. Finally, he emerged in a clearing and saw Tamlin chopping wood with an intimidating axe. Behind him was a skeleton of a cottage, which had obviously been abandoned a long time ago. Tamlin turned and smiled grudgingly.

"Come to check on me again?" Tamlin said, only half joking. 

Lucien grimaced. "Of course not." Tamlin grinned knowingly.

"All right then," He said, turning back towards his axe. That was when Lucien noticed the crib. It was rickety and a bit worn, but that didn't matter, as long as there wasn't -

"Tam, a baby?!" He leaned and peered into the crib. The youngling giggled at the sight of his incredulous face and reached towards it with chubby little hands. Tamlin came over and lifted her up into his arms. She went quiet and nuzzled into his chest.

"Who's the mother?" Lucien asked. He couldn't think of what else to say.

"I don't know." Said Tamlin, placing her on the floor and watching her pull up tufts of grass, with determined curiosity.

"Wow, Tamlin,  very classy," Lucien said, rolling his eye.

"No, not like that. You know that since Feyre..." His eyes went wistful but cleared at the sound of the little one's giggles.  "I found her. In the forest. I waited for the parents to fetch her but they never did. I took her home for the night and spent the next week trying to find her parents. I guess Asta doesn't get much luck." Tamlin resumed his work and Lucien approached Asta. She noticed his attention and revelled in it, grabbing the tendrils of fiery red hair that had escaped his bun and yanking with ferocity. He prised her fingers off patiently and asked,

"And the house?"

"The mansion was always too big. Asta needs a safe place to live, and keeping that damn castle clean by myself is impossible. I found this place, and it only needs a bit of work. It'll be the perfect place for me and Asta to live." Lucien turned. 

"So you're keeping her?" He asked. Tamlin blinked.

"There is nowhere else for her to go. And anyway, I owe it to them - I mean, her." He said.

Lucien stood up and rolled up his sleeves.

"How can I help?" He said, grinning.

***

They spent the next two weeks patching up the little cottage in the woods, gradually moving in. They would visit the mansion and salvage any remaining untouched furniture which Lucien's horse and Tamlin's last steed would haul through the woods and to the quaint house in the clearing. Eventually, they completely moved out of the huge mansion that had begun to feel less and less like home.  As the horses trudged through the undergrowth carrying the final load of belongings Tamlin stopped and looked at the grand but crumbling house, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"The last few months," Tamlin confided, "All the house has done is remind me of what I've lost. Feyre, my dignity, my court. You." He turned toward Lucien, eyes earnest and sad. "I owe you an apology. And I know I owe a lot of people an apology, and I know it doesn't make up for how I behaved, but I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry for all those times I've been a prick. Asta has taught me there's time to change. And I'm going to. I promise. But if I don't, I want you to look after her. Protect her. I want you to be Asta's godfather." 

Lucien smiled in surprise. "I'd love to." He said. "But Tam, you never lost me. I just... took a couple of wrong turns. And so did you. A few more than me." Lucien grinned, but Tamlin just nodded seriously. "Come on. Let's go move in." Lucien started to drag Tamlin away from the lifeless mansion.

***

Lucien left a week later, saying he had already stayed at the Spring Court much longer than planned. He spent most of the week playing with Asta, conjuring little balls of fire in his hand, which would dance in his palm and then vanish as her hand approached. She'd scream in delight every time, and Lucien marvelled at her ability to love everything. Including Tamlin. If she cried, as soon as Tamlin picked her up the wails would turn to little sobs, and then to hiccups, and she'd offer him a watery smile and nestle into his arms. Although Tamlin tried to hide it Lucien knew he loved the special attention, the unwavering love that Asta felt for him, and by the time Lucien was mounting his horse to leave he knew Tamlin loved her back. 

"Come back to visit," Tamlin said, holding Asta next to the horse as she stared at it in wonder.

"I will. I have emissary work, but I'm sure I'll be back before the year is out." Lucien said, checking the saddlebags were secure. "Alright. Bye Asta!" He said, trying not to let the baby voice, the one everyone saves for speaking to a baby, creep into his voice. He created one final little ball of fire which floated in the air until it vanished, extinguished by the distance that had grown between the two parties.

Tamlin set Asta down on the ground and sat beside her.

"Just me and you, Az," He tickled her tummy and laughed as she shrieked with pleasure. 

"Just me and you."