A Different Type of Ending

Chapter 17 - Rhysand/Feyre

Rhysand

I cleared the forests of the Autumn Court just before dawn and descended towards the already busy clearing where all of the High Lords had deigned an appropriate meeting point. The Illyrians had split off to various locations, travelling closer to the ground as to avoid the eyes of any Spring or Hybern soldiers scouting ahead. Cassian had gone with the Northern-most group that would attack from the end of the valley, leading the charge straight through the middle, if it even ever got to that. The burning urge to go to my mate had dulled, and the hope flared that once she saw our court again she wouldn't want to do it, and would instead let us all carry the burden, let me carry the burden. 

Almost everyone had already arrived with their consorts, only Tarquin was not present, though he was not expected to show up and was instead working at the opposite side of the valley on his side of the border. Along with Varian and Cressida he was to command the legions that would push from the left, hopefully then joining the right-hand force in the middle. 

All of the High Lords had gathered into the centre of the clearing, the outskirts being monitored by guards from all of the different courts, finally united once again. I landed hard on the ground, hoping to alert them of my presence so I didn't startle them. They turned to face me, there discussion hushing to a silence as they looked me over, Illyrian fighting leathers, wings, and all.
"Fill me in." I said as I approached the circle, joining in between Beron and Kallias. There was a small table with a map in the centre. There must not have been enough time to set up a full tent, not when everything had been so rushed.
"Spring and Hybern are expected to arrive together all from the same direction through the valley, as your sources suggested, in about an hour." Helion said succinctly. "We have scouts saying that Feyre is leading the charge through, and she is there to finish this all." He looked up and his eyes met mine at that moment, and I didn't know whether he too could see the bond stretched taut between us. If his powers as the Spell-Cleaver allowed him to do such a thing. Or whether he knew how much of the truth he spoke, that she was indeed expecting herself to finish this whole this. But in a very different way. 
"She is no longer my mate, but remember the promise you all made to my Commander." I said, hoping the words came out stronger than they sounded. "Our court has a score to settle with her." Beron scoffed from beside me and all heads swivelled in his direction like adders. 
"She won't let it get to that. If the rest of that army falls behind her, she will end it all with herself, or with all of us." He said sharply, giving a sweeping gesture that encompassed all of us present to emphasise his last wild claim. 
"And I have no doubt she will." I growled back, "but that doesn't give you permission to take away what rightfully belongs to my Commander." We were nearly nose to nose now, staring dead at each other, and there was fire burning behind his eyes that just made me smirk. That pathetic fire would do nothing to light up the darkness which would drench the battlefield today. 
"Not today." Thesan said sharply, the first words he had spoken since I had arrived. My smirk just grew, and then I looked away, focusing back on the map set before us all. Everyone did the same. 

Something sombre settled over our group as we beheld the battlefield once more. It had been 500 years since Prythian had seen this before, and I wished it had been longer. No one spoke, and I had the feeling no one wanted to disturb it, these final moments. This silence was precious, the only sounds were the near silent chatter of hidden birds and the wind-song that joined in to the chorus of the woods around us. The leaves seemed to glow with the oranges, yellows and blood reds that stained them all year. Perpetual Autumn that carried more beauty than I could have imagined. That was when I caught the other High Lords' eyes wandering too, taking in this silent beauty. This seemingly nothing that could be everything we remembered before everything ended in shadows and chaos. I felt it then, as the other did, as it washed over my skin. My magic purred in response to that power as it swept through the clearing. A warning, a signal, and a farewell. All of our heads turned towards the horizon, and the gathering mass of darkness that had just started to stain the green of the valley far below. 

Feyre

I couldn't see them, but I could feel them, the eyes of the army Hybern and Spring didn't know was waiting all around them. I could already feel it, death hovering in the air as if in wait for the final breath each soldier here would breathe only minutes from now. I smiled in his presence, signalling an old friend to come and retrieve me again. Hopefully permanently this time. 
"I can feel your power rallying." Tamlin spoke from where he walked beside me, his eyes fixed ahead on the end of the valley that now lingered in sight. 
"My power doesn't need to be rallied, it does that on its own." I said, catching him glance at me quickly out of the corner of my eye, pure fear written into every one of his features. Let him be scared, let him know fear before the shadows claimed him too. Let him know how I felt all that time I spent with him. 
"What do you keep trapped in there Feyre?" I smirked, 
"Death." The shadows purred at that word, finally spoke aloud rather than remaining a thought in my head. I wanted those shadows, I wanted to be consumed by them, I wanted them to block out this world. There was that fear again, a mere flash in my direction, and then hidden again. "Don't be afraid Tamlin, you shouldn't fear what mortal men do not." There was slight annoyance there now, and I grinned to myself. This was far too much fun. 

"Concentrate Feyre, can you feel them?" Hybern snapped from behind me and I rolled my eyes in response. I let a wave of my power out again, more a warning than a search, but this time I did feel them. I felt him. I felt the purr of his darkness and my own rumbled past it. I felt every torturous second of it as I lingered slightly longer. One last time I lingered with him, felt that one part of him no one else would ever get to, before I retracted back to my own darkness. 
"Nothing." I grumbled, a dead lie. I knew they would spring out at any moment now, knew I had mere minutes, if not seconds, until the last hurrah of the Cursebreaker. Until I would unleash myself upon the disease that plagued Prythian. 

Three minutes passed, longer than I expected or wanted, and nothing had changed. The army marched on unchallenged, and was swiftly nearing the end of the valley. I waited for the chaos to erupt, waited for anything, but only felt the killing calm of the army at my back, not even the eyes of the awaiting army could be felt anymore. And I was terrified that my mate was going to do something stupid and reckless. 

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A/N

Getting closer and closer now! What do you think will happen? (I really want to know your theories so please spill!)

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