A Court of Fire and Ash

Feyre

Oh my god.
This was bad.
Elains visions were never wrong and if she had foresean my death then I would die.
And I knew that.

But that didn't mean that I would just accept it like that.
Yes, maybe I was going to die but not in the near future.
And I would fight with everything I had to keep my child safe.
Because this was all that mattered.

Feyre, Darling listen to me. I am not going to let that happen. You are my life and I will never give up on you. We can prevent this. I know we can, we'll just have to keep you as far away from anything that might be dangerous as possible.

I knew he would protect me, if needed he would give his life to do so and so would everyone in this room.

So would I if I needed to protect them.
Because we were a family and we took care of each other no matter what.

I just nodded and reached for his hand.
I needed to feel him close to me so I didn't let go of his hand as we went to our bedroom.

Elain had fainted after telling us about her vision and Azriel took care of her now.
I didn't know where Nesta was but she wouldn't have gone far away from Elain.

Cassian and Mor were planning our visit to the court of nightmares tomorrow and Amren had gone back to her flat.

As we entered our bedroom Rhys sat down on the bed and pulled me in his lap.
He calmed me down and whispered loving words in my ear.
Then he helped me to get out of the dress and to put on my nightgown.

As he went to the bathroom a wave of exhaustion hit me and I lay down and cuddled up in my blanket.

When Rhys came out of the bathroom I was already half asleep and when he turned off the lights it didn't take long until I fell asleep, cuddled up to him.

Soft kisses on my forehead woke me up the next morning.
I chuckled as he began placing his kisses behind my ear.
It was my soft spot and he knew it.
And he knew I was ticklish there.

„Stop it Rhys, you know I hate this.”
He looked at me sulking.
„I hate you.”
„You don't, you love me darling.”
True.
Not that I had to admit that, he knew it.
„You know it, you don't need me to say it.”
„But I want you to say it.”
I gave him a defiant look.
„Fine, I love you.”

„Oh I love you too and that's why I want you to stay here today.”
„What? Why should I stay here? I have to attend the meeting.”

„You don't. I can go there on my own and you know Elain said that it was a dark room and there were these creatures and the first thing I thought of was the court of nightmares. I just want to keep you safe. Please stay here just this one time. I'm not trying to hold you back or lock you up but I really want you to stay here.”

This was too similar to what Tamlin had done to me.
I knew Rhys would never hurt me but this felt like something Tamlin would have done.

„But Rhys-”
„Feyre please I can't control every in this room but I know you will be safe in Velaris. And Celaena has to stay  here because Keir doesn't know that she is still alive and she can keep an eye on you. Please.”

He was begging me.
He never begged.
Never.
And right then I knew that he could never be like Tamlin.
He cared for me.
Deeply.

„Okay”, I whispered and kissed him.
He pulled me closer to him and we just laid there until he needed to get ready.
He wore all black and he looked so good in it.
Darling it's not polite to stare like this.
It also wasn't polite to look this good.
I heard that.
I checked my mental barrier and realized that I had kept it open.
When I didn't answer he chuckled and then he walked over to me.

„I have to go.”
„I love you.”
„I love you too.”
Then he bent down and kissed my stomach.
„And I love you too”, he whispered and then he left.

I figured I couldn't lay in bed for the rest of the day so I went downstairs where Celaena but more importantly breakfast was already waiting for me.
„Good morning.”
She didn't answer and just smiled at me.
„I didn't know you were staying here I thought you were going to your court.”
„Oh yes, plans changed.”

We just sat there and ate in silence and I was impressed watching her eat.
She ate so much.
More than Cassian and that meant something.
Then I had an idea.

„I believe we haven't shown you Velaris yet. Would you like me to show it to you? Even though I think you already saw more than we know.”
Rhys had told me about her jumping across the roofs.
„Yes I would love to see it.”
„In daylight”, she added.
„Okay, then we'll go after breakfast.”

So when we both had finished we didn't wait long until we went.

I showed her the market squares started by the palace of Thread and Jewels and finished by the palace of Bone and the Salt.
Then I took her to the rainbow of Velaris and the Sidra.

When we sat down in a restaurant around midday and had supper we had bought various items.

„Oh my God! Is that a theater?”, Celaena squealed as we passed the theater.
„Yes, do you want to go in?”
„Definitely.”
We were lucky because there was a play about to start in a few minutes.
„Do you want to see it.”
She just nodded with excitement in her eyes.

After the play was finished it was already evening and we decided to go back.
„This play was amazing! And the music, it was so good!”
„Do you have a theater where you come from?”
„There used to be one and I used to go there a lot.”
I could see the pain in her eyes and decided not to ask about what had happened to it.

„You know this day reminds me so much of the first time I was here.”
„How did you get here? I mean not just Velaris but in general?”

I had nothing to lose so I just told her, starting from the beginning.
When I was ready she was silent for a moment.
„Oh well this explains why Tamlin wasn't so happy at the highlords meeting.”

I couldn't help it and burst out laughing.

So we walked back to the house of winds laughing and talking about my past.
Normally I hated this but I didn't mind it now.
Not around her.
Maybe it was because she had told me about her past.
I didn't know.
But it felt good.

We had bought wine at the market and decided to drink it as soon as we got home.
I had to dilute the wine for Celaena so she wouldn't get drunk right away.

„I'm really curious. Does our food taste the same to you as it does in your world?”
„Most is pretty similar but this wine for example is totally different.“
„When I became a Fae and I ate the food it was like-”

Suddenly a sharp pain filled my body.
I stumbled foward and collapsed to the floor.
„Feyre, what's wrong? How can I help you?”
I tried to answer her but I couldn't.
The pain was everywhere.
So I turned to the only hope I had.

I opened my mental barrier and tried to get to Rhys but there was nothing.
No barrier.
Not even a way.
I was alone.
And this time when the pain came I screamed in agony.
„Feyre?”
I realized my vision becoming less and less clear and the last thing I heard were Celaena's screams.