A Court of Stars and Winter

Chapter 4

"Your going to what?" Feyre asked Lucious astounded. " Feyre, as I said before, your father is never going to work to provide for your family again. That's why I am going to teach you to hunt. Someone in this family needs to be able to make money, and I choose you. For some odd reason, I feel a strange connection to you." And with that he walked out of the house. Feyre followed him deep into the woods until he stopped and handed her a bow and arrow. "Now, let's see what you can do", he said with a wicked that made Feyre's blood curdle.
"Um, ok. I'm not much of a shot, but I'll try my best." As she drew back the bow, she let out a long sigh, she knew her father nor her mother would approve of her actions, but someone in her family had to put food on the table, and obviously the rest of her family was not going to even try. She shot her arrow. It struck right in the middle of the target.
"Lucious! I made the shot!" Feyre exclaimed. From the looks of it, Lucious was very impressed with her shot. "Good, now lets make another one", he said. And with that, she made every other shot Lucious had her shoot.
   As they returned late that night, Feyre could not believe what had took place earlier that day. First, she made a bullseye on her first try, second, she made every other shot she took after that including the deer that was now cooking over an open fire. As Feyre walked into the kitchen, she found all of her family ,except her mother, sitting around the dining room table. " Feyre," her father said, " your mother has fallen very ill. It might be best if you say goodbye. The healer doesn't think that she will make it through the night." And with that, Feyre tore out of the room, rushing to get to her mother.
      "Mother?" she said "Yes, Feyre darling?" "Are you going to be okay?" "no honey, I don't think that I am going to make it through this one." Tears started to slide down her once plump cheeks. "But, before I go, I have something I would like to give to you," her mother reach around her neck and unlatched a necklace Feyre has never seen before. It was the most beautiful thing Feyre had ever seen. The necklace was of the deepest, midnight blue scattered with stars, but in the middle was a city, but not an ordinary city, it was a city of mountain and stars. "This necklace was once given to me, long ago, by a beautiful young prince. His hair and skin were lovely, but his eyes, a gorgeous violet, told a story. He once told me to give this to my youngest daughter when I felt that it was the right time. Of course I didn't believe him until I had you, my beautiful Feyre. He said that the city on the necklace is called Velaris and that it would one day be your home. So now, as I am on my death bed, I give this necklace to you Feyre, in hopes that you will one day meet this mysterious man and see Velaris and call it your home." Before Feyre even knew what was happening, her mother reached up to put the necklace around Feyre's neck. "Keep it safe my darling, don't trade it for any sum of money. For in our hearts, it is priceless." And with that, her mother drifted off into an endless slumber.
   Tears rolled down Feyre's face as she said her final goodbyes to her mother. She was full of remorse, but also regret for never giving her mother the only chance she needed. As Feyre walked back to her rooms, she realized that she needed to paint. Painting had always gotten her through the toughest situations. While she set out the little paints and brushes she had, Feyre let the tears come. She let the agony take over as her brush met the canvas in colorful strokes. She'd never painted with so much anger and sadness in her life; and it brought her great joy. What felt like minuets, but could've been hours later, she stood away to look at her finished painting, she realized what it was that her hands had painted. It was a city of stars.