Thrones of Fire and Darkness

Chapter One

*Feyre's POV*

You don't understand, the female figure said. She had blue eyes with a core of gold and golden hair, and I felt as if I should take a step back at the intensity in her voice, but soon realized that she wasn't speaking to me. She was speaking to a young woman behind me. And she was... beautiful. That was the only way to describe her. With long, dark hair and emerald green eyes, she looked the same way Mor did - beautiful and she knew it, but didn't really flaunt it. And she also looked nothing short of distressed.

No, you don't understand. I can't just leave her. Not after everything. The first female sighed. Listen, I understand you love her. But you can't just go off and look for her. She's gone for now, and we've sent out search parties. You need to be able to do your job in times of- The green-eyed female slammed her hand down on the desk between the two. I'm not waiting for those mortal search parties to find her. And I can't go govern a territory if my mind is constantly elsewhere. Please. You know how much she means to me. To the whole court. The blonde-haired female sighed. She opened her mouth to argue or give assent to whatever the request was, but a high-pitched scream sounded far away, and the dream gave way to consciousness, and I gritted my teeth in frustration as the memory of the dream slipped away.

I woke to a cold bed and light streaming in through the windows. I rubbed my eyes and sat up to find a note written in Rhys' elegant scrawl on the nightstand next to me. Meeting with the Court of Nightmares and shop keepers. Be back soon, lest you miss me. I rolled my eyes at the ceiling and crumpled the note up. No surprise. Rhys had been too busy with politics and treaties since the war ended. I should just be grateful we were all alive and together, I supposed, but it was the fifth time this month that he had been gone even before I had woken. Sighing, I sent a quick 'I got your message' through the bond and thought about the dream.

Already, I had almost forgotten it. As I tried to grasp the slivers of memory still left, I remembered two females arguing over something... Or someone... It was a recurring dream. This was the fourth time in the last week, and something about it made me suspect it was more than just a dream. I tried to remember something, anything, but it had disappeared from my memory. Groaning as I got out of bed, I made a mental note to try and write down what happened next time this dream occurred.

Which, I figured, would be soon.

Pulling on a cream-colored sweater and leggings, I brushed my hair out and headed downstairs. Entering the living room, I found Mor passed out on the couch. Shaking my head, I entered the kitchen to see Nuala and Cerridwen making something that smelled delicious. They bowed as I came in, and I waved them off. "What are you making?"

Nuala smiled. "We're making dinner for tonight. Apparently, the High Lord wishes to invite the other High Lords for a meeting." This was the first I'd heard of it. "A meeting? Isn't he in one now?" Cerridwen shrugged. "We don't know all the details. The only reason we know is because of Lord Azriel, and even then, we know because we are to cook the meal." I was about to press further, but just then, Elain walked into the room, holding a tray of bread. "Cerridwen, I finished the buns and- oh, Feyre. You startled me."

Cerridwen moved to take the bread from Elain as she walked over and hugged me. "Good morning," I said, smiling as I pulled away. "How are you feeling?" Elain shrugged, then said, "I'm alright. No headaches today, which is good." I nodded. Elain's psychic headaches sometimes still bothered her, making her distant and confused. It was a good sign when she didn't have them in the morning. "That's good. Now, is there by any chance any breakfast I could find in this kitchen?" Elain smiled and went to get a platter of some kind. I looked to the half-wraith twins. "So, she has been hanging around the kitchen a lot recently. Is she ok?" The two exchanged glances. "It depends on the day, High Lady. Usually she's ok, but sometimes something will be troubling her." That was good. That was great. 'Usually' was better than I could've hoped.