This is a new collection of one-shots I've been thinking about. They're all connected but I'm not confident to write a complete story for this yet since I'm still new to the story and characters. This will be set after ACOMAF so it's safe to assume there will probably be spoilers if you haven't finished the book yet. Constructive criticism is welcome. This is my first fanfiction for this fandom so it might not be that great.
I sighed and looked out the window at the rolling green hills of the Spring Court. Keeping up the appearance that I was thrilled to be putting my 'terrible experiences' at the Night Court behind me was difficult, to say the least. Tamlin no longer kept me locked up in the manor although I still had to have one or two sentries with me whenever I went outside the walls of the manor. Despite how the sun was always shining and the trees, grass, and flowers never faded, I missed the mountains of the Night Court. Before I had gone with Rhys, before I had been taken Under the Mountain, I thought that the sunrises and sunsets of the Spring Court were beautiful and they were, really. But they dulled in comparison to the radiant colors that had streaked through the sky at the Night Court.
Now I was taking my time heading back to the manor with a bag of paints and brushes hanging at my side. I had to make it look convincing that I was glad to be back here after all, and painting seemed like the one way to get everyone to lower their guards, especially Tamlin. He had been thrilled to see that I was using the paints and brushes he had gotten me when I had returned. To keep him happy, I would continue to use them. Even though I really wanted to be painting landscapes different than green hills and blue skies. A pleased purr vibrated against my mental walls and I had to stifle a smile. Despite being in what were now enemy lands, I wasn't alone, not really. When I was with Tamlin or Lucien, Rhysand would distract me which often did more harm than good, seeing as I had to force the smile off my face and hide the joy and laughter from my eyes. However he left me alone when I was in meetings that I could now take part in after gently influencing Tamlin's mind.
When I was inside the manor, it was around dinner time. The halls were empty for the most part and the clinking noises of silverware on platters leaked from the dining room entry. "I'm sorry I'm late," I apologized as I scurried into the room and took my seat to the right of Tamlin. "I was out painting again. Everything looks much lovelier now that I'm out of…there." Lie. The Spring Court looked more devoid of life compared to the months I had spent in the Night Court, in Velaris.
"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself darling," Tamlin replied and I had to internalize my reaction to how wrong the word sounded coming from Tamlin instead of Rhysand. I just smiled and filled my plate with food. Thankfully I hadn't seen Ianthe all day because if I had to spend more than an hour with her I often found myself fantasizing how to hurt her in a way that would deliver the pain that both my mate and I wanted to inflict on her for everything she had done to us. Through the bond I felt dark laughter and I was reminded that Rhys had two very different sides. The one that the rest of Prythian saw him as, as someone who delighted in the torment of others, and the one the inner circle and the people of Velaris saw, as someone who laughed and cared for everyone around him. The former was what everyone here expected me to see, so I acted like it. Whenever Tamlin or Lucien had asked questions I would say that I couldn't remember, that I didn't want to remember the horrible things that were done to me. Although it pained me I didn't stop them from cursing Rhys and the rest of the Night Court. I lovingly brushed against Rhysand's mental walls and I felt it reciprocated followed by the words soon Feyre darling, soon.
Thanks for reading