Huntress chapter 2
Chapter 2:
The sun was just starting to peek through the windows when Feyre woke. She was alone in the room. She vaguely remembered both of her sisters coming to bed in the early hours of the morning. Elain usually stayed in the kitchen late preparing for events and it was no shocking fact to not find her in her bed this morning either.
And Nesta, she rarely saw her oldest sister most days. She was always out tending to whatever High Fae needed her assistance. Because they apparently need assistance with the most basic tasks She rolled her eyes at the thought. No, Nesta's absence was not unusual. She was the first to rise and the last to sleep each day.
If anyone needs a break and to stay in our room all day it's Nesta. Shethought. But out of the three of them, Nesta seemed to be the only sister truly enjoying her work.
Nesta loved high society, gossip and glam. It was something she wasn't afraid to admit. Before living in the lavish palace of Spring, Nesta despised their life of squalor. Granted, Feyre and Elain weren't fans of their poverty either but they were grateful for what little they had. At first Nesta grumbled and whined about her appointment as a handmaid for visiting Fae. But now when Feyre did see her she seemed to glow with anticipation for each day. Often times the visiting High Fae loved her so much they would share their secrets as she fixed their hair for a night of socializing. Sometimes even inviting her out with them. Being part of their lavish lifestyle of luxury and lies made her feel powerful.
Elain on the other hand would much rather be out in one of these immaculate gardens instead of stuck in the stuffy kitchen but that's what position was open when they were hired.
Well when Feyre was hired by Lucien more accurately. It took some groveling that she wasn't proud of to get her sisters employed as well. Not that she begged for their positions. But when Tamlin caught her sneaking part of her hunt to feed her sisters in their makeshift camp, she begged him to not fire her. Luckily Lucien convinced him to hire her sisters on and keep her employed.
That was the closest she had come to seeing Tamlin's power first hand. He had tracked her to their tent and confronted her. He didn't want to see reason and brought her and her sisters to Lucien to discuss how they would bring about punishment.
But it wasn't my begging that truly got us off the hook. She admitted to herself bitterly. No it was Elain, and her beautiful doe eyes. Lucien melted when he saw her.
However they managed it, Feyre was grateful for all three wages and housing no matter how meager they might be.
She laid leisurely in bed for a while taking time to stretch her limbs. Her hips cracked with soreness from the hard ride she had the day before. She grimaced with sympathy for how her horse must be feeling now.
Maybe after lunch I'll go check on her instead and bring those antlers in as well. The High Lords wouldn't be arriving till late afternoon so she should be safe taking a little detour back to her quarters.
Right. Lunch. With High Lord Pervert. She groaned outwardly and pulled her pillow over her face. She might as well start preparing for that. Unlike the Fae Nesta tended to she didn't have someone to braid her hair and get her dressed.
She desperately wanted to just put on some pants and trousers but she knew that Alis would skin her hide if she did. So instead she grabbed her one and only dress from the wardrobe her sisters shared.
It was a gift of the gracious and oh so generous Lord of Spring she thought sarcastically. He made a comment on that garden walk that she would look beautiful in a dress. At which she tried not to gag and responded that she didn't own any. That night the dress was laying on her bed decoratively with a note that said. "I chose blue to compliment your eyes. Hope you don't mind. Sincerely, Tamlin." She wanted to rip it to shreds.
She put it on and started to tie up the bodice. Thankfully the fashion of this court was modest necklines but the way the corset tightened made it feel like her breasts were being shoved up to her throat.
She donned some matching slippers and set to work on her hair. Elain is so much better at braiding than I am. But this will have to do. she secured her plait with a matching ribbon and admired her appearance.
Despite hating all that was frilly, she did have to admit that she looked nice. She had no jewelry to adorn but despite that she looked...pretty. Plain in comparison to the beauty of the Fae that walked these halls, but pretty none the less.
She was ready early despite her lie in so she paced the small room to waste time. In reality though she was practicing how to walk in a long dress. It had been a long time since her movement was this restricted.
Finally she headed out the door and toward the dining room. She passed multiple types of Fae on her way down the halls as they prepared for tonight's festivities. A few nodded at her, others ignored her completely and for that Feyre was glad. She felt out of place enough already.
Feyre wasn't the first to the table for lunch. When she opened the large oak doors leading into the dining room, she found Lucien already seated and picking at apple slices as he looked over papers scattered across the table. He seemed engrossed enough in the writings that he didn't notice her presence.
"Good afternoon Lucien." She greeted. He glanced up looking slightly startled but he quickly covered it up with a grin.
"Feyre! I didn't know you would be joining us."
"Really? Because Lord Tamlin said you were just dying to know how I killed the shadow elk." She cocked her eyebrow challenging his statement.
"Fine I knew you were coming I just forgot. It's a hectic day." He sighed and ran a hand through his Auburn hair then snapped his fingers, vanishing his papers.
Feyre eyed the now empty place mat in front of him. She had to admit it was incredible what High Fae could do with their power. Incredible and terrifying.
"Please." He suddenly gestured to the spot next to him. "Have a seat. Tamlin wasn't lying I really do want to know how you tracked that Elk."
As she made her way next to him a booming voice called. "As do I."
Tamlin strolled into the elegant dining room with an air of rugged confidence.
With a smug grin he pulled out a chair for her, next to the head of the table which of course would be his seat. Lucien rolled his eyes at the male.
Oh hell no. Feyre thought as she side stepped the High Lord of Spring and sit defiantly next to Lucien.
Tamlin just shrugged and chuckled before taking his seat. With a snap he summoned a lucious feast, prepared by her sister.
Lucien proceeded to fill his plate eagerly. "Elain is a master at roasted meats. I can't wait to see what she prepared with that elk tonight."
"You'll just have to be patient, Lord Lucien." Quipped the chipper voice of my sister. She appeared dressed in a simple linen dress along with a food stained apron. Her hands were full with two large packages.
"Elain, would you like to join us for lunch as well? It's about time you took a break from all your hard work." Tamlin offered. That's actually kind of him. Feyre thought approvingly. Perhaps the High Lord did have some redeeming qualities after all.
"Oh no thank you High Lord, I have too much to do still. I just heard Feyre from the kitchen and needed to give her these." She blushed as she walked over to Feyre's seat, setting the two packages wrapped in butcher paper in front of her. "Oh I almost forgot the best part! I'll be right back!" and with that she scurried back into the kitchen.
Lucien raised an eyebrow at her questioningly. Feyre just shrugged and tried to proceed as normal.
Before Feyre could fill her plate her sister was back with a small chocolate cupcake with a candle on top. With a grin she handed it to Feyre and said "Happy Birthday!"
Feyre gave her a small smile back but cringed at the look on the males faces.
"It's your birthday?" Lucien exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell us?" he looked genuinely offended. Tamlin was sitting across from her looking bewildered but he said nothing.
"I don't usually celebrate my birthday." Feyre responded reluctantly.
"Which is going to change, starting with this year. You've always taken care of us, it's our turn to pay you back a little bit for that." Elain chided. She picked up the packages and gestured for Feyre to open the smaller one.
"The bigger package is just the pelt from the elk." She explained. "That one," She pointed to the smaller package. "Is your gift from Nesta and I. I wanted to wait until Nesta was free to give it to you but I have no idea when that will be."
Feyre was suddenly very self-conscious. She didn't want to be having this moment with Elain in front of their employers but she decided to bite her tongue and bear it.
She untied the string around the butcher paper and found a leather-bound sketch book and pencil. It was beautiful, and by far the nicest present she had ever received. Still aware of her surroundings she forced herself to keep her tears in.
"Thank you Elain. It's perfect, I love it."
"Eek!" Elain squealed. Wrapping her younger sister up in a hug. "I'm so glad. You aren't still mad at me for going shopping?" She teased.
"No, not mad." she replied with a grin.
"Well then I will let you all get on with your lunch. So sorry to interrupt." Elain gave a little curtsy, that nearly made Feyre laugh, and went back to work.
Tamlin finally broke his silence after a few heartbeats. "Happy birthday, Feyre." He said with a soft smile. "I wish I would have known so I could have done something for you."
"No please don't worry about that, honestly I forgot it was my birthday until Elain reminded me last night." She didn't know why this conversation made her so on edge. Perhaps it was the intimacy of it. He knows too many details about my life already.
"How does one forget their own birthday?" Lucien mocked.
"It may have something to do with it being in the middle of winter and I'm in a court stuck in eternal spring I suppose." She admitted.
"Fair enough." Tamlin laughed, he then eyed the sketchbook now in her lap. "You draw?"
"Sometimes, yes." She kept her reply short. He doesn't need to know everything about me.
"I'd love to see your work sometime." He held her gaze and leaned forward in his chair, his arms rested on either side of his plate.
"It's nothing special." Feyre looked down at her plate. Suddenly finding her peas extremely fascinating. Will he please stop looking at me like that?
"Nothing special? Says the woman who killed a shadow elk and if I recall correctly you seemed to think that was no big deal either." When Feyre looked up again he was still gazing at her.
"Well I didn't know the elk was special otherwise I may have thought it was a big deal."
"About that elk, are you going to tell us how you managed to track that damn thing?" Lucien asked breaking the tension. He seemed to be aware of this action, as did Tamlin. His eyes moved to Lucien briefly and then he leaned back in his chair nonchalantly.
"Yes, please do tell." Tamlin gestured for her to go on with the story as he helped himself to more food.
Thankful for Lucien's interruption Feyre told her story of tracking the beast. She answered all of the questions they had for her and even showed them the pelt that Elain had wrapped up for her. They were speechless at that.
"You know if you take that into the village you could probably get a great price for that." Lucien told her.
"I bet so," Tamlin added. He was still stroking the white fur fondly. "But I'll do you one better. I'll give you three thousand gold for the pelt."
Feyre's fork fell to the table with a loud ring. Rare animal or no he would be over paying by at least two thousand. If not more. She thought, though she had no idea what this elk would go for in the village down the road.
"You don't need to do that, I'm sure whatever the trapper gives me will suffice." she replied breathily.
"Nonsense, I know that old bastard he will try to haggle you down and will probably deny that it is truly a shadow elk pelt. He doesn't have any competition in town so he knows he can get away with it too." He said all while he buttered a roll, this time not meeting her gaze. "Besides I want this pelt, it's not every day you see one of these."
"I..Thank you Lord Tamlin. That's very kind of you." Was all she could say. Three thousand gold, that nearly puts us at our goal for leaving for the continent already. Just a few more months wages and we could leave Prynthian. She was lost in thought, she never dreamed of being this close to their goal so soon.
"Please, Feyre just call me Tamlin." His smile was genuine and didn't seem to be hiding any ulterior motive that Feyre could tell.
Lucien cleared his throat reminding him again that they were not alone. "Tamlin we should probably head back to the study; the High Lords and their parties will be arriving soon." He said as he stood from the table, placing his napkin on his cleared plate.
"You're right." Tamlin responded and stood with a sigh. "Sorry for such a quick lunch, Feyre. Next time we will take our time."
"Next time." She repeated, standing as well. She had hardly touched her plate but was too full of excitement and wonder to care. "Yes, next time Tamlin. Well I should probably be going soon too if the High Lords are about to arrive."
"Probably a good idea. You will stay in your quarters as we discussed last night? I hate that I have to ask you to do that especially now that I know it's your birthday."
"Yes of course." Right after I make a quick detour. She thought. she felt guilty for planning to disobey his orders so soon after his kind gesture but she wanted to make sure her horse was recovering well.
The three of them exited the dining room as one. Feyre said her goodbyes, handed the wrapped pelt to Tamlin with a meek smile and headed towards the servant's quarters but instead of making a turn down the hall she waited until their heads disappeared into the study before heading to and out the main doors toward the stable.
Her horse was fine, but Feyre refilled her water and hay in her stall and patted her lovingly for a bit. Her horse grunted in appreciation. She took a seat on a hay bale next to her horse and sat with her for a bit. How about you be my first sketch in my new book. With that thought she set to work drawing.
She finished and surveyed her work. I'm definitely rusty. She thought with a small chuckle, but she still thought she did a decent job of the depiction.
"I'll paint you a real portrait next time girl, one worthy of your beauty." She smiled and looked outside. Feyre jumped when she saw the sun's position realizing that she had spent entirely too long drawing.
Shit, Shit, Shit. I'm supposed to be up in my room. Feyre gathered her drawing supplies quickly and eyed the antlers propped up in the stall. Fuck I have to get those too.
She rested the sketch book in the crook of her arm and put the pencil between her teeth as she heaved the Antlers over her shoulders. It was a struggle carrying it all and she knew she must look like a fool but she had to get back to her quarters.
Without a second glance she set a quick pace up to the palace. Where the hell is Dominic and Philip when I need them. She thought angrily as her hair fell into her eyes, unable to even blow the strands out of her face.
She was halfway to the door when she heard male voices chattering some distance behind her. For a split second she thought her prayers had been answered and it was her friends coming to help her, that was until she heard female voices join in on their bickering.
Just keep walking, maybe they haven't even noticed you yet. She reassured herself, picking up the pace to be as quick as she could go without running.
The voices behind her stopped as she reached the steps, but she knew better than to believe they were gone.
As she reached the doors she realized she had not puzzled out how she was supposed to get them open with so much in her arms. She was about to drop everything when a smooth Fae hand reached from behind her and pulled on the brass handle.
Feyre looked up and her eyes met piercing violet ones. Mother above he is beautiful. That was Feyre's first impression of this mysterious Fae. She studied his chiseled features for a short moment. His mouth was upturned in an amused smirk, but behind those violet eyes there was a sense of unease. But it was quickly gone when the first words were out of his mouth.
"Please, allow me to help you with that." He offered as swung the large doors open for her.
Feyre blinked her eyes. She thought he had to be part of a Lord's court. He was dressed all in black. Her eyes took him in from his black shoes, to his black pants and his black tunic. Part of a court she thought until her eyes landed upon the crown on his head. She almost dropped everything and ran.
She started to say thank you when she remembered the pencil between her teeth. She started to say thank you when she remembered the pencil between her teeth. The handsome Fae seemed to notice and delicately took the pencil out of her mouth and tucked it behind her ear.
"Thank you." She finally said. She was surprised at how strong her voice was but she had decided a long time ago that no Fae would every get the satisfaction of intimidating her.
Without wasting another second, she strode through the doors and down the hall. Disappearing as quick as she could around the turn where she paused to listen for the strangers. She heard another male let out a whistle.
"Damn, did you see the size of those antlers she was carrying. That has to be shadow elk antlers, I'm calling it. I would love to pick the brain of a hunter who killed that." She set down the antlers as light as she could and hugged the sketchbook to her chest. Peeking around the corner she could see the male the voice belonged to was nearly as handsome as the first. Dressed in black armor and jewels that glistened in the sunlight streaming in through the windows. But the most intimidating thing about him were his wings. Even with them tucked behind his body Feyre could tell they were massive.
There were three more accompanying the devastatingly handsome High Lord. Two females, one dressed in red with golden locks down to her low back and a far shorter female clothed in sliver with two large rubies in her ears. There was one other male with them as well that Feyre didn't notice at first. He was dressed in the same armor and similar jewels, he had wings as well but they nearly disappeared in the shadows around him.
"I was a little more interested in the fact that a human woman was carrying the antlers, Cassian." The golden-haired woman replied. "Why is there a human servant working here?" She directed that question toward her High Lord who was staring down the hall to where Feyre was hiding. She ducked her head around the corner at his gaze.
I don't think he saw me. She told herself but she knew that was too close of a call. Feyre quickly picked up the antler and headed as quick as possible to her quarters.
"I don't know." She heard the High Lord drawl as she scurried away. "But I'm planning to find out."