"Mor, get Azriel and Cass and Amren. We need to get a meeting, now," I demanded, feeling my heartbeat ringing in my ears loudly, shooting adrenaline up and down my body so fast that I felt like I could run a thousand miles. I then looked at Feyre, shriveled and in shock of the new revelation. "You're welcome to join us if you desire, but I understand if you'd rather be at your sister's bedside." My words immediately sparked something in her, as I could tell by her sudden flinch.

"What? You're thinking of going to war?" She asked breathlessly, as if the question itself was near impossible.

"War, battle, a hiss in the face," I said, shrugging nonchalantly. "Whatever it takes for him to grovel on his knees and beg for me to spare his useless, pitiful life." Her emotionless face swifted into a look of utter disgust, forcing my composure to falter for just a moment.

"You can't just attack him," she sputtered. I flinched back at her, looking her up and down sporadically like she was utterly mad. Did she not digest what just happened? What her so-called lover did to her family? That Tamlin was absolutely off the walls?!

"In case it escaped your notice, he just hurt one of the love ones of my guest, violated one of my higher values of leaving mortals alone, and has, quite frankly, pissed me off," I snapped impatiently. "I think those are very credible reasons to attack, Feyre-darling." She shook her head harshly, her lips curling back as if the sight of me was causing her to explode.

"Who says you're not to blame?" She spat, her voice cracking a bit in the middle. I sighed dramatically, finding that I didn't have the energy for this argument anymore. I could feel her anger beam so harshly that I nearly felt it in my veins, as if I was the easiest person to project it to. Mor stood up straighter as Feyre nailed her eyes on me, and even her sister, Nesta, seemed exasperated.

"I'm sorry?" I asked, blinking.

"You know what I'm talking about!" She shrilled. "Stealing me, taking me to your castle, making Tamlin believe the worst and watch him blame my sisters in order to fulfill your disgusting need to get everyone to hate you! After all the actions you've committed against him throughout the years…" She was tiny, drained of color and her body was in terrible condition, but she still insisted on using the little fire she had left on me of all people. I almost felt honored.

"Oh, yes," I said dryly. "Because Tamlin has always been an innocent victim. Hunting you like an animal at Calanmai just because he believes you're his territory, leaving you to fight all those tasks alone because interfering was a risk of his own head, and-"

"Rhys," I heard Mor hiss warningly, but I wasn't done yet. No, I was very, very far from done. I had waited and sat in that stupid mountain for too long to tolerate this nonsense – I was no longer going to waste my time waiting.

"-And maiming your sisters to the brink of death because you were incapable of warming his bed for once," I purred, as cold as I could muster. "If you have any wits left in your tiny, mortal skull, you'll realize that he's an insufferable tool. He nearly destroyed your family and ruined you." And maybe I went too far, and maybe I had ruined my chance with her forever, but she needed to hear those words. She was too strong, too valuable, to remain ignorant of his cruelty. Her entire body was trembling in anger, and I could sense her eyes tearing up, but she stood her ground.

"You don't know what he endured in that…" She choked, unable to say it. "You don't know what he has endured." My lips curled back. In my peripheral vision, Mor was looking at me harshly, but I was tired of Tamlin. Tired of his entire existence, actually. Now that I saw her sister in mangles due to his juvenile actions, wiping him off the map was starting to look like a priority.

"You're right," I whispered, striding to her and putting my lips to her ear seductively. "Because he sat on his ass the entire time, while I was risking my neck in all the ways possible just to get you out of there after being used as a play toy for fifty years." She opened her mouth, then closed it. Once I took a step back, I caught a glint of the redness in her eyes, as if pushing down the tears that were tempted to fall. The string that held me to her stiffened, and I let out a painful breath. I had an apology stuck in my throat for the first time since cauldron-knows-when, but then Nesta jumped into the conversation.

"I don't care what you have to do. Burn the whole place down if you need to," Nesta snarled. "Just get my sister back."

~discidium~

When Mor and I had made our way downstairs, my crew was waiting silently in my office. Too silently. Their eyes were on me like spies as they analyzed my body from head to toe, with awe and a bit of suspicion. They took notice of the slight limp I still had, the scar against my cheek, the hurricane of emotions forming in my eyes. They noticed the permanent dull rings that were on both of my wrists, from the many times Amarantha had tied me to her bed. They watched as I walked towards the table with my back as straight as a pin and how I, too, was looking at them, and trying to memorize every detail of the scene just in case I was imprisoned once more. Just in case all of this was just a dream.

"And yet you still look an idiot," Cass tried to joke, but nobody laughed. There was no humor in the scene – not when their High Lord had disappeared for half a century. I looked at all of them, trying to catch their glances all at once. There was resentment in their eyes, not that I expected less. I had left them.

"I am-I am so sorry," I said to them, my words breaking. Though saying 'sorry' wasn't good enough and I knew it. "For leaving you, for forcing you to live with my absence and putting you through so much pain-"

"Shut up," Amren interrupted. I blinked at her stupidly, so she continued. "If you are insisting that we are mad at you for protecting your people, you are wrong." Cass folded his arms tightly, his eyes narrowing on me.

"We're mad at you for not letting us go to that stupid ball," Cass snapped. "For not letting us suffer with you, you great idiot." I shook my head at him, my stomach churning.

"I couldn't let you do that. I-"

"You wanted to protect us, yadda yadda yadda," Amren finished. "We love you, Rhysand. We are here to protect all of us. So, for the Cauldron's sake, let us help you." And though they were all looking at me angrily, including Mor, I had to suppress a smile.

"If you say so," I said, perking up an eyebrow. "But, let's start from the beginning." And so I began. From the beginning to the end. They winced at some parts, like when I spoke about Amarantha using me as a whore, and let out a dark chuckle occasionally, especially when I spoke about Tamlin. The darkness in Azriel's eyes unnerved me, but I didn't cease. I didn't even take a breath until I began talking about Feyre– from the dreams to the moment I first met her at Calanmai. I saw Mor's eyes lighten as I told them about when I officially fell in love with her, memorized by her bravery and her abilities. I told them about how I manipulated the seven lord's to revive her and turn her immortal.

And then I told them about how she was mine, and I was hers, and how she didn't know a single bit of it. As it spewed out, I caught a fast glance between Mor and Azriel, making me stiffen. But I forgot about it almost immediately once I began talking about how Tamlin had the audacity to attack Feyre's family.

"No wonder I heard yelling upstairs," Cass huffed, looking between us all. "That injured girl – Nesta, her name is? – has quite the fire."

"Yelling?" Mor said curiously. Cass gave her a simple wave of the hand.

"Oh, nothing important. Just something about Feyre being a disappointment to the family and that Tamlin was less than spit on the ground and that if they ever meet again, she will murder him with her two mortal hands." My eyebrows went up nonchalantly, but a childish fear soared through me.

"And Feyre?" I said, my mouth going dry. "What does she think of Tamlin?"

"That she was sorry," Cass said as he tried suppressing the coldness in his voice but inevitably failed. "That he changed and she doesn't think she can ever forgive him. But she thinks talking to him will solve something, rather than following our so-called cult." I imagined taking her back there – watching her fall into his arms and kissing him right in front of my eyes. Watching it all over again because she believed him over us. Because she loved him.

"What is the word of the High Lord of the Night Court compared to your own lover?" I said aloud. Nobody inched towards me but I could sense Mor almost considering it.

"I…I think she's coming along," Cass said, breaking the awkward silence. "She's not insane. She's just in shock."

"I hope so," Amren sneered. "Because accidentally kidnapping your mate was probably the best thing that you could've possible done." My face twitched.

"What do you mean?" And when I said it outloud, it came out as a croak. Because I had just gotten out of that bloody mountain. I had spent fifty years being someone's play toy for the greater good, and the last three months selling my soul to a mortal girl who absolutely hated me. And yet now, Cass was looking at me with that hollow look in his eyes, as if we were going to have to kill a thousand man once again.

"King Hypbern has some plans for that wall," Cass revealed, and for a moment I couldn't even blink. King Hypbern? I predicted this fight to happen but not so soon. My eyes brushed past the rest of them, collecting the uncomfortable looks across their faces.

"And none of you, excluding Cassian, thought to bring this up?" I growled, looking at Mor especially. Her eyes began to tear up.

"I just…it seemed like you had enough issues. I didn't think it would hurt to wait a day or two," Mor mumbled. I shook my head at all of them, trying my best not to show my fury.

"Well, then what's the news?" My eyes found Azriel, who was leaning against the wall casually, dipping into a shadow.

"The news is that we know absolutely nothing," Azriel's words clipped sharply. "He wants to take over the mortal lands, but nobody knows how. I'm still yet to hear those whispers. But I'm assuming that whatever plan he has, it has begun." I frowned.

"I guess that war against Tamlin is going to have to be brushed aside for a bit then," I said bitterly. "We're going to have to use all our resources towards the King's plan." But then Azriel put his hand up to stop me.

"Not so fast, I have a plan," Azriel objected, taking a step towards me.

"Do tell."

"Feyre," Azriel said in return. My body jerked.

"Feyre? Why would we-" But then it hit me. "She has seven powers in her immortal body now. If I can convince her-"

But then the door slammed open. None of us jumped in surprise, but I noticed how Azriel stood straighter and Cass had reached for a dagger. Mor was in high alert, and I knew Amren was considering what power to blast. But then the scarred, severely-angry figures walked in, quite pathetically.

"Well, well, well," I purred, stepping towards Feyre and Nesta with my hands clasped behind me. "So you are interested." Feyre sneered at me.

"Fine," she said coolly. "Tamlin…it doesn't matter how he treated me before. He took my sister, and abused Nesta. I- we- are in." My smile widened, glancing at Nesta who was shooting me a deathly glare. My eyes lingered back to Feyre, questioning her. Did she really come to this conclusion that fast? Willing to go against her lover, who she had killed and died for, over something she didn't even witness first-hand?

"Great," I said, leaning closer to her. "But there is one itsy-bitsy condition." Feyre's fierce face faltered.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Another enemy of mine has taken up the liberty to try to test me," I explained, with a slight bite in my tone. "And, due to my very inconvenient absence over the past fifty years, I'm low on resources." Nesta bumped around Feyre harshly, sticking her nose in my face. My eyebrows rose.

"I don't care if I have to be the whore," she growled. "I want my sister back. Soon." I peeked over Nesta's head to meet Feyre's stormy eyes. Through the small strand that pulled me to her, I could feel her uncertainty.

"And you, Feyre? Are you willing to lend out your services?" I asked, my eyes boring into hers. She swallowed.

"As in?" She replied, her voice struggling to hold onto her fading strength.

"I have just learned that the seven lords have unknowingly delegated powers to you when they chose to give you a second chance," I told her honestly, watching as her face repulsed in confusion.

"Powers? I don't have any powers!" She bellowed angrily. "And even if I did, what are you going to do? Sell me to him?" Cass stifled a laugh behind me, but my eyes merely narrowed.

"No, I'm going to train you. Cassian, to be exact," I said, nodding my head towards him briefly. I heard his mouth open, probably in protest, but he closed it quickly. "So when the time comes for you to decide whether or not you're going to fight for your lands or watch them die, I'll at least know you are capable of being a part of our fight on the battlefied." Her mouth opened immediately.

"My lands?" She asked, dazzled. "I don't have lands." I pursed my lips.

"The mortal world," I said, seriously. "He wants to break down the wall." Nesta shrieked loudly, backing away in horror. Feyre, on the other hand, froze.

"Break down the wall?" She replied, emptily. "But, Rhysand-"

"I'm not an evil person, Feyre. I am not the enemy. I don't want to see that fall any more than you do. If you choose this path, if you choose to join my court for as long as I need you, I will let you stay at my castle at your own leisure. I will feed you, clothe you, even send you a monthly payment for your duties."

"And if we choose to walk away?" It was Nesta speaking now. After her shriek of horror, her eyes swiped across us defensively, as if we were too against the mortals.

"Then you will not have our help getting Elain back," I told Nesta coldly. "And you will be forced to go back to Tamlin's estate and be on lockdown there. Forever." I quickly glanced at Feyre, knowing what she was thinking. I just gave her an easy way out. I am letting her go home to her beloved Tamlin. But surely, things have changed. Her feelings for him have changed.

But Nesta must've seen the conflict in Feyre's eyes as well because she hissed to her, "I am not staying in lockdown at Tamlin's little castle, Feyre." Feyre shook her head, growing closer to her sister desperately.

"You don't know what he's talking about, Tamlin will let you go if I just-"

"He hurt me, Feyre," Nesta spat. "He hurt me. And Elain. Don't you dare pick him. Don't you dare!" The conflict in Feyre's eyes died down, sadness replacing it.

"How would you help us, then?" Feyre said, looking up at me. I put my hands into my pockets casually, trying not to dwell on the sadness on her face.

"If you were to agree to our deal?" I continued. "Well, I think you were right about one thing, Feyre-darling. I don't want to waste my precious resources immediately on Tamlin." Her face relaxed, just a little bit. But her stare was deathly.

"So we wait?" She asked, her voice sharp. There was an echo of silence until I began to laugh.

"Wait? The High Lord of the Night Court, wait?" I snorted, mocking her. "Of-fucking-course-not. I am not waiting for Tamlin to get off his ass. It would take an entire century, if not more." Her jaw tensed and I could sense that I was reaching her last nerve.

"I'll go along with your little plan," I hissed. "I'll talk to him first." And more, I almost added. But I had to take this alliance one step at a time.

"Talk to him? You…you will talk to him?" She asked skeptically. I nodded.

"And I will let you go with me," I told her. "Along with your sister, Nesta. I hope you don't mind a few members of my inner-circle coming along as well, though." Finally, Feyre took a glance at my inner circle with a questionable eye, recognizing their presence for the first time. As I followed her gaze, Az gave her a curt nod, Cassian wiggled his fingers, Amren glared at her, and Mor gave her a bright smile.

"Your pick," I offered. Her arms were crossed against her chest defiantly, but her face drained of color.

"Er," She said, her voice cracking. "Your cousin, Mor, and-and…" She looked between the rest of them quickly, trying to decide which one was the least dangerous.

"You, in the corner," she said, notioning to Azriel. My smile widened. There was a hint of surprise on his face, but he stepped forward with precise steps.

"Pleasant choice," I agreed, and I took pleasure with the bewildered look she flashed back at me, as if realizing very, very quickly that she made the wrong decision.

"Wait-"

"Then it's agreed," I said, clapping my hands together. "Tomorrow, at first light. Of course, that's only if you're willing to promise me one thing, Feyre." Nesta was starting to look impatient now.

"That is?" Feyre replied.

"That you will walk into Tamlin's dull residence as a member of my court, and not as his lover," I said, my voice growing serious. "You will walk in with me and you will walk out with me." I expected her to flinch at my demands, but she didn't even blink an eye.

"Fine," she snapped. "I promise." I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Well then," I said, waving my hand at her. "Go back to your rooms. Rest. I need to speak to my inner circle before tomorrow, and your presence is ruining the mood." She opened her mouth to say something vulgar but then, to my surprise, Nesta pulled her away and pulled her out my study.

When the doors clanged shut, I was the first to speak.

I didn't look at Azriel as I heard myself ask, "Is she lying?" There was a solemn silence for a moment, unusual for Azriel to bear. He was usually impulsive – quick, rapid like a snake. But when he delayed his answer, there were goosebumps going up and down my arms.

"Yes," He said. "She's lying."
~ Discidium~

This chapter was a tad dry but I needed to advance the plot. Please, give me reviews. If I don't get any, I kind've just assume that nobody is reading it :P Also, I'm sorry for the errors