Welcome back!
Once again, I do not own any characters that SJM wrote, but my girl Lyra is all mine.
Without further adieu, here is Chapter 3!
Chapter 3
I made my way back to the party and headed to the food. The meat carver sliced me off a large part of pork, giving me chunks of skin to chew on, as well as fresh berries and bread. It didn't take long for Tarquin to hunt me down again.
"You would look devastating in Summer." He whispered.
"Is that a proposal? Because my father would be rather irate if you asked me to marry me before you bought me." A flush crossed his cheeks. He opened his mouth to speak but I laid a hand on his arm. "Don't speak. This is my last Mabon and I want to dance."
"Then let's dance."
I smirk at him and I can feel the bonfire throw my face into shadows and angles. "Don't get burned." I set my plate down and walk into the mass of bodies dancing. My parents were dancing and even my brothers had found girls to dance with. I closed my eyes while I moved my body, letting the drum and violin drive me. I leaned against Tarquin, my back to his rather hard torso and his hands found my hips and his breath was hot on my neck. I spun around in his arms and his pupils were dilated, his eyes darkened. I smiled at him leaning in brushing past his mouth to his ear. "Bet high next month." I backed away from him, letting my fingertips brush down his torso delighted at what I felt. I bit my lip and his chest was rising rather high with his heavy breathing.
The rest of the night blurred by, lots of dancing, eating, and wine consumption. And when the sun was finally cresting over the earth and the bonfire was nothing but embers, the party was disassembled and we all parted to our bedrooms to sleep the day away, several with partners to give the night a proper send off. Tarquin lingered and I could tell he wanted to be invited to my bedroom but I kissed his cheek and made my way to bed alone. My brothers, on the other hand, did not.
I did not see Tarquin again over the next month, I did not see much of anyone really. I wonder if Cressida was warning her High Lord not to spend their entire fortune for his lust. I wanted to write him to warn him just that but I knew that he was my only shot at a semi-happy life. He was attractive, unbelievably so and he cared for his people. He would not be hard to love. And certainly, bedding him would be no hardship.
I wonder if he was thinking the same as I dressed for tonight. Usually, I was not allowed in father's meetings but since I am the center of discussion, the heavy oak doors opened for me as I entered the room. Eris was there looking dashing in his dark red suit, so dark it almost looked black. The joy that was on my father's face during Mabon was long gone and was once again replaced with cold, hard neutrality. He gave me a once over and nodded his approval at my choice of dresses. The gold offset my pale skin and my scarlet hair and I framed my face with nothing but red lips and wide eyes.
I saw a few courtiers just as I knew there would be and for a moment I felt afraid. These men had deep pockets and they eyed me like I was the pig roasting during Mabon. Tarquin slipped into the room, looking resplendent in a suit of deep navy with silver embroidering along the collar. I looked at him with pleading eyes and he ever so slightly nodded and I almost sighed. These Autumn Fae may have deep pockets but they do not have the wealth of a High Lord, in fact, some of them started whispering and sweating as they eyed the Summer Lord.
And then, out of nowhere, black shimmering smoke appeared and Rhysand, the High Lord of Night, walked out dusting off his all black ensemble. "I heard there was a party. I'm hurt that you didn't invite me, Beron."
My father's face turned red. "You were not invited, you already have a mate." He scoffed. "Or is she not enough for you?"
Rhysand's pretty mouth curled up into a crooked grin. "Feyre and I were discussing adding an additional element to our nighttime play and we both agreed that Lyra would something hot to our bed."
Tarquin was furious but not nearly as roaring as my father. And brother.
"How dare you suggest that my sister be anything such as that to someone like you?" He hissed.
"I'm sorry, I thought this was an auction for the Princess of Autumn, what do you think she will be to these other men but something to play with? I brought plenty of gold, I'm sure you'll find my offer plenty enticing, Beron." A sliver of paper wafted over to my father and when he beheld the amount written on it, his skin blanched.
I looked at Rhysand. What are you doing? You're ruining everything! I scowled at him. He looked at me seriously and nodded his head ever so slightly as if to say Hold on
"Where did you get this kind of money?" Beron demanded to know.
"You don't need to know that." Rhysand purred. "What do you say, Beron?" My hands felt hot and my hands left a char on my father's cherry tree desk that only Tarquin and Eris noticed.
"Done." Beron whispered, his voice both furious and stunned.
"Father." He did not even cast me one last look as Rhysand gripped my hand and winnowed me away.
We were at his townhouse again and I snarled as I shoved him with every ounce of strength in my body causing him to fly into the farthest wall. Amren and his Illyrians growled but the sound that ripped out of my body stopped their movements towards me. My hands were engulfed in blue fire, the hottest of fires for my strongest of furies. I felt Azriel use his magic to bind me but I tore through them like paper as I advanced towards the High Lord. Feyre was by his side and her eyes were pierced on me, her lips raised over teeth in warning. High Lady, indeed.
"WHY?" I screamed, shaking the building.
"I'm sorry, did you want to be sold like chattel?" Rhysand asked, his voice calm not at all afraid.
"I have already been sold like chattel! Or was that not your money that bought me?" His mouth flicked downwards.
"Sister." Lucien whispered. I spun towards him, fire in my eyes.
"Did you condone this?" I hissed.
"Listen to him." He said quietly trying not to anger me.
"You have five seconds before I set this city ablaze."
"You would not make it to six, girl." Amren said coolly. I was not afraid as I gave her a silent snarl.
"Start explaining!"
"I bought your freedom." Rhysand said.
"You said I was to be the third party in your bedroom. An active third party." I said though clenched teeth, my fire growing brighter. Amren cocked her head to the side as she examined my hands.
"You said what?" Both Cassian and Lucien shouted.
Rhysand had the good sense to look slightly ashamed. "I wanted to anger Beron and Eris." He explained.
"And in the process you made me out as some sort of whore! With the others it was clear I was to be a wife, a mother, but you belittled me into nothing more than a sex slave. Publically. I will not be able to ever have a respectable name again." I heard the floor sizzling as my feet charred the wood floors. "There is no taking that back." I felt Azriel try to touch my shoulders to try and calm me down but I spun on him. "Unless you want to burn your hands again, I would suggest not touching me." Morrigan hissed at me and I returned the favor.
"You do not have to stay here. You can run off to Tarquin if that's what you want, I just wanted you to be able to choose your future. I didn't want you saddled with some male you didn't want."
"That is not your decision to make."
"I apologize." He said sincerely.
"Unless you can reverse time and undo your actions I will not accept any sort of apology." I felt my flames start to flicker out as tears started to burn my eyes. "I was going to be a Lady in Summer, a female with position and respect and now I am to be viewed as nothing more than your whore." My chest was heaving with fury and unshed tears.
I didn't know where to go, I wanted to cry myself to sleep but I didn't want to sleep here in this house full of strangers. I wanted to explode and burn until even myself was nothing but ashes.
I walked out of the townhouse, down the thousand steps, past the music and the restaurants. I walked until I was in the trees with nothing around me for miles and then I burned, I burned even as I cried for my lost existence and reputation, for my father for doing this to me, for Rhysand being an idiot, and for all that I could have been.
I don't know how long I was out there in the woods until Lucien found me one day. He said nothing as he picked me up and winnowed back to the townhouse. He was speaking to me, telling me that he had no idea that was the ruse he was going to use, that it was him who had begged Rhysand to do something to help me since I saved Rhysand's life, but I didn't have the energy to reply to him.
Apparently Tarquin sent a scathing note to Rhysand shortly after that eventful day as well as a note to myself but I haven't opened it yet even though I gazed at the beautiful, scrawling cursive of my name often. They gave me food but I hardly touched it. I just watched the sun rise and set.
For the most part, they left me alone, although I could feel Azriel's shadows checking on me every now and then and every other day or so Azriel himself would come and sit with me on the balcony, not saying anything but it was nice to have his presence. I don't know how long we kept this up for but one day Azriel spoke.
"Which part are you mad at exactly?" He asked.
"All of it." His head moved towards me as if he was surprised I listened and even more shocked that I answered. "But anger takes energy. I'm just sad now. I don't even think I could touch my flames right now."
"Rhysand is sorry, will you speak with him?"
"No."
"Why haven't you opened Tarquin's letter?"
"I'm afraid." I whispered.
"Of what?"
"That he wouldn't have me now. Or that he would." He said nothing. "Does Cassian and the other girl know they're mates yet?" I pause. "No, of course they don't, they suspect or at least Cassian does but she is afraid of feeling that much, of allowing herself to." I pick up the cup of tea he had brought me but I did not look at him. "Have you spoken to Morrigan?" He looked confused. "No, you are not upset so you have not spoken to her." I take a sip. "You're harder to read, your fire does not speak to me as loudly as the others but it still speaks, just in whispers."
"Mor?"
"She has something she needs to tell you, but she will not." I was rambling at this point, my body and mind starved of food and company as well as my magic overflowing with lack of use. Something Azriel no doubt noticed.
"Why?"
"It is not my place to say." I take another sip. "I feel everything, you know. Not just my own emotions but others' too. You can't shield against feelings."
"And what are you feeling?" He asked me.
"Empty." He did not say anything for a long time. "You can go relay everything I said to your High Lord now." He looked at me for a long few seconds before he was nothing but shadow and mist. It was days again before someone else tried to come see me. This time they sent Lucien who offered to show me around Velaris but when I declined, he threw me over his shoulder and took me anyway. I did not fight him.
He told me about his pretty mate, Elain, and her sister—the sharp faced beauty that I did not know the name of, Nesta and of day to day life now that the war was over. Everything was peaceful, everyone laughed and ate and loved. Elain grew a garden, a beautiful garden he said. Nesta preferred to be alone reading and sometimes Cassian would join her. Rhysand and Feyre he barely mentioned but he said they were either at the library reading or with each other at the castle atop the Hewn City.
Velaris was beautiful and there were children running and laughing as they played and I could not help but offer them a small smile as they noted how beautiful our hair was. I never thought my red hair was anything but ordinary growing up but here everyone either had dark or very light hair, no red.
My stomach growled at some point and he offered to buy me something to eat but I declined. He didn't take that as an answer and bought some sort of meat on a stick that we could eat while we walked and he watched me carefully and pointedly making sure I ate the whole thing.
I didn't see Rhysand when we entered the townhouse again but I could smell him so I knew he was hiding. Amren, on the other hand, was not. And neither was her date, Varian, Tarquin's second-in-command. We stared at each other and he took in my gaunt form with displeasure.
"Where did you get that blue fire, girl?"
"I have always had it."
"Only High Lord of Autumn is supposed to have blue fire."
"Well I am his daughter." I raised my chin daring her to say something. When she said nothing I looked at Varian. "How is he?"
"He would like to see you."
"I would like that too, I think." He gave me another cursory once over.
"Eat some food before you see him, you look like death." I blush and Amren lightly hits his shoulder. "I have been told that Rhysand did not mean what he said and that he has not touched you?" I nodded. "I will relay that to Tarquin and set up a meeting for next week."
"Thank you." I open my mouth but the question dies in my throat. So I try again. "How bad is it?"
"Everyone has heard." I close my eyes and slowly nod.
"I'm going to bed." I mutter.
"It's barely afternoon." Amren snapped.
"I don't care." I make my way to the room they gave me and I make myself comfortable on the balcony where I finally open Tarquin's letter.
I'm sorry I couldn't stop him.
I want to dance with you again.
I will not give up.
Don't you love Tarquin? I need side stories written by her Royal Majesty Sarah J Maas herself of all the other High Lords! I love Tarquin and Kallias!
I'm also really obsessed with the Autumn Court (if you can't tell lol)
I'll be back next week! Thank you for reading and as always any constructive criticism is welcome!