Amarantha toyed with her as much as she could with meaningless chores that were always stacked against Feyre. I tried to help whenever I could, but there were times when I was away or unable to help. This continued and took its toll on Feyre until Rhysand Glamoured the guards that if they gave her meaningless chores, touched her, or hurt her, they were to gut themselves. It was pretty effective, though I think it shook Feyre a bit. But whenever I visited her, her spirit seemed to growing ever so slightly.

We were getting prepared for a Midsummer party that Amarantha was throwing, a frivolous thing that she liked to use to flaunt her powers. It was especially important this year because of the Eglithe that had showed the court just how weak and powerless she was and because of the defiance that Feyre had been showing her. Rhys, as he usually does, wanted to make a statement with Feyre tonight.

He had Nuala and Cerridwen get her from her cell and get her ready for the party in my quarters. I stepped out of the shower ready to dress myself when I found her in my bedroom in front of the dresser looking for all the world as though she was being tortured. Nuala and Cerridwen were drawing whorls and vines all over her body with paint brushes. I walked in, my body wrapped in a towel and my hair damp from the shower. When she caught sight of me, her eyes flared wide in surprise.

"Are you behind this?" She sounded as though she wanted to strangle me.

I chuckled, "No, but it definitely looks like you're having lots of fun."

"Don't start." She turned to face me fully and Nuala and Cerridwen didn't object. They just started working around her. "What's happening?"

"Ah, about that…" I scratched the back of my neck uncomfortably. Rhys and Feyre had a bargain and well, this was between them. "You'll find out in time." I smiled at her sheepishly and ducked into my closet to get my own outfit for the party. Once she sees the outfit Rhys has picked for her, I don't think I want to be there for that.

Rhys wanted us to be a statement of scorn. Feyre, the proud, sensual, defiant mortal standing enthralled beside the most powerful and fearsome High Lord of all time. My role had been his ruthless executor and protector. Now, I was also Feyre's. In compliance for this, my outfit was the same as it almost always was, with a slight variation. I had my all black fighting leathers on, various knives and blades strapped across my body. The neck of the leathers came up to my chin, and I had kept my hair free, unbound. Its black and dark brown waves were cascading down to my waist blending in with the leathers. I didn't bother with makeup and jewelry. The variation to my fighting leathers were that my left arm, all the way to my heart but still covering my breast, was made with a chiffon, see-through material. I wanted my tattoo on full display to show my loyalty to Rhys, to the future Feyre might bring us.

I finished dressing in the closet and walked out to my bedroom and stopped short when I saw Feyre. She looked positively murderous. I chuckled to myself, Rhys was going to get his ass handed to him.

"Something funny?" She looked at me darkly and I held up my hands in mock surrender.

"Oh, I wouldn't dare pick a fight with you." I smirked at her and sat on my bed, waiting for Nuala and Cerridwen to finish. Rhys was to meet us here. I laid back on my bed, staring at the ceiling. I wanted to say something to Feyre, but the words just couldn't form in my mouth.

"I wouldn't do that." I rolled my eyes. Rhys was standing at the entrance, leaning against the frame, oozing cool calm.

"Our bargain hasn't started yet." Feyre snapped. I smiled and quickly wiped it off when Rhys threw me a look. She had a fiery spark in her and whenever she was with Rhys, it flared.

"Ah, but I need an escort for the party." He had that mischievous smirk that I always ran from. "And when I thought of you squatting in that cell all night, alone …"

"You really know how to woo people. Really, it's amazing how women don't just throw themselves at your feet." I groaned, sliding off the bed and walking over to him.

He gave me a dark look and I threw my hands up in the air in exasperation and walked away. I knew when I was not wanted.

The three of us walked to the party. Feyre and Rhys were in front, Feyre's gown billowing behind her. They looked like wisps of smoke bouncing off her body and to add to the effect, I had embers sparking in our footsteps, leaving a glowing trail. I could tell she was freezing cold and I surrounded her with some of that warm fire that burst through my veins. She was already uncomfortable, no point in keeping her cold as well.

I saw her footsteps falter when we approached the throne room and I understood why. This was the room she had seen Clare in and had been beaten to unconsciousness.

Rhys walked us over to the Amarantha and we both bowed and wished her Merry Midsummer. She did not celebrate it personally but kept up appearances. After I had wished her, I remained behind Rhys and Feyre, half listening to the conversation and half taking in my surroundings. I spotted some of the High Lords and High Fae socializing and drinking scattered around the room and took note of who was here, what they were doing, who they were talking to. This was valuable information we would need when building alliances after Amarantha was defeated.

We were walking to the food table when I realized with a jolt, I had been considering our freedom as a matter of when. I wasn't sure at what point I had stopped referring to it as a matter of 'if' and started referring to it as 'when'. My heart started beating a little bit faster and Rhys looked to me with an eyebrow raised, a glass of wine in his hand and another in Feyre's. I shook my head at him, a small smile playing at my lips. I didn't bother drinking wine, and refused to a glass when Rhys offered. A few minutes later Rhys and Feyre sauntered off, the latter incredibly drunk. She wouldn't remember anything tomorrow, and maybe that was the mercy Rhys could offer her.

Twenty minutes later, I stood still as a statue by the back corner watching everyone. Helion, the High Lord of the Day Court, prowled over to my corner of the room. A glass of wine that was filled almost to the brim was clutched in his hand, the other hand contained a glass of wine that was filled to the middle mark. I raised my gaze from the glasses of wine to the rest of his arms, strong bronze colored arms, one of which had his signature golden cuff.

I quirked my eyebrow, "Are you trying to get me drunk, High Lord?" Of all the other High Lords, I liked Helion the most. He was the most natural if that was how I could describe him. He understood Rhys's and my games, understood and trusted us all the same. And not to mention Rhys trusted him.

He gave me a confident, charming smirk. "This is for me, Rose. This is for you." He extended the glass with the normal amount of wine to me.

"I'm not drinking tonight." I didn't want to be rude, so I gave him a small smile.

"Worried it might hinder what you're planning?"

I stilled.

Careful. He was still a High Lord, even if we were on good terms.

"Whatever do you mean, High Lord?" I didn't dare glance at him. "I am merely keeping vigil for the Lady of the Mountain."

"Aw Rose," His voice a gentle purr of a lion. I couldn't help but look up at him and stood transfixed by his eyes, so similar to my own, yet so different. His were amber, striking and glowing, through and through. Mine were the amber of a dancing fire. "Will you still keep up these pretenses?"

I understood what he implied. Would I still lie, scheme, and deceive when we were free of this hell?

I opened my mouth to respond but I couldn't form the words. I wasn't even sure I could breathe. He lowered his head until his breath clouded my own, until our noses were almost touching.

"When we're out of here, why don't you come to my Court and we'll figure out just exactly what you are?" His gaze lingered on my lips as he flicked my chin with the his index finger. And just like that, the warmth was gone replaced by a cool indifference.

He stood straight and prideful. After giving me a curt nod, he disappeared into the crowd of the party.

After a quick look around the room, I realized Rhys and Feyre were gone. When they were nowhere to be seen in the throne room, I took the liberty to leave the party and headed to his rooms. Normally I would take Amarantha's permission before daring to leave her party but I had long since stopped bothering. I didn't knock on the door when I arrived at Rhys's rooms, instead I just breezed into the door pushing them open with a gust of wind.

"So dramatic. Don't you ever knock?" He scowled at me. I stood in the entrance of the room and took his appearance in. His hair was standing up on odds and ends, he had been running his hands through it. His pale face had a red flush, he had been drinking, profusely.

"How drunk are you?" I asked, striding into his bedroom, past him, and sat down on his bed.

"Not drunk enough to miss Helion talking to you." He quirked an eyebrow, "And definitely not drunk enough to miss the moment between you two."

I scoffed, taking off my boots and kicking them off towards the door. "There was no moment. And any moment there could have been was spoiled by his cryptic words."

"What'd he say?" Rhys sobered up at this.

"He said…" I stared up at the ceiling in confusion, trying to make sense of what Helion said to me. "He said, when we're out of here, I should come to the Day Court so that we can figure what I am."

I was looking down at my wringing hands. The bed shifted beside me with the new addition of weight. "Your powers are not like the others in Prythian."

"I can wield fire, earth, water, air. Just like the other High Lords." I mumbled.

"And yet your powers are nothing like theirs." Whenever I thought about this, I was reminded just how alone I really was.

"How's Feyre?" I glanced up at him, trying to change the topic. He gaze turned dark as soon as I mentioned it and I knew I shouldn't have.

"I sent her back to her cell. She was passing out."

I nodded, "I'll go in the morning and help her out." I patted Rhys on his knee and smiled at him. "Why don't you go to bed? I'll head out."

Rhys shook his head, ever so slightly. "I can't. I'm to go to her rooms." I didn't say anything, I didn't even breathe. "I don't think she's too pleased about my bargain with Feyre."

I closed my eyes and concentrated on my breathing. "Fuck her. We'll end this as soon as we can. And not a second later." When I opened my eyes, Rhys was gone.

I didn't bother going to my rooms that night, I changed and slept there waiting to make sure Rhys got back okay. He never came.