Thanks you for reading the forty eighth and final chapter of this story. A special thanks to those who read it from start to finish and for the really great in depth reviews. I loved hearing your thoughts along the way...:)

Chapter Forty Eight

Tamlin

It was a perfect day, not a single cloud to mar the azure blue sky. Rain clouds threatened early in the morning, I shooed them away with a slight bit of power. Lucien and I worked late into the night preparing for the memorial in what would henceforth be known as the Spring Night Memorial Park. Black stone obelisks circled outward from the fountain depicting a winged female looking toward the heavens while a younger stone-winged female hugged her arms around her mother's waist. Water in the muted colors of a rainbow spilled out from her outspread wings arching over the sculpture of another female with a wreath of roses in her hair and within her hand she held a single perfect rose.

Each black stone obelisk represented one of the males, females and younglings who'd lost their lives during and after the war with Hybern. The places of honor closest to the fountain belonged to those males who heeded the call and died on the battlefield and the outer rings belonged to those who had died in the Border Mountains afterwards. Wreaths of never-fading white roses circled each obelisk, set in place right after sunrise, and the twelve pathways of crushed white stone that cut through the memorial and circled the fountain completed the memorial.

"When you told me what you planned, I didn't think you could pull it off," Lucien said with a low whistle of appreciation as we stood back and appraised the memorial. "It's beautiful, Tamlin," he added, glancing over his shoulder at the large stage set up in front of a copse of blossoming trees. "We should go get changed before everyone begins to arrive."

"Have you heard from them?"

"No, but that doesn't mean they won't show up," he said, needing no clarification to know I was referring to Rhysand and Feyre. "If for no other reason than raging curiosity, they'll be here before the first bell tolls." His gaze returned to the fountain, metal eye whirring and clicking softly. "The likeness of your mother is unsettling. I feel as if she could break free from the stone at any moment."

I studied the sculpture of my mother seated at the edge of the sparkling pool with her legs tucked beneath her dress, the serene expression on her face as she gazed into the water, and a faint smile pulled at my lips. "She's never far from my thoughts which made it easy for me to capture her likeness."

"Some will question why you placed her lower than his mother in the sculpture," he pointed out, and I imagined that would be the case, and yet that was not my intention. "It makes her appear subservient to the Night Court."

"Those who question the pose I chose for her obviously did not know her well enough to judge my rendering of her." I turned away from the fountain, and started toward home. "You will speak first followed by Lilianna then Bron then Hart and so on and so forth – as High Lady, Brie will read the last of the names. When she is finished, there will be a short recess before dinner is served at the Spring Castle in New Haven. Everyone is welcome to attend."

"You aren't going to say anything during the ceremony?"

"We already discussed this at length, and my answer now is the same as it has been from the start."

"After all the work you put into the memorial, I thought you might change your mind."

"I haven't."

I winnowed the rest of the way to the manor to avoid rehashing all the reasons why I felt the need to distance myself from reading off any of the names on the lists. As custom dictated, I dressed in my black military uniform while Brie donned a high collared dress of black lace with a modest neckline. Lucien and every other sentry wore solid black as well, the embroidered insignia of the Spring Court on lapel of their waistcoats the only splash of color in the otherwise somber attire. Every male plaited the sides of their hair, joining the two braids into one thick braid at the middle while leaving the rest of their hair to flow down their backs.

Azriel, Cassian and Mor, dressed in shades of Spring, joined the march toward the park, keeping step with the drums that echoed through the tree lined path. Brie caught hold of my hand, and fingers lacing through mine, she gave a gentle, reassuring squeeze as I kept my head lowered out of respect to the fallen males. The crowd separated as we entered the park and chose their seats while a chorus of children made their way up onto the stage.

Veiled from sight, no one paid any attention to the spot where the memorial sat hidden, their eyes glued to the stage as three males made their way up the stairs, one taking a seat behind a piano while the other two picked up the violins that had been placed there for them. From there, their collective gazes traveled to the intricately carved brass bell set in front of the youngling choir.

Lucien, Lilianna, Brie and several sentries ascended the stairs, all but Lucien taking a seat in their designated chairs. A hush fell over the crowd at the first cords struck on the piano then the children joined in, singing the blessing of the fallen soldier, the heartbreaking melody accompanying their sweet sounding voices bringing tears to many Faes' eyes. As they finished the first chorus, a violin appeared in my hands, and as I made my way up the steps, the hauntingly beautiful sound of my violin joined in harmony with the piano. The two other violinists joined in, and as I looked out at the crowd gathered, I noticed Mor discreetly wipe away the tears gathering in her eyes.

The music softened, and as the choir softly hummed, Lucien called out the first name, the clear, crisp toll of the bell signaling for the first of many obelisks to reveal itself. One by one he called out their names, and perhaps they might not have noticed the first obelisk, but soon enough their watery eyes were held captivated by the slow reveal of the memorial. Rhysand and Feyre appeared just as Lucien said the second to last name on his list, and noting the shades of Spring they wore out of respect, I gave a slight bow in their direction.

Rhysand dipped his head, a tender smile replacing his usual cocky grin, and he silently mouthed the words, Well done, Tamlin….

The choirs' voices rose once more accompanied by the piano and violins as Lilianna rose to her feet. Once more the music faded and the choir hummed as Lilianna cleared her voice and began to recite the names on her list, the bell sounding once more for each male, female, and youngling being honored. Tears rolled unchecked down Brie's face, and catching hold of her gaze, I whispered that I loved her and she responded in kind.

As the last name on the lists was called out, the grand fountain finally revealed itself, and after studying it for a long moment, Rhysand's eyes returned to me. A myriad of emotions crossed his features within those moments – from heartbreak to acceptance and every other emotion in between. On his feet before the choir finished their last chorus, he climbed the steps two at a time, and hugged me – hugged me because he understood in a way no one else would that I cherished his mother and sister every bit as much as my own mother.

"I'm so sorry for everything – for all of it," he whispered huskily, pulling back to look me in the eye. "I was so angry – so damn angry and I –"

"I'm sorry, too," I cut in, glancing over his shoulder at Feyre before refocusing my attention on him. "I couldn't save them, Rhys. My heart was ripped wide open that day – I couldn't stomach the sight of my father and brothers. I was packing to leave for good when you –" I sighed. "You were my best friend and I failed you and your mother and sister. I never blamed you for seeking revenge, hated you at times, sure, but I never blamed you for hating me."

"If I had hated you it would have been a helluva lot less complicated," he said after a lengthy pause. "No, I hated myself for not being there to protect my mother and sister, and I hated myself for failing to save your mother – you were the only outlet I had for the rage burning my up inside…we can't go back, we can't erase the past of all the mistakes and cruelty we inflicted upon each other in our anger and grief, but maybe we can start over and work towards a stronger friendship. Without our fathers in our lives to interfere and casts doubts in our minds, I think it is very possible to be friends again."

"If it's possible, I would like to be your friend again, but I will not back down on the idea of equal rights and freedom for all Fae – I can't. I won't. My hope is that someday soon you will join me in this fight, but the friendship I would offer you is not conditional upon that hope I carry within me."

"I know that's your wish, but I have a child on the way, Tam," he said with a weary sigh. "If I didn't have a mate or a baby to think of, my answer would be different. I do so the most I can offer you is a chance to escape. If your army is defeated in battle, call out to me and I promise you I'll be there to save you, your mate, and as many others as I can possibly rescue. It's not the alliance you're hoping for, nonetheless, it's exactly what you'll need when the time comes."

"I'm going to hold you to your word and pray to whatever gods are listening that you will never have to fulfill your promise."

"I will pray for that as well…."

Author's note - I hope everyone enjoyed the story, and will continue to read the second story Thorns of War and Roses in the future. As for this story, I really liked the idea of ending with a tentative friendship reforming between Tamlin and Rhysand. A lot was left unsaid in Sara Maas' story about what really happened to Rhysand's mother and sister and Tamlin's mother, and there can never be just one side of the story when two or more people are involved. We all see things differently and good friend can easily turn into enemies over differing points of view. I always loved the character of Rhysand, but his actions and darkness to those who don't know what drives him, can easily be seen as cruelty, and maybe at different time in varying pov's in this story, it may have seemed like I didn't like him very much, but that couldn't be further from the truth. I'll be the first to admit that while I loved Feyre in the first book, by the end I couldn't stomach her. She was vindictive and cruel, and even when Tamlin saved her time and time again, she couldn't find it within herself to get over her bitter spiteful attitude toward him, wanting him to live out the rest of his days alone and miserable. To me, she never grew as a character, and that's a shame. When she looked in the mirror, she liked the darkness more than the goodness she saw within herself, and that says a lot about her character. So I set out to redeem Tamlin, who I loved from the start, and hopefully he'll continue to grow and shine in the second book. Thanks for taking the time to read a story that started out small and grew until I knew I needed to make a sequel. Let me know your thoughts as reviews are golden...:)