The date of The Meeting was rapidly approaching and you could tell. Outfits for all three days had been picked out two weeks in advance. Guard schedules were meticulously planned for protecting both us at The Meeting and for protecting our home. We went over the itinerary at least six times, were updated on our current stances on foreign policy, practiced dances, reviewed what titles to call people, etc. etc.

It was interesting, for a time. It never ceased to amaze me how radically my life had changed, though the specifics of my new position in the world became a grind. As Kendryek's significant other, I was to be pretty, smile, wave, and just about nothing else. I was told this was common and an unfortunate aspect of High Fae culture. I wondered if Thalia's husband would be relegated to a pretty face, though I suspected I knew the answer.

At least grandfather's obsession with manners would pay off.

We would be coming to The Meeting along with Aurelius and Ignis. Quercus did not have a replacement for Damien (who had had his manhood removed and been left on a ship to be taken to the continent), so a forgettable, quiet, lesser lord was chosen to accompany us. The day before we would meet at The Forest House, talk about a few things over dinner, sleep in three of the four corners of the massive building, then in the morning we would proceed to The Meeting.

We were to meet Under the Mountain, the approximate geographical center of Prythian and the center of all magic on the island. I was told that things were a bit stranger there, a result of the destruction of the Keystones. One's magic would not work well, if at all. Sometimes strange noises were heard. Odd colors would flash in one's vision. Things would...happen. This did not dissuade anyone from using this as the place to hold Meetings, since almost nothing could make a High Fae abandon tradition.

To say I had mixed emotions about going would have been a serious understatement. It was more like a whirlpool of emotions, a tornado of feelings. I was honored to go and to be a central part of it, but I was fearful. I was not a High Fae, I had not been a part of this culture for more than a few months. Others would surely know. I was going to be questioned. I was going to get those glances. I was going to be challenged.

Worst of all, I would have to see Terrin again. After which, the state of things would begin to deteriorate. We were preparing for war now, but living it was going to be something entirely new.

Despite this, I was determined to make the best of it.

"Are you even remotely stressed?" I asked Lysander. It was the day before and I was at his cabin to practice my magic. All of his previous confidence had returned after he had gotten some more rest. He had not shown his wings once since Autumn's Eve and none of my attempts to enter his mind had succeeded.

"No. This is my two hundred and thirty-second Gathering. I stopped being stressed after the third. Let me tell you how it goes," he started.

"I already have the itinerary memorized," I said, rolling my eyes and drawing my sword. We had gotten into a habit of sparring before he taught me magic. We always took it easy, using it more for a time to talk than a time to train.

"The itinerary isn't exactly accurate. It leaves out a lot of the important details. First, everyone slowly trickles in to where they are staying for the duration of the time they are there. During this period of time, at least a fifth of the fae there are having sex." I raised an eyebrow. He stuck his knives into a tree and drew a sword out of thin air.

"You should show me how to do that sometime," I said, twirling my blade and rolling my shoulders.

"The sex?" I threw the iciest glare I could possibly muster at him. "I'm taking that as a no. Anyway, There's some meet 'n greets, during which you'll likely have the misfortune of meeting fae from other courts. It's the second best part if you are single, but the second worst if you are tied down, since it's when you get to see the kind of fish you are swimming with in the ocean," he continued. I wondered how many fae he would catch over the next few days and hoped it wouldn't be in the double digits. "Make sure you are wearing your gold band at this time. If you don't, a fae can latch onto the idea of having private time with you and can get angry when they are not allowed to. It happened to me sixty years ago."

Everyone wore a ring on their thumb. A gold band meant you were in a closed relationship, a red meant you were open, a gold with a red ruby meant it was a an open relationship, and black meant that you are single and not looking for anyone. There were about a hundred variations on this, but these were the main bands that people wore.

"Who were you with at the time?" I asked, interested. I couldn't imagine him being in a closed relationship. He ignored my question and poked his sword at me, testing my guard. I deflected it lazily.

"Side note: if you are offered a threesome, do not accept under any circumstances. I have been in fifty-five and not one has gone well long-term." That was significantly less surprising. I raised my eyebrow higher.

"You don't have the worry about that," I replied, swiping for his right leg. He threw out a hand, magically grabbing ahold of the metal and throwing it back - a move I'd only seen him do and he refused to teach me.

"Then, there's dinner. Dinner is easily the best part - though the variety of foods is normally less than what you would expect," he said. "This is where partners for the night start to get locked in. Unsurprisngly, only about a tenth of the fae are having sex at this time." I rolled my eyes and sent a flurry of attacks at his abdomen. Not one got close to hitting him. "I recommend watching how much you eat, is it easy to go into a food coma.

"Then, the real fun begins. The first ball starts an hour after dinner. At this point, you might notice that there are only a handful of fae on the floor now. Any guesses as to why?" he asked.

"They are all having sex?"

"Close, most of them are perfecting their looks and trying to calculate how late they should be. Winter Court is normally the second earliest, only being beaten by Dawn. Then follows Summer, Day, then us. Finally, once everyone has gotten settled in, Night strolls in with much fanfare and theatrics. A century ago they released bats, which multiplied every time you tried to kill them or remove them in any way," he said. "I think they are still paying off the fine," he added as an afterthought.

"A fight or two might break out - usually over rivalries that have been around since The Great War. No magic makes things somewhat dull," he continued. "But overall the first night is pretty tame." He suddenly burst into action, his blade turning into a blur. I did my best to block his assault, but ended up getting struck numerous times by the flat of his weapon.

I backed up and glared. Normally he did not go this hard.

"By the time that midnight rolls around, everyone but the Night Court fae have left. After that? I don't know - I'm always in bed by that point."

"Getting plenty of rest, I hope."

"Of course, what else would I be doing?

"The following days follow the same pattern, with a big meeting in the morning and a second in the afternoon. Those are mind-numbingly boring - it's all tariffs, law clarifications, and arguing over dumb shit that a High Lord did while they were drunk and horny. The only other thing that changes is that there is a lot more fights that break out, though they are never crazy."

"I wonder if we participate in one this year," I said, bitterly. Lysander smiled.

"I hope we do." He cocked his head. "That reminds me, did old gramps ever teach you hand to hand combat?" he asked. I shook my head.

"Not really. He told me how to punch." I demonstrated a jab and a cross, stepping forward slightly and putting my full bodyweight behind my first two knuckles. Lysander nodded in satisfaction. "But he stuck almost exclusively to swordplay."

"Very rarely will it come down to hand-to-hand combat if you are fighting another fae, but I think it would be important for you to know." He sheathed his sword and rested it against the side of his cabin. I did the same with mine.

He returned to the center of the clearing and beckoned me closer.

"Try grabbing my wrist," he said. I eyed in warily, wondering what he would do to me if I did. "I won't hurt you too badly - if I do, I can call Erin," he said with a wink.

I shot my right arm out and grabbed his right. In the blind of an eye he twisted his arm in my grip, applied pressure to my wrist, and pushed me away with his other hand, sending me stumbling.

I caught myself and tried again, this time planting my feet more soundly and grabbing his opposite hand. This was a mistake, as he swept my feet out from under me, tossed his shoulder against my back, and pushed me to the ground. I braced for impact, but found that it was relatively soft. He pulled back at the last moment, preventing me from being hurt.

"Good try. I've been doing this for a long time, so do not feel too bad," he said.

"At least you don't got as hard on me as Hadrian does," I said.

"Would you like me to go harder?" I grimaced.

"Don't phrase it that way."

He skipped teaching me magic that day and spent all of it on showing me moves. How to break someone's grip if they grabbed my left or right hand, across the body or not, what to do if they put their arm around my neck, etc. By the end of it, I was able to catch him off guard once or twice, even when he claimed he was trying his hardest. I felt confident in holding my own if a fight did break out, even if my opponent was larger than me.

It was only when I was leaving when I realized why her was teaching me this. He did not mention it once, but this was about Oliver. I knew it was.

I passed underneath one of the orange faelights on the street near his cabin. I stopped and stared at it. It was gorgeous, the shimmer only adding to its beauty. I had not stopped to truly appreciate it on my way into Prythian, but now I could.

"Thank you," I told him through the bridge between us.

"For what?" he asked.

"So far? Everything."