Heeeeey!

So sorry it took me so long to post this new chapter. The uni term until September is CRAAZy, as in I only have about 2 hours for myself on Sunday level of crazy. So I'm writing, slowly.

Thank you so much for your patience, and your comments! ;D

Nellzy : I hope you'll keep on enjoying it! :D

Odeveca : Considering Elain means "fawn" in welsh, I thought the doe would be more accurate than a swan :)

Emily : So sorry you had to suffer from my late update! ^^" I hope you'll enjoy as much the rest of the story! ;D

shalini : Uploading, uplaoding, just taking it slowly in my life :)

FANFICTION

A COURT OF NIGHTMARES AND LIGHT

PART III – THE BLOOD MOON

CHAPTER XXXVII : Twisted Fairy-tale

The raspy, hurried breathing was all Elain could hear. It was overwhelming her. Her heart beat faster and faster and faster. It echoed, out of rhythm with Lucien's. A breeze of wind, carrying winter's promised chill, made her shiver. Her trembling body shook even more violently. Everything was so loud, resonated so violently in her ears, and her vision was so dark, so muddy, so foggy.

"Elain! NO!"

Elain sat up, reaching out and crying out for Lucien. Her voice was too weak and it died in the branches of the trees around her.

"Elain!"

She startled, suddenly blinded by the lantern's burning light that Ekaterina was carrying. The young woman ran to her and threw a thick cover around Elain's body.

"Elain, finally! I've been looking for you for hours!" she exclaimed.

Her voice was loud, too loud, Elain shook and tried to get away but her legs collapsed under her weight. Ekaterina was at her side in an instant.

"Be careful, the first transformations are difficult to handle," she advised in a soft voice, "Your body will need a few days to adjust."

She helped Elain up. The High Fae was suddenly aware of her nakedness and she pulled the cover closer to her shivering body.

"W-where… where… am I?" she asked, her lips trembling – from cold or sadness she couldn't tell.

She thought that her eyes were foggy and burning from tears but after a few hesitant, clumsy steps, she realised that the fogginess was real. The forest was cold and charged with humidity, the fog was hanging at her feet, sending icy chills up her legs. The burning sensation came from the lantern that Ekaterina was carrying as she guided her through the forest, careful of the pebbles and roots that would make Elain fall again.

"You're near the waterfall, you must have followed the river. Going downhill we'll be to the manor soon, you'll get a bath to warm up before we send you to Lord Koschei."

The reality of the situation, which had seemed like some sort of nightmare until now, sunk over Elain's shoulders. Her walking was steadier now, though she was still shaking like a leaf. Her brown eyes, darkened by the obscurity and her storm of emotions, watched carefully every step she took through the fog. It still seemed like a dream, nourished by fears and darkness. She was living exactly what she would have expected of the Fae lands above the Wall, back when it still existed, a twisted fairy-tale full of scary creatures and terrible bargains. She was living everything she had been warned against growing up.

"…He isn't 'Lord Supreme' anymore?" she asked in a voice too low for Ekaterina to catch the subtleties of her tone.

She watched her, her skin a sickly yellow from the lantern, then answered:

"Only when I address him directly. The rest of the time, he is the source of our misery."

Elain wanted to argue, to fight, to scream, to cry, but she was too exhausted for it, too numb from the cold and the explosions of emotions she had let out the previous day and night. Her memories as a doe were strange, foggy like distant memories, but vivid like a violent dream and yet, she knew it had been mere hours ago.

Everything was too foggy, too vivid. She was being smothered by the magic of the land, it stripped away all her willpower and strength.

"I'm a Seer, I should have seen him coming…" she murmured, more to herself than Ekaterina.

And the moment she pronounced these words, Elain realised she did see him coming – she had just misunderstood the prophecy, like everyone else. They had thought that the "promised blood" had been Queen Vassa, that by breaking her curse Koschei wouldn't be able to go on with his plans. But they had been wrong and now, not only he would sacrifice Elain on the Blood Moon, during the next Winter Solstice, but he would be free and spread his calamity in the entire world. Everyone she loved and cared about would be hurt, or worse, die.

"Is this why he chose you to replace Vassa?" Ekaterina asked after a moment of thoughtful silence.

"Pardon?" Elain murmured, lost in her mind painted in blood.

"You said you're a Seer, you have special powers, is this why he chose you to replace Vassa? Why you are so special to him?"

"I-I don't know, he said… he said he wanted to be free," Elain answered, thinking back on the invisible wall and barrier.

Ekaterina turned to her once more, and Elain didn't think she imagined the paler skin. Ekaterina's line of thoughts must have followed similar conclusions to Elain's: if Koschei got free, it would mean destruction of everything they held dear.

We need to stop him, hung off Elain's lips but something strangled her voice. Magic? No, it was terror and helplessness.

She might have been a High Fae, and a Seer, but she had no power, no ability, no skill, no knowledge to help herself out of this bargain, out of this hell. She wasn't like Feyre, or Nesta, or Lucien, or her father, or anyone she had ever cared about or anyone she had met since becoming High Fae – she had nothing, she was nothing.

The manor appeared, shining in the moonlight, looking so cosy and inviting. Like the fairy-tales always warn about fae's housings: full of promises, and danger.

Ekaterina took her inside, and like the previous night, no one paid them any attention – they were far too busy preparing meals, cleaning the house and obeying orders to care about either of them walking by. Fear was palpable, it was on every face, singing with every heartbeat, shifting in every scent. Elain almost gagged at the overwhelming and thick sense of dread.

Ekaterina helped her bathe, as fast as possible so Elain wouldn't waste any more time before joining the Sorcerer, then helped her get dressed. It wasn't the brown clothes they all wore like Elain would have expected. It was a white dress with green, blue and red threads decorating it with flowers and birds. It was beautiful, old-fashioned, but Elain knew that in any other circumstances she would have loved this dress. It was the sort of clothes she would stop in front of a window-shop for.

She was guided, dragged rather, to Koschei who was reading a book in the same room as the previous day. He was comfortable sitting in one of those comfortable chairs.

"Ah, there you are. Finally. Where did you get lost to?" he asked without lifting his eyes from the pages.

"Near the waterfall, my Lord Supreme," Ekaterina answered with a bow.

"Such speedy legs you have, lovely Elain," the Sorcerer said with a chuckle.

He finally brought down the book and glanced over his shoulder at Elain still standing as far away from him as possible. She could feel his presence, his magic, creeping against her skin, up her legs and body and she hated it.

"Come closer so I can admire you in the firelight."

She didn't move.

"Come, come now."

She still didn't move.

"I said, come now." Koschei repeated, a hint of impatience in his voice.

Elain raised her gaze to meet his. But she didn't move.

A grimace shot on Koschei's face and he twisted his wrist. An invisible force dragged Elain forward suddenly. She cried out, falling at his feet, and breathed hard. Without giving her a moment's respite, she was lifted off the floor and Koschei raised his hand. The fingers were tense and clenched, and she felt a powerful grip against her neck. He tightened his grip, and she couldn't breathe. Elain tried to fight, kicking the air, grabbing it but she couldn't fight an invisible force. Just as she was seeing stars dancing in her eyes, he let her go. She fell on the ground loudly and coughed and breathed hard, touching her neck – she could feel it bruising. A new necklace to wear, another reminder of her imprisonment.

"When I tell you something, you obey. Is it clear?" he asked in a hard, but somehow patient voice.

He sounded like he was scolding a child. It felt like a slap to Elain. The way he was using her, treating her, so condescending, so vile. She lifted her eyes but meeting his, she couldn't help but lower her head. She nodded.

"I want to hear you say it. Do you understand?" he repeated with a click of his tongue.

"Y-yes, I-I understand," she answered in a harsh voice – water, she needed water, her throat hurt so much.

"What do you understand, Elain?"

"I-I must obey you…"

"Address me properly."

She opened and closed her lips. They were cracked and she thought she could feel a stinging pearl of blood on her lower lip.

"Lord Supreme." She breathed, looking at her hands resting weakly on the carpet.

"…Good. Now bring me some tea."

Elain looked up, and around, and saw a tray at the entry. Ekaterina had gone to her duties, or had run out of fear. She couldn't blame her. Elain scampered to her feet, hurried to the tray and took a shaky breath before bringing it all to the table next to the Sorcerer. He watched her closely, which made her even more nervous. All her manners were gone and forgotten. Her hands shook as she poured the tea in the teacup. She didn't add anything in it, even though there was sugar, honey, lemon or milk to choose from.

"Lemon." He indicated.

She did as he asked, then stood to the side, watching him enjoy his cup of tea.

Elain eventually managed to keep her breathing. Koschei went back to his book and gave a dismissing wave of his hand. She took the tray and walked back to where she had found it. There was a pile of books and one attracted her attention, it was familiar. She glanced quickly over her shoulder at the Sorcerer who was still reading his book, not giving her the slightest bit of attention. Discreetly, as slowly as she could afford, she took the book on flowers she had been reading just before being taken away from the Day Court.

"Have you found a book you are interested in?"

She startled and the book slipped from her fingers and fell on the floor, open and pages bent.

"I… I dearly love flowers, my lord." She answered.

"Lord Supreme," he corrected absent-mindedly, glancing at the book in her hands, "You can make a bouquet tomorrow night, to bring to me. Ladies and their flowers and gentle hands, you were made to kneel to us, gods."

"I will never kneel to you."

Koschei's gaze snapped to Elain. She stopped breathing, but her tongue didn't freeze, and the words fell out of her mouth:

"God, king or man, I'll never kneel to anyone," she declared fiercely.

Silence followed her words. It fell in the room as if she had pronounced a death sentence.

And maybe it was.

Her heart flared in determination once more: he needed to be stopped, at all costs. He couldn't be let out in the world.

Koschei's lips trembled to see her burning gaze but then he erupted in laughter. It offended Elain but at least, he wasn't cutting her into pieces.

"Aaah! How amusing you are! Do you really think you can fight against my powers? If I want you to kneel, you will."

Elain swallowed hard. She knew that. She had already been forced on her knees because of his dark magic.

"It's true, my lord, but where is the pleasure for you if you always use your powers? You would prefer for us to be… completely subjugated to you, and not your power."

She could only hear her heart's frenetic beatings, watching the Sorcerer and waiting for his answer. Then, he smirked. A cruel, satisfied smile.

"And I thought that you were simply a beautiful rose, but I see that you have thorns as well, dear Miss Archeron."

He seemed amused by it and Elain couldn't help but smile in return.

"Most do the same mistake, my Lord Supreme," she murmured.

"That makes you more interesting. Come, and tell me of your human days."

She blinked, surprised by this request. But she did. Somehow, if she tried to outright lie, he could guess, or her throat would contract. She quickly found out that half-truths worked best for all his questions. He only asked a few before getting bored and asking her to sing. Her throat was still raspy, but he seemed satisfied, then he closed his eyes and waved her away. She took it as her cue to leave the room.

She went to take the tray away and found the book she had dropped earlier, still turned over against the floor. She picked it up and turned it over. Her heart missed a beat and she glanced over her shoulder, worried that the Sorcerer would have sensed the change in her metabolism, but he kept dozing off. Elain kept her gaze on him as she closed the book and put it back on the pile.

She took the tray and walked out, her heart hammering against her chest and her blood pumping violently in her veins.

She didn't have nothing, she wasn't nothing. She was a beautiful rose, she hid sharp thorns, and Koschei was soon going to get pricked.

Next chapter, we'll go back to the Day Court - and Lucien ;)

Yours Truly,

May