Chapter Two

The beautifully warm morning sun fell across Elain's bed as she lay on her back, stretching comfortably. She was pretty sure she had not slept that soundly or deeply in months. Probably since before she had been forced into the Cauldron, she figured. Feeling relaxed and rested and, she realised, peaceful, Elain sat up and flung the covers back so she could get to her feet. Wondering what she would do for the day, she wandered over to her vanity and sat down, glancing at her reflection as she did so. Reaching for her hairbrush, Elain's gaze fell upon the book Lucien had given her the night before, and she picked it up. She flicked through the pages, noticing that they were blank before turning to the front and looking at the flower he had tucked inside for her.

"Pretty…" she murmured, her finger tracing the pointed petals. She had truly never seen one like it before. He had said it had been what made him decide to come and see her. Elain picked it up carefully, twirling it between her finger and thumb. It was beautiful now, and she imagined it would have been even more so when alive. Glancing down at the book again, she noticed that while the rest of the pages had been blank, the first one was not. Under where the flower had been placed Lucien had written her name in his surprisingly elegant script. She noticed that he hadn't just written it once, but had evidently gone over it several times, embellishing the letters, and she found herself holding her breath as she traced the letters with a finger.

"Elain?" the door opened and Feyre strode in, making Elain jump in surprise.

"You've forgotten how to knock?" Elain asked, carefully placing the flower back in the book and closing the cover.

"I'm the High Lady and you are my sister. Those are two reasons why knocking doesn't apply to me." Feyre threw herself on to the end of Elain's bed. "So…"

"So?" Elain turned in her chair, facing her sister. Feyre eyed the small book in Elain's hands, and Elain set it in her lap, covering it with her hands.

"What's that?"

"It's…" Elain considered telling her sister that it was nothing, but she knew that if anybody was going to understand this confusing situation, it was going to be Feyre. She held the book out.

"Hm…" Feyre opened it and nodded, "I take it this came from Lucien?"

"Yes…" Elain twirled a lock of hair around her finger, "He said that he came to see me…"

"Well, he certainly didn't come to see Nesta." Feyre muttered, handing the book back to Elain who put it carefully in her lap again. "But that does bring me to why I came to talk to you."

"Does it?"

"Yeah, what do you think about him being here?"

Elain leaned back in her chair a little. "I'm not opposed to it…" she said slowly, "It's strange."

"How so?"

"Before… when he last tried to … spend time with me, I was … lost…" Elain frowned, "Things were different then and I wasn't ready for …. Anything like that." She twisted her hair around her finger again, "And then there was the war and… father…"

"A lot has happened." Feyre agreed, tilting her head. "And now?"

Elain looked at her hands in her lap. "I don't know." She murmured, "I'm glad he's back… I would like to talk to him a little." She looked at her sister again, "I don't really understand this… bond."

Feyre nodded, chewing her lower lip. "You haven't accepted the bond yet, so it's not what it will be…"

Elain leaned toward her younger sister for a moment, "I thought that I felt… for a second I imagined that I felt what he did. Last night, downstairs…"

Feyre nodded. "You can strengthen that with time and practice."

"Oh." Elain fell silent, thinking about that.

"Well, that's all I wanted to know." Feyre got to her feet. "Just wanted to check that you were alright."

"Thanks…" She set the small book on the vanity and picked up her hairbrush. "Do you think…" Elain turned her eyes toward Feyre again as her sister moved for the door. "Do you think that I should?"

"Should?" Feyre asked

"Should get to know him?"

"That is your choice, Elain." Feyre said simply, "But, yes." Her sister opened the door, "You know that he was my first friend here… You should get to know him. He's a good male."

Lucien awoke well after breakfast, but before lunch. He felt more rested than he had expected, but he also discovered that he was practically ravenous. Deciding to waste no time, he flung the covers back from his bed and got to his feet.

Mere minutes later, Lucien was hurrying down the stairs to try and find something to eat. He knew that breakfast would have been long cleared away, but there was always something to be found to eat around the place. If there wasn't, he could always take a trip off into Velaris. He hadn't seen much of the city the last time he had been here, but he had forced himself admit, at least to himself, that he liked it. He hadn't wanted to, but he had.

Cassian found him the moment he was down the stairs, and the Illyrian greeted him with a wide grin. "Guess you were really done for last night?"

"Tired, yeah." Lucien gave a small nod. "The journey back really wiped me out."

"You got plans?"

Lucien didn't know if Cassian meant for the day, or for the future in general. He didn't think that the other male was that philosophical, especially not in the hallway in the middle of the day, so he gave a slight shrug as he replied. "As of right now, my plan is to find food."

Cassian smiled, showing off all of his teeth. "Priorities." He clapped Lucien on the shoulder. "Most everyone else has gone for the day." Lucien turned his head slightly. He could smell Elain somewhere close by. Cassian appeared to noticed this and nodded. "Elain is talking to Rhys…"

"About what?" Something squeezed at his heart. Perhaps she hadn't been okay with him just showing up and she was trying to get Rhys to make him leave.

"I didn't stop to eavesdrop." Cassian said, "Also, I was trying to chase Nesta into coming with me into town…"

"I don't see her…"

"She left."

"Right." Lucien looked at Cassian. Apparently nothing had changed between him and Nesta in the months Lucien had been away. "Sorry…"

"Nah." Cassian met his eyes, "If you ever want to have a drink. Just let me know." The Illyrain smiled again, "Any and all drunken venting welcome."

Lucien's smile was genuine. "I'll take that offer when the need arises."

"Oh, it'll arise." Cassian said, turning to head for the front door. "Knowing this family…"

Lucien supposed that he was right, and let out a soft sigh as he headed into the dining room. There was a small basket at the end of the table with a lace cloth draped over it and a small pink flower beside it. As it was the only thing on the table, Lucien walked toward it and went to lift the lace. The moment he touched it, he knew that Elain had put it there. His mouth watered at the sight of several pastries in the basket and he sent a quick thought of thanks her way, before wondering at his instinct to do something so futile. It wasn't as if she would have heard him. Maybe one day, if she accepted the bond.

He sank into a chair as his teeth sank into a pastry and he resisted letting an audible groan out. He really had missed the food. Putting his feet up on another chair, he leaned back and finished the first pastry in two more bites. Whoever had made these deserved his personal thanks. And Elain. He would have to remember to thank her to her face. He wouldn't have thought that she would even think to leave something for him to eat, but he knew without doubt that that was what she had done. The thought warmed him more than a little.

A warm rush of gratitude flooded Elain and she blinked in shock, pausing in the middle of her sentence. Rhys frowned, looking at her. "Are you alright, Elain?"

"Y-yeah…" she murmured, feeling her cheeks heat. "Uh…" She looked around her, trying to regain her thoughts. "What was I saying?"

"You were about to ask me something…"

"Oh, yes…" She smiled at him, "I… want to see more of Prythian."

Rhys' dark eyebrows rose in surprise. "Oh? Anywhere in particular?"

"No…" she replied, "I want to see all of it. The different courts…" She felt herself blush again, "Is… is that possible?"

He inclined his head, thinking. "I suppose..." he looked at her thoughtfully, "Why? May I ask?" he glanced toward the hallway, "You're not… running away, are you?"

Elain understood that he was asking if she were trying to get away from Lucien. "No." she said simply, "I had a thought…" She pulled the small book that Lucien had given her from her pocket and opened it to show Rhys.

"It's a flower…" he said, clearly trying to sound like he didn't think she was mad.

"Yes, it's one I've not seen before." She said, unable to help the excitement creeping into her voice. "He said he found it where that cursed Queen lives. But, I started thinking about all the other flowers and plants that I have never seen and surely different courts have different flowers… What if I were to go to each one and collect them? I could document them. Some from each court. The courts or High Lords could even choose which ones I include and I could put them all in a book and then each court could have published copies of it…"

Rhys was looking at her differently now. "A way to connect us all…"

She smiled at him. "Wouldn't that be nice?" She asked, "It's been months since the war. I imagine checking in with one another and building new bonds would be beneficial."

He smiled back at her. "Well, aren't you clever…" his voice sounded like a soft croon and Elain raised an eyebrow at him. "I will see what I can do."

"Thank you." Elain got to her feet. "If anyone needs me, I will be outside."