Chapter 165

Lucien had gone to the meeting with the High Lords and Elain had spent the day working up the courage to head down to the kitchens. She had spoken to Helion the night before, telling him what she wanted to do. He had assured her that she would be welcome in the kitchens and that she would have access to whatever she wanted. She was able to go down whenever she liked, and the faeries there would help her achieve what she had in mind.

Elain had decided that she wanted to make cupcakes. She had thought long and hard about what kind of food she was going to offer Lucien, and her mind had focused on the early stages of their relationship when they had spent time each day in Rhys' garden in the Night Court. That ritual they had daily where Lucien would bring her some offering or other from that bakery she liked had been important, and she thought she would give him something similar in return.

Cupcakes decorated like flowers had been what she had settled on. He'd brought her some of those on more than one occasion, and she figured that sunflowers would be a nice representation of what she wanted. It seemed like a nice blending of the two of them. She hadn't made sunflower cupcakes before, and she knew that she would require assistance so that the final product looked halfway decent. Smiling at the thought, Elain wondered if the mating bond would be properly accepted if the food she offered was so gross-looking that Lucien had no desire to eat it.

As soon as Lucien had gone to the meeting, Elain had collected another armful of things from their room and taken them to their new suite of rooms. She set about laying things out so that it felt more comfortable for them, and they would have everything they needed, and then she headed for the kitchens.

The meeting had taken longer than Lucien would have liked. He had hoped that, after everything that had gone on, everyone would be keen to come to some kind of agreement in order to get things moving. That had never been the way these things worked and, in the end, the conversations had gone around and around. It was clear that the High Lords were all behind their plan, but everyone seemed to need to have their opinion heard and, as usually happens when so many people are involved in a plan, nothing was easily settled upon. It was mid afternoon before they left the table with some semblance of a plan, and Lucien had been keen to find something to eat as they had skipped lunch.

"I have organised a table of food to be laid out for you all." Helion said, "It's not much, but as there will be a feast tonight to celebrate all we have done and the last night in the Day Court for many of you, I would hope you would not fill yourselves too much just yet."

"'Table of food' was all I needed to hear." Rhys drawled, slipping an arm around Feyre's shoulders. Lucien watched his friend smile up at her mate in agreement before they strolled up the hallway after Helion. Following, Lucien was grateful that Helion had considered feeding them because his stomach was rumbling already.

When they reached the dining hall, those who had been after food all took a plate and settled themselves around the room. Lucien sat with Rhys and Feyre, looking at them as they both picked at their plates. "So… you're both leaving tomorrow?" he asked.

"That's the plan." Feyre's voice was steady and her blue-grey eyes lifted to meet Lucien's gaze. "Why?"

"Just wondering." He replied. "Are you taking Cassian with you, or is he remaining with Nesta…?"

"That's up to Cassian." Rhys said. "I don't fancy being the one to tell him he needs to leave Nesta behind…"

"No…" Lucien agreed, unable to help picturing that scenario. "That seems… undesirable."

"He'd probably beat the shit out of me." Rhys muttered, picking at his plate again. Lucien couldn't help a grin. "Do…" Rhys hesitated and Lucien noticed his violet eyes flick to Feyre for a moment before he continued, "you… have any idea how long Nesta will be staying?"

"Uh…" Lucien paused for a second.

"She told Elain she would wait until you were mated…" Feyre's tone was gentle, and he could hear the hesitation in her voice.

"I see." Lucien shifted his plate in front of him, fiddling idly. How was he meant to know when that would be done? There was no way to know how long the frenzy would last, let alone when Elain was even going to accept him. "I couldn't tell you…" Was Nesta really going to stay until after? He figured that made sense. She would evidently want to know that Elain was alright after everything.

He remained with Feyre and Rhys until everyone began to leave the room, and he got up. Lucien wanted to ask his mother if she was staying in the Day Court, or if she would be returning to the Autumn Court with Eris. She hadn't said one way or the other, and he very much wanted to know what she were thinking. He figured that Eris would be okay with whatever she chose, although as far as Lucien knew, there was nobody in the Autumn Court that his elder brother was particularly fond of. Who would he have supporting him on the throne? When this was all done, and they were settled after their mating, Lucien thought he might like to visit the Autumn Court again. He had been worried for years that he would never get to go back there, but he knew now that Eris would allow him to visit as he wished, and he knew that Elain would also enjoy visits like that. There were many things around the Court that he still wished to show her, places he had enjoyed as a youngling that he knew she would appreciate.

Striding for her rooms, Lucien headed to find Ashk. He hadn't seen her since breakfast. He knew that she often took walks of an afternoon, much of the time with Elain. Perhaps he would be able to find the both of them. It really did make his heart happy to know that his mother and his Mate got on so well. He wasn't at all surprised that they did, however. They were two of the gentlest hearts Lucien thought that he had ever come across in his life. The thought that he might get to have a life with the both of them around him every day made his blood just about sing in his veins.

Thinking about the way his mother had been with Helion the last few days, Lucien began to hope that she might have seriously entertained the thought of staying in the Day Court. At least, he figured, if she had not already considered it, then he would put the idea into her mind. She would need time to consider, and time to discuss with Eris, he supposed. As he walked, Lucien wondered if he should have also discussed this with Helion. How would his father feel about Ashk remaining in the Day Court? He had seen the way the two of them looked at one another, and he had assumed that both of them would be into the idea. He hadn't asked, though. What if he had been mistaken? He didn't think so, but, one never really knew the heart of another.