Chapter 450

Most of those working to get the existing trees out of the garden had returned to work before Elain had gotten back to the garden. She smiled at this, thankful for the dedication. As others returned to the garden, Elain set about helping the faeries who were to be making the name plaques set up under one of the trees that was to remain in the garden. They had the list Lucien had given them and even just a glance at the length of that list twisted something in Elain's stomach. There had been so many.

Heading toward the stone wall upon which she envisioned her ivy growing, Elain eyed the small garden beneath it. She would be able to empty it herself. Currently, there appeared to be several types of grasses growing within it, and she wondered when the last time it had been tended to had been. Most of this garden, it seemed, had been allowed to grow wild.

"Can I help?"

Elain turned to see Tamlin approaching her, and she watched as he tolled his sleeves up to his elbows. "I am sure there are many things you could do to be of help out here…" She cast her eyes around the garden, trying to spot a place for him.

"Were you not just eyeing this garden at the base of the wall?"

"Oh, I don't need help with that." She said, waving a hand dismissively, "I can do that myself."

He looked at the garden again, tilting his head, "I think you'll find unexpected deep roots in the ground there…"

Elain frowned at the small garden. She had hoped it would be simple. "Oh."

"Not to worry." He smiled at her, "They'll be no match for me."

Elain looked around the garden once more, looking for Lucien. She had been unable to forget his words this morning, and his worry about Tamlin's motivations. Her mate had said he would be here, and that he would not let her out of his sight, and yet she could not see him. Then, unable to think of a reason to tell Tamlin she did not need help, she smiled and nodded. "Alright…" she said, "The tools are over there…"

Elain rolled her own sleeves up as she stepped into he garden and made her way to the base of the wall. She found a comfortable spot to sit as she bent and began pulling the grasses out with her hands. They were soft enough that she didn't think she would require gloves. An empty bag dropped down beside her and, when Elain looked up, she found Tamlin grinning.

"You might want that." He said, gesturing at the bag.

"Thank you." Elain began tossing handfuls of the grasses into the bag as she pulled them from the dirt. Most were coming easily enough, and with the roots still attached, which proved promising.

As he seated himself in the other corner by the wall, green eyes found her again, and Elain looked once more at Tamlin. "It's fairly impressive." He said, "That so many of Helion's Court would come when you asked."

"It surprised me." She agreed, looking back to her work.

"An indication that they look to you…" he suggested, and Elain gave a half shrug.

"Or that they see the value in what we are trying to build."

"Perhaps both."

Elain glanced at him again, watching as he began to pull the grass out in large handfuls. She almost wished that Lucien hadn't told her what he'd thought, because she couldn't shake the feeling now. If she hadn't have known, then likely she wouldn't have noticed anything about Tamlin's behaviour or questioned what it was that he had come here for. Now, she couldn't stop trying to read into everything he said and did. And he had done nothing but offer his help.

"Did you really come here just to help?" She asked, the words out of her mouth before she had even decided to ask him anything. Elain blinked, hardly able to believe that she had just said them at all.

"Yes."

"Why?" she asked, figuring that if she was going to be blunt, she may as well just be entirely blunt.

"Why would I help?" he asked, and Elain nodded. Tamlin blinked at her in surprise for a moment and then gestured around the garden. "Why is anyone helping?"

"They live here." She replied. "This is their home. They want to do this for those they lost… they knew those who died."

"I see…" he threw a handful of long grass into a bag. "They are hoping to repair what was broken, and so am I."

He didn't mean the Day Court. Elain knew that. He was referring to relationships. Perhaps his relationships with other High Lords. She knew those had been damaged with the way he had been after Feyre had left the Spring Court, even possibly before. Perhaps also he was referring to his relationship with Lucien. "That's fair enough." Elain said, nodding and looking back to her own work. She had removed enough grass now to reveal a fairly decent sized circle of fresh earth.

"Helion asked me to assist, and I saw an opportunity to try to amend past incidents."

"I understand." She told him. Perhaps he really had come here just for that. She hoped so. It would certainly ease Lucien's mind to know that he had a legitimate reason to be here, a reason that had nothing to do with her.