The cheering crowd at the end of the tunnel did not sound promising. I hoped the butterfly might change course for this one, but I would face the wyrm first. Light reached my eyes, and I recoiled like a cave dweller.

There was ungodly amounts of laughter, and howls. This was pure entertainment for them. I was pushed down on the platform. I peeked over the edge with just my eyes; it was ten feet from the tallest wall of the labyrinth. They were around three to four feet wide, ruffly twenty-foot high.

"Here is your first task. I took the liberty of learning a few things about you," Amarantha drawled. "It was only fair, you know. And I think you will like it." I wanted to run, but I stayed still, waiting for her to finish.

"Rhysand told me you hunt for fun. Go ahead, take a good look."

I glanced over the six other men here straight to Rhysand, who was smiling like a cat. They say if you smile you can hide all your true intentions. If I am pushed, I break everything, if they drop me in, I'll be on the ground. I need the tall advantage.

I looked back, smiling just as Rhys was. "Say less." Turning tail, I leaped off the platform. Arms spread wide as I soared though the air. I curled in, using my hands to spring roll an easier landing.

"Release it." she growled.

A foot slipped off the edge, I reached for the hairpins, using them to stop me. I scrambled to the top and stood. Uncapping the pin, I cut the two layers of dress off and then into two strips each. I tied them together, walking along the wall.

I could hear it, it was moving, and it was big. I watched the eyes of the fairies, seeing where it was and how close exactly.

"Feyre you're boring us, get in and hunt already."

"Oh, of course, my lady." I tied the final knot and wrapped it around me. "Feyre aims to entertain." The Attor moved forward. "Feyre hunt, Feyre so excited."

The Attor flew down, but I was quicker. Using the pins, I slid down the wall. I shouted at the top of my lungs. "Somebody once told me the world was gonna rule me, I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed!" It roared not too far off. It can hear, and smell, not see.

I stayed still. Now or never, I hope to the cauldron this works or I'm a dead woman. I unwrapped the fabric. Laying it out, before wrapping the ends around my wrists. It was getting closer, I waited until I knew the direction it was coming from.

It emerged from behind me, I turned. It rose up, teeth splayed open as it let out a menacing roar. The flushed pink, muddy brown flesh looked soft, but the size alone was enough to make you wish to run in fear, let alone the rows of rounded teeth.

It sniffed the air, and I felt something in my body shift. Its tail raised and it moved back and forth. Was it wagging?

The shift formed a spark. Something deep emerged.

"Look at you, so cute. You will be my friend until the end. I will name you Behemoth." The little palm sided worm wagged its tail. A light formed between us.

"Behemoth."

The wyrm roared, inching closer to me, but not in a threating way. More curious and excited. I lost what I was doing as it hovered over me. It's head dropped and I touched it. Its long tongue came out and licked up my dress, almost exposing me.

"Behemoth." I giggled, flicking green saliva off me. "Feyre's dress." Its head nudged all over me, and he purred.

'I missed you.'

'I missed you too' I thought back.

'Gone long time, my mountain is not mine anymore. This Fae woman took it, forcing me to kill the things she drops in, or I get punished.'

My eyes furrowed. 'I'm so sorry. I am the next one it seems.'

'No, never you.'

"What's going on, eat her already. You know what happens when you refuse."

I pet him and he scooped me on his ahead and lifted me, the ropes under his chin. I pulled them tight to hold on as he lifted me to her.

"Behemoth is friend. Song sound good? Feyre like music." I cleared my throat. "Rumor on the street is that her apples are delicious. The Fae say she's charming, but her exes said she's wicked. I swore I saw her howling at the sky. She ain't out to get you, but she's better on your side." I danced a little, Behemoth swaying. I smiled dumbly. "She's a woman in total control of herself."

"Rhysand."

He reclined casually. "The wyrm refuses, seems it thinks the human's the master."

The High lords looked amongst one another. The one with red hair narrowed his eyes. "Soul bounded. It's a high form of magic. It is possible if she is living again. A second life perhaps. Makes things quite interesting to the way of life and its cycle." He strocked his chin.

"Kill it or you fail. Rhysand, push the wyrm to fight."

"Feyre thinks you evil lady." I pouted, crossing my arms. Rhysand stood; he looked down the line as he put his hands in his pockets. He gave one furrowed look to me before his face cleared and I braced myself.

'Kill me. I will hold back as best as I can. If you survive, find my last egg and keep it safe. The other Fae have been killing them. It is at the bottom of a mud pit on the outer edge, opposite of this woman's standing.'

He let out a screech, and I dropped down to sit on him. He bucked wildly as I fought to tie myself. Once knotted, I reached down my corset all the while it shook. I hesitated; this was a friend, and old one. While I did not know how or why, it felt so unfair to do this. He asked me to, and i was sure it was a him or me situation. Him or Prythian.

"Feyre, do it!"

My eyes flicked to Lucian. This was what I can prepared for. I did not let the sadness show as reality came. 'I'm sorry Behemoth.'

I was trained for this. I changed tune, and I howled in amused laughter, the crowd laughed at me, with me, it was all the same. As I managed to pull the knives out, I switched them open simultaneously. I turned them, stabbed them down, and carved them out.

I felt the pain in my heart, like a wound forming that I knew would never heal. I failed to make this quick.

It screeched, whipping harder. I didn't hit the core, it had to be lower. I held tight. It led its head to the wall; I loosened the grip on the rope from my legs. Dropping down, but not in time for my arm to scrape against the wall and ripped open.

I sucked in a sharp breath. "I'm sorry." I racked the knife down the side, then I saw something, the heart. "There." I breathed, landing a stabbing blow there, slicing as hard as I could, green blood sprayed out. Its head turned towards me. Tears formed as I felt my heart being ripped apart.

'Find it, my last egg. It will hatch soon.'

Behemoth was breathing slowly. Blades in my hands, I approached. "Sorry. Feyre wishes it were different." Its breath was shallow, its mouth barely moving.

I laid a hand, and it nudged in. I hummed a soft melody to the creature. I knew she starved him, knew she treated him horribly. I hugged his nose, and it let out one least cry, and went limp. My body tensed, I felt him be severed. My heart ached, tears rolling.

"Cauldron save you; mother hold you. May you taste that immortal land of milk and honey once more. May you see no evil, and may you have no fear."

"How boring."

"I suppose you'll be happy to learn most of my court lost a good deal of money tonight," she said, picking up a piece of parchment. I looked at Tamlin as she scanned the paper. I saw a slight glint in his eye, though he looked pale.

"Let's see," Amarantha went on, reading the paper as she toyed with Jurian's finger bone at the end of her necklace. "Yes, I'd say almost my entire court bet on you dying within the first minute; some said you'd last five, and…" She turned over the paper. "And just one person said you would win."

"Just one? Hmm, Was it Tamlin?"

She looked down. "No, his bet was that you would not make it a minute. Stop touching that wyrm like it's your friend."

"Feyre named it behemoth a long, long time ago."

"It's just a wyrm."

I held a blade up. "It's just a wyrm," I mocked. "He had feelings. You starved him. He gave up, he was done living. He could have banged Feyre against the wall several times, but he didn't. Her friend. You say humans are bad, look in a mirror and then tell Feyre you don't see the very same thing you say seem to hate."

"Enough, take her to her cell."

The Attor swooped down and I swung my knives. "Back batman, Feyre can walk."

"Let's go Tamlin, you promised me a good time if she won." She sneered over her shoulder.

I lost my concentration, and the Attor unarmed me, hitting me in the gut as he pushed me down and dragged me by the legs.

I stared at her until she was out of sight. The blood of the wyrm was all over me, as well as splashes of mud. I kicked at him the whole way down to my cell.

I had done my best to clean the goo from my wound, but it had also been in the mud. The stench still on me. It looked terrible; puss was ozing. A wound like this and I could die. It had been almost a week based on the rounds of the guards.

I laid down, relaxing my heart and trying to sleep it off. But this was not something you could sleep off. So much time I spent day dreaming, thinking of Behemoth and Anna. Anna said she would have stayed in spring court and stayed a pillow princess.

I wonder if she knew this was a possibility. That the ending was always this. I looked up, trapped in the cell, even after the curse. I smiled, hearing her sing that sweet song. I listened until it lulled me to sleep.

I woke to searing pain in my arm. I held it, feeling the brush of a hand. My eyes were heavy, I struggled to look. I felt impossibly hot, how long had I been sleeping? A day, two. I leaned up, coddling my puss filled arm.

In a daze, I seen a man crouched next to me. Violet glowing eyes. "Rhys."

My head tilted back, hitting the wall a little harder than expected. I winced. Everything was heavy. Every breath labored. My whole body was aching, but my arm stomach and head hurt the worst. Aside from the broken heart.

"What a sorry state for Tamlin's Champion."

"Yep." I breathed hard, then I smirked, head tilting to the side. I hard breathless chuckle escaped my lips, as tears feel from the mental and physical pain.

Rhysand cocked his head. His pale skin radiated beautiful alabaster light. His cold fingers grazed my brow, pushing the fallen hair from my face. "What would Tamlin say," he murmured, "if he knew his beloved was rotting away down here, burning up with fever, half delirious? Not that he can even come here, not when his every move is watched."

I woke up a little. "Hmm, that is- a good question. Hmm, if he did," I breathed in hard, looking at my arm. "He better have brought a picture book, so boring in here. Cut to the chase, Rhys. I was having the loveliest and most devilish dream before you showed up."

"Is that anyway to treat someone who is trying to help you?"

I let out an exasperated sigh. "You did not send me a letter first professing your love. I'm waiting." I laughed a little louder, head rolling on the wall. "There is nothing you can do to me now, I'm already dying. You know that it's why you're here."

"You made me a lot of money, in case you still wanted to know who bet on you winning. I figured I would repay the favor. Let me see your arm."

"Abracadabra." I extended my arm, and he held it up.

He examined the wound, a smile appearing on his lips. "Oh, that's wonderfully gruesome."

"I know, right. Makes top three for worst injuries."

"Would you like me to heal it?"

"What's the catch?"

"Ah, that. Living among faeries has taught you some of our ways. I'll make a trade with you," he spoke softly, and let go. I pulled it in, wincing as I rested it on my lap.

"One deal, two deal. Red deal, purple deal. Seems like your average Fea night in a dungeon cell."

He huffed a laugh. "I'll heal your arm in exchange for you. For two weeks every month, two weeks of my choosing, you'll live with me at the Night Court. Starting after this messy three-trials business."

Two weeks, that's half my life. "Half my life, drive such a hard bargain. Sure. I need to finish this."

"No further bargaining? You'll just settle for that? Why is it you trust me? From the first day to now. It's like you thought I could not hurt you."

"Are we making a deal or are you going to hound me with questions?"

"You will spend two weeks with me every month after these three trials is over, in exchange for my healing powers."

"It's a deal." I held my left arm out.

He grabbed my arm with bewilderment, the smell of magic making the room feel more tolerable. It was a warm sensation with a bit of ice under it. My eyes closed and a wave of relief washed over me.

The room was no longer too cold, my face did not feel to hot. When he let my arm go, I opened my eyes. I looked my arm over; the tattoo went from my finger tips to my elbow. Spirals down my finger's vines along with thorns and intricate flowers trailing up my arm.

I stared at the cat like eye in the palm of my hand. The pupal was slit, and it felt like it was looking at me. "This, is probably the coolest tattoo I have ever seen." I traced the lines, poked the eyeball and then chuckled.

"I am glad you think so, in the night court, this is how we do deals."

"I'm aware." My stomach still hurt, then I saw the red blood in a pool. "Thats not normal."

"It's not." he held a hand over my stomach. "That idiot. I cannot heal what has already gone."

"What?"

"You didn't know?" I blinked. Trying to think of what might cause this. My mouth dropped, my head shook. That was not a variable I had thought of. "Rest up, Feyre."

I reached out, holding his sleeve. "Wait, before you go. You gave me your name; I want you to know my true name. I finally remembered before I was dragged down here. If you ever do come back or were alone, could you call me Calamity, or Cali?"

His head tilted to the side. "First the dumb act, now this. Whatever for?"

"I will tell you after all of this is over. I just want one person to call me that. One person to say that, remember it. See me, not Feyre."

He nodded and turned to shadow, and he slipped through the crack in the door. I leaned back on the wall. The number of times we had done it was uncountable. Mostly due to my book shenanigans. To think humans and fairies could actually conceive. I shook my head, I did not even know, not until now.

The longer I dwelled on it, the more reasoning I had with it. For the better, because if I showed, it would become the target. It would happen either way. If I were, it would only bother Tamlin more for me being here. I sang to myself in my cell, bits of songs I could remember.