*KIDA'S POV*

It had been a few weeks since my encounter with Eris at the party. I honestly thought that more would have happened. More would have come of this so called 'bond'? But nothing. I hadn't heard a peep from him. As the days went on I got more and more confused and less and less bothered. Fine, he didn't want me. I got it. Who would?

Daughter of the infamous High Lord Rhysand. The most feared High Lord to have ever lived. I could get it. I wouldn't. There was no way I was going to let a male of all things stop me in my tracks. But still there was a small part of me, a whisper that was relentless, that kept telling me how stupid I was.

Todays plans were not my favourites. It wasn't often that our parents made us going to the Court of Nightmares, but rarely they insisted we showed our faces. Remind the horrible people that we were in fact alive and would one day become their rulers. I hated the idea if I was being honest. But it didn't really matter. Nyx and Tawny were the ones being shaped into the perfect mould. I was just a back up really and I was happy with it to be that way. The pressure was off me and I wasn't about to be angry about that.

I got ready with the swift help of Cerridwen and walked down the grand stair case of the river house. I was dressed in a light purple silver, the shade of the thawing snow and the wildest of flames. A matching tiara was placed gently in my hair, pulling curls from my face. The deep brown really made my eyes stand out and the lashes Cerridwen had insisted in lengthening were helping to frame them even more. I took a deep breath. Here we go again, I thought to myself.

My father was waiting at the bottom of the stairs with the rest of my family. We were all going today, everyone that was but Amren. Varian was stood by her side as usual. I flicked him a quick smile but my stomach was bubbling with nerves. He gave me his best 'It's going to be fine, you absolutely have this' smile. Over my childhood, Varian had become an integral part of my family. Although he and Auntie Amren had never officially become official, as far as I knew anyway, there was no doubt about who they were with. If anyone else even tried to look in the direction of Varian, then Amren would melt their eyelids shut, just so they couldn't ever see again.

With the people we were about to entertain we had to be people we weren't. And I hated it. Lying didn't come naturally to me. I had to think about every glance, every breath and especially every word.

"You look beautiful." Rhys leant over and brushed a kissed to my forehead. "Are you ready?" I gave Tawny an exhausted look. I was tired of this already and she knew it. She snorted and answered for me. Thank the mother for Tawny.

"Kier has been shouting things he shouldn't again. Just trying to undermine us and we need to put a stop to it now before it goes anywhere." My mother smiled at me. I knew that smile, she was as over this as me and Tawny were. I took her hand and squeezed it.

"And I need to be there? Because honestly I'd be more than happy to stay behind with Amren and read a book. Or maybe convince her to let me finish one of her puzzles?" I glanced hopefully over to my Aunt but she raised an eyebrow at me.

"After the last time girl? Not a chance." My mouth hung open in hurt.

"Aunt Amren I was 6. That was years ago. I didn't mean to bend a piece. Come on, please. You have to let that go now." The room chuckled but I was being quite serious. I looked around for support, but absolutely nothing.

"You can come back and complete one with me when I'm ready to forgive you. I loved that one." Again the smile flittered across her features. She may have been scary pixie fae to everyone else but to me and my siblings, Amren was just Amren. She never hurt us, never did anything but love us.

"Are you ever going to be ready?" I grumbled as I turned my back on my Aunt.

"I heard that." She all but growled at me. I swung around to her and smiled as sweetly as I could.

Azriel and Mor walked through the door and joined us.

"Wow. Tawny...you're dress. It's gorgeous. Where can I get it?" Mor whisked over to my sister who was wearing a champagne coloured backless dress, that really showed off every curve and ever spare piece of skin. Mor took her hand and span her around. Mor was a sucker for a beautiful piece of clothing, and Tawnys dress really was one. Rhys, Feyre and Azriel started talking in hushed whispers as Mor gushed over Tawny and I wondered if some kind of distraction was taking place here.

I shook my head and ignored the gut feeling. It's nerves I calmed myself. I was overthinking every little thing. Cassian and Nesta followed through the doors and smiled at us in hellos.

"Well, is everyone ready?" My father turned around and looked at us. Landing his eyes on mine, staring at me in hard concentration. He was analysing me. I nodded and pulled a smile sultry smile on my face. The expression I would wear the entire time I was there. "Then let's go." Rhys took my hand, and we winnowed out of the river house and too one of my least favourite places in this world.

***...***...***

The air under the mountain always had a slightly stale tang. I was sure if you lived in the environment you wouldn't even notice it, but as someone who only came in every now and again, it hit me every time how unpleasant it was.

Mor strutted through the doors into the large cavern that housed many many people. These were all the richest and snobbiest people of under the mountain. Everything I hated in a person, thrived here. Azriel and Cassian followed her through. My stomach twisted yet again. How I hated this. Kier had such a punch-able face. And rest of the body really, but that was rude to admit.

Next me and my siblings strolled through the doors slowly. Once they closed behind us, we stopped and surveyed the area, the people. People were silent. Eyes averted. It only took one time of Rhysand blinding someone for looking at Nyx the wrong way for the people here to realise we were to be treated with the same respect as my mother and father.

There was a small sick part of me that was always secretly pleased that these people feared and hated us. It was easier to rule that way sometimes. Not that that meant anything to me. I knew that was inhumane. No body should want for any one to be scared of them.

The 3 of us were walking in a triangle formation, whispers of shadowing dancing around our feet and legs empathising our power and strength. There was something about having my fathers shadows with me that always brought me comfort. It was like being hugged by his magic in our scariest times.

We walked forward as a 3, everyone's head lowered in respect. Or a pretend respect at least. Kier stood at the top of the room observing us, distaste was so close to his features, but the need to keep that look off his face, was insatiable. You could just tell he hated us so badly. But bless his heart, was he trying to hide that hate.

We got to the end of the room with Kier and Nyx took a large step forward, past Kier and up to the throne of the room. He didn't sit. We didn't do that ever. It would disrespect our parents right now, but if we wanted too, I'm sure Feyre would allow us that right. Not that any of us wanted it in this moment in time. That seat was for them. It was to show their united front. For us to sit would be undoing that.

Kiers lips almost, very almost curled into a snarl, yet he shifted them into a smile at the last moment.

"Good Afternoon Kier, how are you?" My brother asked with out a hint of niceness. Me and Tawny kept our eyes bored and surveying the room as we had been taught too. I skimmed first the left side, my eyes clashing with a young girls. She was too intrigued to survive down here. She shouldn't have even caught my eye. It was against the rules and if it had been any one else, they probably would have been punished. I raised an eyebrow at her and her mother, or who I assumed was her mother beside her nudged her with an elbow sharply. She quickly dropped her eyes with a frown.

The girl entertained me, and for the first time, I wished the rules in this place weren't as they seemed.

I carried on looking round the miserable and people. It was as if all happiness had been sucked out of here. Not a single ray of sunshine, not a smile, no merriment not whilst we were here anyway.

A slither of red flashed before my eyes. The flicked back to the colour. My heart stopped dead. My breath became short. My skin turned cold.

Tawny slide closer to me and brushed her hand across the back of mine. She couldn't ask if I was ok, not here. It would cause drama. My breath came in short stabbing breaths. My eyes wouldn't move. Whiskey coloured eyes stared back at me. Unblinking. The ice in my skin turned glacial.

He was here.