Lucien offered to give the female a tour of the Spring Court, in an effort to speak with her alone. He took note, as they moved into the sun lit gardens, of the shadow that twirled around her ankle moving to meld into her own shadow. Her wings bristled as they walked, flaring out slightly then closing back in adjusting with her movements.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Eclipse curled an eyebrow at him and shifted at the pointed stare he gave her. She knew he meant, being here, being in the Spring Court.

"I don't think anyone's truly okay right now, Lucien." She told him desperately, wishing to avoid the topic. Lucien snorted.

"Fair point, but it still doesn't change the fact that the first time you set foot in the Spring Court, in your life, you make a bargain with the High Lord that I'm fairly positive is at the very top of your kill list, to not kill him."

"Was."

"Was what?"

"He was at the very top of my kill list. Now, he's number two." Lucien sighed.

"I won't give you a speech about how Tamlin is a good male, about how much he has done for me. Just try not to piss him off too much? Let's see if we can all just get through this marginally intact." Eclipse snorted.

"I make no promises."

Eclipse officially met Feyre at dinner that evening. The Emissary had bathed and changed into a pair of leather pants and a tunic with a leather corset around her midsection. Her wings were tucked in tightly and she sighed as she took in the high backed chairs of the table that she knew would irritate her to no end. She glanced at the chair then at Tamlin who smirked.

"Something wrong?" The Emissary rolled her eyes and waved a hand toward the chair shifting the wood and reshaping it to accommodate her wings. She sat down and smiled politely at Feyre.

"Hello." Feyre blinked, taken aback by the beautiful female in front of her. The first thing she noticed was the wings. They peaked out from her back, leathery and strong, a stark contrast to the dainty smile on the female's face. The next thing Feyre noticed was the astonishing violet color of the female's eyes.

"Hello." Feyre said, curiosity peaked. Who was this female, why had she been ushered from the room earlier, only to find out this female would be a guest with an undefined length of stay? Who was she to Tamlin?

"My name is Eclipse. Sorry for interrupting your lunch earlier today, I come by my flair for the dramatic honestly." Feyre was startled by how different, how much more polite the female spoke to her than how she spoke earlier to Tamlin.

"I'm Feyre." The human responded unsure. The conversation was halted as food appeared on the table and everyone dug in.

"Where are you from, Eclipse?" Feyre asked, curious about the mask-free face.

"Eclipse is from the Day Court, she's their Emissary, she'll be staying with us for a few months to monitor the blight, she's gifted in spells and has spent much time working against the blight." Tamlin spoke before Eclipse could respond. Eclipse scowled at him for speaking for her, she was more than capable of speaking for herself.

"She's also a princess. Her father is the High Lord." Lucien stated. Feyre's eyes widened. Eclipse rolled her eyes at the male with the mechanical eye.

"Please do not start calling me, Princess. Princess may have been the title given to me at birth, but Emissary is one that I earned, I much prefer that one. I prefer my own name even more than that." Eclipse noticed, of course, that the two males did not speak of her other court. For now she would remain silent. Who knew what they had told Feyre of the night court. Likely nothing, and if anything it was likely horrible. Exactly the way it had been portrayed for millennia and likely the way it would remain, until Eclipse got her way of course. The female was set that she would change Prythian's perception of the Night Court, at some point in her life, she just had to wait for her Uncle to be ready too.

"What is the Day Court like?" Feyre asked conversationally. Eclipse smiled and took a bite of the food she had gathered onto her plate.

"Beautiful. Sunrises are more beautiful than anywhere else in Prythian. At least to me. Some would argue the Dawn Courts are better. I grew up in the palace in our Capital city called Antole. It's built into a mountain range on the Eastern coast."

"A palace? What was that like, growing up?" Feyre asked curiously. Eclipse told her, and Feyre ate up the image Eclipse weaved. Of a golden and white palace adorned with sunstone built into a mountain. No windows and no artificial fae lights, save for when the sun set. So open it didn't need it, the Day Court's people instead chose to bask in the sunlight they so loved. The red, pink and orange of the sunrise glinting off of it in the morning. The view from her balcony, the feel of the wind on her wings as she'd dive off every morning, letting herself and her wings get that first taste of light in the sky from the most open part of the court. She painted such a brilliant picture with her words that Feyre could almost taste the salt in the air from the ocean, and feel the wind whipping her hair. She could picture it in her mind's eye, the female providing her with such detail she would have painted it just from Eclipse's words alone, almost as if the fae female knew that she was a painter.

"That sounds beautiful." Feyre said breathlessly.

Eclipse spent the next three weeks shadowing Feyre just about everywhere she went under the guise of curiosity about humans, which wasn't wholly a lie, the wall went up before Eclipse was born and she hadn't seen any humans up close.

She was curious about their customs and what it was like for Feyre to grow up, but she was more curious about Feyre as a person. What made her so much more special than other humans, that she would inevitably be the person to save Prythian. Eclipse had learned that Feyre was resilient, adaptable and smart. There was something drawing her to Feyre, to not just learn more about her for the sake of the human saving Prythian. But telling her to befriend the human.

She found that she did truly enjoy the company of the girl. She had a wicked sense of humor, and was a wonderful painter, even as a human she could rival some of the fae painters Eclipse knew. They spent much time together in silence. Feyre painting, whether it be in the gallery or in the gardens, and Eclipse reading. The reading selection of the manor was despicably void of Eclipse's preferred genre of romance novels. She desperately wished, not for the first time in the last 50 years, to be curled up in front of the fire at the House of Wind, in the Townhouse or in the Day Court gardens or many balconies with her nose in one of her books.

She could picture it so clearly. The image warmed her heart. She would be reclining on the couch, her feet in either Cassian or Mor's lap, whoever had reached the couch first. Cassian and Mor would casually squabble with each other, Cassian having stolen another bottle of Uncle Rhys' good wine. Her Uncle would be in his chair chiming in and contributing to the conversation, sometimes teaming with Cassian to tease Mor, sometimes the other way around. He'd play mediator when one of them got too deep in their squabbling, or when Amren, if she was around, made some brutal statement that made everyone, but Eclipse, pause. The Emissary would generally snort, amused by the female's brutal unyielding honesty, or strange sense of humor. Azriel would be seated in one of the other arm chairs, quiet but present and prone to chime in with his own jab when the opportunity presented itself. His strong presence would wrap around her, putting her fully at ease, and his shadow would flit between peeking over Eclipses' shoulder and curling around his ear everytime she turned a page. He was a closet romance reader she knew and he was always looking for good books to read, his shadows weeding out which of her books he'd be sneaking off with next.

If she was at the Day Court, she'd be sprawled out in a reclined chair letting the sun soak into her wings and skin, burning out any negative energy and leaving her feeling full and replenished as she got lost in the pages. Sometimes her father would join her, stealing one of her books. I'm always looking for ways to spice things up. He'd tell her and she'd wrinkle her nose both in amusement and disgust and shake her head. Other days she'd be joined by her friends Hemera and Lampetia, catching up on court gossip and each other's lives while they sunbathed in between pages.

Mother above she missed those days. Here, in the present, there was no peace. Currently she was stuck listening to Feyre be told to stay in her own room for her safety as tonight was Calanmai. She rolled her eyes as Tamlin ordered her to be sure that Feyre did as told after the human girl had walked away. Eclipse, too, left the High Lord at that point.

As if, he could order her around. She scoffed.

Eclipse really did have every intention of making sure Feyre stayed in her room. Not because Tamlin demanded it, but because she did not want her new human friend to get hurt. She knew the wild magic that would take over tonight, could feel it building, calling to her to participate.

However, Feyre walked past where Eclipse was watching the bonfires from the roof of the manor. Feyre headed for the stables and a few minutes later rode out on a horse. Eclipse wanted to stop her, she really did, but her gift was telling her not to.

Follow her. That voice in her head stated, and so Eclipse did, she took to the skies with a few great beats of her wings and stayed back enough that the human would not see. Eclipse had a feeling though, that even if she had let Feyre see her, it still wouldn't have stopped her. Eclipse knew something was pulling the human towards bonfires, and it wasn't the magic of fire night.

Eclipse was frustrated, she could feel the thread of knowledge tickling the base of her skull, but she could not grasp it to tug it into knowing. She hated when this happened. Sometimes, there were things her power teased her with, letting her know that there was something important about to happen, but would not tell her what, until it was time. And so she did what she had always done in these situations. She trusted herself and let the intuition lead her, not thinking about her next move, but feeling it.

Eclipse trailed Feyre from the sky until the human dismounted the horse and tethered it to a tree. Eclipse landed behind the girl and continued to follow her on foot from there staying back. Everything was fine for a time and then it wasn't. Feyre had somehow ended up on the edge of the celebration, near the woods when she was approached by three faeries, not from the spring court if their maskless faces were anything to go off of. As Eclipse watched, she scowled realizing they were residents of the Court of Nightmares.

Stay back. Watch. That voice told her and Eclipse waited. That thread tickling the base of her mind became slightly more tangible, but still not enough to grasp. The faeries spoke, circling Feyre. When one grabbed the human it took everything Eclipse had not to step in, but that thread grew even stronger and the voice again sounded in her mind.

Watch.

The faeries began to taunt the human. Talking about fire night fun. They began pushing her farther from the gathering closer to the edge of the forest. Eclipse scowled. Her hand went to the dagger at her side. Her wings bristled, readying to step in as one of the fairies ran its bony hand down Feyre's side.

"Stop it." Feyre spoke in a strangled gasp. The human began to fight back pushing and thrashing against them. One of them pushed the human, she staggered and fell out of their grasp. Eclipse moved closer waiting for that voice to tell her it was time. For her to see what she needed to see before she stepped in. Feyre was falling, and then she wasn't. Eclipse stopped in surprise at the male that caught the human. Her heart began thundering in her chest, tears welled up in her eyes.

Her uncle moved and gently righted Feyre so that she was no longer falling.

"There you are. I've been looking for you." Eclipse gasped as that thread in the back of her mind finally weaved itself into a word. A word that threw Eclipse's mind into a tailspin and shocked her to her core.

Mates.

Mother above, this human would not only save Prythian, but was her uncle's mate?! How? What the hell did fate have planned for these two? Eclipse spent so long lost in her head lost in the possibilities of how everything would change. She had agreed to protect Feyre with her life, but now, that bargain didn't mean shit compared to the feeling of protectiveness swelling up inside her. This human was her fucking aunt for all intents and purposes, or she would be. Another thread tickled the back of her mind teasing her before disappearing. Eclipse didn't care. All she cared about was the human and the High Lord in front of her. She was rooted to her spot until Feyre spoke.

"She went to get some drinks." Rhys chuckled

"I'm afraid the refreshments are far off, it will be a while before she returns." Eclipse drew in a cleansing breath summoned two drinks into her hands and pushed herself towards the two.

"Well fortunately for my human friend it seems I've made it back in time to save her from your uncomfortable presence, Rhysand." The High Lord froze in surprise at the sound of her voice before he whipped around to face her. His face was a picture of shock, awe, confusion and relief at the sight of her.

Your mask is slipping, Uncle Rhysie. She sent the thought, and the feeling of her love for him spearing for his mind. His features schooled themselves into a look of cool indifference, but Eclipse knew he was filled with relief at the sight of her un-injured.

"Eclipse, I thought I heard whispering that the Spring Court had acquired a lovely new candle." Eclipse let a feline smirk grace her features. So he knew what she'd been up to.

So much for keeping safe. Rhysand's voice floated to her mind in a gentle caress, like a father stroking his daughter's face.

"It seems that while many things have changed; the gossip never dies off." She hated this. She hated this so much. All she wanted to do was drop the cups in her hands and rush into his arms.

"What exactly are you doing in the Spring Court?" He asked a double edged question.

"Right now I'm teaching my friend about fire-night. I could ask you the same thing." She casually sipped her drink.

Eclipse, what are you planning to do? He asked desperately into her mind. She met his eyes unwavering.

What needs to be done.