Trigger Warning: Character death and trauma is described fairly heavily in this section, so if you don't feel comfortable with the details, then I would suggest skipping this one. I'll make sure to add a brief synopsis in the following chapter with what you might miss.

Chapter 18: The Weight of the World
-Rhysand's POV

In spite of his heady exhaustion, sleep wouldn't come to the High Lord of the Night Court. Rhysand had been tossing and turning for what felt like an eternity, but his mind would not cease its spiraling.

Luckily his mate didn't seem to have that problem. Feyre had fallen unconscious the second her body made contact with their bed. The brief memory made him smile.

Rhysand turned his head to find the mother of his child face down on her pillow snoring quietly. It took everything in him not to laugh at the sight.

He threw an arm over his eyes trying to force himself to settle. If he was going to deal with the certain chaos of tomorrow, he needed to get at least a few hours of sleep.

He felt himself finally start to drift off when Nyx's cry rang from his bedroom down the hall. Rhysand grumbled loudly.

In lieu of the commotion, Feyre roused from her slumber. "What's the matter? Is the baby awake?"

"I'll get him darling." He leaned over to kiss her cheek and dragged himself out of bed. "I'm not sleeping tonight anyway."

Rhysand pulled on a pair of black pajama bottoms and padded down the long hallway. Thankfully, the rest of the house seemed quiet with the exception of his son.

"Alright buddy, what seems to be the prob-" His body tensed when he passed through the entryway to find a slender figure leaning over Nyx's crib.

Rhysand quickly flipped on the light next to him, and sighed in relief once he realized the stranger in question was only Violet.

The high lord scrubbed at his eyelids on the off chance that he was imagining things. Considering he hadn't slept in days, it was well within the realms of possibility. He gradually reopened them and saw his sister was indeed standing there.

"Fuck, Vi…" He gasped aloud. "You almost gave me a damn heart attack."

The girl's damp hair was cascading down her back. It sounded as if she was mumbling to herself, but he couldn't comprehend what she was saying.

"What are you doing in the baby's room?"

Nothing but silence greeted him. Something was off.

"Are you ok?"

"He's not here." Violet whispered into the shadows of the room.

Rhysand frowned in confusion. He knew she wasn't talking about Nyx who was still babbling away in his cradle. "Who's not here?"

"He was supposed to be here, but they took him."

"What are you talking about?" He rounded the crib to find Violet's eyes were closed. "Are you even awake?"

"They took him." She repeated.

"Ok, I think you might be dream traveling sweetheart." Rhysand reached out to grab her hand. "Let's get you back to bed." The moment his fingers made contact with her skin, Violet let out a blood curdling scream that made his heart stop.

The window next to them cracked under the sheer volume, so he swiftly created a barrier to shield his son. Once he was certain Nyx was safe, he returned his attention back to his sister whose eyes were screwed shut.

Rhysand tried snapping his fingers in front of her face, but she remained asleep. Without much thought, he gripped Violet hard by her upper arms and shook her vigorously. The intensity of the movement forced the girl's eyes open.

With a gasp, she shoved him away from her. "What's going on?" Violet breathed erratically. "Where am I?"

"Everything's ok." He put his hands up. "You're in the Nyx's room."

"Why… How did I get here?"

"I assume you walked in while you were sleeping. I came in here to check on him, and I found you standing over his crib talking to yourself." Her face paled.

"What did I say?"

"You kept repeating they took him. Who exactly were you referring to." Rhysand tried approaching her, but the bedroom door flew open. Eris and Feyre came barreling through the threshold with Azriel following closely behind.

"No… No!" Violet sobbed and sunk to the floor. "This isn't happening."

"What the fuck is going on?" Eris shouted rushing to his mate.

"I caught her sleep walking and she somehow ended up in here." Rhysand explained. "When I went to wake her up, she had a damn meltdown." All eyes turned to the princess who was mumbling under her breath. Eris fell to his knees moving towards her, but she yelled before he could reach her.

"Don't touch me!" Her screams echoed through the room startling Nyx. The baby wailed noisily triggering Violet to slap her hands over her ears. "No! I can't do it again..." She pulled her knees to her chest rocking back and forth. "Just make it stop."

Eris sought to grab her a second time, but she scrambled away pressing her back into the wall behind her.

"Az, get Helion. Now." The high lord ordered. Azriel was already halfway down the stairs by the time he finished speaking.

"I've never seen her like this." Eris muttered rising to his feet. "What do we do?"

"I don't know." Rhysand took the opportunity to pick up Nyx and pass him to Feyre. "I expect Helion will."

As if on cue, the male wandered through the doorway with both Azriel and Lucien in tow. Helion's eyes found Violet immediately. "What happened?"

"I was hoping you would know." Rhysand faced his sister's trembling form. "Is this a side effect from the spell?"

"No, that should have worn off hours ago." He scanned the room briefly. "This is where you found her?"

"Yes, why does that matter?"

Helion sighed heavily. "I was anticipating this might be an issue." He leaned down in front of Violet but kept a safe distance. "Feyre, you need get Nyx out of here."

"What?" She held her child defensively. "Why?"

"Because your baby is what's causing her distress."

"I don't understand. Why would he be bothering her?"

"Please, if you want to help her, do as I ask."

Feyre looked at him with a conflicted stare. "Take Nyx downstairs for now." Rhysand pleaded into her mind. "I'll be there shortly." His mate nodded and quietly vacated the room.

Once the door closed, he whipped his head to Helion. "Are you going to explain to me why I need to separate my son from his aunt?"

"It's not my story to tell Rhys."

"That's bullshit!" Eris bellowed. "Look at her!"

"I understand the gravity of the situation, but I gave her my word."

"What good will your word be if the memories you brought forth rip her apart?" His hands clenched into fists. "Tamlin and his family hunted Violet like an animal. The least you could do is explain why, so we can figure out how fix it."

The Day Court Lord ran a hand down his face standing up. "She wasn't even supposed to die."

"Then why did she?!"

"I… I don't know where to start."

"Enough with the theatrics." He snarled. "Just tell us what they did."

"Fine." Helion rolled his shoulders. "When Tamlin's father first captured Violet, it wasn't his original intention to murder her. All he wanted was the identity of the male she had been with." He breathed in deep. "The brothers did unspeakable things to get her to talk but nothing worked. No matter how much pain they inflicted, Violet wouldn't give you up." Helion closed his eyes with a shudder. "At about the three-hour mark, her mother begged them to stop."

"Why did she wait so long?" Rhysand asked faintly.

"I think she was hoping somebody would come to their rescue, but no one came. Your mother tried everything to reason with them. She said her daughter's body couldn't handle any more stress with her current condition. They killed her once they discovered what it was."

Eris's spine stiffened. "What condition?"

"When Violet died, she was… pregnant." Helion shifted to look Eris in the eye. "With your son."