𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓒𝓻𝓸𝔀𝓷 𝓟𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓬𝓮𝓼𝓼- Chapter 8
𝕝𝕖𝕥 𝕦𝕤 𝕖𝕟𝕕 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕚𝕥 𝕥𝕠𝕠
We began with honesty let us end with it too - Rupi Kaur.
Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4 5, 6 7 <- here
The farmers were preparing the harvest in Illyria. Julio was waiting for his daughter to come back from training. As he tended to the new crops he saw a distant figure in the lapping waves. A female.
He rushed over.
“Miss-miss are you-”
The waves retreating from her was scarlet. Blood.
Her face was pale, drained of colour.
“Miss please allow me to take-”
She groaned something,
“What?”
“C-cass-ian.”
A crowd had formed. Julio looked at the village message boy,
“Get the King!”
---------------
Cassian’s face was grave.
He had an unsettling feeling since he woke up. A feeling that tugged deep down in his gut.
He was in a meeting when a young boy had come and said that Julio had found an injured female that called his name.
Azriel had got there before he did.
It was Nesta. He hadn’t seen her in a month.
She wore a sleek black one piece suit that was cut open with jagged wounds spilling blood.
They were now waiting outside the infirmary.
The inner circle had now arrived at the infirmary as well, Morrigan as well. Rhys had filled her in on everything once she had taken a break and came to Velaris.
She was shocked, to say the least.
“The Rask Royal family are coming. The proper one.”
Az announced.
“What?” Amren hissed.
“The ‘proper’ one?” Morrigan queried.
“As is the Queen of Rask and the second in command.”
Feyre’s mouth dropped. Cassian was in the corner, face hard.
The healer came out.
Cassian stood, “What’s wrong?”
“She lost a lot of blood your majesty, she is physically drained she is conscious for the minute but you need a stronger healer if you want to keep her stable.”
Rhys nodded, “I’ll send word to Madja-”
“No need High Lord, Our high priestess is capable enough.”
A female with dominance seeping from her voice stepped through the threshold of the infirmary.
Rhys nodded his head, “Welcome your highness, I’m sorry it’s not under better circumstances.”
She levelled a cold look and nodded. The second in command stepped in.
Elain gasped.
“Nana?” The female’s eyes were now lined with tears, she stepped closer to Elain her hand reaching up to brush her temple.
The healer had left the door open and Nesta’s voice had travelled to them. She groaned inciting the Queen of Rask to break into a run towards her. The second in command tore her eyes away from Elain and towards Nesta. She went inside without a second glance back.
Cassian followed, they all did, but Feyre wished they didn’t.
Nesta’s face was sickly, still stunning but her lustre had died out.
“Nesta-Nes its mama Vera,” The Queen of Rask tried lightly shaking her. “Look Nana is here too.” She turned and hissed, “Annie! Come here! She might respond to you.”
“Who….” Nesta managed to make out.
Annabeth came to her other side. Cassian tried not to look shocked at the similarities between the two females.
“We need to move her.” Vera said.
“With all due respect, your majesty, she can’t be moved unless you want her health to deteriorate even more.” The healer sniped back.
“Do not talk to me like that.” Vera hissed.
Annabeth stepped up, “Vera she’s a healer she’s keeping Nesta’s best interests in mind, Call Safia here.”
Vera hesitated but nodded.
Half an hour later, Clare, Jonah and a hooded female with dark skin stepped through. Jonah went stiff. His face turning pale.
Clare went straight to her, “Hey Nes. How you holding up?”
Nesta smiled groggily at her.
Clare flung her accusatory eyes towards Feyre and Rhysand.
“What did you do?!” she seethed.
Feyre’s words got stuck in her throat. Clare’s mere presence frightened her to extended lengths. Frightened her mate.
Annabeth stood up, “Clare, it’s not her fault.”
Clare spun. “Don’t at least be partial to your granddaughter now Mama Annie.”
“She’s right Clare. The Night court had no involvement in this.” Vera replied.
Clare turned her attention back to Nesta.
“Hey Nes, people are asking about your songs, the kids want to get started on the dance for the recital you know.”
Nesta just moaned, “Is Saf here?”
“Yes Nesta I’m right here” Safia said.
“Can you make it stop hurting?” her voice broke.
“Of course I can love just give me a second,” she gave terse orders to the healer on the types of things she’d need.
“Nanna…” Nesta called, “Have you seen Feyre and Elai…Elain.” She spoke in breathless heaves.
“Yes sweetie.”
“They should know. They all should know.” Vera’s eyes widened at Nesta’s words.
“Darling, there is no need for this to happen now.” She said.
“I agree with Vera Nesta, you can tell them after you heal.”
“Not me. Hill…people of… Not much time. If something happens to me-”
Vera put hand over Nesta’s mouth, “Don’t say that.”
Nesta grabbed the hand and said to Vera with more strength, “They need to know. There isn’t much time.”
She dropped back into the pillows, unconscious again.
Vera and Annie exchanged looks. Vera nodded. Annabeth stood.
“Ask no questions.”
She winnowed them all in one go. Feyre stumbled held up by Rhys.
“If you would like to know how any of Nesta’s new life is possible you will follow me no questions asked.”
Elain walked to her, “Nana-”
She turned cutting her off, “Do you trust me?”
Elain answered her voice cold, “Are you the female I knew since I was a child?”
“Yes.”
“Then yes I do.” Feyre came next to Elain.
“If Elain does then so do i.” Annabeth nodded and led the way.
Cassian exchanged a look with Az at the message Rhys sent to all of them.
“We’re in the human lands.”
They were in the forest Feyre used to hunt.
But they had travelled west. So far that even the waves of the ocean could be heard. They came to small hill like features of the forest.
“I call the people of the hill in a plea of help. I call them to tell a story they know better than the characters.”
The ground started to shake, the flowers and rocks shifting into human like forms. The forms stood, covered in emerald robes and gowns, a male stood in front of them all, greeting Annabeth.
“Daemons.” Rhys breathed.
“What are Daemons?” Mor asked.
“Guiding spirit like creatures, benevolent, they contain the power to predict futures.” Amren answered.
“Correct.” The male smiled warmly, “I expect you are here to hear the story of Nesta Archeron.”
Elain nodded profusely.
“I am Algeron. The leader of the people of the hill. I will tell you her story but I must have your word that you do not breathe your opinions of Nesta’s story to her. She is precious to us, we have accepted her. Do I have your word?”
They all hesitated but agreed, Elain being the first to nod.
A mist took over them, secluding them all. Algeron’s voice towered over them.
“Good now let’s start….
Nesta’s story started before she was born. It started when the wall went up. Trapping Annabeth Donahue on the side of mortals. She was fae. But she didn’t care; she was married to the love of her life who was a human man. Logan Donahue.
But their love was tiring, he had to protect her. They had three girls, he had to protect them. Because they were half fae and he didn’t know how many years they had left till their Settling. The urge to protect drove him mad.
He became a tyrant.
He made his eldest, Adelaide, wear iron. Tons of it on her body to suppress her fae side. His two youngest refused to be suppressed and their mother protected them from their father’s wrath. Adelaide wanted nothing more than to please her father so she did everything he told her.
Until she found her mate. The Crown Prince of Rask, Drian. He had been inspecting a hole in the wall. He’d climbed through and found her. They were madly in love. Christie the youngest, falling in love with Drian’s younger brother who had followed his brother to the love of his life. But they kept it a secret.
But Logan found out.
He was furious. He spewed venom everywhere and in his last attempt to control the situation he got Adelaide betrothed to Randolph Archeron.
Adelaide agreed only when her father made a deal with her.
He’d leave her younger sister Romella alone. He’d let Christie live her own life by marrying Drian’s younger brother and Adelaide would go under Iron cuffs for the rest of her life. He agreed with a few of his own conditions.
She got married, Randolph smitten with her. Putting on an act to be in love with the future prince of merchants was part of the deal Adelaide made.
Adelaide stayed in the continent trying to fulfil her father’s last condition. Her father wanted a male heir.
She gave birth to 3 daughters. Not one son.
Randolph was pleased but her father was furious. Then one day in a cruel twist of fate, Randolph came home early from his trades to see his fae mother-in-law and sister-in-law playing with his daughters. He was mortified.
He took Adelaide away snapping any connection with Adelaide’s family. He claimed he did it to protect his daughters.
Something broke the day they arrived in Prythian, Adelaide Archeron kept the act of love even if there was none.
Adelaide was closest to her oldest daughter, Elain and Feyre sticking to their Father as long as he was at home.
But as much as they kept up the façade of a happy marriage, Randolph was first to snap.
And on a beautiful day when Elain was in the garden watching the gardeners and Feyre was playing in her room, He told his wife that he had fallen in love with another woman. He had slept with her and they had a child. They called her Bella. Adelaide tried to keep the betrayal from consuming here. But she couldn’t, she wasn’t upset because she had fallen in love with him. She was mourning the spent loyalty she had wasted. They had children together.
Randolph promised that Nesta, Elain and Feyre would never face the consequences of his decision. He then left.
Adelaide cried in shattering breaths. This was the first secret a young Nesta watching from the door was burdened with.
Drian had sensed Adelaide’s grief from the bond she no longer used anymore and rushed to the other side of the wall.
When Adelaide spent days grieving in Drian’s arms, she felt better, she felt happier. She still loved him. She was pregnant with Drian’s son.
The second secret Nesta was burdened with.
She confronted her mother and her mother broke down begging Nesta not to think of her as a whore. Nesta, a young girl who believed in love and soul mates wiped her mother’s tears and told her she understood. That she was grateful to this male helping her mother when her father had betrayed her. Adelaide wanted Drian to meet her; therefore Nesta was burdened with another secret.
Drian, on the other hand fell in love with Nesta the first time he laid his eyes on her. How much he was like her mother. The cold demeanour, her softer traits, the dimples that pierced her cheeks when she smiled.
He told her to call him ‘Papa Drian.’
Now Nesta was a girl who was so full of life. But there were things she didn’t know.
When her youngest sister was in her mother’s womb.
The people of the hill had begged Annabeth to keep that child safe. To make sure that child, who was star kissed be raised by wolves. The equality of the two races needed her.
Nesta was told this when she asked her mother why she was so cold to Feyre.
Randolph’s visits home were shorter, trips longer. He was tending to his other child Bella, who was a few months older than Elain. Nesta was impaled by the thought that her father didn’t love her.
to be continued....
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