Archive of Our Own ^beta

FEYRE MAKES A DIFFERENT CHOICE

Feyre opened her eyes. Her new fae eyes saw minute details that her human eyes could never have seen. New colours had added such a depth of detail. She sat up too fast, her fae body moved much more quickly than her human body had. She looked at the assembled High Lords and then held her hands up in front of her eyes and stared at them. Her hands slowly went to her ears, and she yelped. Her heart hammered in her chest.

Tamlin tried to hug her, but she held up a hand stopping him in his tracks. She stood up feeling taller and said, ‘I am not dead!’ Tamlin said, ‘I am sorry Feyre; it was the only way’ Feyre said angrily, ‘Sorry for making me fae, or your lack of action on my behalf?’ Tamlin blanched, ‘You know I couldn’t react. She would have hurt you more’.

Feyre found Rhys eyes and held out a hand. He took it looking nervous. She smiled ‘I need a favour’ He nodded ‘Anything you need is yours’ Feyre asked, ‘Can I come home with you?’ Rhysand smiled ‘I would be honoured to host you Feyre darling’. Tamlin looked furious ‘You can’t trust him!’ Feyre looked at Tamlin coldly. ‘Rhysand has helped me many times. I trust him with my life’.

Tamlin huffed, ‘After all I have done for you!’ Feyre said ‘You kidnapped me and then you used me to break a curse. You didn’t care enough to do anything to help me down here. I won’t be returning to Spring. You go and find yourself a wife who enjoys walks in the garden’. Tamlin stomped off looking annoyed.

Rhysand said ‘I need to make sure I have all my people before we leave’ Feyre nodded and walked with him. She said, ‘This body feels quite foreign’ He said ‘Yes, I expect it would. Don’t worry. I am sure you will get used to it. You look stunning by the way’ Feyre blushed.

She said ‘You tethered me to you. I used that tether to return to my body’ He sucked in a breath and looked at her. He said ‘I am glad you found your way back’ she nodded ‘It was odd, I saw myself all broken. I was floating in the air looking down from the ceiling’ He squeezed her hand.

They gathered all the citizens of night and walked as a group out of the mountain. Rhys and Feyre stood at the back. They all squinted in the daylight. Feyre sighed and closed her eyes. She smiled at Rhys ‘It's nice to have the sun on my face’ He nodded ‘It's nice to see the sky’.

They winnowed home in groups. Rhys winnowed Feyre to a townhouse in a city. She sucked in a breath when she heard children playing. Rhys smiled at her and opened the front door. They walked into an entry.

A blonde woman squealed when she saw them and threw her arms around Rhys, crying. He cried too and held her tightly. She was stunningly beautiful. Feyre wondered if the woman was Rhys’ wife. The thought made her stomach knot. She sat on a bench near the door and waited for the crying and hugging to stop.

Rhys said ‘Mor, I want you to meet Feyre. Feyre this is my cousin Morrigan’ Morrigan grinned at her ‘Hello, you can call me Mor’. Feyre smiled at her and stood next to Rhys. Cousin not wife. She let out a breath.

They moved into a sitting room. Feyre sat in a comfy armchair near a fire. She held out her hands smiling at the warmth. Fire had many more colours than her human eyes had been able to see. She watched the colours dance in the flames.

Rhys sat back and closed his eyes. Mor said, ‘You both look exhausted!’ Rhys smiled, ‘I have a story to tell, but I would rather not tell it over and over.’ He sent for his other friends. Mor grinned ‘I am so glad you are back’. He smiled at her ‘I have been dreaming of this city and my family every day I was trapped under that mountain’.

Feyre slipped off her shoes and pulled her legs up on the couch. Rhys smiled and got up and draped a blanket over her. She smiled ‘Thank you’. Mor looked between them and gave Rhys a wink.

Some winged fae entered with a small dark-haired woman with silver eyes. They all cried and laughed and hugged Rhys. Feyre smiled at them from her blanket cocoon.

One of the winged one’s asked, ‘Is it over?’ Rhys said, ‘Amarantha is dead. The curse has been broken. I have my powers back. Over it isn’t. Amarantha was from Hybern. I fear the King of Hybern is planning a war’.

The little woman with grey eyes looked at Feyre. Feyre gave her a small smile. Rhys said ‘Everyone this is Feyre. She broke Amarantha’s curse. Feyre these are my family. Amren, Cassian, Azriel and you know Mor’.

Cassian looked at Feyre ‘What is your story?’ Feyre looked at Rhys. He nodded. She said ‘Amarantha’s curse on the Spring Court required a human with hate in their hearts to kill a fae and then that human to fall in love with Tamlin within a 50-year timeframe. Tamlin sent out many of his fae disguised as animals to try to trick a human into killing them. My family was starving. I was hunting a deer. The wolf went for my deer, so I killed it. It did occur to me that it might be a fae but with a predator in front of me, I couldn’t afford to hesitate. I shot an ash arrow at it just in case.’ They all tensed at her words.

‘The next night a beast was at our door. He said I had killed a fae, so I had to pay with my life. He offered for me to live in Prythian for my whole life instead of him killing me. I went with him, even though I knew my family would starve without me hunting for them. I found myself trapped in a house with him. I was unable to see the dangers around me. Tamlin had an anger problem. I seemed to trigger his tantrums with my questions. I snuck around trying to work out how to escape. He caught me and said he would look after my family if I stayed with him. I trapped a Suriel and asked it some questions. I had heard that they had to answer truthfully. The Suriel told me to stay with the High Lord and I would be safe. It never specified which High Lord’ Rhys smiled.

She looked at him ‘I met Rhys at some festival I wasn’t meant to be at. I was meant to stay in my room, but some drums summoned me, and I ended up in the woods and surrounded by some males with evil intent. I fought back and then Rhys found me and sent them away’ Rhys grinned ‘A human at Calanmai was not very safe’ they all looked at Feyre stunned.

Feyre said ‘I went back to the house, but Tamlin did catch up to me’ Rhys looked annoyed. Feyre said, ‘He bit me and told me off for him smelling my scent and then having to settle for someone else when he couldn’t find me’.

Feyre said ‘The next day I was covered in bruises and a large bite mark was on my neck. I decided not to try to cover it. I wanted him to see the damage he had caused. He was careful not to say anything about war to me and he called Amarantha the blight. I heard snippets of things from his study and the guards. He made a point to take me out on picnics and horse rides. I learned to paint and seeing new scenery inspired me. He wasn’t a bad person; he just had an anger problem, and he had a lot going on that he didn’t want me to know about. Rhys turned up in Tamlin’s dining room’ Rhys smiled ‘I wanted to scare him enough to send you home to the humans’ Feyre smiled ‘It worked; he sent me to them the next day. He had looked after them. They lived in a manor like the one I grew up in before my father’s ships sank along with his investments.’

‘Tamlin’s glamour didn’t work on my sister Nesta. She remembered him breaking down our door and taking me away. Elain and my father had been glamoured to think that I had been away taking care of an elderly relative’. Rhys said, ‘That is odd that the glamour didn’t take’ Feyre shrugged ‘Nesta is pretty stubborn’.

Feyre said ‘I had only been there a few days when I felt like something was wrong. I went back though the hole in the wall and back to the manor. It had been ransacked. I found a servant named Alis and she told me that Tamlin and his court had been taken under the mountain and about the curse. I wanted to help so I made Alis take me to a tunnel leading to under the mountain. An attor found me and dragged me into Amarantha’s throne room. I asked Amarantha to release them all from the curse. I made a bargain with her that if I passed three trials, the curse would be lifted, and the High Lords would have their powers returned and we would all be allowed to leave. She added a riddle that if I solved it would instantly break the curse. I was beaten and put in a cell. My friend Lucien who is from Autumn but lives at Spring, came and healed my broken nose and ribs. He was annoyed that I had come and put myself in harm's way’.

Azriel interrupted, ‘Lucien the youngest son of Autumn?’ Feyre frowned ‘He said he hates his family; well, he hates his father and brothers. He considers only his mother as family’ Azriel nodded.

Feyre went on, ‘I was kept in my cell or dragged out to the throne room for some taunting. Amarantha gave me the riddle. I spent lots of time reciting it over and over in my head trying to solve it. The first task was for me to hunt this giant worm thing in these stinking tunnels. I was pushed into a pit. I quickly covered myself in the foul mud to disguise my scent. The crowd kept looking where the worm was, so I used that as a guide. I ran and managed to push through a crack in a wall. I found a pit full of bones. I created a ladder by sticking them in the mud and then I created a trap by putting lots of sharp bones upright to empale the beast. I cut myself and then led it to the trap. I fell hard and broke my arm, but it worked, I had killed the beast. I clawed my way out of the pit using bones and my one good arm. I threw the bone in my hand at Amarantha’s feet and took myself back to my cell’.

Rhys grinned ‘That was brilliant Feyre’ She smiled ‘Throwing the bone at that bitch or the worm trap?’ He grinned ‘Both!’ He said, ‘I made a lot of money betting on Feyre!’

Feyre said ‘I couldn’t wash in my cell and the mud was putrid. My broken arm quickly became infected. The fever kept me from freezing in the cold cell. Lucien didn’t come again. I worried that she had caught him helping me. Rhys came and we made a bargain’ She held up her tattooed arm. They all looked between Feyre and Rhys. Feyre smiled ‘He agreed to heal me in exchange for me visiting him for a week every month’.

Feyre smiled at him ‘That pissed off Amarantha’ Rhys laughed ‘It sure did’ Feyre said, ‘It actually gave me some hope that I might make it through the trials, otherwise, why would anyone care about a deal that started after the trials were over?’

Feyre looked at Rhys ‘In the second trial I found myself faced with writing I couldn’t read, and three levers. I had to choose the right one or Lucien would get crushed. I felt terrible. I knew Lucien was there because Amarantha had noticed we were friends. I moved my hand to each lever and felt pain when I touched the first two, so I pulled the third’ She looked at Rhys ‘You?’ he nodded. She smiled ‘Thank you for that!’

Rhys said ‘After Feyre had beaten two of the tasks, Amarantha felt like Feyre was winning. I could see that she meant to make an example of Feyre, so I decided to do it myself. Where I could control what happened’ He looked at Feyre sadly.

Feyre said ‘He dressed me up in not much and covered me in paint that smudged easily if it was touched. Then he led me out into the throne room and paraded me around’

Rhys said, ‘I made her drink fae wine every night so she wouldn’t remember’ Feyre frowned ‘Dancing?’ He nodded ‘You danced for me and sat in my lap a lot’.

Feyre asked, ‘Were you hoping for a reaction from Tamlin?’ Rhys said ‘He showed no reaction at all’ Feyre nodded ‘Tamlin didn’t lift a finger for me under the mountain and didn’t even deign to meet my eyes’.

Feyre huffed ‘Anyway, the third task came. Three fae were led out with bags over their heads. Amarantha had an ash dagger for each on a cushion. I was told to kill them all.’

Feyre took a breath, ‘I am ashamed to say that I did. I killed a male then a female. When the third bag was pulled off, I realised I had been tricked. The Tamlin that sat next to Amarantha wasn’t Tamlin. Tamlin was here in front of me, and I was meant to stab him. I remembered what I had overheard about him having a heart of stone and stabbed him in the heart. Amarantha was furious that I had won and decided to kill me. She started hurting me. I suddenly realised the answer to her riddle was love. I said it and many in the audience yelled that I had won. She should free me. She kept killing me anyway. I felt my neck snap and found myself hovering above the scene. I thought I deserved to die. I had just murdered the first two fae. It seemed fair that I would die for that. Amarantha was killed. I felt relieved that everyone else would be freed and be safe from her. I saw all the High Lords giving me a little light. I was tethered to Rhysand. I used the tether to return to my body. When I opened my eyes, I was fae. Tamlin tried to hug me, but I wasn’t going anywhere with him. He hadn’t lifted a finger to help me, and I had given my life for him. I asked Rhysand if I could come home with him’. She looked down ‘I am fae now, so I can’t go back to my human family’.

Azriel said ‘That is quite a story. Thank you for breaking the curse and returning our High Lord too us’ Feyre nodded and hugged herself.

Amren said ‘Feyre is made, like me’ Rhys nodded. Feyre frowned ‘You weren’t always as you are?’ Amren said ‘No, this is not my original form’ Feyre nodded warily.

She closed her eyes. Rhys said ‘Feyre, how about a nap?’ Feyre opened her eyes ‘Yes, I am falling asleep’ He summoned the two wraiths that had dressed her and painted her skin under the mountain. They bowed to her tearily. Rhys asked, ‘Can you please help Feyre wash and get ready for bed?’ They nodded. Feyre stood up and dropped her blanket ‘It was nice meeting you all’ they smiled at her as she made her way up the stairs.

She had a nice warm bath and washed and dried her hair. She put on a cosy nightshirt and fell asleep.

She was terrified. Amarantha was killing her bit by bit. She heard her neck snap and screamed. Hands pulled her up and hugged her ‘It's okay Feyre, it was a nightmare, you are okay’ She smelled Rhys’ familiar smell and hugged him tightly. She looked up at him embarrassed ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to be an annoying house guest’ He huffed ‘Your mind is trying to sort through your trauma. Mine is too. Unfortunately, that means nightmares’ Feyre nodded sadly.

She put a hand on her chest. Her heart was racing. She looked at him. He was still in outfit from earlier. She smiled ‘Still partying?’ He grinned ‘I haven’t seen my family for 50 years. Sleep didn’t seem as important’ Feyre smiled ‘I am glad you have them back’ He squeezed her hand. Rhys looked at her ‘Will you be okay to get back to sleep?’ She shrugged. He sat up next to her and put his arms around her. He stayed until she was fast asleep again.

Azriel waited at the door. When Rhys closed her bedroom door he said, ‘You have feelings for the girl?’ Rhys nodded mutely. Azriel smiled ‘Okay then. I take it we are going to tell her about the city?’ Rhys replied, ‘I will tomorrow’.

Feyre woke up and looked around warily before remembering where she was and smiled. She had gotten away. She was here, wherever here was, with Rhys. She turned on the bath and threw some herbs in and sat and soaked in the warmth. When she closed her eyes, flashes of violence played in her mind. She opened them with a gasp.

She rubbed her eyes annoyed. She thought of the families of those two fae and cried. The wraiths appeared. One of them said ‘You are safe here Feyre’ Feyre choked ‘I am a murderer. I killed two innocent fae. If only I have figured out the riddle sooner!’

The wraith said ‘That was not your fault. You didn’t want to kill those fae. You only did it because Amarantha made you. No one blames you for their deaths’ Feyre shook her head ‘Surely their families do’ The other wraith said calmly ‘They were as good as dead when they were taken under the mountain. It is Amarantha’s fault, not yours’.

Feyre confided, ‘When I close my eyes, I see red, so much red. I don’t think I like red anymore’ they helped her wash and then dry off. They had laid out pants and a soft jumper for her to wear and lacy underwear. She blushed when she put it on.

She looked in the mirror. He eyes were a bit puffy. She opened her door and followed voices to the dining room. Rhys grinned and got up. He led her to a seat near his. The smell of the food made her nauseous. She took a slow breath, trying not to smell.

She sipped a cup of tea. They all looked like they had headaches. She smiled ‘Hangovers?’ Rhys grinned ‘Yes, all of us.’

He smiled at her ‘You haven’t asked where you are?’ Feyre nodded ‘It did occur to me that I have no idea where I am’ she shrugged ‘Somewhere in the Night court?’ Rhys smiled ‘You are in the city of Velaris. Velaris is the reason I fought under the mountain. This city has been hidden from Prythian forever. I didn’t want her or Hybern to know of its existence’.

Feyre smiled ‘I like the idea of a secret city. Who lives here?’ Rhys said ‘Lots of different fae live here. They are under my protection’ Feyre asked, ‘So not all citizens of Night know about Velaris?’ Rhys answered, ‘No. In fact, I put on the appearance of a cruel leader and that is how the other courts see me’ Feyre nodded, ‘You want others to be afraid of you?’ he said, ‘We need to be strong to prevent war’. Feyre looked at him sadly, ‘It’s a shame they don’t get to see the real you’ Rhys smiled at her.

He asked, ‘Are you going to eat anything?’ She put some fruit on her plate and admitted ‘My appetite has decreased, and smells seem stronger in this body’ he nodded.

Mor said ‘Yes, it will take some getting used too, being suddenly fae’. She grinned at Rhys ‘Don’t be surprised if your lust level rises tenfold’ Feyre blushed. Mor grinned at her ‘Fae are sexual beings’ Feyre took a bite of her fruit.

Mor said ‘I will organise a stylist to come and fit you for some clothes’ Feyre looked down ‘This is comfortable’ Mor grinned. Feyre confessed ‘Whenever I would bring home something from my hunting that could be sold, my sisters would ask for things, a new cloak, new boots. We wore whatever we had out and then patched it until it was rags.’ Feyre said, ‘The clothing in Spring seemed excessive’.

Rhys smiled at her ‘You may choose anything you would like to wear and any colour’ Red flashed into her mind, and she grimaced. He looked at her concerned. She caught his eye, ‘Sorry, I keep seeing red. It was the blood everywhere and her hair. I don’t think I like red anymore’ he nodded and took her hand. ‘Flashbacks after trauma are perfectly normal. It's just your mind trying to process it. Next time it happens. Stop and take a deep breath. Breathe in for five and breathe out for five until it has stopped.’ She nodded and squeezed his hand.

Mor asked, ‘Do you have any hobbies, Feyre?’ Feyre said ‘Only painting. I didn’t have time or supplies for painting for years. The necessity for hunting for survival took over. I would come home exhausted if I even made it home at all. My art wasn’t something I had time for. In Spring I found myself trapped in a house with nothing else to do’ she shrugged.

Rhys asked, ‘Do you know much self-defence?’ Feyre said ‘Tamlin wouldn’t let me train. I guess he thought me being a hunter made me deadly enough’ Rhys smiled ‘I think you learning self-defence is a good idea’ She nodded ‘I will happily learn’.

Rhys said quietly, ‘You can’t read?’ Feyre blushed ‘I was just learning when we lost our house. There were no books in the cottage, and it didn’t seem important while we were just trying to survive’ Rhys nodded ‘I will teach you to read’ Feyre looked anxious. He smiled at her ‘Fae live a long time. Reading is definitely a skill you should have’ Feyre nodded resolutely.

Later that afternoon, Feyre sat on a couch with Rhys. Feyre read slowly ‘Rhys is the best High Lord’, ‘Rhys is the most handsome High Lord’, ‘Rhys is the sexiest High Lord’ she grinned at him and tickled him ‘Oy!’ he laughed ‘All important things for you to know’, She picked up the list again ‘Rhys is very skilled in the bedroom’ she gasped and laughed her head off.

He wrote her another list. ‘Feyre’s heart is as big as an ocean’, ‘Feyre is stunning and cunning’, ‘Feyre has amazing breasts’ her jaw dropped and she wacked him playfully.  He grinned and grabbed the paper. He wrote a few more lines.

She picked it up and read it out slowly sounding out words she didn’t know ‘His hand gently stroked her arm and came to rest on her thigh. She moaned as he slid his hand over her centre. His other hand stroked her erect nipple’ She blushed ‘Are you a secret smut author?’ he roared with laughter ‘I like the idea of a High Lord being a secret smut author’ Feyre grinned ‘Or you could make it known and send your smut to the other High Lords as gifts’ he roared with laughter and hugged her. She let him and snuggled in with him. They fell asleep cuddling on the couch. The forgotten papers on the floor at their feet.

Rhys awoke with a start; Feyre was thrashing and yelling. He hugged her ‘It's only a dream Feyre, I am here’ she kept going so he slipped into her mind. He calmed her down and saw the images she kept seeing. Her hand holding knives and killing the two innocent fae. He returned and hugged her tightly ‘That wasn’t your fault, Feyre. Those two fae are dead because of Amarantha, not you’ Feyre sobbed ‘It was my hand that stabbed them. My hand that ended their lives!’ Rhys said ‘I was forced to kill too Feyre. Was that my fault?’ Feyre looked at him tearily ‘No because you had no choice’ He nodded and kissed her tears away.

Rhys said ‘I think you are wonderful’ she blushed and smiled at him ‘I think you owe me a dance wearing not much’ he roared with laughter. He hugged her tightly ‘I would gladly dance for you wearing nothing at all’ Her jaw dropped. She said ‘Okay, be sure to catch me by surprise when you do that’ He grinned ‘My sudden naked dance?’ She nodded ‘That is something I would like to see’.

Mor grinned at them from the doorway, ‘Dinner?’ They sat up and looked at each other and laughed. He took her hand and led her into the dining room.

Cassian raised an eyebrow at them ‘What is so funny?’ Feyre grinned at Rhys, and he laughed. Mor said, ‘Private joke’ Cassian grinned, ‘It's nice hearing you laugh’ Rhys nodded ‘It's wonderful to be home’.