A Court of Love and Healing {ACOTAR}

Future Endeavors

Lucien grins as he and Tamlin take a walk through the Spring Court. "Look how it's coming along! There has been so much progress already."

Tamlin nods and looks around. He can't believe this is the same court as a month or two ago. Stretching his arms over his head, the sun hits his face and makes his shortened but still flowing golden locks shimmer in the light.

"How are you feeling lately?"

"Fine", he mumbles, shrugging. "As fine as I can be. I'm at my baseline which is good. Neutral is...good."

"Maybe one day you will be happy and not just baseline."

Tamlin's head bows a bit as he looks at the dirt pathway lined with fresh flowers. "I'm not going to hold my breath for it. I don't think I was bred for happiness, Lucien. Just for mediocrity."

"I don't believe that. As I've said before, I've seen the honorable male you can be. Hell, you are becoming that way again. Everyone deserves to know that there is someone on their side. And after everything you have been through since, fuck, the day you were born, you deserve a reprieve from that."

He sighs and shrugs. "A huge part of me will always tell myself I don't deserve it."

Lucien stays quiet for a moment. He knows that doubt all too well and that it can creep up on you hard and fast and when you least expect it to.

"I met Briar a couple of days ago. Winter Court is never pleasant, I cannot stand the cold. But Kallias and Viviane really care about her. She is like a part of their family. But she's a feisty one, very sweet too. Polite. Everything a Child of the Blessed would be to a fae, though I don't think it's an act, I think that she's just genuinely a good person."

"But she's human?"

"No."

"No??"

Lucien smirks slightly and glances over at his friend. "No. Maybe you weren't there the day she went into the Cauldron. She was the last one of them. The rest died. For some reason, the Cauldron deemed her worthy of becoming fae. It was...Hybern's way of making sure it would work for...for Elain and Nesta", he breathes out. "So she has been fae a little longer than them. She's different though. Different from Elain and Nesta, but also different from us. Her ears are pointed but only slightly. It's as if she kept most of her humanity but gained our lifespan. She radiates power though, something I'm not particularly interested in asking about or seeing. Hell, I've heard the stories of what Nesta went through and that was scary. I'm glad I wasn't there when that went down."

Tamlin swallows and nods slowly. "She sounds lovely."

"She was for the short time I spoke with her. I winnowed her to the Summer Court. Figured that would be a good place to start. From there we will go to Dawn, Day, and then Spring. I'd expect the Night Court would invite her to the next Starfall however. I explained Autumn is out of the question despite its natural beauty because of who rules there. Luckily, she understood. Spring will be last as we planned."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being her guide. And I know I don't deserve it, especially coming from you, but before you bring her here, maybe you could...tell her some of the not-so-terrible things about me?"

Lucien huffs out a laugh and rolls his eyes. "Afraid of how your possible mate could perceive you, Tam?"

He growls annoyedly. "She may not be."

"But she may be."

"Why should that matter?"

"Because you can say it doesn't, but believe me, it does."