A Court of Fear and Hope-ACOTAR

Decision

Artemis didn't attend Feyre's second task and Amarantha didn't seek her out. Artemis had returned to her closet room and cried the entire night. She was crying for two reasons, and when Rhys sought her out after Feyre's trial, all the older brother did was hold his baby sister and let her cry.

Artemis wanted to be strong, but it was immensely difficult seeing as she had one of two options regarding the life of her daughter. She could either fulfill the bargain and hold her daughter every second of the week she was allotted or she could slip between the cracks of the bargain's loopholes and end her pregnancy. The latter made her cry harder. She knew Rhys knew what was going on inside her mind, but he said nothing as he comforted her.

Rhys was successful in convincing Artemis to go back to his room, and when they entered, Artemis went to the couch and curled up with the blanket that was on the cushions. She wasn't able to pull her knees to her chest because of how big her belly had gotten, but she was more comfortable than she was in the closet. And thus, created a pattern. For the next three weeks. Artemis sat and slept on the couch.

Rhys tried and tried to talk to his sister, but it was as if she was shut off from herself. She would hardly look at him and she only ever spoke with a whisper. It was so hard for Rhys to watch his sister slowly fade away right before him. There were days that Feyre would even visit, but Artemis could only give the human a fake smile and tell her she was just fine. Feyre didn't believe a lick of Artemis's words, but she didn't say anything either.

Rhys was reluctant to leave Artemis alone to go to the parties to keep Feyre distracted, but after making sure she was asleep, he went to party after party. The week before Feyre's final task, Rhys was watching the human dance around while under the influence of the wine he gave her. Feyre was a completely different person while under the wine's spell. He was able to actually talk to her instead of tormenting her.

When the song was done, Feyre stumbled up to where Rhys was standing and he had to put his hands on her shoulders to keep her from falling.
"Do all you do is brood?"
Rhys just shook his head. "I've got a lot on my mind." He reached behind him and grabbed another goblet and handed it to her.

Feyre took the wine but didn't immediately drink it. Instead, she let out a breath, making her golden-brown hair fly from her face. "I don't need a babysitter."
Rhys scoffed. "Yes, I think you do."
Feyre took a sip of the wine and her body tilted slightly. She caught herself and the goblet spilled slightly.
"I'm fine."
Though, as she drank the last of the spilled wine, she glanced over to Tamlin, who was sitting at Amarantha's side.

Rhys nearly growled when he noticed the look, but he kept his notions to himself. Though, if he could keep Feyre's attention on him, then maybe Feyre's stupid human feelings would shift. Rhys just let out a breath and reached for Feyre's hand. He dragged Feyre out to the floor as another song started and for a few moments, Rhys smiled as he danced with the human in his arms.

***

Artemis knew that Rhys was at the party, but she also knew that she was in so much pain. She had woken up from her slumber to a sharp pain in her side. It was so intense, that it caused her vision to be clouded with black dots. She put pressure on the spot, but it did little to help. She slowly shifted to sitting and as she did, she felt the babe in her belly drop down. The feeling was familiar and it brought absolute fear to her chest.

Artemis shifted her hands so that she was cradling the bottom of her belly, almost as if she was trying to keep her little girl high in her body. As she lifted up her belly, the sharp shooting pain returned to not one but both her sides. It radiated to her back and she had to cry out at the pain. She hunched forward and that seemed to help some. She felt a tightness in her abdomen and she let out a deep breath.