A Court of Love and Healing {ACOTAR}

The Beast and The Beauty

That afternoon, Briar hums as she gets up from her seat in the lavish dining area of the Spring Court Manor. The servants had given her a delightful lunch of fresh fruit, sweet bread, and cottage cheese. Bringing the dishes into the kitchen, she grins at the staff, who are laughing at something one of the cooks said. They immediately go quiet as they spot her, bowing to her politely.

"Miss Briar, apologies for our rambunctiousness."

She giggles softly and looks from one very tall male to the other. They look almost sheepish. "Don't worry about little old me! I like seeing you guys have fun. Hell, this Court has gone through enough strife to deserve the feeling of happiness. So please, carry on."

One of the males takes her dish and smiles, nodding. "We should have been paying better attention. It is our job to be serving you."

"Gods, don't fawn all over me, I can do things on my own too."

"Yes Miss, but the High Lord prefers his guests to be thoroughly taken care of."

"And if he asks, you've been nothing but absolutely perfect", she replies, grinning.

"Our forever gratitude", they bow again.

Briar raises an eyebrow. "Stop bowing to me, you're acting as if I'm your Lady or something", she chuckles.

The males exchange nervous glances and suspiciously busy themselves suddenly.

"The-the High Lord is not interested, and I don't know what I want for my future. I don't even how my powers work yet, so I assure you that nothing is going on between me and the High Lord. If I'm being completely honest, I don't think he is ready for anything yet anyway. He's still struggling and still healing, and he should focus on that. You don't have to whisper. Just because there is a bond does not mean it will be accepted. Alright?"

Their eyes widen a bit, and she swallows hard, having revealed too much. The staff lower their heads. "Yes, Miss Briar. Apologies."

Briar smiles sweetly at them. "No need. Just maybe keep the gossiping to a minimum", she giggles.

Leaving the kitchen, she furrows her brow and releases a breath, venturing out into the garden, looking for the High Lord of Spring. He had not returned after breakfast, and she knows he is in a very sad state today. She has felt the crippling darkness and depression through the bond in small bursts and her own stomach had been in knots all day as well.

"Tamlin?"

The only answer is the birds singing in the trees and the soft whistle of the breeze in her ears. Sighing, she picks up the skirt of her yellow sundress, a design of red roses with thorny vines creeping up the bottom and sides. It was one of the most beautiful dresses she had ever seen she saw it hung up in her closet, unsure of when it was added. Red shoes were there to match just under them, perfectly her size.

Looking around to make sure she doesn't have any guards on her figurative tail, she sneaks around the property looking for him. That's when he sees Lucien coming up the trail close to the outskirts of one of the villages. He had most likely just winnowed in from the Night Court to check on things. Stifling a gasp, she ducks behind a large bush, waiting until he passes by, willing herself to be invisible and untraceable. She knows that if he spots her, he'd never let her venture out on her own. Paranoia from the curse is still lurking in almost everyone in Spring, even years later.

"Gods, please don't let him see me." Her heart leaps in her chest when she notices her limbs going transparent, gaping at how a simple thought had been turned into reality, even when she wasn't trying, her magic concealing her body and her scent.