The Dark Flower (Azriel x OC)

22. A Stranger in the Garden (Persephone)

Pretending slowly became easier and easier of a task. Percy found herself getting out of bed on her own and speaking in regular intervals. She was still just a shell though. Practically a ghost caught in the cycle of habits of her old life. 

"It's good that you've finally decided to put all that messy business with Amarantha behind you," Ianthe cooed as she poured Percy's tea. A bitter, mint tea that neither Percy nor Feyre liked. "Laying about all day wasn't doing any favors to any of us, not when we have a wedding to plan." 

Feyre's nails tapped restlessly against her tea cup, the sound slightly jarring to Percy's ears. "She was healing," Feyre quietly defended. 

"A true lady does not show her emotions so plainly," Moira said, but her words felt flat, as if she too was just going through the motions and playing pretend. Percy wasn't sure what Moira had gone through in those torturously long months while she and Feyre and Father and Lucien had been Under the Mountain, but Moira had returned just as changed as any of them. 

"Well said," Ianthe purred, her soft tone so at odds with her sister's dreary one. 

"Blue," Percy murmured as her fingers circled the lip of her cup. Personally, she thought that the timing of her father and Feyre's wedding was poor. The Spring Court was hardly stable and despite Ianthe and Father's insistence, a wedding would fix nothing. But if they were going to do it, it should be done right.

"I'm sorry?" Ianthe said. 

Percy sighed. "I believe we were meant to be talking about the flower arrangements for the wedding. I vote for blue."

Ianthe let out a low mocking laugh. "How darling! Sweet Persephone, that wasn't even an option. You hadn't even allowed me to explain the arrangements that we have on display-"

"You didn't need to," Percy said dryly. "Roses have a particularly strong scent, enough so that I can tell that each of these arrangements is mostly made up of them. Most likely red ones if Feyre's discomfort is anything to go by. We have roses in every color under the sun and you had to go with the only color that Feyre said that she'd rather not have. So... blue might be better."

Ianthe was silent for a moment. "Well, I wasn't aware that you had such talents, Persephone."

Percy hadn't been aware that smelling roses was a talent. 

Moira gripped Percy's hand tightly in her own. "It will be time for supper soon. I thought that you planned on a walk in the gardens before then?"

She hadn't, but Percy wasn't so far gone that she didn't see when an opportunity presented itself. "Yes. I did. Thank you for reminding me." 

Even feeling as numb as Percy did, she couldn't help but hate Ianthe. She hated the way that Ianthe seemingly went out of her way to make Feyre more uncomfortable. Hated the way that Lucien felt the need to disappear whenever Ianthe entered the room. Hated that Ianthe thought Percy so unintelligent that she wouldn't be able to tell a rose by scent alone when she'd grown up surrounded by flowers of every variety.