A Court of Hopes and Dreams

Chapter Two

When I got up I did not realize that everybody had already left to go to the market, which was fine since I already told them that I did not want to go anyway. They still could have woken me up to say goodbye before they left though. Now that I say that I have a vague recollection that Nesta did just that and I turned around afterwards to go back to bed. That sure sounds like something that I would do. I am alone basically, our dad is here but he does not like to talk to me much or even look at me. I think it is because I take after our mom too much. I have her blonde hair and blue eyes. All of my sisters have some shade of brown hair and blue eyes.

He rarely if ever talks to me or acknowledges my existence. It is kind of rude, I looked up to him and I still love him to this day. I thought I would be over the hurt of him choosing not to listen or talk to me but he is family, and that always hurts. My sisters make up for it though, they always talk to me and spend time with me whenever they are home and do not have anything else to do. It being Nesta and Elain, they always do not have anything to do. I love them though. I spent the day being by myself and cutting the wood that Nesta was supposed to cut but did not. She always thinks that Feyre does it and not me. She would be disappointed and tell me that it was Feyre's job to do it and not mine, which would then lead to another argument with Feyre saying that it was not her job and that it was Nesta's originally.

I try to make everyone happy, I know it is a flaw but there already is so much conflict and chaos that I did not want to add to it. When everyone came home it was already starting to get dark out. No one wants to be outside after dark this time of the year. It is cold and when it starts snowing, there is barely any visibility. We had another round of venison, which is not my favorite but when you are poor you can not be picky on what you eat or hunt. I saw after dinner that Nesta and Elain spent every coin that Feyre had given them which is not that smart but I can not dictate what they spend their money on. I save all of the money that Feyre has given me and have hidden it in a place where only I know. Not even Feyre knows, she thinks that I spent most of it on trivial things like Nesta and Elain do.

I turned to Feyre but she was already looking at Nesta and was about to say something but then all of a sudden there was a roar that half deafened me, and my sisters screamed as snow burst into the room and an enormous, growling shape appeared in the doorway. The creature reared onto its hind legs and bellowed through a maw full of fangs: "MURDERERS!" Oh no! This is the faerie that probably came for the wolf that Feyre killed. If she goes I will too, Nesta and Elain have each other and they have a father that will actually talk to and acknowledge while Feyre only has me. I do not want her to get taken or worse killed.

"MURDERERS!" the beast roared again, hackles raised. "P-please," my father babbled from behind me, failing to find it in himself to come to my side. "Whatever we have done, we did so unknowingly, and—" "W-w-we didn't kill anyone," Nesta added, choking on her sobs, arm lifted over her head, as if that tiny iron bracelet would do anything against the creature. Feyre snatched another dinner knife off the table, the best she could do unless she had found a way to get to the quiver. "Get out," she snapped at the creature, brandishing the knives before her. Fast—so fast I could barely see it—he slashed out with a paw, sending it skittering away as he snapped at her face with his teeth. Feyre leaped back, almost stumbling over my cowering father. I took a step forward trying to be next to her while keeping our backs to our family so that we could protect them the best that we could. The faerie could have killed her—could have, yet the lunge had been a warning. Nesta and Elain, weeping, prayed to whatever long-forgotten gods might still be skulking about. "WHO KILLED HIM?" The creature stalked toward us. He set a paw on the table, and it groaned beneath him. His claws thudded as they embedded in the wood, one by one.