Winds of Fire [ACOTAR]

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Prim was laying in the bath the next morning, trying to drown her sorrows in a way that didn't involve alcohol. She had scrubbed all the blood and sweat from her skin, her neck and hand were completely healed from the night before. Loysa had come in while she was still bathing, not caring about Prim's nakedness as she explained what would be happening at noon. To her surprise, Prim had been invited - alongside Orion, of course - to a Night Court meeting. To discuss what exactly, Prim had no idea, but she was still rather excited. Meetings with her father had always been about arranging celebrations or parties, no political stuff at all. Prim got the sense that it would not be the same here.

Dressing in a suit of pastel pink, Prim tied her hair up into a bun to seem more professional. She didn't know if people really dressed up for these things but Prim decided to anyway. Once it became noon, Prim went downstairs to find Orion waiting for her. He was dressed in trousers and a shirt, his hair styled neatly upon his head. Professional. He held the door open for her and they walked together to the River Estate. Utter silence engulfed them for the entire walk but it was not tense, not awkward either. It was just normal, natural perhaps. After last night she had thought he would yell at her, but nothing.

Rhysand held the door open for them both and they slipped inside, escaping the chill outside. As they passed through the house, Prim spotted Nova and Elain within the sitting room. Despite being here for a meeting, Prim felt a little more comfortable knowing that Nova was just around the corner. Orion and Prim followed Rhys into the meeting room, a large wide-set room that had a fireplace and a wooden table, surrounded by many chairs. The room was lit in the fire's warmth and Prim scanned the faces around her as she took a seat beside Orion. Mor was sat beside Feyre who was at the head of the table. A woman named Amren was sat beside Cassian and Azriel, sitting opposite Mor, Feyre and now Rhys. Orion had taken up the seat beside his aunt Nesta, and Prim sat down with no one on her left.

Rhys clasped his hands together and set them upon the table, "I'm sorry for calling you all here at such short notice but I'm afraid this meeting was much needed."

Feyre moved her hand to rest atop her husband's, giving him a gentle smile as he turned to her. Whatever was going on was definitely something bad if they were reacting like this. The last thing that had gone wrong in Prythian was when the mortal queens tried to take over after Hybern - or at least, that's what her father had told her. Prim couldn't help but ignore the looks that spread across the table; Cassian looking to his wife, Mor looking to Azriel, Amren dropping her view to the table.

"What is it, Dad?" Orion asked, the first to speak among the group. Prim could see it, see the part of him that was heir to the throne, even if Orion could not see it himself.

"It's rumoured," Rhysand started, clearing his throat, "That the Autumn Court is planning on going to war with the Day court."

It was only a surprise to a few of them. Cassian, Azriel and Amren already seemed to know, having likely discussed the topic with the High Lord and High Lady. Mor's shoulders tensed and Prim went cold as Orion frowned, his mouth open slightly.

Mor sighed, looking to Rhys, "Well, it was only a matter of time after Beron found out about Helion..."

It had been revealed months ago that Lucien, the son of the Lady of the Autumn Court, was actually not the son of Beron, the High Lord of Autumn, but Helion, High Lord of Day. Beron had remained silent over the last few months, plotting and planning, no doubt. Prim's father had been close to Lucien once, had tried to revive his friendship with him many times since Prim's birth, but to no avail. She could not understand this, could not understand why Beron would go to war over a son he did not care for and a wife he hardly loved. It was even rumoured that he had known all along, and now that it had gone public he was finally acting. She supposed it was all to do with Beron's pride, though there was nothing prideful about not being to pleasure your own wife.

"There's more," added Feyre, and Prim watched Orion hunch forward in his chair, "It is likely that if there were to be a war, the other seasonal courts will fight alongside Autumn. As well as the solar courts alongside Day."

Light chatter filled the room, Prim not being able to distinguish much over the white noise within her brain. She had hoped for a political meaningful meeting but she did not want this. Not war, not destruction or harm brought to any court. She knew the consequences of war and she did not want to pay them.

"But what about the Spring Court?" she asked, every pair of eyes in the room turning to her, "We're allied now with the Night Court. Wouldn't that mean my father would join the side of the solar courts?"

Prim did not miss the way Orion winced when she said 'we're'.

"In logic? Yes." said Rhys with a sigh, looking from Prim to his inner circle, "In reality, the Spring Court is too far from the solar courts and it wouldn't be clever for Tamlin to attempt to cross the war zone. He would have to stay out of it completely."

Prim shook her head, feeling a tightness between her brows, "My father wouldn't do that."

Cassian chuckled, "Oh, we know that."

To Prim's surprise, she chuckled at that and Cassian gave her a small smile. Rhys rolled his eyes at his brother and continued, "The Spring Court will either join the seasonal courts and go against our bargain which I doubt you father would do, or he does nothing and the Spring Court would be in the line of firing from Autumn and Summer. I can send a few warriors to boarder his court lines but we won't have many going spare if a war does break out."

Azriel nodded slowly in agreement. Being the spymaster, it was likely he knew the most and had passed it onto Rhys and Feyre. Prim couldn't imagine how he was feeling, having a pregnant wife during a potential war was not ideal.

"I understand." Prim sighed, looking to Orion who seemed completely dissociated from the conversation, "How likely is it that this war is going to happen?"

Rhy's eyes dropped to the table and he gripped Feyre's hand tightly within his own, "Very, I'm afraid."

Prim was not sure whether it was just the shadows spreading from Azriel in the corner of her eyes, or if the sun had simply gone behind a cloud, but it was as if the entire city went dark at those three words.