Rhae

Interesting didn't begin to cover breakfast. Lucien seemed to be eyeing her warily as he watched her pile meat after meat onto her plate. Sausage, bacon, venison.

"What did you expect?" She eventually sighs as she adds some beans and toast. "I'm certainly not going to be vegetarian."

"No– no... I just–" He shakes his head, waving himself off and her heart warms for a moment. He reminds her of Feyre. The two of them would get on so well. "Well it's just... quite unusual seeing a dragon eat such normal food. In the stories–"

"We ate the flesh of children by any chance?"

His eyes narrow, "You ate your enemies."

"They weren't wrong."

Lucien's eyes widen in surprise but Tamlin remains unmoved. He's alternated between staring her down when his plate is empty and busying himself completely with eating food.

"This food won't fill me, that's why I have taken so much." She keeps her voice light and sweet, not wanting to upset the little fae. "I'll go hunting later."

"Not the inhabitants of my court."

Rhae huffs, rolling her eyes. "I need blood, fresh meat. It was never specified what kind."

"Then shall we bring you a sacrificial goat." He sneers and her nose wrinkles.

"Ew, no." She shudders, glaring at the High Lord. "Those creatures are vile. Horrible sacrifices, you're more likely to offend a dragon by offering them that."

"Well that's all–" Lucien glares at his High Lord.

"We can find you something different." He forces a hesitant smile, clearly awkward at the thought of her eating habits. "Perhaps a hunt while we discuss our plans."

"That sounds lovely," she agrees.

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It was not lovely.

Three conceited questions from Tamlin later and she was considering hunting him down for sport. Not food mind you, he didn't seem very appealing. Nor did he seem healthy or happy enough to have decent blood.

You've got to be smart about these things, endorphins are tasted in the blood. Happy cattle, tasty meat.

In fact, Rhae was worse off than when she started. They hadn't hunted anything and she had ended up discussing dragon lore and history rather than her plans of getting into Amarantha's court.

It was sweet the interest Lucien took in her. Poorly disguised security questions veiled as flirting and flattery. So of course she gave him the unimportant stuff. The meaningless pretty flouncy facts that get the fae all hot and bothered under the collar.

Some were facts, tidbits of history, memories of battles won and lost. Others were of mating prospects that had Lucien blushing like a virgin bride.

But still they had achieved very little.

"Will you discuss the plans with me now, High Lord." She calls to male ahead of her. "I've entertained your ludicrous questions long enough."

"We can discuss back at the manor."

"The walls have ears there."

"And the forest eyes." He counters and she rolls her eyes. They'd been in this forsaken forest for hours now, they had enough glamours to keep them safe from spies; They didn't in the manor. "You can be patient."

"I'm afraid you've worn my patience thin." She stops her horse in place, nostrils flaring. "You see, I'm hungry and irritated now."

He turns his horse in place so he can see her. Lucien and his black mare trot up to the High Lord's side, both rider and horse glancing in question between the pair.

Rhae tilts her head. "Why are you avoiding the topic? Have you given up on your people so easily."

He snarls at the challenge but she pays him no mind.

"We want the same thing."

"Do we?" He challenges, urging the roan gelding forward. "Because I don't see what you gain from this."

"Sometimes people just want to do the right thing."

"Bullshit." He snaps and she bristles. "No one does anything for nothing. Not in a world like this and certainly not when Amarantha's involved."

So he does have some common sense after all.

"What would you like me to say?"

"The truth would be nice." He raises his head in challenge, for once appearing as the High Lord he is supposed to be. "I will not help you until I know it."

"I can respect that." She nods but urges her own mare into a steady trot as she heads back to the manor. Tamlin's low growl follows after but it is soon followed by the swift sound of hooves as she is joined by the males.

The Spring Court would be ideal for her plans so she needs them to agree.

It was so easy to trick Lucien into asking her to go hunting. A few nice words and built camaraderie between them last night had helped to build a curiosity in the young male. He was eager to know more about the female who had similar responsibilities to him.

Not to mention from a tactical perspective it would be ideal to question her in an isolated environment, especially away from any casualties should she... lose her temper. Breakfast just provided the perfect opportunity for that.

Rhae hadn't actually needed to feed. She had stock piled before leaving her daughters. Nesta always ensure their tenant farmers had the best cattle on hand and that they never asked question when a few went missing or were taken by personal request.

Dragons didn't need to feed often, it was more in relation to the magic and energy she used. Though shifting between forms always built up cravings for her. She had a friend who would always get sleepy after shifting, that same friend would always complain about Rhae and her 'munchies' ruining her precious sleep with her loud eating.

But Lucien didn't know any of that so had eagerly taken up the opportunity of hunting. Of course he had already scared off any creatures so they could talk uninterrupted. Perhaps he hoped it would double up as a way to keep her on edge, to keep her hungry and ratty enough to let something slip.

If Rhae was honest she was far too busy scouting out the land and taking in the magic of the forest to pay any real attention to the Emissary's questions. So perhaps it had worked in his favour.

Rhae was right to suspect that Tamlin's distaste for Amarantha had seeped into his court. Dragons might be impervious to most magic but they can still sense and feel it. She's sure some ancient long dead scholar would point out that dragons are fire magic given flesh and therefore are the embodiment of magic so why shouldn't they feel the power all around them.

Because they have thoughts and feelings that distract them from just being magic tracking machine Tralben, the old bastard. She hated his lesson.

If she could get the underlings out of the mountain and into the spring court forest they would be hidden and partially protected. Rhae could feel how the trees bent and curved over them in an attempt to hide them from sight, or the way paths appeared and disappeared to lead them astray or to safety.

A living maze to guard the manor.

It would buy them some time at least.

And she told Tamlin as much when she explained her plan. It took a while to convince him of her genuinity but a few implied statements of having a family who was in the firing line (she also implied they were from the summer court to keep his suspicions away from the humans), not to mention bringing up her duty as a protector of the realm.

So a tentative trust had been built between them.

Now they just had to create a plan. Well... polish the one Rhaemarys had already come up with.

A/N: What do we think Rhys' reaction will be when he sees her under the mountain? Angry that she's there, fear? Will he beg her to leave or yell at her?