Chapter Text
The darkness crept along the borders of the spring court, coating the entire land in the cold, terrifying night. There was no way that Tamlin would let himself fear Rhysand. There was no other person that could create such abominable darkness, except for perhaps Feyre. No, it wasn't the high lord that he feared. What was there to worry about when you no longer cared. And yet, why was he still roaming the woods as a beast. Maybe because he did care. he cared too much. Some part of his heart would always belong to the high lady of the night court, Rhysand's mate. He thought bitterly.
Tamlin watched as the world cast itself into palpable darkness he could almost taste. He felt a sense of dread settle in his chest as he watched as the darkness continued encroaching on the borders of the estate and pulsing its way south towards the human lands and across the ocean, threatening to cover the entire ground making its way toward the continent.
Then the stars began to fall. It was a sign sent by the cauldron to signify the birth of a child of the high lord of the night court. Tamlin had known that Feyre was pregnant. He had destroyed the rest of the east wing of the manor and then torn up his mother's roses when he had found out. It now seemed so obvious as to why Rhysand looked so pleased with himself when he had, started to how had Rhysand put it "assist the summer court in placing troops along the border." In retrospect, Tamlin could see that all Rhysand was doing was mocking him, showing up only to gloat at Tamlin's fallen state. Now in place of where all that anger he had felt now, he felt empty. What had he been expecting anyway when he had told Feyre to be happy. That somehow, It would redeem him that her farewell meant she could find it in her heart to forgive him. No, that wasn't possible even if he deserved any form of forgiveness.
However, something had gone wrong. Rather than being a marvelous display of beauty, the stars made the sky look like the very atmosphere was shedding tears, leaving only the darkness to swallow the world whole. That feeling of dread squeezed in Tamlin's chest, again overriding any sense of anger or grief that he had been feeling. It was Feyre it had to be. Something had happened with the birth. Something had gone wrong. It was the reason the high lord had cursed the sky to shed its light.
The image of Feyre lying on the dark marbled ground under the mountain, laying in a pool of her blood, flashed in his mind. And the thought of no longer having her in the world scared him more than any other thought. He tried to run from the thought crashing through the trees to escape from his thoughts, the creeping darkness, and the falling stars. He had no destination in his mind, no home to run to. The manor was his, but it hadn't been home for a while, not since his family was murdered. Feyre had made the manor home, even if it was just for a short time.
Greif settled over Tamlin like a heavy wool blanket. No matter what his crimes were, she represented the world as he wished he could make it.
He made his way back to the manor. There were no sounds of life anywhere, no cross cooks or giggling maids. For once, he was glad for the loneliness. He shed his coat of golden fur and collapsed in the entryway of the manor. With the anger gone, there was only the darkness leaving him entirely alone.