THE GREAT PRETENDER ¬ ACOTAR

chapter xii.

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CHAPTER XII

HER LOVE

HER HIGH LORD ERASED VELARIS OUT OF EVERYONE'S MINDS, except her. He wanted to give her something to live for, to fight for. It worked, for sure.

It didn't matter how many times she had to scrub off blood and organ matter in the throne room or how many times she had to walk on coals for Amarantha's entertainment, she will get home soon.

With High Lord Tamlin's task, there was a chance that there would be an end to the Deceiver's madness. He could be the key to get them all out of there.

There were times where she just wanted to end it all. Put an end to her eternal suffering. She blamed Rhysand, she blamed herself, it was an ongoing cycle. Her High Lord, pretended she didn't exist at all. She understood that though. If Amarantha knew her connection to Rhysand, her head would be off her neck.

Then a peregryn named Arrin came to her miserable life under the Mountain. They would share knowing glances whenever they would pass each other in the halls. At night, he would tell her stories about his life at Dawn. Cal noticed he was a dreamer, like she once was. He was her saving grace. Arrin brought the smiles back on her face. "You look so beautiful with a smile," he used to say, tracing her smile with his finger. They had each other's backs in that wretched place.

For several years, they kept off of the Attor's gossiping eyes. Arrin and Cal made sure they wouldn't be seen together. Callaghan was the type of person who likes to flaunt her lover, but it was too risky. So their love was held in the shadows, in the dark.

Two decades in, Callaghan was dragged to the throne room. There she saw Arrin, her Arrin. His beautiful wings now bent in different directions, one was even torn out of his back hideously. Her dreamer was gone, laying on a pool of his own blood.

The Attor laughed as she rushed to Arrin, already wailing. She didn't care if Amarantha saw her this vulnerable. All she saw was Arrin's blank face. The usual light in his eyes was gone, complete nothingness.

She held his face in her hands. "Please, wake up," she whispered to him, begging, "Arrin, please."

"Pathetic," Amarantha said. Cal wanted nothing more than to kill her right there, but when she saw Rhysand standing beside her she paused. He didn't kill him, the Attor did, she had to remind herself. Her Arrin didn't deserve that death, he had one of the purest souls she'd met. And Amarantha just took that soul with a single order.

"Rhysand," the Deceiver turned to him with a sickly sweet smile, "Make her suffer more, I need to be entertained."

The panic briefly flashed in Rhysand's eyes as he bowed, "With pleasure."

Slowly he walked towards the kneeling Callaghan, as if stalking his prey. He took her arm and pulled her away from the peregryn's dead body.

"My lord please," she cried, "Have mercy! Please! He'll need a proper burial, my lord!"

It pained him to hear her beg. He was reminded of the first day they met, where she was begging too. But never once, did he hear her beg for her life.

He felt her open her mind for him, and only him. Despite her loud pleas and shouts, her voice was clear in his mind.

You are forgiven. You will always be forgiven, Rhys.

He bit his lip as he slammed his heel on her fingers, breaking them. But she didn't feel the pain, he was taking her mind elsewhere.

Make me feel it, Rhysand.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

He kept on repeating to her. Rhysand nearly seethes when he sees Amarantha's smile at Callaghan's screams.

After he was done, Cal was already passed out, both from exhaustion and the pain.

"Is it dead?" she asked. Rhys swallowed and turned to the queen, "Do you want it dead, my queen?"

Time seemed to stop for Rhysand as she thought, "Hmm, no."

He almost sighed in relief.

"I was entertained. Now, get it off my sight."

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[ notes! ]

i hate writing abt UTM so,,,, its gonna be very fast paced around this part iM soRRY 

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