#tried to render this and I insta regret it

[xptobie]

Might color this, I dunno

[starbornvalkyrie]

acotar one sentence summary

T-minus four months until the A Court of Silver Flame release! In preparation for this long-awaited book, I will be posting one-sentence-per-chapter summaries of ACOTAR, ACOMAF, ACOWAR, and ACOFAS on the 16th of each month.

Also, if you haven’t seen SJM’s sneak peek, you can find it on insta or on this meme by @illyrianwitchling. it’s a mood. and i am deceased.

**Spoiler Warning** This is NOT a blurb or a review. I literally summarized each chapter in one sentence. Yes, they are some of the longest run-on sentences I have ever written and would definitely be flagged by every English teacher ever. And yes, I definitely over-used the semicolon, conjunctions, lists, and pretty much most syntax in the English language. But no, I did not care if the sentences were better split into two or more. It was more fun this way, and easier to keep track of.

Absolutely everything about this belongs to the queen, Sarah J. Maas.

Without further ado, if you lack the time to read everything again, have no fear! Just keep reading below the cut, and enjoy! [The numbers at the beginning of the paragraphs indicate the chapter numbers if you want to skip to certain parts!]

Final Word Count: 2863

[ 1 ] It’s winter and snowing; Feyre is hunting for food when a wolf--that may or may not be a faerie--kills a deer, but she kills the wolf with an ash arrow, skins it, and takes the pelt and the deer home. When Feyre gets home, her father and older sisters--Nesta and Elain--eat the deer, then Feyre and Nesta argue over pretty much everything, especially Nesta’s imminent engagement to Tomas Mandray. The next day, Feyre sold the wolf pelt and deer hide to a mercenary who warned her about faeries crossing the wall while Nesta and Elain were harassed by the Children of the Blessed--people who worship faeries like gods; their dinner that night was interrupted by a roar.

[ 4 ] A faerie in beast-form demands retribution for his wolf friend who was murdered--a life for a life--so Feyre opts to go with the faerie to live out the rest of her days in Prythian, the faerie realm. Feyre and the beast-faerie travel north on horseback, but Feyre doesn’t remember most of it because the male used magic to render her unconscious until they reached Prythian.

[ 6 ] When they reach the beast’s estate, he shifts back into his Fae form, Feyre meets Lucien--an emissary--and she notices that everyone is wearing a mask; Alis--a servant--takes Feyre to a lavish room where she bathed, groomed, clothed, and warned her to talk less, smile more, and listen. She finally dines with Lucien and the beast-fae--whose name is Tamlin--and decides both of them are assholes; the next day she wanders the estate and admires beautiful paintings until Tamlin finds her and tells are about the blight that has plagued Prythian, which also explains why everyone is stuck in a mask. When Feyre was wandering through the gardens, she heard giggling and felt someone watching her but only noticed a silver shimmer; at dinner it seemed like Lucien and Tamlin were trying to get to know her better, and she told them her mother died of Typhus when she was eight.

[ 9 ] In an attempt to get Lucien to talk to Tamlin about freeing her, Feyre went with him on his patrol of the border, but her attempts were futile, and, instead, he let slip that there was a her related to the magic that forced them to keep their masks on; they kept up their banter until Lucien warned her to do nothing but look straight ahead when Feyre felt it. A cold presence overtook them as the Bogge appeared, and after it left, Lucien explained that once one acknowledges the Bogge, it can kill you; Lucien told Tamlin about it when they got back which urged Tamlin went to go hunt for it, and when Feyre was looking out the window waiting for him to return, she saw her father in the garden.

[ 11 ] Before she could get far, Tamlin finds her and makes her realize that it wasn’t her father, but a puca, and warned her that the wards between territories have weakened and everything has changed; Tamlin hunts the Bogge day and night without help after he tells Feyre that her family is fed and comfortable, while Feyre has nightmares about killing Andras. 

[ 12 ] Though she is illiterate, Feyre walked the halls of the estate trying to make a map until Tamlin returned, injured, from killing the Bogge, so she went to the infirmary to help his wound; Feyre overheard a conversation about Tamlin “running out of time” and Lucien forced Tamlin to spend time with Feyre, leading Feyre to admit she does not like hunting, so Tamlin brought her to the study. 

[ 13 ] In the study, Feyre tried to teach herself to read so that she may send a letter to her family, but on a break, she discovered a mural depicting the story of Prythian--along with the seven courts; after fighting with Tamlin about denying his help in writing the letter, Feyre went to Lucien to ask how to catch a Suriel. In her success with trapping the Suriel, Feyre discovers that Tamlin is the High Lord of the Spring Court, learns about the King of Hybern, is warned to Stay with the High Lord, and is about to learn about one of a disobedient commander from Hybern called The Deceiver, when four naga--terrifying faeries made of shadow and rot--found them in the clearing. Feyre freed the Suriel, killed one naga, ran away, killed a second naga with her knife when it grabbed her, was saved by Tamlin who killed the last two, and was healed by him as well--they shared a moment. 

[ 16 ] After Feyre cleaned up from the attack, she met Lucien and Tamlin for dinner where they told her that faeries can indeed lie and are unharmed by iron and that Feyre’s family know she’s okay and know to run at the first sign of something amiss due to a threat in Prythian; Feyre is so grateful, she opens up to Tamlin a little more and asks for paint which he responds to by offering to show her the gallery--sparks are beginning to fly.

[ 17 ] Feyre woke from a nightmare only to hear shouting from Tamlin as he carried a faerie with his wings cut off, and when Tamlin realized there was no way to save him, Feyre held the faerie’s hand until he died and a little while after that; when Tamlin walked Feyre back upstairs, she expressed her regret and sorrow for killing his friend.

[ 18 ] The next day, Tamlin and Lucien took Feyre to a beautiful landscape where Tamlin showed Feyre a pool of starlight and revealed a bit of Lucien’s background--he is the youngest son of the High Lord of the Autumn Court--and as the swam in starlight, Feyre told Tamlin about her father’s demise and her years in the woods; on the ride back to the manor, Lucien told Feyre he was sorry that he hesitated when he heard her scream from the naga attack and gifted her his jeweled hunting knife.

[ 19 ] When Feyre’s painting supplies arrived, Tamlin showed her the gallery, and she began to paint and paint for weeks and weeks until one day, they shared a moment in the gardens; Tamlin told Feyre about his parents, how he became High Lord when his entire family was killed, and was in the middle of explaining Calanmai--Fire Night--when the Attor, invisible to Feyre, came to confront Tamlin about how much time he has left and to not break his terms with her.

[ 20 ] The day of Calanmai arrived, and Tamlin ordered Feyre to lock herself in her room until morning, so she did--until she didn’t; Feyre followed the drums to find some sort of firelit party filled with High Fae, and when three of them tried to lure her away, the “most beautiful man she’d ever seen” saved her from them. Feyre thanked the stranger then walked away and found Lucien who angrily brought her back to the manor as he explained that magic is going to take over Tamlin and force him to mate with a random female for the good of the land; when the Great Rite is over, Tamlin finds Feyre and expresses how badly he wanted it to be her instead--shows it by biting her neck.

[ 21 ] Feyre and Tamlin tease each other about the night before and apologize for their behaviors at lunch the next day, and for dinner, Feyre asks Alis to dress her up in a gown rather than the tunic she usually wears; Feyre brought Tamlin to the room she’s been painting in, showing him a painting she did of the pool of starlight, as well as various images of her life in the mortal lands, and Tamlin chooses to keep the painting of the woods she used to hunt in. The next day, Feyre and Tamlin were in the enchanted forest where he granted her fae senses that allow her to truly experience Prythian--they have another moment.

[ 23 ] When Feyre wakes up, she finds Alis in her natural form and is able to see all of the fae who were hidden from her initially; she went to go paint in the garden but is startled by a head spiked to the top of the fountain, and Tamlin and Lucien claimed it was the High Lord of the Night Court’s idea of a cruel joke.

[ 24 ] The Summer Solstice came, and although the blight seems to be getting more intense, the denizens of the Spring Court partied; they danced, drank wine, Tamlin played the fiddle, then he took her to a meadow and kissed her and watched the sunrise. Despite the great night they had, Lucien informed them the next day that the blight took out two dozen Winter Court younglings, then a silence came over them, and Tamlin ordered Lucien to glamour Feyre to hide her from the High Lord of the Night Court, Rhysand; Feyre listened as he taunted Tamlin and Lucien, learning about a woman named Amarantha until Rhysand discovers she’s there and seizes control of her mind until she told him her name is Clare Beddor.

[ 26 ] The encounter with Rhysand scared Tamlin so badly, he told Feyre that he was sending her back to the mortal realm; as a send-off, they made love until the morning, and before she drifted to sleep, Tamlin expressed that he loved her, thorns and all. Alis dressed Feyre in wealthy human clothing, Lucien pleaded with Tamlin to let her stay, but Tamlin sent her off with an “I love you” and a promise that he will see her again; when she arrives at her family’s new estate, Elain tells her how they got their fortune back excitedly, while Nesta was a more wary of her return.

[ 28 ] Elain shows Feyre her garden, prattling on about the social season and how Nesta tried to visit Feyre only to have her carriage break down and have to return; Feyre’s father finished counting the gold and jewels that Tamlin sent with Feyre, so she went to the cottage her family used to live in and found the path she took into the forest, longing for Tamlin to call her back to Prythian. Feyre handed out gold and silver coins to villagers, sneered at Tomas Mandray who was talking about a house that burned down with the whole family in it, and wished the best to Isaac and his new wife; back at the estate, Nesta told Feyre that Tamlin’s glamour didn’t work on her and how she tried to cross the wall but couldn’t find a way through, so Feyre told her the story of her time in Prythian, then Nesta asked her to teach her how to paint.

[ 30 ] After the ball Feyre’s father threw in her honor, she finds out that Clare Beddor’s family’s home was burned down and no one survived, so she tells Nesta and Elain to prepare for anything amiss coming from Prythian--she had to go back; it took her days, but Feyre finally found her way through the wall and to the Spring Court, only to find the manor wrecked, Tamlin nowhere to be found. Feyre finds Alis packing to flee the Spring Court, and she tells her the story of Amarantha, Jurian, and Clythia, and about the curse she put on Tamlin and his court for forty-nine years; Feyre finds out all she needed to do was tell Tamlin that she loves him, but it’s too late for that, so she asks Alis how to get Under the Mountain.

[ 32 ] Alis took Feyre all the way to a cave entrance that will take her Under the Mountain, and as Feyre snuck through the cave and tried to figure out where to go, the Attor found her. The Attor took Feyre to Amarantha’s throne room where she saw Tamlin seated next to her and found out they tortured Clare Beddor until she died; Amarantha made a deal with Feyre where she is to complete three trials on the full moon or solve a riddle to break Tamlin’s curse--or die--and then the Attor beat her. 

[ 34 ] Feyre woke in a dungeon with a broken nose and various injuries and waited until Lucien came and healed her a bit while also confirming that Amarantha keeps a hold of Jurian’s’ eye and finger bone; at some point, she is brought before Amarantha again, and the High Queen used Rhysand to trap Lucien’s mind until Feyre gave up her name, then Amarantha gave her the riddle that would free everyone immediately if she answers correctly.

[ 35 ] The first full moon and Feyre’s first trial came: she had to hunt the Middengard Wyrm in a labyrinth of mud, so Feyre set a trap made of bones in its lair and covered herself with the mud to make herself invisible to the blind worm; her plan worked, though she impaled her arm on bone, and when she was faced with Amarantha, she threw a bone in her direction before Amarantha told her only one person bet she would win--it was Rhysand.

[ 36 ] Feyre waited in pain for days until her fever spiked and Rhysand came to her cell to heal her, but at a cost; in return for healing her, Feyre is to spend one week a month in the Night Court with Rhysand after they were freed from Under the Mountain, and since it is apparently custom in his court for bargains to be permanently marked upon flesh, Feyre received a tattoo of dark blue designs on her left hand to her elbow.

[ 37 ] Between trials, the guards instructed Feyre to clean the floor of the hallway or else they will turn her over a fire, but they gave her dirty water that only made the floor dirtier, so she was about to give up when Lucien’s mother came and made the water clean in exchange for Feyre saving Lucien’s life; their next chore was to dig lentils from the ashes in Rhysand’s room, but he used magic again to help her, then used his powers to convince the guards to keep their hands off her and to stop giving her household chores.

[ 38 ] Every night until her next task, Feyre was bathed, painted, and dressed to become Rhysand’s plaything for evening festivities, but he always forced her to drink the wine so that she would not remember--though the paint on her body revealed that Rhysand never touched her anywhere but modest places; Amarantha caught a summer lordling trying to escape, so she used Rhysand to discover why, and, for whatever reason, he lied and said he was alone and gave the faerie a swift death, rather than shattering his mind like Amarantha asked.

[ 39 ] Feyre’s second task came: she had to solve a riddle to pull a lever or else she and Lucien would be crushed by a heated platform of spikes--but Feyre can’t read, so when she went for the wrong lever, pain from Rhysand flared in her hand until she hovered over the correct one; Rhysand--in her mind--instructed her back to her cell with dignity, where she wept until he came to visit her and licked her tears away--effectively keeping her from shattering completely.

[ 40 ] Again, Feyre spent every night after that as Rhysand’s plaything, until there was one night that they overheard the Attor and some other creature talking about the King of Hybern’s disappointment in Amarantha; Feyre almost broke after that until beautiful music entered her cell and took her away, if even for a moment.

[ 41 ] During the last party before her final trial, Feyre and Tamlin finally got a moment to sneak off together, but Rhysand found them and kissed Feyre until Amarantha saw to disguise the paint Tamlin ruined; later, Rhys went to Feyre’s cell and confided in her how unhappy and tired of Amarantha’s games he is, and she finds out he is targeted because it was Rhysand’s father who killed Tamlin’s family.

[ 42 ] Feyre’s final task is to stab three innocent faeries in the heart with an ash dagger, and though the first two kills were easy, something broke inside of her, and then shattered when she beheld Tamlin as the third faerie; Alis had told Feyre to listen, and from that, Feyre remembered that Tamlin’s heart is made of stone, therefore she could not kill him, so she said “I love you” and then stabbed him.

[ 43 ] Amarantha did not free everyone right away, but began to beat Feyre--and also Rhysand when he made moves to help her--trying to force her to say she doesn’t really love Tamlin, but Feyre figured out the answer to her riddle--love--and then Amarantha snapped her neck. Feyre watched from Rhysand’s mind as Lucien and the Spring Court removed their masks before Tamlin’s beast killed Amarantha; each of the Seven High Lords of Prythian came forward to sprinkle a kernel of their powers onto Feyre’s body in exchange for what she did for them--for freeing them.

[ 45 ] The High Lords made Feyre into a High Fae to bring her back to life, and then held meetings to discuss how to move on; before they left, Feyre was pulled to Rhysand so that he could say good-bye, but something startled him into leaving abruptly, so Feyre went back to Tamlin, and Amarantha’s Court was destroyed.

They went home.

To the Spring Court.

---

I wasn’t sure if I should add my tag list to this... but i did anyways. let me know if you don’t want to be tagged in these summaries lol. or send me an ask if you do lol

@maddymelv || @lucy617 || @tillyrubes10 || @faerie-queen-fireheart || @tottenhamboys20 || @the-third-me || @superspiritfestival || @rolltide7 || @courtofjurdan || @sleeping-and-books || @aelinchocolatelover || @julemmaes || @sorrehnotsorryy || @courtofjurdan || @acourtofaelinbryceandfeyre || @darlinminds || @lucieisabooknerd || @queen-of-glass || @jlinez || @abookishfreak || @stardelia || @ladywitchling || @rockgirl321 || @sjmships || @thewayshedreamed || @mamakramer || @meowsekai || @illyrianwitchling || @sanakapoor || @ireallyshouldsleeprn

[2nerd4this]

Fluffy prompt: Cathy getting sick and not wanting to admit it bc she knows everyone is stressed and she doesn't want to make it worse. But Catalina like forces her to submit to being looked after (or possibly tricks her into accepting care.) OR Cathy just suddenly feeling really clingy to Lina but trying to suppress it bc she doesn't want to be annoying. Lina though ofc notices this and makes a special point of keeping Cathy close to her bc she can tell she needs it rn.

Heyyy, these were such both good ideas that I decided to combine them. This one’s fairly long, for my standards anyway, and it's completely unedited because it was my coping mechanism for the last few days, so... I hope it’s still alright, or at least makes sense. Thanks for the prompt!

It was foolish- Cathy knows- to assume that she could avoid the virus that was moving through the Queen’s house like a... well- a virus. 

Even the Ladies, who the Queens had started to cut off contact with after the first few cases in an attempt to keep them healthy, were not immune, and Maria, who was adamant that she wouldn’t get it, was currently confined to her bedroom by the others.

But for some reason, Cathy thought she would be fine. It had gotten to the others fairly quickly, and Jane, the last to get it, was almost back to full health. 

Imagine her annoyance, then, when she awoke this morning with a splitting headache and a sore throat, exactly what she had been dreading for weeks.

Groaning, she rolled over and pulled the blankets up over her head. This was the most inconvenient time to be sick. Tonight was supposed to be the first time all six Queens were healthy enough to perform together, and their poor alternates were in desperate need of a break. 

She would just have to suck it up, then. Not only were the others excited and ready to perform all together (finally), they were all also exhausted from taking care of themselves and others for a straight month. Jane, to no fault of her own, had been rendered completely incapable of anything more than walking to the bathroom for a straight week- both because of the illness and the anxiety that accompanied it. That meant that the other five Queens had been spending every waking moment taking care of her or running errands, something that Jane usually took care of.

No- Cathy would be fine. A cold shower, a couple of pills, a warm breakfast. That would be enough, at least to tide her over until after the show. Once she got up and moving, she would be good to go.

.

So that was a lie.

It was almost time to leave for the show and Cathy hadn’t left her room in hours, curled up under the blankets, sweating and shivering and wishing she could just sleep. But each tick of the clock reminded her that she couldn’t- she shouldn’t. Her family needed her.

So when six rolled around, Cathy managed to get herself vertical and presentable, just in time for Anne to yell upstairs that they were leaving in five minutes and that she ‘better get your butt to the car soon or else Kitty’s gonna make you sit in the middle!”

Technically, she couldn’t safely take medicine again for another hour, but if she took some now, she would be able to have one more right before she went on stage. 

It was worth it.

.

When they arrived at the theater, the headache had not lessened as she had hoped. In fact, it had gotten worse. She hadn’t even thought that was possible.

Cathy tried her best to push through, but with warm-up first, she knew there was no way she could disguise her pain much longer.

“Whoa, Cath,” Jane caught her arm as she swayed and stumbled onto the stage, “You alright, love?”

“Yeah, yeah, just tired.” Cathy nodded assuredly. Jane didn’t look convinced, but Joan had already started and she couldn’t do anything but nod and pat her arm gently.

The sixth Queen positioned herself behind the others, against the wall, so they wouldn’t notice as she winced with every loud chord and shivered against the non-existent cold. 

And when warm-up came to a merciful end, she knew it was only the beginning.

Back in her changing room, it was just as loud.

Jane was celebrating her return to the show with an Insta Live, and Kitty was blasting music and singing along at the top of her lungs. 

Cathy did her makeup and hair as quickly as humanly possible, before throwing on her costume haphazardly and escaping the cramped room.

The brief respite the hallway brought caused her to sigh loudly in relief, and when she rounded the corner into the usually deserted stairwell, she slid to the floor immediately, putting her head between her knees and rubbing her temple, closing in on herself to try and stop shaking.

She wasn’t sure how long she stayed there- time became odd against the pain. At least pass the one-hour call, and she was barely able to make a mental note to keep an ear out for half-hour.

That, clearly, wasn’t going to happen, because it wasn’t until she felt the physical presence of a body next to her did she realize that she wasn’t alone. 

Before she could stop herself, her head shot up, causing her to shut her eyes in pain and groan. 

“Oh, mija,” Catalina’s sympathetic voice echoed loudly in her brain, even though she was probably whispering, and Cathy let out a pathetic whimper.

“Shhh”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry,” Lina whispered, much quieter this time, and Cathy pried her eyes opened and peered up at the older woman. “Oh, honey, you look awful.”

“Wow, thanks,” Cathy quipped, albeit half-heartedly, then immediately regretted it when Lina laughed. “Too loud.”

“Sorry, sorry. Baby- mija... why didn’t you say something?”

“I’m fine, I- I took medicine earlier. I have to do the show- tonight at least. Give the girls a break.”

“You still want to perform?” Catalina asked incredulously, then immediately lowered her tone as her goddaughter winced. “Sorry, mija, I’ll be quiet now, I promise. But- querida, I’m taking you home.”

“No!” Cathy exclaimed, now ignoring the pain. “It’s alright, I’ll be fine, please.”

“Not a chance.” Catalina shook her head, wrapping an arm around the girl to start rubbing soft circles on her back. Cathy sank into the touch immediately. “There’s an alternate on stand-by here, as you... already know, of course, but I can text her right now, alright?”

Cathy whined pathetically, already shifting into her godmother’s warmth. “But madrina, I can-”

“No. That’s final. Don’t argue with me on this, Catherine. It’s a lost cause.”

The use of Cathy’s full name banished any remaining fight she had in her, and she nodded minutely, finally sinking fully against Catalina. The older woman nodded sagely, smirking softly. 

“Good girl. Give me just a second so I can text her and we can go, alright?”

She got no response, but she wasn’t expecting one anyway. Cathy’s eyes were already starting to shut again. 

.

Sure enough, not even ten minutes later, they were both in Catalina’s car, Cathy’s legs pulled up against her tightly as she shivered slightly from the breeze. The other Queens had understood immediately and reassured her, through text of course, and the alternate had been more than willing to step up. She had been kind of expecting it anyway. 

“Alright, mija, just twenty minutes and then we’ll be home. You can try to sleep if you want.”

Cathy just hummed in return, but that was enough answer for Catalina, who smiled and turned the ignition, then quickly turned the heat up.

The ride home was uneventful, though Cathy didn’t fall asleep. Catalina tried her best to follow all traffic laws, but every time her goddaughter shifted and groaned, her heart clenched and she sped up, just a little.

As such, they arrived back home in a little under fifteen minutes. 

“Cathy, querida, we’re here.”

Catalina rounded the car and helped the girl out of the car, supporting almost all of her body weight. 

She had to admit, she was a little glad that the others had been so sick as well, or else she would be driving Cathy to the hospital right now, based on how miserable she looked. 

“Did you eat dinner? Lunch?”

Cathy simply shook her head, allowing Catalina to lead her inside and straight to the kitchen, deposting her on the nearest stool. Immediately, she started rummaging through the fridge and pulling out assorted food. Because of the recent craziness, they didn’t have much that wouldn’t take an hour to prepare, but she got what they had and set it on the counter in front of Cathy.

“Here you go, mija.”

“I’m not hungry,” Cathy muttered, placing her elbows on the table and putting her head in her hands.

“You have to eat something, querida.” Catalina walked around the counter to rub her goddaughter's back gently, pushing a lock of stray hair behind her hear. “Please, mija. I understand, I do, but you’ll feel better if you eat.”

There was a long pause as Cathy groaned and rubbed her hands over her eyes before she sighed and lowered her head all the way down onto the table. Catalina hummed sympathetically.

“ ‘m sorry, madrina.”

Catalina paused her ministrations momentarily, regarding her goddaughter carefully, then sighed. “What for, mija?”

“Dunno. I shoulda- shoulda said something. Or worked harder to stay healthy, I dunno, I just-” Cathy raised her head a little, turning to peer up at Catalina through hooded eyes, “I’m sorry.”

“Oh querida,” Catalina slid onto the stool next to the girl and pulled her upper body into her arms. “Don’t be. But, yeah, next time- tell me. Please?”

“Mhmm.”

“Good girl,” Catalina chuckled, resting her chin on the younger woman’s head. “Now. Are you sure you don’t want to try and eat?”

“I just want to sleep.”

“Alright,” Catalina conceded, “but afterwards....”

“Sure,” Cathy sighed, and Catalina supposed it was more from the exhaustion than actual agreement. Nevertheless, she smiled.

“Perfect.”

Catalina glanced at the food on the counter, then shook her head. It could survive a few hours out of the fridge. 

“Alright, up we get, mija. My room or yours?”

“Mmmm” Cathy nodded and stumbled to her feet, to little success, as Catalina reached out to steady her.

“Mine it is,” Catalina chuckled. “It’s closer.”

They made it upstairs without incident, and Cathy was quickly tucked away under the covers, sweaty hair matted to the pillow. Catalina flicked the lights off and shut the window, then turned back to her goddaughter.

“I can stay, if you want.”

“Mmm” Cathy hummed, pulling the covers tighter around her. Catalina smirked.

“I’ll take that as a yes. Sweet dreams, mija.”

To no one’s surprise, Catherine slept through the night, the virus counteracting her atrocious sleeping habits.

In fact, no one but Catalina saw Cathy again until lunch the next day.

“Cathy!” Anne exclaimed when the woman came down the stairs. 

Immediately, Catalina shushed her. 

“Sorry,” she whispered, covering her mouth.

“You would think you would have figure that out by now, Anne,” Kitty joked in a whisper. Anne simply shrugged, then patted the chair next to her. Cathy blinked at the second Queen slowly, pausing in the middle of the dining room and glancing over at Catalina.

“Cathy?” Anna questioned softly, tilting her head. “What’s up?”

“Oh, uh, nothing. Sorry.” Cathy shook her head, rushing over to sit next to Anne. “I’m just tired.”

The others continued to watch her oddly, and Cathy shrunk back into her seat, but Jane soon came to her rescue.

“Food’s ready, girls.”

And everything returned to normal.

.

Except it really wasn’t. 

After lunch, Anne suggested a movie. While they all reassured Cathy that they would understand, they really would, if she wanted to go back upstairs, she simply shook her head and sat in the armchair against the wall, as far from the others as she could get. 

And honestly, the others wouldn’t have thought anything of it, as Cathy seemed to be feeling much better, even laughing along to some of the jokes in the film, except for the fact that she had remained sitting straight up and stiff in the chair for the last hour and a half. 

“Cathy?” Jane asked after the movie, pulling the girl aside as the six scattered. “Are you alright?”

“What? Oh- oh, yeah. I mean,” she chuckled softly, shifting her weight awkwardly. “I have a headache, but it’s fine.”

“Alright...” Jane said, but she didn’t look convinced. “But if you need something- I’m here.” The third Queen reached out to rub the other woman’s arm, but Cathy shied away immediately. Jane pulled back and quickly apologized. “Sorry. How about you go upstairs and take a nap, alright?”

“I’m fine, Jane,” Cathy muttered, a little harsh. “I can take care of myself.”

“Alright.” Jane raised her hands in surrender, stepping back and leaving Cathy a clear path to the stairwell. Cathy glanced between her and it nervously, then slipped past and disappeared up the steps.

Unfortunately for Cathy, her path from the first staircase to the second was blocked. By the one person she didn’t want to see.

“Querida?” Catalina looked up from her basket of laundry to see the distressed look on her goddaughter’s face, and immediately shifted so she was blocking her escape upstairs. “Catherine, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Cathy-” Catalina sighed, setting the basket down and reaching forward to grab the sixth Queen’s arm. Cathy tensed and stepped back, but Catalina held firm. A few moments passed before Cathy sank into the touch. “Querida, how about you come back to my room and take a nap?”

“No, no. I- I was going to go up to my room and rest.” Cathy stepped back, pulling out of her grasp. Catalina sighed.

“Are you sure? I could use the company.”

Cathy paused, shifting her weight from foot to foot, then glanced from Catalina to the laundry basket.

“Laundry can wait.”

“....are you sure?”

“Of course, mija. Come on.”

Catalina led Cathy back to her room, leaving the basket where she sat it down, and straight to the bed. Cathy crawled under the covers and sunk into the pillows, but glanced up in surprise when Catalina followed, sitting up against the headboard and pulling the other side of the blanket up to her waist. 

“Madrina?”

“Is it alright if I sit here to read?”

Cathy eyed her godmother suspiciously for a moment, then dropped her head back onto the pillow.

“I know what you’re doing.”

“What?” Catalina glanced down, head tilting in confusion, but her smirk was obvious. “I’m not doing anything.”

Cathy blinked up at her for a few more seconds, before smiling softly and relaxing back into the mattress. She then scooted closer to her godmother and rested her head on the woman’s leg, allowing her to wrap an arm around her back and rub gently. 

“I get it, mija,” Catalina whispered after a minute or so of silence. “But you don’t have to be worried about that sort of thing with me, alright? I’ll always be here for you.” The older woman leaned down to press a soft kiss to Cathy’s curl-covered forehead and said nothing when the girl in question was clearly blushing darkly. “Go to sleep, querida.”

.

Hours later, when Anne knocked on the door announcing supper, Catalina helped Cathy untangle herself from the covers and led her to the door. 

“You sure you don’t mind?”

“Never, mi hija. Even if you were perfectly healthy, I’d understand. If I need space to myself, I’ll tell you, but if I don’t... just assume it’s alright.”

Cathy nodded in understanding, then followed her godmother to the table, sitting down next to her and trying her best to avoid notice as she scooted the chair closer and closer to the older woman. 

And if the others noticed- now or when she didn’t leave Catalina’s side at all that night or when she fell asleep on her lap during the movie they were watching or when Catalina stayed home from the show the next day to or when Cathy slept in her room every night for three days straight- they certainly didn’t say a word.