Chapter no 43 – 44

Chapter no 43

For Feyre’s final task, she is led into the throne room dressed in her old, tattered clothes, greeted by an eerie silence. The crowd, including masked faeries, watches her with somber intensity, their gestures resembling a farewell to the honored dead. Amarantha, reveling in her sadistic theatrics, presents Feyre with her final challenge: to stab three innocent faeries in the heart. Refusing would cost her life, leaving Tamlin, his court, and all of Prythian enslaved. The stakes are insurmountable, and Feyre faces the unimaginable decision of committing cold-blooded murder or sacrificing herself.

The first victim is a young High Fae male, whose pleading blue eyes and desperate cries haunt Feyre as she hesitates. With a sob, she plunges the ash dagger into his heart, enduring his screams and the blood that stains her hands. The second victim is a female faerie who recites a prayer, asking for a painless death. Her calm acceptance shatters Feyre further, but she obeys, driving the dagger into her heart, unable to reconcile the horror of her actions. Each kill weighs on Feyre’s soul, tearing her apart piece by piece as the faeries in the room weep and whisper in mourning.

For the third and final victim, the hood is removed to reveal Tamlin kneeling before her. Feyre is devastated, realizing she has been deceived. Amarantha mockingly offers her a choice: kill Tamlin and free them all or die and leave the realm enslaved. Reeling from the betrayal and the impossible choice, Feyre recalls fragments of past conversations and clues Tamlin and Lucien had left for her. A realization strikes her: Tamlin’s heart has been turned to stone, making it impervious to her blade.

With newfound determination, Feyre steps toward Tamlin, her mind clear and her trust in him unwavering. She gambles everything on her belief in his cunning and the truth of the curse. With the ash dagger in hand, Feyre declares her love and plunges it into his chest, trusting that it will not harm him. In this ultimate act of faith and courage, she embraces the fate that has led her to this moment, hoping that her actions will finally shatter Amarantha’s curse and free Prythian.

Feyre’s decision is a testament to her resilience and her ability to trust not only Tamlin but herself. Her understanding of the curse and the clues Tamlin left behind allow her to navigate Amarantha’s deadly game. By stabbing Tamlin, she transforms the act of murder into one of salvation, proving that even in the face of despair, love, faith, and courage can triumph over malice and deceit.

Chapter no 44

Feyre stabs Tamlin, and for a sickening moment, it seems the ash dagger has pierced him fully. However, the blade strikes something hard—his heart of stone. Tamlin begins to heal, but too slowly to act against Amarantha. As murmurs of her defeat ripple through the crowd, Amarantha reveals her deceitful interpretation of the bargain, claiming she will free them only when she sees fit. Her fury turns toward Feyre, and with horrifying magic, she unleashes unimaginable pain, breaking Feyre’s body piece by piece as she demands a confession of her unworthiness and inconstancy.

Writhing in agony, Feyre refuses to renounce her love for Tamlin, even as Amarantha crushes her bones and mocks her mortal heart. Rhysand tries to intervene, launching an attack with the ash dagger, but Amarantha’s power easily repels him, leaving him bloodied and helpless. Despite the faeries in the crowd crying foul, Amarantha relentlessly tortures Feyre, forcing her to relive her worst memories, including her first kill, and amplifying her despair. Still, Feyre clings to her love for Tamlin, the one thing Amarantha cannot destroy.

Tamlin, powerless and wounded, pleads with Amarantha to stop, apologizing for past wrongs, but she ignores him, intent on breaking Feyre. Through the haze of pain, Feyre’s thoughts center on Tamlin’s green eyes, the memories of their time together, and the happiness she found in loving him. She resolves to embrace her love, even if it leads to her death, knowing that this love is her greatest strength and her final defiance against Amarantha.

As her body nears its breaking point, Feyre recalls the riddle Amarantha had posed and the answer that has been in front of her all along. Summoning the last of her strength, she whispers the solution: “Love.” The word momentarily halts Amarantha’s magic, sending shockwaves through the room. The realization dawns on Tamlin and the onlookers as Feyre’s battered body collapses, her defiance in the face of death unleashing the long-awaited key to Prythian’s freedom.

With her declaration of love, Feyre seals her fate and delivers the ultimate blow to Amarantha’s reign. The riddle’s answer proves more powerful than any dagger, as Feyre’s sacrifice and unwavering love trigger the fulfillment of the curse. Even as her vision fades into darkness and her body teeters on the edge of destruction, Feyre’s final act cements her as the savior of Prythian, a mortal whose heart and courage transcend the cruelty of the faerie queen.