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darkfairyoflegend · 1 year ago

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Nyx’s Nightmare

Summary: Nyx wakes up in the middle of the night from a bad dream - to be expected, as war is on the horizon. Elain comforts him, with the help of someone else.

Pairing: Elriel

Read on A03

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Nyx woke with a start in the middle of the night.

Cool air swept through the window of his bedroom, flung wide to let in fresh air and the comforting sight of the multitude of stars twinkling brilliantly above Velaris.

His father was always telling him that whenever Nyx missed him or his mother, that he should look up to the stars. That Nyx’s mother and father would always be there for him, no matter how far away they were, along with the High Lords and Ladies before them and their family and friends from long ago - they would all be there, among the stars, watching over him.

But that night, not even blinking his sleep-heavy eyes at the expanse of the night sky could comfort him from the nightmare from which he had just awoke.

For war was approaching, and quickly. And no matter how carefully his family tried to shield him from that fact, there were also difficult conversations had with Nyx, at a delicate 5 years old, to prepare him for the possibility of the worst.

One such recent conversation revealed the ultimate bond made between his parents. A bargain that comforted him in the fact that his parents would never again be without each other. But could also leave Nyx an orphan.

They had told him in his parent’s study, where Nyx felt more like a High Lord’s son than solely Nyx. The oversized leather chair in which he had sat made him puff out his chest, tracing the buttons beneath his fingertips as his father began speaking, first gesturing him to the constellations mapping the walls of the skies above them, and the skies above worlds that they did not even have access to.

His father had reminded him that no matter what, he would never be alone.

There were so many who loved him, who took care of him like their own son. His Uncles Cassian and Azriel, Aunts Nesta and Elain, Amren and Varian and Aunt Mor and Nuala and Cerridwen and Lucien and Gwyn and Emerie and the priestesses and the Valkyrie…

But he had only two parents. Who he could lose at once in the snap of a finger.

Each night since they had sat him down to tell him this, the same nightmare had plagued Nyx’s normally sweet dreams.

A bloody battlefield, his parents on the frontlines. Side by side. Facing a horde of beasts and monsters and somewhere in the crowd among them, a cackling evil, a nameless and deathless god whom Nyx had only gleamed whispers about while lurking around the meetings he had no business overhearing.

What he had wished his father had told him was that the stars were also protecting Rhys and Feyre.

Nyx’s covers suddenly felt restricting, the typically comforting tuck pulled up to his chin by his Aunt Elain, his caretaker for the evening while his parents were away in Day. Nyx always loved when he got to spend time with his aunt, one of the most patient figures who took turns caring for him. He loved gardening with her, learning about each unique plant that resided in the garden. And he loved baking with her, the product of which sat upon his bedside table. A plate of cookies with a small note that cheekily read, “For Emergencies…”

Judging by the moon’s position in the sky, it was still the middle of the night. But even though Nyx was far too old to be clinging to his aunt because of a nightmare, he shook with the need to be held. His small hands tremoring as he blinked away his tears ashamedly, slipping out from under the covers and padding barefoot across his room.

He passed under the posters of constellations gifted to him by his father, and the paintings that he had done with his mother.

Reminders of those who loved him filled the space, never making it seem too large or empty. A wooden sword was propped up in the corner, a rocking pegasus in the opposite one. The western windowsill held a flourishing garden, where Nyx was tending to a pot of night-blooming jasmine with his aunt’s help. A small piano resided on the wall opposite his bed, upon which rested a silver crown adorned with an obscene amount of tiny rubies. It was joined by a stuffed fox on the tiny wooden bench, which looked as if it were about to start playing with the keys, a mischevious look on its red-orange face.

Nyx turned the knob of his door, which was tied with a pale blue ribbon.

The dark hallway loomed menacingly ahead of him. His aunt’s bedroom on the opposite wing from that of his and his parent’s.

Winnowing was not allowed in the house, he had been expressly told by his parents, except in the case of an emergency or injury.

His parents had told him it was rude to winnow, and that it was especially forbidden to winnow into their bedroom, or any of his aunt’s and uncle’s bedrooms, unannounced.

But to Nyx, his small body still shaking with fear, this felt like an emergency.

So he squeezed his eyes shut, picturing his aunt’s warm bedroom with the pale yellow quilt and the vase of flowers never empty on her nightstand. The ornate wooden jewelry box filled with pretty things and a cobalt blue cloak hung on the back of the door.

And then Nyx winnowed, an easy task as he had been practicing with his parents whenever allowed.

His aunt’s back was to him as he appeared inside the dark room. Her windows also open wide, overlooking the garden she tended down below.

Elain’s form moved up and down rhythmically, fast asleep in the late hour of the night.

But as Nyx’s eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room, he started in surprise to see that she was not alone in the large bed. A dark frame held her close to him, wings pulled in tight behind him as he slept on his side. Midnight hair swept over his face and hid it from view as Elain slept soundly next to him, her own face burrowed in his tattooed chest. No shadows to be seen - Nyx figured even they must be sleeping.

“Aunt Elain…” Nyx hesitantly reached out to touch her shoulder.

Elain woke with a small gasp, turning around abruptly to see who had woken her. Nyx took a small hesitant step back, twisting his hands nervously in front of him - even though he had never once been chastised by his Aunt Elain, the gentlest of his many caretakers.

“Nyx!” She breathed, squinting through sleep-bleared eyes. “What’s wrong?”

The concern in her voice threatened to send a new wave of hot tears spilling down Nyx’s pink cheeks, which flushed in embarrassment. Future high lords were not meant to cry over a bad dream.

To distract himself, he addressed his initial source of confusion.

“Why is Uncle Azriel in your bed?”

Elain froze, kind brown eyes wide as she stared at her nephew.

Nyx looked over her shoulder to where Azriel still slept, unaware of the conversation taking place. He hadn’t seen his uncle in weeks - and often went long stretches wondering where the spymaster was.

Elain went to open her mouth, but Nyx whispered again before she had the chance to speak.

“Are you scared too?”

“Oh, baby…”

Elain’s arms reaching for him sent the first tear falling as Nyx tried to furiously blink it away. His aunt’s gaze softened as she lifted the covers, carefully moving from beneath Azriel’s heavy arm to pull Nyx closer to her, replacing the blanket back over the top of them once he was settled.

“Having Uncle Azriel here makes me feel better,” Nyx whispered quietly, as if to console his aunt as Elain wiped the stray tears from his face, brushing back his dark hair away from his eyes.

Her warm touch soothed him, her calloused hands still somehow soft.

“He makes me feel better too,” Elain admitted with a soft smile, eyes crinkling in the corners. “He’s very, very tired tonight, so we’ll have to try not to wake him.”

“But what are you afraid of, Aunt Elain?” Nyx inquired, already feeling calmer in his aunt’s reassuring presence, his uncle’s quiet breathing another balm to his worried mind.

“You helped win the last war. You’re not afraid of anything.”

“It’s okay to be afraid,” Elain murmured, not fully addressing his question. She paused, and then lifted a finger to tap twice on top of one of the stars embroidered onto Nyx’s soft sleep-shirt - where Nyx imagined his heart must be.

“To fear is to love, honey. It means you have a big heart - and you love something, or someone, very much.”

Nyx looked down, and then back up to his aunt’s loving face.

“I’m afraid of war. Of what could happen to mama and papa.”

The words hung heavy in the quiet night, and Nyx held his breath - afraid that even whispering them might speak that awful scene into existence.

Elain nodded slowly, a stray curl falling in front of her face as she leaned in to press a kiss to Nyx’s forehead, pulling him closer for a hug.

“You’re a very brave boy, Nyx. And I promise you, your mother and father will do whatever is in their power to always come home to you.” Nyx nodded, willing his aunt to be right. “They love you very much. We all do.”

And Nyx knew that to be true, without a doubt. He let that love surround him, as he nestled into the warmth of the blankets and Elain’s touch which continued combing through his hair. The rhythm of it a gentle lull back into sleep.

——————-

It must not have been too much later, as Elain was still awake when new movement roused Nyx once again. He blinked open his eyes, readjusting once more to the darkness of the room.

Nyx peered over the top of his aunt’s shoulder. His uncle had started murmuring something in his sleep, muffled by the pillow as scarred hands knotted and twisted in the casing.

“I think Uncle Azriel is having a nightmare,” Nyx said frowning, concern coloring his voice as he noted the furrowed brow on his uncle’s face.

“What does he have bad dreams about?”

Nyx could not fathom the formidable spymaster, his kind but stoic uncle, being afraid of anything.

“Yes, he does have bad dreams.”

“About what?” Nyx asked curiously. He couldn’t make out what his uncle was saying.

Elain turned to look slightly over her shoulder, at the male sleeping next to them.

“He’ll tell you himself when you’re older.”

Nyx knew not to protest this rationale by now - he knew well that when one of his parents or caretakers said he had to wait until he was older, there was no argument to be had.

Even if he wasn’t yet allowed to know what his uncle was dreaming about, Nyx didn’t want his uncle to suffer. Remembering his own nightmare just hours before.

He reached a small hand over Elain to nudge his uncle’s shoulder, but Elain was faster, capturing his wrist in her hand before he could touch Azriel.

“Gently,” Elain warned softly, but firmly. “Sometimes Uncle Azriel is confused when he wakes up, and he doesn’t remember where he is. We don’t want to startle him, especially since he will be very surprised to see you.”

Nyx nodded seriously. When it came to all matters of his uncles, he never wanted to disappoint them.

“Okay,” Elain affirmed, twisting and lifting Nyx so that he now lay in between his aunt and uncle. Still guiding his outstretched hand, Elain led Nyx to gently lay a palm on Azriel’s cheek. His skin was cool beneath Nyx’s touch, soon enveloped by the warmth of his aunt’s palm as she gently stroked both his uncle’s face and Nyx’s hand.

Nyx knew the second his uncle woke, as shadows swarmed from the corners of the room to fly about their master, tickling Nyx’s cheeks and nose in their haste to get to Azriel.

The shadows had never frightened Nyx, but seemed to trail after him once in a while like a stray puppy. Probably by the will of their commander, but Nyx appreciated their presence all the same. It was like an extension of his beloved uncle, even when he wasn’t there.

“Elain?” Azriel muttered dazedly as his brow tightened even further while he fought to open his eyes.

“We have company,” Elain murmured back carefully to his uncle, a kind of warning in her tone. Nyx waited with bated breath.

He didn’t have to wait long, as Azriel’s hazel eyes opened fully at her statement, landing quickly on Nyx who was mere inches from his face.

“Holy mother-“

Nyx couldn’t help but let out a small giggle at his uncle’s surprise, having never once been able to actually startle his stealthy uncle before.

“What’s wrong?” Azriel rasped, pushing up to his elbows to look behind Elain and Nyx toward the still closed door. A few of his shadows darting out beneath it into the quiet hallway.

“Everything’s fine… Azriel.”

Elain’s voice was just as soft as it had been with Nyx.

“Nyx had a bad dream, too, and winnowed here.”

Azriel’s shadows settled closer to him once more once he had determined that neither Nyx nor Elain were in any real danger.

Nyx’s cheeks turned bright red, and he hoped the darkness might hide the fact from his uncle.

“I’m sorry, I know I’m not supposed to winnow in the house.”

Azriel’s expression softened, hazel eyes lowering toward Nyx’s wide blue eyes and wobbling lip.

“It’s alright, Nyx.”

Elain chimed in gently, suggesting, “Why don’t we take you back to your room and we’ll wait until you fall back asleep?”

She squeezed his shoulder reassuringly.

“Yes, please,” Nyx answered bashfully.

Elain led the way out of the room, shadows twisting around her ankles affectionately as Azriel followed behind them both. Nyx had never seen his uncle so casual before. He padded barefoot and bare-chested in a pair of soft sleep pants, hair mussed every which way.

It had been strange to discover him in his aunt’s bedroom, as every i interaction he had ever witnessed between the pair before had been polite, cordial, but nothing more. But clearly, they were good enough friends that Elain turned to him when she was frightened, too.

He was grateful for both of their presence that night, and the memory of his nightmare was quickly fading.

A small hand reached forward, grasping Azriel’s and then the other reaching just behind him to grab Elain’s.

Azriel gave a small smile to Elain over the top of Nyx’s head, while Elain beamed.

The walk down the long hallway no longer seemed so frightening to Nyx, as shadows twisted and danced along their path, the dark shapes leading the way back to Nyx’s room.

Once inside, and Nyx was settled back underneath his covers which once more seemed comforting rather than restrictive, Elain and Azriel sat on either side of him, Elain fussing while Azriel sat quietly, his tired eyes bouncing between the boy and his aunt.

“Uncle Azriel, will you sing?”

Nyx’s small voice was already fading as his eyes drooped with exhaustion.

Elain flashed Azriel a pretty smile, which made the corners of his uncle’s lips turn up before he started to sing quietly, a song that he had sung to Nyx since he was in swaddling clothes. It was in a language he did not recognize, but comforted him all the same. His uncle’s voice was rich and deep, like the roots of a tree digging deep into the earth.

The last thing Nyx thought about before he drifted back to sleep was that he hoped his aunt and uncle would not have any more bad dreams that night either. And that the stars would watch over them too, just as they remained bright and twinkling outside of his bedroom window.

———————

Once they were sure Nyx was resting peacefully, with no nightmares in sight, Azriel and Elain quietly took their leave back to Elain’s bedroom.

As soon as the door had clicked shut behind them, Azriel scooped up Elain and carried her down the rest of the way down the hallway, against her whispered protests.

Now that he was awake and sure that his nephew was sleeping soundly once more at the other end of the hall, Azriel had no intentions of falling asleep again anytime soon.

“We’re lucky that I needed that nap before properly greeting you,” Azriel murmured, pressing teasing kisses up and along Elain’s throat. “Otherwise we would have needed to have a much different conversation tonight.”

Elain huffed a laugh, even as she gripped his shoulder tighter, urging him on.

“I’ll figure out what to explain this as in the morning, to keep him from saying anything to Rhys or Feyre.”

“Is something distracting you from devising a plan right now?” Azriel murmured against her neck. Elain could feel the curve of his lips turn in a teasing smile.

“I’ve been waiting for this distraction to come home to me for weeks, so I would say yes…” Elain retorted, pushing him away and on his back with surprising strength and hiking her nightgown up in order to straddle him.

“Now, distraction, show me exactly how much you missed me.”

Tag List: @ultadverb @reverie-tales @123moiaussi @demarogue @gracie-rosee @impossiblescissorspeachpaper

#absolutely perfect #so cute #I need more elriel and nyx fanfics

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