#( eri hc. )

[lunarxcity]

Why try? (Part VII to Why me?)

azriel x rhys' sister! reader

angst/eventual comfort ( This one's a bit shorter, but I did try to jam-pack as much in here as possible so a lot does happen and we do have Azriel and the reader's official reunion and it goes just as well as you think it would!!)

Summary: When you walk in on Azriel and Elain the mating bond snaps leading you to flee to Autumn with Eris so you can be free of Azriel. Your absence causes Azriel to come to some drastic realisations, but is it already too late and has your time in Autumn led to you moving on?

Parts I, II, III, IV, V, and VI if you missed them!

-

The second you stepped through the floral arches of the Gardens of Velaris, you were immediately reminded of how much you had missed the Night Court while you were away. The Gardens of Velaris had been turned into a starlight-themed ball, flowers enchanted to twinkle like stars.

Before you could as so much as take it in, Feyre immediately spots you and runs up to you and brings you in to an all encompassing hug. Oh how you've missed your family.

Nesta followed immediately after and while she can be rather cold at times, this was not one of those times as she joined in on the hug. You knew Mor didn't join because you came with Eris and guilt settled in your stomach.

"We've missed you so much. Rhys hasn't been the same without you here he's been so grouchy lately." Feyre holds both of your hands in hers and excitedly rushes to tell you all about your family and while Nesta isn't as talkative, she also had her on quips about the time you were gone.

You looked at Eris while you're sisters in law whisked you away, and he gave you a nod signaling you to go with them. They led you to a table with a shimmering silver tablecloth covered with elaborate glass fountains of faerie wine. Arm in arm, the sisters took you down the table until you reached the last one. This one looked to be marble and in the shape of Ramiel with silver stars twinkling above it and next to it stood Mor and Amren. Mor with her signature smile, brown eyes lighting up in joy the second she sees you, and Amren with as much excitement as you could garner from them.

You immediately run into their arms. Mor squeezes you tight and Amren, much less enthusiastic begrudgingly allows you to hug her, you hadn't remembered the last time she had let you do something like this.

"I've missed you so much Mor." You had always been close to your cousin, she was a second sister to you when yours died and this was the longest you guys had been away from each other. You became overwhelmed from all the emotions, mostly good, of seeing your family again. Mor began to tear up and then Feyre began to tear up and seeing tears in both of their eyes made tears well up in your eyes and suddenly the three of you were crying in a group hug, dragging the other two into it.

Behind the fountain of wine stood Elain, skittish as a baby deer. You had months to get over her and Azriel besides she didn't know he was your mate. You harbour no ill will towards the Archeron sister and have actually missed the warmth of her company.

You look up at her, smile, and gesture for her to join in on the hug, "Elain bring it in." She meekishly approaches guilt and sorrow written across her features, "I would like to apologise for my actions. I would have never showed any interest in Azriel if I knew he was your mate. I can promise you that nothing serious happened-"

You cut her off before she could get the words out. "It's okay. Truly. I have missed you Elain." You tell her gently. Tears well up in her eyes and she joins in on the hug, as much of an emotional wreck as the rest of you.

You were trying to turn over a new leaf, one that is focused on you and not Azriel and to do that you had to let go of the bitterness you felt from the whole Azriel and Elain situation. Your anger and resentment that you held towards Azriel was not going to disappear soon, if ever, but you wouldn't blame Elain when she was just an innocent bystander to the trainwreck that is yours and Azriels mating bond.

Your guys' lovely bonding and crying session was ruined by a harsh gust of wind and a hard landing. You knew that sound anywhere that was the harsh landing of Illyrians. You could recognize the sound of Azriel, Cassian, and Rhys from a mile away. Their distinctive wingbeats and landing pattern, may be insignificant to most, but you could pinpoint exactly who landed and where.

-

Rhys has always acknowledged that Azriel possessed a certain lethal kind of brutality. It was the lethality of spies and assassins, the lethality of the shadows. The lethality that thrives in silence and creeps up on you, the kind that you won’t know it’s lethal until it’s too late. It’s the glass you’re holding all evening while laughing and dancing that you don’t realise is poisoned until you’re clutching at your throat hours later.

Azriel’s had always been brutal, he did torture people for a living, but his composure had always remained. His silence was the deafening kind. The silence of night, unseeing and terrifying because you never know where he is going to strike until your head is rolling on the floor and your body is on the ground.

Right now the Azriel that Rhys was currently fighting showed none of that. He was all sloppy movements and animalistic aggression, borderline growling at Rhys as he tries to get a hit on him. The mating bond had just snapped for Azriel he shouldn’t have provoked him, but Rhys was trying to get all the pent up energy out of him. He also was fuming at Azriel, but he didn’t need to know that part yet.

Azriel landed a particularly hard blow on Rhys’ nose. Blood sprayed, Cassians eyes widen and he knows if he doesn’t run interference now there wouldn’t be anything left of his friends to tear apart.

Hit after hit after hit. Scratch after scratch. Azriel was just going after Rhys and Rhys was matching him in aggression but he was being overpowered by feral edge that the mating bond gives Azriel.

Azriel was about to go for Rhys’ throat when Cassian caught his arm in mid-air. His siphons blazed crimson and he was using all of his strength to hold Azriel back.

“If you guys don’t stop fighting you’ll kill each other.” His features contorted in strain from using all his strength to keep Azriel at bay.

Before either Azriel or Rhys could even fire a retort back to Cassian they both stilled. Like a wolf perking its ears up when it hears a rabbit in the bushes.

“I need to get to her. She’s crying. Something’s wrong.” Azriel said with slight alarm.

Rhys must have felt it too because he had the same initial reaction. Winded from the fight, he says “It’s probably just the emotions from being reunited with her family. Feyre is crying too.”

Azriel was flooded with emotions from the bond and he didn’t know how to discern them from his own. His emotions are heightened and in turn so are his reactions.

“I will find whoever made her cry and make them pay.” He says with a grave finality, the spymaster going on a mission.

Cassian facepalms himself. “Oh brother let’s not be so dramatic now.”

Rhys scoffs, “No let’s not-“

Azriel takes off in a gust of wind that nearly knocks him down.

“-do that”

Rhys sighs and looks at Cassian with a look that says “can you believe this?” Cassian shrugs his shoulders,laughs, and goes “You were just as bad when the mating bond first snapped.”

“No I was not-”

Cassian is in the air, following after Azriel before Rhys could even finish.

Rhys then takes off after them mumbling to himself. “How dare they leave their high lord. Beron would have had them fed to his fire hamsters for that or whatever Autumn Court beasts he has. Eris is close enough-”

-

You look up expecting to see all three of them in their most regal finery as esteemed members of this Court, but are instead met with the bloodied Illyrian warriors that looked like they had come back from war.

What in the world? For Cauldron's sake, why couldn't they go through one major court event without something calamitous happening? The only one relatively unscathed was Cassian, the other two were much worse for wear. Blood and dirt caked Azriel's brow and Rhysand sported a black eye. Their previous finery had been torn away and shredded. Their arms were bear and littered with smaller cuts and slashes that were quickly healing.

You had come up this whole plan on how to avoid Azriel by busying yourself with everyone else and just never nearing him or meeting his gaze. You didn't even have a chance to avoid Azriel's gaze because he immediately rushed up to you, cupping your face in his scarred hands and surveying you and then everyone else for any risk of damage. "Are you alright? I heard you crying. Is everything okay?" He looks at you frantic, his hazel eyes drowning in worry that he has no right to feel.

You were about to pull away, fighting the urge to melt into his touch and to be repulsed by his audacity, when Rhys yanked him back by the back of the collar like a dog that needs to be leashed. "Know your place shadowsinger she doesn't talk to anyone else before she talks to her dashing brother." He gives you a smug smile as he spins you around in an all encompassing hug.

Even if you both didn't act like it at times you dearly loved your brother. Even before he was your only family left, you guys had always been close and keeping your distance these past few months was so immensely difficult because at the end of the day Rhys is your family.

After a minute or two Cassian jumped in on your guys' hug. "MY TURN!" The Illyrian warrior had substantially overestimated his size and brought you two down with him. You missed these idiots.

Azriel stood there almost nervously, shadows swirling around like storm clouds circling him. You know it would be weird if you give him the cold shoulder when you had greeted everyone, including Elain, so warmly.

You get up off the floor, leaving Rhys and Cassian to argue who's fault it was that you guys ended up there. You slowly approach the shadowsinger, he lets you come to him as if you were a stray cat and he was a small child on the side of the road trying to take you home.

"Hello." You say, polite, but not giving him much to work with. You had a million things you wanted to say at him and a million more you wanted to yell at him. He's a spymaster he has obviously noticed the shift in your dynamic and the changes in you. Let's just leave it at this and move forward civilly. This should be easy, Azriel has never been one to initiate physical contact anyways, he'll just leave you be and go continue hiding and brooding which is fine as you wont have to deal with him.

His shadows pick up their speed and begin rapidly swirling. His eyes fill with an emotion you can’t quite place and like he did before he rushes up to you. Unlike Rhys and Cassians’ hugs that felt like a burst of excitement this one felt like relief. The moment of peace after the storm in which you see why it was all worth it.

Azriel held on to you like his life depended on it. His arms were a lifeline when you didn’t even know you were drowning. One arm wrapped snugly around your waist and the other over your shoulders while he held your head into his chest his thumb stroking your hair.

For a few seconds you let the world fall away and all you knew is how much you cared for one another. At the very core of you and Azriel’s connection is that deep rooted care for each another and that would take a lot more than a conflict to change. You have never been this upset with him in your life but you know that if anything was to ever happen to him a part of you would be forever lost.

The way he was holding you was so unlike Azriel. He was holding you tighter and in a way that was much more…intimate? Physical contact was never Azriel’s specialty so why is he doing this now?

You snapped out of it and immediately jumped away schooling your features into a mask of neutrality. He is still holding on to you as you make your sad attempt of pulling away. In a voice as low as a whisper, attempting to hide your words from the prying ears of the fae you tell him,“ I hear congratulations are in order. Three brothers for three sisters it's good to hear your sticking it to the Mother's lack of continuity."

You're hurt, but joking about it is the best way you could put him in a neutral zone the quickest and draw the lines as they stand. You don't believe in love triangles they're your least favorite trope because there is always the odd one out getting hurt and right now it's you.

Even though you already knew from what Elain had said earlier that it didn't work out between them and Lucien had also talked about Elain being on the fence about deciding to give him a chance, you wanted to take a jab at Azriel. Was it petty and a low blow? Yes, but what could people expect from you? You are Rhys' sister.

He looks shocked at first then straightens up. "That was the past. I have learned the consequences of forsaking the Mother. Right now, my focus lies elsewhere." His gaze burns in your soul and his tone carries the reverence of a speech. He sounded as if he were swearing an oath.

You scoff, "We'll you have been forsaking a lot recently." His eyes darken and he stares you down, "How would you know what I've been doing lately? You left without even as much as a notice or explanation and you've written to everyone except for me."

You hear the pain and frustration in his voice and you can't bring yourself to care. You provoked him, but you were so angry and so tired and you wanted him to hurt the way you did that you just keep going.

Your brows furrow and your eyes cut into him. "Well, you wouldn't have even noticed my absence if it wasn't for your shadows. Is my presence so insignificant to you that you can't notice that something is wrong until your spies tell you. For such a revered spymaster I am struggling to comprehend how your skills only fall short when I'm involved."

Your tone is ice and your words are fire. You just wanted to keep going and going and going throwing stone after stone.

He looks frantic, Azriel has never been good at verbalizing his feelings and you knew that. His head was in a tailspin and he didn’t know how to respond.

He begins to speak so slowly, as if he was physically struggling to get the words out. “That’s because you’re different from everyone else. I actually care what you think.” His eyes held a silent plea, a sight you would have done anything in your power to prevent months ago, but right now you’re too far gone to deal with his half assed attempts at caring for you.

“Oh for cauldrons sake you-“ You couldn’t finish your sentence because your feet are off suddenly lifted from the ground. Your thrown over a shoulder and marched off.

“Did anyone ever tell you it’s a party foul to start an intense emotionally charged argument at a ball in your honor?” Rhys is every bit of smug and annoying as he was as a child. As you’re trying to get out of his grasp he starts to spin you. You throw yourself forward and throw him to the ground with you not wanting to hear a Rhys lecture.

Cassian was running interference on Azriel seemingly inspired by Rhys’ tactics. He was trying to pick up Azriel and Azriel was not having it. “Get away from me.” Cassian was not getting away from Azriel. He smacks Cassian’s hand away. Cassian smacks his hand back and they start a slap fight.

Eris and Lucien walk in holding two drinks each and look to see the high lord and princess on the floor while the general and spymaster are in a toddler level slap fight. This was the feared Nigjt Court that they were supposed to be visiting?

Eris downs one glass. Then another and makes both disappear. He then grabs the second glass out of Lucien’s hand and clinks their glasses together before taking a sip of the third one.

Lucien downs his glass and then takes Eris’ glass and promptly downs that too. This was going to be a rough couple of months.

“Petulant children all of you.” Eris said with disdain as he smacks his arm around Lucien’s shoulder and turns them around right back to the party and away from all this Night Court commotion.

part viii

-

Note: This is a bit of a shorter chapter but hey we got their official reunion. Az cannot read the room but hey it makes for great entertainment! Things will begin picking up especially w all the current turmoil. Again thank you for all the support I hope you guys like where the story is going so far and until next time my lovelies

Note note: if I say I edited this I would be lying…

Taglist: @alimarie1105@chaosabroad@bbontenswhhore@tele86@ashblooddragons@circe143@i-am-infinite@princesssunderworld@thestartitaness@tiffany-xx@cpfantasybooks @lucia-valentinaa@jennigsonl@ivy-34@firefly-forest@k-homosapien@coeurdeveea@cherryjain17@bckynatt@becstersworld@rcarbo1@gojospearlycim@atluky@juliebluehufflepuff@willowpains@abadfantasybook@neverendingstay@hellohauntedturnstudent@highladyofhogwarts@littowl@iluvyewman-blog@lunaticpotatoe @justlivinginadaydream @julesiebean @shylahstarzz @olive-main @lreadsstuff @noonenuts @sourapplex @aquellaspequenascosas @anuttellaa @honethatty12 @moonlwghts

[drifterslittlemuffin]

This came to me in a dream

[fineghkst]

acotar males being jealous

I know I don’t post anything for a looong time, but since I’m finally on vacation, decided it’s time to start writing again. Probably will be posting more in the next few days.

warnings: suggestive; mentions of sex

someone flirts with you during a party.

lucien

at first tries to hide how jealous he is

if the guy doesn’t stops hitting on you soon, he will approach you

“hi sweetheart, is everything alright?” he completely ignores the guy

places a hand on your waist

give an angry look before pushing you away

doesn’t leave your side until the party ends

VERY touchy to show who you belong to

eris

completely pissed

he just left you alone for a couple minutes to go to the bathroom

gave the person a killer gaze

didn’t think twice before treating the guy with his flames

“talk to my mate again, and i will make sure you loose this filthy tongue of yours”

always with a hand placed on your body (waist, hands, thighs)

lots of PDA during the party

jealous sex later

azriel

you weren’t officially together, so he doesn’t know how to react

he would probably feel insecure for a while, thinking he’s not enough for you

when you get rid of the male hitting on you, he pretends everything is alright, but you soon realize something is off

when you understand he was in fact jealous (cassian told you), you show azriel that you are only his

this man is FERAL btw

[harperbrynne]

Azriel trying to figure out what Eris named his dogs and Eris trying to figure out what Azriel named his shadows

[somnas-writes]

Azris fic idea

Azriel and Eris are finally at the stage in their new relationship where they’re bold enough to sleep in the same bed.

Azriel doesn’t even touch Eris until he gets impatient and hugs him. Azriel absolutely melts and falls asleep so fast.

They both sleep fantastically that night, but come morning Azriel doesn’t wake up. At first Eris panicked, but upon further inspection he realizes that Azriel is in the deepest sleep ever.

On Az’s end, laying in that bed is the warmest he’s ever been and he hasn’t had a full night sleep in who knows how long— once he closes his eyes, he’s out.

He sleeps nearly three whole days, when he finally wakes up he doesn’t know where he is but he’s never felt more relieved.

[chunkypossum]

I guess HC belong here too 😂.

They tend to rot in my notes app.

Eris falling in love with Azriel because of his gentleness.

He’s never at the receiving end of it but he notices. Over time, as he spends more time with his new allies he sees it over and over.

The careful way Azriel hovers near Mor, protecting her, or the easy brush of his hand against Rhysands back when they talk. Eris notices how Azriel affectionately grabs at Cassian’s shoulder or the back of his head. He sees it when Azriel treats Elain like glass, or how he hugs Nesta and his High Lady, and especially when he gets glassy-eyed, with a soft smile when someone asks him about his mother.

Each time he sees it, something chips away at Eris. Watching the fierce warrior who has never been anything but angry and hostile toward him, melt around those he cares about makes him ache.

At first it makes him rage inside. Knowing it was possible for someone so hateful to have such a sweet and soft true nature. Reminding Eris of how brutally his father treats him and how he has always harbored a secret wish that Beron was capable of gentleness too, that he wouldn’t always want to hurt his family.

When the ice between him and Azriel starts to thaw it’s impossible for him not to notice when his wings subtly shift to block the sun from Eris’ eyes. He can’t help but fixate on the playful but achingly light touch of their shoulders as they walk side by side. The first time their knuckles brush Eris was pretty sure he was going to burst into flames on the spot.

Before he knows what’s happening, he starts to want to belong too.

[tinkerpeller]

this is for all the ones who hc emmet as a gamer

[ladydelena]

Eris N-SFW Alphabet

Right, so, let's just say this is after he takes the throne, K? Byeeeee. 

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Eris truly shines in the aftercare department. You wouldn’t expect it because this male, though he loves you deeply and cares for you with the fiery depths of his soul, is just not the most openly affectionate.

He is the epitome of a cunning, courtly male in public. In front of others, he is gentle with his gestures. A guiding hand on your waist, a kiss on the back of the hand, he upkeeps his image well, but he doesn't dote on you how you sometimes wish he would. 

But oh, does he make up for it in private.

In the solitude the two of you share, he is unrushed in how much he dotes on you. Shared baths after heated nights where he washes your skin, your sleepy eyes struggling to stay awake as he dries your hair with his fire-warmed hands and places kisses on your neck and shoulders… 

When he is in the safety of your chambers and is free from the prying, snake-like eyes of his court, he's not acting anymore. He truly loves the care he can show you; it’s a routine he doesn't budge from.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Eris is not shy about knowing the power of his appearance and he knows he was crafted and honed for the high courts. His lanky, toned figure not only lends itself to him having an elegant, powerful aura, but he also knows the pull he has with females and males alike. 

But his favorite feature to use, especially on you? Well, that would be his elegant face of course. 

He knows the planes of his striking face have you mesmerized. It’s his fierce, cruel, cunning, and heated eyes that send your heart into a hammering rhythm at times. The elegant pointed nose that doesn't miss a single shift in your scent; you couldn't hide anything from him if you tried. The expressive, arrogant mouth that spits words like venom at times, but leaves whispered declarations of love on your skin and trails of soft kisses  down your.. ahem, let’s move on.

Eris could not pick a favorite part of you if he tried, it shifts from day to day, but two things are for certain. 

First, the cunning mischief that always sets your eyes and smile alight awakens parts of his soul that has the rest of him burning bright, and second? The hidden away parts that you wouldn't think drove him mad? They do. The warm skin at the nape of your neck often covered by your hair, the insides of your ankle that he needs to press a kiss to as you bare yourself to him vulnerably, he burns for you at the slightest naughty thought of them.

You’ll often find that though he maintains composure in court, he will sometimes nuzzle the insides of your wrists with his nose or lips as a calming measure when he needs the reassurance only the scent and warmth of you can offer.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Once he's close, there's no turning back. When you’re in the moment, Eris takes ownership of you in a way that makes your thoughts fade and your body craves his dominant possessiveness. 

He sees to it that you have all of Autumn in the palm of your hand. He encourages your thoughts and opinions, supports your growth and leadership as his equal, but in the bedroom? You. Are. His. 

Eris owns your pleasure, and you like it.  

Also, that damn arrogant smirk he wears when you take the lead in the bedroom? THe one you try to wipe from his face with your enthusiastic, ahem, ministrations? It just turns predatory as you draw him closer to the edge. Once you push him past his restraints, he’s taking over. (He likes finishing down your throat. You get off on the possessive hand on the back of your head guiding you.)

You expect nothing else from the Autumn court male that has fire in his blood and fucks like it too. You like being his personal cum dumpster, and oh boy are you in for the time of your life.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

He’s terrified of hurting you. Or worse, being hurt by you. As arrogant and in charge as he may be at times, when it comes to you, being intimate is especially new and scary territory. He may be a professional at indulgent, carnal pleasure, but being vulnerable and opening himself up to the possibility of being betrayed? He’s working through it, and at least his heart knows that you will be there for him always.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

Eris is very experienced in the way you would almost expect any courtly male of his status to be. He knows when he’s being fawned over, and he’s had a lifetime of being very indulgent in his casual pleasure. It’s almost at odds with his fine dressings and the princely air about him. He’s shamelessly suave with his words and he’s definitely unabashedly fae. He has never shied away from the animalistic, carnal quality that fae possess, but through the centuries, the one thing he has not indulged in is intimacy. 

In true intimate relations, he is not experienced- by choice. That, he saves for you. 

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

This damn male, he likes you bound and submissive as he controls your pleasure, He likes you flushed with a bit of embarrassment at the way your body is presented to him, at the intimate parts you choose to bare to him. He doesn't have a favorite position, but craves anything that allows him to have you breathless and on the edge of insanity. Anything that drives your lust filled passions as you both need more and more of each other, creating a wildfire that feels like it would set the world ablaze at times, with no end to your bodies needs certain nights. 

Honorable mention? Ugh, the voyeur. He likes taking you roughly as you both stand facing your dressing mirror- hand twined in your hair, the other at your throat or digging into your hip…

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

For the most part, the sight of you, the scent, the promise of indulging in you, it sets an inferno of need roaring inside him. Eris is intense. He blends sensual reassurance with straight up roughly breeding you. 

But in a most unexpected turn of events, Eris can in fact be goofy at times.

He’s indulgent with his pleasure, and likes to taunt and tease. He likes when you're coy and he falls deeply for the spells you weave with your seductiveness, he likes the game of it.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

Immaculate. There is not a stray hair out of place, this male has honed his beauty to be its own weapon, and his hair is just an extension of that. I reiterate that Eris does not shy away from his fae nature, and this is evident in the fluidity of his looks. His hair whether it's in its occasionally shorter shorn state, or grown out long, unbound and flowing, is always elegant and playing courtly games as much as he himself is. He often has it tied at the nape of his neck, or down with intricate braids and hair jewels adorning it.

Now, does the carpet match the drapes? Yes, yes indeed. He’s elegantly trimmed, short and neat down there. Eris himself is not a hairy male, but he does have a faint, teasing happy trail that you love using as a guide for kisses before…

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

He’s surprisingly intimate with you now that you’ve both blossomed in your relationship. At first, Eris would lead with his sensual, pleasure driven demeanor, but over time he’s let some of his walls down. Now, you two share moments that have your hearts beating as one. He takes his time- is curious about you in the way your body answers to his, and about the way your soul sings at his open vulnerability as well.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

If he’s in need and you're not around, he's not ashamed to take the edge off to be able to focus and go about his day, but often he will refrain and let anticipation build for the time he will get to share with you.

(Sometimes if he's in a wicked, snarky mood, he’s not shy with taunting you about what you missed out on, and the thought of his large, elegant hands, roughly stroking himself… goosebumps.)

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

The bastard. He is a bit of an exhibitionist and enjoys the thought of corrupting you (Loving and praising you as well! Don't forget the balance!) He likes sitting back lazily, almost arrogantly as you squirm in his lap. He likes whispering dirty sly things in your ear while being the picture perfect courtly gentlemale and seeing you flush.

He's had a hard life, no doubt, but he also owns the fact that he’s spoiled with entitlement. And when it comes to the bedroom? He likes the entitlement, the ownership he has over your pleasure.  

His beast form. Contrary to popular belief, he does not take the nine-tailed lupine fox form of his predecessor, but instead takes the form of a red, wingless firedrake, complete with golden slitted eyes, pronged snakelike tongue, and swishing, scaled, powerful tail. He has a wicked streak when it comes to your pleasure and is known to shift partially, that tongue wringing your pleasure, talons digging into your hips, tail being plopped… waiting for you to um, well he enjoys when you have fun with his thighs in the same manor as well, so- balance.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

At night when the castle seems asleep and you try to pry him from his work he’ll sigh gently, lovingly. He often makes to winnow you to your chambers, but every so often, he finds that the draw of his other favorite place calls to him, and you find that after winnowing, his fine ass ends up planted firmly on the autumn throne and after whispered taunts and teases, he’ll have you riding him shamelessly with need.

Eris is borne of the forest. And under the dappled light of the autumn trees, amongst the leaves, he looks truly fae. During picnics, and early morning walks, it is sometimes the only reprieve you two find from your busy days, and he enjoys sharing himself with you in these moments too.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

He gets riled fiercely quick when you sass him and show some teeth. He likes the taunt, he likes seeing your clever nature. He likes when you let go of your inhibitions and let your fae nature show. Frolicking in the chilled air and seducing him through the leaved-paths of the forest, his desire burns red hot. 

His heart skips a beat (thought you'd never notice outwardly) when he sees how fiercely you care for the people of his court. Your love and passion fuel his fire. And that warmth in your eyes an heart that he’s been void of for so much of his life? He burns for you.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Using you when he’s angry. Taunts and teases? Sure. Making you blush with doting and degradation alike? When the mood suits it, yes. But taking out his anger? No.

Eris can be quick to lash out at others with a snake's tongue when angered or slighted. His words are a weapon and they cut deep. But he refuses to repeat the sins of his father against the woman he loves. You’ll often find that he distances himself from you both physically and emotionally until the fire in his veins cools if he’s had a difficult day. After being together for a while and understanding the way he acts and thinks, you now know to allow him the space to come to you, and the distance is not a reflection on his feelings for you. He’s getting better at it too, letting you in and sharing his struggles.  

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Don’t get me wrong, Eris, the snake, he knows how to use his tongue, and he's good (cauldron he’s good) at it too. But with you? You do things that have his eyes rolling back in his head. The sight of you kneeling and your pretty eyes locked on him? He would beg. He would bargain with the cauldron itself to have you seduce him with that pretty, bratty mouth of yours.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

He runs the edge between rough and sensual all the time and it drives you absolutely mad. I will shout this from the top of a roof but ERIS.IS.NOT.AFRAID.OF.BEING.FAE.

He likes pleasure and sinfully shared nights. He likes using his quick mind and trained words to make your breath hitch. He takes great pleasure in the physical form and the fire that runs in his veins? He’s passionate in the ways he pushes your body towards release, often without rest and with a seductive rough edge that blurs the lines of what's too much and what’s mind-numbing bliss.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Hiking up your skirt and pushing him down to the forest floor, feeling the darkness of the wine cellars surround you as you’re winnowed in to be lewdly, lustfully taken, quickies are a risky but constant staple in your courtship. It’s the Vanserra allure that has you coming back again and again for more.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

Eris. Vanserra. He risks it all. He plays games, and you? You're his favorite thing to play with. 

He’s not shy about toying with you, taunting you, seeing who’ll succumb to a bluff first, and you? You match him. Almost being caught by sentries and courtiers alike, locations where someone could easily walk in and see the way he makes you lose yourself in him, being absolutely ravished out in the open forest air- he plays with risk to amplify the pleasure both of you experience.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

These autumn males know no bounds with their exploits and Eris is no exception. Eris lasts well beyond you finding pleasure once, twice, even thrice. And when you've both experienced a brief release from your need? He’s ready again, and you? Oh, you need him too. 

You find nights are not often for sleeping, and mornings first light often marks when you feel exhausted and sated, and should probably clean off, eat, and pass out for a few hours before duties steal the day from both of you.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

Surprisingly… yes. 

Eris has access to the best, and most hedonistic crafters in the land, and without monetary restraint and a lustful mind, he has furniture and toys that truly define pleasure. That being said, he doesn't use them that often and prefers to indulge in your natural bodies and magic. Both of you have powers that when crafted and honed, become ‘toys’ of their own. Teasing fiery trails, warmth that fades leaving goosebumps in its wake, ropes of fire binding you, gags and blindfolds of fire that have you on edge with their risk, oh, the two of you just know how to play with each other.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

He is unfair in how he teases and riles you throughout the day with his words and touches; his looks and the promise in his eyes, he makes sure to see it through at night though. But if you’re playing the game during the day? If you get him achingly fervent with want and need? He's a cold hearted bastard. He’ll have you whimpering and begging, have you agreeing with whatever nasty slutty things come out of his mouth for even a hint of release. He knows how to be unfair. And he will edge you within an inch of your sanity, but then his lust takes over and well, the bags under your eyes the next day? They were well deserved with the sleepless pleasure that caused them.  

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

His voice is sinful. Deep and smooth. You hear it in your dreams sometimes, comforting, wrapping around your very soul. And he knows how to use it in the moment too. He doesn’t stumble when he uses that cold, sensual voice to speak filthy things into your ear, doesn't hesitate to place you into a submissive mindset with his calming whispers and reassuring directions; he. Is. everything. In these moments.

When you have him baring his soul beneath you? When you hold the chance of his pleasure in your hands? He whimpers. Soft, breathy sighs and moans. He knows giving you this power over him makes him vulnerable, and you’ve made sure to reward him for it too. 

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

Eris is actually quite… quiet, and an introvert when given the time and space to relax and unwind. 

Yes, he plays an ambivert, he can do what he needs to for the world to see, but the time spent with you is often the only time he has to unwind and take the mask off so to speak, and you? You’re the same. You both find pleasure in enjoying each other's quiet company. Being curled up together and just silently reading different books, doing different activities while just existing in the same space together, it’s a way you both recharge, and this brings his soul pleasure in ways he didn’t think he would have.

Sometimes when you're just laying in each other's arms recounting the day, you might be filthy gossips about what happened in court, even going so far as to reenact funny moments and make codenames for the people you deal with daily. He loves this, being able to laugh freely with you. And you love his laugh, his barking, loud, unexpected laugh that the world never hears.

(He likes roleplay and you like indulging in his naughty, naughty mind. It's great.)

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

His very existence is naughty. 

Eris is tall, lean, lanky in the way that he’s blessed with a strong, masculine frame, and well muscled without being bulky. Every part of him is seductively taunting. From his large elegant hands (that you always want wrapped around your throat) to the surprisingly hard thighs that you often find yourself placed upon… or in between…

If we're discussing endowment here, it’s not just an entire court that he's blessed with. Eris may be lean and lanky, but his most pleasurable asset? He's surprisingly… measurable in length. And well rounded enough… to have you thinking, yes. Yes yes yes, his sometimes red flags look green from this position. 

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Moderate. Eris can refrain from thoughts of you when he needs to focus and attend to the court, but he gets riled at the slightest provocation. Also, he’s a bit of a cunt, but in the way that makes you want to wipe that smirk off his face and taunt him often. He can keep it together and plays the long game. Often times you find that you did not, in fact, wipe the smirk off his face, but instead it carries a edge to it, a predatory promise… Be ready. Be so ready. You often start these games with him, but Eris will be sure to see it to completion…

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

He doesn't fall asleep that easily. You tend to drift off fairly quickly after sharing in each other, but Eris will stay awake, stroking your skin, thinking through the day and his next moves as high lord, or he might even read for a bit. Once he’s settled in for the night though, he rests well and sleeps with you curled against his side with an arm wrapped around your figure, and lips pressed to your hair. 

He doesn't trust many, and relies on fewer still, but you are his souls reprieve. You’re his pillar of strength- his constant someone he can trust through thick and thin. His soul and heart has blossomed in ways he never thought possible because of it, and a part of him that was always bound and stunted now sleeps peacefully too.

[dawneternal]

What I think the acotar characters smell like

Emerie - woodsmoke, herbal tea

Gwyn - honeysuckle, warm rain

Clotho - sweet mint, parchment

Tarquin - sea salt, lime, coconut

Eris - brown sugar, whiskey, smoke

Helion - vetiver, saffron, magnolia

Thesan - apricot, sage

Kallias - vanilla, cedar, snowdrop

Vivianne - violets, sugar plum, fresh snow

Tamlin - moss, lily of the valley, blackberry

Lucien - Leather, bergamot

Lady of Autumn - clementine, clove, amber

Beron - tobacco, cider, oak

Nuala and Cerridwen - moonflower, peach, sandalwood

Rhysand's mom - cardamom, moonflower

[hakusins]

cw // smoking

biker (???) whiteri comic

[eloquentsisyphianturmoil]

Fingon also adjusted his wardrobe to be operative one-handed btw. so Mae can still undress him

[lunarxcity]

Why here? (Part VI to Why me?)

azriel x rhys' sister! reader

angst/eventual comfort ( Now this one is a bit different from the rest and is a bit angsty and more Eris and Azriel focused so we'll see how that goes )

Summary: When you walk in on Azriel and Elain the mating bond snaps leading you to flee to Autumn with Eris so you can be free of Azriel. Your absence causes Azriel to come to some drastic realisations, but is it already too late and has your time in Autumn led to you moving on?

Parts I, II, III, IV, and V if you missed them!

-

There is an enchanted chessboard older than the cauldron itself. Before the fae inhabited this world and when the creatures in the prison roamed free Fate had gifted the Mother a chessboard. They play more often than not and through the centuries the stakes have gotten higher and higher.

Around the times of the first high lords, when the lines of the courts were being drawn and the Cauldron was being built an intruder had run interference on their game. A small black tendril, nameless in nature and free in spirit, the first shadow of this world. The emergence of the first shadowsinger had awoken it, apparently teaching it to shift through the different worlds and it had accidentally stumbled upon the Mother's. The shadow had swirled around the pieces, animating them and moving them around which gave the Mother the wonderful idea of turning her pieces into the lives of actual fae as the chess games had become rather boring lately.

So for centuries, the Mother and Fate have been writing the destinies of unsuspecting fae. Move after move, piece after piece. Now this particular game has hit quite a standstill. Move after move and yet no clear winner or end in sight. The story of you and Azriel has been a rather difficult one to craft and the game has been played for hundreds of years, it's vicious and cut-throat. The Mother who has been playing for you has been going for direct and sharp moves, while Fate who has been playing for Azriel has been going for the unsuspecting moves, the ones that you don't realise are happening until it's too late.

"How long are we going to make them dance around each other for?" The Mother looked at Fate with her all-knowing gaze before she began to eye her pieces, a pensive look that only belonged to someone who is actively working out their strategy because if the Mother hated one thing it was losing.

Fate looked back at her, "We could continue this game for all eternity darling. What's the rush when we have forever? You do know how I love a slow dance." Fate had always loved the journey, he loved to craft these elaborate stories for the Mother's characters, he always told her that he believed it would make the payoff better, but she was rather fond of these characters and they had been playing for so very long.

The Mother made her move. She sighed, "Haven't we made them go through enough? I do like these ones they might be my favourites." She looks at him in his ethereal eyes, glowing with a light that was anything but mortal, "You do know the sister plotline was a bit much. She has gone through enough any more struggles and she might not even want the mating bond anymore."

He looks at her and then the pieces, competition lacing his very being, he moves his piece. "I believe that suffering is the only way to bring out the truth of someone's character. It is in these moments of darkness that we must look actually look at ourselves and truly see us for what we are."

He picks reaches out across the table and holds her hand. "This is the only time we can truly change for the better. They would have never been happy together otherwise my love. You know that you made them both too stubborn for their own good." Fate gives the Mother a blinding smile, one with all the kindness and reprise that he refuses to give the ones who's destiny he is in charge of.

She gives him an annoyed look. Not one of true annoyance but rather an I'm annoyed your right and know me well enough to know I agree with you kind of annoyance. She gives a small smile back and goes, "Yes the shadowsinger reminds me of a certain someone too. Someone who is also too stubborn for his own good and refuses to accept a loss.

At this the Mother smirks and moves her piece, she looks at Fate with a mischievous grin and forces his hand. Very few had the power to tamper with Fate, but right now the Mother had him in the palm of her hand. She smiles and for the first time in almost 500 years she it looks like the game is going in her favour, the endgame is near and she refuses to lose.

"Check."

-

In the Gardens of Velaris, there was a shadowsinger hiding in the shadows. This was not an unusual sight, as his job description entails spying and the shadows are curious creatures, what was unusual was the feeling of the mating bond that had just snapped for Azriel.

He has been yearning for this very thing for Centuries, so now that he has it, why does the world feel like it's collapsing beneath his feet. You were only a few feet away in the distance. He could literally see you. See you laughing with Eris. Eris.

Rage envelops him and a way of thinking so primal and ancient is fighting with his rational mind. Well as rational as it could be mind. A bombshell has been dropped on him and he is trying his best under the current circumstances to stay calm and not tear Eris' throat out for being that close to you and even worse, making you laugh.

Shadows emanate from every fibre of his being. The shadows take over, and Night hears them, and together, they envelop the court in an all-consuming blackness that snuffs out every light source for miles. It had only lasted for a millisecond, barely anyone had noticed it and those who did had just assumed they had blinked or it was a trick of a light, but he could tell you did.

You started looking around frantically. Cauldron save him he couldn't face you right now. He had no right to even look at you. After the initial shock of learning that you were his mate, the reality of everything that he has done came crashing down on him. Azriel can't deal with himself. The reality of what he has put you through. He pined over Mor for over a century. He almost invoked a Blood Duel over Elain. You were his mate and he had forsaken your bond. Forsaken your bond for another fae's mate. Your friend's mate.

Mother free him from this torment. Everything came crashing into him at once. Reminders of every time that he had ignored you for another female. Reminders of the flash of sadness that would flicker in your gentle gaze every time that Azriel would rain-check your plans for Elain or talk about another female.

The look of disdain that Rhys had on his face the night he found him and Elain. The uncharacteristic cruelty that had been directed towards Azriel. The distance of the inner circle and his own shadows. Everyone had known. Everyone except for him. Did you know? Is that why you left? Why you had been ignoring him for months?

He tries to tug on the bond and he winces. The bond snaps back at him painfully like a rubber band that was held taught and released. Seems like even the bond itself is punishing Azriel. So you didn't know then?

You were still looking around with your senses on high alert and it seems like you weren't the only one that had noticed the blackout. Eris in all his horrendous glory had also been surveying the area and while you looked like started pray that was scanning for predator to jump out of the bushes and attack, Eris was every bit the predator scanning the area ready to pounce.

Azriel locked eyes with Eris. Eris' eyebrows raise, his eyes holding mischief and curiosity, a truly despicable combination. The conniving fox never stops his scheming and with a smirk he puts his hand on your lower back and leans to whisper something in your ear. All while maintaining eye contact with Azriel.

His rational side is long forgotten and he luges for Eris. Pupils dilated, teeth bared, and siphons glowing. Instead of landing on Eris, he landed on a barrier of shadows which drag him through the shadow realm like a parent dragging their misbehaving toddler by the arm into timeout.

The shadows drag him through the shadow realm, struggling to constrain him, and throw him onto the floor of the training ring in the house of wind. Rhysand and Cassian arrive on the scene moments later, amusement coating their features once they see the position that Azriel is in. Cassian bursts into a fit of laughter seeing Azriel shadows trying to hold him in place and watching him fight back against them, while swearing profusely.

Rhys saunters towards Azriel, "Well took you long enough brother. Release him." The shadows immediately release their hold of Azriel. The look he's giving Rhys is filled with so much malice that anyone other than Rhys would have shivered at his gaze.

Rhys is gives Azriel a predatory smile that is anything but friendly. Rhys says, "Now that you officially know I can finally do this", and he punches Azriel in the face. Rhys looks at Azriel while he's on the floor from the hit, "You want to be my brother again. Earn it. "

Azriel's nostrils flare and he comes swinging at Rhys with full force. Cassian is enjoying this a lot more than he should have and the house agrees spawning him popcorn on the table on the outskirts of the training ring. Between Azriel's vicious as a result of a new mating bond and Rhys' pent up anger for hundreds of years of pain you endured this was going to be a very entertaining fight.

-

There were very few things that brought Eris Vanserra true unadultered joy - his schemes, the suffering of his enemies, and apparently spending time with you. For these few months with you had been the first time he genuinely enjoyed someone's company. He was sad you were leaving, of course, but that was the whole point of your stay, you would process your mating bond and return when you had distanced yourself from it enough that being around Azriel wouldn't break you.

Eris had never wished for a mating bond. He has never been surrounded by happiness, let alone love, only pain, and would never wish that life upon another. To be tethered to Eris is to be tethered to a lifetime of cruelty and a lifetime of pain. He watched his mother suffer every day at the hands of his father, the only true happiness she experienced was in the presence of Eris or Lucien, whom she seldom sees anymore. He watched the love of Lucien's life be sentenced to death by his father.

Eris knows that when he becomes the high lord of Autumn that he will have a target on his back and is one day destined to meet a bloody end. How could he sentence someone to a fate like that? Every Vanserra's is a flame - burns brightly, hurts to the touch, and is destined to go out.

Now Eris does believe in love but he also believes in choice and he has chosen to keep his circle small and tight for as long as he could remember. His walls were impenetrable and he was very guarded, he wore cruelty as a mask and indifference as a cloak with wit being his sword. He had never needed anyone, he only needed himself. That's what he told himself when Lucien had told him he was leaving Autumn for Spring. That's what he told himself when he isolated himself for hundreds of years and that's what he told you when you guys had first met in the Autumn Court library.

You had been about 75 and were in the Autumn Court on a diplomatic visit with Rhys and your father. You had grown bored and decided to sneak off into the Autumn Court library in the middle of the night, unaware that anyone would be there. You had just waltzed in and started grabbing text after text that Eris was actually impressed and had remained silent for two hours until he decided enough was enough and it was time to bother you. You guys argued for hours, matching each other's wit in a way that Eris had never experienced, and he didn't admit it to anyone but he was looking forward to your next visit.

You guys had always corresponded after that. Remaining good friends and regularly sending each other updates, book recommendations, and even jokes. Eris realised that he missed you, a very uncommon feeling for the cold hearted fire wielder and was elated to receive an invite to the Night Court ball. He arrived elated to see you only to find you on the arm of the shadowsinger. He couldn't be upset though, because you ran to him excitedly and embraced him in a hug.

Eris refused to be second to anybody so he gave it up and accepted his role in your life. You value the people in your life greatly and he appreciates your friendship either way but it would be a lie to say it didn't pain him to hear about Azriel for so long.

Azriel had this amazing person pining after him and he couldn't even appreciate you enough to properly give you his attention. How he didn't know you had feelings for him, Eris couldn't figure out. He was the Spymaster of the Night Court and he couldn't even notice how your eyes lit up in his presence.

When you had written Eris in a panic calling in the favor you held over him for securing certain information about Beron, Eris knew it had something to do with that Cauldrons-damned shadowsinger and had left immediately. The minute he was in that room with you and him and the rest of the inner circle, he knew the mating bond had snapped for you and that Azriel was contemplating invoking a blood duel over Elain. A blood duel with his brother. Eris was furious.

Eris is still furious. The shadowsingers stupidity almost got his brother killed and maybe you, he believes you to be formidable, but a broken mating bond has catastrophic effects on fae. It was something he would never wish upon you. Eris would lie to everyone but himself and he knows that he has sent a prayer to the Mother at least once or twice or more times asking for you to be his mate because he knows that while he could never deserve you he would do everything in his power to try to be.

Eris is not a traditionalist by any means, how could he be when his father runs Autumn with an iron fist claiming that the old way is the best way especially when it comes to fae rights, but Eris does believe in the sanctity of a mating bond. If you and Azriel had tried it out and it didn't work then he would be free to make his move, but anytime before then he deems it unacceptable. He also feels the same for Elain and Lucien, which is another reason he didn't respect Azriel.

Eris would never openly sabotage your life like that. The number one thing he wishes for is your happiness and he sends a prayer to the Mother for that a lot more than he would care to admit. That doesn't mean that Eris can't at least mess with Azriel and make his life a living hell for the period before you get together. He did cause you to suffer for so long, it's only fair.

Eris does not consider himself to be a good person. He's selfish and downright evil at times, but he believes the Mother knows him at his soul and that one day when he is freed from the confines of his father the Mother will allow him to find happiness in either this life or the next. While he doesn't need a mating bond, he is tired and exhausted from being so lonely all the time. When everyone sees you as a villian, it's so hard to not become one and Eris is ready for some change.

But today was not the day for changing for the better. Which is what Eris tells himself as he meets Azriel's gaze in the Gardens of Velaris. Based on the dilated pupils and the overall feral look of the shadowsinger, Eris assumes that the mating bond has just snapped for him. Oh goody. This would be a real treat for Eris. A bit of payback if you will.

Eris raises a brow and maintains eye contact with the shadowsinger as he gets close to you and puts a hand on your lower back. He gives some sort of witty retort and you laugh. He continues to look at Azriel while all of this is happening, just to add to the torment. He sees Azriel lunge and then disappear in a cloud of shadow. Well looks like his shadows took care of that. He'll be back eventually and then Eris can do the same thing again.

Eris has already made peace with the fact that you were not his, but he had to make sure you had the best in his absence and if you were destined to be with this male Eris had to at least test him first. Consider it a hazing ritual or reparations for the way he treated you. Either way Azriel was going to make sure this male suffered until he shapes up and became the perfect mate because you deserve nothing less and if Azriel fails to do that then Eris would have no problem sweeping the rug from under him in his own Court.

Eris loves a challenge and he has grown very bored lately. He let Lucien in on this plan and Lucien had actually spoken about wanting to give Elain the opportunity to get to know him, now that Azriel's out of the picture, so the timing was working anyways. Worst case scenario the Night Court is in shambles which would sit back and enjoy anyways. Best case scenario you leave back with him to Autumn and never step foot in this court ever again and leave the shadowsinger forever. Either way he gets to spend time with you and torment Azriel.

He thinks Rhys agreed to this arrangement just because he also wants Azriel to suffer a little bit, after everything he's done.

Eris looks at you again, snapping you out of your search for Azriel. he goes, "I have a surprise for you." You look up at him, focusing on what he's saying, but still being half distracted by the idea of Azriel being near.

"You were saying how much you were going to miss me due to you leaving of Autumn and I have business in the Night Court, so guess who is going to be staying here for the foreseeable future?" Eris says all of this with the smug grin you have been accustomed to seeing him don.

Your face lights up and he continues. "Lulu is also going to be tagging along because he adores his charming older brother so much-" You roll your eyes at him. "Lucien did not say that."

Eris cuts you off by throwing his arm over your shoulder and leads you through the arches of the garden into the ball. "But he will once he sees the havoc we are going to wreak in Night." Eris gives you a mischievous grin and for once you actually give one back as you take your official steps back into your life in the Night Court.

part vii

-

note: This chapter was actually meant to be twice as long and this was the first part but I am about to get busy so I wont be writing for the next week or so and I wanted to get something out before I fall of the grid. I will be answering to asks though I do love receiving them and hearing what you guys think I just won't have that much time to write. The style of this chapter is a lot different from the rest so I do want to know what you guys think. I didn't think it was a good idea for the reader and Azriel to interact immediately after the bond snapped for him, he was just in such a high alert state that I don't think it would be a good idea until he's at least calm again(I know Rhys has been holding in that punch for hundreds of years). Until next time my lovelies!

note note: again pls ignore the lack of editing and the sleep deperivated state I wrote this in :)

taglist: @alimarie1105@chaosabroad@bbontenswhhore@tele86@ashblooddragons@circe143@i-am-infinite@princesssunderworld@thestartitaness@tiffany-xx@cpfantasybooks @lucia-valentinaa@jennigsonl@ivy-34@firefly-forest@k-homosapien@coeurdeveea@cherryjain17@bckynatt@becstersworld@rcarbo1@gojospearlycim@atluky@juliebluehufflepuff@willowpains@abadfantasybook@neverendingstay@hellohauntedturnstudent@highladyofhogwarts@littowl@iluvyewman-blog@lunaticpotatoe @justlivinginadaydream @julesiebean @shylahstarzz @olive-main @lreadsstuff

[wooblydoodly]

woke up today missing eritoshi and didnt feel like working on other things so. heres some trans woman toshiro teehee

[fineghkst]

The traveler II

🍁🍂 Part I 🍂🍁

(a/n): hiii, it took me a while to write this part. honestly, i almost didn’t post it (was this close 🤏🏼 to giving up)

When Eris Vanserra finally finds his mate (eris vanserra x female reader)

warnings: mentions of beron (ew); a little bit of angst; fluff; suggestive

“I didn’t expect you to be this… quiet, Vanserra.” She said after some time of silence.

Eris glaze was on her. After months, she was there looking at him, with her scent invading his nostrils and almost driving him insane. The bond shined, as if trying to pull Eris towards her. He fight against it, denying his own instincts.

“You shouldn’t be here.” He finally said, his voice sharp as a knife.

Having his mate inside the Autumn Court was his biggest dream and nightmare at the same time.

If Beron only find out about that meeting…

“Your little spy follower me for months.” She raised her brown in disbelief, crossing her arms “And now you want me to leave?”

“When did you find out?”

“I’ve felt it the second the bond snapped at Dawn Court. All I could feel was you. I waited for you to come to me, but instead… you left.” Eris felt his heart ache as her disappointment waved through their bond. “So I just assumed the amazing Autumn heir thought he was too good to be with a normal person, who doesn’t have royal blood in her veins.”

Eris frowned, confused. How could she have understood everything so wrong? Even without talking to her, he always felt her, checked how she felt by the small waves by the mate bond. During those months, Eris learned to love every piece he discovered through the brief words of the spy. And yet, he had managed to ruin everything.

“And then, your spy started to following me non stop. At first, I kept playing, pretending I didn’t realized, just to see how far he… you would go. You despise me, that’s clear, but still want to know my every step.” She continued “Care to explain? Or you are too scared your family will find out you’re mated to a nobody?”

“You don’t understand!” He shouted “From the moment I’ve put my eyes on you, all I could care was to keep you safe, far from my messed up life. You don’t know what my family… my own father is capable of. That’s why I didn’t approached you, and that’s precisely why I didn’t plan to do it anytime soon, even when my heart and soul begged me to do it. Neglect the bond was the worst type of torture I’ve ever felt.”

He took a hesitant step towards her, losing all the confidence he always had. She stared at him gaping, surprised by the statement. She really expected his contempt and not to find out that he wanted her more than anything in the world.

“And mostly, if I would be willing to risk everything just to be with you… this would be the last place I would want you to be.” Eris finally broke the distance between then, being only a few centimeters away. He looked at her, keeping every single detail of her face in his memory while feeling her warm breath against his own skin.

“Eris…”

“I truly apologize for making you feel that way.” He whispered, closing his eyes “Don’t think for a second that I think you’re not enough for me. Since I saw you for the first time, you became my entire universe.”

She stared at him, completely astonished. For so long, she have thought to be condemned to a mate that saw her as someone inferior, and suddenly, Eris couldn’t be more different.

Fearful, she raised her hands and gently touched his face. He kept his eyes closed, even shivering under her touch. Eris’s skin was warm and soft, and tiny freckles formed a whole constellation across his cheeks. Slowly, she dragged one of her fingers to his lips, caressing them lightly, before finally closing the distance between them and pressing her mouth to his.

Eris felt his flames stir within him, wasting no time to kiss her back with intensity. He gripped her waist as she wrapped her arms around him, pressing her body against the closest wall.

His mouth moved against hers like he was starved for her, hands pulling her impossibly closer. She felt her own body answering, the bond thrumming so loudly it drowned out every rational thought.

But then —

“Wait,” she breathed, breaking the kiss and pressing her hands against his chest to stop him. Her heart thundered, her lips still tingling.

Confusion flickered across Eris’s face.

“I can’t,” she whispered. “Not like this. I need… I need time. I need to know this isn’t just the bond making us reckless. I barely know you.”

Eris exhaled sharply, jaw tightening. For a heartbeat, it seemed like flames danced in his eyes. Then he stepped back, putting a careful distance between them, even when the bond screamed to never let her go.

“I’m sorry for trespassing the limits.” Eris said “You’re entirely right. We shouldn’t have done… this. ”

It was weird to see Eris lose his words like that, when he seemed to always have everything under control.

Eris tormented himself. He lost all sense of control the moment he touched her, putting her at risk, exposing her to be found by any member of his family. He couldn’t allow himself to go too far. Not there mostly, with Beron and his brothers only some miles away.

Before thinking twice, Eris subtly approached her again and held her hand gently, winnowing them to somewhere Beron wouldn’t find her. A hidden cabin in the forest.

In his father’s disdain, Eris had found unexpected benefits, knowing Beron would never deign to step beyond his lavish palace to concern himself with a miserable cabin hidden in some forgotten corner of his lands.

That house had become his refuge, the only place in Autumn Court where he could find a little peace of mind. Still, knowing his mate was so close to Beron, basically hiding right under his nose, made Eris’s instincts scream to run away with her, far from Beron’s dirty claws.

A little scream left her mouth as they suddenly appear inside the forest cabin. Eris held her waist steady just to be certain she wouldn’t stumble. She looked around confused, trying to understand where they were.

“We still in Autumn Court, if that’s your concern.” Eris said.

“A little warning that you were about to turn the world upside down to get here and drag me along would’ve been nice!” She looked at him angrily.

“You have never winnowed before.” He stated, understanding why she gave gotten so mad “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t want to hear more apologies tonight, Eris.” She stepped back and let go of his hand “And yes, I’ve not and don’t plan to do it again any time soon.”

Eris held his laugh as a weird feeling emerged in his heart. It was strange to finally be with his mate, to talk to her and get to know every detail by himself and not by a cold letter.

Cauldron, all he wanted was her. And now that he had finally tasted her, Eris just wanted to devour her. To worship her entirely.

“You get used to it with time and can even enjoy the feeling, but I’ll let you know in advance if we must do it again.” Eris said “Welcome to my house, by the way.”

She finally looked around, still recovering from the winnowing experience. The forest cabin was a stark contrast to Beron’s palace. Free of extravagance, yet still luxurious in its own way. It was cozy, with an unmistakable touch of Eris.

“I thought you lived in the palace.”

“Officially, I live at the palace.” He pauses while his eyes drift to the fireplace “But this cabin… it’s the only place that feels like mine. No watchful eyes. Just quiet. No one knows it exists.”

“Then why bring me here?” She asked, narrowing her eyes. It was hard to understand the male in front of her.

“Because you’re my mate. And no matter how much it terrifies me, my heart is yours from the moment I saw you for the first time” He said almost desperately “I thought keeping distance would keep you safe, but I was wrong.”

A bitter laugh escaped her lips.

“That’s the reason why you planted a spy in my shadows?” She asked with her voice trembling.

“You don’t understand, do you? My father has tortured me. For the Cauldron’s sake, he has once killed my brother’s lover right in front of him because he didn’t consider her worthy of the Vanserra bloodline.” Eris voice cracked into a shout “If Beron ever finds out about you, he wouldn’t hesitate to use you against me. To hurt you, to break you, just to bend me to his will.”

Her expression crumpled. She could feel his desperation bleeding through the bond, like a deep wound that wouldn’t stop bleeding.

“The choice is mine to make – to stay by your side or walk away. It’s my decision if the bond… if you are worth the danger.” She said firmly “And just to be clear, I’ve never lived my life in fear. I’ve always been free. No court, no chains, no one to hold me back. And I won’t start now because of some ancient, cruel male. Maybe you shouldn’t either.”

It was one of the rare moments that Eris had no words waiting on his lips.

She paused, biting her lip as if the weight of her next words pressed heavily on her.

“I know your father has caused damage that can’t be undone, and I hate to know that he hurt you so deeply.”

Eris let out a slow breath, understanding there was nothing he could do to push her away. And by the Cauldron, it was the last thing he wanted.

So he nodded, defeated and yet tasting something dangerously close to hope. Eris Vanserra had never dared to feel such a thing – not when it could be so easily destroyed.

He was a fool and he knew it. But he was also utterly tired of being haunted by fear.

“You’re right.” He rasped “It is your decision.”

Eris amber eyes flared with a fierce flame.

“Give me the chance to be the mate you deserve, more than being my father’s son, more than danger. And I swear to you I will do everything in my power to make sure fear never holds you captive.”

She gave a small, genuine smile before meeting his amber eyes.

“I’m not promising anything yet, Eris. But I’m here. Let’s see where this bond can take us… together.”

tags: @lalaluch @seasttarr

[starlightandsouls]

Family Line

Summary: Morrigan is unable to forgive the crimes of the past. Will her hate condemn Azriel and Eris to be separated forever? What lengths will Eris go to protect his mate?

A/N: This is the first Azris fic I've ever written and the first fic I've written in a long, long time so please be kind and please please let me know your thoughts. I love discussing my work with readers. This is a series so more parts coming rest assured

..

Azriel POV:  

It is fascinating how someone bred in the cold, barren mountains of Illyria could fall in love with the brilliant ambers and auburns of the Autumn Court. But the tall oaks and winding river had a way of luring people in like sirens- ensnaring them in their trap. At least that had been the case with the Shadowsinger.   

With each recon mission, each hidden midnight rendezvous, the heir to the Autumn Court had wormed his way into Azriel’s heart. It had not been love at first. No, it had started as a deep friendship based on an intrinsic understanding of the other. Once the fox had shrugged off his mask, Azriel had lamented at his own foolishness. How had he ever thought of Eris as the enemy, as a monster? The two males were mirrors of each other, perfect parallels. Hurt by the very family meant to protect them, locked in an eternal game of survival, doing everything they could to survive. How could anyone be made to stand trial for that?  

Slowly, the friendship had turned into more, into longing glances, into nights spent awake, away from the other, dreaming of their smile. To be honest, if anyone were to ask, Azriel could not pinpoint when exactly it had become more-when they crossed that line between friendship and love. But they had, and Azriel couldn’t be happier. Truth be told, the mating bond snapping the night the couple celebrated Eris’ birthday seemed like a divine gift, one that had made the two males laugh heartily at the timing of it. But it was just that, a gift, a cherry on top of an already beautiful relationship. They weren’t in love because of the bond snapping; implying so would be an insult to their love. Their love had taken hard work; it had taken time. It had demanded long nights of holding each other close. It had taken patience when Eris was too lost in his head to communicate, just as it had when Azriel was too stubborn to let anyone heal his wounds. The mating bond snapping was just a golden ribbon on top of a love that the two males already considered a gift.  

It wasn't often that Azriel got lost in thought like this. He was, after all, the Spy master and had a reputation to uphold- he didn't resort to poetry as he once had boasted to Cassian. But in moments like this, when it was just the two of them basking in the golden setting sun, these spouts of romance couldn't help but take over his mind. The two males were watching the sun set in Eris’ cabins by the cliff side.  

The two had used this cabin to meet when their relationship had been a secret. But with Beron dead- a fact he took much happiness in, they used it to revisit old memories, to get away when the world got too loud. And, as ashamed as he was at the fact, they still hadn't told Azriel's family.  

“What are you thinking about, bat?” Eris asked with a flick to his head. It was then that Azriel realized he had spent too long lost in thought. And as he often did, Eris was feeling robbed of his complete attention.  

“Nothing… just thinking...” 

“Wow, that answer was more pathetic than Feanor’s attempts at poetry last night,” Eris threw back. Azriel doubted that- Eris’ second youngest brother was known for his questionable indulgence in poetry. 

“What's bothering you, my star?” Eris prodded again, gentler this time.  

Azriel sort of melted at that. Eris had a habit of using the most touching pet names. At first, he had admonished the red-haired fox; after all he was the Spymaster. He couldn't be seen basking in these sappy nicknames.  

“I'm just thinking… about us…”  

" Okay…that doesn't seem like something to be brooding over. And no, don't deny it. I've already seen that furrow you get in your brow when you're upset," Eris admonished before continuing, “what's actually bothering you?"  

Azriel sat up from reclining against Eris’ back, and stared at him for a moment, 

“I was thinking… don't you think we should tell my family? I mean...  your brothers and mother know, hell, almost all the Autumn Court knows. I just don't want us to be a secret anymore.” There. Azriel finally said it; the wish that had been keeping him up at night, yanking him away from sleep with spears of stress and anxiety. And it was truly a desperate wish of his. He was tired of sneaking around, even long after Beron was dead. He was tired of making up excuses for his brothers every time his “mission" ran a little bit longer. They weren't doing anything wrong. Honestly, he hated how Eris must feel too; being kept a secret like it was something to be ashamed of. Wouldn't he want to declare their relationship to the world as well? So, imagine Azriel’s surprise when all his mate said was, 

“Ah."  

A single word, if even that, was all Eris could offer. Azriel knew something was wrong with that alone. The way Eris averted his gaze instantly was only additional ammo. 

“What's wrong? Do you…not want to tell them?” 

At that, Eris thwacked him on the head. 

"And why would I not want to reveal our relationship? Mind you, bat, I've already told all my family. It's just… My history with the Night Court is no secret. Their anger and hate are mostly justified. I'm just afraid of how they'll react once they know we're mates.” 

A logical argument; as if his fox could ever offer up anything else. One that could not be denied or refuted. This was the exact reason he feared telling his family. Because deep down Azriel knew they would not accept it, they would refute it, they would call it a hoax. There would be no joy or congratulations exchanged, no wishing of happiness like Azriel had done when his brothers had found their respective mates. But…even deeper down, Azriel knew it's not fair. Why do they get to boast their mates in the light? Is he that damned to the dark, that even his mate must be loved in the shadows? No. Azriel himself had suffered his entire life without question, served two High Lords without any protest. He had taken what life had thrown at him. But his mate- his mate that he had prayed for his entire life- would not be subjected to it. Azriel would tell his family. If they couldn't accept them, then they could… somehow even in his thoughts Azriel found it difficult to complete that sentence.   

“I’m just tired though, of hiding, of keeping all these secrets. And to think we had assumed we only needed to keep up this veil of secrecy as long as your father was alive. He’s been dead for so long, and yet still... I think we should tell them, my family I mean,” Azriel finally exclaimed with his last gust of courage. There he said it. And now that he had said it, there was no going back.  

Eris raised a quizzical brow, the beginning of a smirk playing on his face, 

“And where is this bout of courage coming from suddenly? Not that I am complaining but it is quite sudden.” 

“It’s not all of a sudden exactly. I’ve been stewing over this for so long and now seems to be the perfect time. There are no other issues to distract us, no bigger threat looming over Prythian demanding our attention. There’s no reason not to, especially since Helion of all people knows too. Cauldron knows how your mother convinced him not to tell Rhysand.” 

“Eughhh, please, we do not need to delve into the details of how he was convinced. This is my mother we’re talking about,” Eris blanched, all colour leaving his face. 

“Hmm I'm sure she can be quite convincing. Like mother, like son,” Azriel laughed, playing along with the innuendo. 

Eris shoved Azriel and threw a cushion at him. From knives to cushions, how the two had grown. 

“Okay then, bat, what’s your plan? How do we tell your annoying headache of a family?” 

“Well, I was thinking maybe I could go talk to them first, tell them about the mating bond and everything. You know how dramatic they can be, and you shouldn’t have to deal with their theatrics. Once they’ve calmed down, we can all sit together and discuss... everything.” 

For a moment, Eris gave no reply at his proposed plan. His mate only stared at him in that infuriating way of his that made Azriel fear his mate could see all the way to his soul. 

“When are you planning on going?” was all his mate said. 

“End of this week. Cassian is in Illyria, and he should be back by then too.” 

........................................................................................................................................................................ 

It always took a minute to get used to the cool chill of Velaris compared to the coziness of Autumn. As he flew over to the River House, Azriel could practically feel the anxiety seep into every vein and muscle. It was exactly why he had chosen to fly and not winnow, so he could have time to clear his head and come up with a script. Throughout said flight, he could feel his mate send reassurances through the bond, something Azriel was very grateful for. It provided a sense of warmth and familiarity that he needed to ground himself right now. 

According to his family, for the past two weeks, Azriel had been in the Spring Court border, keeping an eye on some movement from the other side. That was another aspect that had led to the decision of telling his family; it was getting increasingly exhausting and difficult to come up with believable excuses for his long absences. Eventually he was going to run out of them. After all, how many reconnaissance missions were needed in a time where peace reigned over Prythian?  

He had arranged to meet with only his brothers first. They were the ones that mattered most. Everyone else had either joined their family very recently or was secondary. Also, because Azriel was a coward with anxiety; talking to such a large audience about such a delicate matter? No thank you. Rhysand and Cassian were enough to start off with. 

Walking in, he found his two brothers already drinking by the fireplace. Spotting him, Cassian immediately leapt up and pulled him into a bear hug,

“Look who finally decided to show his face!" Cassian roared while messing up Azriel's hair. 

“Missed you too brother. Now can you please let go of my hair?" 

Cassian let him go only because Rhysand pulled him into a hug of his own. Azriel might have held on a moment longer, Cauldron knows if he would be getting another hug from his brothers any time soon. 

" So, how goes Spring? Any disturbances we should know of? Although Tamlin has pulled his shit together, there's no doubt about that,” Rhysand commented coolly. 

It was true. After the war with Hybern, Tamlin had undergone a miraculous transformation. It was like he had remembered all of a sudden he had a court to take care of. Since then, he had been working in earnest to help his Court heal. Perhaps his new wife had a hand in straightening him out. Regardless, Azriel was happy he was doing better now. The people of the Spring Court had never done anything to deserve such ruin. So to see them flourishing, alongside their High Lord and Lady, was definitely a good omen. He might not admit it, but it's clear Rhysand thought so too. 

“Yup, all's good. My spies had reported some movement at the border, but there has been nothing of the sort again. It was probably a one off event," Azriel reported the truth. He had gone to Spring. The only lie was that it had taken him three days to deduce nothing was wrong. The rest had been spent in Autumn. 

"Well that seems like a bore. Hiking out in Spring, only for nothing to happen? Bleh, don't know how you don't die of boredom,” Cassian once again began his lament that has spanned 500 years.

“That's why I'm the Spymaster and you're not, Cass.”

A while passed and the three  just sat drinking, catching up on what he had missed in the time he had been gone. Apparently Nyx had launched an entire bowl of porridge at Cassian one breakfast. Now that Azriel hated missing out on. 

But the crux of the matter still remained. He couldn't bask in this calm that had settled over the three. Before he could lose courage and escape like a coward he blurted out,

“So…um…I have something to tell you both.”

Instantly the two turned to him; their gaze welcoming and curious. Azriel took them in one last time, before everything changed. He just hoped it was for the better. 

“The mission in Spring only took around a week. After that I've been in…um…Autumn,” he started out, voice a pathetic little whisper. 

Rhysand raised a quizzical brow and Azriel could practically see the cogs turning in his head. 

“What were you doing in Autumn, Az? Were there any leads pointing there?”the High Lord inquired.

“No…no it's not related to work or anything. I was… with someone…” Cauldron, this is agonising. He would rather walk up the steps of  The House of Wind a thousand times. “I met my mate in Autumn….” 

He had barely finished his sentence before Cassian spat out his drink, the splashes spraying all over Azriel. Why must his brother be a fiend. 

" WHAT?????!” 

" When??? How??! How could you not tell us?” 

The bombardment of questions was endless, giving Azriel no time to explain himself.

“I will tell you if you both shut your traps!" 

That silenced the two males, but it didn't wipe the looks of glee on their faces, the curiosity and happiness glistening in their eyes. For a moment, Azriel wanted to damn himself because he knew he was about to erase all traces of that joy in a moment. Azriel released a shaky breath before starting,

“Before I say anything, I want the two of you to hear me out completely before saying anything alright?" 

His brothers exchanged a confused look at that. 

“Brother, what could be so bad that you're panicking so bad? Is she…”

"It's not….a she.." 

“Oh, damnn Az! You're right I would be a terrible Spymaster because I did not know you were into guys. But why are you freaking out over this? You know we don't care if you're into guys. We would never judge you for that,” Rhsyand said gently, "you know that right?”

" It's not the fact that it's a guy… it's who it is exactly…”

Cassian jumped  in then,

“Oh c’mon, Az, who could it possibly be that you look like you're about to blow your brains out? Wh-”

"It's Eris.”

Just like that, it was done. Before Cassian could finish her sentence, before Azriel himself could properly prepare his brothers for this news. An ant could have offered its repentance in this very room and it would have been heard loud and clear- that's how quiet it became. 

“Eris? Vanserra?” 

"Yes…" Azriel whispered, his head hung low, not having the courage to look his brothers in the eye right now. 

But then he thought of his amber eyed fox waiting for him back in Autumn. His Eris wasn't something to be ashamed of, their love wasn't wrong. He deserved to be loved loud and in the light. Bearing this in mind, Azriel raised his head, ready to take on whatever his brothers threw at him. 

Surprisingly, the two didn't look like they were about to kick him out. Were they absolutely shocked with eyes wide as saucers and jaws dropped? Yes. But they didn't look like they were about to disown him, at least he hoped they weren't going to. Eventually the silence became suffocating, and that's coming from someone who excelled in thriving in the quiet.

“Will you both please say something? I'd rather you get all the anger out of your systems so I can at least explain…”

"Anger? We're not angry Az, just confused…how exactly did this happen?” Cassian asked gently. Perhaps he had seen how Azriel resembled a deer caught by a hunter. The General might not be good at spying but he knew how to read people. Having commanded many battalions in war, he could tell when fear had taken root in his soldiers. And right now his dear brother, who had never trembled when they had fought Amarantha, Hybern and so many others, looked like his very heart would stop with fear. The slight tremble in his scarred hands, his darting gaze, his skittish demeanor. 

However, Azriel only focused on the first few words said by Cassian,

“You're not… angry?”

Rhysand jumped in then, " Why would we be angry Az? This isn't something to be angry about. Yes we're confused and shocked.. and there'll be diplomatic ramifications we'd need to get to…I mean can you imagine…”

Cassian thwacked Rhys against the head, shoving the High Lord off the sofa,

“This isn't the time to talk politics you twat. Look at him," Cass said, pointing at Az as if he couldn't hear them, “he looks like he's about to have a heart attack and you want to talk diplomacy!" 

"Shit, I'm sorry Az. I got carried away, of course we can talk about all that stuff  later. It's not anything you should think about right now.”

Azriel let out a shaking breath, a small smile playing on his face even as his eyes glistened.

“So you're not angry? You don't hate me??" 

" Of course not you dumbass. Why in the world would we hate you?”

“Because you hate Eris! You've all always hated Eris. I thought you both wouldn't…accept us…”

" You idiot! Yes we haven't had the best history with Eris but no one can deny that he's turned a new leaf ever since Beron died,” Rhys’ voice quietened as he added, “And as for when Beron was alive, I for one have no right to judge anyone for the things they do to survive." 

Azriel choked a sob before crumbling completely, his head fell into his hands and he just… cried. All the fear and anxiety that had been eating away at his heart, that had pulled him from sleep in the late hours of night, all rushed to the surface and the facade he had put up all collapsed.

Within a second, he felt arms around him- his brothers. They held him tight as they often had when he had been a child having nightmares about his father's cell, they held him like they had when they had survived Ramiel and the Blood Rite. 

“Azriel, brother…”

All their comforts and reassurances were muffled compared to the bone deep relief Azriel felt. It was incomparable and indescribable; as if a vice had been removed from his heart. How long had he feared this conversation? How long had he trembled when thinking of Rhysand’s reaction? The same Rhysand that now hugged him so tight as if keeping him from disappearing. 

“Only you could think yourself into such a state Azriel. We're your brothers, dipshit, in case you've forgotten. We've stood by each other's side for almost a millenia and you thought finding  your mate would drive us apart?? I'm not denying that it is absolutely a very confusing and difficult to navigate situation. But that doesn't mean we are going to give up on you, Az.”

" But- I thought you didn't like Eris even now, you don't trust him-" 

Rhsyand continued on with that fierce determination of his, taking him by the shoulders and looking straight into his eyes as if trying to speak to Azriel's soul,

"I trust you Azriel. My lion hearted brother, I trust your judgement before I trust my own, I always have, you know that. And I also know you would never make a decision that would put this court at risk and more importantly your own heart at risk. If you love Eris, then you must have seen something in him to put your trust in him. Cauldron, you're mates! If the Mother herself paired you too together, then who are we to question her judgement.”

Azriel only pulled Rhysand back into a hug and cried into his chest. Right now, for the first time ever, the Spymaster had nothing to say. He was too overwhelmed with the flood of emotions right now to do anything other than cry like a child. 

Eventually, Cassian pulled him up and shoved a glass of water into his hands. 

“So, how is Vanserra in bed?”

Azriel spluttered into his drink while Rhysand let out a roar of laughter. They should have known this was coming. 

“Cass!!!" 

“Whaaat??? Oh C'mon, just trying to lighten the mood here and get some juicy details out of this tight lipped bastard. C'mon, now who tops, you or Vanserra?” 

“I do not want to discuss my mate's bedroom preferences with you Cass, thank you very much.”

" Well I-”

" Eris Vanserra is your mate?" A soft feminine voice whispered. It appeared the three brothers no longer enjoyed the privacy that had settled over the River House.

Turning around, Azriel saw the last person he wanted to see right now, Mor.

“Mor, I can explain-" 

Before he could offer up any sort of defense, Mor crossed the room like a hurricane and slapped him right across the face. 

“How could you? How fucking could you? After everything, he's done to me? To our family?” 

Rhsyand pulled her off before she could gouge his eyes out,

“You ungrateful bastard! All these centuries my family has sheltered you, gave a lowlife like you a home and this is what you give us in return? Fraternizing with our enemies?!" 

“ALRIGHT THAT'S ENOUGH!" Rhysand roared,

“Azriel please go." 

What semblance of peace had settled over him disappeared in a flash. Azriel had been so relieved at his brothers’ acceptance that he hadn't stopped to think about the rest of the family. Now Mor’s rage was evident; a fire that threatened to destroy everything in its path. Was this the moment where the odds would flip to condemn him? Rhysand would obviously side with his blood family, he was already asking Azriel to leave…

Rhysand might have seen it in Azriel's expression or perhaps the daemati peeked into his mind because he immediately clarified,

“I'm not asking you to leave Velaris, Az. Just please…go to the House of Wind. I'll come talk to you once I've calmed Mor down.”

" Calm me down? How about you punish this traitor!?”

Cassian pulled him away before he could hear more of the venom Mor was spitting out. Already his soul was in tatters with all her accusations.

Ungrateful. Bastard. Lowlife. Traitor. 

For how could Azriel be anything else? As the darkness drowned his heart and soul, his shadows overtook him too, winnowing to the House of Wind.

……………………………………………………………………………….

A childhood spent in a cell makes one accustomed to the dark. It's a kind of desensitization that people who haven't experienced it will never understand. If you look long enough at the dark, eventually you'll start seeing things in the dark. At least, that's how he got his shadows.

However, even Azriel, damned creature of the shadows, had never seen an abysslike this. He could not see an inch in front of him, could not land his gaze on his own hands. Not even a sliver of light was present in the absolute dark. 

Where was he? And how did he get here? 

Azriel remembered winnowing to the House of Wind after Morrigan had overheard their conversation. He didn't know if it had been a blessing or a curse that the House was empty- no Nesta, no Valkyries. No one to stop him from collapsing, no one to hold him and tell him he was not at fault. But that was how it has always been. Azriel, all by himself, stitching his wounds in the dark, with no one to ask for help. 

And history is doomed to repeat itself. Azriel once again had crawled into a corner and cried loud, hopeless, piercing sobs. He wrapped his arms around himself and tried to cradle him like Eris did. How he missed his mate, what he wouldn't do for his fox to be here right now. Eris always knew how to calm his woes, knew how to pull Azriel out of his own head when nightmares dragged him too far into the past.

But Azriel couldn't return to Autumn yet. Rhysand had told him to wait. Yes. Rhysand would come and he would understand. His brother would make everything better. 

That was the last thing he remembered. Had he passed out? He hadn't been drinking… at least not that he remembered. In fact, he couldn't even remember seeing Rhysand again….

Trying to pull his arms free rang that cursed noise throughout the room he was in- chains. His arms were bound with chains. A slight shift of his shoulder revealed his wings were too.. where in the world was he? What the hell was going on? 

“Rhys!!!! Cass!!!" 

He called out for his brothers, surely they would help him. But no one came; not even hours of calling out, after his throat was parched from all the screams to say anything more. Azriel could not even feel his shadows… had his companions abandoned him too? Did they also think him too damned to be worth repentance? 

Eris… if no one else, surely his mate would come. He would realize something is wrong when Azriel doesn't return to Autumn. Eris would come save him. Eris would come. He wouldn't abandon Azriel. Eris would come…

So Azriel waited for his fox to find him; just as he had waited for his mother to come rescue him from the cell all those centuries ago. 

…………………………………………………………………………..........

Eris POV

The last rays of dusk filtered through the stained-glass windows of Eris' office, spilling crimson light over the  stone walls. The air thrummed faintly with residual magic;  a byproduct of the wards he had woven into the Forest House itself.

He sat alone in his study, hunched over a table scattered with parchment, vials of ink, and half-drained goblets of wine. His mate has been gone for a day and already Eris feels like he is losing his mind. Anxiety and apprehension clawed at his heart- fearing the reactions of Azriel's family. It was made worse by the fact that Azriel had shut off his end of the bond. His mate had claimed that he didn't want to distract Eris with the anxiety he would surely send down the bond. Nonsense. As if Eris could ever think about anything else when his mate wasn't by his side.

As he signed off on the bill regarding harvest rights, a shadow flickered before him. Joy spread through every inch of his being: Azriel was back. However, as has been the case throughout the course of Eris' life, the joy was shortlived. The shadow swirled once before dropping a letter on his desk and disappearing.

Eris didn’t move at first.

That seal. He knew it. It was Azriel's. Throughout the centuries how many secret letters had been exchanging bearing that same seal? How many declarations of love had the seal born witness to? 

He broke the seal.

The script inside was delicate, like falling snow.

Eris,

I tried — Cauldron know I tried — to defend us, to explain you were not the darkness they feared. But they remember. They will never forgive what you and your family did to mine.

My brother threatened exile. I cannot bear this life without them, without my mother. I would have lost her Eris. After already spending my childhood without her, I could not condemn my mother to this fate again.

You must not follow me. The borders have been warded. Even your name is forbidden in our court now. I send this letter with my own shadows so that you know this choice is mine — not made by force or by someone else.

I loved you, Eris. And I hope that one day, when the stars have turned and time has softened their hearts, we may meet again beyond the veil of duty and blood.

Forgive me.

Your star,

Azriel

Eris read it once.

Twice.

The third time, his fingers trembled and a slow, pulsing glow emerged from the letter, reacting to the heat of his sorrow. Words burned like runes before fading into ash.

He stood, staggering back from the desk as the letter burst into embers and vanished — a spark spiraling into nothingness.

That was when he felt it. A shattering pain in his chest that sent him to his knees. The bond...it was gone. That golden string of pure light that showed him the path to his Azriel, his Star... It was gone...Eris couldn't feel him, he couldn't feel Azriel...

Outside, the woods darkened. The wards hummed, protective and ancient, but they could not keep grief at bay.

Azriel had made his choice... and he did not chose Eris. 

His voice cracked the silence, barely a whisper. “May the Cauldron curse your kin, Azriel... May they bless your heart and give you the love you deserve... "

...............................................................................................

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[chumett]

Now that we have confirmation that Lucanis is, in fact, a virgin, all I'm imagining is the look on his face when he gives himself to Erie and they have the most passionate, gentle, loving sex and Lucanis can't believe that it was exactly like his favorite romance novels.

He'd always figured the reality would be the way Illario described it: fast, dirty, and purely carnal.

But with Rook? It's different. She loves him and he loves her too. And when they have sex it is nothing like the picture Illario painted and everything Lucanis had hoped it would be.