#i am claiming nyx as one of us | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

theladyofbloodshed · 30 days

Text

@nerisweek Day 4 - NSFW

Rain pounded against the glass. It was made worse from the height. The House of Wind always did experience extreme forms of weather. It was a house made for storms. The steady rumble of thunder seemed to rattle the glass in the window panes.

‘He’s doing it on purpose,’ said Feyre, her arms crossed.

Rhys gave a low chuckle in response. ‘Do you think Eris Vanserra does anything without a purpose?’

Nesta had thought little of the Vanserra heir in recent months. Communication had been quiet for other reasons; Feyre had survived her son’s birth at the price of Nesta’s magic. She’d come through the Blood Rite relatively unscathed physically, but it had left marks elsewhere. Cassian bearing down on her with a weapon – even if he was controlled by the Crown – was a vision she struggled to shake off. They had not been intimate since before that day. Her body was repelled by him despite his attempts to find his way into her room at night. She could not picture his hands without imagining them around her neck. They hardly spoke at all.

‘You shouldn’t let him make demands,’ Mor said, scowling from her chair near the window where she sat with her ankles crossed upon the windowsill. ‘He’ll think he has power if he you give him wiggle room.’

‘If he wants to hunt down a suspected Made object then he can take Elain to sniff it out,’ added Cassian.

That rankled her. Elain wasn’t going anywhere near Eris, Lucien’s brother or not.

‘My sister is not a hound. Nor am I.’

‘I can go,’ Feyre suggested. ‘Nyx is feeding every few hours so I can winnow there and back in between.’

Rhysand trailed his fingers down her bare, tattooed arm. ‘How generous you are, Feyre darling, but Eris has been very insistent that Nesta should be the one to assist him.’

‘Eris can get fucked,’ declared Cassian.

Whether they liked it or not, Eris had the upper hand. Somehow, he had Keir eating out of the palm of his hand and they needed that sway to influence the steward of the Hewn City. He wanted only Nesta with him, claiming her brand of magic was what was needed. They had been reluctant to tell him that the fabled magic was gone. They had tried to bargain that Azriel would go as an escort but Eris claimed that any others would not be shielded and he was reluctant to allow more eyes into his father’s fortress.

‘Let us be done with this,’ muttered Nesta. ‘I am tired of hearing of it.’

Maybe one day she wouldn’t be used as a pawn.

***

The meeting was arranged quickly. A summons to Eris courtesy of Azriel and his power so that within moments he was in the Hewn City awaiting them. Nesta had not bothered to change into leathers or arm herself, much to Cassian’s frustration. She had not trained since returning from the Blood Rite; the idea of picking up a weapon made her sick to her stomach. The absence of her magic was a relief, despite what Cassian proclaimed. A lack of magic hadn’t mattered when she was dragged from her bed a second time and forced into the Blood Rite.

Eris had been insistent with his letters that no harm would come to her, she was merely needed to sense if a Made object was close in his father’s trove of treasures.

A tendril of Rhysand’s magic scratched its claw against the walls of her mind. She hated when he forced his way there. Hated knowing he was in her head, left to rifle through her thoughts and memories at his pleasure.

Take in as much as you can of the Forest House, he said. I want to know exactly what is in Beron’s treasure vaults.

Nesta was a tool to be used when Rhysand felt like it – and now, apparently, when Eris wanted her.

‘No harm is to come to her,’ warned Cassian, a hot, heavy hand clinging to her shoulder. It took every effort not to throw it off.

Eris, dressed in a suit the colour of scorched earth, gave a lazy grin. ‘I wouldn’t dream of it. On my honour as a Vanserra, Nesta will come to no harm.’

There were another four or five warnings thrown his way which he took in good faith, smiling blandly and picking the sleeve of his jacket as though he was bored. It amused Nesta to a degree to see how unmoved he was in the face of threats from the Night Court. If anything, Eris seemed quite amused by it too.

A pale hand was extended to her. She remembered how it had felt on the Winter Solstice – like a glove that fit perfectly to hers.

Before she could say a goodbye, Eris had tugged her closer and winnowed. Magic swirled around them, the red flame of his power enough to scorch if she didn’t move closer to him.

There was no rain in the Autumn Court. A blustery wind blew through the thick woods, sending gold and amber leaves spiralling to the ground, but the temperature was mild. The sun shone in the sky as it began its slow descent for the evening.

Behind a set of gilded gates, the Forest House sat. It reminded her of the many manor houses that she’d visited as a child whilst travelling with Mother once she was of the age to join her pinched-face friends for tea.

‘The Forest House is smaller than I expected,’ she said bluntly.

Eris kept a grip on her hand as if she might disappear.

‘This is not the Forest House. This is my private residence.’

The gates opened for him as Eris tugged her through before they slammed shut again. She felt the seal of magic trapping them there, the wards fortifying and old.

‘You said you would take me to the Forest House.’

A smirk crept onto his face. ‘I lied.’

This male did not care. Lies spilt freely from his tongue. There was not a single soul in the world he cared for except his own.

‘Take me back,’ demanded Nesta, relinquishing her hand from his grasp. ‘Now.’

‘Are you so eager to return to the Night Court?’

Nesta could not give him an answer. She felt like an imposter amongst them. The court wasn’t home, merely a place she resided in because there was nowhere else for her.

‘You are wrong for this,’ she warned him, hurrying her steps to match his long strides. ‘When we return, I will ensure they know what you’ve done.’

Eris gave an unworried laugh. ‘Who said I will return you?’

When her expression slipped into confusion, Eris laughed again – this one different. It was warm and he’d tossed his head back briefly, before touching a hand to the small of her back to sweep her ahead of him.

‘I will,’ he promised, mouth tipped near the point of her ear. ‘When I’ve had my fun, I will return you.’

Rich wood panelled much of what Nesta could see inside Eris’ private residence. It was coupled with opulent paintings and thick rugs woven with red and gold threads. Yet it was quiet. A manor of this size should have been bustling with servants who’d suddenly go silent in the presence of their master. Eris kicked off his shoes, leaving them where they fell, then tossed his jacket onto a hook. He peered through the front window then remarked, ‘The dogs are outside. Should I let them in?’

Nesta was so taken aback by the sudden carelessness he displayed that she was momentarily silenced – and when she could speak, all Nesta could manage was a single utterance of, ‘Dogs?’

There were many of them – more than she could count. All of them dashed across the lawn or sniffed at the grass tracing Eris’s scent.

‘Come,’ he beckoned, curling his fingers.

As if compelled, Nesta stepped towards him. What was his game? Why bring her here?

‘I thought I was to sniff out Made items for you.’

‘Are you a hound?’

Nesta tried not to scowl.

An arm went around her shoulders, the touch too familiar from him. But he was warm. So delightfully warm that Nesta paused from throwing him off. Even as he tucked himself closer to her, Nesta did not fight him off.

‘Your shoes. Are they comfortable? You can be barefoot.’

Nesta felt as though she’d missed a step upon the stairs or that a conversation had happened without her knowledge as they walked through the long, central corridor of his home towards a room near the back of the house.

‘Are we going to your father’s vault?’

‘No. My father would never let me near it, much less you.’

‘Then why am I here, Eris?’

He pushed open a set of doors that led to a ballroom. It wasn’t as large as the one in the Hewn City; it was more suited to the sorts of balls that they had once hosted when her parents were wealthy where daughters were offered up like meat.

‘Our dance was interrupted.’

‘That was months ago,’ she said, dumbfounded.

The floor had been polished well enough to see part of her reflection and a great, glass chandelier hung in the centre of the ceiling. The waning evening sun streamed through the tall windows that lined one wall, catching on the dangling prisms, coating the room in scattered light.

‘I have not stopped thinking of that night,’ he admitted, voice cautious. ‘It was the first time I ever saw you smile.’

Nesta could not muster a response. It was likely the last time she had smiled without restraint, lost in the music and led by Eris.

‘I ask for a single dance,’ he said. ‘That’s all. Then I can return you.’

‘What’s the trick?’

‘No trick,’ Eris replied. ‘One dance.’

‘You made up a story to the Night Court, wrote to them for weeks, and offered all manner of incentives for my assistance. You lied and lied for a single dance.’

Eris didn’t have the decency to look at least slightly embarrassed. No, if anything, he seemed proud of the lies he’d spun. It would keep the Night Court wondering about what Beron could possibly have in his troves.

‘In fairness, it is difficult to find a good dance partner.’

The male had to be possessed. Normal males did not go to such lengths for a dance. And Nesta should have been repulsed by his schemes, but instead she found it oddly flattering that they were the lengths he’d go to for a single dance.

‘There is no music,’ she said, raising her chin indignantly.

Eris swept his hand outwards. A spiralling flame followed its path then the hairs on her arm stood on end. Sweeping notes of beautiful music filtered through the room as if the instruments were being played just beyond the doors.

‘You have music and a dance partner. I shall ask again: are your shoes comfortable to dance in?’

To match Eris, Nesta removed her shoes too and she suddenly felt so much smaller than him. His hand slid into hers, a second going to her waist as she settled a hand upon his shoulder. They moved to the music with little thought, their bodies reacting to each other intuitively. There was no awkward fumbling, no mistimed steps. They flowed together as easily as twin flames.

It was easy. Nesta did not need to think. Did not need to prepare a defence or hold a shield to protect herself. Eris was silent, leading her through song after song as their bodies moved across the floor, a muted, closed-lipped smile upon his pale face. When he lifted her, Nesta knew he’d hold her safely. On each spin, he was careful and restrained until they moved back into hold. And when their steps slowed, and her hand slipped down his back, and his moved lower, Nesta didn’t fight it.

A reasonable part of her warned her off of this. No good would come of dancing with Eris. They shouldn’t press their bodies so close. She never should have agreed to be alone with him in his court. But how could it be wrong when every part of her ached for him?

Their feet remained still as Nesta tilted her head up. Eris’ lips were a balm that soothed, but she didn’t want softness. She wanted desire. Wanted to be the match that set them both on fire.

Their kissing grew frantic. The fingers that grappled with his clothing were desperate. Eris took a knife to her bodice, carving it open with a sudden slash so her dress pooled around her on the floor.

The press of his lips was urgent and all-consuming like a fire that would never be sated. Nesta let herself be burnt by it. Let the flames of desire engulf her. The hands on her body were soft, reverent. Every pound of her heart was answered by his own. Eris kissed the new expanse of bare skin, treasuring each inch exposed to him.

His waistcoat fell to the floor then his shirt soon followed. The sunset bathed him in golden light. He was so warm and beautiful that Nesta stopped their kissing to press herself against him. She wanted to feel him. His body was rakish, not the well-built muscles of her mate, but more comfortable - softer and easier to fold herself into. Eris kept his hands covering her shoulder blades; a thumb tracing back and forth over the skin.

This momentary pause in their lust gave Nesta a moment to gather herself. What was she doing? Another attempt at self-sabotage? Nesta had a mate waiting for her in the Night Court. A mate who loved her. A mate who she hadn’t touched since he’d been under the Crown’s thrall. A mate who she couldn’t think of without imagining his hands around her neck squeezing the life from her.

How exquisite it was that Nesta could take something good and let her rotten core ruin it. Only she could find a mate and instead of the rare, unending love it offered, want to see it spoiled to give her a reason to run.

‘Nesta?’

‘I shouldn’t do this.’

But she made no move to pull away from the wicked heir of the Autumn Court. Her face remained tucked into the crook of Eris’ neck. It felt safer to stay there. Her soul was as broken as his.

His hand forced her head to raise so that Nesta could see her reflection in his eyes.

‘I will be burned by you,’ she whispered.

Eris pressed his lips to her forehead and inhaled. ‘Then let the flames consume the both of us.’

Her hand slipped down his body to the hardening length within his trousers. She pressed her palm to it, rubbing once, twice, until a hiss of air escaped from between Eris’ pursed lips. He tipped forwards, lips coming to her forehead.

‘I truly only wanted a dance.’

But Nesta was too far gone to reel herself back in.

They went to the ground together, his body covering hers as the music still played from a distant room. The last remnants of their clothing – her chemise and his undergarments – were discarded hurriedly until there was only skin between them. Eris kissed his way down her body, stopping between her legs.

‘If I told you that I’ve dreamed of this, would you believe me?’

Nesta pushed his head downwards. Her head rocked back as his tongue traced up her core.

This was what she did. Mindless sex to make herself forget. A deep-rooted need to sabotage herself. The Night Court was her home. Her mate was there. The mate that hadn’t come for her in the Blood Rite. The mate that had been so easily swayed by the Crown. A mate who’d have killed her.

She spread her legs wide, damning the consequences. Eris gripped her thighs, his fingers digging deep into the flesh as he licked a circle around her clit. Nesta got lost in it. Her eyes closed as Eris pushed his fingers into her sex. His techniques alternated based on the different moans that he elicited from her.

Breathless and flushed, Nesta curled into herself on one side upon their abandoned clothes. Eris’ steps faded as he departed. That was familiar to Nesta, to be used and discarded. Even her own mate couldn’t be bothered to spend a night beside her once he’d got what he wanted. She waited for shame to crawl up her throat from what she’d done yet none came.

Surprising her, light steps sounded upon the ballroom floor. Nesta braced herself for a servant who’d tell her to leave.

A full skin of water was settled by her head then a blanket tucked around her bare body. Eris knelt near her, still as bare as the day he came into the world. He flattened her disarrayed hair gently, face giving nothing away.

‘You are a very good dancer.’

‘I can say the same,’ she said, sitting up with the blanket pressed to her body. Nesta uncorked the skin of water and drank deeply, aware of Eris’ amber gaze on her scorched cheeks.

‘Call me greedy for not waiting until the Winter Solstice for another dance,’ he said.

Nesta could not muster a reply. The solstice felt so far away. When she reflected on the last one, dancing with Eris had been the highlight because she’d felt like herself again after so long. They told stories of his cruelty and schemes so what did it say of Nesta if her only joy was found in his arms?

‘I am not the villain you believe I am,’ he stated, as if he’d heard her thoughts. For once, he looked innocent as if a mask had been stripped away. A young male was beneath it, soft-eyed and curious as he waited for her reaction.

‘You do yourself no favours.’

‘And they do? Have you never wondered why Illyrian females still have their wings clipped? Or why Morrigan is the only dreamer in a city of nightmares?’ Eris laughed callously, the mask slipping back on. ‘I told you not to believe the lies they say about me. Perhaps I’d have been better off warning you about the lies they spin about themselves. Could the most powerful high lord in history really not enforce an anti-clipping law – or perhaps he values an army over the lives of females.’

Nesta forced down her emotions. She couldn’t say it was anger, because when she looked to Emerie’s ruined wings, she had wondered similar. Why weren’t Illyrian females offered a safe place in Velaris to heal and grow like Gwyn was?

‘You showed your heart in the Dawn Court – and it was enough to make my father pay attention, Nesta. You are wasted in the Night Court.’

‘Enough talking,’ she said, unwilling to face the truths she’d been running from. Too often those same questions had bubbled on her tongue. Once or twice Nesta had pressed Cassian on it and instead of being met with a calm discussion, he flew to the defensive and claimed she didn’t understand ruling or life in Illyria. ‘I didn’t come here to talk.’

‘Why did you come here?’ Eris smirked from the side of his mouth. ‘You can’t have believed I truly would take you to my father’s vaults?’

‘A release,’ she admitted. ‘A release from that court. I hate to be there. I cannot breathe when I’m there.’

The words rushed out of her before she could take them back and bury them.

‘Then let me be your release, Nesta.’ Eris kissed against the column of her neck. ‘How would you like it?’

His lips were tender making pleasure skitter over her skin.

‘Soft,’ she declared, to see if he could. See if he could resist the urge to pound in a frenzy until his own release took him. ‘Slow.’

Nesta had never been with a male who could put her needs first, who could put aside his own wants.

He lay her back down with the thick blanket beneath her to soften the floor then his body covered hers. It wasn’t suffocating, wasn’t heavy and imprisoning.

‘You are so beautiful,’ he murmured. ‘When you are in the room, I can see no other. You are the flame that guides me.’

She opened her legs to fit him better between her thighs. ‘You hardly know me.’

‘I want to,’ he said, a hand gripping hers and pressing it above her head. ‘I dreamt of ways to meet with you. Not for this. Just to look upon you. To speak with you. To hear you.’

It couldn’t be wrong when her body was begging for him. The slick heat between her thighs made Nesta squirm upwards to feel his length. It made Eris press his sharp teeth into his lip.

‘Slow, you said.’

‘Slow,’ she agreed, but for every moment that Eris lay upon her, it was a moment that she’d have to explain away to the Night Court. The longer she was away, the more implausible her reason.

Eris took his length and stroked it between her folds.

‘Inside,’ breathed Nesta.

Their lips met in an urgent press and Nesta forced her tongue into his mouth. If she was going to burn, she wanted to be nothing but ashes. Let it consume all of her.

When Eris finally pushed the crown of his cock inside, she moaned into his mouth. It had been a long time since she’d been with a male who didn’t stretch her and sting on his entry – and she’d forgotten how pleasurable that first thrust could be instead of one that made her grit her teeth and wince through the pain. He was a careful lover with hands that canvassed her body and lips that only left hers to ask over her wellbeing. When he moved in her, Eris never hurried. Every thrust was slow and deep enough to have her body rising from the floor to press closer to him.

At the increase in his breathing, Nesta wrapped her legs around his hips, drawing him in close. With a final thrust, Eris spilled himself inside of her.

They lay together, bodies tangles and soaked with sweat. The last light of the evening was fading, leaving a bruised sky in its wake.

She waited for Eris to run. To laugh at her for being so foolish. To mock her that she’d fallen for his trap.

It didn’t come.

Eris remained holding her tightly, kissing her face from time to time.

‘I can take you back,’ he murmured. His nose nuzzled against her neck.

‘You ripped my dress. I can hardly return naked.’

‘It was a very pretty dress too. I apologise,’ he said.

‘What am I to wear?’

Nesta was led upstairs to a tidy bedroom with little in the way of personal artefacts. In the large wardrobe, Eris held up a few dresses to examine the cloth against her complexion.

‘Your lovers’ dresses?’

A brief frown flashed upon his face. ‘My mother’s. She used to come here. They’re plain gowns, but should fit well enough to return you.’

Plain was an understatement. They were well-made from expensive fabrics with simple patterns that suited Nesta. The colours were those of the Autumn Court; rich golds overlayed with burnt orange and umber. Nesta had never even looked at such a colour, much less wear it.

‘You will need to wash,’ Eris reminded her. ‘Illyrians have noses like smokehounds when it comes to arousal.’

He led her to another room, a silent figure walking a few paces ahead. She wondered if he regretted it. Nesta couldn’t say that she did. The inevitable regret hadn’t come. Was unlikely to. There was nothing for her to regret. She had an immortal life ahead of her with a male who Nesta wasn’t sure truly liked her company. There was still so much of life that she hadn’t experienced – wouldn’t now.

This bedroom was neat in a way – the curtains tied back from windows, the surfaces clean – but it was littered with piles of books and stacks of letters that gave it a chaotic sense of disarray. A large map of Prythian had been pinned on the wall with notes written around markings on it.

‘Take as much time as you need,’ he said, opening another door that led to a bathroom.

For a while, Nesta stood stunned in the luxurious bathroom, not quite sure which Eris would greet her when she exited. He had seemed almost shy. She washed quickly, well aware of the darkness that had encroached. The dress, which she had been fearing to wear, fit like a glove. It brought a lightness back to her silvery eyes. She’d lost a couple of hair pins so abandoned her coronet in favour of leaving it down, the ghost of the braids leaving her hair in waves. She pinned back the strands from her temples to hide her ears.

‘This is an exquisite sort of torture,’ Eris mused as she exited the bathroom. ‘If I touch you again then my scent will be upon your skin. Then again, maybe art is there to be worshipped with the eyes rather than hands.’

With that, he entered the bathroom to wash her from his skin while Nesta stood bereft in the centre of the room.

Eris’ home reminded her of her life back in the mortal lands. It felt so familiar. She ran a finger across the top of a leather-bound book; a compendium of mosses across Prythian. She wrinkled her nose at it. Eris, it seemed, was full of surprises.

They waited until his hair had dried, sat by the silent fire in his rooms while they exchanged hesitant conversation. Nesta was meeting a different male. A quieter one who shared parts of himself with nervous reluctance. They spoke of the books he’d gathered and the map upon the wall, each minute had him shedding another layer of skin until she could see the person he was beneath. There was less cocky arrogance or cold calculation. Instead, Eris was clever and sensitive, listening to her few remarks about the similarity of his home to her old one with attentiveness.

‘We should go,’ he said, holding out a hand.

Hand in hand, he led the way back through the grounds of the manor – after warning the dogs away with their muddy paws – then winnowed back to the Hewn City. The Night Court’s leaders awaited them with nervous expressions. Cassian practically flew from his chair to scan her from head to toe.

‘Why is she in different clothes?’ Feyre demanded.

When Eris released his grip from her hand, she felt hollow.

He bared his palms to them, an irritating smirk on his lips. For a moment, her heart plummeted, believing it all to be another act to ruin her. She’d helped to ruin herself. Then, Eris said, ‘It turns out my father has more defences than I first thought. I am not such a bastard that I’d return Nesta to you covered in Middengarm wyrm innards.’

They looked to Nesta in confirmation. ‘I could not breathe without retching.’

‘I trust it was worth Nesta’s time,’ said Rhysand, violet eyes dancing between the pair of them.

Before Eris could speak, Nesta cut in. ‘I sensed something, but there was not enough time to trace it. I will need to return.’

Something sparked in Eris’ eyes. ‘I will collect Nesta in a couple of days. Who knows? Maybe she’ll take a liking to the Autumn Court.’ He gave a short, wicked laugh. ‘She wouldn’t even need to officially defect, since she isn’t aligned to any court.’

Cassian pressed a hand to her shoulder. ‘Nesta will join your court over my dead body.’

‘Do not tempt me,’ he replied. ‘Two days. Farewell.’

#neris

128 notes · View notes

moonfawnx · 2 months

Text

Hands touching, fingers entangling

Nyx Archeron x reader

Chapter 1

Nyx stared at her.

She stared right back.

“Take her to Azriel- she needs to be questioned” his father ordered the two guards.

His heart faltered.

Would they take her to dungeons? Put her in a cell?

Gods she was so small, she couldn’t be older than 25 if she was a human.

“Father” he interrupted them talking.

His father’s eyes met his own, as the narrowed.

A silent question, he realised.

“I can speak to her, instead of Azriel” he spoke, as bis eyer went to his mother, who was looking at him confused.

But as she saw his expression, one of stubbornness and surprise, she understood.

“But-“ his father tried to object, before he was silenced by the high lady.

“Rhys darling, our son is the heir- he needs to learn how to handle this stuff. Let him.” she smiled at her mate.

The pair seemed to have a silent conversation, before Rhys sighed and nodded, before Feyre winnowed him away.

Nyx ordered the guards away as well, claiming that he could handle the girl in front of him.

Or maybe he couldn’t.

As soon as the guards were out, before he could even register what was happening, she had landed a punch straight on his face.

“Were you the one to tell them?” she asked angrily “Were you the reason they caught me?”

Nyx held his nose, a shocked expression on his face as he stared at the female in front of him, scolding him as if he wasn’t the prince.

“I have no clue of what you’re talking about, my lady” he tried to contain his small grin at the human’s fierce.

She was silent as she looked around, inspecting every single detail of his home. Now that he was given a closest look at her, he made sure to admire all of her features, from her shiny hair, to her deep green eyes, her delicate hands, and very, very short legs. Probably due to humanity.

And then, just like that, she turned around and started walking away from him.

“Um, excuse me?” he rushed to her side but was given no attention “My lady, you cannot-“

A frustrated sigh left her lips as she turned and looked at him.

“Respectfully, prince”she gave him a tight smile “i do not wish to be chewed out for sneaking here”

“you won’t be” the words left his mouth quicker than he’d ever imagine. “I mean- it was wrong of course but…”

“But what?” her eyebrow rose, giving him a curious expression.

“But it was also very impressive. And you must have some guts to do that” he breathed out, as he finally really thought about what happened.

A human, that didn’t even reach his shoulders in height, whom looked no more that two decades old, had somehow managed to sneak and twist his father’s shields?

How was that even possible, and why was no one else freaked out?

She opened her mouth, to speak again, but a loud crush interrupted her.

Both their heads snapped towards the direction where the sound came from, only to come face with a very bloody Amren, surrounded by broken bottles, leaking of blood.

“Oh my gods” The girl breathed out, staring at the creature as if she’d seen a ghost.

Nyx quickly remembered, that not everyone was used to his blood-drinking aunt and her unnatural looks, especially not a young human girl who probably didn’t even know the name of the high lord.

But before he even had the chance to explain to the girl the speciality of his aunt, her body was on the floor, passed out.

It was hours later, that Y/n woke up in a strange bed, worryingly huge. Her eyes fluttered as she eyed the area around her, noting the dark walls, but the richness evident.

She heard a sound, coming from the door across the bed she was laying in, and then the beautiful man from later, headed towards her, giving her a slight smirk.

Worst of all, the closest thing to garments on him, was the towel wrapped around his waist, as droplets slid through his skin.

“Well, look who’s finally awake” he grinned, fangs flashing.

“Where am i?” was all she answered with.

“This is my bedroom” He replied simply, as if it wasn’t weird how a stranger was in his bed.

Without another word, Y/n was up, heading towards the door, before the princeling stopped her by grabbing her wrist softly.

“And where do you think you’re going beautiful?” he shamelessly grinned at the girl in front of him.

“Three seconds” she only said.

His grin turned into a look of confusion.

“What do you mean”

“One” she started counting, as Nyx looked at her amused.

“Two” she continued, giving him a stern look.

“Three!” the heir finished her counting for her. “What does this even mean-“ he tried to ask, but was too late, as the girl quickly grabbed one of the plates on his near night stand, and smashed it on him.

Absolute wild eyes stared at her, appalled by the hit, and even if he would never admit it, mad that he did not predict that.

His hand rubbed his nose, scrunching it in pain. “Now what was that for”

“Do not touch me again” she sais dryly, completely unaffected by the smack she had landed on him.

“And you couldn’t just say that?” The heir asked bewildered, and for whatever sick reason, felt a soft attraction towards the girl in front of him, due to her obvious to everyone beauty.

“I-“ she started, but instantly paused as her eyes landed on something behind Nyx, towards his balcony.

He turned to also understand what she was looking for, and came across a bloodied Cassian and Azriel sparring.

“My god-“ he heard her mutter, and a few seconds later, she was falling, having fainted again,

“Fucking gods” the heir mumbled, as he once again placed the girl on his bed and-

And fucking headed to take care of his stupid bloody nose she had given him.

A/N i am aware this is a very short chapter but trust me, the fun starts by the next chapter!

Taglist: @acourtofsmutandstarlight @writeroutoftime

#nyx x reader #acotar fic #nyx acotar #dad!rhysand #feyre archeron #rhysand acotar

70 notes · View notes

stationintern · 2 months

Text

WIRELESS FIC CLAIM: crawlin’ helpless on the floor

M, 1.5k

It doesn't take much to torment a man when he's three broken contracts away from being out of a job and down a newspaper.

Hi there!

Anyone who watched me write this knows I agonized over my self-prompt for months after I chose it. In the end, it took dramatically quitting my newspaper job to find my inspiration and visualize the story I wanted to tell. I think my fingerprints were all over this piece, and I am so proud to finally get to claim these newspaper stoners as my own.

Thank you to everyone who left lovely comments! I will be replying to them today. Somehow one always made its way into my inbox when I needed it the most, and it’s been TORTURE not getting to respond.

Thank you to Cherry, Cynthia, and Nyx for being my betas and cheerleaders. (Two of them will most likely never see this, but they know I’m thankful anyways!)

And finally, Id like to thank the @hd-wireless mods! Yall were so kind when I needed an extension. Your hard work gives us these stories, motivation to write, and a fun little fandom holiday. So, props to you guys!

Hopefully be back with more soon! In the meantime, I’ll be reading all your Wireless fics!

xx, Moon

#drarry #draco x harry #drarry fic rec #drarry shortfic #self rec #hd wireless 2024

46 notes · View notes

thecatsaesthetics · 9 months

Text

But Rhys took Feyre's choice away in ACOSF and is as bad as Tamlin

Disclaimer - I am going to state up front SJM shouldn't have told this story through Nesta's POV. It is an incredibly complex storyline in it's own right and deserved to be told through Feyre's POV.

However, fans tend to make several claims about the story that I want to either debunk or combat. You can still hate the storyline (I hate how it was told as well) but twisting canon to suit your own narrative isn’t right.

(I am using this timeline for the series, which is the most in-depth timeline I have ever found.)

Let's begin

What actually happened in canon:

Rhys and Feyre were actively attempting to have a baby since the end of ACOFAS (December 21st). Feyre announces her pregnancy to the group 16 days into the start of ACOSF. She says she is "two months along". ACOSF is canonically 10 months after ACOFAS. Meaning Feyre and Rhys conceive Nyx in August.

31 days into ACOSF Rhys and Feyre find out via Madja Nyx has wings. Feyre would be heading into her second trimester. Rhys knows the baby wings pose a problem (as does Madja). Madja informed Feyre the birth would be "more difficult" but does not state the baby will kill her. Rhys sets out on finding a way to save Feyre and the baby.

33 days into ACOSF Rhys goes to Drakon and Miryam to ask about the wings. They give him nothing but sad looks.

40 days into ACOSF Helion visits and is asked by Rhys about the wings and says he will look into it.

43 days into ACOSF Nesta, in a fit of rage, tells Feyre her baby is going to die and kill her.

So canonically Feyre does not know for 12 days. So, around two weeks, Feyre is unaware the chances she will die in labor are incredibly heightened.

That is really important, it is not months they are keeping this from Feyre. It also doesn't seem likely Rhys or any of the IC would have let Feyre give birth without knowing what was happening. It also seems likely Rhys was pending more information from Helion who had 3 days to look into things before Nesta had her outburst.

While again it's not explicitly said I believe SJMs implication is that Rhys was exhausting all efforts prior to telling Feyre. Which is something Feyre would have done herself, since we know she wanted Nyx, and rather then let Feyre's pregnancy be ruined by fear (especially if an answer was out there) Rhys decides to take the burden on himself.

Is it necessarily right? I don't think so, but is it done to specifically control Feyre? (Like Tamlin's actions were) No. It's done because Rhys cannot bring himself to take Feyre's happiness away from her. Feyre is described as being so happy in ACOSF, she finally has everything she's ever wanted. She has her mate, her family, her home, security, and is awaiting the arrival of her baby. Feyre has her gotten her "happy ending" and who would want to take that from someone? This is something Rhys was struggling with in ACOFAS, the idea that he does not deserve to be happy with Feyre.

I hate that we get it told through Nesta and Cassian's POV, because honestly this would have been a good Feysand plotline and would have dealt with the remaining issues that were hinted at in ACOFAS.

Commonly incorrect statements by the fandom

"Rhysand forced Feyre to stay pregnant because he valued the baby's life over hers" -

This is canonically not true. Feyre is the one who wanted to get pregnant. Ignoring this is missing the point entirely, Feyre wanted to start her family.

Second, while Rhys clearly loves Nyx it seems his concern was for her and not for Nyx:

Cassian squeezed Rhys’s shoulder. “Why won’t you tell her?” Rhys’s throat worked. “Because I can’t bring myself to give her that fear. To take away one bit of the joy in her eyes every time she puts a hand on her belly.” His voice shook. “It is fucking eating me alive, this terror. I keep myself busy, but … there is no one to bargain with for her life, no amount of wealth to buy it, nothing that I can do to save her.”

His concern is for Feyre and the fact that she is going to die while in labor. He doesn't even mention Nyx dying, and it's said Nyx will die in the labor as well.

"Rhys prevented Feyre from getting an abortion" -

So first we need to ask ourself, are abortions a thing in Pyrthian? We don't get any mentions of them and fae children are rare. I would suspect in Pyrthian they aren't a thing, but maybe in the human lands.

Second, by the time Rhys and Feyre find out about the wings it's been 31 days into ACOSF and when the baby was announced she was two months pregnant, which is frustrating because we don't know if she means two months on the dot or two months and a few days. It's then 15 more days till the wings are discovered she is anywhere between 11/12 weeks pregnant.

It's important to remember pregnancies are not defined by months, they are defined by weeks. If you are 11/12 weeks pregnant the abortion you get is more complicated then at 8 or 9 weeks. So it seems even if she could have an abortion (if that's a thing in Prythian) that she would have had to pass the fetal tissue.

Remember the problem isn't that the baby is sick or causing Feyre to be sick. Feyre is described as being healthy and radiant all throughout ACOSF. The pregnancy isn't the issue, it's the birth. The wings will supposably get caught and not be able to pass through the birthing canal. So even if she had an abortion those wings are getting caught and preventing the tissue from passing. We later see the size of the wings don't matter, because Feyre gives birth preterm and it still kills her.

And it will be challenging enough during a birth when the baby is alive but if they preform an abortion you're talking dead tissue being stuck in Feyre as they attempt to pull it out of her piece by piece.

That could kill her as well.

So when Rhys says "nothing I can do to save her life" he means it. As long as Feyre gives birth/passes those wings in her fae body she's dead.

The only in universe solution is for Feyre to transform back into an Illyrian form (I'll get into that later). That's it, nothing else could save her and in fact what happens is Nesta bargains for Feyre's life and then permanently changes her body to be Illyrian. So the solution was to shapeshift.

"Nesta told Feyre because she thought it was wrong"

That's not true, in fact Nesta agreed to say nothing and was later sorry for even telling Feyre. So no she did not tell Feyre because she thought it was an injustice.

Nesta was bitter and hurt by other things that happened (I am not going into it) and decided to hurt her sister back. She told her in the most brutal and awful way possible.

She easily could have caused Feyre to go into preterm labor and didn't care if that happened. If Feyre had gone into preterm labor with no solution to get the baby out then she would have died.

"Feyre's choice was taken from her"

So if we rule out abortion, and go with shapeshifting I don't see how anyone concludes that the 12 days Feyre does not know takes that choice from her. Even for the 12 days with the abortion idea, she still could have done it. She makes a choice not to, Feyre does not go into labor unaware of the risks.

Going back to shapeshifting, Rhys says this:

“So let her change back into an Illyrian to bear the babe.” Rhys’s face was stark. “Madja has put a ban on any more shape-shifting. She says that to alter Feyre’s body in any way right now could put the baby at risk. On the chance that it could be bad for the baby, Feyre is forbidden to so much as change the color of her hair until after the birth.”

So originally it's Madja who says shape-shifting is banned but sorry I do not see how Madja is going to control Feyre. During the announcement scene we get this from Feyre:

Nesta angled her head at her sister. “So you can’t do magic while pregnant?” Feyre winced. “I can, but given my unusual set of gifts, I’m not sure how it might impact the baby. Winnowing is fine, but some other powers, when we’re still so early in the pregnancy, could strain my body dangerously.”

Feyre is given the medical opinion of Madja on her doing magic and chooses to follow it.

And the nail in the coffin that it wasn't Feyre's choice is the birth scene itself:

“There is nothing we can do,” Madja said. “Cutting the babe out of her will kill her.” “Cutting it out?” Nesta demanded, earning a sharp glare from Rhys. Madja ignored her tone. “An incision along her abdomen, even one carefully made, is an enormous risk. It’s never been successful. And even with Feyre’s healing abilities, the blood loss has weakened her—” “Do it,” Feyre managed to say, the words weighted with pain. “Feyre,” Rhys objected. “The babe likely won’t survive,” Madja said, voice gentle but no-nonsense. “It’s too small yet. We risk both of you.” “All of you,” Cassian breathed, eyes on Rhys. “Do it,” Feyre said, and her voice was that of the High Lady. No fear. Only determination for the life of the babe within her. Feyre looked up at Rhys. “We have to.”

While it isn't explicitly mentioned, the scene prior is discussions about saving Nyx not about saving Feyre. Madja says "we risk both of you" implying their is a way to just save Feyre. That way would be shapeshifting, something Feyre is refusing to do in this moment. Rhys is the one who is objecting to the c-section and Feyre insists that "We have to". Feyre chooses to have the c-section and attempt to save her son.

Conclusion:

I don't think we can conclude Feyre's choice was taken from her, in fact it seems she made a choice not to shapeshift and save herself. That might feel like pro life propaganda and maybe it is (I don't know SJMs stance on this) but a mother choosing to go through with a risky pregnancy and delivery is still her making that choice. Just because it's not the choice you would make or like, doesn't make it any less of a choice.

It's really odd how people twist this storyline to fit a narrative of "Rhys is just as bad as Tamlin" and while I can understand the similarities, (both being born out of fear and trauma) it just isn't the same. Tamlin watched as Feyre became sicker and sicker, and ignored her. Tamlin forced Feyre back to the Spring Court after she told him she didn't want to be taken from Rhys and the IC. Tamlin slut shamed her during the HL meeting. Tamlin was actively attempting to control Feyre's behavior and get her to fit what he wanted for her.

Rhys found out horrible information (on top of all the other shit that was going on in ACOSF) about the life of his mate and child. His mate who was currently overjoyed at the idea of being pregnant and having a baby. And he wanted to find a way to save her before giving her the fear, anxiety, and distress he was suffering. It wasn't about controlling her, and it wasn't about having some super baby. It wasn't the right thing to do but he didn't do it out wanting to control Feyre. That's important information and something that shouldn't be twisted.

You can dislike it (as I've stated I hate it being told in Nessian POV) but you shouldn't twist things to fit your narrative.

#feyre archeron #rhysand #feysand #acotar #pro rhysand #pro feyre archeron #anti tamlin

137 notes · View notes

feyres-divorce-lawyer · 9 months

Note

https://www.reddit.com/r/acotar/comments/18rf6ex/in_defense_of_rhys_in_sf/

What's your opinion on this post defending Rhys in SF?

um well yikes. point by point, shall we nonny

feyre was not pro protective shield. she thought it a compromise because the alternative was rhys not letting her leave the river house for the entirety of her pregnancy (horrifying by the way) she traded one restriction over another (also horrifying), that’s not being “pro” something. and if the shield was for protection why did he take it away when they went to hewn city, so smugly announcing feyre’s “pregnant scent” even cassian noticed? it’s all about protecting feyre until he needs to parade her around like some prize he’s won right? op’s right tho, it’s not like tamlin, it’s worse. that shield was so tight, she couldn’t feel hugs or touches from her fucking family, no one could smell her. that is infinitely worse than being trapped in a huge manor, and given how much emphasis sjm put on feyre’s claustrophobia in acomaf, she should’ve not have been ok with it, but of course, feyre’s triggers don’t exist when it’s rhys doing the triggering. “as a high fae male” oh pls spare me. sarah can claim that the possessiveness and control is cause they’re not human and stans can believe it, but when she starts actually writing fae, and not super soldiers with vague, unexplained powers and pointy ears, i’ll believe it. sure it can be assumed that they had discussions on how best to protect nyx, but considering that in those conversation the danger nyx brings to feyre was never brought up, i am not giving rhys the benefit of the doubt that he didn’t somehow manipulate feyre into accepting that shield (again horrific compromise)

op is right again about not telling feyre about the wings being on brand for rhys, that doesn’t make it right. one day y’all will stop using the “morally grey” argument as paltry ammunition and get you some artillery of common sense. for the umpteenth time, actually morally grey characters don’t get their actions idolized or explained away with sympathy. “he tries to do everything himself” he’s not the pregnant one though, is he? i do not give a single fuck about his self-sacrificial tendencies when they deeply affect someone else. the knowledge about the wings was not his to keep secret.

“rhys is helping tamlin but that doesn’t mean he has to be nice” um yes the fuck he does when tamlin’s the reason the ungrateful dick is alive. “tamlin ruined himself” exactly what ruination is this referring to? surely not the fall of his court, which wasn’t his fault. and yea how he’s treating tamlin isn’t just because of feyre, it’s because he’s a shitty person that kicks people when they’re down so he can hypocritically crow about how magnanimous he is offering solutions to problems he caused.

finally, yea we don’t get rhys’ or feyre’s pov in the main book, but using “complexity” as a shield to the criticisms of the former’s actions in this is laughable at best. it’s not a complex thing. he kept life and death information from his pregnant wife who’s made it clear multiple times that she doesn’t like things being kept from her. seems pretty simple to me.

#ask anon #ask answered #acotar #anti rhysand #anti feysand #feyre archeron deserves better

82 notes · View notes

lovemyromance · 4 months

Text

"Well Elriel might be attracted to each other now but that could change"

Uh .. yeah? Ok. Sure 👍

I personally think that Feysand is not endgame then. Yes I know they are together now, but that could change.

You know who's really lookin hot right now? Balthazar from the Blood Rite. I think he and Nesta could be great together. Yes, I know she's with Cassian now, but that could change.

Speaking of Cassian, I truly think he's gonna be the HL of the NC one day. Rhys doesn't like Nesta so obviously in an angry rage, Cassian will off Rhys and take over as HL. Yes I know that he's not in the lineage, but that could change.

Oh that reminds me of the lineage! I think Nyx is meant for the Day Court. I think his mate is going to be Helion's daughter or son or something! Y'all know how much SJM is an "Opposites Attract" author and Nyx's name literally means Night!! Yes I know that he's not currently related to Day Court in any way, but that could change.

See where I'm going with this? Yes a lot of things could theoretically change per the author's whim in a fictional work. But do you know why all these statements sound ridiculous?

Because SJM has given no reason for us to believe they will change.

Elriel hasn't been given a book yet, but we know enough about their interactions so far to know there is romantic attraction there. And there has been nothing to suggest that SJM is planning for that to change. So why would we believe it will?

I'm aware they haven't been officially declared yet but all the evidence so far points to romantic attraction. They have had a handful of significant moments together and a bonus chapter where they're practically gnawing at the bars of their enclosures to get to each other. So tell me, given the information so far, why should we believe this has changed?

People can argue they don't interact after Solstice but didn't Cassian and Nesta not interact after ACOWAR? Didn't Feyre go back to Tamlin and not talk to Rhys till he showed up at her wedding?

I think it's really crazy to use those examples of Nessian & Feysand and compare them to Elucien by saying "Oh Elain and Lucien also avoid each other! Just like Nesta avoided Cassian and Feyre didn't talk to Rhys!"

You know what the real equivalent would be?

If Nesta saw Cassian at the dining table and proceeded to never speak to him and left the room every time he tried to talk to her.

If Feyre saw Rhys UTM and avoided him and didn't talk to him and made zero deals with him.

That is how Elain interacts with Lucien.

A lot of things could change in this series and I'm not trying to claim anything is endgame 100%. But I am saying that given the clear evidence of what is in the books, on the page, no guesswork involved - all signs point to Elriel. Could it change? Sure. But so could everything else then 🤷🏻‍♀️

#elriel #acotar #elain x azriel #azriel #elain archeron #pro elain #elain #antielucien

28 notes · View notes

nocasdatsgay · 6 months

Text

From the Shadows the Beast Will Rise Chapter 5

Pairing: Azriel/Eris| Word Count: 2709| Chapter Rating: T| Warnings: None

Previous Chapter| Masterpost| Read it here on A03

Fic Summary: Months after that one encounter, Eris receives demand for a response to his summons to visit the Night Court. He ends up with warning for the future and a certain shadowsinger back under his skin.

Chapter Summary: The aftermath

A/N: I am a slow writer. I apologize this took so long

Gen Tag List: @hieragalbatorixdottir @mybestfriendmademe

Azriel didn’t even bother to clean off the Truth Teller. Shadows protested as he used them to get back to Velaris. He ignored them. He ended up in the sitting room where everyone was waiting.

“Beron is dead.” Az tried to ignore Nyx excitedly reaching for him and calling his name from the floor where he was playing. “The former lady said we should have a drink for her in celebration. Official confirmation will come in the morning.”

“Eris is High Lord?” Rhys asked. Azriel nodded. “And you helped?”

“I let the former Lady of Autumn borrow my weapon. She and Eris did the rest.”

“Good for her,” Nesta replied from beside Cassian.

Nyx, realizing Azriel wasn’t responding, began to pout before whimpering and crying.

“Az! Up!” Nyx started crawling to him, refusing to be ignored.

“My hands are dirty, bud,” he said softly, stepping back. “I’ll go wash them.”

Feyre quickly scooped up her son and bounced him in her arms. Two shadows went to him and his cries turned to giggles.

“She deserved to be the one to end him,” she said, going back to her seat. “After everything he’s done to her.”

Rhys hummed beside her. “I think the story will be different, officially. I doubt Eris will allow his mother to claim that kill.”

“This changes things with Koschei,” Cassian muttered. “Beron was his sole ally in Prythian. He might be after Vassa sooner than we expect.”

Azriel understood what Cassian was saying. But the adrenaline of the short lived battle was leaving him. The realization of what happened between him and Eris- his stomach was churning.

“I’ll go wash my hands,” he muttered and left the room quickly.

Azriel went into the kitchen. He cleaned his knife first. The water was grounding and as he washed the blood. His hands were next. Even with no blood on them, he still felt dirty. Shadows hissed at him to stop scrubbing.

“Why aren’t you in Autumn?”

Az started, turning to see Elain looking up at him.

“My allegiance is to the Night Court.” Azriel replied immediately.

She stepped closer. Once upon a time he would have welcomed her presence; longed for this closeness. Now it was just a reminder that the cauldron had other plans. He felt nothing.

“You can’t hide from him forever,” she whispered. “I know from experience.”

He turned off the water and grabbed a towel to dry his hands.

“What did you see Elain?”

She shook her head. “What happens now is your choice.”

She walked away and left him more confused than before. He picked up his knife and dried it. Cassian and Nesta both stopped by the kitchen where he kept wiping the knife to avoid moving. They bid him good night, saying they would see him in the morning. He didn’t stop them.

Talk to the High Lord. His shadows whispered.

Azriel’s feet led him back to the sitting area. He found Rhys and Feyre alone, Nyx possibly taken to bed by his Aunt Elain.

“Rhys, can I speak with you? Alone.” Az didn’t want to face this truth with Feyre just yet.

Rhys and Feyre stared at each other, no doubt communicating through their minds. Az couldn’t look Feyre in the eyes after she nodded. Rhys beckoned him to follow and they walked to his office. When the door shut, Az realized he couldn’t look Rhys in the eyes either. It was obvious Rhys was waiting for Azriel to talk first.

“I found my mate.” He whispered.

There was a slight gasp. “I told you,” Rhys said with a joyous tone. “I knew you had one. Do we know her? Is she here or in another court?”

Azriel was sure this is what drowning in air felt like. He glanced up and saw the joyous expression on his brother falter. Rhys stepped forward, his expression changing to concern.

“What’s wrong? Is she with someone else? She’s safe, right?”

“The cauldron is wrong.” Az replied, his voice cracking and tears spilling from his eyes. “The cauldron has to be wrong.” He tuned out his shadows protesting his statement.

“Why would you say that?” Rhys’s hands were outstretched but he didn’t touch him. Not until Azriel told him he could. “You’ve waited over five hundred years for a mate, Az. How can-“

“My mate is Eris.”

As if he had struck a physical blow, Rhys’s hands dropped to his side.

“It’s a trick,” Rhys said confidently. “It would have snapped before now. Show me what happened in Autumn. We can look through your memories and find out where you were spelled.”

Azriel shook his head. “My shadows confirmed it before I even felt it.” He sniffled, trying to compose himself. “I don’t want to lose you. I can’t lose you. I can’t lose this. I don’t know how it works when it’s two males but I will reject it. I can’t-“

“Look at me.” He forced himself to look into Rhys’s violet eyes. “You will never lose me. You’ll never lose us or Velaris.”

“My mate is Eris, Rhys.”

Rhys shrugged, picking at his shirt nervously. “We can work that to our advantage. Especially now that he is High Lord.”

Anger washed over Azriel. “What do you mean? I’m mated to a monster! And you want to jump to advantages?”

“I’m trying to make light of the situation, Azriel. What I mean is, you don’t have to reject the bond. Not unless you really wish to.” Rhys stepped back and leaned against his desk. “He’s not a monster, Az. Not really. I wouldn’t have made an alliance with him if he was. We would not have helped him if he was. And neither are you. I know that’s what you’re thinking even without looking into your mind. Like calls to like but not in the ways you assume.”

“Then what am I supposed to do, Rhys? How can I tell Cassian? Tell Mor? I’m mated to the male who left her to die. Who calls Cassian all kinds of foul names. He even tried to steal Nesta.”

Rhys studied him for a moment. “What does he think about the bond, Eris? Does he know?”

“It snapped for both of us. He-“ Azriel thought about the confrontation he had before he left Autumn. “He said he doesn’t need or want a mate.”

Rhys eyed him. “What did the bond tell you?”

“That he was just as confused as me.”

Az didn’t mention the deep longing he felt. Mostly because he wasn’t sure if that was truely from Eris or himself. He tilted his head as he thought about what to say next.

“There were signs I guess. Signs I ignored. We might have been in a situation. Before.”

Rhys raised a brow. He sighed, words falling from his lips out of guilt or need to confess.

“I made a mistake. I might have- I have slept with him.”

Rhys’s brows shot up further.

“A few times.”

“When in the deep hells did you fuck Eris Vanserra?”

“First time was after a meeting. After, my shadows just took me to him.” Azriel replied meekly. “Did you know my shadows can have sex on their own? Found that out cause they went to him without telling me.”

“Your shadows fucked Eris by themselves? Without telling you? And yet you are shocked you are mates?” Rhys, to Azriel’s shock, was laughing.

“This isn’t funny.”

“It’s actually very funny. If someone told me my brother, my best friend, was fucking his enemy on the low, I wouldn’t have believed them. Cassian is going to lose his mind when you tell him.”

“Rhys this is serious.”

He ignored Azriel. “How far does this go back? Before or after the war with Hybern?”

“After.”

“Is that why you pushed to retrieve him from the continent?”

“It was after that.” And yet, maybe deep down he knew even then. “That last meeting with Mor about a year ago. I followed him. My original plan was to kill him.”

“And you fucked him instead.” Rhys nearly snorted.

“Yeah. I did.” Az tried not to smile. But he could even admit there was some ridiculousness to it all.

There was a lapse of silence and Rhys took a deep breath. “You know this compromises you as my spymaster. For Autumn at least.”

“Why do you think I told you first?”

“We need to bring Feyre in if we’re going to continue to discuss business. She is your High Lady. For now.”

“My allegiance is to the night court,” he repeated for the third time that night.

“Not when your mate is a new high lord.”

Rhys called for Feyre through his mind. She came in and stood by Rhys. Az explained everything to Feyre in a much calmer tone, though her look of shock still made him feel guilty. For what, he wasn’t sure. Rhys interjected with the story of the shadows, all but demanding with a smirk that Azriel explain how his shadows went off on their own.

Azriel pinched the bridge of his nose. “Rhys thinks this is funny.”

“It is funny, Az.” Feyre giggled. She took a deep breath and looked at him sincerely. “By the gods I’ll not be able to keep a straight face the next time I see him.”

Next time. Azriel wasn’t sure there would be a next time or what that would even look like.

“Give him time,” Rhys said, as if reading his mind though his shields were up. “He has a court to get in order.”

“I still have to tell the others,” Azriel added with a grimace.

“Only if you want to,” Feyre said sternly.

He nodded. He wasn’t looking forward to what Mor and Cassian would have to say. He bid Feyre and Rhys good night and left the house, taking to the sky. He felt lighter, having told them. But there was still a weight in his chest, a sadness humming there. The worst part was he wasn’t sure if it was his own or Eris’s.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Eris mended the wards after he took on the powers, he winnowed to his bathing chambers where he vomited up what little he had in his stomach.

A mate.

Azriel was his mate.

And Eris was High Lord now.

The power humming under his skin made him want to claw it off. He got off the floor and rinsed off his face. Azriel was his mate. He didn’t even think males could be mated to other males. He didn’t dare look at his reflection in the mirror, afraid of what he would see. He turned his back to it and slumped against the counter. His mate was spymaster of the Night Court.

This complicated everything.

He mentally slapped himself. He didn’t have time to be pining. He was High Lord now. The next few days would cement his power and influence or ruin it beyond repair. He had a court to gather. He needed to find his brothers before they started up a rebellion against him. Things he’d been planning for over the centuries but now had to execute. He left the bathing room and prepared to leave his quarters when his door opened suddenly and his mother stepped inside.

“Mother,” Eris started. He schooled his features like he always did. A lie fell from his lips easily. “Have you seen your sons? I haven’t found them yet.”

“Not yet. I wanted to speak with you.” Her hands wrung together in front of her “Your mate-“

“Do not call him that.” He nearly snarled.

“Eris-“

“And don’t look at me like that either.”

He realized too late the tone he used, his mother looking away with a scowl.

“You are high lord now, Eris. But I am your mother. Do not command me like that again.”

Shame washed over him. “I’m sorry I’m- I’m still getting used to it.”

She nodded and sighed. “I came to tell you your mate returned to the Night Court.”

“Good.”

He moved around her, determined to leave his chambers. She followed behind him.

“Good?”

“What do you want me to say?” He stopped at his door and looked at his mother. He watched her scan his face, no doubt to study the pain etched into it. “I am mates with a male. A lesser fae male! Father would-“

“Your father is dead. His opinions died with him.”

“You can say that but you don’t know what it’s like!”

He raised his voice but he couldn’t help it. His mother didn’t understand. It wasn’t just his father but the whole court. The courtiers and noble families would never accept his rule if they knew. Just like his father would have executed him if he were alive still.

“I don’t.” She reached out, placing her hand gently on his arm. “But there is a reason he came tonight. He saved my life. He helped you.”

He refused to admit it was out of obligation. Azriel was most likely sent by Rhysand due to their bargain. But saying that aloud hurt too much so he buried it and gave another reason instead.

“And he will never betray his family. Not when they despise me.” His mother gave him a puzzled look. Eris replied softly. “You know they still blame me for Mor.”

His mother was taken aback. “That was centuries ago. You were a child.”

“It doesn’t matter to them.” Eris shrugged, moving away from her grasp. “They see what they want to see. What they wanted to see was the male I was under father’s command.”

She scowled. “If they can believe Rhysand is a good male after the horrors he inflicted under the mountain, they can find it within them to believe you are one as well.”

He scoffed at that but she wasn’t wrong. “I told Azriel the truth of what happened. I don’t think it matters. He would put his family first over an enemy he’s hated for centuries.”

His mother gave him another look of pity. He couldn’t stand it but bit his tongue to keep from accidentally commanding her.

“We have a court to address,” he brushed the front of his shirt to give his hands something to do. He needed to change, looking down at himself and seeing soot and burnt cloth. “And I need to find my brothers before they start a rebellion.”

A glance at his mother, he could tell that accusation hurt her. But his brothers were Beron’s sons through and through.

“Promise me you’ll be fair to them,” she grabbed his arm again. “Please.”

“I will not kill my brothers without just cause if that is what you are implying.” She looked away, shame etched in her features. “They have a chance to prove themselves.”

There was a beat of silence between them.

“The body is still in the courtyard.” His mother whispered it, like if she spoke too loudly it wouldn’t be true. “I couldn’t.” She stopped and took a shaky breath.

“Go find the Captain. He’s one of mine. He will handle it.”

He ushered her out of his chambers. As much as he wanted to be there for her and remain while she processed this, he had work to do. Maybe she would forgive him in time. She nodded, still not looking at him. He didn't want to say it but he couldn’t let her be fully hopeless.

“There’s a letter in our cabin, from Helion.” She looked up quickly, hope in her sad eyes that made Eris nauseous again. But he pushed forward. “It’s unopened. The wards still respond to you. Go find the captain then I suggest you get the letter. It’s in the sitting room.”

“What about the court?”

“I will handle it.”

She smiled at him, hope refreshed. He prayed that whatever Helion put in that letter, it would not disappoint her. One of them deserved some happiness and it wasn’t going to be Eris. She kissed his cheek and departed from him. He gave himself a few more moments alone. Mostly to shove down the hollowness in his chest.

Eris Vanserra was High Lord of the Autumn Court now and he was about to make it everyone’s problem.

Next Chapter

#Eris is about to be a Menace #off camera tho #azriel shadowsinger #azriel #azriel acotar #eris acotar #eris vanserra #high lord eris #azris #azriel x eris #acotar

31 notes · View notes

ecileh · 2 years

Text

there was this really interesting theory on tiktok last year about how in a lot of women-centric fantasy, only “good girls” get to keep their powers. it wasn’t about SJM, but i think about this in relation to the SJMverse soooo much because it happens with a lot (all) of her characters.

the video has been deleted (it’s blank in my bookmarks 😭) but to paraphrase the theory, OP magical female characters get boxed into two categories:

good girls: selfless, savior complex, puts everyone especially her man first, often modest/humble, scandalized when they have to wear sexy clothes for a plot point, only fuck when presented with one bed or similar situation (ie, they need to *be* seduced)

bad girls: selfish, proud, difficult to get along with, vain, seductive/DTF (they’re not bad people, many are heroines. they’re just…difficult. they loathe themselves. they make mistakes and don’t make excuses.)

feyre is the literal holotype of a good girl. she puts everyone else, especially her male partner, before herself. she is a little more selfish at the beginning of the books, but she undergoes a lot of character growth by acowar/acofas. in acowar i think it makes her compelling because she’s so recklessly brave that it almost sets her allies’ efforts back (it’s almost a mistake!) but everything always works out for her. but by acofas, when she’s wearing herself to the bone doing charity work, she’s become a martyr. she also is forced into wearing sexy clothes (by rhys) and they don’t do anything sexual until there’s, of course, only one bed. she’s so OP her powers eventually get nerfed for plot reasons (nesta, elain, and other side characters need a chance to shine, so feyre gets pregnant, shielded, and now has a baby to protect so she probably won’t risk herself unless anything threatens nyx), but her powers are still there. she still has control and agency over her powers. she’s just choosing not to use them or put herself in harm’s way because she’s now a mother.

nesta, amren, and aelin are bad girls because they are selfish, proud, difficult to get along with. we don’t know much about amren’s sexual history but we know aelin cockteased rowan for months, and nesta made her way through velaris and jumped right into bed with cassian—not for love, but for a distraction—once she was confined to the house of wind. (i know feyre claimed her one bed moment with rhysand was for a distraction as well, but she wasn’t really in the same place as nesta where sex was an active self-destructive coping mechanism for her. and she later admits to rhys she was lying about wanting distraction to protect herself.) and yeah amren and aelin gives up their powers for the wars and nesta gives up her powers for……a wider pelvis.

because bad girls can only be redeemed by sacrificing their power. good girls will gladly sacrifice their power and lives, but they are always spared. bad girls may offer their lives too (as amren and aelin did), but even if their lives are spared they never get to keep their power like good girls do.

(and of course OP men always get to keep their powers.)

so many authors seem to think the only satisfying resolution to a difficult woman’s character arc is making them give up their power to save someone else. personally i think it’s so tired. give us a stone cold bitch who doesn’t have to nuke herself for a new pelvis!!! please authors i am begging you

#nesta deserves better #pro nesta #nesta archeron #acotar #a court of thorns and roses #a court of silver flames #throne of glass #aelin deserves better #even amren deserves better

520 notes · View notes

th3-c0rps3-r0gu3 · 1 year

Text

Ravens.

a/n: this is a short part two to my story ravens which was requested like twice. I never planned on writing this but we do stupid shit when bored.

Warnings: slight swearing.

Pairings: Natasha X reader. Established relationship.

"no way"

Tony said astounded as he stared at y/n's shoulder. Upon said shoulder was a raven by the name nyx. Y/n gave Tony a smug look. Natasha was grinning ear to ear as she stood proudly next to her girlfriend. Natasha had known her girlfriends hobby would be worth it. Well she didn't but she believed so.

"yes way."

Nyx said. Tony screamed. Steve's eyes nearly popped out his head. Wanda fainted. A bird just spoke.

"that.. that thing can talk!?"

Tony exclaimed. Y/n shrugged.

"actually I'm a raven not a thing."

Nyx stated. This time Tony nearly fainted. The bir- raven just corrected him. The avengers just stood in shock. They all knew that y/n fed the local ravens but they never thought anything would come if it. Let alone one warning her of danger and setting up spies to assist her.

"What's wrong guys? You look like you saw a ghost."

Y/n said teasingly. Of course y/n was going to milk this for all it's worth. Tony glared at her.

"A goddamn crow is talking to us! How are you calm!?"

Tony basically screeched.

"I am a raven."

Nyx reiterated. Tony glared at nyx this time.

"So now we have the whole talking raven part out if the way can we discuss the matter at hand."

Y/n said. Despite the joy she got out of Tony's annoyance they were still under threat by HYDRA.

"what matter at hand?"

Steve asked, seemingly recovered from the initial shock.

"a place by the name HYDRA plans to attack you."

Nyx repeated to the avengers the story they shared to y/n. The avengers took it surprisingly well other than, well, Tony ofcourse.

The next couple weeks were a blur. Y/n now spent time feeding and talking to the ravens and discussing information about the planned attack so when it finally came the avengers would be ready. This was quite successful. The ravens who weren't locals and from the HYDRA base were skeptical of y/n though however after affirmation from nyx they came around.

The attack came. It was easy. The avengers already had the entire of HYDRA'S plan memorised and a counter plan in place. What was better was the fact an army of ravens attacked too. Swooping down from above. And due to HYDRA'S lack of preparation for a small airforce they were greatly outnumbered. And so greatly beaten.

After the attack wounds were cleaned and injured ravens taken into y/n's room for care because apparently to no one's knowledge y/n had done a secret veterinary course in case she came across an injured raven whilst feeding them. Even Natasha didn't know. And she was her girlfriend. This incident although did claim y/n one thing. And that was the avengers respect. And the fact that y/n had befriended basically the worlds raven population scared the shit out of them.

As y/n promised her window to her room was constantly open for nyx or any other raven who needed assistance or help. Of course however nyx got her own personal perch tree type thing y/n crafted out of fallen branches from a nearby park. Tony however was now under constant teasing from y/n and nyx for the disrespect y/n got during simply feeding the ravens. Y/n was eventually deemed raven queen by Natasha as her hero name as nyx and the other ravens, or so nyx says, call her their lady.

Tag list:

@screechcat

#natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff x reader #natasha x you #black widow #natasha x y/n #natasha romanoff x fem!reader #black widow x reader #wanda maximoff #tony stark #steve rogers #avengers x reader #the avengers

104 notes · View notes

mask131 · 9 months

Text

I already made a post about it before, but since a lot of people are coming around for more Greek mythology content, I thought "Why not take off the dust from old talks?", and thus here is my redo-post about the Homeric vs Hesiodic tradition.

I am summarizing here greatly but... We all know that Homer's epics (The Odyssey and the Iliad), and Hesiod's works (The Theogony, Of Works and Days) form the "basis" of Greek mythology as we know it today, as they are the oldest literary records of Greek mythology we have, and the Ancient Greeks themselves shared the same opinion, even going as far as using them and analyzing them to understand their own religion.

And yet, despite this set of works being considered together as a "whole", Hesiod and Homer actually presented two different visions of the Greek mythology and the Greek pantheon, often contradicting - and many of the "There's thousands versions of a same myth" trend about Greek mythology comes from the fact that these two fundamental set of works were already in conflict.

Why? Long story short it is agreed that Homer was the oldest of the two, and that in his works he reflected an older, more primitive state of the Greek religion and Greek gods. Meanwhile Hesiod, the "youngest", collected a more modern and recent set of beliefs that would become the dominant Greek theology of Ancient Greece. There's a lot of interesting debate and scholarly study about this, but in this post I just want to collect and highlight a few key differences between the "Homeric" and "Hesiodic" traditions, to again remind people that you are not always forced to stick to one version, since already at the beginning of all there were TWO recorded versions, from which many many more different spawned afterward...

KEY DIFFERENCE 1: Everybody knows Hesiod's Theogony, and how from Chaos came Gaia and Ouranos, and from them came the Titans, and then the Olympians. One long genealogy dating back from the Earth and the Sky out of the primordial void... And yet Homer hints heavily at another cosmogony, where Oceanus/Okeanos and Tethys are not actually part of the Titan siblings (as Hesiod claims)... But the origin of all things. The parents of all the gods, and the source of all life, as many divine beings (from Hera to Hypnos) explain repeatedly. The clues scattered throughout the Iliad and the Odyssey point out to the fact the "cosmic couple" might have been originally the water deities of the sea and ocean, before being replaced by the sky-and-earth one ; and this puts under a very different light why the two stayed "neutral" during the conflict, and why Oceanos and Tethys would end up sheltering Hera during Zeus' attack against Kronos...

Key difference 2: Everybody knows the story of Aphrodite being born from Ouranos' sexual organs being cut off by Kronos and thrown into the sea... And yet Homer tells a very different story about Aphrodite being actually a daughter of Zeus. Her mother is a mysterious goddess named Dione - I say mysterious because outside of Homer, and a handful of other things, we know barely anything about her. Most of what we know is that she had an actual worship in the old Greek religion (the grove of Dodona was dedicated to her), and that all analysis and studies point out to her being a female version/counterpart of Zeus. If I recall well, from Homer making her a secondary character in his epics (with a famous scene of her comforting her wounded daughter), Hesiod made her a mere name dropped among the Oceanids.

Key difference 3: In a continuation of the previous difference, Eris, the goddess of discord, also has different parentages in both tradition. According to Homer, Eris was Ares' sister (and thus the daughter of Zeus and Hera) ; Hesiod rather described her as one of the many children of Nyx, the primordial goddess of the night. (In fact, in the Hesiodic tradition Eris took example on her mother and gave birth in turn to many malevolent and destruction personifications ; this was not the case in the Homeric works).

Key difference 4: The story of Hephaestus/Hephaistos being born of Zeus and Hera the... let's say "regular" way comes from the Homeric tradition. Hesiod actually depicts a very different birth-story ; and in quite a twist, most people today remember Homer's genealogy than Hesiod's one. For you see, in Hesiod, Hephaistos was actually conceived by Hera alone, without any male intervention. She had grown jealous of Zeus having a daughter of his own (with Athena coming out of his head). She basically interpreted this as her husband "showing off" and somehow trying to prove he did not need women to have children (I am extrapolating here but that's the core idea) ; so in return Hera decided to have a child all on her own too, and she managed to fall pregnant and have a son with her own power, no Zeus or other god involved... But the result was Hephaistos, ugly and lame.

Key difference 5: Homer placed a lot more focus on Helios than Hesiod. In fact, Helios is so present and so involved in the Homeric epics that he is basically the unofficial "thirteenth Olympian". And, while in Hesiod's Theogony the name "Hyperion" designates one of the Titans born of Gaia and Ouranos, and the father of Helios, Selene and Eos ; in the Homeric epics, instead "Hyperion" is a qualificative/synonym/alternate name of Helios himself, and not at all a distinct entity.

Key difference 6: In Hesiod's cosmogony, the Moirai are a trinity of goddesses, each with their specific name and function - the goddesses we know today. Hesiod even gives two CONTRADICTING birth-stories to explain the origin of the Moirai (if having two conflicting "founding fathers" wasn't enough, we now have a guy who contradicts HIMSELF). Hesiod alternatively describes the Moirai as either daughters of Nyx (and so part of these primordial deities of darkness and doom born somewhere in the mysterious beginnings of time) ; either as daughters of Zeus and Themis (and in this version they explicitely received their powers over fate from Zeus himself).

In Homer, the Moirai are much less defined and personified - in fact, many times - almost all the time - he refers to Fate/Destiny as a singular entity. Not only is the fate goddess singular (except for some parts of his epics that evoke a group of "weavers"), but she is as I said not very personified, not given any attribute, genealogy or description, to the point that... it seems that she was just a poetic metaphor, a rhetorical allegory, a personification more than a goddess. Instead, in the Homeric world it is Zeus that fills the role of the god of fate and destiny - changing fates and weighing destinities on his own ; a far cry from the future image of a Zeus that must bow to the laws of fate.

There are many, many more differences to point out between Homer and Hesiod - but I think those selected fews are enough to show that, even in its "foundations", Greek mythology kept offering alternative and variations ; and that by putting the ancient works back in a correct chronology order, we get fascinating evolutions (Oceanos and Tethys replaced by Gaia and Ouranos ; Zeus losing the paternity of many important goddesses ; Zeus losing his place as a god of fate ; Helios losing importance as time went on, entire deities disappearing such as Dione...)

#greek mythology #homer #hesiod #homeric tradition #greek gods #hesiodic tradition #moirai #zeus #dione #titans #aphrodite #eris #helios #hyperion #hephaestus #hephaistos #hera

49 notes · View notes