A Court of Deceit and Decay
Chapter Two- Nesta Archeron
“I will not go.” Nesta, even dragged across the Hewn City’s cold floors, did not regret her decision. The words spat in Rhysand’s face, a sneer on her own. He had simply turned to Morrigan and said, “Perhaps, Mor, we will go with your idea.”
After Nesta’s clear defiance, Feyre had simply cast her eyes down, shame and disgust wrinkled on her youthful face. Nesta had felt her gut sink into the lowest pits of her core, not even for how Morrigan barely hid her grin of pleasure at getting to order Cassian and Azriel to prepare to take Nesta to the Hewn City. But at Feyre’s face. How she didn’t have an ounce of so much as concern on her face. All of it, every inch of it, was just about how Nesta had embarrassed her.
It filled her to the brim with such hot, heavy hatred, she didn’t even pull away when she felt large hands grip her arms and take her away. As Morrigan prepared to call for a gathering in the Hewn City. A public shaming.
As she had been forcibly winnowed to the gates of the Hewn City. Cold frigid air whipping in her face from the outside. She turned to Morrigan, dressed in red and decorated with gold, she had a wild grin on her pretty face when she turned to Nesta. Giddy at the idea of getting too exact revenge for Nesta’s commentary on her dress, the Archeron sister supposed.
“You enjoy this.” Nesta commented, voice as blank and numb as she felt. After the months of harassment from the entirety of the Inner Circle, she could honestly say, this was something she wasn’t surprised by.
Morrigan smoothed over her expression with one of pity and sadness. Directing her eyes to Feyre, who looked back, Morrigan turned up the teary doe eyes, and the High Lady nodded, turning a sharp gaze to Nesta. For daring to upset her friend.
Morrigan then leaned in, the perfect display of the humble, sympathetic ambassador.
“Immensely.” She whispered, before standing straight up again, heels clicking as they entered the Hewn City. Masks on, the play began.
She walked as best she could with much larger males pulling her along. She tripped and fell, they kept dragging her as per orders, Cassian let out a low scoff. Only Azriel turned an eye to her, lessening his grip, but turning away when she met his gaze.
The Hewn City doors flung open with a bang, and she was brought before the throne.
She hung her head, letting the numbness wash over her as her heartbeat picked up being in front of so many people. She hoped this would be over quickly.
Nesta hoped she would feel nothing as she was thrown to her knees.
But she did. It made her eyes snap up, like something in between her ribs had fluttered, had struck the nerve and caused electricity to snap up the side of her body. Quickly her eyes darted around.
Then they landed on a moving shadow.
Staring out from amongst the darkness of the corners, a pair of amber eyes gazed down on her. Widened, in the dim lighting, Nesta could make out an open mouth. Dressed in Night Court black, however golden jewellery rather than silver adored his ears and fingers.
Eris, she thought. The male Azriel had choked for insulting Morrigan.
Thinking back on that night, a tilt to her lips nearly escaped.
She stared at him, at him and no one else. And he stared at her. Nothing else registered in her head.
“After deeming yourself unworthy of serving amongst the Court, you are to stay within the restraints of the Hewn City. The Court of Nightmares will decide your place down here Until your High Lady has deemed you worthy of returning to the land above, you will serve as whatever you are appointed to.”
Nesta barely heard her own sentence, as the taste of ash and heat spread over her skin. A fire that spiked up in her gut. Bruising grips held her frail arms once more and she was being dragged out.
The jeers suddenly hit her, they stabbed into her skin, into her body, like they were scarring her. It all felt real, like she had been snapped from a dream. As something seemed to tingle in the air, a trail that led back to a pair of flaming amber eyes.
She managed to move her head as she began to pass the doors. And saw him there, their eyes locked once more, and something sparked, like wood catching alight.
Nesta smelt smoke.
Cassian and Azriel dropped her in a room, in a house she did not know. A part of the cavernous tunnels. It looked like an office, hidden in the cracks of the Hewn City.
Against her will, water peeked in her vision. She blinked them away as her vision became blurry. Looking up she saw Cassian, baring her fangs, she forced herself to her feet and dusted herself off.
Cassian opened his mouth like he might try to say something, but ultimately, he just turned to Azriel and said, “Come on, Az, we have important work to do.”
It was to brush her aside.
Important work, that isn’t you. He meant.
Azriel nodded once, Cassian went out the door first, fists clenched but saying nothing else as his hulking frame disappeared into the darkness.
Azriel, his hand caught the threshold, he sucked in a breath and looked over his shoulder, “You…
Nesta folded her arms neatly in front of her, as she tilted her head and watched him.
“You could have just agreed.” He hissed, before leaving, slamming the door shut behind him.
Nesta stared at the oak door, the hinges, the handle. She looked around. It was a large office. With a few chairs before a desk at the far side, walls lined with books of old, many of which were most likely older than her father. Possibly older than Rhysand.
Would have been older than her father, she clarified in her own mind.
She hummed. Taking in a breath, then another, then another shaking one.
Nesta swallowed hard, she patted herself down. Trying to find something, anything, a distraction of any kind at all.
The Archeron sister turned and saw a mirror. It was large and oval shaped, with a golden edging, real gold, pure and likely mined from before Rhysand was High lord. But Nesta did not focus on that.
She stared at herself, at her dirty image. At the tattered cloak she wore, the thinness of her frame, the deep dark circles under her eyes, the oily slightly matted hair. And the points of her ears.
She looked like back when they were in that cottage. Back in that weak body, back in those dirty clothes, back in that place that made sleeping, breathing, eating, thinking harder than it ever needed to be.
Tears welled in her eyes.
She became someone after that, when they were sent money, when they were given back their life originally taken from their father’s poor decisions. People knew her name, she was going to travel. She was going to finally see what a woman with money and a good name could do in this world.
Now look at her, she lost everything again, and then some.
Nesta shook. Tremors rippled through her body as tears on end poured from her eyes. She hugged herself as she fell hung over herself, falling to her knees. She cried and cried, putting a hand over her mouth as her wails became too loud to not be heard by outsiders. She sucked in harsh, short breaths that hurt her lungs and throat. A headache pounded, she felt herself go so weak.
Everything was taken from her, stripped and destroyed. Her body was violated, broken, twisted and assaulted. Forced into something else. Tongue, teeth, eyes, all shredded, until there was nothing left to take.
Those nights in taverns, out in clubs, it was high that reminded her of living. Reminded her body it was no longer destroyed, just different.
But it embarrassed them.
Nesta hugged herself tighter as her eyes squeezed closed, unable to stop herself from falling apart on the floor.
The door creaked as it swung open.
Netsa flung herself back, scrambling to stand, scrubbing her face with her hands, she tried to hide her face. But then her eyes caught onto the intruder.
Amber. It bore into her.
Eris stood there, face caught in an array of emotions. The shock of seeing her catching him completely off guard.
He blinked multiple times, quickly closing his mouth, and bowing his head, “Lady Nesta.”
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