Rose Gardens - Part 2 - Eris Vanserra.
A/N: Apparently I’m going for a slowburn kinda vibe! Please enjoy ❤️
W/C - 2K
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
You couldn’t explain the relief that flooded through you. “You’re here.” Eris walked into view. “Of course I am, I invited you didn’t I?” You smiled up at him through your lashes. “I fell asleep, I thought I’d missed you.” He took a seat on the stone bench, just like when you’d found him earlier as you were trying to work out if he was taller than Rhysand. “How much trouble did you get into?” He asked, meeting your eyes for the first time. He started his ministrations with the roses again. “Well, they weren’t happy.” He let out a small snort of a laugh. “I’ll say.” You shrugged. “I’ve known them for a long time. They’re protective.”
“How long have you been with them? Rhysand and his overgrown bats?” You nudged his shoulder with yours in irritation. “Don’t call them that. A long time, I found them, just after the first war, but I’ve known Azriel since we were children.” He hummed in acknowledgement. “Were you there? In the first war?” You asked him. He met your eyes and when they did all breath left your lungs as you took in the haunted look in his beautiful amber eyes. “Yes, I was.” You knew you shouldn’t ask, knew you didn’t want to know the answer after learning of his fathers reputation, of Eris’ reputation, but you had to know. “On which side?” He straightened, the fire burning the petals increased. “What side do you think?” He asked, his tone back to the arrogant Lordling from the meeting. “Don’t do that.” You replied. “Do what?” He quirked an eyebrow. “Don’t throw what little bit of your walls back up that you let down when you talk to me. I see how you talk to everyone else here, but you don’t talk to me like that, please don’t start now, I was just starting to think you were redeemable.” He ran his hand through his hair, it was unbound you noticed for the first time. “Redeemable huh?” He questioned. You gave him the biggest smile you could muster and nodded. “I fought on the right side of the war. For the humans.”
You couldn’t stop your mouth from falling open. “Didn’t expect that as an answer?” You forced the shock off of your face. “I just…your father…he seems like the type to be for human slaves.” Eris nodded slowly. “He was. But he’s also not stupid, he would’ve sent us to whatever side was likely to win.” You swallowed thickly and took a breath. “What about you? If he’d chosen to fight to keep the slaves, would you have followed?” He seemed to ponder this for a while. “I would like to say no. That I’d have walked away and fought for the humans. But I was young, stupid and I was desperate to get any shred of approval I could from him. So yes, I think I would’ve followed the orders I was given.” He wouldn’t look at you and silence enveloped the two of you that you allowed to drag out. The male beside you clearly in his head so you let him be and watched the petals burn.
It was a while later that you spoke again. “That was brave of you to admit, Eris.” He shrugged. “You’re not what I thought you’d be like.” He looked at you then and raised his eyebrows. “Mean and scary?” You let out a small laugh as you nodded. “Yeah, well I thought you’d be kinda mean and scary.” You gasped in mock hurt. “Me?! I’m adorable!” He laughed then, properly laughed. It was the richest sound you’d ever heard and you decided then that Eris Vanserra must always be laughing. The world would be a better place if he was laughing. He stood and offered you his hand. “Would you care to take a walk with me, Lady Y/N?” You took his hand and let him help you stand and tried your best to hide the smile that spread across your face when he placed your hand on his elbow. “A walk? With no chaperone? The scandal!” You teased and he laughed again. “I would like that. I’m no lady though, I’m as lowborn as they come.”
The two of you walked the perimeter of the gardens three times before you ended up back on that stone bench a couple of hours before sunrise. “That’s a neat trick, by the way, with the petals.” You murmured to him as the last few days of travel and the meeting caught up with you. “Must be nice, having fire in your veins. Do you feel the cold like the rest of us?” You shivered as if to prove your point and his face dropped from the easy smile that you’d managed to place there with your earlier teasing. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, considering what he was about to do and then he lifted his arm, wrapped it around your shoulder and brought you into his side. The warmth was instant. It was like sitting next to a fire. “I can do more than just burn petals.” He spoke quietly as you nestled into his side, letting his warmth sink into your bones.
“Y/N. You need to wake up.” You opened your eyes and blinked twice. Still nestled into Eris’ side. You bolted up. “I’m so sorry!” He just smirked at you. “You mumble in your sleep, did you know that?” Your cheeks burned with embarrassment at his teasing. “Eris, you’re so handsome. Eris you’re so warm.” You were positive your entire face and neck was the same colour as his hair and you glared down at him, a small pout on your lips. “I didn’t say that. Shut up!” He rewarded you with another of his genuine laughs. “It was, as you said earlier, adorable.” You crossed your arms. “Leave me alone.” It was then that you noticed the sky. The sun was just beginning to rise. Azriel would be awake soon, meaning he would come and check on you before heading to train with Cassian. You needed to get back but you so desperately wanted to stay.
“I have to go, it’s sunrise and Azriel always checks that I’m safe and sound asleep before heading out for training.” Eris nodded in understanding. “I’ll walk you back to your room.” He said as he stood. “No!” He stopped walking towards you. “I mean, I would really like it if you could but if he catches me with you-” He cut you off. “I understand.” He took your hand and kissed your knuckles again. “Thank you for keeping me company, my lady.” You blushed. “Did you mean it? When you said I could write to you?” He allowed you a small smile. “Of course.” You couldn’t help the grin that spread on your face. “Thank you, for tonight.” You told him as you took two brave steps towards him and placed a small kiss on his cheek, then promptly turned and fled.
You’d just made it to the front door when you ran into Elain. She looked like she’d just been caught stealing from the cookie jar. You took her arm and carried on the walk towards your rooms. “I won’t tell if you don’t.” You whispered to her when you’d finally arrived at your doors. “Promise?” She whispered back. You nodded at her. “I promise, Elain.” She gave you a small gentle smile. “I promise too.” She said as she disappeared through her door.
You pulled your clothes and slippers off and changed into your nightdress. You hid the note where you’d also hidden the rose in your trunk and crawled into bed. Despite the roaring fire burning in the hearth it felt cold after you’d been curled up to Eris. You heard your door open and close within a few seconds, Azriel checking on you. And you drifted to sleep into dreams of swirling leaves of orange, yellow and reds. Of spiced cider and apple pie. Of the smell of burnt sugar, cinnamon and firewood. Of the most beautiful set of amber eyes you’d ever seen.
Cassian woke you mere hours later by pulling the covers off of your bed and you groaned as you were pulled from your dreams of shimmering streams and autumn sunshine. “Time to go.” You opened one eye and looked at the General smirking at you from the side of your bed. Stretching as you rolled over, throwing a pillow at him in the process. He caught it with ease. “I hate you.” You mumbled at him. He let out a short laugh. “Get up, Y/N. We’re going home.”
You went through the motions of bathing and dressing, checking the rose and note was safely hidden away, all the while wondering if Eris had already left and why he seemed to have such an effect on you. Cassian returned for you shortly after. “What did you say to Rhys and Az?” He asked as soon as you let him in. “Nothing!” He gave you a pointed look. “Fine, I healed Eris yesterday after Azriel beat the shit out of him.” A grumble emitted from the General’s chest. “Don’t you start as well, Cass! I was just trying to help!” He held his hands up in defense. “I won’t, I trained you, you could hand that pompous prick his ass if you wanted too. Just be careful. We can’t trust him.” You sighed. “You seem to be the only one who thinks I’m capable of looking after myself.”
You said as you sat on the edge of your bed. Cassian took a seat next to you. “They’re protective of you, we all are but those two more than most. Azriel will always see you as the little girl who risked everything to help him, who replaced him in that cell and he will spend his life trying to repay you for that, for keeping him together. Rhys, Rhys has his own reasons. He hurt you, Y/N. Not physically and not intentionally but he did and he won’t forgive himself for it.” You opened your mouth to reply but he held up his hand to stop you and continued talking. “We let him into our minds, when he returned. He saw the ghost you became when he first went to that damned party Under the Mountain. He saw you wait for him for 50 years. Then he came back and had a mate, had Feyre. That’s why it took him as long as it did to tell you. He saw how fragile you were, we all did and how much you came back to life as soon as he returned.” You curled into Cassian’s side. “I just want them to see I can look after myself.” Cassian placed a kiss on the top of your head and said no more.
There was a letter waiting for you when you walked into your room in the House of Wind and excitement flooded through your veins. It was the first of many that were exchanged over the following weeks. The latest one accompanied by a box made your heartbeat that little bit faster.
Dear Y/N,
I wonder if you would like to attend the Harvest Festival that takes place in the Autumn Court during the next full moon? I know it is a long shot but I yearn to see you again and the Harvest Festival is one of my favourite holidays we have. Everyone dons masks and drinks, dances, plays games and celebrates among other things. Our way of giving Magic back to the land.
I’ll meet you on the border at sundown if you wish to join me. Please find enclosed a mask and some dresses to choose from. I hope they are to your liking as they aren’t quite the usual Night Court style.
Yours,
Eris.
You didn’t open the box, not yet. You longed to go but knew there was no way you’d be able to sneak to the border of the Autumn Court without help. You couldn’t open the box and get your hopes up. You paced your room, debating how you were gonna pull this off and pulled together your bravery to go to your best shot. You knocked on the wooden door and waited for it to be answered.
“Y/N? What can I do for you?” You took a deep breath before speaking. “Cassian, I need your help.”
