*inhale / exhale

breathe life in his soul;swirl chaos in the air winds fervent; grant him the wits of a warriorthe strength of titan, and a whole lot of class. cassius reyes, 236|26, Prince Consort of the High Court // fae 

[bvggcdsf]

Kirk was still feeling poorly, he felt achy and feverish. He really just wanted to lay down and sleep it off but he didn’t have the time. There was work to be done. However, he did sit down for just a moment. He was in one of the parlours of the palace. Kirk sank down one a sofa only up look up and see the other. “Oh…” He wasn’t quite sure where to start but he couldn’t make himself sit up. “Did you hear? About the vote going on in the council?” @portraitcfdcrian @cassiusreyes @aidenmacalistair

[cassiusreyes]

There was something odd in the air, Cassius could feel it settled on the pads of his fingertips as he manipulated it. Something just didn’t feel right. There was the fact that everyone in the kingdom had missed a whole three days without any inclination of what exactly had happened just that something must’ve. Despite there being that unsettling feeling nestled within his thoughts, he felt somewhat at ease. Which was curious enough for Cassius to question what had happened in those three days because he was not a man of ease. He was sure he had acquired extra muscles in his shoulder from all of the tension he held at all moments of the day. 

That being said, there was still work to be done. Cassius had occupied on of the parlours for the day, confident that no one would find him here. He couldn’t help that slight look of irritation that settled upon his features as Kirk of all people walked in on him. The fae hadn’t even seemed to notice him as he fluttered in and sank down onto the couch. That look of disgust wove so intricately with his already stoic features as the man finally realized his presence. “Of course I heard about it, were we not at the same meeting earlier?” He asked the man, slightly confused at what sort of weird small talk the guard had been making and more importantly why he wasn’t by the Queen’s side in this moment.

[cassiusreyes]

giselleendiron‌:

There is still a girl of Summer nestled beneath sable bedrock; Giselle is only ever reminded of her existence whenever the palms of their hands meet like this. It’s a fairly simple and platonic action, not hardly as romantic as her feelings might make it out to be, but it is still surprisingly intimate. They say that her heart has grown cold over these past few decades, but only Giselle knows the truth. She’s hardly grown colder. No, she’s only learned how to wrench her heart in a tightly clenched fist until it barely feels. Oh, but it certainly feels something whenever she’s near Cassius like this, and it frightens her. Caring for someone as deeply as Giselle does for Cassius is risky for a woman in her position. To love is to leave oneself open for slaughter. Love is weakness, and that is something that Giselle can never allow herself to be; weak. She’s worked so hard in order to carve a woman out of gold and obsidian, and she won’t see her shattered by anyone or anything. She needs to forget the whims of her heart in this moment, and so she shoos away the millions of butterflies that restlessly swarm around in her stomach and adds on yet another impenetrable layer of bedrock atop that sweet girl of Summer. Any more layers than this and Giselle will permanently crush the girl.

Their flight together is relatively brief thanks to Cassius’ control over the winds. She’s never flown quite as fast as this on her own and she’s thankful to have returned to the front gates of her home in record time. The guards positioned at both sides of the Northern entrance draw open the gates to allow both the High Queen and the Prince Consort entry into the lush courtyards that lead to Front entrance of the High Palace. She’s nervous, though nothing about her appearance gives away this information. Giselle still, very much appears to be the unfazed Queen she always is. Even in the face of danger, she’s always characteristically quiet. This is how she is, always thinking and planning until she’s come to the best possible solution. Her next move must be carefully constructed, for all eyes are now aimed directly at her as a result of the actions at the wedding. The privy council would not only be expecting her attendance in the morning, but also an explanation as to why the Fae were even involved in this interspecies war. Yes, she’s nervous but she will handle it just as she handles everything else; with care and impeccable grace.

His apology, while appreciated, is unneeded. There is nothing to be sorry for when the situation was completely out of her hands (or so she tells herself). Cassius must be able to tell that she’s a million miles away from him at the moment, because his teasing almost goes right over head. She’s prone to spacing out especially in times of great stress, but his whimsicality is what brings her back. She damns her cheeks for turning that embarrassing shade of red so quickly, but they can’t help it. She laughs, and it’s just as euphonious as the thrums of a golden harp. “I should hope not. Though, at my wedding I will have eliminated the chance of unwanted guests showing up on our doorstep.” She says, almost exhausted from the tonight’s events. Giselle won’t even think of making an address tonight. All that she has the energy for is to speak briefly with Cassius and her advisors and then to step into a scalding tub of water and scented oils.

“I am doubtful that the courts would want to hear me speak so late into the night like this. I will send word to council that I will speak with them and everyone else in the morning.” Giselle starts, already laying out her plans ahead of time. “For now I wish to retire to my chambers. Would you care to join me?” Her offer is innocent, as she wishes to speak with him about what is to come. “We have much to discuss. We must prepare ourselves for whatever is waiting for us in the coming weeks.”

[cassiusreyes]

derrieuxmelanie‌:

“Mon petit bébé d’amour. I will always have grand parties and I shall always seek you out because maybe one day you’ll actually smile at such an event hm? I can’t miss that!” Melanie laughs as soon as she sees Cassius rolling his eyes. Delighted that her ploy was garnering the reactions she expected. She gasped dramatically, clutching her heart when he said she wasn’t the only lady in his life. “Heartbreaker indeed, look at you dashing my dreams.” Immediately after that she wiggles her eyebrows before stating, “How is the other Lady in your life treating you?” She leans in closer and lowers her voice before asking, “Have you two passionately ripped off each other’s clothing yet?” The last time Melanie had been in their presence the unresolved sexual tension had been so thick, a butter knife could cut through it with ease. It was getting out of control and it needed to be let loose. If Melanie were the type to gamble, she’d bet on those two combusting real soon, and she’s sure she’d win too.

Melanie opened her arms as well to return the embrace, her smile exuberant at being around her friend again. She quickly leans back and halfheartedly smacks him for his response however. “Hey, that’s all it takes for you, because I’m a good friend and I don’t demand extra time you don’t have. My standards are much higher, you jerk.” She pouted. “Also hugs are wonderful, especially when given out by those who don’t usually give them.” Melanie liked the feelings that exclusive hugs evoked. While its true that Melanie isn’t the only one Cass hugs, she never sees him embracing that many people, a very rare occasion to her eyes at least. And so, that made his hugs more valuable and she delighted in hoarding them.

“Me? Smiling?” His brows furrowed for a moment. “I am unsure those muscles even work,” he admitted half heartedly. Though that was untrue, Cassius may appear to be stoic and serious, but underneath all of that rigidity was an innocent boy from the winter court with a smile that shone brighter than the snow he was made of. He was just taught to conceal his emotions from a young age. Not letting emotions get in the way was the reason why he had gotten to where he was now. There was no need for him to change that sort of pace of life. Especially because the Queen, the only person he felt compelled enough to feel anything for, had a disinterest in having him as anything other than a placeholder until she found someone better for herself. He could now feel that soft red start to play across the apples of his cheeks as he shook his head in denial. “The High Queen and I do not have a relationship like that,” he insisted once more, though it had beckoned the thoughts in his head to stir about her. Was he trying to convince Melanie or rather himself?

Cassius gave her a look as if she had just told him a bold face lie. He couldn’t help the scoff that fell from his lips. “Oh, you are correct. Your standards are quite kingly. My mistake, that would be considered have the highest standards,” he corrected himself likely at his own expense, but the look he knew would elicit a look on the Lady’s face that would be unforgettable. “Speaking of your standards, how is Kael?” He asked, genuinely wondering what he had been up to. While he was sure the former king did not care for him all that much, he was still Giselle’s brother and that meant that he should. Even if it was not reciprocated— like the many other things in Cassius’ life.

[carlebach]

                       wood shavings tumble and fall into the small square of linen laid upon his lap, the knife one of the few sounds surrounding him, the lake-side, as he whittled away. it’s rare, to have breaks from contract after contract  —  not everyone wants a merc for murder . a week in the shadows of acrine’s back alleys tailing a paranoid human with deep pocket’s partner paid well, but inspire tranquillity it did not. 

                         neither did the rustle of leaves, nor the scent in the air that had gradually approached him. his tongue clicks —  “ off duty . ”   his voice remains quiet , though the flick of the knife stops as he wraps it and the carving up in linen ,   “ come back in a week .  ”

[cassiusreyes]

He couldn’t quite recall the exact time he had met Jakub, perhaps by chance or fate. But either way, there was no denying that the pair of them had created some sort of friendship. It wasn’t hardly as strong as his friendships with other Fae, but considering this man had been a werewolf it was sort of surprising that he even gave the other the time of day. Initially at least, once Cassius got past the whole other species thing, he actually quite enjoyed Jakub. It was a nice reprieve to have someone that enjoyed his company rather than the many Fae that he had found breathing down his back. He couldn’t help the small smile that spread across his features before he shook his head in a half chuckle. “A week?” Brow raised before scoffing. “Odds are we’ll all be dead in a week, why not just see me now?”

[cassiusreyes]

laurent kael and giselle for number 2

“Well considering that I am already the Queen’s consort, I would marry her. Kael would never let me cuddle with him but maybe I can tap in Melanie to do that for me. And the last option goes to daddy Laurent, but only because there was nowhere else to put him.”

@giselleendiron + @kaelendiron + @laurentvbrodaire + @derrieuxmelanie

[cassiusreyes]

✅ and Laurent

“I have never trusted anyone more.”

@laurentvbrodaire

[cassiusreyes]

giselleendiron‌:

Giselle’s never been particularly fond of weakness, never so much drawn in by the intricacies of vulnerability. There is beauty in frailty, and up until now she’s never even noticed it. This beauty, this forbidden unknown rests within the dark pools of his eyes as well as in the subtle quivering of his bottom lip. This, Giselle believes, is what it must look and feel like to watch a sacred monument crumble to the dust. She’s not easily spellbound, in fact she’s normally rather unimpressed by nearly everything around her. Immensely difficult to impress, it takes much more than a beautiful image to send the High Queen into a state of perpetual awe, and yet Cassius has done just that. He unfolds before her, layer by layer he becomes something that’s even easier for her to love. She’s afraid for him now, but her fear is eclipsed by how honest he is in this moment. Giselle only wishes to bring him comfort—to calm the panic with the soft grazing of her fingers as they interlock with his own. She’s never held his hands in hers for this long, and each second that they remain connected feels more like an intrusion than the last. She’ll only hold onto him until he breathes again. She needs him to breathe again.

She stands here with him as each and every one of his attempts to catch his breath all end failure. Giselle’s never been without air in her body, but she’s certain that such a feeling must be unbearable. His hands shake furiously in her grasp as she does her best to keep them still and provide Cassius with as much stability as she is able. The few words that he manages to offer her are mere whispers that have been sent through the heavy wheezing of the few breaths that can actually take. She decides that it is pointless to try and get him to speak to her. No, now she must focus all of her energy towards calming him so that his breathing might stabilize. As he tears his hand away from her grasp to clutch and tug at the material of his nightshirt, Giselle slowly pulls him closer to her before retracting her other hand and allowing her soft palm to cup his tear-stained cheek. The slight movements of her thumb wipes away the warm tears that trickle down from his eyes at the frustration he’s experiencing. They are both in a rare form, Giselle thinks. The two of them have never been quite this…human. “Do not try to speak, Cassius. Please, just keep your eyes on me,” she reassures him in a low and comforting voice. “it is only us in this moment.”

It all happens so fast, and Giselle’s perfectly silent through it all. Light tears give way to heavy sobs, and within seconds, Cassius comes crashing down onto her. She’s taken aback by it at first, not because the act displeases her, but because she never expected him to take that great of a liberty. She’s witnessing the side of Cassius that he prefers to keep hidden away from public view. This is a side of himself that has neither use nor interest in protocol. Loss piles up in innumerable stacks this morning, leaving them both so uncomfortably undone. He makes himself so easy to hold with his head resting in her neck with his chest rising and falling atop her own. She can’t deny that it feels so natural with him in her arms; like a safe haven unlike any either of them have ever known. To wrap her arms around Cassius provides them both a kind of comfort and security that the Queen rarely enjoys (or even allows herself to enjoy). Hadn’t he always done the same for her? His very position at her side is a symbol of their security on the throne. It is Cassius who defends her in all things and follows in her stride. He is the only constant in a life that meets no end, and so she will be his constant for him now and whenever he needs her to be.

She wants to tell him to be calm now and to cast his burdens onto her just as she had done so many times to him.There a million things that Giselle wants to say to him in this moment, but she knows that words will hardly do the trick. His grip around her keeps her grounded and it feels as though he’s become a part of her until he eventually pulls away and that feeling of security starts to fade away into a memory. There he goes again, apologizing for feeling something. Surely he must know that his apologies are never needed, especially when it is only the two of them like this. In between ragged breaths, he blames himself for the nightmare that they both must endure, but her eyes only reassure him that he could never have prevented this. He’s only worsening his condition by trying to apologize and so Giselle does what she’s been waiting to do with him for so long. It’s impulsive and entirely unlike her, but she goes for it anyway with the expectation that she might regret doing it later. It starts slowly with her hand making its way up his chest and then behind his head to rest on the back of his neck. He’s somewhat taller than she is, but she makes up for it by gently guiding his head down to her with height with his face only a mere inch away from her own. Everything within her is screaming to leave things as they are, but it all goes silent once her lips meet his. Her lips are soft and slow atop his, only deepening once they’ve both established a rhythm. She’s wanted this for so long, though a part of her fears that this brief stroll through the elysian fields will end with him pushing her away and cementing her worst fear.

There has never been a moment in Cassius life where he has felt as much of a fool as he does now. Standing in front of the High Queen, weeping uncontrollably in a panic that he cannot seem to fathom. The threads that had been stitched together keeping everything he held inside had been cut loose and they were unravelling with secrets and emotions that he dare not show anyone. His life was not one that had been filled with such things. Emotions were a weakness and unfortunately for Cassius he had far too many. The fae had years of discipline pulled over him like an armor of gold that could never be penetrated. He learned to live with the weight of it all on his shoulders, never questioning his decisions to tuck everything away for even a moment. Yet now that armor seemed to be the thing that was causing the most grief. As an immortal with immeasurable strength it never burdened him, but that crushing sensation that pressed against his chest was far too heavy for any mortal man to try and uphold.

Though there was something about her grace that never seemed to falter. Sure, she stood in front of him fragile and delicate… So human like in a way he had never seen. Giselle too had been stripped of her immortality, her wings and her affinity, but she still held that unwavering presence to her even in his moment of strife. That same quality that reached far beyond the High Court into the Seasonal ones to gain support from fae even in the most unexpected of places. Cassius was grateful for this, grateful for her and everything that she was. He had fallen in love with her from the moment he saw her as a young fae and she stood here with him now with nothing but the support that he needed. That of course only made him feel that much more of a fool because he could not seem to shake the worries that dug into his mind and clutched his heart. He had come undone nonetheless and he felt unworthy of the High Queen’s attempt to comfort him in a time like this. If this had happened to the two of them, it surely happened to everyone else. As a Queen it would be her duty to be there for her people, though she was here with him consoling him with kind and soft words that he could barely understand through his distressed cries.

Cassius was so wrapped up in his head when she pressed her hand against his chest, traveling up his torso until it was hooked behind his neck. He was there physically, but emotionally he cowered in the darkest crevasses of his mind. A timid boy hiding his face from the world that all felt like it was too much for him. He did not even realize that Giselle was pulling him closer to him as he opened his mouth to spill more jumbled thoughts out. In what seemed like a lifetime, Giselle pressed her soft lips against his taking the words right from his mouth into hers. His eyes grew wide for a moment as the realization fully set in to what she had done. 

Giselle Endiron, the High Queen of the High Court, stood there kissing Cassius. Sure he was her Consort, but he had always been under the impression that it was simply a political move to help protect her from unwanted pursuits. She had never given any indication to him that it was more than just that. For a moment though, he lets his woes fall to the back of his mind with his feelings for her clawing their way to the front so that he may kiss her the way that he always wanted to. Thoughts no longer run rampant in his mind for a few blissful seconds as he sinks further into her kiss, bringing his hands to caress her face hoping that his tear soaked cheeks do not brush against hers. But only for a moment before he pulled away.

He looked down at her now, eyes swirling with confusion and lust (a deadly combination if he had ever heard of one), and he blinked a few times wondering if that had really just happened or if it was all apart of some dream. He had waited so long for them to have this moment. He had it all planned out, where it would happen, what he would say to her before hand, every minuscule detail had been meticulously thought over down to the second. And this, this, was not how he ever had imagined it. “Wait,” his brows stitched together with a clear dumbfounded expression across his features. “Are you kissing me because you like me or are you using it as a means to shut me up?” he asked, panic still very obviously running rampant in his mind. “Because if it is to shut me up I am sure there are better methods. You could have just hit me over the head with the book on your nightstand or anything, anything else. I am only asking because if that is the reason behind it, then I want no part of it,” he let his head hang for a moment. 

“I do not believe I will be able to handle it if you do not like me in the way that I like you,” he admitted to her for the first time. “So I ask for the sake of myself, as I am already imploding if you kissed me using logic or emotions.” The pace in his voice was still quick and he could still feel his heart beating so hard against his chest. But it was clear that he had calmed down just by feeling her lips against his. From tasting sweeter than he ever could have imagined. His heart had been working hard on pumping blood throughout his entire body, and now it all seemed to settle against his cheeks and in his slightly swollen lips that tingle. “I just do not want to get caught up in something if you have no means on following through.”

[celebsattheirbest]

[cassiusreyes]

laurentvbrodaire‌:

Cassius seemed a bit flustered; bent out of shape, truly, with the customs that were now expected of him as a member of the High Court. If Laurent’s loyalty hadn’t long been declared to the Grand Duke, perhaps the elder faerie could have managed to feel something like pity flicker in his heart for the man before him. Cassius was a good man, through and through, which was why it was such a shame that he had managed to catch Giselle’s eye. Laurent tried to think of a different time in another reality, where Cassius had been born a low-standing noble who had worked his way up and ruled the one of the seasonal courts; a Cassius that bore no connection to Giselle and would not have to become enmeshed with the tangled web of political warfare that was fated to the false High Queen of Faerie.

Laurent pulled away, his smile ever-bright on his face as he placed his hands on either side of Cassius’ face and patted his cheeks gently. Cassius Reyes was a soft-spoken individual, in the sense that he was clumsier and more prone to guessing himself than Laurent himself was accustomed to. He couldn’t help but wonder, when the time came, if Cassius would sink or float in the Civil War that would rage on in the fae lands.

“Of course; why not indulge while I still have a head on my shoulders?” Laurent managed with a light and airy laugh that suggested his words were mere fallacy. It did well for him to pretend that he gave little regard or concern for war or politics around him; even in his duties as a representative of the Fae Courts, he took his job more seriously than as a courtier, but always needed to be underhanded, lest he be accused of caring too much about the world around him. He nearly choked when Cassius self-consciously asked about the legitimacy of his request. This was what he was talking about; there was a side of Cassius that was far too innocent for his own good. “Don’t worry, princeling, I won’t degrade you into calling me daddy–I have enough women to do the job for me. Your Queen, though; she might like the turn of phrase.” He supplemented the comment with a devilish wink, turning as two servers came over bearing pink-and-white-ribboned boxes of sweets and he waved them onwards. “It would appear my treasure of treats are ready; care to share a bite with me, Cassius?”

He led them outside of the establishment, towards tables nestled around the shop, and felt himself stiffen at Cassius’ words. They were not borne from poison and barbs, but rather that of a man who was genuinely curious and concerned about his friend. Poor, poor Cassius.

“Of course I heard; you forget, I hear all of the court gossip,” Laurent said, gesturing for Cassius to sit. He sat in the chair across from him, reaching for the box filled with almond cookies shaped like flowers and opened the top. He took one, pinching it between his fingers and leaning back in his chair as he spoke. “Candoris was fine, I suppose; far too many mortals for my taste, but what can you do? Immortality is a hard-earned right, and the little critters racing about in Acrine and the Bay of Wolves haven’t the faintest clue of life outside of themselves.” He took a bite of the cookie, studying Cassius closely as he chewed.

“I just did not expect my daughter to be sold like a common whore while I was away. Tell me, who orchestrated this little disaster battle I heard about?”

Cassius instinctively pulled away from the man as he started to pat his cheeks, swatting away hands hoping that he didn’t feel the warmth against his cheeks out of embarrassment. If there was anything Cassius was good at, it was concealing any real feeling he had for ever coming to the surface. It should have come to no surprise to Laurent considering that was how he acted with everyone he had really interacted with. It was best if he kept those things close so that he may not so easily get overwhelmed if he ever overextended himself. The fae was just grateful he had been born with the affinity for air that made controlling those outbursts of emotions that much easier to manage. There were things that Cassius had repressed for so long he could hardly distinguish new feelings from old ones. They were all just a jumbled mess bouncing around inside where they were locked up tight. He feared that one day, the box he had kept would not be able to contain whatever he tried to shove down inside and he would implode from the pressure of it all. But those thoughts were buried underneath the other worries he had kept.

“That is a fair point. You know my mother and I used to come to this shop after her shifts at the library. We would buy all sorts of treats and scarf them down before we returned home to my father,” he smiled softly at the memory. “It is rewarding after a long week of responsibilities,” he admitted. He felt the pink that had settled into his cheeks retreating as Laurent reassured him that there was no need to call him that. Though the reprieve only lasted for a moment before he heard the next words from his mouth. Now he felt his cheeks were red hot at his comment about the queen. “I-“ he started to say trying to explain his way out of that. “There is nothing going on between Giselle and I,” he cleared his throat. “I’m only holding the place of Prince Consort to ward off unwanted advances,” he clarified, though he wasn’t sure who exactly he was trying to convince. He was sure that if that was what he told himself over and over again that it would start to ring true. He could believe the lie he told himself so that he was able to sleep easier at night. He wasn’t sure how long he could keep that lie up though, and thankfully he didn’t have to find out as the servers came to save him just in time. A little too eager to move past the subject they were talking about, Cassius nodded his head excitedly. “Yes actually, if you don’t mind.”

“Right, of course,” he nodded, recalling all of the recent court meetings he had sat through by Giselle’s side. The fae were a gossipy bunch and had Giselle not been at the head of the meetings to steer the conversation how she needed it to go, he was sure they would just be hours of gossip about the court and the other members. Cassius nodded softly before pulling a chair out for himself. He settled into his chair, perking up only to reach in for a danish from one of Laurents over indulgent boxes of sweets. He grimaced slightly at the mention of the capital and how mortals were consumed with their own lives. It made him think about Will, the tailor he had come across on one of his own ventures to the capital. He thought of how easy it was for the boy to hand over large chunks of information right into the hands of the Prince Consort of the High Court. It was almost too easy considering the unsuspecting human had no idea he was being spied on by the fae. It didn’t surprise him that Laurent had the same opinions on the mortals for that matter.

Cassius brought the danish up to his mouth to take a bite, pushing away thoughts of Will when Laurent spoke again. While Giselle had included him in most things dealing with the court, this was a matter that she had handled on her own taking all parties involved by surprise. He did not agree with her decision, but as the Consort, he felt like it wasn’t his place to indulge that opinion with Laurent. Especially considering the matter had involved his daughter of all people. He swallowed hard, doing his best to keep his face as stoic as possible when talking of the subject. Though he still felt guilty that it was something he had no say over. Often, he found himself holding his tongue in the presence of the Queen out of fear that it would drive a wedge in between them and ruin the genuine friendship the pair had. He had waited so long to be by the Queen’s side that it would only be foolish to be sent away for an opinion that he had no place in having in the first place. “I was not in the castle when the battle broke loose. The Queen informed me that there had been wolves and humans glamoured and posing as the lot of pirates,” he started to say, recalling the chaos from the night. “I suppose they must have been surprised to hear of the wedding themselves and wanted to get any information they could. An ally with the High Court and the Night would only be bad news for them in the wake of war.” 

He paused for a moment to take another bite of his danish. Normally he wouldn’t say much on the subject, but Laurent was his friend, someone that he could trust wholeheartedly. So after a moment of contemplation, he opened his mouth again to speak. “I am not exactly sure where that puts us though,” a candid admittance on the foggy position the fae had in the matter. “Surely it would have been wiser to stay away from the war all together. Have the Seasonal Courts take refuge in the Enclave while the others fought themselves to a mutually assured destruction. Why should we involve ourselves in petty wars between species we are better than anyways?”

[cassiusreyes]

derrieuxmelanie‌:

&& @cassiusreyes

“I’m hurt, you haven’t been coming over to any of my event’s lately,” Melanie pouted, laying it on thick. She’s well aware that with Cass’s new position came new responsibilities, the days of random drops in not as often as before but that didn’t change the fact that this was the perfect opportunity to tease him and make him feel a little guilty. “The least you could do is let a girl know that you’ve moved on. I didn’t think you were the heartbreaker type.” She smirks, pleased to be able to indulge in one of her favorite hobbies, which was flirting with the always so serious fae who had the biggest heart on for her Majesty the Queen. Since Cass knew the depths of Melanie’s love for Kael, he also knew that her advances towards him were never genuine and simply an outlet for fun. 

“So are you here to win me back? I’ll tell you a secret, just let me cuddle in your arms and all is forgiven.”

Cassius couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the dramatics Melanie was putting on. It was slightly refreshing though, to know that she truly had missed him. His life had been swirled up and taken by storm ever since he became the Prince Consort and the life he had before unfortunately suffered because of it. “But your events are so grand and so many people attend, I figured you would have no idea if I showed up or not,” he teased. Of course she would have noticed him considering she would be the only person he would converse with at said events, but he had to have some skin in the game to play along with her. “I hate to break it to you, but you’re no longer the only Lady in my life.” Though that wasn’t necessarily true because she had never been the only Lady in his life. It was just that Giselle actually had him on her radar instead of his hopeless unrequited love going unnoticed. 

With a deep sigh after a moment of silence, he slung his arm around the girl pulling her in for a tight squeeze. “If that’s all it takes, I’m beginning to think you’re becoming a little too desperate for love these days,” he half snorted at how ridiculous it sounded to him, but that had always been the nature of their relationship. He was a serious man, but at least with Melanie he could indulge in his thoughts and not hold his tongue from speaking every word.

[cassiusreyes]

CASSIUS REYES // MUGGLE BORN

HOUSE: Ravenclaw

“Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, if you've a ready mind, where those of wit and learning, will always find their kind.”

( + / - ) intelligent, creative, individual, witty, accepting.

WAND: 14 1/2″ ebony wood with a unicorn hair core and reasonably supple flexibility

EBONY WOOD; “This jet-black wand wood has an impressive appearance and reputation, being highly suited to all manner of combative magic, and to Transfiguration. Ebony is happiest in the hand of those with the courage to be themselves. Frequently non-conformist, highly individual or comfortable with the status of outsider, ebony wand owners have been found both among the ranks of the Order of the Phoenix and among the Death Eaters. In my experience the ebony wand’s perfect match is one who will hold fast to his or her beliefs, no matter what the external pressure, and will not be swayed lightly from their purpose.” — Garrick Ollivander

UNICORN HAIR CORE; “Unicorn hair generally produces the most consistent magic, and is least subject to fluctuations and blockages. Wands with unicorn cores are generally the most difficult to turn to the Dark Arts. They are the most faithful of all wands, and usually remain strongly attached to their first owner, irrespective of whether he or she was an accomplished witch or wizard.Minor disadvantages of unicorn hair are that they do not make the most powerful wands (although the wand wood may compensate) and that they are prone to melancholy if seriously mishandled, meaning that the hair may 'die' and need replacing.” — Garrick Ollivander

14 1/2 INCHES; “Most wands will be in the range of between nine and fourteen inches. While I have sold extremely short wands (eight inches and under) and very long wands (over fifteen inches), these are exceptionally rare. In the latter case, a physical peculiarity demanded the excessive wand length. However, abnormally short wands usually select those in whose character something is lacking, rather than because they are physically undersized (many small witches and wizards are chosen by longer wands).” — Garrick Ollivander

REASONABLY SUPPLE FLEXIBILITY *wand is sensibly flexible. Cassius can wield it in an intentional and functional manner, though still move with ease; “Wand flexibility or rigidity denotes the degree of adaptability and willingness to change possessed by the wand-and-owner pair - although, again, this factor ought not to be considered separately from the wand wood, core and length, nor of the owner’s life experience and style of magic, all of which will combine to make the wand in question unique.” — Garrick Ollivander

PATRONUS: Huskey

“Huskies are fast, energetic, and athletic – they are also adorably cute. If your Patronus is a husky, you’re likely thought of as lovable and cuddly by those who know you. Inside, though, you are a ball of energy, eager to prove yourself. At Quidditch tryouts, you’re the player who says, “Put me anywhere you need me! I got this.” Nothing can hold you back. But despite your natural abilities, you don’t strut. You’d rather hang with friends playing frisbee than show off your trophy collection.”

Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Cassius Reyes.

[cassiusreyes]

giselleendiron‌:

She emerges from heavy wool blankets fresh faced and sprightly; even in the brutality of winter, she is no less a goddess. Her color has only slightly faded, leaving her naturally light bronze skin a bit milkier in tone than usual, but it is to be expected given the scarcity of sunlight in the Winter Court. Giselle’s chambers, while exceedingly opulent in both design and decor, are still somewhat smaller than the sprawling suites that she’s always known in the High Palace. Lithe fingertips gently draw open the white, gossamer-thin curtains of her canopy, and like a butterfly, she steps out of her chrysalis and onto ice cold stone floors. She feels much lighter than normal and there’s an unordinary feeling of absence gnawing at her insides as she takes relaxed steps over towards the vanity by the window. Eyes of a particularly striking shade of light green open wider as she slowly approaches the solid gold plated mirror, her breath beginning to quicken at the realization. Her jaw drops in horror of what she’s seeing, and with each blink she hopes to find that her eyes are simply playing tricks on her. Oh, something is playing tricks on her, but it isn’t her eyes.

They’re gone—both of her wings are gone. Her skin turns even whiter as she furiously attempts to reach behind herself to find a single wound or gash where they might have been cut off in her sleep. To her surprise, there’s not a single drop of blood on her back where her wings once rested. The skin on her back is just as supple and scar free as the rest of her body, but it doesn’t reassure her. No, feeling nothing but unblemished flesh only scares her more. If her wings are gone, then what of her abilities? An outstretched hand attempts to manipulate a stone from the walls around her and yet her hand commands no power and the material remains unmoved. She’s frozen in her stance now, a look of pure disbelief washing over her features. Giselle has never felt this…powerless in her entire life.

Who could be capable of performing an act as cruel as removing the wings of the High Queen? The lack of blood or wounds leads Giselle to believe that this is not the work of a peasant gone rogue. There’s intricate magic involved in this, perhaps a misused glamour of sorts. Whatever this is, she’s frightened of it and for the first time in what must feel like eons, the fear is plainly written across her face. She almost crumbles, but like the Earth, she is nothing if not resilient. Slowly but surely, her nerves begin to steady and she’s ever thankful for the amount of mental training she’s put herself through in order to prepare for moments like these. Her mind moves a mile a minute, gathering up all the pieces of a scattered plan that might fix this. Just as quickly as her mind wanders into far off territory, she instantly returns to reality at the sound of frantic pounding against her door and the hollering of her name. Immediately, Giselle recognizes who the voice belongs to. Something has happened to Cassius.

Moving her from her place the vanity, Giselle strides confidently towards the door. Cool green eyes soften at the sight of her Consort the moment she opens the door, though the moment does not last long at all once she scans his body. Cassius’s winter-weathered wings are also absent from his back, and finally Giselle concludes that this is not a personal attack on herself. The panic is evident both in his voice and the whiny breaths he manages to take in between his words. “Cassius, can you breathe? Please speak to me.” She’s never actually seen him in such a distressed state, for Giselle has always known Cassius to be a man born of iron. Cassius is, in her mind, a gust of air that is unfazed by most things. Seeing him like this only reminds her that even the strongest are not unbreakable. He doesn’t know it, but she’s fallen for him even more after witnessing him come undone like this. She almost fights it, but her hands act without the permission of her mind as they so often do whenever she is in Cassius’ company. Reaching forward to gather his hands into her own, her dainty fingers slip elegantly between his own as she leads him inside of her chambers with the wooden door slamming shut behind him. “Cassius, please.” With his hands resting comfortably in hers, Giselle runs the soft skin of her thumbs over the back of his hands. She only wishes to comfort him in this moment, to bring him down from whatever precipice he’s currently standing before.

Upon seeing the queen, his breath continued to stagger. Even in his distress and panic she is so ravishing and radiant. How he had been so lucky for her to pluck him from the thousands that wanted to court her to be her consort. His eyes fall upon her green ones, much like the earth he had come to love. He remembers as a child how he used to dream about those eyes, how they were they only bit of color that flashed in his dreams or when he spent endless days in the very white and barren Winter Court. If it were not for everything else he had come to know about Giselle over the years, the things he had learned to love, it would always be her eyes that he could recall. The first time he saw them he was in for it. And just for a moment, seeing them here when all he seemed to be seeing was the yellow hues of panic around him, he felt as if that was washed away. But only for a moment before he noticed that her irradiant wings were not softly fluttering behind her. Then the air had been pulled from his chest once more. The realization that he was not a fae was enough to send him into a panic, but the High Queen— his Queen, not having hers, that was enough to keep him there.

Cassius shook his head at her question, though he tried again to draw a breath in and only came out gasping at the other end. What was it like for a fae with an affinity to not have enough air to breathe? Surely it was more tortuous than losing another affinity, water and fire and earth could all do without. But air was the very thing that had kept everyone alive for their long immortal years. Without air, how could they live? How could they continue on? It was cruel to have it taken away from him. With each passing moment he could feel his chest tighten, and if Giselle had not held his hands and interlocked her fingers with his, they would have found their way to his chest, clawing at it until they could open him up so that he could get any bit of air that he needed. His head grew light from wheezing for air as she took him into her room. Even the sound of the heavy wooden door now frightened him, ringing out a noise that seemed to echo in his mind louder than any thoughts he had.

Never in his life had Cassius experienced any of this before. Or if he had, he would not have had such a visceral reaction to it all. He was a very stoic man, emotions like these were far too… Human for him to show. The shortness of breath, how he trembled apprehensively, the way his hands felt as if they were to slip from Giselle’s careful grip if he moved too quickly. The fear of impending doom that a fate had been chosen for him— a life that he could not control. “I-I-I,” his voice did not even sound like anything he had recognized. Ragged breaths left his mouth just as quickly as they entered, far too much for him to get many words out. “I can’t b-breathe,” he shook his head again now pulling one of his hands from her grip to his chest, clenching his shirt tight as if it had been the reasoning for all of his panic, trying to pull it away from his body so that he could at least then blame something.

Was it only due to his discipline as a soldier and a fae that he had been able to conceal his feelings? Was he truly nothing without it those at hand? He couldn’t even manage to conjure up anything worth to say. How he usually mulled over his thoughts, let them stew into his head before he picked out the perfect words to say. Now if he sat on them any longer he just knew that he would implode from the chaos. Cassius only wanted to unravel in her presence, as she stood there her words so warm in his ears. Even though he no longer had the air or his wings to lift him up and his feet were placed firmly on the floor below him, he still hadn’t felt like he was truly grounded. The only thing that brought him back were her eyes, strong and resilient as the earth. “I… Don’t have anything,” he let his head hang feeling tears start to brim along his eyelids. He looked back up at her through blurry tears and vision that had seemed to blear as the panic continued to manifest within him. “I… I woke up, and-and-and it was gone. E-everything was just g-gone.” His words slipped from his mouth as if they were secrets he had been holding up inside for hundreds of years. And now that the floodgates were open there was no indication that they were going to stop.

T-the air, I… I can’t,” he closed his eyes hard, finally letting the tears spill over and roll down his cheeks. He wanted to close his eyes and wake up as if this had all just been some sort of nightmare for him. But as he opened them again, the reality seemed to sink in deeper. That he was still here and Giselle stood in front of him without wings of her own as well. He cried out again before he allowed himself to collapse into her, gently sobbing in the nape of her neck as his arms wrapped around her and he clung onto her to make sure that she was still real standing there with him. It was so odd for him to behave like this, his parents had always taught him better. He thought that he knew better. But the boy was fraying and there wasn’t anything that he seemed to think to do about it. The only thing he was sure of was that she was here with him. He pulled away again, not bothering to wipe the tears from his cheeks. “I-I am so sorry. I just.. I just,” he sort of groaned in frustration as he couldn’t form the words into a coherent sentence. It was one thing to always hold everything on the tip of his tongue and never say it, but it was another to not have the ability to say anything at all. “Giselle,” he whimpered softly as he drew in more unsteady breaths. “W-what’s happening? I-I just went to bed and-and now we don’t have our wings or-or-or our powers. I,” he shook his head in disbelief still. “I should have been w-with you. I could have s-stopped this from,” he trailed off still not sure what exactly this was or even if he had been with her that he could manage to have the power to stop it at all.

[cassiusreyes]

@laurentvbrodaire // tumult. 

The initial panic of discovering he was no longer a fae still hadn’t worn from the Prince Consort. There were dirt red patches of stains on both of his pant legs from when he had fallen earlier and a stingy sensation that came every time he had over extended his leg when he was walking. Like he was ripping off the scraps on his knees again and again with each misstep he took. Cassius clutched onto his wrists, absentmindedly rubbing the tender joints that had also suffered from his fall in the morning. His breaths were still shallow, desperate to fill the air inside of his lungs as quickly as he could afraid that he was going to run out. He hadn’t known where to go or what to think. The only thing that he knew to do was to see Laurent. He didn’t want to burden Giselle with all of his grief and anxieties pouring out of him. And there were not a lot of people he felt like he could fully trust to see him in such a distressed state like this. He could only count the ones that he could on one hand, and even then it did not come close to filling his whole hand.

Cassius kept his eyes peeled as he walked through the streets. He wasn’t exactly the most desirable person in the kingdom considering Giselle’s move to pull him up to be the consort, and if species had been changed overnight, it meant that there could be some other fae who were now more powerful than him. And considering just how vulnerable he was as a human riddled with anxieties and worry, there was no better time to catch Cassius off guard than in this moment. He fiddled with his cufflinks, nervously buttoning and unbuttoning them as he made his way from the Wonter Court to the Spring Court hoping that Laurent was home. He timidly knocked on the door a few times, barely causing a raucous as to not draw attention to himself. Cassius kept looking back over his shoulders to make sure that no one had followed him here. He just really hoped that everyone else was more worried about their lost affinities to be concerned with taking the Consorts head from his shoulders.

[cassiusreyes]

@giselleendiron // chaos.

Something felt different when he woke up-- the air seemed a little thinner as he drew his first breaths in the morning. The air in the Winter Court had always been a little on the thin side considering it was winter at all times, but this… This was something else entirely. His heart felt like it was racing a little faster now too. With his affinity for air, breathing never seemed to be an issue for him. Drawing in breaths from air as he commanded it always settled his heart, putting it at ease from the anxieties that plagued his mind. Cassius’ mind was a dangerous place to be, for it was there that he waged a war between his thoughts and his actions and remained ever so stoic with his emotions. At least when he could control his breaths he could have some semblance of control over the tumultuous thoughts in his head.

But for whatever reason, this morning he couldn’t. As he lay in his chambers, there was no indication that he could even control anything. What had happened in the night so that he could no longer bend air to his will? Remembering that he had been traveling with Giselle making their rounds to the courts, he knew that he needed to go and see her and tell her what he had discovered. He exited his chambers as quickly as he could, jumping up out of habit to begin to fly since it was a faster method only to immediately stumble back onto the ground. The hit to the ground had been a lot harder than most and he could feel his knees sort of burn as if they had been scraped. Though it wasn’t unusual for a fae to bleed, it surely took a lot more than just falling onto the ground to do it. As he lay on the hard stone floor, he reached his hand back to try to feel his wings, only to find there was nothing there. No control over the air and no wings meant that he wasn’t a fae anymore-- but what was he, and why was he not a fae any longer. The realization of it all only made his already jumpy heart beat faster and his breaths become shallower. Now he had to find Giselle.

Cassius did his best running through the halls, stumbling over his feet every few yards considering he wasn’t used to actually going anywhere quickly with his feet. He made it to her door in time though, desperately pounding on the door to make her come out. Through winded breaths he called out to her, “Giselle! Giselle it’s me,” anyone could hear the panic in his voice. He felt as if his lungs were an animal in there clawing its way out as he gasped for air. “Please open up,” he continued his knocking waiting for her to come to the door. Never in his life did he feel this sort of panic and now it wasn’t creeping up on him it was just full on gripping his heart tightly. “I need you right now,” he demanded. This was no way to address the queen, but surely it was a way to address his best friend.

[cassiusreyes]

who are you closest to in the high and seasonal courts?

“Giselle is utmost my greatest friend. Laurent and Melody closely follow though they aren’t directly in the court, I would consider them my best friends. I have a soft spot for the Lord and Lady from the court I hail. And Melanie has always lent an ear when I needed it.”

@giselleendiron ; @laurentvbrodaire ; @melodyjuliette ; @jcreth ; @aerith-of-winter ; @derrieuxmelanie

[cassiusreyes]

laurentvbrodaire‌:

Laurent’s fingers drummed against the glass case as he surveyed the sticky, honeyed sweets displayed like glistening jewels before him. He was impatient for some sweets of the Fae Courts, having been away mucking it up with the mortals for the past month. They had decent food, he supposed, if you knew where to look for it, but none of it compared to the delicacies of Fae food. It was a bit like going from consuming gold to living off copper. He was so caught up in his staring and salivating over the food that was being prepared for him that Laurent hadn’t bothered to look at who had approached him.

So when he heard a familiar voice, mocking though kind in its tone, Laurent felt something stiffen slightly inside of him. A knee jerk reaction to being around the Prince Consort, for however friendly and playful they might have been to one another. Laurent straightened his form, turning to glance at Cassius out of the corner of his eye as the other man extended his hand for Laurent to shake. He allowed his lips to spread into a smile, a gesture that was half-genuine, half-falsified. A cacophony of emotions for a truly complex relationship.

“Come now, Cassius, handshakes are for strangers,” he said with a light laugh, taking Cassius’ hand and pulling him in for a one-armed hug and a light clap of his hand on Cassius’ shoulder. He pulled away, his smile brightening as he surveyed the Consort as though he’d somehow changed in the time they’d spent apart. “Oh, you know, dreadfully exhausting; with this whole border closed business, I didn’t even get to visit any of my favorite sweet spots in the mortal world. War is so inconvenient, you know?” He pulled Cassius to the side, away from prying eyes as he spoke to his friend, his enemy, his…well, Laurent was never quite sure what they were. “And face it, princeling, you’d call me daddy if I asked you to.”

Even though Cassius was the new Prince Consort and he was doing his best at filling the role, there were still things about him that were a dead give away that he wasn’t entirely royalty yet. For instance, the handshake he had just offered Laurent, was much more a commoner custom. One that he dad had taught him. He remembered how he used to explain that a handshake would go a long way, especially if it was with someone that he respected. So of course his natural reaction above trying to fill the role of Prince Consort with Laurent was to give the man a handshake. If only as a sign to show to him that he was highly respected in Cassius’ eyes. He wasn’t sure when or quite possibly how he had become friends with Laurent, but in the time that he knew him he considered the older fae to be one of his best.

As Laurent pulled him in for a hug, the smallest of smiles dared to play across his features. Cassius was sure that Laurent considered him to be one of his best friends too. In a time when people either hated Cassius for being the Prince Consort or faked interest in him just because he was the Prince Consort, it was like a breath of fresh air that Cassius could not manage to conjure up on his own to know that Laurent was on his side. It was one of the only things that Cassius could be entirely sure of in this war. As long as he had Lauren there, he wouldn’t let himself get too in his head about what the other fae had said about him. Their words would mean nothing and they could not penetrate his skin with their petty words like daggers thrown at him.

“That is is,” he nodded thinking of how much had happened since the borders had been closed and even since Laurent had been away. “I suppose that is why you are treating yourself to every single on of these delectable treats?” he raised his brow in question as he allowed Laurent to pull him to the side. At his words, he could feel his cheeks flush, the blood rushing toward them and causing a faint pink to be settled against his cheeks now. “Are you asking?” He cleared his throat and let an awkward chuckle escape his mouth before shifting his eyes around the shop to make sure no one had really heard them. He didn’t need to give people any more reason to think that he wasn’t the best choice to be the High Queen’s consort, he still didn’t believe that she had made the right choice picking him. But for Giselle, he would do anything. Deciding to change the subject he turned to Laurent. “It is good that I ran into you though,” he started. “I am desperate to hear any news you have from your trip. I am sure it will be better than the news you had to have recieved upon your arrival. You must have heard about everything that has gone down with Sophia’s wedding with the Night Court,” his voice was low as it still was a sensitive subject matter among the fae considering they had lost at least five of their own that night.

[cassiusreyes]

&&.words unspoken // cassius&.giselle

every little thing she does is magic / sleeping at last | something about you / correatown | feelings are fatal / mxmtoon | make you feel my love / sleeping at last | i hear the day has come / matt maltese | next to you / of rust & bone | make a plan to love me / bright eyes | i won’t love you any less / nat & alex wolff | even if it’s a lie / matt maltese | no one would riot for less / bright eyes | hurts like hell / fleurie | in my head / peter manos | i will spend my whole life loving you / imaginary future & kina grannis | please notice / christian leave | you are the reason / calum scott | atlas: daughter / sleeping at last

@giselleendiron