"this-" irene hissed under her breath. "-is a problem." her coiffed dark hair had been abandoned to draped over her shoulder, an ice blue nightgown and robe slipping over her frame. the moon winked through the slatted windows of her room and a candle burned down near to its stump in the corner. when she'd defected to the winter court it had been a battle not to be shipped back to the spring court onto her father's stop. isak and asril had been on her side, as they had been since then but the high lord had been a different story. she wasn't sure what secrets he kept, he was seemingly immune to her charm and guile. "do you know what he keeps in there? i've never seen that man leave the journal out. this puts the whole court at risk."
( flashback ) closed starter for sephtis stoica @cldrnfeared
Night had fallen on the Autumn Court, but from the window of the silent library everything looked the same as always to Sibili. She'd once loved to sit beneath a starry night with her brothers, the three of them taking turns to keep a bonfire alight as they forgot everything of the world apart from themselves. But tonight there were no flames as she looked out into the trees below, and a cloudy night made it impossible to see if any stars were shining above. Not a single ember breathed within her walls, the place where her power lived dark and empty ever since faebane manacles had been clapped to her wrists. On the worst days- when she was desperate to feel even a flicker of her flame she stared at the blue stone encircling her bones and had visions of ridding herself of them. A flash of silver, the strength of a fae...if she didn't have wrists or hands then there'd be nothing for the faebane to cling to. Her shackles would fall to the ground with her severed flesh and her power would return.
But logic always ruined her line of thinking. If she managed to rid herself of one hand and manacle she'd be unable to wield the blade in order to dispatch the other. Beyond that the thought of never again feeling a sword in her fingers put an end to her musings. If she wasn't a weapon...she wouldn't know what she was.
Sibili was doing her best to lean out the window when she heard him approach. She knew her efforts were fruitless- knew that the wards on the palace placed by the king kept even the slightest of night breezes from gracing her cheeks and every piece of her within. The daughter of autumn couldn't so much as stick her pinky out the window. "Come for your nightly check up?" she asked the approaching giant of a male, the edge that usually colored her tone dulled by a particularly hopeless evening. "Don't worry- I haven't got the courage to get rid of these bracelets yet." Her hand flattened against the air where the window's glass should be, her nails scratching down the invisible magic before it tensed into a fist. It settled onto the barrier of the wards, and it was anyone's guess whether or not she'd raise it to bang against the walls of her prison.
he had become a stranger in a strange land, an unquiet hulking thing that forced his way into the manor of autumn. the auburn and ochre hues didn't suit him, like someone had painted an odd figure into a old portrait. but sibili, when she moved it was with the breath of autumn. fire lifted her feet and took her with quick, careful, assured steps to wherever she wished to go. he'd never seen a woman so sure, so upright. it left an unsteady feeling in him that made his head tilt and his heart pound. for the king he was a dog-a loyal servant beholden to whatever he wished. but even under captivity sibili's warmth could be felt through the whole manor. he'd already prepared for bed when her arrived, bare chest on display. whatever he made up for in battle prowess he lacked in ettiquette.
his chest was pockmarked with scars, a puckered circle from a dagger on his left pec, a long slash a cross his gut where somehow had attempted to disembowel him. they had failed, what had happened after that he wouldn't speak about to anyone except for his king. his fist was clamped tight behind his back, like a small child with a secret to hide. as tall and as wide as the doorframe he could only poke his head in to look at her, the wilted sadness on her face still not extinguishing the fire in her eyes. "i..." he couldn't seem to finish his sentenced, instead he presented his fist opening it to reveal a slightly crumpled blueberry muffin. "i thought you might be hungry. you didn't eat today. you should eat, you'll die."
it's unsettling. he may loathe to admit it, but the truth is that whatever has happened in this summit has him on edge. even if nothing had been taken, who would even so much as dare as break into the quarters of the high lords and ladies of prythian? surely something larger is at play, and it's unsettling that he has yet to figure out what it is. it's this thought that fills hajoon's mind when he spots his sister at the other end of the corridor. for the briefest of moments, he considers the possibility of her being involved in the ploy.
unlikely, hajoon decides. if anything, he's certain that hei-ran would be sooner to suspect him than the other way around. perhaps he can't blame her. he may even take pride in it, if she dares to turn her tongue on him. it's an impulsive decision that has hajoon's feet carrying him to where hei-ran stands. "are you troubled?" he asks, as if asking, have you eaten? "perhaps you'd like to share with a willing listener." it's said casually—not at all representative of the centuries of resentment he has carried with him. almost caring, perhaps, if not for hajoon's next words. "i may not look it, but i can be a very patient fae." a lie, he's sure they both know. his mouth twists into a humorless grin, an ugly thing across his lips. "i fear that the same cannot be said about you, sister. this must have driven you mad."
it was gone. the thought broiled in veins clenching into white-hot anger from the tips of her fingers. when the news had broke hei-ran had torn apart her quarters in a rare failure of composure. in the end she'd only been left with curtains torn into ribbons and a mess as she sat in the middle of the room head slumped into her palms. she could only hope that hajoon was as vexed as she, that was if he hadn't stolen the damn things himself. once, a long time ago she'd seen his face and felt love. they'd been partners in life before time had torn them apart. if she turned and met that hajoon from eons ago would he recognize the woman she'd become? would she recognize herself? his petulance irked her, a severe frown slashing her lovely features.
his awareness of her character only made her angrier. in this quiet, dark moment she could have taken that knife eunwoo insisted she carry under her breast and drawn it across his throat and be done with it. somehow death felt too easy for her, like she was due centuries of turmoil before she could ever sit on the throne of the night court and save it. velaris haunted her dreams, when she awoke from her dead sleeps she could see only velaris burning and hajoon standing above it. "childishness becomes you." she said simply turning to face him. beleaguered drowsiness was clear on her face. "did you steal it?" she laughed but there was no humor there. "is nothing sacred to you? do you have no reverence for even the last remaining physicality of the parents we share? or would you rather just destroy everything dear in the world for your own amusement; you spoiled, selfish, child."
The night had been enough cover for Eunwoo to do his task for his high lady. He felt sweaty, clammy, and, more than anything, tired in a sense he didn't understand or knew how to describe. Entering his high lady's chambers, Eunwoo let his head fall down as he noticed her attire. She was barely wearing anything, and even if he'd seen it before, he had no right to gaze upon her with longing or anything in his eyes. With his hands folded in front of him, head bowed down, he waited for her to speak. She always knew when he was present, she recognized the sound of his footsteps, and the thought warmed his calm heart. "the intruder has been taken care of." cuts and bruises upon his skin marked the fight. Still, they didn't matter - they would heal and just be added to the collection of scars he held. "the dream court will not send another; this one-" Eunwoo stopped in his tracks before thinking back to the fae he'd left in a river. "will not be traced."
when hei-ran's eyes fluttered up to eunwoo for the first time she surveyed him with an indescribable intensity. blood splattered his face and hands, he'd come here without even washing for what? so he could tell her of his successes? or just to put her mind at rest maybe, she'd been uneasy the whole celebration paranoid at every dark corner and shadow. slowly she moved toward him as if in a trance and raised her hand to cup his face. "you're hurt." though the fact didn't seem to upset her. "sit down." she found a stone basin attached to her dressing table and wet a cloth into it. leaning over eunwoo's face she dabbed softly. "what did he say to you? when you killed him."
as day melted into evening and the stars began to blossom in the sky hei-ran scoffed. what was their bright, belching sun compared to valor of velaris. her judgement was final there was no place as beautiful in prythian as the night court, a fact which only rallied her intention to rule it one day. the gardens though were fragrant at night, saccharine petals opening to the eyes of whoever should pass them and lush greenery decorating every stone she walked. a lithe form blocked her path with a rope of dark brown hair and she frowned. "princess andromeda." her voice was low and serious. "shouldn't you be at your own party?" the idea that she'd run off and shirked her duties annoyed hei-ran.
A small chuckle escaped his lips, his head bowing slightly at her words of the climate in the winter court. He had never liked it; perhaps it was one of the main reasons he never traveled there or the fact that the winter court was so questionable considering their loyalties that he'd rather have them try to assassinate him in his own home if need be. "I can understand the struggles, but it seems you are doing well -" he let his eyes meet hers then, greeting each other like they always had with pleasantries and a wicked game behind. "the winter court suits you, then again, I do believe every court would." he mused as a compliment to the fae.
she laughed, light, tinkling and polite. "you flatter me high lord." though keelan's charisma shone bright as mid-afternoon she was wise enough not to trust all of his intentions. his handsome face like most things was a mask to hide how truly intelligent he was. when she'd been in the spring court and held her sister's hands she'd warned them to be wary of powerful men, they had a way of convincing you to act against your will and then sending you on your way when they were done. staring at him now she wasn't sure which one he was, a powerful man, or simply a man with power. "will we be seeing our high king in attendance this week?"
"Well, you did spend two-hundred years in my home without a single word being uttered; wouldn't you, too, be curious what kind of lapdog would do such a thing? Such a devoted subject.." he mocked him for sure, and he could see the anger clinging to the man opposite him like a snake wishing to show its fangs. Sephtis was, without a doubt, not someone you messed with, but when had Rhyn ever cared? The king and his like were nothing but vermin on this land, polluting it to the extent of ruining people's lives. Nodding mockingly, he sighed as Sephtis finished speaking about his godly king. "No reason at all, just like you shouldn't expect more from someone who tried to speak to you on several occasions yet you never replied - do you truly believe you deserve honest answers, after all this time?" he didn't care who sephtis was, he didn't want to know what kind of horrors he had gone through to support the king. "I bet you kiss the ground the king walks upon enough for all of us." he mocked, releasing a simmer of anger from his eyes.
snapping, spitting rage filled him. the ugliest sort of upset curdled in his stomach and sephtis grew closer to rhyn leaning into him like a predator seeking out prey. his wings extended and slammed down around them trapping them inside of a makeshift wall that blocked the rest of the partygoers from view. and as sephtis' eyes fizzed into and out of darkness it became clear that the man who had stayed in the autumn court manor had gone, and something much worse had taken his place. "i'd rather be the kings lapdog-" he hissed, "than a losing bitch." a foreign expression crossed his face and a gurgling, maniacal laugh slipped from his throat. "tell me when i kiss the ground my king walks on do your remember your friends in it? is that why you pick such a petty feud with me, something as futile as death? or do you simply not have enough faith in your sister to defend herself?"
she watched him silently for a time as she so often did, there were few these days she could say she could enjoy a comfortable silence with but the man she once only referred to as beast was now one of them. her pale fingers brushed her dark hair behind her ear and she sighed as silently as she could, remembering a time her skin held a much more radiant glow—tan even. that was just one more thing the mountain had taken and perhaps the short amount of time they had at the day court should be spent basking in every ray of sunlight they can find.
the priestess inclined her head only slightly, ❝ i have not been formally approached, ❞ she admitted. ❝ but i suppose i never am. they just expect such things. ❞ talia informed him with a coy smile, but he already knew all about roles and expectations. ❝ do you suppose we will have a summit in every court? ❞ she asked, picking a grape off the lavish bowl of fruit in the center of the table.
lifting a skin of wine to his mouth he noticed his fingers shaking; tiny minute tremors ran through his bones and chilled his blood. his palms grew clamor and something like anxiety came over him. he couldn't puzzle why he suddenly felt sick, could only look back up at talia with glassy brown eyes and nod taking a long swing from the skin. "i hope not." he admitted a little shamefully. his duty was to serve at the will of the king but he hated attending parties. it made him feel all too much like a festival attraction to have fae gawk at him; whether it be his hulking size or sprawling wiry wings. "i don't like parties."
Sibili couldn't explain exactly where the peculiar impression invading her intuition had emerged from. She had no right to think that she might be able to begin identifying what a baseline for the man standing motionless before her. Nothing but a number of decades spent trapped in the same palace at the heart of her court. After all, she'd always been careful to keep the partition raised between them no matter how much she might tease as the jagged edges of her exterior had smoothed. Still- perhaps it was the almost robotic tilt of his head or the way he seemed to look through her that had her second guessing the moment she'd reached out a second too late. His hasty retreat had words already forming on her lips while she pointed a blazing glare in the direction of a few fae who'd been brave enough to stare at the sudden movement. They were wise enough to quickly avert their gaze from her wrath. "My apologies- I didn't mean to...alarm you." Was that what had flit across his eyes? She couldn't be certain what exactly had crossed him, only that she hadn't seen it before.
Again there was a nervous energy about him that didn't fit with the picture she'd formed of the man. It was as if someone had titled the frame of the picture he made, setting him slightly askew. Like the shadow he'd been behind her in the halls of her home had blurred around the edges. She studied him with sharp eyes and the beginning of a frown, trying to pinpoint whatever wrongness had surfaced. "There you go being evasive again," she murmured mostly to herself. "Perhaps the clothing doesn't mean much, but whether you have a choice in them seems rather integral." Her eyes narrowed while her brow furrowed, and it seemed Sephtis's usual talent for refusing to beat around a bush was mirrored in her. "You're different." The words were said in a way that told him she was expecting an answer or some form of an explanation, and the stubborn angle of her hips said she'd be willing to wait all night for it.
when sephtis looked at sibli's face he saw a melding of his past and his presents. the two faces melted into each other though her fae beauty was unchanged through the years. it was odd to consider her a sort of friend now, he supposed that after everything they shared friend would be the only apt description. otherwise what would he call her, a confidant, an enemy, or someone he still didn't completely know? his dark form seemed to seep into the corners of the room blurring at the edges of his being. though he'd never been a good man once he'd been grounded in his wrongdoing. now he seemed to live somewhere else, eyes glassed with the distant look of a man who wasn't quite there.
"clothes are nothing." he said simply. "what are they but more armor. i have no desire to wear anything that doesn't protect me." the words poured from his mouth like practice. he stared down at sibili as she spoke again and frowned. different, different how? he felt different but he wasn't sure why. wasn't it the cost of power to be different? to be fundamentally changed by the gifts given to you. his king had blessed him, had chosen him out of every loyal soldier and handed power to him. he should celebrate, should thank the old gods from the highest peak of the mountain. "it's been two centuries. we're all different."
the severe black slash of hei-ran's gown was an ink blot against the papery pastel ribbons that hung against the walls of the day court's ballroom. she stood, austere in her silence in a far-off corner of the party the rumbling of voices and pattering feet echoing against the walls. amaryllis' presence was steady beside her calming the anxiety and paranoia she felt every time she was outside the walls of the hewn city. she turned to her spymaster, face steely and unreadable and spoke. "have your spies yet informed you of the whereabouts of the king?" she was nervous though she wouldn't show it. "i don't trust that any of this is for a mundane reason, especially not with keelan sitting in his pocket."
"oh certainly not, keelan knows how to throw a party." aurora said with a chuckle. she knew the next question was coming — it couldn't be helped, nor avoided, it was only going to be dependent on who asked it. or how many people asked it. "i've been much better." she answered her softly, a shrug of her shoulders. "how about you? how is the winter court treating you? so much colder then spring, so bleak." aurora mused, though now, you could say her court was just the same.
the winter court hadn't felt bleak to her, when she'd first arrived the cold had felt like an escape-like the climate differing so dramatically meant not element of home could touch her hear. now she found herself slightly uncomfortable with her stomach and arms bared. the protection winter afforded, long sleeves and fur lined cloaks had become natural to her. the lack of them left her feeling exposed and vulnerable. "the winter court is lovely, i've felt very welcome by it's people and by my high lord. though i do miss the celebrations of the spring court."
location: the night court's chambers at the day court
for: @cscension (eunwoo)
in the silent darkness of her borrowed bedroom hei-ran dressed with practiced stillness. entranced she pulled the pins from her hair, let her lovely, dark gown pooling at her feet and a nightdress black as obsidian slipped in its place. she closed here eyes pushing her fingertips into her scalp and shaking loose the curls there. when she opened her eyes her reflection stared back uneasily at her, a mirage of woman flickering in the moonlight. she heard eunwoo before she saw him so used the sound of his footsteps trailing behind her. without speaking she rose pulling a silk robe over her shoulders and looked back at him. "well?" she said impassively dropping a collection of rings into a dish on the nightstand. "is it done?"
ＷＨＥＮ: second night of the summit
ＷＨＥＲＥ: quarters of the royal court
ＷＨＯ: @cldrnfeared
the high priestess made her way through the empty halls, taking in the tranquil silence as best she could knowing she would find no such peace in the morning to follow. or any of the coming days. she moved along the pristinely polished floors with purpose. having made herself quite at home, talia made use of the courts kitchens so brew a few tonics that she was unable to travel with. and just as she did under the mountain, she left quite the mess in her wake for someone else to clean up.
she slipped into the extravagant quarters that had been assigned to the king's court and knocked lightly on the door across the hall from her own. it hadn't been the first time she'd made sephtis a tonic or two in her own attempt to help him. granted he'd never directly asked her either, but that'd never stopped her from taking action before.
sephtis woke in a cold sweat lurching up violently in the plush, lavender bed he'd taken in the day court. the trappings of luxury sometimes seemed suffocating to him. back under the mountain he preferred to sleep on a threadbare mattress with the few woven blankets he'd kept from his time in the illyrian war camps. now comfort felt more like a harm. he panted in the pale, dewy moonlight dragging his palm roughly over his face. when he dreamed it mostly ended in nightmares, flashes of his mother's face or his father's violent hand. memories that weren't his own invaded him as the days grew longer and it became hard to tell where his mind ended and magic began. three knocks echoed boldly through the room and grunting he shifted out of the bed.
still sweaty and untamed he opened the door and frowned. "talia?" he said his voice smoky and dazed. "what are you doing here?"
HEI-RAN MOON, HIGH LADY OF THE COURT OF NIGHTMARES
aesthetics , playlist
name: hei-ran moon
age: 28 | 762
gender & pronouns: cis female, she & her
sexuality: biromantic bisexual
court position: high lady of the court of nightmares
species: high fae
is evil born or made? how many decisions can we make before they finally start to catch up to us? is what we do in the throes of war justifiable?
these are all questions hei-ran moon asked herself growing up.
hei-ran was a solitary, silent child who seemed more interested in spending her time charting stars or reading books
she had no desire for pleasant conversation or even friendship just a will to keep improving herself
while the night court was full of dreamers her mother was far more amicable than her father who hei-ran took after. her father's will could be exacting, even cruel at times
he impressed upon her greatly the cost of being a ruler and the sacrifices one must make in order to lead
though she in her own way loved her brother she saw him as foolish and unfit to lead and their father agreed, secretly he came to hei-ran and asked her to lead the court upon their death believing her judgement more sound than her brother's
now it has been four hundred years since her father died in battle trying to protect their court from the reaches of hybern and in the quest for the throne hei-ran has turned into something unrecognizable to the hopeful girl she once was
she refuses to secede the throne to her brother believing wholly that he is incapable of protecting the court from the wrath of hybern and willing to sacrifice even him if it means she can lead the court to freedom
she's a cold and calculating woman slowly being destroyed by her own hubris but unable to identify her faults
while she truly believes her actions are food the good of prythian she can't stop justifying every risk or morally dubious choice she makes for fear of it all crumbling down
she loves people in her own way, though to her most people are pawns for her quest for power and whatever affection she feels for them is trumped by her desire to rule the night court
she knows when to hold back and when to speak, she's a very patient and quietly terrifying woman who would do anything to keep her court out of hybern's hands and keep prythian free; even if that means becoming the nightmare prythian fears
In the source link below, you will find 1,026 gifs in 245x150 of BAE SUZY (1994) in Anna (2022). She is of Korean descent, so please cast accordingly. All gifs were made from scratch by me and are for roleplay purposes only. Please consider giving this a reblog if using or if you found this to be useful. Do not repost or claim as your own. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
ＷＨＥＮ: first day of the summit
ＷＨＥＲＥ: the great hall
ＷＨＯ: @cldrnfeared
the winter court lord stood with his back pressed to a wall, his wide arms crossed over his broad chest and grave expression only made him look far more menacing than he truthfully was. just as he preferred it, it helped keep most unwelcome conversations at bay. though as far as he was concerned, every conversation he'd have in this gods forsaken court would be unwelcome.
the appearance of his father's emissary was nearly enough to crack his somber facade, but just nearly. ❝ by the gods, please say you've learned why we've been gathered here? ❞ he almost pleaded of eirene. there were few he trusted as much, even compared to those who'd been born and raised in the winter court. there were moments, however, that he wondered how different it might have been if she'd sought refuge in a different court or his father had turned her away like he initially thought to. he brushed the unwanted thoughts away with a slight shake of his head.
for as tall and willowy as eirene had grown in her years asril still stood a head taller with shoulders built like a battering ram, it had always perturbed her. eirene's steps were measured and graceful as she approached her lord gathering her blue-grey gown into her palm. her sigh was audible as she looked over at him. "hello eirene," she said practiced, a dance she'd done before. "how are you enjoying the party? you look lovely tonight." her face though steely held a hint of playfulness. she turned back against the wall as if she were having a conversation with some other parallel party. "why thank you asril, you look very handsome. i'm enjoying the party very much." when her act had finished she stood for silence in a moment. "as far as i can tell, we're here for a wedding party nothing more and nothing less. but i'm not foolish enough to believe we'd all be gathered here for that alone. i'll need time to pry at the more malleable members of hybern's court to glean any information."
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