no one made me

[tenaciousdreamcr]

WHERE: The Gravity Gardens during the Summer Fae’s Coronation Revel.

WHEN: day of coronation, hours after

STATUS: closed for @furycrimsxn

SHE DIDN’T WANT TO SEE HIM. Not him (Cassian), not Mattaeus, not Isaliendrin either. Dima and Aurelia? She could handle seeing their faces; after all she had never been as close with the pair of them like she was with dumb and dumber (Isaliendrin & Cassian). A part of her felt they should understand why she did what she did— but she was quickly learning that she wasn’t as naturally optimistic as she originally thought she was. When have the summer fae ever been understanding?

Her countenance was set grim, her eyes no longer molten writhing golden, but hard, cold metal. Her tense conversation with Aurelia earlier had left her very unsettled, mixed with the crowns destruction, the coronation, and her earlier time spent at The Black Citadel, she felt like she might actually faint for the first time in her life. A human servant offered her a tempting goblet of faerie wine, but she shooed them away, so that she could be alone again. (As alone as a queen could be with an army of guards trailing behind her, in the middle of a party.)

Seladon sighed, perhaps the high fae elders had been right, she shouldn’t have come here. It was too soon, the wound she had inflicted (no matter how rightfully so) on the summer kingdom was still fresh and raw, still bleeding out all over her hands. And if she wanted to avoid Cassian, Mattaeus and Isaliendrin then here is probably where she didn’t want to be.

As she turned away from the scene of dancing fae she had been watching, turning to one of her guards; glossed and black painted lips parted to speak her command that they were leaving, when she suddenly caught sight of something very unwelcome. Cassian.

A thousand emotions suddenly blossomed in her chest, wrapping her heart in barbed-wire, each beat painful in her chest, clawing at her insides with each movement. It was too late to run or hide however- she noted darkly as his eyes caught the pale white glow of the bioluminescent flora, registering with recognition at the sight of her.

Fuck.

[furycrimsxn]

   it was easy to fall into the whims of a revel despite the reasoning behind one. even in a land so foreign, it was as if having a piece of home still wherever a summer fae went. cassian was sent on the mission to find more wine for his friends, friends he left almost an hour ago. the general lost himself in the crowd on purpose, finding a secluded spot in the outskirts of his dancing fae, two glasses of wine in hand to play the part in case aurelia or isali crept up from their whereabouts to hunt him down. 

   although the revel surrounded him like fire, his mind was clouded and distant. the loss of acacia was one that struck the summer court with such devestation, the pain was easy to see on the faces of his fae despite the distraction of the party amongst them. the loss did not mean much personally, if cassian had to be honest with himself. but it meant trouble. it meant everything that cassian was craving: uprising, retaliation, revenge. not only was acacia one of him but a past reveller, advisor to mattaeus - perhaps family considered to his king, even, was enough reason to raise arms and bring hellfire onto the high court for what seladon did. cassian felt as if he was itching for blood and, seladon, whom he had his own differences and problems with already, granted him the perfect present wrapped up in a bow.

   and as if all the gods in the world heard the summer fae’s thoughts for when cassian left his thoughts and came back to reality, there was the high court queen herself, standing straight before him feet away. eyes narrowing into slits, cassian abandoned the drinks from his post as he stalked towards the high fae, his hand twitching over the hilt of his blade hugging his hip. it was the first time since he had seen her after the coronation and while a piece of his heart screamed to check for any wounds upon her, his mind was reeling with rage. 

   the guards surrounding seladon advanced swiftly as they took in the situation unfolding, stepping in front of their queen before cassian made it even a foot feet away from his position. “a word in private, sel?” cassian was able to manage through gritted teeth. he imagined mattaeus’s cool composure and reigned it in to his best ability. he was equally aware of the reputation the summer general carried and for the sake of keeping the peace, momentarily, cassian would play along if it got him what he wanted in the moment.

[furycrimsxn]

“You haven’t laughed in a long time, and I guess I was staring ‘cause I forgot how that looked.”

     with the adrenaline singing in his ears, the fairy wine coursing through his blood sending tingling sensations to his fingertips and a flush of warmth throughout his body, the words behind him would have had been music to his ears any other day. the voice, however, was more than enough to sober the summer general for a seconds worth as he spun on his heel to face the golden fae. it was the beginning of sunset, the brilliantly red and orange hues shining behind lucius illuminating him like a god in all his glory. the revel exploded around them and yet: there was such peace, such content graced upon the fae’s features it caught at cassian’s throat with an iron fist. 

     “you aren’t just beautiful, you are otherworldly and vaguely terrifying.” the words slipped past lucius’s lips, past the air between them and seemingly tugged at the heartstrings within cassian. it was the wine, without a doubt, that had the latter acting so congenial, so unrestricted that cassian made his way towards lucius with no recognition of his feet moving and with a lift of his hand, grazed the cheek of the icarian with his knuckles until his thumb landed on lucius’s lips. there was no music, no frenzy swirling around them for it all went near mute as cassian devoured the fae before him with his eyes. 

     behind lucius’s shoulder on his left, isaliendrin came into view out of the shadows of the forest edge as his brother swung an arm around aurelia whom was in the crowd, barking laughter with his head thrown back and on the right, cordelia sat on a log with florence looking engrossed in conversation. dragging his attention back onto lucius, the world moving blurred and hazy, cassian brought his second hand upwards to cup his face. the painstakingly aggravating energy that gravitated a person towards lucius, that radiated off of him so effortlessly would be gone in a weeks time and he had no idea. cocking his head to the side, cassian smiled a lazy smile. there was such a need, a yearning screaming inside cassian to pull lucius towards him and consume him. 

     but restraint won the fight. “i am more terrifying than you think and you seem to continue forgetting that, lucius.” releasing the grip on lucius’s face, cassian let his words hang in the air between the two as he turned on his heel and made way for aurelia and isaliendrin. cassian was not sure what gift of compassion seemed to change the mind of the general and in the moment, he did not seem to find the reason to care or wonder why. tomorrow morning, he would blame his mask slipping off once again on the alcohol. tomorrow morning, the icarian’s consort would be missing.

[archive-highcourthq]

HIGHCOURTHQ MEME DAY

hello everyone! as promised, WEDNESDAYS will be our designated meme day! please make sure to be as inclusive as possible and send one to everyone who participates. for now, we ask that you refrain from reblogging other memes not posted to the main. and as always, have fun!

SUMMER COURT

“You are the warmest place I know.” “I think I’ve had too much wine, the room is beginning to spin.” “How much longer do I have to keep swallowing my desires for you?” “You took the sun when you left.” “I’ve never felt more alive than when I’m with you.” “Who’s blood is that?" 

 WINTER COURT 

"How do I learn to accept love, when all I’ve known is pain?” “To hate is an easy thing.” “You’re a weapon, and weapons don’t weep.” “All that blood was beautiful.” “You’re driving away every soul that has ever cared for you.” “I forgot, you don’t care about anything.” “I wouldn’t just die for you– I would kill for you." 

UNDERSEA  COURT

"Are you really going to leave without asking me whatever it is you’ve been dying to ask?” “What are you afraid of?” “You aren’t just beautiful, you are otherworldly and vaguely terrifying.” “I miss the stars.” “Indulge me, tell me something that few know about you." 

HIGH COURT 

"It is probably in your best interest to stay as far away from me as possible.” “Me, jealous? That would imply that I care.” “Be careful, you sound genuinely concerned for me.” “But what if I don’t want the crown, what if I want to watch the kingdom burn down?” “We have the power to hurt one another.” “You’re either with me, or against me.”

[spidermon]

[gildedlucius]

And what of the summer court?

They enter a room, the offspring of the sun, and you feel a warmth you have not yet known: it bleeds from them, you see. They house a love that’s feverish: for summer, for themselves, for each other. And they’re cruel in equal parts. Perhaps it is the price they must pay, to have a heat of a thousand suns twined to their marrow.  

[furycrimsxn]

{ @gildedlucius } said: “You haven’t laughed in a long time, and I guess I was staring ‘cause I forgot how that looked.”

    it wasn’t necessarily avoiding nor was it circumventing the situation. in truth, there was not exactly a spare of guilt lingering in the black heart of the general over what happened. there was no regret, no lament and no blasé whenever he would stare at lucius from afar. upon observation, the pain was evident on the face of the icarian if someone looked close enough. there was a newfound darkness in lucius’s eyes that had never been there before in the centuries they knew each other within the court and the idea that cassian, with the help of isaliendrin, put it there? an immense satisfaction bloomed in the pit of his stomach that left him yearning for more. more destruction, more grief, more darkness in those pretty eyes. 

    the general felt the air of him before the words. he was trained to sense such things but the voice, rich with honey and dripping gold, is what set him off. cassian didn’t move from his position, sprawled across a rich velvet lounge chair with a goblet of ruby wine filled to the brim. instead, he would let lucius come to him, catching him off guard as cassian was laughing at the trouble his quartet was causing in the distance. 

    when lucius came within eyesight, the closest he had in so long, cassian’s heart ached at the picture before him. staring into the depiction of this angel was like staring at a reminder of everything the general was not. his walking contrast, his polar opposite, everything cassian could have been if life had granted him different cards. it made him envision nothing more than holding lucius in close proximity and trailing a dagger across his delicate skin, watching blood follow the blade and onto his tongue. that, or playing out the consort situation right in front of him this time around. 

    oh, what would lucius do when he finds out it was him? isalendrin? how long for things to play out light and sweet before the truth splintered the painting? “I did not know you stared at me so often to forget what I look like,” cassian admitted, eyeing lucius with a newfound curiosity and attention. “perhaps you should be my private entertainer, hm?” the general spoke with a smile so feral it replicated that of a wild animal, bringing the glass to his lips as his eyes stayed locked onto this target before him. “what is on your pretty little mind?”

[furycrimsxn]

castaliafairbank‌:

with the coronation of seladon larkspur on the horizon, castalia found herself more than ever in a position to do what she did best, council her queen. now was the time for celebration but she knew that each encounter with the summer faes would be an exercise in diplomacy. there was no telling what her queen’s intentions were regarding the crown as of yet but it was best to err on the side of caution. this was a time for donning masks and playing one’s cards close to your chest. as for castalia, she couldn’t deny her curiosity when it came to this new queen.

all her evening had been spent curtsying, making small talk with other high ranking faes all the while dancing around the topic of the coronation. she hardly had time to fully enjoy the revel. she’s finally managed to sneak away for a moment, glass of cherry wine in end as she makes her way to the gardens.

there are no warning sounds before the collision as she bodily slams into another faerie as she rounds a corner, miraculously only half her drink comes spilling on the floor and she lets out a mirthful laugh, as she instantly recognizes the voice speaking to her in such a stern tone.

“my darling cassian,” she teases, “even in such joyous times, i see you’re as tightly wound as ever. were you escaping the festivities?”

    decades upon decades could whisk past cassian like a summers breeze and still he would recognize the voice anywhere. his eyes followed the liquid splashed amongst the gravel before his ears picked up the sound. following his gaze from the spillage, it traveled up to the body and then face of none other but castalia. a smile tugged at the corners of his lips almost immediately. it wasn’t often, in fact it was rare, that the two saw each other but having the winter fae in his sight brought back the glimpse of his past. two children with general fathers, forced to gravitate to each other when stuck accompanying military meetings and court gatherings such as the one they found themselves in currently. 

    at the tease, the summer general rolled his eyes skyward. “escaping the festivities? darling, we created these festivities.” he bit back as he smoothed the lines of his sapphire and halcyon half-opened, buttery silk shirt - if the piece can even be called that. “in fact, I seemed to have lost a stray little human I was meant to be gathering up for a gift to the future queen. have you happened to see him? he may look quite bloody, accidentally.” 

    a beat later, cassian turned his head slightly back towards castalia, his head tilting to the side. an old sparring partner, fire and ice, maybe even a friend and yet... these were times nobody could be suspicious of. “actually, why are you escaping the festivities?” 

[furycrimsxn]

summersovereign‌:

who of the fae knows that blood makes fertile grounds? do they know that from certain carnage springs glory eternal? how fond he is of his general, a relentless weapon begging to be sheathed, to be exposed, to tear asunder. a chaos that must be leashed, but who does not seem to mind being tempered during peacetime. 

it is a shame, he thinks idly, gaze flickering to cassian beside him. it is a shame, that he cannot simply tell him go, and sit back, throw his head back in distant bliss, and watch. but it is a shame that must be endured. for he cares not for meaningless bedlam, rapture without reason - especially not if it endangered his goddaughter.

“what we have been promised. an acting sovereign.” it is a simple answer, but there is enough space left between each word for illicit meaning to fill. does he truly believe the coronation will be as uneventful as they are led to believe? no - and he is far too old to play at naivete. 

he slows his pace to a languid lingering, eyes dark with knowing following the curved line of the general’s arm as it leads to a point just above hilt of cassian’s sword. he traces the path with his own palm, stopping at the general’s wrist, appeasing and lenient. “your battle arm itches, cassian. what is it you anticipate?” he smiles blithely. “my grand defender, my bloody champion, do you fear for me?”

    an acting sovereign. cassian lets the statement fall flatly on his ears, understanding and yet tossing it aside. where mattaeus was a calculated mind with an eager heart, cassian was his hellfire on wheels. it pained the general to see a heart so tender, so heartbreakingly caring and even more to know said heart so closely. it was a sight to behold the few times the general saw his king unleash in all his glory. a sight so rare, it was perhaps better a kept secret than something so rash, so loud like himself, so terrorizing to many. and yet, with their differences, they still found ways to lead. it would be a lie if cassian said he didn’t love admire his king. 

    it was whispered the future acting queen would be nothing but a mask for a group in the shadows to play puppeteer with and seladon was the perfect choice. it would never be said out loud to mattaeus, however, he knew there was a line to be drawn when it came to family. it only took the right person to have him consider it. 

   his mind is miles away considering the possibility of the following days when a touch creeps on his arm, gentle and distant and strong enough to raise subtle goosebumps under his garments. for his king, he’ll always submit. yet his eyes are too proud to meet his. instead, cassian continues to survey the crowd of fae around them. “you more than anyone would know tensions are high. it is in my nature to do and expect the worse... in my head - the high court have gathered us here to take out the sovereign of the other courts and reign supreme power over the realm.”

   “entertain me with your thoughts of the future days?” he muses, at last turning his head to mattaeus with such nonchalant grace, one would not even suspect he uttered treacherous murder in such capacity. 

[furycrimsxn]

ofhelefir‌:

the high court was ethereal, a beauty that became more stunning the longer aurelia surveyed the land. yet, she couldn’t imagine giving up sunlight and warmth for life up on the clouds. or fae who knew how to have fun. well aware of the stares her court had received from the other fae, she was pleased with herself and her fellow summer fae. the high court may glow, but summer fae were radiant. however, she remained guarded as the whole situation felt too suspicious and she could only imagine how the other courts were responding to the coronation.

with decades came the ability to recognize the members of her pack by the sound of their footsteps. even though he was a trained warrior, her ears were trained to identify him after one too many pranks from him. “drink. it’s from the high court’s private collection,” she said, offering her flask to him now containing mulberry wine she stolen. “for an uptight group, one would assume they would have better locks,” she added, not losing her focus on the black building floating on clouds - the forbidden fruit of her eyes. temptation slithered next to her ears, taunting her with promises of great knowledge. “where have you been?” she turned around,  glints of curiosity in her eyes and a familiar smirk on her face. the night was still young after all.

     with a blink, cassian took in the glass before him for a second before snorting with a small shake of his head and taking the flask from aurelia’s hand. “how kind of the high court to be so generous,” the summer fae replied as he brought the dark wine to his lips. his eyes followed her line of sight onto the clouds above them, fascination twinkling in his eyes. it was easy to get accustomed to your surroundings and lose the magic in what you used to see and the high court was most definitely a sight to see. it was easy to think you can forget your troubles in a place like so, heavenly and surreal and marveling. 

    but home was home and this would never be home. cassian wasn’t even sure the high court could contain the summer fae even if they tried but if their effort was there, it would be easy enough to show the high fae the feral power the summer court held when possibly crossed. tensions were too high to take anything to chance. “it seems i’ve been in two places at one. isaliendrin and I are creating a human gladiator for our future queen as a gift and speaking of the future queen, I was also entertaining a reunion with miss larkspur. care to tell me what you’ve been up to on the way to this private collection of alcohol you found?” 

[furycrimsxn]

tenaciousdreamcr‌:

“A surprise? From the two of you? Should I be nervous?” The high fae deadpanned, rolling her glittering eyes at the summer general, suddenly self-conscious of the guards that stood ever watchful over her. “Blame Valhen for the guard dogs, apparently I’m important or something now.’ It was easy to joke and tease for the moment- but her stomach was still a mess of knots. Seladon wanted to act normal, friendly, even intimate (not sexually) with the other- but everything was different now; she wasn’t a carefree little girl bewitched by the summer monsters in their ghoulish paradise anymore. She couldn’t embrace him, get too close- say anything she wanted anymore. The younger sighed heavily, molten eyes downcast; painfully aware they weren’t alone. “The other high fae advised against me meeting you by the way- they think you’re dangerous. “ She turned her heavy sigh into a teasing smirk. The longer they stood there awkwardly, the more she felt suffocated; tempted to send the guards away despite the wishes and advice of Valhen and the other high fae- she could trust him right? At least for now- or would that be a mistake? 

    a scoff and a hand splayed across his chest, his features twisting into faux offense screwed the previous picture of hospitality and kindness. “nervous? you should be excited. grateful even, I would say. in all your centuries of life have you ever received a better present than one coming from the hands of my brother and I? in fact, do not answer that, sel dear.” cassian cut himself short, mimicking her rolling eyes before he allowed the chance to retort at his comment. the air felt thick with anticipation and tension whether he would admit it or not, smoothing his features back to a small, devil may care smile that didn’t meet his eyes. 

    everything between seladon and cassian was toxic, dark. it took a lot to get under the skin of the summer general and the future queen of the high court had accomplished no simple task with ease over the years. and yet, being around her after so long brought nothing but a glimpse of want joy, a touch of easy banter and familiarity in a region so foreign. completely disregarding the guards posted beside him, cassian stalked towards the high fae with an aura erupting arrogance, closing in the space between the pair. 

    “they are correct in thinking so.” he simply stated, letting his gaze tear away from seladon and lay instead on the grandeur surrounding them. at the comment of hers, he felt his heart beam with pride. he knew his reputation extended over the realm but to have it taken as seriously as such only made him want to prove their point right. “and yet, I find myself here with you despite their caution. are you going to give me a tour or are we going to stand here watched like scolded children?” the fae cocked an eyebrow to the sky, black eyes finding their way back onto her. there was more he wanted to say but the crimson would reign his control if that was what was needed for him in the moment - not expected of him. 

[furycrimsxn]

cordeliaes‌:

fae will perish by your hand. the idea of it had sounded ludicrous when the insurgent first spoke it to her, but the more they trained, the more she learned, she had begun to think it possible. never had she been so delicate to have cringed at the thought, but she’d never had such confidence instilled in her below. still, she looked at cassian right then, and the idea of piercing his flesh with a dagger caused her heart to ache. despite herself, how she considered herself knowledgeable and smart, too familiar with herself, there was no way for her to explain it. 

then, he smiled at her ; she couldn’t help but return it with one of her own. 

“ so there is. it’s an english turn of phrase, but i’m familiar with it. you should know, however, it doesn’t end there. curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back. ” her grin grew wider, she was slightly pleased with herself at not letting his comment leave her chastised. “ a treat ? ” she echoed, her brows raising towards her hairline. “ i find myself wanting to ask exactly what you had in mind as a treat, but i fear it could only lead to trouble. but i would enjoy a tour. ” she sniffed before shrugging her shoulders lightly. “ this palace is a maze. i could take a wrong turn and end up lost for a millennia. ”

      it was that smile lighting up her face that nearly shattered cassian in place, leaving him feeling... jittery? An uneasiness holding hands with excitement crept down the general’s spine, his mind spiraling hundreds of miles per hour at the thought of being with her, learning her, alone. it was the same sensation he felt on the battlefield when the calm before the storm was settling in. a sensation that intoxicated him like no other. 

     “I suppose it is in your best interest to really not ask any questions regarding said treat,” cassian looked down at her with a smile hiding more than it was telling. “perhaps you will come across it along the way.” and with that, he turned on his heel and began walking forward along the stardust glowing pathway without checking if she was following him, clasping his hands into a fist behind his back. “have you learned anything about the high court in your time here? I suppose it is only right to give you a history lesson apart of your tour. in exchange for a history lesson of yourself.”

[museinspo]

“Are you scared of the dark?” he asks me. I say, “Why would I be scared of what is part of me?”

— something lurks inside me, and it will make or wreck me. t.b. (via lewiscarol)

[furycrimsxn]

cassian + open | high court mischief

     it felt every corner cassian had turned, there was a high fae guard chasing the edges of his shadow. he might have felt offended, really, if there wasn’t a sliver of protection enforced by word of the crimson stalking the halls of the high court. it was not every day that the residing courts infiltrated the peace of the high fae, however kindly they wrapped their invitation and delivered it. he could hardly enjoy the scenery around him with the hair on the back of his neck raised, his fingers itching to rip into something, anything to shed this annoyance off his back.

     he was rounding a corner, a seconds lost in fixation as his eyes glazed over the twinkling gems overhead. where he was accustomed to the summer court’s warmth and never ending sunshine, the night sky and glowing stardust foreign, so peaceful, a sight that never settled... right in his bones. he wasn’t allowed a moment more to muse on the wonders of the high court when he collided into a body, stumbling backwards onto his heels to face the fae before him. 

    “I suppose it is my turn to apologize for walking into you but perhaps you shouldn’t have been walking in my way, hm?”

[furycrimsxn]

event: high court arrival date: april 29th @summersovereign​ { somewhat also answering your darkness drabble/hc ask}

     it only made sense for cassian to be one edge, unaware and always skeptical of what those from the other courts were planning. it had been nearly a decade since he had last been to the high court, if not, and the summer fae was to play no games or run the risks when every passing soul was a risk not to be toyed with. his hand hovered over the hilt of his blade resting at his hip underneath his coat, his footsteps aligned with his king beside him. there was an unsettlement burrowed deep within cassian, a leech that nestled itself onto the heart of the war general and rather than sucking; it filled the organ with a darkness stemmed from centuries of bloodshed, centuries of tearing through the heart of another to survive another day. 

    beside his sovereign, there was no darkness. there was a heavy relief of security, of home. a comfort that could not be bought by a promotion or a a price tag by an enemy. cassian had sworn to the summer king and to his king, he would die for. his eyes observed the slightest itch of movement amongst them in a manner so calm, anyone would think the fae was out for a stroll in the park. “tell me, mattaeus, what do you think will come from our little trip here?”

[tenaciousdreamcr]

WHERE: Great Hall in the High Fae Palace

WHEN: First day of event 01 prt 01

STATUS: closed for @furycrimsxn

IT WAS BENEATH HER OF COURSE — to seek him out first, invite him beforehand to see her when he arrived. But she couldn’t resist when it came to Cassian. There was something about him that made her want to be cruel, demanding, arrogant. Perhaps it was the fact that she knew he wouldn’t break beneath her, she was so afraid of breaking others, hurting them, disappointing them. So she had spent her entire life making herself smaller, meeker, dimmer. Her wicked lips curved into a smug smirk, countenance glittering with makeup, long black-blue hair shimmering in the soft light of the grand hall of the high fae. Some say heaven and the angels in the mortal bible are really references to the high fae and their realm; a palace floating effortlessly in the forever nighttime sky, no sun; no moon, only an expanse of glittering stars that stretch on for infinity. The very walls of the palace glowed and twinkled, flickering with life, as if they were encased inside of a luminous constellation. The bones of the castle were rumored to be forged from stars, and the high fae born of stardust. The grand hall Seladon stood in now was lit dimly, the walls pulsating with a faint light, the valted ceilings stretching so high they disappeared into a black eternity, and magical twinkling lights hung from above, suspended and fixed.

Everything in the realm of the high fae seemed to glitter and glow. Like living astral energy and the finest gold flecked with supernovas. They were detached from reality, a floating kingdom in the clouds beneath a blanket of jeweled stars.

She prayed her nerves weren’t evident on her face- she loathed nothing more than being an open book. She hadn’t been named acting regent yet but, everyone knew it was coming. The rumors coursed through the fae courts, trickling into every crevice, every corner, every secret place. Seladon was the only logical choice— she was dutiful, responsible, noble, and easy for the other high fae to control. She had a reputation of being the royal ass wiper— cleaning up not only Cedric’s messes but other high fae messes as well. But nonetheless she had to admit she was secretly afraid, and this was just one of many ways for her to take her mind off things.

Seladon’s golden eyes lit up when he finally arrived— flanked by two guards dressed in sparkling metallic black armor, the high fae clapped her hands together excitedly. “If you didn’t bring me a gift you might as well turn around and leave right now.” The younger faerie purred, her tone sharp but playfully melodic.

[furycrimsxn]

    it had been ages, it felt, since cassian had last visited the high court. there was not much need to, considering his own affairs had him tied up at home within the summer court. but it never stopped freezing the summer fae in his tracks when he saw the high court for what it was - heaven, as the humans would say. each court had their own beauty and cassian, although never tired of his own court, was refreshed to say the least to be in the air of another, considering it happened so rarely. everything glowed around him in harmony, an unsettling peace and quiet hummed in the air as the twinkling stars and ever-glowing moon illuminated the steps before him. 

    a surprise it was when a pair of guards came to cassian, collecting him by the order of seladon, the rumored queen to be. a decade had past since the duo had last seen each other and it would be a lie if cassian had said he had not thought of the high fae at least once. there was an immensely large shared history, stories twisting together mainly bad than more good, and yet there was an electricity coursing through the veins of the war general. an excitement, to see the woman - the only one, besides his coveted group of monsters, that was able to cut him down. what had become of her in all these years? 

     before cassian was able to answer the question himself, there she was before him. massive doors the size of the walls, illuminating with stardust and decorated heavily in the form constellations, swung open before him to reveal the tenacious. black orbs met golden irises and he stepped forward with all the confidence in the world, as if this was his court, his castle. those same eyes kept note of the guards that did not leave his side, cautious of their every steps, and yet cassian found himself advancing towards seladon with a mischevious glint in his eyes matching the smile curling on his lips. “I always believed the best gifts are those that are surprises and I am positive you’ll take my word for it when you see what Isaliendrin and I have put together for her majesty,” he quipped. “guards? for your presence now? how the times have changed.”

[furycrimsxn]

event: high court arrival date: april 29th @ofhelefir​

    they had arrived together; the court and them, stride in stride and screaming summer court in all their blaze and glory. oranges, yellows and reds. pinks and greens detailing their outfits to the very last drop of gems cradling their fingers. nearly glowing in summer’s warmth, embracing their skin in golden hues and leaving glittering kisses where they last stepped imprinted on the ground. it had been a good amount of time since they arrived in the high court, a good amount of time indeed for the group to go their separate ways and create trouble of their own. a plenty of hours had passed since he last saw aurelia, a curiosity striking him so strongly it sent him on the hunt for the member of his quartet. 

    it was in the courtyard, the center of the high court where it was the most alive, did cassian finally catch the sight of aurelia. his feet found themselves gravitating to the fae before he even considered approaching her. once he did, he snaked himself behind her, then beside her, following her vision of sight before glancing back down upon his friend - his sister. “may I ask what has caught your attention, ellie dear? I haven’t seen you for hours.”

[cordeliaes]

event: arrival to high court date: april 29th closed to: @furycrimsxn​

her head was rushing. the insurgent wanted her to destroy the crown. it was wild, it was impossible, it was — drastic. it’d leave a mark, fastening a lasting impression on all of fae. who would dare ? they would never think it cordelia, not pretty and prim cordelia who laughed boldly and spun in circles with just a sip of fae wine. that’s why she was perfect for it. she was headed towards her chambers when she caught sight of cassian. despite her focus on her task, despite wanting to plan, she found herself calling out to him. “ shouldn’t you be with our king ? ” she raised her chin and raised a brow. “ i should think a general such as yourself would be preparing — ” for what, she didn’t specify. all of the courts were on edge to be all in one place. the coronation was a historic moment, perhaps the biggest in this millennium aside from the former king dying. it was prime moment for something to happen, everyone knew this.

[furycrimsxn]

     “shouldn’t you be with our king?” echoed behind cassian, the voice all too heartbreakingly familiar. it took everything in the war general to not continue walking, leaving the human behind. she’s a human; irrelevant in every sense of the word, afterall. and yet, there was an incessant tugging at the strings of his heart. an overwhelmingly, uncontrollable need to stop in his tracks and... submit?  cordelia wasn’t wrong. he should have been at the side of mattaeus, like he was when they first arrived together. he should have been preparing for his reunion with seladon. he should have been anywhere except in the presence of the summer child. and yet... 

     he was caught redhanded - previously on his way to meet up with isaliendrin to gather the humans for their special event. hands tied, he swirled on the heel of his feet to face the blonde before him, staring down at her with a smile pulling at the corners of his lips. “humans, so... curious. I believe there’s a phrase in your realm... ‘curiosity killed the cat’, hm?” his eyes narrowed for a second, observing her in a new way entirely. her outfit, her makeup, the aura around her... all fae. “i’m preparing a treat for miss larkspur, would you like to accompany me? give you a tour of the high court?”