A Court of Wings & Fire: Chapter One
Summary// Eris had control of everything in his life. The war was over, he was planning to take the Autumn throne, and nothing was left to surprise him…until he met you. A mating bond with an Illyrian was like a spit in his face and neither of you could understand why fate had put you together. You both swore off relations to each other, refusing to even be in the same court, but you should have known that fate is not to be tested.
(Here it is, Chapter One of the new Eris series! I am so, so excited to get started on this and I cannot wait to take you all on this journey. I hope you enjoy!)
Chapter One
The sound of swords striking each other echoed off the House of Wind as two Illyrian warriors battled inside the training ring, another one watching from the side. You let out a triumphant laugh as you ducked below Cassian’s blow, swiping his legs out from under him.
Azriel cheered you on, watching both of your forms as Cassian easily rose back up and landed a hit on your arm, grazing your shoulder. You hissed and glared at him, crouching and launching yourself at him with all of your body weight. He immediately stumbled, trying to shove you off of him as you furiously started to punch at his chest.
You landed a nice hit on his jaw, sending his face flying sideways, to which he retaliated with a kick to your ribs. A wheeze left your lungs as you fell back, blinking rapidly as you stared up at the sky to try and regulate your breath.
Cassian appeared above you a moment later, a shit-eating grin plastered on his face as he held out his hand. “Did I take your breath away, Y/N?”
A laugh rang out behind you and you growled, taking his hand and then planting your feet firmly on the ground, using all your core strength to send him flipping over your body and beside you. You shuffled up to your feet and smirked at him, walking to go pick up your sword on the other side of the ring.
“Don’t flatter yourself, Cassian.” You taunted, wiping the sweat off of your brow. “Besides, we both know it’s not hard to take yours away. I could do it again right now, all I have to do is call for Nesta and-”
He shot up as quickly as a fox, glaring at you while Azriel snickered behind him. “I think it’s best if you do not finish that sentence.” Cassian warned, looking behind him at the door that led to the house before sighing.
You held up your hands in surrender, flexing your wings behind you as you soaked in the last little bit of sun. “Yes, General.” You smirked, unwrapping the tape from your hands. “Are we still going to that meeting tonight?”
“Unfortunately,” Azriel grumbled, taking your sword from your grasp to put it against the wall with the others. “Is this your first time meeting him?”
“Who? Eris?” You ask with a raised brow, chuckling when Cassian made a gagging sound behind you. “It is. I wasn’t there the last few times you met with him, though I think that’s a good thing.”
“A very good thing. He’s a monster, a coward, and a bastard all rolled into one.” Cass said, his red siphons glowing from just the thought of him. “He’s just like his father. Both of them are better of dead as far as I am concerned.”
“A warning for you,” Azriel murmured, turning towards you. “Don’t let him know what he says affects you. It will only spur him on more.”
“What could he say that would affect me? He doesn’t even know me.”
“Eris has a deep hatred for our kind.” Cassian huffed, laying a supportive hand on your shoulder. “As do most high fae, now that I think about it. But he is much more vocal about it. Just keep your cool and take your anger out in training tomorrow.”
“Maybe we could make a target look like him.” Azriel added, smirking when the three of you laughed in agreement.
You followed behind them, mindful of your wings as you squeezed through the door, and mulled over their words. From brief conversations here and there you knew how terrible Eris was said to be. With what he had done to Mor, or Feyre and Lucien, it was a miracle Rhys was still letting him walk around alive.
They bid you goodbye as you opened your door, immediately stripping off your sweaty clothes and drawing a bath. It was still a couple of hours before you had to leave so you made sure to enjoy the water, letting your wings soak as you scrubbed off the dirt and grime of the day.
Only after the water turned cold did you get out, dry off, and started to get ready for the trip to Hewn City. You despised the place and the people that dwelled inside. They were the worst of the wicked and reveled in it like it was some sort of medal, sneering down at anyone who they thought lesser than themselves.
This of course included you, though it was a mixture of disgust and intrigue. Female Illyrians were rarely, if ever, seen with wings at your age. They were all clipped after their first bleeding but fortunate enough for you, your clan was different. The way they looked at you, at your wings, it made you feel like an animal being hunted for your hide.
However, you would never show them how uncomfortable they made you, putting up a mask that wasn’t that hard to maintain when surrounded by vermin like them. You grabbed the dress hanging off your closet door, holding the material between your fingers while admiring the beadwork.
It was a simple black dress that hugged you seductively, accentuating your curves with a very low dip in the front and slit up the side. For all the terrible things that came from the Court of Nightmares, you had to admit their taste for fashion was…freeing.
You glanced out into your bedroom and panicked when you saw the sun almost gone, realizing you were probably going to be late. The dress slipped onto you easily, your wings sliding through the slits on the back as you quickly styled your hair and makeup.
A knock rang out just as you slipped on your shoes, Feyre appearing in the doorway. You gave her a smile and a slight bow, grinning when she rolled her eyes and ushered you out the door. She was like the sister you never had, the two of you becoming close friends as soon as you met.
Everyone was already waiting outside as the two of you walked out, going to your respective places before Rhys gave everyone a rundown of what tonight would bring.
“Feyre and I have to do our due diligence to the court before the meeting starts but that shouldn’t take long.” He said, glancing down at his mate. “If you all want to wait in the room for us, we should be there shortly after you.”
“What about Eris?” You ask, crossing your arms. “Will he be in the room before you?”
Rhysand shook his head. “Doubtful. If anything he will be in the great hall with us, gathering information.” He looked around at your group, making sure everyone was on the same page. “Ready?”
“Let’s get this over with.” Cassian complained, making you chuckle before you all shot into the sky and made your way to Hewn City.
—————————-
It was as evil and enchanting as you remembered. You wished your High Lord and Lady luck as they made their way down the winding hall, the rest of your group heading towards one of the many rooms off to the side.
“How long will this take?” You asked quietly, grateful no one is in the hallways with you.
“It all depends on him,” Mor replied. “He could get what he needs and leave, or draw this out as long and painfully as possible.”
“With how much of a pain in the ass he’s in, it’ll probably be the latter.” Cassian snarked under his breath, holding the door open for everyone.
It was a standard room, with a giant glass table in the middle with several chairs surrounding it. The decor was bleak, blacks and reds, however, there was a small bar in the corner that Mor immediately went towards.
She grabbed the wine sitting atop and popped out the cork with no problem, taking a swig straight from the bottle.
“Woah, woah.” Cassian said, swiping it from her hands much to her dismay. “Save some for all of us. We all have to deal with him too, you know.”
He passed around the bottle to you and Az, each of you drinking more than you should have until you heard the doors open. You were the last one with the bottle, the entire thing tilted upwards as you tried to grab the last drop as Rhysand and Feyre stared at you with amusement.
“Isn’t it a little early to start that, Y/N?” Feyre taunted, raising an eyebrow as you smiled sheepishly.
“It wasn’t just me!” You protested, pointing to the others. “They started it!”
And, as you knew they would, they all held their hands up in innocence.
“We would never!” Mor swore.
“She’s obviously drunk already.” Cassian argued, shaking his head.
Azriel just smirked, watching you desperately trying to plead your case as the argument grew louder and louder.
Rhys finally put a stop to it, taking the now empty bottle and putting it back on the cart. “Will someone at least go fetch some more? It might make this night more bearable.”
You nodded and gave your friends your favorite finger, sticking your tongue out as they grinned in response before you walked out the door. It didn’t take you long to steal two more bottles from the room next door, figuring you were going to need more than one to satisfy everyone.
But by the time you knocked on the door, and Cassian answered with a very serious face, you realized the meeting already started.
Out of the corner of your eyes, you saw red hair, pale skin, and an unmissable arrogant aura surrounding him. You saw Rhys’s eyes glance towards you before he held out his hand, placing the bottle directly in front of Eris as you handed it to him before heading towards Cassian and Azriel.
“Such a gracious host,” Eris said, taking the wine and pouring it into his glass. “I’m glad you are using your Illyrian brutes for more than fighting, servitude fits them quite well.”
Cassian hadn’t been kidding about his attitude toward your race. You could feel your blood heat at his words, clenching the material over your dress as you stared down at the table.
You refused to even look at him, not wanting to subject your eyes to the hideous sight of such a black soul.
“Watch it, Eris,” Rhys warned, reclining in his seat. “You are my guest but I have my limits.”
“Mmm.” He responded, taking a sip of the violet liquid. “As do I.”
Rhysand’s jaw ticked and Feyre’s eyes darkened at his audacity. “What information do you have for us?”
“I have heard my father talk about expanding his lands, though I don’t have a timeline on his plans.” Eris began, looking towards Feyre. “And if that is true, we need to talk with your ex-lover in order to make sure that does not happen.”
“I find it hard to believe that the man trying to take the Autumn throne isn’t just as interested in that,” Feyre said, her eyes icy with rage. “Do we really want to bring in Tamlin? After all that happened with my sisters, with Hybern?”
“His lands border the human realm, Feyre,” Eris explained, looking at Rhys. “If there is anywhere to expand it would surely be through there. May I also remind you how he saved your mate from death? I don’t really have a hound in that race but surely that would pay any debts that might still be lingering?”
Feyre’s mask cracked at the memory of her mate’s dying breaths, the way her heart felt like it was being shredded into tiny pieces. You recalled that day as well, sick to your stomach as you thought that Tamlin would turn her away.
“You didn’t answer her first question,” Rhysand said coolly. “Why aren’t you supporting your father?”
“My father is a fool. Any court trying to expand their lands would inevitably lead to an all-out war, something I wish to avoid.”
“So what do you propose we do?”
“See if you can get into the Spring Court, or at least where their border meets the human lands.” He answered, taking another sip of wine. “I also have a reasonable suspicion about him reaching out with Briallyn.”
That piqued everyone’s interest.
“What?” Feyre whispered, eyebrows furrowed. “The mortal queen that was working with Hybern?”
“The former mortal queen.” Eris corrected. “She’s in search of the Cauldron again, looking to restore the former beauty that was stolen from her. She also seems to have a vendetta against a certain sister in this room.”
Eris’s eyes cut to Nesta, who was next to Elain and staring down at the table. She glanced up at the mention of sister, her eyes immediately finding Feyre only to realize everyone was looking at her.
“Me? What have I done to her?” Nesta asked, her tone cold and lips tight. “The only time I saw her was when we were Made.”
“She went in after you.” Rhysand thought aloud, looking at Feyre before back at Eris. “The Cauldron turned her in a terrible way. Perhaps she thinks it’s your fault.”
“But I did not-“
“It’s not your fault.” Feyre agreed, cutting off her sister. “She’s just vengeful.”
“How can we even trust a word out of his mouth?” Cassian argued, glaring at the redhead.
“Did I lie to you during the war with Hybern? Have I not proven myself time and time again, despite that if I were to be found here, plotting, it would be death?” Eris countered, sneering down his nose at Cassian.
“Given your track record with the people in this room, I think it’s reasonable to have suspicions.” Azriel answered before Cassian could, standing to his full height. You remember them telling you not to let Eris know he got under your skin, but they were currently doing the exact opposite. You couldn’t blame them, the man was an arrogant asshole.
You glanced at Mor out of the corner of your eye, who was gripping her glass as tightly as she could.
“I see Morrigan has not yet told the truth, though I expect nothing less from someone who fucks Illyrian bastards like the lot of you.” Eris snarled, taking note of a third pair of wings. “I’ve seen you’ve added another bastard to your rank. Does this one also need to be muzzled?”
The phrase set your blood boiling, unsheathing the knife that was hidden beneath the sleeve of your dress and finally standing to look at him with the fierceness that most men would cower from.
“Bastard or not, I don’t think it will matter when my knife cuts into your throat. You will die all the same.”
Before Rhys, Cassian, or even Azriel could react to your sudden outburst, Eris’s eyes widened in utter shock. You watched as the wine he was holding clattered to the ground, spilling over his outfit and the table.
Your face twisted in confusion before you felt something, something deep within your soul open like a door with a key. Inside was a string, a glowing thread, that seemed to go directly to Eris. It was burning with emotion, making you feel as if you were on fire.
No, no, no…
A bond. It was a bond. He was…you were…Mother above.
Azriel gripped onto your arm when you stumbled back, hitting a tall vase behind you and sending it clattering to the ground. But even that doesn’t break your gaze from Eris, his hand over his heart. The room was silent for a moment, everyone watching the two of you until a loud, angry snarl ripped through Eris’s throat.
He looked you up and down, staring at the wings on your back, before making a disgusted face and winnowing away. It broke whatever spell had happened, sending you spiraling back to reality with whiplash. You glanced at everyone, tears pricking your eyes at the realization before you shoved Azriel away and ran through the doors.
You found the exit as fast as you could, gulping in the night air as you took off into the night sky. You had to get away from here, had to find somewhere safe, and try to wake yourself up from this horrible nightmare.
“What the hell was that?” Cassian asked, completely bewildered. “Should we go after her? Or him?”
Rhysand shook his head and sat back down, running a hand over his face in exasperation. He knew exactly what had happened. He knew because the same look Eris gave you almost mirrored his reaction when he learned about his bond with Feyre.
“This just got so much more complicated.” Rhys sighed, rubbing his temples.
“Why?” Mor asked softly, terrified that she already knew the truth.
Feyre sat down next to Rhys, looking at him for confirmation. He nodded, his jaw tensing as she closed her eyes and exhaled through her nose. She took a second before looking up at everyone, frowning.
“They’re mates.”
