Eris and the Heir of Hybern
Preface:
Eris and the Heir of Hybern
Alternate storyline and end of ACOWAR
We know that Hybern had twin niece and nephew that Feyre dispatched, but they were not the heir(s) of the kingdom. In this Fanfiction, it focuses on the princess, prince, Eris, and Tamlin, but includes the inner circle. Picking up towards the end of ACOWAR. Since it starts towards end of what is available in the series, almost everything will be a spoiler, but somethings will different as I have added characters who I think would interact wonderfully with slightly changed goings on. I suggest not reading until you've finished the series (including ACOFAS, as some things line up there too). I've also taken it upon myself to give names to the various characters that Maas has not yet.
Characters that I have named, that previously existed without names:
Lady of Autumn court: Helena
Other Autumn court heirs: Murphy, Finn, and Cranny
Xaria
She stood to the left of her father. Xerxes, her brother on the right. She was given explicate instructions to stay on the cliff and defend the Cauldron, but she had told her father she wouldn't let Xerxes fight alone. He had also ordered her brother and her to use their powers to fortify the shields held in place around their army. The army that could do laps around the Prythian one.
Her brother had done his best to slow the troops training, but many preferred her cousins as generals. Her brother was too soft, and she was not involved enough. Of course, her role had been to play the docile- unwed female, ready to cement an alliance with marriage, if the other territories didn't have enough of an incentive to join her father. She, however, had played the card Azriel had given her. He was clear on the specific things to allude to in certain courts. She spread discord when she was off gaining supporters, to ensure that she failed at just that.
Her father was tyrant, but her father still. She could defy him for the rest of her eternal life and he would still love her, maybe that's why she or Xerxes hadn't killed him yet.
The shields buckled, and a glamor was ripped away. She had told Azriel not share any plans of their with her or her brother for fear of her father finding out. Their vanguard was simply three creatures, but she knew that Rhysand was not fool enough to send two fae into the fray if they were not as monstrous as the third looked. One of the high lords misted the middle of her father's force.
Across their father, she locked eyes with her brother. Who nodded his agreement with their laid out plan. He ran off the cliff, she watched as he flipped and landed in the thick black ash that once been their troops. The ground shook from the impact, but she knew her brother was fine. She then backed up a step and ran to edge of the rocks. The air blew the single piece of hair that was too short for her braid out of it confining hold. She hit the ground next to brother hard enough her whole body balked.
Before she was even standing, her father's troops were roaring for blood. They believed that hole that had been ripped in their middle was compensated for by the royal twins. If they had fought for Hybern, then it probably would have been.
She looked up to the hill across from their cliff, over the warriors that had began to charge at her, and pointed one of swords at the figure clouded in darkness. It was a reminder of her promise to fight for good, though to anyone else, to her father, it looked like a promise of death.
They stood far enough back in the lines that the Prythian troops would never reach them. The gap had been hastily filled by a few lines of soldiers. How kind to divvy up the forces and commanders for them.
"I'll see you in ten commanders," Xerxes winked, then winnowed to where the closest commander was. Xaria, as always went left.
Youngh was closest, the vile female. Xaria had her swords enchanted by her father, who for all his faults was brilliant. Almost all wards would do nothing against her weapon. Youngh was young for a commander, so Xaria didn't even blink between the time it took for her to winnow to her, stab her through the neck, and winnow again.
Before she reached he next target, the Cauldron lit up. Everyone seemed to freeze, to turn to the source. She had not been drawn to it, as Feyre had, as Azriel had insisted that power had a pull on her. The Cauldron felt like any pot to her, until now. Now she wanted to winnow back to father to put a stop to this pure power, to use the power for herself.
The light was blinding, and detrimental. Where thousands of the infamous Illyrians had been, now it was only ash, ash so close to what the high lords had done to her countrymen. This time the ash drifted down, it got in their mouths, their eyes.
She watched her target draw his weapon before she pounced. He deflected her first blow with the gauntlet on his wrist, but Xaria had already brought the other sword and it cut through the armor easier than it should had been.
A blow landed on her head and she hit the ground on all fours. The air behind her whistled in warning of another blow and so she flipped over, bringing her blades up in an cross. He glamoured himself to hide from her. Likely he saw her take Youngh's life.
She scrambled to her feet, the blade of her opponent bouncing off her shields in the process. She engaged in a volley of metal that was slow compared to her usual spats with her brother. When she let the commander think she stumbled, he raised his sword hard enough to break through her shields. She twisted under him and stabbed him upwards, through the neck, then twisted the knife and cut off his spinal cord.
If he had known of her change in allegiance, then the others likely did now.
She winnowed to the next one. Wettina's giant frizzy hair was contained in her helmet for once.
"Xaria, are you really betraying your father, or just following your brother's lead?" Wettina was pleading. She was a favorite of father's, and would that if she killed me.
Xaria began circling the much older female. There were two fae her brother and her had been worried about, but they had been on separate sides, so they had deemed it achievable. Had the two been closer together Xaria would have insisted on doing this with her brother.
"I'm sure your father would forgive you if you laid down your weapons and returned to his side now. No one liked Youngh." Wettina bared her teeth, sharp and still white. By the end of the day they might be stained red.
"I would rather lose my life than my probity." And grinned just as terribly. Before we could connect a series of horns sounded, and troops flooded over the hill. Tam of course, and whoever else he dug up.
She struck as I let myself search for Tamlin the crowd. I blocked, but the next blow was already coming and it smashed into my face. I swung almost blindly for her in my fit of pain and heard the contact of metal, but that didn't mean much. I usually preferred to clip my blades together, hilt to hilt, but it was impractical in the chaos of the battle. Here, at the back of the troops, against someone better than me, I had the room and need. I snapped them together with magic and flipped it over in my palm. I swung, and took my advance. Step after step, I forced her to the wall of the cliff, she evaded me maiming her, but could not compete with the speed enough to gain back ground.
I set my self into a position to finish her when the two figured appeared in my peripheral. I reached for one of the endless knifes I had strapped to me and flicked it into her throat, immediately turning to engage to the newcomers. Four of the remaining seven commanders on my side had come.
"Princess, stop and we will return you to your father. You don't know what you are doing, your brother has manipulated you." One of them said.
"Clearly you don't know me very well, my brother follows me." I spat each word. It was an effort to keep up with the four of them, but since I was back against the wall only two could attack at a time. Darkness swirled around one them and he disappeared, appearing right behind me. He was slow to winnow, giving me the chance to prepare. I had already cocked my elbow and drove it straight into his nose. Unfortunately, I was battling Hybern commanders not normal fae. The blow did nothing to hurt him and he kicked me off my feet. I lashed out with my mind, seeking to take control of their actions, but was met with an assault against my own mental defenses.
My arms were yanked so hard I couldn't see. A force landed on my back and my face was pressed into the grass, thick with ash. The pressure let up slightly and I sucked in as much air as possible. My arms were wrenched backwards, even more. I screamed, not loud enough to avoid the sound I knew was coming. Both my arms twisted against the tendons holding them in the sockets and popped out backwards. Backwards always hurt a lot more than forwards. Again, my vision was riddled with spots, I focused on my breathing, oxygen would help.
"Xaria," a voice mumbled. I opened my eyes and saw glistening purple armor. Matching to mine.
"Xerxes," I groaned. He wiped the ash out of my eyes and away from my mouth. He was bloodier than me already.
"This will hurt, but not as much as it did before." He said and nodded to someone behind him.
Someone again grasped both my arms, but this time their hands were gentle. Both my arms pushed back into the socket, not in union. I sat on heels, and twisted my arms, feeling how much, I would have to restrict until they healed later. I nodded once, then took in my surroundings.
"TAM!" I bounced up from the ground and threw my very battered arms around him. I released him quickly as fae were dying and we needed to help. I pecked him the cheek. "Thank you," I said to him, then turning to my brother and another high fae who had also come. This male was remarkably clean for a battle. I shot a questioning look to Xerxes who shrugged. "And thank you." I said.
I retrieved my weapons and made back for the main host. I knew at least two of them would follow me, I knew because even if they didn't trail me, we would all head right for the most dangerous spot.
Xerxes blew his way into the back troops. I followed, Tam at my back, until we were surrounded. The red-headed male was fast but not as skilled. The four of us, back to back quickly found a rhythm. Tam would swipe at their heads and I would bury my blade in their torsos, then turn and do the do the same to whoever the red-head was battling. My brother was defending the other side with only the occasional swipe from Tam or the other male.
We shifted slowly, leaving a fat trail of bodies behind. Soon we had made to the other side of the left field conflict. Positioned slightly higher than the rest of the field, we could see the massacre.
"Xaria," Xerxes murmured, facing behind me. An order to report.
"small group, fifteen approaching upwards." I countered.
"Remnants of the battalion we cut through, large group, a few hundred, approaching quickly." He said to my report.
"Wanna switch?" I offered.
The red head let out a sound that resembled a whimper. I did not dare role my eyes.
"Yes," Xerxes said, turning my dislike of male into fear for my brother.
I took notice that the red male, who had been slightly in front of me on the other side now switched his angle and stepped slightly in front in of me again.
"Don't bother," I said to him. Not only was I better than him in probably every form of combat, the soldiers wouldn't even make it to my blade.
"I would think that your injuries-" he started, blubbering.
I snapped my blades into one, and raised my now free hand. I flicked my wrist, and the onslaught misted away. I quirked a smile at him. Then turned to survey the ground with my brother.
"You missed one," I said lightly. Pointing to where a white winged monster battled our charms commander.
"You missed three," he said and pointed to where Rhysand was being assaulted by three of our commanders, much further away.
"I'll get him," I said and brandished my warded blade in the charmer's direction, "then help you."
Xerxes nodded, and winnowed away. I couldn't winnow to my opponent, he was too well protected. I spun on my heel and surveyed the red-head.
"Can I barrow that?" I asked sweetly, tapping his shield.
"Yeah," he said and slide it off his arm, handing it to me. I handed it to Tam, flat. Then started to walk away from the rise.
"I'm aiming for the one attacking the white…thing." I called. Tamlin angled himself accordingly and told the other male to take the other side of the shield. They knelt, placing the shield on their shoulders. I would be getting a lift from their whole body.
I sprinted towards them, stepping higher just at the right time, and my foot slammed down on the shield. All three of us pushing against it so I could land far enough. I lifted my double ended sword over my head.
The impact from this jump hurt worse. For one, I landed on someone, my arms were screaming in the effort, and the males had flung me hard. The charmers body crumbled beneath my landing and thrust the enchanted blade into his back. I made eye contact with the white beast who nodded in thanks. I blew the infernal chunk of hair, now bloody, out of my eyes, and winnowed to my brother. The other two were here now, but the commanders weren't. My brother had shifted down a way and was tagging fae who once were trained by him. I joined the line next to Tam.
A roar split the raging of the battle. I was used to Tamlin, and knew all of his roars. This was something much more powerful. A glowing dragon dove for the ground. It blasted through the ranks only feet away. I lifted a shield around the three of us. It should have been four. Xerxes was too far away. He was right in the line of the creatures breath.
"Xerxes!" I screamed and ran for him. For where my brother was still fighting. Giant hands wrapped around my middle. I screamed and kicked backwards, firmly landing the blow. The male dropped me and we hit the ground, but I was already scrambling to my feet.
"Xaria, no." Tamlin called from behind. I got my feet under me only to be knocked out. The imprint of fire branded the blackness.