Varian cursed himself as stared into the black abyss of his room. Everyone in the palace had long since been sleep, but his mind was turning itself over and over. The feeling roiling under his skin didn't feel right. He knew there was more going on behind that shadows of the Night.
He threw his light blanket off and got out of bed.
He'd finally had enough of this.
After lighting a candle, he pulled on a pair of pants and headed for the door.
"If Tarquin ever finds out about this, I'll never hear the end of it," he muttered as he stole down the hallway. He considered, again. "He has no room to talk." A flashback of the Cursebreaker wearing one of their ancient baubles flashed in his mind.
He reached one of the troves full of the Summer Court's treasure. No one would ever know one piece was missing. It had been centuries since the last count. Besides, he was a prince of this court. No one could question him. And he knew what she valued above all else. He put a hand on the door and it clicked open. Luckily, Tarquin's imprint wasn't the only one that could be used to enter.
"How could you have been so foolish?" Varian asked, to no one in particular. "The High Lord would have probably given you the damn book, had you simply asked. Confided in him." He rolled his eyes and closed the door of the vault behind him."Senseless." After lighting some of the candles in the room, he placed his own atop a short bookshelf. "Can't you tell he just strives for peace between our two courts?" He swore again, as he started to rummage through different chests and shelves.
"And you," he chided himself. "How could you be so stupid?" He paused, running a hand through his stark, white hair. "You walked right into the trap they laid out for you." He slumped against a much larger bookcase, sitting against a wall. Some of the books around him rattled at the impact. "Played right into that drake's game of cat-and-mouse."
Don't be silly. You knew what I was doing from the start and you let it happen.
First, Varian couldn't stop staring at her. Then thinking about her. Now he was hearing her voice in his head? Was he really so enamored with her?
The voice was far from lying, though, he did have to admit.
She was an interesting little thing. Intimidating. Manipulative. Crafty. Captivating. Strangely charming.
He snapped himself out of his own mind. What was he thinking? Ugh. This woman.
She was going to drive him mad. And he deserved it for not being more observant. He stood up and started rifling through jewelry again.
"Why am I even doing this?" He laughed at himself. But he knew.
She would probably flatten the city, given the chance. And a part of him actually wanted to send it to her.
Varian straightened and glanced around the room. His eyes wandered about and finally, finally fell on the necklace. The light of the candles danced over the enormous rubies embedded in it. Would it be offensive to send more rubies?
Conflicted, he stared between it and the pearls lying on a pillow next to it. Are the pearls too little? Nothing would ever be too much for her- but would these not be enough?
He caught himself again. This was ridiculous. The blood rubies Tarquin had sent to the Night Court were supposed to be offending. Why did he want to lessen the blow? Why did he give a rat's ass?
UGH.
He snatched the rubies off of the shelf before his mind could wander again. Before he lost his nerve to send anything altogether.
On his way out of the trove, he lifted his candle off of the bookshelf. The stick was dwindling down. With a flick of his wrist, he drenched the other candles in the room in water. The treasure disappeared into darkness behind him.
After locking the door once again, he was met with an attendant, who no doubt heard him moving about and came to investigate.
"Prepare a box for this," Varian said, indicating the necklace clutched in his hand. "Then, come find me in my room."
"At once, my Lord." With a short bow, the man turned on his heel and headed down the hall. Varian watched him go for a moment, then headed in the opposite direction, towards his own chambers.
He set the necklace on his desk and took a few sheets of paper out of a drawer to his right. After heaving a long, heavy sigh, he sat and picked up his pen.
Amren-
Do me the honor of accepting this necklace as my personal apology...
"This is ludacris."
...as my personal apology for the blood rubies my cousin has sent. The feud remains, but I do hope that this gift conveys our true feelings to you and yours and dissuades you from thinking ill of us.
Varian
After setting the pen back on the desk, Varian folded the paper and turned to the attendant who had silently entered the room.
"Send word to the Night Court. These are to go straight to Amren. As soon as possible"
"Of course, my Lord."
He watched as the necklace was delicately laid overtop a pillow in the wooden box that he had requested, and the note set on top.
Once the servant was gone, Varian lounged on his bed once again. There was not peace in his mind, but his thoughts had died down enough. He watched the light of the candle flicker on the ceiling for a few moments before dousing the stub in water with a snap of his fingers. The light was extinguished, and he rolled on to his side.
You idiot.