I met Hadrian at the regular place. This time he was standing, waiting for me.
"Good morning Allyn," he said, more formally than before. I raised my guards.
"Good morning, Hadrian," I replied warily.
"I want to clarify something," he started. "It may seem like I hate you. That's because I do." That was not a surprise. "But I do not hate you because you are Allyn. I hate you because you have done almost nothing to reach your current position. You strolled into the court one day, slept with Kendryek, and then were added to the table with the others."
I looked down, embarrassed. I knew I had done essentially nothing to earn the position that I now held except pique Kendryek's interest.
"So do not take any of this-" He gestured towards the route I had been running. "-personally. I do it not because I hate you, but because I am trying to force you to become a fae worth having at the table." He sat down in the grass. "You know what to do."
Training was no easier that day. I was still exhausted and bruised and I still wished I could beat Hadrian into a pulp, but at least I understood.
When I was done, had rested a bit, and retreated into the reading room to spend another few lonely hours trying to keep myself entertained, Kendryek found me.
He apologized in advance for leaving me alone on the upcoming holiday. I told him I understood, but he insisted on doing something to make up for his planned absence. I did not object.
The "something" was having our own private date night together in Kirkwall. He glamoured both of our faces such that we looked different enough that no one would know who we were and took me to the fanciest diner in all of Kirkwall.
Everyone there was dressed expensively. Kendryek, planning ahead, made sure we were somewhere between over and underdressed for the occasion. Tonilia picked out a stunning dress for me ot wear - a crimson maxi that sparkled with tiny rubies.
It was part diner, part ballroom, and part hotel. The building was far larger than it was on the outside, some kind of magic ensured there was always plenty of room for more guests. At the time we arrived there was little need for extra space, but as the night went on more and more fae entered in.
The more fae that arrived, the more the party grew in size and intensity. After a tasty dinner and some small talk - most of which I endured only to keep things from being awkward - he asked me if I wanted to join the festivities.
After spending the night seated at a table, watching other couples dance, sing, and kiss, I was quite ready to join the fun. I agreed in an instant and took to his side as we approached the dancing circle of fae.
Only when I got closer did I realize how quickly they were moving and got a tad apprehensive. I looked at Kendryek for assistance.
He smiled reassuringly at me and I saw in him what I saw the first time we met. I felt again that connection between us, that something that seemed to make us understand one another. I thought about all he had done for me so far. He had accepted me with open arms and allowed me safety in his home. He would risk it all for me. He was not perfect, but no one was.
I smiled back and took his hand, pulling him into the whirling circle of fae.
It was refreshing to be a part of something just like everyone else was. When I made eye contact with a fae, they looked at me the same way they would look at anyone else in the crowd. There was no suppressed disgust at the shape of my ears and no look of recognition that said "oh, you're Kendryek's woman." Knowing that I could act however I wanted, be whoever I wanted, opened up the world to me.
The night was incredibly fun, but exhausting. Kendryek could have danced forever - I learned that night that he was an experienced party goer - but he took me back to the mansion at my request. There, he dropped our glamours.
"Did you have fun?" he asked me, still breathing heavily from the dancing. He looked at me expectantly, a deep wanting in his eyes. He had kept his hands above my waist the entire night, much to my contentment. His eyes, though, roamed wherever they pleased. I did not complain, I enjoyed his hungry gaze.
"I did," I replied. "Thank you for taking me." I pecked him on the lips - it was the first kiss I had given him all night - and moved to the mirror to fix my hair. "But could you put that glamour back on? You looked much better with that face," I joked. He grumbled and snuck up behind me, putting his hands on my waist and looking at himself in the mirror.
"For someone who claims to enjoy my presence so much, you spend a lot of that time bitching," he said. I turned around and poked him in the stomach.
"I'm only kidding," I assured him. My eyes lingered a moment on his lips before I returned to the mirror to touch up my makeup. "You're one of the better looking men I've seen. Top five, at least." I was trying to get him annoyed and a little jealous. During the dance, a fae had tried to take my hand. I declined it and returned to Kendryek without hesitation. The look he gave me, the one that screamed "you're mine, no one else can have you", was the single most attractive thing I'd ever seen.
He pulled me closer to him held me there. Goosebumps raised where our bodies met and my stomach tingled, but I wasn't done. I twisted out of his grip and walked to the door. He followed me, his full attention aimed at me. I held some kind of power over him and I revelled in it.
I stood up on my tip toes and wrapped my hands around his back, pressing him against me and kissing him briefly. He responded exactly as I hoped he would, wrapping his arms around me and holding me like it was the last time he'd see me.
Then, once I was sure I had given him just enough, I pulled away again.
"I'll be right back. I'm going to change into something a bit more fun," I said, gesturing towards my clothes. He nodded, still staring at me with those lust-filled eyes. I turned and left, taking my sweet time to walk down the hallway to my room and change.
I chose a white nightgown. It was boring, plain, but it was what I wanted.
I returned to his room a bit more prepared than I was when I left. He was waiting attentively for me, sitting in his chair and watching the door. When I entered, he almost leapt to his feet.
Kendryek rushed to me, swooping me up in his arms and kissing me on the lips. I let myself be taken up by him and wrapped my hands around his neck and my legs around his back. He kissed me with an intensity so hot that I was afraid I would be consumed.
He took me to the bed, where he laid me down and climbed on top of me, kissing me even more vigorously than before. I tried to match his intensity, clawing at his back and grinding against his skin.
I feared it would go farther than it was right now, but it never did. After some time, our fire burned itself out and we resigned ourself to sleeping together in a tangle of limbs and hearts.
Lysander
I had been in the Winter Court for all of that day and I was getting extremely sick of it. The place was grimy, freezing, and lifeless. Everyone there acted with great hostility towards me, given my rounded ears and muted aura. Here, everyone was permanently in a dick measuring contest with the fae around them, trying to prove that they were the Highest of the High Fae.
They wore earpieces that made their ears longer and sharper, they went out of their way to cast a draining magic to inflate their own auras, they spoke with the most complex vocabulary and tones possible, and they acted like pompous idiots constantly. Most of them worried incessantly about it to, their repetitive thoughts buffeting me like a raging river.
It was absurd.
I could have tuned it all out, shape-shifted into a High Fae of my choosing, and strolled into The Fortress (not a fortress, THE Fortress) without a second glance, but I was exhausted and still recovering from my wound. They could deal with me and my appearance that didn't quite meet the societal standards.
The first half of the day was spent waiting for Kalista to "find time" for me to meet with her. This was a blatant lie, as this meeting was scheduled weeks in advance and I knew for a fact that she was not a busy fae. This time was really meant to force me to sit in one of her "living gardens" so I would be more on edge.
Gazing upon the broken and damaged half-fae that littered the courtyard in front of me was disheartening - I almost shed a tear when a healthier one noticed my blood status and begged for help - but on the scale of fucked-up shit I'd seen, this was only a 7/10 at most. The worst I'd ever seen was in the Trotten salt mine, which isn't known for being the best place to raise a child.
After stewing on a bench for a few hours, getting harassed by a few passing servants or nobles (jokes on them, my blood was more royal than all of their's combined), I was finally called into Kalista's throne room to address her.
It was exactly as one would expected it to look. It was a tall, medieval style room with minimal natural lighting, tall, oppressive pillars, iron spikes everywhere, torches on the walls, and a big throne surrounded by guards. Why one of The Seven needed guards, I didn't know.
Kalista sat in this throne, looking absolutely nothing like her daughter. A hard-edged, unfeeling face, cold and sunken eyes, grey hair so dark it was almost turning black, and an aura that radiated cold and hate. She dressed the same way as her subjects, but more expensively. She had the same stupid ear-extenders, enough jewlry to pull the entirety of her court out of poverty, and an expensive wyvern-bone dress. The pinnacle of her insane outfit was the Keystone that she had hung around her neck. Because nothing says "my court is doing fine, I'm as powerful as ever, why do you ask?" quite like wearing a broken piece of the very object that gave you power.
Aibel, Kalista's second, stood nearby, off to the side. Her rounded face, softer features, pure-white hair, and lack of ear-extenders made her a nice contrast to Kalista. We had a pretty deep soft spot for one another that stemmed from a shared interest, but, for a variety of reasons, we kept it underground. This is why, even though I could feel her less than innocent thoughts, she sternly glared at me as she approached.
"Lysander Ironwill of the Autumn Court." She spat the words. "What business do you have with Kalista?" she demanded. Since all of the guards were facing me, not her, she winked.
"I'm here for the meeting I scheduled-" I checked my wrist for a watch I didn't have. "-approximately three hundred and sixty seven hours ago. The one about Kalista's tear?" I watched Kalista intently. She did not so much as blink. Like the rest of The Seven did, she too went for the stoic and godlike appearance. Aibel narrowed her eyes.
"Kalista's tear is just an old wives tale," she replied. I rolled my eyes.
"If you're going to make me sit outside in the cold for a few hours before a meeting that I had scheduled multiple weeks prior, you could at least humor me when I come indoors," I said, exasperated. I wasn't here to make friends. I was here, on Kendryek's orders, to finally tell them something we had figured out decades prior. "I have important information on things that should only be talked about behind closed doors, but if you would like me too, I can loudly exclaim it in this room." Kalista stirred. Aibel gave me a curt nod.
"Kalista will meet with you."
I followed Aibel to a meeting room connected to the rest of The Fortress by an open-air walkway. It was a place to which no one could winnow to, but one could fly away from. When I entered, Kalista was already seated at a long table. Aibel sat beside her. I was instructed to take a seat about three spaces away from her and off to the left. A few scribes were stashed in the corners and six guards were stationed on the outside of the door. The door shut.
"Lysander Ironwill," Kalista boomed. Her aura filled the room, freezing the hairs on my skin and suffocating my power. She was doing her best to intimidate me. Most fae in my position would be shaking from fear, but not me. I knew too much about Kalista, her weaknesses, her fears, and her desires, to ever be afraid of her. It took all of my self control to stop from saying "Kalista Everwinter" at her in the same silly voice. "You are here to waste my time speaking about a legend?"
"All legends are rooted in truth. Whether you want to accept the truth or not does not matter," I said. I was comfortable provoking her because she is too weak to do anything about it, she hated our court anyway, and I didn't care about the success of this mission.
"Get to the point," Aibel cut in. I deliberated for longer than usual to get to my next point.
"Your daughter is alive and in our court."
All that followed my words was the sound of pens on paper.
Kalista raised a single eyebrow. Aibel appeared confused.
"An interesting attempt to shake me, Lysander, but a fruitless one. I have no daughter, not since Erosa was killed at the hands of your court," Kalista coldly said. I gestured in a nondescript way.
"About that." I said, leaning forward. "Erosa died at the hands of Aurelius, not Kendryek."
"It makes no difference to me. Autumn Court spilled her blood." I threw my hands up in the air.
"And Kalista killed my mother." A joke saying from the Autumn Court that stemmed from famine directly caused by Kalista's magic. It was usually added to a list of bad things that have happened. Now, it served a different purpose. "That's beside the point. You have a daughter. She is alive. She is in our court."
"Is that all you are here to say?" Aibel asked. I shrugged.
"Would you like to hear me speak more?" I asked, looking directly at Kalista.
"I have no child," she said angrily. I sighed.
"There is no point in denying it, Kalista," I said.
"I will continue to deny which is not true!" she said, raising her voice enough that I felt the ground shake. Aibel was at least willing to humor me.
"What proof do you have?"
"Well, for starters, my gift allows me to learn things about fae, things that they do not tell me." I inhaled and gestured towards one of the scribes. "For example, his name is Tyrwin, his father was Joseph the Drunk, and you've had to reprimand him for assisting captured half-fae twice." A heard a pen drop and felt a surge of fear.
"That's a lovely party trick, but it means nothing," Aibel snapped.
"It means a lot, actually, but if that isn't enough, I asked a Suriel."
"Suriel trick and deceive," Aibel replied.
"I spoke to the bone carver." That was technically true, but we didn't talk about Kalista's daughter.
"Bull. Shit," Aibel told me. I threw my hands in the air out of exasperation.
"Look, Kalista. You are old, you are infertile. All of your nearest relatives were killed in the Great War and Erosa passed long ago. This girl is your last hope," I said. Kalista snarled.
"Need I remind you of who I am? I am one of The Seven! I am unkillable and I have power beyond what a piece of half-fae filth like you could possibly fathom!" She growled. I shrugged.
"Five of the Seven have died or vanished. What makes you think you will be any different?" I innocently asked. This was her greatest fear. When one lives in the delusion of their supreme power, they will be unable to bear the thought of an end to their reign.
To any casual observer it would have seemed like I was playing a dangerous game. I was insulting one of The Seven directly to their face, an action which would surely receive some kind of reprimand. That observer would not be at fault for thinking such a thing either, but I knew I was safe.
All emissaries, even ones like me, had a certain level of immunity to the law when they went to another court. Violating this immunity would show all of the other courts that you are not trustworthy and could, eventually, lead to full blown war. Plus, Aibel would stop Kalista from harming me.
"I am more powerful than they ever were!" Kalista said, power filling the room. I raised one eyebrow, but said nothing. "I will remain the High Lady of this court for eternity and long past your pitiful death. When the sands of time erode your weak court into the sea, the Winter Court will remain, powerful and steadfast!" I nodded in mock understanding.
"Yes, but wouldn't it be a good idea to have a back up plan? You know...just in case?"
"A half-fae will never rule this court!" She shouted, half screaming. I raised both my eyebrows.
"A half-fae, you said?" I never mentioned her blood status. Kalista stilled. Aibel shot her a sidelong glance. I stood and bowed as deep as I could. "I believe I have said everything I could have today." I bowed again. "Thank you for your time, High Lady Kalista of the Winter Court, but I must be going now." I bowed a third time, just for good measure, then strode out of the room.
"I vow on the earth beneath my feet, the Cauldron it came from, and the Mother herself that you will one day feel feel retribution for this insult!" Kalista spat at me, standing up from her seat and pointing a magically-youthened finger at me. I paused in the doorway, turned, and dipped my head.
"I am sure I will, milady," I replied before returning to my path. Things rapidly went sour.
Guards immediately rushed to block the exits of the halls. They linked their swords and shields to create barricades that I had no hope of passing. No one could harm me, but they could trap me and hold me for ransom. Given that I had things to tend to when I returned home, this was not something I would have liked to have happened.
I rolled my eyes, took off my shirt, sprouted a pair of Illyrian wings, and turned back to face Kalista where she stood.
Her aura was on full blast now, so much so that it must have pained her to maintain it. My breath crystalized and I fought the need to shiver, the wind in the room picked up, and the feeling of hate grew. Frozen air poured off her body and froze the ground below her as she came closer to me.
I spread my wings out as wide as they could go, stretching the disused muscles and rubbing it in Kalista's face that my wings still worked (Kalista's bloodline had wings, but she lost her ability to fly long ago). Aibel's eyes bulged and Kalista cocked her head ever so slightly. I flapped them once as a test, then a second time with the intent of getting off the ground.
"Goodbye Kalista," I said as I took to the air.