Chapter 421
Dinner had been a sombre affair. There hadn't been much talking around the table, but a few polite attempts at conversation when the silence had seemed to be getting too much for some had been heard here and there. Elain had listened to those she could hear, and the hollowness of what she had heard had made her heart ache. Aside from the empty attempts at the usual dinner conversation, she could also see the genuine emotion in the eyes of many of the faeries as they looked at one another, spoke to those they cared for, and it was clear that more than a few of them had thought about the fact that they might have died today, had probably come very close, as had those they loved, and they were thankful for this time with them. That was a good point, Elain supposed. These faeries could take advantage of this chance to spent more intentional time with one another. She hoped they made the most of it.
Beside her, Lucien had remained mostly quiet also, and Elain had wondered at first if his thoughts had returned to that afternoon she had seen in her vision. She hoped that she hadn't brought up one of his more traumatic memories, as he sure had enough to process from the day as it was. After watching him for a little while, however, she realised that Lucien was watching the Court. His eyes moved slowly from one courtier to the next, watching the interchanges and listening to the conversations. That look she always enjoyed so much that told her he was thinking hard was on his face, and Elain smiled as she wondered what he was piecing together. She watched him for a little longer, appreciating the way his ruby hair fell elegantly, despite the fact he had tied it back as they had left their room, and just the thought of their room had sent her blushing as heat moved through her and she had looked away, focusing once again on her food.
"The food was surprisingly pleasing," Eris said mildly when Elain had found herself sitting with the High Lord of the Autumn Court and his mother after dinner. Faeries moved around the room, speaking softly with one another and clustering in small groups here and there as they usually would after the evening meal.
"Surprising why?" Ashk asked, and Elain turned her eyes on the two redheads. Eris was lounging casually in his plush armchair, looking thoughtful.
"The food was brought up from the city, was it not?" he asked, "Not prepared here in the palace…"
"Yes." Ashk said, "But the Day Court has wonderful food, all over the city."
"Which surprised me." Eris smiled, "I would have thought all the best cooks would be here, cooking for the High Lord daily."
"Helion enjoys going into the city." Ashk said, "He often eats at several of the establishments there."
"Does he?" Eris raised an eyebrow. "He might have suggested the Court go into the city to those establishments…" Eris tilted his head then, reconsidering, "Although they would likely have felt more secure here all together…"
"That was his line of thinking, yes." Ashk agreed.
Elain watched the interplay between mother and son, the general affection there was easy to see, and she knew exactly why Eris had come straight here upon learning of the events that had taken place. "Do you often lend your hounds out?" She asked, and Eris's amber eyes flicked her way.
"I do not." He replied easily.
"Not even to other High Lords?"
"No."
"Yet you have today…"
"Ah…" Eris ran a hand though his ruby hair, crossing one ankle over his knee, "Helion needed their help to hunt down those who were responsible for an attack which placed my own mother in danger." He said, voice extremely calm. Elain shivered a little at the ice behind those words. "I will greatly enjoy everything my hounds do to them when they are chased down."
"I see…" Images of bodies being ripped apart by the teeth and claws she had seen in her vision of Lucien flashed through Elain's mind and she tried to push them away.
"Lucien seems to have taken keenly to his role as Heir," Eris' words were soft, and directed at his mother, but Elain turned her eyes on the rest of the room, looking for her mate. She spotted him not too far away, sitting with a small group of faeries she did not recognise. They were all looking at Lucien who paused before he responded to something which had been said to him.
"He has the skills required," Ashk murmured, "I made sure of that."
"You knew?" Elain asked, "You knew that he would end up here?"
"I didn't know." Ashk told her, smiling softly, "But I hoped he would." Pretty russet eyes found her son across the room, lighting up as she watched him for a moment. "I hoped one day he would learn who he was, and that he would find his way here. I wanted him to be ready, so I made sure that he had whatever training I could give him."
Eris' amber eyes were on his mother. "Beron thought you were training him to be his successor."
If Elain hadn't known Ashk to be the quintessential example of a Lady, she would have sworn the older female had snorted at that. "He would have." She muttered, "That was his fear." Her eyes moved from her youngest son to her oldest. "He was terrified that his blood would not remain on the throne."
Eris smirked, lifting his golden goblet to his lips. Elain just watched him for several moments, wondering just how much of him was Beron, and how big a part that was compared to the part of him that was his mother. His eyes met hers as he lowered his goblet, and he smiled again.
Lucien continued moving around the room, and Elain watched him as he went from group to group, doing exactly what Helion was doing; talking to the court. Determination was what Elain was sensing down the bond, and she knew that Lucien had something in mind as he moved among the court. He glanced her way every so often, and she gave him a smile, reassuring him that she was just fine where she was, and that she didn't need him to stop what he was doing to come and check on her.
"They will remember this," Eris said, and Elain glanced at him to see him watching his brother. He saw her eyes on him and he elaborated, "They'll remember that he took the time to speak with them, check on them… when everything was chaotic and they were suffering."
"Yes," Ashk agreed gently, "I think Lucien won many of them today."
The expressions on the faeries faces when Lucien stopped by each group supported what Eris and Ashk had concluded, and Elain thought about the ways many of them had looked at Lucien as he had healed them earlier in the sitting room. "They can see that he cares." She murmured, and Ashk nodded, smiling.
"They get that from their High Lord," the older female said, "They would expect it of the Heir."