I Am Once Again Playing Through Heavensward And I Am Frothing At The Mouth, Counting Down The Minutes

I am once again playing through Heavensward and I am frothing at the mouth, counting down the minutes until I get to see my one true love again. 

Lord Commander, Ser Aymeric De Borel.

the heir & the emissary

Eris Vanserra x OC (estranged Archeron sister)

PROLOGUE

// 8 months post-UTM //

Eris stopped breathing.

The pull was instantaneous. This tugging in his chest, impossible to ignore. He blinked once, twice and then sucked in a gasping breath as if returning to the surface of water. 

He couldn’t look away. She was beautiful with long, pale blonde hair which fell in waves down her lithe back. Her knee length, black coat cinched at the waist; accentuating her good figure. Her head was turned slightly towards him as she laughed at something a passerby had said to her. Her bright white teeth on display, eyes and nose scrunched up and a loud, joyful sound emitting from her. She looked absolutely radiant.

He watched as this woman wrenched open the door to the tavern and stepped inside, disappearing from his view.

“Sir, is everything alright?” one of his guards spoke up, having come to stop a few feet from him. Eris hadn’t realized he’d stopped walking and was now standing in the middle of the cobbled road, staring into the distance.

“Yes, everything is fine. We have much more of this town to check on before sundown but I am suddenly feeling incredibly parched. Let’s stop for a drink before we carry on.”

____

Stepping into the tavern, Eris was immediately greeted with the familiar scent of cinnamon. His shoulders sagged as the tension of a long day of travel began to bleed out of him. He took a moment to look about the room; his eyes roving over the few patrons who had gone eerily still at the sight of him. He ignored their wide eyes and rigid bodies as he searched the small space. There she was.

She was seated at a table in the front of the room, a steaming cup sat on the table in front of her. She had her small, dainty hands wrapped around the mug as she stared out of a nearby window. 

“You all get a drink and find a table. I’ll be back in a bit.” His guards easily recognized his dismissal and headed off to the bar for drinks. Eris made his way towards her slowly.

He had just begun to approach her table when she glanced up at him, a small smile gracing her fair-skinned face. 

“The heir to the Autumn court. To what do I owe the pleasure?” Her voice was like honey. Her blue-gray eyes stared up at him in a piercing gaze.

“Ah, it seems you have me at a disadvantage.” He spoke. She extended her hand in greeting, which Eris immediately took into his own. He lowered himself into a bow and pressed his lips to her knuckles. “I have been making my rounds through some of the local villages to make sure they are doing well and I saw you come into the tavern. You are absolutely stunning and I just needed to know your name…” he trailed off, raising back into a standing position.

“Tegan. My name is Tegan. I am an emissary for the Winter court.” She replied. Her smile grew wider as she motioned to the empty seat across from her. Eris quickly took the invitation.

“Well, Tegan, it is a pleasure to meet you. May I ask what brings you to the Autumn court?” Eris asked, settling into his seat. He folded his hands together, fingers interwoven, upon the tabletop. Tegan raised her mug to the barkeep signaling for another as she dipped her head in his direction. He took a moment to observe her. She had an ethereal beauty about her, shining as bright as the Sun with sharp, pointed features. She wore a braid in her hair, running across her scalp like a band, covering her ears.

“I came to Autumn in hopes of meeting with someone of power. Preferably someone handsome, regal, if a little ostentatious. If I’m lucky, maybe it will be someone who will sweep me off my feet in a forbidden, whirlwind romance.” She breathed. A small, wistful smile adorned her face. “Do you think you can get me an audience with your father?”

Eris watched her from across the table with a look of horror. Tegan burst into laughter, tipping her head to the side and he caught a glimpse of what she was no doubt attempting to hide beneath the braid. Rounded ears.

“I jest!” She exclaimed. Eris’ expression morphed into a deadpan stare. “You are just the person I am looking for. Viviane sent me to speak with you. I have no official business on this trip beyond introducing myself, that you and your court may recognize me in the future.” His lips twitched upward as the barkeep approached the table and slid a drink in front of him. Even as he gave his thanks, his eyes remained on Tegan.

“Well then, I believe you have completed your task. In any case, it seems a beautiful woman has ordered me a drink and it would be terribly rude for me to leave now without getting to know her.” He did not feel the need to mention that he would have stayed regardless. He felt an odd sense of comfort, sitting here with her. It was a foreign feeling to him; one he was not nearly ready to let go of.

“Yes, I imagine that would seem rather callous. It looks as though you will be stuck here, with no choice but to waste away your afternoon with her.” Tegan winked. 

And so they spoke…about their courts, about themselves, about the meaning of life, about anything and everything. They smiled, laughed, and drank. Hours passed in the blink of an eye. And when the sun began to set below the horizon and the tavern grew dim, they rose from their table. 

Despite having not completed the task he’d set for himself that day, Eris had never felt so light. In all his years of living, he had never felt so free. 

“Tegan, it was a pleasure to meet you.” He stated, helping her to shrug on her coat. He glanced around the tavern, giving a small nod to his guards to let them know it was time to leave.

“The pleasure was all mine, Eris.” There it was again. That tugging in his chest, which pulled taut at the sound of his name on her lips. She smiled up at him, peering through her lashes. “Hopefully I will see you again soon.” She placed her hand on her chest, rubbing in a small circular motion and he knew then that she had felt it too.

Eris held open the door with one hand and allowed her to step out into the crisp night air before him. He took her hand in his once more, placing a chaste kiss against her knuckles. “I will be counting down the days.” 

So I read 3 books in 4 days and now I’m here sobbing because I want more!!! While I’m happy that I still have The Stolen Heir to get through...  I just know in my heart it won’t be enough. I’ll still want more. 

The entire set of Folk of the Air/Stolen Heir fanart I did!

Happy Tuesday!! The next chapter of the heir & the emissary will be out this weekend. I have a decent amount done so far. I just need to finish it off and edit it.

the heir & the emissary

Eris Vanserra x OC (estranged Archeron sister)

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Feyre sat bolt upright in a high back chair situated at one end of a long, ornate table. Her legs were crossed at the ankles and her hands folded upon the tabletop. She was the picture of calm, easy, elegance. To her left sat Rhys, covered head to toe in exquisite black garments as he reclined in his seat, occasionally picking at his cuticles as though he couldn’t be any more bored if he tried. And located just behind them, in her peripheral vision was the remainder of her family. She could see two large sets of wings and two pairs of elegantly long legs sitting stock still. She allowed herself to glance around the table, taking in those in attendance.

At the opposite end of the long table sat Kallias and Viviane acting as the hosts of this meeting. They were the sparkling embodiment of icy indifference; their hands clasped together on the table in a show of unity. To their right sat Tarquin and to his right sat Thesan. To their left sat Eris and to his left sat Helion. She allowed her gaze to swivel around the table and it did not escape her notice that still, after all this time, the table was effectively separated between seasonal and solar courts. 

“I know we have been here for rather longer than I had originally hoped today so I’d like to start wrapping this meeting up soon but before we can do so, there is one more issue we need to discuss,” Kallias spoke, his gaze falling upon Eris. “As you can all see we seem to be missing two high lords and we received, frankly, suspicious letters from both of them regarding this meeting.” Kallias passed the letters along the table. 

“My father has been increasingly paranoid lately and more secretive than usual. That alone is not cause for concern, given my fathers temperament but I’ve also noticed a large number of warriors being reallocated to projects I am not privy to.” Eris stated. 

The letters made their way around the table and finally Feyre was able to pick one up. She read them over quickly before passing them to Rhys. 

“These are nearly identical notes,” Feyre gasped. Her eyes pulled up to look across the table to Kallias and Viviane. 

“Yes. It is worrisome. We can reasonably assume that they are meeting with each other but for what reason we can only guess at this time.” Viviane nodded slightly.

“I can send my Spymaster to Spring to take a look around. Maybe we can see if anything strange is going on over there. Well, beyond the obvious,” Rhys said, smirking. “Think you can get any more information from Beron?” He added, addressing Eris directly for the first time.

“I can try, though he is particularly distrustful of me lately. I’ll see what I can do.” Eris responded.

“We also have someone currently looking into the situation in Spring. She’s there as we speak so we should hopefully have some new intel soon.” Viviane spoke softly. Eris’ head snapped in her direction, flames alight in his eyes.

“You sent her to Spring?” He hissed, hackles rising in agitation. Feyre’s eyebrows shot up into her hairline as she fought to keep the surprise off her face. Rhys tilted his head slightly to the right, the only outward display that Eris’ behavior had also caught his attention. In all the years they had been dealing with Eris at this point neither had ever seen such genuine emotion out of him.

“We asked her to go and she agreed.” Viviane replied, keeping her face neutral. 

He shot up out of his seat, palms flat against the table and glaring down his nose at her. “You know how she feels about that place after all she has been through. How could you ask her to go there?” Kallias was immediately out of his seat.

“Sit down Eris. You’re one step away from being out of line.” Kallias growled out. The two males stared each other down for a few more seconds before Eris brushed his hands over his chest and sat back down. Kallias was soon to follow. 

What was that? Feyre reached out to the minds of her companions.

I have never, in all my years of knowing him, seen him react that way to anything. Rhys responded. 

“She should be back shortly,” Kallias resumed speaking, glancing over to Eris again, “perfectly unharmed.” He then allowed his attention to fall back to the room as a whole, “I have asked a close friend and advisor of mine to take a peak around and just see what she could find. I will get what information I can from her as soon as she returns.”

Eris let out a little laugh under his breath, “advisor huh? Did she get a promotion?”

Viviane let out a small, breathy, laugh as well, “you know as well as I do that while her official title is ‘emissary’ she does much, much more than that for us.” Eris nodded, a small smile upon his lips. Feyre blinked. She could barely comprehend what she was witnessing. A genuine smile? At the thought of another? She looked back at him but found his face to be as blank as could be. Had she imagined it?

The meeting continued for a short while longer and the sun was beginning to go down in the sky by the time they had called it quits. 

“Unfortunately, you cannot winnow from within the palace walls. We will need to exit to the main courtyard out front before you can pass the wards and leave. Let us walk you.” Kallias advised, standing from his seat. He took Viviane’s hand, pulling her to stand and placing a kiss upon her knuckles. They nodded to the guard stationed beside the large cedar doors and they were promptly hoisted open. The High Lord and Lady of Winter proceeded through the open doors and down the long corridor which would take them and their guests beyond the palace walls.

Behind them strode Helion, Thesan and Tarquin deep in conversation. Their heads were bent together, large grins on their faces. It was likely that they were spreading some gossip or another, as they were wont to do. Eris followed closely behind them, his hands were stuck into his pockets and his head held high. Despite his posture displaying the usual arrogant demeanor, the furrowing of his brows and downturn of his lips gave away his internal struggle. 

Pulling up the rear of the group were the High Lord and High Lady of Night and their Inner Circle. None of them spoke a word but shared looks amongst themselves that screamed ‘we have so much to discuss when we get home’. Cassian had Nesta tucked into his side, one wing being used to huddle her in closer. Rhys and Feyre had their hands clasped between them, walking with Azriel and Mor hovering on either side of them. 

Up ahead Feyre saw Kallias and Viviane come to a stop in the entrance to the courtyard. Though she was much too far behind to hear words she could see that they were speaking to someone. Kallias’ body blocked them from her view but she could see Viviane reach out a hand to lightly brush their arm in a motion of comfort. 

The group continued to get closer as they moved down the corridor. She heard Kallias let out a small chuckle and saw him nod his head in a clear act of dismissal. Everything beyond this point happened so fast, that to this day she remains unsure if this was all a fever dream. 

Eris came to a halt in front of them at the opening of the courtyard, just beyond the wards, removing his hands from his pockets, causing them to come to an abrupt stop as well so as not to crash into him. The body of a small woman stepped around Kallias and came flying at full speed through the courtyard in a sprint. Rhys stuck his arm out in front of Feyre and two sets of wings flared out around her in a protective manner, covering all three females present. 

The woman approached Eris and flung herself into the air. He caught her easily around the waist, spinning in an attempt to keep them both upright. A loud squealing noise filled the air which was immediately followed by a bellowing laugh. Her arms were thrown round his neck and her face was buried in the crook of his neck as well. His eyes were closed and the brightest smile Feyre had ever seen adorned his face.

One arm remained around her waist as he lowered her feet to the floor, his other hand moving up her spine and burying itself into her pale blonde hair. She pulled her head back to look at his face, wearing an equally bright smile. 

“Eris,” she breathed, “you’re here.” Feyre could see her profile and was able to catch the small tears beading in her blue-gray eyes. Eyes that were so familiar. Eyes that she saw every time she looked at her sister; every time she looked into the mirror. 

“Tegan,” he looked upon her face as if attempting to memorize every inch of her. He looked up briefly, catching Kallias’ gaze. Kallias gave him a brief nod which he returned before he was swallowed up by magic and disappeared before their eyes.

all my heart

azriel x reader

summary: inspired by All My Heart by Sleeping With Sirens

word count: 2.2k

warnings: none?

a/n: Here’s part two! Part one can be found here: Nervous (part i)  Enjoy!

————

Flipping through the delicate pages, you allowed an annoyed sigh to escape you. You reached up, placing the book back on the self and slowly began moving down the aisle again. Fingers ran lightly over the spines as your eyes searched each title, deep in concentration. You snatched another book and flipped it over, eyes skimming the back cover. This one seemed promising.

Opening the front cover you allowed your eyes to swipe over the text, immediately becoming absorbed in the tale unfolding before you. Placing one foot in front of the other, you moved slowly through the shelves. You hoped the cashier was located in this direction, though you were paying zero attention to your surroundings. Suddenly, you felt as though you had crashed directly into a brick wall and heat flooded your cheeks. How embarrassing?

With the book still open in your palm, you drew your eyes from the page scanning upward. Black leather, more leather… not actually a wall then… your eyes continued upwards… that’s a lovely shade of blue…oh. Before you stood a male with rich, tanned skin and piercing hazel eyes. Shock painted his pristine features and the hands grasping your biceps to hold you steady went slack. Suddenly, you were 28 years old again.

A light breeze rustled through your hair and the late afternoon sun fell upon your face. You were sat on a large, red blanket amidst the trees taking in the last few beautiful days of Autumn in the Steppes. Leaning back on your elbows, legs stretched out before you and wings tucked in tight beneath you, you tilted your face to the sky and smiled. “Hey Az?” You cracked one eye open and looked to the male seated next to you. He gave you a responding hum.

“We should run away together.” A loud laugh burst from him as he moved to face you. He was propped up on one arm, one long leg stretched out, the other bent upright. His other arm was slung loosely across his raised knee. “I’m serious Az! It’s going to be Winter soon and the weather here is awful in the Winter.”

He grinned widely at you. “The weather? You’re telling me it’s the cold air that has you wanting to run screaming from these mountains?” His eyes sparked with mirth.

“I mean yeah, of course. The cold sucks.” Your smile widened and he let out another chuckle.

“You’re looking for any kind of reason to escape all this mess.” You caught his eye again and knew he understood.

“Az, these camps are terrible. I hate it here and I know you do too. We should just leave.” His soft smile remained, but you could see there was pain in his eyes. You let out a long, sad sigh, “but alas, I know you. You’d never leave if it meant forsaking your duty to this court or your brothers. I understand.” You peeled your eyes away from him, shutting them again and tilting your head back to catch the sun’s warmth again. “But one day, eventually, we’re both leaving this place.”

Coming back into yourself, you jolted.

“I’m so sor-”

“Y/N?” Your eyes fluttered shut, the sound of your name on his lips was like a prayer being answered. More than that, it felt like coming home. You opened your eyes again to look at him and smiled softly.

“Hi Az.” Before your brain had a chance to catch up he was grabbing your wrist and yanking you forward. The book in your hands clattered to the floor. He pulled you into a tight embrace and your arms came to rest around his waist. He buried his face in your hair, tightening his hold on you. You inhaled his scent, and your heart ached with longing. Finally, you pulled yourself back enough to peer up at him. His hand came to rest on your cheek and you leaned into it.

“I can’t believe it’s really you. Here, in Velaris. What are you doing here?” He rambled on.

“Ummm it’s kind of a long story,” you trailed off, eyes lowering. As if his brain was just now catching up with him his eyes glanced over your shoulder and his brows furrowed in confusion. You knew immediately what his was looking for and ultimately what he would fail to find. His eyes met yours again and you could see the silent question in them. A long, weary sign escaped you as you took a step back out of his hold, folding your arms over yourself and pointedly looking anywhere but at him. “My husband wanted me clipped. Unfortunately, the person performing it was inexperienced and didn’t get it quite right, what with all my trashing about. They were so badly damaged that in the end they had to be removed entirely.” You couldn’t meet his eyes.

White hot, burning rage filtered through him. “I’m so sorry that happened to you,” he spoke softly. And then, in a harsher tone, “can you tell me his name?” A small smile tugged at your lips. Same old Azriel, ready to kill for those he cares about.

“No need. I killed him and fled. That’s why I’m here.” Finally you met his eyes again and saw his here wet, tears gathering at the corners. “Don’t cry for me. I’m okay, truly.”

“I’m sorry-”

“Please stop apologizing.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help you. I wish I could’ve been stronger or better back then, that I’d had the courage to take you from that place like you deserved.” You stepped forward, grabbing both his hands in yours.

“It’s not your fault. These things, sad as they are, happen. I’m alive, I’m okay. You don’t need to worry about me.” You raised his left hand to your mouth and pressed a kiss to his knuckles, then the right. His eyes softened at the gesture, pulling you into him again. He buried one hand in your hair and allowed the other to wrap around your waist. In turn, you buried your face back into his chest.

You felt him huff out a laugh, “I’ve always worried about you.” And then more quietly he asked, “can I take you to dinner sometime?”

“Yes, I’d really like that.” You wrote your address on a slip of paper that you borrowed from the cashier and handed it to him. You gave him a beaming smile, “see you soon Shadowsinger.” As you opened the door and headed out onto the busy streets of Velaris, you glanced back over your shoulder and winked at him. Your chest pulled tight again, just beneath your ribs. You still have all of my heart.

————

The sun was setting and a warm golden haze filtered through your windows. You were sat on your couch with your legs tucked up under you, a blanket over your lap and a warm cup of tea sat on small table in front of you. Your book sat beside you, held open upside down by its own weight, long forgotten as you stared into the empty space before you.

The winter air was frigid. The night’s chill sank deep into your bones and you huddled yourself closer to him, seeking his warmth. Azriel brought an arm over your shoulder and tucked you in closer to him. His wings wrapped around you, just barely brushing against yours as they encircled you. A shiver traveled down your spine, though this was decidedly not due to the cold air. You tilted your head back and pressed up into your toes, lips lightly grazing his neck as you pressed a gentle kiss there. His gaze moved down to meet yours.

“You okay, sweetheart?” He whispered, his lips falling upon the crown of your head.

“Do you think we’d ever make it?” You asked him in response. Azriel was used to this by now, your strange sudden questioning. He knew where your mind was wandering. With war looming on the horizon and the time you were able to spend together growing shorter and shorter, he understood your fears.

“I’m sure, if it’s right.” It was the best he could give because in truth, he did not know. And it was that uncertainty that scared him the most. There were so many things that could go wrong. So many things that could take you from him. His heart thumped wildly in his chest. He knew should tell you how he felt, that he may never get another chance because tomorrow wasn’t promised. He wanted to let go of that lid he’d kept so tightly shut on his emotions, spill his whole heart to you. He’d tried several times now, but the words wouldn’t come out. Always getting stuck in this throat. The sharp pull against his ribs was aching again but still, he couldn’t utter those words into existence.

You looked up at him again, saying nothing in response. You didn’t need to, for you knew the truth. Your days together were numbered. Maybe, you’d meet again one day. When the world was calm. You tucked that hope away in your heart even though you knew hope was a dangerous thing.

A loud knock sounded against your front door and your brows pulled together in confusion. Your heart began to beat wildly in your chest. Oh Gods, what if they found where I’ve been hiding. Sweat gathered on your palms as you slowly placed down your mug and rose from the couch. Another loud knock sounded against the door. You took in a deep breath and steeled yourself. Wrenching it open, you let out a breath.

There was Azriel, on your door step with his hands tucked into his pockets and his wings pulled in tight to his back. His cheeks were stained red and a sheepish look adorned his face. One of your brows rose as a small smile pulled at the corners of your lips. Despite five centuries having passed since the last time he showed up at your door, this felt familiar. You half expected him to throw you over his shoulder and stalk off somewhere with you for a picnic. Based on the large grin that was spreading across his face at the sight of you, you had a feeling he was thinking the same.

“Azriel. What are you doing here? I wasn’t expecting you to stop by quite so soon.”

“I’m sorry for dropping in unannounced like this but I just-” he trailed off, looking around at your front yard. You knew he’d finish when he was ready, that words did not come so easily to him and he needed time to formulate his thoughts. So you waited, patiently, leaning against your door frame until he started again. “I just wanted more time with you.” Your heart leapt in your chest.

Pushing off from the frame, you swung the door farther open and stepped back into the house with one hand remaining on the handle. “Would you like to come in?” His eyes met yours and you could see the relief flood through them.

“I’d like that very much,” he stated as his crossed the threshold.

————

Blinking your eyes open, you squinted against the bright morning sun. Warmth radiated from behind you and a smile crept its way across your mouth. You were laying on your side, two strong arms corded around your stomach as your fingers intertwined with his. Your back was pressed tightly against his chest and you could feel his light exhale of breath against your neck. Shadows pooled around you like water, some of them cascading off the edge of the bed and draping down to the floor.

Slowly, you returned to the land of the living, detaching one hand from his and rubbing the sleep from your eyes. A soft whine sounded next to your ear and you let out a breathy giggle.

“Why’re you moving? We’re not getting up yet,” he complained. You rolled over softly in his arms and pressed a light kiss to his cheek. Then to his nose, then another just beside his mouth. His lips turned downward in a pout, “you missed.” Laughing again, you finally pressed a small kiss to his lips and you felt him sigh against your skin. You tucked your head under his chin, burying yourself in his chest as his arms pulled you in somehow even tighter than before. How crazy is it? Someone could waste their whole life helplessly. Just patiently waiting for a love like you and me.

And as if sensing your thoughts, Azriel slowly opened his eyes and glance down to meet yours. The sun shone through the window behind him casting a radiant glow around him and your heart began to race just as it had all those years ago. There was a buzzing in your ears as all the hardships and heartache you had faced in your life flashed behind your eyelids. You couldn’t believe you were here, in his arms. It felt like a dream. I couldn’t possibly be this lucky. He gave you a knowing smile and then he pressed his lips to yours again.

“I love you,” he whispered and the world fell silent. You still have all of my heart.