A Court of Storm and Legacy

Legacy

Nyx

"Wakey, wakey sunshine." Someones face was hovering above me. Their breath smelt like bacon and whiskey, Idris. I groaned.

"Is the wittle Illyrian still sweepy?" His face was close to mine but I wasn't sure I could punch him before he moved out of the way. That, and I wasn't convinced I wouldn't throw up from the quick movement.

"Get out of my appartement," I groaned

"No can do sir. Be thankful your dad sent me to wake you up and not Myer, he would've thrown you into the Sidra as your wake up call." I forced one eye open to look at Idris. His neon pink hair was a shock no matter what time of day it was, but something about it being in your face at ten in the morning was like a punch to the iris. Cauldron knew how he managed to still look good with that gods awful hair colour.

"Don't you have anything better to do than being a human alarm clock?" I muttered.

"Hey, I'm just glad you're fully clothed and there isn't anyone else in your bed. I'm not sure I could contain my jealousy."

I slapped him on the head like a real alarm clock, but the hit was weak. He rolled his eyes and made his way to my fridge, helping himself to whatever he could find.

"Did you say my dad sent you?" unease began to roll through my stomach. That, or I was really hungover. Probably a bit of both.

"Uh huh. He wants you at the Manor in thirty." Now I really felt sick.

My apartment door swung upon, Myer and Elinor waltzed through, their Illyrian wings taking up my entrance way. Elinor's attention was immediately on the pink haired abomination tearing up my kitchen. He caught her staring and shot her a wink. Elinor's face went as pink as idris' hair. Myer took note of the exchange and rolled his eyes. I smothered my smirk against my pillow.

"How am I the only one that's suffering from last night," I groaned into my pillow.

Elinor snorted, "Because you have a self control problem and we don't."

I chucked my pillow at her face and she caught it with ease. "And Idris doesn't?" I pointed an accusing finger at the High Fae shovelling ice cream into his mouth at my table.

"Hey, don't look at me. I'm a seasoned pro at doing too much," He smiled wide, displaying the ice cream in his mouth. I grimaced.

"Why are you still in bed?" Myer's question moved my attention away from the pink idiot, "Idris why is he still in bed? You know, if we had woken him up my way he would already be half way to the Manor."

I picked up the other pillow on my bed and threw it, more aggressively this time, hitting Myer in the face before he could catch it. Elinor choked on a laugh and Myer's face went beet red. Yeah, I'd be paying for that later. I rolled out of bed and made my way to my closet.

"Are you smelling your clothes?" Elinor gasped.

"How else would he know if they were clean," Idris answered. El looked horrified.

"I will never understand males," she muttered as she opened my appartement door. "Be at the Manor in twenty!" She shouted as the door slammed shut behind her.

——————

"The prodigal son returns!" Uncle Cass' booming voice echoed through the main hall.

"I was just here last week for dinner," I shout back. Once Cassian reaches me, he throws a heavy arm around my shoulder and pulls my head down, mussing with my hair.

"Not the hair!"

"Just like your father I swear," Cassian teases. My body tenses up at his words. If Cass notices my change in demeanour, he doesn't comment on it, but lets me go anyway.

"Where's the other half?" I question, changing the subject.

"Nes is at the Valkyrie Temple for the weekend." The words sound neutral but I could see in his face he was upset about it.

"Can't keep it in your pants for that long?" I teased. Cassian's shit eating grin returned in full force.

"You little shit–"

"Nyx." My dad's voice cut through the hall, interrupting the moment. I groan internally. Or maybe externally because Cass slaps my shoulder, smirking. I turned towards my dad's study, dread filling my veins.

Pushing through the door, I have a moment of reprieve when I spot my mom's smiling face.

"Hey baby," she says, as she wraps me in one of her hugs that make me wish I was seven again and small enough to fit into her arms.

"Hey mom," I say to the top of her head. I was taller than her by the time I turned thirteen but it still seemed wrong. Something about her was just so 'larger than life', it's a shock realizing that she's so physically small.

"Glad you're sober this time," dad cuts the moment like a guillotine.

"Rhys–" Mom began.

"I see you have my friends doing your bidding now."

"Yeah I do, they actually listen when I tell them to do something," dad retorts. He sounds pissy. I imagine he'd gotten the bill for this weeks unplanned drinking binge. Not that they ever weren't.

Mom sits in her chair and sighs. She knows how this is gonna go. Me and dad will go at it for a bit, I'll act like an entitled asshole and he'll get pissed off, screaming will ensue, and I'll be back at the house for dinner in a few days.

"Oh please, who do you think goes drinking with me every night?" Dad doesn't like my drinking, says it's a 'problem'. He's told me time and again that having a slurring future high lord strutting through the streets at three in the morning every night is 'unbecoming'. At which point I told him he sounded like a nine hundred year old grandmother. He didn't appreciate that.

"Nyx–"

"Oh don't 'Nyx' me. I'm a just a kid okay! I get to do stupid shit, I get passes on coming home drunk, I can meet girls and get into fights. I'm seventy for fucks sake! You expect me to just put on a suit like yours and start prancing around acting all high and mighty, settle down with my imaginary Mate,"I spit out the word, "and start popping younglings left and right? You're six hundred years old! How am I expected to-to just be the way you are!"

"I don't expect you to just be anything. I expect you to take your position as heir to the Night Court seriously. I expect you to take care in your appearance, because yes, you are seventy years old and you have your whole life to live. The Mother knows how much I wish I could've enjoyed my youth with the freedom you have," The fight in me leaves in a whoosh.

I'm an asshole, but I'm not a dick. I know what my parents had to deal with, what my dad did. He never brings it up in a fight, not unless he wants to immediately shut me down. It's the one thing he knows I won't push back on.

"You're my heir, my legacy, my son. I am grateful every day that you never have to grow up as quickly as I did, but you do need to grow up. I'm not going to be this young and handsome forever," I notice mom's grip on her chair tighten, "I need you to be prepared for this title, for all the responsibilities that come with it."

I don't want it, I want to scream, any of it. But I can't.

"I get it." No I don't.

"Good," He knows it's not, but we avoid, it's what we're good at, him and I.

"I need you at the training ring in the House of Wind tomorrow morning. Nesta is bringing back a few of her top students from the Temple and you'll be expected to do an exhibition match with one of them." He doesn't wait for me to reply, his focus already back to the papers on his desk.

Mom gets up from her chair and makes her way over to me. She plants a kiss on my head and laughs softly. "Sometimes, it's so strange to see the difference between humans and fae. I remember girls in my village at sixteen, begging their parents to be treated like an adult, and here's my seventy-eight year old son, wanting to stay a kid."

I hum in response, my mind already at the bar. I need to get fucked up tonight.