Born into the cut-throat Autumn Court, Eris Vanserra had been surrounded by monsters his entire life and spent most of his time scheming for the crown his cruel father still possessed. His world is thrown into chaos when an unexpected source gets to...
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ERIS
Eris found peace to be relative, not absolute. Many soldiers had perished, but those that remained returned home in time to celebrate Solstice with their families. From what Kane relayed, most had gained a newfound respect for their High Lady after seeing what she'd been willing to sacrifice to give them a better shot at victory. Had she not had her powers returned, they may have turned on her like animals trying to eliminate the weakest amongst them, but thankfully it didn't come to that.
To put it mildly, Eris became revered. Those of all courts thought him some sort of living myth. The Blazing Beast of Autumn, they called him. It amused Astra to no end, bringing a smile to her lips each time it was spoken within earshot of her, though he wasn't unaware of her intense jealously that he had managed to shift into his High Lord form.
More than once, he caught her standing in front of a mirror while trying to bring whatever prowled beneath her skin to the surface. Eris knew she hoped it would be something with wings, though there was really no telling what form she might take. He suspected the transformation would come with time, practice, and proper motivation. In being far older than her and desperate to reach her in the midst of chaos, Eris had sprouted scales and wings, but it hadn't been easy and so far, he hadn't managed it again, though Astra pleaded with him to try each day because she wanted to clamor on his back and ride him in the sky. He hadn't a clue where she'd gotten the ridiculous notion that people were meant to ride dragons.
Though the weather remained mild during the day, they often awoke to dustings of snow that left Eris unmotivated to do anything other than roll back over and trap Astra in bed for the entire day. Victory afforded them the time to indulge in such activities and put their duties aside since there was nothing pressing to attend to, but there was still an endless stream of correspondence, outrate to equality laws, and unease over the newest court.
Eris had half a mind to shrug off all duties to his brothers for the remainder of the winter season and retreat with Astra to a cabin in the northern region of the Autumn Court where snow would be more prevalent, but he opted to remain so that unrest could be further settled. He worried about the eighth Lord and if he would make a move for more power after proving himself capable of taking any of them on.
To counteract all the death and destruction, Astra suggested they throw an elaborating mating ceremony that could double with a coronation for her, inviting all those that had helped lead in battle, rather than just the nobility. Eris wasn't keen on entertaining so many guests, but Astra deserved to be celebrated and he couldn't pass up an opportunity to have their mating bond official declared for all to witness.
His selfish desire to watch her crown herself in person drove him to order it be put together with haste. As a Solstice gift, Rhys had shared his memory with Eris of Astra announcing her title and smacking Beron's crown on her head in the Dawn Court, which only made Eris move the date up by a few weeks as his anticipation bubbled. Though Rhys had meant it as a nice gift, it turned cruel when Eris had to refrain from tearing Astra's clothes off and remain composed in front of her entire family as they celebrated the holiday together.
