Helion Spellcleaver and the Lady of Autumn ; A new start

Part 15

'Lucien.'

Lucien felt a warm hand on his shoulder. Turning away from the window from where he was looking out, Lucien's eyes met with Vassa's warm, concerned ones.

'Tell me what bothers you Lucien.' Vassa said in her no nonsense tone.

'No-'

She raised her hand, shutting Lucien up. 'I know better than that Lucien. Don't offend me by thinking otherwise. Tell me.'

'I...' he stopped mid sentence. In ten days he should go to the Night Court to take Elain and go to the Autumn Court with her.

It had been three months since he'd met his parents in the House of Wind. Upon leaving the Night Court Lucien had taken with himself two magical boxes. One of them was connected with his mother and the other was connected with Elain. With his mother he exchanged letters at least twice a month. She was the one who always wrote first. Lucien didn't know when it was safe to write to her or not so he never initiated contact. With Elain it hadn't been much different.

She reached out first. Always. One time it would be a long letter then another time a shorter one, with a beautifully dried flower above it. The sudden affection confused him.

'It's really...I don't know what to do.'

Vassa raised an elegant brow. 'Right. Very clear. Understandable.'

Lucien barely kept himself from rolling his eye, a little smile forming on his face. He liked Vassa, despite her being all bossy and in charge, deep in her heart she was very soft for the people whom she cared about and ruled over.

The corners of her eyes softened as her stiff, regal posture relaxed. 'Sometimes we swallow our emotions, thinking that no one would understand or that we are a burden. Everyone who does that eventually breaks down Lucien.'

'I've been strong enough.'

'Just enough.' Vassa smiled softly. 'And for too long. You have people who care about you Lucien.'

Lucien sighed. There was no way that Vassa would leave him alone now that she'd put her mind on making him speak.

'It's Elain and all these new revelations. You know Helion, High Lord of Day?'

'Yes, I met all the High Lords at the end of the war.'

'Well turns out he is my mother's mate and they've been together on and off for five centuries.'

Vassa's eyes widened in shock, her brows reaching her hairline.

'Oh, mmm...I don't really know what to say.'

'And-'

'No, no wait.' She raised an elegant slender hand. 'I'll guess. You're not Beron's son.'

Huh. Moved on from the shock too quickly.

'Exactly, I talked things out with Helion.'

'There must have been a lot of things to talk and explain.'

'Yes, a lot of confusion-on my part mostly- but we came to good terms. He loves mom so dearly. I could see it in the way he looked at mom and talked about her. The mating bond shone so brightly the whole time they were together. They deserve each other so much Vassa. Mom deserves all the love and happiness and Helion can give it all to her.'

Vassa squinted. She did that a lot, which wrinkled her nose in an adorable manner. 'I've met your mother, she seemed lovely yet at the same time very held-back. How do I explain it? Like she didn't want to show her true self to anyone.'

What always amazed Lucien was that despite the fact that Vassa was much younger than him and Jurian, she was very sharp and knew how to read people well.

'Yeah,' he agreed. 'We were taught to put on a mask and ride the wave like everyone else or be drowned by it. Just the way it was.' And still is. Flashbacks of the meeting with Eris flickered in his mind. Frowning he couldn't figure out where Eris stood. Against Beron, that was for sure but then what? If he was going to become the new High Lord of Autumn, what would happen to their brothers?

Lucien laughed but there was no amusement there, earning Vassa's attention.

'What?' She questioned.

'I feel like something big is going to happen. Something that Eris has anticipated for years and has been preparing for it.'

'He plans on killing Beron?'

'That or find a way to dethrone him. It's just that I was thinking about my brothers.'

'Are you...worried about them?' A line appeared between her dark-auburn brows.

'I'm not.' He responded a tad angrily and then he calmed himself. 'Well, sort of but I'm angrier at myself. Why would I think about them when they wouldn't ever think about me? They've proved that over and over again and I don't think I can ever forgive them.'

'And they haven't done anything to earn your forgiveness either but I suppose it's normal for you to think about them. Blood connects you. As for their lives I wouldn't be so concerned. I don't suppose your mother can cope with more sons lost.'

She was right of course. Like always.

Lucien closed his eyes, tilting his head up. He liked Vassa, she was a great friend. Always calm opposing to her firebird form. Always rational especially now that Lucien needed someone to pull him out of the hurricane of his thoughts. After sharing that bit with Vassa he felt better but the fact that he would face his brothers, with Elain by his side, in ten days didn't change.

'I just hope that I will get to stay in my old chambers. Their chambers were on the other side of the castle and that way there's no chance for us to interact with each other more that needed.'

'And your relationship with Elain?'

Lucien simply shook his head.

'Right,' Vassa pursed her lips. 'I hope that you get to to talk things through with her. Talk about where you two truly stand. What you want to make out of your mating bond. Truthfully she might be willing to give it a chance. According to all the letters and little gifts she's been sending you.' Vassa winked.

Lucien plastered a fake smile on his face, not wanting to ruin Vassa's little bubble of excitement. It wasn't the first time she made her interest in him and Elain very obvious. He hadn't told her about the Winter Solstice night. It was something Lucien's heart couldn't bear to share with anyone.

Furrowing his brows, Lucien turned around towards the window again, trying to throw all his worries to the wind.

10 days.

He still had 10 days before everything could blow up.