A Court of Flame & Shadow - Eris x OC

The Spring Court

It was easy to find the room that belonged to Lucien, it was the only one that didn't smell like rain or flowers. His window was open, letting in a delicate spring breeze and a large brown owl. She perched on the window sill and watched him sit at his desk, bent over some letter he was working on. His worktable was littered with weapons and paperwork, almost as messy as her own. A forgotten, still-full coffee mug stood in the corner, dangerously close to the edge. The rest of the room was bedecked in Autumn Court colors, hues of orange, red, and gold with faint traces of brown and green. Vel couldn't help but wonder if he missed home. A pang of guilt tugged at her heartstrings.

"Are you going to say hi or did you come here to stare at me?" Lucien looked up from his paper and smiled. She glimpsed Beron's name at the top of the letter – many of the words on the page were crossed out or scribbled over. There was a flash of light and she was sitting on the window sill in her Fae form. "You look good when you're properly fed and bathed," Lucien crooned. Vel grimaced back at him.

"You're sticking out like a sore thumb in the Spring Court." She took him in again and her expression softened. "Do you like it here?"

"I do. Tamlin has been more like a brother to me than any of my actual brothers. He gave me a home and a job without expecting anything in return. And I get to visit other courts on official emissary business. There's nothing more that I can ask for really."

Vel watched him for a moment, measuring the truth in his words. "Hm. Well, I'm happy you're happy."

"So why are you here? Not that I don't appreciate you checking in, I was starting to think that you were avoiding me."

"I wasn't avoiding you." The defensiveness in her voice gave her away instantly. Lucien leaned back in his chair and put his arms behind his head, completely unconvinced.

"Right, okay. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I am glad you're in one piece but I was worried you know. You could have at least sent a letter."

"I'm sorry I was ... I was busy. I wasn't avoiding you for the reasons you think. I just needed to get myself together and then I lost track of time a little bit, working on Glynn's antidote."

He interrupted her rambling. "How is he?"

"Better ... I think. I left him passed out in the cabin."

Lucien whistled. "You blew his mind that hard?"

"Pig." Lucien laughed. She would have liked to throw something at him but there was nothing within reach so she just crossed her arms over her chest instead.

They looked at each other in silence for a few moments. The same two people who had escaped the Autumn Court. The same ... but different somehow.

"Vel, I can tell there's something on your mind. Just spit it out."

"I had a vision about you."

"Was I handsome in your dream?"

She frowned and shook her head. "I could barely see you." Lucien's face became serious.

"What does that mean?"

"It means I need to keep my distance. I can't see my own future so when I get too close to people that extends to them as well. First, it's hazy, then there's nothing."

"Who cares? It's just the future, it will happen one way or another."

"No." The word came out of her a bit too forcefully. "In this future, you died . Because you pissed off the wrong person. I owe you. I'm not going to let that happen, but I need to stay away to be able to see you clearly."

"It's good to have you watching over my back." Lucien smiled, entirely unperturbed about the whole conversation. "But I want you to know if I am going to die either way, I hope I can enjoy the last days of my life in the company of a beautiful female. Just something for you to keep in mind in case you don't figure out a solution."

"You're hopeless." Vel had to grit her teeth to stop herself from smiling. She didn't want to encourage him to not take this seriously.

"On the contrary, I'm quite hopeful about it." He winked at her and, despite herself, she felt her face heat up.

In a poorly coordinated attempt to hide it, she turned around, her legs dangling out of the window. "I think it's time for me to go, maybe Glynn woke up."

"Aw, I was hoping you would stay for dinner." Lucien mocked.

"Another time perhaps. I'll make sure to send a letter if there are any new developments."

"I'd much rather you came in person. It's less fun to imagine how my letters might make you blush." Vel didn't deign to respond. She was up in the air a second later.

By the time she was back home, Glynn was already gone. He'd scrawled down a few words on the back of her note. The handwriting was thin, sharp, and barely legible.

I'm feeling better than better. Mere words cannot begin to describe the extent of my gratitude but I will write them down anyway. Thank you. I hope you don't mind that I took the other two antidotes you left here. I have friends who could use them.

P.S. I fixed your window. Sorry about that.

The window had indeed been fixed – and improved. The four panes had been replaced with exquisitely made stained glass with the motif of an apple. A strange choice, but perhaps Glynn had wanted to remind her of the Autumn Court, of where they'd first met. The last rays of sun streamed through the new window, bathing the room in a kaleidoscope of colors. Regardless of where the design had come from, the craftsmanship was flawless. Gargoyles are not glassworkers — too much detail work. It must have cost Glynn a small fortune to acquire. As much as she would have liked to stand there and gawk at it until the sun was gone and the moon took its place, tomorrow was the day she'd been both anticipating and dreading. She would not welcome it unprepared.