A Court of Flame & Shadow - Eris x OC

Under the Mountain IV

Vel landed on the balcony jutting out of the side of the Sacred Mountain, not a moment too late, just as Rhysand winnowed away. Feyre was still reeling from her conversation when Vel shifted back into her form, sitting on the balustrade.

"Hello Feyre. How's the immortal body treating you?"

Feyre only blinked at her in confusion. Right. The last time they'd met she'd been in her Spring Court skin. Vel shifted again, blond waves replacing her dark brown braided hair. Blue upturned eyes instead of green and gold. Lighter skin and smaller nose and rounder face and then everything was in place again.

"Perhaps you recognize me now?"

Feyre's eyes widened and she took a step back. "You're the Seer from the Summer Solstice."

"Vel. It's lovely to see you again."

Feyre was quiet, guarded as she examined Vel for a bit. "Did you know all of this would happen?"

"Parts of it," Vel lied. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry you had to go through that. It was the only way to deal with what is coming." Feyre opened her mouth, but Vel raised a hand to forestall her. "I won't go into specifics, and you'll discover them soon enough regardless. Right now, you've earned some semblance of peace. I came to tell you to take it one day at a time. I've had my fair share of decisions I'm not proud of, that led to people getting hurt or dying." Vel paused, grappling for the right words. "Perhaps it's of some solace to know that everything was for the greater good. That the sacrifice of two saved many." Her throat constricted at the admission, at the mantra she had clung to for millennia. "Time has a way of lessening the burden; take it from someone who has lived twenty thousand years. You are Fae now, so you have all the time in the world."

"That's what I'm scared of," Feyre whispered, her voice wavering. "That I will have to live an eternity with what I've done."

"You are strong, Feyre. Stronger than you know. But if you ever don't feel strong, if you ever feel lost and need help, you can call on me." A flower appeared in Vel's hands, ivory white, with two rows of petals – flat and rounded closer to the center, thin and long on the outside. The flower floated on a gentle breeze and landed in Feyre's palm. "Crush this flower in your hand and I will be there. As a thank you for saving my world – our world."

"Why not come back to the Spring Court with us?"

"There are a few things I need to take care of, now that all the courts are back where they belong." Her breath snagged. A tug in her chest, like her heart skipping a beat. "I think I might start by checking on whoever is still left here. Take care, Feyre." Vel shifted back to her usual skin. She was off the banister and down the winding stairs before the newly-minted Fae could respond.

The hallways were empty and eerily quiet. Not even the torches burned. Vel wasn't sure what she was looking for. Almost everybody had already left, save for the Spring and Summer Courts, she'd watch them from above. Still, she followed that thread, deeper into the mountain, down to the rooms that had been used during Amarantha's reign.

There was a loud crack that reverberated down the hallway, then a door being opened and slammed hard enough to make the stone walls shudder. She heard the footsteps approaching before she saw him. As Lucien turned the corner, he nearly collided with her. His handsome face was once again bare, exposing the scar that ran down his brow and over his cheek. Surprise flickered in his eyes, followed by something else she couldn't quite decipher—was it hurt? His fists clenched at his sides, his body tense.

"Is everything all right?" Vel inquired.

He pushed past her, his tone icy as he threw the words over his shoulder without looking back. "Eris wants to see you."