A Court of Love and Healing {ACOTAR}

I See You

Beron huffs and plops down into his chair at the dining table as the three younger sons file in behind him, taking their own seats. Aurelia looks up and smiles at them each sweetly as they sit, all with similar snarls on their face, and drawn faces of exhaustion. They barely pass her a glance and she sighs silently at the other head of the table, hoping Eris shows up soon so nothing happens to him.

She can't help the guilt that overwhelms her soul when she thinks about the way that Beron has treated their children. She could stop it, but it very well may cost her; her life and theirs. And if the options are her kids having a bad life or having no life at all, she will choose the badness, because it can't last forever. It simply can't. Everything will be okay when Eris takes the throne. That is all she can pray for.

Just as she looks up again, Eris walks in, a picture of perfect poise and grace, his long red hair partially bound behind him, loose tendrils framing his cheeks, bringing out the freckles on his face.

She smiles at him and he half-smiles back at her, inclining his head politely as he takes his seat to her right. "Good evening mother, father", he greets them.

Beron grunts. Aurelia pats his hand and meets his eyes. "Good evening, Eris."

The servers come out with their food, and like usual, Eris and his mother are the only two to thank them for their work.

It is another family dinner of silence aside from chewing and the occasional mentioning of things Beron has to get done the next day.

As she eats, Aurelia suddenly feels a tugging in her chest and flushes pink, keeping her gaze lowered to her dinner plate. Feeling a slight change in the air, Beron glances up and narrows his eyes. "What's wrong with you, Aurelia?"

She lifts her gaze to her husband and raises an eyebrow, feigning ignorance. "Hm? Oh, nothing darling. This food is very delicious. I was just peckish." She smiles a bit too sweetly.

Before he can gripe about the tension and get angry, Eris interjects to take the attention off of her.

"So, father. I haven't heard from any of the other courts that they have had any issues with either the human queens of Koschei himself yet. Which could either be a very good thing, or a very dire thing. I'm going with the latter. They are taking their time to plan their attack on Prythian. Unfortunately, there is no indication of their whereabouts. Most likely glamoured with Cauldron magic gifted to them by the fallen King of Hybern."

Beron grumbles and swallows his food. "They will come when they're ready."

'Okay, that was cryptic.' Though it was no shock that his father would allude to being allies with the enemy, Eris wonders if there is a troubling truth to it. Glancing outside, he can see the light rain make way to heavier downpours, the rumbling echoing through the dining hall as the room darkens.

'Like calls to like', Eris thinks. Bad omens. Bad High Lords. He just hope that Beron can be taken down or stopped before he commits to a treaty or bargain with Koschei and the queens, leaving the rest of Prythian to rot. Quite literally. He has heard many, many tales of the Cauldron. Including one that if a human was ever infused with its magic, it would rot them from the inside out. But not before turning them into power-craving monsters who would search to no end until they have it.

Sliding out of his chair gracefully, he summons his power forward, fire making his irises glow a blazing orange hue. He walks around the dining table and ignites the tip of his pointer finger, carefully lighting the candles along the center of it. The glimmering gleam of the flame casts a beautiful aura of golden light which reflects off of his ruby hair.

Aurelia sinks into her chair while the attention is on Eris, allowing her eyes to slip closed for just a moment in the fleeting seconds of darkness to send a small tug on the bond back to Helion.