Summary: Y/N is a member of the Summer Court, and has been serving there since the first (and only) time Cassian visited and earned himself a life-long ban. Decades later, when the Summer Court and the Night Court are building up relations again after the war, Y/N's not quite ready to move on until they can get a little personal revenge on the Illyrian general.
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I paced the terrace of the Summer Palace in Adriata while I waited for Tarquin, Cressida, and Varian to arrive. I was to travel with the three of them to a diplomatic meeting in the Night Court, the first one since the war. We'd all heard many different things about Rhys and his kingdom, but now I was apparently going to see it first-hand.
If I were really being honest with myself, that's not what I was nervous about. If any of our scouting reports or prior knowledge of the Night Court was correct, then the Night Court's general would be attending as well. And I had a bone to pick with him.
The last time Cassian had been in my city, he destroyed an entire building and caused a ridiculous ruckus that had taken months to clean up. He'd been banned for life, but that didn't mean I'd gotten over his stupid little stunt.
I'd only seen him once since, briefly, during the Battle of Adriata. He flew over my company of soldiers like an avenging angel, leading the Illyrians to help push back the tide of Hybern soldiers and save the city. I'd actually been quite taken with him, before I realized who he was after the battle.
And still, in my book, his actions against Hybern did not make up for destroying a building in the middle of a diplomatic visit.
I was forced out of my brooding thoughts as Tarquin, Varian, and Cressida appeared on the terrace before me.
"Y/N. You're quite early," noted Tarquin with a smile. "Don't tell me you're that excited to visit the Night Court?"
"I guess I am," I said, plastering a fake-innocent smile on my face. I knew for a fact that it didn't fool any of my companions, but I wasn't expecting it to. Varian smirked and Cressida snickered, while Tarquin just sighed.
"Well, I suppose we'll be alright, whatever you decide to do," he said. "The Night Court delegation came here and stole from us, so if nothing else, we owe them one."
I grinned. That was exactly what I'd been hoping to hear from my High Lord.
Tarquin apparently realized his mistake, because he quickly spoke up again at the look on my face.
"Do keep in mind, Y/N, that we're not trying to do anything other than make friends and peace in the Night Court," he said. I waved him off, but still nodded.
"Yes, yes, I know. Don't worry, I'll walk the line."
Tarquin nodded, apparently satisfied, and held out his hands for the three of us to take. He'd be winnowing all of us into the Night Court himself. Just as we started to disappear from the Summer Court, I added one last comment.
"I have no issues with the Night Court, after all. My only issue is with Cassian."
And in a blink, we were standing in Velaris, the mystical city protected by Rhysand for so many years. We were meeting at Rhysand and Feyre's new home on the banks of the Sidra river, and Tarquin had landed us right on the front porch.
Once we'd successfully winnowed, Tarquin turned to me and gave me a warning look. I just grinned, and as soon as he looked away, Varian and I shared a knowing smile. Nobody was going to stop me from getting a little payback against that Illyrian warrior.
Tarquin raised his hand to knock on the door and announce our arrival, but it swung open before he could make contact. Feyre greeted us with a beaming smile, Rhys right behind her with a smile of his own, although it was more reserved.
"High Lord Tarquin, we're so glad you accepted our invitation to meet," said Feyre. Tarquin inclined his head. "Please, let us show you inside."
Feyre and Rhys turned to lead us into their home, and we all followed. The six of us exchanged pleasantries, until finally, we reached a large meeting room on the main floor of the house. As expected, the spymaster Azriel, Varian's girlfriend Amren, and the Morrigan were all waiting inside, along with none other than Cassian standing against the far wall of the room with a grin on his face. I wasted no time glaring at him, but it only made him grin wider.
"Please, have a seat," said Rhys, striding to one of the chairs in the room and gesturing for the rest of us to join him. "We're very glad you agreed to meet with us."
Tarquin replied with various pleasantries as he took a seat, Varian and Cressida right behind him. I didn't make a move until Cassian did, and I didn't sit down until after him. Based on a few looks he gave me, I knew he didn't miss what I was doing, but I also didn't care.
The meeting went on for an incredibly long time. By the third hour, I was starting to think I'd never get a chance to sneak away and get my payback. Finally, though, Rhys and Feyre announced we'd be taking a break for lunch, and I saw my opportunity.
"High Lady," I said, approaching Feyre with a respectful bow. "While we take a break from business, would you be so kind as to give my High Lord and the rest of our party a tour of your lovely home? I heard you designed it yourself, and I've been intrigued ever since."
Feyre beamed, and I felt slightly guilty for the ulterior motives. Then I glanced at Cassian on the other side of the room, and all of that faded away.
Feyre and Rhys led us through their house together, and it really was beautiful. Feyre had done a lot of the artwork on the walls herself, all portraits of her family members, and I really did feel lucky to get to see it. Then, towards the end of the tour, I found Cassian's room. I quickly made an excuse to leave the tour, saying I needed to use the restroom, and got ready to enact my plan, but Tarquin caught my arm and stopped me short.
"You are the oldest, most experienced member of my court," he said, whispering so no one but me could hear him. "Why is it that you're the one sneaking off to make diplomatic problems?"
"Because I'm the oldest, most experienced member of your court," I said back with a grin. "There's less pressure on me to prove myself, and I'm kinda over the whole 'dancing around each other and hoping for the best' thing."
Tarquin shook his head, but he didn't try to stop me either. I walked calmly down the hallway until I got around the corner, and then I wasted no time heading right for Cassian's room.
I slipped through the door, careful to keep an eye out for any traps or security systems he might have in place. I didn't find anything, and after quietly closing the door behind me, I grinned.
Time for a little revenge.
I started by short-sheeting the bed. A pretty old prank, so not necessarily the coolest, but I didn't care. It was effective.
After that, I picked up all the loose papers and other thin objects sitting out in the room and shoved them under the mattress. I found a few knives and other assorted weapons in the process (all hidden under the mattress), so I took those and threw them into random drawers. Based on how much weaponry I'd found, that last part probably wouldn't end up being much of a prank, but still.
Once all the objects in the room were adequately messed up and moved around, I tipped over the dresser and left it laying on its side. I turned the end tables and the desk upside down and left them that way, and then finally, I moved to the closet.
I opened the door to find all of Cassian's clothes hanging there, just waiting to be messed with. I pulled out a seam-ripper, which I'd gotten from one of the seamstresses in our palace. I went for the first shirt I saw, and started pulling out every third seam. The idea was, Cassian would dress like usual and not notice anything wrong, but then throughout the day his clothes would just gradually fall apart.
I got done with a shirt and a set of pants, and then I heard someone outside the bedroom door. The doorknob started to turn, so I darted into the closet and shut it behind me. Hopefully, whoever needed in here would leave quickly so I could get out without getting caught.
I tried to be as quiet as possible in the closet, but I froze completely when I heard the distinct sound of Cassian whistling. I tensed, waiting for the inevitable reaction when he noticed that something was very wrong with his room. Instead, he just kept moving around like everything was normal.
I heard him on the far side of the room, and then, in a flash, the closet doors were flying open. Cassian stood in front of me, completely blocking the doorway with his wings spread out on either side of him and a massive grin on his face.
"Hello, Y/N," he said. I just glared back at him and crossed my arms.
"Cassian. I wasn't expecting you to be back so soon."
"Come on, Y/N. I'm the general of the Night Court. Did you really think I wouldn't notice someone from another Court sneaking around my home trying to cause trouble?"
"...So Azriel tipped you off?"
Cassian shrugged. "Yeah, he gave me the specifics."
"Damn that spymaster," I grumbled. Cassian chuckled, and then I turned my glare back to him.
"So, wanna tell me what you were doing in here?" he asked. "Besides trying to get me back for something that wasn't even my fault?"
"Wasn't even- YOU DESTROYED A BUILDING!" I cried. Cassian's grin just widened as he leaned a little closer to me through the doorway, and I crossed my arms and glowered. "You're lucky I didn't just set all your furniture on fire and call it a day."
Cassian laughed. "I appreciate it."
I didn't respond, and I kept expecting Cassian to step aside, but he didn't move an inch. He just kept blocking the doorway, an insufferable smile on his stupidly handsome face.
"So what, we're just gonna stand here all day like this?" I demanded. Cassian shrugged.
"We could. Or, since you seemed to be so determined to break into my room, we could do something else before the others notice we're gone."
Cassian just kept staring at me, his eyes never leaving my face. His gaze briefly trailed down to my lips, and I quickly put the pieces together.
I stared back at the general of the Night Court, considering. He really was handsome, and he was pretty charming when he wasn't being irritating. Besides, now that I'd successfully executed my prank on his room, we were a little more even from his last visit to the Summer Court.
I smiled and leaned forward, stopping just short of Cassian's lips. I could feel his breath fanning my face, and he clearly wanted to close all the remaining distance between us ASAP, but to his credit, he waited.
"Apologize for destroying a building in my Court," I whispered, making my voice as seductive as I possibly could.
Cassian took a deep breath and glanced up at the ceiling, then met my eyes again.
"I am very sorry for destroying a building in your court," he said. I grinned and didn't waste another second before pulling him towards me. He slipped into the closet and shut the door behind us, then whispered, "Even though it was only one building and did not warrant a ban from the Summer Court."
I debated kicking him as hard as I possibly could for exactly one second, but then my back brushed up against the clothes I'd torn the seams out of, and I decided Cassian would get his due whether or not I kissed him.
Cassian's lips crashed into mine, and I wasted no time wrapping my arms around his neck and tangling my hands in his hair as I kissed him back. I deepened the kiss, and Cassian's hands started traced their way down my back as I lost myself in him. We kept going, but just before we could take it to the next level, the closet doors went flying open again. Cassian and I broke apart and turned to see Rhys and Tarquin standing in front of us with their arms crossed, neither looking particularly surprised or impressed.
After a few beats of silence, Rhys was the first to speak up.
"You're taking them for the holidays," he said, turning to Tarquin and not bothering to address Cassian or I. "Varian and Amren are already enough for us to deal with."
"Bold of you to assume any of this means Cassian's ban from the Summer Court is lifted," Tarquin replied with a grin. The two High Lords shared a smirk, then turned back to us. "Y/N, I'm glad to see you've made amends with the general of the Night Court, but we have more important things to discuss in our meeting. You can spend your free time however you like after we're finished."
I felt my face heating up, but I did my best no to show any reaction.
"Cassian... likewise," said Rhys. He and Tarquin stepped aside, clearly waiting for Cassian and I to leave the closet. I went first, with Cassian right behind me. I glanced over my shoulder at him as we headed downstairs, and he grinned at me.
"I can't wait for this meeting to be over so we can both get some free time," he said. I smiled back and winked at him before facing forward again.
This Night Court visit had turned out better than I ever could've hoped it would. I'd gotten revenge on Cassian as planned, and now as a bonus, I got to move forward in a relationship with the handsome Illyrian general.
I just hoped I was with him whenever his stitch-ripped clothes started deteriorating in public.