Born into the cut-throat Autumn Court, Eris Vanserra had been surrounded by monsters his entire life and spent most of his time scheming for the crown his cruel father still possessed. His world is thrown into chaos when an unexpected source gets to...
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ERIS
Darkness surrounded Eris and the only light was coming from a small sliver in the door crack that allowed him to peer out from where his small form sat huddled in the far corner of the deep, wooden wardrobe. Dresses of fine silk and soft velvet brushed his hunched shoulders and he tried to calm his breathing so his mother's clothing wouldn't rustle with his rapid breaths.
He had been trapped in this moment many times before.
He shouldn't have been in there - was supposed to be in sleeping in his own bed, several rooms down the hall. Terror had filled him when he'd tried to sleep, brought on by a gruesome tale his father had told while putting him to bed. So terrible a story, his mother and her handmaids that often tucked him under the covers, hadn't been able to stand by and listen.
Tiptoeing out of his room and down the hall to his mother's suite for another happier story shouldn't have been a problem. His mother had patted the far side of her bed and he'd run over and enthusiastically jumped up.
She'd been murmuring one of her usual imaginative stories to him when several sharp knocks on the door interrupted her sweet voice.
Hide had been her only whispered command, so he stuffed his small form inside one of her large wardrobes.
Eris had known the knocks belonged to his father the moment the door swung open based on scent alone. Woodsmoke, savory spices, pumpkin, and a hint of burning flesh filled his nostrils, sending a wave of anxiety through him. Being out of bed when he should have been sleeping was a punishable offense.
It would be a lesson; his father would chide while debating a suitable punishment. Eris might have to sleep on the cold floor for the next week or be forced to stay awake for nights on end until he passed out from exhaustion.
From where he hid in the wardrobe, he couldn't make out his mother's hushed words to his father, but it was clear she was trying to get him to leave, even as his hands roamed over her rich, brown robe. Eris knew his father didn't stand for having any female, even his wife, tell him what to do. A sharp snarl reverberated throughout the room seconds before Eris saw his mother being shoved against the wall, despite her protests.
Tears spilled over Eris's cheeks and he longed to jump out of his safe spot to save her, but fear kept him rooted in place. He wished to be brave but being the center of his father's wrath was worse than any nightmare.
His mother let out a shriek as a hand adorned by bulky rings whacked her across the face. The sound had startled Eris, causing him to fling his head, where it smacked into the back of the wardrobe.
Though he could no longer see through the small crack, he felt the heavy weight of his father's attention narrow on his location. He held his breath to be silent, but the two wardrobe doors were violently pulled open anyway.
