A Court of Fire and Starlight (ACOTAR Fan Fiction)

Cracks in the Door

ERIS

Under the Mountain was a monotony of cruel spectacles, each less interesting to watch than the last. Amarantha had done just about all that could be done short of slitting all their throats and finding new spectators to entertain. She'd had her loyal guards pin down one of Thesan's Peregryns so she could pluck his feathers until she'd gotten bored and insisted upon audience participation. Eris had done as he'd been instructed without showing an ounce of remorse. In truth, he hadn't felt any. He'd felt nothing at all for the screaming male, except for a bit of jealously, knowing he was at least being put out of his misery.

Eris felt very little at all until a ragged human found her way into Amarantha's court. She didn't look like much and proved herself to be every bit as breakable as she'd appeared when her bones crunched during Amarantha's welcome. Eris was inclined to toy with her if the opportunity arose until she gave her name for Lucien. It stirred something within him, reminding him of all he'd done to ensure his youngest brother remained alive and mostly whole.

When she answered the riddle he found to be incredibly obvious, her face morphed, if only slightly. Eris looked at her with curiosity as Amarantha screamed in rage. Those gathered were hopeful and masks hit the stone ground, but Eris just watched. The hue of her wide eyes deepened to violet before the deafening sound of her neck and spine snapping rang in his ears. It echoed as his father blazed once more with magic beside him, but Eris couldn't think beyond the sound and the ache it caused him.

Rhysand bellowed and for some reason, Eris didn't find it odd. Looking to his right, Eris waited expectantly as Tamlin fell beside the dead human girl.

Beron didn't budge, but he was supposed to. Eris knew he was. This felt familiar and his father was meant to offer a kernel of his magic to bring the girl back. Eris needed him too. Gods he never wished for his father to do something more than right then. He'd offer anything - give anything for his father to step forward.

Instead, his father turned to him and a wicked smile curved up the corner of his lip. "You think I'd willingly give you happiness you've done nothing to deserve?"

People stared, nodding their heads in agreement. He didn't understand. What did the human with peculiar eyes have to do with anything?

"Eris."

A phantom hand brushed his shoulder, causing him to jerk into awareness.

Everything shifted and he realized he was not stuck Under the Mountain, but only in his bed.

Rikoh loomed above him, trying to mask his concern. He was the only guard that had access to Eris's private chambers since Eris deemed him unlikely to ever put a knife through his chest in the dead of night.

"Did my father bring her back?" Eris blurted, uncaring that he sounded winded.

Rikoh blinked. "What?"

"Feyre?" Eris said in a rush, hoping the past few weeks and even the last decades of his life hadn't been a dream. "Did he help bring her back?"

"Yes," Rikoh tentatively said, looking him over as a healer might. "Regretted it until the day he died. Probably curses her in death for birthing his executioner."

A long exhale puffed out of Eris's mouth along with tendrils of steam. It had been a nightmare. Just a dream. Astra existed, though he'd seen very little of her over the last several days. He avoided her during the day, just to be plagued by dreams relating to her and his father at night.

He didn't know what to think of her. She intrigued and annoyed him with her foolish curiosity.

"She also hasn't made any progress in the caves," Rikoh continued, causing Eris to sigh.