A Court Of Storms And Death

Chapter 6

"You know if you just asked, I would be happy to fill you up in more ways than one, my darling wi....uh, I mean Aurora."

Mum-dammit.

I have known the Violet eyed smirking cat for all of two seconds, and I have already deduced that he was a Class-A moron.

I suppressed a exasperated sigh, as his aunt Mor squinted at the both of us with an equal mixture of extreme suspicion and amusement.

Archeron, on the other hand, didn't even look remotely phased. He stared right back at his aunt with a lazy smile. I wonder if he would still smile the same way if I stabbed him in the balls.

The thought of that made me smile as I looked at him, only to find him staring right back at me.

Archeron wasn't all that...  bad looking. He had a strong jaw, and really nice eyes, almost the hue of amethysts in one of my mother's crowns, with raven black hair curling around the nape of his neck and a full sensuous mouth, always on the verge of a secret half smile.

Okay fine. He was ...moderately good looking. Thats all I'll allow myself to admit for now.

He hadn't taken his eyes off of me as I stood there shamelessly ogling him. His gaze was so intensely fixed upon me that I might have blushed. Might have, had I not been the mother of all things embarrassing. The only good thing about that was I no longer cared.

I refused to back down from his staring. Seriously, this was getting weird. My eyes were starting to water, but there's no way in hell I'm letting him win.

"Did you two forget that I was standing here, while you were gazing longingly at each other?", his aunt Mor, who I, truthfully, had forgotten was standing there, snickered.

He blinked, tearing his gaze away from me and looked at his aunt, who I could see, was struggling to hold back her laughter.

Honestly, with that long honey blonde hair, that pie eating grin on her face, and red dress which hinted at her impeccable sense of fashion, Mor reminded me too much of my mother.

I swallowed back the lump in my throat as I thought of my mother. Aelin of the Wildfire, the all powerful Queen of Terrasen. Our people spoke of my mother in awe, about how she had fought and killed and sacrificed for them, built them an empire out of ash, bards and poets sing my mother's and father's name for generations to come, but I have got the original one at home, and I know for a fact that she's a bit of a tosser.

Still a scary one, but the sentiment remains the same.

I tried to even out my breathing. Moping around is not going to get me back home.

I focused on my surroundings, only to find Archeron staring at me. Yet again.

One of these days, I was going to scoop his eyes out.

I scowled at him in response. "Werent you going to take me to see the High Lord and High Lady?"

It was Mor who asked, "And why would you need to see them?" Her face remained friendly and open, yet her tone had a hint of wariness in it. She had shifted her position slightly too, as if it intercept any attack that might occur.

Interesting. She was a member of their court then. Mor had a charming persona, one that could be used effectively as an emissary.

But she also held a certain amount of authority in her stance, perhaps she was a Lady who governed one of the provinces in their Court, like Aunt Elide or Aunt Lysandra.

It was who Archeron who answered, "Shes the one I found in the Court of Nightmares." Something like anger flickered across his face. He took a deep breath before answering. "She saved the lady -Ishar- from those assholes."

Thats what her name was. Ishar. Wait, where was she ?

Almost as if seeing the question on my face, which he probably did, since my mental shields were back on, he said, "Aunt Mor is helping her heal and ...adjust", nodding to his aunt, who had a dangerous gleam in her eye.

I sighed in relief. But I still had questions.

"Why were those males targeting her in the first place?"

Mor's lips curled. "She refused to marry the son of one the lords whom her father had so lovingly sold her to".

I tried to keep from snarling. Males and their audacity continues to astonish me.

"Although", Mor continued, a hint of amusement creeping into her voice, "now that I know who you are, I would like to personally apologise for the choice of clothes", she said, gesturing to the unmistakably male, and - from the scent of it- unmistakably Archeron's, huge sweater that I donned.

Mor slid a sly look to him. 

"The little bat wouldn't let any of us touch you when you were injured", she grinned at her nephew, wiggling her eyebrows at him.

I briefly wondered why she had called him a little bat, before I scowled at him. Archeron didn't even look remotely apologetic.

"I must get going." Mor said, as she glanced at a pocket watch she had taken out from the folds of her red dress, although I suspected it was a mere excuse to leave the halls before I spilled her nephew's blood.

 "Rhys said that everyone is waiting for the both of you in the dining. Aurora,a pleasure," poking that idiot Archeron on his stomach lightly, before grinning at the both of us and sidling away, her heels clacking on the black marble floors.

I watched her walk away, and then looked at up at Mr. Violet Eyes. And I meant looked way up. He was almost a foot taller than me, about the same size as Uncle Aedion. 

The subject of my height was always a sore spot for me. My father was huge, and my mother really tall as well, but I, quite literally, got the short end of the stick. Fenrys constantly teased me about it, but he ceased to do that again when I set his hair on fire. 

I swear that my father had cried tears of joy and pride that day.

Archeron shifted slightly, drawing me out of my thoughts. He leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets, frowning slightly and watching me, - well, not to be self absorbed, but- like a hawk.

"Would you like to change before we head off to the gallows, 'wife'?", he spoke so suddenly that I was startled.

Oh ho. It does take two to tango.

Please tell me if you liked this chapter. Or if there's any special tropes that you would like me to add. Constructive criticism is  much appreciated.

Next chapter coming soon!