A Court of Games and Fate

Clare Beddor

          "Who is this Clare Beddor?" Andromeda demanded her father through their mental connection.

          The court held Under the Mountain had been abuzz with the soon passing of the Spring Court's deadline. One particular name kept floating about after her father's latest return from Lord Tamlin. A name of a human girl that had apparently been with the High Lord.

          "You never told me there was a girl. You said there was no hope for them," Andromeda seethed at the inner wall of her father's mind. She mentally banged on his walls, hoping it gave him a headache.

          Eris had luckily been carefully avoiding her these last couple of weeks thanks to their awkward encounter, but now with the Spring Court failing to break the curse, Andromeda was dreading having to go through with the marriage as planned. Her father had promised that he would handle everything and she trusted him. Now she hears of him selling out the human girl to her mother. Their one shot aside from Andromeda herself was gone and, though she felt like a coward to admit it, she was terrified.

          With no answer from her father, Andromeda was left to her silent chambers with her roaring thoughts and pacing feet.

          The next morning, Andromeda was welcomed by none other than Eris Vanserra. She was exhausted from a night of no sleep and barely remembered to keep up her ruse of the flustered female to her now fiance. As frustrated as she was with him, Andromeda did have to give her father props for his ability to stay in character for decades.

          "Good morning, Your Highness," Eris cheerily greeted, with a smirk likely due to the dark circles under her eyes. "Sleep well?"

          "What? Do I not look like I've had my fill of beauty sleep?" She snarked back. His chuckle was refreshing to hear, even if she couldn't get the images her father showed her out of her mind. The version of Eris she had grown to treasure was so different from a male who would do something like that.

          "You'll never hear me claim differently," Eris responded. He offered her his arm, and at her questioning glance responded, "The court's presence is required in the main hall. Apparently, the Attor brought in that human woman early this morning."

          Andromeda's stomach sank. It took everything in her power to raise her chin and smirk in the cool way her father so often did, hiding all the true emotions deep down within her. Her father had never responded to her mental lashings throughout the night so she could only imagine what brought his mental walls up so high, impenetrable by even her.

          "Shall we then?" she replied in a near giddy way, just as she had all those weeks ago before everything changed. Wrapping her arm through his, the pair set off.

          There was a tense silence at the beginning of their walk, both fully aware that this was the first time they'd been alone since Andromeda's painfully awkward attempt at spying on his mind. She was half tempted to try again with the newer training she had received from her father, but she dared not. At least, not while she was so distracted, walking to the room where she would see the destruction of the fae people's last hope.

          "Are you alright, Andromeda?" Eris slowed his walking. Using her actual name was a shock to her. Eris was normally so proper with the formal titles. Looking into his eyes, Andromeda felt even more conflicted with the memory of her father's intel. Eris genuinely seemed concerned. Would a horrible male even feel proper concern? Perhaps if it was for themself.