A Court of Spark and Shadow; acotar

v. marriage

The evening Eris is set to arrive, I find myself on the roof of the riverside house. My head is tilted toward the darkening sky. The folds of my soft dress brush against my bare, exposed legs as clouds tumble and roil above me. 

I am waiting for the unmistakable black smudge of wings to appear from the canvas of gray clouds. But as time ticks on, I know that I can't delay my parents. 

When I peel myself from the room and make my way into the kitchen, my parents are talking with Nyx spiritedly. Their attire matches mine - black and silky, undoubtedly costly. 

When I was younger, I would wear the same dress for weeks. I would wear it until it was stained and reeked. I loved the way it made my mother frown. One evening, I found that someone had put a spell on the dress. At the end of each day, the fabric would shift and become anew. I never wore it again. 

"Belladonna," my mother sighs, tilting her head at me with weary eyes, "Must you make us late by watching the sky again?" 

"Sorry," I reply curtly and duck my head so that they do not see my face turn red. 

"Eris is set to arrive at the House of Wind any moment now. We should get going. Grab your brother's arm,"

With a grumble, I loop my arm through Nyx's. He looks down at me with a mocking smirk.

"You are lucky your arm healed in time. Wouldn't it be mortifying for you to have to tell the High Lord how you lost a fight so pathetically to me?" Nyx taunts, as he grabs my arm tight and squeezes it. I grit my teeth to keep from crying out.

"All I remember from that day was how you fell to your knees after one punch from me," I hiss, "You had to use your powers because you knew you wouldn't win in hand-to-hand combat,"

My brother bares his teeth. His violet eyes begin to flare with anger but my mother interrupts us with another tired sigh.

"Belladonna, stop teasing your brother," she commands as she steps into my father's arms. He nods down at her as she continues, "We must get going. Eris has arrived."

With that, my parents winnow, sending a cloud of shadows and darkness fluttering. Nyx looks down at me with a scowl, "See what you do little sister? You tire our mother so much that she can hardly stand to look at you,"

I try to ignore him but my brother continues his torment, "I think it would be in everyone's best interest if we did wed you off to the Autumn High Lord. At least then, you wouldn't be our problem anymore," he smirks, "you would be his."

As his words cut deep into me, he gives me a wink before we winnow. After a moment of dizziness and darkness, I smell the House of Wind as we arrive. Fresh food, sweet vanilla-scented candles, and something different and new, maple and grass.

As my body and eyes adjust, I feel Nyx as he shoves himself away from me.

"I wonder if the High Lord knows that you don't have any powers, shall I go inform him?" Nyx calls over his shoulder as he walks around the corner of the hallway. He disappears.

My head swings as I lean a hand against the wall of the hallway. I have never been able to handle winnowing. It makes me utterly sick. Nyx knows this.

My feet feel laden as I make my way down the hallway, following the noise and clicking of drinks. The dinner for Eris is being held on the largest balcony, the one with the best view of the city's nightlife. Eris is the last High Lord to visit Velaris. And my parents have not spared any expenses for this dinner. The finest wine, cutlery, and music. I wonder if it is to impress him so much that he leaves not only with fond memories but with a potential marriage arrangement too.