A Court of Flame and Shadow (Azriel x eris)

Chapter 30: Azriel

Sun flowed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the palaces great hall. Rows of hundreds of chairs, all plated in gold, glistened in the golden light. A hundred meters of white velvet fell down the between all the throne-like seats. Only the best, it seemed, for the High Lords least favorite son.

"Ready?" Azriel turned to Elain. The wedding party loitered in the hallway outside the room full of people, peering through the window, listening carefully for their musical cue. 

Elain nodded, dropping back to Nesta, who would walk her down the aisle. At her direction, the rest of the wedding party organized themselves, Rhys and Feyre stepping forward to the door.

Music flowed into the hall as the doors opened magically, and the High Lord and Lady stepped forward to the long carpet. Before they could catch a glimpse of Lucien as the alter, the doors shut.

Cassian and Mor were next to walk out, pulling their heads in just in time for the music to reach their cue, and for them to walk out.

Jurian would walk next, with Meredith, who was blushing at being so close to what one could describe as the "raw sexual appeal" that was Jurian. He didn't ham it in though, he simply offered her an arm, which she took with a giggle.

Vassa and Azriel stepped forward to the door, Vassa stopping for a moment to adjust her dress.

"You look lovely, Vassa." Azriel murmured as the doors opened. She beamed up at him.

"Thank you, shadowsinger, as do you."

The queen carried her with a grace that Azriel suspected made him look like a peasant beside her, but she didn't seem to mind. Vassa just sent out polite smiles and nods to every row of people.

As they neared the front, a flash of red turned gold in the sun caught Azriels eye. Sitting on the end of the front row sat Eris, dressed in a simple white shirt and brown pants with a matching brown jacket. A simple outfit turned stunning on such a beautiful male.

Eris turned his head to watch them down the aisle, but did not make eye contact. Didn't even blink. Still, with the light reflecting off his amber eyes, he looked like a god.

When they reached the alter, and split off to their respective sides, Azriel found himself looking directly at his mate, who was looking nowhere near him.

From his pointed ears, a gold chain hung, flaunting a glowing emerald at the bottom, catching the light and sending rainbows over the floor.

The service became a blur from then, Elain walking to the alter barely in the back of his mind. It was only when Gwyn announced that they may kiss that Azriel finally tore his eyes off the luminescent male in front of him. 

~

After the service, the hall emptied, crowds of people, most of which Azriel suspected neither the bride nor the groom knew. Despite the dense crowd, he kept a close eye on one figure, following that opulent earing out the door and down the hallway. 

As his family began to mingle with one another, he turned to the now married couple to wish them congratulations. Yet he pulled up short. Elain stood wrapped around her new husband. Feyre cradled Nyx with Rhysand at her shoulder. Varian kept an arm around Amren as he spoke to Mor and Emerie, who traded occasional looks that could only mean one thing. Nesta and Cassian were whispering to each other, Vassa and Jurian holding tight hands as they spoke to Meredith. 

People who got to be with the one they loved with hardly any struggle, people who were ungrateful for what came easy. People who got to wake up every morning beside their mate. And it had been five hundred years he had waited. How dare anyone stop him. How dare anything come between them.