Chapter Text
“He lives there. That house.”
Eris followed the direction of Lya’s pointed finger. His gaze settled on a small stone farmhouse, flowerbeds overflowing and vines growing along the low wall penning in a smattering of livestock.
“Thank you, Lya. I’ll go alone from here.”
Lya’s wide eyes lingered a moment longer, burning with unanswered questions. Eris had asked her to track him months ago. It hadn’t been particularly hard for the spymaster — he had personally trained her himself, after all. Still, it took him weeks before he even considered stepping foot on this remote corner of Spring.
He could have winnowed, but spotting a distant figure at work he thought it best to approach on foot. He wanted to be respectful. As he drew nearer he recognized in a moment the sheet of dark auburn hair, small braids pulling wisps away from his face as the male bent over whatever project captured his attention. Before he could speak, the male had twisted, mossy green eyes flashing as quick arms pulled a bow seemingly from nowhere.
Eris stared down the pointed end of an iron arrow with nothing but a bashful smile and two hands raised.
“High Lord!”
Strong arms dropped the bow at once, and Eris was nearly sick as he watched the male grapple below his chair at wheels Eris hadn’t seen. With deft hands, the chair was turned and Eris tried not to stare at the male’s legs, shriveled from disuse.
“Forgive me. I did not mean to startle you.”
Eris felt the assessing weight of those green eyes and the time simply fell away and he was five hundred years younger. He was nothing more than an awkward youngling, tongue tied and sweating in anticipation of a beating from his father. The practiced words fled from his mouth and it was all he could do not to cringe at his own ineptitude when his mouth opened and closed not once, but twice. He was spared in the end, and he wasn’t sure he deserved the courtesy.
“I have not violated the terms of my banishment…” The male started slowly.
“No!” Eris quickly interjected. “No, you have not. I’m here…I’m here to make amends.”
“Amends?” Came the whispered reply.
“Yes.” Eris cleared his throat, unable to meet his eyes any longer and flicking them to the ground. “What was done to you…what was taken from you…it was wrong. And my father should have stopped it. I should have stopped it. It was wrong, Corbin.”
There was a long moment of quiet and every breath Eris took seemed washed in shame. He remembered Corbin so clearly he didn’t need to look at him now.
“You were but a child, High Lord. I think you overestimate your influence in that particular story.”
“Still, it has stuck with me always.” Eris’s eyes burned and his throat bobbed as he tried to swallow away the rawness that made his voice rough.
He kept his eyes on the ground lest a single glance transport him back to that day, that nightmare. Corbin had been the army’s finest soldier, set to become one of the youngest generals in the court’s history. Nobody fought with more fire and finesse than this particular son of Autumn. Eris could recall watching him fight, standing on tiptoes to peer over the training yard wall. As a youngling of barely fourteen, he had been Eris’s idol.
Whispers of gossip had pieced the story together for a young Eris long before Corbin’s unconscious body was dragged through the streets of Vesunna. He had been caught with a male, a fellow soldier. He was reviled, he was disgraced. The dignity of his family would never recover. The sneers of the court were quiet in their condemnation and it allowed Eris to hear every groan emanating from the broken, bloodied body of a male Eris had thought was invulnerable.
“I can understand why it might have made an impression on you in particular, High Lord.”
Corbin’s voice was soft and kind and Eris couldn't help lifting his eyes to try to read what the other male might not be saying. But written in the planes of Corbin’s face was sympathy, plain and earnest. He felt the air leave him in a rush.
“It was wrong. Autumn is different now.” He took a deep breath. “I wish to return your lands and title. Everything that is rightfully yours. You are banished from Autumn no longer, brother. And you are welcome to come home.”
Corbin smiled but despite the sweetness of his expression, Eris knew his gift would be denied.
“That is kind, High Lord. And greatly appreciated. But…it has been centuries since I lived in Autumn…centuries since I’ve been a noble, or even a soldier for that matter.” Corbin sighed.
“It might take some time to acclimate but —”
Eris was interrupted as the door to the farmhouse swung open. A tall, svelte male strode out into the yard clutching a shirt in one hand and furiously gesticulating with the other. Waves of soft brown hair fell down his back and across broad, pale shoulders.
“I know you just mended this shirt, Corbin, but there’s a new hole already! I tried to do it myself but I can’t get the damned thread through the damned needle and I swear to the Mother herself if —”
Light brown eyes widened as the male noticed Eris. In a blink he had himself positioned between Eris and Corbin, dropping to his knees in deference.
“High Lord.”
“Rise. No need for formalities.”
The male stood and hastily pulled his shirt over his shoulders. A patch of pale skin poked out from just underneath the breast pocket where the fabric was torn and it was as if all eyes were immediately drawn to it. Corbin and Eris let loose an amused huff, the tension dissipating as the male’s cheeks colored.
“Please.” Corbin gestured to the house. “Join us for tea. I think Neilos here baked some fresh bread this morning.”
****
Corbin’s home was simple but rough, and Eris could admit that while it absolutely would not suit his lavish tastes, it seemed comfortable nonetheless. They had gathered around the hearth to indulge in the hearty, aromatic tea that Neilos served from a battered kettle. He brought them dried fruits and soft cheeses, the bread warm and fluffy between their fingers.
“Yours?” Eris indicated the classic Spring Court sword and shield mounted about the fireplace.
“Yes, sir.” Neilos smiled.
“They were gifted to him by Tamlin's father for his service in The War.”
“You are a soldier as well then?” Eris inquired.
Corbin and Neilos exchanged a charged look.
“Yes, sir.” He said kindly with a faint blush.
“Trained in Autumn’s army. Just like me. Just like yourself.” Corbin smiled proudly as Neilos seemed to shrink in on himself.
Eris probably should have guessed by Neilos’s coloring alone that he was Autumn Court. His timidity in the company of nobility betrayed him as commonfolk almost more than his accent had, but to be singled out by a High Lord of the Spring Court he must have proved himself a formidable soldier. Eris wasn’t surprised in the least when Corbin reached out and intertwined his fingers with Neilos’s. The skittish male started but then seemed to clutch Corbin as if he were the only grounding force in a spinning room.
“We met as children, my lord. Joined the army together…left Autumn together. I owe him my life!” Corbin’s face was relaxed and calm as he gazed at his lover’s flustered shrugging.
“Corbin –”
“My hero is shy.” Corbin smirked at Eris. “There was an injury…that day. Clearly.” Corbin gestured below his waist.
Eris winced, knowing that the other male’s quick eye did not miss it.
“After my father had me whipped I was not aware of too much else…but by the time I awoke, my legs had just stopped.” Corbin made a dramatic poof noise that neither Eris, or seemingly Neilos, thought appropriate to the gravity of the story. “Cauldron knows where they dumped me in the end, I was certain I’d die there. But my hero found me!”
Corbin squeezed Neilos’s hand and the bashful male turned his burning face fully away from their small group. Eris felt a smile pull at the corner of his mouth in witnessing the couple, mismatched and hopelessly in love as they were.
“He scooped me up in his strong arms!” Corbin trilled.
“Spare me…” Neilos muttered under his breath.
“And he carried me. All the way here!” Corbin pointed at the ground.
“You’ve been here all this time?” Eris asked.
“Nearly six hundred years!”
“Then I ask you to consider my offer again, Corbin.” Eris implored. “Perhaps it’s time for a change of scenery.”
“No!” Neilos’s head snapped back into focus, his voice louder than Eris had ever recalled hearing it before. “I mean…no, thank you, sir. This is our home, and we’ll stay here. Thank you.”
“Autumn never felt like home for us…forgive me for saying so, High Lord. We were never safe there.”
“It’s different now…”
“Perhaps. But some wounds never heal.”
Eris nodded, sensing the natural end to his visit. A surge of emotion overtook him as he staggered to his feet, holding out his hands to stop Neilos from rising with him. All this time Eris had read Corbin’s legend as a tragedy bordering on cautionary tale, but he’d been wrong. It was a love story. The relief this discovery brought him was indescribable.
“High Lord!” Corbin’s voice stopped him just as he was about to winnow. “When we heard about your mating, we took out our finest bottle of wine. Toasted to you and the shadowsinger.”
“We felt it was something to celebrate.” Neilos joined.
Eris smiled at the males, knowing that if he and Azriel found half as much happiness as they had then they would be a lucky pair indeed.
Azriel shrugged a robe over his shoulders as he finally extricated himself from the massive bed at the center of his mate’s chambers. He always referred to the rooms as Eris’s, despite the fact that said massive bed had been installed with his wings in mind. He liked that Eris owned everything here, every piece of furniture, every stitch of silk, everything — including the Illyrian.
His bare feet were silent as he crossed the room, pouring Eris’s tea just the way he liked it as he absentmindedly flicked through the mail that the butler had left next to the breakfast tray.
“I’ve had a letter from Pav.”
Azriel melted as Eris’s mess of red hair popped up from the rumpled flannel sheets.
“And nothing for his father?” Eris raised an eyebrow, a smirk from his mate as his only response. “Whelp.”
Azriel cracked the wax seal and leaned his hips back against the desk. He scanned the few cramped lines quickly. Eris cleared his throat from across the room.
“He’s wishing me a happy solstice, nosy.”
“Any mention of when he’s coming home?”
“He’s enjoying university in Dawn far too much to visit his boring old family.”
“I think he’s enjoying Dawn’s females far too much…”
Azriel huffed a laugh when Eris stuck out his tongue and flopped onto his stomach. The bedspread slipped down the milky expanse of his back and Eris blew a wayward strand of hair from his brow as he pouted. Azriel’s heart seized at his mate’s casual movements, so unaware of his devastating beauty. Years had passed, their children were grown, and Autumn had steadily undergone even further transformation. It was an extensive change for a relatively short amount of time and there were moments when Azriel felt bewildered by the world around him. But his bond, nestled bright and gold in his chest, anchored him to the single most brilliant male he had ever known. And together, they were unstoppable. They were happy.
“He’s young.” Azriel waggled his eyebrows in amusement as Eris shot a glare over his shoulder. “Let him have his fun!”
“How base.” Eris scoffed. “As long as his fun doesn’t result in any royal bastards…”
“And what is wrong with being a bastard?” Azriel exclaimed in mock offense.
“Uncouth, unintelligent…” Eris began to list on his pale fingers.
Azriel was across the room in an instant, his shadows materializing him at the foot of the bed. Eris yelped as one strong hand clamped down on his ankle and yanked him down the mattress. Sharp canines sank into the meat of Eris’s shoulder as punishment and the fireling thrashed. Shadows swarmed to join the attack, tickling him until he was gasping.
“Brute!” Eris wheezed between laughs, finally pushing the shadowsinger away before catching him again for a chaste kiss. “You prove my point entirely!”
“I’ll take mercy just this once.” Azriel pressed kisses all across his mate’s beaming face. “I better get going or I’ll be late.”
Azriel attempted to stand but was thwarted by strong, lithe arms wrapped tightly around his neck. Eris smirked mischievously, fingers swirling through the fine hairs at the nape of his neck.
“Must you go play in the snow and huck chunks of ice at your brothers?”
Eris had never been particularly impressed with the annual snowball fight.
“Yes. And I can’t be late or I’ll be starting with a handicap.” Azriel carefully extricated himself from his mate’s clutching grasp.
“Boo!” Eris sat up, his glorious chest revealed in the process. “Stay here. Play with fire instead.”
“You never cease to tempt me...” Azriel growled. “But I’m not losing my lead. I’ll make it up to you tomorrow tenfold.”
“Tomorrow? You’ll really make me wait that long?”
“I think you’ll survive, my love.”
“Alright, but I’ll be sure to send every dirty, naughty thing I do to myself in your absence down the bond so you can feel it too.”
Eris had crooked his leg so the sole of his foot rested against the mattress, the sheets slipping to reveal his pale thigh. Azriel lost his focus, mouth going dry. Mother help him.
“You are an evil bastard.” Azriel sighed, barely restraining himself.
“Bastard? No, that would be you, shadowsinger. I thought we’d already established that.” Eris laughed.
Azriel flipped him off as he slipped into the shadows, deftly avoiding a pillow thrown at his head.
****
“Go on Az, tell us what it’s like.” Cassian slurred, a wicked grin curling around his face.
“What?” Azriel burped slightly.
He’d probably regret asking based on the way Cassian smirked. The three of them sat, soaked in sweat and snowflakes, melting by the roaring fire of the cabin. Beer burned in their bellies and frost still nipped at their fingertips and to Azriel, all was right in the world. He’d won again this year. He couldn’t wait to go home and brag to Eris and watch his beautiful, cheeky mate roll his amber eyes at him.
“What’s the High Lord of Autumn like in bed?” Azriel choked on a mouthful of beer, spewing it back into the bottle. He coughed vigorously, pounding on his chest as Cassian and Rhys burst into laughter.
“Rhys, make Cassian stop harassing me.” Azriel grumbled.
“I think you should answer the question, Az.” Rhys said, holding his hands up. Azriel shot him a look of betrayal as Cassian clapped him on the back. “I can’t say I’m not curious!” He shrugged, smirking.
They both looked at him expectantly. Azriel sighed in defeat. His brothers were a bad influence on him. Or maybe it was the beer.
“He’s...bossy.” Azriel said, his cheeks heating.
Both of his brothers collapsed in a fit of laughter, gripping their sides. Azriel couldn’t help but join them.
“I bet you give him everything he wants too.” Cassian said, wiping tears from his eyes.
“Like you ever say no to Nesta.” Rhys jabbed Cassian in the ribs.
“Don’t even get us started on Feyre…” Azriel smirked. Rhys sighed, tipping his head back to gulp the rest of his beer down.
“They own us.” Rhys said with a dopey smile.
“Who owns what?” Feyre shrieked from the doorway.
Three drunk brothers stumbled to their feet as their mates invaded the cabin. The surprise was a very welcome one and Azriel’s eyes zeroed in on his gorgeous male immediately.
“I don’t know why we deign to spend time in the presence of such drunkards.” Eris said imperiously as he flopped down on the sofa, dodging Azriel’s grasping hands.
Nesta settled beside him, pulling a heap of blankets across their lap and leaning against Eris in a way he allowed only her to do. It made Azriel warm just to see it.
“Oh? We’re the drunkards?” Rhys snatched Feyre around the waist, his hands delving into her pockets as she erupted into a fit of giggles. “Ah-ha!”
Rhys lifted the bottles of wine his clever wife had concealed proudly above his head for the room to see.
“Eris brought us the good stuff!” Feyre squealed, grabbing a bottle back and dropping herself unsteadily onto the nearest armchair.
“Thank the gods for Autumn Court wine!” Azriel cheered before dropping his lips close to his mate’s pointed ear. “And Autumn Court males…”
He pressed a quick kiss to the side of Eris’s smiling face, before shadowwalking to the other side of the room and relieving Rhys of the second bottle of wine. Rhys made a valiant effort to swipe it back and perhaps if Azriel had been a little more sober he might have stumbled a little less. Regardless, he fell backwards, caught only by Cassian’s strong hand clasping his forearm. He was suspended for a moment before his ale-addled brain got the better of him and yanked his brother, and consequently himself, to the ground in a tumbling heap.
The laughing brawl that ensued was heavily cheered on by Rhys and Feyre. When Azriel finally released his brother and dusted himself off, he felt the unimpressed gaze of his mate. He was too giddy to see him, he couldn’t help but crawl to his High Lord and tickle at his socked foot.
“Animal!” Eris pushed him away by the center of his forehead and took the bottle of wine from Azriel’s grasp and passed it to Nesta, its final owner.
“Traitor…” Azriel grumbled with a smile as he settled down on the floor with his back up against the sofa.
Azriel heard the pop of a cork and felt the cool fingers of his mate tangled in his hair and he thanked every god he could think of for this beautiful life.