AN:

Sorry for the late update! Am trying to find time to write around my work now that I'm back at uni, so updates might slow a little x

Thank you all for staying with ACOB and hope you're enjoying it so far!

*

Another day passed quickly, and soon enough Fiona was back to full health. In the morning she pushed her body more than she ever had before, ate the most exotic of foods at lunch, and in the evenings she drank in the company of the inner circle of the Night Court. It was different, knowing that she wouldn't have to go back to the Mountain Palace and her family at the end of the night - her laughter came easier, and the hours of training under the weak winter sun lifted freckles from her skin that she hadn't seen since the quiet years of her childhood. 

Although the dark was never far away. On her second night it crept in as it always did, shadows lengthening around the attic room into the shape of wicked sneers and long, thin noses creeping up the wall. They began to blur together until she felt like she was drowning in them and - perhaps on instinct after their training - Fiona winnowed to Bella's room in the middle of her nightmare. She'd woken to the Illyrian's yelp of surprise as she landed on a wing, and immediately scrambled to apologise despite the sweat coating her forehead, despite that knife of a smile still burned into her eyelids. 

The next day they trained again, and Fiona was able to perform basic evasive manoeuvres with more success, elbowing, twisting and then winnowing out of every exercise Cassian thought up for her. She began to enjoy the way her body ached after hours on the rooftop, and found a strange satisfaction in feeling the groan of her muscles at the end of a long day.

On one such evening she was huddled around the dining table in the townhouse, a bottle of wine between her Illyrian companions and a hearty dinner digesting. A fireplace roared on one side of the room, warming their cheeks with an orange glow - though it hardly made a difference to Gabriel, who was already a little pink from all the wine. Lord Cassian had even deigned to join them for a drink, though Fiona didn't complain when he declined Bella's suggestion they invite her mother, the legendary Nesta Archeron.

Fiona was now well accustomed to the slightly hollow feeling that came from sitting amongst the Night Court; knowing that as welcome as she was, she might never have a family such as theirs. And she would have been content to listen to them share stories all night, to hear about Xander and Bella fighting back to back in the Blood Rite, and watch Cassian name the countless scars coating his shoulders by the monsters that gifted them. Inevitably, however, the conversation soon worked its way back to her and the Autumn Court.

"So, Fiona," Cassian's grin faded a little as he opened another bottle. "What's the plan?" He pulled the cork out with his teeth and dropped it onto the tablecloth. "You seem like a clever girl, so you must know you can't hide here forever."

Their smiles faltered but Fiona nodded. "I know," she sighed. "But I don't know what I could do without implicating all of you in a political mess," she answered, frowning. She caught Riordan's eye. "Is there any chance your father would take me in?"

He looked away guiltily. "I've already asked. Several times, actually. Helion is dedicated to his people – he wouldn't see the sense in risking Eris' wrath at a time where relations between courts are strained at best." Riordan's eyes met hers. "No matter who it was for."

A twinge of disappointment tugged her heart, though in truth, Fiona wasn't surprised. She glanced to Xander. "And I assume Lord Rhysand would feel the same."

Xander looked thoughtful. "Perhaps not. He's done it before."

Quiet laughter rumbled through the room. Fiona realised they were talking about Feyre Cursebreaker, but that hardly gave her hope. What the High Lord of the Night Court was willing to do for his mate and what he was willing to do for a bastard Vanserra were likely very different.

"Maybe your old man can broker a deal," Cassian suggested to Xander, topping up his daughter's glass. "If anyone can persuade a weasel like Eris it's Rhys."

"And then I'd...what- live here?" Her eyes passed over those gathered around the table, their answering nods warming her heart.

"If that's what you would want." Xander told her. Fiona turned to him, the faintest ghost of a smile playing at his lips. 

"Of course that's what I'd want." She hardly dared whisper in the firelight, afraid that fate might hear and change her tune. Her eyes slid to Bella, who was leaning back with that coy, dangerous smile of hers. "If you would have me, I wouldn't rather be anywhere else in the world." Fiona beamed. 

Cassian grinned back, canines flashing in a way that reminded her of his daughter. "If you have as many cousins as I've heard, Fiona, then surely your uncle could be persuaded to let you go."

"I'm afraid it might not be as simple as all that."

Heads turned as Nyx appeared, a blur of magenta magic fading behind him. Leaning against the awning in the hall, something in his posture was unusually severe as he took in the company in the dining room. Diana was beside him, though as usual his short, wingless mate kept silent as the first son of Night prowled toward the others. 

"You've returned from court." Xander said, a little stupidly. Perhaps the wine had lulled him out of his usual careful canniness, or perhaps, like Fiona, he was taken aback by the stiffness in his brother's shoulders, the sternness of his brow.

"Yes brother, I've returned from court," Nyx's lip twitched a little. Diana melted away from his side to sit near Gabriel, who regarded his sister with a look Fiona couldn't quite place. "While you've been playing house these last few days," Nyx growled. "Father and I have been trying to sort out the mess you made."

Fiona felt Xander bristle beside her, but frowned. "The mess who made?"

Nyx's eyes slid to Fiona, and suddenly she wished she hadn't asked.

"Lord Eris refuses to depart." he explained gravely. "He keeps his entire court with him, and they begin to grow discontent. He's causing quite the scene." 

There was a heavy moment of silence before Cassian grunted, wood creaking beneath him. "Rhys will talk to him." he said firmly, half to Nyx and half to Fiona. "He'll sort it out."

Nyx looked as though he might protest but Riordan piped up. "Eris is opportunistic to his core," he commented. "I wouldn't be surprised if he's making a fuss in favour of gaining something from Rhysand."

"He won't miss a chance to negotiate." Gabriel hiccuped, agreeing. 

Rhysand's eldest glanced around the room and then sighed. His wings slumped a little as he took a seat, though his movements were still coiled and cat-like even in fatigue. "Will the rest of you give Fiona and I a moment alone, please?"

The room had departed before Fiona had even registered what he was saying. The wine was fuzzing her thoughts but she knew to be alert. Xander spared her a glance from the doorway before he disappeared. 

Once they were alone, Nyx turned to face her, his gaze earnest and his posture slumped.

"Fiona," Nyx sighed again. "I can understand why you would want to stay with us and find a place here in Velaris. But you don't understand the scope of the situation. You know Eris - this isn't about some darling niece, this is about pride."

Fiona found the courage to look him in the eye. He softened a little, and gave her a sympathetic smile. Though his tone was gentler than she'd ever heard it, somehow she was more afraid of him now than ever. 

Nyx cocked his head to the side. "Don't you agree?"

Suddenly she was hoping the others hadn't wandered too far.

Fiona swallowed, and nodded slowly. "Yes. It's about pride." 

Of course it was. Eris had stood by as Helion came and snatched Riordan from his fold. He'd spent the summit being ridiculed by every other High Lord and Lady in Prythian and eventually beaten down to submission. He'd borne the whispers of his own court for a century before bringing them to the Night Court as audience to his humiliation.

The realisation had clearly dawned across her face, because Nyx nodded approvingly. 

Fiona's stomach plummeted. "He won't back down."

"No, he will not. It doesn't matter how little he values you, this is between High Lords, and Eris will refuse to see it as anything but. Now," Nyx held her gaze steadily, as though afraid he might lose her concentration. "I know you're not like the rest of the Autumn Court. You want this all resolved peacefully, don't you?"

His words were soothing, caressing her roiling insides with their gentle touch. Fiona nodded.

"Of course, no one wants this to get messy. And you don't want your new friends to take the fall for you, do you?"

"No," she answered a little thickly but nonetheless insistently. Nyx's smile was almost maternal, inviting her in, to give in. 

Give in? she thought. What was she fighting? Her arms had been aching from training but they weren't any longer. Training - yes, she'd been practicing. But why? The answer was hard to grasp, the thought slippery inside her mind, and replaced by the warmth coming from Nyx's encouraging smile.

"If I were you, I would think about going back home. A lot of good people could be hurt on both sides if you stay here," Nyx explained gently. "I know neither of us want that." She didn't, he was right. "And I hear you're very talented - why, you could winnow back to the palace right now. It would all be over so quickly!" Pink lips stretched to a brilliant smile and Fiona found herself smiling back. She was talented - she glowed to hear him say it. And maybe Nyx was right!

He made it sound so simple. But soft as he seemed, his eyes simmered with something deeper that she couldn't quite place, and for a moment she had the distinct impression that she was watching purple gears turning in his pupils. The image was strange enough that it caught her off guard, and she blinked.

The crackling of the fire came back into earshot, and suddenly every tick of the old grandfather clock in the corner sounded deafening. 

"What did you..." she frowned, trailing off. 

The silence lengthened between them and the lines on Nyx's face morphed into something like disappointment. "I was hoping we would be able to see eye to eye on this."

He was beautiful, Fiona realised. In so many ways he looked like Xander, perhaps how Xander might've looked without his crooked jaw and distant demeanour. But something about those eyes blared like warning signs, and as Fiona was steeped in the scent of his discouragement, she had the presence of mind to stand up. Nyx's slender ears were brushed by his perfectly dark curls as he shook his head.

"It's a shame, Fiona," he told her. "That you would put yourself before your friends and family like that."

He wasn't looking at her but his tone had taken that entrancing melody again, his words lapping at the edge of her mind like seawater looking for a crack, an opening. She opened her mouth to retort something wildly inadvisable, but- 

Heavy footsteps sounded in the hallway.

Cassian's looming figure appeared. He looked at Nyx and tapped his temple. "Your dad called," he smirked. "He and Eris are meeting tomorrow. Your fate will be decided then, Fiona." he called somewhat morbidly before vanishing from sight. 

She took one last look at Nyx, watching her closely beneath that look of paternal disapproval, and strode out of the room, catching Cassian on the landing. He raised an eyebrow expectantly. 

"Tell him to meet Eris alone," Fiona breathed. "Without anyone around, just the two of them."

Cassian glanced between her and the dining room, where they both knew Nyx was listening just out of sight. In a moment, a small smile crept across the warrior's stubbled chin.

"I will," he nodded, and began climbing the stairs. "And for your sake Fiona, I hope High Lord Eris wakes up on the right side of bed!"

Nyx appeared behind her, the air stirring on her palms as he skulked across the hallway of the townhouse. 

"For all our sakes," he murmured. "I hope so too."