"ERO." ANDORRA blinked at the man in front of him. He was leaning casually against the wall outside of the staircase that led to her bedroom. There was something wolfish in his expression, and his mouth was curved into a grin. He was examining a dagger in his hand.
Dagger. Andorra wasn't used to seeing weapons, not when their powers were weapons enough. It almost surprised her to see him holding it in his hand, flipping it by the tip. Something glimmered in the hilt, and Andorra narrowed her eyes to try and catch what it was.
Ero noticed. He pocketed the weapon and smiled lazily at her. "Queen Andorra." His head moved into a mock bow. "I thought we could talk."
Andorra shifted uncomfortably as Ero eyed her. Despite her show in the throne room, there was something hungry about him. And Andorra knew he would devour her whole if she let her guard down for even a moment.
"Sure. Let's go to the throne room."
"I was thinking we could talk in the air."
Andorra held his steady gaze. His grin grew across his face as he read her discomfort. Saying no was on the tip of her tongue, but then his wings flared out from behind him, and she sucked in a gasp. When she had seen them for the first time, she had been wonderstruck by the thought of having her own. And now seeing them up close... she tilted her head to get a better look.
"They're magnificent, aren't they?" Ero's voice held arrogance. "It's a shame you don't have your own. I could fix that for you, you know."
"Really?" She could hear her own desperation. It practically spilled out of her. Not quite the same girl she had been in the throne room, and shame coated her cheeks in a blotchy red. "I mean-"
"Yes, really. But we can discuss that later. Shall we fly? You want to check out my wings, and I want to see your Flayre. I think it'll be advantageous for us both."
No, it wouldn't. It was so close to coming out of her mouth, but Andorra did want to see how his wings worked. Drawn to them like a moth to a flame. "Let me call for my guard. Then we can go."
Ero didn't move out of her way when Andorra tried to advance. "What, a Queen can't protect herself?"
A scoff left her mouth at that insinuation. She pushed past him on her own, very well aware of what advantage she gave him by walking in front. She spun, walking backwards towards the main entrance, keeping her eye on him. "You're foolish if you think that I would be alone with you. And double foolish for assuming my guards would ever let me be alone."
Ero followed her, eating the steps between them, his intense eyes following her like prey. She tried, not for the first time, to place him. Spring Court made the most sense, but Clini didn't know him. Hadn't recognized him.
So, who was he?
She didn't need to stiffen when she felt cold hands press against her shoulder as she walked into someone from behind. "Hey," she heard Oberon say. "Where are you two off to?"
His voice was light, almost joking, but Andorra could hear the undercurrent of panic in his voice. Like he was unsure of where Ero had run off to.
"You're joining us on a trip in the sky. Ready a wyvern for flight." Andorra tilted her head back to smile at Oberon. "If you're up for it, that is."
"I'll grab Viir. He's stationed here while Nohx is in the area."
That piqued her interest. "Nohx is here?" Andorra had assumed he had returned to the Winter Court after their meeting yesterday. Then, she felt a little snubbed he hadn't told her himself. It seemed way more interesting to go find him than fly with Ero.
"He was called to meet with Puck. They're handling something on the Autumn Court border."
Andorra had questions she knew she couldn't ask. Not with Ero standing right there, watching their conversation with narrowed eyes. When Oberon looked up from Andorra to assess the threat across from them, Ero's responding grin had something in his gut twisting.
"Sure, bring along the little guard. Hope he can keep up." There was something akin to a jab in that comment, but Oberon didn't jump to retort. It wasn't like him. Instead, he focused back on Andorra. "Let's walk together to the stables."
The three walked to the stables in a tense silence. Oberon positioned himself in between Ero and Andorra, his body tense and alert as he observed the new man in their group. His eyes traveled over Ero's dark gray skin, the antenna poking from his hair, the corded muscles bunching under the tight fighting tunic.
This man would be an issue. Oberon knew it from the moment Ero stepped into the Royal Castle. When Ero's eyes slide to Oberon, the smirk on his lips was taunting. Oberon could tell that Ero truly believed Oberon would be easy to overcome. He wasn't threatened by the presence of a guard, or even two; it was confidence that ran in his veins.
As they approached the stables, Ero hung back, eyes tracking the wyvern that were boarded there. Not necessarily in fear, but it was clear that Ero wasn't used to seeing the creatures. There was caution in his expression.
"Such powerful creatures, don't you think?" Oberon broke the silence. Despite his own fear of the wyvern, he wasn't about to admit that to the enemy. He swallowed the lump in his own throat when he approached Viir, shoving the fear far down as he hesitated.
Andorra could read him immediately. She stepped up and grinned at Ero. "Want to meet my Flayre again? Or do you want to jump into the air first?"
The diversion was enough. Ero, making a clear decision, let his wings flare out and then he shot into the sky. It gave Oberon a moment to suck in a deep breath and he approached Viir with an outstretched hand that shook. "Hi Viir," he tried.
Andorra let out a giggle. "Are you ready?" She called to Pyatt.
"I'm circling ahead. Your... friend looks positively terrified. We did well."
Andorra watched as Pyatt circled above, then dove towards her fast enough to be nothing but a blur of orange and red. Past Andorra may have been scared at the sight of the firebird racing to the ground, but now she knew better. Knew that she wasn't in danger.
Pyatt landed right in front of her, flames spreading out underneath him in a rush of heat. Andorra let the force of his landing blow the hair back from her face, but she didn't flinch. She rushed to climb up onto his back, patting Pyatt on the neck as she watched Oberon climb onto the back of Viir.
He gave her a thumbs up, looking only slightly green as Pyatt shot into the air. Andorra held on tightly, grinning as the air rushed against her face. By the time he leveled out, Andorra could see Ero's wings beating against the air to keep him still. He eyed Andorra and the Flayre, keeping a healthy distance.
Pyatt snapped his beak at Ero.
"So, what sort of fancy flying maneuvers did you want to show off?" Andorra watched as Ero's wings beat, sort of like a butterfly, and he made it look easy. Made it look like flying was very little effort. And Andorra wanted that.
"I'd like to see if you and your guard can keep up."
Ero shot up higher, and Andorra didn't even have to tell Pyatt to follow. The flayre raced after him, forcing Andorra to hold on tightly as they flew up at a near ninety degree angle. When Ero flattened out to fly straight, Andorra felt her chest loosen, felt her heart steady itself again.
She glanced down to see Oberon and Viir, both following closely. A grin slid against her lips as she remembered what she had probably looked like on the back of Viir, terrified and weak. During Cadmus, Andorra had been a different girl.
"Faster. I want to catch up with him," Andorra demanded to Pyatt. "Make him eat his words."
Pyatt took well to her demands. He kicked up the speed, sparks of flames trailing in their wake. Power thrummed in Andorra's veins, and not for the first time, she realized just how capable she was as a Queen. Not the scrap of a human in that dingy high school. Not the scrap of a girl who was unsure and self conscious in the hallways of Hornwell. She had left that version of herself so far behind that Andorra was sure Shaniah and the other bullies wouldn't even recognize her now.
And Ero was the same sort of bully. Andorra had traded her old bullies for new ones: Roseria, Aihfie, Ero.
"You can take them all," Pyatt reassured her. "Never again will they underestimate you."
They flew for hours. Andorra didn't care; Pyatt wasn't fatigued. And she hadn't had the chance to even fly for fun on Pyatt's back, not since bonding with him. Even if she was flying with Ero, she still felt the adrenaline racing through her system, bringing her back to Cadmus. And not for the first time, she missed what her life had been like during that time.
It was nearly a year ago she was meeting Viir for the first time.
That alone had her blinking. It had nearly been two years since she was living a human existence, so unaware of what was to come. Two years.
Ero let himself free fall towards the ground, ending their session without a single word. Andorra and Pyatt followed, a real smile stretched across her face. "We should do this more often," she suggested. "It was fun."
"More fun without the enemy," Pyatt grumbled as he landed, the ground shaking from the force. Ero was pretending to brush off his flying clothes, but Andorra could tell her was just trying to keep his cool around the Flayre. It made her smile widen.
"You keep up well," Ero said. His tone was slightly resigned. "Where did your little guard end up?"
Andorra watched the skies, spotting Viir heading their way, beats too late. Probably because of how terrified Oberon was to be on his back. "If you think you're going to kill me right here, you're mistaken." She snorted. He'd be idiotic to try anything with Pyatt standing over her shoulder.
"Extremely mistaken." A dark voice greeted them, and Andorra couldn't stop the excitement that surged when she spun to see a familiar head of dark hair heading their way.
"Hey! You're back!"
By the time Nohx was close enough to touch her, Viir was circling overhead to find a spot to land that wouldn't crush them. His eyes were dark, and his face was back to its usual mask, but Andorra didn't care. She forced herself to keep her hands off of him as she turned back to Ero.
He tilted his head. "This one isn't dressed like a guard. Pretty unprofessional, don't you think?"
"I'm not a guard." Nohx leveled Ero a look. "Who might you be?"
Ero looked between Andorra and Nohx. She could practically see the gears working in his mind. "You're right... you hold too much power to be a guard. I can practically feel it in your bones. Although, I will admit I was surprised to find a Court Prince's son as your guard, Queen Andorra. But this one is certainly different. Not a guard then, but not a King, either. Interesting."
"This is Ero," Andorra introduced. "Our friendly spy." She shifted to look at Ero with a smile. "Make sure to report that I can fly just as fast as you can."
"I think this union is more interesting than your flying skills."
"Union?" Andorra felt her expression narrow.
Ero grinned, a greasy little thing, and it sent shivers down Andorra's spine. "I can practically see the way you both gravitate towards each other. No need to hide that you're together. And with the possessive way he looks at you, it's obvious. He's not guarding you because he pledged his allegiance. He's guarding you because you're involved. Interesting indeed."
Panic filled Andorra's chest. Were they being obvious? Had she given Nohx a look that spelled it out? She forced herself not to look at Nohx, not to further incriminate them-
"I'm more interested in you," Nohx interrupted. "You didn't say which Court you were from, Ero. My Queen may be welcoming, but I am not."
Viir chose that moment to land, a queasy Oberon sliding from him back nearly immediately. He stumbled when he landed, nearly diving head first into Ero. It happened so fast that both Oberon and Ero didn't have time to do much more than react. Ero caught Oberon, grasping his shoulders to keep the white haired fae from plowing him into the ground. Oberon, also trying to keep his balance, grasped Ero's shirt tightly.
"Holy shit," Oberon groaned. "How do you fly without the vertigo? The world is spinning."
Ero sneered. "Tell your guard to get a grip."
But Andorra didn't say anything. Just watched as Ero's hands lingered on Oberon's shoulders, holding on a touch too long. Watched as his eyes tracked Oberon's queasy expression with a little too much intensity. Watched, and became way more intrigued in whatever this union was.