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raspberrysunshinebby · 2 years

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The Four Betrotheds

A Two Choices story

Pairing: Eris x Reader

Summary: Hundreds of years before High Lord Beron’s death and the meeting of Azriel stood a young girl, 23, who was attempting to be married off for her families sake. A good marriage was the only thing a women at the time was taught to do for her family. When four of her engagements fall through in the span of three years the girl is called “cursed”, little does she know, the failed engagement's have nothing to do with her but instead the son of the High Lord and her childhood friend.

Warnings: sabotaged marriages, childhood friends to lovers, Beron, Idk its mostly fluff, mention of a child being married off to an older man (Mor and Eris), cycles are mentioned (fun fact I started mine when I was 8), a character name I stole off House of the Dragon, sexist themes and views from characters

Word Count: 5260

As my brothers told me that my betrothed would not be attending the ball this evening meant to celebrate our engagement it hit me that I, once again, was not getting married. The fourth time this had happened and I had truly hoped that this would be the last time I’d been betrothed. None of my previous engagements had made it this far, two fleeing to marry other women they had truly been in love with and the other one who simply stated that he did not wish for my hand despite my large dowry.

I sat on one of the seats in my brother's office. My brother Silas sat in his respective chair as two of my other brothers, Cardan and Flint, stood by me their hands on my shoulders, finally, Prescott was busy trying to hunt down the Lord I was supposed to marry in four days' time. Prescott was always one to try and fix a situation with force.

I sat there in my brother's office, not sad, but instead embarrassed. Guests had already arrived, including High Lord Beron, the one that had organized this match in the first place. I wondered how angry he’d be when he found out the Lord I was arranged to marry was in fact not here, but most likely drunk at some brothel while I sat in my brother's office in the dress that my betrothed mother picked out.

Part of me could sense my brother's relief, knowing how similar the Lord was to my father I couldn’t blame them. I knew how much this ruined my chances of finding a good husband, four failed arrangements, no good man would want a woman who was now 23 with four failed arrangements. I knew once this caught wind I would be called “cursed” and “an old hag”. Silas told Cardan to go fetch the High Lord, Flint was told to bring me out. Silas told him he didn’t care how but to just bring me out of the office for a bit until he said to come back.

Flint had decided a walk around our gardens was the best option, he said he wanted to try to take my mind off it but I honestly just believed it was because where we were in the gardens gave us a clear view as to who was in the office. Silas had failed to put curtains up, giving us both a clear view.

We watched Cardan enter right again with High Lord Beron and my friend, Prince Eris, the heir to the Autumn Court, following as well. Flint gave me a look, before he moved to go under the window me following, keeping us hidden but close enough to listen to what they were discussing.

We missed the beginning of the conversation, or my brother quickly spoke of my betrothed.

“My brother Prescott is currently searching through brothels and bars in the area, the Lord has known as a drunk.” I heard my brother Silas say.

High Lord Beron scoffed, ”He better show up soon.” My betrothed had gone against a direct order from the High Lord, with his offense it meant one of two things, he would die or his cock would be cut off. A threat High Lord Beron would use often to the men of his court. Eris and I would eavesdrop on his meeting often as children and hear it all the time. I was nine and he was eleven when we watched it happen for the first time, we never eavesdropped again.

“If he decides he doesn’t wish to go through with the marriage what do you plan to do my High Lord?” My brother Cardan asked.

Beron stayed quiet for a moment, “I promised you a good marriage for your sister in exchange for your loyalty and that I will give you. Perhaps my second son Cyrus will do.”

“What about your first, Eris?” Silas asked.

“A Lord in the Night Court and I have been discussing a marriage between Eris and his young daughter for a while now. It’s still early to tell since she is still a girl, perhaps that marriage falls through and your sister will have Eris. Though Cyrus is more likely, he is a year younger so I hope your sister will be fine with that.”

“She’ll be fine with whatever husband you chose for her my High Lord, she has been grateful for your help and was going to show you her gratitude tonight. She feels sorry she cannot do that any longer.” Silas said.

“I’ll make sure a good husband is found for her, the least I could do for your family's loyalty,” Beron said before dismissing himself from the room with his son.

Sitting at a tournament the next day with my cousin was not my plan for the next day. I was supposed to be touring the north side of the Autumn Court with my soon-to-be husband for our venue in order to make sure everything was ready. Now I sat with my cousin Alicent with the High Lord’s family, I guess this was meant to be an apology to my family for the failed engagement but it only gave me a lot of anxiety.

With Alicent to my right and The High Lord’s second-born Cyrus to my left, we watched the tournament in silence, except for the occasional looks Alicent and I would give each other when certain knights came out, causing us both to quietly giggle. I would also occasionally look toward Eris who would smirk and give me a look, causing me to smile at him before turning again.

Alicent and I watched the tournament before it was acceptable for us to ask the High Lord to be dismissed, Beron didn’t care much and let us go off. Alicent and I hooked arms before rushing out of the stands we were in to go and wonder where we’d like.

We went out to the festival area where we saw stalls for food, some for jewelry, and other things. A stand that a well-known jeweler owned I frequented caught my eye and Alicent and I went to it. Many stared at us as we walked toward it which was excepted, we were the only women born into huge families, us both having only brothers, and both our families were powerful. Main especially with our relations to the High Lord.

I greeted the jeweler I knew so well whose eyes lit up when he saw me. He had a thick accent due to the fact he was from the continents, he quickly directed me toward a set of necklaces and earrings that he knew I’d enjoy while another worker helped Alicent look at bracelets she’d been wanting.

The third worker helping the Jeweler moved to help someone else, not paying attention too much but the Jeweler I didn’t notice was my first fiance.

I ended up deciding to buy the set as well as some other sets as well and I was moved to the front table to set it on my account, as I moved I bumped into my former fiance, who I gave a cold stare as I moved away from him to the front table. “He’s come to buy a lot of expensive jewelry lately for his wife.” The Jeweler mentioned casually, I think he could sense I was curious.

Hearing this caught me off, guard. My former betrothed was high class yes, but not very rich. His family focused on the military and with this most of the money, they got went toward it. The wife he’d married as well wasn’t rich, she was a commoner, so the money didn’t come from a dowry.

I gave my former fiance a weird look who continued to look at me, I motioned toward Alicent to come over.

When she did I whispered in her ear about this, when I was done she two gave him a weird look which he saw. He quickly picked out the piece of jewelry he liked before storming toward us, making it look like he was paying before he began to speak.

“You need to learn to mind your business,” He said quietly, “I’m not sure your princeling would like you poking around in your former betrothed business.”

“What?” I said confused.

“You heard me.” He replied

“What do you mean by that?” Alicent asked for me.

Now was his turn to look confused, “Prince Eris, your little lover or whatever he is.”

My heart plummeted to my stomach, “What? He’s not my lover?”

His eyebrow raised, “Seems like you have something to discuss then.”

Not wanting to hear more of this nonsense, I grabbed Alicent and the jewelry we had just gotten and quickly went to her home, which was the closest. With anyone able to see we were in a hurry, we could walk with no interruptions.

Once we’d arrived we quickly ran up to her room, wanting to discuss what we’d just heard.

“Shit,” I said, “Do people really believe Eris and I are lovers?” I paced through her room as she sat down.

“Maybe he’s lying?” She said, “Maybe he just wanted an excuse to not marry you, there's gonna be an explanation for this cousin.”

I sat on her bed before laying back before I heard her speak, “I know there have been rumors of Eris being in love with you, but those are just rumors and they were a while ago.”

I perked up, “When was this?”

“A few years ago, maybe when you were 16 and 19,” She said, “It’s not relevant now. I don't think. I know some people find it strange Beron is arranging your marriage, but none have spoken against him.”

“High Lord Beron is arranging my marriage as a thank you for my family and a nice gesture for his son's childhood champion. There's nothing strange about it.” I said, quite annoyed.

Alicent stared at me for a moment, “Do you love him?” She asked quietly.

My heart began to beat harder before I spoke, “It wouldn’t matter anyway, I have a duty to do and loving Eris would only hold me back from it.”

Alicent began to run her hands through my hair, “If this marriage with the Night Court girl falls through, you could have Eris. You’d be doing your duty and being able to love him.”

“The Night Court girl is still a child, they won't be married for several years, there's no way for the marriage to fall before High Lord Beron marries me off to another.”

Alicent snickered, “Maybe you could get the High Lord to marry you off to another High Lord.”

I smiled at that, “I know the High Lord of Spring isn’t married, and neither is the one of Night.”

“What of the day?”

“Perhaps.”

Before I could continue to speak Alicent realized something, “What if it's Eris?” She asked, “What if Eris is doing something to stop you from being married.”

“That's ridiculous, cousin.” I said, “Eris wouldn’t, he knows how important this is to me, I wanna be able to help my family.”

“It's not ridiculous, he’s loved you since he was a boy.” She said, “He loves you cousin, why wouldn’t he want to ruin your marriage?”

I smacked her on the arm gently, “Don't say that. Not about your prince.”

“The prince whos in love with you.”

I rolled my eyes at her before moving myself over to lie on my stomach instead.

Hours later I sat in my room with a coconut oil mask in my hair, I liked to use it cause I found it made my hair healthier and made it look nicer. I also had a mask on my face given to me by a servant and sitting on a chair in the corner of my room with only a small light to allow me to see my room felt therapeutic.

It was pretty late at night when I heard a knock at my balcony door before it was quietly opened, I turned to see Eris silently closing the door so as to not alert anyone. A tradition of him sneaking into my room at night to hang out started when I was 13 and he was 15 when it was no longer appropriate for us to hang out together alone due to me now beginning my cycle, it wasn’t inappropriate if no one knew of course.

Closing my book after marking it I set it on the desk next to my chair before Eris could move to sit on the chair I kept next to mine, while many believed it was for my brothers and cousins it was really put there for Eris. Eris looked exhausted, I would be too if I had to keep people entertained while also keeping my shithead of a father happy as well.

“Your so lucky you got to leave first,” He said, basically groaning.

“I would’ve stayed for you but I had a cousin to entertain,” I jested before quickly getting up to grab a hair clip and the bowl of the face mask. “Be a dear and put your hair up,” I said, not giving him much of a choice.

Whenever he’d come when I was doing stuff like this I would always force him into doing it as well, he hated it at first but as the years went on I think he’d begun to enjoy it. Unless he just acted as he did for me.

He followed my command to put his hair up as I walked toward him with the bowl, preparing the applicator real quick before I began to put it on his face without warning causing his face to scrunch up from the coldness of it, I laugh at him a bit for it.

After I was done I sat back down, giggling at the sight of the mean heir of autumn in a face mask with his hair tied up from a pretty hair clip. The sight never failed to make me laugh.

After the slight embarrassment washed off him I noticed he’d brought a bag with him, one that now sat on his lap while he pulled out two whiskey cups wrapped in one of his shirts so they didn’t hit each other, and then a bottle of whiskey wrapped in another shirt. I quickly grabbed one of the glasses to have him pour some into; he would often bring me some, more so when we were children due to women in the Autumn Court not being allowed to drink much more than fruity wine with barely any alcohol. The only woman known to drink other liquors are women that work at brothels, even then there's a fine line.

After he’d poured my glass I quickly relished in the taste of it, it’d been a while since Eris was able to bring me some, I loved fruity stuff but with wine, I needed something strong.

Eris and I joked about the day, making fun of the Noblemen who tried to kiss up to the High Lord's ass, Eris wondered how he wasn’t supposed to laugh when he’d eventually have to deal with that, we joked about one of the knights clearly trying to flirt with the daughter of a nobleman but she’d been too invested in Eris’s brother and we also discussed the results of the tournament. Since I left early I was desperate to know which of the Knight had won.

After he’d finished talking my hazed mind at taken over, which lead me to think about the night before when I’d been left by my fiance.

“Did you guys ever figure out where he went,” I asked quietly, sipping my whiskey while I waited for him to speak.

Eris looked confused for a minute before what I was asking registered in his head, “Oh,” he paused, his eyebrows raising for a moment, “him.

“He had decided that traveling Pytheria was a bigger priority than staying in the Autumn Court to do his job. My brother went to go tell him that he has orders from my father to never return to the Autumn Court unless he was his feet cut off so he can never travel again. His family is also being shunned now.”

I realized at that moment my betrothed's family wasn’t at the tournament, “So that's why they weren’t there?”

Eris nodded, “That's why.”

I sighed, setting my cup down on the table and leaning back into my chair, “I don't get it,” I complained, “What's wrong with me?”

“What do you mean?” Eris asked, “There isn’t anything wrong with you.”

I snorted, “Clearly there is. Four engagements Eris, four, every one of them left for whatever reason.”

I realized I was biting the inside of my mouth, “I didn’t think there was much wrong with me, I mean I come from a powerful family, I have a huge dowry, and the High Lord himself has recommended me from the day I was born.” I turned to look at Eris, “By the time I was sixteen I had more marriage proposals than a fae could need, which is really creepy to think about but it's true; I mean I think I’m pretty enough.”

“Your beautiful, (Y/N),” Eris said.

I stayed quiet for a moment after he said that before I spoke again, choosing to ignore what he’d just said. “I think I’m going to be too old soon.”

“Too old?” He said.

“Most females have their husbands picked out by sixteen and are married by eighteen, once again, really creepy. Now though, there are younger options males have, I’m gonna be an old hag soon.” I said sinking into my chair.

“With your family, it wouldn’t be too big of a deal for you to not marry, you don't need to.” He told me, a serious look in his eyes.

I laughed a bit at the thought of what Alicent had told me, that Eris was somehow preventing me from being married.

“Why are you laughing?” Eris asked.

I shook my head, “It’s nothing, just something stupid Alicent suggested.” I picked up my cup to take a sip.

“What was it?”

I laughed, “It's stupid, don’t worry.”

“Well, I wanna know now.”

I took another sip, “Alicent believes you're preventing my marriage or something, it's stupid.”

I’d have to be stupid to miss the way Eris tensed up after I said this, fingers dragging along the rim of the cup before he spoke, “Yeah, it sounds dumb.” He said, quietly.

I looked him up and down before sitting up, “Well I was saying it was stupid but why are you saying it's dumb like that.”

“What do you mean?” He asked, trying to act stupid.

I gave him a look, “You know damn well what I mean Eris. Why’d you tense up like that?”

“I didn’t tense up.” He said, closing his eyes, I half excepted him to raise his voice but he’d never do it.

“Yes you did,” I said sternly, “you were fidgeting with your glass too.”

I started laughing as the realization hit me, I quickly sat up from my seat, my hands being raised over my head, “The mother Eris, you’ve been fucking with my engagements.”

“I haven’t.” He said.

I turned to face him, “Stop lying!” I yelled, not realizing how loud I was I quickly shut up.

I stood there for a minute as I watched the look of guilt cover Eris’ face before I rushed to the bathroom to grab a hand towel, I wet it under the sink before throwing it at Eris, “Wash it off” I commanded, he followed quickly. When he was done I pointed at the trash, he understood I was telling him to throw it away.

“Leave, and don't come back,” I said, trying to not cry.

“(Y/N),” He said, almost pleading.

“Go.”

He knew well enough to grab the cups and whiskey as he left, I watched as he dumped the glasses out the balcony before he left, I covered the door with the curtains after he left and made sure to put the lock I never put on the door.

Looking toward his chair I noticed he’d left one of the shirts there before he’d left. I quickly grabbed it to shove it into my towel cabinet in the bathroom, where no one would see it. I told myself I’d throw it away when I got the chance.

Wanting to calm the pit in my stomach down and clean my face and hair I ran myself a bath, I didn’t expect to cry so much as I washed my hair.

Feigning sick wasn’t hard with what had happened with my last fiance and the day at the tournament, it wasn’t hard to accidentally catch something there. I remembered when I was still young the Lady of Autumn had once gotten sick from some virus she’d gotten at a tournament and was basically quarantined in order to not get her two children sick, a memory engraved in my mind as I comforted Eris who was devastated to not be able to see his mother for a while.

A week after I had gotten ‘sick’ I had been able to convince my brother to allow me to go to one of the cabins we’d owned in order for me to be alone for a while, I’d used the argument that I just really like to be alone for a little while due to everything with my last fiance which leads him to quickly agree.

A huge part of it was that I truly did need to be alone, I felt as if I had just lost my friend, my only friend for a long time and I was devastated. I’d been betrayed by my best friend, I really just needed a bit to myself.

Silas had told me I was allowed to stay no more than a week but could come home whenever I wished throughout it, sitting in the cabin far into the woods I didn’t expect to want to come home very much. Of course, I wasn’t alone, some guards stood at the perimeter of the cabin but none inside the house beside a maid who would cook and clean for me, despite that she left me alone. I knew why she was chosen to be put into my house anyway, one of the guards who stood outside was her mate and if we needed one inside the house she would simply pull on the bond in order to have them be sent in.

I never cared much for mating bonds so I didn’t care to hear about it. Well, it was more that I never had the luxury to care, my brothers would encourage me to want to find my mate someday but I knew that I was more likely to be married off to someone before I found one, so I began to not care. I also considered that the mother may be cruel to me, that she may put me with someone worse than any male I could meet in the Autumn court. I’d seen matches she’d made before and didn’t put it past her.

I realized quickly how much I quite enjoyed sitting on a couch doing nothing but reading a simple book, I liked how I didn’t have much to think about and I didn’t have to do anything, I didn’t even have to look pretty.

I was able to just sit around in comfy pajamas which even at home I was most of the time unable to do, even on a simple day I’d have to be dressed nicely in case someone had decided to visit, even my pajamas had to be nice. Most days it wasn’t that bad but it was also exhausting.

I didn’t hear the knock on the door to the living room causing whoever it was to knock louder, ceasing my attention from the book I was reading to the door. I called out to come in, knowing it was the maid.

I watched as she opened the door before doing her best to close it quietly, “My lady,” She said in a soft voice, “You have a visitor.”

I sat up from my spot, “I’m not supposed to have any, whos here?”

“The Prince.”

I cocked my eyebrow, “Which?”

“Eris, my lady.”

It took everything in me to not roll my eyes, unfortunately, I knew how disrespectful and suspicious it’d look if I turned him away now.

“Grab me my robe and bring him in please.”

The maid nodded before doing so, closing the door behind her to inform the prince I was waiting for him.

It took him a minute before entering the room, every second it took the angrier I became. When he did enter I did not look at him, I only waited for him to sit on the couch in front of me.

He quickly moved, not to sit but instead to stand in front of me before speaking, “So you weren’t going to tell me you were on a little vacation?” He asked.

“So you weren’t going to tell me that you were ruining my engagements?” I snapped back at him.

He moved to sit next to me, causing me to scoot further away from him. “You have to understand there were reasons, (Y/N).”

“What attempting to ruin my fucking life?”

“I was trying to protect you,” He said, somehow still calm.

“No, you weren’t,” I snapped, “the second I was born into the Autumn Court as a female this has been my responsibility to my family and you are taking that away from me. You are taking away my chance from helping my family Eris.”

He paused for a moment, “You really believe that's all you can be? A mother and wife? That's it?”

“It’s all the Autumn Court will allow me to be, and why you need to back the fuck off from my life.”

“You are smart and strong (Y/N), you can be so much more than this. Both I and your brothers believe this, you can do whatever the fuck you want and instead your choosing to allow yourself to follow this.” He snapped but did not yell.

“It's all Beron, the High Lord believes I can be, his word is law Eris. A mother and wife are all he believes any woman should be, and if not that a fucking whore. He believes that is the order of things.”

“You won't have to follow that order when I am High Lord, no one will have to.” Eris said.

“Well your not High Lord, your word isn’t law,” I said, before turning myself over from him to grab my book. “Leave will you, I am trying to enjoy my time before I am married off.”

He didn’t move from his seat, he sat there watching me read for a few minutes, opening and closing his mouth as he was trying to say something.

Finally, quiet but audible I could hear him say, “I love you.”

My eyes widened and my heart began to pound as he said this, the words repeating in my head as all I could reply with was a simple “what?” I could feel him getting up from his seat before getting ready to leave.

I set my book down before getting up as well, following him as he exited the room yelling his name out.

I wasn’t stupid, I’d loved him for years now but never said anything and instead tried to push my feelings for the boy now a man down and have done it quite well. Hearing him say that he loved me, that he had done something like this because he loved me caused every emotion, every feeling I’d pushed away to come back. I wasn’t stupid enough to let him walk out now.

“ERIS!” I screeched out, finally getting him to stop and turn to me and allowing me to catch up to him. Not wanting to have this discussion in a hallway I grabbed his arm and pulled him into one of the spare rooms of the cabin. Once we were in I basically forced him to sit on a chair in the room before I began to hover over him.

My words got caught in my throat before I spoke, “You love me?” I asked.

“I do, (Y/N) I-” I caught his eyes drifting away as he spoke.

“Don't look over there, look at me.” I said sternly, “You love me?”

He swallowed, “Yes (Y/N), I love you. I always have.”

“Always?” my voice cracked.

“Always. I always have.”

I stopped hovering over him and turned away, my hands over my face as I repeated how stupid I felt. I didn’t even hear Eris get up, I only felt his arms wrap around my body in order to remove my hands from my face and turn me to look at him.

“What do you mean, (Y/N)? Your not stupid.” He held onto my hands.

“No, I am, I’ve done nothing but push me loving you down because I thought you could never love me and I feel so dumb for it now cause your here telling me you do love me and I just feel so stupid, holy shit I’m so dumb! I spent so fucking long thinking you saw me like a little sister and then here you go telling me you love me and now I also feel really bad for getting mad at you and I still just feel so dumb and I just-” I would’ve continued rambling on if he hadn’t kissed me. Eris kept one hand in my own and the other on the side of my face as he stole my first kiss from me, I felt as if every problem I could have had at that moment disappeared, as every negative emotion I felt about myself left as I melted into him.

Once he let go of me he also let go of my hand, moving it to the other side of my face as he rested my forehead on his before speaking, “You love me?”

I realized now that I was basically sobbing as I nodded, “I love you so much.” my voice cracked as I spoke and a smile fell onto both of our faces. Eris moved to kiss around my face, kissing where my tears felt as I continued crying a little.

He pulled us both back onto the chair, setting me on his lap as I wrapped both my arms and legs around him, “I’m sorry for crying.” I said through sobs.

“Well I love you, so I don't care.” He said smirking as I lightly hit him.

I didn’t know when he fell asleep or when I did, but I would always remember the first time waking up in his arms on that stupid chair, my eyes still felt sore from crying and Eris was still asleep as I ran my fingers through his hair. His grip on me was like iron but I didn’t mind, I didn’t want to move from that spot and I knew soon we’d have to go to our homes and pretend to just be childhood champions once again, I dreaded the thought but I need one day I’d be his wife. I prayed for that day.

#eris vanserra #eris vanserra x reader smut #Eris #eris x reader #acotar #acotar x reader #a court of thorns and roses

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