Chapter Text
Esen appeared swiftly on the doorstep of the manor. After knocking, he leaned back with his hands folded in a respectful manner. The High Lord and Lady would require nothing less, even if he had spent the last hour wrestling his river-nymph cousins to get the nerves out.
The door was opened by the Lady herself, judging by the tattoos of rumor flowing over her hands, and the star shaped earrings with mountain necklace. She looked at him pleasantly, but awaiting as well.
He cleared his throat. "My Lady, I'm Esen, the male you hired to babysit your son?"
Her eyes lit up. "Of course, come in, sir. Nyx is down for a nap right now, but, can I get you anything to drink?"
"A tea would be lovely, thank you," he said, stepping into the manor. The foyer featured an incredible double staircase and a shooting star chandelier. The High Lady must've been quite fond of this Court, indeed.
He sent a few shadows rolling to explore the rest of the estate and report back.
After she stopped to request refreshments of a nearby servant, she led Esen into a side sitting room, filled with plump green cushions and curtains of brocade.
"Of course, I've already read your application, and you should be very proud of yourself for making it through my vetting process- I love my son too much to put him into anyone's hands," she said, sitting and smiling.
"I'm honored, High Lady," he said, "That you consider me trustworthy, and to be merely serving you and your mate."
She blushed. "Thank you. The job really won't be different than any other children, though my Nyx does have Illyrian wings. He can't use them yet, but hopefully in your time here, you won't have to witness him trying to learn."
"Oh, I've dealt with flying babies before. I can't honestly say that no vases were broken before I could retrieve them..."
The lady chuckled. "Yes, well, he's our first, so I suspect we'll understand your struggles in no time. Here's hoping I don't need to replace all the decorations in this house."
Esen smiled before the servant hurried in with a tea tray. He thanked her and reached for the cup, a shadow leaping down his arm to peer into its porcelain. When he filled his cup to his liking and looked up, the High Lady was looking at him, wide-eyed.
"What is it, my Lady?" he asked, taking a sip of the quality blend.
"You're a shadowsinger?"
Esen smiled. "Yes, indeed I am. We're rare, but I wouldn't worry. The shadows never harm children, in fact some babies find them rather comforting." His younger cousins, the half-Urisk family in the Autumn Court, had played a leaping game with them not long ago.
"Oh, I'm not frightened, my good friend and brother-in-law is actually a shadowsinger as well." She smiled delicately. "And I'd trust him with my life. He's on the quiet and broody side though, like most my family, so it's nice to meet such a talkative fellow as yourself."
Esen had rarely met other shadowsingers. He was seventy-two, and only once on an errand to the store had once crossed his path.
"Maybe you can get to know each other? Since you'll be our go-to nanny here for a while. If you were wondering, I do have a large...inner circle, but my husband and I are often busy running the Court, our emissaries are off, and some are just plain scary." She snorted into her drink. "Several of them spend most of their time up in the Illyrian mountains, training their legions and their Valkyries and whatnot. I'm sure we'll have to call them down for extra help when Nyx starts flying- which would include Azriel, my shadowsinger friend."
Esen had also rarely met Illyrians. Since he was High Fae, there weren't many occasions where he found himself on a mountain, though his wind magic might aid him if the situation arose.
He nodded. "And, if you don't mind, what may I call you, High Lady?"
"Oh! You can call me Feyre. We rarely use our titles at home. And my husband is just Rhysand, or Rhys is he grows attached to you." She smiled warmly. "You might run into my two sisters, or my husbands two brothers, the Illyrians, or Amren, or Mor, since she returned just this week...I hope it's not overwhelming to you. We're meeting for dinner tonight, if you'd like to attend and introduce yourself. They're all pleasant." She grimaced. "Well, most of the time."
Esen chuckled. If they worked for and lived with the High Lord and Lady, he had no doubt they would take their positions seriously.
"Now, maybe we can see if Nyx is awake, and you can meet my darling son."