Neris whilst standing and looking out at the snowstorm he's causing, couldn't help think about the first time he laid eyes on Aurelia. He went with his father to Emberhold for a summit, he hated going there due to the heat and the fake smiles.
Flashback to the First Time Neris Saw Her
The halls of Emberhold always felt too warm for Neris Winterbourne.
Even as a young prince, barely past his Fourteenth winter, he despised the heat of the southern fortress. Its molten-orange glow, the braziers that never dimmed, the constant pulse of firestone embedded in every wall—it made his skin prickle, made the cold in his veins recoil.
Tonight was worse.
The summit had dragged on for hours—lords bickering, envoys pretending civility, Azarion Flameborne playing host like a serpent warming itself in sunlight.
