The Magic of Restoring a Land
While Elain and Lucien both have homes, SJM seems to be hinting that those current homes are a temporary thing:
(not to mention Elain was notably absent in the crossover)
Combine those hints with the following:
and it seems clear to me where Elucien's journey will be taking them.
I am enamoured at the thought of Elucien as High Lord and Lady as Day but I struggle to see it anytime soon because of Helion being such an important character to Rhys, to the LOA, and hopefully Lucien.
I wonder if SJM was being sly with the wording above:
"permanently station him at the Spring Court"
"The Spring Court had been made for someone like her"
What if she literally just told us that Lucien will permanently remain in Spring? In ACOFAS we know he wanted to return to living there but was unable to because of the lies Feyre spread. What if his good name was restored and it could once again be his home? What if he and Elain could turn it into the court he once hoped life in Tamlin’s court would be? I'm sure centuries down the line he'll play his part in Day (he could even travel there as emissary while living in Spring) but until then, Lucien isn't the type to sit and wait around to do something. And even Feyre said, "you enjoyed its pleasures and diversions. But don’t pretend you weren’t made for something more than that.” He's never going to be someone who waits for something to do, he wants purpose.
Also, when something is made for someone, there's a sense of belonging associated with the phrasing.
It wasn’t a guarantee that a High Lord’s firstborn would be his heir. The magic sometimes took a while to decide, and often jumped around the birth order completely. Sometimes it found a cousin instead. Sometimes it abandoned the bloodline entirely. Or chose the heir in that moment of birth, in the echoes of a newborn’s first cries.
“There are no High Ladies.” His brows furrowed, but he shook his head. “We’ll talk about that later, too. But yes, Feyre—there can be High Ladies. And perhaps you aren’t one of them, but … what if you were something similar?
I know some feel Elain can't be chosen as High Lady but why? Rhys tells us there can be High Ladies and just because there hasn't been one prior to the series doesn't mean it can't happen now that the Archeron sisters are having their stories told. Rhys made Feyre his High Lady so she wasn't exactly chosen by the magic but Feyre is still unlike anything that ever existed before. Elain as High Lady does not negate that Rhys and Feyre will most likely remain the most powerful fae in their lands.
Tamlin never wanted to be High Lord, it was never a fitting role for him, what if the magic always knew he was simply a place holder until the "moment of Elain's birth"?
What if Elain is made High Lady of Spring and Lucien stays by her side as interim High King (until the war is over)?
A major problem that Feyre and Nesta have when it comes to Elain is holding her back from doing more, from being unable to imagine her in certain situations. But I wonder if all the things they once doubted will come to pass-
I’d do it mostly to keep Elain from ever going to the Spring Court (a hint that Elain WILL end up in the Spring Court?)
I shook my head, trying not to imagine Elain subject to that … fire. (a hint that Elain WILL end up with Lucien and possibly perform in Fire Night with him?)
"Elain would faint to hear such thoughts." (Fire Night is very voyeuristic event, imagine if she were the main act?)
Being this is the current state of the Spring Court and it's manor -
Distant—because on the estate, nothing bloomed at all. The pink roses that had once climbed the pale stone walls of the sweeping manor house were nothing but tangled webs of thorns. The fountains had gone dry, the hedges untrimmed and shapeless. The house itself had looked better the day after Amarantha’s cronies had trashed it. Not for any visible signs of destruction, but for the general quiet. The lack of life.
A tomb. This place was a tomb.
No whisper of sound behind him. On any acre of this estate. Not even a note of birdsong.
Hunting for dinner—because there were no servants here to make food. Or buy it.
And though he roams these lands, he does not see or care for the neglect he passes, the lawlessness, the vulnerability.
- it seems so fitting that Elain and Lucien, two characters who are full of light and sunshine, who are extremely social, who make friends wherever they go and are able to convince anyone to do anything with their words, would be able to restore Spring with not only their personalities but the magic of their union.
"the magic that we create helps regenerate the land for the year ahead.”
With Elucien, the Spring Court could again be a place of light and happiness, filled with laughter and sound and as a result, a place of strength and an ally for the rest of Prythian.
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Dreams That You Dare to Dream
for @elucienweekofficial
Everyone's been too sweet! I love you all.
For Day 2: Magic
Summary:
It's raining. The sun hasn't risen. Thunder and lightning roll through the sky. And maybe, just maybe, Elain's dreams are coming true.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, like great boulders tumbling down the high mountains. Fat drops of rain pelted the roof of the lanai. In the corner, Lucien sat in a long chair, golden brown skin radiant in the low fae lights, his long wine-red hair pulled into a topknot. Their daughter rested in the crook of muscled arms.
Barely a day old, little coppery curls peaked out of the muslin cloth wrapped around her tiny body. Lucien held her with such care. He whispered so low even Elain, who had been watching from the bed, could not hear.
Lucien had brought them here weeks ago, to the little villa in the high hills outside of Alexandrina. He had bought it for them not long after their mating ceremony. They wanted someplace quiet away from the bustle of the city, to grow, to love, to welcome their child into this world. Someplace where they didn’t have to be anything other than Lucien and Elain.
Labor was everything Elain expected it to be. Hard, aching, with long periods of pacing in the garden between summer rains. She had relished digging her bare feet into the wet earth, breathing deep the morning air as the labor pains swept through her. They were brutal. The first pains swept over her like a wave. Her entire being gave in to the power of her womb. It excited her as much as it frightened her. It was a beginning and an ending.
She chose to give birth privately. Only Lucien and a pair of discrete healers from the palace. Elain told Lucien she didn’t want to bring up bad memories for her sisters, as it had only been a few years since Nyx’s traumatic arrival. She’d tell them in a day or two. He didn’t question her and swiftly winnowed out to grab the healers his mother had recommended. Truthfully, she wanted this moment for herself. So much of her life had been under the scrutiny of others, this she wanted just for themselves.
Their daughter was a late summer baby, born between the seasonal storms that pelted the coast of Alexandrina. She came into the world quickly, less than a day after the labor pains started. Born midday as the sun finally broke through the clouds after a heavy rain. Elain swore she could taste the magic hanging thick in the air the moment she came roaring into the world.
Elain stretched quietly on the edge of their large four poster bed. Her limbs were sore, her womb aching with the leftover cramps of childbirth. The midwives warned her of this, told her to rest as much as she was able. She had always been a touch restless, though.
Her mate was in the middle of a story. His face was animated as he whispered, scar stretching as he leaned down. She padded quietly across the hardwood. He didn’t so much as look up at her, but the twitch of his ear and the quirk of his full lips told her he heard her.
“Filling her with your stories already?” Elain whispered as she came up behind him. She twined her arms around his neck, breathing deep the scent of warm oak and sunshine, and laid her chin on his topknot. Lucien chuckled softly, a low rumble in his chest.
“Only the best ones,” he spoke quietly. “Like how her mother saved her father from death. How she grows the best gardens in all of Prythian and cooks the sweetest apple tarts.” Elain smiled into his hair.
Oh, how she loved this male. How did she ever go so long denying him?
“How she force-fed me a rotten egg to accept the mating bond until I ruined her Uncle Rhys’ pretty rug.”
“Lucien!” Elain hissed, landing a solid slap to his shoulder. He giggled, the ass. “Maybe I should tell her about how easy it is for her father to vomit, or your philandering past, or your penchant for –”
“We’ll tell her everything, Elain,” Lucien said softly. He stretched his free arm out above him and wrapped it awkwardly around her neck, drawing her down into the crook of his shoulder. Elain melted into his touch.
A minute passed quietly, only the sound of rolling thunder and battery of the rain their companion. They were content to hold on to each other. Elain marveled in the peace of her new little family. All her life, she never imagined she’d be able to fulfill all her dreams: to have a family and adventure. But this male, this sweet, caring, sarcastic, wonderful male had given her everything.
She was overwhelmed by the love in her heart. She’d blame it on the hormones.
“I was telling her all the things I am going to give her as she grows,” Lucien finally broke the silence. His hand trailed down her shoulder until he loosely held her hand, his thumb absently rubbed circles on her wrist. His eyes never wavered from their daughter’s puckered lips.
“Yeah?”
Lucien nodded slightly, Elain’s chin moving with the effort. “A rug from Sangravah for her nursery. A jeweled dagger from Adriata. A stuffed polar bear straight from Nunavit. A book of spells from her grandfather’s library. The largest collection of tinker toys a child could have,” he listed with increasing joy.
“That’s … quite the spectrum,” Elain remarked. She hid her smile in his thick topknot.
Her mate shrugged, careful not to jostle the babe in his arms. “She deserves the best of everything.”
“Does an infant really need a dagger?” she questioned.
Lucien turned in her arms. He gave her an incredulous look. His gold eye whirred and clicked, almost as if in reproach as she took him in.
“She’s the princess of day court, with two feuding high lords for uncles. She’s getting an entire armory,” he stated drily. He let go of Elain’s hand to gently tap their sleeping child’s slightly upturned nose. “And a Pegasus. Because she’s cute.”
Elain snorted, relinquishing her hold on her husband and moving to sit across from them. The rain whipped at the bamboo curtains. Cool wind weaved between the slats. “Well, at least now I know how full of shit you are.”
Lucien smirked as his eyes looked up from the sleeping bundle. He quirked a brow.
She smiled mischievously as she crossed her legs. “You promised me a Pegasus once too. And have yet to deliver.”
Lucien threw his head back in a roaring laugh, jostling the babe at his chest. The bundle in his arms squirmed. Her tiny face turned red as she scrunched herself into a ball of pure anger.
“Oh look! You’ve upset her,” Elain admonished. She reached for the baby as Lucien stood. He crossed the room and carefully passed the tiny bundle to her.
“She’s a temperamental little thing,” Lucien sighed as he reached to adjust the strap in his hair.
Elain nodded in agreement. She’d spent her entire pregnancy being bullied from the inside by this child. Her favorite foods turned her stomach. She developed a horrible rash that lasted months, and she’d lost count how many times the child had kicked her bladder, causing her to wet herself at the worst times. Like during a mediation of trade rights between Autumn and Summer. Cresseida was snide, and Eris surprisingly comforting, though it was still embarrassing.
She pulled the strap of her stola down to expose her chest. Her breasts were heavy and near painful. It had been a bit since her daughter had fed, however little she’d done. She drew the babe’s mouth to her nipple. Her daughter rooted but didn’t take. Elain frowned.
“Maybe we should call the midwife back? She’s still struggling with latching,” she said. Worry filled her voice. The baby had fed a couple times already, but only after the midwife had manipulated her breast for her.
“I’ll show her how to do it,” Lucien remarked smartly. She knew what she’d see if she looked up: Lucien’s eyes locked on to her exposed chest, smirk on his face. He might even be rubbing his oversized hands together like a villain in a play.
“I’m sure you would,” she snorted. Sure enough, when she looked up Lucien had his eyes on her chest and he was rubbing his hands together. His face was focused though, eyebrows drawn together as if he were contemplating a battle maneuver not ogling his wife’s breasts. “What are you doing?”
“Warming up my hands,” he offered with a shrug. “I had the midwife show me how to do it too, remember?”
“No, I guess I don’t,” she said softly. She really didn’t. When did he ask the midwife? She’d been fairly out of it, but she thought she could remember that much.
The baby began to whimper into her breast.
Elain glanced back up at her husband. His face was a bit guarded, like it gets when he’s trying not to piss her off. Oh, her sweet mate.
“Do you want me to fetch her? Or may I try?” He asked carefully. Elain knew he was aware of her worry, that she’d been unable to immediately grasp breastfeeding like Feyre had, or like any mother should. He’d immediately shut her down when she’d voiced it, claiming every mother and every child were different, and comparison was the thief of joy.
“Go ahead. I’d rather have your hands on me than a stranger,” Elain said as she smiled up at him. His hands were held in front of him in a placating fashion. They moved to her chest, resting above her heart for a moment.
“Good, I don’t like anyone else’s hands on my boobs,” he stated plainly. His hand soothed an ache over her right side, dipping just low enough to brush across the swell of her heaving breast. Her nipple puckered at his touch.
“Your boobs?”
“Yes, they became mine the day you accepted the bond,” Lucien nodded again. He reached down and cupped the breast their daughter was trying to suckle on in a C shape. He guided it to the babe’s mouth and rubbed the pebbled nipple gently in front of her.
Elain jumped a bit when the little mouth latched down. “I’d always thought they took just the nipple,” she said as Lucien released her breast. It felt like half her tit was in the child’s mouth. He sat down on the arm of the chair, chuckling. Both of them watched the baby with rapt attention.
They sat like that for a bit, the babe taking her breakfast while Elain brushed the little copper hairs on her head.
“I wonder who she’ll take after more?” Lucien broke the silence. “She has my hair, and her eyes are blue —“
“They can change.”
“And she definitely has your nose. I can already see it.” He gently touched the tiny, upturned nose as Elain switched her sides.
This time, baby girl latched on with ease.
“Why does she only like the left one?” Elain groaned.
“The left one slopes down and is more reactive,” Lucien provided. She whipped her head at him. He shrugged defensively. “It’s true! A cool breeze has that one hard enough to cut a diamond and it slopes downward more than the right one. It’s easier to get in your mouth if you’re coming from below, which she is the way you’re holding her.”
Elain blinked. Once. Twice. A third time. “Are you fucking serious right now?” She hissed. Lucien threw a finger over his mouth in a shushing gesture.
“Don’t curse in front of the baby!” He whisper-yelled at her. He pointed to his daughter’s delicate, pointed ears.
“You’re the one talking about putting my tit in your mouth in front of her!” Elain retorted, though she did put a hand over the exposed ear.
“It’s the first thing we have in common,” Lucien smirked. “We both love your breasts.”
Whatever Elain was about to say was halted when the baby unlatched and began to cry again. Elain shifted, putting her on her shoulder and began to pat her back. This part was easier.
Her sweet daughter burped, spewing breast milk all over her mother. “You both vomit easily too,” she remarked with a chuckle. She took the edge of her stola to clean up the baby’s mouth.
Lucien sprang into action. He dipped a cloth in the rainwater coming down from the roof and used it to wash Elain’s back.
“I haven’t puked since the egg,” Lucien chided. Once Elain’s back was clean, he helped her to her feet.
They padded across the hardwood floor, back into the bedroom. A small bassinet was set up near the bed, hand painted with flowers and tiny suns courtesy of Auntie Feyre. Elain laid their daughter among the pink linens, tucking her swaddle in. The baby seemed to settle for a moment.
“Can you grab me a new gown?” Elain asked her mate as she began to strip out of the dirty stola. He nodded, turning to get her new clothes when she dropped the soiled gown. She left it in a pile on the floor and stood there in only her underwear.
It wasn’t romantic, as it might have been before she gave birth. Now she had a stomach that was beginning to sag, and her thick underwear was full of bloodied linens she’d need to change. Still, Lucien stopped to stare at her like she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
His gold eye clicked, his russet one softening. “I love you more every day,” he said tenderly.
Elain felt the tears spill over her eyes. She cried so much quicker when she was pregnant, and that hadn’t seemed to have changed yet.
“I love you too,” she whispered. Lucien made a step towards her. She knew from the look in his eyes what he wanted. Some looks meant a passionate night. Some meant he’d devour her. Some he meant wicked.
This one was gentle. He meant to hold her. His arms were already coming up when a wail burst from the bassinet. Elain laughed quietly.
“I’ll change her, if you’ll find me a robe,” she offered. Lucien stopped his advance but quirked a brow.
“Do you want a gown or a robe?” he asked for clarification.
“A robe, please,” she declared. “I’ll need a quick wash and don’t want the hassle of dressing and undressing again.”
Lucien nodded and padded over to their large wardrobe.
As Elain cleaned their daughter up, she took a moment to really take her in. Fine coppery hair dusted her head. Her nose was slightly upturned, just like her own. She had full lips, even for a baby. Those were her father’s. The fat chubby cheeks? Definitely Elain’s. She remembered all through her childhood how other children would tease and taunt her for them, until her baby fat fell away to soft curves.
They hadn’t yet named her. They’d bounced between several ideas, each with a special or sentimental meaning. Nothing had yet stuck. They knew they wanted it to have meaning. They didn’t want her named after themselves – though Elain had been partial to Lucia. They were taking their time, and then the sweet child had come before any name had been chosen.
“Thalia?” Lucien said softly. He draped a soft green robe over her shoulders as she swaddled the baby. “It means to blossom.”
They’d done this often, since she’d even learned she was pregnant. At random times just deciding to call out a name and see if it fit.
“Hmmm…possibly,” Elain hummed. The baby was still fussy, though she’d stopped crying. She slid her arms through the robe and tied it before picking up her little ball of fire. She nuzzled her daughter’s soft head, soaking in that intoxicating baby soft scent. “Soleil?”
“No,” he shook his head. “Perfect as it is for a princess of day, our little one is a child of many courts. Not just one.”
Elain agreed, though now that she was here, they really should name her. The babe fussed some more, her bottom lip quivered.
Maybe it was instinct, maybe Elain was still tired and aching from the slowly dying contractions, but she began to sway. Slowly, back and forth, in a loose rendition of one of the dances they’d done at their mating ceremony. She’d done it so many times while pregnant. Her rooms at the palace weren’t too far from the conservatory, and music would carry up on the breeze. She’d find herself swaying to a waltz in the comfort of her room.
The baby stilled, large deep blue eyes blinking up at her. Elain smiled back. They danced to the rolling of thunder, the room lit by low fae lights and flashes of lightning.
At some point her mate joined her. Long, strong arms wrapped around her waist. His chin nestled into the crook of her neck, placing the softest kiss there before settling into the rhythm. Elain relaxed back into him.
Lucien began to hum. A soft tune, low and deep. The baby watched him, eyes fighting sleep.
“Lucien, keep doing that,” Elain whispered as they swayed. Her mate obliged, humming a bit louder. Soon, their daughter’s blue eyes closed, her little face relaxing in sleep.
They parted as Elain put her in the bassinet. Lucien crossed to open the wide curtains. At some point the rain had slowed and the sun risen. Fingers of soft morning light shone through the now open window, illuminating the crystal mobile dancing above the sleeping child. The crystal split the sunbeam, casting beautiful colors over their resting daughter.
“Iris,” Lucien whispered reverently. Elain turned to him and quirked a brow. He pointed one long, calloused finger to the mobile. “Rainbows. Iris was said to be a long-forgotten goddess of peace. Her symbol was a rainbow.”
She turned back to her daughter. The tiny face smoothed in peaceful rest after having squalled so fiercely. “I think she might also be the storm.”
Her mate chuckled. “It takes a lot of strength to bring peace.”
“Iris Archeron Spell-cleaver,” she tried the name on her tongue. The tang of magic filled the air, the room shimmering with golden light just for a moment. As if the baby – or the magic of Day – approved of the name.
Elain smiled in her mate’s arms. “I guess it’s decided,” she laughed quietly. Lucien hummed an agreement, hugging her midsection a bit tighter. A thought suddenly came to her. Elain tilted her head, meeting Lucien with a wicked smile. “I just realized something.”
“Oh?”
“You just named your daughter after Eris,” Elain stated mischievously. The arms around her tensed. As close as she was held, she could feel his entire body tense. A scowl formed on his otherwise beautiful face, highlighting the violence of the scar.
“Fuck that,” he spat. “It’s not after Eris. It’s IRIS.”
“Hmmm…sounds an awful lot like Eris to me,” Elain teased as she poked her slowly unraveling mate.
“We’ll pick something else,” he scowled.
Thunder cracked, the room seeming to shake with it. Elain burst into laughter, hand flying to her mouth to quiet herself before their daughter awoke. “I don’t think that’s an option anymore,” she choked through the laughter.
Lucien growled. “I named her after a goddess of peace, not a high lord of bullshit and chaos.”
“You know he’ll claim you named her for him,” Elain remarked. She ran a hand along her mate’s muscled arm. “Rhys will think it too, I imagine.”
A warm chuckle into her neck. “He’ll have a fit. Might even ruffle his hair.”
Elain let out another barking muffled laugh. She loved her brother-in-law, but there was still a touch of tension there. Besides, there was something wickedly satisfying about seeing Rhysand annoyed.
The warm glowing light filled the room once more, briefly, flashing its approval.
“Is that normal?” Elain whispered. Lucien shrugged behind her.
“Whose to say? I haven’t been around many babies,” he admitted. “Did anything like this happen with Nyx?”
“A few times,” Elain nodded. “But he’s Rhys’ heir.”
There was a beat of silence before Lucien huffed a laugh into her hair. “I wouldn’t mind that. I never wanted to be high lord anyway.” Elain turned again in his arms.
He was smiling and glowing, power and magic radiating off of him. There was no doubting who the heir of Day was. Though, perhaps the magic was marking Lucien’s heir. If such a thing happened. Maybe it was the mother, shining her blessings down.
Tears sprang to her eyes, brought on by the happiness shining in Lucien’s face. He peered down at her.
She was smiling, her brown eyes glistened with unshed tears. A look of worry crossed his features. She shook her head.
“Will you sing to me?” she said softly. She dug in her hands into his forearms. She wanted him closer. He tightened his arms.
“I’m no singer, lady,” he murmured into her hair as he kissed the crown of her head.
“You have a fine voice, my lord. Just sing to me whatever you were humming.” She could feel the rumble of laughter building in his body. His chest shook with it.
“If you say so,” he said mirthfully. He began to hum again, the same soft tune he’d hummed before, a bit faster this time. Elain rocked in his arms. Then he opened his mouth…
“If all of the girls were bells in a tower,
and I were the clapper, I’d bang one each hour – “
“LUCIEN!” she roared, whipping around and out of his arms. Lucien doubled over in laughter with his hand on his stomach.
Iris, from her bassinet, wailed again.
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