#(because no one is romancing in this world like Lucien Vanserra)

[readychilledwine]

Edgeplay

✨️Kink Education with Elizabeth✨️

Welcome to the side of BDSM most people are very nervous about. Edgeplay is an umbrella of play types that tend to push the limitations of safety and emotional and mental well-being. This type of play can be triggering, so consider from here forward a trigger warning for this one-shot.

Edgeplay is not for the faint of heart. The types of play in this umbrella include consensual non consent, blood play, knife play, fire play, more extreme forms of rope play, breath play, impact play with implements that are faster to draw blood (studded paddles, kendo sticks, whips, canes, etc.), fire play, gun play, extreme temperature play, orgasm wrecking, and one of my very hard limitations, scat play and water sports. It is not uncommon for these play types to leave permanent reminders of play for years to come.

This type of play requires a very deep connection and level of trust between dom and sub. Some of these activities can kill you, and in recent years, the excitement behind that statement has been romanticized to the point that they began their own subgenre of the spice and romance literature world: Dark Romance.

I will be honest, I was SHOCKED and gagged and then felt evil with how I planned this out, to have our sweet baby LuLu requested for this. It is more mild than had I gotten Azriel because I can not see Lucien being super into play that could leave him potentially scarred and I could not see him being the dom in a situation that would potentially scar his play partner. I hope you all still like it, though!

💕Peep the Valentines Day List Here💕

As always, NSFW below the cut

Lucien Vanserra x Reader

Warnings - male sub dynamics, mommy kink, wax play, rope play, orgasm wrecking and edging, breathplay, use of safe word.

Something about Lucien was just so pretty when he begged. 

Maybe it was the pouty full lips. Maybe it was the whispered desperation. The soft look in his eyes was a plus, too. “Mommy,” you had denied him seconds away from an orgasm again. Lucien's chest had splatters of wax across it, his hair a tangled mess from pulling it constantly.

He has asked you to push him limitations. You were happy to oblige. “What color are you, baby?”

Through wet lashes, Lucien looked up at you, lip trembling slightly. “Yellow.” You began stroking his head. “Just need to cum.”

You tutted him. “Yellow means we slow down,” you began straddling his waist, holding the candle again. “Do you not remember your safe colors, baby?”

“I remember, mommy,” his hands moved to your thighs, gripping them tightly as that first drop if wax hit his abs. He hissed and squirmed, a whimper leaving his throat. 

“Did you forget your safe word?”

Another drop had him groaning, “No, mommy.”

You smiled, spare hand tracing his fingers, “Did you forget the rule about touching me?” He only whimpered in response as you flicked your wrists, and his hands were tied above his head. You had taken his one comfort and knew that limitations were about to be further pushed and possibly broken. “What's your safeword, baby?” You had set the candle down, sinking in to him inch by slow inch, watching the rise and fall of his chest before picking the candle back up.

“Red or Beron.”

“Do you need to use them?”

He shook his head, “Not yet.”

You leaned in kissing His pouty lips softly. “Would you like to start again?”

“Yes, mommy. Still yellow.”

You nodded, beginning to ride him slowly and tenderly while dropping wax on him occasionally. You were purposely aiming for spots that were already covered, so he didn't feel the full effect. You watched as he physically relaxed, whines becoming moans of your name, pleading for more. 

You bounced faster, hips moving in a rhythm you knew he loved. You began pouring the wax on exposed skin while your hand went to rest on his throat. 

You were watching Lucien closely, ensuring he was okay as you began to bring him back to his high. His beautiful face began to switch every so often, pleasure mixing with pain, and fading back to bliss. He was so close, and you wanted to give him a reward, allow him to fill your aching clenching cunt with his seed and then snuggle him and clean up. 

But something was preventing him from finding that bliss, from tipping over the edge. Your hand had moved from his throat, resting on his chest instead, but he didn't relax, falling back into whines and whimpers below you, begging softly. 

You went to set the candle down, one last drop of wax falling onto his collarbone area as you did, and it happened. “BERON!”

You  felt the room shift, stopping all motion. “I'm going to get off of you, okay?”

Lucien nodded, tears forming in his eyes as he did. “I'm sorry-”

You hushed him gently, moving to sit beside him and reaching to untie him. “Do not apologize to me. We tried a few new things, and it was too much. You never apologize for needing to stop, Lucien.”

“I just kept waiting for you to rip it away again, to stop and.. and you didn't.. but-” 

You began playing with his hair as his hands found your bare skin, feeling for comfort, squeezing plush flesh to regroup himself. 

“It's okay, Lu. You're safe.. I'm so sorry.”

He shook his head. “I wanted to try.”

You began peeling the wax off, praising him as you did. “What can we do to make you feel better?”

“A bath.”

“Then let's go take a bath.” You pulled him off the bed, walking him to the bathroom, and began running the tub. “Let's get this wax off. I love you, Lu.”

He smiled down at you. “I love you too. Also, never realized how quickly my father's name could kill a mood.”

“So fast,” you laughed.

He smiled harder, glowing softly at the happiness flowing from both ends of the bond. “So fucking fast.”

General Taglist:

@hnyclover @glitterypirateduck @slytherinindisguise @mischiefmanager @bloodicka @starsinyourseyes @the-sweet-psycho

@mariahoedt @rinalouu @sarawritestories @starryhiraeth @starswholistenanddreamsanswered @cumuluscranium @loneliestluvr

Valentines Day Taglist:

@sfhsgrad-blog @amara-moonlight @eternallyelvish @novaksangel @teenageeggscissorslawyer @thisblogisaboutabook @amygdtjhddzvb

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@littlestw01f @azriels-shadowsinger @acourtofladydeath

#acotar #acotar x reader #lucien x reader #lucien x y/n #lucien x you #lucien acotar #lucien fic #lucien vanserra x y/n #lucien vanserra x you #lucien vanserra x reader #lucien vanserra acotar #lucien vanserra #lucien vandaddy #readychilledwine valentines day bingo

[lucienarcheron]

↠ SJM Masterlist

Below you will find all my SJM fanfics/creations linked. You can also find my fanfics here.

All my writing belongs to me with a disclaimer that any character that isn't an original character belongs to their authors. Do not copy or claim my work as your own. Do not feed my work into AI or third-party platforms. Do not translate my writing without my permission. I do not consent for my work to be reposted anywhere.

Thanks for reading and enjoy :)

Creations/Moodboards; this is across all ships.

Headcanons ; across all ships

—

🌹 A Court of Thorns and Roses 🦊🌸 Elain Archeron x Lucien Vanserra [ Elucien ]

Bouquet Full of Loathing Rated SFW | Fluff & Humor Flower Shop Modern AU - Person A owns a flower shop and person B comes storming in one day, slaps 20 bucks on the counter, and says, “How do I passive-aggressively say fuck you in flower?”  

Bouquet Full of Love Rated SFW | Fluff & Humor Elain visits Lucien at work, new bouquet in hand.

The Sun Rated SFW | Fluff/Angst Elain has a nightmare and turns to her mate for soothing.

No Place I'd Rather Be Rated SFW |  Fluff with a smidge of angst. Elain's visions giving her nightmares that can only be soothed by one person.

 A Light Against the Darkness   Rated SFW | Angst/fluff Lucien battles his own nightmares with Elain there to soothe him.

Forget Me Not Rated SFW | Fluff Drunk Elain and her shenanigans.

Boys Night Out Rated SFW | Humor & fluff Drunk Lucien and his shenanigans. – companion to Forget Me Not. 

Sleeping Beauty Rated NSFW-ish | Fluff ‘Wake me up’ kisses because foxboy and flower girl can't help themselves.

A Fox and a Flower Crown Rated NSFW-ish | Fluff + Humor Elain has a vision and it, uh, has her feeling all types of ways.

Tales of the Fox & the Fawn A series of short snippets to fill my Elucien heart.

Around the World - Part 1 | Part 2 | Bonus Rated NSFW |  Prostitute/Client AU for laughs.

An Unexpected Visit Rated SFW | Fluff Drunk Lucien visits Elain at an inappropriate hour.

Quiet Thunder - Part 1 | Part 2 Rated SFW | Angst | Lucien expresses his frustrations to Elain. Elain follows up.

Morning Pranks Rated SFW | Fluff.

First Kisses Rated SFW | Fluff.

Instincts - Part 1 | Part 2 Rated SFW Lucien follows his instincts when it comes to Elain. It's the start of something new.

Frenzy Rated NSFW | Elain and Lucien like to spend their yearly mating anniversary fully wrapped in each other, sinking into a frenzy.

A Simple Request Rated NSFW-ish. A still shy Elain finds a different way to tell her mate what she wants.

Inspiration Rated NSFW | Modern AU Aspiring writer Elain Archeron is looking for some inspiration for her new novel when she happens to meet the perfect man for the job.

Oh, What a Night (Elucien + Nessian) Rated SFW | Fluff Nesta and Elain’s first Starfall, the two celebrating it in different ways.

Unexpected Surprises Rated SFW | Lucien has been trying to plan the perfect proposal for his mate for months. Things do not go as expected.

A Bouquet of Good Intentions Rated SFW | This little drabble was inspired by my Elucien Modern AU - Bouquet Full of Feelings series

A New Year with You Rated SFW | Celebrating NYE together

This Time, I'm Ready Rated SWF | Elain has a vision and it has her running.

-

🍂 Eris Vanserra

Spirit Meets the Bones Rated M | Eris x Iris (OC) | Drama & Romance An arranged marriage brought them together and beneath all the hate, the two are more alike than they’d like to be.

-

✨🖌Feyre Archeron x Rhysand [ Feysand ]

Big Baby Rated SFW | Humor & fluff | Modern AU Rhys gets drunk at the bar and calls Feyre to rant about how much he loves her. 

All It Takes is A Wingman Rated SFW | Humor & Fluff | Modern AU ‘Hey I’m sorry to bother you but I’m trying to convince my friends I’m a sex god so can you please write a fake number on this napkin for me real quick’

Do the Do Rated SFW | Fluff & Humor Rhysand taking care of Feyre's ridiculously drunk self.

-

⚔️🔥 Nesta Archeron x Cassian [ Nessian ]

Bouquet Full of Lust (ft. Elucien) Rated SFW | Fluff & Humor Nesta gets a little taste of sisterly revenge. | Read after Bouquet Full of Love and Bouquet Full of Love

Oh, What a Night (Nessian + Elucien) Rated SFW | Fluff Nesta and Elain’s first Starfall, the two celebrating it in different ways.

Banned by the Boss Rated SFW | Fluff & Humor  Nesta pulls a mama bear move and bans both mating bonds of her sisters.  

Till the Darkness Dies Rated SFW | Angst and fluff Nesta’s battle against her inner demons.

Butter My Muffin Rated SFW | Fluff Nesta being a very soft girlfriend in private with Cassian combined with how I picture Drunk!Nesta.

Protect & Serve Rated SFW | Fluff Nesta has a nightmare and just wants to make sure Cassian is okay.

My Remedy Rated SFW | Fluff Cassian helps Nesta overcome her fear of the bathtub.

Change of Pace Rated Steamy | Modern AU “I chickened out of sex ages ago and you haven’t brought it up since but now I really want it, but I'm terrible at communication, so let me just strip shirtless/model lingerie for you until you snap”

Weakness Rated SFW | Steamy fluff Cassian does love his mate.

My Curse to Bear Rated SFW | Steamy fluff | Modern AU Based on the prompt “Matching couple shirts that say “bearer of the curse” on one of them and, “the curse” on the other”

-

⚫️ Gwynriel

Choices - [ Gwynriel ] Rated NSFW-ish. Gwyn makes choices for her happiness.

-

👑 Throne of Glass

Boner for You - Elide & Lorcan [ Elorcan ] Rated SFW | Humor & fluff  Fake Dating AU where Lorcan just wants Elide to be his girlfriend for a party and Elide wants to pretend she isn’t thrilled about it.

#elucien #feysand #nessian #gwynriel #elorcan #acotar fanfiction #gfics #masterlist #I'll update the links as I keep reposting but I need a post for referencing lolol

[shedoessoshedoes]

So Close

Inspired entirely by the movie Enchanted and the 2015 adaptation of Cinderella, I give you *drumroll please* PINING ELRIEL DANCING (yayyyyyyy) hope you all enjoy, and let me know if you do 😘

wc: 1165

tw: none

“Thank you all for your presence here tonight,” Helion announces to the crowd. “It is my privilege to share the joy of my newfound family with you.” He glances over to Lucien and the former Lady of Autumn, now High Lady of Day. “Love truly comes from the strangest of places. In honor of our story, Andromeda and I invite you to dance this final waltz with a partner you did not come with tonight. Those we are bound to are not always those we are meant to be with. Seek out a different kind of love, whether that be a romance or a friendship, as we partake in the dance of the sun.” 

Elain doesn’t know what to do with herself. She had come tonight with Lucien, as a favor to Rhys and Feyre (“Please, Elain,” Feyre had begged. “Just to show everyone that you’re trying.”) (Nevermind that Elain did not want to try with Lucien. Nevermind that perhaps Elain loved someone else.), and had spent most of the night on his arm. Helion’s speech had described her story a little too perfectly. She, too, was seen as belonging to a male she did not love. She, too, had found love outside of that binding. She, too, could not act on how she felt. She, too, had spent too much time wondering if perhaps the male she wanted to be hers felt the same way. But nevermind all of that, too. It wasn’t like she was in any position to ask Azriel to dance. 

She watches as Rhys bows to Nesta, still in the process of paying his penance for all the years of judgment and hate. Cassian sweeps Feyre off her feet in a twirl, and she tosses her head back and laughs. It’s a typical scene: no one would think to wonder whether silly old Elain would have anyone to dance with. She melts slowly back against the wall, but then–there he is. 

Looking every inch the dark, tortured soul he is, Azriel simply inclines his head to her. Elain’s breath catches in her throat. He is so beautiful. She loves him so much. They haven’t spoken since the Solstice. “A dance, Lady Elain?” 

Elain can do nothing but nod silently and slip her hand into his as he leads her to the center of the room. Sparks shoot up her arm from where their bodies touch. They settle into position, and the dance begins. 

—-

She looks stunning. In a cobalt blue gown, she might as well just declared herself as his, even if she stepped into the room on the arm of Lucien Vanserra. Azriel cannot breathe if he looks at her for too long. But the combination of the dress, and Helion’s speech, and six months of agony have Azriel losing control of himself. Besides, he couldn’t leave her standing alone during the last dance of the ball, could he? He can explain it away to Rhys, can claim that he asked her to dance with the intentions of a brother. Though his thoughts about her are anything but fraternal. 

This dance is simple. They both know it by heart. Azriel slides one hand around her waist, pulling her as close as the skirts of her dress will allow (which is not nearly close enough), and suddenly all the world is gone. 

They sway back and forth, and then Elain’s wrist comes to rest against his, and fuck, but that one simple touch has him nearly undone. “Elain,” he breathes out, and she takes an unsteady breath. Perhaps, five hundred years of life have required Azriel’s more romantic dreams to die. Perhaps he said goodbye to them far too quickly, because every dream that he ever could have had is here, in front of him, wrapped up in the package that is Elain Archeron. 

“They’re all looking at you,” she whispers. “You never dance.” This is true, mostly. The last time he danced was with Nesta in the Hewn City, and while that had been enjoyable, it hadn’t exactly been a choice. And it’s not like the Day Court citizens frequent Velaris’s Starfall celebrations where they could have seen him dance with his family. 

“Believe me,” he murmurs back, just loud enough for her to hear. “They’re all looking at you.” 

They twirl out for their first promenade, Elain’s hands resting on his arm, and he spins her around before pulling her back into a proper waltzing position–the closest they’ve been so far tonight. The closest they’ve been since Rhys’s godsdamn order. Elain’s heartbeat stutters, and Azriel wants to put his mouth on her pulse. Her entire neck and shoulders are visible in her gown, and it is entirely too distracting. 

He twirls her out and around him, and she laughs, and he would crawl over glass to hear that sound again. When he pulls her back in, her back is to his front, his hand covering hers on her hip. She leans back into him just slightly, and its his breath catching this time. When she spins around to face him, he can almost believe that this isn’t pretend. Can almost believe that this stunning female is actually his. The circle they’re clearing for their dance is larger now, other couples stopping to watch them. Az catches sight of Nesta with a small knowing smile on her face. 

This time, when he twirls her, he decides to show off, wrapping an arm around her waist and lifting her up off the ground. Elain’s smile is so bright it could replace the Day Court sun, and Azriel can see Rhys and Lucien glaring at him from two sides of the ballroom. He doesn’t care. He does it again, lifts her higher, and when Elain comes back down, her lips are far too close to his. He dips her to finish the dance, and the room erupts into applause. Elain looks around, startled, and blushes. Azriel pulls her back upright and whispers quickly into her ear. “I’ve never been so sorry for anything in my life. Let me explain it to you? Later tonight?” Then he’s pulling back before he can second-guess this massive risk he’s taking, and Elain gives him a tiny nod as Lucien returns to his mate’s side. 

“Lovely dancing Elain, Shadowsinger,” he says, and Azriel can feel a fight brewing in his bones. So he does nothing but incline his head to Lucien, bow to Elain, and step away. He’s sure he’ll have a shitstorm coming his way from Rhys, but right now, he can’t find it in himself to care. He sends a shadow over to Elain and watches it whisper into her ear. Her eyes tell him she understands. 

Later that night, he’s waiting, standing by the window of his room, wings folded in tight, a glass of whisky in his hand. The sound comes right when he thought that it would. Footsteps, and then a single knock. Elain. He takes a breath, whispers a prayer to the Mother. And goes to open the door.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Let me know what you think!! Comments/feedback/constructive criticism is always welcome. My ask box is open--let me know what you want to read next!

#elriel #azriel #elain archeron #cinderella #enchanted #so close #elriel fanfiction #a court of thorns and roses #shadow bat and flower girl #acotar

[moononastring]

↠ SJM Fanfic Masterlist

Below you will find all my SJM fanfic linked! Thanks for reading and enjoy :) | PLEASE NOTE: All fanfic has been updated and uploaded to @lucienarcheron my main blog!

🌹 A Court of Thorns and Roses

🦊🌸 Elain Archeron x Lucien Vanserra [ Elucien ]

Bouquet Full of Loathing Rated SFW | Fluff & Humor Flower Shop Modern AU - Person A owns a flower shop and person B comes storming in one day, slaps 20 bucks on the counter and says, “How do I passive-aggressively say fuck you in flower?” | 

Bouquet Full of Love Rated SFW | Fluff & Humor Elain visits Lucien at work, new bouquet in hand.

The Sun Rated SFW | Fluff/Angst Elain has a nightmare and turns to her mate for soothing.

No Place I'd Rather Be Rated SFW |  Fluff with a smidge of angst. Elain's visions giving her nightmares that can only be soothed by one person.

 A Light Against the Darkness   Rated SFW | Angst/fluff Lucien battles his own nightmares with Elain there to soothe him.

Forget Me Not Rated SFW | Fluff Drunk Elain and her shenanigans.

Boys Night Out Rated SFW | Humor & fluff Drunk Lucien and his shenanigans. – companion to Forget Me Not. 

Sleeping Beauty Rated NSFW-ish | Fluff ‘Wake me up’ kisses because foxboy and flower girl can't help themselves.

A Fox and a Flower Crown Rated NSFW-ish | Fluff + Humor Elain has a vision and it, uh, has her feeling all types of ways.

Tales of the Fox & the Fawn A series of short snippets to fill my Elucien heart.

Around the World - Part 1 | Part 2 | Bonus Rated NSFW |  Prostitute/Client AU for laughs.

An Unexpected Visit Rated SFW | Fluff Drunk Lucien visits Elain at an inappropriate hour.

Quiet Thunder - Part 1 | Part 2 Rated SFW | Angst | Lucien expresses his frustrations to Elain. Elain follows up.

Morning Pranks Rated SFW | Fluff.

First Kisses Rated SFW | Fluff.

Instincts - Part 1 | Part 2 Rated SFW Lucien follows his instincts when it comes to Elain. It's the start of something new.

Frenzy Rated NSFW Elain and Lucien like to spend their yearly mating anniversary fully wrapped in each other, sinking into a frenzy.

A Simple Request Rated NSFW-ish. A still shy Elain finds a different way to tell her mate what she wants.

Inspiration Rated NSFW | Modern AU Aspiring writer Elain Archeron is looking for some inspiration for her new novel when she happens to meet the perfect man for the job.

Oh, What a Night (Elucien + Nessian)Rated SFW | Fluff Nesta and Elain’s first Starfall, the two celebrating it in different ways.

Drabbles

-

🍂 Eris Vanserra

Spirit Meets the Bones Rated M | Eris x Iris (OC) | Drama & Romance An arranged marriage brought them together and beneath all the hate, the two are more alike than they’d like to be.

-

✨🖌Feyre Archeron x Rhysand [ Feysand ]

Big Baby Rated SFW | Humor & fluff | Modern AU Rhys gets drunk at the bar and calls Feyre to rant about how much he loves her. 

All It Takes is A Wingman Rated SFW | Humor & Fluff | Modern AU ‘Hey I’m sorry to bother you but I’m trying to convince my friends I’m a sex god so can you please write a fake number on this napkin for me real quick’

Do the Do Rated SFW | Rhysand x Reader (but really it’s Feyre) | Fluff & Humor Rhysand taking care of your ridiculously drunk self.

-

⚔️🔥 Nesta Archeron x Cassian [ Nessian ]

Bouquet Full of Lust (ft. Elucien) Rated SFW | Fluff & Humor Nesta gets a little taste of sisterly revenge. | Read after Bouquet Full of Love and Bouquet Full of Love

Oh, What a Night (Nessian + Elucien) Rated SFW | Fluff Nesta and Elain’s first Starfall, the two celebrating it in different ways.

Banned by the Boss Rated SFW | Fluff & Humor  Nesta pulls a mama bear move and bans both mating bonds of her sisters.  

Till the Darkness Dies Rated SFW | Angst and fluff Nesta’s battle against her inner demons.

Butter My Muffin Rated SFW | Fluff Nesta being a very soft girlfriend in private with Cassian combined with how I picture Drunk!Nesta.

Protect & Serve Rated SFW | Fluff Nesta has a nightmare and just wants to make sure Cassian is okay.

My Remedy Rated SFW | Fluff Cassian helps Nesta overcome her fear of the bathtub.

Change of Pace Rated Steamy | Modern AU “I chickened out of sex ages ago and you haven’t brought it up since but now I really want it, but I'm terrible at communication, so let me just strip shirtless/model lingerie for you until you snap”

Weakness Rated SFW | Steamy fluff Cassian does love his mate.

My Curse to Bear Rated SFW | Steamy fluff | Modern AU Based on the prompt “Matching couple shirts that say “bearer of the curse” on one of them and, “the curse” on the other”

-

⚫️ Azriel

Choices - [ Gwynriel ] Rated NSFW-ish. Gwyn makes choices for her happiness.

An Ember Among the Shadows Rated PG-13/M | Azriel x Lucy (OC)  | Drama and romance  A sibling reunion, new friendships forged, and a possible attempt at finding love. A story about our favorite Shadowsinger. | DISCONTINUED.

A Not So Secret Affair Rated SFW | Azriel x Reader | Azriel slipping up about his not-so-secret love.

-

💥Crackship: Feyrhycien (Feyre x Rhys x Lucien)

 Ice Cream Delights Rated: SFW | Modern AU “God damnit, now all I can think about right now is you licking my cock like it’s that ice cream cone.”

 Barbie & Her Two Kens Rated SFW | Modern AU Bored/Drunk Feyre bothering her boys 

-

👑 Throne of Glass

Boner for You - Elide & Lorcan [ Elorcan ] Rated SFW | Humor & fluff  Fake Dating AU where Lorcan just wants Elide to be his girlfriend for a party and Elide wants to pretend she isn’t thrilled about it.

-

✨ Tumblr Prompts ( ACOTAR & TOG )

Masterlist

#elucien #feysand #nessian #gwynriel #elain archeron #feyre archeron #nesta archeron #cassian #rhysand #azriel #acotar fanfics #elide lochan #lorcan salvaterre #elorcan #elucien fanfics #feysand fanfics #nessian fanfics #tog fanfic #myfic #updated masterlist. #wanted to post a new one to pin it!

[enchantmentandshadows]

SJM Crackship Month : Forbidden Romance

So my #1 crackship for anyone who doesn't know, is Eris x Nuala. I live and breath for the crackyatch that is Shadowfire.

If you know me, then you know I don't shut up about them and I never will, so this is my contribution for SJM Crackship Month!

SJM Crackship Month - Day 13 - Forbidden Romance

Crackship: Nuala x Eris

@sjmcrackshipmonth

Overdue Kiss

Nuala found herself glancing up again for the third time, her breath catching as amber eyes met her grey. She’d been caught this time, and the quiet chuckle she heard as she looked away confirmed as much. Trouble. She knew he was trouble but she’d long been able to sense there was much more to Eris Vanserra than that, despite how the rest of her friends and family felt about him.

They’d had enough conversations, she’d spent enough time with him to get a sense of him and she wasn’t afraid. Besides, Lucien was nice, why couldn’t Eris be too?

“Nuala?” The school librarian said, giving her a tap on the shoulder and pulling her from her thoughts.

“Sorry.” She said, feeling her cheeks heat at being caught, distracted by Eris Vanserra for the second time in the span of a minute.

“Can you shelve the books on the cart before you go?” She asked, motioning to the cart covered in stacks of books.

“Of course, I’ll get started now.” Nuala said with a nod, anxious to get away and hide. Far from the intense amber eyes that followed her as she disappeared further into the library.

Eris Vanserra sat patiently, pretending to read for all of 30 seconds before getting to his feet and going to find where Nuala had disappeared to. She’d caught his attention long before they ever spoke but he hadn’t dared to approach her. There was no point in trying to make nice with the Archeron’s or anyone in their circle if your last name was Vanserra. Lucien was tolerated only because of his friendship with Elain.

The first time Nuala spoke to him, he waited for the insult or the barbed comments, but they never came. One conversation after another, each a little longer than the last until he finally stopped waiting for things to sour and just let himself enjoy her company. They’d kept things quiet, mostly for their own sanity. There was no love lost between their families, but it didn’t stop him from being drawn to her. Here he was, seeking her out in the middle of the day, at school where anyone might see.

“So embarrassing.” Nuala muttered, pushing the cart around a corner, placing books back in their rightful place one by one. She refused to let her mind wander again, especially to a certain Vanserra. Maybe it would have been easier to get him off her mind if she pretended he was as awful as her family always said. Maybe if she suspected he’d only spoken to her to get a rise out of them, but he’d kept it as quiet as she had. A secret just between the two of them, but it never felt like a dirty secret, something to be ashamed of. It felt special and fragile, like something to be protected and shielded from the outside world.

She hadn’t told him, but Azriel had seen them talking and immediately warned her against him. He wasted no time running down his list of reasons why Eris and his brothers were the scum of the earth and should be avoided at all costs. She’d listened and tucked the information away but in the many times they’d spoken and spent time together, Eris had never shown himself to be anything like Az described.

Yes, he was a smart ass. Snarky and sarcastic, but he was also witty and fun. He was charming and though he might deny it, he could also be very sweet. Nuala wasn’t sure what she’d done to unlock this side of him, but deep down, some part of her knew that this was who he truly was. Being around Eris was just easy and natural and she wasn't going to give that up without good reason.

The one thing Nuala was certain of was that he wasn’t there to see her. He was a student, a Senior with plenty of final exams to study for. Him being there could have absolutely nothing to do with her. True, she’d never seen him study in here before and also true she’d recently let it slip that she worked here during her free period but that wasn’t proof of anything. Eris Vanserra was NOT here to see her.

“Ridiculous.” She sighed, on her tiptoes, struggling to slip a thick volume back onto a high shelf. Her heart raced as a pale hand reached out to help, his skin so warm against hers.

“The book, or you hiding from me?” Eris’ velvety voice teased from behind her. She turned to find those warm amber eyes on her again, and she found that she didn’t mind it. Not his eyes fixed on her, or the dusting of freckles across his nose and cheeks, not his smug smile or the way he leaned against the shelf, towering over her.

“Hiding? From you?” She scoffed. “I didn’t even notice you were here.” She lied with a smirk that drew a matching one from Eris.

Beautiful, she was absolutely beautiful, Eris thought. And though she’d played it shy earlier, she was clearly feeling playful now, and he loved her like this.

“But since you’re here, make yourself useful?” She asked, motioning to the cart of books.

“Since you asked so nicely.” He grinned, following her with the cart, watching her every graceful move. He wasn’t sure how it happened, how he’d let himself fall for someone so out of his reach but he didn’t regret it. She might, for wasting her time on someone like him but he knew he’d never regret her.

“Can I help you find a book?” She asked, daring a glance over her shoulder before replacing a few more books on the shelf.

“Nuala…” She could hear the smile in his voice, and the warning. It made her heart flutter in her chest. He was feeling bold today and it inspired a bit of boldness in her too.

“Vanserra.” She smirked, turning to face him, arms crossed over her chest.

His grin widened, brows raised in surprise as he closed the distance between them. One of them would back down, they always did when there were other people around.

Nuala didn’t turn away, not as his hand threaded through her hair and cradled the back of her head, not as he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. Eris’ heart thundered in his chest as she tipped her chin up and returned the kiss, silencing his fears and doubts as she always did. Worth it. She was worth any obstacles he’d have to deal with to stay in her life.

Nuala didn’t flinch when the books she held thudded to the floor, her hands now steadily moving up Eris’ chest. She didn’t care that anyone could have walked by and seen them. She’d already made up her mind that Eris was worth the risk and if her family found out, she would tell them so and they would deal with it together.

#sjmcrackshipmonth23 #sjmcrackshipmonth #shadowfire #nuala x eris #eris x nuala #acotar crackship #crackyatch #eris vanserra #nuala

[shi-daisy]

Chapter 13 and 14 have me reeling omg ma'am! 😭 The fluff 💗 the twists😱 the smut 🥵 We been blessed! I love how Tamlin is finally getting his healing arc/found family/Lucien romance because the way you write our boy is so cuteeeee!!! The flashbacks were adorable, Lucien is so handsome and adorable and I need both of them to be happy and cherished forever. Goodbye SJM canon this is what's canon for me now!

Few questions tho, given that you've named all the other 'nameless' characters like the Vanserra family, Tamlin's family, and other secondary characters is there are a reason why you haven't named Rhysand's family? Like is it because you're looking for a fitting name or a story reason?

Also, given that the new Dusk Court is seemingly a mix of Greece and Japan do you have headcannons for the other courts? What would Spring, Autumn or Winter be?

Finally I can't wait to see more of the Njght Court rebellion. After the whole Dusk reveal I'm excited to see their reactions and maybe backstory, and them with the Valkyries because Gwyn and Lunara would be such a cute friendship. Also Grim is best boy I love this man he's had one scene and now I need a prequel we stan himbo dad warrior in this house! He's what Cassian should've been!

Speaking of, Nesta needs to come back and read everyone for filth! Book 2 might be all about her but she so fun to read here too, especially as Tam's sister (they'd be cute as a ship too but platonic siblings Nestlin is life)

Anyway so sorry for the long message, I love your fic and I'm cheering you on! 💗

Aaaaaaaaa!!!! Anon c'mere and let me hug you! You're so sweet! Thank you so much!!! 🥰🥰🥰 it's been a joy to write this fic and while I already loved Tamlin and Lucien both as individuals and as a ship before, thanks to the fic they've gone up to otp status in my heart. I'm so excited to keep bringing you my boys and their adventures be it sweet and fluffy or high stakes.

Okay so to answer your questions, the reason I haven't named Rhysand's family (or the other bat boys family) is less interesting that twist a or story and has more to do with spite. I am spiteful AF when it comes to the page hogging bats and I refuse to give them any once of development or thought other than antagosnist. So I have zero intention of naming any of those characters because I know SJM would grant them names before the Acheron parents or the Vanserras or any other more important character. So no, I'm just a petty spiteful slug in that case. Sorry to disappoint.

Glad to hear you cought the Greece/Japan mix invented for Dusk. Given that Night seems to be based on Greece along with Middle East at least from what little world building we were shown I thought it would be cool to have them have Greek influence due to Night's colonization but also retain the Japanese inspired culture and aesthetic that was theirs before their fall. I have some ideas for the other courts but these are just headcanons.

Spring- Scottland, France

Summer- Kingdom of Hawaii, Polynesian, Caribbean

Autumn- Spain, Ireland

Winter- Russia, Norway, Korea

Day- Madagascar, Kenya, Roman Empire

Dawn- India, China, Vietnam

Dusk- Japan, Greece, England (Gothic period)

Night- Greece, Middle East

You shall get more Night Court rebellion content soon, I love this group and trust me you haven't met them all yet, lots of peeps want Rhys gone. Gwyn and Lunara will be good pals don't you worry, priestess stick together and I really want more Gwyn she is a delight. Seriously considering a prequel with them at some point.

Funny you mention Grim, he's the favorite so far out of the Rebellion oc's and while I love this precious edgy himbo he is not of my creation @maplesamurai made him as an NPC for one of our D&D campaigns and I've been obsessed with him since then (that version of him and of D&D Lunara are also a couple, mates in every universe baby!) So thank him for the best boy and best himbo. Cassian's got nothing on the best dilf!

Nesta too will get more page time, I'm just keeping from adding too much before her own book, while her healing is mostly happening offscreen and she will be stable by the time of book 2 girlie will have stuff to deal with later that I need to put off for now, but do expect her to get a good moment along with the rest of the squad. Also yes platonic Nestlin for life! They'd be an awesome ship, but as siblings they're a winning combo. Eris look out Nesta now has an older brother to keep an eye on ya once you're official!

Don't ever worry about long questions anon, I live for comments and asks and any attention so I'm absolutely delighted that you sent me this and so grateful you love my silly fix it fic! Thanks so much and I hope I've answered your question! 💙

#ask #anon #acotar ask #acotar fanfic #a court of threads & daisies #tamcien #lucien vanserra #tamlin #pro tamlin #nesta acheron #pro nesta acheron #neris #anti sjm #anti rhysand #anti inner circle #anti night court #oc ask #Lunara LeClair #Grim LeClair #Melinoe Lethe #balthazar

[tadpolesonalgae]

i think we'll get a vanserra book like if the next one is really elriel then i hope we get a lucien and eris book focused on their family because there's so much interesting plot there. the helion and loa mess, killing beron and eris becoming high lord, lucien finding out he's the day court heir, everyone seeing eris isnt really all that bad, seeing their whole dynamic in the past + how it would change, seeing eris make autumn a better place, finding out more about the other brothers (if they're as bad as their father or like eris faking it). we wouldn't even really need luci or eris to get any romance partners for it to be a really good book (idk if i trust sjm to do it righ tho) - 🧶

Honestly I’d love it if Az just stayed on his own for a little 🫢 give me a non-cringey self love story for him where he recovers his self-esteem without getting into an inevitably messy tangle with probably either Elain or Gwyn. Let Elain enjoy standing on her own too, after being in love with Graysen for so long and expected to get with a man, let her enjoy being by herself with friends instead of romantic partners and let Gwyn become more comfortable in the outside world! I want Gwyn to come see Velaris at some point, to recover enough to begin venturing out into the world again and healing!!

(Sorry for that tangent)

And I would LOVE a Vanserra book! Let me see more of Eris and Lucien interacting, let me see how Beron treats them, let me see what Eris and his mother’s relationship is!! It’s mentioned she’s rarely lucid—is that difficult for Eris? He shifted to be a little infront of her at the high lord’s meeting—does Beron ever wield LoA against Eris? There’s so much!! Will Lu ever get to see his mother again??

I know what you mean about maybe not trusting sjm though unfortunately… :/ if she could channel what she did with tog I think that would be more enjoyable? Let us just see everyone getting along together instead of using every book to have a romance sub plot 🫠

#🧶 anon <3 #🧶

[nikethestatue]

Sometimes I still see people saying that Gwyn has more personality and has had more development in one book than Elain has had in four books or whatever and I’m like, what? When? Because I have never seen one single theory about Gwyn being the next MC that doesn’t revolve around another character’s arc (Azriel’s) or a theory about her own arc based on canon evidence. They just pick other characters characteristics and stories and put Gwyn there instead, so where’s all that personality and development?

I’ve seen headcanons about her being friends with Nuala and Cerridwen: that’s Elain’s thing. Babysitting Nyx: his aunties and uncles. Helping with Koschei and the Trove: IC, Nesta, Elain. Spying: Elain/Elriel. Love triangle: Elain Azriel Lucien. Helping the Autumn Court (???): the Vanserras. Little Mermaid retelling: Tharion is a literal mermain. Illyrian plot: EMERIE. cc3 pov: the IC. Helping Rhys’ research about multiple worlds: the IC, Nesta, Elain, Merril, Clotho and even Bryce. And I could go on for days. She’s just a side character in Nesta’a book and her fandom needs to get over it

i think that the answer is pretty simple--take away the Valkyries and Azriel, what is Gwyn's story?

The Valkyries is what she was 'created' for by SJM. THat's her big contribution. Problem is, of course, is that she needs others to be Valkyries. So she doesn't exist outside of Nesta/Emerie.

And then there is a fantasy 'romance' with Azriel, that's non-existent.

Take away Azriel--what is left? What's Gwyn's story? Her story was told in ACOSF.

Now, Elain's story--alone, without anyone's addition--can take up a 500 page book. Between her powers, her Sight, her relationship with the Cauldron, the Bone Carver prophecy, her killing of the King, (and that's just the tip of the iceberg), that's a whole book. She could scry or See something ONCE, and set an entire book forth.

And that's not even touching Az or Lucien, or the bond, or Blood Duels or forbidden romances or anything relationship-y.

With Elain, she doesn't need to be attached to anyone at all, barely the IC, and still have an amazing book.

#elain #pro elain archeron #elain archeron

[offtorivendell]

In Defence of Elain Archeron 

Or, a discussion of the potential reasons why Elain hasn't rejected her mate bond with Lucien, even if she might want to. 

Please do not screenshot and share this post without permission.

Disclaimer: The following text consists of reasons that could - potentially - explain why Elain, who has not shown any interest in Lucien, has not yet rejected her bond with him. I make no claims that any of these will turn out to be canon. 

TW for mention of canon kidnapping, murder and other mature events/themes.

One of the major issues that people have with Elain Archeron is that, after almost two years, she has made no moves - of which we're aware - to either “get to know” her Cauldron-gifted mate, Lucien Vanserra, or to reject her bond with him. 

Setting aside the very problematic notion that anyone, male or female, ever owes anyone else their time and/or consideration for romance, I thought I would attempt to list the potential reasons why Elain may have - so far - appeared to ignore her bond with Lucien. 

Elain and Lucien discovered they were mates at the end of ACOMAF, during what was likely the most traumatic point of her life, and the books since ACOWAR, which admittedly left the relationship between the two of them up in the air - I personally already preferred Elriel at that stage, but El*cien could still have happened without too much effort, and I would have enjoyed it, as I like both characters - have shown no positive progress between them, only what most would consider negative, and people are wondering why Elain hasn’t rejected their bond, after almost two years. 

Edit, because I realised that I never explicitly stated this: I personally believe that Elain’s lack of interest in her bond with Lucien, and Lucien himself is, in itself, a rejection. She should not need to do more than not give consent to any sort of relationship with Lucien to "reject" him, or their bond. The following discussion is based upon their "in-world" situation, as faeries with a mating bond that could potentially require more than just not pursuing a relationship to consider one rejected.

We haven’t yet had Elain’s book 

The first, easiest and most obvious answer is that SJM wants to tell this story from Elain’s POV - or, potentially, Lucien. We are yet to see a book that features Elain’s POV, and we only got a few pages of Lucien’s POV, courtesy of Feyre and her daemati powers, towards the beginning of ACOWAR (chapter 24). Since then, nothing. 

Besides the fact that Elain was in no shape to make a decision about her bond with Lucien at that time - in addition to recovering from the trauma of being kidnapped, forcibly turned into a faerie, and being abandoned by the man she loved, who supposedly loved her, for events over which she had no control, she spent a lot of her time lost in visions that we later found out were prophetic - I would expect anyone to take a step back and decide for themselves what such a significant bond would mean, both to and for them. 

It is the smart and responsible thing to do, otherwise she, or even Lucien, could end up like Rhys' mother, who resented his father, even though they were mates. If that means two years of an immortal lifespan spent contemplating whether she wants to let him get to know her, then so be it. 

I sighed, absently rubbing my still-flat stomach. "Let's focus on helping one sister before we start on the other." "Agreed," Rhys drawled. - ACOSF, Feyre’s bonus chapter 

And if none of the above makes sense to you, it simply hasn't happened yet because it would be such a momentous occasion - SJM hasn’t written a mating bond rejection before - that I cannot fathom why we would expect to see it from anyone other than the two people involved. My money is on Elain learning that she can Unmake the bond in ACOTAR 5, and doing so from her POV, then we will get Lucien’s POV either as a bonus chapter in ACOTAR 5, or as a flashback in ACOTAR 6, if he shares that with Vassa. 

Elain knows she can reject the bond, but she is afraid of hurting Lucien 

Women today are still taught, often subconsciously, to centre men - and how they might respond to a situation - from a young age; for example, dress codes at schools that unfairly target the female students, so that they're not a distraction. As we get older, we also tend to automatically consider a man’s potential response in how we would refuse an advance, in terms of both our personal safety and not wanting to cause emotional harm - I have done this more than once, and so have many of my friends… and we live in "safe" areas. Please understand that I am not suggesting that Lucien (or the majority of men) would be violent towards Elain (or any woman), or see her as property; he has fairly consistently respected her space for almost two years now. 

However, Elain is frequently described as sweet and kind - she was the first sister to openly state and apologise for her part in Feyre’s neglect growing up, without prompting or design; she was raised in a society that is more patriarchal than our own current western world, and by a mother who conditioned her to be a pawn on the marriage market, to boot. I would put money on the Archeron sisters all having some sort of internalised response similar to women that live in the western world today - and I am using the western world, because that is where the author lives, and what I personally know - which would mean that Elain, who doesn't like causing people pain, could feasibly know that the bond can be rejected, but is stalling because she doesn't want to hurt Lucien, either physically or emotionally, and so doesn’t know how to proceed. 

Now, obviously an ignored bond would be causing some base-level of pain, at least emotionally, but Elain is between a rock and a hard place, and I could see her not knowing how to proceed. She probably remembers the devastation that Graysen made her feel, and is reluctant to pass that on, even though we know she'd never be cruel about it. 

I glowered at Rhys. "You think Elain’s boring?" "I think she's kind, and I'll take kindness over nastiness any day. But I also think we haven't yet seen all she has to offer." - ACOSF, Feyre’s bonus chapter 

Elain knows she can reject the bond, but she is worried about her safety  

Following on from the second point, that Elain doesn’t want to reject the bond because it could hurt Lucien, either emotionally or physically, I posit a twist on the same idea; Elain is concerned about her safety, due to the backwards and sexist nature of the Autumn Court. 

“Not free rein—not in my lands. It has been illegal in our territory for a long, long time for males to do that. Even before I was born. Other courts, no. On the continent, there are territories that believe the females literally belong to their mate. But not here. Elain would have our full protection if she rejects the bond. But it will still be a bond, however weakened, that will trail her for the rest of her existence.” - ACOWAR, chapter 24 

I clenched my teeth. “If you were her lover, why didn’t you stop it?” The wrong thing to say. Utterly wrong, by the dark fury that rippled across Helion’s face. “Beron is a High Lord, and she is his wife, mother of his brood. She chose to stay. Chose. And with the protocols and rules, Lady, you will find that most situations like the one you were in do not end well for those who interfere.” - ACOWAR, chapter 47 

Once again, I highly doubt this is due to Lucien himself, but his father, Beron, is terrible - look at what he did to Lucien’s first love, Jesminda - and he knows that Elain is Lucien’s mate. We know that Rhys told Feyre that Elain would be protected, and that no bond would be forced on her, which could be hinting that it is something Beron may consider, either out of shame that his (as far as he knows) son could be rejected by his mate, or as a power play over the Night Court/the rest of Prythian. 

Aside from the fact that Elain is Lucien’s mate, she is also a Seer in her own right; she is Cauldron-Made, and likely has additional powers, if Amren is to be believed. Elain would be sought out by many Courts and Kingdoms if they knew of her, and if Beron thought he could stake a claim to such an asset, I am sure he would take her with little thought to her own wishes, or even Lucien’s. If Beron is working for Koschei, and either Koschei or he got wind of Elain’s abilities, then Elain could be in big trouble. 

And do not forget that Nesta herself—and Elain, with whatever powers she has—is here. Feyre is here. All three sisters blessed by fate and gifted with powers to match your own. - ACOSF, chapter 42

Elain knows she can reject the bond, but she is worried about political backlash 

Similar to the above situation, in which Elain fears for her own safety, I can see her also stalling in rejecting her bond with Lucien because she is worried about the safety of others; she has always loved her sisters, and has come to love the Inner Circle, and the Night Court in general and, despite her reservations towards Lucien, I highly doubt she wants to see him harmed. She certainly wouldn't want Azriel to get hurt, especially on her account. 

Rhys growled, "Allow me to make one thing very clear. You are to stay away from her." "You can't order me to do that." "Oh, I can, and I will. If Lucien finds out you're pursuing her, he has every right to defend their bond as he sees fit. Including invoking the Blood Duel." "That's an Autumn Court tradition." The battle to the death was so brutal that it was only enacted in rare cases. Despite being an outsider, Azriel had wanted to invoke it when he'd found Mor all those years ago. Had been ready to challenge both Beron and Eris to Blood Duels and kill them both. Only Mor's right to claim their heads in vengeance had kept him from doing so. "Lucien, as Beron's son, has the right to demand it of you." "I'll defeat him with little effort." Pure arrogance laced every word, but it was true. "I know." Rhys's eyes flickered. "And your doing so will rip apart any fragile peace and alliances we have, not only with the Autumn Court, but also with the Spring Court and Jurian and Vassa." Rhys bared his teeth. "So you will leave Elain alone. If you need to fuck someone, go to a pleasure hall and pay for it, but stay away from her." Azriel snarled softly. - ACOSF, Azriel’s bonus chapter 

As Rhys said in Azriel’s bonus chapter from ACOSF, if a relationship between Elain and Azriel was ever discovered, Lucien - not Azriel - could call a Blood Duel, which is still a valid custom in the Autumn Court. This would put both Azriel and Lucien at risk of injury or death, as well as disrupting the tentative alliance between (most of) the Courts of Prythian.

I personally don't think that Lucien would call Azriel out for a Blood Duel unprompted, it would most likely be due to Beron's machinations, or Beron himself. Furthermore, Lucien is better-known throughout Prythian than anyone from the Night Court; again, I doubt he would do this, but with his personal and political connections, he could do some real damage to the Night Court's reputation. 

Elain is observant - the Cauldron saw fit to make her a Seer, and her two best friends are spies, after all - so I would be very surprised if she was unaware of what was going on around her. 

Elain almost certainly knows the importance of political accord across Prythian, especially given the upcoming conflict with Koschei and/or the Autumn Court under Beron’s rule. Given she likely put herself on the marriage market, as a human, to both provide a safe place for her and Nesta, and contribute to the war effort against the faeries who were set on invading the Human Realm, this savviness tracks. Elain deciding to act in the way that is perceived as best for her Court/family would not be out of character for her.

Elain knows she can reject the bond, but has Seen a reason not to do so… yet 

Elain is a Seer - who likely has other powers - and, though we have heard her speak a few of her prophecies out loud, I am almost certain that she has Seen more than she has let on, at least to us. 

Mor let out a snort that made the Illyrians stiffen. But she shifted, revealing Elain behind her. Elain was just blinking, wide-eyed, at the camp. The army. Devlon let out a grunt at the sight of her. But Elain wrapped her own blue cloak around herself, averting her eyes from all of those towering, muscled warriors, the army camp bustling toward the horizon … She was a rose bloom in a mud field. Filled with galloping horses. - ACOWAR, chapter 51 

I have a feeling that any time Elain blinks, or tilts her head, it could be signifying her having had a vision - this is discussed further in this fantastic post. The scene above, in which she blinks at Windhaven, and averts her eyes from the warriors, is likely foreshadowing what the Cauldron did the the Illyrian army, during the battle with Hybern, or potentially something that has not yet come to pass. What has she Seen, or what does she know/suspect, that could be behind her choice to ignore her bond with Lucien? Given we know she doesn’t like causing anyone pain, it must be something huge. 

Does the Night Court need Lucien himself in some manner going forward?

Is it vital that the Night Court maintains its ties to Lucien, and therefore Queen Vassa, the firebird captive of Koschei (and Lucien’s suspected love interest)?

Will the bond between Lucien and Elain play a significant role in the near future, by one of them sensing the other in danger? Many suspect that Azriel felt something when Elain was kidnapped by the Cauldron, and then magically contained by the King of Hybern… but did Lucien also feel the bond go quiet and, if so, does it work both ways?

If Vassa and Lucien’s story is going to be based on Swan Lake, will Lucien’s declaration of love - to break Vassa’s curse - come in the form of a mate bond that has to be freshly Made? 

These are just a few ideas; there are many plot-driven points that could explain why Elain has not rejected her bond with Lucien… yet.  

Elain knows she does not have to accept the bond, but doesn’t know that it has to be officially declined

None of us actually knows what is involved with rejecting a mating bond, just that a mate bond can be declined, but not broken - and that the fae involved, especially the male, might still feel a reduced pull. 

Elain is an astute person who has embraced her new, fae life in the Night Court, but it is very possible that, while she is aware that she does not have to accept her bond with Lucien, she is unaware that it has to be rejected in an official capacity. We, the readers, don’t even know whether this is the case. 

Despite what we have seen so far in the ACOTAR series, mate bonds are supposedly rare; I would assume that rejected mate bonds are rarer still, even though there are canon reports of accepted mate bonds going sour - for example, Rhys’ parents. I wonder how many people would actually know what is involved? The priestesses, maybe, as they are involved in mating ceremonies, but I doubt that ‘how to reject an unwanted mating bond’ is common knowledge, or regular tea time conversation.

Elain knows she can reject the bond, but is (or was) undecided 

I don't personally want to see this, because it saddens me to think that Elain would value herself so little, but I could see that years of conditioning by her mother, and society in general, would have Elain thinking that she should give Lucien a chance, even if she isn’t interested. 

Elain only stared at the steaming kettle as she set it on the stone counter. “He brought you a present.” Those doe-brown eyes turned toward me. Sharper than I’d ever seen them. “And that entitles him to my time, my affections?” “No.” I blinked. “But he is a good male.” Despite our harsh words. Despite this Band of Exiles bullshit. “He cares for you.” “He doesn’t know me.” “You don’t give him the chance to even try to do so.” Her mouth tightened, the only sign of anger in her graceful countenance. “I don’t want a mate. I don’t want a male.” She wanted a human man. - ACOFAS, chapter 18 

While we know that Elain very clearly stated her opinion in ACOFAS, that she did not owe Lucien her time, she wouldn’t be the first woman (or female, in this case) to publicly state a strong opinion against a patriarchal norm, yet continue to struggle with it in private. 

As I mentioned earlier, Elain (and Lucien) are fae, with functionally immortal life spans - what is two years to them, for Elain to take the time to both know her own mind in the context of her past conditioning to become a “lady wife,” her new life as a High Fae, and her feelings for Graysen, Azriel and Lucien, and then make her decision?

Mating bonds are for life; an immortal life! Elain is neither “stringing Lucien along,” or “cheating on Lucien with Azriel,” as some of her detractors like to say; besides the fact that SHE IS NOT PROPERTY, so owes no loyalty to Lucien or their - currently unaccepted - bond, she could simply be taking the time to know her own mind. I will not fault her for that. 

Elain doesn’t know the bond can be rejected

The last option, and the one that I, personally, am least interested in seeing, is that Elain has no idea that she can decline her bond with Lucien in any way, shape or form. We saw Rhys comforting Feyre with the knowledge that Elain would be given protection in the Night Court, but we have not seen anyone pass that information on to Elain herself. 

Does Elain even know that she doesn't have to accept Lucien? All we know that she knows is that the King of Hybern was unable to sever Feyre and Rhys' mate bond.

“Not free rein—not in my lands. It has been illegal in our territory for a long, long time for males to do that. Even before I was born. Other courts, no. On the continent, there are territories that believe the females literally belong to their mate. But not here. Elain would have our full protection if she rejects the bond. But it will still be a bond, however weakened, that will trail her for the rest of her existence.” - ACOWAR, chapter 24 

In normal circumstances, I wouldn’t see this as the obvious reason as to why Elain hasn't responded to her mating bond with Lucien, as she has shown herself to be observant, proactive and wise - but she is not in "normal circumstances." So, is it a plausible basis for her having made no move to formally reject her bond with Lucien? Yes, very much so. I will also remind you that, while Elain has so far only ignored her bond with Lucien, and only given Lucien the attention she needs to, to be polite, those actions in and of themselves are a rejection, even if they are not specifically what needs to happen in the form of a mating bond, or whatever may be between them.

We cannot expect Elain to know everything about a society into which she was thrown against her wishes; she has come such a long way in under two years, with making friends and learning at least some of their customs (see: her discussion with Feyre about winter solstice in ACOFAS), but maybe she hasn't been quite ready to tackle the idea of a mating bond that she doesn't want.

I don't personally believe that it is infantilising Elain to consider the fact that Feyre and Rhys may have withheld information from her - they're currently doing the exact same thing to Lucien, after all. If anything, Feyre and Rhys would be removing her agency by choosing not to give her the information she needs to make informed decisions about her life (if this is indeed what has happened).

***

Whatever Elain decides to do with regards to her mating bond with Lucien, I'm sure there is a reason as to why she has not yet made her decision, and that we'll learn about it in her book. If that reason turns out to be as simple as "she wasn't ready to deal with it yet," then so be it; she deserves all the time she needs to process her change, and everything that entails.

I do hope, if it turns out that she doesn't yet know about the possibility of officially rejecting the bond - if that is indeed an option - that she requests/seeks out this information herself; it would show growth on her part, which is what we'd expect to see in her book. I can see her frustration at not being able to begin a relationship with Azriel (for the aforementioned political reasons) as being part of the impetus she needs for this.

If you can think of any other reasons why Elain might be waiting to decline - or accept - the El*cien bond, please add them in the comments!

Edit 23.05.21: to clarify my personal bias in what I want to see, versus what could actually happen.

#elain archeron #acotar #acomaf #acowar #acofas #acosf #acosf spoilers #lucien vanserra #azriel #azriel shadowsinger #elriel #anti eluc*en #mating bond rejection #pro elain #pro elain archeron #pro lucien vanserra #pro vucien #pro vassien

[cakesunflower]

a court of golden shadows: elain archeron and azriel endgame

so this is like an 11 page paper i wrote on why i think Elain Archeron and Azriel from Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses are endgame. i made a joke on twitter that i’d write a proper MLA format styled paper on them because i love them so much and a bunch of my moots convinced me to do it so here i am.

this is for the Elriel lovers like myself. if you read it, which you don’t have to, please refrain from commenting anything negative. everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and this whole essay is just my opinion on it. so if you read, i hope you enjoy!!

keep in mind, it’s LONG.

         A Court of Golden Shadows: Elain Archeron and Azriel Endgame

Sarah J. Maas’s fantasy series A Court of Thorns and Roses displays epic, world-shattering love stories among the thrilling action and fantastical elements present throughout the novels, as seen in the romance between Feyre Archeron and Rhysand and, most recently, Nesta Archeron and Cassian. Two sisters have already accepted and embraced the (so-called) rare mating bond with their respective counterparts, yet the question remains on what is to happen with the middle sister, Elain Archeron, who apparently has a mating bond of her own with Lucien Vanserra, but has not, for two books and a novella, made any indication of accepting it. However, Elain, in her quiet, gentle way, has shown to be more attentive towards the Night Court’s resident Shadowsinger and Spymaster, Azriel. Who, in turn, has notably started to move on from a five-century long love harbored for another female and gravitating towards the last remaining Archeron sister.

It can be said that the concept of the three Archeron sisters all ending up with the three Illyrian males is a cliché, but if done right, they can capture the reader in their grasp—one that no one would want to get out of. Taking a look at the novels, particularly starting from the second book, A Court of Mist and Fury, since this is where Azriel’s character is introduced, it is difficult to ignore the fact that Maas has been laying the groundwork for Elain and Azriel—or Elriel, as I will refer to them throughout this paper—to be a couple from the moment they met, whether these hints are subtle or obvious. In chapter 24 of ACOMAF where Feyre, the Illyrian faes, and her sisters have dinner together, we see tentative interactions between Elain and Azriel, despite the two of them having just met and Elain, as a mortal who grew up with stories of the terrors of faeries, seems to look towards the spymaster more. The first glimpse of their interaction, no matter how small, is shown on pages 253-254 when “a faint smile bloomed upon Azriel’s mouth as he noticed Elain’s fingers white-knuckled on that fork”. Though this moment can be overlooked, it is only the first of many oncoming moments of Azriel noticing Elain and her actions, a subtle hint of the spymaster’s attention towards Elain. The focus of attention is returned when Elain then turns to Azriel a few pages later, wanting to know more about their ability to fly, even so far as going to say “That’s very beautiful” when Azriel describes Illyrians as being “born hearing the song of the wind” (256-257). Additionally, there are two moments in this particular chapter where Elain, in some semblance, looks towards Azriel as a way of relaxing herself. The first is noted when Azriel’s attention is said to be on Elain, and he offers her a “polite, bland smile”, and Feyre notices how Elain’s “shoulders loosened a bit” in response to it (256). Rather than looking towards Feyre for indicators during an unexpected dinner with faeries, Elain seems to be more drawn to looking at Azriel, which is shown once again in the following passage: “Rhys chuckled, Cassian’s wrath slipping enough that he grinned, and Elain, noticing Azriel’s ease as proof that things weren’t indeed about to go badly, offered one of her own as well” (258). Elain tends to check everyone’s reactions to the circumstances to determine the levels of tension in the atmosphere, but she truly seems to be put at ease when she notices Azriel’s own relaxed state, once again indicating the attention she pays to him from the moment they met.

The first three books in Maas’s series are told through Feyre’s perspective, so it can be said that our perception of and desire for Elain and Azriel getting together is skewed because of the point of view we are given. I, however, consider this to be a moot point because Feyre’s character is the type to notice everything around her. She comes to grow close to both Azriel and Cassian, and with Elain being her sister, the reader can depend on Feyre as being as much of a reliable narrator to tell us exactly what she sees and how she sees it. With this in mind, some of the examples given will be from Feyre’s own musings, but it is important to note that she, more than once, groups Elain and Azriel together. This is shown when, in chapter 49, Feyre is distracting Rhysand as she tries to take care of his wounds and muses about her sisters visiting Velaris. There, Feyre mentions to Rhysand, “I think Elain—Elain would like it, too. Though she’d probably cling to Azriel, just to have some peace and quiet”, before proceeding to think to herself—and the reader, “I smiled at the thought—at how handsome they would be together” (487). Of course, this observation is followed by the acknowledgement of Azriel quietly loving Mor, as he has for centuries, yet what we don’t know, during this, that this wouldn’t remain an issue for long.

Moving on to focus on the third installment of the series, A Court of Wings and Ruin, there is a solemnity surrounding Elain, who, at the end of the second novel, was forcefully turned into fae against her will. After the transformation, Elain has become a shell of who she used to be, trapped in a state of deep mourning of the humanity she lost, of the love of her fiancé she inevitably lost, too. She doesn’t eat nor does she speak to anyone, an empty yet no less beautiful version of herself as her Cauldron given powers, unbeknownst to everyone else, manifest. But even in her state, in her indifference towards her mate Lucien and yearning for her human fiancé Graysen, Elain managed to acknowledge Azriel. He is gentle with her, much like everyone else, as he carries her into the townhouse, smiles, inquires if she’d like for him to show her the garden. And although he stands tall, intimidating in his fighting leathers and large wings, Elain does not recoil from him in fear or shyness. Instead, she takes the arm he offers her and, although it is unsure if she is looking at his Siphon or his scarred hands, she still utters “Beautiful” in response to him (254). Even when life has unexpectedly turned bleak for Elain, even when the world loses its color in the aftermath of the trauma she suffered, in that moment, there was a glimpse of who she used to be as she found beauty in nothing but Azriel.

This same chapter is followed by an insightful conversation between Feyre and Rhysand, triggered by Feyre watching her sister and Azriel. Feyre notes how at odds Azriel looks sitting in the garden next to Elain in his armor, yet she still questions, “Why not make them mates?” (257). This spurs a significant conversation between the High Lord and High Lady, where readers are given some more history on mating bonds and introduced to the prevailing concept of rejected bonds. Rhys provides examples of ill-chosen bonds, such as his parents, who were mates yet their relationship was not ideal in the least. Here, we are told that sometimes fate, the Mother, whatever chooses two mates can be wrong in its pairings, and it is rare for the bond to bring together “true, paired souls” (258) like Feyre and Rhysand. It has been established that the female can reject the bond, and while the male may feel the tug of it, it’s their burden to push through it. Maas spends an entire page or so talking about the concept of ill-chosen or rejected bonds, so it would be naive to look over these details if they weren’t placed in the storyline for a reason. Elain and Lucien may be mates, and Azriel (at least currently within the book) may be in love with Mor, but the idea of free will is not something to be so easily dismissed. Elain already had the choice of her humanity, her mortality, ripped away from her—it’s doubtful she would let this pattern continue.

In chapter 24 of A Court of Wings and Ruin, when Elain is having her first conversation with Lucien, she states, “No one ever looked—not really” (252), and although here she is referencing Graysen, this statement comes around a few chapters later. In chapter 27, Elain walks in on a conversation amongst the Inner Circle, and Azriel was the first to step forward as he noticed something amiss. His observations and questions when he says to her, “[But] you heard something else” and “What did you see” indicate that he, unlike Feyre and Nesta, believes that Elain’s riddled musings have a deeper meaning and need to be heard. The scene ends with Feyre looking to Azriel, noticing that his “hazel eyes churned as he studied my sister, her too-thin body. And without a word, he winnowed away” (287). Azriel didn’t brush off what Elain said, because while her sisters thought Elain had gone mad, Azriel listened to her—he looked. He looked past her “too-thin body” and read between the lines of what she said, and knew there was more than what meets the eye. He looked, which was exactly what Elain had wanted.

This is repeated in chapter 32, when Elain brings up another queen and no one is quite sure what she’s talking about, except for Azriel, who steps forward and gently prods Elain to elaborate. Even Lucien watches Elain warily, questioning if they need to help her, yet Azriel is firm in his assessment that Elain doesn’t need help, that they need to be the ones who need to listen, before ultimately determining that she does, in fact, have powers and is established to be a seer. So while Lucien “stared and stared at [Elain], as if he’d never seen her before”, it was Azriel who actually looked at her and saw what no one else was seeing, whose acknowledgment of her gift and the attention he brought to it from everyone else “freed her from whatever murky realm she’d been in” (336).

The idea of Azriel truly looking at Elain transitions into him looking for her, too. But first, another example of the former is seen in chapter 63, when Feyre, Nesta, and Amren hear the call of the cauldron in the middle of the night. They wonder about it, question why they three heard it because they were Made, not noticing that another who was Made was missing from their group. That is, until, Azriel asks, “What about Elain?” (560), and he is moving alongside the sisters to inspect Elain’s tent, only to find her missing. Azriel notices Elain—whether she is present or not. And so the concept of Azriel looking for Elain is introduced when they are discussing Elain’s rescue from Hybern in the following scene:

“From the shadows near the entrance to the tent, Azriel said, as if in answer to some unspoken debate, “I’m getting her back.”

Nesta slid her gaze to the shadowsinger. Azriel’s hazel eyes glowed golden in the shadows.

Nesta said, “Then you will die.”

Azriel only repeated, rage glazing that stare, “I’m getting her back.”” (563).

There was no hesitation on Azriel’s part in being the one to get Elain back, but there was obvious rage, as noted, in his gaze at the very idea of Elain having been kidnapped. A silent, lethal aura surrounds the shadowsinger that can be so clearly picked out within that scene, showcasing Azriel’s unwavering determination in returning Elain, even if it meant slipping into the heart of enemy camps—especially if it meant that. And throughout the dangers and urgency of this particular mission, when they do reach Elain, Azriel takes a moment to be tender towards her as he “gently removed the gag from her mouth” (573) and asks if she’s hurt. Elain, in turn, is shown to be “devouring the sight of him, as if not quite believing it” before she says “You came for me” (573). Elain looks at Azriel in wonder and disbelief, and this reaction hints towards how she feels drawn towards him. In their very first meeting during the dinner in the Archeron house, Elain looks to Azriel for reassurance, for judgement of the situation, and in the event of her rescue, she finds that same kind of comfort on a far more intense level. Because here, he truly is her rescuer, appearing in front of her to save her from the dangerous hands of their enemies and bring her to safety. And Azriel, in this sense, is devoted to her, holding up his fierce promising of getting her back. Even when he was injured, Azriel held onto Elain, refusing to let her go even while getting shot at and chased, and when they landed in their own camps, the first thing he claimed was for someone to get the chains off of her, rather than even mentioning his own injuries. This just reminds us of ACOMAF when Elain was being dragged to the cauldron and Azriel wasn’t even conscious to witness it—there is no doubt that if he was awake—and uninjured—he would’ve done all he could to save her. Maas robbed us of that type of scene.

Furthermore, evolving from the concept of Azriel rescuing Elain, we get another significant scene between the two of them that displays the kind of trust these two characters smoothly and effortlessly developed. On top of Elain accepting Azriel’s offers of taking her to the garden, a silent indicator that his company was one she enjoyed, Azriel shows a great act of trust to Elain as well when, in chapter 69, he offered her the use of his beloved knife, Truth-Teller. This blade is Azriel’s most prized possession, and to offer it to Elain to bring her the same kind of comfort and safety that we have seen she finds in Azriel himself portrays the trust he has in her—and his desire to protect her. This is emphasized when Rhys tells Feyre, “Never. . . I have never once seen Azriel let another person touch that knife” (610). Even Cassian was stunned that Azriel would let someone else use Truth-Teller, which is significant to note given that he has not let even Cassian nor Rhys—his brothers he has known for centuries—even touch it. And Elain, who had refused to take the knife Cassian had offered her, ends up accepting Truth-Teller—because it’s Azriel’s, and because through the short time she’s known him, he is someone she has poured her trust into and understands he wouldn’t lead her astray. And he didn’t, for it was Elain who “stepped out of a shadow” (653) and used that very same blade to kill the King of Hybern. A temporary gift, given from Azriel, that she used to put an end to one of the greatest threats to both the human and faerie realms.

In the post-war novella A Court of Frost and Starlight, Maas furthers the Elriel endgame agenda by continuing both subtle and blatant hints in their favor—and not just through actual interactions between the two. The concept of Azriel avoiding Lucien because of his mating bond with Elain is important to remember, for it will come back around later. But in this novella, we see it when Rhysand asks Azriel if he keeps an eye on Lucien, given that he is the spymaster. Azriel, in turn, informs him that he does not track his movements, because “He is Elain’s mate” and “It would be an invasion of her privacy to track him”, which Rhysand, since this is shown from his perspective, notes is because Azriel does not want to be aware of if and when Lucien seeks out Elain, and what they do together—if they do anything at all, given Elain’s tendencies to utterly ignore Lucien (70). Rhysand questions Azriel’s motives on this, but doesn’t get a response, but there is an understanding of Azriel’s intentions behind it. Not only does he want to remain ignorant of the forced bond between Elain and Lucien, but a big motivator for him is also Elain’s privacy, which he doesn’t want to intrude on—ironic, given that he is a spy, and it’s his job to know of others’ movements and thoughts.

Another example of Azriel very subtly showing his blossoming feelings towards Elain is when he unforgivingly states that if Lucien were to kill Elain’s ex-fiancé, then “good riddance” (71). He was well aware of how Graysen treated Elain after finding out she was fae, is the one who sits with her in the gardens because he is a comforting presence for her in the face of mourning, so he understands her. This idea is repeated in Azriel’s bonus chapter in A Court of Silver Flames, when Rhysand catches Azriel almost about to kiss Elain—that is definitely to be unpacked later—and warns him that Lucien has the right to invoke a Blood Duel to defend the mating bond, and Azriel does not hesitate, is confident, when he retorts that he would easily defeat Lucien, would have no problem in pulling Elain out of a bond she doesn’t even want.

The novella also includes some more obvious, sweet moments between Elain and Azriel, ones that show Elain’s own growing interest and feelings towards Azriel. Like in chapter 12, when Feyre notes that when Azriel enters the room, she feels Elain freeze at the sight of him, and then Elain proceeds to be almost in a trance when Azriel, after she greets him, moves towards her and takes the heavy dish of potatoes from her hands and says he’ll take care of it for her (105). This scene then continues when Elain hurries off to make herself more presentable, and rather than letting others dive into the food, Azriel stops Cassian from putting food on his plate and all but commands him to “wait until everyone is seated before eating” (106). Rhysand informs Feyre that this sudden reaction from Azriel stemmed from the treatment his mother received as a near servant, but it can also be tied to how Azriel keeps aware of Elain and the recurring theme of looking after her in any way. He notices her, just as she notices him, a subtle way of this being present in Elain’s solstice gift to Azriel. She doesn’t get a gift for Lucien, her mate, but does get one for Azriel, one that makes him laugh in a way that, Feyre notes, she’s never heard before. A genuine sort of joy breaking the cold, indifferent mask of the shadowsinger as he accepts and cherishes the gift Elain gave him—the extent of which we see in his bonus chapter, where it is revealed that he looks at the small vial every night before going to sleep, a not-so-subtle showing that Elain is the last thought on his mind before he descends into slumber.

This notion of the two of them looking after one another in their own ways is again repeated in A Court of Silver Flames in the following passage on page 221:

Azriel smirked. “You and Nesta are wanted down there.”

“Because of the shit with Elain?”

Azriel stilled. “What happened to Elain?”

Cassian waved a hand. “A fight with Nesta. Don’t bring it up,” he warned when Azriel’s eyes darkened.

Throughout the friendship they have formed, Azriel becomes a kind of protector of Elain’s, deriving from her being a part of their Inner Circle as well as the notion of Azriel’s own personal feelings for her. He is so obviously shown as going on the defense at the news of Elain getting into any kind of fight, of Elain potentially being hurt. It’s repeated on page 233 when Elain and Nesta are arguing, and after Nesta utters a nasty comment that lands on Elain like a blow, there is an acknowledgement of the “shadows gathered in the corners of the room, like snakes preparing to strike”. The shadows, of course, are Azriel’s, ready to jump between the sisters and defend Elain from Nesta’s verbal attack, to once again be her protector.

Of course, we can’t forget that Elain has a mate in Lucien, and how it seems to offer the enticing forbidden love trope between her and Azriel. We see a hint of it in A Court of Wings and Ruin, when in chapter 24, Lucien can scent where Elain had gone off to and who she’d gone with, in this case having it be Azriel, and he’d nearly snarled until Rhysand assured him that Azriel wasn’t the “ravishing type” (254)—although I think we can all agree that he most likely is, but wouldn’t even dream of it in terms of the state Elain was in at the time. Maybe it is the mating bond or maybe it’s both Elain and Azriel’s quiet personalities—or perhaps a combination of the two—but the shyness that has them looking at each other and then looking away continues. On page 467 of A Court of Silver Flames, Cassian notes how Elain nods shyly towards Azriel, who in turn offers her a small smile that she quickly looked away from, prompting Cassian to be puzzled as he wondered, “Lucien was certainly not here to snarl at any male who looked at her for too long”. Elain doesn’t look away from Azriel because of the bond, but perhaps because she is well aware of her feelings for him and, for the moment, is too shy for them to be known, especially by Azriel.

The mating bond between Elain and Lucien does serve as a barrier between her and Azriel, though. This is particularly present during the Winter Solstice, when a layer of Azriel’s character specifically has been peeled back to show his feelings for Elain. Like on page 597, when Elain is laughing at Nesta, the older Archeron sister notes that “Azriel stood in the doorway, monitoring them. As if he’d heard Elain’s sharp laugh and wondered what had caused it”. And if that wasn’t enough, Nesta watches as Azriel’s “gaze shifted to Elain, and though it was utterly neutral, something charged went through it. Between them. Elain’s breath caught slightly, and she gave him a shallow nod of greeting”. This is perhaps the most prominent moment of both of their feelings being reciprocated by the other, because Nesta notices the way they look at one another, as if they both see past the person they put in front of everyone else and truly see the other. And even Nesta understands that there is something deeper between the two, even if they themselves haven’t figured it out yet, when she approaches Azriel where he stands by the doorway and, when asked why he doesn’t sit, responds with a “pretty lie” of his shadows not liking the fire. But Nesta looks to where Elain is the one sitting by the fire, and why Azriel chooses to stand as far as he can, because it is “his secret to tell. Never hers” (600). Just like that, Nesta is aware of Azriel’s feelings for her sister and, perhaps, her subtle way of comforting him was her showing her approval.

We get a deeper insight of this scene in Azriel’s bonus chapter—an entire chapter that allows readers to see exactly how he feels about Elain, and that she returns those feelings, too. It is confirmed that Azriel stands by the doorway, away from Elain, because Lucien is in the same room, and the sight and scent of their mating bond is one that Azriel cannot stand. Because the female he feels deeply for, according to fate, “belongs” to another male and he needs to put distance between himself and the two of them when they’re in the same room. Yet, the mating bond doesn’t prevent Azriel from thinking of Elain, from fantasizing about her every night. He goes from being shown as relieved when Rhys tells him he doesn’t have to buy the sisters presents for the Winter Solstice in A Court of Frost and Starlight, to actively buying her a beautiful flower necklace that she would no doubt love. Their secret exchanging of gifts leads to an epic, steamy, full-of-yearning almost first kiss that shows so clearly that Azriel’s feelings for Elain aren’t unrequited, that she, just like him, is desperate to give into what’s been brewing between them for so long. Yet it’s all cut short when Rhys interrupts Azriel, reminding him of a mating bond that Azriel’s painfully aware of—and confidently willing to pull Elain away from if Lucien decides to invoke the Blood Duel. Azriel’s questioning of the cauldron, wondering why it picked three sisters and had two of them end up with his brothers while the last remaining one was mated to another, is not him declaring that he has a right to Elain. This is him questioning the powers and forces that no one truly understands, this is him questioning from a place of heartbreak, wondering why, yet again, he was the one left behind. It happened when his father imprisoned him, forcing Azriel to delay in his training as an Illyrian, it happened when the female he spent centuries loving never once returned the same kind of love, and now it’s happening again. Azriel does not believe he deserves Elain—it goes against his character, because he is self-deprecating, does not think he truly deserves anything good and worthy. He is simply questioning why his choice doesn’t ever seem to matter, and why Elain is yet again left having her decisions being taken away from her.

Because the matter of choice is a prevalent, significant theme for the two of them. For Elain, she was never allowed to truly make a choice in her life. Her mother’s death, her family falling into poverty, turning into High Fae, losing Graysen, the mating bond, her father’s death—these were all huge, significant life changing moments that she had no say in and was forced to endure, completely upending who she was and how she lived. But there is one choice Elain can make, and that is to reject the mating bond with Lucien. There are so many examples throughout the books where Elain turns away from Lucien; she doesn’t express any interest in him—it’s like he doesn’t even exist to her. There is utter indifference on her end, despite any effort made by Lucien, and that in itself is Elain choosing to all but formally reject the bond, however that may come about. There is a moment in A Court of Wings and Ruin in chapter 54 when Elain, while pleading with Graysen, claims, “I belong to no one. My heart belongs to you” (498). Of course, Azriel has nothing to do with what Elain was saying at the time, but her declaration of this speaks to her character and how dearly she holds onto the idea of being with someone of her own choosing, with someone she loves. This can further be developed into the idea that although fate, the cauldron, the Mother may have chosen Lucien for Elain—a pairing that can, ultimately, be ill-chosen—Elain would not give it the time of day unless it’s what her heart wants. And from what we have seen so far, her heart wants Azriel. She chooses Azriel over Lucien, and that holds significant weight to her and, I imagine eventually, to Azriel as well.

Azriel, who has not been other people’s choice. Azriel, who was imprisoned by his own father, who was rejected by the Illyrians. Azriel, who has spent five centuries loving Mor, who will never love him the way he did her. And it’s saying something, isn’t it, that he has finally stopped yearning for her, and that it was Elain who he is enraptured by? Even Cassian noted that the way Azriel used to look at Mor have become few and far in between, telling the audience that the spymaster has finally begun to move on, or already has, from Mor. And Elain wanting to kiss Azriel confirms to him, in particular, that he is her choice as well. And she is his, as further confirmed when Azriel tells Rhys he has no problem engaging in the Blood Duel with Lucien if it means freeing Elain from a bond she doesn’t want, and allowing them both to dive into the choices they clearly want to make.

Truthfully, there are many examples throughout the books where I can talk about Elain rejecting Lucien. She cringed away from the very first time he touches her in ACOMAF—though, granted, it happens right after she comes out of the cauldron. She is unsettled when Lucien tugs on their bond, saying that it felt as though he pulled on a thread connecting to a rib, which sounds painful and nothing like the comforting bond readers have seen between Feyre and Rhys. Elain doesn’t buy Lucien any presents for solstice, and the first present he got her, gardening gloves to prevent her hands from tearing, are ones she doesn’t use. Because she would much rather feel her hands get torn up while she’s working in her garden, uncaring if they scar, which in turn is a reminder of Azriel’s scarred hands and how she found them beautiful. And for those who wonder about Azriel giving the necklace he got for Elain to Gwyn, it is important to note that he tells Clotho to give it to any priestess who would want it, and merely mentions Gwyn by name because he trained her, because he was the one who rescued her after an attack, and she is the one he knows most familiarly by name because of it. At the end of it, Azriel only wanted the necklace gone because he didn’t want to see it, didn’t want to remember that the female he wants, wants him back just as much, but he was all but forbidden to pursue her. Once again, a choice that was taken away from him, and giving the necklace away is far easier than keeping it and remembering how he couldn’t be with Elain. At least for now.

Throughout the novels, there are many symbols that hint towards Elain and Azriel being together, but that is a paper for another day. This one’s goal was to simply point out the many physical and emotional indicators of the way the two of them are drawn to one another, despite the obstacles that are thrown their way—the biggest one being the mating bond no one asked for. There is comfort in the relationship they have, an ease you wouldn’t expect someone with Elain’s light to find in Azriel’s darkness. He offers her comfort in shy smiles and soft looks, and Elain does the same for him, which we see in the act of his shadows disappearing around her. These very shadows provided him comfort when he needed them, were his friends in his prison, and them leaving him when Elain is around is a sign of the contentment Azriel feels, because he doesn’t have to protect himself in her presence. Azriel loved Mor, and it has been noted that he lights up when she is around, and Elain is the only other person he reacts similarly to—because Elain is who he wants now that he has moved on from Mor. It’s important, isn’t it, that Elain is who pulls Azriel away from the centuries-long love he’d been lost in? That she is who he looks for, thinks about, wonders after?

Elain has found comfort in Azriel’s darkness, and he has found peace in her light, and so how could they not defy what’s been expected of them and rewrite fate to fit the choices they make themselves?

#elain archeron #azriel #elriel #a court of thorns and roses #acotar #a court of mist and fury #acomaf #a court of wings and ruin #acowar #a court of frost and starlight #acofas #a court of silver flames #acosf #nesta archeron #cassian #nessian #feyre archeron #rhysand #feysand #elain archeron x azriel #azriel x elain archeron #elain x azriel #lucien vanserra #elucien

[daydreamingatnight209]

Okay so this was a passion project that I really wanted to write, I probably won’t do another and I still don’t feel comfortable writing smut for other people so please do not request it!

Minors please do not read or engage with this post as it is for 18+ only!

Also a big thank you to @erin-bo-berin for helping and encouraging me to continue this project!

Feedback is always welcome! ✨💕

“Alpha-Male Bullshit”

Part 1

Azriel x Female Reader - Part 1

Fandom - ACOTAR

Warnings - Violence, sexual themes, 18+ only, minor spoilers for ACOSF, angst and fluff! 💞☁️

———————————————————————

Lucien Vanserra was a terrible flirt; not because he wasn’t good at it, but because he was constantly flirting with me.

In the beginning I went along with it; I was bored and felt lonely. Cassian had Nesta, everyone knew Rhys had Feyre and Nyx their sweet baby boy, Elain kept busy with her garden and I barely saw our spymaster.

I split my time between training and reading in my chambers.

So, what harm could a bit of flirty banter do between friends?

I didn’t think it would do anything, but Lucien is certainly consistent.

I had a rare free day and found myself in a quiet corner of the library ran by the High Priestess ,Clotho.

It was one of my favourite places to be. The noise in my head stopped, all the pressure and responsibility’s for the court just faded away. I am transported to a land far away.

I was halfway through a steamy romance that Nesta had given me a couple of days ago. We stayed up most nights talking about books and how Cassian had made it his mission to try each technique in the book for Nesta’s pleasure. It wasn’t as if he didn’t know what he was doing, Nesta made that very clear but it was certainly good fun. It made me laugh but it also flushed my body with an incredible sadness. These books were about as close of a love life that I had.

I was lost in my head and the fictional visions that I created with the words on the page when I heard a familiar voice. It made me jump slightly and I heard his deep laugh.

“I knew Nesta loved smut, but I didn’t think your innocent little mind liked it...but then again, I’m sure that pretty little mouth isn’t all that innocent is it?”

I resist the urge to roll my eyes and turn to face him.

“Wouldn’t you like to know, my dear”

I smirk and snap my book back open.

“Are you hoping to live out some of those scenes in those books of Nesta’s like she now is?”

I don’t give him the satisfaction of an answer. A moment passed and I feel his breath on my neck.

“If so, you know where to find me.” He whispers in my ear, before pressing a nimble kiss on my neck and spinning on his heel to walk away.

I released a breath I didn’t even know I was holding and groaned in frustration.

Placing my bookmark back in between the pages, I rose from the chair and left the comforting walls of the library, waving goodbye to the passing priestesses.

I wander aimlessly around the property, taking in the cool atmosphere. The training ring was empty, or so I thought. As I approached it, I spotted a familiar stature. His shadows swirling around his figure as he went through his training exercises.

I sat on the rocks beside the ring as he comes to a stand-still.

“Are you okay Y/N?” He asks softly.

I smile and rub my eyes.

“Yes, I’m just hiding from Lucien. He’s definitely spending way too much time with Rhys and Cassian. He sounds exactly like them.

But , maybe flirting with him could be fun. No one else pays much attention around here to me anyway”

Wherever Azriel goes in his head, my remark seemed to snap him away from his flyaway thoughts.

His eyes blazed and he took a warrior stance. He chest puffed and looked ready to fly at a moments notice.

“Do you need me to have a word with him?”

I couldn’t help but giggle at his overprotective response.

“No Az, it’s okay. I don’t think he fancies losing his other eye. Thank you anyway”

He just nods and returns back to his exercises.

I take this as my cue to leave.

————————————

Nesta finds me in my room later that evening and informs me that Rhys has planned a family dinner and I am required to attend.

She then prances off to her own chambers.

I rummage through my closet and pick out a gown that had fallen down the back.

It was a deep blue, that sparkled in the correct light. It plunged, exposing more of my breasts than usual and the slit started just passed my thigh, with the material of the dress hugging my body tightly.

Mor had gifted it to me last winter solstice but I hadn’t had a chance to wear it yet. No time like the present, I suppose.

I didn’t have time to style my hair dramatically, so I let my long light brown curls fall loosely down my back.

I fiddled around to find a matching bag and heels before slowly descending down the glass staircase.

All eyes were on me as I entered the dining room. The room was eerily silent.

Panic slowly begins to envelope me.

“It’s not too much is it?” I squeak.

Lucien stands and almost knocks down his chair.

“Absolutely not! My god Y/N I thought the wine would be what loosened my tongue tonight, but it looks like that dress is what’s gonna do it instead.

Unbeknown to me, Azriel’s shadows swamped around, doing their best to keep my modesty protected from Lucien’s lewd comments.

“All bark, no bite Lucien. What a shame” I shoot back and take my place beside Elain.

Azriel was seated across from Elain and did his best to contain his rage against Lucien.

I noticed this sudden shift of tension in the room between the two males but decided that now was not the time to bring it up. Especially not in front of the family.

Elain however didn’t seem to have this incentive and piped up.

“Are you okay, Az?” She asks sweetly. She attempts to take his hand. Azriel lets her hold his hand for a millisecond, before quickly pulling away.

I knew he was insecure about his hands and how they have seen years of battle, yet that wasn’t what bothered me most.

What bothered me most, was hearing my nickname for Azriel fall out of Elain’s mouth so casually.

It wasn’t that I disliked Elain, in fact I was happy for her. She is happy and healthy, was quick to adapt to the ways of Fae and everyone in the court had watched her confidence grow tremendously.

Yes, I was happy for her. Yet every time I caught her talking with Azriel, a wave of jealousy would come over me.

Elain didn’t want Lucien and Azriel didn’t want me, not in that way at least.

Everyone was on their way to a happy ending... everyone but me.

I let out a small cough and continue with the evening. Lucien kept up with his filthy ways and I kept up my responses. Cassian laughed with Rhys and Feyre discussed baby clothes with Nesta.

It felt as time had stopped, as I drunk in moment.

Eventually everyone slid off one by one. Amren and Varian first and soon the rest followed.

Mor invited me to her room so that we could spend some time together. I respectfully declined, desperate to climb into my bed.

——————————

Azriel couldn’t sleep. He stood on the balcony and stared into the distance. It was a clear night, the stars shined brightly above him.

As trained as Azriel was, he was still no match for his High Lord’s stealth.

Not that he would admit it to anymore, but his heart missed a beat when he suddenly heard Rhysand’s voice boom behind him.

“Okay Az, what the hell is going on around here? Seriously I have Elain basically drooling over you, Lucien Vanserra flirting with y/n and she’s flirting BACK, and you’re strung tighter than an Illyrian bow”

Azriel wasn’t ready to admit the truth but if he didn’t soon then he had no idea how the hell he would cope, especially after seeing you at dinner earlier. It took all of his strength to remain seated and not knock Lucien from his seat. His cock had strained against his pants so much that it had become painful. He felt Ferrell and you didn’t have a clue.

So Azriel turned around, folded his wings, and stood straight.

“Y/N is my mate”

It took Rhysand a moment to adjust to what he had just heard.

He clapped his brother on the shoulder and cheered, but his celebration was short lived when he saw the sour look on Azriel’s face.

“Okay ... so why do look like you’ve just been slapped in the face with a fish?”

“Because she’s absolutely oblivious! You’ve seen it yourself, the way she is around Lucien. Just because his mate doesn’t want him doesn’t mean he is entitled to mine!” Azriel explodes and doesn’t give Rhys a chance to respond before he launches himself into the night sky.

He spends the night flying around the city before returning at early dawn.

He is surprised to find Y/N stood outside his bedroom door.

She spins around before he could call her name.

You flash a smile that could bring him to his knees.

“I felt your shadows behind me.” You giggle.

“Anyway, I am only here to tell you that Rhys and Feyre are heading down to the cabin for the night. I said we would look after baby Nyx. Is that okay?”

Azriel tried to focus on what you were saying and not your scent. He just nods in response and as you hop towards him. You fling your arms around him and hug.

Azriel just prayed to the saints that you couldn’t feel his member begging to be released beneath his trousers.

————————————————

Nyx was certainly a handful, he was growing quickly and wanted to explore the world. It didn’t take him long to figure out how to crawl which meant keeping him away from pretty much everything in the house. I was just glad he hadn’t learnt how to use his wings yet.

Eventually he powered down and settled in my lap, he was fed, clean and happy. Meanwhile I learnt that I definitely wasn’t ready for children yet.

“How is he?” Azriel yawned as Nyx’s eyes slowly dropped shut, his thumb in his mouth.

I cradled the small boy in my arms as Azriel sat beside me.

“I will go put him to bed in a moment, he just looks so peaceful” I whispered.

Az just laughed.

“You weren’t saying that before when he was destroying the place”

I roll my eyes and gently lift my body up from the sofa before walking to the nursery.

When I entered the living quarters again, I found Az with a bottle of wine and two glasses.

“Want one?” He asks.

I shrug. “Sure, why not”

We sat in a comfortable silence before I was brave enough to speak up.

“So, are you going to tell me why you have been so uptight lately? Is it work?”

Azriel’s comfortable posture, stiffens and he is back on high alert.

Seeing this, I couldn’t help but feel guilty.

I shouldn’t force him to talk, it’s not like he’d want to open up to me anyway.

I decide to change the subject.

“Is it true that the bigger a wingspan, the bigger the dick?”

I watch as Azriel splutters and does his best not to leak his drink over the cream coloured carpet.

“I erm... what?!”

I laugh at the reaction and start to inch closer to him.

I’m high on liquid courage, no way would I ever do this sober.

“Feyre told me that fae wings are super sensitive”

I wrap my legs over each side and place myself down on his lap. He grips me in place and grunts slightly but doesn’t say anything.

I delicately run two fingers down his right wing, they are soft, almost like velvet, yet they shine when the light is right.

“Nesta even said that some men cum from a single touch... if in the right place” I whisper in his ear, placing small light kisses down his neck as my fingers continue to dance over every individual feather. His hips buck upwards involuntarily, and I smirk.

“Well it was something like that anyways”

I remove myself from his lap to drink from my wine glass. Azriel sat grinding his teeth, showing incredible restraint.

I head over to the kitchen and place the empty dishes and glasses in the sink, staying in just the right places so Az still got a full view.

He suddenly springs up from his own seat and follows me into the kitchen. He corners me and I try to remain stoic.

He picks me up like I weigh nothing and rests his body in between my legs.

He uses one hand to brush my hair out of my face and the other to casually trace patterns on my thigh.

His voice was low, and his shadows danced behind him.

“Rumour has it, the bigger the wingspan the bigger dick, right? Well Rhys likes to claim he has the biggest but one drunken night we measured... I’m forbidden to tell anyone this but… I won” he winks and suddenly pulls away acting so very nonchalant.

“The wing thing, I personally don’t know because apparently I haven’t had the right bed mate for that”

There was no stopping me after that. I hook my feet around his knees and use all my strength to pull his body back to mine.

Our faces crash together as we kiss and our tongues battle for dominance. My hands roam his body as I slip them under his shirt. His hands copy my actions and I couldn’t help but groan into him as he gets familiar.

Eventually we pull away for air and our eyes lock for what felt like forever and a day. This unfamiliar feeling of euphoria rushed over my body, attacking my senses. It attacked every inch of me. It felt as if my soul would burst open for the world to see.

The sudden panic that came straight after snapped me back into reality. I broke away from the male in front of me as I gasped for air. Silent tears ran down my face.

I pushed Azriel away with force and ran from the room.

“I’m sorry, I am so sorry I can’t-“

I ran to my room and collapsed down the back of the door.

What was happening?

———————————————————

PART 2 is on its way!!

#writing #fluff #fanfic #angst #azriel #acotar #acosf #Azriel x reader #acotar x reader #Azriel x y/n #acotar imagines #imagines #Azriel #Rhysand #Feyre #Cassian #Nesta #Lucien #new adult book #book imagine

[feysandfeels]

ACOTAR 5 or 6?? (I don’t know which book is next)

Did someone ask for this? No, not really. Am I still going to theorize how the next book is going to go in length? Yes, yes I will. Also I’m doing a facemask that needs 20min to set in so like, I have time to kill. 

I have seen many saying that Azriel’s book is next because through him we will get Illyria, which still needs to be dealt with. Also through him we get Gwynriel and that. Even though I can definitely see the logic behind that, I thought I might throw in another option just for shits and giggles. 

This is more like a fever dream than anything. Don’t hold me to it, because I haven’t read these books with the academic rigorosity to come up with counter arguments as to why it’s Az’s and not Elain’s book that will come next. But, that being said, if I’m right I will say I told you so (lol). 

Also this will further my Elucien agenda so like... yeah you’ve been warned.

Why Elain?

Because I think it makes more sense to go have a book deal with one villain working up to Koshei, than to have Beron+Koshei as the big baddies in one final book. So like ACOSF was the human queen, ACOTAR 5 is Beron and then ACOTAR 6 ultimate baddie Koshei. And who is character that has ties to Beron? Lucien and who would Lucien’s book be with? exactly, Azriel. no I’m kidding, of course Elain. 

I also think Elain was a character that had a huge presence in this ACOSF despite having like three sentences. You could see her impact in the book and to me that was quite telling. 

ACOTAR 5: 

Right so we all can agree on a few things after being in this fandom for a couple of years or at least since the end of ACOSF: first, Elain and Lucien will deliver a Jane Austen type romance; second, it will entail a lot of court politics; and third, Elain is up to something and no one knows what it is. Yes? 

First Act:

Elain doing her suspicious stuff and we as the reader find out what it is and can already see the negative implications

Lucien still taking the brunt of the work in the SC, which is still utter chaos.

BoE content: Vassa is agitated because her curse is nowhere near close to being broken and time is running out. 

The IC finds out what Elain is been up to. I do think it has something to do with her wanting to go back to her human self. Cue the confrontation.

Meanwhile with Lucien: Vassa might attempt something it triggers a magical response from Koshei, an attack or something. Maybe Beron decides to make a move to the SC given that Tamlin is absent as a ruler. I don’t know, the point is we get a confrontation scene that sees Tamlin die to protect Lucien. Everyone is in shock because the HL of Spring just died, without heirs and close relatives. Where did the power go?

Lucien starts to feel it, but then he realizes that it’s not because it is happening to him.

Cue to Elain having her “i want to be human again I don’t care the cost” rant at the IC. Amren will call her a stupid girl, because that’s what she does. Then the power flows to her and she’s going to be hella confused, everyone in the IC is stunned and when Elain asks wtf just happened, Feyre will say: Tamlin died (because she can feel the shift of power of spring due to the kernel of power of spring that she has), so that means and Rhysand finishes the thought by saying that Elain is the new High Lady of the Spring Court (and the first cauldron-chosen high lady)

This means that now she has more ties to this fae world and can’t simply abandon them.

We will have some discussion about what to do next and Elain is all like “I don’t want to be High Lady I didn’t even want to be fae”. Trust someone in the IC, maybe Amren (since she has no problem with saying what everyone else is thinking in the bluntest-maybe even rudest way), to say that having Elain be HL of Spring would make everyone’s life easier given the unified Prythian front they must once again have because of the Koshei threat. Maybe it will even be Azriel and they will have the E/lriel fallout...

Lucien arrives at the NC to talk to Elain or well something. 

News spread about what happened and they know that Elain’s claim (if she chooses to make it) to the SC is a tad shaky and not everyone will accept it. Beron is like the fuck if you think I will accept this human-turned fae claim. The SC is an strategic location and I will take it for myself because it will be useful fo my Koshei-agenda.

Eris arrives like hello my dad is about to move his army to the SC so now is the time to kill him

And Elain is still like “i don’t want it”. Think Jon Snow in GoT.

Cue an Archeron confrontation of “you can’t run away from your responsabilities// life is not neat and sometimes it will throw at you things you thought you wouldn’t have thought you’d needed to take on// take a stance for once and think beyond your own plants”.

Details are blurry but she is like I need to leave here (the NC) because no one has my best interest at heart they are just doing what it’s politically best. But who might have my best interest at heart? That’s right, Lucien. She asks him for help or to leave or whatever.

Lucien is a politician and a courtier but for once, for fucking once he will do something that’s not for political gain (for the court he represents). He will help her because he wants to see her at peace. They go to the human lands with BoE.

The first act ends with one dead Tamlin, one unsure Elain, one willing to help regardless of the decision Lucien, and one war focused Beron. 

Second act:

The BoE content we have all been waiting for 

Vassa might be weak from whatever happened and Jurian is all worried. 

They see Elucien arrive and are like 👀👀👀👀. Lucien glares at them in a “say anything and i will in fact kill you” way. 

Elain starts to open up and mentions that if anything it should be Lucien who’s the HL and not her because he knows the territory and it suits his skillset. All she wanted to do was have a quiet life and see the world. 

Lucien says that if he were to make a claim he would need even more support from other courts, because if Elain’s claim is shaky at best, then his is like ... not great.

They agree that Lucien should travel to other courts to gather support because regardless whether it’s Elain or Lucien who will ascend to the Spring throne, they will need it. Elain asks if she can go with him because, as she said, she wanted to see more of the world. 

We also get an Eris Vanserra visit - or several - and Lucien starts to realize that Eris knows waaaaaaaaaaaay more than he has lead on. And that they need to work together because again, regardless of who takes the throne, Beron will fight it, but if Eris is on the Autumn throne he would offer support to either. 

Cue the Lads tour of Prythian ft. Politics-courtier plotline and the “how the fuck are we going to help Vassa” side quest.

Elain starts to learn more about what it takes to be a High Lady and about the territory of Spring and its people.

During visits to other courts one or two members of the IC will pop in and out.

Elucien slow burn + court romance begins (We have nice balls with tension because that’s how Jane Austen would have wanted it and this is nothing if not an austenian romance).

Elan will learn about Jessminda (that’s her name right?)

Lucien and Elain have a heart to heart one day and Lucien is like “I’ve never had a home that is mine, i’ve always owed it to someone else or it comes because they see me as a political pawn”.

Eventually another heart to heart about the complex grief (if you will) that Lucien must be feeling for Tamlin. 

When we get to the Day Court, we get the baby news. Not only are they trying to gather Helion’s support but also to figure out a spell to save Vassa. Doing something with a spell Lucien and Helion find out. I imagine that Feysand is in the DC because they are trying to keep tabs on how Elain is feeling regarding her High Lady position and they wanted to meet somewhere neutral; and so is Eris, because things are getting out of hand at the AC so they are trying to see what they should do. Also Feysand are nosy bitches so of course they would be there.

After the reveal, Lucien is shooketh and leaves, Elain leaves after him. It is raining. They get wet and he stops when he arrives at a temple (we love a good P&P reference) Lucien starts the monologue of what does this mean, who am i, I’ve always been alone and Elain cuts in and says that maybe in the past he’s been alone but that he will never be again; Lucien turns to face her and she walks up to him and kisses him like the Cauldron intended when it made them mates. 

We Eluciens are starting getting our well deserved smutt dishes. 

Third act:

Elain is still  a tad unsure about being a High Lady, because all she ever heard was that she was good at being pretty and an ornament, that she was meant to be the supporting role. Lucien is like “babes fuck what your mom said but no matter what you choose, I will choose you”. 

Finally shit hits the fan at the AC so that’s where Elucien go and Helion.. because LoA is there and he says fuck it imma go help her Beron can go fuck himself.

However they do not arrive at the palace or something like that but to another location where we can finally have visual proof of what Eris has been up to. LoA appears. Her and Helion have a nice tête-a-tête. 

Vassa and Jurian are there too beause #WereGoingToNeedAllTheHelpWeCanGet

Elucien formally arrive to Beron’s court, as is the plan. 

The tension is absurd, the coup is about to happen, something goes wrong, they need to think of their feet, somebody gets hurt.. you know the usual stuff. 

They use the spell to free Vassa and in such release of power Beron is confused and weakened

Lady of Autumn delivers the killing blow. Beron dies, power goes to Eris and everyone is like did we win??

Eris makes the joke that whichever half of Elucien will make the claim to the SC he will support it. By this moment is clear that Elain will take up the role so we all have a good laugh.

Archeron sister reunion, congratulations all around. Maybe a celebration in the SC??? or maybe that’s too tacky given that the whole court is still a mess,

Happy ending?? oh wait there’s something more uh-oh, when freeing Vassa you also freed Koshei. Oh you thought you had weakened Koshei by killing is Prythian ally? think again. Koshei is a god of death that now has full access to his powers. 

The end. 

#Elucien #ACOTAR 6 #Elain Archeron #Lucien Vanserra #Beron Vanserra #Helion #Sarah J Maas #FeysandfeelsPost #As per usual #whatever mistake I have made spelling or grammar wise will be corrected after and only after i post this #because I only see my mistakes when something is already public and not when it's in my drafts.

[separatist-apologist]

tell us how lulu met jesminda, i'm curious now, my lady 👀

Okay so Lucien tell Feyre the farmers would sell him out if they saw him because he didn't protect Jesminda and she died as a consequence of her romance with him. That means she did not work in the castle but lived in the villages. And he thinks, in his mind when meeting Elain, that Jesminda was wild and bubbly which evokes imagery of a young woman running barefoot through the woods and reveling in the sunlight.

So I think that at some point Lucien WAS forced out of the Forest House and sent to rule some small province probably closer to Spring than Summer/Winter. I would guess it wasn't a city but maybe a large town that was primarily agricultural in nature- important enough to warrant oversight but not so big or interesting it would project favoritism.

Lucien takes up the Lords residence (I imagine Autumn is more feudal) but does not spend time with the other minor Lords who live and make their money here. He spends time getting to know the place and making minor improvements and when he's not, he's in the woods dicking around. Unlike Eris, who is the refined, pretty boy Vanserra, Lucien is rough, country/woods Vanserra and he likes to be in nature. It's here he meets Jesminda.

It's on accident. He stumbles upon her and right away she offers him a sarcastic remark that catches his attention. In his whole life no one has DARED to speak to him that way (besides his family of course). He's stunned, he's intrigued, (hes a little horny). Who IS this female?

She scampers off, the daughter of a very poor farmer and Lucien puts her out of his mind but she hasn't forgotten him. Lets not forget that Lucien is in canon a legit beautiful hottie (takes after his daddy) and she's got a big ol crush on the Vanserra. I think in the beginning it starts, at least on her end, as just "wouldn't it be a good story if I fucked one of the nobility?"

She sees him again and now it's a battle of wits and for the first time Lucien LOSES. Who IS she? He can't stop thinking about her now, but it's not right to sleep with one of his subjects. Beron would fuck him up if he ever found out. Jesminda is getting closer, they're intentionally seeking each other out, there is tension and attraction but Lucien is trying to do the right thing.

She's making it real hard. Lucien has never been in love before and he's falling fast and hard. She's smart, she likes the same kind of literature he does (he's tracking her down to give her this book by that author and then they're arguing about it later on because she's like wow this is pretentious and he's like no it is poetry!).

She challenges him, she forces him to consider new view points, to see the world through her eyes and I'm imagining a scenario in which, maybe shes overheard arguing with him and the minor lord who owns the land the farmers work decides to punish her for insolence. Lucien goes WILD, furious at the whole debacle and frees her before she can but hurt. Its then they have sex and when Lucien considers she might be his mate.

Beron of course gets wind of this and drags Luciens ass home. "are you fucking the peasants?" he demands and Lucien is like, I can do what I want. Beron puts him on notice. End it or I'm gonna make you sorry. Fuck you, Lucien thinks.

He goes back and tells her he thinks theyre mates, that the bond is going to snap soon and he wants to marry her. Run away with me, he begs. He has contacts, he can go anywhere. He'll show her the world. He'll do anything for her at all. She agrees. Lucien, in a stroke of bad planning, goes back to Autumn to renounce his crown.

Beron is one step ahead of him. Jesminda is waiting for Lucien when he strolls into the throne room. His brothers hold him. Beron tells Lucien he warned him. Jesminda is killed and Lucien is given a choice to fall in line or join her. Lucien tells Beron to go fuck himself. Beron, delighted, makes it open season on Lucien despite his wife pleading at him to end this.

Two brothers die.

Lucien goes to Spring.

he vows he will never love again.

#lucien vanserra

[foxybananaaaz]

Heeey, I hope you are having a good day!

If your favorite ACOTAR characters went to a Hallowen party how do you think they would dress up? What would they look like?

ANON!!!!

I know this is late and I'm Sooooooo Sorry! It's been a rough couple of weeks. But I'm here to answer now!

To answer your question, I have two favourite characters here okay. AND WE ARE GOING MODERN MEDIA FOR THEIR CHOICES!!!!

Nesta Archeron

So, when I headcanon modern day, non-fae ACOTAR, I do headcanon both Cassian and Nesta being big Si-Fi nerds. Yes, Nesta loves her romance novels, but she secretly loves Si-Fi as well. Cassian isn't a secret. He just loves it.

MINI DRABBLE INSIDE THE HEADCANON ANSWER BELOW

Halloween Costume Makeup

Nesta, usually uptight, and very self disciplined, despite the half a year's length of darkness that followed her father's death after he was shot right in front of her, has always kept herself covered. The most skin she would ever show was to her collar bones.

But now on her healing journey, and finding, and having fallen hard in love, she has also really taken control of her body and sexuality. So of course she's going to take advantage, and mix Halloweens two best costume ideas. Scary and sexy.

She tells Cassian to go ahead and help Rhys and Feyre and she will meet him there. Her hair will take a while. So Cassian, dressed in his costume, as Han Solo, leaves with a kiss.

Before she knew it, Nesta was walking into the house, Rhys and Feyres(Cinderella and Prince Charming. Starfall dress and the shoe Feyre whipped at Rhys on display and all) Halloween party, far more exposed than she's ever been. And the reactions paid off.

Everyone was incredibly shocked, but when hearing a thud, and realizing the thud was Cassians drink hitting the ground as he dropped it, they seemed to remember who he was, who Nesta was, and she saw the concern and almost fear set in.

And Cassian, well, he looked frustrated, confused and there was a hunger darkening his eyes as he crossed the room to her, and led her to a room no one was in.

He then turned to look at her. "What is that? I thought we were doing Han and Leia!"

Nesta smiled. "Well. You are Han. I am Leia. So we are Han and Leia."

Cassian gave an exasperated sigh. "I meant, You were going to wear Leia's iconic outfit. The white one with her side buns."

Nesta looked up at him, pretending to think. "Was I? I don't remember saying that." She then smiled the sickly sweet smile she knew would get under his skin more. "I worked hard finding this costume. I didn't want some cheap one that would be worn one time. I was hoping we could have fun after the party, and then keep our costumes to, well, recycle. But if you don't like it, I'll just leave, and go to bed." Nesta said turning to leave.

"No!" Cassian called out, a small twinge of panic creeping into his voice.

Nesta stopped, and turned back to look at him, lifting am eyebrow waiting.

"Fine, but put this on as well." Cassian says, before taking his vest off, and gave it to Nesta. He almost said more, but then knew better than to tell her to stay away from anyone. Besides, he trusted her.

Yes she could be cruel, and cold. But he also learned that when she did open her heart to love, it was with her whole heart she loved. And Nesta Archeron loved fiercely.

Lucien Vanserra

Lucien on the other hand, is not a Si-Fi fan. He will watch the romances with Elain. Elain will blush during the sexy parts, but she will not look away for a second. And Elain's favourite show to watch, is what Lucien ends up getting stuck with dressing up for for Halloween every year because she can dress like a lady "Lucien looks like the main guy kinda."

Lucien couldn't really care less about the fact that he looks like this guy in this show(he doesn't think so, but Elain insists), but it makes Elain happy, and that means the world to him.

Every year Elains decided to do a couples costume from a different season of Outlander.

#THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WRITING LUTERALLY ANYTHING NESSIAN #how did i do? #should i stick to Elucien? #i should just stick to Elucien shouldnt I? #anon asks #anon #late halloween #lucien vanserra #elucien #elain archeron #lucien x elain #elain/lucien #nesta and cassian #nesta archeron #cassian acotar #pro nesta #acosf

[theladyofdeath]

J E A L O U S

Elriel.

Written alongside my BFF, @throne-of-ashes-and-beauty . Based on the songs Jealous by Labrinth & Marry Me by Thomas Rhett. Enjoyyyy. :)

Weddings were meant to be a night of celebration, a night to celebrate love and happiness. A night to celebrate two people who came together, who found each other amidst life’s obstacles.

But Azriel was having a hard time pretending, having a hard time faking his smile, his light tone was beginning to dim.

His tie was loose, no longer tied but hanging around his neck. His jacket had become lost somewhere. He remembered tossing it over the back of a chair, but couldn’t remember which one it was. Maybe it was the beer. Or, maybe it was the whiskey.

Or maybe it was the fact that the love of his life was marrying another man.

He had been supportive, had been a part of all of the planning and the dinners. Had politely turned down her request for him to be in the wedding, though he assured her it meant he loved her no less.

Just not the kind of love she believed.

He watched as she went from table to table, thanked them all for coming. She was graceful and beautiful. She was elegance personified.

He watched as her new husband sat at their table, drinking with his college buddies, not even trying to be a gracious host. He swallowed the last dregs is his whiskey as she approached his empty table.

Elain Vanserra.

That was her name now, although he wasn’t sure he would ever be able to call her that.

He was being petty.

Ridiculous.

But he couldn’t help it.

Azriel plopped down in his chair as Elain drew nearer to him.

“Hey,” she smiled. “Tired of dancing?”

He smiled, masking the pain he felt. “Something like that.” He wished he had a refill. Though he knew full well where he was, he asked, “Where’s Lucien?”

Her smile tightened. “Oh, he’s catching up with his friends.”

Azriel nodded, staring at his empty glass. “You look beautiful, El. I’m so happy for you.”

Even the words hurt.

“Thanks,” she said, and even though he wasn’t looking at her, he knew she was smiling. Glowing. Utterly happy. “It means the world to me that you came. You’re my best friend.”

Best friend.

“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.” He wouldn’t have. He would’ve found a way to be there no matter what.

But he would’ve given anything to be in Lucien’s place.

He wouldn’t have been sitting at the head table, taking shots and drinking beers. He would’ve been walking with her to each table, hand in hand. He would’ve wrapped her up in his arms and spun her around the dance floor. He would’ve done anything to feel her hands on his skin.

He would’ve been the best groom, the best husband, for her. Because that’s what she deserved. The world.

And Azriel wanted to give her the world.

“Wanna dance?” She asked, holding out her hand.

Azriel blinked. “I..”

“Come on,” she said, and he met her gaze, and saw her smile, and that was it.

He took her hand in his and led her to the dance floor.

Her arms wrapped around his neck and she pulled him close. It wasn’t as if they’d never been this close before. It was as close as any hug they’d ever shared. But he suddenly realized he didn’t know what to do with his hands. Her dress was elegantly beaded, fit like a glove. He didn’t want his calloused hands to damage it. He carefully rested one hand on her lower back and the other on her waist. He held her tightly, but not too close to cause alarm by her new family.

“You smell like…”

“Sweat?” He offered. “Alcohol?”

Elain laughed. A soft sound, short and sweet. “Like roses.”

“They were the flower of the wedding.”

She leaned back and looked up at him. “You rolled around in them, didn’t you? Explains the disheveled tie.”

Despite himself, Azriel smiled. “You caught me.”

She saw him then, saw the sadness in his eyes. She breathed, “Azriel.”

He blinked and looked away.

“Hey,” she said and placed a hand on his chest. “Are you okay?”

“I…” He cleared his throat and stepped back. “I’m- I’ll be right back.” He made his way through the people on the dance floor. He pushed through the double doors, finding himself in a waiter’s hallway. He knew he wasn’t supposed to be here, but he also knew he wasn’t likely to be found.

He didn’t expect her to follow him.

“Azriel…”

The fact that they weren’t alone didn’t escape him. He stopped, scratching at the back of his neck.

“I’m fine, El,” he said, but his voice was quiet. “I just...I think I’m gonna take off. Not feeling so good.”

“You think I don’t know you?” She asked. “You think I don’t know when you’re lying?”

Yes, she knew him. She’d always been his best friend. Yet somehow she’d never noticed how he looked at her. She’d never noticed the way his eyes were always drawn to her, the way they tracked her every move. She’d never noticed that when he heard her laughter, his soul was lighter than it had ever been.

She was the light in his darkness, his salvation.

And now, she belonged to him.

“This is your night,” he said, forcing himself to smile. “It’s your night, and you need to enjoy yourself. With your new husband. Go. Be with him.”

She shook her head. “Az-“

“Don’t ask me to talk about it,” he said, quietly. “Please.”

“You can’t leave.”

“Why?”

“Because I need you here. I want you here.”

“I’m not-.” He groaned and ran his hand down his face. “You can’t need me anymore, El. You have Lucien, he’s your husband now-.”

Her eyes softened. “But you’re my best friend. I’ll always need you. You’re the one I’ll call first whenever anything happens and -.”

“I can’t be that for you anymore, Elain!” He didn’t mean to raise his voice, but his resolve wasn’t going to hold out much longer. “He’s your priority now. Him. Not me.”

Her eyes grew wide at his volume. “I...don’t understand.”

Azriel pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes.

“I love you,” she said. “I don’t-“

“You don’t love me,” he said, laughing humorlessly. “You have never loved me.”

Hurt.

She looked hurt.

And Azriel felt like a jackass for making her look like that.

She whispered. “I’ve always loved you, Az.”

His eyes fell shut and he leaned his head back against the wall. “Not the way I love you.”

The silence between them was deafening.

He opened his eyes to find her staring up at him, face pale, eyes wide.

She whispered, “Azriel…”

“Don’t worry about it, El. Be happy. I want you to be happy.” He pushed off the wall and began to back down the hallway. A sad smile graced his features. “He makes you happy. Congratulations.”

He turned and walked away.

She didn’t move until he was out of sight.

And even then, it was only to cover her mouth and fall back against the wall.

A quiet sob left her mouth. The signs were all there, yet somehow she’d missed them.

He was her only constant, the only person she’d truly been able to depend on, until she met Lucien. Even then, they’d had such a whirlwind romance.

He was in love with her.

And she had broken his heart.

She loved Lucien.

She was so excited to be his wife.

But, she didn’t want Azriel to hate her. Didn’t want him to believe that she didn’t love him, too.

She ran down the hall, followed the exit signs until she ended up in the parking lot. In the dark, she could barely make out his retreating form. She looked back into the hallway, holding the door open, and looked at him, deciding whether she should follow him or let him go.

The door shut behind her as she hurried down the sidewalk. “Az!”

Thunder shook the night sky, lightning igniting it as he froze. He turned to face her, watched her approaching him. “What are you doing?”

She shook her head, brown eyes wide as her feet slowed, stopping a foot away from him. “You never told me. Why didn’t you ever tell me?” He didn’t say anything, he just looked at her. She stepped forward and shoved him. “I deserved to know. We tell each other every secret, we always have. You didn’t tell me the most important secret you’ve ever had.”

“What was I supposed to say, El?”

She shoved him again. “You’re supposed to tell me the truth! You’re always supposed to tell me the truth!”

The rain started to fall.

“I don’t deserve you, Elain. You deserve someone good.”

She stepped forward and breathe. “Why do you think you get to make that decision for me?”

Azriel didn’t move.

He didn’t turn to leave, didn’t move to touch her.

“Would it have turned out differently? If I had said something?”

His question brought her up short. She only gazed at him, watching as his hair and then tux become soaked. She knew her hair was ruined, and probably her dress, but she couldn’t bring herself to care.

“It might have.”

As if he couldn’t stop himself, he took a step toward her.

She should have gone back inside, should have run to her new husband and made up an excuse for her appearance.

But she didn’t move.

Azriel closed the distance between them, resting his palm against her cheek.

“Tell me to stop,” he breathed, lightning flashing across the sky, lighting up her breathtaking face. Thunder rumbled and he watched her.

Her hand raised, resting on his chest, not to push him away, but to grip the lapels of his jacket.

She shook her head. “I won’t.”

He lowered his head, raindrops falling from his brow, as his mouth gently pressed against hers.

As their lips touched, she could have sworn they’d been struck by the lightning that lit up the sky. The spark that surged through them took her breath away and she gasped.

In that moment, she knew. It was him. It had always been him.

The thunder rumbled as his arm snakes around her waist and his tongue brushed against her lip. She could hear distant voices, voices of her sisters and his brothers, but her entire world narrowed into the feeling of his lips on hers, of his body wrapping around her own.

He lifted her up, keeping her body pressed to his as he pulled her around the corner, into the alley beside the venue, just out of the streetlights.

His hands gripped her hips as he pressed her back into the brick wall. She could feel it scraping her skin, but couldn’t bring herself to care.

His lips left hers but his forehead was pressed against her own. “Elain,” he breathed. The rain still fell around them.

Her eyes closed. “Let’s go. We can run away.”

She was now a married woman. She had already said her vows. Vows that were less than two hours old.

“Elain,” he repeated, his voice barely heard above the rain..

She could hear the careful tone in his voice. She knew that tone, what it meant. He slowly reached up and unwound her arms from his neck. They immediately wrapped around his middle, holding him to her. She looked up at him.

In the downpour, he couldn’t tell where the rain ended and her tears began.

She whispered, “If I was blind to your feelings, Azriel, then you purposefully had your eyes shut to how I felt, because I’ve been in love with you for as long as I can remember and I’ve never tried to hide it.”

He shook his head as he began, “Lucien is your husband-.”

“Lucien was the person I fell for when I thought the love of my life was only my best friend.”

Azriel takes a hand through his hair. What had he done? What had he begun? They’d only been married for a few hours, and he’d already wrecked it.

“Elain,” he breathed, saying her name once more, but this time it came out sadder. “He’s your husband.”

“But you’re-“

“Nobody,” he whispered. “Nothing. Not anymore.”

“How can you say that?” Her voice was no more than the rain against the pavement. “You’re the most important somebody. You’re my best friend.”

He brushed a hand along her wet cheekbone and leaned down to pressed one last kiss to her full lips. “When everyone asks why you're soaked, tell them you chased me out here. When they asked why you’re crying, tell them I said awful things. Tell them I said I hated you and I never wanted to see you again.” The sound of a sob tearing from her throat had him pressing his forehead against hers. “Tell Lucien you don’t want to talk about. Tell him-.” His throat was suddenly too tight. He cleared his throat, hoping to stave off the tears. “Tell him you love him, you always have and you always will.” She knew he wasn’t talking about herself or Lucien, not as his hand knotted itself into her wet hair. “Tell him no matter what happens, you will always love him.”

He kissed her forehead and backed away, leaving her to lean against the wall, tears streaming down her face.

She watched him fade away into the dark, stormy night, fully aware that it would be the last time she ever saw him. Now she had to pick herself up and bring herself back inside.

Back to her husband.

She did as she was told, telling them all the awful things he’d told her to. She cried, though not for the reason they thought. She caught sight of her sisters from across the room, tears shining on their faces. She saw his brothers behind them, understanding and pain in their eyes.

She would play the part of the doting wife. She would love her husband.

But a part of her heart would always belong to her best friend.

#throne of ashes and beauty #throne of ashes and beauty x tacmc collab #jealous #elriel #elain #azriel #acotar #acomaf #acowar #acofas #fanfic #fanfiction #oneshot #jealous labrinth #marry me thomas rhett #song prompts #angsty #shara writes #shelby and tara writes

[emdythewriter]

Let me be your shield | chapter five (Elriel)

“Can you hand me the peonies?”

“Which ones are those?”

“The ones your about to step on!” Elain shrieked halting her bodyguard in his place as he turned to see the flowers that were dangerously close to his feet. They hadn’t taken as long as Azriel had expected at the store seeing as she already seemed to have an idea of what she wanted the garden to look like. He picked up the container of peonies and handed them to her, then moved away from the other plants she had yet to put in soil.

Azriel found an empty patch of grass that he chose to sit down in, watching Elain get her hands dirty. She looked blissfully happy, like she was blocking out the rest of the world and only focusing on the flowers she was making a home for. She looked like she had found something good in the darkness. His phone buzzed in the pocket of his jeans.

I need you to come to the office.

The text was from Rhys who sounded like he was trying to be professional. Something was wrong Az thought as he read the text once more before typing a response.

Everything okay?

I’m trying to save your ass so please listen to me for once.

I’m not Cassian.

Just get here.

I’ll leave now.

“Everything okay?” Elain asked having noticed his mood shift. All day Azriel had been smiling and laughing as she shopped and rambled about her passion. Now he was frowning and looking down at his phone, therefore she knew something had to be wrong.

“Rhys just needs me to come to the office,” her bodyguard said as he stood up, brushing the grass and dirt his jeans had collected from sitting on the ground.

“Right now?” Elain said getting up as well. She brushed the dirt from her hands onto her apron though there was still dirt on her face, which caused Azriel to smile.

“I won’t be long and you can just call if you need me,” he said before opening the back gate and heading for the SUV he kept parked out front. The office was towards the center of the city whereas the townhouse Elain lived in was on the outskirts. He knew it would be awhile before he was back and she probably did too, but neither had chosen to acknowledge the fact that he was lying.

The bad part about the distance between each location was that Azriel had plenty of time to think over what this could possibly be about. It could be as simple as Rhys wanting to catch up with his brother, but he highly doubted that. It could be as bad as him being reassigned to another sister’s detail, most likely Feyre if it was Rhys’s choice. Azriel hoped that wasn’t the option though, he didn’t want to say goodbye to Elain.

When he made it to the city there was an open spot right in front of the building, so he took it. Easily Azriel parked the SUV and then headed in through the rotating glass door. The elevator was just opening when he made it there, finding his fit in the crowd he pressed the button for the floor Rhys’s office was located on.

He didn’t bother knocking when he made it to the office, if Az ended up walking in on something it certainly wouldn’t be the first time. Luckily for him he only found Rhys and Cassian talking. The conversation halted immediately when his brothers noticed him in the doorway.

“Did you call me here just to chat?” Azriel asked as he entered the room and closed the door behind him. He took up the seat next to Cassian, one of the leather chairs Rhys had placed in front of his wooden desk that he currently sat behind. The office was nice, filled with bookcases on both sides and a giant open window behind the desk, the kind you see in movies. Feyre had definitely decorated the space.

“More like to lecture you,” Cassian said.

“Lecture me?” Azriel wasn’t aware that he had done anything to be lectured about.

“Lucien Vanserra came to my office this morning,” Rhys started causing Azriel to roll his eyes. He had a feeling he knew where this conversation was headed now. Lucien knew the three brothers personally, having all grown up and gone to the same boarding school together. They all tolerated each other but Lucien always had it out for Azriel for reasons still unknown.

“What does he want this time?” he asked leaning back in his chair and propping his feet out in front of him, getting comfortable.

“He said you’re getting too close to Elain,” Rhys said leaning back in his own chair and crossing his arms over his chest.

“Isn’t that the point of my job?” Azriel asked. If Lucien wanted to deal with the consequences of him not protecting Elain than he didn’t understand the threat on his girlfriend’s family all too well.

“Lucien says it’s to the point of being inappropriate,” Cassian added using air quotation marks around the word inappropriate, telling Azriel neither of his brothers believed the other male was telling the truth. In fact Az had a feeling Lucien was just jealous for whatever twisted reason.

“I thought he left this morning anyways,” he said remembering how Elain had told him about her boyfriend’s text this morning.

“Either he lied or came to me before his flight left,” Rhys answered. “I’m not keeping tabs on the guy.”

“Sometimes I wish you would,” Cassian inputted. “If you had we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“What mess is that exactly?” Azriel asked realizing he still wasn’t sure why he had been called here.

“Lucien believes you’re trying to sleep with Elain.” He busted out laughing at Rhys’s words. They weren’t laughing so he knew it was true, which only seemed to make Az laugh harder. It was the most comical thing he had ever heard, and to think that was the whole reason for this meeting in the first place. Azriel had nothing to worry about after all.

“That’s stupid,” he said when he fianlly caught his breath. “We’re friends.”

“Lucien doesn’t believe that,” Cassian said.

“Tell him to ask Elain before he goes running if he doesn’t believe me, which he won’t,” Azriel replied.

“What do you mean?” Rhys asked noticing the way his brother had phrased his words.

“Lucien left Elain a text telling her that he would be gone a few days on a last minute business trip or whatever,” Az explained crossing his arms over his chest. “She said it sounded like he was running from her.”

“Idiot,” Cassian scoffed. “You don’t put distance between you when you’re having trouble that just makes things worse.” Both of his brothers knew he was speaking from experience. At the start of their relationship Cassian had made a mistake and he thought some time apart would make things better, in the end he almost lost Nesta to a darkness she was starting to call friend. He hadn’t made the same choice since.

“He’s going to lose her,” Rhys added an understanding shadowing his eyes. He had almost lost Feyre to another man, Lucien’s best friend.

“I’ll keep some distance if that’s what he wants but it’s up to him to do the rest,” Azriel said. Rhys nodded and with that he left the office, closing the door behind him on his way out. When he made it to his SUV he pulled out his phone and texted Elain.

I’m going to have to take care of a few things, call me if you need me.

Be safe :)

Azriel smiled down at the text on his phone. He shook his head and set it in the cupholder before pulling out of the space and onto the busy streets. He headed in the direction of a place he hadn’t been in some time, a place he almost thought he would never go back to.

___

Elain instantly felt sad when she read the text Azriel had sent her. She didn’t know what it was but something bugged her about the text, about the whole reason he had to go into the office in the first place. She didn’t like that feeling.

Now she was alone in the townhouse. Lucien was away working, Azriel was running errands, Feyre was at the studio teaching a class, and she had a feeling Nesta too entrapped in a book to pay attention to her phone. Elain wished at that moment more than anything that she was better at making friends. Wished that she was normal and not famous because of her father, it would make it easier for her to make true friends.

Elain had tried making friends throughout school but each time they always backstabbed her. Each one wanted something from her, the popularity, the lead role in her father's next movie, the boy that Elain was currently crushing on. There was a never ending list.

She decided to take a shower and clean up from gardening. She started stripping the moment she entered her bedroom, letting her apron, jeans and shirt fall into a heap on the floor. When she got to the bathroom she turned on the water to warm, because no one can stand a cold shower, and took her underwear off before stepping in.

Showering allowed Elain to think and right now she was thinking off things she could do to pass the time. She thought of going out but she didn’t want to wait for a temp bodyguard, guess that also meant she was ordering in for dinner. She thought about watching a movie or starting a new show, but she didn’t watch enough TV to know what was good. She was out of ideas.

When Elain was thoroughly cleaned she rinsed off and headed for her closet to change. She pulled on an old shirt of Lucien’s that was a simple green and then a pair of black pajama shorts. She pulled her hair up to keep it out of her face and because she didn’t feel like brushing the tangles out of it right now.

She thought about checking in with Nuala and Cerridwen while she was in the showere thinking, but they had just gotten back in town and most likely wanted to catch up with their families. Elain grabbed a book off the shelf in her bedroom and curled up on the window seat. The book was one Nesta had given her a few months ago but she hadn’t gotten around to reading it yet. It was a romance of course because her sister loved the genre. It was about a pair of friends that had been denying their feelings for the other since the day they met and now were starting to step over that line.

Elain had read a good bit by the time her phone started ringing. Having left it on the bed she was forced to save her place and get up to answer it. Not looking at the caller ID she answered it on the third ring “hello?”

“Hey babe,” Lucien. Elain wasn’t in the brightest of moods when it came to her boyfriend and his behavior recently. She didn’t hang up just yet though, hoping that he was calling to apologize.

“I’m mad at you,” she said in response to his greeting. There was a heavy sigh on the other end of the line, like he expected this reaction. And what girlfriend wouldn’t react the same way she was?

“I’m sorry, I was going to tell you in person but it was last minute and I didn’t want to wake you up,” of course he was going to use that excuse.

“I don’t accept your apology,” Elain said, walking around the bedroom they shared as she waited for him to form a new excuse, or better apology.

“I’m not surprised you are an Archeron.” Over the years her family had gained the reputation for being thick skinned and considering the things they had gone through in the public eye, Elain could see why.

“I would’ve been fine with you waking me up.”

“I know and I promise to make it up to you when I get home.”

“Only a few days right?”

“Yes, I’ll be home before you know it.” Elain thought is over. What could she make Lucien do as an apology? He was in the palm of her hand and she would use that to her advantage as much as possible.

“We’re going on a date when you get back, a nice one.” Last time they had gone out Lucien took her to some promotion event to meet some guy he hoped to work with in the future. Dinner had been drive thru at some fast food chain.

“Wherever you want to go,” Lucien promised and Elain knew he was sincere based off the tone of his voice.

“I want to go dancing too,” she added before she could talk herself out of the idea once again. She had wanted to go to the dance club that opened in the city since they had the grand opening a few months back. Feyre was always telling her how wonderful it was and how much she would love it. Now was the time to ask because Lucien couldn’t say no.

“Dancing?” Lucien said curiously and with a hint of teasing. “Haven’t heard that one before.”

“Well I really want to go and you said anything I want.” He chuckled on the other line and Elain knew he was smiling, just the thought made her smile as well. She loved the fact she could make the people she cared about and loved happy just like they did her.

“It’s a date,” Lucien said and she smiled even brighter. Finally after so long they were doing something they both wanted, it was starting to feel like the old days before the media interfered.

“How has your trip been so far,” Elain asked after concluding her little celebration. She walked over to the window seat and took her place up once more.

“Just a bunch of meetings today nothing too interesting,” Lucien said and she knew there was a shrug paired with the words.

“There’s got to be.” Elain teased but he hardly ever shared the juicy stuff with her, though she wished he would.

“I’m sure your day was far more interesting.” She sighed knowing that was as far as she was getting with Lucien about his day. He hated talking about himself.

“I started a garden in the backyard,” she told him smiling at the fun her and Azriel had putting it together. She should check in on him before going to bed. “I also started that book Nesta gave me months ago.”

“Which one?” Lucien asked knowing that Elain had been given a stack of books by her sister. Usually every month there was a new pile of books she had to find a home for.

“It’s about to best friends finally acknowledging their feelings for the other, it’s good so far.”

“If Nesta gave it to you I have no doubt.” Her sister was very good at picking out the right books. She had picked out a few for Lucien to read while he was on long flights. “I have to go babe I have an early day tomorrow.”

“Alright,” Elain said slightly disappointed.

“I love you.”

“Love you too,” and then they both hung up at the same time. Elain stared at her phone for a moment before clicking on the messaging app. She pulled up Azriel’s contact and typed a simple and to the point text.

Finish all your errands?

As she tucked herself into bed Elain’s phone buzzed on her nightstand. It was Az. Turning off her lamp she picked up the device and read the new message.

Yes, you need anything?

Nope just wanted to check in. my day’s been boring without you.

Was that flirting? Elain thought it over but stopped when her phone buzzed in her hand again. They were friends so it shouldn’t matter on how she had phrased the text, as long as Lucien didn’t see it.

Sorry to hear that. We can do something fun tomorrow.

You picking?

It would be my turn since gardening was yours.

So was the Farmers market

Guess I have a few events to plan.

I’ll let you get to it then. Goodnight Azriel.

Goodnight Elain.

With that she curled up under her covers and fell asleep with a smile on her face.

Tag list:

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#acotar #acotar fanfiction #acotar fanfic #a court of thorns and roses #acomaf #a court of mist and fury #acowar #a court of wings and ruin #acofas #a court of frost and starlight #elriel #elriel fanfiction #elriel fanfic #elain archeron #azriel #elain x azriel #rhysand #cassian #nesta archeron #feyre archeron #feysand #nessian #lucien vanserra #elucien #lmbys #lmbys fic #let me be your shield #sjm #sjmaas #sarah j maas