#bless sjm for including it

[highladyjane]

Fave fan fiction atm? ✍️

Gawsh, at the moment?!

When it comes to fan-fics, I'm a multi-chapter, canon-universe kinda gal, and I usually don't start reading until the fic's got a couple of chapters going and updating regularly since I like reading stuff in one go (because so many I'd started on ended up unfinished and that kinda hurt since I get invested 😩), but I'm following quite a bunch at the moment 😅

My favourite fan-fiction to read will always be Elriel (they've kept me thirsty so they're actually the ones that got me started on fanfics), but I also read some Dramione, Elorcan, & random LOTR every now and then.

I'm sure you're already following/read the most easy to find, frequently mentioned, and already established ones, so I'll skip mentioning those.

If I'm going to recommend any of those I'm reading "at the moment" it would be the following that deserve so many more kudos and comments and hits and over-all LOVE and appreciation, imo:

@merakimoonglade's Chiaroscuro series! (Elriel)

I read it all in one go some weekends ago and fell in love with the author's unique, emotive, and beautifully descriptive style of writing. It's also filled with crumbs that are a delight to find here and there throughout. My heart hurt after finishing it, so I'll warn you for that, but that's because there were such lovely and light, but also angst-filled moments. She also has a multi-chapter fic on the works called Shadowlight which is a bit of a continuation to the series, and that's why it's a must include in this "at the moment" list. 😊

@violetasteracademic's Golden Doe in a Valley of Shadows (Elriel)

As I've mentioned, I don't usually start "In Progress" fics until they're well a couple of chapters in, but violetasteracademic is so intelligent and lovely - just like her writing! My favourite kind of people are those who reply to all the comments/messages even though they don't have to, so I automatically loved her! Therefore, my curiosity got the better of me, so I read 1 chapter, obviously got hooked immediately, and she's kept us fed and spoiled with nearly daily updates since then like the absolute ✨Mother✨ she is... So this is already a must-read!

@tealeaves-and-rosepetals's Resilience and Roses (Elriel)

Probably one of my all-time favourite fics because it's probably one of the most believably canon-like, beautifully well-written (I wish SJM wrote like this tbh), mind-blowing and heart-wrenching fics I've ever read, so it's got to be included - and I just cannot fathom why it doesn't have more LOVE. I'm including this in this "at the moment" list because I recently re-read it, and because she does have an on-going multi-chapter fic "Shining Through That Moonless Night", which is a continuation of Resilience; and which I'm honestly still holding out on for the same reasons I mentioned above. But I've read 1 chapter and already know I'm going to love it and probably bawl my eyes out for loving it, so I'm trying to wait patiently (while mentally preparing myself) for a couple of chapters more before I devour it...

As for one-shots, the most recent one I read (last night) was @viridianevergarden's The Comforts of the Night (Elriel)

I think they mentioned it's their first writing in a while, but I thought it was beautifully written and felt very Sleeping Beauty-ish and Az-angsty, so I'm hoping there's a continuation or that we get to see more of their writing in the future!

Now, I don't want any pressure at all to the above-mentioned on their writing journeys, but I really hope for more people to find them and GO and send them some very well-deserved love, so we see more of their writing and thank them for blessing us with their beautiful talent(s), humility, and overall loveliness! ✨️

Thank you for the Ask, btw. I tried not to go overboard with my answer, but here we are 😅😆

#elriel fanfic #elain x azriel #elain archeron #azriel shadowsinger #elriel supremacy #pro elriel #elriel endgame #fanfic rec

[elains]

Rhys=as++ole. Especially after hosaf. his reaction to Nesta (who saved his,his wife's child's life, is his sister in law,helped them many times) didn't deserve that treatment. get angry but not like this. argue human and careful and not scolidng like she is a little child. As for Cassian, we didn't really see enough. IDK why SJM made it like Nesta is a victim makes no sense (everyone scolds her(even AZ in the cave), but I can imagine Cassian looked pissed because of rhys as was Feyre thankfully

Okay so, you need to take a few things into account here: the one whose PoV we inhabit for the bonus is Ember, whose world Nesta just risked quite a lot to try to help out of sheer dumb faith. She is not am unbiased party in all this. She believes her daughter can succeed and that what Nesta did was right. Rhysand coming off as the big bad who is scolding Nesta for handing over theMmask is actually pretty reasonable within her perspective.

The other one is Sarah J. Maas herself and how she frames the narrative and is present throughtout it. Sarah always knew everything was going to work out, that Nesta's gamble would pay off, that Bryce would succeed and take down the Asteri. Nesta does come off as a victim because to the omniscient author who knows how things are going to work out, she took the choice that would lead to the best possible outcome: trusting Bryce. Nesta is a victim insofar as the good ending is a foregone conclusion and the author and us have this knowledge.

While I do think Rhys could have handled the situation with far more grace than he did, I maintain that their past animosity came to forefront. Yes, you are correct, anon: Nesta saved his family's lives, himself included, but gratitude and common ground are just a step in the right direction. Yeah, what Nesta did was MASSIVE, but some grudges have deep roots and aren't easily uprooted. This is human nature at its finest.

That said, I don't think he was being any more of an asshole than usual. Certainly not more than when he withheld pregnancy information for Feyre. This time around, Rhysand's reasons to be spitting mad are extremely valid and quite frankly, understandable. If there ever was matter to ge indescribably mad over, it was this one.When you look at it objectively, stepping back Omniscient Author or Reader's Viewpoint, you have this:

Nesta just gambled the entire safety of their world on a woman who has not shown herself to be worthy of any trust and who she knew for like two/three days most. Bryce offered no assurance of victory just her parents as collateral. That speaks of her determination; it does not speak of her actual chances.

It was a shot in the dark. It could have costed everything. We have the privilege of knowing it would work out. All the characters did not and if Bryce never returned, they would spend the rest of their existences in fear that the Daglan were waiting to show up on their doorstep.

My point, anon, it's that it's very easy to say "Get Angry, but Not like this" for us on the outside. For Nesta, who has the blessing of Sarah because it will all work out. For Ember, whose world she risked to save. For the people inside, Prythian, however, who are not privy to this knowledge... I can understand the absolute rage and thinking Nesta was a goddamn thoughtless, reckless for just handing over the Mask.

And Cassian... I understand he was in a tight spot and probably mad at the risk Nesta took as well but you know... I just wanted to see more. I didn't need him to be full on the Nesta Defense Squad, but more than what we got.

#hofas spoilers #nesta archeron #rhysand #my meta #things i did not expect: leaning more toward rhysand than nesta #yeah i'm also shocked myself go figure

[roleplayfinder]

ACOTAR/ Sarah J Maas Universe Roleplay

Looking for: FxM, MxF, FxF. Doubling. I have been searching the internet for different ACOTAR inspired roleplays. I���m in my mid 30’s and have been roleplaying for almost 20 years. I enjoy world building, multiple characters, political intrigue and romance. I write about 400-800 words a post and I have samples that I can offer. I also only play on Discord because it’s easier to make channels for OOC, Inspirations and Plotting.

I will only double. My male characters are usually better written but I prefer to play female presenting characters. (It is my curse.) I live for minimances. (Side romances.) I write in third person and won’t write in first person. I need a partner who can bounce ideas off of each other. Please, don’t make me do all the work of coming up with a plot. It’s a red flag for me. 

The pairings that I would love to explore include:

Gwyn x Azriel

Elain x Lucien

Mor x Emerie

JurienxVassa

Ones that would be interesting to add onto or do an AU version:

Nesta x Cassian

This is a maybe but Rhysand x Feyre.

Ones that would include an Original Character:

Older Nyx x OC

Eris x OC

OCxOC

I would also be interested in Throne of Glass or Crescent City roleplays or AUs. Or SJM Multi Universe Roleplays.

LorcanxElide

LysandraxAedion

RuhnxLidia

Ideas:

One of the Children of the Blessed goes into the fae lands and after all of their friends have been attacked, they are helped by a fae who takes pity on them and the adventure that comes about from that.

What if Nesta had gone into the fae lands after Feyre? Or, what if Elain had been the one taken by Tamlin. Feyre and Nesta have to team up to save their sister.

Older Nyx and Tamlin’s daughter.

Stories about the countries on the continent, politics from some of those Kingdoms.

If you are interested, message me or like the post. I am always searching. 

#submission #twenty-one and over #acotar #acotar roleplay #acotar rp

[acourtofthought]

(Ok last ask but idk if I included this part)

Avallen fae - Night Court (Rhys/Ruhn)

Starborn fae - Day Court (Bryce/Helion/Lucien)

Autumn fae - Autumn Court (King Dannan/Beron/LoA/Bryce/Lucien)

Shadowsingers - blessed by the gods of the underworld. Cormac & Az’s powers are distinctly different from that of the other Avallen fae & Rhysand’s. SJM made sure to explicitly say this for both of them.

🧼💖

I love seeing the breakdown of this 😍

I imagine Gwyn will be included in the Autumn Fae category too. And I realize she glows but I never took it as the glowing of a star and Day, more the glowing of Moonlight which I find poetic next to a Night Court Shadowsinger 🌚🌑

#acotar theory #crossover acotar #helion spell cleaver #lucien vanserra #feyre acotar #rhysand acotar #ruhn danaan #bryce quinlan #gwyn berdara

[offtorivendell]

so,,,I recently binged all of the acotar series this last week and a half and omg I was highlighting all the azriel and elain hints the entire time. and your account omg BLESS YOU you totally validated me bc when I looked up stuff everyone was saying it wouldn’t happen despite me having been highlighting the proof lol. also dear lord your elriel one shots are amazing. in character and beautiful written. so glad to have found your account!!

Excuse me for a minute...

Anon, thank you so much! Your kind words mean more than you could know. Theories can be are time consuming, especially when you're looking for quotes to make sure what you're saying 1. makes sense to begin with and isn't contradicted by the text, and 2. you don't contradict yourself halfway through, but posting fics was a whole new level, in terms of vulnerability and putting myself out there. I don't know how everyone else does it so often!

I actually had a similar reaction after finishing Silver Flames. I'd never been part of the ACOTAR fandom, just read the occasional fic and a couple of Nessian theories pre-ACOSF (at which point I preferred Elriel but wasn't really invested either way). After finishing ACOSF, including both bonus chapters, I came back to Tumblr to see what people were saying about Elain's book and saw that Gw*nriel was a thing... and then had a bit of a Snowball "huh?!" moment, 'cause I hadn't even considered them as a possible couple while reading the book. And this isn't to neg anyone who likes the ship, we all have preferences, it's just an explanation for my complete confusion that people didn't agree that Elain's book was next. I thought I had missed something (and there's always the chance that I have, tbf, or that SJM has changed her mind since publishing ACOSF), but Elriel still makes the most sense to me in terms of character development, plot and romance in any order.

#otr ask #anon ask

[sunlit-elain]

friendly reminder✨

that this scene exists:

#elain knocking back a shot is the scene i never knew i needed #bless sjm for including it #elain #elain archeron #elriel #acofas #pro elain #acotar

[elazrielbook]

Colour Symbolism of Elriel in the ACOTAR books!

i'll talk about colour first but scroll down for the light and dark parallels of the characters!

so azriels siphons are cobalt blue specifically. his power creates a cobalt blue aura around him too.

now elains colour is pink. elain wears it alot, its associated with her flowers, and it suits her steotypically feminine personality. but she wore a cobalt dress at her first meeting with azriel. not common for her as we usually see her in pinks and purples.

also!! gwyns colour is teal, from her eyes to the priestess stones. they're both described as teal. the priestesses stones nor gwyns eyes are ever said to be anywhere close to the colour of azriels siphons. because ik people like to claim that they're similar colours🥴

along with her colour being pink, lets talk about the acowar cover. its got truth teller on the cover, obviously eluding to one of the biggest moments in the book, elain getting the dagger from azriel and killing hybern with it. the cover has the dagger surrounded by shadows (that also look like roses to some) but even if you don't think its roses, its his dagger and his shadows on a pink cover.

and before you start saying the cover colours have no meaning, i highly doubt they have deep crazy meaning, but shes hardly choosing fully random colours. acotar was red(roses was in the name so thats easy). acomaf was that green/blue teal colour(the night court traditional clothes were described in this colour). acowar was pink(see above). acofas was regular blue('frost' winter, cold vibes). acosf was orange(flames are associated with nesta several times, including the title of her book lol).

i personally think elains book(which is quite obviously next lets not play dumb) will be a pale pink because thats clearly the colour she's associated with most. pinks been dine before but it would be a totally different shade than acowar. same as acomaf/acofas. the only colour of the rainbow left is yellow and i just don't see sjm doing it as i don't think that would be pleasing to look at lol. although elain is described so many times as golden and sunlight, so it does kinda make sense. but hey ya never know.

and look you might think those colours mean nothing and thats fine, but when you pair it with facts like ; each couple got a scene in the colouring book...the acowar cover scene (az giving elain truthteller) was in the colouring book, elucien wasn't. their scene is literally the cover of a book, and the fact that elain and azriel have had more build up moments that nessian got before acosf. how can you ignore that?

light and dark

now many many characters are described as light including mor,helion,elain,gwyn,feyre etc. azriel of course is described as darkness.

but but but, the only one whos light is directly contrasted to azriels darkness is elain.

azriel quite literally means "angel of death" and throughout the story he is consistently compared to death, darkness and shadow.

elain on the other hand literally translates to sunlight. throughout the series she is consistently compared to the sun, the dawn, day, and light/golden light.

gwyns name means holy,white,blessed. in the books, the times where she is described as light is when she sings she quite literally glows. and although this is a brilliant example of light, she is never described as such without the context if that glow while she sings. more importantly its never mentioned in direct contrast with azriels darkness, not even in the bonus chapter.

feyre literally says this when looking at azriel and elain:

"Death, shadows and terrors lurking over his shoulder. Light and dark,"

i just think it foreshadows them so well.

SO much of azriels character revolves around darkness. the shadows are literally part of him. his dark past makes him think less of himself. the dark things he's been through but also the dark things he's done. and yet his softest and most gentle moments are all towards elain. the times where he seems the most content is woth her.

and so much of elains character revolves around light. she's always out in the sun, her personality is light and calm and gentle. and yet she does not balk from azriels darkness. she's also hiding something in acosf showing that she has her own type of darkness. (but don't start w the evil elain theories i'll get bored of shutting yall down lol)

so do with this what you will. i just feel like its so pointless to have all those light and dark parallels for it to not mean anything. like if they both got with other people, those parallels will still be there so people are forever going to think they belong together.

psa: this is not a safe space to hate on azriel, gwyn or elain. talk about the ships and characters kindly

#acotar #elriel #azriel #elain archeron #pro elriel #sjm #acosf #acotar fandom #elain #azriel shadowsinger #anti gwynriel #gw*n #gw*nriel #acowar #acomaf #acotar spoilers #anti gw*nriel

[elainsshadows]

I want to talk about Elain today and her role in future books. I will also be talking about other ships at the end of this including: Lucien x Vassa, Lucien x Elain, and Azriel x Gwyn. These are merely my opinions and thoughts, this is not me trying to bash anyone else's opinions. I am open to having discussions as long as you are kind and respectful.

This is going to be long as a warning. Let's begin.

Quiet Strength

My friend recently start reading ACOTAR and she came to me one day and said that she had found a quote that she really liked. That quote was:

"She had looked at that cottage with hope; I had looked at it with nothing but hatred. And I knew which one of us had been stronger" ~ ACOTAR, pg. 259

I know that a lot of antis like to bring up the fact that Elain didn't do anything but plant flowers and such while Feyre was out risking her life to put food on the table. Why hadn't Elain planted food instead? As someone who tried to garden vegetables with her dad one year I can tell you it's not as easy as flowers.

Maybe Elain was trying to bring some color into their drab little existence like Feyre had done with the paints. Maybe she wanted one thing to make her happy.

When Feyre comes to see them in ACOMAF, to ask for their help, it was Elain who said that they should help.

"If... if we do not help Feyre, there won't be a wedding." ~ ACOMAF pg. 247

"Feyre gave and gave - for years. Let us help her. Help... others." ~ ACOMAF pg. 248

Elain was risking a lot by saying they should now help their Fae sister. She was going to be married to someone who's family hated the Fae. If they found out what Elain and Nesta were doing it would probably be the end of her engagement to Graysen. They would become Fae sympathizers and like the Children of the Blessed we see mentioned throughout the books.

Would a coward risk all of this? Not to me they wouldn't.

When Rhys, Az, and Cassian arrive once Elain had cleared out the servants. Elain, while scared, still tries to be a good host to the four of them. I want to come back to this scene when I discuss Elriel because this was the moment that I first started thinking that they would make a good pair.

But while Nesta and Feyre are more bold with their actions like wielding swords, bow and arrows, knives, etc., Elain doesn't necessarily back down from a challenge. When given Truth-Teller she simply states that she doesn't know how to use it. She does not shove it back at Azriel and refuse it, she simply informs him she doesn't know how to use it.

Also when they had been captured by Hybern and all that mess was going down. Tamlin had been gunning for Feyre and it was Elain who did this:

"But Elain's cry - a warning. A warning to- To my right, now exposed, Tamlin ran for me. To grab me at last." ACOMAF pg. 602

Elain, despite being scared in this highly stressful situation, saw her sister in danger and tried her hardest to warn her. If it had not been for Elain, Tamlin might have been able to grab Feyre at that moment in all the confusion and chaos. Despite being in her nightgown and terrified she still tried to protect her younger sister.

Once again when people are in danger once the Wall had been taken down it was Elain who spoke up. She knew that Graysen's family's estate could help protect those closest to the Wall and from any Fae that may come to do them harm.

"Glamour me," Elain said - to Rhys. "Make me look human. Just long enough to convince him to open his gates to those seeking sanctuary." ~ ACOWAR pg. 471

"It's already ended badly. Now it's just a matter of deciding how we meet the consequences." ~ ACOWAR pg. 471

She's Fae now. If Graysen or any of his family or those working for them knew this (which we see that they did) then they might kill her on sight. She risked her life to make sure defenseless humans remained as safe as they could with the oncoming war.

When Azriel and Feyre go to Hybern's camp to save Elain they also save another human. They are being pursued and clearly, the human girl is terrified of them, but it is Elain that says this:

"Grab onto him!" Elain ordered to the wide-eyed human girl as Azriel thundered toward her. *skipped ahead* "Elain screamed at her, "If you want to live, do it now!" ~ ACOWAR pg. 577

She also does this when the King of Hybern's beasts are upon them:

"Elain moved. As Azriel battled to keep them airborne, keep his grip on them, my sister sent a fierce kick into the beast's face. Its eye. *Skipped ahead* "Elain slammed her bare, muddy foot into its face again. The blow struck home." ACOWAR pg. 577

Knowing that their lives are in danger and that if this beast does anything to Azriel's wings they are all going to die. She does not hesitate and does not back down as she goes after the beast with her barefoot.

She slays the King of Hybern as well:

"Elain stepped out of a shadow behind him, and rammed Truth-Teller to the hilt through the back of the King's neck as she snarled in his ear, "Don't you touch my sister." ~ ACOWAR pg. 652

She has a protective streak in her and she will go down swinging if she has to.

And this I just found interesting. Everyone seems to shy away from Amren, but in ACOFAS this happens when they're all eating together:

"Elain, to my surprise, held Amren's gaze." ~ ACOFAS pg. 108

I just like that she held Amren's gaze.

Being Feminine Isn't Boring

I see a lot of people saying that Elain being feminine is boring, that she isn't an exciting heroine. Yes, Elain isn't one of SJM's typical heroines, but I think that makes her all the more interesting. We've never seen someone who isn't like Aelin, Bryce, Feyre, and Nesta from SJM.

"Elain stood between Nuala and Cerridwen at the long worktable. All three of them covered in flour." ~ ACOWAR pg. 386

"Elain was in the kitchen, helping Nuala and Cerridwen prepare the evening meal." ~ ACOFAS pg. 101

"She'd been toiling in the estate gardens since dawn." ~ ACOSF pg. 28

"Elain had already departed with Feyre, claiming she had to be up with the dawn to tend to an elderly faerie's garden." ~ ACOSF pg. 311

Do I think Elain's entire book will be based on her baking and taking care of gardens? No, I don't. I think she is capable of more than that and that is going to lead into my next point.

Elain Archeron, 007

This is not a new theory and it isn't even one that I came up with. Many lovely Elriels have pointed out comparisons to Azriel and Elain and how he may even teach her how to be a spy. I think it is a perfectly lovely idea. Let me show you some quotes from the book that make me think that this could be a possibility.

"Elain spoke from the doorway, having appeared so silently that they all twisted toward her, "Using me." ~ ACOSF pg. 230

They were talking about looking for the Dread Trove here and scrying. They were debating who should do it when Elain stepped up. She has done this before and with her seer abilities she is a perfect choice for the job. Obviously several characters aren't thrilled with the idea (Nesta and Azriel being two of the ones that don't like the idea).

"Azriel stiffened, an outright sign of temper from him as he said quietly, "There is an innate darkness to the Drea Trove that Elain should not be exposed to." ~ ACOSF pg. 311

"Elain saw every single thing Nesta had done, and understood why." ~ ACOSF pg. 470

"You came," Elain said behind her, and Nesta started, not having heard her sister approach. *skipped ahead* "Wondering if she'd been taking lessons in stealth either from Azriel or the two half-wraiths she called friends." ~ ACOSF pg. 595

We see that even Nesta is questioning whether or not Elain has been having lessons. She very well could have or this could be a hidden talent that Nesta has never gotten to see or never cared to see because she viewed Elain as someone who is innocent and needing protection.

Nesta mothers Elain throughout the series, we constantly see her coming to Elain's defense, stepping in front of her, talking for her. And while Elain used to let that slide we can see now that she is coming into her own and not letting Nesta walk all over her.

"Elain said, "You can't have it both ways. You cannot resent my decision to lead a small, quiet life while also refusing to let me do anything greater." ~ ACOSF pg. 232

I think Elain has been denied many things in her life because she has been seen as the most beautiful. Her own mother seeing her as nothing more than a pretty face that would be easy to marry off once she was of age. What will she do now that she has more freedom than she did before? Now that she will not become some lord's wife?

I do not see Elain as a warrior who is ready for battle, but I see her being ready for a different kind of battle.

"It took hours for Elain to work her charm on the staff to swiftly pack their bags and leave, each with a purse of money to hasten the process." ~ ACOMAF pg. 250

You know who else is charming? James Bond.

Being another pretty face has something going for Elain. No one would look at her and think "Yeah she's totally a spy." She can charm people, make them feel more at ease, and get them to open up. Maybe even enough that they think nothing of divulging things in front of her that otherwise shouldn't be overheard.

Maybe she can learn to glamour herself so that she is not recognizable to others. Who knows but I'm sure we'll find out when her book happens.

Welcome To Spring

One of my least favorite theories I've seen is that Elain will leave the Night Court and her family to go to Spring. Even going as far as saying that she will wind up with Tamlin. I don't think Feyre would let her sister wind up with her abuser plain and simple. Nor do I think Elain would fall for her sister's abuser just because he lives in a land of eternal spring and has flowers.

In ACOSF Nesta has this thought:

"Elain would love this place. So many flowers, all in bloom, so much green, *skipped ahead* But Elain... The Spring Court had been made for someone like her." ~ ACOSF pg. 454

While I do believe that Elain would love the Spring Court I do not think she would ever leave her family or friends behind.

"Two half-wraiths she called friends." ~ ACOSF pg. 595

"Cassian kissing Elain's cheek in greeting. *skipped ahead* Amren came next, giving my sister a nod. *skipped ahead* The Mor, with a smacking kiss for either cheek." ~ ACOFAS pg. 105

We also know that the sisters tend to consider one of the brothers friends. Feyre with Cassian, Nesta with Azriel, and I believe Rhys and Elain will also be friends. He seems to like Elain (certainly more than he likes Nesta).

Plus now there is Nyx in the mixture and why would she leave and miss out on her nephew growing up? What about if Nesta becomes pregnant and has a child? So no I do not believe that Elain will leave the Night Court.

Shipping Time

Here is where opinions and feelings may vary and people might not like what I have to say. Just know that these are merely my feelings on a ship. Ship what you want to ship, I am not here to gatekeep. These are merely my feelings on the matter. I'm going to start with the two ships I like: Elain x Azriel and Lucien x Vassa.

Elain Archeron x Azriel

I mentioned this earlier but I've been shipping them since ACOMAF. I saw the potential for them from the moment they began to interact.

"Elain rasped, "Nice to meet you," before hustling after her, the silk skirts of her cobalt dress whispering over the parquet floor." ~ ACOMAF pg. 253

I like the symbolism in this line. Cobalt = Azriel's siphons. Whispering = Azriel's shadows. While it might not be that deep as a writer I like the small things like this in my works. Things that later when you come back to them after something important happens that is a callback to something like this you can go "ooooh that makes sense now, yeah." We also do see other mentions of Elain wearing blue, but this post is long enough and it's only a few more times so I don't think it's worth noting. This part just sticks out to me because it's the first time they're meeting and like I said I love symbolism.

"Elain said to Azriel, perhaps the only two civilized ones here, "Can you truly fly?" ~ ACOMAF pg. 256

Elain who has been taught to fear the Fae is talking to him, also probably leaning around Cassian - who she is seated next to and also has wings - and asking if he can fly.

Azriel responds on the same page saying, "We're born hearing the song of the wind." And her response of, "That's very beautiful." This is the same male who famously said he wouldn't need poetry to woo a woman. Maybe he's not trying to woo her here, but he's trying to impress her.

"Elain, noticing Azriel's ease as proof that things weren't indeed about to go badly offered one (a smile) of her own as well." ~ ACOMAF pg. 258

She seems mighty comfortable with a Fae she just met. Which leads my into my two mate theory that I've had for some time now.

We know the tweet where SJM says that someone can have two mates. This was during a time when one of the TOG novels was about to come out and was probably referencing something in there, but I think it would be interesting to see play out in this situation as well.

We've seen several times people questioning Elain and Lucien's mating bond. Feyre and Azriel both do it. Feyre during ACOWAR and Azriel in his bonus chapter from ACOSF.

We also know that not all mates are happy pairings ie. Rhysand's parents and Tamlin's parents. We also know that sometimes it's based on who would have the strongest offspring. We can see this reflected in both Rhysand and Feyre's mating (he's considered the most powerful High Lord and she has abilities from all seven HLs).

But what if Elain and Lucien aren't true mates? True mates to me is a happily mated pair like Feyre and Rhys as well as Nesta and Cassian. Azriel questions why his brothers were mated to two sisters while the third was mated to another. (Pardon me for not using quotes here, I do not have the bonus chapter so I am going from memory.)

Why indeed? And I think it was because he was on the floor dying at the time. We know that the Cauldron loves Elain, so if her true mate was on the floor dying and there was no guarantee for survival it would make sense for the Cauldron to gift Elain another mating bond.

I will talk more about this in the section where I discuss them as a ship, but I wanted to briefly mention it here.

We also know the scene where Azriel hands over Truth-Teller to her, something that shocks all of them. I think of Truth-Teller like Azriel's security blanket. Something that brings him comfort and he never ever wants to part with it. But he gives it to Elain.

After she was taken by the Cauldron and held captive at Hybern's camp. After she says this:

"She shook her head, devouring the sight of him as if not quite believing it. "You came for me." The shadowsinger only inclined his head." ~ ACOWAR pg. 573

Why did she look only to Azriel? Why did she seem so surprised that he would come for her? Kind of like how a princess might not believe that her prince has come for her. (Love me some Disney princess movies)

To me these two just fit together. And to me they are more like Hades and Persephone than Feyre and Rhysand are. And hear me out: Elain as Persephone, goddess of spring. Azriel as Hades, god of death. (Feyre once calls him Death when thinking of a painting of him and Elain. Death and the lovely fawn she called it). Some might see Azriel and Elain falling in love as stealing her away from her mother (or mate in this case).

Also if you want another mythology reference. Paris (Azriel), Helen (Elain), Menelaus (Lucien). Helen was considered the most beautiful and was stolen away from her husband Menelaus (though I think she went with Paris willingly so there's that.)

I see so many parallels and signs that point toward an Elriel endgame. We know Elain's book is in the works and I'm pretty sure it's next since Sarah has talked about doing research for her book. We also know that Sarah is excited to work with Azriel as well.

Moving on.

Lucien Vanserra x Vassa

I've been shipping them since ACOWAR. So not as long as Elriel, but since a bit. I think this was the line that did it for me:

"Indeed, Vassa still remained inside, chatting with Lucien animatedly. *skipped ahead* Lucien, surprisingly, was chuckling, his shoulders loose and his head angled while he listened." ~ ACOWAR pg. 690

Unlike with Elain, he seems comfortable around Vassa.

"Even with Elain here, he's become close with Jurian and Vassa. He's voluntarily living with them these days, and not just as an emissary. As their friend." ~ ACOSF pg. 57

I'm a sucker for the friends to lovers trope (it only falls after the enemies to lovers trope). And while we do not have a lot on them I can see the two of them being happy. I can see Lucien trying to find a way to make her immortal if that's what she wants. And I just want the two of them finding their HEA together in the final book.

My theory is that Vassa will be the MC of the last book and will deliver the killing blow to Koschei (as she should). I would love to see their journey together and their time together in the mortal lands especially since the mating bond would be severed at this point if Elriel is the book before this one. I want Lucien to be happy and I think that he could be happy with Vassa.

Elain Archeron x Lucien Vanserra

We know that Elain and Lucien are mates. He announced this on page 608 a little bit after Elain had come out of the Cauldron. But these two do not seem to fit together in my opinion. Now please note I have nothing against Elucien, I even like some of the fanart and the theories I have read are wonderful. I'm just personally not a fan of these two because of how they were thrust together.

When comparing Jesiminda and Elain, Lucien says this:

"Elain had been... thrown at him." ACOWAR pg. 249

I know Lucien wants to be happy and I know mates are special, but I don't necessarily think that Elain will be his happiness. I think that the way they met ruined that for them.

"But Elain blinked slowly, "You were in Hybern." *Skipped ahead* "You betrayed us." ACOWAR pg. 250 - 251

Lucien, however willing or unwillingly, did play some part in Elain being turned Fae. He was one of the reasons she could no longer go home or marry Graysen. I don't know if that's something that could be overcome especially since Elain is still dealing with the events of that day.

We also know that Elain tends to avoid him, shrinking in on herself when he's around. Another reason why I can't ship this is because I've been in a similar situation where people were pressuring me to be with someone I had no interest in. I know what it's like to hear "you two are perfect for each other", "you should give him a chance", "just try".

Their relationship is not evolving naturally like Feyre and Rhys's did or Cassian and Nesta's. I don't think Lucien would ever push the mating bond onto Elain, but I do think since it's something special to Fae he may cling to it more than she will.

Another thing about their bond that doesn't sit with me is how it is described.

"It felt... strange," Elain breathed. "Like you pulled on a thread tied to a rib." ACOWAR pg. 301

"There's a bond - it's a real thread," he said, more to himself than us." ACOWAR pg. 301

Other bonds have been described as "so much golden thread" or an "unbreakable chain". But Elain and Lucien's is described as a singular thread that feels as though it were attached to a rib. To me mating bonds are like soulmates, why would that bond be attached to a rib and not the heart or her being?

I believe that once again either the Cauldron created this bond between them or maybe they are not what's considered a "perfect match" like Elain's sisters with their mates are.

I will say this: If Elain and Lucien do wind up together I won't be mad. Sure they are not my preferred ship, but they both deserve happiness and can find it together then good for them. We will just have to wait and see where SJM takes them.

Azriel x Gwyn Berdara

I've lowkey been dreading talking about them because of how toxic this fanwar between Elriels and Gwynriels gets. Once again this is just my opinion and my theories. No hate or shade to any of the shippers. I will not be bashing theories. If you don't want to read my thoughts then please just leave now and pretend you never saw this.

I do not like Azriel and Gwyn as a ship for one very big reason: power imbalance. Azriel saved Gwyn from a highly traumatic experience. Now before I go any further let me say that I brought this up to my mom who also reads the series but isn't a shipper, she just reads them to enjoy them. I asked her what she thought of Az x Gwyn as a pairing and if she would like to see that and she said no that she also felt there would be a power imbalance.

Gwyn is a strong character, but I do not think I could get behind her and Az as a couple because of how they met.

I also do not believe that Gwyn will be the MC of any of the last books there are. We still have Elain's book, possibly a Mor book, or even Vassa. There are too many people from the original trilogy that we need to see books for. While I will not rule out a book in the future I don't see her getting one now.

I know the necklace is a hot button issue, but I also don't believe that Clotho gave it to her. We never hear it mentioned in the main portion of the book and I think Clotho knew how troubled Azriel was and thought that she should hold onto it just in case.

"You're the new ribbon, Az," ~ ACOSF pg. 623

Gwyn is a competitive person, to me this line that Nesta says is here merely telling Az that Gwyn's next challenge would be to prove him wrong about the training course. Nesta knows of Azriel's feelings for her sister by this point, so I don't see this line as her teasing Az about Gwyn possibly having a crush on him.

But again these are just how I interpret things between them.

These are all my thoughts at the moment that I'm going to share. If you would like to have a discussion my ask box is open. Hate will not be tolerated though.

#Elain Archeron #Elriel #Azriel #pro Elain Archeron #pro Azriel #pro Elriel #ACOTAR 5 #ACOTAR 5 predictions #ACOTAR theories

[onceupona-chaos]

Sarah said recently that she likes writing stories about disliked characters, which makes sense considering how long Nesta was hated (really long).

With that in mind, every time I reread ACOSF, I have the feeling Sarah was deliberately talking to the readers about Elain.

"Elain is boring"

You think Elain is boring?

I think she's kind, I'll take kindness over nastiness any day. But I also think we haven't seen all she has to offer yet.

"Elain doesn't have what it takes"

“Including Elain, who is more than capable of defending herself against the darkness of the Trove, if she chooses to. Don’t underestimate her.

"How will she get a book? All she does is gardening, she's better off doing that"

“Shall I tend to my little garden forever?”

“You can’t have it both ways. You cannot resent my decision to lead a small, quiet life while also refusing to let me do anything greater.”

"Sarah will have a hard time to make me like her"

We'll see a different side of her emerge.

Maybe you’ll become interesting at last, Elain.

"Nesta was by her side for weeks, she's ungrateful"

I went into the Cauldron, too, you know. And it captured me. And yet somehow all you think of is what my trauma did to you.”

Elain was right. We’ve become so focused on how her trauma impacted us that we forget she was the one who experienced it.

"She doesn't even care about Nesta"

You have your lives, and I have mine, she’d said to Elain last Winter Solstice. She’d known how deeply it would wound her sister.

She’d passed her sister in the bustling market square they called the Palace of Bone and Salt, and though Elain had halted, no doubt intending to speak to her, Nesta had kept walking. Hadn’t looked back before vanishing into the throng.

And plucked the cerulean-and-cream scarf Elain had given her for her birthday this spring off the hook on the wall.

She’d been as riveted as Feyre to hear Cassian tell of it: first of Nesta and the others’ interest.

I’m happy that Nesta finds interest in something again.

"But what would she even do?"

Elain spoke from the doorway, having appeared so silently that they all twisted toward her, “Using me.”

I think she’s got you beat for secret-keeping.

She scanned Elain from head to toe, wondering if she’d been taking lessons in stealth either from Azriel or the two half-wraiths she called friends.

And because you are Made by it, you are immune to the influence and power of the Trove. You might use them, yes, but they cannot be used upon you.” A glance to Elain. “Either of you."

and Elain, with whatever powers she has—is here.

All three sisters blessed by fate and gifted with powers to match your own.

All three sisters were now High Fae with considerable powers, though only Feyre’s were let loose. (And now Nesta's, which means...)

"She can't even make her own decisions"

Elain remained in the doorway, her face pale but her expression harder than Nesta had ever seen it. “You do not decide what I can and cannot do, Nesta."

Elain cut in sharply, “I am not a child to be fought over."

Elain said, “Then I will find it. I might require some time to … reacquaint myself with my powers, but I could start today.”

"She doesn't belong to the night court, Cassian said it"

When Feyre had offered to let her remain home, Elain had squared her shoulders and declared that she was a part of this court—and would do whatever was needed.

*Sight* I could go on and on but I have a limit of how many of those comments I can read.

Sarah probably knew what kind of reaction to expect, since she already experienced that with Nesta. If Nesta was hated, why wouldn't Elain?

But also, if Nesta surprised us, why wouldn't Elain surprise us as well?

Elain is an Archeron, do you really think Sarah wouldn't write her a journey just like she did with Nesta and Feyre?

Therefore, SJM made herself clear in ACOSF, by contradicting every hateful comment towards Elain. So, we are going to see another side of Elain - and be surprised af.

#elain archeron #pro elain #pro archeron sisters #pro elain archeron

[faiurytale]

Azriel Appreciation Week, Day Two — Favorite Moment.

ACOSF, BONUS SCENE

“Happy Solstice,” she said, as much a dismissal as it was a holiday blessing. He snorted. “Are you kicking me out?” Gwyn's teal eyes flashed with alarm. “No! I mean, I don't mind sharing the ring. I just... I know you like to be alone.” Her mouth quirked to the side, crinkling the freckles on her nose. “Is that why you came up here?” Sort of. “I forgot something,” he reminded her. “At two in the morning?” Pure amusement glittered in her stare. Better than the pain and grief he'd spied a moment before. So he offered her a crooked smile. “I can't sleep without my favorite dagger.” // “A comfort to every growing child.” Azriel's lips twitched. He refrained from mentioning that he did indeed sleep with a dagger. Many daggers. Including one under his pillow.

She angled her head, hair shining like molten metal. “Do you sing?” He blinked. It wasn't every day that people took him by surprise, but...“Why do you ask?” // “They call you shadowsinger. Is it because you sing?” // “I am a shadowsinger—it's not a title that someone just made up.” She shrugged again, irreverently. Az narrowed his eyes, studying her. “Do you, though?" she pressed. “Sing?” Azriel couldn't help his soft chuckle. “Yes.”

To be honest, I really love that entire scene. Azriel smiling and laughing just does it for me, and the banter between him and Gwyn is *chef kiss*.

There are just so many things I love about these passages: the banter (would it really be a SJM couple without some banter?); the way Gwyn gives him a way out, knowing he likes to be alone, but he decides to remain with her; the way Gwyn decides to remain as well; how comfortable they both are with each other, so much that Gwyn, for the first time, is alone with a male and is not afraid, and Azriel shares something about himself; the way Azriel smiles and laughs and his icy-rage is gone (at least for a bit), especially if we consider that (in ACOSF) Nesta mentions how, three days after Solstice, Azriel is still so upset he doesn’t even smile at her (but he does more than once with Gwyn); how not even Cassian ever asked him about his shadows, but Gwyn did and did it bluntly. Is it clear I’m whipped for them?

#azriel #az week #azriel week #azrielappreciationweek #azriel appreciation week #gwynriel #acotar #acosf

[bookofmirth]

Okay so I have a theory, in ACOSF fate is probably mentioned about 5 times, so it must be important to the ongoing story and I think apart of it has to do with gwynriel. When gwyn was about to cut the ribbon and cassian felt the world change from one path and went into another one. "Azriel went wholly still, as if he, too were aware that far larger force peered into the training ring as Gwyn moved." The way that it was worded, I think Azriel's fate changed too and it has something to do with gwyn. In Azriel's bonus chapter the last person he talks to is Clotho. ( whose named named after one of the three Fates who spins the thread of Destiny) So what im trying to say is its being hinted that Gwyn and Azriel are being fated to be together.

ohhhh I didn’t think about the Clotho thing but that makes sense? Nice catch with that quote, too!

I think sjm is heavy-handed with some of her metaphors (shadow, light, song, stars, eternity, fate, etc.) but I also think she’s just like a sledgehammer all around? I found some examples besides the one you mentioned. A couple of mentions of fate don’t seem to be that dire, but I thought these were interesting:

“If anyone is going to kill Eris, it will be Mor or me.” [Cassian’s] eyes were nearly pleading. Not with her, she knew, but with fate.

these are all separate scenes

Amren nestled back into her chair. “That sword shall be known to history.” Her eyes darkened as she looked at the great sword, her words echoing. “It remains to be seen whether it shall be known for good or evil.” Cassian shook off the shiver that slithered down his spine, as if fate itself heard her words and shuddered.

just making sure

(Amren) “All three sisters blessed by fate and gifted with powers to match your own.”

that’s clear

[Nesta] had meant it in jest, but the words rumbled through the space, as if she’d spoken some great truth, something that made fate sit up. Azriel turned fully this time, eyes narrowed. Like those shadows had whispered something to him.

And since this is chronological order and you mentioned it, I included more of the scene (and side note, this is the scene where Az looks at Gwyn in admiration, around page 621):

Emerie said, “Nothing can break us.” The world seemed to pause at the words. As if it had been following one path and then branched off in another direction. In a hundred years, a thousand, this moment would still be etched in [Cassian’s] mind. That he would tell his children, his grandchildren, Right then and there. That was when it all changed. Azriel went wholly still, as if he, too were aware that far larger force peered into the training ring as Gwyn moved.

Nesta is a big common denominator in all these scenes, and by extension Emerie and Gwyn. Sarah said that Nesta’s story would continue in the following books. Combining Illyrian and Valkyrie techniques and fate sitting up? There is no way that Gwyn’s story is over yet. We know that she said she’s excited to tell Az’s story. 

And Azriel notices, twice. Does it mean anything? Maybe, maybe not! But it would be interesting to analyze when we get future books so that we can see what it meant!

#acosf #gwynriel #azriel #gwyneth berdara #acotar #ask #anon

[onenettvchannel]

Disney Releases the S3 Trailer of Amphibia at the Lightbox Expo 2021

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA -- The 3rd season of Amphibia has been announced during a latest Question and Answer online panel at the Lightbox Expo 2021 last Friday night at 6pm (Pacific local time). For those you don’t know about the Lightbox Expo, it’s a behind the scenes and industries show straight from the creators behind your favorite films, animation, games, TV shows, illustrations, etc. Almost someday as you graduate from a High School or College, you’ll be inspired for your next artist professionally as a whole.

The guests from a Question and Answer panel in a video conferencing via Zoom are starting off with a show creator Matt Braly, among with the experts of Disney Television Animation (DTVA).

An unfinished animated screening video showned for a Theme Song Takeover with the alternative opening of Amphibia, just before Marcy Wu died due to a suspected murder of Andrias Leviathan in Newtopia last May 2021 in Season 2. The rest of the online panel takes a lot of questions almost internationally and the United States worldwide alone.

At the end of the Question and Answer online panel, Braly (the show creator of Amphibia) and the experts of DTVA team releases a rough cut for a S3 trailer shown exclusively to Radyo Bandera and Disney XD News. It is rarely unfinished and currently working in progress for the Theme Song Takeover alone. On second thought, the final version had been released officially at the end of final weekend last September 2021 from this said expo.

Still completely floored that Matt approached me to do a remix of “No Big Deal” SHOUT OUT TO @ChichiAi FOR DOING AMAZING VOCALS AND @fretzl FOR THE AMAZING GUITAR PERFORMANCE!!! EEEE https://t.co/Xm1msaNEzK

— Jakeneutron (@TheJakeneutron)

September 11, 2021

Although, there is a new remix of “No Big Deal” as composed from a YouTuber in Florida, U.S.A. named Jake Solan a.k.a. JakeNeutron as permissioned directly to a show creator (Matt Braly).

As described from a latest updated S3 trailer, a little recap of what is going on in Season 1 & 2 at the moment, including a murder incident from Leviathan after he was killed to Wu when Boonchuy and others are teleported to Los Angeles via the Calamity Box.

For now, Anne Boonchuy and the Plantars are now in East Los Angeles at the L.A. County from her hometown probably to meet a parents of its Boonchuy family in person. Boonchuy probably skips a discussion about the Wu’s death from a recent murder incident in Newtopia Castle the same day. Upon the arrival in Los Angeles, there is more to discover for this 3rd season of Amphibia.

An all-out war in Newtopia Castle was implemented outside, just after a murder incident the other day to Wu. Capt. Leviathan activates possibly a portal via the Calamity Box for most of a Frog-bots to Los Angeles. Boonchuy's parents including Anne are on the road late afternoon (Pacific local time), but Mr. Boonchuy faces for a halt to drive because of its pedestrian problem against a single Frog-bot to kill the Anne or the Boonchuy's parents out.

Sasha Waybright and Capt. Grime jumps out the window with his tentacle-like tongue, while dodging a several plasma lazers to escape. Newtopian Army General (NAG) named Yunan and a Royal Advisor of Capt. Leviathan named Olivia torches the right Cauldron flame to open a mysterious vault.

Much similar in reference from Glitch Techs on Netflix under Mitchell Williams, Boonchuy and Sprig rides on a food truck (Thai on the Go) for the first time. Museum Curator met to Boonchuy for what is going on... A two-on-one session between the usernames of “Anna_Banana” & “IT_GALZ_1” via Zoom to fix Frobo who’s on a washing machine as a body, Waybright stepped Boonchuy's journal in Wartwood, Frog Valley as she read it in her past originally from Saint James Middle School (SJMS) and a murder suspect (Capt. Leviathan) plans to resurrect manually as shortly committed himself a murder under the Republic Act #10631: Section 2 or The Revised Animal Welfare Act of 1998 & Article 248 or The Revised Penal Code.

A few days later after Capt. Leviathan murdered to Wu, she was resurrected and recovered in crutches for a 2nd chance of her life. Radyo Bandera News Team and Disney XD News cannot independently verify from his said ruler in Newtopia. Meanwhile, the NAG attacks a Wolverine-like blade against the several robots of Frog-Bot. The Plantars in disguise in Los Angeles seeks an unidentified bird from above. The escape attempt between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and 2 of the unnamed scientific experts to take Boonchuy and the unnamed talented professor down. A lot of bite-sized highlights that you'll surely don’t wanna miss a new episode of a 3rd season of Amphibia. Boonchuy wraps up for the night and drives home with her mom of Ms. Boonchuy.

At the end of this said trailer, a final quote from Capt. Leviathan controls to Wu from a resurrection for a possible recovery and takes over for the negative side of her life afterwards, "Don't you think it's time to say goodbye to those childhood friends (Boonchuy and Waybright) of yours?". Wu is now controlled the Newtopia Castle with her negative life and drops out of her school in SJMS officially as final since a murder incident like Capt. Leviathan had been altered early from its said jurisdiction.

Much officially, the show creator and the DTVA team commences with a release date as mentioned from a Question and Answer online panel. The show creator (Matt Braly) acknowledges the entire production crew and the animation team of Amphibia for a tougher hard work, even for a post-Pandemic of Corona Virus Disease-19 (CoViD19) in Los Angeles as noted from this expo in Pasadena City.

Amphibia S3 will take place LIVE from Los Angeles and portions of the Amphibia Island. The 3rd season premieres October 2nd at 12mn (Pacific local time) on DisneyNOW & optionally as possible for Disney+ and the actual telecast the same day starting at 6:30am (Pacific local time) on Disney Channel in America.

Radyo Bandera: Sweet FM (in Bacolod, Negros Occidental) and Disney XD News is an affiliated firm on this Internet TV station of OneNETtv Channel & OneNETnews.

EDITOR's NOTE: We finalized our news article since we have a final version as official. The original news article on our Flash Report turned into a regular News Report for now. We are thanking you for your support from this said article, mga ka-Bandera.

SCREENGRAB COURTESY: Lightbox Expo 2021 via Zoom & Disney Television Animation

SOURCE: *https://lightboxexpo.com/about/ *https://2021.lightboxexpo.com/schedule/ and *https://www.jakeneutron.net/about [The Real Name of JakeNeutron from his YouTube Channel]

HONEST DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed from this News Report are not necessarily those from the Disney Television Animation. Furthermore, the assumptions of this News Report will NOT state, intervene or reflect those of our Affiliated Reporters. The show, the station, the management, interwebs and the network. Thanks for reading, mga ka-Bandera! Stay safe and may the Celestia blesses you. Later!

-- OneNETnews Team

#entertainment news #pasadena #california #amphibia #season 3 #los angeles #lightbox expo #trailer #animation #CoViD19 #OneNETnews

[thatbitchydonutcollector]

hello there, friend - take this travel guide

Welcome to my main blog, @thatbitchydonutcollector.

The content is mainly SJM, movies, writing, books, and whatever I feel like. Asks are always open, feel free to send writing prompts or just say hi.

s i d e b l o g : @bodyinabyss

Content includes Hualian, Tian Guan Ci Fu, MXTX, and Heaven Official's Blessing. I have purged my main blog of Hualian content and will post it here! This includes a separate fic masterlist of TGCF content.

s i d e b l o g : @auriferous-souls

Wicca, spells, advice, sigils, wards, macabre, aesthetic stuff. This sideblr is mainly inactive but I did achieve a bunch of stuff through reblogs on here.

#housekeeping #figured I would make a little guide #I also purged my main of TGCF or hualian content #I'm sure some of yall werent into it #I has all moved to my side blog!

[offtorivendell]

A Long-Expected Party: Part I, The Fellowship of the Fling

Otherwise known as Elain's Eleventy-First Birthday Bash

This was written for @nikethestatue, and inspired by our joint love of anything The Lord of the Rings and Elriel, with a side of my own experience in throwing a surprise 21st for a loved one.

Read it on AO3, if you'd prefer.

Credit:

My endless gratitude goes out to the amazing @gopeachllama for being my beta.

Thank you to the lovely @wingedblooms for naming Elain's dagger.

The orphanage that Elain volunteers at was inspired by @nikethestatue 's own wonderful, ongoing multi-chapter fic, Of Fawns and Shadows.

The first part of the prologue was heavily inspired by the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring, and other easter eggs are included throughout the rest of the fic (all chapters).

'Andwise' was the name of Samwise Gamgee's uncle.

Parts II and III to come.

Disclaimer: based on the characters and world owned by SJM, with a splash of Tolkien.

Trigger warnings: language, discussion of non-canon death of a character.

PROLOGUE

When Mr. Azriel Archeron, Shadowsinger and Spymaster to the Night Court (as well as Prince of the Court of Nightmares) quietly announced that he and his wife would shortly be celebrating her eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement around the land. None of it within earshot of the birthday-fae herself, though, as everyone understood that Azriel and his family intended to surprise Elain with a night she would never forget.

Elain was very kind and very friendly, if a little peculiar in her choice of husband, and had become beloved by the people of Velaris, the Court of Nightmares, and Rosehall’s local village alike over the last eighty odd years, ever since the remarkable events that surrounded her being turned from a human into a High Fae, and the two resulting wars, became known. Not the whole story (never that), but enough that she, along with Feyre and Nesta, had become a local legend, and it was popularly believed that the three Archeron sisters, all now faeries, were blessed. And if that was not enough for fame, there was also her unnervingly accurate visions--touched by the Mother, was the whispered conclusion--not to mention her incredible healing magic and skill with potions; those whom she treated often marvelled that it was as if they had ‘been reborn.’

There were some who shook their heads and thought that this was too much of a good thing; it seemed unfair that any one faerie should possess (apparently) perpetual goodness and a (reputedly) inexhaustible healing power. Others, though, believed that Elain, who was generous with both her time and magic, helping with community gardens and baking for local charities in addition to her duties as a member of the High Family, along with her sisters, to be one of the best things to happen to the Night Court in many a century.

***

Long before Nesta had decided to celebrate her own one hundred and eleventh birthday, over a year earlier, all three Archeron sisters had learnt that the milestone was akin to a human's twenty-first birthday, which both Nesta and Elain had neglected to mark, as their means at the time had not extended to a Sunday roast, let alone something so grand and frivolous as a birthday party. Elain hadn't even had real flowers when she turned twenty-one, as the harsh January weather had made any attempts to grow or procure them either impossible, or outlandishly expensive. The closest she had ever come to flowers for her birthday were the seeds that Feyre would gift her when she could, often bought the year before and hidden away, or wooden figurines that her father had carved for her when he'd had the inclination.

Suffice it to say that Azriel, on learning his wife--for that is what Elain insisted on being called, no matter that they were also carranam--had missed her true twenty-first birthday out of necessity rather than desire, went straight to her sisters the next chance he got, followed by her two closest friends, and began planning a party for their nearest and dearest, that ended up expanding in scope to include their local town, and friends far and wide. He knew he couldn’t change the past, but he could make up for the lost experience, if nothing else.

After all, Azriel thought, Elain, who baked and cooked and prepared gardens for everyone else's major life events, surely deserved such an experience for herself.

PART I - The Fellowship of the Fling

Being the year of Nesta Archeron’s 111th birthday; approximately 85 years after the defeat of the Death Lord Koschei, which heralded the Third Age of Prythian, otherwise known as the Age of Harmony (between faeries and humans).

Nesta's good friend and fellow Valkyrie, Emerie, had once asked, decades earlier, whether Elain and Nesta would each have a seventy-fifth birthday celebration (the age at which the High Fae, at least, were considered 'mature') but the Archeron sisters had been adamant that it would be strange to celebrate a milestone that they had technically passed long before being turned. So, in order to ascertain whether or not Elain would view the High Fae version of a human’s twenty-first birthday in the same light, Azriel first sought out the opinions of her sisters.

It had been nigh on impossible to see Feyre or Nesta absent Elain for the month before Nesta’s celebration so, fortuitously spying his wife’s sisters getting in some light sparring at the training pit on top of the House of Wind the morning after Nesta’s own party, Azriel gently banked, letting his wings stretch wide; the coastal currents caught the powerful membranes, making them sing, as he coasted in to land cleanly at the edge of the ring, shadows trailing in his wake.

Feyre and Nesta had both come a long, long way from their initial lessons in the art of swordplay and, after waving at them to continue to the end of the bout, Az spent the next quarter of an hour listening to the metallic sting of clashing swords as they broke through the up-beat orchestral music that flowed from Nesta’s symphonia, enjoying the lightly briny air, and appreciating the fluidity of the sisters' movements, their skills with the Illyrian long swords that they wielded with ease, using a weathered warrior's keen eye.

When the two steely blue-eyed Archerons finally parted, panting only a little after running through drills, and then a mock battle, to clear the cobwebs of Nesta’s party the night before, Azriel stepped forward into the early morning light, shadows brightening around his shoulders.

"Nice moves you've got there," he quipped with a small smile. "Your teachers must be very proud."

Feyre grinned back, eyes bright with mirth, while Nesta simply snorted--his shadows skittering at the sound--and tapped her symphonia to silence it.

Az had slowly realised that, ever since Elain had chosen him, and he'd allowed her into his world, he was actually comfortable showing more of himself around his family than he had ever been before. He was still a male of few words, as was his nature, but Azriel much preferred this current, relative ease to his closed-off self of almost a century ago.

"To what do we owe this pleasure?" Nesta responded, monitoring him as closely as she did everyone. The corner of her mouth curling upward was his only warning before she continued, "I would have thought that you and Elain would not be making an appearance until much later today, the way you two were carrying on, out on the balcony last night."

Azriel stilled, shadows writhing against his control as he reigned them in; his cheeks reddened as he found, to his dismay, that he could not blame the harsh wind that usually raged around the training pit at this time of year, for it was unusually absent this morning.

Nesta chuckled, and Feyre outright guffawed.

"Thought no one could see you, hmm? Well, we did. Didn't your friends there let you know?" She gestured at the traitors currently peeking out from behind his shoulders.

His mask now firmly in place, Azriel still cringed internally. They had tried to tell him something, but after he'd ordered them to only interrupt him if something was drastically the matter, they had quietened down, then disappeared once more. He had quickly forgotten them once he resumed his enthusiastic ministrations of Elain’s velvet-soft neck.

Coughing lightly, he decided that simply changing the subject was his best bet. He was used to his brothers' good-natured teasing, but it was still a little odd coming from his two sisters-in-law. Nesta in particular, he found, didn't hold back.

"I was actually here with a question, if I can have a minute or so of your time?"

"Of course," Feyre said, shading her eyes with a lightly callused hand. "I could do with a drink of water. What do you need?"

"Well, it's about Elain--nothing is wrong!" He changed tactics quickly, when both sisters snapped their eyes to his. "I simply needed your opinions on something, both as her sisters, as well as the only other two people to have begun life as humans, before becoming High Fae as adults. Your notion of time, and the significance of its passing, will be closer to hers than mine ever will be."

Nesta’s blue eyes softened, while Feyre’s gaze became curious.

"Spit it out, Az. It can't be that bad."

"It's not, at all." Azriel sighed. "I've just been thinking, recently, about Elain's one hundred and eleventh birthday. I want to surprise her and throw her the party she never had for her twenty-first as a human, the one she deserves, but I don't even know if she'd want it." His eyes slid to Nesta as he continued, "I know that neither of you were interested in throwing the traditional seventy-fifth birthday celebration that the High Fae use, given you had been considered 'of age' for years when you were Made, but you chose to celebrate your one hundred and eleventh birthday last night, even though you were nearing twenty-four when you became High Fae." He paused, not wanting to stir up any bad memories. "Why was that? And do you think Elain would want to celebrate her birthday, when it comes?

Nesta hummed softly, tapping her fingers against the sheathed blade at her hip. "I can't say with complete certainty but, to most humans, a twenty-first birthday is not the same as an eighteenth."

Az arched an eyebrow, and she continued. "At eighteen we are--were--considered adults, but according to an ancient human civilisation, from the Continent, I think, twenty-one was a sacred number, because it signified the point at which a person had completed three of their ten stages of life. Really, though, it's become more of a celebration of the person themself, where friends and family share anecdotes, eat good food and dance the night away. As we did last night." She paused. "Come to think of it, why is one hundred and eleven years significant to the High Fae?"

Azriel blinked. It wasn't often that someone caught him off guard, but Nesta, with a thirst for knowledge only rivalled by Elain and Rhys, was one of those who ranked more likely to accomplish the task. "You know what? I'm not sure if it's based upon a similar principle, or something completely different." He caught himself frowning just in time to clear his expression. "Illyrians don't share the custom, so I'd have to report back to you on that."

Feyre finished her second cup of water, then looked to the sun. Az knew her talents, honed during the years she had hunted to provide for her family, extended to being able to tell the time to within ten minutes of accuracy without a clock, as long as she had a decent view of the sky. It was an impressive skill, even for a member of the High Fae.

"I think she'd love a celebration with her friends and family." She nodded to her eldest sister, "As Nesta said, we would simply be celebrating her, not an irrelevant milestone."

Azriel nodded, the shadows at his shoulders and elbows brightening at his relief. He'd assumed as much himself, but hadn't wanted to risk proving the truth of the famous old adage in the worst possible way. Hurting Elain was always the last thing he ever wanted to do.

"Thank you both. I'll let you get back to it."

Feyre grimaced. "I'm done for the morning, actually. Rhys and I will be spending the day planning Nyx’s increased role in the running of the Night Court."

Az grinned knowingly, as she continued, "He's got a good head on his shoulders, but he'd much rather be running drills and missions in the middle of nowhere with his squad. Which is fine, of course, and Lord Devlon and Cass agree that he's showing great promise--Devlon only grudgingly, obviously--but he needs to know more. Astrid is now studying education, she has grand plans of opening publicly funded schools across the Night Court, and she's only eighty-two. Nyx is coming up to eighty-five; he needs to learn how our Court runs, beyond his beloved Illyrian Mountains."

They were all proud of Nyx, their entire family. Azriel, though he might still have lingering reservations about the people from which he came, had to acknowledge the strides that Cassian, Emerie and Nyx had made in providing equitable access to opportunities for all Illyrians, high-born, females and bastards alike, especially since the Valkyries had permanently relocated their training facilities to a camp just outside Windhaven, much to Devlon's dismay. It had allowed Emerie to reclaim her place in her society, and work from there. It also didn't hurt that Azriel would never forget the moment Devlon had realised that ‘the witch’ would be living in the next valley over, his reaction to the news so comical that Rhys had even commented that the wind would change, and leave him permanently stuck ‘looking like he'd fallen face first into a pile of pegasus shit’ if he wasn’t careful.

Adjusting his wings in preparation for flight, letting them get a feel for the still-gentle air currents wending their way around the ring, Az reminded Elain’s sisters that the party was meant to be a surprise, bid farewell to Nesta, who would be heading back to Illyria with Cassian later that evening, and gave Feyre a quick wave before he strode over to the precipice and threw himself into the morning sky.

Free-falling, shadows streaming behind him like a comet's tail, he snapped his wings open at last and began to regain altitude. Elain hated it when he did that, claiming that the thought of his wings cramping up made her sick with worry during the initial plummet--not that he'd ever done it with her in his arms…well, not more than once, and not from a very tall height at that--but it felt good, to test himself against the self-preservation instincts that he had never quite completely shaken, learning to fly as late as he had. Elain knew this, but still she tightened her lips and went white as death if she saw the display, and embraced him for a little longer than usual the next time she could.

Around fifty years ago, when they had all been holidaying at the cabin one summer, having left Azriel's mother in charge of all their littles--her own grandchildren and 'bonus grandkids' alike--a series of bets between Rhys, Cass and himself had escalated to the point where they had been playing a game they called ‘wings-out chicken’ from the nearest overhang of considerable height. Feyre had realised what was happening, and winnowed herself and Nesta in to watch from the opposite peak, while Elain had used their shadows to join them in witnessing the spectacle. That evening had been… extra enjoyable, to say the least. The complaints from Rhys and Cassian the next morning had left him smug for the rest of the week; the fact that Elain's pretty flush would spread as far down as her chest whenever someone whispered ‘wings-out’ within her earshot ever since was an added bonus.

Like her sisters, Elain had also come a long way from her rigid, stifled upbringing, casting aside her certainty that she had to prove to her mother that she was the perfect lady, even to the grave, but as he could attest himself, old habits die hard; he understood lingering hang-ups. While Elain might not actually care as she used to, she couldn’t help the ingrained reaction. In any case, Az didn’t mind that his wife was a blusher; it had never affected her work on assignments, she looked gorgeous while doing so, and he did love to tease her.

Banking to aim for the River House, where his scheduled weekly meeting with Nuala and Cerridwen took place, Azriel inhaled the fresh coastal air and flew.

***

The aroma of freshly baked bread drifted out of the open windows to greet Az, dancing with the herbal scents from the kitchen garden that Elain still tended for her sister’s household, to create a veritable melody for his senses as he landed silently in the courtyard behind the River House. He could hear a trio of familiar voices inside, Elain and the half wraith twins, as he hurried through the door on cat-soft feet.

Cerridwen was facing the entrance as he appeared, shadows gracing her sides but, accomplished spy that she was, she showed no sign of acknowledging his presence on her face.

No knives, his shadows whispered to him. Only bread. Nuala is in adjoining room. It was safe to proceed, so he stepped forth, silently. Elain, with her back to him, turned a little the second before he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"You're off your game, Husband." She chuckled. "Time was, you wouldn't have let me smell you until it was too late."

He grinned into her hair, "Morning, you two."

Cerridwen simply rolled her eyes at him and joined Nuala in the butler's pantry. He’d seek them out later; he was running early, anyway.

He looked down at Elain over her shoulder, as she finished sorting the last of the still-warm bap rolls onto the trays she used to transport them to the local orphanage for Sunday lunches, then pressed herself back into his chest. He felt her relax into him, her upright posture softening to complement his form.

"You've already seen me this morning. Or had you forgotten, in your dotage?" Feigning concern, she hummed. "Maybe it's time to speak to Madja about a nursing home? Our children have barely flown the nest, I'm not sure I'm quite ready to care for another so soon."

Az laughed at that, deep and joyful, and Elain joined in after a beat, turning into him for what she called a ‘proper hug.’ He squeezed her right back, inhaling her scent of jasmine and honey, letting it settle over him like a comforting blanket. He didn't care that they weren't mates, their carranam bond ran deeper than he could ever have imagined, and he could not conceive of loving or needing anyone more than he did Elain. For the two of them, at least, a mating bond would simply be superfluous.

"Feyre dobbed you in."

"Hmm? Oh," he chuckled into the top of her head, catching up. "That was quick. How will you ‘punish’ me this time?"

Right on cue, a deep pink dusted Elain’s cheeks. “Stop it, you.”

Azriel grinned wickedly, “Make me.” A tea towel playfully slapped his thigh in response, so he tightened his grip around her arms. “Not good enough, Archeron. You call that a slap?”

“Let go of me, Mister Archeron. Give me back the use of my arms, and I’ll make you regret those words. You know I will.” Her voice was firm, challenge issued.

It was true. Elain could defend herself with fists and dagger if she must--she carried her own around, a pair to his Truth-Teller, named Sooth-Sayer--but her true skill lay in utilising anything she could find in a kitchen; she could wield a tea towel with unnatural speed and accuracy. It was almost uncanny.

Azriel thought it the most appropriate thing in the world.

“Maybe later,” Azriel whispered, voice low as his hands slid from her arms to the curves of her hips and gripped, just a little harder than was strictly polite; he wasn’t above using his wiles to get what he wanted. He chuckled softly as Elain shuddered in response.

“Speaking of children,” he wondered, “Have our own headed back to their respective holes yet this morning? Or do I actually get to say ‘goodbye’ to them this time?”

Their eldest two, Androsace and Andwise, dark-haired, brown-eyed twins who had graced them with their unanticipated presence less than a year after the war with Hybern finally ended, were off completing courses to further their studies in modern healing techniques; primarily in the Dawn Court, but also wherever they were needed. Androsace, known to her family as Rosa, while possessed of strong healing magic, had chosen to specialise in pharmaceuticals, at least for the moment, and was studying under Nuan, the brilliantly-minded fae he had met shortly after Elain and Nesta were turned. Andwise, or Andy, with a magical strength to match his sister, found he had a natural hand for surgery, and had even taken classes from Dawn’s High Lord Thesan himself. Given the number of toys and gadgets that he had taken apart as a child, this particular skill did not surprise either of his once-exhausted parents. Neither twin had wings, though both had developed their own shadows at around ten years of age--curiously, though, the twins’ shadows were much lighter than Azriel’s ever were. Having grown up with more opportunity than Azriel, they had opted to stay out of their father’s profession, to which news he had been both secretly and massively relieved. He knew they would likely see battlefields as healers, and had ensured that, like their mother, they could defend themselves as required--Rosa in particular had a mean right hook, and Andy was incredibly creative with his shadows--but to not have to worry about them every day was a blessing.

Approximately eight years after they had had their twins, Elain had come across a pair of Illyrian siblings, newly arrived in Velaris’ orphanage, where she had been volunteering since the war against Hybern. Their father had been lost in the final battle against Koschei, and their mother had struggled to provide for them by herself, eventually passing on from a nasty, consumption-like illness--or so Elain had been told. The ten year old boy, Archer, had opted to stay with his eight year old sister, Aerides, or Aeri, out of loyalty, rather than stay in training. He had been heartbroken over the loss of his training, in addition to the death of his remaining parent, but his conscience hadn’t let him abandon her; he was very much like Cassian, in that regard. Knowing their chances of being adopted in Velaris were reduced, due to both age and, sadly, the still prevalent prejudice that existed against Illyrians at the time, and having started to bond with sweet little Aerides almost immediately, Elain had told Azriel that they were coming home with them as soon as possible, and that was that.

After a year at home with the Archerons, Archer--who still wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry at his newly granted surname seventy odd years later, though he hadn’t had one before--had quietly asked to resume his warrior training, wishing to honour his birth father, and finally feeling comfortable enough to leave Aeri in her new home. Archer now had three siphons, and flew in Nyx’s squad as a bowman, the two firm friends, and Aeri had developed a love and talent for baking so strong that she had been accepted into the Winter Court’s prestigious Academy of the Baking Arts, to train as a pâtissier.

Ice-cold fear had torn at Azriel, to let one of his children go so far, especially one of the two who couldn't winnow in any capacity, or wanted anything to do with a warrior’s training past basic self-defence, but the Winter Court had always been stable, excepting the years of Amarantha's reign; Elain, while sad to see Aeri go, had given Azriel a very pointed look and told him he was stifling her. Knowing Elain’s personal history as intimately as he did, this was the last thing he wanted to do to one of his own daughters, so he had simply asked her if she'd consider taking a shadow for emergencies. In true Aeri fashion, however, she had soon discovered that the shadow liked to be worn as a necklace, instead of being left at home or in her satchel, the curious being even going so far as to change decorative charms on its own whim...and so ‘Jewel’ had earnt its name.

Finally, when Archer was twenty-two years old--having just been granted the first of his three siphons--and the twins and Aeri twenty, Elain had discovered, to their joy, that she was pregnant again. Azriel never knew how much of their lives Elain had foreseen, but he didn't ask her to share details, knowing that not only would she always warn them of any emergencies she Saw, but that she also wanted as 'normal' a life as possible. The next spring they had welcomed another daughter, Asphodel, or Della. Unlike the twins, who had primarily inherited their mother’s gift for healing, Della’s magic was pure shadow. She wasn’t as powerful as Azriel, though he suspected it was only a matter of time, as her strength still grew with each passing decade; like Rosa and Andy, her shadows were also brighter than his, though at that time he still could not have told anybody precisely why this was, had they asked (after decades of thought, he had come to the tentative conclusion that Elain’s light had combined with his shadows to create whatever magic it was that had blessed their children). Della had also been born with wings, though, luckily, Elain hadn’t needed any assistance during her birth. They had joked, after her easy pregnancy with Androsace and Andwise, who had turned out to both be...generously-proportioned babes, that Elain was blessed by the Mother herself, but after Asphodel and her wings had been born without any issue at all, their jokes became more like reverent praise. True to her adventurous nature, Della had flitted around between dreams, sampling as much of life as she could. When she was in her fifties, after achieving a well-rounded education, even if none of it was specifically vocational, she had finally spoken to Nesta about becoming a Valkyrie. Now in her early sixties, she was a fully fledged Valkyrie, who also worked as a junior agent in the Night Court’s intelligence program.

After his earlier relief at the twins staying out of his chosen-for-him field, Azriel had felt like it was some sort of peculiarly nasty cosmic joke at his expense. That being said, once Della decided on a course of action with her whole heart, there was never any changing her mind. So, with a father’s innate desire to protect balanced by the knowledge he couldn’t do so forever, he had taken her under his wing (pun absolutely intended, thank you very much, his children groaned every time he used it) and given her the best grounding that he could in training her shadows in communication, self-defence and winnowing at a second’s notice, as well as a battery of highly intricate flying maneuvers that her smaller wingspan allowed her to complete with more ease than he and his brothers had ever managed.

Elain chuckled, bringing him back to the present as she shook her head. “All five of them are at Rosehall with Mama; they’ll scatter to the four winds tomorrow morning, according to Aeri. Della will winnow her back to Winter, before she collects Archer and goes with him to Windhaven and the Valkyrie camp.”

“Excellent. Family dinner tonight, then?”

“That’s the plan, Mama already knows to expect us at six o'clock, barring any emergencies.” Azriel loved that Elain was close enough with his mother to use his pet name for her. He knew her own hadn’t been kind to her--to any of the sisters, for different reasons he couldn’t begin to fathom--but she had come to love Azriel’s own mother almost immediately, just as his Mama had with her.

“Now, I’ll give you my report on the firm tomorrow morning, as we planned. I have to get this bread over to the orphanage for lunch before I check on my next batch of potions, and it’s already almost nine. If I’m not careful, it’ll be ten o’clock before I know it and I still won’t have moved an inch.”

After the war against Koschei, and learning that she and Nesta both had the unique ability to unMake mating bonds, Elain had started up a new branch of the Night Court’s intelligence operations that aimed to help any fae who didn't want to accept, or remain in, their own bond, to escape to the Night Court where she and Nesta would unMake the bonds if they wished, or they would be offered sanctuary in a facility similar to the library that had helped Nesta so much. It had taken two decades to see any regular work, and even then, not many faeries felt comfortable contacting them, given the ingrained nature of the mating bond in their culture, but Elain and Lucien, who had both felt trapped in their own bond, but were now good friends, kept an eye out for fae in need wherever they went. Lucien travelled far and wide in his role as part-time emissary and heir apparent of the Day Court, as well as consort to Vassa, to whom he'd tied his life in order to save her from Koschei and his curse. After Tamlin’s death, Vassa, together with Lucien, ruled over the now-combined Spring Court and human lands, which had since become a home for all exiles, not to mention a mecca to those from the Continent, who wanted to see what Vassa and Lucien had done to make their veritable melting pot bubble along happily, rather than boil over.

Luckily, Lucien’s true father, Helion, was still in high health, with a powerful grip on his land, though neither Elain nor Azriel envied Lucien his loyalty to so many Courts, or the decision that he'd likely face when the time eventually came; they were both impressed with his ability to keep on top of everything as it was.

Elain herself went on biannual visits to the Continent, both in her capacity as Princess of the Hewn City and one of the Night Court’s own emissaries. Her unassuming nature and innate charm made her the perfect agent to gather intel in plain sight, as no one, especially in such strongly patriarchal societies, suspected the pretty, beguiling female to possess such a keen eye or sharp mind, let alone the gumption to put those skills to use; she was also a frequent visitor to local temples, letting it be known that she had become quite devout in her worship of the Mother, so her meetings with any fleeing faeries, and the priestesses who helped them out, didn't draw much attention to their underground operation. Keeping it a secret was safest for everyone involved.

It went without saying, though, that he was so, so proud of his incredible wife…which was another card they kept hidden up their shared sleeve. Their carranam bond was known only by their family and most trusted friends, with Azriel and Elain simply calling each other 'husband' and 'wife,' so her ability to use his shadows in her work gave her an upper hand that no one on the Continent yet suspected. The thought always made him smile; he had never contemplated sharing his magic, or expected doing so to feel quite so personal, so much so that he would not have wanted this bond with any other.

Unable to resist, Azriel caressed her curves once more, one hand going to the dip of her waist, the other finding her bottom and giving it a good squeeze while he ran his nose down her neck, inhaling deeply. “Oh, my dear wife, I think I could get you to move by more than an inch.”

Elain shuddered lightly, but in the end she only sighed, placing her hands on his chest as she tipped her head back to look up at him. “It’s a wonder I can get anything done, living with you.”

He bent down to let her kiss him, while she rose up to the tips of her toes to meet him halfway, before taking a step back.

“I really do have to get these rolls to the orphanage well before lunch. Children are more demanding customers than High Lords--you should know this.”

Azriel smiled softly. “Do you need any help?”

She gestured to the shadow who had taken to following her around during the war against Koschei, when he had discovered she was pregnant, but had then absolutely refused to stand by while her family fought for their lives. “I have my assistant, this friendly little creature will get me there in no time.”

“Over eighty years have passed and you still insist on anthropomorphising my shadows,” Azriel cried in mock outrage, hands in the air. "I blame you for giving Aeri the idea to name hers, for Cauldron’s sake."

Elain simply gave him her sweetest smile and, knowing his penchant for baked goods, a fresh bap roll off the top of her tray, before she walked through the door. Heading outside, beyond the wards Rhys had set to prevent anyone but him and Feyre from winnowing directly to or from the River House, she turned at the last minute and called through the still-open window, "See you tonight at Rosehall, my love!" She laughed, “Oh, and don’t forget to bring a tea towel. I’ll have my own at the ready.”

Before long, her shadow grew to envelope her entirely, and she disappeared from view.

***

Nuala and Cerridwen, compassionate friends and employees that they were, gave Azriel ten minutes to enjoy his freshly baked bread with some freshly churned spring butter and leftover bramble jam, before they came back into the kitchen to report as the clock chimed the ninth hour of the morning.

In this time of relative peace, with all seven High Lords working together for the good of Prythian, their workload was much reduced. He could only be glad of it, but they still liked to stay up to date. It had helped them to waylay more than a couple of minor issues over the years, that would have undoubtedly snowballed into catastrophes, if they’d missed them, or let them continue unchecked.

As Azriel wiped the crumbs from the stubble he hadn’t yet shaved this morning, the twins waved him towards their office, hidden behind a false, built-in baker’s rack at the rear of the kitchen. Feyre and Rhys, both well aware that magic couldn’t always save them--that it could, in fact, be used against them--had designed the River House to have more than one secret room or corridor, in case of an emergency. It had only made sense that Nuala and Cerridwen, who, to the outside world, were simply members of their household staff, but in reality were so much more, had claimed this room for their own.

“Spymaster,” they said at once, their midnight eyes twinkling, smiles carefully serene, with voices like the soft light of dusk. “We don’t have much news this morning.”

It had taken their friendship with Elain, and her subsequent relationship with Azriel, for Nuala and Cerridwen to finally stop calling him ‘Lord.’ It had always irked him, because he was no such thing and had never felt worthy of the title, but he had eventually given up hope that his attempts to get them to use his name would be fruitful. However, after Mor had become involved with the Valkyries, vacating her role at the Court of Nightmares in favour of a job that allowed her the freedom to stretch her figurative wings and travel, and Azriel and Elain had been appointed as overseers in her place, they had taken to, when they felt the occasion called, dubbing him ‘Prince Azriel’ with great alacrity.

He knew that they loved to play up their bond as identical twins, often dressing such that their appearances were as indistinguishable as their scents, and speaking in perfect concert with each other. This not only made them more successful as spies, as strangers often didn’t realise that there were more than one of them, but was one of their favourite ways to have fun with people; they both had wicked senses of humour and, to be fair, it was good to keep those skills polished, even in times of peace.

“Nothing out of Vallahan yet?”

“No, Azriel, nothing,” responded Nuala, while Cerridwen’s face remained still. Shadows blurred their edges, their forms halfway to fully noncorporeal, as they often did when the shadow wraiths let their frustration show--mingling between the two of them, comforting each other, almost as if they were becoming the one entity. It was fitting, really, given their innate ability to function as such, and one of the many reasons that he and Rhys valued them so highly as spies and agents. Nu and Cerr were supremely smart, observant, and skilled in all they did.

Az hummed his annoyance at the kingdom of Vallahan. It had sided with Koschei’s forces during the most recent war, and none of the Prythian Courts had made much headway with forming treaties or alliances in the years since. Elain and Mor managed to calm them down when their monarchs started one of their decennial tantrums for more land, for which they were about due again, but nothing firm. Nothing concrete, to bind their nations in a much-needed peace.

Unlike Montesere, their neighbour to the southwest, Vallahan’s ruling class was as inhospitable as their ragged, mostly mountainous country. Montesere had tried to avoid war at all cost, essentially playing each side off the other, which had ended with a dead queen, her king consort in exile and a princess stepping up to the top job with the goal of building bridges with her neighbours. This forward-thinking attitude, combined with Montesere’s more arable lands and warmer climate, meant that they were no longer considered an imminent threat--though they would keep a close eye on them for at least another century.

It wasn’t ideal, but--“Fine. Mor will be heading back there for a fortnight next week, so we’ll brief her before she goes. Until then, our local agents will let us know if anything urgent requires attention.”

Mor would likely be having coffee and cake with Cassian this morning, at their favourite Velaris café, before she winnowed back to the home she shared part time with their ally Viviane’s sister, Tria, in the Winter Court, and Cassian left for Windhaven. He’d have to make sure he saw her when he and Elain went to visit Aerides later in the week, to enjoy the drinking chocolate that had become popular in the last couple of decades. Mor often joined them for such outings, anyway. She and Elain both delighted in the curiously clever creatures that dwelt in the Winter Court, as well as the fashions, and the generally cosy atmosphere of their buildings and people, so at odds with their surroundings.

Rubbing his face with both hands, he sighed. He hadn’t had his coffee this morning, and last night, however enjoyable, was catching up with him. Ever since he’d started sleeping properly, he’d become more attentive to his fatigue; while he could still function on insufficient sleep if he must, he would never enjoy it. Not that he had thought it ideal back then, to be fair, but the difference now was like night and day.

“Anything else pressing, or is it all in your reports?”

“The paperwork covers everything you need to know.” Cerridwen raised a perfectly arched eyebrow, “It looks like you need a nap. Did you not get much sleep last night?” Cultivated innocence dripped from every syllable.

Nuala snorted, knowing full well what her sister meant. The twins had been guests at Nesta’s party, bringing their own partners with them to make merry at the gorgeously appointed ball, their services as agents not required last night, though of course they would always be watching.

Az scowled, the shadows wreathing his shoulders darkening, spreading to his neck and down his arms. They must have already teased Elain this morning, if he was only getting the mild version. “I slept like any male would when he’s next to someone as beautiful as Elain.”

The twins groaned as one, with much enthusiasm; if he had heard correctly, there may even have been some booing. Nuala threw a pen at him, and exclaimed “Out! Now. We don’t get paid nearly enough to put up with that nonsense, and you know we get paid a lot.”

That was fair, maybe he had overdone the ‘husband in love’ routine, just a little bit. He let a soft smirk grace his features just as he remembered he had so far neglected to ask about Elain’s future birthday.

Mother above, he needed some coffee.

Azriel sketched a bow. “Duly noted. I’ll make sure to have Rhysand adjust your winter bonuses accordingly, to allow for such an egregious oversight on my behalf.” Scratching his chin, he then continued, “I do have a question for you both, though; and not work related.”

Eyes bright with curiosity, Nu hummed in acknowledgement, while Cerr motioned with one hand for Azriel to continue with her usual grace.

"As you know, Nesta just celebrated her eleventy-first birthday and, after speaking with her and Feyre earlier this morning, I’ve decided I would very much like to hold such a party for Elain, when she turns one hundred and eleven." He paused, considering. "This would be a surprise for her, but I think a gathering of friends and family, celebrating her, showing her how much we all love her, would be something she would enjoy. Will you help us?"

Cerridwen’s resulting grin was almost maniacal, as Nuala rubbed her hands together with glee. "Yes," they breathed. “We would love to.”

***

Azriel had hardly sat down to his coffee in a quiet, cosy corner of the kitchen--the scent of the rich brew alone beginning to rouse his senses from their insistent slumber--after having availed himself of the River House’s well-stocked larder and cooktop, when Feyre and Rhys softly knocked at the door to the main hall. Entering the room as he looked up, they joined him at his table, Feyre giving him a guilty look as they did so.

A small smile bloomed on Az’s face; that hadn’t taken long at all. “So, you’ve told him, then?”

“You planned to keep the secret safe from me for the next year, at least?” Rhys looked like the cat who had got the cream. “You know that I have experience planning lavish parties; I organised Nesta and Cassian’s mating ceremony, after all.”

He had, too. Though Azriel generally didn’t like to remember that time, and the bad memories that came along with it, he had to admit that Rhys had thrown one extravagant party for their brother and his mate.

“As you wish. Though this sounds much more like you wanting to have a good stickybeak, than anything else.”

Rhys smirked. “I’m a High Lord, ‘stickybeaking’ comes with the territory. And that’s rich coming from you; you’re the reason we have to keep solstice gifts hidden away every year.”

Azriel smirked right back. “Spymaster,” he deadpanned. “‘It comes with the territory.’”

Feyre laughed merrily, eyes shining. “For whatever reason, Rhys is now in on this. And you can be certain that Cassian will know before he and Nesta are even a third of the way back to Illyria this evening. Your hands are tied, Az. We all want to help.”

“Well,” said Azriel. “Such Council will either make everything easier, or much, much harder.”

*

If you enjoyed reading this, please consider reblogging. 💜

Part II - coming soon

Part III - coming soon

#the fellowship of the fling #a questionable attempt at a birthday tale by offtorivendell #elriel but make it bilbo's eleventy-first birthday party #elriel #pro elriel #elriel fic #elriel fanfiction #elain archeron #pro elain #elain fic #azriel shadowsinger #pro azriel #azriel fic #elain x azriel #elriel children #but they're all grown up #acotar #acotar fic #my writing #a long expected party #a long-expected party

[leiawritesstories]

The Girl in the Tavern

This one is kind of niche; the Bloody Jack series isn’t massively popular in YA lit like SJM or the Grishaverse, but it is absolutely wonderful and I love it with my whole heart. There are twelve books, each of them equally amazing (but my personal favorites are the 3rd and 8th). Jacky Faber is definitely one of my favorite characters ever, and not just because she has a sense of humor similar to mine. 

Anyway. This is a short little thing I whipped up a while ago--funny story, I actually wrote this as an assignment for my AP Lit class. If you have read the series, this is just a fun little bit of canon divergence--Richard runs across Jacky and crew performing a set out in the English countryside sometime before they canonically meet. Or, something that could very well have been in Under the Jolly Roger if Jacky hadn’t been so busy pirating with her Irish crew. ;) If you haven’t read the series, first of all, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND, and secondly, Lord Richard Allen is a cavalry captain, rake, and one of many who have a crush on Jacky. 

Word count: 503

Warnings: Richard Allen is horny. That’s it.

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

“You, my boy, are the bane of my existence!” thundered Lord Reginald Allen, Earl of Northcumberland. “Now do get out of my sight before you further disgrace the name of Allen with your irreverent behaviour!” 

Seeing the old earl’s expression of utter rage—his ample jowls were an even more lurid purple than normal—Richard decided to accede to his father’s demands, despite thinking them an overreaction. Better to assuage the old prune now and present him with the bad news later. 

Reaching the stable, he clambered onto his stallion and headed to the closest tavern. Ah, the sweet scent of stale liquor and sawdust. Three tankards of good strong ale into his stay, the rebellious young lord finally forced himself to ruminate on his most recent clash with Father, After all, he was the heir to Northcumberland, and heirs simply did not rake their way around their ancestral lands. 

Well-bred heirs, that is.

Perhaps I should not have invoked le droit du seigneur, he mused. Fathers are so terribly protective of their daughters these days. Blasted grouchy old farts, the lot of them.

“Another!” he called, pounding his empty tankard on the tabletop. The barmaid, bless her, dutifully brought over a new pint. Richard took the opportunity to look the girl over as she changed his drink. Not hard on the eyes, not at all. On another part, however… 

“May I have your attention, gents and ladies!”

Richard’s head popped up, the toothsome barmaid forgotten as his gaze fixed upon the young female performer standing boldly on the tavern’s small stage. 

“I am the one and only Jacky Faber, famous in legend and song,” chirped the girl, “and I am here to bolster your fine English spirits!” With that, she launched into a colourful medley of song, dance, and story, her deft fingers accompanying her voice on fiddle and concertina. 

Halfway through this Faber girl’s little act, several others joined her onstage and performed a slapstick little skit, complete with melodrama, contrived screaming, and completely fake and bloodless death. As the scene ended, the formerly “captive” young lady removed her pasteboard chains, and the whole cast joined hands and took a deep bow to much applause, Richard’s included. 

Shortly after the Faber performance left the tavern, he sauntered out the door, fully intending to flirt the leading lady (and a leader she looked, indeed) into his bed posthaste. 

Too late.

Her small entourage vanished over the hill before his very eyes. 

With a hearty sigh, Richard headed for the stable, where he once again mounted his horse and rode off, this time for home. As he meandered back, whistling a little tune the tavern show had left in his mind, he could not stop his mind from wondering where he’d heard that name before. 

Faber…hmm. Best to forget it, old boy. After all, the King’s Army leaves no time for idle musing.

Hopefully Father would see his enlistment as a mark of manhood, not just Richard’s means of escaping the stifling pressures of home.

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

#my writing #jacky faber #bloody jack #canon divergence

[gwyns]

Wait what nooooo 😭😭😭 this is why I try not to get attached to any ships in sjm books because she always plays us like this 😭 I literally distanced myself from Conner and did my best to not ship him with Bruce because I knew he wasn’t her li and that there was a possibility something that would leave me scarred would happen to him......

Hell I’m still not over feylin (don’t want to get cancelled) or chaolaena or samlaena like I know they’re all nonos and I do ship feysand and rowaelin and chaolrene but they each had at least a whole book together for me to get attached to and I think a part of my heart will always belong to them ugh sjm I love you but stop torturing me!!!

i'm right there with you, anon.... i've shipped nearly all the dead sjm ships including doraelin which never was really a thing in the published books (god bless queen of glass for leaking and giving me my canon doraelin content 😭). hell i still ship chaolaena even if i do like chaorene much more, so even if she sinks ruhnpaxia i will be over in my corner mourning what could have been but also still coming up with headcanons for them lol

and as always we should take everything until the book is released with a grain of salt but...... ya know. i was talking with my friend and had the idea that maybe ruhnpaxia will pull an elucien, where hypaxia kinda resents their betrothal so she decides to explore things with someone else but in the end she falls in love with ruhn anyway <3

or maybe tharion and hypaxia are just friends and we're reading too much into it. idk. we'll see in 2 weeks 👀

#and this is petty but i just dont want the first sjm ship that i got to name to sink lmfaoooo #i also love both of these characters so much so shipping them was like breathing for me :/ #BUT as long as both of them end up happy by the end of the series idc #asks #anonymous