#elriel solstice

[nikethestatue]

This One is For You

It’s interesting that during the first Solstice, it was Mor, and no one else, who found Elain’s gift for Azriel.

There was a tiny box left on the table by the window--a box that Mor lifted, squinted at the name tag, and said, “Az, this one’s for you.’

(ACOFAS)

A modest, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it box. Much like the person who put it there.

The shadowsinger’s brows lifted, but his scarred hand extended to take the present.

(ACOFAS)

Much like he had extended his scarred hand to a traumatised, scared girl, and she took it and whispered, ‘beautiful’. 

Mor, with whom Azriel has been infatuated for half a millennia is finally releasing him from his thrall. She is stepping aside. She is the one who takes Elain’s gift and gives it to him--places it in his hand, as if she is placing Elain’s hand in his.

“Az, this one is for you’.

That’s Mor’s ‘blessing’. She knows what Azriel wants and it’s not her anymore. 

Az, this one is for you.

Elain is for him.

Elain is the gift that he wants in his scarred hands.

Mor becomes the conduit between the two of them, knowing that the time has come, and Azriel is going to move on from her. The strongest romantic tether that Azriel had in his life has been severed and Mor is gladly bringing Azriel and Elain together. 

#elriel #moriel #the end of moriel as we know it #that's where it ends #pro elriel #azriel and elain #mor #acofas #elriel solstice

[impossiblescissorspeachpaper]

Little White Lie

Happy 1st of December!! It’s officially socially acceptable to start celebrating Christmas, never mind that I’ve had all my decorations up since mid-Nov.

Enjoy a fluffy little Elriel + kids fic to celebrate the start of the festive season! 🥂☃️💙❄️🎄

Elriel. Fluff. 1k words. Modern AU.

Azriel wrestled with the organised containers Elain stored all the Christmas decorations in, trying to avoid the cobwebs in the garage. He’d already pulled out nine large, labelled containers, but she had insisted he bring all twelve of them up to the house so she could settle on the colour scheme for this year.

Yanking out yet another box, dust fell from the top of it, settling in his hair and onto his eyelashes, causing him to shake his head like a dog, holding back the impulse to sneeze.

“Dad, mama said not to forget the box with the lights in it!” His six-year-old son was beyond excited, helping him lug boxes up to the house as Azriel pulled them all out of their various hiding places.

Pulling the final two out of the high shelving units, he handed the lightest of them to Benedict and grabbed the other three, running a hand through his dusty hair once more, the feeling of something crawling down his neck now making the hairs at his nape stand on end.

“Yep, got ‘em all kiddo. Let’s go.”

Entering the house through the back sliding door, Elain and Rue looked up from the cookies they were decorating, his daughter sitting on the wide kitchen island, her legs tucked beneath her as she helped her mum pipe icing onto the star and tree shaped biscuits.

Her hazel eyes snapped up as she heard her father walk into the house, a squeal peeling from her little chest as she all but leaped onto his back as he passed by the kitchen holding the last of the Christmas boxes.

Elain just laughed, used to Rue’s spirited nature, not even blinking when her daughter threw herself off the bench, trusting Azriel would catch her every time.

“I LOVE Christmas daddy!” she exclaimed excitedly.

Rue had latched herself onto her father’s back, her strong little arms wrapped securely around his neck. Her sticky fingers smeared green icing onto the skin below his jaw as she dangled down his back like a baby koala clutching onto its mother.

Chuckling at his mischievous daughter, Azriel crouched, dropping the boxes he still held whilst allowing Rue’s socked feet to touch the floor, the four-year-old bounding off to open boxes as soon as he’d let her down.

Elain was just placing the final touches on a star shaped cookie when she strolled over to Azriel, the shortbread treat held between her slender fingers.

“All twelve containers?” she asked, a content smile lighting up her face as she brought the cookie up to her husband’s lips.

“All twelve containers,” he confirmed, before craning his neck and taking almost the entire biscuit into his mouth. He chewed, moaning at the taste as his eyes bore into his wife’s, his hazel irises dilating as she looked back up at him, her teeth sinking deliciously into her full bottom lip.

Elain licked the remaining frosting off her own fingers, the heat from his gaze reflected back in her own eyes. Reaching up on her tiptoes, she pressed her lips to his in a sweet, chaste kiss, tasting the sugar from the treats she’s baked on each other.

Behind them, they could hear boxes being ripped open as their children excitedly pulled out all manner of ornaments and decorations, when Rue gasped.

Breaking their kiss, Azriel and Elain swivelled toward the sound of their daughter’s soft exclamation. Held in her little hands was a large mass of red, velvet cloth with white faux fur lining the cuffs and waist band.

“Daddy!” Rue squealed. “Why are Santa’s pants here?”

His daughter had found the Santa costume the family used on Christmas Eve when they all got together. Cassian was usually tasked with sneaking off after dinner to dress up and come in with a sack full of presents.

Rue looked scandalised; her hazel eyes blown wide with astonishment. Even Benedict looked on quietly, his warm brown eyes flicking questioningly from his mother, then his father, then back to the bright red pants.

Azriel scrambled, wracking his brain for an excuse. The last thing he ever wanted to do was ruin his children’s innocent sense of magic. Benedict and Rue deserved a sweet, wonderful life. So did Elain. Heaven knows he had never been granted the same luxury, and he always made a conscious effort to do everything in his power to be the father his own had never been for him. His entire life revolved around Elain and their children’s happiness. Besides, he loved that they both believed in Santa, and he wasn’t ready for their little dreams to be crushed.

“Umm, well Rue,” Azriel stammered, running a nervous hand through his hair as he bought himself time to make up an excuse. “We have Santa’s pants because… mama does his dry cleaning.”

He took a stab in the dark, holding his breath for their reaction.

Luckily, his kids took the bait, their faces transforming from looks of concern and confusion to impressed admiration.

“Really? Wow,” Rue breathed, her eyes going wide with wonder.

Benedict looked at his mother with the same reverence as Rue did, his gentle constitution leaving him in awe of Elain at the slightest thing.

“Cool!”

Elain just chuckled, a smile lifting the corners of her mouth as she shot a look at Azriel to say Santa’s dry cleaning?! That’s the best you could come up with?

Azriel just shrugged, relieved he had managed to say something to save their innocence for a little while longer.

Elain, squeezing Azriel’s bicep in understanding, added, “Oh absolutely, Santa has been trusting me with his laundry for years!”

She made sure the serious look on her face left no room for further questioning from her children’s curious minds.

“Wow…” Rue repeated, now looking at the pants in her hands with wide eyes, holding them up as far as her little arms could stretch them. “Santa’s pants…”

“I can’t wait to tell Nyx!” Benedict breathed, his brown eyes alight with wonder.

Stifling a chuckle behind her hand, Elain turned back to the kitchen to finish off decorating the cookies. Azriel shot her a self-satisfied smirk, his raven hair falling into his eyes before he turned to the box of Christmas lights to get started on the decorations.

*******

tagging: @offtorivendell​ @fawnandshadows​ @the-laughing-bubble​ @swankii-art-teacher​ @pagemasters​ @tswaney17​ @sakurakittypeach​ @thefangirlofhp​ @wingedblooms​ @alwayssara​ @ultadverb​

#elriel #t writes #acotar christmas #elain archeron #azriel #acotar #elain x azriel #azriel shadowsinger #elain #elriel fanfiction #daddy azriel #pro elriel #modern au #acotar fluff #elriel fanfic #elriel fluff #elriel solstice

[offtorivendell]

I, Spy

🎄❤️🎄❤️🎄

@impossiblescissorspeachpaper my love, thank you so much for your friendship this past year.

Getting to know you has been an absolute joy. I wish you and your fam an amazing holiday season, and a happy and healthy 2023.

The following is just a little bit of silly, solsticey fluff. I couldn't remember whether you liked reading about kids or not, but this whole fic was written around Elain's last line haha.

I know, I know. Fair warning... it's terrible.

You'll see why. 🤣

Secret Santa out. ✌🏻

🎄❤️🎄❤️🎄

Read it on AO3 instead

1200 words

Modern AU

"Shadow" the cat was stolen shamelessly from @tswaney17's magnificent Across the Hallway fic. Thanks, Tay!

Rosa Archeron knew very well that she should be tucked up in bed—had, in fact, been there only five short minutes ago—but she needed to gather information for her father, to prove she could be the world's youngest spy. If she learnt the identity of Father Solstice, or at least what he looked like (something even her detective father hadn't been able to tell her), then she could brag at dinner tomorrow night and shut her cousin Nyx up for good.

Nyx was almost ten and insufferable with it. Who cared about being "big" when it meant one lost the best hiding spots? She didn't know why he was so happy about it.

Sleep could wait, some might say. Or maybe even there ain't no rest for the wicked, if she knew such a phrase at seven years old.

So Rosa had very quietly crawled out of bed, sneaked across the room she shared with her twin brother, Andy, while avoiding the squeaky floorboard that would alert her too-observant parents to her mission (because she may only be seven years old, but she wasn't born yesterday, thank you very much), and out the door onto the landing at the top of the stairs.

Phase one, complete.

Slowly crouching, before getting onto her belly, she poked her nose through the railings of the bannister and put the old spyglass she'd swiped from her ma's travel bag to her face.

Surveying the scene was very important, she knew. She couldn't just trust that her parents had gone to sleep yet. She and her brother had learnt that particular lesson when they were only five.

Phase two was going to be the hardest, because there was more than one squeaky step to this staircase at Rosehall, but if she made it all the way downstairs and into the back hallway, she could take the rear corridor to bypass her parents' bedroom door, making it to the lounge room, and getting through phase three undetected.

If all went to plan.

Her ma had better hearing than most people she knew, and her dad was just plain sneaky. Some days it seemed like he could slip into the shadows.

Taking a (quiet) deep breath, she worked up the courage to turn around and start descending the stairs backwards, on her hands and feet, avoiding steps number four and seven to perfection. Reaching the bottom without any noises she could hear, and pleased with herself, a small smile curved her mouth at one side.

Phase two was over; phase three should be much easier, especially since her eyes had, by now, adjusted to the dark.

Tip toeing across the flagstone floor to the far corner as silently as their black cat, Shadow, would have done, Rosa used the spyglass once more to check around the corner. Her ma and dad didn't sleep on this corridor, but one could really never be too careful, especially when one was up to mischief.

The coast being all clear, she kept up her tip toeing until she made it into the lounge room and, sliding behind the couch, breathed a sigh of relief.

Phase three? Tick. Now for phase four (hide) and phase five (stay awake until Father Solstice visited to deliver presents, making sure to get a good look at his face). She even had made sure not to drink much this evening, so she wouldn't have to run to the toilet and miss him. That would be awful.

Sitting for a minute, collecting her thoughts, Rosa decided that her best bet was still to hide under the sideboard along the west wall. Ideally she'd have got into her ma's camphorwood chest and ever-so-slightly propped the lid open with a folded bit of linen from inside, but it was too heavy to open by herself, and anyway, the hinges were too noisy.

The sideboard was still a good option; low enough that most people would miss her, especially in the dark, but she'd still have a clear view of anyone who came down the chimney, which was really the whole point of her mission.

Stifling a yawn, she crept out from behind the couch, grabbing her favourite solstice blanket as she went by, and crawled under the wooden cabinet in which her parents kept their good china. She loved watching as they got everything out for dinner parties, but she was still too young to be allowed the key herself.

Maybe Nyx was right; there would be at least some good from growing up.

After a little while, Rosa started to fiddle. Waiting was boring, after all, and she wished she was brave enough to get back out and swipe one of the gingerbread cookies that she and Andy had helped their ma make that morning, but the plate was for Father Solstice, and she didn't want to end up on the naughty list.

A few times she thought she saw some movement by the doorway, but maybe that was just her tired eyes playing tricks on her. Or the cat.

As the clock struck midnight she could have sworn she heard bells and footsteps, but nothing came of it.

Shadow found her in her hiding spot just before one o'clock, and promptly curled up beside her, purring happily.

Yawning some more, Rosa stretched her legs, careful to avoid knocking Shadow, and then brought them back under cover of the sideboard. Maybe she should have woken Andy up to help her out. She'd wanted to do this by herself, but it would be much easier to stay awake with her brother by her side. Louder, too, she supposed.

No, she decided as her eyes blinked closed for a little rest—just a quick one. She'd made the right choice in working alone tonight.

Thinking of the food that awaited her the next day kept her occupied for a little while, and then presents after that, but as it neared two o'clock she was needing to rest her eyes for longer and longer.

Just one more rest, then he'll come, Rosa thought. Just one—

***

At three o'clock on Solstice morning, Elain woke up to Azriel's gentle stroke of her hair and grinned.

"Has she fallen asleep yet?" She whispered.

"Finally," was his answer. "I just got her back to bed, she didn't even stir."

"It was a good effort on her behalf," Elain admitted. "She stayed awake far longer than I gave her credit for."

Azriel chuckled softly. "True, I'll give her that. The camera behind the elf on the shelf was a stroke of genius, though. And it helped that the cat was sticking out from under the sideboard, belly up and snoring."

Elain relaxed back into the pillows, content. "So, did Father Solstice get the extra presents out, and eat a cookie or two?"

"Three, in fact. Maybe next year we go with chocolate fudge or shortbread instead of ginger, though?" He murmured as he got back into bed.

Elain grimaced. "I'm sorry, the kids were insisting on gingerbread."

"That's alright." Az rolled over and looked at her, suddenly wicked. "You can make it up to me any time, you know."

"Come here then, Daddy Solstice."

Azriel only snorted as he pulled her to his chest.

#elriel #elriel fic #elain archeron #pro elain #azriel shadowsinger #pro azriel #elriel kids #names plagiarised from my totally not abandoned ALEP fic #acotar fic #elriel solstice #solstice fic #acotar #my writing #daddy solstice #you don't need to tell me how terrible it is #i already know

[azrielallanpoe]

The Shadowsinger's Rapture

Poem in plain text below the break.

The Shadowsinger's Rapture

Golden as the sun at dawn My love walked down the stairs, Lovely as a spritely fawn She took me unawares.

Quiet as an owl in flight My love did cross the hall, Graceful yet in stealth of night Answer did she my call.

Comfort fell, my shadows cleared My love she could not miss, And the doe of beauty neared To offer me her kiss.

Originally posted here, reblogging @nikethestatue's anon/ask.

#repost #now it just has a fancy title and shit #this is what one too many ciders will do i guess #azriel allan poe #azriel the poet #elriel #pro elriel #elriel solstice #azriel bonus chapter #azriel pov #azriel shadowsinger #pro azriel #elain archeron #pro elain #elriel forever

[leiaamidala]

"𝑯𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝑺𝒐𝒍𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆."

⊱❊⊰⁣⁣⁣

⁣⁣⁣⤞ art by @reirei-art

⤞ commissioned by krystal.k.m & me

⊱❊⊰⁣⁣⁣

please do not repost.

Instagram | Twitter

#elriel #elain #elain archeron #azriel #pro elriel #pro elain #pro sjm #sarah j maas #my commission #my commissions #fanart #fan art #a court of thorns and roses #acotar #a court of frost and starlight #winter solstice #bookish art #book art #acomaf #acowar #digital illustration #fantasy illustration

[adornareart]

Happy New Year ❤️❤️❤️

Ps. I am open for commission

#acotar #acotar art #feysand #nessian #elriel #snowball fight #a court of thorns and roses #acomaf #a court of mist and fury #acofas #a court of dreams #winter solstice

[thecw-unicorn]

༉‧₊˚🕯️🖤❀༉‧₊˚.

“𝑨𝒛𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒍’𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒍𝒊𝒅 𝒖𝒑 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒌, 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝒉𝒂𝒊𝒓. 𝑻𝒊𝒍𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒕. 𝑬𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒏’𝒔 𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒉 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒍𝒚, 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒉𝒖𝒕. 𝑶𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏.”

༉‧₊˚🕯️🖤❀༉‧₊˚.

✮♱✮ art by cabo.art

✮♱✮ commissioned by me

༉‧₊˚🕯️🖤❀༉‧₊˚.

Happy Holidays to all who are celebrating! What better way to kick off the celebrations than with the almost kiss from the bonus chapter from Silver Flames between Elain and Azriel??? I absolutely adore how this turned out thanks to the wonderful cabo.art! “Offer and Permission” is one of my favorite phrases associated with Elriel I love it so much, Azriel taking the time to make sure Elain is consenting, it’s so sweet and considerate!

༉‧₊˚🕯️🖤❀༉‧₊˚.

✮♱✮ quote is from A Court of Silver Flames

✮♱✮ characters are Azriel and Elain Archeron

༉‧₊˚🕯️🖤❀༉‧₊˚.

✮♱✮ likes, saves, and shares are always appreciated!

✮♱✮ no reposts allowed.

༉‧₊˚🕯️🖤❀༉‧₊˚.

#acotar #elain archeron #elain #elriel #my commissions #bookish #winter solstice #a court of thorns and roses #a court of mist and fury #a court of wings and ruin #a court of frost and starlight #a court of silver flames #elriel art #book fanart

[duskandcobalt]

Echoes in the Hallway

Elain didn’t know why it bothered her so much. Yes, she’d been prepared for a cozy night in with her nephew - just the two of them - but an additional presence in the house wasn’t usually something that would set her off like this.

Typically, she’d welcome having someone else around. She knew she wouldn’t be feeling like this if it was Cassian or Mor that had stayed back with her.

But Azriel…

….

18+ pls

Azriel finds himself playing chaperone again, this time for the girl he’s been avoiding for months…. What could possibly go wrong?

This is like 7.7k words of shameless angst and smut????? enjoy!!

…

Read on AO3

“Azriel.” Rhys’ voice broke through Azriel’s concentration. Their eyes met as the Shadowsinger looked up from the reports he’d been diligently reading for god knows how long, reclined on a couch in Rhys’ office after their morning debrief with Cassian.

Azriel raised his eyebrows at his brother, already wary of the conversation they were about to have based solely on the seriousness in which Rhys had addressed him.

Rhysand leaned against the corner of his desk. “We’re all going to the Court of Nightmares tomorrow…”

Azriel nodded, shuffling his papers together and setting them to the side so he could sit up straight.

“I know you were supposed to come but something’s come up and I’ll need you to stay here.” Rhys continued.

“Why?” Suspicion laced Azriel’s voice.

“The twins aren’t available and Elain…” Rhys paused, carefully watching his brother’s reaction.

Azriel tensed at the name, frustration immediately building under his skin. He hadn’t let himself even think about that name for almost nine months now.

Solstice felt like a fever dream - a night that had gone so wrong, so quickly that he deigned it easier to just try to forget any of it had even happened. Even if he’d quickly realised that was easier said than done.

“Elain is staying back to watch Nyx.” Rhys finished. He was still studying Azriel, waiting for a reaction that wasn’t coming. Anger flowed through Azriel but he pushed it down, wouldn’t let that icy exterior that he’d spent so long perfecting crack.

It had been Rhys after all that had put an end to everything before anything had even had a chance to begin.

“And you want me to stand guard?” Azriel inquired, quiet and steady, no sign of that underlying anger as he spoke.

“No.” Rhys sighed. “But we need Nesta to come with us and Cassian refuses to let her out of his sight after everything happened with the Blood Rite. Feyre’s already stressed about leaving Nyx for the night, with everything that’s happening. Elain and Nyx, leaving them for the first time… she insisted you be the one to stay back.”

“Why me? You told me…”

“I know what I said, Az.” Rhys cut him off. “And please don’t get any ideas. I stand by what I said.”

“So then why me? Why not someone else?”

“Because Feyre trusts you, Az.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “We both trust you.” ‘

“Do you?” Azriel scoffed. It was the first obvious display of emotion he’d let Rhysand see during this conversation.

They’d both be lying if they said things hadn’t been a little tense between them since that night where Rhysand had exercised his power, his ranking, in a way he hardly ever did. And for him to use that ranking to call Azriel off for a matter of the heart… Azriel had struggled to move past the decision even if he had done his best to obey.

“You are my spymaster, Azriel.” Rhys leaned back into his chair but his eyes stayed fixed on Azriel. “ You are my spymaster and my brother, of course I trust you.”

Azriel said nothing, only dipped his chin in acknowledgement of the clear sincerity in Rhysand’s tone.

“Don’t do anything to undermine my trust, Az. Just be here tomorrow night and keep an eye on things. There is to be nothing more. Is that understood?”

“I’ve stayed away, haven’t I?” Azriel stood, gathering his things before rolling his shoulders back and allowing his wings to flare behind him. A slight show of power to let his brother, his High Lord, know exactly how he felt about the situation.

“Is that understood, Azriel?” Rhys ignored the display, repeating his words with that same sense of command that he'd used on Solstice.

“Yes.” Azriel replied, words sharp as he swiftly exited the office and made his way out of the house.

…

“I just don’t understand why I need a chaperone when I am the chaperone.” Elain grumbled, avoiding even looking in Azriel’s direction.

They were in the kitchen, Nyx balanced on her hip as she bustled around getting a bottle ready for his first feed of the night. Azriel was standing across the kitchen from her, one scarred hand braced on the counter as he flipped through a thick stack of paper with the other. Also avoiding looking at her.

More reports. His distraction for the night.

The rest of the household had just left for the Hewn City mere minutes ago. Rhys and Feyre had chosen to only inform Elain that Azriel would be accompanying her and Nyx right before they winnowed away.

“It’s a safety precaution, with everything going on…” Azriel replied, his voice barely above a whisper. His hazel eyes stayed focused on his papers.

“Ridiculous. This house is protected within an inch of its life.” Elain threw back, her words cutting.. She saw him tense out of the corner of her eye, clearly unused to hearing this tone of voice from her.

Good.

Elain didn’t know why it bothered her so much. Yes, she’d been prepared for a cozy night in with her nephew - just the two of them - but an additional presence in the house wasn’t usually something that would set her off like this.

Typically, she’d welcome having someone else around. She knew she wouldn’t be feeling like this if it was Cassian or Mor that had stayed back with her.

But Azriel…

She couldn’t even justify being upset at Rhys and Feyre for not telling her sooner. Why would they have thought to warn her? How could they possibly know that spending even a moment alone with the Shadowsinger wasn’t exactly high on her list of enjoyable activities these days?

Having him in her space after all these months apart had completely thrown her off, had her fumbling as she tried to put together a simple bottle. She cursed under her breath as she attempted to screw the top on for the third time. Nyx was entirely unhelpful as his little hands tugged at her hair, pulling curls loose from her braid and further distracting her from the task at hand.

“Need some help?” His low voice was closer than anticipated. She hadn’t noticed him come up behind her.

Alway so damn quiet - something that she’d found endearing once upon a time.

“I’m fine.” She bit back, silently willing her hands to stop shaking as she tried yet again to get the lid on the bottle.

“Elain.” Azriel sighed. Gods, she’d forgotten what her name sounded like on his lips. The effect it had on her body. “I know you don’t want me here. At least let me make myself useful.”

She set the lid down on the counter and turned to face him, making eye contact with him for the first time that night. For the first time since Solstice, really.

It’s hard to make eye contact with someone that seemed to do everything in their power to avoid her.

She could see the exhaustion in his hazel eyes but his face was as beautiful as always. The summer months had leant him a healthy glow, his already tan skin a couple shades deeper, a few freckles dotting the bridge of his nose. His dark hair was just a little longer than she remembered and a slight curl had developed along with the length.

How she had once ached to run her hands through his hair.

Anger flooded her veins again, a fresh wave, this time at herself for even allowing herself to think of him like she used to do.

He was infuriatingly expressionless as he watched her, patiently waiting for her to say something.

“I’ll take him to the great room. Bring the bottle and a cloth.” She relented, shifting Nyx in her arms as she quickly stepped around Azriel. His wings retracted to let her through.

…

Azriel took his time putting the lid on the bottle and grabbing a cloth in order to give Elain a little space.

He felt terrible about this - about having to be in this house, a looming presence that she very clearly didn’t have any desire to be around.

He didn’t know what else he had expected from tonight. He certainly didn’t think things would be like they used to be, back when she’d welcome him into the house with a shy smile, when they’d spend hours quietly talking to each other in the garden. He hadn’t even expected for them to exchange more than a few words.

He just hadn’t been prepared for the anger that radiated off of her.

It was so unlike her, so different from the girl he’d come to know. Of course, he knew that Elain wasn’t as quiet or demure as everyone seemed to think. She was kind, yes. Soft spoken compared to her sisters, yes. But she was also intelligent and sharp and funny in a way that often caught him off guard.

He’d seen her upset in the past, seen her frustrated, but he couldn’t remember ever seeing her like this. So angry that the same raging fire which had once been a constant presence in Nesta’s eyes now infiltrated Elain’s.

He took a deep breath in, picking up the bottle and taking a cloth from the cupboard, steeling himself to face Elain again.

Multiple centuries of life - all those terrifying people and places he’d dealt with in his line of work - and somehow he still felt wholly unprepared and nervous to interact with Elain Archeron.

Azriel found her in the great room, as promised, sitting in a large navy velvet armchair. Her feet were tucked under her, her skirts a never ending cloud of soft pink fabric around her. Nyx was cradled in Elain’s arms, the fire in her eyes nowhere to be seen, her features soft as she babbled back to the babe happily babbling to her. The last bit of light from the setting sun streamed in from the glass doors that led out to the river, illuminating them from behind and Azriel’s breath caught - she looked ethereal.

Elain saw him then and watched as Azriel approached her, flames immediately igniting again as she met his gaze. He held out the bottle and she reached for it, careful to avoid touching his hands in the process. She looked away finally, adjusting Nyx against her chest and watching as he latched on to the bottle.

Azriel found himself fighting back the emotions that came to the surface at the sight before him. Of Elain with a winged babe in her arms, humming softly as she fed him. It was a glimpse into what might’ve been. In another life. Another universe. What he might’ve had if the cauldron had only deemed him worthy.

He tried to push the thoughts down, attempted to let them frost over in the depths of his soul as he shook out the cloth in his hands, doubling it over once before tentatively stepping forward and leaning down to drape it neatly over her shoulder - matching what he’d seen Rhys do for Feyre time and time again. He didn’t miss the way Elain stiffened, the way her breath hitched until he was standing upright again. He hadn’t let his hands so much as graze her skin, as much as he might’ve wanted to.

“I’ll be in the kitchen.” He mumbled, one hand coming up to run through his hair, turning on his heel and heading out of the room before she even had a chance to reply.

He couldn’t take it.

There was a reason he’d stayed away all these months and he was quickly remembering just why he’d taken to hiding himself away at the House of Wind with Nesta and Cassian. It was too much - being near her, being surrounded by her scent. Not being able to talk to her, not being able to touch her. Seeing her with Nyx. This unspoken tension between them. It was all too much.

He thought that the months apart would’ve helped, that the pull he felt towards her would’ve lessened with time. He hadn’t realised how wrong he’d been - hadn’t realised just how much he still yearned for her.

Azriel took a seat at the dining table, hands dragging over his face once as he attempted to focus on his reports. It was utterly useless, all he could think about was the female down the hall from him.

He had no idea how he’d make it through the night when the pain of this longing was eating him alive.

…

Nyx’s wailing had been echoing through the house for a couple hours now, so loud that Elain was concerned that the windows would shatter regardless of the countless wards Rhys had placed on them.

The poor babe had refused to settle, only sleeping for a few hours before he awoke just after midnight - tears streaming down his sweet face even after Elain had rushed down the hall to him, picking him up and cradling him to her chest.

She had tried everything - changing him, feeding him, singing to him as she sat in a rocking chair. She was at her wits end, bouncing him anxiously in her arms as she paced the nursery, only the moonlight streaming in from the balcony window providing her with just enough light to watch Nyx as he all but screamed in her arms.

She’d done her best to ignore the shadows at the foot of his crib. They’d been there all night, silently laying on the floor where they typically monitored Nyx whenever Azriel was in the house. She glanced at them now and saw that they were gathered together, a cloud of darkness that seemed to keenly watch her, just waiting to be acknowledged. Elain had a feeling they’d been instructed to mind their business and let her handle things tonight but she could tell that they had a different opinion on the subject.

“Go get him, then.” She rolled her eyes, frustrated enough to give in to what she knew they were itching to do. If she wasn’t so overwhelmed she might’ve laughed at the speed at which they vanished, off to find their master.

Azriel appeared seconds later, stepping through his shadows, fully alert with Truthteller clutched in one hand. His hair was a mess, dark circles beginning to form under his eyes. He was still dressed in his leathers so he clearly hadn’t made it to bed yet.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, eyes scanning the nursery - the empty crib, the corners of the room, the balcony, before settling on her.

She saw him relax slightly once he realised that Nyx was indeed safe but then his eyes were taking her in - ever so slowly grazing over her - head to toe. She couldn’t help the heat that spread through her at his gaze. His eyes burned into her skin as he took in her unbound hair, the thin silk of the nightgown she wore, her feet bare on the plush rug. She was too exasperated to care that he was seeing her in this state of undress.

“I… I don’t know.” Elain rasped, her throat scratchy from being abruptly pulled out of her slumber. “He just won’t stop crying. I’ve tried everything, I don’t know what to do.”

“May I?” Azriel stepped towards her, holding out his arms.

Elain paused for a second, looking up at him before gently maneuvering Nyx into his uncle’s outstretched arms.

Azriel took him, those beautiful scarred hands cradling the still screaming babe and bringing him up to rest against his leather clad chest.

She had watched Nyx fill out over these past few months and had often felt that he was growing too quickly for her liking. But now, seeing Azriel with him… Elain couldn’t believe just how small Nyx looked in the arms of the Illyrian warrior. How tiny his body was in those large hands, how fragile he seemed against that broad chest.

Azriel’s hand rubbed smooth circles over Nyx’s back - in between the tiny wings that were beginning to strengthen.

Just five or ten minutes later, Nyx’s wails finally began to die down, his cries fading into small whimpers as he nuzzled further into Azriel’s chest - one tiny fist clutching at his leathers.

“Go to bed, Elain. I’ll stay with him until he sleeps.” Azriel glanced up from where he’d been walking back and forth in front of the window. Elain peered up at him from the rocking chair that she’d fallen into once Azriel had taken over - fighting the exhaustion that threatened to send her to sleep in favour of watching in quiet awe as Azriel managed to calm Nyx down.

“How did you…?” She started.

“I think it’s the wings.” He shrugged. “They can be quite uncomfortable when they’re growing. Mine were so itchy when they were healing after Hybern. I’d imagine it’s even worse for a babe.”

“I didn’t know.” Elain remarked. “I had no idea how to help him.”

“How could you know? It isn’t your fault.” Azriel said softly, fingers still gently rubbing over Nyx’s back. “The leathers probably help too, feels familiar to Rhys.”

“If I’d been here alone…” Tears were gathering in her eyes, the exhaustion of the past few hours hitting her.

“You’d have figured it out.” Azriel cut her off, crossing the room towards her. “Please sleep, Elain. You’ve been with him all evening. I’ve got this.”

He adjusted his grip on Nyx, holding him firm to his chest with one large hand so he could extend his other hand out towards her.

She sighed, her eyes focused on his outstretched hand before she gave in and took it - doing her best to ignore the spark that coursed through her at the feeling of his hand wrapping around hers and pulling her up until she was standing in front of him. He didn’t let go even as Elain went up on her toes to peer at Nyx. Her other hand pressed into Azriel’s chest for balance as she leaned in to place a kiss on her nephew’s cheek.

“Sleep well now, sweet boy.” She said softly before backing up and finally letting her hand drop from Azriel’s chest.

“Goodnight.” He gave her a small smile and let go of her hand, motioning towards the nursery door with his chin - beckoning her to rest.

…

Elain couldn’t sleep even though she was utterly exhausted. She’d been laying in bed, staring up at her ceiling for hours now, her mind racing with seemingly no end in sight. She couldn’t stop thinking.

The way Azriel had looked at her was burned into her memory - the scan of his eyes over her hair, her nightgown clad body, the way his gaze softened as his alert eyes met her exhausted ones.

She pictured him with Nyx, that icy exterior of his melting as the soft side he kept carefully hidden came to the surface once his nephew was safe in his arms.

She thought of the feeling of his hand around hers - his scars grazing against her skin as his fingers wrapped around her delicate wrist. She remembered the feeling of his leather clad chest under her fingers, how the heat from him melted into her even through the thick material… how that heat made her want more - made her want to press her fingers to his bare skin, to feel the muscled chest beneath those leathers.

She pictured his full lips, how’d they once been barely an inch from hers - one hand on her throat with his fingers grazing her jaw to tilt her face up towards his, his other hand buried in her hair. She pictured what it would be like to have those hands of his on her neck again, on other parts of her too.

That all-too-familiar ache swept over her, settling deep in her bones just as it had for months now - night after sleepless night. The anger that coursed through her body during the day always seemed to shift into an unquenchable longing once the sun gave way to the moon and she was alone in her bed.

She knew it was wrong. Knew she had no right to think of him like this, to want him, need him like this. Not when he’d told her it’d been a mistake - even if the way he’d looked at her tonight had said otherwise.

She closed her eyes, breathing deeply to will away the ache in her chest, the ache between her thighs. She tried her best to try to find sleep until her keen hearing picked up on the sound of a door opening and closing.

Elain barely even realised what she was doing but suddenly she was out of bed and rushing to open the door to her room. She scanned the dark hallways until she found him standing at the top of the stairs. Azriel paused at the sound of her door opening but his shadows continued down the stairs without him.

“He’s asleep.” He turned to face her, those eyes once again quickly scanning her up, down, then back up again. “Why aren’t you?”

She took a second to look at him. Studied the way those leathers clung to him, perfectly contoured to every lean line of his toned body. He was so tall, so statuesque as if one of the gods had carved him out of stone with their very hands. His shoulders were so broad that they blocked out what little fae light carried up the stairs from the lower level of the house.

Elain ignored his question, months of that ache and anger suddenly coming together faster than she could even comprehend, combining into an emotion she couldn’t label. The words spilled out of her before she could even think it through.

“You haven’t spoken to me in months.” She seethed. “You told me I was a mistake and then you left me standing at the bottom of those stairs.” Elain gestured behind him. “You all but disappeared until Nyx was born. Even then, you stopped coming to family dinners, you only ever show up at the house for meetings with Rhys and Cassian and then leave the second they’re done. You go out of your way to avoid me, you refuse to even look in my direction. What did I do wrong?”

Azriel still hadn’t moved from where he had paused at the top of the stairs, his eyes fixed on hers in shock as he took in what she was saying.

“You…” He shook his head. “You did nothing wrong, Elain.”

“Then why?” Her voice broke as she took one small step down the hallway. “Why have you avoided me like this? You almost kissed me, and then you said I was a mistake…”

“I never said you were a mistake.” He took a step towards her. “You were not the mistake, Elain. I was the one who made a mistake by thinking I had any right to touch you.”

“Because you were with her? With Gwyn?” Elain’s hated how timid she sounded voicing the fear that she’d kept to herself all these months.

Azriel’s face fell.

“She was wearing my… I saw her wearing the necklace.” She corrected herself, leaving the rest unspoken. The crippling fear that Azriel had feelings for Nesta’s beautiful friend.

Elain had seen the necklace around Gwyn’s neck a few months ago when Nesta had invited her to the House of Wind to have lunch with some of the priestesses that she was training. She had done everything in her power to smile at the kind priestess, to try to make polite conversation and not break down in tears when she’d caught a glimpse of the stained glass rose sitting just under Gwyn’s collarbones.

She had willed herself not to think of how that necklace had ended up in Gwyn’s possession but had utterly failed. Had sat in silence, her mind racing as Nesta laughed with Gwyn. The priestesses' musical laughter like a soundtrack to the thoughts infiltrating her mind in that moment - had he looked at Gwyn like he’d looked at Elain that night? Had he put the necklace on her? Had his hands lingered on her throat? Had he kissed her like he’d almost kissed Elain? Did he visit her in the darkest hours of the night? Did she share his bed?

Jealousy swelled within her, the roaring in her ears so loud that she could barely even hear him when he spoke.

“Gwyn is a friend, Elain.” Azriel took another step forward, one hand coming up to land over his heart in earnest. “I help train her and we’re friends. There’s nothing more, I swear.”

“Then why?” She still didn’t understand, couldn’t work out how things had changed in a single second that night.

“I don’t know - I wasn’t thinking clearly after Solstice and I ran into her that same night and we spoke. Then I found the necklace with my gifts…I didn’t know what to do but I couldn’t keep it. So I went to the library and asked Clotho to give it to her, to any of the priestesses. I shouldn’t have done it, I know that now.” This was the fastest she’d ever heard him speak, his hands balling into fists at his sides as if he didn’t quite know what to do with them. “I don’t even think she knows it was from me.”

“No. I meant…” Elain shook her head. “If you weren’t seeing Gwyn then why was it a mistake? Why was it a mistake to almost kiss me?”

“You have a mate, Elain.” Azriel’s expression faltered. Even in this dark hallway, she could see the pain in his eyes.

Elain laughed. Just one single exhale of air at the reminder of her mate. Red hot rage once again seeped through her.

“That means nothing to me.” She shook her head. “I am so sick of everyone telling me that that means anything.”

“But it does.” Azriel replied. “The mating bond is… it’s rare and it’s a gift to be treasured. There’s nothing like it. To not acknowledge it, to not try at the very least, would be… it would be a mistake.”

“I don’t want to acknowledge it.” Elain’s throat felt like sandpaper, her frustration building with each second that passed.

“He’s a good male, Elain.” Azriel’s shoulders dropped in defeat as he broke eye contact with her, gazing at the floor before dragging his eyes up to meet her searing gaze once again. He looked defeated. “He’ll be good to you if you give him a chance.”

Elain took three steps forward, the distance between them becoming smaller although the was still so painfully far away.

“He may be a good male.” She paused, a shaky breath escaping her. She was unable to stop the tears that were falling from her eyes, didn’t have the strength to hold them back anymore. “He may be good, but he is not you.”

‘Elain…” Azriel tried to speak but she held up a hand, silencing him.

“He is not you, Azriel.” She sobbed.

…

Azriel’s knees threatened to buckle under the weight of her words. His ears buzzing as he desperately tried to focus on Elain, beautiful as ever in the moonlight despite the tears cascading down her cheeks. The tears that were there because of him.

Azriel.

She’d never said his name before. Not that he’d ever heard, anyway. Maybe she’d used it in conversations with the others but she had never once, in the last few years, ever used his name when speaking to him.

He is not you. He is not you, Azriel.

Those words, the way she said his name, ricocheted in his mind.

He took two long strides towards her, the distance between them minimal now - if he simply reached forwards, he’d be able to touch her.

“Azriel.” She repeated his name, her eyes searching his own. He still hadn’t said anything. “Did you hear me?”

He nodded, opening his mouth to say something but there were no words. He couldn’t think of a single thing to say. Could only stare into the depths of those brown doe eyes, glazed with tears, and listened as she continued to speak.

“Lucien… he tries with me because he feels like he has to. He tries because of the bond. He’d have no interest in me if there wasn’t this thing between us.” She was fighting to speak, her words interrupted by deep, heaving sobs.

Azriel fought every instinct that was roaring through him to reach out to her, to hold her against his chest and wipe away her tears.

“No one has stopped to think about what I want. They think that just because there is this bond, I must give myself over to him. That he is who I must be with. It’s not right. It doesn’t feel right. The bond is there. I can feel it and it is like a knife in my side. There is a pull to him, yes… but I’ve always felt a pull towards you, too.”

Azriel couldn’t believe what he was hearing, could barely keep up with everything she was saying as she bared her soul to him. Not even his shadows were there to guard him, to allow him to shroud himself in the safety of darkness. He was left to face her all on his own as she confirmed what he’d long suspected. That she felt that same pull, felt that energy that seemed to radiate between them since they’d first met.

“I felt drawn to you long before I was forced into that cauldron. You were there for me from the very beginning. You were the only one - the only one - to listen to me, to sit with me, to see me. They all thought I was losing my mind. I thought I was losing my mind. You were the only one to know. The only one to understand me.”

Azriel could tell she had thought this through - over and over again. Every word, though pained, was spoken with clear intent. He could tell that this wasn’t just hysterics in the heat of the moment. Elain meant every word she said and it rendered him absolutely speechless.

“My life was taken from me.” She went on, her voice quieter now as she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “I lost my fiancé, I lost my humanity, I lost my father. So many choices were stolen from me the second I was changed. Do I not deserve to have a say in what I do now? Do I not deserve to have a say in who I love? Do I not deserve to have a say in my own happiness?”

“It’s complicated, Elain.” Azriel finally spoke, his voice barely a whisper. “You deserve a choice but that choice comes with endless costs…there is already so much tension between the courts.”

“I don’t care!” She took another step closer until there was no space between them at all. Her hands reached for his and though he should’ve taken a step back, should’ve pulled away, he let her take them, let her intertwine her perfect fingers in his.

“You came for me once.” Elain’s voice was soft as she looked up at him, her eyebrows knitting together as she stared into the depth of this soul - forced him to recall when he’d risked his life to rescue her. “You fought for me then, will you not fight for me again?”

Tears were still streaming down her face but her sobs had subsided, her voice stronger as she challenged him.

“You know I would, but it’s just… it’s complicated.” He reiterated.

“Do you not want this?” Her face fell, her hands dropping from his as she went to take a step back. The confidence that she had exhibited just a second ago, faltering.

Azriel moved without thinking, one hand landing on her hip to keep her with him.

She gasped as his fingers pressed against her, calluses snagging on the smooth silk of her white gown, the feel of his skin through the thin material warmed her from the inside out.

His other hand landed on her neck, just as it had months ago - his thumb tracing a gentle path along the soft line of her jaw.

“Of course, of course, I want this.” He shook his head as if he couldn’t believe she’d even had to ask. His voice was so low he wasn’t sure she’d be able to hear him despite her face being mere inches from his. “I will always want this.”

Her eyes searched his, her shoulders dropping as all the tension she’d been holding in her body flooded out of her, causing her to slump against him. Azriel fingers flexed, his grip on her hip tightening, keeping her steady.

“I want you.” Elain whispered, tilting her face to look at him properly. “It will always be you.”

She was on her tiptoes then, her hands sliding up his torso until they were on his chest for the second time that night - her nails pressed into his leathers until her lips were just barely against his.

“Please, Azriel.” She all but whimpered.

Her plea cracked something in his chest and he could no longer hold back. All the work he’d done to stay away all these months, all these years, all of it was undone in a single second at the sound of his name on her lips. At the feel of her body against his.

Every wall he’d worked so diligently to build, came crumbling down faster than he could even comprehend.

Azriel closed the distance between them, his hand still on her throat as his lips brushed hers for the first time.

…

There was no going back from this.

The second his lips pressed against hers, tentative and sweet, Elain knew in her heart, in her very soul that nothing, no one, would ever compare to this. To him.

Every thought, every worry, every doubt she’d ever had slipped from her mind as Azriel finally kissed her. His lips were soft as they moved against hers, gentle and careful. He was committing this moment to memory just as she was - both of them desperate to remember every second of this, every possible detail. His tongue slid against her lips and she opened for him without a second thought, allowing him to deepen the kiss as she met him stroke for stroke.

Elain couldn’t get close enough to him, her hands frantically coming up from his chest to tangle in his hair, fingers tugging him down in a silent request for more, more, more.

His groan as she pressed her body tight against his reverberated through her and she couldn’t help the desperate moan that escaped her in response. Every ounce of blood, every nerve in her body seemed to be screaming for him - for his attention.

“Touch me.” Elain begged. His face was buried against her neck now, his lips and teeth and tongue grazing the sensitive skin causing her to arch further into him even though there was barely any space between them to begin with. “Please, Azriel.”

He relented, his hand slipped from her throat, one finger slowly skimmed along the delicate neckline of her nightgown before traveling lower. After what felt like a million years, his fingers grazed her peaked nipple, circling once, twice, before his large palm covered her breast and squeezed gently. His other hand released her hip to slip behind her, gripping the generous curve of her ass and pressing her firmly against him - allowing her to feel exactly how hard he was for her.

Her head tipped back, exposing more of her neck to him as her mouth fell open, eyes fluttering shut at the sensation of him in between her thighs. Elain rolled her hips against his as if it was second nature, seeking out that delicious pressure against her core again and again all while cursing the few despicable layers of fabric that separated her from truly feeling every inch of him.

His lips were on hers once more, all his previous gentleness nowhere to be found, replaced instead with pure heated passion as he claimed her with bruising kisses. She was dizzy - all she could feel was him, all she could taste was him, all she could smell was him - the combined scent of both of their arousal was heavy in the air, permeating every square inch of the hallway.

Azriel’s hands slipped under her ass as he continued to kiss her, bunching up the silk of her gown until he could get his hands on the back of her bare thighs. He let his thumbs drift over her soft skin once before lifting her up easily. She wrapped her legs around his waist, her arms draped around his broad shoulders. He carried her with him, walking backwards until he could set her on a small console table in the middle of the hallway.

That familiar energy between them sizzled, only amplifying with each pass of his lips over her lips, her neck, her collarbones. She could’ve sworn there was a glowing aura around them as he lowered his face to her breasts, tongue laving at her nipples over her slip. The sensation of the damp fabric sliding against her skin was enough to have her seeing stars.

“Azriel.” She pleaded again, unsure what she was even asking for.

“Tell me what you want, Elain.” His mouth was still on her chest, hands raking her nightgown even further up her thighs as he raised his eyes to watch her. “Look at me and tell me what you want.”

Cool air hit the heat of her core at the exact same time she met his eyes.

The sound that she let out at that moment was almost embarrassing, her face and chest flushing. She felt him smile against the curve of her breast as he watched her. His eyes were darker than night, darker than she’d ever seen them. His tousled hair fell over his brows, casting shadows that only added to the darkness. Despite their darkness, there was a certain softness, a reverence in his gaze that she knew was reserved just for her.

She still hadn’t answered him. How could she possibly form words when his lips were on her breast? When his fingers were pressing into the flesh of her thighs? She couldn’t think straight, not when the soft ridges of his scars were sliding over her sensitive skin, going higher and higher with each pass as her legs widened for him on their own accord.

His eyes bore into hers as he straightened, raising up until his face was inches from her face. Azriel watched her carefully as he dragged a knuckle up her bare center - an absolute tease of a touch, so light that she almost wondered if she’d imagined it.

“Is this what you want, Elain?” His breath fanned over her as he spoke, their lips almost touching.

He pressed his forehead to hers. “Tell me.”

“Yes.” The word left her mouth in a gasp at the sheer command in his voice, at the brush of that same knuckle over the nerves at the apex of her thighs. She clutched at his neck, nails surely marking his skin as she kissed him.

Azriel kissed her as if he’d never get the chance to kiss her again, a searing kiss that caused a whole new wave of arousal to crest through her. But even his hot mouth pressing over hers couldn’t distract her from the feeling of two of his fingers slowly sliding through her, parting her, before his middle finger dipped into her just once.

“Look how wet you are for me.” He murmured in awe, pulling away just enough so he could bring his hand up between them. Azriel studied his fingers, the way the moonlight caught the wetness gathered there and made it glisten.

Her eyes went wide as she watched him take that finger into his mouth, his lips wrapping around it. She blushed when his eyes fluttered, savouring the taste of her.

“Do you have any idea how good you taste, Elain?” He returned his finger to her core, adding another, and then sank them into her once more in one slow thrust.

She couldn’t say anything, didn’t have the opportunity to when his fingers curled inside her, searching her upper walls until he found what he was seeking.

Those nimble fingers stroked a place that she hadn’t even known existed within her and Elain’s moan echoed in the hallway, her chest arching up into him - the friction of his leathers against her nipples only adding to the feeling of ecstasy that coursed through her.

Her hands roamed, grasping frantically at his chest, at his back. Azriel continued to steadily move his fingers within her. She needed to feel more of him. Needed the warmth of his skin.

“How do I…?” She whined, frustrated that she couldn’t find a single button or zip on his leathers. He’d have to do it. “Take this off.”

“No time. They’ll be back soon.” Azriel took her lower lip in between his teeth, tugging once before letting it go. “Just let me do this for you.”

She started to argue but Azriel kissed her again, increasing the pressure of his fingers as he stroked her over and over again.

“Another time.” He whispered, moving his lips to her neck and biting down lightly at the same time his thumb circled her clit.

“Fuck.” Elain cursed, immediately blushing as Azriel laughed against her throat - both of them surprised by her choice of words. She swallowed her embarrassment, choosing to focus on the desire burning low in her stomach instead. “Do that again.”

Azriel obeyed her order, running his thumb in smooth circles over her as he pumped his fingers into her, maintaining that same rhythm and ensuring that the tips of his fingers bumped against that spot inside of her with each pass.

Just a minute later, before she even knew what was happening, Elain’s vision blurred, her eyes squeezing shut as every nerve in her body came alive. She clutched at his hair, grabbing fistfuls of the silky strands as she clenched hard around his fingers. Her mouth fell open in a silent scream as she came for him.

Seconds, minutes, hours passed before she regained her sense of self. Azriel’s fingers had slipped out of her but he’d pressed himself against her instead, alleviating the emptiness that she felt without his fingers filling her. Azriel’s arms were wrapped around her, holding her tight to his chest, one hand in her hair as she attempted to catch her breath.

“That’s it, Elain.” He whispered into her hair, hands drawing soothing circles low on her back. “You did so good for me.”

“That was… I’ve never…” Elain breathed against his neck.

“You’ve… never?” Azriel stilled, his hand paused its circles but he continued to hold her against him.

“I mean, I’ve had…” Elain said quickly, trailing off. Her words were muffled as she spoke into his skin, “But no one’s ever done that for me. I’ve never…”

“Finished?” Azriel completed her sentence.

She nodded, face still tucked in the space between his neck and shoulder. Despite what they’d just done, she felt shy admitting this to him.

She pulled back slowly when he didn’t say anything further. The sweat from her body caused her slip to stick to her.

Elain swallowed her nerves, looking into his eyes - searching them for any sign of regret.

She found none. Only saw simmering lust and adoration.

“You deserve to feel like that every time, Elain.” A small satisfied smile tugged at his lips. Some primal part of him secretly fulfilled at the knowledge that he was the first person to make her come. He tucked a strand behind her pointed ear. “You should really go back to bed now.”

Elain’s eyebrows furrowed together. She wasn’t ready for this to end, wanted to stay here, safe in his arms, in this blissful bubble, forever. But besides that, she could still feel him - impossibly hard - where he was pressed firmly against her.

She kept her eyes on his as she reached down in between them, fingers itching to feel him but Azriel’s hand wrapped around her wrist, stopping her before she had the chance to touch him.

“They’ll be home soon.” He shook his head, bringing her hand up to his lips and pressing a kiss to each of her finger tips. “We have to save something for later.”

His words warmed something deep within her.

Later.

The promise of more.

“You won’t disappear again?” She allowed herself to voice her insecurity. The worry that things would go back to how they were before.

“No.” He didn’t hesitate. “I’ll seek you out. We’ll find a way. There’s more I want to do for you. With you.”

“Okay.” She nodded, leaning forward to kiss him again.

“This has to be just between us for now.” Azriel’s face was as serious as his voice. His large hands moved to cradle her face, fingers tracing softly along her cheekbones. “I’ll figure out how to make this work but for now… just between us.”

“Just between us.” She promised, repeating his words back to him.

She’d take whatever she could get. For now, this would have to be enough.

To have him in secret was better than not having him at all.

Azriel kissed her one last time before he backed out from between her legs, fixing her night gown to cover her before helping her down from where he’d perched her on the narrow table. His hands stayed on her waist, brushing over her curves until he was sure she was steady on her feet. “Goodnight, Elain.”

“Goodnight, Azriel.” She gave him a soft smile before walking away from him and back to her room.

The Shadowsinger watched until Elain’s door shut behind her and then he sighed, smoothing a hand over his unruly hair as he tried to figure out how the hell he was going to get the scent of them out of this hallway within the next hour.

#elriel #acotar #azriel x elain #acosf #mine #azriel #elain #elain x azriel #elriel fanfiction #elriel smut #azriel smut #smut #angst #fic rec #writing #my writing #elain archeron #post solstice

[bloomingdarkgarden]

Azriel needing to be the first one in the room to say merry christmas or whatever to Elain like

#elriel #acotar #azriel #step aside #he comin #happy solstice

[merymoonbeam]

Beyond the windows, darkness had indeed fallen. The longest night of the year. I found Elain studying it, beautiful in her amethyst-colored gown. I made to move toward her, but someone beat me to it.

The shadowsinger was clad in a black jacket and pants similar to Rhysand’s—the fabric immaculately tailored and built to fit his wings. He still wore his Siphons atop either hand, and shadows trailed his footsteps, curling like swirled embers, but there was little sign of the warrior otherwise. Especially as he gently said to my sister, “Happy Solstice.”

Elain turned from the snow falling in the darkness beyond and smiled slightly. “I’ve never participated in one of these.”

⊱❊⊰⁣⁣⁣

Happy Early Solstice ❄️✨

⁣⁣⁣⤞ art by aysha.nasir15(ig)

⤞ commissioned by me and @leiaamidala

Links to Twitter , Instagram

⊱❊⊰⁣⁣⁣

Do not repost, please.

#elriel #HAPPY EARLY SOLSTICE ❄️✨ #elain archeron #azriel #sjm #acotar #pro elriel #pro elain #pro azriel #acomaf #acowar #acofas #acosf #a court of frost and starlight #a court of thorns and roses #sarah j maas #commission #commissions #fanart #bookish art #acotar art

[fauxdette]

A Z R I E L • B O N U S • C H A P T E R

#acotar #azriel #elriel #azriel bonus chapter #avan jogia #diana silvers #winter solstice #acotar moodboard #acotar fancast #elain archeron

[nikethestatue]

Anyone else excited about tomorrow?!? It’s Solstice! And Feyre’s birthday!

Last year’s Solstice was wild here. Let’s make it fun again. 

#elriel solstice #it's a thing

[slytherhys]

12 Days of Christmas - ACOTAR Edition

In the spirit of the Holidays, I will be writing & posting short stories about the ACOTAR characters for the next 12 days. Please note that some will be shorter than others and that this is simply meant to be a fun time for everyone that loves these characters as much as I do!

PS. I'm open to requests.

You can also find this series on AO3 - as well as all my other stories.

8th day of christmas - gingerbread house

CW: Explicit Sexual Content

No Crying Over Spilled Icing (Elriel NSFW)

Elain eyed the gingerbread house in front of her with something akin to misery. Only twenty minutes ago, when she had first taken the dough out of the oven, she had been immensely proud of herself – it had been baked to perfection, neither too dry nor too moist, with a beautiful golden-brown colouring and a smell so sweet Elain had fought herself not to eat the whole thing in one go.

Buttercream had been used to make intricate, delicate patterns on what would be the walls, as well as cute little tiles for the rooftop. Candies, too, had been used aplenty. It had looked promising. Beautiful even.

But that had been before she had realised one of the walls was cut too short – something Elain hadn’t noticed until she started setting everything together – giving the house a sort of crooked, haunted look that made it resemble more a Halloween decoration than a Solstice treat. The icing, of course, hadn’t helped either. The walls barely stuck together, and the rooftop was slowly falling to its demise. Elain watched it all unfold, unblinking.

A great architect Elain did not make.

When she had first told Feyre she’d be bringing her own gingerbread house – and not one of those sets the bakery sold every Solstice – she hadn’t been expecting a building made of dessert to be so damn infuriating. She was set to leave in an hour and a half, and she doubted she had the needed time to try it all over again. She doubted she could find the will to do it in the first place.

“What are you doing?” A deep voice startled her, her eyes finally turning away from the baked mess in front of her.

“A gingerbread house.” If it could be called that. It definitely didn’t look like one.

Azriel tilted his head, eyeing the house with a stoical expression. “Are those the ones from the bakery downtown?” His eyes flickered to hers. “Cassian had mentioned how he wanted to try and build one.”

Elain huffed, suddenly affronted. “Of course not.” Maybe she should have though.

He gave her a sheepish smile. “Right. Dumb question.” He narrowed his eyes, eyeing the eyesore with curiosity. “Why is it…slanted, though?”

“Well, first the icing melted,” She explained, hating the way her voice wavered. “And then the wall on the left was too short.” Azriel nodded along as if she was making perfect sense.  “And it smelled really good, so I might’ve eaten one of the windows and now it looks weird.” She dropped her eyes again. “By the cauldron, it’s barely salvageable.”

“Why not just take the side of the roof that’s slipping away? It could probably stand, even if it’d be a little crooked.”

She bristled. “Then it’ll be a gingerbread box.” He gave no indication whatsoever that this information alarmed him. “Az, no one wants to eat a gingerbread box.”

Azriel smirked. As if it were funny. “Calm down, princess.” He looked at the mess in front of them, going around the counter so he could stand by her side. “We can fix this.” He said, and Elain watched from the corner of her eyes as he came to stand right behind her instead, his arms going around her as he reached for the gingerbread in front of her.

“What are you doing?” She gasped.

“Why, helping you, of course.”

She highly doubted he was that innocent. His scent surrounded her, the heat from his body resting upon her skin as a gentle caress. It was all Elain could do to keep her eyes open, to follow his hands as he gently studied her creation. She could hear his steady breathing, quickly realising just how close he was to her. His lips were by her ear, his front pressing against her back every so often.

“Maybe we could do a tent instead?”

Elain frowned at the suggestion. It could work, even if it felt lazy to do so. She felt his hands on her hips, caressing her as she mumbled, “I suppose so.”

He seemed pleased by her quick acceptance, the feeling of his lips so faint against her skin, it was nearly unnoticeable. “Or just accept the defeat and do something else instead.”

 Elain hadn’t realized she had closed her eyes, but at the sound of his lewd proposal, she snapped them open, promptly stepping closer to the counter and stepping away from him. “You’re distracting me.”

“Am I?” He stepped closer once again, pressing his nose against her neck, his lips a breath away from touching her fevered skin. “You smell good.”

Elain nearly whimpered “That’s just the gingerbread.”

He pressed his mouth against her shoulder, nibbling softly as if he couldn’t help but taste her. “I’m pretty sure it’s you.”

She turned around, ignoring her erratic breathing. “I still need to bake another batch-” She gasped as she felt his hands on her waist, raising her so she was sitting on the counter before she could finish her sentence. “Azriel, we don’t have enough time for that.” Truth be told, she was doing very little to push him away.

Azriel, of course, noticed that as well.

“I think we have more than enough time, princess.” He said, voice raspy as he stepped even closer. Elain wasn’t sure where her body ended and where his began, but as he kissed her jaw, the corner of her mouth, it felt like the most urgent thing that he stepped even closer.

Elain nearly whimpered as he pulled away, panting as he grabbed the hem of her skirts, pulling them up at an agonising speed.

Elain, however, wasn’t to be deterred. “Someone’s cocky.” She said, far too breathy for it to mean much.

He raised an eyebrow, scarred hands trailing up her legs. “Is that a challenge princess?”

Elain ignored the goosebumps raising all over her skin, ignored the craving that seemed to throb with her every heartbeat. “If you’re up for it.”

“Let’s find out, shall we?” A smirk was all the warning she got before Azriel pressed his face between her legs. Elain cried out, mindless with want. Her legs quickly wrapped around his shoulders, pressing him closer to her at the first touch of his tongue against her center. She was vaguely aware of leaning back on her hands, accidentally spilling what remained of the icing on the counter.

She couldn’t bring herself to care – she reached for his hair with her other hand, moaning as he devoured her. He moaned her name against her core as if he couldn’t get enough of her. He was a man starved, licking her, and fucking her with his tongue as if this was both the first and the last time he ever got to do this. The feeling of his large, scarred hands pulling her thighs apart, the scratch of his beard against her sensitive skin, it was all too much. Azriel had barely pushed a finger inside her before Elain was tumbling over the edge, his name on her lips as she bucked against his mouth over and over and over again.

“Sweetest fucking thing in the world.” He growled, more to himself than to her. He was panting, eyes dark as he took her in. She probably looked like a mess, panting, hands covered in icing, legs opened in a lewd display of her arousal. Elain felt herself blush under his scrutiny, but any embarrassment quickly faded as he took her mouth, his tongue seeking hers. “Turn around, princess.” He mumbled against her lips, helping her get down from the counter before lightly slapping her ass. “We’re on a schedule.”

Funnily enough, that was the furthest thing from her mind. Nothing mattered – not the party, not the spilled icing, not even the gingerbread house that had somehow ended up splattered on the kitchen floor. There was nothing but him. Not as he pushed inside her, his length stretching her as if it were their very first time together. Her every nerve-ending was on fire, her body craving him even as he filled her again and again. There were only the sounds he made as he rutted into her, the gentleness in his hands as he pulled her by her hair, the wantonness in the way he kissed her.

“You’re making such a mess, princess.” He panted against her ear, pulling down her corset, his hands quickly grabbing into her bare tits.

“Please.”

“Are you close?” Elain could do nothing but nod. He had barely pulled out of her when she was being turned around, her eyes quickly finding his as he pushed back inside in one swift move, as if he had never left. “I need to see you when you come.” And then he was wrapping her leg over his hip, filling her even deeper.

He wrapped his lips around her nipple, nibbling on the sensitive skin as his cock kept pounding into her. The feel of his mouth, of his cock… All Elain could do was scream out his name as she crashed, coming around his cock just as he spilled into her.

“Fuck.” He panted, hips still bucking against her.

Elain giggled, high on his touch. “Think I still have time to bake something?” She asked, shamelessly pressing her lips to his chest, his throat, his lips, taking them between her teeth and pulling gently. He hissed.

“Not if you keep doing that.” His gaze roved over her before finally settling on her eyes with a mischievous glint. “And I don’t think that gingerbread cake is salvageable anymore.”

Elain supposed not, but she wasn’t a quitter.

In no time – and with a lot of effort – Elain was kicking Azriel out of the kitchen, scrubbing every nook and cranny of the counter and busying herself with something else. Something quick that wouldn’t raise any eyebrows.

Or so she had hoped.  

“Where’s the gingerbread house?” Feyre asked only a few minutes later, eyeing the plain gingerbread cookies Elain had managed to bake in the measly thirty minutes she had been left with. Azriel, at Feyre’s question, gave Elain a heated stare, a smirk blooming on his lips as he casually strolled into the living room without a care in the world. Elain felt her cheeks heat up, pointedly ignoring her sister’s knowing smile. “Had a change of heart?”

Elain cleared her throat, squaring her shoulders as she made her way to the kitchen. “Sure,” she said. “let’s call it that.”

#elriel #pro elriel #elain archeron #azriel #elain x azriel #pro elain archeron #azriel shadowsinger #acotar #christmas fic #gingerbread house #feyre archeron #12 days of christmas acotar edition #christmas stories #christmas #happy solstice #christmas prompts #my writing

[rosenecklaces]

also idk how to phrase this correctly rn but like, as far as my memory goes, azriel is the only one if not one of a few that fully thought about her pleasure. There was nothing about him implicitly only about her

like sure, she coming on his tongue and having sex would make him happy and everything but, that's the thing. it was on eating her, she feeling good, her orgasm, while his reminds as a secondary thing

I don't know about people acting weird about it but to me is one of the things it solidifies how much importance he puts on her and her feelings, he didn't fucking needed to clarify he wanted a relationship, since they met that man had thought about her well being and happiness above all else

#elriel #elain archeron #azriel shadowsinger #and when i say he's about to be one of sjm best mc men then what... #he already is to me tbh considering how messy the other ones had been sometimes. az sins against elain are cero since the solstice mistake #scene wasn't his fault just rhysand

[thefangirlofhp]

29. present @nightcourtseer, thank you for the prompt!

Nesta was on her fourth glass of apple juice, and only mildly wishing it was whiskey. A small victory, considering her abstinence, and a victory she relishes in all the same as she’s only wishing for the alcohol to numb her sensitivity six hours after indulging in the great family gathering of Solstice. Around her, everyone’s either drinking a juice mixture or plain water. Elain brewed an aromatic large pot of tea that no-one aside from her and once, Feyre, has been drinking. Nesta stands in the corner of the family room, her back digging into the two walls and her hand tight around the glass she clutches. Rhys is sprawled lazily in the armchair listening to Morrigan, Feyre close by watching Amren and Nyx put together an eighteen-thousand-piece puzzle Azriel gifted a touched-Amren and occasionally giving pointers. Elain’s closely listening to Cassian describe one winter in Illyria centuries ago that’s shaped up many parts of his survival skills, and Nesta can’t tell if her sister is that interested in learning how to differentiate bears from the marks they leave behind them.

Over the past two years, Nesta’s grown much more comfortable around Feyre and Cassian’s family—has taken to regarding them with a degree of begrudging fondness and only snaps at Rhys out of habit or if they’re both bored and she wants something to scratch her claws with. She’s happier to attend their family dinners, even sometimes contributing a dish or two from the records of her human memories, and has been buying them thoughtful presents every year. She’s not as canny as Elain is with her observations and niche gifts, but Rhys’s smile was true and grateful when he unwrapped Merrill’s newest transcript on multi-universe theories and star formation and confessed he didn’t think Nesta would remember him expressing the interest.

And in turn, Nesta thinks it’s an astute observation to make when she says they’ve grown equally comfortable with her. Morrigan’s gotten to offhandedly ask Nesta for opinions without thinking about it, and the entire family’s stopped drinking when they gather; have developed a new tradition of inventing non-alcoholic mixtures every-time. Nesta isn’t so comfortable with her own skin yet so as to confess how much the gesture warms her heart, that she holds it near and dear to her cupped in her palms like a hot coal that doesn’t burn and the thought alone is more than she’s equipped to handle.

She blinks her eyes roughly, and breathes in through her nose slowly. Perhaps she’s eaten too much of Elain’s casserole at dinner, and it’s why she’s so short of breath and sweat is breaking out in prick-points at her temples. She swallows the rising surge of nausea. The room feels a little hazy, or her head’s floating and dizzy.

Fresh air and the cold would set her straight. She puts her glass in Cassian’s gesturing hand, and quietly withdraws from the warm and slightly stuffy room to the hallway, her heart-beat accelerating with every step until she steps out into the gardens.

As expected of a mountainous terrain such as the Night Court, the snowing cold is sharp and unmerciful and the air crisp and clear. She gasps it in as she shuts the door behind her and leans against it, finding her dress a little too heavy on her shoulders.

Her eyes track Azriel’s figure in the moonlit night, sitting in the iron-wrought garden chair around a round table, reclined back in it with fog rising up before him. Nesta’s noted his absence some hour ago, and didn’t think much of it.

“Are you sleeping out here?” she crosses her arms over her chest and trudges through the snow towards him, her dress dragging it behind her. She stands over him, discovers he’s in-fact fast asleep in the uncomfortable chair, or at least his eyes are shut and he’s not moving, and in his fingers a smoldering rolled paper that’s smoking. Some more convenient version of a pipe, she presumes, brushing the snow off the nearby chair and sitting down.

“I was,” Azriel sighs.

Nesta regards him closely. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he answers, bringing the rolled tobacco to his lips and breathes it in before holding it out. Nesta leans across and accept the offer, glances at it briefly before doing what he just did. “Felt hot in there. You?”

“Same,” she replies, the smoke billowing out and instantly sending her in a coughing fit. Azriel cracks open one eye and faintly smiles as he turns his face towards the snowing sky. “Felt too loud and too warm, all of a sudden. Too much.”

He hums quietly, taking back the shortening coughing-smoke that Nesta holds out and burning through the rest of it in one deep breath. The ashes drift with the smoke, but disappear into swirling shadows sweeping up every evidence. Azriel blows it out, and Nesta admires the movement of it in the still breeze, watches it drift into nothing.

She enjoys the quiet understanding she has developed early on and quite easily with Azriel long before she’s established any bridges with anyone in Prythian. They’ve had their understanding before Nesta’s even come to terms with her own sisters, or accepted her mate. The gnarly beasts of the family fiercely protective of their loved ones—Nesta liked that Azriel minded his business, even if it was his job to be invasive of other people’s, and that he’d never had a bad word to say to her since they met. Not even when she and Elain fight, or when she used to particularly badmouth Rhys (a transgression that remarkably got under Cassian’s skin).

It's a long time before she realizes that she’s calmed down, and her head’s clear and quiet once more. The doors open, flooding in a rush of golden light before they close again and someone approaches through the snow. A faelight glides over their heads and pauses above the table, curtesy of Elain who stops between their chairs.

“If I realized there’s a nicer party out here, I’d have come out much sooner,” she remarks, amused. “But a little chilly, don’t you think?”

“What are you doing out here,” Nesta abruptly sits up as Azriel turns to his wife, clad in her festive off-shoulders dress and her hair shortened in tight waves to her midback. “Go back inside!”

“It’s rude to hoard the fun,” Elain teases, running her hand through Azriel’s snow-dusted hair before he tugs her into his lap and wraps a wing around her shoulders. Elain takes the new roll of tobacco from his hands and surprises Nesta by inhaling a little of it, her cheeks rounding up with a smile as the cherry-red end glows brighter and she blows it up into the air.

“You’re pregnant,” Nesta needlessly reminds her sister. “Get out of the cold. Azriel, say something.”

The winged-idiot only smiles up at her sister, his arm tucked around her waist and the other holding her free hand like a school-boy. “Hello.”

Elain’s eyes wrinkle in the corners when she smiles back. “Hello.”

“Hi.”

Nesta bites back a smile, despite herself.

“It’s chaos inside,” Elain tips her head towards the estate. “Amren and Nyx are turning the place upside down. There are only seventeen-thousand and nine-hundred and ninety-eight pieces in the box and somehow two center pieces are missing.”

“Mm. Pity.”

Elain’s eyes sparkle. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you? Because Amren definitely counted a eighteen-thousand pieces when she opened it.”

“I have no idea, no.”

“If you’ve taken them, I can only say that’s beyond sick,” Nesta splutters. “They’ve been putting it together for hours.”

“You’re both scolding me for a crime I’m only hearing of now.”

Elain tilts her head. “Give them back, Azriel.”

He relaxes against the chair and smiles. “No.”

“Azriel,” she softly admonishes. “It’s cruel. How long are you going to make her pay?”

“For a really long while.”

Nesta props her chin in her hand. “Is this about Amren’s comment four months ago when you told us you’re expecting?”

“Maybe,” Azriel answers shortly.

“She apologized,” Elain reminds him, brushing his hair from his forehead.

“She’s not sorry, yet. She will be.”

“Oh, Az,” Elain chuckles. “I won’t lie that this pettiness isn’t adorable, but it’s all water under the bridge. And she didn’t mean it like that.”

“Her immediate response to the news was to ask you if you’re sure it’s mine,” Azriel says, his voice cooling and hardening with every word. “If she was anyone else—”

Elain leans close, and lays her palm along his cheek. “Water under the bridge.”

Nesta glimpses his jaw tightening with annoyance before he sighs.

“I’ll gift it to her next solstice.”

“No!” Nesta bursts out laughing. “She’ll have aged centuries by then. Please, don’t curse us with an even grumpier version of Amren.”

“Who’s substantially grumpier than her previous self,” Elain reminds him wisely before frowning. “Azriel, you’re burning up.”

“Really?” he murmurs. “I thought it was the room.”

Elain feels his face once more. “Yes,” she carefully stands up. “Come inside. I’ll run you a bath.”

Azriel lets her tug him to his feet. “I’d actually like that,” he remarks, standing up straight. He holds out his hands to Nesta and drops two small puzzle pieces into her opened palm. “Tell her I’ve forgiven her.”

Nesta watches them walk back inside, Elain’s arm wrapped around his waist and helping him walk and Azriel sheepishly indulging the attention by playing along—Nesta’s seen him walk around straight for an entire day with an open chest wound before like nothing was the matter. She does understand the desire to be doted upon, actually, and soon enough follows them inside to seek out her own mate.    

**don’t smoke when you’re pregnant, lads.

#nesta archeron #nesta fic #azriel fic #elriel fic #elain x azriel #elriel fanfic #elain archeron #elriel #azriel #nessian fic #nesta x cassian #cassian #acosf #nessian #winter solstice #fictober23 #flufftober 2023

[curiousity-cell]

just had a thought regarding gwyn & the lightsinger theory & az’s regifting of the necklace

disclaimer: i do not believe gwyn is evil if she’s confirmed as a lightsinger i don’t think she even realises she has this effect on people & it might not even be a lightsinger it could very well be a nymph thing so. don’t be a dick basically

so i was basically just thinking about the bonus chapter and why azriel would regift elain’s very targeted gift (shape of a rose necklace? that’s just pure elain Why is he giving that to another woman who has no connections to roses or flowers at all. why do men. anyway). i think this sentence is really really important because while yes maybe her powers are mainly channeled more powerfully when she sings, SJM would not have put “silent music” & about his shadows here -

- if it was not important. so when he leaves the training area and discovers elain’s given her necklace back (because. obviously. she’s just been rejected by someone she thought liked her back. idk why some people think this is confusing), look at what is written:

“beautiful singing” follows him. he had “every intention” of giving the necklace back to the palace of thread and jewels but didn’t. why? i believe it’s because gwyn’s accidental lightsinging / nymph effect kept gwyn on his mind and therefore she was who he was thinking about all day. i think that’s also why the “secret thing of lovely beauty” is repeated for gwyn. now i’m not gonna say i know what a lightsingers effect has on a person but looking at the effect gwyn’s singing has on /nesta/ (read below)

i think it’s safe to say that it has a luring effect & brings out positive emotions (again: we know lightsingers are stated to be evil in the siren like way but i don’t believe gwyn is that type of person so. i’m led to believe she doesn’t realise she has this effect)

but what positive emotions do we know that azriel has had recently? liking elain. possibly loving elain. so yeah i think that gwyn’s luring powers rubbed off on azriel and that’s why he regifted the necklace to gwyn, because she was on his mind. literally. because of effect she has on people.

i feel like this also explains why it feels so jarring for him to hop from one woman to the other in a night and then go back to being in a foul mood literally the next morning after the solstice. maybe he doesn’t remember giving the necklace away? maybe because gwyn doesn’t wear the necklace he doesn’t know where it went? idk but yeah. this is my theory.

#elriel #pro elriel #pro elain archeron #elain acotar #elain archeron #azriel #azriel shadowsinger #acotar #acotar theory #lightsinger theory #gwyneth berdara #gwyn berdara #still don’t like gw*nriel #not all too fond of g herself either #just thinking out loud #ghostposting #ghost posting #was always curious why he’d go from in love with elain to then liking gwyn to then giving the necklace to gwyn (designed for elain) #& then being in a foul mood the day after solstice #this in my head makes more sense #but that’s just a theory #a ghost theory #lol