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thegloweringcastle · 9 months

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This One Even Blooms

First off I owe @azrielshadowssing the biggest thank you for organizing this event and also tolerating my forgetfulness. Truly, this has been such a wonderful experience for my first acotar writing circle and I can’t wait for another one <3

I’ve wrapped up “This One Even Blooms”, started by by @vikingmagic33 and continued by @sunshinebingo, a sweet gwynlain story set in canon (I hope I did it justice!)

read on ao3

word count: ~1.5k

warnings: none

“What is this?” Someone asked behind them.

They jumped in unison, Gwyn whirling around at the sound of Merrill’s stern voice.

“We -” She began.

“Gwyneth Berdera, you know well enough that there is no food or drink allowed in the library, especially this part.” She wore a scowl that made her look every bit of the strict academic Elain knew her to be. “These books are part of our historic collection; most - if not all of them - are single editions. We can’t risk damaging them. Is there anything you two ladies have to say?” She raised one brow, scanning their meal setup and now empty bottles of wine with disdain.

Gwyn gave her a sugar-sweet smile, but beneath the charm Elain could see the sharp edges. “I was only showing my thanks to Elain for her help with keeping my plants alive, Merrill. Don’t you think they add a bit more color to the shelves?”

“I don’t like dirt.”

“Nonetheless, I was merely repaying her kindness.”

Elain didn’t think Merrill’s face could look more pinched. “So long as it doesn’t happen again, Berdara. You know how valuable these books are to Prythian.” With one last scowl, Merrill snatched a book from the shelves and was gone in a flurry of robes, leaving the atmosphere deflated and Elain miffed.

They barely lasted a full minute before bursting into laughter.

“I don’t like dirt,” Gwyn gave a surprisingly accurate impression.

Maybe it was the wine, but it only made Elain laugh harder, eventually moving to the floor where she didn’t have to work so hard to sit upright. Gwyn flopped down beside her.

“Seriously,” Gwyn said, finally caught up to her breath. “I have never met anyone with such a big, uncomfortable stick up their ass.”

Elain gasped, covering her mouth to hide the grin spreading across her face. “Gwyn!”

“What? I haven’t.”

“Yes, but…” Elain turned her head, meeting Gwyn’s gaze. It hit her then, with stunning clarity, that she didn’t need to play the sophisticated Lady. She didn’t have to remember her manners; she could just be herself. “Oh, nevermind. It’s too true.”

Another round of delirious, tipsy laughter overtook them.

“I hope she didn’t scare you away. I have to be honest, I’ve had more fun with you tonight than I sometimes do with Nesta and Emerie.” She paused. “Swear you won’t tell them I said that?”

“Promise.” Elain rolled over, propping herself up on her elbows. “It would be hypocritical of me to tattle when I feel the same. My nights are often far more… boring.”

She paused, watching as Gwyn stood to begin stacking dishes and silverware. Already, she was beginning to wonder if she had hallucinated it all. The peaceful, quiet dinner, the sweet, tangy wine, the mellow heat between her and Gwyn… Now it felt like none of it had happened, the bubble they hid in having burst as soon as Merrill whirled through.

She stood, shaking the disappointment from her mind. “Won’t the house be taking everything back anyways?”

Gwyn shrugged. “Yes, I suppose. But it feels somewhat rude to simply leave the mess.”

“Well, allow me then.” Elain took up both wine bottles, thoughtfully examining the labels. “You know, I was debating taking a finer white wine from Rhysand’s collection. It’s a shame I didn’t just grab both - it looked absolutely delicious.”

“I guess that means we will have to try it another time,” She gave a knowing look. “I’ll be in the library tomorrow, as always. Let me know when you’ll be free again, if you're amenable to it.”

Heat flushed up her neck and across her cheeks, to the very tips of her pointed ears. “I couldn’t deny the offer even if I wanted to.”

~~~

Gwyn waited impatiently, though she would be reluctant to admit it. She watched as the sun traveled from one window to the next, the light turning from a cool, golden glow to a warm, fiery heat. She passed the time in the only ways she knew: She counted how many books she read out of those she re-shelved, she played messenger for Merrill and delivered books over and over, and she took advantage of down time to practice her balance stamina.

But she could only wait for so long, and nothing ever quite did the trick to distract her from what she was missing. By the end of the day, she was a mess of nerves, disappointed that Elain hadn’t visited her to arrange another… meet-up. She figured if Elain didn’t go to her, then she would go to Elain. The worst that could happen was rejection, but at least then the waters would be clear and it would be smooth sailing from there.

~~~

Elain was left without a single task in her gardens to manage. Not one weed remained, the plants had all been watered thoroughly, those deemed in need of special care had been tended to first thing. Now she sat in the shade trying to find an excuse to stay outdoors.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to meet Gwyn; in fact, the issue lurked in quite the opposite. What if she hadn’t been sincere? What if she had only been rehearsing niceties, and didn’t truly care to meet with Elain again one way or another?

No, Elain much preferred to remain in her sanctuary, calm and still and quiet with nothing but the plants for company, free to think and do whatever she pleased. She could waste the lingering hours of the day thinking about teal eyes and red hair without actually having to face it.

So Elain stood, moving deeper into the gardens and stretching out in the sun between rows of flowers. Carefully, she placed her brimmed hat over her face to shade her skin and eyes, letting her mind wander and drift as blithely as the Sidra.

A voice smoother than petals interrupted her meditative state. “You never visited me, and now I’m quite worried that I will have an entire bottle of wine all to myself.”

Leaning up on her elbows, Elain moved the hat aside and squinted up at Gwyn, her silhouette bold in the late afternoon sun. “My apologies, I suppose time slipped away from me.”

“Hmm,” Gwyn sat beside her, arms brushing in the small space. “My bromeliad is looking better today. Thank you for rescuing it.”

“Oh,” Elain shrugged, looking away to hide her blush. “I didn’t really do anything to it. Just a matter of time.”

“Thank you nonetheless. And don’t look away, I think your blush fits you. It goes well with your hair.” Elain was burning in her skin, embarrassed and flattered all at once. “I would say I’ve brought another plant for you to look at, but the truth is I’ve only come to see you, Elain.”

Elain could only hum a weak response.

“I really enjoyed our time together last night, despite Merrill’s… dramatic entrance.” She laughed, but it sounded like more of a groan. “And I would be lying if I said I hadn’t spent all day watching the front entrance, waiting for you to make your appearance. You see, I was looking forward to seeing you again, seeing where things might go without any interruptions. What about you, Elain?”

“I…” Her throat scraped against itself. She licked her lips. “Me as well.”

Gwyn pouted, a skeptical light igniting in her gaze. “But then you never came to see me. And now I fear I may kill a plant completely this time, or never get to try that wine, or never get to spend more time with you as we did last night. Is that unreasonable?”

Elain’s posture straightened, her chest tightening.“Wholly unreasonable. I was worried you were not sincere in the invitation, so I figured it best to let you decide what you wanted.”

“Ah, so you didn’t lose track of time.” Gwyn teased, but her smile was bright as ever. “I was sincere. I wanted to know if we could meet again, whenever you’re free.”

She swallowed thickly, heart rising in her throat. “I’m free now, if you are. We can stay here, or break into Rhysand’s wine collection, or run amuck through the library just to peeve Merrill-”

“Wow, Lady Elain does have a wild side.” She wore a wide, shameless grin.

She returned a small smile of her own. “Now is good. Or tomorrow.”

“Then it’s a date.”

“Now? Or tomorrow?”

“Both.” Gwyn smiled sweetly, outshining even Elain’s favorite flowers.

She hesitated. “You do remember I have a mate, don’t you?” She wished she could cram the words back into her mouth.

Gwyn’s smile dulled and she began to pull away. Guilt washed over Elain in waves, blood crashing through her ears as her heart picked up its pace.

“I… yes, I remember. It doesn’t have to be anything if you don’t want it to be, but- I thought we could try it out. Together. Only if you want to. But if you would prefer-”

“No,” Elain’s hand found hers. “I do want to. Very much. I-I prefer you. I’m happier when I’m with you.”

Gwen grabbed her hand in return, her grip just as strong.

As they watched the sun set and the stars emerge, with hands bound together as gently - but firmly - as vines, Elain allowed herself to hope. She was reassured a future where this would be the norm, where life would be a joy with the woman at her side. Where they could spend a lifetime flourishing and blossoming together, even in the dark radiance of night.

#please excuse the banner #i know it’s bad #acotarwritingcircle #acotarwritingcircle3 #acotar writing circle #acotar fanfiction #elain archeron #gwyneth berdara #writing challenge #acotar fic #acotar #fluff #gwynlain

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