#I think that’s what Cardan did here

[darlingod]

I have an inkling Cardan accepted Locke as Master of Revels to lure Taryn to the palace so that her and Jude could reconcile. What do y’all think?

[cruelprincae]

[lqveharrington]

Feelings Mutual | C.G.

summary: Your forced to hangout with Cardan at the High King’s birthday celebration. Turns out, you both make stupid decisions when drunk. And what’s the fine line between hatred and love between two being who can’t lie anyway?

pairing: Cardan Greenbriar x half fae!fem!reader

includes: drunk Cardan, drunk reader, cursing, making out, suggestiveness, no use of Y/N, barely proofread (i think that’s it)

a/n: i’m on a reading spree, and working on my projects, so this should help get me out of a huge writing slump.

In Faerie, it was uncommon for a half fae, half human being to be a princess in the court. Your father — the King of one of the many lands — wed a human woman, causing you to become the land’s princess. Of course many of the court thought that you were lesser than them; For such a creation should never hold that high of a status.

Ever since you were younger, you often attended lessons with the High King’s youngest child. At first, you sought out to befriend him and his group of friends. But you soon found out that they loathed you. Because how could a halfling ever be a worthy princess?

So you gave up trying to befriend them. You let the group taunt you for not being full fae, but what was the worst thing they could do? You still were a daughter of a very powerful king. The very king that was the closest with the High King himself.

You and your family were constantly invited to all their gatherings, and this one wasn’t an exception. It was the High King’s birthday, which meant all of Faerie was invited to Elfhame palace to celebrate such a day. The only issue with that meant your father and mother urged you to talk to Cardan and his group.

“Mother, they don’t like me.” You wring your hands together, fidgeting with your silver jewelry.

She clicked her tongue, “Nonsense. Prince Balekin spoke of how much Cardan talks about you when he comes home from your lessons.”

“Wait what?” Your eyes widen at her in disbelief. “Mother, I’m sure they’re words of hate.”

“Is it because you don’t like your dress? Are you afraid they’ll hate it?” She tugged you to stand in front of herself. “You look gorgeous, angel.”

You purse your lips at her compliment. You truly loved the dress. It was a beautiful sage color that complimented your skin tone completely, and the corset really did wonders. There were gorgeous lace details of butterflies that were a shade darker, with a slit running down one side of the dress. It was beautiful, but you feared that it was much too modern for Faerie, causing your thoughts to wander to how Cardan’s friends would insult it.

“No, I love the dress, mother.” You give her a tight lipped smile, squeeze her hands. “If you truly wish for me to find Cardan, I’ll go and be friendly so you and father can enjoy your time here.”

“Thank you.” She pressed a kiss to your forehead and a real smile etched its way onto your face.

“Be safe, alright?” Your father squeezed your shoulder before leaning down to whisper words your mother couldn’t hear. “If trouble comes, you know what I’ve taught you. You have your dagger?”

Your lips twitch in excitement, “Of course.”

“Then you’re all set then, kiddo.” He gave you one last look before resting an arm around your mother’s waist. “I’ll come find you when it’s time for us to depart.”

You nod before taking a small bow. You watched them leave and make their way to the throne, immediately engaging with the High King and Queen. They seemed happy, which made you glad that they accepted your mother as their own. Shaking your head, you took a deep breath and blew out the air in one go. Carefully, you made your way over to Cardan. Luckily, he was on his own for once.

“Cardan.” You nod in his direction, watching his dark eyes with flecks of gold suddenly gazing into yours. Without fail, his eyes roam over your body, tail whipping behind himself after gaining someone’s attention.

“Princess! Don’t you look absolutely captivating tonight.” He slurred, red wine dripping out of his glass. “Welcome to my humble abode.”

You raised a brow at the prince. From what you could recall, he didn’t live inside the palace walls. And there wasn’t a chance he could lie either. “You don’t live here.”

“I used to.” He tipped his glass up to his wine stained lips, taking in the drink whilst taking in the sight of you.

“Where are your—“ You use your hand to gesture in the air as you grab your own glass of wine from a server passing buy. Unsure of how to word your question, you sip on the wine, immediately hit by its strength. “Where are your friends, I should say.”

“Off to bother some mortal or do something stupid.” He smiles in your direction as you down your drink and reach for another. “What’s upsetting you, princess?”

“Nothing.” You tilt your head toward him, eyes flicking down from his strange stare to his stained lips. “Just want time to move faster.”

“How drunk do you want to get?” He leans closer to you, fingers itching to pull you into him.

You place a hand to his mouth and push him further away from yourself. He hums as he traces his finger over his empty wine glass.

“How many glasses have you had, Cardan?” You tip back your third drink, missing his smirk while he watches.

“Enough.”

“Enough to forget?” You turn toward the table and grab the strongest drink, carefully downing the drink.

His shadow towers over you as his breath tickles your neck, “Forget what exactly, love?”

“I hate you.” You say against Cardan’s lips, arms loosely hanging around his neck. “I hate you so much.”

He continues to push you backwards as he slams the door behind him, hands finding their place around your waist. “Feelings mutual, princess.”

Letting your hand thread through his hair, you pull him in for a more heated kiss, tugging ever so slightly at his roots. Cardan groans against your lips, pulling your body closer to his.

“This is such a stupid idea.” You unwillingly part as he drops you down on a bed — hopefully one that used to be his. You let out a small gasp as he litters soft kisses on your throat and down to your exposed collar bone. Your hands find his shoulders, pulling him impossibly closer. “Cardan—“

“Yes, love?” He slowly makes his way back up to your lips, pressing short kisses as you try to make sense of the situation. He stops attacking you with his lips, staring and waiting for you to continue.

You shake your head, eyes glassy with drunkenness as you meet his gaze. “Kiss me.”

“You’re too perfect for me.” He groans again, tasting the red wine from your lips as he kisses you harder. “God, I hate you.” Cardan mumbles as he lets his hands wander over your body, refraining from the more private areas at the moment.

Cardan allows you to wander over his own body, feeling you fidget with the hem of his shirt. Letting your hands slip underneath his shirt, you let out a small sigh before flipping the both of you over. You quickly toss your dagger onto the floor before meeting his lips again, the kiss heightening all your profound feelings.

As minutes turned into an hour more, you both fell into a pit of no return. The shared kisses were intensified, and without either party having a clear mind or being sober, neither could stop the motions that lulled them both to sleep very late into night.

It wasn’t until early afternoon that the pair awoke to the sounds of pounding at the door and a splitting headache.

“Your highness, your father is looking for you.” The voice called from outside the wooden doors, causing you to groan and bury your head into the warmth emitting from your bed.

A beat passed before the pounding occurred once more.

“Your highness—!”

“In a minute!” Cardan shouted, eyes shut from the dizziness and hangover. “For fucks sake…”

Your eyes widen at the voice, head rushing up before falling back down at the impact of a jaw. “Shit, that hurt.” You mutter, wincing when you felt the hangover hit you. Slowly, you remove yourself from Cardan’s arm, slightly frowning when you saw him rubbing his jaw. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to slam into you…”

“I think that’s the least of our concerns.” He grumbled, glaring at the door again.

He pushed himself up from the bed, eyes raking over your appearance. He smirked over at you before leaning against the headboard. You crease your brows before looking down and realizing whose clothes you were in — crossing your arms over the loose shirt.

“Princess, I think your father will be a little disappointed in you.”

“Why is that?” You roll your eyes at him, keeping one arm over Cardan’s shirt while running your free hand through your hair.

Your bored gaze meet his amused one, watching him tilt his head. You look away as you weren’t necessarily hiding the fact that you were eyeing his bare chest either.

He pulled you into his chest, despite your halfhearted protests. “Because you have hickeys all over your skin.” Cardan presses a kiss to your cheek, causing your breath to hitch.

All the memories from last name came rushing in, warmth filling your body at the thoughts. Your eyes flit to your dress and dagger scattered across his floor, still thinking of the punishment to come.

However, you did not regret him.

“I don’t think we drank enough last night.” You twist in his arms, lips barely touching his.

“I don’t think so.” He lands a soft kiss to your lips. “I still hate you, love.”

“Feelings mutual.” You straddle over his hips and rest your forehead on his, both your heads still pounding from last night’s activities.

©lqveharrington - all rights reserved. do not copy, translate or share my work on other media platforms

[joja-galaxy]

I want to point out a scene that I'm one 100% sure slip from everyone eyes when reading the cruel prince, so here we go:

When you read the book again after you have already experienced the Horror of the Coronation, you see little details like this one that means the world to me.

The first time I read the book, I was so in shock of modoc action and the death that happened that I didn't pay that much attention to the jude and cardan scene because all my mind was working on was why modoc did what he did and what does it mean for jude.

Any way in this scene jude put her hair down infront of cardan for the first time I think + he was already drunk so when he looked at her he saw a glorious woman that he is desperately need for his desire. So he was going to say, "You look.. magnificent / beautiful / breathtaking," how've he shut up because he can't lie.

And when jude left him to bring a mask for herself, he started to drink more to stop thinking of her. Then my new fav line is "his gaze burning into me. I have no idea what he sees, what he's looking for." You want me to move on from this line from his gaze being so obvious about his obsession for her. I'm sorry, but I could never do that ever.

[thelov3lybookworm]

Weeping Heart (Part 4)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Summary: a late night walk in the woods, bandages ripped off old wounds.

•○●⛦●○•

Word Count: 1477

A/n: AHHAHAAHHA I LOVE THISS like it feels so good to be writing 🥹

we getting our hearts broken folks, less goo 🥳

anyways, enjoy!

°•°•°•○🌑○•°•°•°

There wasn’t a knife at her neck.

That was the first concern Y/n cleared from her mind, her heart rate slowing in comfort before speeding up again.

Who the fuck-

"Y/n, my friend." Slurred a clearly drunk Cardan.

Thank god it’s this fool.

She knew it was mean to think of him this way, but Cardan had never been much of a warrior.

He was a poet.

Made to be a lover, born to be soft hearted, forced to rule.

"Cardan." She gently grabbed his arm, trying to push him off as she breathed deep, her racing heart slowing. "What are you doing here-"

"How are you!" She blinked as he stepped back, spreading his arms as if asking for a hug.

"I’m good, Cardan. How… how are you?" She mumbled, dreading the answer already.

She did not want to know how he was, because if he was not good- which she somehow knew he wasn’t- she would want to return, heartbreak be damned.

And that would end up with her not being good.

"I’m so glad you asked!" He cackled, swaying on his feet before Y/n wrapped her hand around his bicep and forced him to sit. "I am so sad, Y/n. You know why?"

Her breath caught in her throat, and she stared at where she could make out the outline of his eyes. "Why?"

She began moving again as he started listing off all the reasons everyone at court bothered him, the way this courtier wasn’t entertaining enough, the way that messenger was too stoic and would never laugh at Cardan’s jokes, the way Jude forced him to sit in the great hall and and just watch, prohibiting him from revelling like he had used to before he was crowned.

It made Y/n smile.

Everything had changed in the past year, with his family being killed, him becoming a king, his sudden marriage, but if there was something that hadn’t changed, it was him.

He kept whining as she arranged her pillows around him, and as he leaned back, she nodded along, just like before.

But then his voice lowered, and she had to strain her ears to hear, even with her advanced fae hearing.

"You left too."

She froze. "I know."

"I don’t have anyone to talk to now Y/n." It was dark, but not enough that she couldn’t make out the small pout on his lips.

"I’m sorry, but it was the queen’s orders-"

"Fuck the orders, Y/n. Come back. I am so lonely without you."

She pulled back from him, blinking away the sudden stinging that started in her eyes, but he was quick, his hand grabbing hers in a vice like grip.

Cardan really was lonely, because he was not one to curse so freely, and if he of all people was cursing…

I’m fucked.

"I was so excited to meet you again, but you haven’t talked to me at all since I arrived. And then I thought you would appreciate your soldiers being distracted so we could talk, but then you got mad and left me alone."

His voice kept getting smaller and smaller, like a child on the verge of crying.

It broke Y/n from the inside.

"Cardan-"

"Please Y/n, I want to talk. Just like we used to." He mumbled, and Y/n watched as his eyelids drooped over his glassy eyes, as if he was on the verge of crying but too tired and drunk to. "Please, don’t ignore me. I’m sorry if I hurt you but-"

She swallowed.

"I- Cardan? You want to talk right?"

He hummed softly, his eyes struggling to stay open as he turned on his side.

"Sleep, my love. We’ll talk tomorrow, yeah?"

He turned his head to her again. "You promise?"

She offered him a weak smile, knowing he probably could not see.

"Yes, sweetheart. Rest now."

He passed out before she even finished pulling the duvet over him, and she stared at him for a moment. It was a split second decision, but she hesitantly dipped down, pressing her lips to his temple.

Sighing, she stretched to try and get rid of the sudden pain in her lower back.

She looked around, wondering if she should go back to sleep.

She didn’t, instead stepping out into the crisp night air, her eyes drawing to the softly glowing embers in the middle of the camp, fighting to stay alive long after the fire had died down.

Quietly, she settled down on one of the logs closest to it, lost in her own thoughts.

It wasn’t long before someone interrupted her, though.

"Couldn’t sleep?"

She blinked, then turned to look at the newcomer. "I should be asking you that."

Herb shrugged, plopping down beside her. "I asked first."

Y/n sighed. "You could say that."

He was silent, then- "Why?"

Frustrated, Y/n tilted her head back, eyes fixed on the stars twinkling against the dark sky. "Because my bed is occupied."

He nodded, like he knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Why are you here?"

"Couldn’t stop thinking about all the things. Too much on my mind to shut off."

Y/n hummed.

Neither of them spoke after that. Surrounded by silence and his quiet company, Y/n felt oddly at peace.

In the distance, Y/n thought she heard an owl hoot, the quiet rustling of leaves, the crunch of snow. It calmed her.

Herb stood then, cracking his back.

"Come."

She blinked. "What?"

"I’m going to take a walk in the forest. Come with me."

She thought about it for a moment, then stood. "Not too deep, Herb."

He grinned his signature goofy smile, his canines glinting under the light of the full moon.

"Do you realise what you just said? I can make so many jokes with that."

Y/n shook her head, exasperated, shoving his shoulder as she began walking off towards the dense cover of trees. He continued cackling like a madman, his steps near silent as he fell in step beside her.

Unconsciously, the corner of her lips ticked up.

"So. His highness?"

Just like that, her smile vanished. "What about him?"

Herb was quiet, but she knew he was observing her. "You love him."

It was not a question. It was a statement, his surprise evident in his voice.

Y/n turned her head away.

But she didn’t deny it.

"And he’s married."

"I know." She snapped, making him raise his hands in surrender.

"Calm down, I’m not trying to offend you-" A look from her, and he stopped.

Moments passed, tense, filled with harsh truths swirling between them.

"Why… Why did you not tell him? From what I know, you used to be very close."

"I don’t see how it concerns you." Y/n closed her eyes, chest constricting. She exhaled heavily. "I… he would have never loved me back."

A beat passed, then- "How do you know that?"

"Don’t you know? He was a rake. Had everyone begging for a chance to spend a night with him. He wasn’t the type to settle down, at least not so early."

"But he did."

He did. And it wasn’t with Y/n.

"He would tell me everything back then, and maybe if I hadn’t left… he probably would still have told me everything. A few days before his coronation, he told me he liked Jude. I knew then that I never did stand a chance."

"I… I’m sorry-"

"Don’t be. It isn’t your fault that the heart loves."

He was quiet after that, contemplating. This Herb as new to her. This was not the Herb who was always goofing around, pulling pranks on people in the middle of important missions.

It made her concerned, to say the least.

"Are you sure he doesn’t like you back-"

"Herb. Please."

He nodded reluctantly as the camp came into view again, guilt and sadness mixing with something Y/n did not want to recognise in his eyes.

He came to a stop in front of his tent, glancing at her and opening the flap, his eyes unmoving.

"Get in, Y/n."

She blinked at the seriousness in his tone, the way he refused to break eye contact. "I- you want me to sleep in your tent?"

He rolled his eyes, letting the flap fall. "Unless you are planning on kicking his highness out of yours, where are you going to sleep?"

"Where will you sleep?"

He shook his head. "I’m not tired. I was thinking of staying up and keeping watch for some time."

Y/n nodded, searching his eyes.

She stepped forward, and so did Herb, his back to her.

Y/n hesitated for a moment. "Herb?"

He paused, half turning to her.

"Thank you-"

"Don’t." He offered her a small smile, then walked away.

°•°•°•○🌑○•°•°•°

Cruel Prince Taglist: @dahliawarner @yucanbmylxdy

Cardan Greenbriar Taglist: @kennedy-brooke @hnyclover @minnieoo @sidrapotter

@rosecobollway @mp-littlebit @tele86 @fauxraven

@fuzzycupcakebeliever @bay7let

Taglist: @dreamsarenicer @kennedy-brooke @rosecobollway @batboygirlie

@btrxbllck @love-bookprincess

[beloved-daydreams]

One of the things that makes me love Cardan above all else is how completely DELUSIONAL he gets when he's with Jude.

For example, that scene in the first book shortly after their first kiss, when Jude wakes him up and separates him from the others in order to discuss what their next move is gonna be, and he's all like "Did you truly take me here only to talk to me?" 100% already expecting more kisses.

That other scene where he's like "You looked like a knight from a story. Possibly a naughty one." (Don't remember the book nor the chapter aaaaaaa someone please help!)

Or that moment in tqon where Jude came back dressed as Taryn and he assumed that she wants to be alone with him to take her clothes off in front of him??? Like??? Bro??

They're so ridiculous it's unreal. They're both delusional but somehow in the COMPLETE opposite direction from eachother. Jude wonders when and how Cardan will betray her and she keeps thinking he somehow hates her while Cardan is consistently like

"Oh man we could totally be kissing right now 😉 We could be having so much consensual sex but my hot darling knight Jude is so busy 😔 Ooooh Juuude I guess we have no other choice but to get married 🥺 Sorry this wasn't as romantic as it could've been... 💔"

????????????

Their hopes may be up but their IQ sure is down.

[soulaires]

cardan greenbriar headcanons

I would still adore you with your hands around my neck.

ꨄ︎ He is brutally and unapologetically mean when you first met, he doesn’t really ‘bully’ but makes it clear he HATES you (snickering/laughing w his friends whenever you are in sight or gives backhanded and sarcastic comments )

ꨄ︎ you don’t really entertain him most of the time which drove him MAD he doesn’t really understand why he’s craving for your attention so bad

ꨄ︎ he couldn’t really understand that he liked you o he’s just mean, he doesn’t know how to get your attention without the full on teasing

ꨄ︎ whenever you respond to his teasing, your words cut him like a knife (you hurt his ego, he hurt your pride 🤷‍♀️)

ꨄ︎ the moment he realized he likes you, he just deny, deny, deny, deny.

ꨄ︎ he absolutely hates the way how much he wants you, hates the way he craves for you, your presence, your touch dearly and hates the way he badly want to shut you up by a kiss

ꨄ︎ when he saw you kissed locke, he get irritated and finally starting to accept it

you are currently in a garden, reading a book when suddenly the bane of your existence voice greeted you,

“why did you fucking kissed locke??” Cardan marched towards you as he settled in front of you, you stood up, preparing to leave but he caught your arms.

“I ask you a question, princess. Answer it.” He remarked, the gap between you two is a bit close than ever.

“None of your business, royal highness.” You mocked.

“Why? Why does it have to be him? You have a terrible taste.”

“He’s a good kisser, I would not lie.” you try to get under his skin

“No, he Isn’t.” He argued

“Why do you always have to disagree to everything I say???”

“Because, my dear, If I agree with you, then both of us would be wrong.”

“You drive me crazy, Greenbriar.”

“How crazy?” He mused. “Show me how mad I drive you.”

you rolled your eyes as you start to wak out but cardan was quick to corner you in a tree, your heart is racing, tension is thick and yu could not breath.

he seems to caught onto that as he smirks, “my, my, my, darling, why is your heart racing so fast when I haven’t even touch you, hm?”

you can feel your cheeks heet up as yu raises your eyebrow, “and how would you even know that?”

he grabs your hand and put it on his chest, “because mine is.”

You let your arms away from his beating heart as if it burns you, “you should go.” you breathed out. “Yeah, you should definitely go, cardan.” You distanced yourself but not far enough from him.

“Go where, sweatheart?” his face is much more closer to yours, “here?” You can feel his breath on your shoulder. “Or maybe here?” It moved up to your neck.

“ca—cardan.” You stuttered. You fucking stuttered. You heard him chuckled and moved up to your ear

“Kiss me.” you heard his hoarse voice whispers to your ear.

“What?” Your eyes went wide as you backed away.

“I said, kiss me. Kiss me until I am sick of it. Kiss me until his taste is out of your lips, kiss me until all you can taste is me. Kiss me.” he begs. All cardan could only think was that he needed you. Needed to taste you, to have his arms around you, to hold you. He could not think straight. “please.”

“Shut up.” You said as you kissed him. Kissed him. You have no excuse for it, not a accidental, forced to, nada. You kissed him.

Cardan quickly melts into the kiss as he tugs you closer. His tongue swept along with your lips and you granted him the permission he craved. It drove him crazy. He dreamed of this very moment, of you, every damned night. Thought about it every hour, about how you would taste, it was a question and answer , a beginning to an end. Cardan Greenbriar could stay like this forever, with you in his arms, with your fingers on his hair. With your lips on his. He devoured you, tasting every bit of you and you heard his desperate whine.

You pulled away but he chased your lips. You guys stared at each other. “I–“ “this never happened.” You are quick to shut him off as you scurried away.

ꨄ︎ he drown himself with alcohol that night.

ꨄ︎ he tried to talk to you but was unsuccessful

ꨄ︎ one day, he had enough and planned to corner you

ꨄ︎ he finally caught on to you

“Lets talk. Stop running away from me.”

“No.”

“Yes.” He argued “stop being stubborn.”

“That was a mistake.”

“Is it?”

“Yes. A mistake that shall never repeat again.”

“Don’t say that.” His voice shakes

“Let’s forget it happened—“

“Again, it hurt me, princess. It hurt me.” Again.

“It’s probably for the best!” You burst out

“No, it is not! Will you please stop driving me crazy?”

“I wanted this—you for so long and im not losing the chance. You have no idea how i wanted this. The way you look at me... I want you to know what it does to me. I want you to feel it. Feel how crazy you make me.”

You went silent as you stepped closer to him, “show me, cardan.” You whispered and he did.

ꨄ︎ now that you guys are dating he became more protective of you, always looking out for you.

ꨄ︎ he would start the next Trojan War for you if you are not in his line of sight

ꨄ︎ oh boy he is CLINGYYYY

ꨄ︎ he calls you lots of pet names like “my queen, love, my love, my darling, sweetheart, angel etc.

ꨄ︎ writes you letters and poem!

ꨄ︎ he’s a sassy man.

ꨄ︎ He loves saying I love yous

ꨄ︎ gorgeous flowers every time!!!

ꨄ︎ his tail unashamedly wrapped around you every time

ꨄ︎ especially when he’s jealous possessive

[starryevermore]

love's never lost when perspective is earned ✧ cardan greenbriar

angst city™ library | send in a request (consult request faqs first)

pairing: cardan greenbriar x fae!fem!reader

request: I happened to stumble upon your Tumblr too and I saw some of your rules regarding requests, I don’t know if it’s proper to do it here or on your tumblr because I’ve never truly requested something, hahaha. But would you mind doing another continuation to this? A smut continuation of their wedding night? I have a feeling you’d manage to do such an amazing work- AllyLover2014

summary: and he won’t confess that he waited, but he let the lamp burned. as the fae masqueraded, he hoped she’d return. with her feet on the ground, tell him all that she’d learned.

word count: 1,910

warnings?: 18+ MINORS DNI, smut, p in v sex, unprotected sex, oral (f & m receiving), dual povs, not proofread

PART ONE | PART TWO 

Cardan’s tail swished at his feet. From across the room, he watched as you danced with Jude. A smile tugged at his lips. His wife and his best friend. What luck he had been afforded for the two incredible women in his life to get along so well? He knew, of course, that you would. In your time at school, you often admonished Cardan for any cruel tricks he played on Jude. She didn’t deserve that treatment, you’d always say. Be better, because I know you can be. You were the only person he would allow to speak to him like that. After all, you were the only person who thought him above the part he played. If all of Elfhame thought him cruel, you saw him for he truly was. Jude, eventually, came to see that too—both your kindness and the mask Cardan wore.

You caught his eye and smiled. Cardan watched as you took Jude’s hand, gently urging her out of the swarm of dancing fae. She smiled appreciatively at you. It was difficult for humans to find their way out of these revels. If you were not watching out for her, Jude might have danced until she died. 

“You didn’t have to stop,” Cardan said as you approached him. Jude slipped away to the refreshment table.

“I cannot stand to be apart from you. I’ve had enough of a fill of that for a lifetime,” you said. Cardan’s heart soared. Your arms wrapped around his waist, and your head came to rest against his chest. “Besides, I think Jude was beginning to tire.”

“I do not plan to let you stray from my side for a long time.” Cardan’s tail wrapped around you and pulled you closer. If Cardan could achieve it, he would mould you against him so that you never could leave again. “I am glad you and Jude are friends now. She has so few she feels she can trust.”

“As am I.” Your smile faltered for a moment. So quick that Cardan might not have noticed it if he hadn’t committed himself to memorizing every part of you. He reached up, thumb tugging at the corner of your lips so that the smile might remain in place. “May I confess something?”

“Anything.”

You took a breath. You did not speak immediately. Instead, you took the time to straighten the crown that rested against his brow. “I left because I thought Jude was the one you cared for. After you were crowned High King, you were seldom from her side. It broke my heart to think that I had lost your favor. I would step aside for your happiness, but I could stand by and watch it happen.”

Cardan’s tail wrapped tighter around you. You would not run again, but he couldn’t stop the fear from sinking deep into his veins. “I was scared that you would not like the crown I wore. Jude took a liking to tell me how ridiculous I was acting. Truthfully, I think she liked that too much because it was the one thing that we could always agree.”

“Why did you wait so long then?”

Cardan laughed. “I may have agreed with Jude that I was being ridiculous, but it did little to quell the fear that you would not want me.”

“Well, whatever she said to convince you to act, I am grateful. Even if it did send me running.” You pressed a soft kiss to his lips. Cardan smiled. “In some ways, I think we both needed it. Who knows how long we may have skirted around our feelings still.”

He combed your fingers through your hair and pulled you in for a searing kiss. He loved this. He loved being your husband. Cardan no longer had to pace the floors of the palace, wondering if he could confess to you his feelings. He no longer had to dream of what it would feel for you to be in his arms, for it was now his reality. And as you moaned against his mouth, Cardan decided he would commit every moment of his long life to bringing you as much pleasure as you have already brought him. It was his duty as your husband after all. 

“Let us retire,” he said, parting from you long enough for a breath.

“It is our wedding celebration. People will talk if we leave too soon,” you said, but your voice was filled with enough lust that he knew you didn’t truly mean a single word. 

“Let them talk, and let Jude run them through with her sword for disrespecting their Queen and King.”

You smiled up at him, and Cardan stole another kiss. “Whisk me away, my love.”

The entire walk up to your shared chambers, Cardan’s tail swished behind him in excitement.

Sex and nakedness are not regarded the same in Faerie as it is in the human lands. Yet, watching as Cardan undressed before you had you positively giddy. It had you even forgetting that you were supposed to undress, too, until your husband was reaching around you, skillfully undoing the laces of your dress with his nimble fingers. 

“You are beautiful,” you whisper, running your hand down his chest to his stomach. “The most beautiful person I have ever seen.”

Cardan grinned. “And to think you tried to deprive yourself of such beauty,” he teased. He kissed your brow, dragged his lips down to your ear. His breath was warm as he whispered, “I should be quite upset, you know, that you tried to deprive me of your beauty.”

Wordlessly, you sank down to your knees. The wood was cool against your skin. A nice contrast to how warm your arousal was making you. Cardan watched you, his mouth falling open to release a shuddering breath as you took his cock in your hands. “Shall I repent, my husband?”

His throat bobbed as he swallowed. Any sign of his teasing had disappeared the moment you touched him. You wondered if he had always been so affected by you. You wondered how blind you must have been to miss it for all these years. “You may do to me as you please,” he breathed out.

Your tongue darted out, wetting your lips, before you took him into your mouth. As you looked up at your husband through your lashes, Cardan looked as though he might just fall apart under your touch. Pride settled in your veins. Neither you nor Cardan were strangers to pleasures of the flesh, but you were certain that no one could make him feel as you were now. You released him with a pop! and began to kiss down his length.

Cardan’s fingers found purchase in your hair. His grip tightened as you ran your tongue up the underside of his cock, taking time to flick over a rather prominent vein. But before you could take him fully in your mouth again, Cardan was pulling you away, gently nudging you back to your feet. 

“Was that not to your liking, husband?” you asked, though you already knew the answer. 

“I will not allow you to steal all the fun, wife,” he said. Cardan gathered you in his arms, carrying you the short distance to the bed and laid you down. He settled between your legs, which he had hiked over his shoulders. You reached down, brushing stray curls from his eyes. “It is my wedding night, too, after all.”

“Ah, yes, but what is that the humans say? Happy wife, happy life?”

Jude had been quite happy to share that one little line with you. Having grown up in Faerie, there was little she remembered from her time in the human lands. But she remembered that, and she shared it with you so that you could add it to your arsenal of things to make Cardan putty in your hands. 

“Oh, I fully intend to make you happy,” Cardan declared before diving in. 

Cardan ate your cunt as if he were a starved man. His tongue lapped at you, collecting your arousal as if it were the sweet nectar of an everapple. Just as he had you, your hand found its own wound through his silky curls. But where he had pulled you away, you drew him in closer. You could feel his smirk when he took your sensitive bud between his lips. 

You breathed out his name, chanted it as if it were the most precious oath. Recited it as though it were your vows to him. A cord deep in your stomach began to tighten, tauter and tauter until it finally snapped. Your chants became a scream.

Your husband emerged from your trembling thighs with a triumphant smile. He crawled up your body until he was draped over you like a blanket. Safe and secure within his arms. Cardan’s forehead rest against yours. His breath tickled your face, but you found delight in the sensation. His every breath was yours, and so yours were his. 

“I feel as though I am in debt to you,” you teased. “How can you let me finish, but not allow me the same pleasure?”

Cardan smiled. His tail dipped between your bodies, wrapped itself around your leg. “Your debt shall be paid soon enough,” he swore. 

You barely processed Cardan pressing his cock into you until the gasp escaped your lips. It had been a long while since you laid with anyone. You had forgotten how delicious that stretch felt. Acting of their own accord, your legs locked around his hips, keeping his thrusts shallow as he began to move. You pulled Cardan in for another kiss and did not let him pull away. 

His moans melted into your own. “I love you,” he chanted. His fingers intertwined with your own. “I adore you. I am yours to command.”

“Mm, don’t stop,” you said. And as though he were yours to command, he did as told, his thrusts beginning to grow sloppy. “I love you.”

Cardan gasped, and you felt him finish. He continued to thrust into you, one hand leaving yours to press against the still sensitive bud. He rolled it between his fingers, urging that taught cord to snap again. As though you were his to command, it did, and the tidal wave of ecstasy washed over your once more. 

“I love you!” you shouted, because nothing better encapsulated this feeling than those three simple words. 

Your husband came to rest against your chest, his ear pressed against the spot above your heart. He nipped at the skin of your breast until you scratched your nails against his scalp. His tail had unwound itself from your thigh, taking to swish softly in the air above you.

“I am glad I came home to you,” you said. “I am glad you did not let me stay away.”

Cardan lifted his head, a sleepy smile tugged at his lips. “I would run after you every day if it meant I got to have you in my arms for even a moment.”

“I shall never run again,” you swore.

“But then whom shall I chase through the palace?”

“I may run then,” you conceded. 

Content, Cardan rested against your chest once more. His breaths soon turned shallow, and a quiet snore echoed through the room. You followed soon after, because there was nothing in this life you would do without your husband at your side. 

[lau219]

Since many of you have voiced your excitement for more of this fic, here’s a little snippet for an upcoming (not next, but upcoming) part of Anything You Need, inspired by the latest interview pics. Please let me know what you think… 😁

…………………………………………………………………………….

Sitting on the cushioned bench of the hotel lobby, Y/N looked up from her phone upon hearing the ding of the elevator. As Cillian stepped out and then began heading towards her, she smiled as their eyes met after she’d assessed his outfit.

“I thought you were getting ready for the interview?” she said as she arched her eyebrow.

“I am ready,” Cillian replied, smirking back at her.

Slipping her phone into her pocket, Y/N stood up from the bench as she continued.

“So then your shift must start right afterwards, huh?”

Momentarily confused, Cillian furrowed his brow.

“My shift?”

“With the other longshoremen?” Y/N clarified, still smirking. “I can only assume you’re wearing that outfit because you have oysters to shuck and some fish to unload at the docks immediately after this interview.”

At Y/N’s words, the biggest smile spread across Cillian’s face and he couldn’t help but laugh, and he found himself having to resist the incredibly strong urge he had to slip his arms around her waist and pull her against him.

“At least when you criticize me, you’re funny about it,” he said as he looked at her.

Shaking her head, Y/N replied.

“It’s not criticism,” she said. “I didn’t say you look bad, I just think you missed your calling down by the boats.”

Laughing again, Cillian shoved his hands in his jacket pockets and then opened his arms, spreading the sides of the jacket open in indication of his outfit as he answered.

“This whole interview’s pretty informal; I just threw on the first stuff I saw in my suitcase. Is it really that bad?”

Smiling again, Y/N shook her head before turning to retrieve her bag off the bench, speaking as she did so.

“No,” she said, still looking down. “Somehow, you manage to make the whole ‘dock worker look’ adorably sexy.”

Not really meaning to say that last part out loud, it wasn’t until Y/N had turned back around and she’d met Cillian’s eyes did she realize what she’d just said. And as she looked at him and saw the expression of amusement mixed with something else in his eyes, she felt her cheeks immediately flush.

@nyxxie-pooh @xsweetcatastrophe @allie131313 @empatheticlove @febris-amatoria

@hannibellector @pawnsong @meister95 @alltoowellbeneaththemangotree @beastofburdenxo

@fracturedhaven @aphroditeslover11 @galactict3a @lyarr24 @wild-rose-35

@judig92 @cillmurphyslover @ladyvenera @karah-bear @k1ng-l3on

@ceirinen @peskybinders @fuseburner @shaddixlife @neonpurplestars89-blog

@garrison-girl-08 @devotedlyshadowytheorist @breakthestereo @muhahaha303 @mostly-marvel-musings

@an-eclectic-of-mass-destruction @vervainandspritz @wonderlanddreamer @novashelby @honeymoon8

@cardan-official @pkmonka @meadows5 @mamawiggers1980 @fmo166

@vastcapacity @mspookington-blog @teawonderfultea-blog1 @fkmarrycill @sl-newsie

@mrs-bond @shopgirl6us @cillianbabe @myers-meadow @ajajin3

[cloudybarnes]

Private Encounters

Pairing: Cardan Greenbriar x reader

Summary: you were tired of Cardan constantly attacking you and your friends. one day, though, Cardan asks to speak with you privately, and no good things could come from the prince of elfhame wanting to speak with you with no one else around

Word Count: 2.4k

Masterlist

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"Hurry up, you guys! We're gonna be late again!" Taryn whisper-shouted as you and Jude trailed behind her towards the courtyard.

Usually, you two went alone on your adventures, but Taryn decided she wanted to be spontaneous, too, and wanted to join along. Unfortunately, she didn't seem to have that much fun, and urged you back to class almost as soon as you got there.

"Who cares if we're late?" Jude rolled her eyes. "It's not like anyone would really care."

"Just because they don't like us, doesn't mean I want to draw their attention. Who knows what they'll do." Taryn shifted the picnic basket of food between her hands, nervously. She was always the most cautious of you three; always fearing what they would say or do to you guys.

You scoffed, "Taryn, let's be real. Even if we were there on time and minded our own business, Cardan and his little fanclub would still find some reason to bother us."

Jude chuckled, "he's so insufferable. What I wouldn't do to wipe that idiotic grin off his face."

You laughed, "I'm right there with you. It's like his greatest pleasure is being annoying."

"I don't know." Taryn slows her speed walk to match pace with Jude and I. "I feel like Cardan mostly has it out for you, now, (Y/N)."

You rolled my eyes.

"Oh yeah," Jude agreed. "Ever since we became friends, he's like diverted the hatred for us onto you."

You laughed, "Wow, thanks guys. Who knew being your friend would make a prince despise me."

Jude laughed too. "I don't think it was all our fault. You're human, so he would have hated you anyway."

"That's so reassuring, thanks for that."

Jude smirked, "anytime."

When we finally emerged onto the courtyard where class was taking place, most everyone ignored you, save for the professor.

"Ah," he said, "nice of you three to join us. Please find a seat so we can continue on with our lessons of astronomy."

Taryn bowed her head to keep from looking at anyone. You noticed Jude did not bow her head, but she would not look at the other students.

You, however, must be an idiot to not follow along with them, because your gaze falls straight to Cardan, who is staring back at you with much ferocity.

As the even bigger idiot you are, you do not avert your gaze, but simply glare back at him. To that, and small, devilish grin grows on his face. It almost seems like an invite of this little game you play. He hates you and your friends, goes out of his way to torment you three, and for that, you refuse to back down. Sometimes, you think he likes that you fight him so much.

"(Y/N)," Taryn calls, quietly as to avoid too much attention. She waves you over. Only then do you realize you've been staring at Cardan so long that Jude and Taryn have already set up the blanket and started spreading out the food.

Your cheeks heat as you walk the few feet to where they are sitting. You can hear Cardan snicker as you walk past him and Nicasia.

"What were you thinking!" Taryn scolds as you finally sit down on the blanket. Your professor continues with his lecture, but you don't even bother to pay attention to him.

You shrug, "I'm not really sure. I just can't stand him so much it makes me crazy."

Jude laughs at that. "I'm so glad we're friends, (Y/N). I think I'd go crazy if I didn't have someone else to share my hatred for Cardan with."

You giggle, "well it's a good thing I'm here, then, huh?"

"I don't think anyone is happy you're here."

Looking up from where you're sitting, you see Nicasia and Cardan looming down over you. Seems like the lesson is over as everyone else has abandoned the courtyard.

"Oh, Nicasia, always a pleasure." You rolled your eyes as you stood up. Behind you, you hear the shuffling of Jude standing and pulling Taryn up with here. "To what do we owe you coming over here and bothering us for?"

She smirked, "I have no reason for being near you filthy mortals other than to make sure you stay in your place. You don't belong here. You're frail, and worthless, and someone needs to remind you of that."

You mocked her with a laugh, "is that really all you've got?"

Taryn let out a quiet gasp.

Nicasia narrowed her eyes. "What did you say?"

You shrugged. "All I'm saying is you give the same excuse every time you come over here. 'I'm putting you in your place', 'make sure you know what a worthless mortal you are'. Blah, blah, blah. It's very redundant, Nicasia, and quite truthfully, it's just tiresome." You said condescendingly.

The fire is her eyes was hot. Her fists balled at her side as she glared at you.

Now, it's not like you were looking for trouble, or that you wanted anything bad to happen to you or your friends. You just could not stand the way she and Cardan always came over to you and caused problems.

The slap was expected. Your cheek burned as Nicasia's hand left your face. Taryn couldn't hold back the very audible gasp that left her lips. Looking back to your friends, Taryn looked utterly frightened, and Jude looked angrier than you'd ever seen her.

Right as Nicasia was about to slap you again, Cardan interrupted her.

"Nicasia," Cardan warned as he lifted his hand, "that is quite enough."

You scoffed. "Oh, and since when are you ever the peace maker?"

Cardan smirked, "Since Nicasia decided she was going to slap you. I quite like your face the way it is."

All heads turned to Cardan as he said that. Nicasia looked hurt, Taryn looked almost as confused as you felt, and Jude just looked disgusted.

You narrowed my eyes at Cardan, despite your confusion. "What games are you playing at, Greenbriar?"

His eyebrows shot up in delightful surprise. A cheeky smirk playing on his lips. "I have no games, (Y/L/N)." He spat out your last name like it disgusted but also intrigued him.

He looked between Nicasia, Jude and Taryn. "You, leave us. I have a few words for (Y/N)."

Jude and Taryn looked at each other, confused and contemplating if they should leave or not. You stood your ground though.

"I'll be fine, guys. I'll just meet you back at Madoc's, okay?" You tried to reassure them, though you weren't exactly sure what you were getting yourself into. All you knew was that you didn't want Cardan to know he frightened you.

Jude nodded her head. "We won't be far. And Cardan," she turned to him, "if you so much as touch one hair on her head, I will-"

"Oh relax, would you, Jude? Always resolving your issues with murder." Cardan rolled his eyes. "Leave us. Now."

Jude glared at Cardan before turning to you and giving you a reassuring look. Just as quickly, she turned away and pulled Taryn off with her.

"And you," Cardan said as he turned to Nicasia. "I believe I ordered you away, as well."

Nicasia looked shocked. "Me? Why would I need to be sent away? Whatever punishment you have for the way she spoke to me, I want-"

"Leave, Nicasia. I won't ask you again."

Stunned, Nicasia's mouth hung open just slightly as she looked between you and Cardan. With a 'hmph', Nicasia turned on her heel and strutted away, leaving behind just Cardan and you.

The two of you stood there in silence. You gazed up at him, trying to decipher why he could possibly want to speak with you alone. Maybe he wants to kill you. Maybe he's grown tired of this cat and mouse game you have going on.

"What do you want, Cardan?"

He smirked, and took a daring step closer to you. "I just wanted to talk with you. You're... interesting. I find you intriguing to say the least."

You raised my brow in confusion. "You find me intriguing? Now I know you're toying with me. What do you really want, Cardan?"

He scoffed. "Is it that hard for you to admit that I might find you interesting?"

"How interesting could I possibly be? I'm mortal, remember? Can't believe you would forget, not after you and your friends made it your entire personalities to constantly remind me of my mortality and how worthless you believe me to be."

Cardan's smirk only grew. "You are quite right. You're mortal. Mortals by nature are fragile, slow, susceptible to our tricks, and yet you seem to be quite the opposite."

Your eyebrows shot up, completely shocked by this sort-of compliment you just received from the Prince of Elfhame.

Cardan continued before you could even get a word out. "I dislike mortals quite a bit. I think they are weak. They have little skill that is worth anything, and they are often succumbed to the nature of our people. You, however, are quite different, (Y/N)."

He took a tender step closer to you. Your breath was caught in your throat. Cardan had never shown any type of interest in you. You thought he'd never actually shown anything other than disgust towards you, but maybe you were wrong.

Maybe all of those teasing smirks and cruel comments were him testing you, trying to figure out just how far he could push you.

"You've stood up to me. You've been given every chance to back down. I've seen how far you are willing to go to defend yourself and those little friends of yours. I find it admirable in a way."

You force out a laugh. "You find it admirable? Everything you consider so 'strong' and 'admirable' about me is what I've had to do to survive this place. You've done nothing but make living here just that much harder than it already is for mortals."

You strode closer to Cardan, persistence on your face. His eyes widened slightly, but the daring smirk never faltered from his lips.

Just as you two were chest to chest, you spoke, "answer now, Cardan, what is it you really wanted to tell me?"

"I've already told you, (Y/N). I think you're admirable. I think you're intriguing. I think there is something about you that keeps drawing me in. Something so pulling, it's frustrating how much I think of you."

No words left your mouth. How could they when your jaw laid open the way it was.

Cardan chuckled. "Now, another reason I wanted you here. I must ask: I know you mortals can lie, something we folk can not do, but how are you so good at pretending?"

Your eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Pretending?"

Cardan's smirk only grew, "pretending you aren't in love with me, that is."

The world had stopped. It felt like your entire world had shattered. This was quite possibly the last thing you thought Cardan would get you alone for.

Anyone with eyes could see that Cardan Greenbriar was gorgeous. All of his kind were gorgeous, but he had exceptional beauty. Beside that, you couldn't find one characteristic about him that you had liked. Sure, maybe he stopped Nicasia from hurting you further than she would have. And by the way Jude recalled his cruelty before they met you, it seemed to have subsided quite a bit since you met him. That still doesn't change the fact that he is cruel, and has been for a long time.

"Cat got your tongue?"

You shook your head clear from your thoughts. "No. Just confused how you could possibly think I would be in love with you."

"You want to know how I know you're in love with me, despite what you might believe?" Cardan grinned and closed the already small space between you two. "Because I know how insufferable you find me. I know how I get under your skin, how you lay awake thinking of how much you hate me. I know this because I feel the same towards you, and despite my feelings of irritation with you, I still find myself completely infatuated by you."

"You are?" You questioned, voice so quiet you might barely have heard it, but Cardan sure did.

He grinned. "Oh, yes. I have been infatuated with you from the moment I laid eyes on you. I wasn't lying earlier when I told Nicasia I'd like her to leave your face the way it is. I think you are pretty for a mortal. You give off this glow and iridescence. You are unlike any other mortal I've come across. The way you've kept me up at night, the way I am excited to see you just to have our little spat had me confused for the longest time. Eventually, I just couldn't take it anymore and I’ve decided to act on it."

You couldn't take it anymore. Everything Cardan said resonated so deeply with you. Somehow he knew exactly how you felt. The way you hated him, the way you were angry with yourself when you thought of him so often, everything he said he felt is exactly what you were going through as well.

You decided, if Cardan was going to act on his confusing feelings, you would act on yours as well.

Already chest to chest, you reached up and gripped Cardan hair, tight enough to hurt, and kissed him with all of the pent up anger and hatred for him you had.

If Cardan was surprised, he didn't seem it. He gripped onto your waist and kissed you back with so much ferocity it made your knees weak.

It was hot, and it was unlike any kiss you've ever had before. Kissing Cardan was unleashing something so deep inside of you. All of your confused feelings for him wrapped up all into a long-awaited kiss.

Gasping for air, you and Cardan separated, though not fully. While you were no longer kissing, you had yet to pull your fingers from the tangles of his hair, and he had no plans of letting go of his hold on your waist.

"I still hate you," you said breathlessly.

Cardan smiled, he actually smiled and replied, "I think I hate you more."

[madockisser]

I would love to hear your thoughts/analysis on why cardan didn’t turn out truly cruel like every other folk or like his siblings? Obviously with his upbringing and how he was treated by everyone so wrongfully you would think he would turn out 10x worse than he is. He puts up this false act of being cruel to impress and get the attention from those he seeks around him. But truly he isn’t like that…. At all from what we’ve read in the books. Even after all the betrayal … even after all the schemes and tricks people have done to him.

Naturally the fae are crueler than humans so I wonder why you think he didn’t turn out that bad at all. He releases the servants. He has the capability to actually feel remorse and empathy unlike his companions. I’ve just found his entire character development so intriguing.

Why is cardan different from the other fae / how his upbringing affects his behaviors

hi! Thannk you for the ask! This one’s kinda long but first I’ll start w fae natures:

I wouldn’t say the fae are crueler than humans, they seem to be less empathetic. humans also have the capacity to be cruel and awful, and since fae cannot lie, i imagine they are pretty closed off from the get go. They naturally want to be sneaky to protect themselves. not all of them are cruel, but they certainly can have the capacity to be. Just like humans.

also they cannot help their natures. A lot of fae prize fun and trickery above all, and so they find it by being awful. it’s just in their nature. They see the world differently, they are immortal, so simple things like protecting feelings of others or mortal lives are unimportant to them.

Now i can only speculate using what we know, but here’s what i think.

First of all, cardans upbringing.

most fae children are raised similarly to him, cast out to fend for itself. Cardan was the same except he grew up a prince.

he was told that he’s an important little prince, to be doted on momentarily then forgotten about.

he never had a midwife, his father never cared for him, his siblings treated him like an animal, the cat that fed him breastmilk fled from him.

cardan always wanted to be loved, TRULY loved. he detested fake admiration. and he never not one received real, true, healthy love.

Love from balekin was abuse, love from his mother was taking advantage of his title, love from nicasia was using him for power. no one loved cardan.

despite the love he gave, he never received.

He was not cruel for nothing. He did it because despite being a prince he felt powerless. He was the youngest prince, destined to cause ruin and unlikely to ever sit atop the throne.

So that’s what he did, he felt obligated to prove to everyone that the prophecy over his head would be true, he did it mostly for attention from his father, because it was all he knew from his mother / to be petty and prove to his father that he was even worse than he imagined- and mostly because it kept him with the smallest amount of power he had.

but that’s not all. he lashed out a lot because he was afraid of being seen as weak. like i mentioned above, his siblings all saw him at his weakest, even if he was a child. and he hated that. he didn’t want them to think lesser of him, i think part of him wanted them to admire him, if not fear him.

being awful and scary gave him power. he could cast anyone from court, could hurt those around him with no consequence. because that’s what he felt he needed to do to be powerful. To be like balekin.

Except he didn’t want to be completely like balekin, just powerful like balekin, he wanted to share balekins strong front. Cardan never wanted to be a murderer like dain.

That’s important. Cardan cherishes life. Meanwhile, nicasia, valerian, balekin, dain, madoc, SO MANY do not.

like i said in the beginning, the fae are unlikely to care for mortal lives, to them, mortal lives are too fleeting to care about.

but cardan frees balekins humans slaves for some reasons: first, to prevent balekin from using them to beat him

Second, because Jude’s existence has led him to believe that humans are perhaps more valuable than he was previously told

And third, because he’s witnessed human death. When dain shot Val morens human lover, he watched him die, feeling responsible. i don’t think he EVER wanted to feel that way again. which is probably why he was so stern w not wanting jude to get hurt, asides from his love/lust for her, he doesn’t want to feel guilty for killing her or getting her killed.

it’s worth mentioning that scene in his novella when he takes the human that beat him back to the mortal world. he pities her, but she also pities him, and also tries to apologize. i think this was the only time anyone that ever hurt him, intentionally or no, actually apologized and meant it. Because it showed they actually cared.

nicasia apologized, which should hold more meaning bc she cannot lie. but then she defended herself by saying that he should’ve known. by belittling him. Like his mother. Like balekin. Bc even if they were ever sorry, they still think less of him. Nicasia saw how weak he was for her. And he hated it. But not the same hate that he shared w jude.

Also, dain. Dain played a HUGE role on why cardan is the way he is. Though dains actions were fleeting, they were lasting to cardan.

Because dain framed cardan as an evil little murderer who killed humans, cardan strove to

1. prove him right by being awful, to be petty mostly,

2. to retain his dignity of being thrown out and treated like an animal by embracing the “rebellious” side of him,

but also, he never truly wanted to be a killer.

he refused it outright in book one. because dain framed him for killing a human, causing Val moren to go mad, cardan didn’t want to kill another human, or anyone for that matter.

from a young age cardan learned this: that people are cruel for personal gain, and that death brings around much misery.

Though cardan did not actually kill Val morens human lover, his death caused his mother to be cast away. And as much as cardan didn’t want to: he still cared for his mother. and since the murder, he was cast from the palace, to live in a stable only pretending that someone were looking for him. That someone cared.

Now; balekin. Obviously balekin played a large role in why cardan is who he is. balekin wanted a perfect little prince for his fathers favor. and so that’s what he mostly got. but balekin beat cardan when things didn’t go his way.

cardan wasn’t perfect by any means, he was poor with a sword because he didn’t want to learn. Because he knew he would never want to outright kill anyone, maybe to irritate balekin. But maybe even partly because he didn’t want to defend himself should someone try to hurt him.

while he does state that “being alive is better” I’m not sure he ALWAYS held those reservations. he didn’t always have much to live for, which is so sad.

but, he still cared for balekin despite his abuse and his sisters despite their misgivings about him.

I believe he felt his sisters were innocent in all of this, they simply were being obedient daughters by ignoring cardan. and he was grateful to balekin for taking him, he also owed him for it.

he really didn’t want to be heartless like dain, to abuse like balekin. to be neglectful like his father. but he also didn’t want to be killed off like his sisters so casually. to be killed off like liriope and the baby in her womb. so he stuck to being scary rather than weak.

Cardan learned from a very young age what death brings. it brings suffering and guilt. feelings he doesn’t want to feel bc he hates feeling weak. he’d rather lounge around w a human book in hand and a cup of wine in the other than feel belittled.

add on: cardan is very forgiving. i believe that may because he feels guilty. obviously he didn’t kill Val morens human lover, but i can see him blaming himself for being a hopeful fool about dain (poor baby). and i believe his internal monologue when dain shot the human was him scolding himself for not seeing the trick sooner.

no one forgave him for that. Val moren held it against him years later when he sat at eldreds dinner table. No one forgives cardan for the cruelty he inflicts, possibly because they don’t care.

isn’t that sad? they don’t care enough to pursue a genuine relationship w the youngest prince; everyone seems to treat him like a rabid animal, ready to lash out and attack at any given moment.

that could be why he’s so forgiving. Because he’s desperate for any sort of relationship, even if they’re negative, even if they’re abusive. he holds out hope for those that don’t care about him because despite this, he cares for them- to some extent.

i feel that he acted this way moreso in his youth rather than present cardan, who probably only truly cares for jude and only jude. jude was the only one to really hold out hope for him after all, despite his behavior.

cardan can be kind because no one was to him. He can be empathetic because he knows suffering. he and suffering went hand in hand all throughout his life, his impressionable youth. he’s eventually kind to jude despite his jealousy toward the love she received from her family, because he’s grown out of longing for love from his abusers. he grew into loving jude and jude grew into loving him.

add on: cardan not only longs for a true love (he’s such a romantic) but eventually learns to long for a more simpler life- such as getting away from his family and living a quiet life in a low court. w money and wine of course.

anyway cardans life is so sad but i probably missed some stuff so please feel free to add on! 🫶🫶 moral of the story however, cardan cares, even while others blatantly do not. he wants love, while others want power. makes his and Jude’s dynamic in twk all the more devastating. makes thinking about his letters all the more saddening.

anyway luv u bye

[duarteegreenbriar]

Finally finished reading The Prisoner’s Throne (after owning the book for months, adulting sucks) and my thoughts are:

This book was infinitely better than The Stolen Heir. 🤲🏻

Oak had a lot more character depth than Wren IMO, I could understand why he did what he did (not completely, but definitely easier to connect with than her). He also had a good arc and development.

The Elfhame and High Court parts gave me life

Wtf happened to the Ghost—

Speaking of, I did NOT think that bish Randalin had it in him—

Me @ Mother Marrow - ??? 👁️👄👁️

Jude and Cardan overshadowed literally everyone in every scene of theirs. They still remain unparalleled, I’m afraid! 👑🤌🏻

Now that we’ve established that Oak might abdicate, can we please have Judecardan kids in the future? Thanks and thanks @ Holly.

I am so excited for the Undersea book that’s been hinted at, purely because we know JudeCardan will be there. Lord please let it be in their POV I’m begging—

Jude and Cardan 🫶🏻

Jude and Cardan 🥹

Jude and Cardan >>>>>

You see a pattern here :’)

[cromulentreader]

What do you think of Taniot?

Taniot (Prince Dain’s mother) is introduced moments before dying in the coronation and I think she was mostly added to prove Oriana was right: “It is no easy thing to be the lover of the High King. It is to always be in danger. It is to always be a pawn.”

We are not told Dain's age, but I would have guessed him older than the Ghost, who's 100 give or take. Taniot was potentially a consort for the High King for decades/centuries. Plenty of time to get used to Court games of being ladylike, even when someone swings a sword at her neck. Balekin offers Eldred a chance to avoid Taniot's death and tells him everyone will know Eldred allowed it if he doesn't take it.

“Declare me the High King, put the crown on my head(...). Otherwise, I will kill Taniot. I will kill her here in front of everyone, and they will all know that you allowed it.”

This is important because although this is not a human society, it doesn't mean it was amoral. Even if Eldred didn't have any love for Taniot she was in the Folk's eyes his and he had an obligation to her. Or an obligation to defend what belonged to him.

Later in TWK, Cardan chooses to save Jude to show Balekin (and others) where Jude was in Cardan's list of obligations. And outside of Roiben, looking for reasonable retribution, this choice isn't used as ammunition against Cardan later on, and it's an interesting contrast to poor Taniot's tale.

Taniot’s horned head rolls a short ways until it hits Dain’s corpse. I feel something wet on my face, like rain. There's so much symbolism on this one because having a child — an heir to the throne — is so significant in this society. Asha used it often and wasn't even a consort. But, like Asha, it provided Taniot no protection, no power of her own.

And this is a story about a girl who wanted power. Being a lady of the court was an available option to Jude, even with reduced options due to being mortal. But in Taniot she got confirmation (again) that being someone's wife or a royal's consort wasn't safe, and it wasn't power. Side note on the last line, my first intuition reading this was that Jude had tears falling at this point. It is possible that she was close enough that the blood splattered on her face like it did onto her dress. The ambiguity might reflect the trauma-induced dissociation in which Jude can't even specify what's happening to her. It would be interesting if Taniot's death were the one making her tear up and not Elowyn or Dain's; it would speak volumes about her sense of justice.

[deathsweetblossoms]

The Prisoners Throne thoughts

Spoilers beneath cut! Heads up for a critical review but a positive Jurdan review 😂

Also did anyone catch the Roiben and Kaye mention? It was subtle but it was there..

I’m a little all over the place with my initial thoughts on the whole thing, but here are my main takeaways:

The pacing was weak, especially in the build up (or lack of build up) to Oak’s discovery of The Ghost being the main poisoner of his mother. In the span of two chapters, Oak goes from incandescent rage towards Ghost and his sisters/family, to then processing all of that because of the Ghost’s death?

My issue here is we never really saw Oak talking to his family despite his POV lamenting that they avoid uncomfortable topics. He’s right. They do. And so I would’ve liked for a genuine heart to heart.

On the topic of the Ghost’s death — what the fuck? Also incredibly weak. We didn’t spend enough time getting to know Garrett for that death to be impactful in any way (unless you are me and you’ve been crushing on the Ghost for years). The attitude around the entire thing was so blasé that I genuinely thought he was going to be brought back to life in a few pages.. I just don’t understand what Holly was trying to do here.

Overall this probably needed to be a trilogy so she could develop more of these ideas, because even the romance with Oak and Suren felt a little off kilter to me.

Otherwise, every Jurdan scene was incredible. Cardan, despite his few appearances, carried this whole book on his back for me. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE OAK. The tragedy of his upbringing, the way he was supposed to have a happy childhood but was turned into a monster by Madoc is so bittersweet.

I think the abdication of being heir was solved a little too easily? But it did leave the door open for some speculation about a Jurdan baby 👀

I was right about the political problem being about the Undersea and I’m really wondering if she’s going to write that from Jurdan POV or from Nicasia.. so that’s exciting!

I wish we had more *Elfhame* in this book. Where was the magic of TCP? I just felt something was lacking and I can’t put my finger on what.

Suren having a rebirth moment like Cardan only adds to my criticism that Oak/Suren has too many similarities to Jurdan that I wish had been avoided — BUT. I love the imagery of it and I’m happy our monster girl got the happy ending she deserves.

A lot of these Cardan moments had me going absolutely insane — him protecting Jude? Him playing with Leander? Oak pointing out that Cardan is brave and picked up a sword to fight in the end as well? Omg!!

How do I feel? Weird. I’m NGL, I feel kind of strange about this book. Perhaps I need to reread the duology or the entire series.

Some other odd things I noticed:

Lady Asha is still alive and kicking it at court? Lol.

Oak thought Taryn was the kind hearted sister who wanted a gentler world

The amount of dead deer imagery (the deer heart in the Citadel, the dead deer on Madoc’s clothes) that made Oak feel ill at ease was equal parts cute and sad LOL. My sweet hoof boy 🥹

The removal of Valerian’s curse and the confirmation that there was, in fact, a curse. What does this mean for Jude going forward?

[thelov3lybookworm]

Weeping Heart (Part 6- Cardan)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Summary: new revelations

•○●⛦●○•

Warnings: none, i think.

Word Count: 1163

A/n: WITH THIS PART, THIS SERIES HAS COME TO AN END ASLDJSKFH I CANT BELIEVE IT OML 🥹🥹🥹 THANK YOU FOR FOLLOWING THIS JOURNEY WITH ME IM SO HAPPY 😭

this is part 6 for those who wanted yn to end up with cardan. for those who wated yn to end up with herb, you can read that part here.

anyways, enjoy🥹❣️

°•°•°•○🌑○•°•°•°

Cardan’s pov.

It was almost too easy to follow Y/n, especially when it was all he could think of.

Cardan could see Y/n’s second in command catching up to Cardan on his horse from his peripheral vision, and he pulled his reins taut, turning towards the fae.

"My lord," He rasped, his eyes wide, "I'm afraid I can't let you-"

Despite it being very unlikely of Cardan, he almost snarled. "I am your king, and you are no one to let me do things."

The second in command winced, swallowing. "Forgive me, your highness-"

Cardan turned his horse around, his mind again set on what was more important. "Will consider it."

And then Cardan rode away, chasing his love.

°•°•°•○🌑○•°•°•°

Y/n’s pov.

The air was quiet, peaceful. So at odds with what was going on inside Y/n’s mind.

Inside, it was chaos, a chaos Y/n didn’t want to look into.

She had always been very good at hiding away her thoughts, the chaos. It had always been easy. Push the thought to the back of her mind, and she would be fine. But not now. It wasn’t working.

No matter how many deep breaths she took, the uncountable number of steps she took, her mind kept returning to how she had lost her cool just a mere hour ago.

It wasn’t one of her finer moments, to be sure.

Sighing, she settled down on a fallen tree, nibbling on her nails before she forced herself to stop. Instead, she began biting her lips, knowing they’d be bruised before she would stop.

It wasn’t long before she heard the horse hooves beating the soft, pristine white snow, crunching softly.

Y/n straightened, refusing to turn to look. She knew who it was.

Cardan.

The horse stopped, and then Y/n heard the unmistakable thud of him landing on the ground. She counted the steps he took towards her in her head, eyes focused on the bug crawling maybe ten feet away.

He didn’t say anything. Not a word as he appeared in her vision, then quietly settled down next to her on the tree. She didn’t either, trying to ignore his presence. He heeded her wishes, staying silent for long enough that Y/n saw the overhead sun move down, towards the horizon, its resting place.

Only after it felt like it had been too long since Y/n had settled on the tree, did she sigh and glance at him. His eyes were already trained on her.

"What." She mumbled, tired. "Why did you come? Was my speech not enough?"

He exhaled, looking away. "Y/n. You did not let me speak."

Y/n turned her head back to the front. "What was there to be heard?"

She felt his gaze on her again. "A lot. A lot."

She didn’t speak, not sure what to say anyway. And so he continued.

"Jude and I. We only married for show. You know that, no? She helps me out with the kingdom, I help her stay safe and make sure no one in Elfhame dares to harm her."

"You liked her. You told me everything you ever did with her."

"That is not true. We’ve become friends, now, yes. But it does not mean I like her in any way. Not in the way that matters." He paused. "Not in the way I like you."

Y/n stiffened. "What?"

He sighed. "Y/n, surely, being the general of the army, you could not be that oblivious?"

She glanced at him hesitantly, jaw clenching. "Get to the darned point, your highness."

Cardan stared back at Y/n, his distaste for the title she used for him evident. "I love you, general."

Y/n’s jaw ticked. "You… what?"

He rolled his eyes, grabbing her jaw. "It is you I love. You I live for. It was only because you never gave me any indication that you liked me too that I started pursuing Jude."

Y/n watched him, dumbfounded. But what was the point anymore? He was married. And she did not want to be a mistress.

"That’s… great to know. After you’re with someone else already." She muttered, sarcasm dripping from every word.

He reached out, grabbing her hand. "Jude and I are not married anymore."

Y/n almost heard her neck crack as she whipped her head to look at him. "What?"

He grinned lazily. "Why does it feel like you’ve forgotten your vocabulary? You keep saying what, what, what?"

Y/n scowled. "I swear, Cardan-"

He squeezed Y/n’s hand before she could say anything more, leaning his head on her shoulder. "Jude never liked me, obviously. She only did what she did to be in power. The reason I came here in the first place was to tell you about our new plan. She and I will no longer be married, and as much has been announced in the palace two days ago. I wanted me to tell you about it before the news reached you, so I came here."

Y/n stared at him for a long moment, trying to process and understand the near atrocities escaping his mouth. For a moment, she wondered if he was lying. But he was fae, and so was she, and she knew very well he couldn’t lie.

She huffed, looking away from him. "Well, it would have been nice to know that earlier before I made a fool out of myself."

She could practically feel him raising his brow. "Yes, my darling, loving daydream, you gave me so many chances to do so, yes?"

She rolled her eyes, standing and dusting off her pants. "You must return to the camp, or something is bound to come get you. And I won’t be here to protect your royal… butt. I have to go out to look at jewelleries for Herb’s childhood sweetheart. Apparently, he is going to ask her to marry him."

It was true. Herb had always had his sights set on a pretty fairy with iridescent butterfly wings. Only recently had Herb requested Y/n help him out.

He followed her, grabbing her wrist before she could even take a step away. "And you must return to Insmear, or my guards are bound to get you."

His voice was light, playful even. butY/n heard the hope, the insecurity, the question in it.

And she, for the first time in months, glanced at him and offered him a small smile.

"Of course. Can’t ignore his highness’ orders."

He blinked, his smile making an appearance, one she loved so much. It made her cheeks turn warm. He led her to her horse, waiting for her to be seated before climbing on his own and snapping the reins.

And maybe they had a lot to unpack and talk about, think about how they were going to move forward, but for now, it was enough.

He was enough.

Her love was enough.

°•°•°•○🌑○•°•°•°

permanent taglist: @berryzxx @serenescureforboredom @cassie6392 @harrystylesfan2686

Cruel Prince Taglist: @dahliawarner @yucanbmylxdy @lilachaelnut @sheisntyou @kitkatlover015

Cardan Greenbriar Taglist: @kennedy-brooke @hnyclover @minnieoo @sidrapotter

@123345566 @mp-littlebit @tele86 @fauxraven

@fuzzycupcakebeliever @bay7let @yourmomsushi @evanthelibra @dnfhascorruptedme

Taglist: @dreamsarenicer @kennedy-brooke @123345566 @batboygirlie

@btrxbllck @love-bookprincess @kitsunetori @northstar-legolas3

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@duckyyyx @4v3lin3

[depraved-love]

Hii! Im really happy you are down to write for yandere Cardan!!

I was really thinking about a story with dark/yandere Cardan x fem human darling who bacically is from the human realm, doesnt belive in fates and one day he ends up in the human realm wounded, she sees him, helps him with his wounds and stuff, he becomes curious and when she offers to host him beliving he is a lost traveler, he agrees. She takes care of him and stuff and he catches feelings but when he offers her to come with him to fae realm(only now that she realises fae are actually real), obv she rejects

If it is too specific or if you dont like the scenario,Im really sorry and please let me know! I do not mind of you refuse it and would like to know in case you dont like it if I can send a different request

Tsm for reading my request and have a wonderfull day!

Yandere Cardan Greenbrair X F!Darling

Hello there!! Thank you very much for the request had a lot of fun writting it! Hard not to have fun when writting for this unit of a man. Hope the story is to your liking!

(Took some creative liberties such as leaving out smut this time!)

He did not think this one through. He did NOT think this one through! Admittedly, he doesn't think much, but this was beyond his usual stupidity. Nicasia had taken him swimming again, and this time, he’d actually managed to make it a little farther through the water before the panic set in. Of course, that was inevitable. But he’d gone deeper this time, and before either he or Nicasia could react, the current took him. He tried to scream into the water, tried to swim, but the current was unlike anything he’d ever felt. Not even the wind in the air moved like this. He knew it was a bad idea. The last time was awful, and this time, he's sure it’ll kill him. He’ll be swept away, the spell will wear off, and he’ll drown, pitifully.He doesn’t even get to finish imagining his body falling apart into moss and mushrooms beneath the surface before the current throws him against a rock, and darkness overtakes him.

He woke to repeated pressure on his chest, and warm lips against his own. His eyes shot open. Above him knelt a woman. [Y/H/C] hair cascaded down her shoulders, strands falling across her face, but her [Y/E/C] eyes shone through, wide with worry. She pulled back, her expression melting into relief. “O-oh, thank the gods! Sir, careful, that was a bad situation!” He groaned, trying to will his sore muscles to move. “No! Don’t get up yet! You might have internal damage! Let me call an ambulance-” He was just clear-headed enough to realize how badly that would go. If nothing else, they’d poke him with metal. “N-no… don’t call anyone…” “S-sir, you might be dying-” “I-I don't have the money…” A half-true, of course. A few leaves and he’d be fine. But he had no desire to see human doctors. “Oh? No health insurance...?” He nodded, and her eyes softened. She slipped an arm around him, propping him up against her shoulder. “I live near the shore. You can gather yourself there.” He nodded again, grateful. “I’m [Reader]. What should I call you?” “…Cardan...”

Her home was small, cozy, and warm, decorated with driftwood, sea glass, shells, and even bones. Cardan half-sat, half-lay on the couch as she gently wrapped gauze around his head. “Fishing boat? Damn, that had to be hard… When are they returning to shore again?” “Who knows… Once they do, I’ll be out of your hair. Don’t worry!” “No, no worries at all! You’re free to stay on the couch, if it’s enough.” She really is naive, isn’t she? Thoughts ran through his head, curling smugly. He didn’t even need spells. “Adorable décor you’ve got here,” he said, letting his eyes drift over the bits and baubles. “Aren’t you afraid the merfolk will be mad about you taking their treasures?” “Oh, sailors and your tales! There’s no such thing as merfolk!” “Truly? And what about fae?” “No fae either! Nothing but fairytales!”

Nobody looked for him for a while, as expected. That left him free to spend his days with a very worried human. As much as he hated those little monkeys, this one was… kind of nice? She certainly took his mind off that annoying girl back at court. She insisted he come treasure-hunting with her. Apparently, she sold her handmade creations, trinkets crafted from shells, glass, and wire, to tourists passing through the town. It made just enough to feed her and keep the lights on. Admittedly, some human luxuries were nice. And so were the things she made, small, glittering, and strange. To him, they felt more magical than anything Grimsen had ever forged. One day, he sat on the balcony, staring off into the distance, toward Elfhame, though he’d never admit it. That was when he felt something circular and cool being placed on his head. “A little surprise!” [Reader] chirped.He reached up. A crown, woven from copper wire and sea glass, now sat lightly on his head. “It fits your hair,” she added, sitting next to him with a smile that radiated warmth. Cardan’s heart fluttered. Crowns weren’t really his thing, obvious reasons. But this one felt different. It was light. Not just on his head, but on his heart. As if her presence alone eased the weight of his dreaded title. He didn’t even realize what he was doing until his arms were already wrapped around her shoulders. She was warm against him, grounding and safe. He never wanted to let go. Sitting like this, that's when he truly felt like a prince. “…Thank you.” “Hah, no worries, friend. I’m glad you like it.”

Exactly one month after his Undersea adventure, Cardan was out collecting seashells with [Reader] on the beach, near the very spot she’d found him. He wasn’t paying much attention to his surroundings, lost in some half-thought, until he heard it: the sharp gallop of hooves and the near-silent swish of moth wings slicing through the air. Looking up, his blood ran cold. Those silver eyes. Familiar. Dreaded. Balekin. "Seashells, brother?" The older fae sneered, voice thick with disdain. Cardan didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. The vacation was over whether he liked it or not. "Get on the moth." Balekin’s voice was sharp as a blade, and Cardan was already half-turning to obey when he heard it, the soft thud of a basket hitting sand. He turned. [Reader] stood there, wide-eyed, trembling, seashells spilling from her arms. “…So still just fairytales, huh?” He whispered, voice breaking. “C-Cardan? Am I dreaming? Did you… did you slip something into my tea?” He sighed, defeated, and let his tail relax, uncoiling it from where it had been hidden under his shirt. “I wish,” he muttered. She stumbled back, her body bracing to run, but Balekin raised a single hand. “Stop,” he commanded. And she froze. Balekin’s eyes flicked over her with scorn. “A little thief, is she? Nicasia will be thrilled with that one-” “Don’t even think about it!” Cardan snapped, stepping protectively in front of her. He turned back to her, hands reaching out, tail flicking with hope like a nervous pup. “[Reader]... please come with us. Back to Elfhame. It’ll be so much better. No more scraping by! I’m absolutely sure you’ll fit right in!” He smiled, hopeful, holding her hands. But her eyes… her eyes were full of fear. “Are you insane?” she whispered. “T-this-this isn’t happening! I have to go. I have to go! No!” It hit like cold water to the chest. His smile crumbled. How could she say that? Why wouldn’t she want the life of royalty? “No, no, no, no-” “Stop. Follow me,” Balekin ordered again. And her eyes, those kind eyes, clouded over. Glassy. Obedient. Cardan’s heart twisted as she silently stepped behind him, toward the moth. A harsh hand clamped onto his shoulder. He hadn’t even noticed Balekin dismount the Ragwort Horse, but now he was there, gripping him tight. “You don’t actually plan on bringing that thing with us, do you?” Balekin growled. Cardan turned, defiant. “And if I do?” “Then best believe she’ll be the one holding the belt.” “…From her? Sounds like a lovely night activity.” The slap cracked through the air. Cardan stumbled held his stinging chhek, but Balekin seemed satisfied. He motioned to the moth. Wordlessly, Cardan guided [Reader] into the seat in front of him, wrapping his arms around her to keep her steady. To keep her from falling. Or maybe… to keep from falling apart himself, enjoying her warmth till he could. "Don't worry darling... I'll happily take whatever he makes you do. You won't truly want to harm your prince..."