#Lucien winning people over with how hard he simps for Elain IS effloresce canon 10000%

[flowerflamestars]

This popped into my head while typing up the other thing. What do the Illyrians think of Lucien at this point? Here's this high fae noble, a High Lord's son, a High Lord's HEIR, and he's just... risking his life for a bunch of humans? Is following the human ladies' lead in all this? Doesn't seem to be looking down on them? Like, that's not how this usually works? (Just imagine when they find out Lucien was willing to leave his cushy princely life behind to elope with his 'lesser' fae lover.)

(Well, honestly, I kinda want to know what they think about basically everyone.)

Oh man, I love that you're asking this! It's very much in the background to the plot, but it's there because I adore the fuck out of Lucien.

So, the initial thing is that our trio have stepped fully off their own charted- and planned and plotted and hoped for- path. At BEST the thought was mercenaries or Azriel + Cassian and maybe, maybe, a few allies of theirs. A whole legion? That their actual government doesn't even want back? Insane.

They're tapping into just the very edge of what this loyalty could be. What it will become. What it is even is. (Cassian is absolutely trying to warn Nesta and she's extremely busy being like: I am BETTER THAN RHYSAND THAT STUPID BITCH stop even comparing us.)

That loyalty is to the Archerons.

Lucien is and isn't one. He married in, but he's still High Fae. Noble born High fae, at that. The larger House Vanserra dramas might be well known to the IC who are also nobility (and put up with Rhysand's Spring Court grudge match eternal), but to the Illyrians? No. They live in this fucked up isolation. Lucien is a wildcard!

And, coming from the already fucked up perspective gained from just living under the Night Court caste system bullshit, Lucien is a massive threat. They've thrown in with the Archerons for the chance of a chance. That when humans do horrible things, ask too much, it might still be less than what their own people under High Fae rule have been forced to endure.

I know Elain's guards are side-eyeing the hell out of this situation. Who do they protect? Their tiny mortal ladies, or each other from possible punishment for interfering? Honor is at stake, and honor is all you have when you're denied even a name.

Lucien can't defuse that kind of hostility overnight. There's too much going on to really focus on it, but that doesn't stop it from churning away in the back of his head. He's certainly never known any Illyrians before by anything but a reputation which ALSO does not seem exactly...true? Wholly correct? Court faeries definitely also fuck around with the concept of fealty- a quest, a riddle, a ladies favour, all prime gentry nonsense- the Illyrians are meanwhile bringing a tension to that that is staggering.

Lucien himself pledged his life away to a leigelord and a territory he didn't belong in just to live. He's banished from his own homeland, an unloved, too powerful seventh son who maybe should never have been born.

But Beron never starved him.

Hated and hurt him and littered his childhood with horror sure, Lucien grew up reviled. As a prince. As a Vanserra. No one imagined taking that from him.

The more he sees the more fucking furious he is.

That also does not escape notice. Tiny human ladies making threats they can't follow through- until they CAN and do- is one thing. This calm, respectful fucking Prince?? Lord of their House? Ridiculously magical faery terrifyingly seething and seething away but never hurting any of them until it slowly, slowly becomes clear they are the cause of the anger but not the actual direction is the thing that makes waves.