#anti elain archeron

[ladydeath-vanserra]

thinking about that scene where Elain comes to talk to Nesta after she packed up all her things while she got berated by Rhysand and Feyre and Elain manages to flip it back on Nesta and runs out and cries to Rhysand and Cassian about Nesta "not even trying". the audacity of this girl never fails to astound me

[kataraavatara]

keep waiting for the part in silver flames where Nesta was like “yeah, fuck it, let elain do it” when the ic kept holding it over her head that if she didn’t find the trove or do xyz for them elain would have to. like this girl packed up your shit behind your back and sent you off to the house of wind before coming up there, provoking you, and then acting surprised and playing victim when you understandably snapped at her, crying about some “she’s not trying hard enough” let elain lie in the bed she made i beg of u

[achaotichuman]

ACOTAR Rant

If you like Elain, don't read.

ACTUALLY, CAN WE START TALKING ABOUT HOW ELAIN HAS ALL THE FUCKING CHOICE, WHY ARE WE MAKING OUT LIKE SHES SOME HELPLESS LAMB??

I'm not gonna sit here and repeat the same tired lines of "I know she was traumatised from the Cauldron blah blah blah" You all know that, you know I know she's traumatised, I talk about this shit like every other day.

Lets talk mating bonds (again)

Elain and Lucien are equal in that they are entirely tied together. In fact, it hurts Lucien *more*. If anything, Elain has the most power in this situation compared to Lucien, she has the most autonomy, she is at risk of having the ghost of mating bond past™ haunt her if she rejects it. Lucien is at risk of actually losing his entire fucking mind.

And you people want to call that fair?????? People genuinely think that Elain is some victim of Lucien in this????

Everyone is so fucking obsessed with 'Elain having choice' ELAIN HAS ALL THE CHOICE, LUCIEN IS ENTIRELY AT HER MERCY

Let's compare Elain and Nesta's situations (AGAIN)

They both suffered the exact same terrifyingly, horrible physical, sexual, emotional and mental torture that the Cauldron inflicted on them. Morphing them against their will.

Now, Nesta immediately went to protect Elain. Her trauma response was to prioritise Elain (probably had to do with that being her ingrained instinct from their years in poverty, but that's another analysis for another day)

What was also Nesta's response? To bring up her walls and shut everyone out. She wanted to handle this on her own. She wanted space and time.

Elain softened. After months of being catatonic, she began a routine and made the best of her situation. Most importantly, her healing did not threaten anyone's egos, so the IC gave her the time, space and place to heal that she needed. They provided that for her.

Not to mention, Lucien is a person that the IC collectively hates, so combined with the fact that Elain is a walking housewife stereotype who doesn't threaten anyone's egos, and that her mate is someone her 'found family' doesn't like. She gets all the protection in the world.

Compare that to Nesta, who does threaten the IC's egos, and does bend their social rules, and doesn't bow down to them, they don't give her space, time or a place to heal. They threaten her, and lock her up. And combine that with the fact that her mate is Cassian, a member of the IC, they disrespect her wishes, and her bodily autonomy.

AND SO MANY PEOPLE ARE STILL TALKING ABOUT ELAIN'S CHOICE. OH MY LORD, "ELAIN DESERVES CHOICE" SHE HAS ALL THE CHOICE

She has so much power over Lucien, who is quite literally in exile from every home he has ever known, handling more work than most people could ever deal with. Dealing with indescribable trauma of his own, and on top of it, he is receiving no help for it. Sure, he has the band of exiles, wanna guess what? THEYRE HUMANS, HE IS A FAERY, THEY CAN ONLY DO SO MUCH FOR HIM

Elain has ignored Lucien, and actively pursued relationships with others (Azriel), she shits all over Nesta, slut shames and guilt trips her.

But she's the soft one™ so no one is allowed to give her a single consequence to her actions.

I see so many posts of people praising Elain because she's #notawarriorgirly and she's #feminine and she #doesn'twannacarryasword

I hate to break it to you, but SJM hasn't written the feminine rep you've been craving.

Elain is actively putting Lucien in pain, for no reason at all. She is actively hateful towards Nesta who has only ever helped her. She victimises herself if she doesn't get her way.

It's not Elain's story that should be about choice, because she has ALL OF THE FUCKING CHOICE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. FEYRE HAS LESS CHOICE THAN HER

If you think for even two fucking seconds about this, it's pretty damn obvious that Lucien is the one who doesn't have choice in the mating bond. What if he had a romantic relationship with someone? Now, he *has* to give it up, because his 'choices' are:

1- Reject the bond and lose his mind and go mad

2- Don't accept or reject and spend the rest of his life pinning after a woman against his will.

3- Accept the bond and be chained to someone he doesn't want against his will

And on top of the creepy mating bond, this is a man who was being sexually abused by both Ianthe and Feyre! What a combo!

If I see one more 'Elain Deserves Choice' post, I am actually gonna implode I fear...

[roxan1930]

Elain Archeron is a horrible sister

Come at me with all the hate you want.

I'm hoping she gets a better story in her own book, and desperately want to like her, but let's be honest, she's not a good sister.

When they were kids and their dad was being beaten up, she and Nesta ran and hid and left Feyre to deal with watching their dad be beaten, not even bothering with her or their dad

When their family was poor, just like Nesta, Elain was fine with letting Feyre go out into the woods to hunt and put herself in danger constantly.

She kept whining and spending money, mostly on herself and it felt like she only spend on the others to keep up her "sweet and innocent"-act.

She didn't grow vegetables or and when growing flowers it was never mentioned she tried to do anything like sell them or something else to get them food or money

Whenever Nesta was nasty to Feyre or the other way around, Elain would never really tell either of them to knock it off or help when someone was treated unfairly

She went along with whatever Nesta always said and did, and whenever that was wrong, was fine with Nesta getting all the blame instead of owning up to her own faults

After Feyre turned High Lady and Nesta was suffering, like the others, she never considered how Nesta had her own traumas and was suffering

When Feyre and the IC decided to lock Nesta in the House of Wind, Elain packed all Nesta's stuff without her permission, literally betraying the last bit of trust

Like Nesta said, Elain's loyal to whoever keeps her comfortable. When Nesta was always protecting and guarding her, she always chose Nesta's side over Feyre, but when Feyre was the one providing care, a house and food without Elain doing anything for it, she turned her back on Nesta without a second thought

Like I said, I want to like Elain, but I find it annoying how Feyre, Nesta and the Inner Circle all at some point act like Elain's always so "kind and innocent" who should be protected from everything, including the consequences of her own actions and attitude

[daybreakmusings]

Elain telling Nesta “All you can think about is what my trauma has done to you” was incredibly ignorant and no one can convince me otherwise.

For some reason, Elain thinks the trauma that had resulted from that night belongs solely to her and Nesta is being selfish for trying to take any ownership of it.

Everything in Nesta’s life, has always been about Elain. She came first and she never stopped to think about how it could impact Nesta. Very rarely does Nesta have the time to face her own trauma and learn to heal from it because she was always in environments/situations that put her on guard to protect her sister. And Elain has always been comfortable allowing her to do so while she retreats to the background where it was safe. She has never thought twice about putting Nesta in these positions all her life. 

When the sisters first come to Pythian, Elain completely checks out from the weight of the loss and trauma she has experienced. Which is completely understandable. But she isn’t the only one to have lost so much. So had Nesta. But at a time where Nesta may have needed her support, she wasn’t there. 

All Elain could think about was what their shared trauma has done to her. But Nesta never cared.

Those first few weeks in Pythian? Nesta was there to check on her. To make sure she is eating. To ensure her wellbeing. To see to her needs. To make sure she is comfortable.

In ACOSF, for the first time in Nesta’s life, she isn’t capable of putting Elain first. But Elain is unwilling to confront the possibility that the trauma they both experienced that night may have affected her sister differently than it did her. As a result, she avoids putting herself in a position where she might have to face the full extent of that truth.

I’m not saying that Elain doesn’t have a right to feel greatly impacted by what had happened to her. She went through alot. But she doesn’t get to pick and choose whose trauma that night was greater and warrants more concern.

[iocaisaint]

Random ACOTAR takes

cw*: my unsolicited opinions

I agree with #that woman that canon Lucien and Nesta (and I mean pre-ACOSF) would've been terrible for each other sorry

As of right now Nesta is the only Archeron sister with direct connection to the Dusk Court, like her and her alone 🤷🏾‍♀️

Out of the love square (?) Lucien is lowkey the only one with a storyline that isn't made out of paper mache and hope. There's so many angles you could go: Beron, Eris, LOA, The Autumn Court or Spring Court, Tamlin, or Day Court, Helion, being an heir, or helping Vassa with Koschei + his overall friendship with Jurian + Vassa + humans as a whole and that's without touching on the mating bond even once. Real set-up wished she'd done that with everyone else

That being said, I disagree with a bunch of Lucien's stans when it comes to his characters, y'all have a power fantasy for him that's in direct contradiction to how he's actually written (I mean I get it the books treat him like trash)

If Nesta is pregnant I'll have a crash out to end all crash outs.

Everybody in this fandom bar maybe Feysands are shipping fanon, the scenes that y'all talk about and the ones that exist on page are either not the same or straight up don't exist.

I hate the HK/HQ plot even for Nesta, like is blatant colonialism.

Everybody here is a hypocrite when it comes to their faves we'd all be happier admitting then bending over backwards.

I do not care for Elain, simply because fanon Elain is so far removed from what's on page, that most her pro arguments simply don't make sense to me.

There's no reason for Helion to give up his Pegasi but I know HOFAS was a mess but when the place was revitalised after the Asteri were murdered they came back, my guess is that place and the prison are mirror worlds so the same will happen once the Prison is liberated

Azriel isn't boring but he also isn't extremely interesting. If he was a girl no one would gaf about him, but there are enough concepts of an idea where I could see his book not being awful.

Neither the pro or the anti side gives a fuck about Emerie, double points if you're engaging in that ship war. No I won't expand on this, I'm right.

Nessian sucks, that's all.

Actually no I'm expanding on that point, the fact that people defend no "I love you" from the MMC is crazy, that fact that people defend Nesta being threatened without Cass stepping in even worse, the fact that Rhys knows he can berate Nesta in Cassian's presence....like they had an 800+ page book and I'm still having to hear about how they need to "grow as characters" y'all aren't serious people

I've become more neutral-positive to Feyre because some of the arguments against her are just crazy but on that note she'd be deeply more entertaining if the narrative wrote her refusal for self reflection as a flaw

Gwyn cannot be a evil light singer and irrelevant at the same time please pick one.

Also I don't hate the light singer theory, sorry. Monsters not actually being monsters is this series's bread and butter. It'd be great if a woman finally got that treatment

I can already tell Eris is about to be retconned to hell because SJM hates a character not being vindicated by the narrative to redeem them (she already started by implying Eris wants his father dead for #feminism). Let it be known I like/d him as is

I don't get into arguments about Rhys cause I find him boring. Y'all are fighting day in day out about faerie Ronald Reagan

Nesta should've been bi, how tf did we get stuck with Mor

I have more but that's it for now.

[hugevanserrass]

cannot take people seriously who gush about how much they love elain and how she's their favorite sister. at this point what has this girl done besides bake bread and cry? she had one shining moment of bravery (respect) and then resorted back to basically being a houseplant that everyone else takes care of. the icing on the cake was when she went to check on nesta and said "feyre said this might happen" and then when nesta got angry elain cried. would make so much more sense if elain was the youngest sister lol

[nestaismommy]

Instead she said, “You’re angry with me.”

Bitch you packed her shit behind her back to help the inner circle lock her up, and then you told her to not be so miserable about it and you expected her to not be angry??

“For packing my things while Rhysand and Feyre told me I’m a worthless pile of shit? Yes.” Elain crossed her arms and said calmly, sadly, “Feyre warned me this might happen.” The words struck Nesta like a slap.

This bitch??

“Don’t ever mention him.” Nesta bared her teeth, but kept her voice low. “Never fucking mention him again.”

Guess what? She mentioned him again lmao

Pain slowly washed over Elain’s face. And understanding. “Is that what this is all about? Father?”

Nesta pointed to the door, finger shaking with the effort of keeping that writhing power at bay. Each word from Elain’s mouth threatened to undo her restraint. “Get out.”

Guess what? She didn’t get out lmao and kept on mentioning her father anyways.

And then when Nesta snapped- Elain finally got out, and cried

Her brown eyes were bright with tears, but she kept her chin high. “I want to go home,” she said, voice wobbling slightly.

Yes please go away

Elain stood by the rail, the breeze caressing her hair. “She’s not getting any better. She’s not even trying.” She wrapped her arms around herself and stared toward the distant sea.

So you tell her to not be so miserable, and you mention talking about her with Feyre, and you bring up her father when Nesta clearly said to not mention him, and you proceed to talk about him, and then when she tells you to get out, you don’t get out, and when she snaps and reacts negatively, she’s somehow not getting any better because she’s not nice to you after you were being an asshole. Nice.

See this is the fucking problem, Nesta shows any emotion and somehow she’s not getting better because she should just sit there and take it and be the obedient female they want her to be. They want her to sit back- and allow them to disrespect her and throw very disgusting words at her. And when she isn’t doing that, then she has a problem and she needs to be fixed.

[xstarlightsupremex]

Lmaooo so I watched Wicked (fantastic) and every time NessaRose came on screen I was like,

Ms. Elain Archeron??? Is that you?? What are you doing here??

[viajandopelomar]

II received a question about Elain in Portuguese from @hani-yo, so I'm bringing it to you in English so that more people can see it:

"bro, you know what's worse? I can't even imagine what's going to come out of Elain X Lucien. And I like Elucien, to be honest, because I think Elain could be the sweetness that Lucien is missing after all the disgrace this man has been through. But I don't know Elain, I'm not sure about her. Of all the sisters, I've always found her the most manipulative, since she hides behind her sweet personality and no one seems to notice.

She's the kind of person who doesn't say anything but inside must be dying of anger at certain situations. And even though I already knew that, I still didn't expect her to turn her back on Nestha, you know? Because the two of them were flesh and blood, even in the scams of wanting Feyre to give them money to go out and buy things, they were together.... So, after what she said to Nestha, I totally didn't understand her character anymore.

In fact, I think Sarah Janet has no idea what to do with the character of Elain"

For there are two of us, I don't understand Elain's personality as something useful in a fantasy story. She shouldn't be there. I might love this creature if she were in another genre, a warm romance, but fantasy??? She's so out of tune with the genre that she SLEPT during the battles and even afterwards, while the soldiers screamed in pain. She's actually a plant (which makes me think that in vrd I'd hate her in any book, unless she was actually an npc florist).

We don't have any information about her apart from the fact that she has doe eyes (I personally think of them as the eyes of a fool, because holy shit Feyre, couldn't you describe your sister's eyes better?), that she's the prettiest of the sisters, that she likes flowers and that she kept repeating all the time after she came out of the cauldron that she had lost her fiancé. That's all. Oh, and she also learned to cook later in the war, in a comfortable mansion, and not when they were in the hut 😂.

I also think that SJM doesn't know what to do with her. She must have regretted raising three sisters or not killing any of them.

Regarding Elain and Nesta, I have an opinion that will be very difficult for the author to undo in the plant book. Nesta is in no position to offer Elain anything else. When they were children, Nesta was in her mother's good graces and because Elain was her little doll, she saw that and became close to Nesta. In the hut, it's kind of implied that Nesta did all the housework since, canonically, neither Feyre nor Elain knew how to do anything, so next to Nesta Elain had a maid, who, having grown up seeing her mother treat Elain like a doll, had this ingrained thought that she was fragile. Nesta always saw Feyre as the wild girl who wasn't attached to anything (her mother's and grandmother's clutches), so Feyre, who was never as delicate as Elain, didn't need any attention. I'm talking about the context where they were all children, and how they grew up with THAT dynamic, Feyre never needed attention (but she ended up becoming unbearably needy, crying in Rhysand's lap all the time as if she were his daughter), and Elain got so used to it that now she has Feyre's graces, who grew up watching Elain being protected by Nesta.

In chapter 2 of ACOTAR, Feyre herself thinks that Elain simply DOESN'T THINK she could get her hands dirty and help, something like that. As if she was really dumb, on the same level as that boy who went viral for not knowing how to cut a loaf of bread and the beast who cut sausage, but to the characters she's just innocent and sweet.

So now Nesta is in a position where SHE needs Feyre, because she no longer has any authority. She's a war refugee in strange territory, surrounded by fairies she's learned to hate all her life (her sister is even to blame for this). Nesta is no longer in a position to take care of Elain, because her trauma has finally exploded after she suppressed it for Elain's sake, and Elain who was taken care of and protected by Nesta to the point that Nesta went to the meeting of the Grand Lords as a specimen for appreciation because no one would believe Feyre and Rhsyand, only for no one to dare offer the same offer to Elain. Same thing in ACOSF: they talk to Nesta, she denies it, they say they'll go to Elain, Elain shows up saying she'll go because then Nesta won't be able to threaten them (and they don't want that because they know her power is stifled and they don't want to take it up the ass), and then she's coerced into going.

Do we get any mention in that book of Elain actually learning to look for the objects in case Nesta can't? No, we don't, even though in IC's vision Nesta was rolling around in the library instead of just going there and taking a chance. Feyre would never really demand anything of Elain. She claimed that Elain wouldn't go near Eris, but Nesta should simply DANCE WITH HIM AND SEDUCE HIM! Elain is loving all this. She has more perks with Feyre who is married to Rhsyand than she had before with Nesta (I find it funny that she lives with them, by the way. Nesta has at least moved out of the couple's house. Elain also uses his money but still stays in the house 😂).

Nesta protected Elain and wouldn't let any fairy near her from the cauldron until Feyre came back, but Elain left Nesta the moment Nesta said that she had her life, and they had theirs. But Nesta always had her life and always looked after Elain so that she would remain this cute little doll. A life of care, practically, and in return she received abandonment. When Feyre goes to Nesta in that bar I remember Feyre mentioning that Elain wanted to see Nesta, or something, so Nesta said she could go whenever she wanted, and then Feyre said "you know she doesn't like places like that", but the point was Nesta, wasn't it? Why did it have to be about an environment for Elain, who was fine and laughing and drinking wine right after the war, but Nesta who had isolated herself because she couldn't stand how they were just GARGHAMING after leaving the battlefield had to go to a place Elain liked? Wasn't it Nesta who needed the "cure" now? Wasn't she the one who needed to be reached?

In the same way at the Casa, when Elain only showed up out of the blue after having the audacity to pack Nesta's things. And she left crying because for the first time Nesta didn't treat her like a little doll that needed looking after. It must have pained Elain to realize that she would no longer have Nesta's steel spine as a shield forever and ever. She realized that having done things behind her really did have consequences, and that Nesta wouldn't always welcome her (I would have loved it if this had been addressed in the book, but I'll have to make do with the fanfics), Elain even said that "Nesta's even trying", but she was doing everything she was told, training and working without being paid at the library, wasn't she? What is trying? How did Elain try? In the war she slept, then she laughed... I've never understood what healing in acotar is, why characters heal like that. In the spring Feyre was terrified of red, and at dinner with the IC (the first one, the same day she left the spring), she watched Amren drink blood quietly? That's more from the author, who doesn't address anything. She plays up the trauma and makes it seem serious, then a few pages later it becomes useless because it's no longer there, the personality healed with the magic stick. Nesta is dealing with it in the same way as before: sex. She has sex with Cassian to escape, but in the end nobody cares. Rhsyand smelled it the first time he took Emerie to the house and only let it go when one of the reasons Nesta was arrested WAS UNFREED SEX! But it's okay if the sex is with Cassian, the general, and he doesn't go crazy because his bond has been broken 😏. And elain, the cretin, still cried after the invasion of Nesta's space (again, elain and feyre are very whiny. Too much. That's why Nesta is seen as cold, because for IC it might be normal for girls feyre and elain's age to cry a lot, but Nesta doesn't do that, so feyre says Nesta is cold, and they agree) as if she were the victim, and Rhsyand was pissed. RHYSAND who is always talking crap like choices to everyone, but at the first opportunity is manipulating the choices of even her partner. Right from the start.

I laugh every time I remember Rhsyand telling Feyre that although gardening is something that bears beautiful fruit, it's important to remember that you have to get your hands dirty to reach your goal. I always think he's referring to all gardeners, because she's not even a real gardener, she doesn't do it. She uses Rhsyand's account and does volunteer work with the gardens destroyed in the attack on Velaris. I think Rhsyand also wants to use gardeners as psychics and weapons because he's incapable of doing politics using his brain. He has to destroy something and is happy to have a lot of magic to scare off the possible retaliation he might suffer as a consequence.

Elain is an opportunist, a puppy who wags her tail at whoever gives her the tastiest food.

I use a translator called DeepL, so maybe the English translation sounds a bit confusing

[colorlesschristmastree]

“Don’t blame Nesta and Elain for Feyre’s choices” maybe it’s because i’m not a scummy human being but when someone helps me and is doing something for me, I ask if they need help.

Feyre was 14 and her older sisters and father were about to let her starve, she had no family that would have taken her in. She needed food. She needed to eat. Let’s say she wasn’t planning to feed them, lets say she went hunting for herself only. Where would she have prepared the meat? In the woods where she could be attacked by animals? Closer to town where her game was likely to be stolen? She would’ve had nowhere to go except home and Nesta, Elain, and their father are three selfish people who when Feyre shows up with food, they’re asking for it. So yeah, I will blame those three selfish, lazy people because they are at fault for how things went down.

If Nesta was so adamant about making the father help she shouldn’t have ate the food, she should’ve starved herself to death and rid us all of her presence. But she didn’t, because she didn’t actually care that much about who was bringing in the food, she just wanted an excuse to get someone else to do the work for her. To get someone else to prove themselves to her.

[ladydeath-vanserra]

it makes me really sad that Nesta has never known unconditional love her entire life. not from her parents, sisters or her mate. Only Gwyn and Emerie have her back 😭

[kataraavatara]

“nesta needs her karma for favoring elain over feyre” SHE GOT IT. nesta poured her whole self into elain. didn’t leave her side for WEEKS when she was catatonic. she was always the closest with elain, thought Elain understood her more than anyone. and as soon as the going got tough elain jumped ship without a second thought. she literally packed up nesta’s things to send to the house of wind. she came up there when nesta was depressed and told her to her face she “doesn’t need to be so miserable about it.” being locked up against her will. she brought up their father and then nesta very clearly told her not to bring up their father and to get out. what did elain do in response? bring up their father again and does not get out. then she acts shocked when nesta snaps after she violated clear set boundaries, runs away crying, and complains about Nesta “not even trying to get better.” when has Elain once stuck up for Nesta? never. All the time, effort, and care was never reciprocated. Yeah, so Nesta got her karma for playing favorites and then some. Acting otherwise is being purposefully dense.

[achaotichuman]

proceed with caution anti elain ask ahead I am new on this app and saw your neslin fic which I enjoyed could I please ask you to write a fic with lucien as a emisary he tired of elaine leading him on he ignores her and breaks bond and elaine is annoyed but she deserves it she and aziel are losers and deserve each other

Hiii!!!

I love the creative freedom with this prompt, and I think this is hilarious.

This one turned out with a little Feycien somehow??? I've never written for them, but I think this was angsty and sweet. I hope you enjoy Anon!!!!

A Mate Is Someone...

Why did mating bonds exist?

What was their true usage?

It didn’t make much sense to him, but not much did anymore. 

What even were mating bonds? 

A person who understood you on a level deeper than anyone else? Couldn’t be that. 

Someone who didn’t fear you even in your worst state? No. 

A person to be there for you when no one else was? Absolutely not. 

So.

“What is a mating bond?”

The psychic looked up from his desk. Lucien had expected to see a room of imagery, symbolism of past, present and future. A display of the power of seers and psychics. 

But all he saw was a nicely decorated office, with a large window and heavy curtains pulled open. A few plants scattered around the place, big bookshelves filled with thick books with fabric spines, All kept in perfect condition. He thought of his own books at home, with their water damage, broken spines, folded corners and marked pages. Some of them could be considered ruined, but he could read each word just fine. 

Maybe he should leave his books at home, but he always brought at least one with him. And in his travels they were always damaged in some way. Whether by him personally folding the edge of a corner to bookmark it, or from slipping and dropping it into mud. It was klutzy and his mother would chastise him and say he needed to appreciate his possessions more. But there was something nice he thought, in carrying where he went wherever he was. In seeing the places he had been stained into the pages of his favourite things. 

The psychic raised a brown eyebrow. He was High Faery, with shaggy brown hair and dark, old eyes. A human’s eye was not able to distinguish whether or not a Faery was old or young. Not even a young Faery was able to, but after centuries of living, you learned. You could tell by the eyes, the more colours, the more complex the eye was, the tiredness in their gaze. That was how you could tell how old a Faery was. And the Faery that crossed one leg over the other and tipped his glasses forward was very, very old. 

There was something ancient in his gaze. 

“A mating bond,” he mused, “Why do you need to know?”

Lucien sucked in a breath, “I just want to.”

“Have you not heard of them before?”

“I have,” More than that. 

The pyschic looked him up and down slowly, before a grin twisted on his lips, “Elain Archeron.”

Lucien blinked, his mouth opening and closing. Saving him from his blubbering, the psychic said, “You’re well known. The scar and hair are pretty distinguishing features.”

“Right,” he said slowly. 

“I trust things are not going well?”

A low growl, and he put his hands up, “Alright boy, calm down.”

The psychic leaned back in his chair, tilting his head to the ceiling, “A mating bond.”

Lucien tapped his foot impatiently, waiting as he stared daggers at the male. He was going to be late to dinner, but he just… 

He had seen the sign. A deal for readings that will end tomorrow. He didn’t want a reading, but something about the hole in the wall building had sucked him in. He had looked down at the bouquet of purple flowers he had gathered in the fields of the mortal lands. Something for Elain…

He had tossed them out before he came in. 

She probably wouldn’t want another reminder of what she lost anyway. 

“A mating bond is a string the mother puts between two souls, we all have ‘em. A match that equals us in the senses that matter most to our being. Some meet their match and others don’t. It’s believed the Mother is the only one who decides whether or not a pair will come together.”

“Why? Why will people not to meet?” He demanded to know. 

“Well,” The psychic started, “It’s all part of her will. Some matches exist because they match each other in power, but meeting would throw the world’s magic off balance. And therefore she would will they never lay eyes on each other.”

So. 

What was his purpose in meeting Elain?

“Mating bonds are the equalizers of the universe. They don’t exist for blissful romance.” He said, “Is there anything else?”

“No.”

____________________________

Elain didn’t look at him, but she never did. 

‘How are you my equal?’ He thought. 

Sitting down with the Inner Circle. Listening to their laughter, their gleeful happiness, as the empty hollow in his chest continued to grow with every inch of space between him and his mate. Who continued to go back into the kitchen, willingly serving dinner and dessert, then going to clean up, when she took the dishes, Azriel insisted he help her. 

Lucien watched the hot, burning gaze in her thankful eyes as her fingers lightly trailed across Azriel’s hands. He smiled, and as they left, his dark eyes trailed across the room to find his. 

He grinned. 

And disappeared around the corner. 

“Lucien?”

“Oh yes, well when it comes to Kallias he can often be-”

The night continued on, and Lucien charmed the Inner Circle with his manner of speaking and his constant conversation, or at least he charmed them enough that they didn’t think it necessary to cut him off from these dinners. Which seemed to be his only contact with Feyre nowadays. 

He once thought he’d come for these to ease the ache of the throbbing string wrapped around his lungs, but now he found himself focusing on Feyre, watching her, watching her once light, stormy eyes darken. Like they had been infected with the darkness of the void of night. He watched as her once cocky grin softened until it was a polite smile and her once loud, uncontrolled cackling became a lovely giggling behind a palm. 

She didn’t seem to be in any distress or pain. Her smiles were genuine and her shoulders were loose and relaxed. She pinched Rhysand’s thigh and chatted amicably with everyone. It was just… She was different, softer, milder, more controlled. The storm was gone, all that was left was a gentle, pleasant breeze. 

It was the same for Nesta. Those once stony eyes were softening out. She was pregnant with her first, and with every month that passed, Lucien watched the steel melt into something malleable and easy to control, to weaponise, to use. Until she was exactly another copy of Feyre. 

It was getting too hot in here. 

Lucien pulled at his collar. He watched as Morrigan gossiped with Feyre and slapped Cassian’s arm, her fingers digging into his leathers, pulling him close. Whispering in his ear all the time, and trailing her lips along the shell of his ear as he did so, just to poke fun when Nesta showed the slightest hint of discomfort. 

Cassian laughed with Nesta and he laughed at her. Rhysand smirked and grinned and smiled and did all the things Rhysand did that drove Lucien up the wall, and Lucien was growing too warm. 

“I must get some water.” Lucien said, “I will return in a moment.”

Feyre deigned to give him a nod, before she turned back to conversation. No one else paid him attention as he slipped silently from the dining room. 

He walked down the hallways, and tried to focus his mind on the paintings shown everywhere with pride. There were so many and they all had so many different colours. He wondered at them. At the meaning behind them, at each talented, precise stroke. 

He turned the corner of the kitchen. He remained in place for a moment, then he heard the Inner Circle yelling, asking what was going on. 

He turned around and left. 

He left entirely. Brushing past Nesta and Feyre, and the others as they ran to the kitchen after hearing Elain’s scream. 

Lucien didn’t think he even remembered the walk out from the River House. He just left, and appeared by the bridge, the river. 

He had seen her. 

He had seen her and him. 

They hadn’t even cared that he was in the house. Hadn’t cared for the mating bond, had given him no respect. No dignity. They hadn’t even bothered to go to a room. 

But seeing his cock buried in cunt while they fucked on the counter did do one thing. It killed any warm hope in his heart that she might finally let him in. That she might give him reprieve, or at least a firm answer. A no or a yes to the mating bond. 

He supposed this was answer enough. 

“Lucien!” A voice yelled after him. Lucien stopped his aimless wandering to look behind him. 

Feyre, she ran after him. Her long silver dress fluttering behind her as she nearly tripped, sprinting in heels too high to balance in properly. Her perfect updo fallen out and the crown on her head askew. 

When she stopped she gasped for breath, grabbing her knees and panting, holding up a finger she said, “One minute, just- one moment.”

Finally she stood up properly, correcting her posture, and trying to make her hair look presentable. But her crown still stood crooked. He bit back the urge to laugh and fix it for her. 

This looked more like the Feyre he used to know. 

“You left.” She said. 

“Did you want me to stay?”

“Elain and Azriel,” She started, Lucien nearly rolled his eyes, “They find comfort in each other, Lucien, they understand each other, they-”

“Does it really matter, Feyre?” He laughed. 

That was the wrong thing to say judging by the hurt look on her face, so Lucien forced a frown on his face even when all he wanted to do was laugh and laugh and laugh and cry. 

“You left.” She murmured again, rubbing her arm with a hand, skin prickling under the cold air. Lucien quickly shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. Feyre let him gladly, allowing herself to be wrapped in his layer of warmth. 

“Not the best choice of dress for Autumn, Feyre.” He said softly. 

She smiled, “I wasn’t planning on being outside.”

He smiled back at her, his hands remained almost touching her but not quite. Keeping the jacket held together around her. 

“Do you need somewhere to stay tonight?” She asked. 

“I’m just going back to my apartment.” He actually didn’t know where he had been going but that answer seemed better than just saying he was going to walk around until he either got too tired or found a bar. 

“I can walk you there.” She offered, and Lucien didn’t have it in him to say no. 

They made it to his apartment, and thankfully it wasn’t an awkward walk. Feyre chatted easily, more easily than they had in years now. 

They talked for once, it wasn’t about anything deep, but it wasn't a stilted conversation that lasted a few moments before one of her Inner Circle jumped in and broke up their chatter. 

Putting his key into his apartment, he opened the door, looking over his shoulder, Lucien saw Feyre standing, awkwardly fiddling with the buttons of his jacket. 

“Do you need to go home?” He asked, “I know Rhysand is probably worried.”

She shook her head, “Rhysand knows where I am. I can go if you want me-”

“No, no, no,” He found himself say, “Come in.” 

Feyre smiled politely, and walked in. 

They sat down on his lounge and with a snap of his fingers a fire was lit. Feyre eased into the soft cushions. Looking around she commented, “It’s lovely.”

“Thank you.” He said, he had gone to the kitchen and made tea for the two of them. Peppermint. He handed her a cup which she took with a thank you. 

She took a long drink, her pale throat bobbing up and down. Lucien turned his eyes to the fire, closing them and mentally preparing for what she was bound to start talking about-

“Elain.”

He nearly groaned, there it was. 

“What about her?”

“Will you break the bond?” She asked tentatively. 

He knew Feyre was not one to handle situations with the delicacy they required. Often hitting them too hard, with too much false confidence or without the silk-touch they needed. So, he wasn’t so surprised to hear the question so directly. 

“Yes.” he said, there was no point in drawing out the answer. 

“She-”

“I know she and Azriel are good together, Feyre,” he murmured, “But quite frankly, I have lost the ability to care about them.”

“I know but-”

“I know the effects the broken bond might have on me.” He stated, “But I’d rather insanity to this drawn out torture. It would have driven me mad if she had kept up this charade any longer.”

“Oh.” 

She didn’t seem to have anything left to say. Couldn’t think of anything else. 

They both finished their tea silently, and it was time for Feyre to leave. 

As she stood in the doorway, Feyre stared up at him, and he stared at her. Watching her blue eyes, darker now, older. 

She looked at his, and something seemed to shift in her gaze. It hardened a little, it was less polite and malleable. Her fingers curled towards her palms. 

“You’re older,” He said. 

“So are you.” She said breathlessly. 

“Are you happy, Feyre?” He asked, as direct and too the point as she had been. 

“I think so,” She whispered, “I will be.”

“When?”

She shrugged, “One day.”

“Will you be?” She asked.

“I will be.” He answered. 

She lifted her hand, and Lucien kissed it with all the softness and reverence he might have kissed her lips with years ago. When he still saw the human girl and saw a mirror of himself in her. 

She wasn’t him anymore. And he wasn’t her. They might have been. Years ago, they might have been equals in some way. But it wasn’t the way that mattered most.

Feyre equaled Rhysand in the way that mattered most to them. Their selfishness, their greediness. Their wants and needs and thirst, they devoured together and each other. 

And Elain and Lucien matched each other in the way that mattered most to their beings. What they wanted out of life, when they needed something, decided it would be theirs, nothing in High Heaven or Low Low Hell would stop either of them. They just didn’t want for all that much. 

And that was okay. He thought to himself. 

It’s only the things Elain did want, the person she was. The hatred, the disgust, the resentment in her eyes everytime she looked at him. She was a person that might have equaled him. But that didn’t mean he had to like her. 

“Goodnight Feyre.”

The door closed and as it did, the bond snapped.

Lucien expected pain. He expected it to hurt so badly he ran to the bathroom to empty his guts. He thought he’d scream and cry and curse. 

But he just turned around, ran a bath, brushed his teeth, got into night clothes, and put the lights out. Before climbing under the covers. He left the balcony door in his room open.

Turning on his side, he watched the night sky, the sparkling light, the cold, bitter air. 

Lucien slept more peacefully than he had since that dreadful day in Hybern. 

________________________________

Feyre sent him a mental message to come pick up his jacket in the morning. It was a quick rap knock on his mental shields that awoke him followed by the words said at the gates of his head like someone delivering a message through closed doors, Before he could answer he felt her presence leave. 

Standing at the River House in the daylight felt stranger than at night. Especially after what happened. But the heavy feeling that had been on his shoulders was gone, it was all… lighter. The weights holding him down where entirely gone. His shoulders were relaxed, his teeth didn’t grind and he didn’t fidget, he wasn’t impatient. He just waited. 

Feyre opened the door, she smiled but her eyes were darker than last night. Heavy bags weighed under her eyes. And her skin was paler. 

“Are you alright?” He murmured. 

She nodded, “It’s not me-”

“You!” Someone screamed. 

The door opened wider to reveal Elain, her makeup smudged and stained. Tears rolling down her face as she clutched her heart. She was still in her dress from last night, still reeked of him. But she didn’t seem to care as she sobbed uncontrollably, clutching the wall like it hurt to stand up. 

“You broke it!” She screamed, “Look what you’ve done to me!”

“You gave me no choice.” He said simply, “You made your choice-”

“Look what you’ve done, you horrible monster!” She continued to scream, not listening to one word, “How can I live now!? You’ve ruined me! The Mother has cursed me to die!”

“You will live,” He said smoothly, “Like I have been. Even when it drove me insane like it will you.”

“Vanserra,” Azriel appeared from down the hallway, he ran for Elain, taking her in his arms. “You’re all born without a fucking heart.”

He sneered at Lucien, who just turned his eyes back to Feyre. 

“I resign.” He said. 

Her eyes went wide, “Lucien please-”

“I’ll send a proper resignation letter within the next few days. But do not contact me again unless it is for business between the Courts.”

“Please-” She reached out to grab his wrist but he kept walking away from the house. 

He was done. 

He was free. 

As for Feyre. 

She kept his jacket. 

[thecatsaesthetics]

It’s not about whether Nesta or Elain should have done more, it’s about how they treated Feyre.

They emotionally, verbally, and financially abused Feyre.

[bookbitchx]

"There is no such thing as High Lady."

Call Tamlin a misogynistic sexist asshole or whatever else you want, but he's right.

High Lady is a title Rhysand gave to Feyre.

It's honorary.

It wasn't 'earned'. She wasn't 'blessed' with it, and she certainly wasn't chosen by the land and the magic.

If there was a title and it meant something, don't you think Viviane, of all women, would've been granted it by the lands for holding down the fort in Winter Court for 50 years while Kalias was stuck UTM?

Kalias could've also easily slapped the title on her like Rhysand did with Feyre, and yet he didn't. You know why? Because Viviane doesn't need it. She's already respected and seen as his equal by his court and the others for what she has done.

Feyre can't say the same, can she?

SJM sets it up as this badass moment of empowerment, but all I saw was Rhysand giving a baby (by Fae years) a title and letting her run loose with it as well as letting it go to her head.

The first thing she did after getting that title was go and get revenge on a whole ass court because she had issues with its High Lord which is insane in of itself but it brings me to my point, that there was no political repercussions where as if Rhysand had done it, it would've declared an internal war between Night and Spring.

It would've been a good ass arc if she had learned Prythian politics, history, diplomacy, the cultures, and customs of the other courts, including her own, so much as visited the other courts, slowly climbed the ranks and learned instead of Rhysand shoving that crown on her head and down everyone else's throats.

It's like taking me, a complete clueless, inadequate foreigner, and making me the Queen of England. Utterly ridiculous.

"You just hate Feyre being High Lady because you want Nesta to be one."

The same thing goes for Nesta, babe. NONE of the Archeron sisters are qualified to be High Ladies, honorary or not.

One of the hills I will die and kill on.