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booklover41802 · 25 days ago

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Could I ask for a fanfic during Jude has a mortal boyfriend she dearly loves, but Cardan isn’t having it and kidnaps her back to faerie and the mortal boyfriend comes to rescue Jude and Jude ends up with Cardan BUT only because Cardan killed the mortal lover in a duel

Sure thing! I hope you enjoy :)

Taryn was dead. Dead because she had visited Jude in the mortal world, years into Jude’s banishment, and found herself at the wrong end of a monster. That was also how Jude met her now-boyfriend, Sam, and his brother, Dean. They saved Jude from joining her twin in the same fate. The boys had tried to give her ‘the talk’ about all the horrible creatures that existed in the world, but she had been raised in Faerie and was all too accustomed to things straight from nightmares. Jude decided to join the brothers and become a Hunter herself.

Taryn’s death was a wakeup call that she had become complacent and weak in her time away from Faerie, where, she thought, danger didn’t lurk around every corner. That was why she now religiously used Nightfell to spar with Sam. Never again would someone she loved be taken from her.

Even though a sword wasn’t Sam’s preferred weapon of choice, he never complained through all of her lessons to get him up to par with her skill. Now, a year down the line, he was quite the adept swordsman.

Nightfell clanged against his plain, silver sword. Sam smiled at her as they crossed blades. “You’re getting better, Jude. Maybe a few more years of practice and you’ll be up to my level,” he teased as he pulled back, aiming for a low blow to her legs.

She batted away his sword with ease, scoffing at his remark. “Right, of course. More training is what I need,” Jude said as she jabbed forward, aiming for his shoulder.

Ducking effortlessly, Sam laughed at her. “You’re distracted today, anything on your mind?”

Sword up, Jude walked in a slow circle that Sam mirrored. “I’ve been thinking about Taryn lately.” Hoping to catch him off guard, she attempted to knock the sword out of his hand, but Sam’s reflexes were quick from years of hunting monsters. Her throat bobbed at the thought of her sister, lying cold in the ground all because she came to visit Jude.

Sam lowered his sword, noting the tears pricking her eyes. “Hey, we can stop for today. There’s always tomorrow to practice. And the day after. It’s okay to rest.”

Jude’s muscles tensed as she clenched Nightfell in a white-knuckled grip. “I don’t know how to stop,” she whispered, refusing to allow herself to relax. She didn’t deserve it. Not when she failed her sister.

Approaching her as one might approach a wounded animal, Sam gently pried open her fingers and slowly set Nightfell on the ground. “I get it. I’ve lost a lot of people on my watch too. Even my brother and I, we’ve had close calls with Death and… some visits to the Afterlife.” Sam swiped away a tear that escaped her eye. “It doesn’t ever get easier, but no matter what, I’ll always be by your side. And I know that Dean will be too”

Jude smiled weakly at him, taking a deep breath. “I just keep thinking back to what I could have done differently, if I hadn’t let myself grow idle. If I-”

“Stop.” Sam grabbed her hands, shaking his head. “There’s an infinite amount of what ifs you could ponder, but you did the best that you could and that’s okay.”

It was at that moment that Dean came bursting through the doors, carrying a beer in his hand. “Hey kids, who wants breakfast?”

Thirty minutes later, they were seated at a diner, menus in hand. It was one of those diners that still looked like it belonged in the 1950s with checkered floors, cozy booths, and even a jukebox in the corner. Dean was fiddling with the machine and soon enough Hey, Jude by the Beatles was blasting through the diner.

Both Sam and Jude groaned at his choice in song. Even though it was apparently a crucial aspect in the choice of her name, Jude had always hated the song. “Couldn’t he have chosen any other song?” Jude winced as the other patrons in the diner were throwing them looks.

Sam chuckled. “Well, you know Dean. He’s never one to pass up on choosing the music.”

“That jukebox is freakin awesome,” Dean said as he slid back into the booth. “We should get one for our place. What do you say, Sammy?”

“No, Dean, we don’t need a jukebox.”

“I think we should get one,” Jude chimed in, bumping Sam with her shoulder. She loved the dynamic of the two, having never truly felt like she belonged somewhere. But with them, with Hunting, she had her purpose in life.

“Do we have our next case, either one of you?” Sam said, directing the conversation away from the jukebox.

Jude and Dean looked at each with guilty expressions on their faces. They had forgotten to bring the laptop with them to the diner to search for their next case. They had been too distracted, racing to see who could get to the car first. “Of course not,” Sam sighed. “Well, lucky for both of you, I brought the laptop.”

Jude briefly rested her head onto Sam’s and intertwined their hands underneath the table. “I’m glad you’re the responsible one here. Someone’s gotta take on that role.” It was odd that she felt so relaxed and unguarded with them. Here, she didn’t need to constantly hide her heart.

As Sam pressed a kiss to her hair, Dean made a face at them. “Get a room you two. Better yet, get a house.”

Sam gave Dean a look as he opened up his computer and began scrolling through articles. “Oh, here’s one up in… Minnesota. Looks like the parents were murdered in their home, and their two children disappeared without a trace.” Jude felt a pit in her stomach at the story. It was eerily similar to her own upbringing, much of which she hadn’t yet shared with Sam.

“Yeah, sounds good,” Dean said, shoveling bacon into his mouth.

Sam turned to Jude. “What do you think? Should we investigate what happened to this family?”

Jude forced a smile to her lips and tried to pretend that everything was fine. After all, if she helped find this family, it could prevent a childhood like her own. “Yes. It would be good to drive up there. I’ve never been to that state before.”

Eyeing her once, Jude knew he saw right through her, but chose not to comment. “Alright, let’s get going.”

Throwing down some bills on the table, they paid for their meal and headed for the Impala. Only to find the one person she never thought she’d see again. Leaning against the shiny exterior of the car was none other than Cardan himself, acting as if he owned the vehicle. A ragwort steed stood waiting, stamping at the ground and huffing impatiently. Dread crawled across her skin at the appearance of her former love.

Dean had already drawn his weapon and pointed it at Cardan. “Who the hell are you? Back away from my car.”

Cardan lifted himself off the car with a smirk and an unreadable expression in his pitch-black eyes. “I’m here for Jude. I don’t care about your… car or either one of you.”

He was here… for her? After years of no word he decided that now was an opportune time to come back for her? The absolute nerve he had to show up here. She wanted to punch him in his face. Clenching her fists, intending to do just that, she was stopped by Sam putting a protective arm over her.

“I don’t know who you are, but you’re not taking Jude anywhere with you.”

Tilting his head, Cardan eyed Sam with a cruel look, noting the closeness between the two of them. His jaw ticked imperceptibly. “I didn’t plan a trip for three, but your imprisonment will be imminent upon our arrival.”

“No!” Jude shouted, pushing back Sam’s arm. “You will do no such thing, Cardan. You need to leave and return to Faerie. You banished me, you sent me away, I do not love you anymore.”

“You should listen to the lady,” Dean said, taking the safety off, preparing to shoot him.

She knew that with half a thought, Cardan would destroy them both and she couldn’t live with herself if that happened. And even though she knew she shouldn’t, she didn’t want Cardan to die either, despite all that had happened between them. “Wait, I’ll go back with you, if you promise you won’t come back and take Sam with you. Then and only then will I agree.” Jude raised her chin defiantly. Cardan meant nothing to her anymore, but Sam was her everything and she would rather die than let him be taken prisoner because of her.

“I swear I will not come back and take the mortal to imprison him,” Cardan begrudgingly agreed, his coal black eyes seething with rage.

“Jude, no. You don’t have to do this. You don’t have to go with him.” Sam pleaded with her. “Please, don’t go.”

It broke her heart to deny him, to let go of the life she had built in the mortal world, but she couldn’t bear to see someone else she loved die. “I have to,” she whispered. “He won’t leave until I go with him and I can’t let you be imprisoned.”

Sam nodded, a pained expression on his face while Dean’s was contorted in anger. Neither one liked it, but would accept it. Sam pulled her in for a hug, resting his chin on her head. She breathed in his familiar scent of coffee, cedar, and vanilla, closing her eyes and holding him close one last time, ingraining that smell into her brain. “I love you,” Sam choked out, fighting back tears. “Don’t ever forget that.”

Sam. Her human love that had surpassed her romance with Cardan, something she never thought possible. “I love you too, Sammy,” Jude said, even though she knew Dean was the only who called Sam that.

“How endearing. My wife has found another. I’m afraid I must reclaim what is mine,” Cardan cut in, his voice cutting and cruel. His mouth was set at an angry slant, the same expression he wore when he faced down the Undersea. If she didn’t leave with him now, he would kill both Sam and Dean.

“I have to go, Sam. I’m sorry to drag you into this.” Jude released Sam and gave Dean a weak smile before climbing up on the ragwort steed. Cardan slid in behind her and tightly gripped her waist, the smell of alcohol strong on his breath. Of course, he was drunk.

She clung tight to the reins as the horse took off, leaving behind the mortal world. Never would she have thought to be disappointed at leaving and returning to Faerie, but she had found a family there, a life. Faintly she heard Dean shout from below, “Damn it!” She sniffed, blinking away her tears. The ride was a blur as she fought within herself to maintain her composure.

Before she knew it, they had landed outside the palace. Night had fallen and the stars glistened in the sky like gems waiting to be plucked. She hated the sight of it. Hated the man behind her even more. Jude jumped off the horse without a word and stalked her way to where she had slept when she was seneschal. Cardan be damned if she’d share a bed with him again.

“Jude!” Cardan called behind her. She ignored him and increased her speed, breezing past all the fairies who were awake at this hour. All of them looked shocked to see her and many tried to prevent her from entering the palace, but she shrugged them off and continued on.

Once she reached her room, she found it preserved exactly as she left it, as if waiting for her return. Too tired to care, she fell into bed and dreamt of Taryn. In her dreams, they were together again, happy.

When she awoke in the morning, she found tears on her cheeks. She quickly swept them away and got out of bed. In the closet, she found all of the clothing she left behind. She pulled out a pair of black leathers and dressed herself, a sense of deja vu encompassing her. Once she finished dressing, she felt stumped on what to do next. What would she do now that she was here? She couldn’t very well return for fear of Cardan enacting retribution down upon Sam.

Vivi. She could go to Vivi. She’d know what to do. With a purpose now, she made her way to Vivi’s usual haunts and found her outside Madoc’s manor, as if were just about to sneak off to see Heather. When Vivi saw her standing there, her eyes lit up with jubilant glee. “Jude!” Vivi rushed forward and enveloped her in a crushing hug. She pulled back, still holding onto her arms. “You’re back. Did Cardan pardon you?”

“Not exactly. He kidnapped me from the mortal world.”

Vivi was dumbstruck at her response. “What?”

“I had a life there, Vivi. I was happy with my boyfriend.”

At that, Vivi grinned at her again, showing off her white teeth. “Boyfriend? Jude Durate has a boyfriend in a healthy relationship? Who are you and what have you done with my sister?”

“I’m serious. Cardan… well, he took me away right in front of him. Could you go down to the mortal world and make sure he’s okay?”

“Of course, Jude. I was just headed there right now to see Heather. I’ll see if I can track down this mysterious man of yours.” Vivi winked at her before pulling her into an embrace again. “It’s just so good to see you again. I’ve missed having you here.”

“I’ve missed being here,” she lied. Jude had missed Faerie the first year, but after she found Sam, she was content.

Vivi ruffled her hair and summoned a ragwort steed from the weeds to take her to the mortal world. She waved to Jude as the horse took flight into the sky. Jude watched her until she was just a tiny speck in the sky.

She released a sigh, once again aimless and adrift without a purpose. Helpless. That’s what she felt. It was the same feeling she had when the gentry children used to bully her, when she had part of her finger bitten off, when she was banished, and, of course, when Taryn was murdered right in front of her.

She angrily wiped away her tears. Love was a stupid emotion. All it ever did was consume and burn those who thought they could withstand its warmth. She took a seat underneath a tree and fell asleep, clutching a dagger in her hand. When she awoke, hours or days later, Cardan was sitting beside her, head propped on one hand, tail swishing lazily back and forth in the grass.

Quickly, she raised the dagger she had clutched in her hand and shoved it against his throat. “Why did you kidnap me? I was finally happy and you took it away from me.”

Cardan’s pulse quickened at the knife to his throat, but didn’t look rattled in the slightest. “You’re my wife. What more reason could I need than I wanted you home?”

“Faerie isn’t my home anymore.”

Cardan cocked a brow at her, arrogant as ever. “Did you truly grow to love humanity? How disappointing.”

“You’re no better than Madoc,” Jude hissed at him, throwing the worst insult she could to him. Although Cardan hadn’t killed either one of the boys, he still stole away her happiness, just as Madoc had.

Then, Vivi’s ragwort steed appeared in the sky, but she wasn’t alone. Clutching onto her was Sam. Her Sam come to rescue her. Her heart lodged itself in her throat at the gesture. No one had ever done such a thing for her before.

She lowered the dagger from Cardan’s throat and ran to Sam, throwing her arms around him. Fury had etched itself into his face, but he didn’t hesitate to hug her just as tightly back, burying his face into her hair.

“So, the lowly human has come to rescue his bride from the cruel monster. How charming,” Cardan drawled from his position on the grass. He didn’t look the slightest bit bothered by Sam’s appearance.

“I’m here to duel for Jude. If I win, she comes back to the mortal world. If you win, she’ll stay in Faerie.” Sam’s eyes were aglow with a fiery heat, similar to the look had earlier.

Cardan drew himself to his feet, dusting off invisible specks from his clothing. “Sounds fair enough.”

Sam drew Nightfell out of its sheath, the sword ringing as it was brought out. The sound was so beautiful Jude could almost cry, just as Sam looked like an angel heading into battle. But she knew he would fall, as Cardan was far too powerful for him to take on.

Just as she thought that, with a flick of his fingers, Cardan commanded the earth to move and entrap his legs. Then with another, weeds crawled up his skin, completely encompassing him until he was forced to fall to the ground. The weeds continued to thicken around his body until he was a part of the Earth. Although he struggled to free himself, it was no use and soon enough, the struggling stopped.

Sam had asked for a duel, but he hadn’t asked for a fair fight. Cardan didn’t play fair when it came to her and she knew that, but Sam was protective to a fault. She fell to her knees at the spot where her Sam had been suffocated and gently removed Nightfell from the weeds.

Vivi covered her face with her hands, tears springing to her eyes. “No… I didn’t think… Oh god, what have I done.”

“You will not return to the mortal world. You are mine, Jude Durate, until Death do us part.” With that, he turned heel and stalked back to the palace, his cape billowing behind him like a shadow of death.

Jude and Vivi were left by the remains of Sam’s body as they mourned over who had been and the blame they put upon themselves. He was yet another name added to the guilt in her heart. Her parents. Taryn. Sam.

Love was a fickle poison that killed slowly. Jude raised her eyes to the sun and vowed to never again love another. Cardan would never have her heart again, that she would make sure of.

#jurdan #the cruel prince #the wicked king #the queen of nothing #cardan greenbriar #jude durate #booklover41802 writes

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circleofshadowss · 1 year ago

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Stumbled on this post when looking for something else, but wanted to add something (even though this is older and ?pre-Queen of Nothing?):

I always thought it was Locke and Nicasia who coordinated the 'kidnapping' and worked with the Ghost. Locke knew his true name, which they could use to their advantage, and both Locke and Nicasia, at this point, stand to gain more with Jude unable to influence Cardan. Plus it fits right into Locke's typical amusements and weaved another story for him to feast on - a frightened sister, a King without an advisor (I also think that Locke understood, to some degree, the relationship between Cardan and Jude at this point after the Queen of Mirth incident).

why do you think ghost betrayed jude?why side with the undersea? I don't understand his motives

That’s a really good question!

Once upon a time, I had a crazy theory that Dain was still secretly alive and the Ghost was still working for him. This would have made a lot of sense… but then a few people pointed out that Jude wouldn’t be able to tell people she was in the Court of Shadows if Dain was still alive because of the conditions of the geass. So that theory doesn’t work.

Anyways, I think the Ghost views Dain (and will always view Dain) as the true head of the Court of Shadows. My best guess is that Undersea promised the the Ghost something. Or he wants to bring down Elfhame because of Dain’s death. But I don’t understand why he would align himself with Balkin, who murdered Dain, unless he was planning on double-crossing Balkin/Undersea.

Honestly, I don’t have any good theories on this… but there are some people who might:

@fangirlinghard-spoilerson @bigbookslilreads @legendarycollectionjellyfish3 @my-folkoftheair-headcanons and anyone else who wants to weight in, do any of you have any insights on the Ghost’s motives?

Thank you for the ask! :D

#jude durate #the wicked king #theories #The Folk of the Air

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thebraxiatelcollection · 2 years ago

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Moldova finally brought in the party.

#april watches things #the dancers have jude durate hair #eurovision

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kurishiri · 22 days ago

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Dear My Valentine —part 2— gacha: card translations ℰ info

CARD LINE TRANSLATIONS ౨ৎ

★5: 【The day we affirm our love for each other】 Harrison

Harrison: “Isn’t Valentines day when we affirm our love for each other? Then rather than just you telling me of your love, let me do so with you sometimes too.”

★4: 【What I do with them is up to me】 Nica

Nica: “You’ve expressed more of your very admirable feelings than I could ask for. But what I do with them is up to me.”

★3: 【Homemade chocolates】 Elbert

GACHA INFO ౨ৎ

DURATION: 2, 11, 2025 12:00 〜 3, 05, 2025 23:59 JST.

This is part 2 of the Valentines gacha (with part 1 featuring ★5 Alfons, ★4 Jude, and ★3 Harry).

Cards in the spotlight will have raised rates compared to standard cards. 50 rolls will guarantee a ★5 among the entire pool (spotlight and standard), and 100 rolls will guarantee the ★5 featured in the limited-time banner.

The ★5 comes with 2 unique voice lines. Upon stacking it 6 times (to +5), a special voice line will be added, so you can enjoy 3 unique voice lines.

To celebrate the launch of the gacha, all users who log in between 02/11 12PM 〜 02/13 11:59 JST will receive [Dear My Valentine gacha ticket ×1] ♪

ko-fi ☕️ ┊ comms 🤍

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alittlepassionfruit · 2 months ago

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Jude St Francis driving to his therapist’ office, only to not going inside, stay in his car and read On Narcissism for the duration of his session.

I’m afraid there’s no one funnier than him.

#a little life #jude st francis

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knifedog-machina · 1 year ago

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Daemons To Systems, And The Ways They Intertwine

Hey, I’m Max, he/they - I’m the host of our system, the guy who lives in the front and has only ever lived here, the one who identifies our body as my body specifically. A few nights ago, we realized something about our system origins while talking to some other systems, and I’ve honestly never heard of it happening before, so I thought I’d talk about it.

I used to think that I was a singlet before Jude and Gavin walked in. Now I’m pretty sure I wasn’t. See, before I was the host of a system, I was a daemian. I had three daemons, over the course of my time practicing daemonism, interacting with the community. And they were all a little weird.

The first one was Charlie, affectionately longformed as Charlemagne. Xe appeared in January 2018 as a red fox, said that was xir settled form, and never changed from that. That’s an option for daemons - I know other daemons who chose their forms, independent of how well that form represented their daemian, and stayed that way - but it was in contrast to how most people seemed to do it. I never really felt the need to find a form that fit my personality, not when xe was so confident that this was what xe was.

I didn’t try to make xir do anything, I didn’t decide to give xir faux autonomy - xe just did things xirself, with or without my prompting. Xe was playful, optimistic, a cheerful presence always willing to race around and perk me back up. I really needed xir, back then - I was going through a lot of stress in high school, and I needed someone around to remind me of the whimsical little joys in life. Xe fronted sometimes, and I loved when xe did, conjured phantom tail and paws and big fox ears and an unstoppable zest for life.

My next daemon, Martin, appeared in May 2019 after a fever dream. Really. I was sick and tired and miserable, and I didn’t want to do anything, including things that would make me feel better, and a new internal voice appeared in my head. She told me to drink some water and get to sleep. The next morning, she was still there, lounging around as a large black dog, and she stayed.

This became her role, her purpose in our mind, being a shepherd for my needs. She ran our faulty executive functioning, told me to take care of myself when I forgot important things, encouraged me when I failed to meet expectations. She raised her hackles when anyone tried to overstep our boundaries, and advocated for doing what we needed to protect ourselves, regardless of whether it was nice or polite.

Charlie and Martin overlapped in existence for a while. Charlie loved having a big sibling to play with, and Martin was fond of xir. So I had two daemons for a while, and the arrangement was nice. As I transitioned out of high school into college, my circumstances and environment drastically changed. Charlie was sweet, but xe stopped having a function in my life, so over the months, xe popped up less and less, until xe faded away entirely. Xe wasn’t upset to go, and xir memory is a comfort to me - xe served xir purpose, brought me joy, and had a life well lived.

In October 2021, I created a new daemon, compartmentalizing my emotional dysregulation and disordered anxiety into something that was Not Myself, so I could talk to it and understand its needs without being overwhelmed with distress. This became the feral shadow of a dog that we named Cortisol, nicknamed Court - and if Martin was our Freudian superego, who provided guidance for my decisions and stability when I got stressed, Court was our id, feeling all the explosive emotions that I couldn’t externally express and curling up for scritches like a beloved pet when it got what it needed.

We stayed like that for almost a year, getting familiar with the rhythm of life together. Then, in August 2022, my current headmates walked into my brain. My daemons vanished for the duration of their stay.

They only stayed around a few days, that first time - I was moving to a new place and having new people in my brain simultaneously was overloading our mental RAM, so I was forgetting a lot, and I decided that I’d rather live with them some other time. They understood, we said our goodbyes, and they walked out the next morning. (Recounting this to my friend Tanix was hilarious, by the way. “what the fuck (positive)” he said, his own headmates unable to do this. The joys of being a gateway system.) Once the headmates were gone, my daemons returned into my life.

They came back in March 2023, after I settled down into college for a while, and the memory didn’t jam up like it did previously, so we didn’t part ways this time. Martin and Court vanished overnight, again, and looking back on it, I’m noticing some patterns.

Gavin is basically performing the same role that Martin did - he’s the guy reminding us about our responsibilities, talking through the emotions when we feel like garbage, telling me to eat when I forget, or encouraging me to eat when I have enough sensory issues that I can't stomach anything. He consistently fronts when talking to people we don’t especially like, because he feels protective of us and tends to be the most patient with annoyances.

He’s also literally just some guy, just a decent human person who wound up in here because his partner arrived in my brain five minutes before him and understandably got really upset about it, so he followed them in. Somehow. We don't know how it works, but I also don't know exactly where the first two of my daemons came from, so I’m fine leaving it as a mystery.

(He has a lot of complicated feelings about the position he's in, playing a daemon’s role as a completely different person from me, and will probably write his own post about it some time.)

Jude is, unfortunately, kinda in the same role as Court. And since Court held the emotional dysregulation in my brain, Jude also holds the grand majority of the distress and anxiety that we feel on a regular basis. We all really wish it was split more evenly, because Jude tends to not only lose the ability to talk when they panic, they also get stuck in the front, completely unable to talk to me or Gavin.

(It’s not even that they feel the stress that directly affects them, it’s that on top of the stress that we get in our daily life. They regularly had panic attacks over my grades and exams last semester, and they weren’t even the one studying for it at all! It’s fucked up and I don’t love it for us.)

And there are other interesting little coincidences. You know how Court was a sketched-in sort of black dog? Jude only really realized they related to dogs upon arriving in the system with me, and the archetypal form they identify with is, again, a stylized black dog.

It’s really interesting, the ways my brain decided to be plural, because I didn’t think I was a system back then. I had a daemon, then two daemons, and they were daemons because I considered them parts of myself - no matter how autonomous they were, we were bound together in the same identity, as parts of the same person. They were reflections of me, and I loved them like I loved myself, and they loved me with the same ferocity.

With this realization, that my daemons effectively merged into my system, I did have to ask - are my headmates also parts of me, since they’re falling into the same functional compartments in my brain? We don’t think so, or at least, we don’t think it’s that simple.

They’re completely different people from me, people who arrived here with their own lives and memories and identities. They aren’t autonomous reflections of my psyche like my daemons were. They’re my weird roommates who moved in with me, and my boyfriends, and I guess you could say we’re life partners - because hey, what’s a partner if not someone you share a life with? What’s more intimate than sharing the same body, hearing each other's thoughts and feelings? They aren't parts of me, but we live the same life together, and I think that counts as something just as significant.

#alterhuman #daemonism #plurality #pluralgang #actually plural #gateway system #endo safe #max talks #personal essay

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hannahssimblr · 7 months ago

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As the stars rise over the fields, I find the others at the edges of a new, growing crowd. It has been a day of wandering, mostly solo, save for the groups of people I met here and there. Those who I bantered with for the duration of a gig, while bumming cigarettes and pretending my name was Gary, for no other reason than the fact that I could, and nobody can stop me from doing what I want.

It’s by chance that I find my friends, my real ones, the ones who know my name is Jude, and would berate me endlessly for making up pointless lies about my identity, but by then, I have drunk enough to have lost count of how many beers passed through my hands. At one stage I did shots too, out of the plastic cap of some girl’s moisturiser bottle back at a tent surrounded by discarded whippit canisters. They offered me those too, whippits, but I declined, and slipped away, bored, when they all indulged and lay on the grass hallucinating.

Now, around nine, when the lights come on and the bonfires have been lit, my vision is hazy and my stomach warmed with alcohol. I am not drunk. The day is long, and I have burned most of the alcohol off, but I am somewhere close to the edge, and one more will knock me over it.

“He wants us to see an EDM band,” Jen cries the moment she sees me. She grabs my arm and pulls me into her discussion with Kasper. “Jimmy Eat World is on the other stage in, like, twenty minutes.”

I do not care. Evie is standing there, and all the glitter I watched Claire lovingly put onto her lids earlier has migrated to her cheekbones. She’s literally sparkling under the floodlights, and the alcohol must have softened my self restraint more than I realised, because I stare at her so brazenly that I’m sure she’ll feel my gaze like an entity.

She doesn’t look back.

While Kasper tries to convince her of the merits of this specific EDM band, I watch her smile and nod with polite enthusiasm, mirroring her expressions. She’s like that, I decide. She’s easily convinced, and seems to go along with things for the sake of avoiding argument. Convince her he does, and he pats an enthused hand upon her on the back. “Yes! Good, good!” he says, and the decision is made. I’ll go where she goes.

I follow them into the crowd as Jen grumbles on my heels. I tell her to shut up.

The buzz of the nighttime audience is different. With the smell of smoke and burning wood permeating the air, we cram ourselves into pockets of space between other bodies, among the sweat and sun cream, the sharp scent of nicotine and alcohol seeping from pores. Hands go into the air with the red lights from the stage, jangling with beads and bands, nail varnish that glows neon in the dark, and the group is hustled apart, once again, by an emergence of excited fans. I stay with Evie.

A guy who wrangles a spot beside me produces a packet of cigarettes, and I know it’s all the beers I’ve had, but I crave one more than I crave water in this heatwave. I nudge him.

“Can I bum one?”

“Yeah,” he says, and I slip one into my hand. The crowd begins to bump and sway with the building music as the DJ takes the stage. I don’t know this kind of music, I can’t tell whether it’s good or bad, but I understand something I hadn’t before as I surrender to the crowd and move with them. Shutting my eyes, consumed by the noise and the lights that flash beyond my lids. I’m caught in a wave.

Yet I never lose Evie. Even when I open my eyes, I’m always with her, like some part of me knows to find her with no need sight to do it. She’s swaying too, loose, and the ends of her hair wet and sticking to her face. Her skin glows with all of that wild light from the stage, the reds and greens and blues. She’s colour, and light and sound and she’s so gorgeous that my chest aches.

I touch her neck, curling my hand around the back of it and drawing her ear to my mouth. “You okay?”

“It’s amazing.” She bellows. “I wish I could see more.”

“C’mere,” and because my brain can only conceive of new ways to touch her, I bend to nudge the back of her knees with my head.

“What are you doing?”

I have to laugh. “Get on my shoulders.”

She does, and I lift her above me into the sky, where she sits higher than everyone, ascended like some holy being. Her fingers wind in my hair before she throws her hands up, and all I can think, as I hold on to her legs, is that lingering, shiver-inducing scrape of her nails, and all those things I said in the woods.

Do I love her? Is that true? How can I know? The thoughts replay in an incessant loop as the music thuds through the earth under my feet. God, will I enjoy any music at this festival or will I spend the whole thing thinking about my feelings?

Weed Alison’s voice replays: “Experience love.”

Then imaginary Jen is there too. “Be wise.”

The real Jen is dancing wildly with a crowd of strangers in my eyeline, reluctantly enjoying herself. She catches my eye, smiles and shrugs, caught red-handed. She lifts her camera and snaps a photo of us, me and Evie.

Someone lights my cigarette for me, and I smoke it in bliss, before passing it to Evie. Her mouth touches the place where my mouth was, and I imagine she’s thinking about that too as she takes a luxurious drag and breathes a lungful of smoke right up into the darkening sky.

I know then that I’m going to kiss her. It’s an inevitability, impossible to stop, and I want to. God, I simply want to, so badly. She’s like some sort of angel up there. And she is so beautiful. Does she know it? Surely she must. She must see the way people look at her, the heads that turn when she passes. All of us are the fools that can’t help but stare at her perfect face.

And these thoughts linger, so strong and so real that I know I cannot ignore them anymore, and that it is just a matter of waiting now, waiting for the music to stop, for the lights to go off and for her to climb down and let me look at her again.

It does, the music, it ends, and the crowd disperses around us. Evie climes down my back, and with wild eyes she looks right into mine, from one to the other and back again. My heart is thumping.

“Do you want to come with me to the trees?” She says, and I do not have a clue what she’s talking about. We are in a field. There are trees everywhere, but yes, I’ll go to the trees if that’s what she wants.

She grabs my hand and I follow her through the last of the crowd to the barriers where people piles against the exit. There, a tangle of bodies catches us, and then somehow I’m leading her instead, hand in hand, heading away from all the other people to somewhere quiet. I don’t care where.

Beginning // Prev // Next

Corresponding LG chapter

#lucky boy 2010 #tw: drugs #I love how this chapter looks so much omgdhfjsgdhj #and you know what you're getting tomorrow... so... y'know

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judeswhore · 1 year ago

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ive been off tumblr for about about 3 months so looking forward to a good catch up of jude thoughts🤭🤭

keep having this thought of him catching a flight somewhere early in his career and sitting next to you for a few hours. he’s peeking over and watching the movie you are, and you guys end up talking for the entire duration of the flight. at the end of it you both say goodbye etc thinking you guys would never see each other again but every few months you both would just bump into each other, after about 3 times of seeing each other you’d be all like ‘think you’re stalking me’

he’d finally pluck up the courage of asking you to a game or something and the both of you would just be head over heels for each from the beginning

oh i love this actually. you’ll always bump into each other in the randomest of places as well and you’ll say quick little hellos and ask how the other is doing and jude will give some comment abt his career and how well it’s going and you’ll tell him you’ve watched him play a couple times. and ur telling him abt ur job or uni and he’s saying something abt how smart u are and he really likes seeing u get all shy over that compliment. then you’ll say goodbye and think okay that’s definitely the last time but then it’ll happen again and it’s definitely fate. and one day it’ll be like the fourth/fifth time and u bump into him in a coffee shop when he’s back home in birmingham and it’s so ridiculous that this keeps happening. ur joking w him abt “r u sure ur not just stalking me?” and he’s laughing and telling u something abt how pretty girls like u must just be a magnet for him. and he just can’t let this whole thing pass bc to him there has to be a reason u keep seeing each other. and ur pretty and he thinks ur funny and he really wants to take u out. so he’s asking for ur number and making a joke abt how he won’t have to wait three months to see how ur classes are going :(( so u start texting and it’s obvious ur both so into each other, u facetime every night and u just get on so well so after like a week or so jude’s asking if u wna fly over to madrid to go to a match, saying he’ll take u out after and u can stay for a few days and he’ll show u around and ofc ur saying yes and hes immediately booking ur flight (he wldnt let u pay or do anything for it bc it’s his treat) and he’s meeting u at the airport and takes u out for dinner and the whole thing is amazing from the start. he’d be so happy having u at the match and wld make u wear his shirt and wld tease u sm abt it and everyone’s calling him out for showing off and being a flirt but he just can’t help himself. it wld only take another few weeks before he asked u to be his girlfriend

#hey jude :)

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light-summoner · 1 year ago

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I love Jude Durate SO much, because she was allowed to be angry and let it all out, and wasn't punished by the narrative for it. And it was common knowledge that she didn't want to be like that, but that was what she had to be to survive. And when when she finally found an opportunity to Not Be Angry anymore she just grasped it with all her might. I love her so much, because sometimes it is like that, when you got bullied as a kid and you grew up in a weird home, all the red just builds up, and I love Holly Black for letting her express it. Because needing to prove yourself for the right to be mediocre really starts chewing you from the inside out. This is a Taryn defender household btw, Jude said that she would be So Much Worse, Taryn said I Will Fight For My Right To Be Average and she fought for it with all of her might, even went above and beyond by marrying gentry. But she came to the same conclusion, that just because you grew up with a fucked up perception of what love is (her father killed her mom, I think we tend to forget it) it Doesn't Have To Be This Way.

Durate twins, I love, love, love you.

#tcp #jude duarte #taryn duarte #tqon #twk #the wicked king #the cruel prince #the queen of nothing #holly black

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ur-mousey · 11 months ago

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I'll Make You Miss Me ~

Imagine - Jude Duarte x Singer! Cardan Greenbriar (Song inspo linked ⬇️)

Imagine! Cardan Greenbriar, the High King of Elfhame, sitting alone on his throne. The crown made of thorns felt heavy upon his head, a constant reminder of who he'd banished. The grand hall emptied of its accord. However, in the wake of their presence, where diplomats lose their inhibition at his feet, Cardan never felt more abandoned.

He was without Jude, his wife, whom he had sentenced to a mortal life. She was his beautiful and most terrifying love, but Cardan knew deep down that she belonged elsewhere from this place.

It was selfish of him to believe otherwise. She was a queen, robbed of her status by her wicked king. Why would she return for him?

Imagine! It has been months since Cardan's riddle went unsolved. He drove himself mad, over-analyzing why his letters were left discarded. He left himself painfully sober for days. Torturing himself to come up with a lure. He missed her lying whims. I hate you, were her whispers of promise. He hated that their marriage started on a sour note.

Cardan never even came close to matching her strength. What if she wholly decided to leave Elfhame and him entirely? He doubted that age would fog his memories of her. And, even if it would be fatal to resist, he vowed to cradle his obsession between the pages of Alice in Wonderland as he had done through their childhood.

Imagine! Living through boring meetings where thoughts of Jude pressed heavily on your mind. The surrounding diplomatic dribble was doomed to fall on deaf ears.

Cardan sought distractions from his quill and parchment whenever his emotions overwhelmed him. He felt the constant restlessness of yearning for Jude's return. It was a feeling that gnawed at him day in and day out until he could take it no longer. Down in this cellar, where his love became realized, he could hardly but briefly assume that his wife would come to protect him from his woes.

"Jude's absence makes you worry." The Bomb noted as she stirred her brandy lazily. Her voice rang sympathetic and in tune with the ice cubes clinking against glass. Cardan halted his shuffling of cards, the room's silence now keenly felt.

Cardan dealt the cards with ease and confidence among the Court of Shadows, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "I'm obvious, aren't I?" he quipped as if talking to no one in particular. However, his mirth quickly faded as he continued, "Jude hasn't yet responded to a single letter of mine. I'm afraid."

The Roach hummed, reaching for his cards. "If letters don't reach her, your voice will."

Imagine! Despite the dark circles under her eyes caused by sleepless nights, Jude forced herself to get up from the couch and walk to the window. She craved the fresh air to clear her mind and drive away her growing hatred towards everything related to Elfhame.

"I'll make you miss me~" The haunting melody danced over the bend of the wind. She recognized the voice of Cardan singing the tune and the realization that he was desperate. The thought both excited and frightened her.

youtube

.............................. Thank you for reading! Request rules are here! I am currently taking in ideas 🥳 This idea has been shoved to the back of my mind so I'm glad to have written it. Holly Black stated that Valerian has sexual feelings towards Jude...

#Youtube #jude x cardan #the folk of the air #the cruel prince #the wicked king #the queen of nothing #cardan is obessessed #music video #i'll make you miss me #fanfic #realizing that Valerian was sexually into Jude changed my brain chemistry #angst fic #tfota #jurdan #jurdan fic #cardan greenbriar #jude durate

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booklover41802 · 26 days ago

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Could I ask for another fanfic, where Cardan kidnaps Jude from the mortal world unable to live without her that’s a part two of Eva being alive, Eva comes to get Jude but Jude decides she wants to live with Cardan after all?

Your wish is my command. Here you go :)

Part 1

The ruby ring on Jude’s wedding finger glistened in the afternoon sun. It had been nearly a year after her supposed banishment, and yet she couldn’t find it in herself to take it off, even though she knew there was no chance she’d return to Faerie. After all, she had been the one to send Cardan away when he asked for her return. In her dreams she still saw him on his knees, begging and pleading for her to return. In her best dreams, she goes back with him, while in her worst dreams, she kills him.

Looking at her hands, she could almost see the imagined blood dripping from her fingers. It was not so long ago her hands had plotted and schemed for the throne. She lifted her head and drifted her gaze around the little garden, noting how calm it all was. Bees buzzed from flower to flower, butterflies flapped their wings, and insects crawled through the grass.

Idyllic. Peaceful. Happy.

At least, those were the words she told herself when she grew bored with the stagnancy of the mortal world. Resting beside her was her sword Nightfell. Every day she went to this garden to keep up her skills. While she knew she didn’t need to do that anymore, it was a habit ingrained into her system, her brain wired for battle.

Jude knew it concerned her mother that she couldn’t let go of Faerie, but Eva never stopped her from her daily swordplay. Unsheathing Nightfell, the blade sang to her in a voice only she could hear. She loved this blade more than anything and one of her few reminders of who she was.

“Jude, here’s your afternoon tea,” her mother said as she brought Jude her favorite blend of herbal tea.

“Thanks mom.” Jude smiled at Eva, sometimes still caught off guard that she was still alive.

“How long are you going to practice your swordplay today?”

Jude stood from the bench she was sitting on, testing out the weight of Nightfell. “I’m not sure. I’ve been thinking a lot about Faerie lately.”

Nodding sympathetically, Eva sat down on the bench, looking out into her garden. “I understand. It took me years to stop looking over my shoulder, to let myself be happy here. It’s not always the most rewarding of lives, but it’s mine and that’s what matters,” Eva said wistfully. “Every now and again I wonder how it’s all changed, but I vowed to never set foot in that place again. Not for anything.”

“Would you go for Taryn?”

Eva looked down into her hands with a pained expression. “No. I feel like a terrible mother saying so, but it’s better for both of us if I’m not there. I didn’t protect her when she needed it most. I am the cause of her pain. No, I couldn’t go back.” She shuddered, lost in her memories.

Jude placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as her mother often did for her, when the memories threatened to drown her. “Faerie may not be kind to mortals, but we both found our places there, for better or for worse. And Vivi is there for Taryn. She’ll be okay.”

“I just-” Her mother began, but was interrupted by the back door slamming open.

And there he was: her worst and best dream. Cardan.

His slim figure leaned against the doorway as his tail twitched back and forth. She wished she could say he didn’t take her breath away, but she’d be lying. His sharp cheekbones, kohl lined eyes, and iridescent midnight hair were so alien in the mortal world, but so familiar to her. For a moment she remembered what it was like to run her hands through his hair before she was brought back to reality. She vowed to never forgive him for what he did.

Jude pointed Nightfell at him threateningly. “What are you doing here? I told you to leave and forget about me.”

Breezing past Eva as if she wasn’t there, Cardan sauntered over to Jude with a smirk on his face, unfazed by the drawn sword. “I know what you said, but I cannot move on. You are the light in a candle, the stars in the sky, the stones in the ground, and the wind in the air. You are everywhere I look in my waking moments and when I sleep, yours is the face I see.” He continued to walk closer until the blade was at his throat, but he seemed to relish it all the more. “You are everything to me, Jude. Everything. I couldn’t leave you in the mortal world to rot.”

Unmoved by his words, Jude kept a stoic expression on her face. “You didn’t answer my question. What are you doing here?”

Cardan chuckled. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m taking you back to Faerie, of course.”

Shoving the blade closer to his throat until it was a hair's breadth away from puncturing skin, Jude bit out, “Like hell you are. I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“My sweet nemesis, must we carry on this pretense that you do not long for Faerie?”

The blade trembled in her grasp as his words hit true. Yes, she loved her mother and tolerated her life in the mortal world, but it did not truly bring her the stimulation she craved in Faerie. Yet she could not abandon her mother.

“I have no idea what you are referring to, Cardan,” she lied.

He poked Nightfell with his finger and sighed. “Very well, so it must be this way then.” Before Jude had a chance to react, she was swept up into his arms and rushed through the house where he had a ragwort stead waiting.

“Jude!” her mother screamed from behind her.

Struggle though she might, she found herself locked into his ironclad grip. At some point, she had dropped Nightfell, and that in of itself felt shameful. “Cardan! What are you doing?” she yelled, squirming in his grip.

Gritting his teeth, Cardan jumped into the saddle with a practiced ease. “Bringing you home where you belong, dearest wife.”

As the stead took off, the last look of the mortal world she had was her mother with tears streaming down her face. “I’ll come for you, Jude! I will go to Faerie to rescue you!”

Her mother’s words left a pang in her heart. Jude knew how much Faerie frightened her to return to, but she would do it for Jude, to rescue her from Cardan. Oddly, she felt remorse at the thought of her mother coming to save her. After all, in the deepest corners of her mind, she longed for Faerie once more.

As Faerie came into view, her heart lodged itself in her throat as all her memories came flooding forward of everything that had transpired. She saw the place where she and Taryn used to go for lessons with the gentry children, where she almost drowned, and of course, the spot of her banishment. Jude hardened her heart now that she was back in Faerie, to protect it both from the fairies, and from Cardan.

The ragwort stead landed gracefully outside the palace. Several stable hands looked startled at her appearance, but chose not to comment. Instead, they bowed to Cardan, murmuring, “Your majesty.”

Cardan ignored them and offered Jude a hand as she got down off the stead. She pointedly disregarded his assistance and landed on her feet, brushing dirt off her clothes. “Jude,” Cardan began, before Jude pulled a hidden dagger out of her clothes, shoving him against a wooden post of the stables.

“Why did you kidnap me from my home?” Jude hissed, pressing the dagger against his pale skin. A drop of his blood landed on the smooth surface of the blade, gliding down the surface until it dripped onto the ground.

Cardan swallowed nervously. Although Jude knew he liked it when she did this, it had been a while since they had been in this position and neither one knew where they stood. “I couldn’t have my wife off in the mortal realm. You often find trouble whether you look for it or not. Such is not befitting the Queen of Elfhame.” Despite his nervousness, his annoying charm still came through.

Eyeing him once, mouth pulled taut, Jude tucked the blade in a hidden compartment of her clothes. “Fine. But I want answers in the morning. And don’t follow me.” With that, she stalked off to her bedroom. As she made her way across the grounds, the folk who were awake all stopped to stare at her, the mortal who was publicly banished by Cardan a year ago. Jude couldn’t deny that it brought her pleasure at the notoriety her banishment brought. Or the fear that accompanied the looks.

When she made it to her room, she shut the door behind her and breathed a sigh of relief, sitting down on the enormous bed. Before she could relax too long, Cardan swung open the doors, humming a tune to himself.

Of course. This was his room too. Jude didn’t know why she came here or why she sought peace in this bedroom. “Although you said not to follow you, this is my bedroom and I was not going to sleep outside the door-”

Jude rose from the bed and hugged him tightly around the middle in spite of all the promises she made to never forgive him. She couldn’t help herself. All of the feelings she had pushed down rose to the surface and denial suited neither of them. “You need not do such a thing. It is I who should be sleeping on the floor.”

Surprised, Cardan hesitated a moment before returning her embrace, digging his fingers into her back. He was trembling and Jude wasn’t sure if it was from lack of sleep or her return. Either way, she finally felt grounded again in his embrace.

“I will only lie down on the bed,” he said, taking her hand guiding her back over to the bed. “If you will lie with me.”

Too weary to argue, Jude climbed into the bed and snuggled into Cardan’s embrace. Her heart that she worked so hard to harden, softened when she was with me. “My sweet nemesis, how glad I am that you are here with me,” he said into her hair, still shaking slightly, as if he couldn’t believe she was really here beside him.

Try as she might, she never could deny him or her own desires. Pulling the blankets up over their heads, she gently kissed him on the lips, like she did on their wedding night. Smiling against her kisses, Cardan created small balls of light underneath the covers.

“Cardan,” she breathed as he kissed her on the throat, his hands roving softly over her skin.

“I am forever undone by you, my darling God. It is my turn to undo you,” he said between kisses. He moved his lean fingers further down her body, pressing tighter against her. His tail lashed around, the furred end stroking over the back of her calf.

In answer, Jude slid her fingers up to his shoulder blades and into his hair. His soft, silken hair felt as if it were made of woven thread. She sucked in a breath as she tugged gently on his hair.

It took everything in her to pull away, to look into those pitch-black eyes of his that contained all the stars in the universe. To the court, he was the king. To her, he was her entire world. “Undo me after you’ve proclaimed me Queen to the court.”

Still in the throes of pleasure, Cardan nodded with a love-sick expression on his face. “Of course, I would expect nothing less. In the morning, the court will know I am utterly besotted with you and have made you my Queen.” With a flick of his wrist, the lights extinguished and they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

When Jude awoke in the morning, she felt more rested than she had in months. Turning her head, she saw that Cardan was already awake, watching her like a cat might watch a mouse. “Did you sleep well, Jude?”

“Yes, I did, thank you. We should get dressed to face the court.”

“Of course.”

They swept out of bed and dressed themselves in their court finery. As Jude looked in the mirror, it was strange to see how much muscle and weight she’d lost while in the mortal world. Much as she loved her mother, she was thrilled to return to court, even if it meant she was shortening her own lifespan by doing so.

Satisfied with her appearance, Jude made for the door, but Cadan stopped her with a gentle hand. “You forgot your crown,” he purred, smirking as he held out a small golden crown, not dissimilar to his in style. Gold with small gems embedded into the base to match the gown she had put on.

Cardan placed the crown on his head, his face glowing with delight. He held out his hand for her to take. “Shall we?”

The guards outside of their bedroom were startled to see both of them together, but did not question their king as the pair made their way to the throne room. Just as they reached the bottom of the staircase, Eva made her appearance. Throwing back the hood of her cloak, she frantically reached out for Jude’s arm.

“Jude, please, come home with me while the court is distracted. You do not have to be here if you do not want to.” Her mother sounded desperate as she pleaded with Jude. It was a huge sacrifice for her to return to this place that she had left all those years ago. She would not return for Taryn, but she came for Jude.

Glancing to Cardan, she released his hand and took a step towards her mother. “Mom, much as it might pain you to know, I am happy here. I have a purpose. A life.”

“You were happy in the mortal world too, you do not have to sacrifice that.” Her mother became desperate as she looked around, as if expecting Madoc to walk around the corner at any moment.

“I promise you, I will be okay. I have Vivi, Cardan and… Taryn. I will heal.”

Bobbing her head, her mother reached into her cloak and drew out Nightfell. “I was afraid you’d say that. Just in case, I brought Nightfell to have so you can protect yourself.”

Smiling, Jude drew her mother close in an embrace. “Thank you, mom. I’ll come visit you when I can.”

“I love you, Jude. So very much,” her mother whispered, holding her tightly as if she might never see her again.

“I love you too.”

Perhaps it was her uncomfortability at being in the court, but Eva accepted what Jude said and hurried on her way, throwing up her cloak as she went, not wanting to be recognized by anyone, despite her long absence.

She felt a pang at her departure, but she knew it was for the best. Jude belonged in Faerie, it was her home and no matter how hard she had tried to convince herself, the mortal world would never compare. Looking behind her, she smiled at Cardan and offered her hand to him. “Let’s get going, I wouldn’t want to be late to my coronation.”

“Lead the way, darling,” Cardan said, extenuating his drawl, more than happy to hold her hand.

Just as she was happy to be back in Faerie. Jude would be the Queen of Elfhame and wife to Cardan. She finally had everything she ever wanted and would mark a new age in the land of Faerie.

The age of peace.

#booklover41802 writes #jurdan #the cruel prince #the wicked king #the queen of nothing #jude durate #cardan greenbriar

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azrielsmommy · 1 year ago

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Dark Paradise (Part 3)

Pairing: Azriel x Fem! Reader

Summary: Never in the existence of Prythian had there been a rightful heir to two courts, much less a female, but there you are, in the flesh. With war upon the lands, and questionable family dynamics, a certain shadowsinger takes it upon himself to make your life just a little bit more interesting.

Word Count: 4k

Warnings: violence

a/n: hey y'all so sorry for the month hiatus, uni has been CRAZY, anyways enjoy :)

To say Azriel was dumbfounded when he saw you, the women from his dreams, sitting on the throne instead of Helion, would be a severe understatement. He was absolutely enthralled by you, the way you spoke to Rhys with no care for his nobility, challenging him instead of falling head over heels. He lingered in the limited amount of shadows for the duration of your conversation, cursing Helion under his breath for covering the entirety of the chamber in a blinding sheen of sunlight. He watched you speak with such effortless grace, like you were made for the sole purpose of ruling.

His shadows had brought him a ring while he was observing you as he jumped between shaded corners, the ring gleamed in the sunlight as he rolled it between his fingers. He was going to toss it back to the corner where his shadows had unearthed it from, but the sound of shoes hitting marble drew his attention back to the task at hand.

You had sauntered down the stairs, the sunshine that pooled in through the windows lined behind you, had enveloped you in a blanket of light, silhouetting you in a ring of gold. Azriel had then and there decided that you were a goddess, one crafted by the most richest of golds.

He had enough, choosing no longer to hide in his shadows he winnowed to meet Rhys and you. You looked even more breathtaking up close, where he could see the groves and dips of your face, like a breath of fresh air. Azriel didn't know what came over him, it was like you had your hands around his very soul, forcing him to be drawn to you like a moth to a flame.

Rhys had noticed the starstruck shadowsinger, and teased him for it when they trailed behind y/n. "Your jaw is practically on the floor, pick it up before your tongue rolls out too." Rhys's voice had filled his mind, he shot him a scowl before choosing to ignore him, but he didn't stop there. "I wonder what names you'll choose for your children, Jaime, Carmilla, Jude, personally I love Dorian" he spoke, the shit-eating grin evident in Rhys's voice. Azriel slapped Rhys's chest so hard that he let out a pained grunt, smile still etched onto his lips. Rhys threw his a look saying 'you know I'm right.' Azriel tried ignoring the insinuation, but he couldn't deny that your outfit left little to his imagination.

He immediately blocked out the several scandalous thoughts that had spinned up in his mind before he would've been forced to excuse himself.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

The Night Court was beautiful, even more so at night. The lights that decorated the city below shone brightly, paired along with the distant playing of music. The river that ran through the city twinkled as the stars up above bounced off of the ripples, it was gorgeous. Placing your hands on the railing that held you back from falling over the edge, you drank in the scenery before you. It was peaceful and comforting for a moment, before a harsh gust of wind swept over you, sending plums of snowfall over you. A shiver ran through your body, piercing even through Azriel's jacket that you had snuggly wrapped around yourself.

"Come on, you'll freeze out here." Azriel's gruff voice echoing over the wind. One of your bags was around his shoulder, while you held the other one loosely in a hand, outstretching his free hand towards you he gestured you towards him. You frowned as you took in your surroundings fully, you were in an empty clearing, no house in sight. "Where's the house?" You asked, as you walked towards him absentmindedly, goosebumps rising on your exposed legs. "We're almost there." He slightly smirked before pressing a rough hand under your knees and behind your back, collecting you abruptly into his arms.

Letting out a shocked yelp you instinctively gripped onto the closest solid surface, which so happened to be his shoulders. "Wha-." Before you could even begin demanding to be let go, he shook his wings, freeing them from their tightened position, and shot into the sky. Throwing your arms around his neck you pressed closer into him, so hard you thought you might melt into his chest. A low chuckle came out him, his chest rumbling at your startled reaction. Loosening your grip on him you looked back at him with a frown, "You could've warned me you know." You yell over the howling wind as you soared through the sky. "You're right I could've," you watched as he tore his eyes away from whatever he was focusing on, and looked into your own, "but where's the fun in that?" He spoke lowly, chest rumbling with each word.

Suddenly becoming hyper-aware of how close your faces were, you pulled back, instead choosing to turn your head to whatever he was looking at earlier. A large, almost castle-like mansion came into view, presumably the House of Wind. The sound of Azriel's wings beating heavily as you approached the wide balcony, built awfully similarly to a runway. Safely he landed, gently letting you down onto your own feet, still shook from the sudden flight you stumbled a few feet as you gained balance. Azriel offered a hand to you, but you slapped it away, "All of you Illyrians are absolutely mad, I swear" you mumbled under your breath. Throwing his hands up in mock offense, the both of you walked into the awaiting house.

You nearly moaned at the warmth that engulfed you as you stepped through the doors, melting away the coldness that had seeped into your bones. A squeal sounded through the lounge room before nimble arms tackled you, sending you crashing into the black leather couch. Blonde wavey locks, and a bright red-lipped smile filled your view, as you laid, sprawled, on the couch.

"By the cauldron, I haven't seen you in so long! How've you been? What've been up to? Oh my gosh, any new boys on the roster?" Mor berated you with questions as she laid on top of you, that beautiful smile of hers never leaving her face for a second. You giggled as she shook your shoulders rapidly, trying to shake the answers out of you.

"Mor stop it, you're going to give me a headache." You laughed as you playfully fought with her, trying to nudge her off of you. "You guys know each other?" Mor's and your head turned to look at Azriel as he stood there, watching the both of you with furrowed brows, your bags in tow.

"Of course we know each other, who do you think keeps me sane during all of those horrid meetings." She rolled her eyes at the mention of meetings. You had heard of Mor through your brother, Eris, when he was betrothed to her. Becoming friends with her wasn't exactly the smoothest of transitions, not after what Eris did to her. You had first properly met her in Vallahan during one of your diplomatic meetings for the Day Court, but once she found out who you were, and who you were related to, she avoided you.

Eventually, meeting after meeting in different continents, and different courts, you dragged her to a private room and made sure you drove the point that you had no part in her marriage arrangement with Eris. Explaining how you had zero connections with the Autumn Court, and that you refuse to support their cruel activities. After that, you grew close, but no matter how many secrets and deep truths you whispered to one another, she never told you what really happened that dreadful night when she ran into Eris. At first it hurt, knowing she didn't trust you enough with her deepest secrets, but you learned to respect it, knowing that when she was ready she would tell you.

"Oops sorry." She sheepishly clambered off of you, noticing your pained face, body growing numb from the weight of her body completely on top of yours. Helping you stand up she lead you to your room, Azriel in tow, carrying your bags with ease.

Reaching your bedroom door, Mor kicked it open, showing you around your massive suite, touring you around each additional room inside. Azriel dropped your bags onto the floor and bid you goodbye, you thanked him, watching as his broad frame walked out of your room.

"So, anybody special in your life?" Mor wiggled her eyebrows from her spot on your bed, her head propped up on her elbows as she laid on her stomach, kicking her feet in anticipation. You groaned as you flopped onto your back beside her. "No, I haven't had time for that, you know that." You dramatically threw your hands into the air.

"Yeah yeah, you got your royal duties to take care of or whatever, blah blah blah." Mor mocked you, memorizing your usual approach to this topic. "It's true! I'm not as lucky as you, catching the eye of every male. And female." You smirked at her. She shoved you in response, before resuming her questioning.

"How was your trip up here?" She picked at her perfectly manicured nails, "That crazy Illyrian practically threw me into the air, I thought he was going to drop me." You waved your hands around.

"Azriel would never drop a gorgeous girl like you," you turned your head towards her, a smile on your face from her compliment, "besides if he did, he would've been scrapping a flattened y/n shaped puddle off of the ground by now. Helion would have his head for that." Your smile immediately dropped at the idea of you being peeled from a random sidewalk in the city, you're sure that would've traumatized at least a couple Velaris civilians.

"Well since you're not going to tell me ANYTHING, about boys and what not, I have a welcoming gift for you." Mor abruptly jumped off of the bed and scurred off into your closet, you swore you could hear her giggling and mumbling to herself as she rummaged through clothes. Just as you were about to ask her what she was manically searching for like a rabid animal, she sauntered out of the room, clothes in hand.

"Well what do you think?" You sat up to get a clearer view of the garments she beheld. In one hand she had an intricate black dress, it wasn't fully midnight black, no, it had gold streaks pouring down the bodice, in the shape of a corset of sorts. There weren't any straps, showing of the shoulders, the deep v-neck that reached nearly what would be your bellybutton, showed off cleavage, and extenuated the neck. The gentle swish of the draping skirt was gorgeous, ever so often catching glimmers of gold, as it shimmered in the light.

"Oh that's sexy." Words tumbled out of your mouth as you took in the elegantly crafted dress before you. "I had it personally made for you, so of course it had to be sexy." She set the dress aside, and quickly replaced her hand with another piece of clothing. This time it wasn't a dress, it was a maroon trench coat, long enough where it would reach halfway down your calves. Several golden button adorned the front of the coat, pairing nicely with the barely visible gold seeming that lined the cuffs.

"These are beautiful Mor, but I can't accept it." You sheepishly look at her, a wave of guilt washing over you at the realization that you hadn't gotten her anything in return. She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at you, her kohl lined eyes entrancing you, making it difficult to break eye contact.

"I mean, I just didn't get you anything in return, and that's not what good friends do, if I had been given an earlier notice I would've certainly gotten you some grand shoes, or jewelry..." You laugh nervously under her stare as you twist your rings in aimless circles.

A giggle bursts from Mor, you stare at her shaking form, slightly confused, you nervously giggle along with her. A howling laugh rips from her throat as she points at you, your eyebrows furrow as you rush to a mirror, thinking that she's laughing at something on your face.

"Is there something on my face?" You palm at your face, as you search for what she's laughing at, maybe you had caught a stray leaf on your flight here.

"Yeah that stupid look," She wipes her eyes, catching any tears, grabbing your shoulders she pries you from the mirror to face her instead "Gods, Y/n you don't owe me anything in return, I wanted to give you this, as a present. Besides, I was going to give you this for Solstice anyways, but, you're here now. Consider this an early solstice, from me." She beams at you, you return a smile back.

"But, I wouldn't mind some fancy shoes here and there." Shoving her shoulder you mock roll your eyes as you move towards the vanity, needing to take a relaxing steaming bath. "Dinner's served in half an hour, if I don't see you by then, I'll drag you by your hair." You throw a vulgar gesture over your shoulder as you shut the door behind you.

You quickly got ready and arrived at the dinning room before Mor could even think of coming to 'escort' you. The dinner went smoothly, Rhys introduced you to the 'inner circle.' Cassian was the easiest to get along with, his overwhelmingly kindhearted personality nearly suffocating you, however, by how incredibly well-toned he was, it would be a mistake to assume he was always so friendly. Amren was the complete opposite of Cassian, extremely witty, quick with her words, and the way she looked at your jewelry with those silver, ancient eyes sent shivers down your spine. You swear up and down, that she even licked her lips when she thought you weren't paying attention.

As you continued your dinner, chatting about nonsense, you felt a pair of eyes on you, glancing across the table you landed on Azriel. He sat there, holding a glass of some sort of alcohol in his hand, maintaining eye contact he swirled his glass around, the liquid sloshing against the sides, before bringing it to his lips. You won't lie, in that moment, the way his tight-fitted black shirt had the top couple buttons undone, exposing his neck and chest ever so slightly, had you blushing and gripping onto your own champagne glass for dear life.

"I think I'm going to turn in for the night." You mock yawned, rubbing your eyes in faux tiredness, needing to leave the room before you could even begin to think of other things, more like think about him.

"It was a pleasure meeting you all." Bidding everybody a quick goodnight you slipped away, feeling a pair of eyes on the back of your head as you rounded the corner towards your room. A frigid coldness swept against your leg, but as you looked around for a possible open window, you were met with nothing but shadows. Cold, wispy darkness.

Looking back down the dimly lit hallways, the faint golden hues from the fae light illuminating your face, you met Azriels gaze. The rest of the table engaging in fervent conversation, but he stared at you. It felt as if time itself slowed down with the way he watched you. His eyes low, glossed over with the influence of alcohol, enhancing the copper flecks in them by tenfold. You tried to tear your eyes away from his burning gaze, but it was as if the universe itself held the two of you together, refusing to let up its iron grip.

Subtle pain spread down your hands, turning your palm upwards you finally managed to look at something else other than Azriel. Half-moon crescents were indented in your palms from where you dug your nails so deeply into them, causing ruby red blood to drip from the broken skin. Glancing back down the hall, expecting Azriel to be staring at you, but his eyes stared unyieldingly at your hands, something swirled in his eyes, something wild. Bringing your palm up to your mouth you sucked up the blood, making sure he watched as you licked up what remained. He propped his chin on a hand as he watched your ministrations, eagerly.

Your lip curled in a sly smile as you et your hand fall back to your side. Turning on your heel you pushed the door to your room open, the coolness of the door pressing against your burning back as you leaned against the door. Running a hand through your hair you undressed, getting ready for bed. Your mind playing what just happened in the hallway over and over again, without cease. As you laid in bed you kept remembering the way his eyes roved over you, and no matter how many times you denied it, you did enjoy it, a little too much.

The next morning you were abruptly awoken, not by the sunlight flooding in through the partially shut blinds, nor was it your palms, instead you felt a searing pain in ribcage. Kicking the sheets off of yourself haphazardly, you lifted your shirt just under your breast, exposing your stomach to the crisp morning air that filtered in through the room.

Nothing. No wound, at least not visibly. Gently you pressed down on your skin, pain bloomed. Maybe you had simply slept weird, or knocked your ribs against a corner last night in your rushing, but you couldn't recall anything of the sort.

Deciding to ignore the strange pain you got dressed, remembering Rhys mentioned last night something about a training room during dinner. Completing basic hygiene you threw on some training clothes and fashioned your hair into a simple braid. As you wandered the halls in circles for what felt like hours your ribcage increased in pain, of course bearable, but nonetheless annoying. As you ascended a long flight of stairs the pain persisted, almost getting more intense as you got closer to the top.

Finally you stepped into a large space, light flooding into the ring, reflecting off of the various weapons that lined the walls and racks. The wind swept over the expanse, refreshing as the sun beat down. In the middle two people sparred. standing in their glory Azriel and Cassian threw punches, swift and calculated. By the way they were huffing you were more than sure that they have been here before dawn. Noticing your presence the two of them slowed down, Cassian being the first to approach you, "You here to practice?" A large grin spread across his face, wiping his forehead free from sweat with the back of his hand. "No I'm here to sunbathe." You retort, twirling around to show off your 'bathing suit,' a deadpan expression gracing your features.

"I'm hurt Y/n, where was my invitation, you know I'd be more than happy to ditch this loser over here." He threw a thumb over his shoulder towards Azriel. "Yeah I'm sure you'd be more than happy to ditch the way I've been kicking your ass for the past hour." Azriel crossed his arms, extenuating his sweat sleeked biceps. "You know everybody hates liars Azriel." Cassian threw him a glare, Azriel rolled his eyes before walking over to grab a cub of water.

"Anyways, I need a sparring partner, you up for it?" You looked at Cassian awaiting. "Oh uh, my shoulder suddenly really hurts, I'm sure Azriel needs the extra practice." Cassian's eyebrows furrowed in obvious fake pain as he rolled his shoulder to 'work out a knot,' tucking strays pieces of hair that fell from his ponytail he gestured towards Azriel, who stood by the water station.

Gesturing towards the empty ring you watched as Azriel set down his glass and stalked his way to the open space. "Sure, don't worry Cassian I'm sure Rhys will kiss your boo boo better." Azriel teased Cassia, as you walked down the stairs towards the ring, you're more than sure that Cassian threw him a vulgar gesture by the way Azriel chuckled.

Rolling your neck you cracked your fingers, getting ready for some hand to hand combat. Azriel tossed you a knife, not sharp enough to cause serious damage, but dangerous enough. You couldn't help but notice the way the sunlight hit Azriel's bare chest just right as you worked out the last knot in your neck. His toned chest evident of the several years it took to perfect, the muscles chiseled, like he was sculpted from finest of marble. "You can always back out whenever, no shame in it." He spoke in a low voice as he took up a fighting stance rolling his own knife in is hand. "Same goes for you, I wouldn't want to embarrass you in front of Cassian." Following in suit, you threw up your hands, getting ready to deliver the ass whopping of the century.

A faint smile flickered on his face before he lunged, throwing a flurry of punches. Blocking and dodging his attacks you jumped back, creating space in between the two of you. He fought with an intensity you haven't seen in years, each move calculated and aggressive, holding no punches back. If it were an average person they would quickly be knocked out by now, but you were no average person.

Quickly recovering from the slight set back you sent back your own attacks, sparks flying from where your blades met, throwing a mix in between slashes and swift punches. From the corner of your eye you spotted a forming bruise on his left rib, the exact same place you woke up to this morning. Just managing to dodge a swift slash from Azriel in the nick of time you side step Azriel and drove the hilt of your knife into his rib.

A low whistle resonated throughout the room from the wall where Cassian stood post, watching your duel. Stumbling a few steps back Azriel grunted, your own side reflecting the same throbbing pain you imposed on him.

He didn't even let you catch your breath before unleashing punches upon you, the strength behind them causing you to scramble to deflect them. Throwing a right hook, he landed square on your jaw, nearly sending you across the floor, blood ran down your chin from the newly inflicted wound on your lip. Wiping away the blood from your chin you grinned at him, the metallic taste of blood covering your teeth in a pink sheen. "Shit, I didn't mean-" Sucking you teeth clean from the blood you didn't even let him finish his apology before you lunged for him. Catching him with his guard down you kicked his legs out from under him, his back hitting the floor with a harsh slam, quickly you clambered onto him, sitting on his lap, legs tightly pressed against the outside of his thighs to keep him from moving. You pressed the knife to his throat, not hard enough to break skin but enough to ensure his defeat.

"Yield," you huffed out as you drew your face close to his. The back of Azriel's head hit the floor, causing the curls that weren't plastered to his forehead to spread out around him in a way that made him look like a literal angel, his onyx hair giving him an ethereal glow.

His eyes stared into your own, as he took in deep breathes, chest heaving under you. "I yield." His voice gruff as he rested his hands on your hips, holding you tightly, his gaze unwavering, a slight smirk on his lips as he licked his lips. "This is my favourite positions after all," He whispered, "Sorry?" Taken aback by his suggestive comment you leaned back from his face. "This is one of the best positions to render your opponent immobile, I mean. What did you think I meant?" He slyly spoke, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"Atta girl Y/n, you just won me some money." Cassian's boisterous voice boomed throughout the room, snapping you out of your trance. Both you and Azriel turned your heads towards where Cassian stood, rubbing his hands in anticipation as he proudly gave Rhys a shit-eating grin. Begrudgingly, Rhys dug in his pocket for money, throwing it at Cassian's chest with a scowl.

"You guys bet on us?" You asked baffled, "Yup, and Azriel just lost me so much money," Rhys's tone clearly reflecting his disappointment at his major loss. "I promise you, I'm taking that out of your salary Az." Rhys sent Aziel a pointed glare, Azriel simply shrugged, clearly not caring, you're sure it wouldn't even leave a dent in his finances.

"Anyways enough of these stupid activities-", Rhys approached the two of you, "You only think it's stupid because you lost," Cassian responded in a sing-song voice, "Shut up." Rhys quickly retorted back. Running a hand quickly over his jacket, plucking at invisible dust, he stood over you and Azriel on the floor. "What mission?" Azriel asked, confusion across his face, clearly not having been debrief about this mission earlier. "Autumn Court." Rhys crossed his arms, as he watched for your reaction.

You looked back down at the sprawled out Azriel under you, clear disgust in your face at the idea of going to the Autumn Court so soon into your stay at the Night Court. Feeling the same way, Azriel rolled his eyes before closing his eyes, letting out a long breath out.

"Fuck." Was all that needed to be said.

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