#jurdan better win

[bookish-phile]

(reblog for a bigger sample <3!)

[devi1sange1]

The Cruel Prince: My Favorite Jurdan Moments

A selfish compilation because I want to look at this and smile in the future (it’s like, all the moments.)

Ch. 3

Prince Cardan, sixth-born to the High King Eldred, yet still the absolute worst, strides across the floor towards us.

As Cardan walks past the boy, apparently done with him, I am grateful that Cardan has five more worthy brothers and sisters; it’s practically guaranteed that he’ll never sit on the throne. I don’t want to think of him with more power than he has.

Ch. 4

And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest, with black hair as iridescent as a raven’s wing and cheekbones sharp enough to cut out a girls heart. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him I can hardly breathe.

Ch. 5

Cardan’s gaze catches mine, and I can’t help the evil smile that pulls up the corners of my mouth. His eyes are bright as coals, his hatred a living thing, shimmering in the air between us like the air above black rocks on a blazing summer day.

Ch. 7

Cardan watches me. Although he doesn’t lift a finger, I know this is all his doing. In his eyes, I see all the vast alieness of Faerie. “Is this fun?” I call to the shore. I am so furious that there’s no room for being scared. “Are you enjoying yourselves?” “Enormously,” says Cardan.

Ch. 8

I leave my books and cross the grass towards them. Cardan half turns and I shove him so hard that his back hits one of the trees. His eyes go wide. […] For a moment, Cardan just stares at me with stupid, crow-black eyes. Then one corner of his mouth curls. “Oh,” he says. “You’re going to regret doing that.”

Ch. 9

I keep thinking of the lazy blink of Cardan’s lashes over his coal-bright eyes. He looked gleeful, gloating, as though my fist tightening on his shirt was exactly what he would have wished. As though if I struck him, it would be because he made me do it.

“Get down on your knees,” Cardan says, looking insufferably pleased with himself. His fury has transmuted into gloating. “Beg. Make it pretty. Flowery. Worthy of me.”

“I am going to keep on defying you. I am going to shame you with my defiance. You remind me that I am a mere mortal and you are a prince of Faerie. Well, let me remind you that means you have much to lose and I have nothing. You may win in the end, you may ensorcell me and hurt me and humiliate me, but I will make sure you lose everything I can take from you on the way down. I promise you this” —I throw his own words back at him—“this is the least of what I can do.” Cardan looks at me as though he’s never seen me before. He looks at me as though no one has ever spoken to him like this. Maybe no one has

Ch. 11

Abruptly, Valerian is kicked off me. I roll onto my side, coughing, Cardan is looming there. […] “Enough,” Cardan says. He has an odd, wild expression on his face and a muscle is jumping in his jaw.

Looking up at Cardan though, something strikes me wrong. His eyes are glittering with fury and desire and maybe even shame. A moment later, he blinks, and it’s just his usual chilly arrogance.

Ch. 12

My stomach lurches. They’re going to beat him. I should be glorying in seeing Cardan like this. I should be glad that his life sucks, maybe worse than mine, even though he’s a prince of faerie and a horrible jerk and probably going to live forever. If someone had told me that I’d get an opportunity to see this, I would have thought the only thing I’d have to stifle was applause. But watching, I cannot help observing that beneath all his defiance is fear. […] It doesn’t make me like him any better, but for the first time he seems real. Not good, but real.

Ch. 14

I take the folded-up paper from behind my pillow. Smoothing it out, I see Cardan’s furious, arrogant handwriting scrawled over the page, taking up all the available space. In some places he pressed the nib so angrily that the paper tore. Jude, it reads, each hateful rendering of my name like a punch to the gut. Jude Jude Jude Jude Jude Jude…

Ch. 15

And my own name, written over and over and over. I thought I knew how much Cardan hated me, but looking at that paper, I realized I had no idea. And he’d hate me even more still if he knew I had seen him on his knees, beaten by a human servant. A mortal, for an extra bit of humiliation, an extra dose of rage. “Jude?” Oriana says, and I realize that I’ve been staring off toward a window and the fading light. […] “And just who are you thinking about with a dreamy expression like that on your face?” Oriana asks, which makes Vivi laugh again.

He looks well practiced in hiding pain.

Ch. 16

His eyes narrow at the blood, and he points the wooden stick at me. “You seem to have cut yourself.” […] I take the knife out from under my tunic and show it to him, stained a flinty red. I smile “I could cut you, too.”

At that moment, Cardan’s gaze goes to me. His eyes are barely open, but I can see the shine of them, wet as tar. He watches me as the girl kisses his mouth, watches me as she slides her hand beneath the hem of his silly, ruffle shirt.

Ch. 18

“Do you know what he said when I told him you’d stabbed me? He told me it was no more than what I deserved.” That’s impossible; Valerian must have misunderstood, Cardan must have been mocking him for letting me under his guard.

Ch. 20

His hand slides lower on my hip. I narrow my eyes at him. “You really hate me, don’t you?” He asks, his smile growing. “Almost as much as you hate me,” I say, thinking of the page with my name scratched on it. Thinking of the way he looked at me when he was drunk in the hedge maze. The way he’s looking at me now.

Ch. 21

“You’re moral,” he informs me. […] “It’s not safe for you here. Especially if you go around stabbing everyone.” “Not safe for me?” Absurdity if the statement aside, I have no idea why he’s acting as though he’s ever thought about my safety for a moment, except to endanger it.

Right now, he doesn’t even seem to care about himself.

“Get down here before you’re recognized.” “Playing hide-and-seek under the table? Crouching in the dirt? Typical of your kind, but far beneath my dignity.” He laughs unsteadily, like he expects I am going to laugh too. I don’t. I ball up my fist and punch him in the stomach, right where I know it will hurt. He staggers to his knees.

My heart is hammering from the bloodshed, from Cardan being so close, from striking him without consequences.

With a sigh, I take down my braids, rubbing my hands through my hair until it hangs wild in my face. “You look…” he says, and then trailing off, blinking a few times, not seeming able to finish.

When I return, Cardan is swilling down more wine, his gaze burning into me. I have no idea what he sees, what he’s even looking for.

And then, once we’re in the empty hall in the upper level of the palace, I turn and press the point of my knife directly underneath his chin. “Jude?” He asks, up against the wall, pronouncing my name carefully, as though to avoid slurring. I am not sure I have ever heard him use my actual name before.

Ch. 22

I press the top of the knife against his skin so he can feel the bite. His black eyes focus on me with new intensity. “Why?” he asks. Just that.

“I suppose you were right after all.” He studies my face, giving nothing away on his own. “I suppose I didn’t know the least of what you could do.”

My lip curls, but otherwise I keep my expression as mask-like as I know how, as cruel and cold as the face that reoccurs in my nightmares. It is only as I do it that I realize who I am aping, whose face frightened me into wanting it for my own. His.

I hate how I feel around him, the irrational panic when I touch his skin.

As I watch, the tail forms one wavering curve after another, snaking back and forth, betraying his cool face, telling its own story of uncertainty and fear. I can see why he hides that think away.

Ch. 25

Cardan grins at me as though we’ve been great friends all our lives. I forgot how charming he can be—and how dangerous that is.

It occurs to me that if I kill him, I can finally stop thinking about him, I won’t have to feel like this anymore.

He holds up his hands in protest, long bare fingers splayed. I am the one with the royal ring. “I’m nervous, he says. “I smile a lot when I’m nervous.”

“You are terrifying.”

I draw down the collar of my shirt so he can see where Valerian tries to strangle me. […] He reaches towards me, as though he’s going to run his fingers over the bruises.

He leans in and closes his eyes. “Most of all, I hate you because I think of you. Often. It’s disgusting, and I can’t stop.” I am shocked into silence. “Maybe you should shoot me after all,” he says, covering his face with one long-fingered hand.

I lean toward him, close enough for a kiss. His eyes widen. The look on his face is some commingling of panic and desire.

“You really do want me,” I say, close enough to feel the warmth of his breath as it hitches. “And you hate it.” I change the angle of the knife, turning it so it’s against his neck. He doesn’t look nearly as alarmed by that as I might expect. Not nearly as alarmed as when I bring my mouth to his.

Ch. 26

But kissing Locke never felt the way that kissing Cardan does, like taking a dare to run over knives, like an adrenaline string of lightning, like the moment when you’ve swum too far out in the sea and there is no going back, only cold black water closing over your head.

I can feel the moment he gives in and gives up, pulling me to him despite the threat of the knife. He kisses me hard, with a kind of devouring desperation, fingers digging into my hair.

It’s like fighting, except what we’re fighting for is to crawl inside each other’s skin

That’s the moment when terror seizes me. What kind of insane revenge is there in exulting his revulsion? And worse, far worse, I like this. I like everything about kissing him—the familiar buzz of fear, the knowledge I am punishing him, the proof he wants me.

“Is that what you imagined?” I ask, and am relieved to find that my voice sounds harsh. “No,” he says tonelessly. “Tell me,” I say. He shakes his head, somewhere chagrined. “Unless you’re really going to stab me, I think I won’t. And I might not tell you even if you were going to stab me.”

“After our kiss, I am such a fool over you that I can hardly contain myself,” I tell him with as much sarcasm as I can muster. “All I want to do is nice things to make you happy. Sure, I’ll make whatever bargain you want, so long as you kiss me again. Go ahead and run. I definitely won’t shoot you in the back.” He blinks a few times. “Hearing you lie outright is a bit disconcerting.”

When I look back, I see Cardan’s hands are deftly splitting the deck of cards, but his glittering black eyes are on me.

“I’m going to stay here, with you. You’ve got a plan right?” […] “Cardan said that you did. That if you were just making a trade, you would have done it already. And if you were going to betray us, you’d have done that by now, too.”

As the Bomb said, Cardan is stretched out on one, looking sickeningly handsome.

“Go away. You told me you wouldn’t kill me if I answered your questions, and I did.” He doesn’t sound like the boy who kissed me, sick with desire, just hours ago. He sounds sleepy, arrogant, and annoyed.

He stands, shouldering on his jacket, and then follows me into Dain’s office. Once we’re there, he leans against the doorjamb. His eyes are heavy-lidded, his hair messy from the bed. Just looking at him makes me feel hot with shame. “You sure you brought me here just to talk?” It turns out that having kissed someone, the possibility of kissing hangs over everything, no matter how terrible an idea it was the first time. The memory of his mouth on mine shimmers in the air between us.

He tips his head back, looking at me through dark lashes. “Maybe living together is the reason we don’t get on.” “I don’t like you either,” I remind him. “So you’ve said.” He gives me a lazy grin.

I think of all the strangeness of his being here, sleeping in homespun sheets, wearing the same closes for days on end, eating bread and cheese, and not complaining about any of it. It almost seems like he prefers a nest of spy’s and assassins to the splendor of his own bed.

Ch. 27

“So I am to sit here and feed you information,” Cardan says, leaning against a hickory tree. “And you’re to go charm royalty? That seems entirely backward.” I fix him a look. “I can be charming. I charmed you, didn’t I?” He rolls his eyes. “Do not expect others to share my depraved tastes.”

Despite myself, I smile. It’s bizzare to be in this with Cardan, of all people. And weirder still for him to talk with me this way, as he might to Nicasia or Locke.

He grabs hold of my wrist. I am shocked by the sensation of his skin warm against mine.

I frown at him. “But they’re not part of the High Court. They haven’t sworn to the crown.” “Exactly,” Cardan says, reaching out a finger to trace the shape of my ear. The curve, I realize. I shudder, eyes closing against the hot spike of shame. He keeps talking, but he seems to realize what he’s been doing and snatches his hand away. Now we’re both ashamed.

Ch. 28

“It surprised me,” I say honestly. “I wanted to think Dain was different.” Cardan snorts and takes the silver cup that was meant for me as well as his own.

We go over the plans again, and Cardan helps us map out Hollow hall. I try not to be too conscious of his long fingers tracing over the paper, of the sick thrill I get when he looks at me.

Ch. 29

“My prince,” it says. “My door,” he says in return, with a smile that conveys both affection and familiarity. It’s bizzare to see his obnoxious charm used for something other than evil.

Cardan tucks my arm firmly through his before striding into the entryway, and I feel a rush of warmth as I match his step. I can’t afford to be less than ruthlessly honest with myself. Against my better judgement, despite the fact that he is terrible, Cardan is also fun.

He’s supposed to look regal. I helped choose the clothes, helped make him this way, and yet the effect is not lost on me.

“Jude here made me her prisoner,” he says, and I have to fight down the urge to step heavily on his foot. “She ties very tight knots.”

Her eyes widen, taking in whom I am standing with. Something passes over her face, and it looks a lot like resentment. She has locke, but I am here with a prince.

Ch. 30

“Have I told you how hideous you look tonight?” Cardan asks, leaning back in the elaborately carved chair, the warmth of his words turning the question into something like a compliment. “No,” I say, glad to be annoyed back into the present. “Tell me.” “I cannot,” he says, then frowns. “Jude?” I may never be used to the sound of my name on his lips. His brows draw together. “There’s a bruise coming upon your jaw.”

“Phase four,” Cardan whispers to me, still believing we’re on the same side.

Cardan looks at me with helpless rage. Then, the full minute of my command up, he rises slowly to his feet. The fury in his eyes is familiar, the glitter of them like banked fire, like coals burning hotter than flames ever could. This time I deserve it. I promised he was going to be able to walk away from the court and all its manipulations. I promised he would be free from all this. I lied.

Yet I am surprised when he turns to me, eyes blazing. It feels as though the room is empty but for us. He lifts his glass anew, mouth curving in a mockery of a smile. “And to Jude, who gave me a gift tonight. One that I plan to repay in kind.”

Epilogue

He rises from the throne. “Come, have a seat.” His voice is replete with danger, lush with menace. The flowering branches have sprouted thorns so thickly that petals are barely visible. “This is what you wanted, isn’t it?” He asks “What you sacrificed everything for. Go on. It’s all yours.”

[keepofkandrakar]

continuing from this post, i think i’ve figured out why i ship talisto and i blame it all on holly black: jude duarte and cardan greenbriar are talia and mephisto coded.

lemme try to explain the dynamics.

Jude & Talia

What’s there to say? They’re both badass strategists and natural-born leaders. They will make themselves heard and will not take nor tolerate bullshit. They are both clever with their plans and also don’t trust easily. Their guards are up constantly and they don’t tell their allies/friends everything (ie Jude’s coup and the whole Princess Brenda thing). They have also adapted to the rapid and traumatic changes in their lives — Jude with the murder of her parents and Talia with the fall of Xeris — and of course the adapting to a new world.

Sure, Jude takes things to an extreme by pursuing murder on occasion, but you can’t tell me that Talia wouldn’t do the same in her shoes (albeit with some hesitancy, but none the less will do so as a last resort). These two girls are a force to be reckoned with, and do all the research necessary to make sure they know all the facts and know all the plays to win.

Cardan & Mephisto

I don’t need to explain this. It’s so obvious that Holly went so far as to basically make Mephisto Cardan’s faceclaim.

Cardan and Mephisto are both younger siblings, so they are familiar with the shadow of their older — and better, in the eyes of their father figures or something — siblings. They also both have no shame in being the villain of their stories while also being sorta carefree and charismatic I MEAN LOOK AT THEM!! But they also, deep in the core of their soul, have goodness and love inside, and a strong urge to protect and sacrifice everything for those closest to them (Jude and Praxina respectively). They grow over the duration of their screentime/booktime into lovable and openly more caring characters.

Seriously guys the parallels between them are right fucking there.

Jurdan & Talisto

What else can I say? Enemies-to-lovers is the superior trope and if the Jurdan dynamic — while slightly questionable bc ✨bully romance✨ and just general canonical confusion — doesn’t give you tingles, imagine the applied to Talisto’s already current dynamic. I can already see Talia’s fuming face ready to absolutely destroy Mephisto and his obnoxious, degrading laughter as he walks away in Faerieland during their lessons. I can also see how the turns have tabled with Talia holding a knife to Mephisto’s neck and Talia’s grinning face as she pulls of the greatest coup in history…

I guess what I’m saying is that I would not be opposed to a Talisto Cruel Prince AU because it just makes sense.

[bakerolivias-archived]

i know i’m biased because i quite literally adore the cruel prince tbh but sjm isn’t shit and trying to hype up sjm’s books while criticizing holly black and jurdan is just a terrible endeavor and a waste of your time, especially the argument “jude ran into an abusive relationship/feyre ran away from one,” like lmao pls no.

first off cardan was an ass in the beginning, we all know this, no one’s denying it. that’s quite literally the point of enemies to lovers, for two ppl to absolutely hate each other before bonding/coming to an understanding and falling in love. his actions were a result of the cruelty and bias against him and neglect he suffered, which, obviously does not make for an excuse or a justification, but rather a reasoning and an understanding. he’s an asshole to be an asshole, but over time he legitimately changes into a kind, respectful, and good person, and it’s through these redemptive actions he becomes better, not even to “win” jude’s favor but because he decided that better was what he wanted to be, and jude began to see this side of him and slowly fall for this person he truly was. the public humiliation in twk is no object because it was a result of locke’s asshole shenanigans, not cardan’s. while i do believe a proper apology was in order for how he acted in their schooldays, in faireland (no, i can’t spell leave me alone) gratitude, and as such remorse, aren’t expressed with a few dismissive and meaningless words, but it is their custom to be grateful and remorseful through action. cardan more than proved himself to jude, and from that they were able to develop a bond of trust, respect, and love that was far greater than their mutual desire for power.

i couldn’t get through the entire acotar series, but it’s apparent that sjm’s works are deeply rooted in rampant misogyny, white supremacy/saviorism, racism, and faux feminism, and severely lacking in proper diversity. while there is nothing wrong with having a lot of sex scenes in literature, sjm values horny characters and sex-driven plots (”mating” and all that) above well written, nuanced characters, especially female characters who don’t put other women down (especially for things like enjoying sex) and aren’t white saviors. her works portray many problematic and truly abusive relationships between adults who are well into centuries of existence and not teenagers who were still learning and growing and maturing like jude and cardan. feyre left an abusive relationship, yes - and immediately went for a man who drugged her and forced her to give him a lap dance, and somehow we’re expected to be patronized by sjm fans and believe that rhysand, a 500 year old dick who has had years to change is somehow better than cardan? yes, rhysand suffered abuse as well, but instead of properly redeeming himself for being a shitty person by working to be better as cardan did, we’re expected to believe everything he’s done is okay, despite having had centuries to work on himself and mature as opposed to cardan who’s... a teenage boy?

to criticize jurdan and to be an sjm fan is hypocrisy in and of itself, and your opinion on jurdan doesn’t mean shit, bye.

[tfotababe]

Can you write a Jurdan fanfic of yours where Jude and Cardan can control the weather and It’s a lot like your fanfic only love can hurt like this except… Cardan keeps Jude and Nicasia as prisoners and humiliates and tortures them and, Jude is alive, Cardan doesn’t take Jude’s body. Jude just ended up in a coma and a year later Cardan is a good king for Jude’s sake BUT he humiliated and tortured Nicasia and Orlaugh because he blames them. And Jude ends up falling in love with another man who was a volunteer who helped her through her rehabilitation. And believed in faerie and helped pay for things. The mortal man is rich. And cardan stops the wedding in time. But he has to win Jude’s heart now

To Love or To Be Loved

@fantasyfox10123

Description: Revised version of 'Of spilt wine and flowers'. This one will be a series but it would *probably* be less than 10 chapters. I have always wanted to give Cardan a 'Good King' fanfic, this request gave me the chance. BTW, I also think that Cardan is a dork but in terms of Kingly duties, I believe he only denies it because he was forced to do it but from the start, if he had wanted to I think he would do great, like really great. So, here from the start(? You be the judge whether I made Cardan a great king from the start or not), Cardan is already a great King it just came out more because of the ✨things✨ that happen. Also, kinda realized the land became more like a big Casita that only Jurdan could talk to rather than Jurdan being able to control the weather XD. Synopsis: Loving her would always end in his destruction. He knew that. Not taking risks though, would mean his giving her up. An act he doesn't dare do. Felicitous Ruination: A tale of Love and Hate. Word count: 1, 457

Ch. #1: Lucidity of the King (Next ch. ->)

The High King is moping again. His body is in the meeting with the court officials. It's drinking wine, actually. The officials were not sure, though, whether it was consciously or out of habit. His head? Well, it is high in the clouds. So high, even his title couldn't compare. Really, he's been like that since he exiled his seneschal. Why? The High Court presumes he hates the meetings —He's always disliked going to them, even before the banishment, and the officials believe that having no one to go in his place made him miserable —They're starting to have a harder time trying to understand how such a princeling became the High King... Must have been a miracle- "Jude..." The sounds of the letters were garbled but were nonetheless understood. Fala, the court jester, guffawed when the not-so-mighty High King of Elfhame started pecking at the goblet in his hands. The King looked up. His glower silenced the room. "Let the meeting end here." He declares while gracefully but abruptly rising from his seat. The officials will have yet another hard time figuring out how he manages to be drunk, abnormal, and graceful simultaneously. ~~~~~ The King had tears in his eyes, rummaging through his drawers for a piece of parchment and a pen. He's become unsure whether the items vaporized or if it was his tears blurring his vision and disabling him from seeing properly. Both, he didn't care about. A mere few hours was all he had to call the woman he had married his wife. He had wanted to give her what she deserved, to profess his love, and, yes, he knew better, but he also wanted to defend her from anybody who would behave the way he had. In spite of his desire, she was ripped away from him the next day. He himself was forced to do so. Because if it had not been him, it would have been them humiliating her. He had planned only to punish her lightly, but the eyes that had watched him had expressed the want to do away with her. Giving her a penalty with a loophole was the only thing he could have done. Jude Duarte had always been an astute woman. So, why now, of all times, has she not figured it out? Why is she not back? The King's tears fell. He found what he was looking for. He looked out the window. He feels sorry for his subjects who suffer the occurrences of storms. He desires for them to not experience such harshness. If the elements depend on him and his Queen, though, he'll just have to think of ways to atone for his fault. A cold wind swayed the trees... He had begged for her, degraded himself, brought out all the words he knew to coax her into coming back, and now he was at his wit's end. Now, the only thing filling his head was her name. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. He wrote a line of her name, cursing when the pen broke. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. He wrote another line, saying it as he committed the name so fatally beautiful on paper. If it meant her coming back, he would be more than willing to take over all the fatigue-inducing work. Rain fell as hard as the King's tears... The High King of Elfhame looked the mess he was, hunched over his desk, black tracks running down his face, hand grasping his temples as if the action would keep him sane. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE.JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE.JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE.JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE.JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. JUDE. He wrote as many lines of her name as the paper could fit. He feels the land quake. It could be his heartache, maybe her anger... Or maybe something has happened to her. Cardan's repugnance toward the notion grew the more he tried not to think of it. JUDE. PLEASE. JUDE. He had thoughtlessly scribbled the words on the paper. He runs a hand through his hair, wipes the kohl from his cheeks, clearing his throat before he calls for a servant to deliver the letter to the mortal realm. Regaining his proudness in a span of seconds.

Even with red eyes, Cardan had an air of regality. Talking even in a broken voice, he intimidates whoever dares look his way.

~~~~~

"Read the star charts." He commands the Royal astrologer, who was still scrambling to his feet to greet the King. "None of that." The King tells him. "Look at what the stars have to say." he repeats.

Baphen opens his mouth to speak. The King raises a brow. Baphen closes his mouth.

The astrologer looks up. A few stars pass and Cardan hopes he had paid more attention to the lessons Noggle had taught. The astrologer frowns. "A clock ticks for three fortnights." He declares, not taking his eyes from the sky. His shoulders rise and drop as he breathes out. "Separated, the land rots in preparation for mourning." He pauses, "It seems the land wishes to reunite with a certain soul." The astrologer faces him. The sudden lightning, only illuminating parts of the King's face, makes his expression seem direr. Recovering from the fright, Baphen adds, "A new High Queen shall be gifted to Elfhame shall we persevere." The walls of the palace reverberated with ground-quaking thunder. Baphen realizes adding that prophecy made the situation worse. He had only mentioned it in hopes of improving the King and, consequently, the weather. He had never liked downpours. The clouds and mist hide the stars, making them harder to interpret. Before he could say anything, the King had already left his lodgings. ~~~~~ A ticking clock. Mourning. A new High Queen. Cardan didn't like the sound of those words together. He looks out the window. Even the land seems not to know what to do. Torn between delineating its Queen or King. Suffering a drought while flooding almost endlessly. Who should be put first? He asks himself. He's wavering. Wavering very much. Should he rush to the one he depends on or top her with the ones who depend on him? Jude is fierce. She had tricked, if not overpowered, many faeries. The King hesitates. Balekin, who, even Cardan, cruel as he is, couldn't subdue. Madoc, the fae who directed her. Orlagh, Queen of the Undersea, likely more established than the first High Queen Mab. Even fooling all the fair folk, into serving a puppet directly under her influence. He hangs back some more, leaning into his chair. "The Folk it is." He puffs out. He scorns his decision. Still, he stands by it, remembering the aforementioned reason for his choice. She was able to stand her ground in Elfhame where she was promptly hurled into. She'd absolutely be able to persevere in the land she was born in. He keeps the belief repeating in his mind. With it, he was able to backtrack to the information from the meeting. To think of ways to solve the problems presented to him. To process enough of what's happening to reason with the land, to help it heal. Completely ignoring that with the circumstances presented to his Queen, unable was she to entirely familiarize herself with the mortal realm. ~~~~~ The High King wakes up to the agitated lands of Elfhame. A week had yet to pass since he had appeased the land. Jude..? Laying on his bed, Cardan saw his territory. Broken it was now, much worse than it had been. Ruptured dry land, magma bubbling just below. Now, the King was incapable of thinking straight. It was his fatal flaw, the downfall of his sweet nemesis, he wishes not to take place unless his own collapse, he had reached. Jude. Jude. Jude. Please. No. Jude. Dressing in the first garments he sees, he hastens to the mortal realm. Glamouring a ragwort steed into a pony the way he saw The Roach do, not a second does he delay his departure. Now, he has no want to pay attention to anything other than getting to his betrothed. Now, he worries he had overestimated Jude Duarte, though, he had never thought that possible. Now, with snoot leaking from his nose, and tears from his eyes, he feels overwhelming distress racking his nerves. ~~~~~ He sees a familiar figure in front of the structure he had agonized to remember. Ah... Too late. He is too late.

[zoroshonkingbazonkadonkas]

Jurdan headcannons

Jude and Cardan banter, a lot

When Jude is tired after her day at the palace listening to everyone’s grievances, Cardan hugs her and doesn’t leave her for an hour

When Cardan goes to bed but Jude doesn’t because she wants to work some more, Cardan stays awake and works, too. Then when Jude comes to bed she’s surprised and Cardan says, “I can’t let the love of my life stay awake and work alone.” and then Jurdan go to bed and they cuddle (Jude is the little spoon) and sleep

When they’re with the rest of the family for movie night in winter, Jurdan share a blanket and do the thumb twiddly thing. Jude lets Cardan win 

When they’re having dinner together, they play footsies. Jude ends up taking it to a higher level, one thing leads to another and they end up in bed hehe

Whenever she’s sleepy but has work, Jude rests her head on Cardan’s shoulder. Cardan strokes her hair lovingly and kisses her forehead

When Cardan is sleepy but has work, he pouts at Jude. Kebause they’ve developed a non-verbal language, Jude knows what he wants. She hugs him around the waist and kisses him on the cheek, except Cardan turns his face and she ends up kissing him on the lips instead

Cardan gets better at swordplay. He disarms Jude one day and he’s so shocked that he drops the sword and whoops. Jude is astonished but then she puts him on swordpoint. Cardan turns to her with a blinding smile and her lips curve into a smile involuntarily in turn. Then she brings him closer and nuzzles her nose with his. And then kisses him :D

One day when Jude can’t figure out the solution to a problem, she’s frowning in the distance. When Cardan comes up to her to talk to her about something, he sees her pouting and can’t resist pinching her cheeks softly. Then she turns to him but instead of saying something, she burrows her face in his chest and slowly, her whole body relaxes. Cardan wraps his arms around her and they stay like that for a while 

They take a trip to the beaches in the mortal world (Cardan’s tail is glamoured) and when Cardan sees Jude in a swimsuit he tries to not show her too much of a reaction. Then he sees a guy looking at Jude. He narrows his eyes at him, goes to stand right in front of Jude, says she’s looking beautiful, and kisses her on the nose. Jude whispers if you don’t stop with the PDA, I’ll break your arm in his ear. So then Cardan takes a careful step back, waits till her attention is elsewhere and then swoops her in his arms and takes running to the water. Right when he’s about to throw her in, he glances at her face- sees her eyes shining, mouth pulled into a wide grin and stops awe-struck. Jude kisses him, he says who’s showing affection in public now? and then Jude just kisses him more in response 

When Jude is working and Cardan feels like doing nothing, he ambles into her workroom, sprawls over her lap and talks about anything and everything. Jude smiles and nods in time with what he’s saying and runs her fingers through his hair. Cardan strokes her ear and cheek and then Jude starts blushing furiously

When Jurdan have to watch over Oak one day and he can’t fall asleep, Cardan brings him to their room. He tells Oak a story while Jude is out getting snacks. When she returns, Oak and Cardan are both asleep. Oak is wrapped up in a smol blankie but Cardan isn’t, so Jude brings a unicorn blankie, wraps Cardan up like a burrito and kisses him on the forehead

When Jude is feeling lazy, she stays home all day and practices swordplay with the Ghost. When Cardan comes home at night, he sees that Jude fell asleep on their bed while she was working on her laptop. He clears the bed up and brings a fluffy blankie to wrap her up in retaliation for the time she did the same to him. When he finishes wrapping her up, he kisses her on the cheek and gets up, but Jude grasps his hand and says Stay so then they cuddle within the blankie and watch a romantic movie. When a sex scene comes on, Jude begins blushing and hides her head in the crook of Cardan’s neck. He chuckles and grips her tighter on the waist and tells her to stop being adorable. She frowns up at him so he kisses her nose and then she melts against him

Hehe so  Hey :) I missed them  I’ll do more later, maybe 

[thewickedkings]

Between the Two of Us ~ Chapter 6

Masterlist || Previous Chapter || Next Chapter

Summary: Jurdan High school AU. Rivals Jude and Cardan are forced to partner up for a history project, and drama ensues. Filled with banter, pranks, an unhealthy amount of pining, and Jude being clueless as usual.

Trigger Warnings: I don’t think there’s anything so far, but please let me know if there’s anything I missed!

~~~

Jude blinked. And then blinked again. But Cardan was still standing at her door, holding a bouquet of red roses, very much real. Under her confusion, a distant part of her felt a surprising flutter of warmth.

She opened the door hesitantly and was greeted with Cardan’s scowl. He was dressed in jeans and a simple white T-shirt that somehow made his already attractive features stand out even more. His sharp black hair fell over his forehead in tantalizing waves. With the roses in hand, he looked like a heartbreak waiting to happen.

Jude opened her mouth, unsure of what to say, but he interrupted.

“Don’t worry. They’re not from me.” He shoved them in her arms like they had burned him. Clearly, the idea of giving her flowers completely repulsed him.

“I- okay. Hi to you too.” She stepped back to let him in, and his jaw ticked. “Someone clearly woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.”

He stepped in and Jude shut the door behind them. When she turned back to Cardan, she found him looking at her expectantly. She ignored him and walked to the kitchen, resisting the urge to check the note attached, even though she had a feeling she knew who they were from.

“Want anything to drink?”

“No,” he replied bluntly.

Jude pursed her lips. “Okay then.” Clearly, he wasn’t in a cooperative mood. She sighed. “So, I figured we could compare our research to see what-”

“Are you going to put those in a vase?” Cardan interrupted.

She glared at him. “Are you going to be like this the whole time?” But she stood up and went to the pantry to get a vase.

She felt Cardan’s gaze on the side of her face as she filled the vase up with water and put it on the counter, but he didn’t speak. The only sound was the steady drip of the faucet into the sink. She picked up the bouquet, inhaling the fragrant scent of the roses. Before she put them into the vase, she untied the note and read it.

For Jude. Yesterday was fun. We should do it again.

She bit her lip to stop the giddy smile that threatened to break free. Nobody had ever bought her flowers before.

Cardan cleared his throat, irritation edging his voice. “Are we going to do this or not?”

“You’re the one who asked me to put these in a vase,” she mumbled. She flopped onto the bar stool next to him, annoyed.

She opened her laptop, clicking through to open her research. “Like I was saying before you interrupted me, we should compare our research and see what we’ve got.”

“Right, okay.” He ran his hand over jaw, easing the tension in it. “By the way, they’re going to display the best project on the school website, so we might have to up our game.”

Jude’s head swiveled back to Cardan. “What? Since when? Why didn’t you tell me right when you got here?”

“I was a bit preoccupied.”

Jude narrowed her eyes. “Wait, how do you know?”

He smirked, some of his earlier mood dissipating. “I have my sources.”

“I don’t trust your sources,” Jude shot back.

Cardan leaned back, arms stretching behind his head. “Fine then. Don’t believe me. When Taryn and Locke have their project on the website, don’t come crying to me.”

Jude paused momentarily. She’d forgotten Taryn and Locke were partners. Something niggled in the back of her mind, a thought that wasn’t fully formed. “You think they’d actually win?”

“Locke will try if he knows I… if he knows we want to win.”

After the date, Jude had conveniently forgotten that Locke and Cardan knew each other. She felt the strange compulsion to keep them separate in her mind. “Okay, so say this is actually true.”

Cardan scoffed. “If you really must know, I heard my father talking about it. He’s on the board, and it’s one of the publicity tactics or something to make the school look better. They need to show off for the donors.”

Jude looked up, surprised. “Oh, okay. I didn’t know your father was on the board.”

Cardan shrugged and redirected the conversation. “If we want to win, we better start working.”

“Don’t worry. We’re winning this.”

“I’m not worried.” The quick, playful grin he sent her startled her, and Jude wondered what they could do if they actually worked on the same side for once.

Jude paused.  “Wait, why do you want to win so badly?”

Before he could answer, the garage door opened, and Madoc entered. Jude stiffened in surprise, not expecting her father to be here while her and Cardan were home. She felt weird introducing them, and she didn’t want her father making any assumptions about the two of them like he did with any guy Jude mentioned.

Jude cleared her throat. “Um, Father, this is Cardan.”

Cardan stood up from the barstool, and Jude watched in awe as Cardan transformed into a gentleman, politely introducing himself and ending each sentence with sir.

“Ah, Eldred’s youngest son. You stay with Balekin now?”

Cardan’s smile wavered but remained intact. “Yes, sir.” She couldn’t help but notice the stiffness in his posture, a sort of rigid tension that Jude couldn’t quite place.

Madoc gave Jude a nod. “Well, I’ll leave you two to it.” He walked into his office and shut the door behind him.

An awkward silence descended over them, until Cardan broke it. “So… you call your dad… Father?”

She didn’t feel like explaining that he wasn’t actually her father, and that their real parents had died in a car crash, so she didn’t. “Yeah, well, dad always seemed too…” she trailed off, shrugging.

“Close?” Cardan supplied, and she nodded. “Yeah, I get that.”

She resisted the temptation to ask him why, but it felt too personal, and it wasn’t like they were friends. Instead she shoved his shoulder. “What was that? I didn’t know you could be a gentleman? All yes, sirs, and of course sir.”

For a second, he blinked and Jude could have sworn she saw a blush on his neck. But then he leaned closer to her across the barstools, almost challenging. His eyes darted to her hand, which was still on his arm, before they flitted to the vase on the counter and then back up to her eyes.

“I can be a decent human sometimes.” He smirked, adding, “But certain people bring out the worst in me.”

Jude’s retort died on her tongue as he leaned further into her space. Cardan’s gaze probed into hers, searching, and her breath caught in her throat.

Heat rushed up her neck, her senses heightening in anticipation of…

A thud sounded from her father’s office, and Jude quickly pulled away, berating herself. What the hell was that?

Cardan swallowed and averted his gaze, his hand flexing. When he spoke, his voice was low. “You never came to any of my parties. There’s one on Saturday. You should come.”

Jude was too surprised by the sudden change in topic and the earnest tone in his voice, so she said, “Okay.”

The serious expression in his face disappeared immediately. He grinned down at her, wiggling his eyebrows. “Okay?”

Jude scowled. “I’ll be there. But only because I owe you.”

Cardan laughed, and any remaining tension dissipated. “Don’t worry. I’d never think otherwise.”

“Come on, let’s just finish this stupid project,” Jude grumbled, but felt the corners of her lips lifting up into a smile.

~~~

The next week was stressful, to say the least. By Wednesday, Jude was ready to pass out and call it a week. Her physics quiz that morning had been draining, and she had barely finished before the end of class. After that, she had a presentation in her literature class that she had just barely fumbled through.

Jude walked to her locker, rubbing her temples to sooth the dull ache growing there. She was surprised to see Locke waiting for her. The few times she had seen him in school over the past week were in passing smiles in the hallways. She hadn’t been sure if she should text him to thank him for the flowers or if she should approach him,

Now, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her cheek. Jude winced, but quickly covered it with a smile. Her head throbbed, and she didn’t have the energy to sort out why she didn’t like his touch right now.

“Hey, you get my flowers?”

“Yeah, thanks. I loved them.”

Locke’s eyes flitted over her shoulder and then back to her. “No problem.” He leaned in, brushing a strand of hair that had escaped from her ponytail. “Can I walk you to class?”

“Uh, yeah, sure.” Locke wrapped his arm over her shoulder possessively, pulling her to him.

Jude was awkwardly conscious of his arm around her shoulder and the glances people gave them in the hall. Something about his actions felt unnatural, almost forced. Or maybe she was projecting her own feelings onto him. They’d only been on one date, and she didn’t feel fully comfortable with him yet.

When Jude got to her last period study hall, she quickly slid out from under his arm, mumbling a quick “thanks,” before entering her class.

Study hall was basically an hour to work on any of your assignments before school let out, and Jude spent the class with her headphones in, head resting against her arm. She knew she probably should get some assignments done, but she couldn’t bring herself to care.

When the bell rang, Jude made her way to the gym next to the soccer field to get ready for practice. Her headache had thankfully subsided, and she threaded her way through the parking lot.

“Hey,” a voice said from behind her.

Jude was surprised to find Nicasia quickly walking to catch up with her. “Hi?”

Nicasia rolled her eyes. Her black hair was up in a messy bun, the ends died an ethereal blue. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and fell into step next to Jude. “I figured we could walk to practice together, since we do have the same class last period.”

Jude blinked. “Um, okay. You weren’t exactly being friendly when you ignored me on the field and tried to shoot an impossible goal instead of just passing.”

Nicasia shrugged. “I was just pissed because I heard Locke talking about you, and I probably shouldn’t have taken it out on the field.”

“Great apology.”

Nicasia rolled her eyes again. “Shut up.”

“So wait… you and Locke dated?” Last she knew, Nicasia and Cardan were together. She really needed to keep up with the school drama.

Nicasia nodded. Something in Jude’s face made her add, “Don’t worry. I ended things with him for a reason. It was great at first, until I realized he was just using me to get at Cardan.”

Jude paused, suddenly reevaluating everything she knew about Locke, and wondering why Locke would want to get at Cardan. Jude was instantly curious if it had worked.

Nicasia sighed and played with a loose strand of hair. “Look, I know this might make me seem like a jealous ex, but Locke… he likes drama. He likes to create drama. I saw him with you in the hallway today, and despite our differences, I don’t want you to get in caught in it.”

Jude didn’t know what to make of this information, but Nicasia seemed to be genuine. Something about her date with Locke had felt… a little too perfect. Then, she hadn’t thought it was a bad thing, but now she felt as though she had been played. “Thanks for the warning, I guess.”

Nicasia opened the door to the gym. “I wish someone had given me one, but I should have known better.” They both silently entered their separate changing rooms to put on their soccer gear.

Jude’s thoughts wandered as she slipped out of her jeans and into her soccer shorts. Even though she did enjoy their date, she realized she didn’t really know Locke. What Nicasia said about Locke could be true, and if it was, Jude absolutely did not want to take things further with him.

Jude found she wasn’t as disappointed as she should be at the thought. Besides flirting with each other, they didn’t really have anything in common that connected them. If she really thought about it, she knew whatever was between them wasn’t going to last, and that it mainly for fun. Yes, the first date went pretty well and she loved the attention, but what about after? She wasn’t very good at relationships in general, and she was bound to do something wrong.

When Jude came out, she silently sat next to Nicasia on the bench next to the lockers. Jude leaned down to slide her foot into her cleats, and her foot came in contact with a warm goeey substance. She yelped, pulling her foot out of her shoe.

“What?” Nicasia asked. She snorted when she saw the green sludge on Jude’s sock. “Oh.”

Jude groaned. “Ugh, Cardan. I knew he was planning something.”

Nicasia gave her a long look, tying her hair back into a ponytail, and then getting up and getting her napkins. “You two are still doing this?”

Jude wondered just how much Nicasia knew about their prank war as she cleaned out the inside of her shoe as much as she could. Despite her best efforts, some of the sludge remained stuck to the bottom. “I mean, if one of us stops, it means the other person wins. And I can’t let him win.”

“You’re both idiots.”

Jude laughed, shrugging. “As long as I beat him, I don’t care.”

Nicasia stood up, flicking her ponytail over her shoulder. “When you two finally get together, I’m going to throw a party.”

Jude sputtered. “What? We’re not- he doesn’t- what?”

“Uh huh, right.” Nicasia smirked as she walked to the door. “See you on the field.”

Jude scowled as Nicasia shut the door of the gym behind her, leaving Jude in silence. Why did Nicasia think her and Cardan would ever… get together? Jude shook her head, and opened her gym bag to find her headband. A piece of paper fluttered out, and Jude picked it up. There was no name on it, but once she read it, she knew exactly who it was from.

Have a “sensational” time at practice. See you on Saturday.

~~~

A/N: Hehehe sorry for getting your hopes up with the last chapter but this is going to be a slowwww burn. We did get to see jealous CardanTM though 😌

Sorry for the long wait! My school just started again this week and my attention span is exactly 0.02 seconds after quarantine lol. I’m so excited for the next chapter! Let me know what you think in the comments :)

Tagging: (Bolded tags didn’t work. I don’t know why, it might be your settings or just tumblr  acting up, but I’ll tag you in the comments for now! If I forgot to tag  you our messed something up, just send me an ask and I’ll fix it as soon  as I can!)

@jurdan7 @cardan-greenbriar-tcp @amoosewithflannelforfur @aneuwin @mercrutiodidntdieforthis @hizqueen4life @mi-mavencalories @simonelovesff @b00kworm @nope-has-lied @andromeddea @aesthetics-11 @queen-of-glass @runnybabbit9  @afexiss @the-keen-queen @yesimtheslytherinwitch @fizziefaerie @abigneignenn @storiesandschemes  @aelin-queen-of-terrasen@words-of-the-wise @thedazzlingheights @magicalbookwyvern @kittkatandbooboo @queen-of-no1 @iminsanenotobsessed @dorkzrul @snusbandxknifewife  @aknymph @clouds-and-peonies @thefolkofthefic @snorting-up-pizza @fandomfanatic987 @fandom-will-be-the-death-of-me @cardanslittletail @curlyredqueen06 @losssssstttttt  @aelinfeyreeleven945tbln@omfglucayababies @judiecardan @woodsbeyond1 @yourroyalbooknerd @ireallyshouldsleeprn @st00pid231 @alittledribbledrabble @nomotivation-lads @herladyshipxx  @judiecardan

[frenemies-to-lovers]

The Glint of Your Blade | Jurdan Fluff (Jude POV)

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Just some Jude/Cardan fluff inspired by the Folktober 2020 prompt (I am phenomenally late to the party). Set after QON. There’s some sparring, some magic, and some making out.  

((One-shot. 3820 words. Just fluff.  Heat level: somewhere between mild and medium))

[Read on AO3]

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“I thought I might find you here,” Cardan’s familiar voice says from behind me, startling me and breaking my concentration. I lower Nightfell and turn to face him.

“You could have tried to make a little noise when you entered the room. It isn’t wise to startle someone with a sword in their hand,” I say, pushing my sweat-dampened hair out of my face.

“Perhaps. But you didn’t so much as point it at me, so perhaps I needn’t worry whether you’re armed or not,” he grins.

“Don’t think I wouldn’t stab you,” I retort. He merely hums in response, and I wonder what the truth is. Whether he believes I would or I wouldn’t, he’s unwilling to say.

He takes a step closer and I notice that his face is bare of it's usual golden shimmer and he’s wearing a plain black cloak. He must have had some time to wash and change before heading down to the Court of Shadows, where I’ve been practicing my swordsmanship since I left the brugh after dinner.  Leaving Cardan to the revelry on his own.

“Are you planning on sneaking out this evening?” I ask, sweeping the tip of my sword up to point out his attire.

“Only if you wish to. I came to see if I could lure you away. You’ve been down here for quite some time,” he says.

That makes me smile. That he missed me.

“I didn’t realize,” I say honestly. “I’m having a hard time unwinding.” Despite having no immediate threats, court politics are always stressful.  There are always dangers lurking throughout Elfhame, and I worry that I cannot anticipate them all.

“Why aren’t you sparring with The Ghost?” he asks.

“I sent him home. I knew he’d rather be spending time with Taryn. And every time we spar lately, I can’t stop thinking about the fact that he’s probably old enough to be our father but he’s also my sister’s... boyfriend? It’s distracting. And kind of gross,” I say, making a face. He laughs.

“Then why not just drink some wine to ease your tension like the rest of us do?” I know he is teasing. I still haven’t developed a taste for alcohol, and do not drink beyond making toasts at feasts and revels.

“I needed to burn off some nervous energy. Wine doesn’t really help with that,” I answer.

“I know something that can help burn off that nervous energy,” Cardan murmurs, voice all honey and silk. He raises a black eyebrow and gives me his most mischievous grin. A sudden spike of heat rushes through me, and I know my face is flushed.

It has been months since I returned to Elfhame, since Cardan was cursed and then restored, since we began ruling together. Since we began sleeping together, and sharing the royal chambers. Since it became public knowledge that we are married -- something that is definitely still weird if I think about it too hard. The better part of a year has passed, and I still get a little flustered whenever he’s particularly forward. It probably encourages him, actually.

Not that I mind it. Not really.

“How about… I’ll try your way if you can disarm me.” I nod at the rack of weapons on a wall of the training room. My training room.

The Roach told me that it was something Cardan had insisted on for the new Court of Shadows. For me. Cardan and I had never actually talked about my training habits, but he must have made some assumptions about them based on what he had seen, what he had known. Those assumptions had made me feel truly and completely seen.

“My way?” That mischievous grin seems to grow wider. “Very well, Jude.”

Cardan goes to the rack, removing and hanging up his cloak before retrieving his sword -- his own sword, made for him by the newest resident smith at the palace. I was a little surprised when he had  recruited my help in having it commissioned for him, as I knew he wasn’t partial to swordplay.

He had responded by telling me that perhaps he would find it more interesting with an instructor he was fond of looking at.

He turns back toward me and slices his sword through the air in large, sweeping strokes and then smaller ones. I catch myself looking him up and down as he moves. He is wearing plain black clothing, but it is still perfectly tailored to his frame. He catches my eye and I know he caught me staring, that he knows I wasn’t even thinking about critiquing his form. He grins at me again, and I glare back at him.

“Are you ready, then?” I ask, trying to sound detached.

He takes another few passes with his sword, these ones more purposeful.  His skills with a blade are improving, but he still has a long way to go.  He seems to sense the same thing in those few movements.

“I may have been a little overconfident in agreeing to your terms.  How about we spar until I get under your guard, rather than disarming you?” he asks.

You’re always under my guard. The thought comes to me unbidden, comforting and startling in equal measure. Rather than say that, I try to appear as though I am considering his proposal.

“Alright,” I finally respond. “As a reward for your humility in acknowledging my superior swordsmanship, I will accept your terms.”

“Very generous, my queen,” he says, giving me a small bow and taking up a ready position.  

I step toward him and raise Nightfell.  His gaze sweeps over me slowly, his face full of determination and desire. I feel the force of his attention like a caress, intimate and possessive.  I find my cheeks heating, unsure if his reaction is sincere or if it is an attempt to throw me off balance before we even begin.

I clear my throat.

“Are you quite done ogling me?” I raise an eyebrow as his eyes meet mine.

“I wasn’t ogling. I was. . . admiring your form.” He grins and lets his eyes wander again.  I’m pretty sure there’s a blush all the way to my toes, but I refuse to be distracted by it.  I hate that he knows how to use his charm on me, and that I’m responsible for the fact that he views it as a weapon to be wielded.

“Let’s begin, then,” I say.

Because his sword is at the ready, I don’t give him any other warning before I advance. I take a cautious swing to test his reflexes, neither as fast nor as strong as I know he is capable of deflecting.  He blocks it effortlessly and I am pleased that he was still paying enough attention to be ready for my attack.

He does not return to a defensive position as I expect, but immediately presses into the offense.  He swings quickly, but I parry. I see him ready to strike again and step out of his reach, allowing him to waste the effort.  There are two ways I usually win with Cardan: I either let him tire himself out with repeated attempts to land a blow, or I tire him out by putting him on the defensive until he makes a mistake.  

Since we have been practicing regularly, he has the skill to hold his own in a sparring match, but not the stamina. He has gotten strong, but he still moves a half a beat too slowly, still having to think about what he will do before he moves.  My own body reacts more automatically, a lifetime of training and practice informing my steps without conscious thought.

He swings and jabs and strikes, over and over again.  I deflect and parry and avoid his attacks, watching as the effort begins to take its toll on him.  His breath is coming more rapidly, and his face is beginning to slip just a little.  While he never wears the haughty expression I am used to seeing him deploy in public, he tries to keep his face cool and neutral when we spar.  Now he looks intently focused on our battle, his eyebrows furrowed just a little in frustration.

“You seem to be tiring, my king,” I say, twisting away from him as he tries to press me backward toward the wall. “Are you ready to concede?”

His movements have become slower, his strike not as powerful as it was when we began.  To his credit, I am also moving more slowly and my hair is damp with sweat. Each of his movements seems to be taking more and more concentration.

“Perhaps, my queen.” He strikes, and I block his blow but he continues pressing, our blades locked together.  He presses forward and brings his face in as close as possible while avoiding the path of our crossed swords.  He gives me a coy smile.  “But I will save enough strength to ensure you’re properly spent before we’re finished.”

He withdraws his sword and readies to strike again. I automatically move to avoid the blow, but I am surprised to find myself falling backward. I bring my sword arm up in defense as I hit the hard packed earth of the floor. My free arm and hip are going to be bruised from the impact. I look down and see a vine coiled around the toe of my boot.

A cheap move, but effective.

Much like some of my own best moves.

He is turning out to be a much more apt pupil than I anticipated. He may have a lot to learn about swordplay, but he is an excellent strategist.

I look up, trying to school my expression away from wide-eyed shock to something more menacing. He is advancing on me slowly, his sword still raised, but he isn’t moving quickly enough to press his advantage. If he thinks he can best me by tripping me, he’s going to be sorely disappointed.

I point my toe and begin to pull my foot out of my boot, but as I go to move my body, I realize too late that there are more vines sprouting up from the floor. I try to scramble backward, but there are too many and I am caught around my legs, my hips, and the arm I landed on when I fell.

Cardan wasn’t being cocky with his slow advancement, he was using my moment of confusion to continue focusing on using his magic.  I’ve never seen him do that before, invoke his connection to the land without his full attention.

I move to cut myself free from the encroaching vines with my sword, but the creeping plants have finally reached up my side and are beginning to pull even my sword arm down. I am well and truly trapped. Cardan tosses his sword to the side and stands above me for a moment, one side of his mouth lifting in a rakish grin that is taunting and beautiful. I am propped up on my elbows, vines covering my body, holding me in place. My hand still grips Nightfell uselessly.

“Clever,” I admit. “The initial maneuver was a distraction to buy you enough time for the finishing move. You’ve been paying attention.”

His grin widens, bright and mischievous.

“You haven’t seen my finishing move yet,” he says, kneeling over me, one of his legs between mine. He pulls Nightfell from my hand. To his credit, he doesn’t toss it aside the way he did with his own, but gently places it behind him, far out of my reach.

He turns back to me and my heart speeds at his proximity.

“I seem to have won,” he says, eyes dragging down my pinned form and then back up. Then, movements slow, he leans over me and the moment stretches until his soft mouth brushes mine. A ghost of a kiss.  

“This hardly feels like losing,” I breathe against his lips. He lets out a laugh as he kisses me again.

I feel the vines around my arms loosen, although the ones around my torso begin to tug at me. Cardan slips his hand beneath my head and he lays me down gently, using his magic as an extension of himself.  His mouth continues to move against mine as I yield, my back against the floor. His kisses are still soft. A question. A plea. He pulls back momentarily and searches my flushed face.

My arms fully freed, I trace a line from his hand to his shoulder then sink my fingers into his curls.  I look into his black eyes, his pupils blown wide with desire.  

“Is this okay?” he asks in a whisper. He knows how much I dislike being out of control, and his asking makes me feel safe.

I nod, and tighten my fingers in his hair, pulling him back to me, kissing him hard. I bite his lower lip and I feel his arm move underneath me, clutching me tighter, pressing my body closer into his. The vines are still coiled around me from the waist down, rendering me unable to shift my hips against him the way my body wants to.  

As he trails kisses down the column of my throat, I glance down and see flowers budding and blooming everywhere.  Tiny, fragrant blooms in every shade of red, from crimson so dark it is almost black, to the faintest pink. I can feel them now.  Not just the physical touch against my body, but the sensation of them brushing up against my own connection to the land.

Cardan can sense that something has changed, and he begins to pull away and rise to his knees.  His breathing is ragged and his hair is a mess.

“Don’t stop,” I say, fisting a hand in the front of his shirt and yanking him back toward me.  He looks briefly surprised but allows me to tug him down, bracing his hands on either side of my head.  “I was just. . . distracted by the flowers.  I’m okay.”

His eyes scan the floor around me, the vines still holding me around the waist, pinning down my legs. He looks surprised to see them covered in blooms.

“I didn’t even mean to do that,” he admits.  That makes me give a short laugh.

“You do that on accident kind of a lot,” I say.  

My hand is still clenched in the fabric of his shirt and I pull him down further, our mouths sliding together again.  

“You seem rather unperturbed by being rendered defenseless,” he whispers between kisses. His mouth moves back to my neck, leaving a trail of burning kisses down to my collarbone “You must like being at my mercy.”

I hum noncommittally and angle my chin to give him better access. I focus again on feeling him, feeling his magic through the connection we both share with the land.  I peek down at him briefly, and see that he is totally lost in the moment, eyes closed and cheeks flushed.

“You know what I like even better?” I ask, unclenching my hand from the front of his shirt and slowly raking it down his chest, brushing my fingertips down the flat plane of his stomach. After a perilously long descent, I finally hook a finger inside the waist of his pants.  His eyes flash up to mine and I feel the heat, the intensity like a physical blow.

“Tell me,” he demands, voice rough.

“Winning,” I say with a grin.  

With my other hand, I swiftly pull the dagger from my boot and hold the flat of the blade against his throat.  He doesn’t move, doesn’t breathe as the vines fall away from my body.

“Your distraction was better than mine,” he says, grinning. “Although a different opponent would not be able to escape so easily.”

“I’m glad you thought that was easy.  I still have difficulty calling on the land. And it doesn’t like to work against you,” I say.  

“It doesn’t like to work against you, either. But I, unlike you, always have the purest of intentions.”

I raise an eyebrow and open my mouth to argue, but he cuts me off.

“I merely sought to disarm you.  You’re the one holding a knife to my throat,” he points out.

“This is just a reminder that you didn’t disarm me. I’m not even touching you with any of the sharp parts,” I protest.  

I begin to pull the knife away, but his hand shoots to my wrist and holds it there.

“Don’t,” he says, his head dipping down again, his forehead coming to rest against mine. He turns my hand and brings the razor-shape edge into just the barest contact with his skin.

“This,” he whispers, letting go of my wrist but not pulling away at all as he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, “the glint of your blade, the edge of your dagger against my throat . . . it brings back a very fond memory.”

“You really do have depraved tastes.” I kiss him then, remembering that first kiss as our mouths collide and I hold my blade still against his neck. It is different now, of course.  It doesn’t feel as dangerous, but the desire is still just as potent as it was the first time. Maybe more potent now that he knows exactly how to kiss me, exactly where to touch to elicit the fastest and most powerful responses from me.  I expect him to make one of those moves now, but his kiss remains gentle.

A little frustrated at being one-handed, I stab my knife into the dirt floor. Cardan chuckles at the sound and pulls back. He looks at me with a kind of reverence, bringing a hand to cup my face and brushing his thumb back and forth across my cheekbone.

“Are you ready to go tire yourself out my way?” he asks softly. I don’t trust my voice, so I just nod and plant another kiss on his soft mouth before he rises.  

He offers me his hand, and I allow him to help pull me to my feet. I pluck my dagger from the earth, and put it back in my boot, then retrieve Nightfell and return it to the scabbard at my hip.  Cardan has returned his sword to its rightful place and pulled on his cloak.  He holds up another cloak, as though to help me into it.

“That seems like overkill when we have direct access to our chambers,” I say.

“We aren’t going to our chambers,” he responds, mischief lighting his face again. I know he wants me to ask, but I refuse to give him the satisfaction. Instead, I let him envelop me in the dark fabric.

We pull up our hoods and I follow him out of the Court of Shadows and through the secret passageways beneath the palace. I know these tunnels just as well as he does, but I am surprised to find him leading me to a secret entrance to the Great Hall. Cardan cracks the door and peers out. I can hear music and chatter, the revel still carrying on in the hours since we left.

He grabs me by the hand and pulls me out, but we stick to the shadows as we make our way around the back of the dais.  I try to move as silently as Cardan as I follow him to what I now think of as our secret room, the doorway covered in ivy.  He barely brushes it aside and opens the door only far enough for both of us to slip inside.

Before I can even react to what I assume he’s brought me here for, he grabs me around the waist and pulls my body close to his. But instead of pulling me in for a kiss, I realize he's pulled me in for a dance. His other hand is grasping my own and his feet are already beginning to move to the sound of the music from outside.

I lift my eyes to his and find him grinning down at me.

“My way,” he says as he leads me gracefully around the little room.  

For as long as I have been teaching him the sword, he has been teaching me skills I thought would be useful to me as the queen.  Dancing is one of them.

I have found that knowing the steps to a dance makes it easier to stay a little more in control, even when I get swept up by the compulsion of faerie music.  Although I still cannot pull myself out of a dance once it has begun, I can choose my own steps rather than feeling as though the music is making them for me. When I do so, I am able to feel more of the exhilaration of the dance, and less of the dread.

At revels now, Cardan always looks for my signal at the end of any dance for which he is not my partner.  If I touch my ruby ring, he will make his way toward me, cut in to dance with me, and pull me out of the crowd.  Knowing that he is watching, knowing that he will always get me out if I am overset, is yet another way Cardan has helped me overcome some of the powerlessness I have felt all my life.

The music that I hear coming through the wall now is faint enough that it has hardly any pull on me.  I could stop if I wished, but instead I try to feel the dance the way I felt the steps when we were sparring.  Our skills are reversed here, Cardan gliding through the steps without any thought at all, while my movements are just slightly delayed -- the product of my having to consciously think about what comes next.

For a while, we continue dancing without much conversation.  He says nothing when I make a misstep, simply leads me through it with the poise of someone who has done this his whole life.  

The music outside grows quieter and slower, even the revelry beginning to die down. Cardan pulls me in close enough for me to lean my head against his shoulder.

“Jude?” his voice is soft, and I feel him running the tip of his finger along the rounded top of my ear.  I open my eyes and look up at him.  I hadn’t realized they’d drifted closed.

I realize suddenly that I love this room.  It feels as though no matter what is going on outside these walls, only we exist within.

“Shall we go back to our chambers?” he asks.

“No,” I answer. I pull him with me to the low couch where we lie down together, his arms wrapped around me, my head on his chest.

“Let’s stay here a while.”

[damn-good-marmalade]

Underrated moments from the Queen of Nothing

Jude promoting Fand to her personal guard

Jude standing up for The Bomb/Liliver in front of her abusers

The Bomb and the Roach confessing their love for one another 😭😭😭

Heather saying "big horns, little dude" about Randalin after him being a jerk

Kaye hinting that she wants to punch Nicisia when she says, 'I've got something for her' while balling her fist.

Grimsen being bitten to death by Snardan (snake Cardan)

Vivi's stellar observation: "It’s ridiculous the way everyone acts like killing a king is going to make someone better at being one. Imagine if, in the mortal world, a lawyer passed the bar by killing another lawyer"

Mother Marrow snorting when saying don't tie your hair to the bridle. (she's like lmfao no u dumb idiot then you'll be controlled too smh)

Roiben's lovely conversation with Jude about Cardan being a true king. Having read Modern Faerie Tales, knowing Roiben and his past, this is such a big deal. I was tearful.

That conversation being interrupted by Kaye actually punching Nicisia in the face for the Undersea almost killing her.

HAZEL EVANS fighting a selkie for Kaye.

Then lovely Ben fixing up Hazel's bloody nose.

Severin saying "of course, my queen. Whatever is mine is yours" and giving Jude Heartsworn.

Grima Mog being the MVP of the battle, hype man and protector of Jude

The Bomb shooting Lord Jarel in the throat 🖤

Oak standing up for Suren's rights

Heather giving Vivi a quest to win her back, doing it right this time ❤️

Most of this is about seeing my faves from Modern Faerie Tales and The Darkest Part of the Forest again tbh. I loved all the Jurdan but it's not underrated so didn't make the list.

[booklover41802]

Could you do a Jurdan fanfic sequel where Cardan eventually wins back Jude’s love? The sequel to your Cardan finding Jude on a date and gets jealous fanfic?

Of course!! This was one of my favorite prompts to write. I absolutely love Jurdan with all my heart.

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Cardan

Day 1

With Jude’s return, Cardan had issued a revel be thrown in honor of their Queen. The folk had no objections, as they never passed up an opportunity to drink and party.

However, though his Jude had returned with him to Faerie, he had left bloodshed and heartbreak in his wake in his quest to bring her home. The consequences of his actions had not been worth what he had done to his love, who was his no longer. 

Cardan studied Jude on the throne next to his, noting the blank stare, and rigidity in her limbs. One would almost think she was a statue if she didn’t blink from time to time. Cardan was worried this state of being was permanent. There was no fire, no wicked triumph flickering through her stance. A blank nothingness now sat where his lively Jude had once resided. “Jude, darling, would you like to dance?” He’d asked her many things before, and she hadn’t responded, but perhaps this time…

He leaned forward and rested his fingers under his chin in mild contemplation. Jude’s chest slowly inhaled and exhaled, her stare fixed straight ahead on the revel that celebrated without the two of them. The briefest dance of pain shot across her brown eyes before that too vanished and was replaced by a vacant expression that she so often donned.

Cardan should give her space, after all, she did lose her mortal love due to his own pride. If only he had just listened to her and explained himself. Even given her an egregious declaration of love, perhaps things would be different. 

Then, just as he was about to resume his grumpy posture on the throne, she mechanically turned her head and whispered, “Not with you. Not again.” For a moment her hand came up and fingered the pearl necklace around her throat before once again facing the revel, as though she hadn’t just knocked the wind out of him.

Cardan didn’t quite know what to do. He was a terrible husband.

The revel shouted and danced and drank while he sunk further into his sorrows with each passing minute. Jude hated him, and he did not know how to live with that realization. A straggler stumbling past offered him a cup of wine, and he heartily gulped it down, hoping to drown out his thoughts.

Day 2

With a light knock, Cardan announced his arrival at Jude’s doors. She had been reinstated into her old chambers when she’d been seneschal, keeping the door locked at all times. The human heart was a fickle thing, yet he was sure it could be persuaded with an astounding declaration. Or was he the fool for not understanding the emotions of his love? 

As if to spare him from his conflicting thoughts, the door slowly creaked open, revealing Jude within. Dark circles coated the underside of her red eyes, indicating she hadn’t slept one bit. Despite her appearance, however, she was dressed in a high neck onyx dress. Lace appliques adorned the bodice and the sleeves of the gown. The only thing she needed now was a veil, and she’d be complete for a funeral. “What do you want?” Her voice was low, cold. 

He was not wanted here, that much he knew. He brought his hand up to his mouth and cleared his throat. “I wanted to invite you on a stroll about the castle. Doing so day after day by myself is quite lonesome, wouldn’t you agree?”

The response he received was a spark of fire lighting her features, her gaze burning through him. It was almost like a warning that if he stepped any closer to the flames, he’d get burned by the heat. “It’s almost as lonesome as spending your entire life alone, wouldn’t you agree? Without a lover, life seems a bit empty, yes?”

He wasn’t stupid enough to suggest that they were lovers, and she needn’t look any farther for such things. It was his fault she was in this state of mind. “Of course. Perhaps we could share a meal later together if you are not up for a walk.”

“Perhaps.” The door proceeded to shut in his face, no definite answer given to him. Cardan sank down to the floor and rested his head against the wooden paneling. He was pathetic. He could run Faerie just fine, but when it came to Jude, he was lost. Maybe it would just be better for him to sit and wait outside her room until they were to eat. 

Just for a few minutes, he would wait. But he was awfully tired after getting no sleep last night. He would shut his eyes for a moment and then get back to work. A few minutes.... that’s all.

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He was startled awake when he seemed to fall backward for no apparent reason. The reason became clear as he lay on the floor of Jude’s room, the door clearly having been opened by her. Her mouth was open in an o shape, the most emotion he’d seen from her in days. He grinned ridiculously at her, causing the blank mask to once again fall into place. “You look beautiful,” he said, admiring the way the sun hit her eyes. They were a caramel glow against her smooth skin. 

“So I’ve been told.”

Quickly he slid into a standing position, casually leaning against the doorframe, acting as though he hadn’t fallen asleep outside her door. He had no idea how long he’d been out, and he felt too embarrassed to ask. “My dearest, Jude, I beseech you to accompany me to the dining hall.” For good measure, he sinuously bowed, smirking at her beneath lowered brows.

She released her grip on the door and backed away a few steps. “It’s only two in the afternoon.” 

“Ah...so it is.” This meant he had been sleeping for… four hours. Were his cheeks burning? He could feel a blush creeping up his face at the realization he’d fallen asleep outside his wife’s door for hours. What his advisors must think of the king who can’t stay away from his love. 

“Were you waiting outside my door this entire time?”

His eyes darted around the room, not wanting to meet her fierce gaze. “No. I-I got a lot of work done today. I didn’t fall asleep outside your door, no.”

Her forehead creased as she looked at him in confusion. “I didn’t say you fell asleep… did you?”

He checked his wrist, exclaiming, “Oh, look at the time, I have important things to do you know! The High King has time for no one.” She still looked so utterly bewildered that he blurted out, “Except you, of course, I’ll always make time for you. Good night!” And with that, he bolted out the door, leaving a trail of embarrassment behind him. “Idiot,” he murmured under his breath.

He walked very fast to his room after that, to avoid another awkward encounter. He didn’t trust himself to spout coherent thoughts at the moment.

Day 7

One week since Jude had returned with him to Faerie, and she still wore nothing other than black and gray, the colors of mourning. Was she mourning for the life she could have had, or for the boy who offered her his heart? Cardan could never give her safety and security like the boy could. There was nothing similar between the two of them, and Cardan was quite jealous over that.

He cut into his food a bit more savagely. “Are you planning to scowl like that all evening, your majesty?” At the sound of Nicasia’s voice cutting through the hall, he whipped his head into the air. Why was she here? She was interrupting a wonderful meal between him and Jude, even though they were seated on opposite ends of the table, and Jude hadn’t responded to him once. 

Nicasia’s strut through the wide, double doors radiated confidence, which is why Cardan was surprised when she practically fell on him. Her slim fingers roved against the fabric on his shoulders, inching her way up towards his face. “What are you doing here, Nicasia,” Cardan bit out, annoyed at her presence. 

She pouted, her eyes glittering with disappointment. “Is that any way to greet an old friend, Cardan?” Cardan took a page out of Jude’s book and stared at her blankly. Nicasia rolled her eyes and elegantly dropped into the chair on his right-hand side. As if she was invited. As if she was wanted here. “I was tasked by the Undersea to bring the peace treaty.” 

“Peace treaty?” He raised a brow, his gaze darting to Jude. The way she was looking at Nicasia, one would think she was trying to singe her where she sat. Was Jude… jealous?

Nicasia jabbered on and on, but Cardan was exhilarated by this thought. He couldn’t even focus on the conversation. He cut Nicasia off with a hand and rose to his feet. The legs of the chair scraped back menacingly in the silence that now echoed in the room. “Send the paperwork up to my chambers, I’ll sign what is necessary.” He ignored her sputters and threats, focusing on Jude.

Her face betrayed nothing, but Cardan was sure he didn’t mistake the look she had given Nicasia. He strode by her chair, letting his tail wrap around her arm that was under the table. She inhaled imperceptibly. 

Cardan smirked as he exited the room. 

Day 30

Though Cardan had signed a peace treaty with the Undersea kingdom, they still felt the need to declare an all-out war between land and sea if Jude wasn’t handed over to them. It seems as though Nicasia had whispered a few twisted statements to her mother. Both of the women believed they were entitled to Cardan’s right to rule. Humans can’t be the High Queen, Nicasia had sneered.

Cardan had brushed her off, but maybe he shouldn’t have. Things had been going so well with Jude, that he had ignored Nicasia’s attempts at flirting. All he seemed to make were mistakes these days.

He sighed as yet another hurricane swirled and churned just on the borders between their kingdoms. For days the Undersea had been taunting them all with thinly veiled threats. If by the end of the week, Jude still resided within the castle, their land would be destroyed. Queen Orlagh did not take well to a human queen on the throne. 

Muttering under his breath, he shoved himself out of his chair and stalked out of his room to do something incredibly stupid.

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Cardan softly knocked on Jude’s door, waiting for the telltale sound of her feet pattering against the ground. When the door swung open, Cardan was surprised that she wasn’t wearing her mourning clothes anymore. Instead, she wore a royal blue tunic, and dark pants over soft, leather boots. The pearl necklace still lingered at her throat, though. She looked to him with expectant eyes. “Are you here because of what the Undersea is demanding?”

He fidgeted with his hand. The words were practically jumping off his lips, words he had kept silent for so long. “Yes I-”

“I’ll go. I’ll do what Queen Orlagh wants.” 

Needless to say, Cardan didn’t expect that answer. “Actually, I was going to say that I was about to head to the shore to try and work things out without you there.”

She shook her mane of curly hair, her lips downturned. “I’m the reason Orlagh and Nicasia are threatening to turn Faerie into a landslide. It’s only fair I offer myself up.”

Cardan dared a step into her room, and when she didn’t object, he took another until they were close enough to kiss. But Cardan merely grasped her hands and held them in his own. “My darling, you are the light of my life, and I admire your courage, but you are not to face the Undersea again.” The way Jude had been after coming back from being in their clutches for a month was not something he wanted to relive. “I wanted to tell you something before I left.”

“What is it?”

He took a breath, preparing himself for rejection. “No matter what has happened between us these last few months, I love you more than the moon loves the sun, more than the stars love the sky. You are my one true love, and I never want you to believe otherwise.”

A shocked expression overtook her, her grip going slack. Cardan was sure this was a sign of rejection and quickly fled to the Undersea, where he planned to offer himself in her stead. It was the only way. 

Day 31

After offering himself to Queen Orlagh and being laughed off, he had returned to the castle, dejected, but with a plan. He had requested the queen meet with him again for a different negotiation, and she had begrudgingly agreed. This time, he would bring Jude with him, but he was the High King of Elfhame. The land responded to him and his will. He would either bring down the entire Undersea or die trying.

If he died, it was of no consequence to him as long as his Jude was safe. As long as Jude made it out alive, his quest would be a success. She had slowly opened up to him as the weeks had passed. She now kept her door open for Cardan at all times. 

As the pair of them exited the castle together, hand in hand, Cardan felt an exuberant burst of joy exploding in his heart. “What are you planning to offer the Undersea?” Jude asked, turning towards him, with an adorable scrunch to her forehead.

“What they desire the most.” Bloodshed.

“I know you tried to barter for yourself to be their prisoner instead of me. You know I can handle myself against them, I don’t need you to protect me against the world.”

He tried a grin and immediately felt it slide it off his face. Today wasn’t the day for side smirks and debauchery. “I am fully aware of what you are capable of, Jude. But do you not think for a second that I am protecting my heart? It may be cracked, and in shambles, yet you carry it. I do not want to lose it quite so soon.”

“Cardan-” Jude was cut off as the sandy border of the Undersea came into view. Queen Orlagh and Nicasia hovered just below the surface.

“How sweet, the faerie confessing his love to the mortal.” Nicasia sneered, snickering behind her hands. 

“What have you come to offer us this time, Cardan, High King of Elfhame.” Orlagh ignored her daughter and examined Cardan with suspicion coating her features. It was clear that there was no trust between both parties. 

Cardan released his hand from Jude’s, feeling the vibrations of the land, along with the sea. He took a breath and moved his hand through the air, drawing up his connection. It felt like a small tingling sensation at first, but gradually pinpricks of light punctured the air, drawn to his touch. His gaze landed on Nicasia who had drawn herself up out of the water, legs replacing her tail.

Cardan smirked and released the tension building up in his chest. Immediately Nicasia was pulled against a tree and held in a lover’s embrace by the branches. She shrieked and yelled for Orlagh. “I offer you your daughter unharmed if you do not concede to my rule. I do not wish to be a tyrant, but I will become one if you do not let my chain of succession be. I have chosen Jude, and you will not interfere with my affairs again.” To prove his point, the branches squeezed Nicasia tighter. 

Torn between saving her successor, and winning this fight, Orlagh said, “You are not the green boy everyone says, your majesty. It seems you do have a skill set worth keeping an eye on. But,” she smiled, “Humans have no right to this land. That much I will never admit.”

“And you are not the mighty Queen everyone believes you to be. You are no more than a power-hungry creature who grapples for a position that is slipping out of your grasp.”

Jude took a small step forward. “Human I may be, but you were the arrogant one who did not deign to check if I was able to be glamoured. You are the reason I was banished in the first place. I accept your right to rule, as much as you accept mine.” Jude’s chin jutted out in a show of confidence. There was nothing but pure, unrelenting rage raging in the depths of her eyes. She wanted revenge and she was about to explode. 

Orlagh glanced between the three of them and noticed how Jude’s hand curled into a fist. Noticed how the land began to respond to her movements. Noticed how a boulder was suddenly rocketing its way towards the tree where Nicasia was encased. “I concede! I accept your right to rule. Just give me back my daughter unharmed.”

Cardan and Jude smiled, grinning with their teeth. Nicasia was released, the branches of the tree slithering back to its normal position. The bounder stopped its descent inches from wreaking havoc upon the bark. “Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

Orlagh’s jaw clenched. “Leave my daughter alone, and I will leave your… wife unharmed.”

“I would love nothing more.”

Nicasia stumbled back into the water, throwing reproachful looks our way. 

But it mattered not to me, not as Jude looked at me, truly looked at me, and grinned. Her eyes softly shone, in a way that they hadn’t done in quite some time.

Day 65

Two months after Jude’s return and she no longer was the silent piece of marble she was when she first arrived back in Elfhame. The pair of them had shared the same bed for the first time in a long time. Her scent of citrus and oak trees imprinted itself into the sheets.

Nothing had happened last night, save for the intimacy of being close. Yet somehow they had ended up in each other’s arms sometime during the night. Her warmth seeped into his clothes, creating a bubble of security around the two of them. He ran a slow, steady hand through her thick mane of hair. Her lids remain firmly shut, but he could see her eyes rapidly moving. Carefully so not to disturb her, Cardan traced a light finger across her smooth skin.

He craved touch, and intimacy with her like he had never had with anyone before. He’d had lovers in the past, but with Jude, he wanted everything. He couldn’t contain his selfish desires, wanting her all to himself. He leaned forward and delicately pressed a kiss onto her forehead.

Before he could move away, she cracked open an eye and took him in. He didn’t dare move, not as she looked very intently into his face. “I didn’t mean to wake you,” he breathed.

 For a few moments, Jude didn’t say anything, as she took him in. Her eyes were still sleepy, and her lips upturned in a small smile. Cardan ran a hand across her bare arms, while she shivered, goosebumps rising across her flesh. “If I’m waking up next to you, I don’t mind being woken.” 

Cardan was dumbstruck by how alluring her morning voice was. She was so unlike the sharp queen in moments of wakefulness. She was… gorgeous. Her sleep mussed hair, and… Cardan blushed as he realized she was wearing one of his shirts. He had passed out before her, so he didn’t know she had put it on. “You’re wearing my clothes,” he stammered out. He didn’t know how to react. His inner heart flared up with desire, as he realized what this meant. She was no longer keeping him at a distance. As if they were the most natural movements in the world, he shifted his weight so he was on top of her.

His arms wrapped around her middle, while his head nestled between her shoulder blades and neck. He hardly dared a breath, as Jude said,  “I missed you, Cardan. Even when I hated you, I wanted you.” His breath caught in his throat, he wasn’t prepared for such an open and honest statement. “I’m yours, I always have been. Despite what occurred in the mortal world, my guilty heart still desires you.”

His tail wrapped around her ankle and pulled her closer as if she might disappear at any moment. “I beseech you to forgive me for all the wrongs I have committed in your name.”

“All is well, you were forgiven long ago. I feel immense guilt, but I can’t stay away from you any longer, Cardan. You almost sacrificed yourself me, how can I be angry with you when you would give up everything for me?”

He could feel her heartbeat thundering under her skin. “How could I not wish to give up everything, if it meant that you would be happy? My darling Jude, I desperately missed you. I was lost when you were away. You are the light that guides me through life. When you were angry with me, I did not know what to do. I will never make that mistake again.”

Her hand came up and brushed down the side of his face with reverence. “I did not like being angry with you, either. Let’s agree to never do such foolish things again.”

“Never again.”

In the silence that accompanied their shared bond, Jude sighed in content. “I love you, Cardan.”

Tears pricked Cardan’s eyes as he shifted a few inches. She really truly loved him, the monster that destroyed her life. His voice broke as he whispered, “I love you too, Jude. More than anything I ever have before.”

The High King and Queen of Elfhame stayed clutching one another, bonded by their love for one another, vowing to never part again.

Tags: @illyrian-bookworm, @ireallyshouldsleeprn, @webcraft4eveh

[austennerdita2533]

Yes! I had heard about the spin off about their kids it’s on my tbr! Not sure when I’ll get around to it but I’ll get there eventually. But ooh their other series sounds interesting too I’ll put it on my tbr too!! But that’s exactly why I loved Coballoway too (plus I’m also similar to Rose so their love story felt more personal that way)

Yay!! I’m glad the atlas six interested you, I hope you like it when you get to it I’m really loving it so far! I can already tell there is at least one ship I’m going to love it just hits all of my favorite tropes/things I enjoy. But the magic system is so cool and they are all so powerful.

Also glad you want to know about my reading too! I will keep you updated I have some books/series I really want to read but I try to be good and not read more than 2/3 at a time (and not buy anymore till I’m finished). Right now I’m also working through the throne of glass series which might take me awhile but I’m enjoying that too! Right now the books up next on my list are: Ugly Love, The Ravenhood Series, The Hating Game, Zodiac Academy, and Twisted Games (it’s the second book in a series that come out this month I loved Twisted Love by Ana Huang-highly recommend it if you love grumpy/sunshine and brother’s best friend tropes plus the twists were amazing-this one is a different couple but I’m excited!!)

Also! Don’t think I mentioned it yet maybe I did but I also read the Folk Air Series that you recommended! It took me a little while to get into but I ended up really loving it and Jurdan. I loved loved loved Jude and how power hungry she was and how Cardan was just obsessed with her. Their relationship build up was so good too.

All the best!!

-ACOTAR Anon

I keep meaning to get around to the Like Us series myself but I haven't managed it yet. It's been sitting on my tbr (and my Kindle) for a good couple of years now. 🤦🏼‍♀️ I know I'll read it eventually...but when eventually will be is anybody's guess.

(This is a good commentary on my reading life in general, I think. It's impossible to keep up with everything!)

The Atlas Six is pretty fascinating so far! I'm only about 25% into it but the magical world building is unique and I like how the narrative switches between the different POV's. Usually I don't care for more than 3 or 4 alternating perspectives in books because it makes it harder for me to invest in the characters, since I don't have as much time with them, but it works exceedingly well in this one. Helps to preserve the mystery of Atlas early on. And also allows readers to see how different all of the characters are in magical skill, background, personality, etc. I can't wait to see what unfolds!

I'm also currently reading Anxious People by Frederik Backman. I don't know if you've read anything by him before but he's such a good storyteller. Grabs you by the hearstrings. He's funny as hell, too. I've loved everything I've picked up from him so far. He has a knack for crafting beautifully flawed relatable complex characters. And this book is no exception. It might end up being a 5-star read for me, which is rare.

The next books on your to-read list sound fantastic, btw! Some I have read already or have them snuggled on one of my many wishlists. Like the Zodiac Academy and the Ravenhood series. And The Hating Game is one of my contemporary romance obsessions. It's just so enemies-to-lovers charged and fun. That book is packed full of a bunch tropes I adore. I've already read it twice and will likely revisit it again in the future. Thanks for mentioning Ugly Love (I need to get off my butt and read Colleen Hoover) and Twisted Love because those are definitely right up my alley. Grumpy/sunshine is one of my favorite romance tropes. I live for it!

And yayyy! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed The Folk of the Air! It does take a bit to settle into the world of that story, as well as to become engrossed in the characters, but once you do, it's full speed ahead. Jude is such a badass. I love that she's ambitious to the point she's willing to take people out/down to get what she wants. Her fraught relationship with Madoc is fascinating to me as well. And Jurdan is just such a delicious ship. I love it so much. It's true enemies-to-lovers excellence. They have so many quotable lines!

I'm excited because Holly Black has a new adult fantasy series coming out next year, in 2022. It's called Book of Night and the premise sounds cool as hell. I've already been stalking NetGalley in the hopes that I have a chance at first dibs on an ARC lolol.

Also, if you can find self-restraint enough not to buy any more books until you've read most of the ones you have then I salute you! I try oh, so hard to enact this rule upon myself...but it never works. Like ever. 😂

It's my own fault, really. I get daily emails/alerts from Kindle, BookBubs, etc. letting me know about titles that are on sale for less than $5, and when they're that cheap, I can't seem to justify NOT buying a whole hoard of them even though I know they're more than likely to remain unread for a long, loooong time to come. Better than paying full price, though. Right?

If you haven't email subscribed to any of these sites, and you're looking to save some cash on audio or e-books specifically, you should. I'd spend a whole ass fortune on books if I didn't use them. (I check out a lot of books from the library, too.) I dropped the links to some of the ones I use in case you or anyone else who reads this is interested and doesn't know about them:

Book Bubs (you can set preferences/alerts based on your favorite books, genres, authors; you can rate stuff and curate your own wishlist too)

Early Bird Books (I use this one a lot to find classics that are on sale/free)

Book Riot (this site has a lot of book sweepstakes you can enter for a chance to win gift cards to Barnes & Noble, Book Depository etc.)

Kindle Book Deals (there are tons of deals offered daily, weekly monthly; I'm not a Kindle Unlimited member but there's that option, too)

NewInBooks (new releases; has links for Kindle, Apple, Audio, and hardcover)

Anyway take care, sweets, and happy reading! 💜

[acciomanorian]

The One Where Cardan Got Kicked Out of the Bar Part 2

Here you guys go! Chapter 2 of my Jurdan bar fic, The One Where Cardan Got Kicked Out of the Bar. I hope you guys enjoy it!! Part 1

If anybody had been looking at the lone tree in the park in middle-of-nowhere Canada, they would’ve seen what appeared to be a young man and woman appear out of this air, almost as if they had walked out of the tree. 

Cardan and Jude looked around at their surroundings, trying to get a grasp on where they were. “Are you sure this is the place we’re supposed to be? I don’t see a bar anywhere around here.” Cardan shot Jude a dubious look, before taking another look around. 

“Did you bring us to the right park? It said the bar would be across the street.” 

“Of course, blame me. It’s not like you gave me the directions so that I could ‘poof’ us here. I believe those were your words, Jude dear.” Jude glared at him, stomping away in the direction of the sidewalk. Maybe a different perspective would help them find this bar. 

“I will blame you!” she called over her shoulder. “You are your stupid overprotective antics are the reason we have to find some remote bar, instead of going to a wildly  overpopulated one, with lots of dancing and alcohol.” As she reached the curb, the faint sound of music reached her ears, as well as the sound of engines revving. 

Behind her, Cardan was muttering to himself, probably claiming that it wasn’t his fault that other men didn’t know when to take a hint. “Shut up for a minute and listen.” Jude grabbed his arm, pulling him closer to the road, not that it would really make an impact, his faerie ears being much more sensitive than her mortal ones, and therefore picking up sounds easier. 

“Music,” Cardan said, grinning as he turned to Jude. “We are in the right place after all.” Grabbing Jude’s hand, he started to pull her in the direction of the music, the direction of the bar. 

Rounding a corner, they came face to face with what looked like an oversized wooden shack. Parked outside were about a dozen motorcycles, lined up while their masters sat inside. A sign on the door said “All Are Welcome, Be It Criminals, Thieves, or Otherwise”. Yes, Jude thought, this is the place. Jude signaled for Cardan to open the door, and they slowly entered the bar, unsure of what to expect. 

The first thing that caught Jude’s eye was the stage in the back, lopsided and broken in some places, but still inhabited by two hulking bikers, singing into a microphone. The second thing, or rather person, was a giant man walking towards them, easily a foot taller than Cardan, making him a beast compared to Jude’s small stature. She felt Cardan’s tail against her wrist, invisible to all, but still present as far as Jude was concerned. It was a warning, she knew, to not try anything against the giant in front of them.

Jude shot Cardan a nasty side eye, a small growl informing him that she had it under control. 

“Welcome, newcomers. I’m Axel, the owner of the bar, Handlebars. Can I get you something to drink? We have about any drink you can imagine, and our bartender is really good at mixing up those fruity drinks everybody loves.” That last part was directed at Jude, who was a big fan of disappointment. 

“Kettle One if you have it, on the rocks.” Axel shoots Jude a look, obviously not expecting her to order that, but his gaze softens as he notices the blade strapped to her thigh, the black of the brace stark against her tan skin below her shorts. 

“And I will take a watermelon daiquiri, if you will. Tell the bartender to go a little heavy on the rum. The mortal alcohol does wonders for my body.” Another glance was shot at Cardan, but there was no judgement, as if Axel himself enjoyed the little umbrella drinks too. 

“Yeah, just give me a minute, and I’ll be right back with those.” Axel walked away, leaving the couple to themselves. 

“You better check to make sure those aren’t poisoned,” Jude whispered to her husband, as he snuck a hand around her waist. They had been here 5 minutes, and Cardan was already claiming dominance. Jude shook her head, even as she leaned into the touch. 

“You underestimate me. I'm practically watching the bartender make the drinks right now.” He laughed softly. It wasn’t long before Axel returned with their drinks, handing them over before ushering Jude and Cardan further into the room. 

“Daiquiri,” Axel said, getting Cardan’s attention from where he had been staring at the karaoke singers. Jude laughed at the nickname, but Cardan returned his attention to the owner, even as he pinched Jude’s side. “Are you interested in karaoke?”

Cardan raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. Faeries can't lie, so whatever Cardan wanted to say was something he would never want to admit out loud. “Cardan,” Jude sighed. “Just say it. Yes, you are interested in karaoke. I’m sure you could go up on that stage and sing whatever song you wanted.”

Suddenly, the rock music that had been steadily thumping through the speakers was replaced with the opening chords of a popular mortal song, that even those in Faerie has heard of. The two men on the stage grabbed microphones, and began belting out the lyrics to “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by the mortal musician Cyndi Lauper. Soon the whole bar was joining in, Cardan and Jude watching in amazement. 

Once they finished singing, Cardan drained his drink before making his way to the stage. Jude watched as he whispered to the biker in charge of the music, before picking up a microphone and stepping on stage. 

“Hi.” He was nervous, something Jude had rarely seen of her husband. It didn’t last long, though, as the music started, the opening chords of one of Cardan’s favorite mortal songs playing, something that Heather had hooked him on. “Some nights, I stay up, cashing in my bad luck…”

It wasn’t often that Cardan sang, and sometimes Jude forgot how good he was. As he reached the chorus, he was joined onstage by a couple of the bikers who had sung the last song, creating a melody that Jude found surprisingly pleasant, considering it all. 

Jude heard a cough from behind her. Axel was still standing there, watching her face even as she watched Cardan. “So, your man seems to have found his thing here, what about you? What do you like to do for fun?”

“I fight.” As she said this, she noticed a target board on the wall, typically used for darts. Grabbing the knife from her side, Jude threw it straight at the target, hitting a perfect bullseye. 

“You wanna try a round in our ring? You look as if you could give a couple of our fighters a run for their money.” Axel pointed to a curtain on one wall, from where Jude could hear grunts and the faint sound of fists hitting skin. She grinned, striding for the curtain and pulling it back. 

Jude felt a hand on her waist. Cardan. His song must’ve finished while she was talking to Axel. “What are you thinking?” he asked, looking beyond the curtain.

“Just how I could take these men down easily,” she laughed. “What do you think Husband, ten dollars a win?”

“As much as I know you could handle yourself, I would rather you didn’t, Wife. A bar fight is what got us kicked out of the last bar, wasn’t it?”

“But Cardan, the difference here, is that this is sanctioned fighting, meaning that it’s approved. It’s not you putting a guy through a wall. And quite frankly, dear king, I don’t really care.” With that, Jude made her way through the curtain, calling out to the men waiting for the next fight. 

“Ten dollars to the first man that can beat me in hand to hand combat. Any takers?” Jude looked around, sizing up her competition, even as several of the men laughed. 

“What’s your name, Princess?” Asked one of the bikers, a man wearing just a vest and pants, his arms out on full display. 

“Jude. Are you in, or what? And no qualms about hitting a girl, please. I’ve been itching for a good fight.”

“You know what, sure. I’ll fight you, Princess… and let’s increase this total. You win, and I’ll give you $100.” Jude looked back at Cardan, and nodded her head. 

He still looked dubious, even though they both knew that Jude was the one coming out victorious. She was the only one who had been trained by a redcap, the only one who had battled a snake king and won, who had controlled an entire kingdom through any means necessary, the head of the Court of Shadows.

Jude stepped into the ring, throwing her weapons into the bin provided, even the ones she had hidden on her body. A fair fight was a fair fight. The man across from her did the same, taking off his vest too. 

“You ready, Princess?”

“Beyond ready.”

A man in the corner announced their fight, “In one corner, we have newcomer Jude, and in the other, 5 time champion, Destruction.” Jude eyed the man, Destruction, scanning him from head to toe. “Folks, the fight begins in 5...4...3...2...1! Let it rip!” 

The fight was quick, much quicker than when she fought her adoptive father. One second, the biker was rushing her, hand readying to throw a punch. The next, he was on the ground, bleeding from the flurry of punches and kicks Jude had landed, and unconscious. Of course, Jude was declared the winner… and a line began to form, the rest of the bikers waiting for their turn against her. 

With a signal to Cardan, he began to collect the money from the fighters, the profits from Jude’s wins. And one by one, the men were dragged from the ring, unconscious and/or bleeding. Grinning like crazy, because they had finally found a true opponent, even as Jude smiled, wiping the blood from her mouth from the few punches that had landed on her. There was a small cut on her forehead as well, from a ring one of the bikers had worn, but Jude welcomed the pain, let it drive her through fight after fight. 

Two hours later, Jude and Cardan returned to the main room, considerably richer. They made their way to the bar, where they ordered their own drinks before yelling across the bar “Drinks on us!” 

“You know, if you enter that ring again, I might have to step up the stakes for those who try to fight you.” Jude turned around, to see Destruction standing behind her. “I’m thinking of free drinks for life, what do you think, Axel?” The owner nodded from where he was talking to Cardan. “You know, Princess, you fight a good fight. Where’d you learn to fight like that?”

Jude smirked. “Let’s just say that I had a good teacher. Don’t think I could say the same about you, huh?”

Destruction only laughed, before grabbing his drink, and raising a toast throughout the whole bar, “To Jude, the only girl who could take us all in one go.” The whole bar yelled “To Jude” before knocking back their shots.

“You guys are welcome back anytime, just so you know,” Axel said, getting up from his barstool.

And they did. Handlebars became Jude and Cardan’s nightly haunt, Cardan joining in on the karaoke, even as Jude continued her fighting, remaining victorious night after night. 

One night, Jude was sitting at the bar, watching Cardan sing on the stage with his new friends, when she heard the bell on the door ring. It wasn’t unusual for that to happen, with bikers coming and going, but Jude still looked, always aware of her surroundings, and Cardans. She almost dropped her glass at who had walked through, her hands immediately going for her weapons. Madoc.

If you want to be added or removed from my tag list, please send an ask! Reblogs are greatly appreciated and I hope that everybody loves this fic!

@fantasyfox101

@ireallyshouldsleeprn

@theoceanfaewriter

@snusbandxknifewife

@angelofmusic223

@slightlyrebelliouswriter23

@clockworkgraystairs

@illyrianwitchling

@b00kworm

@poeticbrownmermaid

@misskillerdarkness

@emmabookworm08

[bakerolivias-archived]

SHIPPER CHALLENGE (idk man i just wanted to do one of these)

Pick your top ten ships without reading the questions.

1. hizzie - legacies 2. klaroline - tvd/the originals 3. forwood - tvd 4. klamille - the originals 5. steroline - tvd 6. rellamy - t100 7. rogan - gilmore girls 8. jude/cardan - tfota 9. clato - the hunger games 10. villadero - jane the virgin

Do you remember the episode/scene/chapter that you first started shipping 6? Idk man I shipped b*llarke for a reeeallly long time and then i kind of went into the braven tag out of curiosity and ended up loving them. i think my fave ep was either the one where they slept together or the s4 finale when raven promised to be by his side for always.

Have you ever read a FanFiction about 2? Yep, definitely, I have 200 KC fics bookmarked on ao3 and a lot of the fic I read in general is about them.

Has a picture of 4 ever been your screen saver/profile picture/tumblr avatar? Um, nope. At least, not of Klaus and Cami together, but I was using a cami icon for my blog temporarily.

If 7 were to suddenly break up today, what would your reaction be? Oh they already did and I haven’t gotten to that ep of Gilmore Girls but i’m fully prepared to be emotionally destroyed by it :’D

Why is 1 so important? Uhm because they are absolutely everything, all the tropes rolled into one beautiful package. Because their personalities are so strong and well thought out and they complement each other, they make each other better, their story is integral to the plot of legacies, they’re absolutely perfect, they belong together, and they just can’t quit each other lol. Enemies to frenemies to best friends to back to enemies to sirebonded lovers for the win y’all!

Is 9 a funny ship or a serious ship? Uhm they have like very little canon interactions and scenes together, so maybe a funny ship I guess. Especially because Clove is such a fierce and violent little thing, and she can be aggressive and heated in the moment but I also think she’s very cool and calculating when her rage isn’t getting the better of her, but unfortunately my wonderful girl is practically just a joke character at this point, and fandom dislikes her a looot. Like it’s been years and she was such a minor character, as was Cato so there’s not a lot of content for them at this point. :p

Out of all of your ships listed, which ship has the most chemistry? Either rellamy or klaroline.

Out of all of the ships, which ship has the strongest bond? Uhh, I can’t decide between rellamy or villadero. Rellamy have been through so much together, have been partners, friends, co-leaders, and have a wonderful relationship based on mutual respect and adoration. I think they’re each other’s ride or die and the circumstances of t100 definitely made that more intense. But also villadero have also been through a lot together, just in a different way from rellamy, more telenovella style ;) especially considering michael’s death and resurrection lol. And they are best friends, they speak highly of each other, they love and trust each other, and wanted to spend the rest of their lives together... You can see how it would be hard to choose lmao.

How many times have you read/watched 10′s fandom? I’ve only watched JTV once, I wasn’t interesting in a rewatch right now, but the relationship between the Villanueva women and the emphasis on family as well as romantic love kind of made it a comfort show for me, so I might rewatch it at some point!

Which ship has lasted the longest? Uhm I counted and six of these pairings have at least one or both dead characters (does villadero count??? idk) and a lot of them broke up at some point (rellamy was never together unfortunately :p) and then there’s rogan who had a breakup, infidelity, pregnancy, and ambiguous ending... as well as hizzie who haven’t gotten together and whose story is still unfolding (RENEW LEGACIES!!!!!). i’m just going to say jurdan because cardan is immortal and they’re both alive?? i guess???? idk.

How many times, if ever, has 6 broken up? THEY WERE NEVER EVEN TOGETHER THE WRITERS DIDN’T GIVE THEM A FAIR CHANCE, JUST A STOLEN KISS AND A ONE NIGHT STAND (*sobs*).

If the world was suddenly thrust into a zombie apocalypse, which ship would make it out alive, 2 or 8? LMAO this is a good one because klaroline are literally immortal vampires and klaus is the original hybrid... but also jurdan have a fair amount of healthy survival instinct, combat skills, and general badassery (jude more than cardan), and there’s the fact that cardan’s immortal... i’ll just say KC because they would legit just be chilling in klaus’s mansion or in paris somewhere, not getting their brains eaten (they’re too dead for that! XD).

Did 7 ever have to hide their relationship for any reason? Not that i know of? at least not on gilmore girls, in the spinoff they did have to hide because they were cheating on odette *sighs as yet again another ship of mine is ruined by infidelity*

Is 4 still together? No because they’re both dead :’( maybe they’re together in the afterlife tho!

Is 10 canon? Yes but unfortunately not endgame :/

If all ships were put into a couple’s Hunger Games, which pair would win? Uhhh clato didn’t win in their hunger games so as much as I love my two violent babies I don’t think these two teenagers would win especially with the rest of these couples as competition... villadero would be out immediately because jane hates camping and she much prefers her romance novels to violence and gore, and while michael is a cop and would have some physical duress, probably?? i don’t think he stands a chance against the others. I feel bad not giving Cami the credit she deserves but she’s a pretty unexperienced vamp especially in physical combat so she’s out... raven has her mental durability/genius and both she and bellamy have physical strength and combat capabilities but I don’t think Raven building bombs will work against Klaus or Caroline lmao. I think forwood are the star crossed lovers and would make a good team, given Tyler’s werewolf senses and Caroline’s enhanced power as a vampire but Tyler might not survive... no one’s going to overpower the original hybrid, not even jurdan, so i think either KC, or CK if klaus can keep cami from being killed (which yes she can handle herself my wonderful independent bb but I don’t think she’d survive Raven mf Reyes), would win.

Has anybody ever tried to sabotage 5′s ship? Uhm does Klaus count? Because he didn’t seem to keen on interfering since he had his own problems to deal with in NOLA and seemed happy that caroline and stefan were happy together... IDK i haven’t watched past s4 but i think a lot of obstacles came in SC’s way in s6? was it someone named cade? and also wasn’t alaric into caroline too? (ew gross go d*e you pedophilic old man jfc)

Which ship would you defend to death and beyond? villadero, klamille, rogan, and rellamy

Do you spend hours a day going through 3′s tumblr page? No not really?? I do search for forwood content tho even if the fandom is practically dying :/

If an evil witch descended from the sky and told you that you had to pick one of the ten ships to break up forever or else she’d break them all up forever, which ship would you sink? RUDE! But uhm I guess clato since they never got together in the first place?? Or KC because as much as I like them they weren’t really ever on the same page in their lives to get together anyways and the fandom is pretty awful (and I’m only talking about the bad apples, I know a lot of nice KC shippers who I enjoy talking to!)

[sarahjtrash]

The Weight of the World

Jurdan, 1.5K, Rated T

Summary: Elfhame and faerie society really weighs on Jude. Cardan tries to help.

A/N: Who’s surprised? I am but a sucker for fluff and bedtime snuggles.

Enjoy!

-o-0-o-

Jude pushed through revelers and servers, fighting her way to the doors leading outside the hall. It was idiotic to come here tonight, to try and help Cardan win over courtiers who never respected him in the first place. No matter what he did to erase his reputation as a careless drunkard, too many viewed him as just that. 

She could float through the crowd, try to discover what people actually believed of their king, but nothing would deter their innate distrust and disgust for her, causing them to change topics as she approached. She could wield weapons and lies, but it didn’t mean much when no one even knew her true title. 

A queen without a throne, merely a Queen of Nothing. How fitting with how worthless she felt. 

Still, their whispers followed her as she shoved her way out. 

Too bad the mortal is leaving. What I wouldn’t give to glamour her into submission. 

I can see why the High King keeps her so close. She seems like she’d be very fun to trick.

Their vile words followed her as she left. Her time away had lost her any respect she’d gained. To them, she was a child, an insect on the bottom of a shoe, an existence so worthless that it was only mentioned when people were truly overcome with their disgust. The threats and off-handed comments grew to be taxing these weeks after her return. 

She couldn’t take it anymore as she stormed out of the ballroom, holding back tears and cursing herself for being this weak in the first place. What happened to the girl with a steel demeanor and a metaphorical suit of armor? 

Her forearm wiped across her face and came back covered in glitter and kohl. What a stupid idea to think she could ever make something of herself.

Behind her,  footsteps sounded and followed her around corners. She started to walk faster. 

How had she become so weak? So desperate that suddenly the gossip of busybodies actually mattered to her? None of this would’ve happened if she was never exiled or better yet, stayed on the sidelines years ago. 

Sometimes she wished for that. An easy existence where she truly was the nothing that they believed her to be. Which was idiotic. She’d already been an average mortal in the human world, and it had nearly ruined her. Not that tonight was all that much better

A hot tear rolled down her face.

The oak doors to their bedroom seemed like a beacon of hope at the end of the hall, and she couldn’t help but throw the doors open when she arrived. She didn’t bother to close them, instead leaving them ajar for her follower. Jude still played the game of pretending not to care, but selfishly, she wanted nothing more than to surrender into his arms.

Silence filled the space between them, and Jude crossed her arms over her chest. The only sound was of her heavy, shaking breaths. She knew he could here the tears she held back, saw the restraint in her body; however, he made no move to approach her, simply let her collect herself.

It made her feel painfully mortal.

Cardan cleared his throat before offering quietly, “They’re banished from the palace until further notice.” 

His words were meant to soothe, but Jude couldn’t help but wish he’d said something else. Something more.

Part of her knew she owed Cardan nothing and he her, but she still nodded and swallowed before turning back to face him. Her dress seemed to billow around her at the turn, completely disharmonious to her emotions. 

Mortal whore, They’d called her. A useless toy kept by the King until she died. Would be better off as a glamoured servant. A fool tricked into thinking she had power. What a desperate, lonely little soul.

It was so stupid to be upset over their jests, but Jude felt all their words, terribly so. It was like she carried the weight of Elfhame on her shoulders her entire life. Her paltry 17 years of life. 

And despite the grandeur of her outfit, and their tenuous relationship, her face must have truly betrayed her, for Cardan wasted no time in wrapping her up in his arms and tucking her face against his chest. She brought her arms around his middle and burrowed her face into his chest before tears started to wet his shirt in earnest. 

The sounds that she released were ugly and almost inhuman, as she grieved not only the words said tonight but the hardness of everything. Her fists clutched at his shirt as her tears overcame her. She could live with people thinking Cardan had tricked her, but when people slewed her greatest fears as taunts, it ate her. 

This world was so unkind to her, and she didn’t even have one friend. 

The terrible loneliness that constantly accompanied her reared its ugly head. No one liked being around her, and she had more enemies than she could count. Her husband, though his scent comforted her at the moment, constantly caused her to question his intentions. Her parents couldn’t be accounted for, murdered long ago. Her own twin actively worked to undermine her. 

As if sensing her thoughts, Cardan’s hands began to move as rubbed gentle circles on her back, the other cusped the back of her neck, and he kissed the crown of her head. Distantly, she could hear Cardan murmur quiet platitudes into her ear, but it only made her cry harder. Cardan squeezed her tighter, and his tail came to wrap around her leg. 

His presence felt wrong, as if she didn’t deserve the simplest desires of her heart. If she chose to find comfort in his presence, wasn’t she living every rumor they claimed about her? She was just a dirty child. Almost nothing in the centuries he was sure to live. Eventually he’d grow to forget her. And yet, she couldn’t help but feel herself relax slightly as she breathed in his scent. 

Deep down, she knew she could live with being perceived as the stupid mortal without friends or status. It was their last words that truly bothered her, whispered right before she’d finally escaped that wretched place. 

I bet the High King glamoured her into thinking he was in love with her, and she’s stupid enough to believe it’s real.

They’d never really discussed what they felt for one another, but those words had her head spinning with the possibility that every misleading statement she chose to interrupt was actually just him at face value. He truly did hate her and find her disgusting. He thought about her often, but it was not in the light she wished it to be. He kissed her, made love to her, and married her only to toy with her. 

However, he still stood here, letting her ruin his shirt, knowing that somehow his presence did more for her than anything else could. Their thoughts still grated on her though, as she pulled back to look at him. 

“Tell me you hate me,” she whispered.

True pain seemed to fill his eyes at that, but he looked at her all the same. “You know I cannot,” his hand came to wipe away another tear that had fallen. “I believe we’re far beyond that.”

“Then tell me about how you used to hate me. How my existence relived you.”

He pulled her close once again. “Jude. I don’t know if I ever hated you. I sometimes believe I confused my emotions. There were ones I truly felt, and those that others wanted me to feel. I treated you brutally, this is true, but I am unsure if I did that because I wanted to or if others wished it of me.”

“If what you feel for me is not hate, then what is it?” She knew it was dangerous ground, a place both of them were unprepared to enter.

“I do not believe this is the time for that,” he said defeatedly, before grabbing her hand and leading her to bed. 

Cardan helped her undress, his hands communicating nothing sexual in their movement. They both pulled pins out of her hair, and when the final curl came tumbling down, Jude practically fell into bed, makeup be damned.

Cardan stripped next to her, before he too slid under the sheets next to her and pulled her back to his chest. His tail joined their tangle of legs. 

Despite her desire to fill the space with her doubts, Jude couldn’t help but match Cardan’s soothing breath. They breathed in a calming rhythm for a while, and Cardan must have thought she was asleep before he whispered what sounded like a private admission, one she wasn’t supposed to hear.

“I wish for nothing more than to tell you how I feel, Jude Dear,” he sighed. “I care for you. It terrifies me. I care for you more than I’ve ever cared for anyone else, myself included. I don’t know how to convince you of that, but I will,“ he paused, before yawning out, “someday.”

He buried his face into her neck and soon he quietly snored. A painful hope began to blossom in her chest. Come morning, she would probably never mention what she’d heard. However, right now, his words cocooned her more than his body. She still thought about it until she drifted into a sweet, dreamless sleep, completely unplagued by the nights events. 

-o-0-o-

Thanks for reading!

Masterlist

[mrskingsley11]

QUEEN OF NOTHING SPOILERS

Review

So I loved this book series with all my heart. I read the wicked king in one day which I don’t normally do. I waited a whole year for this book and was so excited to read it. But I’m so disappointed in this book it hurts. I loved all the characters in the series but in this book they were completely different persons?? Like I hated Taryn and Locke for what they’d done but I loved them as a villain but Taryn just shows up after months and is nice and good after she killed Locke ??? I mean Locke was and ass and all but I loved the scheming and now he’s just dead? How can an author just kill so an important person like him without even bother to give some action or drama in his death? And I still can’t believe Taryn is the friendly twin again and I hate it that Jude just forgives her. I really think Madoc shouldn’t be the main villain. Jude getting kipnapped and pretending being Taryn was so boring I skipped a few pages what I thought I’d never do in this series. Cardan getting cursed into a snake was so unimportant. Okay he broke the crown but the curse thing could have been handled in like 2 chapters but now it take such a big part in the book. All the political stuff annoyed me so much it was just boring. I mean I want Jude to become queen but i waited a year to get some jurdan action and to see more of judes development but I’m just disappointed. The one jurdan sex scene was shit and they could have just talked earlier and all their personal problems would have been solved. I really missed judes spirit in this book she just wasn’t as fascinating as in the other books.

And now we will discuss my biggest problem with this book

I love Cardan and holly black REALLY makes my smart baby so stupid. Like are u serious mrs black ??? HIS REASON FOR JUDES EXCILE WAS THAT HE WANTED TO IMPRESS HER WITH TRICKING HER??? I know he can be a dork but he wouldn’t do something like that. Everyone was like „oh but Jude can just pardon herself“ but I was just like that was the first thing she tried at the beach ??? I expected some good Smartass reason for her exile and I get that shit. Black ended the wicked king with such a plottwist and I thought so much about it and she makes the easiest reason everybody already expected to be canon!! When I read his reason for her excile I was so pissed I had to stop reading for 2 days.

When I read the first chapters with Grima Mog I expected Jude to built an army with her and win back her kingdom and throne. I always thought holly black was putting every detail carefully together to write an epic ending with war and tragedy. Instead I get an big ass snake and a girl dealing with her daddy issues. Madoc does so much drama and then just yields? Wtf where are the plot twists betrayals and dramas? Is that even the same author ?

And I forgot to mention that the queen of the undersea just wasn’t in the book at all? All that drama in the second book and now just forget her? Seriously the greatest reading disappointed of my life

I‘m debating just imagining an other better version of queen of nothing an pretending the real one was just a weird fanfic

(Cardans letters were cute tho)

[charincharge]

Kiss And Cry, Part 4

jurdan figure skating au > masterlist

AN: I told you I’d be back soon! And I AM. In case you couldn’t tell... things are getting a little... NSFW (just like... a smidge lol, nothing too major). Anyway. Things will be heating up realllly soon. Hope you enjoy. Look forward to hearing your thoughts on this one....

Madoc canceled practice for the rest of the week, which, with only two months until Nationals, was making Jude extremely nervous. She understood that Nicasia’s accident had taken Cardan out of the running, which Madoc was clearly upset about, but that didn’t mean that Jude and Locke could take it easy.

Jude made sure that Locke was back on the ice with her that day. She couldn’t slack off and lose steam now. They were so close.

Locke panted heavily as they wrapped up their practice. Sweat dripped down both their foreheads, muscles aching with fatigue.

Jude hopped off the ice and grabbed her phone, which had been recording their last run through, and she pressed play.

“You need to work on your landings,” Jude pointed to Locke’s shaky footwork after their double axel. “And here,” she pointed to his hand, which had fumbled around her hip while lifting her. “Hand to my waist, not my hip.”

Jude had no problem going through their game tape, looking for weaknesses and flaws. She would look for anything they could practice to oblivion to smooth out until they were nothing but icy perfection. This year she would be placing and making it to Worlds. There was no doubt in her mind.

Jude was so engrossed in the playback, she barely noticed anyone hovering behind her until she heard Cardan’s smooth voice. “You’re half a turn short there,” he pointed out.

“No, I’m not,” Jude said, indignant. She was sure Cardan had just come to annoy her. Why else would he be there? It wasn’t like he had a partner to practice with. Shouldn’t he be in the hospital at his best friend’s side?

“You want to win, right?” He paused. “Your triple was only two and a half.”

Jude rewound the video and replayed. He was right. She was. Damn it.

“The judges take off serious points for shit like that,” he said, flicking his dark hair out of his eyes. Jude fully turned to take him in, expecting him to look at least somewhat rattled from the events of yesterday, but Cardan was just as infuriatingly polished as if nothing had happened. His concentrated mask of confidence was only betrayed by the faintest traces of dark circles beneath his eyes.

“Good catch, Cardan,” Locke fawned, the admiration thick on his tongue. Disgusting. As if Cardan needed more people pining over him. It seemed now that Nicasia was out of the picture that Locke wanted to be tagged in. Unrelatable.

“I’m all about teamwork,” Cardan replied with a wink, and Jude had to restrain from rolling her eyes at the soft pink blush that traveled up Locke’s neck and ears.

“I assumed you’d be off the team,” Jude said.

“Sorry to disappoint,” Cardan said with a shrug.

“Who’s the unlucky soul who gets to partner you now?” Jude asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Cardan blinked twice, his thick fringe of lashes practically batting up and down at her, as he cocked his head. “I’m looking right at her.”

Jude shook her head. She couldn’t have heard him right. “What?” she asked.

“I didn’t realize you were dumb, too,” Cardan snickered, and a wave of fury took over Jude as she walked toward him.

His smirk fell from his face as she grew closer. He instinctively backed up a step until his calves were pressed against the bleachers. Nowhere left to go, Jude pressed her hand against his chest, just barely at the base of his neck, their faces merely inches as she seethed wildly.

“I already have a partner.” She looked over her shoulder at Locke, whose blush had faded, and he was looking pallid beneath the overhead fluorescent lights of the rink. “And a routine.”

She looked back at Cardan, his throat bobbing with a slow swallow as he wrapped his hand around hers and removed it from where it was dangerously close to strangling him.

“Yes, well,” Cardan cleared his throat. “Now you’ll be learning a new one.”

Blood rushed to Jude’s ears as she rushed to her cellphone to call her Coach. It went straight to voicemail, and Jude went to call back again when Madoc appeared, a scowl across his face as he made his way toward the three skaters.

“Madoc!” Jude began, but he held up his hand firmly.

“First of all,” Madoc sighed. “I thought I made it clear practice was canceled this week. But, since Garrett called me when you arrived, I thought I should show up and clear the air.”

Jude groaned. Garrett, the rink’s manager, was always getting the best gossip from befriending the skaters. It figured that he’d be reporting back to Madoc. Jude would bet there was even money in it for him. She went to complain again – there was no way she would leave Locke and skate with Cardan – but Madoc cut her off.

“I understand these are… not normal circumstances,” Madoc said. “But Cardan still wants to compete.”

“So find someone else,” Jude argued. “There are a billion skaters out who would love to be on our team.”

“Not who I trust to skate in Nationals,” Madoc snapped, and Jude was fairly certain that was the closest Madoc had ever come to complimenting her. He was trying to soften her up. Still, she remained resolute.

“I can’t skate with him.”

Madoc’s eyes narrowed. “That remains to be seen.” Jude opened her mouth to protest again, but Madoc silenced her. “Stop. You will continue to practice your routines with Locke, but you will also learn Nicasia’s parts in her routines with Cardan. At the end of four weeks, I will decide which pairing will compete at Nationals.”

Jude snapped her mouth shut. So, it wasn’t a definite. She could still skate with Locke. She just had to make sure that Madoc saw they were the better pair.

“Jude and Cardan, you will report to the studio tomorrow morning, so Jude can start learning the choreography off the ice,” Madoc began. “Then, you will report to the ice to keep practicing with Locke in the afternoons. Good?”

Jude nodded succinctly.

Satisfied, Madoc stalked off, leaving the skaters to deal with each other.

Jude expected Locke to look downtrodden by the prospect of a competition with Cardan, but he seemed to be glowing with excitement.

“So, we’re still on the same team, then,” Locke smiled. “For a few more weeks, at least.”

His grin widened as Cardan wrapped his arm around Locke’s shoulders and smirked at him coyly. “Please, Locke, we’re always on the same team in my heart.” Cardan placed his hand across his chest, clutching at his shirt, as he winked again.

Jude thought Locke was going to pass out with how thick Cardan was laying on his flirting, and Jude couldn’t stop the large roll of her eyes.

“Oh please. Nicasia’s been in the hospital for all of one day, and you’re already trying to get your dick wet?” She thought she saw him frown for the smallest second, but it was gone before she could even process it, so she kept berating him, hoping she could pin that frown there. “You can’t even go a few hours, huh?” she snipped.

“Language, Jude,” Cardan feigned shock as he chastised her and wrapped his arm more tightly around Locke, pulling him closer. “Don’t be jealous.”

“You could not pay me to touch you,” Jude scoffed. “Who even knows where that thing has been.” She didn’t want to hear another retort from Cardan and turned on her heel, heading to the locker room to shower, but Cardan shouted after her anyway.

“Seems like someone’s anxious to find out.” He laughed. “Please, Jude, you don’t have to pretend you don’t want me.”

She growled under her breath but didn’t turn around. But his words sloshed around her head as she showered off. She hated that he’d gotten in the last word. She knew it was his mission in life to drive her insane. And though she wouldn’t usually dare to, she decided she couldn’t ignore this one, couldn’t let him think she was remotely interested. She needed to squash that down before it became a thing. Especially if they were going to be skating together. She needed to set some boundaries. Some rules.

When she made it back out to the rink, Cardan was nowhere to be found. But his overly large SUV, that was most definitely overcompensating for something, was still in the lot.

So, against her better judgement, Jude made her way into the mens’ locker room.

She paused as soon as she entered, the realization that she’d made a grave mistake hitting her as soon as the door closed behind her. Because in front of her, was a bare-chested Cardan, head thrown back in ecstasy, leaning against the green lockers, dark eyes closed and lashes fluttering against his flushed cheeks, and fingers knotted in the head of red hair kneeling on the cold ground between his knees.

Jude backed into the door, a wave of embarrassment and horror washing over her as she watched Locke’s head bob up and down over his lap, urged by Cardan’s tight grip. She knew that Locke had been interested, but she hadn’t realized both of them would work so fast. And she hadn’t realized that Cardan would take him up on it. She wondered if they’d even kissed, or if they’d just gone straight to this. She felt dizzy and nauseous, the walls closing in on her the longer she looked. She couldn’t breathe.

Cardan’s naked torso glinted with droplets of water, which fell from his dark waves, rolling over his defined chest, marked by a steel bar through each nipple, and down the thin path of hair that led to where Locke’s face was covering. But from what she could see, it turned out the SUV was in fact, not overcompensating for anything.

A hot blush streaked across Jude’s cheeks and chest. Surely, her face was on fire with how hot she suddenly felt. Sweat dampened her palms, and her heartbeat thundered loudly in her ears, trying to drown out the indecent sounds of Locke’s mouth slurping and sucking.

Jude reached for the door, fumbling with her clammy fingers, but her hand slid as she turned the knob, and Cardan’s eyes opened slowly, a lazy smile on his face, his dark eyes staring straight at her, as if he expected her there.

He didn’t take his eyes off of her, didn’t stop his measured pace, as Locke worked him. Cardan simply curled his lips up into an uneven smile, his chin lifting slightly in her direction. His eyes, blown out with lust ,stared her down, pinned her where she stood, and it was only when he closed his eyes again and moaned loudly that Jude finally regained her sanity.

The door pushed open easily beneath her grasp, and Jude barely had enough sense to grab her bag before running out to the parking lot.

The cold winter afternoon felt like knives against her flushed cheeks. She breathed hard, willing the image of Cardan with his pants around his ankles to subside from her brain, but it was useless. That cocky smile, that blissed out expression would haunt her forever.

Jude took another shower when she got home, but even scrubbing her skin raw didn’t help. She felt unhinged. Dirty. Upset. She couldn’t shake her unease all through the rest of the afternoon and barely ate at dinner, much to Madoc’s delight.

And as Jude’s body finally gave way to unconsciousness that night, her dreams were plagued with dark eyes, lithe bodies slick with wet, and coy smiles.

~*~*~*~*~

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