#other friend: lyria

[cinlat]

Shout out to these ladies @tishinada @rainofaugustsith and Lyria for another successful hunt. The Great Hunt this time. Taking down dragon’s with the power of friendship....and brute force. A LOT of brute force.

Anyway, we decided to get out “fisherman’s picture” with our price and the cute little cat who sent us after the man eating dragon.

[astrxealis]

man i’m kinda exhausted tbh. maybe. maybe. i sleep

also fun fact i think it is hilarious that. w/o context. i will say i screamed this birthday more than any other bday b4

[toestalucia]

i say that while oneiros & her relation to her astral is my favorite of all time like a tru hypocrite

[readychilledwine]

Slow Hands

Azriel x Vanserra Oc

Azriel returns from a rough mission very sore. The typical ointments Madja uses aren't helping to relieve the tension, so the healer suggests Azriel goes to see Lyria, a pretty little healer who specializes in massage therapy.

Warnings - NSFW, but nothing is graphic. Accidental orgasm from a service. Some swearing. Unedited. Dearest minors, DNI.

Word count- 2,639

Random author's note - I just believe it should be cannon that the Vanserras give the best massages. They're literally fae heating pads/hot water bottles.

Part Two

Azriel walked beside Rhysand in silence as they made their way to the building Madja had asked Azriel to visit.

The two had not spoken since the incident with Elain, but he could tell Rhys, who had paused hand halfway up to knock on the door, wanted to tell him something.

Rhys cleared his throat. "Do you remember me coming home from the mountain and saying I decided to bring a new friend to Velaris?"

Azriel nodded, refusing to verbally break his silence to his brother, to which Rhys rolled his eyes. "This is her. She is Lucien's sister. Be. Kind. She is doing this for you as a favor to me."

Rhys knocked on the door before winnowing away, leaving Azriel standing there awkwardly. Shock set in as golden light flooded the streets. There, in the doorway, smiling gently was the mirror image of the Lady of Autumn, only shorter.

"You must be Azriel," he stared down at the pretty female, mouth going dry as he tried to figure out how to form words. "Come in. I'm Lyria, by the way." She smiled softly at him and continued walking.

Her home was warm, inviting, and comfortable. It smelled like lavender and something slightly medicinal Azriel could not place. "Rhys doesn't normally have his wings out when we do this." Azriel followed her, admiring her legs and ass in her tight leggings, as she directed him through her home. "Are you able to lay on your back?"

"I am." Azriel was studying her fully as they entered a room with a table centered in it and glass bottles lining a cabinet. Her red hair was pulled into braids and pins with a few pieces falling into loose curls. Her high cheekbones reminded Azriel very much of her mother, and her constellation of freckles lining her nose and cheeks were the only clear sign of her relation to Eris. Her golden sun kissed skin, though, that was Azriel's clear indication of who her father truly was.

All in all, he knew she was beautiful. Truly beautiful, and Azriel felt himself thinking of 100 other things he could do with her besides what Rhysand and Madja describe as a "back rub, but better."

He watched Lyria shift, clearly noting the way he was looking at her. "If you're comfortable, I just need you to take all of your clothing off and lay on that table. We will start with you on your back. Just put the towel where you want it for privacy. I can step out. Let me know when you're ready."

Azriel watched her walk out, eyes glued on her body. Rhys, the tone in his mind was slighly annoyed as he felt familiar claws enter his shields.

Azriel, A laughing purr answered back, Is she to your liking?

You're an asshole. A better warning would have been nice. Azriel slammed him out as he finished removing the leathers and siphons from his body before getting on the heated table. He sighed, shadows slowing down and stilling before opening the door and gently grabbing Lyria.

She moved silently through the room, fae lights dimming as she grabbed a few things. "Rhys said you'd prefer lotion over oil, is that accurate?" Azriel just nodded, a feeling of vulnerability sitting in.

He was naked in the presence of a female related to two males who absolutely hated him. A female who could wield fire as easily as breathing. His only comforts were the sign that she clearly thought nothing of his nakedness, and that his shadows had already told him she had no weapons in her home.

"I'm assuming they explained this to you? And let you know I'd be touching you a lot during this?" Azriel confirmed to her quietly they had. "If anything hurts, or makes you uncomfortable in any way, or you just do not like the way it feels, let me know right away. Is it okay if I start?" Consent. She wanted his consent to touch him. He nodded slowly and felt his shoulders instantly tense as she touched him.

Her hands were warm and so soft. Gently moving along the planes of his tight muscles in slow, long strokes. She was using enough pressure to map out areas of his body that were tighter than others but not being rough enough to hurt him. Azriel groaned as she found a knot near this collarbone. Her hands instantly began working in that area. "Does that feel okay?"

"It feels great." The room was filled with the sounds of water running softly, of animals in a forest. It even smelled like the Illyrian Mountains. The soft scent of magic, her magic, floated in the air as Lyria created an environment the High Lord had told her his spymaster would relax easiest in.

Azriel felt himself giving completely into her hands, melting in her touch, eyes closing. He groaned and moaned occasionally in appreciation and pleasure.

"There we go," she whispered softly. "Just relax. I'll take care of you." He felt his mind drifting as she worked down his arms, his torso, the fronts of his thighs.

Lyria was watching the Shadowsinger's little reactions to figure out where to focus, what areas she needed to work longer, and where the male held the most tension. She was also trying to ignore a growing aspect that had begun to pop up.

She worked her way back up to his shoulders, running her hands below his back, between his wings, causing another moan to leave his throat. This one, though, had her pausing. "I'm sorry," she whispered as she gently ran her hands from the spot they were in and up his neck. "I am so sorry."

Azriel chuckled slightly, eyes opening to look up at her. Her bottom lip had tucked between her teeth. She's nervous, his shadows began whispering to him. She was worried she had hurt him or he was feeling violated. "It's okay. They're sensitive, but that feels amazing."

"I can sto-"

"Please, do not stop."

Lyria nodded, her lip still tucked into her teeth. "You can roll onto your back if you'd like, and are um, able to." It was then that Azriel realized what she meant.

"Please tell me this happens all of the time?" His face was flushed as he threw an arm over it. "You have male clients, this happens all of the time right?"

Lyria was instantly giggling. The noise like soft bells in his ears making him smile and relax. "Of course. Rhys especially. Roll over. I want to use a different lotion on your back." Lyria turned away, grabbing a different glass bottle.

Azriel rolled over taking the time to admire her body again. Thinking of how pretty she'd look tied up in his shadows. She'd look pretty in any position, naked or dressed. He put his head down, trying to focus on relaxing and not his growing need to bend her over the nearest surface.

Lyria moved back to him, warming the lotion she had on her hands, "Are you okay with lotion getting in your hair? You carry a lot of tension here," Azriel shivered as she was near the lowest base of his wings. She was being careful not to touch them, but just the ghosting of her fingers near them was causing his touch starved body to react. It also didn't help that her voice was a siren spell, "through the upper part of your spine and into your scalp. I feel like I can work it all out, but I need to get the tension in your scalp out too, or you'll have headaches all the time."

"You can do whatever you want to me," Azriel felt himself tense back up at the response. He knew he meant it. He knew he'd allow his female to take what she wanted from him without hesitation.

"What a generous offer. You'll have to buy me dinner first." Lyria moved. Starting his massage again at his feet.

"Fuck," Azriel groaned. He heard her chuckle as she worked and he relaxed into her touch once more.

Discomfort hit him again as she began to work up his legs, easing the tension in his thighs. "Is this okay? You are really tight on your legs and hips." Azriel nodded at her question, groaning as she began working out knots in areas he would have never suspected. "Am I hurting you?" Gods no, he thought to himself. "Do you want me to talk to you to distract you?"

"Hearing your voice is making it worse." Azriel bit his lip to hold in a moan as she began to work the other side. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head, smiling slightly. "Not hurting you then. You are fine, Azriel. Just relax. It's just your body reacting. It's normal."

His name rolling off her tongue made Azriel feel like his soul was lit on fire and an ache started in his chest. He began to imagine what she'd sound like with his head between her thighs, his hands squeezing her breasts, her legs wrapped around his waist as he buried himself so deep into her they became one.

Lyria continued her work, ignoring the growing scent of his arousal as the tension in his lower back released. She then made a rookie mistake, leaning across his back to grab her lotion bottle allowing her breasts to run along his body. She said nothing as his wings fluttered and he slightly shivered. She just continued her work.

Azriel was a piece of art, she had decided. His body reminded her of expertly carved marble. Hard muscled cuts from years of training, but they yielded so easily to her touch. Small twitches began to happen as she hit his mid back just below his wings.

Her eyes flicked to where he gripped the soft sheets of the bed as she pulled a heated blanket over his lower half. "Is it too warm?" She knew the scars on his hands all too well, she was hiding her own that danced along her back.

"No, just everything feels really good." His reply was soft, but raspy and deep. She smiled softly as she continued her work, gently going around the lower base of his wings without realizing the stimulation she was causing him.

Azriel was biting his fist under the table as pleasure shot straight to his cock. His body was so relaxed and everything felt intensified. He had been craving touch like this for years now. Soft, gentle, slow. She was taking her time on his back, working out every ounce of tension, every knotted muscle, every single drop of pain he had. His body hadn't felt this good in years, and he hadn't felt relief like this since his last trip to the brothel.

Her hands were heaven on his skin. They were warm and smooth, grazing him with her nails occasionally. She smelled like heaven, too. The soft scent of apples and salted caramel. He could drown in her scent alone if she allowed him to.

He felt the groan slip his throat as she moved to be in front of him and began to work between his wings. "Tell me if you want me to stop. I don't want to hurt you."

Azriel realized slowly he was drowning. This female was about to reduce him to a puddle with the touch of her hands and that alone. He pushed the feeling down. Doing her job, a shadow reminded him.

She worked in silence, noting his soft gasps, whimpers, and moans as she worked the center of his back and sides of both wings. She was finally at the base of his shoulder blades when Azriel's resolve dropped. His hands came to rest on the backs of her thighs, squeezing the plush skin there every so often as she worked the tops of where his wings connected in.

A rough grasp on her thighs as she accidently brushed the ridge of his wing had her gasping slightly, nails digging into his back, making him growl in pleasure. "I'm sorry," she whispered again and tried to back away, only to find herself locked by his large hands.

"That was my fault," he was smirking and pulled her closer. "Please keep going. I'll behave." Lyria bit her lip, her nervous tick he noted, nodding as she went back to work.

She was focusing on working the muscle tension near his wings. She was hoping he'd be able to ignore his pleasure, but as his breathing picked up, his wings twitched, and he moaned for her more, she knew. Lyria knew what was about to happen, but anytime her hands slowed, he gripped her thighs tighter as if begging her to continue.

He was on the edge at this point. He could feel a peak of pleasure within reach as she began working his shoulders and neck. Azriel was trying to hold it in as the pleasure built, but Lyria sealed his fate.

She did a single long stroke, starting between his wings, up his neck, and gently tugged his hair.

It was his undoing as he moaned out loudly, his grip on her thighs moving so he was cupping her ass and digging his fingers into her. His body was slightly shaking, as she scratched his head and played with his hair through his high.

Lyria had her lip between her teeth again. Trying to hide the feminine smile at her ability to bring one of the deadliest males in History to completion with no more than the touch of her hand.

She moved to sit next to Azriel, dropping his right arm over her thighs as she sat next to him, continuing to massage his scalp as he finished coming down, breathing coming back to normal. Once he turned his head to her, she just smiled.

"I know a few places in Autumn you could get help with that problem," she offered gently. "Eris runs a very clean, respectable one. They have males and females. All there by choice because they like to fuck."

Azriel chuckled. "That obvious, huh?" He looked at her. Enjoying the slight flush of her cheeks as her amber eyes met his hazel ones.

"I don't normally have people finish on my table, so we're going to chalk it up to you had a lot of tension to release." She paused, hand still playing with his hair before handing him a towel. "I noticed it building as I was working in your wing bases, but you didn't ask me to stop, and if I tried to, you squeezed my thighs to prevent me from moving. Rhys just said the wings themselves were sensitive. I didn't realize it was that whole area. I am sorry if I've made you feel violated."

He took the towel, cleaning himself and the table as she looked away. He tossed it into her nearby hamper and laid back down. A shadow grabbed her hair and placed it back into his hair.

"He probably did that on purpose. Fucking asshole. I owe you dinner," he finally said. "I'd like to do this again. Hopefully without that happening. I'm hoping that was a one time thing."

Lyria nodded. "We can do the same time next week with dinner beforehand?" He nodded at her, sitting up and studying her face again. "Also, I don't mind if that happens again." She was blushing and tucked her hair behind a delicately pointed ear. "Maybe in different circumstances though."

Azriel smirked, hand reaching to gently pull at her hair, "That could be rearranged."

[abowlofhunny]

A/N: Quick drabble I wrote while listening to Ptolemaea by Ethel Cain.

Summary: After spending several days in the Night Court, Cadre!Reader has a nightmare triggered by their unfamiliar surroundings.

Pairing: Azriel X Cadre!Reader

Warnings: PTSD, trauma induced nightmares, mentions of dying, mental torture, dissociation, angst, fear of the dark

Nightmare:

You thought it was real.

That the fire breathing bitch queen had saved you, that she had been real. It was nothing but something Maeve planted to tease you and then break you further.

You knew it.

The dream made freedom taste so real, the grass under your feet felt softer, the air was deliciously cold and fresh against your face. It smelled like snow.

But it was never real.

There is no fireheart. Maeve long since turned her to ash.

As you knelt once more before the dark queen's throne, your back aching with how long you had bowed. Utterly at her mercy. You knew Rowan was next to you, Fenrys on your right.

You knew they had the same delusions you were given. Fenrys was sobbing, he had always hated his oath and to be given a taste of freedom only to have it ripped away? And Rowan, how cruel to have to learn his true mate was not Lyria through a dream. But the savior? She died during the fall of Terrasen.

There is no escaping.

Your hands began trembling and the world started to crack and twist. Whips of darkness began cracking across your vision, and your friends began screaming.

There is no escaping.

Rowan Whitethorn was begging for his mate. His fireheart. The floor roiled underneath you and yet you could only kneel.

As Fenrys began to scream beside you, you forced your head up. Fighting against that unholy darkness that Maeve tortured you with for centuries.

Your last defiance was to look her in the eye, before the blood oath took everything from you.

But as you forced your eyes up and you caught a glimpse of violet eyes, everything shattered.

There was darkness all around you as you launched yourself from your bed, pulling your dagger with you from under your pillow.

You couldn't see.

Your magic thrashed in your veins. There were hands on your shoulders suddenly and a male's voice sounded nearby. The darkness cleared and you saw him, your fated.

Azriel.

There was something in his eyes that you couldn't place, but you didn't want to.

"Are you okay?" He sounded like he was underwater, and you weren't quite sure you weren't still dreaming until his scarred hands squeezed you.

You knew you were awake when you saw the other male out of the corner of your eye, Rhysand. Instincts told you to straighten your shoulders and make eye contact with the high lord- his eyes.

You couldn't do it.

He was trying to speak to you, but if Azriel sounded underwater, Rhysand might as well have been in another room entirely.

So you put your hands on your mates chest and pushed him away from you. Azriel hesitated, instincts likely bellowing at him to hold, to protect, to soothe.

You were beyond words.

Saying anything to either of them was too hard to even comprehend, dredging up the energy to pretend you were fine. The energy to pull yourself together and once again submit yourself to someone stronger than you made you want to bellow.

Blood curdling wrath hit you and your magic roared in answer, heating your wrecked soul. Not wrath directed at the males before you who were trying to speak to you.

You couldn't hear them anyway. You couldn't feel Azriel's hands back on your shoulders, shaking you before abruptly dropping you. You didn't register the pain in his eyes when he did either, or the magic that had erupted from you and cocooned around you.

You didn't notice that the dagger you had grabbed to desperately attempt to defend yourself from old ghosts fell from your hand and clattered to the ground.

You stared straight ahead and felt nothing at all. Until you felt Rhysand break through your mental shields.

Your very soul seemed to cave in when they fell. Rhysand felt it too, you knew. As he immediately began to pull back, knowing he pushed far too hard when your mind was this vulnerable. But as your memories and your pain swarmed to the surface? He saw it.

And Rhysand finally understood why you couldn't hold his eyes.

He saw it himself.

[throneofsapphics]

have your little girlfriend, part five

Rowaelin x f!Reader

Summary: She never wanted to find out whether a blood oath or mating bond would be stronger. Gods only know it might take months to unravel the mess they’re in now. 

Word Count: ~6.5k 

Warnings: darkish aelin/rowan, possessiveness, toxic relationships, minors injuries/mentions of blood, smut, thigh riding, nsfw, minors dni!

A/N: honestly idk where this is going, i’m just writing on vibes, but reader still has a backbone. this got deleted somehow :(, special thank you to @moonlightttfae

series masterlist

“I’ll be with Fenrys,” she said. It was another iteration of the same conversation they’d had the last three days. Her bringing up visiting home, Aelin and Rowan not disagreeing or agreeing, but questioning the safety of it. Technically, she supposed she didn’t need their permission, but it would be much easier if she could convince them to agree. Would they drag her back to Orynth if she left on her own? She didn’t want to find out. Her eyes shuttered closed. She wouldn’t give up on this, she needed to see her family. Needed to get some space. Fenrys had offered to speak to them, but she wanted to handle this on her own. To fight her own battles. 

She had an idea. One she would surely regret. “What if …” she swallowed harshly, “I agreed to train with you,” she directed her gaze towards Rowan first, and then Aelin. 

“Without complaining?” Rowan leaned back, crossing his arms. 

“I’ve never complained,” he raised one brow at her. Maybe she had, once or twice. “It’s not my fault you’re …” she tried to find a nicer word to say. 

“Ah asshole?” Aelin offered. “Dickhead? Bastard?” Rowan cut a glare at her, but she only grinned. 

“Harsh,” you settled on. 

“I promise I'll be …” Rowan’s the one who couldn’t find a word this time. She pressed her lips together to stifle a laugh. “Considerate.” 

Aelin chuckled. “How kind of you, your Highness.” 

She straightened in her chair. “I’ll train with you,” she tapped her fingers on the table. “Three times.” 

“Seven,” he countered. She started low on purpose. 

“Five.” 

“Ten.” 

Gods-damned in. Aelin only looked on amusement. Ten times. She had to leave in twenty days. Between work, spending time with them, and her friends, she didn’t quite have time to train everyday. Well, not in the way Rowan likes to train - grueling sessions, at least three hours.  

“Seven.” She countered, he looked like he was going to raise it further, but Aelin fixed him with a look. 

“Fine,” he grunted. 

-

The weeks leading up to the visit, she spent so much time in her animal form it began to worry Rowan. He remembered the ten years he spent in his … after Lyria’s death. Maybe she was still healing - from everything she’d lost during those ten years. Her parents, several of her family members. He glanced down at the white fox, curled up next to his desk, snoring softly. She looked peaceful, and at ease. 

She was leaving in three days and something in his chest clenched at how far away she’d be, at how he wouldn’t be there if anything happened. Or how difficult it would be to get to her. Aelin had threatened Fenrys so thoroughly he didn’t need to do it. As much as the male could annoy him sometimes, he trusted him with his life, and more importantly with hers. If anything happened to her, he’d make him regret being born. 

He called her name softly, and her head raised, pretty eyes blinking away the haze of sleep. “Shift back,” to his surprise, she actually listened - and didn’t look too upset at his order. 

“You interrupted a perfectly good nap,” her fists rubbed at her eyes, lips turning into something between a frown and a pout. 

His mouth turned up at the corners, and he held out a hand. “I missed you.” 

Her eyes softened, and she took it, letting him tug her into his lap. She nestled her head into the crook between his shoulder and neck, he had one arm wrapped around her, the other still shuffling through reports he had to get through by the end of the night. A few more days, and everything should calm down for the holidays. But by then … she’d be gone. 

He opened his mouth to say something, but her breaths had evened out, body relaxing into him, and he was reluctant to interrupt her sleep. Again. Rowan pressed a kiss to the top of her head. 

The door swung open, and from the corner of his eye he saw Aelin striding in - looking both irritated and exhausted. She paused, tilting her head to look at the two of them, before a small smile creeped onto her face. Aelin had certainly come a long way, managing to curb most of her jealousy surrounding y/n, at least with him. 

“I’m stealing her,” her eyes said. He narrowed his. “You’ve had her for the last few hours.” 

“She just shifted back.” 

“And?” Aelin shot him an irritating grin, making her way to their side and pressing a kiss to his cheek. She perched up on his desk, shoving some of his papers out of the way. 

Y/n stirred in his lap, lifted her head up. She beamed as she saw Aelin. Looks like Aelin wouldn’t have to steal her anyway. Aelin leaned forward, balancing precariously, and pressed a sweet kiss to her lips, before sliding off the table. 

She cupped one hand around her cheek, tilting y/n’s head to deepen the kiss, the other female moved, brushing against him. His teeth tug into his bottom lip as he bit back a groan, hardening beneath her. The little devil noticed, because she moved again, more intentionally. His hands gripped her hips, holding her firmly in place, she was straddling his leg now, back arching as Aelin kept pulling her closer. Fuck. 

He kissed down the side of her neck, scraping his canines over her pulse point. Rowan kissed over the two small scars on her neck. His mark. Where he’d claimed her. How everyone would know exactly who she belonged to. 

Her arousal started dripping on to him, her hips wiggling to try and get some release, some friction. He dug his fingers into her hips in warning, and she stopped. Aelin let out an edged chuckle. She was always amused by how easily y/n listened to him. Well, how she listened when she wanted to. 

“Please,” her voice was breathy, and he knew she was asking him. He wrapped an arm around her waist, tugging her back to meld her body against his. Aelin leaned back against the desk, hands gripping at the wood - lips swollen. 

“Let her.” Aelin shot him a look. She was always soft when it came to her. 

“Go on,” he told her, and pushed gently between her shoulder blades, landing a gentle swat on her thigh. “If you want it that badly, take it.” 

Her head twisted over her shoulder, tilting her head at him. 

“Ride his thigh, petal,” Aelin said. 

He groaned in mock frustration, before gripping her hips again, helping her to start moving. 

“Don’t be mean,” Aelin tutted at him. Rowan ignored her, focusing on y/n, currently growing bolder with her movements, rocking her hips back and forth over them, soft moans and whimpers leaving her throat. Aelin’s fingers white knuckled against the wood, fighting the urge to step in, but flames danced in her eyes, lust glazing over as she watched, scenting the same arousal he did. Three different scents mixing through the room, flooding it. It was strong enough that anyone would know better than to knock. If they wanted their head still attached to their shoulders. 

As much as he liked to tease Aelin, he was equally territorial over her. If anyone else even glimpsed her like this, he’d rip their gods-damned eyes out. 

“I’m close,” she panted, “please please please,” 

“Go on,” Aelin said before he could answer, winking at him. His eyes rolled, but he tightened his grip on her hips, helping her move faster, harsher. 

Her thighs clenched around him, body stiffening, and Aelin leaned forward to swallow her moans, letting her ride out her pleasure. As soon as she started to come down, started to relax - muscles loosening, Aelin swiftly gripped under her thighs, pulling her up into her arms. Y/n laughed as her legs wrapped around her waist, arms draping over her shoulders. 

“You’re invited,” Aelin said over her shoulder as she headed for their bedroom, a sheet of golden hair swishing behind her. Hair he wanted nothing more than to bury his fingers into. The other female buried a laugh, tucking her head into her neck. He scowled. Aelin’s well aware he still has work to finish. A wink, and she disappeared, kicking the door shut behind her. 

-

The next three days passed quickly, and a few tears slipped down her face as she left, but she managed to wipe them away before Aelin or Rowan could see. She would miss them, absolutely, but she was incredibly excited for the trip. For the chance to get to see everyone again - and to visit her home. Well, Orynth was her home, but so was out there. In the mountains, far beyond any of the hustle and bustle of the cities. 

Fenrys shifted first, and she followed - taking off at a steady trot. They traveled in peaceful silence, listening to the various bird calls, water from the streams splashing on stone, pattering of paws against snow. 

Freedom, that’s what this felt like. Majority of their journey was spent in their animal forms - the easiest way to stave off the cold. They hadn’t brought much food with them, knowing they could hunt for whatever they needed. 

They only shifted as they approached the village, a mile or so out. Fenrys had shivered, wrapping his cloak tighter around him. She nudged him in the ribs, “at least act tough, brother.”

He cut a nasty glare at her, but she shot a grin back his way. Y/n thought about making it a surprise, but ended up sending word ahead that she’d be coming with Fenrys. They’d remember him, of course. He’d already made several trips this far north for his duties as Emissary. Although this one was more pleasure than business. 

“Nervous?” He asked, glancing at her. 

She swallowed and nodded. “It’s been a while.” 

Fenrys gave her a side hug, a silent it’ll be fine. She appreciated it. He released his arm as they approached the village, a female sprinting out towards her with a squeal. 

Her cousin, Lida. She shoved her pack into Fenrys’s arms, ignoring his oof, and sprinted towards her. 

-

The decorations in Orynth were beautiful. They always were this time of year, but something was missing. Someone was missing. Rowan held her hand, running his thumb over the back of her palm. 

“We’ll make sure she’s here next year,” he murmured, voice soft enough only she could hear. 

“Every year,” Aelin corrected. “I don’t want her to leave again.” 

“Neither do I,” Rowan said hesitantly, “but we need to be careful.” 

Maybe it’s wrong. It’s definitely wrong. But, Aelin hoped she was feeling as miserable as she was - was missing her just as much. There’s nothing wrong with wanting her mate close by. 

A muscle in her jaw flexed. She was surrounded by all of her court - her family, but without her it didn’t feel complete. Without her and Fenrys. She ran her tongue over the back of her teeth, and refocused her attention on Lysandra’s story. Something about the local ghost leopard population. 

-

“Are you ready to be home?” Fenrys asked. They had about three hours left, and decided to travel the rest of the way in Fae form.  

“I don’t know,” she gave an honest answer, not looking at him. “It was nice to see everyone, and I missed them, but …” 

“You’re not certain how they’ll … be,” he finished for her. Y/n nodded at him, lips pressing into a tight line. Part of her feared Aelin and Rowan wouldn’t let her go again, and she told Fenrys that. 

“I’ll do my best to make sure that doesn’t happen,” he’d replied. No promises or guarantees, and she appreciated that. The blanket honesty he always came with. He’d fight for her, she knew that, but if Aelin or Rowan put their minds to something - there isn’t much either of them could realistically do about it. 

The gates came into view, two figures along with it. Aelin had broken into a sprint. Fenrys quickly tugged the straps of her pack off her shoulders, and she sprinted to meet her halfway. 

The impact sent her stumbling back a few feet, but Aelin wrapped her arms around her waist, holding her upright. She breathed in her scent, letting jasmine and lemon verbena overtake her senses. Her mate. The bond between them thrummed with joy, that they were together again - reunited. Like it was mad at her for spending time apart. Another warm body caged her in, somehow managing to twist her around in Aelin’s grip, her face turning to press against a hard chest. He laid a kiss down on the top of her head. 

They didn’t need words to explain it. She felt it - their relief that she was back now, and safe in their arms. The pure possession in their touch filled some part of her, the wanting to be desired - to know her mates claimed her as much as she did them. How she proudly wore her mating marks - never making an effort to hide them, never disguising her scent, wrapped up in theirs so thoroughly everyone knew who she belonged to. As much as she was theirs, they were hers. 

She didn’t protest as Rowan slung her up over his shoulder, tapping her ass lightly as she laughed. He carted her right off to the bedroom, Aelin hot on their heels, and showed her just how much they missed her. 

-

She was still sleeping when Aelin snuck out, no doubt exhausted from the trip and traveling back. Trudging through the forest and snow for days was enough to exhaust anyone - even in animal form. The first person she sought out was Fenrys - who apparently was expecting her, and asked her what took so long. 

“Tell me how it went,” Aelin instructed him. The male let out a slow breath. “All of it.” Aelin added, and his face tightened. Whatever it was, he wasn’t keen on telling her - and a few years ago she may have felt a bit guilty, but when it comes to her mate she wants to know everything. 

“They were very welcoming, and thrilled to see her. She … came alive.” Y/n did seem to be glowing. “It took some convincing to get her to stick to our original itinerary.” 

Aelin could read through those lines easily, she didn’t want to leave. 

“Aelin,” Fenrys cautioned as she felt resentment build up inside of her. “She needed it, she’s already lost so much -” 

“She has us,” she interrupted, but he ignored it. 

“And her family needed her.” Aelin swallowed harshly. He knew exactly what strings to pull. A duty to her people as well, and if some of them needed her mate’s presence, she couldn’t easily deny it. Her oath to the country wouldn’t allow her. “They’re true northerners,” Fenrys switched subjects, “I don’t think I’ve ever been that hungover before. I’d bet gold her family could drink you or Aedion under the table.”

He went on to describe some kind of homemade liquor or wine they made, strong and dangerous apparently. You couldn’t taste the alcohol in it, but luckily y/n had stopped him after the third glass - telling him her family was getting him that wasted on purpose, to test him out.

-

“How was your trip?” Rowan asked, sitting down at the breakfast table. He’d been reluctant to let go of her, at all, and currently she was perched in his lap. He needed the closeness, to feel her body against his - to know she was here and present. 

“It was good,” she said hesitantly, glancing between the two of them, her neck arching to search his face. He ran his knuckles down the column on her neck, her pulse fluttering beneath them. 

“Just good?” He raised her brows at her. 

“Wonderful. I missed them. It’s beautiful out there.” 

“Can’t be as pretty as Orynth,” Aelin mused, taking a sip of her tea. Y/n gave her a small smile, but didn’t comment. He narrowed his eyes at his wife, tucking y/n’s head back into his chest so she wouldn’t see their silent argument. She could always read the words in their eyes, so he ran his thumb over her cheekbone, sure enough her eyes closed at the touch, a small sigh leaving her lips. He’d taken his sweet time to learn all of her reactions, how every touch affected her. 

Are you going to say anything? Aelin teased him. She also knows what he’s doing now. If y/n does, she hadn’t said anything, but he suspects she doesn’t. 

I know what you’re trying to do. Turquoise and gold eyes narrowed at him. Aelin wanted her to say she liked Orynth more, or put some kind of primary claim on their city. Wanted some kind of assurance that she wouldn’t up and move back out there. This is still her home. 

Aelin didn’t look wholly convinced. His arms tightened around her. She’d tried to leave once, when it was just her and Aelin, and he knew that fear always settled in the back of his wife’s mind. That she’d slip through a crack, through their fingers, and they’d lose her. 

I can’t lose her. Aelin said, as if she’d read his thoughts. 

We won’t. 

-

She knew they were speaking, having some sort of silent conversation. Rowan doesn’t know she’s aware of his little trick, but she’s more observant than he gives her credit for sometimes. She’ll never tell them she’s aware of it. Because, even if she can’t hear it - knowing when they’re having it, and what circumstance, tells her plenty. It’s obvious they’re speaking about her - they’ve never hidden talking about state matters in front of her.  

She let out a yawn, covering her mouth. “It’s good to be home,” she mumbled into his chest. “Can we take a nap?” 

“You slept twelve hours,” Aelin chided. 

She twisted her head enough to see her. “And I’ve been running for a week.” 

Her mate’s mouth curved up at one side. “Fair enough.”

-

She waited six months before approaching the subject again, and did so casually over dinner. She hadn’t approached Fenrys yet, but figured she could thro the idea out there. “I’m thinking about visiting again, soon.” 

As expected, they both went preternaturally still. They were going to have the exact reaction she hoped they wouldn’t, but realistically knew they would. 

“Why?” Aelin asked, too casually. 

“I miss them.” She frowned. Wouldn’t that be obvious? 

“You have us.” She countered. “You just saw them at yulemas.” 

“I’d like to see them more, It’s not enough just to -” 

“We’ve always been enough. What’s different now?” Aelin hissed at her. 

“You’re putting words in my mouth,” she snapped. “I need my friends, I need my family, I need you. You can’t expect me to pick and isolate myself from everyone else.” They seemed ready to cut in, but she kept going, “I was embarrassed at how shocked they were to see me,” tears built in her eyes. Her tears were always Aelin’s weakness, and sure enough the female’s face softened - even as Rowan’s remained a solid wall of stone.

“Stop. Crying.” Rowan said through gritted teeth. That only made the tears fall heavier. He didn’t seem to give a damn. “If you’d quit being emotional, we could actually talk about this.” 

She shoved her chair back, rising to her feet. They both rose with her, her fists clenched at her side. “There’s nothing wrong with crying or being emotional.” 

“It keeps you from thinking clearly,” he countered. 

She needed to get out of here. The tension in the room was stifling. Maybe it made her a coward to flee, but she couldn’t, couldn’t handle this right now. She made it one foot from the door, before a shield of flames blocked her exit. White hot anger and rage filled her, how dare she? Slowly, she turned back to face them. Neither of them looked apologetic, or like they thought anything about this was wrong. 

“We need to talk about this.” Rowan said mildly. 

She didn’t care. Maybe she was overreacting, but at this point common sense left her. “I don’t want to talk,” her voice rose, “I want space.” 

“I don’t give a fuck.” Aelin matched her pitch, crossing the room to stand before her. 

-

Rowan watched his two mates scream at each other. Normally, he would’ve interfered by now - diffused the situation, but he was pissed. She wanted to leave them, after she’d just gotten back. Six months is a decent amount of time, but every minute away from her hurt. Did the bond not feel as urgent to her as it did to them? 

“You leave for weeks at a time, why can’t I?” 

“We have duties to our country,” Aelin seethed. 

“I have a duty to my family. Are they not as important?” 

“You’d choose them over us?” Rowan cut in, moving to stand next to Aelin. He wasn’t being fair, and he knew that - but he didn’t care right now. All of their tempers were too hot. 

“I refuse to choose.” 

“And if you had to?” He cocked his head. He wouldn’t make her choose, but he wanted to know the answer. 

She shook her head rapidly, “don’t make me answer that.” 

“It’s a mating bond. You. Can’t. Leave.” Aelin said through gritted teeth. 

Her face was flushed, fists still clenched at her side. “I’m not fucking leaving. Get it through your head.”

“Watch your tone,” he snarled. 

Aelin surged forward, gripping her chin with one hand, and kissed her. Y/n stiffened beneath her, but her body reacted on instinct, lips moving against Aelin’s. He watched - almost in slow motion, as her mind caught up with what was happening, and she shoved Aelin off. 

”You don’t get to kiss me to shut me up.” 

He saw red. 

-

Aelin felt Rowan’s anger, and held up a hand before he could do something he might really regret. He paused, he’d been mid stride heading closer to y/n, and took a step back, body tight and stiff. 

“I’m sorry.” She apologized, half-heartedly. 

“You’re not,” she countered coolly. Aelin shrugged, but noticed how she watched Rowan with pure … terror. She’d never looked that afraid of him before. 

“Rowan won’t do anything to you.” 

Her shoulders relaxed, slightly. Rowan couldn’t hurt her, not really, but she knew if y/n made Aelin upset - hurt her in any way, the blood oath reacted to a potential threat against his Queen. The last thing she needs is for her to be afraid of him, for any more damage to be done. She never wanted to find out whether a blood oath or mating bond would be stronger. Gods know it might take months to unravel the mess they’re in now.

She thought about that time, years ago, when she originally tried to leave. She’d needed to figure out how to keep her, and keep her happy in the process. Aelin had an innate fear that she might leave one day and never return. Politics wouldn’t let her storm into the staghorns and take her back. The bond would likely bring her back, eventually, but she didn’t want to take that chance. 

“Let’s find a compromise,” she offered. 

“Why do I have to compromise when it comes to my family?” She was still spitting mad. Aelin winced at the bitterness in her tone. “Just give me some space, Aelin.” 

The wall of flames still blocked the exit. 

“So you can run away?” Rowan had crossed his arms, but not moved an inch. 

Hurt and betrayal filled her eyes. “You really think I’d leave you?” 

“I don’t know,” she gave her an honest answer. She owed it to her not to lie. Owed her that respect, even if it hurt her. She circled around them, giving Rowan an especially wide berth, and headed towards the bedroom. She watched her, not trailing after her. If she wanted space, she could have it in here - or in the castle. The door closed behind her, and she heard the lock snick closed, as if that might actually keep them out. 

-

Early summer, and the sun was still bright - despite the late hour, soothing and warm on her skin as she braced her hands on the balcony railing. Tilting her head up to feel the sun, her mind replayed the encounter. She hated fighting with them, hated it so gods-damned much. And hated that she could see where they were coming from. 

Choosing. She knew the answer they wanted to hear, of course, but refused to give it to them. He had no right to ask that of her. It’s like asking them to choose between Terrasen and her, and that’s something she’d never request. Not in an eternity, not for the entire life they’d get to live together. Mainly because she knew the answer. Aelin would never abandon her country and neither would Rowan. But, the difference is she’d never make them choose. 

Gods, she’d lost too much already. Her family, the ones left, are something she can’t stand to lose as well. Part of her, a part she needed to shove deep, deep down, was tempted to leave for a while - to prove a point. She pressed her head down against the railing. Prove that she could leave and come back. That she was still capable of having a life outside of them. But who was she proving that to? Herself or them? 

Would it serve any purpose? If she really wanted to go, would they let her? If they dragged her back, it would break her but if they let her go, it would too. 

Maybe some part of her is broken, for even thinking of testing them like that - of putting them and herself through that kind of pain.

The perfect phase had passed, and everything was shattering around her. The sun was setting before her, she needed to do something. Maybe they’d “let” her go down to her workshop. Or she’d argue with them enough til they either had to let her go or knock her out. 

“I’m going down to my shop,” she announced as she strolled back through, sparing a passing glance at them. She seethed internally as Rowan gave her a quick nod. It was probably acknowledgement rather than permission, but everything was out of sorts for her now. Everything was skewed. Her mind shut off as her feet took the usual path, through back halls and servants passageways, avoiding all occupants of the castle. 

Slowly, she opened the door. Everything in here was just as she’d left it this afternoon. Down to the tools strewn around the place, as if she knew she’d need to come back later. Aimlessly, she wandered around the space they’d created for her. 

Something snapped. Tomorrow, she wouldn’t be able to tell how she got to that point, but as soon as she picked up an object - a glass ball, painstakingly painted with small intricate designs - she threw it across the room, watching it shatter on the floor. 

It felt good. She picked up another, and another, watching them all smash to the floor - into a thousand tiny shards.

She didn’t hear the door open, didn’t hear the low curses, but heard her name. She whirled around, ball still in hand, arm cocked back. Fenrys. He held both hands up, taking slow steps towards her. His eyes scanned the room, picking up on all of the shattered glass behind her. She took a step back, and back, not registering the glass digging into the bottom of her feet, when did she lose her shoes? Her balance faltered, sending her careening forwards, knees digging into the glass. The pain didn’t register. 

Fenrys called her name again, eyes pleading. She froze, and recognized the look. Haunted by something in the past, in his past. His boots crunched, glass breaking further beneath him. Y/n let him take the small ball left from her hand, watched as he slowly placed it on the table before coming back, offering a hand out to her. 

She took it, rising up to her feet - wincing at the first hint of pain. “Don’t take me to them. Please.” 

He only nodded at her, and carefully picked her up - minding the shards of glass still sticking from her skin. She didn’t feel anything as he took a pair of tweezers, plucking the small bits out. Her body healed quickly, not leaving a scratch behind. He found a washcloth somewhere, wiping the blood away - any last reminders of what happened as well. Finally, he took a seat down across from her. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” She shook her head. “Do you need to talk about it?” 

Her throat bobbed, constricting almost painfully, and she nodded. An arm reached across the table, palm facing the ceiling. She placed her hand in his, letting him squeeze, and everything spilled. With the exception of her thoughts about leaving, because Aelin could easily ask him - and he’d feel obligated to tell. But, she could tell he saw where her mind went. 

“I know what they’re doing is wrong,” he started - and she heard the but. “This isn’t an excuse,” he took a deep breath, “Rowan lost Lyria, almost lost Aelin several times, and Aelin almost lost you. That’s what they’re scared of the most.” 

He let the words settle in, waiting patiently for her thoughts. 

“They really thought I'd leave. Permanently.” 

He paused, leaning back in his chair. “You need to make them believe you won’t, that’s the only way they’ll loosen up.” 

“What am I supposed to do? Take them home with me?” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “They’re always reluctant to meet my friends, or family.” 

Fenrys let out a big sigh. “Then pester them until one of them comes with you.” 

“It’s a long trip,” she frowned. A long time for one of them to be away from the capitol - and to leave the other completely alone. That would only brew jealousy. 

Fenrys leaned forward, propping his elbows on the table. “Whitethorn will visit Allsbrook at some point - likely next time the Bane is nearby there. We’ll time our visit - get him to fly his ass over the mountains, a quick trip.” 

“You really think there’ll be a next visit?” 

“I do try to go there frequently,” he grinned. Fenrys had gotten along well with her cousin, who had visited Orynth once in the last few months. She refused to ask any questions about it. “We’ll make it before the next snow hits - the trip will be shorter, you’ll end up away for less time.” 

She groaned, leaning forward to press her head against the table. “I don��t know if it’ll work,” she mumbled. 

“I’ll make it work,” he promised her. “Let me do the talking this time. You and your family are alternating now, correct?” 

She’d forgotten about that. They’d talked about alternating who visits where for holidays, and she couldn’t make a promise - but they’d told her they’ll be in Orynth this coming yulemas. “We’re going to try to,” she muttered, still not moving her head. 

Fenrys rose, and she finally lifted her head. “I’ll take you back up, then i’m having a little chat with their majesties.” 

“Anything I can do to change your mind?” 

He gave her a forced grin and shook his head. 

-

Aelin lifted her head as the door opened, revealing both Fenrys and y/n. Immediately, she noticed the small spots of blood - one on the edge of her dress, one on Fenrys’s hand. The male sent her and Rowan a warning glance, shaking his head once. Y/n didn’t look at them as she headed right for the bathroom. Against all of her instincts, she didn’t follow. Not with the look Fenrys was pinning them with. She heard the tap running, starting a bath. 

“I need to show you something,” Fenrys muttered, jerking his head towards the door. They were both on edge as they followed him. He led them right down to her workshop, and turned his head slightly. “Don’t lose your shit.” He paused, hand on the doorknob. And blinked. She counted, five times. This is real. Her heart dropped to her stomach. What the hell happened? 

Glass. Broken glass covering the entire floor. And blood - y/n’s blood. 

“This is what I walked into.” He said quietly. “She’s like a sister to me, and I don’t know what you’re doing to her, but for fucks sake. Fix whatever the hell it is.” He met Rowan’s glare head on, but she could only stare at the room. 

Aelin swallowed harshly, and could only stare. Had he picked all of the glass out of her? Waited until she healed? Cleaned the wounds for her - like they were supposed to. Months, she’d spent months making all of those little glass balls, and only one remained. Decorated with the Lord of Terrasen, a flame between his antlers - green forest in the background. Yulemas decorations.  

“Why didn’t you bring her to us?” She could sense Rowan’s temper flaring. 

“She asked me not to.” He was leaning back against the wall, eyes still fixed on the glass. “But she managed to get out some of her rage. Anyway, I wouldn’t dare tell you what to do-” 

“Yes you would,” Rowan interrupted him, and Fenrys snorted - rolling his eyes. 

“But maybe consider getting your heads out of your asses. Don’t get me wrong - she’s no angel right now, but try and figure it out.” 

Aelin hissed at the small insult against her mate, and he let out an edged chuckle, before sweeping his gaze back over the room. There was still a haunted look in his eyes, and she knew exactly where he was taken back to. Rowan looked between the two of them, and left without another word. 

“Are you still banned from cleaning up in here?” Fenrys asked her after a few minutes. She huffed out a laugh, but nodded, and watched as he grabbed a broom - starting to sweep all of the glass into a pile. 

“Keep the glass,” she murmured quietly. He tilted his head at her. “She might want to make something else out of it.” He didn’t question her, and she stood as moral support. They talked about everything and nothing - carefully avoiding speaking of y/n. If Fenrys was her confidant, she wouldn’t push him for answers now, even if she desperately wanted to. The back of her head hit the wall as she looked up at the ceiling. If she wanted to know something, she’d ask her directly. 

-

Rowan came in silent, and she tensed - still in the bathtub. He stopped in the doorway. “That was stupid.” 

At least he didn’t mince his words. 

“It was therapeutic,” she countered. He didn’t reply, but his eyes scanned over her body, and she felt his magic reach out - checking for any kind of lingering injuries. 

“You spent months on those,” he finally said. “Why?” 

She leaned forward, pressing her cheek against her knees, arms tugging them close to her body. The water was already cold, and a small shiver went down her spine. “I don’t know. It’s all a blur.” 

He saw the goosebumps down her spine, and grabbed a towel before striding over towards her. He stopped a foot away as her body tensed. “I won’t hurt you,” he promised. 

His rough and calloused palm was warm against her skin, and she let him help her out of the bath. He started running the towel over her body, and she tried to snatch it from him. “I can do that myself.” 

He pinned her with a look, and continued, gesturing for her to turn around. She grumbled the entire way, but laughed as he gently swatted her ass. It felt so … normal, and she leant into that feeling, the moment, and didn’t let the events of the last few hours taint it. 

By the time Aelin came back, she was already in bed - half asleep, half sprawled on top of Rowan, his hand running soothing strokes up and down her back. Wordlessly, they’d agreed to table it until tomorrow. Until everyone had a clear head. 

She blinked her eyes open as the sheets rustled, Aelin slipping in beside her.

Aelin pressed a kiss against her forehead, murmuring “tomorrow,” before moving closer, caging her in between the two of them. 

-

She woke the next morning, wincing at the nausea in her stomach. There was a slight cramp in her legs as well. But .. she’d only had her cycle a week ago, she wasn’t due another one for six months. And, she took her tonics like clockwork. Carefully, she untangled Aelin’s arm from her waist, awkwardly climbing over her, and slid towards the edge of the bed. She’d planned on an early start, to re-stock after her little episode. 

Her feet hit the soft carpet, toes wiggling against it. Gods, she hated dragging herself out of bed in the morning, especially if the two of them were still sleeping next to her. Turning her head over her shoulder, she spotted half-lidded and wary green eyes watching her. She fought the urge to roll her own, he was watching at her like she might flee. Not entirely unreasonable, but he didn’t know that. 

As she stood, pain shot up her legs, ricocheting as her muscles seized. She let out a small yelp, before crumpling forwards, barely tucking her arms in time to avoid breaking her wrist. Rowan was there in an instant, Aelin a second or two behind him. He fell to his knees before her, carefully propping her up with one arm as his magic ran over her. His nostrils flared slightly. “You’re settling.” 

-

A shield of wind covered the room on instinct. 

Rowan saw her eyes widen, tears starting to fill them, the scent of her fear filling the room. Aelin had settled shortly before she met y/n, and it was a difficult process to say the least. It wouldn’t be his first time helping someone through it. He knew how dangerous it was. How vulnerable Fae were during it. She could lose control of her power, or lose her power entirely throughout the process. 

Meeting Aelin’s eyes, her expression mirrored his thoughts. If she thought they were overbearing before … he turned back to y/n. “It’ll be fine,” he assured her, stroking one hand through her hair. “You’re not alone.” 

Months of her body re-ordering its aging process and magic re-adjusting. If she lost her magic .. although he didn’t think she would, it would wreck some part of her. She relied on it for some of her crafts as well, a large portion of which she’d just destroyed. 

She’d already lost it for ten years. To get it back, and have it taken away again … he shoved the thoughts from his mind. If it came to that, they’d handle it. In the meantime - he’d do everything he could to prevent it. 

[acourtofthought]

Elucien accepting their bond actually does the most good for bonds in general if you look at all past mating bonds.

Feysand? Feyre was in the dark for a very long time and never knew exactly why she felt connected to Rhys.

Nessian? They both felt drawn to the other but again, they weren't certain why until their book. Cassian suspected she might be his mate but Lucien once suspected Jesminda was his and it wasn't proven until SF.

Vivianne and Kallias? Their bond took decades to snap into place.

Thesan and his lover? Still waiting for a bond to snap.

Bryce and Hunt? Took some time getting to know one another before they felt there might be a bond between them.

Aelin and Rowan? Shared a bed together for months and were just friends before their bond snapped.

Then we have Rhys's parents whose bond snapped immediately and they turned out to not be a perfect fit.

We have Rowan whose fake bond with Lyria snapped when they met in the market and she turned out to not be his real mate.

We have been given example after example of characters having successful mating bonds only after one or both characters remained in the dark for an extended period of time. But the examples we're given of a bond immediately snapping haven't had happy endings.

Right now the narrative suggests that a character cannot be given full disclosure and end up happy with their mate, that the information has to be hidden from them so they are none the wiser as to why they're drawn to the other person.

Before a fated mates author decides to go the route of a broken bond (if she ever even does), wouldn't it make more sense for her to explore how two characters finding out right from the start can still end up gloriously happy with a soul bond after their initial reluctance considering that would be the first time she's explored that storyline in detail?

[insignificant457]

Pierce Brown Light Bringer Q&A

I went to pierces book signing tonight and I will attempt to regurgitate everything I can remember since I didn’t take notes

When asked if there’s any characters he regrets killing off, he said Trigg. But he also said he has a different answer every time someone asks that

He talked about how he writes two different types of deaths—deaths that feel like the end of an arc, and deaths that feel like they cut off in the middle. He said the latter are more like life, and that’s why they hurt more, and why he’s more likely to regret killing them. Trigg is one of these, as is Fitchner

Speaking of Trigg, his aborted arc factored into the decision to add ephraim as a pov character—it allowed him to explore Trigg and his backstory even after he was gone

The other povs in iron gold were specifically chosen because each had a bone to pick with Darrow, and also because he wanted a high, mid, and low color pov

He was complimented multiple times on how he writes female characters, and his response basically boiled down to “I subscribe to the radical idea that women are people”. He said it’s funny that no one ever compliments him on his ability to write complex male characters

Related to the above, both victra and Aja were originally conceived as male characters, but he couldn’t quite make them work until he flipped the gender. He said that after making victra a woman, he immediately knew exactly who she was and she became incredibly easy to write

Speaking of victra (she got a lot of love, as she deserves), someone asked for a random fact about her, and he said she plays Karachi, which is a gambling game, but she doesn’t want anyone to know because she doesn’t want people to think she’s reckless. Everyone knows.

When asked how he feels about Lysander, pierce said “he’s doing his job,” both in universe and as a vehicle for the story. He also said this was always the path he’d imagined for Lysander

Some of his favorite lines are “do not fear for me, pity them” and “worthy”

He called Darrow a drama queen, and said that he often talks out loud while writing, and darrows internal monologues get weird reactions from friends who overhear (“who’s the motherfucking consequence?!?”)

Darrows experience in light bringer (in particular his reading of the path to the vale) was very much inspired by pierces own struggle trying to write light bringer. He said they both had to learn that the right path is not always forward, sometimes you have to go back

Light bringer was by far the hardest book for him to write (he said “if you ever want to know what the hardest book for an author to write was, just look at how long it took to do it) but he said it’s also possibly his favorite

When asked if any characters or relationships surprised him, he said yes absolutely. Sevro was apparently supposed to be a tertiary character, but basically hopped off the page, and victra was another surprise. He also said (light bringer spoilers) the relationship between Cassius and Lyria was also a huge surprise, but he realized on writing their first interaction that they would absolutely love each other

He also said that the snark between Darrow Cassius and sevro just flowed really easily, and that Darrow and Cassius understand each other, but that Cassius simply Does Not Get sevro

When asked about bringing the jackal back as a clone, he said it was an effort to explore cloning in a way that, in his opinion, has not been done particularly well in many other media. He also said it came about because there was more to explore with virginias relationship with her brother

Tongueless was a hat of death kill, but he told us the original backstory he had planned for him. Apparently tongueless was a high up leader of the syndicate, who was deposed by Lilath when she came in and instigated a coup

He said he tries to write using “South Park writing rules”, meaning instead of saying x and y and z happen, he always uses x happens but y happens or y happens therefore z happens. He said this helps keep things from feeling predictable or trite

When asked what he hopes people take away from the series, he said he doesn’t want to say, because he fears that would be showing his hand for red god. But he did say that what he hopes people take away from light bringer is the same thing darrow tells sevro in morning star “we keep looking for the light, but we’re it”

And lastly, in the signing line, I asked him when sevro found out his father was ares, and he told me it was “probably around the same time darrow found out”, and said a lot of that is because sevro had spent a long time hating his father, because he could always sense he was being shut out. He mentioned that children can tell when there are walls there, and it can actually have a very damaging impact on their mental stability (mental instability? I said. sevro? Never.) anyway rip to my sevro joined the sons pre series theory, you will be missed, but it’s nice to have an answer thanks Pierce

Anyway it was a very fun time, if I remember more later I will add it

[euphoniumpets]

NO MOURNERS, NO FUNERALS | CHAPTER ONE

Prompt: ''Run, run, that's all we ever do from our past but it will come back haunting us.'' You paused, staring into the brown eyes that you once had fallen in love with. ''Do you think it'll stop before we even die?''

Please don’t plagiarize my work - I spend a lot of my time writing, copying and pasting destroys that. 

Pairing: Kaz Brekker x heartrender! reader

Warnings: ptsd, mentions of dead corpses, violence, blood and gore, alcohol, slight minor description to rape to the reader, but not fully.

A/N: season two had me hooked and it was definitly worth the wait! Tag list are still open if some of you want to be tagged.

Taglist: @natsgaygf @lyria-skyfall @crystallizedtime

prologue - one - two - three - four - five - six - seven - eight - nine - ten

THERE WAS A LOT that Y/N Brekker had learned about Ketterdam within years of living there in the strange city. It had been far too much information for a girl, simply twelve at the time to learn, but of course, it was easy enough when the first advice she had been given to adapt. That the person that Y/N could no longer be, not that she wished to be that girl anymore as it was too much of a reminder of the before, of everything bad that once happened to her.

Within a matter of days, the once kind girl who still had her innocence and who was scared of the dark became the every thing that everybody warned her about. Now, at seventeen, Y/N Brekker was the kind of person who you would dare to look at when she walked on the streets of Ketterdam.

During her times in Ketterdam, it taught her many things, even if the girl didn't wanted to admit it, but it had. It was anything if it came down to women like her. That woman who could bat their eyelashes and make the men drop their knees at any second. Tell them what they wanted to hear, dropping their secrets without a second thought.

She remembered the first time she arrived in Ketterdam, and remembered her first victim to kill. It wasn't pleasant and she still could hear how their bones and heart beat dropped. She would like to think it was an accident, that she was just trying to protect herself that night, but Kaz would often tell her that they'd deserved it and promised himself that no one would touch you.

Y/N remembered well when she met Kaz and Jordie for the first time. It was a bittersweet memory for her, when she thought back at the old times. She had escaped from the little palace when she was young, her parents tried not to give her to the second army, but it was too late for them to join Y/N in Ketterdam.

Both of her parents was a heartrender, and it was the only gift that Y/N promised herself to cherish it one day, and when the firepox happened, the only ones who did survive the disease was Y/N and Kaz. They both promised each other to rebuild and take back what was theirs.

Thunder boomed over Ketterdam as Y/N walks through the bustling streets, trying to get to the crow club. Her hood blocks from the view as she walks through the shadows and tried not to drag the attention to herself. After a few moments, she slithers from the shadows, removing her hood and strutting into the club.

Upon noticing, the girl noticed that a ceritan friend wasn't guarding the door. Walking inside, a gunshot rings through the club.

Oh, Jesper.

Thinking to herself as she shook her head disapprovingly while the Zemeni boy winks at her before he reached for the money. Before the boy could reach it further, you noticed the familiar crow on the cane at the table. ''No loud noises at the table, Jesper,'' Kaz commented, slightly shaking his head.

''You'll scare of the pigeons,'' He told him. ''Wouldn't that boss,'' Jesper replied as Y/N approached them. ''Shouldn't you be on the door?'' Kaz questioned as he took off his cane and placed it back on the ground. ''Yes, boss,'' Jesper walked away from them while you patted the boy on the shoulder before uttering away.

''You and your birds,'' Y/N replied as Kaz turned to face her. ''I never understood your fascination,'' Y/N commented and tilted her head as she saw the slight smirk forming on his face. ''Yet, you have the crow pin back of your head that I gifted you for our anniversary,'' Kaz remarked, nodding at Y/N who had her hair up as the crow pin that Kaz gifted for her tied back of her hair as an hair accessory.

''I could say the same, admit it, you're liking the cane I brought it for you,'' Y/N teased him, making him chuckle at her comment as Y/N saw Rotty approaching them upstairs. ''Early for an action, innit, Kaz?''

''Mrs. Brekker,'' Rotty greeted you with a nod.

''What do you want, notty?'' Kaz questioned him. ''Someone stole a Dekappel from a merch's private residence last night,'' Rotty replied.

''Is that so?'' Kaz questioned, sharing a look with you. She really tried not to snort at his comment. ''It's a painting, a landscape of Ravka, the fold, oil parchment,''

''I know who Dekappel is,'' Kaz snapped. ''Well, he don't do nudes, so, I've never heard of him,'' You wrinkled your face in disgust. ''Go get it, Rotty,'' Rotty reached into his coat and pulled out a miniature painting of it. ''Worth something like a 10,000 kruge,''

Kaz takes one look at it before looking through the club. ''The thief had to get past four roving guards, high fences, padlocked doors, and a security system designed by one of them Grisha witches,''

''Fabrikator,'' You corrected him. ''Whatever, the point is, either it was a group effort or a ghost,'' You smirked, knowing it was her job due last night that Kaz had assigned her to.

''Why does this concern me?'' Y/N heard Kaz question next to her. ''I've got a buyer lined up, legit money, so, if you hear a whisper,'' Rotty winks and clinks his tounge. ''Who can hear a whisper in here?''

-

''I wonder where that painting is,'' You replied with a smirk forming on her face as they walked away from Rotty. They climb up to the stairs and into their office that they shared together at the crow club. Kaz holds the door open for Y/N before closing and locking it in. Kaz turned and sends a smirk to the painting.

''Yes, it is a strange thing, who would be able to pull that off,''

''Uhm, me?'' You questioned and tilted your head toward Kaz. ''You're the one who stole it,'' Kaz replied and rolled his eyes. ''It was an easy job anyways,'' You remarked, walking to the bed and sat on it.

You doesn't pay the attention to Kaz as he took his gloves off as he began to wash his hand. The room was silent before you heard a thump appear. Another heartbeat and you guessed it was Inej.

''Hello, Inej,'' Kaz greeted her. ''What information do you have for me tonight?'' Kaz questioned her as you and Inej shared a nod of greeting. ''A lead on a job, a big one, enough to change lives,'' Inej replied before taking off her mask.

''It doesn't take much to change someone's life in the barrel,'' Kaz stated. ''It's true, a little goes a long way here,'' You replied as she turned her head to look at the petite girl.

''How about a million kruge?'' Inej spoke, making Kaz froze and look up at her in the mirror. You knew that Kaz would do anything for the money. ''What's the name?'' Kaz questioned her.

''Dressen, a wealthy merchant,'' She informed.

''I've heard of him, he could affort it,'' You told Kaz as their gaze locked with each other. ''The question is, what's worth a million kruge to him?'' Kaz questioned. ''He's looking for a crew willing across the fold into East Ravka and bringing back something,''

Kaz turned to look at Inej and you narrowed her eyes with curiosity. What could be so important that they were willing to across the fold?

''The Fold?'' You asked her. ''Well, of course, certian death pays a million,'' Inej looks down as Kaz turned arount to face at the mirror again. ''He didn't say to what he wants nicked?''

''No,'' Inej responded, still looking at the ground. ''But, he's taking meetings, tonight, starting at midnight,'' inej informed them. ''Tell me you follow him,'' Kaz responded and looked at her, making Inej slightly roll her eyes. ''Of course she did, you always underestimate her, Kaz,'' You commented.

''He brought someone in from a ship, took a way back to his house into the Garden District to avoid attention, I would have followed him inside, but Dreesen hired some privaty security, I would have had use to my knives to get closer,'' Inej explained with a smirk.

''Private security?''

''It must be something big if he needs that,'' You muttered to yourself, making Kaz nod at your statement.

''A Zemeni man, I think his name is Tendo, you know him?'' Inej questioned.

''Yes, he gambles at Pekka's clubs, so, I won't have leverage on him, but Pekka will,'' Kaz replied. ''And how do you plan on getting that leverage?'' You questioned, raising an eyebrow toward Kaz. ''I'll find a way, you know that I always does,'' Kaz remarked as he walks over to his desk.

-

let me know what you think! remember, reblogging always helps!

the tag list is still open, please comment or send be through inbox to put me on the tag list!

[shyvioletcat]

~ MASTERLIST ~

While we wait for Taylor Swift to break our hearts, thought I might dabble a bit in that myself. We get a bit of insight into Rowan this chapter and I lent into canon a little bit. This is the *ADVICE* prompt thanks to @throneofglassmicrofics.

CW: Off page character death

~~~~~

Rowan liked his new house, it was practical, easy to maintain and the neighbourhood turned out to be nicer than he was expecting. The street was quiet, nothing more than the occasional backyard party disturbed him the nights after work or on the weekends. Unless he fully committed to choosing the true life of a hermit and hid away far off in the mountains, Rowan couldn't escape all human contact. And besides his purposefully casual interactions at work and the obligatory check-ins with his friends and family he was managing to avoid the unnecessary kinds. He’d been informed more than once that this outlook wasn’t healthy, but it was how he managed. Especially today.

Today marked three years to the day the life he had known shattered into pieces. Time had dulled the constant ache, but this date still haunted him. Rowan had moved here once the haze had cleared enough that he had the drive to seek out a new job and a new start. Or he might just have been running away, his personal reasoning usually depended on his mood. 

It had been like any other day, Rowan was making dinner waiting for his wife to get home when the phone had rung. In the middle of stirring the butter chicken that Lyria had specially requested out of the blue, he hadn’t bothered to note who the caller was. His blood ran cold at the first words: this is Doranelle General Hospital. After that he was given the instructions that he needed to get to the hospital as soon as he could. 

The drive went by in a blur, but he’d got there. When he gave his name received a look that was full of sympathy and he knew. Rowan knew right then and there but he forced himself into denial. It was hard to ignore when a doctor rounded the corner next and led Rowan to a private room to tell him the devastating truth.

There was a car accident.

Lyria had died.

She was pregnant.

Rowan had sat there, stunned, devoid of feeling, because of the one little fact that he didn’t know. Lyria was pregnant, she was pregnant and she hadn’t told him. Rowan had left the hospital a broken man and three years later he still hadn’t been able to piece himself back together. 

It was a rare thing for Rowan to take a day off work, but that was for the better. His mood was foul and people didn’t deserve to have that inflicted on them. Each year it got better—no, easier—and he didn’t know if it was a bad thing or a good thing. The shame and guilt of not being there when he should have would plague him forever. 

To keep the demons at bay he chose running. This was his fourth lap around the block, everytime he had approached his front yard he’d told himself one more, he wasn’t ready to go home just yet. So he pushed himself for another, then another, and despite the burning in his lungs and the lagging of his feet he might just go around again. Rowan might just have if his neighbour pulling into her driveway hadn't pulled him up. He slowed down to a jog when he saw the car approaching the driveway so she wouldn’t have to stop for him. 

It had been about a month since their first interaction and they hadn’t had another since. She remained the only niggling irritation Rowan had with living here. This woman had come at him so viciously and he was still feeling the need to defend himself. He had watched her almost drop her baby just to get the bins down to the curb. Anyone with any sense would have accepted the help instead of making a point. 

That irritation rose when she slowed down so much that Rowan basically had to stop on the path. He got it, he really did, but anything and everything got to him today. In the end he used this as an excuse to go home. Maybe he could force some food down and see if he could sleep off the rest of his mood. Rowan walked on the path in front of her lawn and as he took out his earbud he caught sight of her waving him down. Confused, he stopped just watching as his neighbour walked across the grass. 

“Hi,” she said tightly, obviously not pleased about the conversation she had been the one to start. 

Unable to do much else, Rowan matched her energy. “Hi.”

Those unusual eyes narrowed at him, and not wanting to be the focus of her ire he shifted his attention to the baby she was holding. It was a mistake. Looking at her was like a shot to the chest. She had brown eyes and hair, her tiny fist was curled from where it clung to her mother’s shirt. What sent him staggering was that this child’s colouring was so similar to Lyria’s. An ill-timed reminder of what could have been. His neighbour talking gave him something else to focus on. 

“I snapped at you, I’m sorry,” she said. 

The scoff he made was involuntary, as were the words that came out of his mouth next, no chance to temper them against his anger. “It must have been so hard to track me down. It’s been a month. You’ve had plenty of chances to apologise before now.”

The woman all but reared back, at this point Rowan didn’t care about the verbal lashing he was going to get. 

“Take my advice,” she all but hissed, shifting the baby in her arms—shifting her away. “Don’t be a dick when someone’s trying to apologise.” 

That was their conversation done, the still nameless woman stomped across her lawn and into the house, the front door not quite slamming but obviously closed with some force. Rowan was well aware all he had done was add fuel to the fire, and it shouldn’t have bothered him as much as he did. He didn’t have the energy or time for this, the best thing for him to do was ignore his volatile and irksome neighbour. Something that would be more than easy for him to do.

~~~~~

After copious amounts of editing I only went over by 42 words, which is a pretty good effort.

[house-of-galathynius]

Overdrive

Chapter One

Chapter Two 

Word Count: 650

~

Welcome to my newest fic, Overdrive! I hope you’re ready for some friends to enemies to lovers mixed in with some F1 and a little bit of angst! 

~

Aelin

“… In other sporting news; Rowan Whitethorn has secured the Formula One drivers championship this weekend. He went on to win the penultimate race, securing this win over rival Chaol Westfall. The new world champion was all smiles as he took the podium alongside his teammate Aedion Ashryver.”

The screen cut to a grinning Rowan. His eyes were bright as the reporter held a microphone to him and congratulated him before asking if he had any comments on his first championship win.

“Honestly, I couldn’t have done this without the fantastic support of my team and engineers and all the people back at the factory. This has been a dream of mine since I was five years old and I have so many people to thank for getting me here.”

“Any plans for big celebrations?”

Rowan laughed. “I’m sure we have something planned. First I need to get through the final race of the season.”

The reporter laughed too. “And will your wife be joining you in the celebrations?”

Rowan’s eyes dimmed slightly, but he still held onto that smile. “We’ll see. She’s a very busy woman.”

The reporter cut off and the screen went back to the anchor before moving on to the next bit of news.

Aelin sat there gripping the mug until her knuckles were white. Her mother quickly turned the TV off and came to Aelin and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“We should be happy for him.” Evalin said gently.

But Aelin couldn’t find it in herself to be happy for him. Not when her heart ached at the sight of him. At the smile on his face or the green eyes that she had once known so well. She couldn’t summon any generosity to feel proud of him… not when he had left her behind and moved on so swiftly.

                                                         ~

Rowan

The house had been empty when he’d returned. He’d been expecting it of course. But it still hurt him to come inside and feel the absence of Lyria and all of her things. There were no bright flowers on the console table by the door, nor any of her colourful jackets hung on the hooks. Her books that filled the shelves were packed away and all that was left were the bare bones of the house, and the little possessions Rowan had.

There was a note on the counter and he almost couldn’t find the courage to read it. He knew what it would say, anyway.

But still, he picked it up and opened it.

Rowan,

The removal company will be at the house on Tuesday to collect my things— it’s all in the spare room in boxes, you won’t need to do anything. I’ve left my keys on your desk and the papers you need to sign. Please don’t make this harder than it needs to be. Just sign them and it can be over.

I hope you don’t need to, but if you need to talk to me then please do it via the lawyers. I’m sorry it had to end this way, but I couldn’t do it any longer.

Congrats on your win, I hope it was worth it.

Lyria

Rowan crumpled the paper in his hands and tossed it as hard as he could across the kitchen. The paper barely made it halfway before falling pathetically to the floor.

He had done this all for her. And she had left him. She fucking walked away. Rowan was glad he had told his manager not to come by today because he could barely contain his rage and devastation. Rowan could barely think as he marched down to his home gym and ran until he could barely feel his legs and his lungs were burning.

There was nothing left inside him when he crawled into bed, and for the first time since he was nineteen years old, he cried.

~

Taglist: 

@morganofthewildfire @tomtenadia @fredweasleyhasadhd @luckyrunawaycheesecake @live-the-fangirl-life  @fireheart-violet  @charlizeed @scarblx @xo-fangirl-xo  @wordsafterhours @jesstargaryenqueen @sailorsassley @sjmships @endlessdaydream @aflickeringsoul @tillyrubes10 @rowaelin-cressworth @cookiemonsterwholovesbooks @rowaelinismyotp @rosegoldannie @maryberry @viajandosinalas @becarefuloflove @allthebooksunderthemoon @sheharahu @swankii-art-teacher @superspiritfestival @becarefuloflove @tanvee1231 @viajandosinalas @backtobl4ck @emily-gsh​ @whispers-in-the-darkest-heart​ @becarefuloflove​ @goddess-aelin @thegreyj​ @leiawritesstories​ @nerdperson524 @rowanaelinn

[readychilledwine]

Ready Chilled Wines Maternity Celebration MasterList

As you all have figured out, or are figuring out, my baby girl is here if these are posting instead of being little previews 💜

I will be away for a little bit, but I'm checking in when I can, so please do not be offended if I cannot get back to you right away.

(An update on Lizzy and baby will be posted here by baby daddy once she is actually here. He says this is the only time he will do this, and we love him for that)

One shot fics:

Little One - Azriel x Rhysand's Sister Oc - after arriving home for the first time in 50 years, Rhysand is shocked to find someone so small in his sister's arms. (Fluff)

Happily Ever After - Lucien finds himself in familiar arms After Elain rejects the bond (Lucien x Spring Court Oc) -angst w happy ending

Thrive - After being sent to the Spring court by her new High Lord, y/n Vanserra is in for a bigger surprise and welcome home than she could have ever imagined. (Smut)

All That Glitters - Helion x Night Court Oc - Helion has read books on the fae for years, studying their anatomy, their lives, and their habits. When Rhysand sends him a pretty illyrian emissary for trade negotiations, though, Helion jumps on the opportunity to learn about the female wing structure - Helion x illyrian!oc - (wing play, NSFW, porn with little plot)

Pen Name - A romantic evening between lovers is interrupted when Cassian and Rhys want to bitch about Sellyn Drake's newest novel. - Azriel x reader - (teasing, fluff)

Thread and Finery - the three Vanserra siblings are about to attend Lyria's first Night Court Solstice party, so the three of them do what they do best. Coordinate outfits. Lyria, Lucien, and Eris - (a farewell message, sibling love, fluff)

Runaway Love - Amren and Rhysand's sister have begun to grow closer since Feyre took her duties from her. Amren, seeing she's hurting and needing time away, invites her friend to Summer, she just didn't plan on happened next or having to explain it to Rhysand - Tarquin x Rhysand's Sister Oc - told from Amren's pov - (love at first sight, fated mates, elopement, against brother's wishes)

Fire and Ice - y/n Vanserra has always had a sound head on her shoulders. Unless it comes to the High Lord of Winter. Then she is nothing more a puddle of mush under his touch - reader x Kallias (NSFW, Smut, temperature play, friends to lovers, mutual pinning)

Light in the Hallway - Everything is finally peaceful in Autumn. Eris is High Lord, y/n is his High Lady, and peace has settled across the Court just in time for the arrival of Eris's firstborn. -Daddy!Eris x reader - told from the perspective of y/n spying on Eris and the babe - (fluff)

Solstice Specials:

From This Day Until Our Last - Azriel and Lyria - fluff and smut - what do you buy the male who says he has everything he could ever want?

For Rich or For Poor - Rhys and Rhiannon - Rhiannon and Rhys struggle with finding each other the perfect solstice gift NSFW

Pack Mentality- Eris and Amelia - fluff - it's an Autumn Court tradition for males to present their mates with a kit, and Amelia just wants to gift Eris something he struggled to walk away from.

The First Noel - Rhys and Aelia - angst to fluff- Rhysand knew he could never live up to the standards the Winter Court had for Solstice. But it's the thought that counts, right?

[toestalucia]

anyway whenever they talk about primals badly hurt during the war i think of them

my little 500+ year old girlie who looks 11 & created her lil bro cuz she got terrified when feeling vyrn & lyrias presence and then proceeded to set them up in situations where she would be the one was right 'u dont actually care about others'/'ud betray ur friends if it suited u'. proceeds to cry when realizing how much time has passed & that she cant show her old favorite spot cuz its so different now. miscolored memories & no rain no rainbow u r everything to me

[acourtofthought]

My friend is an E/riel and she sent me a TikTok video about the theory that Elucien’s mating bond is fake because of the similarities it has with *TOG spoilers* rowan’s first mating bond.

What I don’t understand is why do they think SJM would do the same story again? It even has similar characters and I do give it to them that a lot of the language used is similar to Elucien, but I just dont understand why/for what reason SJM would copy and paste a story she has already written and explored.

Also, we really don’t have anyone in Acotar that would be obviously benefiting from the fake bond, like in TOG. I think this are just E/riels trying to grab into anything they can.

It disturbed me, what do you think?

Hi @bettdraws!!

It's interesting because I personally see no similarities between Rowan's fake bond and it's setup and Elucien's bond, E/riels just want there to be so it frees Elain up to have her one "real" bond with Az.

Maeve tricked Rowan into thinking he was Lyria's mate so that he would fall in love with Lyria and once Maeve orchestrated her death in order to break him, she trapped Rowan into swearing fealty to her. Then when Aelin was eventually born, Maeve had Rowan as a bargaining chip to force Aelin to do what she wanted.

If Elucien's bond is fake in order to keep Elain away from her true mate or use her real mate against her then hasn't that plan backfired? Elain and Lucien haven't been tricked into falling in love so it's not like their bond is forcing them to do something they wouldn't normally do, Elain is currently paying more attention to Az and Lucien is living with Vassa. So.......what exactly is the benefit to a a fake Elucien bond?

Rowan once said this of his bond with Aelin:

[Part of him had known that Aelin was his mate. And had turned away from that knowledge, again and again, out of respect for Lyria, out of terror for what it'd meant.]

"out of respect for Lyria, out of terror for what it'd meant". Doesn't that sound a lot like how Lucien was feeling about Jesminda in his POV (when Feyre slipped into his mind)? How Feyre notes he hasn't tried to bridge the gap in the novella?

Lucien is fully aware that Elain is his mate but his struggle comes from the knowledge that he believed for centuries that Jesminda was his mate, that she lost her life for loving him and that he'd never emotionally moved beyond that because of the guilt and sorrow of that loss. If Lucien was ready to run right into Elain's arms (regardless of what his instincts are telling him to do), that means he'd have to come to terms with the fact that Jesminda probably lost her life for nothing. If he had met Elain while Jesminda was alive, he may have given things a shot with Elain and Jesminda may have never been murdered because of him. There is probably a very big part of Lucien that feels he doesn't deserve to have his mate because Jesminda will never have the opportunity to have that happiness and it could cause some of his reluctance to try and connect with Elain (despite longing for her).

It also doesn't make sense for SJM to write a story where he was convinced Jesminda was his mate for centuries....only to reveal in book 2 that Elain is his actual mate.....only to reveal 3 books later that neither Jesminda OR Elain were his mates....he's got a third person being added into the mix!

E/riels try to pile so many tropes onto Elain and Lucien when they already have a super angsty setup (mating bond snaps into place while he thought he had a mate and lost her and she was currently engaged to and in love with someone else). That's a big story on all it's own but instead they want to tack on fake bond, rejected bond, etc on top of it. It's extremely unnecessary.

Rowan said this of Aelin (his real mate):

He'd leapt in front of her at Skull's Bay knowing it, deep down. Knowing mates aware of the bond could not bear to harm each other.

Lucien said this of Elain:

"I would never hurt her." A bleak sort of honesty in his words.

Aelin had known, though. That he was her mate. And she had not pushed it, or demanded he face it / because she'd rather carve out her own heart than cause him pain or distress.

That sounds a lot like Lucien right now doesn't it? He knows Elain is his mate not forcing her to demand she face it, he's not pushing her to give an answer, he's basically letting his own heart be ripped out so that she can take the time she needs.

Maeve said this of Rowan's fake bond:

"It was so easy to tug on the right psychic thread that day"

Feyre said this of her bond with Rhys:

I was pulled from sleep by something tugging at my middle, a thread deep inside."

Elain and Lucien said this of their bond:

"Like you pulled on thread tied to a rib."

"There's a bond - it's a real thread"

Psychic thread (mental) is not the same as the physical thread Feyre, Elain, and Lucien felt.

Also, we never met Lyria so finding out Rowan had a fake mating bond with her doesn't impact the reader, she's not anyone the readers connected with.

Elain and Lucien have been on page since book 1 so their story does impact readers.

Having the author tell us that Elucien's bond is fake after 2.5 books would be along the lines of the question someone asked her about Danika in her last live interview.

Someone asked if she was really dead and SJM said that yes, she is dead. That to have her come back to life would minimize the suffering that Bryce has been through because of losing her.

We don't know Elain's thoughts but the bond clearly affects her. She wasn't eating, drinking, or sleeping for weeks / months until Lucien arrived at the HOW. Within 2 days she came out of her room for the first time. She knew who he was and could hear his heart (not just his heartbeat). A day after she began eating, drinking, sleeping again.

She left her room to stand at the top of the stairs as Lucien left for the Human Lands, not saying anything but taking a step towards him after he turned away. She invited him back to Velaris after the war then suddenly freaked out and stopped talking to him.

With Lucien, we KNOW he's affected. He left his home to make sure she was safe. He traveled through Autumn without his magic, risking his life to make sure she was safe. He entered what he thought was enemy territory in the NC, where the most powerful High Lord in Prythian history lived (a HL who allowed others to believe he tortured and was cruel) to make sure she was safe. He spent weeks devastated to see her despair, how thin she was, thinking of ways he could help her. He went on a dangerous mission by himself to support her vision. He fought in the war then RAN from the shore to make sure she wasn't harmed. SJM had Lucien get to know her father before his death. She has Lucien still longing for Elain 2 years after their bond snapped despite living with Vassa and Jurian.

Having their bond revealed as fake would completely diminish how much Lucien has been through for Elain and the struggles Elain has been dealing with as a result of the bond snapping (I mean, one of the reasons her fiance no longer wanted her was because she had a mate). Of course neither Elain or Lucien have been truly ready to get to know one another for about a hundred reasons and that's ok (I'd rather see that in their book) but I think people forget what a huge storyline this has been for not only Elain and Lucien but everyone else as well. The sisters worrying about what the death of Lucien could do to Elain after he left for the continent, Rhys and Feyre using Elain as a pawn (Feyre's words) in order to gain Lucien's cooperation, Nesta going from screaming at Lucien and pushing him as he held Elain in his arms to her finally beginning to accept him, calling Elain a wretch for sitting far away from him, and making conversation with him in SF.

I think if E/riels would read the book out of the E/riel moments, they would realize that the Elucien setup has been one of the major storylines from book 2 (way more page time given to it than any setup that was given for E/riel) and understand why it makes absolutely no sense for it to be fake.

[euphoniumpets]

THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM | CHAPTER FIVE

Prompt: ''As long as I can rememer, I've been protecting Alina, it's always Alina who I will protect,'' You told him, looking at Nikolai. ''But who will protect you?''

Warnings: Violence, blood and gore.

Please don’t plagiarize my work - I spend a lot of my time writing, copying and pasting destroys that. 

Pairing: Nikolai Lantsov x Starkov! Reader

Taglist: @lyria-skyfall @khaleesihavilliard @shine101 @waddlingwanderer @clqudias @ducks118 @xceafh @peakyispunk @wilmasvensson @parbatai-winchester @priincehoseok @riot-in-my-soul @feyredarling92 @vendy021 @ssprayberrythings @goldenpoison @shine101 @lili-of-the-dream @xushisuxi @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @jennylil @themermaidscales82

A/N: hi! sorry for being late with this chapter. I was unmotivational for a while to write this one out but it is out! The taglist is closed at the moment since many ppl are requesting for being on the taglist, but make sure to check on the series masterlist to see if any updates!

old masterlist | navi | new masterlist

prologue - one - two - three - four - five - six - seven - eight - nine - ten - eleven - epilogue

‘’My jaw feels much better now, thanks for asking,’’ You heard him speak as you rode your horse first in line. You hadn’t uttered a word since you learned Sturmhond was Nikolai Lantsov. ‘’You can tell everyone a Volcra punched you,’’ You remarked and kept your gaze on the road with your jaw tight. ‘’Be the least of the lies you’ve told,’’ You responded with bitterness. 

‘’I thought we had the beginnings of a beautiful friendship,’’ Nikolai replied and you scoffed. ‘’Friends don’t hide who they are from each other, so much for trust, you were talking about,’’ You remarked and rolled your eyes. ‘’You make it sound so simple,’’ He said. ‘’You do what you have to protect the people you love, I thought you would understand that,’’ Nikolai replied. 

‘’Since I expect you have some experience with that,’’ 

‘’My reasons were the same, as Nikolai Lantsov, royal spare to the throne, there was nothing I could do for the people I love, people of my impoverished war-ravaged country, Sturmhond, on the other hand-’’

‘’Was a pirate,’’ You cut him off. ‘’A privateer, how many times do I-’’

‘’How is that any more helpful than a prince?’’ You scoffed and looked at him before turning on the road. ‘’A prince is a songbird in a golden cage, and a privateer has the freedom to cultivate alliances, develop technologies, gather intelligence, would you have gotten on my ship if I was flying the Lantsov flag?’’ He asked you and you paused for a second. 

He had a point. ‘’I might have set it on fire,’’ You remarked as you heard him chuckle. ‘’Exactly,’’ He replied as you looked at him. ‘’And I needed to find your sister, the country needed her, but you would have only trusted Sturmhond,’’ He told you. ‘’Now, we tried once before,’’ He replied and you looked at him with a frown. 

‘’Sturmhond,’’ He explained. ‘’Well, I wouldn’t call it exactly that we tried it before,’’ You murmured and he chuckled. 

‘’Me, we were, I was responsible for hiring Kaz Brekker and his crows,’’ He informed and you looked at him with disbelief. ‘’That was you?’’ You exclaimed and he nodded. You scoffed. ‘’I suppose you’re responsible for the Fjerdan bounty as well?’’ You asked him and tilted your head. 

‘’No, that is very real,’’ He revealed. ‘’As is my brother’s use of First Army against Grisha, that will stop now that we’re here, I promise,’’ He told you. ‘’Welcome to the Spinning Wheel, my inventions workshop,’’ He spoke. ‘’It’s become something of a refuge for Grisha,’’ Nikolai introduced as you saw a building before you. 

You smiled when you saw a familiar figure approaching you. Nadia. You remembered her when you and Alina arrived at the little palace and you were glad to see her alive. ‘’Nadia!’’ You exclaimed with a grin as you jumped down from your horse. 

Alina jumped down as well as you approached the girl and embraced her. ‘’Alina, Y/N,’’ she grinned. ‘’Saints, so glad that the two of you survived,’’ She replied with relief. ‘’How are you?’’ 

‘’Much better when you are here,’’ She spoke. ‘’Fedyor, Genya, so many others haven’t been accounted for,’’ You frowned. ‘’I was hoping that the two of you might have some answers,’’ She asked with hope. ‘’I’m afraid not, but we will,’’ You assured her. 

-

‘’My brother and I heard Nikolai had this space,’’ Nadia informed as she led you through the Spinning Wheel. ‘’A Grisha sanctuary,’’ She explained. ‘’It’s been a saving grace for so many,’’ She told you as you looked around. ‘’My brother, Adrik, wouldn’t believe that you and I were friends, happy?’’ Nadia said as she saw her brother standing next to her. You smiled and shook your head. 

‘’It’s an honor to meet you,’’ Adrik replied, looking at Alina and greeting her. ‘’And, it’s an honor to meet your sister,’’ Adrik said and looked at you. ‘’My sister’s still a liar, just not about this,’’ Adrik responded and looked at Nadia. You chuckled as Nadia playfully nudged him. ‘’So many Grisha outside the Little Palace,’’ Alina said. 

‘’The First Army raided the little palace,’’

‘’Who else made it here?’’ Alina asked her. ‘’You might not like the answer,’’ Nadia spoke and you looked at her with a frown. ‘’What do you mean?’’ You asked as she looked at you. 

-

‘’You came back,’’ Zoya spoke as you and Alina were upstairs and saw Zoya approaching the two of you. ‘’Zoya,’’ You commented with a small smile. ‘’I said we would,’’ Alina remarked. ‘’Your family in Novokribirsk, did you find them?’’ You asked her as you saw her expression change. 

‘’I wouldn’t be here if I did,’’ She responded. ‘’I’m sorry-’’

‘’Saints, Y/N, why are you apologizing for something you’re not responsible for?’’ She asked and you looked at her. ‘’We know how it feels to lose someone you love,’’ You spoke softly and she returned it. You placed your hands on her shoulder for comfort. ‘’We all know grief,’’ Zoya muttered. 

‘’But that guilt, he instilled it in you to make you weak, but you’re the Sun Summoner, you can’t afford weakness,’’ Zoya said and looked at Alina. ‘’Is that why you were cruel to me at Little Palace?’’ Alina questioned and crossed her arms. You chuckled. ‘’Trying to toughen me up?’’ Alina questioned. 

‘’No,’’ Zoya replied and sighed with a smile. ‘’That was jealousy, but also, I underestimated you,’’ She admitted. ‘’I won’t do that again,’’ She promised. ‘’Is this an apology?’’ You teased her and she didn’t say anything. ‘’Ravka’s on the verge of collapse, more Grisha are killed by the day, you don’t need hollow apologies, you need alliances,’’ Zoya explained. ‘’I’m here to offer you mine,’’ She responded. You and Alina exchanged a look. ‘’Clearly, you need all the help you can get,’’ Zoya said, winking her eye and leaving. 

-

‘’We’ve received accounts on the First Army units found massacred, here, here, and here,’’ Nikolai replied as he pointed at the map. He had gathered you, Alina, and Mal in the map room. ‘’

‘’Too far to be Shu incursions,’’ Mal said, narrowing his eyes and you nodded. ‘’Or Fjerdans,’’ You muttered. ‘’There’s good evidence these units were holding Grisha captive, some reports say soldiers were mutilated,’’ Nikolai informed and met your eyes. ‘’Some cut in half,’’ He replied. 

‘’It’s Kirigan, isn’t it?’’ Alina questioned when she noticed your gaze. ‘’We haven’t been able to find his base camp-’’

‘’No way he survived the Fold,’’ Mal interrupted. ‘’He survived it before,’’ You said and looked at Mal with a concerned gaze. ‘’Besides, he’s the only one who can do that cut,’’ You added. ‘’Baghra yes, but this is him,’’ Alina commented and you nodded. ‘’If he’s alive, word will reach him about your attempt in the Fold,’’ Nikolai said and looked at Alina. 

‘’Attempt,’’ Alina muttered. ‘’No disrespect meant,’’ Nikolai replied and you looked at him. ‘’No, you’re right,’’ Alina replied. ‘’That’s what it was, an attempt,’’ Alina said. ‘’You both saw my light, strong and angry and dangerously off-kilter,’’ Alina told you and you looked at her with sadness. ‘’I can train to master what I have, but I’m afraid it won’t be enough,’’ 

‘’We need to find the third amplifier,’’ Mal replied. 

‘’The firebird,’’ Nikolai agreed and nodded his head and you stiffened at the mention of the Firebird. ‘’The more we search for it, we are at the mercy of your protection in this country,’’ Alina said and looked at Nikolai. Nikolai glanced at his right side and noticed that you’ve been awfully quiet ever since they mentioned the Firebird. He wanted to ask why but let go of it.

‘’Well, until then, a proposal,’’ Nikola responded and all of you looked at him. You arched an eyebrow and crossed your arms above your chest. ‘’We can try to stop this country from falling apart and tell the Fjerdans to shove their bounty up their ass in the process,’’

‘’How do you propose we do that? Sobachka?’’ You mocked him as he gave you a look in response. ‘’I bring you under the wing of the Royal Family, my name becomes a shelter to you and your sister, and a banner under which we can enact change,’’ He answered and looked at you and Alina. 

‘’Your name?’’ You questioned before you and Alina met each other’s gazes. 

‘’Wait, you can’t be serious,’’ You said. ‘’This is a proposal, proposal,’’ Alina replied. ‘’You’re suggesting marriage,’’ You snarled and glared at him. ‘’You honestly would believe that I would accept marriage to you?’’ You exclaimed. ‘’Oh please, am I really that bad, sweetheart?’’ Nikolai mocked you making you scoff at his remark. 

‘’Besides, I’m not proposing a love match,’’ Nikolai said before his expression turned into a serious one. ‘’Just a political alliance of Grisha and otkazat’sya,’’ Nikolai replied. ‘’If you’re married to me, your sister will be protected under my name,’’ Nikolai told you. 

‘’Well, that’s what just what royal marriages are, aren’t they? Strategy,’’ Mal questioned and you looked at him with disbelief. You thought that Mal would agree with you on this one. ‘’Precisely,’’ Nikolai replied. 

‘’Maybe we never get to marriage,’’ Nikolai said and looked at you. ‘’An engagement signals a strong commitment to cooperation and it will allow us to enact meaningful for Grisha and Ravka,’’ Nikolai informed. You shook your head and scoffed. 

‘’You know that I will never agree on this,’’ You told him and glared. ‘’I know, but do this for your sister, I know how much you are capable of saving her and Mal,’’ Nikolai begged you. ‘’I understand if you decline, but I hope you weigh the options and consider the benefits,’’ Nikolai said. You looked at him before he spared a glance at you before leaving the three alone. 

Nobody said for a few seconds. ‘’He’s completely insane,’’ You exclaimed and looked at Mal and Alina. ‘’Marriage? Like I’m some kind of a pawn?’’ 

‘’I’m surprised he walked out of here without you breaking his nose,’’ Mal replied and you scoffed. ‘’Believe me, I wanted to but it took every power of mine to not punch him again,’’ You scowled and crossed your arms. ‘’He’s right, you know,’’ Alina said and you looked at her with a surprised expression. 

‘’What?’’

‘’Listen, I know how much you dislike him, but this could be our chance to take down Kirigian,’’

‘’By making me married to him?’’ You exclaimed. ‘’Alina, this is insane-’’

‘’I know, but just please, consider it,’’ Alina begged you. You scoffed before letting out a sigh. You knew that you would do anything to save her and Mal, even if it includes to marry your worst enemy.

-

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[worldwithinworld]

Do you think Lyria told Cassius about her plan to talk to Volga before she asked Darrow to let her do it? I bet she did. She promised Cassius she would run any potentially stupid plans by him first, and they spitshook on it. I think Lyria would have kept her word on that. She expected Darrow to keep his word to her, after all, and telling Sevro to remind Darrow of his promise was what got Darrow to hear her out. It would seem a spitshake is not something Reds take lightly.

So, I believe Lyria discussed her plan with Cassius, and he hated it as Sevro expected. However, I think he also understood it and respected it and gave Lyria his support pretty quickly. It's the same choice he would have made in her shoes. Diomedes had just told him that Lysander was probably dead. Cassius believed he had been too late to reach Lysander, but Lyria could still reach her friend. There's a good chance that they'd been talking about possible ways to get to Volga and how to deal with the Obsidians for a while. Sevro said that he'd heard Lyria practicing Nagal every night, and we also know that she stayed up many nights with Cassius and there seemed to be little they didn't talk about.

I've already gushed on my blog about how protective Cassius and Lyria were of each other, but Cassius also deserves some recognition for his decision to not protect Lyria when he left her with Sigurd. He really didn't want to do that. He was so scared for her and wanted so badly to keep her safe. Obviously, he knew couldn't stay and make himself a target for Ascomanni. That would put Lyria in danger too. However, he didn't have to leave her behind. He could have picked her up and taken her with him, and Lyria wouldn't have been able to do a thing about it. He could have even justified it pretty easily. The plan had gone awry. He could not confirm for himself that Sigurd's friends were still coming. He had far more warfare experience than Lyria, and that gave him the authority to make the call. Scrapping Lyria's plan would not cause any problems for Darrow and Sevro's plan; they seriously doubted she could succeed at turning Volga anyway. Despite all this, Cassius chose not to get in Lyria's way. He understood her heart. He knew that she had to take this risk for Volga, just like he would have (and later would) take a huge risk for Lysander. And because he cared for her, he had to risk losing her. Cassius chose to yield his protectiveness and instead respect Lyria's choice, which was just as brave a moment for him as any of the fights he had in this book.