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#should be queen of all fae
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Ugh gag. I'm sorry but Bryce is not worthy of being Queen of the Fae. Everytime a character comments/thinks something like "Bryce looked so regal, she looked like a Queen, she wound make a good Queen" ect. I cringe. It's so forced. It's definitely a case of telling, not showing.
If anyone at all was to be Queen/King of the Fae it should be Ruhn, who's kind and compassionate and actually cares about the Fae in a way Bryce never has
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babisawyer · 1 year
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Ben coming back to the cabin to see yet another cannibalistic ritual
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magicveiled · 10 months
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THE GODS OF THE SEELIE COURT & THEIR FCs // pt. 1
Balor - High King / Leader of the Fomorians/enemies of the Tuatha dé Danann
FC: Ian McShane from American Gods
Territory: all of Dubnos - AKA “the Hells”
Manannán mac Lir - Warrior King / God of the sea
FC: Jason Mamoa
Territory: Mag Mell & Emain Ablach ( island paradise of the Otherworld )
Aengus - God of youth, summer, love, and poetry
FC: Aneurin Barnard
Territory: Tír na nÓg
The Dagda - Chief/General of the gods
FC: Magnus Bruun Nielsen from The Last Kingdom
Territory: Mag Mell - land of greatness achieved through honorable death in battle
The Morrígan - Goddess Queen of war, magic, & death
FC: Anya Chalotra from The Witcher (main) Linda Cardellini (alt)
Territory: Mag Mell - land of greatness achieved through honorable death in battle
Lugh - Warrior King & God of the sun & arts
FC: Henry Cavill from The Witcher
Territory: Mag Mell - land of greatness achieved through honorable death in battle
Danu - High Queen of the faeries / head of the Tuatha dé Danann ( the people/children of the goddess Danu)
FC: Charlize Theron from Snow White and The Huntsman
Territory: all of Albios - AKA “the Heavens”
Brigid - Goddess of Healing, Fertility & Protection
FC: Elle Fanning from Sleeping Beauty
Terriroty: Tír na nÓg - paradise / “the land of youth, health, and beauty”
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How TWST DORM leaders react to "their" disney movie.
Azul sure would sing "Poor Unfortunate souls" if he thought he was alone. The Tweels would never let him forget it. Would take notes on Ursula's manipulation tactics. Would definitely try to use something like that for clients later. His favorite scene is definitely "poor unfortunate souls".
Leona wouldn't watch any movies with you after this. You wouldn't agree to that. Leona's favorite scene in the entire movie would be Mufasa's death. You would watch that scene really really REALLY many times. Would relate to scar a lot. Leona might fall asleep in the middle of the movie but wake up again at the end.
Malleus would really identify with the character of Maleficent. Malleus would understand the character and her reasons perfectly. You're not sure if you're sorry or worried about Malleus. He wouldn't appreciate how the movie portrays fae's. You can hear a little thunder outside. Malleus' favorite part would be when the prince wakes Rose from her sleep... Only because it would give him an idea of what he would like to do with you.
Idia would just enjoy the movie. He would definitely watch it with Ortho. Idia did not have a different opinion about the film. He would appreciate the humor in it though.
Vil would strongly question the cult status of "Snow White" as the first animated movie. Snow White looks too much like Neige in Vil's opinion. You should take breaks during the movie so that the Vil Neige quota is not filled. Vil's favorite part would be when Snow White eats an apple.
Kalim just enjoy the movie in peace. He would really cheer for Jasmin and Aladdin's relationship. Maybe he might sing along with "friend like me". It would be interesting to see how Kalim would react to certain scenes. His emotions would be clearly visible all the time. Kalim's favorite part would be the end of the movie. He likes happy endings.
Riddle would be a little disappointed that they wouldn't have included all the queen's rules in the movie. If they were, the movie should be muuuuuuuuuuch longer. Riddle would also point out when they didn't get the details right. Otherwise, he would enjoy the movie. His favorite scene would definitely be the cricket scene.
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deadsetobsessions · 2 months
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Fae adjacent! Danny, pt. 3
Jason returns to consciousness with a scream trapped before it could come to life. He twisted his neck back and forth and back and forth.
It was the last thing he did before he died. When the Joker left and told him to say hello to the big guy, Jason could not muster up the energy to make a single sound.
But Bruce… Bruce was here this time, heavy head making the mattress by his leg dip.
The scars that ran over his face stretched as he blinked.
“…B?”
Bruce’s head shot up, eyes bloodshot and bags heavier than a Gotham socialite’s solid gold Dior purse.
“Jaylad.”
Jason- Jason was alive now. Bruce’s hug felt warm, the tear spot on his shoulder was damp as his dad cried while hugging him.
And Jason should be happy. He’s alive again. His dad loved him.
But all he could think about was the cold of the coffin, the squelch of mud and dirt, and the unerringly wrong feeling of knowing he came back but he came back wrong.
——
Tim had wandered Gotham in the weeks following Jason’s reawakening. He wasn’t avoiding Bruce Wayne. He wasn’t. But Tim knows he’ll have to answer questions soon. He just wasn’t ready.
Tim looked up at the den of pixies- pixies were real!- and squared his shoulders. He did his research. Tim Drake walks into the den with nothing but foolish hope and Gotham-brand audacity. He’ll get answers about Danny today. He will.
——
Soul-Plucker, they called him. Danny Fenton, the proprietor of Fenton Artifacts. The High King.
“I thought King Oberon was the High King?”
The pixies chittered at the little human that could have been kin. Their wings fluttered at their backs, muffled by cloth. It’s not often they find kindred. It really is too bad that Fenton had his mark on the child. How they would have loved to whisk him away. He would have made entertainment that would last a millennia! Or until the court decided to cut of his tongue, at least. How well he had tricked them!
“Of course! Of course! King Oberon is our king, see?” A younger pixie swirled her drink, a shining red and blue thing. “But he’s the High King of another court!”
“The High King of the Infinite Realms, encompassing far more than King Oberon and Queen Tatianna could ever reach.”
Another pixie chimed in, on their fourth glass of amber colored nectar. “The Soul-Plucker!”
“The Beginning of the End.”
“Afterlife IRS department!”
“He who wanders.”
“Death-Caller.” Another one said, grave and serious.
“The Arbiter.”
“So, he’s like, the boss of bosses?” Tim asked. What kind of entity did he make a deal with? Why was he kind to Tim? What motives did Danny have?
“Uh huh!”
“Then what’s he’s doing here?”
“Who knows? The whims of the most powerful are unknown to us.” The pixies clustered around Tim. “Won’t you play another game with us, Alvin? You’re so good at it! Oh, how about a drink?”
“Can’t. I gotta get home. Also, I’m a minor.” Tim slipped passed their fluttering wings and manic smiles. They move to let him past, waving drinks at him in a tantalizing manner.
“And where is that, sweet one?”
“Somewhere, Liltri. Somewhere.”
Tim Drake was a child of pure will, pure hard headed foolishness, a mind sharper than any blade, and luck more terrifying than the creatures he now dealt with. And so, he stepped out of the Pixie Bar with more questions than answers but he stepped out unharmed.
——
“Who are you?” The shadows shift as Lady Gotham unveiled her knight.
Danny felt his eyes cool, glinting green and blue. Lady Gotham forgets who her liege is.
“Haven’t you done your research? You who walks along the edge of shadows, my shop is not a place to dismiss decorum.”
“You brought… you brought him back. How. Why?”
“You want answers? Then give me something in return.”
Danny gestured to the circle his clients have come to know as the deal-maker. Danny doesn’t ask for much in return. Just… something equal to the request.
“Ah,” Danny pointed up at the sign. “I am legally able to deny you my service, so don’t get any ideas.”
Batman was studied up on myths. But he was not a believer, and that both hindered and helped him. What was a god, in front of the faithless? What was the faithless in front of power?
The vigilante stepped into the circle, unable to see the subtle shimmering of magic but remained unbound by the virtue of his disbelief.
“What do you want for answers?”
“You do not often deal with the occult, do you?” Danny tapped the counter. Batman remained silent.
“I have a soft spot for vigilantes,” Danny continued. “And so I won’t ask for much. Just… your cape.”
“Not my hair? A body part?”
“If you were dealing with the fae, you’d probably would lose something of that value, yes.”
“You aren’t fae.”
Danny merely smiled. “Do we have a deal?”
“My cape in exchange for honest answers to my questions.”
Danny huffed, approval glinting in his eyes.
“Your cape for honest answers to three questions,” Danny pointed at the sign, still hanging above them. “Three questions or nothing.”
Batman grimaced. “Deal.”
“Ask your questions, protector.”
“Why did you bring Jason back to life?”
“I didn’t.” Danny grinned. The Bat should have stipulated that he must answer elaborately. He looked like he realized that. Oh well. His mistake. Well, not like there was actual magic binding Danny, so technically, Danny could lie off his ass.
“…Will Jason stay alive?” Danny had a heart and this man was a much better father than Jack ever was.
“Yes. Barring unnatural causes, his soul is firmly attached to his body and will not shuffle off the mortal coil without warning.”
The lines of Batman’s shoulders slumped. Relief. He paused.
“What are your intentions in this city?”
“To run my shop… and to enjoy retirement.”
Danny laughed at Batman’s stoic face. “Disappointed I am not up to nefarious deeds, little knight?”
“No.”
Danny tapped the table. “My payment?”
Batman shucked off his cape and handed it to Danny.
“Why my cape?”
Danny smiled a fanged little thing. “Because your costume looks stupid without it and I could use a laugh.”
Batman grumbled and turned to leave. Ha paused, eyes catching on the glint of camera lenses.
“How much for that?”
“For the little sparrow’s camera?” Danny sighed, eyes fixed on the form of a vigilante who was more kind than angry for once. “Two thousand dollars.”
“That’s a huge markup.”
“That’s how much it means to me, compared to the rest.” Danny slid beyond the counter, a ghostly air about him. He pinned his newly earned cape up. “My shop, my prices, little knight.”
Batman silently handed him two thousand dollars and left with the little sparrow’s camera.
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smokesandsonatas · 18 days
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wait so do all of the in-laws want grandchildren…?
I don't see all of the TWST in-laws pushing their sons to have children. But some of them, due to differing circumstances, might encourage or even require (You) Yuu and their son to have children.
Here's a list of characters that I think may face such expectations from their families:
Draconia Family: Malleus is one of the last known surviving members of the Draconia bloodline, alongside his grandmother, the current queen of Briar Valley. There are only 2 Draconias left, as far as we know. As royalty in the fae world, lineage is crucial for both political stability and the continuation of magical traditions. It would be expected that Malleus, upon marriage, should have children to secure the continuation of the Draconia line and ensure that the legacy of the fae kingdom persists. His family—and the broader fae community—might consider it his royal duty to produce an heir to maintain the kingdom's strength and heritage. Ensuring that they will still have a Draconian ruler should time come to pass.
Shroud Family: The Shroud family carries a heavy legacy of responsibility and duty, they need to continuously manage S.T.Y.X. As keepers of Tartarus/Phantoms, tied to life and death, it’s likely that they would expect a successor. In the case of Idia, his introverted nature might make this pressure even more overwhelming. I imagine Idia might be reluctant to bring another Shroud into the world given their curse. However, the need for a capable heir to continue the Shroud family’s responsibility is expected of him.
Kingscholar Family: As a member of the royal family of Sunset Savanna, Leona’s position as the second prince places him in a complicated situation. Though he is not the crown prince, there might still be an expectation for him to have children, especially if something happens to the direct heir (If Falena's direct line, Cheka is affected). Royal families typically focus on ensuring the continuation of their bloodline, and it does not exempt him from the weight of these expectations. There could be pressure from his family to contribute to the royal line’s security, ensuring the Kingscholar's leadership for future generations.
Al-Asim Family: The Al-Asim family is one of immense wealth and power, with a significant focus on maintaining their influence and control over their business empire. As the heir to this massive fortune, Kalim is likely to face pressure to marry and have children to secure the family’s continued prosperity. Having an heir would not only ensure the Al-Asims remains powerful but would also provide continuity in leadership, safeguarding the family’s wealth and influence across generations.
Ashengrotto Family: Though Azul's family is well, 'normal' in this context, there may be societal or even personal expectations for him to have an heir, particularly if his business empire continues to grow. Azul, particularly his maternal lineage are notable mages in the Coral sea. I imagine there will be unsaid pressure for him to continue his Ashengrotto line. He is a shrewd businessman and Azul may view having an heir as securing a legacy, someone to inherit and manage the empire he will build in the future. His goal to have an heir is maybe more of a personal ambition rather than familial or societal demands.
Leech Family : The Leech twins come from a very different perspective, the other chaotic, while the other one relishes in chaos. It is said that their family manage successful businesses in both land and sea. If we consider the Leech family as akin to mobsters or powerful figures in the merfolk world, their business operations likely extend across various places, possibly using both legal and less-than-legal means to expand their influence. With such a network, there is a strong sense of obligation to ensure that the family's control and legacy continue into the next generation. In this case, Floyd and Jade, despite their chaotic nature, would be expected to contribute to the family line to preserve the power structure their family has built.
Or Jade, and Floyd would just want to have children just for the fun of it. Who knows, really. ;))
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casuallyanidiot · 29 days
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Thinking of Yandere Malleus
But like, you're a fae princess or noble of a foreign kingdom who has a crush on him that stems from a childhood meeting. You like him so much, but he seems to pay you no mind.
So what do you do? You begin to throw massive parties. Everyone who is anyone attends your lavish balls. You invite all who are royal, merchants, nobles, and even commoners. Everyone can participate in the revelry, to dance and drink to their hearts content. It's an open invitation, all in hopes that he will show his handsome face.
Malleus hears of this eventually, and at first he's slightly hurt. A party inviting everyone in the land but him? How perposterous.
He tries not to be so wounded by the notion. He barely recalls you meeting as children, but did he truly leave such a negative impression on you? Perhaps he should observe you simply to try and figure out what might have caused such animosity.
Your parties begin to grow larger, more intense and famed in their reputation. Your eyes search the flood of guests streaming into your palace each night, and you mask your disappointment when he doesn't appear.
Meanwhile with each event you host, and with each one that you don't explicitly invite him to, he grows restless and more fascinated with you. He spends more time slinking around your chambers, watching you passed out in a drunken, exhausted stupor, than he does in his own chambers. He doesn't understand. What has he done to you? Why won't you even acknowledge him?
Malleus begins to obsess over what it would take to secure an invitation from you. You had more jewels than you knew what to do with, and you lived in just as much luxury as him. He watched your sleeping face night after night, a feeling of fondness blooming in him as you were bathed in a soft green light.
He thinks that you would be perfect always like that.
Then, he finds a solution. A kingdom. Not just his, but yours. He'd still let you rule your country once he conquered it, just as his queen. He'd show how strong he was, how capable he was to you, and then he'd finally be able to talk to you the way he's been yearning to. He'd ask you so many questions, and make amends for everything he must've done when the two of you were younger.
Malleus can only imagine the party you'll throw in his palace once he knows there's no way you can't not invite him.
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imaginesmai · 7 months
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Missed target - Azriel
Here it is! So many people asked to be tagged on this I got OVERWHELMED. Thanks for the love!I'm thinking about a second part where Azriel decides to repeat all the missed efforts and treat you like the queen you are. Let me know what you think.
Plot: Azriel is convinced Elain was made for him. Three sisters for three brothers, and no one can make him change his mind. But someone or something is determinated to change the course of fate on his behalf. No matter how hard he tries.
The Suriel 1
The Suriel watched the shadowsinger sharpen his blades in the forest, oblivious to his presence. Not even his shadows could detect the ancient creature, and he was proud of that. Of all the beings that he had seen, all the people that had summoned him, Azriel was who drew his curiosity.
Maybe the male in front of him didn’t remember, or maybe he did but had decided not to tell a soul about it. The Suriel did remember, and he had been observing since that night where a young, scarred and devasted Azriel had summoned him.
“What is wrong with me? Why does nobody love me? I want to know – I want to know if someone will love me, please”
The child didn’t understand what a Suriel was, or what type of questions he could answer. Still, the Suriel held the sobbing kid for one night, just one night, and let himself wonder what would it be to feel, to dream, like fae and humans did.
Something changed in the male’s stance, a muscle twitching in his left wing, and the Suriel knew he didn’t have much time left before he was noticed. He risked another glance at the unmoving figure, shadows surrounding the clearing where he stood.
As he vanished from the sight, the Suriel smiled briefly, oddly happy that that kid’s broken questions were about to be answered.
Missed date
Azriel liked Elain, more than he should. He liked her innocence, the way her hair fell over her shoulder, her full lips and thin waist. He liked the dresses she wore and the flowers she grew, even the way her voice sounded when she said his name. He liked liked her, and felt like a foolish teen when she was around.
Rhysand had warned him against it, and the Archeron sister had a mate – but still, Azriel hoped Elain would like him back. Even though he had been with plenty of women before, that time it felt different, and he didn’t know why.
Ignoring the signs against his desires, he had decided to act on his feelings.
Azriel had invited Elain to have dinner with him that night, in a lovely restaurant in Velaris. Sure, he might have said Cassian and Nesta were coming, and then proceeded to invite the couple knowing they wouldn’t even make it out of the bedroom with their clothes on. The plan had gone just fine – Cassian and Nesta had talked about it during lunch time, giving the impression it was just a friendly dinner, and then proceeded to lock themselves in their room for the rest of the day. Elain had smiled and asked about the hour, and Azriel had chosen his best shirt.
But the Cauldron musth have had other plans, because another minute passed by and he was sitting by himself in the restaurant, getting strange looks from the staff.
“Are you ready to order?”
He looked up to the waiter, with a tight smile on his face. Azriel guessed they were debating if kicking him out was worth angering the spymaster of the court.
“Still waiting” he grumbled, looking to the closed doors. “What time is it?”
“Nine thirty, sir. Would you like to… drink something?”
“Water is fine”
They had agreed to meet at nine, and part of him refused to think he had been stood up. That sweet, charming Elain who blushed under his gaze wouldn’t show up. He tried to come up with a reason behind her absence, and was sure there was a reasonable one, but he felt his excitement die as the clock ticked away.
Azriel pursed his lips when the waiter didn’t leave, not meeting his eyes. He would leave, but he would wait a little longer. For her sake, he would wait until the sun came up. The male cleared his throat and Azriel stared at the plants decorating the entrance.
It was a nice plant.
“Is the person you’re waiting for coming soon?”
“If she was, I wouldn’t be waiting here” his words were bitter, not towards the waiter, but at the situation.
“Maybe you could move to the counter and wait there, sir? I… there are customers waiting and – “
Before the man could dig his own grave further, Azriel pushed his chair back and walked towards said counter with his jacket on his arm. He refused to look at the waiter and let him know just how embarrassed he was, how disappointed in himself and in her.
The restaurant had a small counter where some couples shared their food and friends drank loudly. He damned his luck for choosing the busiest day to be stood up. Scanning the crowd, he found an empty seat at the corner and sat on a stool, ordering a beer.
Alcohol would only make it worse, but he guessed he was already done for. Ten more minutes, he promised himself. If Elain didn’t walk through those doors in the next ten minutes, he would leave and apologize to Rhys for his stubbornness.
Two minutes passed by, and he grew sick of watching the couple in front of him giggling in secrets.
Another three, and he counted each plant that decorated the restaurant. There were twenty-five without the artificial ones.
Seven minutes after his first beer, the waiter asked him if he wanted anything else and he just growled back.
His fingers were clenching painfully around the hem of his jacket when the ten minutes passed by. He was ready to get up when something sweet and floral hit his nose, leaving his mind blank for a second. Azriel blinked surprised at the smell, distinct from the elegant ones in the restaurant. With half smile, he turned to his right hoping to see Elain, pleasantly surprised with her choice of perfume.
Only that the woman who sat next to him wasn’t Elain, but another fae woman with a similar smell. Azriel scanned her outfit before you noticed him, before he could reprimand himself for checking you out.
You were wearing a loose blue and bright skirt with an elegant top, that left part of your collarbone visible. He felt something rush to his chest up to his cheeks while he stared at the smooth skin, and he willed himself to look up to your face.
“Guess this is where they discard the stood up, hm?” you looked at him and he blinked surprised. “I’ve been sitting next to the window for an hour now. I don’t think he’s showing up”
“Who?” Azriel asked dumbly, not thinking anything better.
“My friend set me up on a blind date, but he didn’t show up. At least the bread was good” you shrugged, finally looking away from Azriel. “Hi. Can I get a soda?”
Azriel felt his previous resolution of leaving the restaurant dissolve. You smelt just like her, but so different at the same time. Your voice still reverberated on his chest as you waited for your drink, stealing glances at the silent male at your side. It was strange for him to have his throat swallowing back the words that he wanted to say, have his mind blank of any comeback.
But as he stared at you, he wondered if you were a witch and had casted a spell on him.
“Are you… my date?” you finally asked when your soda came back, looking him up and down. “I’ve seen you standing here for a while”
“I’m Azriel”
“I don’t know the name of my date” you stated, and Azriel just prayed that you wouldn’t notice the shadows he couldn’t control revolving around your feet. “I’m Y/N”
“No”
He begged himself to say something else, to break the awkward silence or leave. After all, he had gone to that restaurant to meet Elain, not a stranger who had been stood up. But all the wit and intelligence that had won him the title of Shadowsinger and Spymaster seemed to seep away through his pores, and he couldn’t get back any of it.
You smiled at him tightly and turned to look around, finally breaking eye contact. Azriel got up without saying anything else and walked towards the doors, leaving a generous amount of money on the counter. You didn’t say goodbye and he didn’t bother looking back, his body stiff with your awkward encounter.
When he arrived to the house, he found a very regretful and very sick Elain who had been in bed all afternoon. She apologized again and again until he forced her back in bed and tucked her in. They agreed they would repeat again, sometime, but Azriel found himself less excited than that morning. He didn’t blame her – he couldn’t, when he had seen how her knees trembled with coughs and had heard her stuffy voice.
As he laid down that night in this enormous bed, his shadows didn’t whisper about Elain or brought back her smell, that most nights didn’t let him sleep. They caressed his hands in silence, with the memory of a sweet, floral smell that didn’t belong to the girl he liked.
The market
Rhysand and Cassian were away for a week, and while Azriel usually missed his brothers, that time he was beyond himself. Not only he wouldn’t be hearing Nesta and Cassian’s late-night activities, but he would be alone with his favorite Archeron sister, since Feyre and Nesta had decided to leave too.
There were plans for them, big ideas that he had crafted the previous night as he laid awake in the dark. The first one, most important, would be to find an excuse to talk to Elain.
She had left for the market as Azriel completed his morning training, and the male didn’t miss how she blushed at his presence. She had explained briefly her plans to him and had left in a rush. Azriel, who religiously trained each day, decided to postpone his activities and refill the house’s pantry.
It took him a while to come up with something to buy, even longer to gather the courage to follow his plan. By the time he was walking through the lively market-street, he was certain Elain would be leaving.
But he was lucky, because he spotted the familiar head a few stands away. Azriel felt the usual acceleration of his heart rhythm, the blood rushing to his head. His wings fluttered and he walked with little decision to where Elain was buying some fruits.
It seemed, with so little decision, that she moved away before he could reach him.
The game of cat and mouse continued for what felt like forever, Azriel only sniffling her before she left to a new stand. The street seemed endless, and the buyers too talkative and pushy. They bumped against his wings, apologized, and proceeded to block his way in awe for five to ten seconds.
When he saw Elain holding enough bags to cause him a backpain, he decided pushing people in return was worthy and walked faster.
Before she could complain, he picked up her bags from her arms carefully, resisting the urge of flinching at how heavy they were.
“Here, let me” Azriel extended his free arm, watching without looking up as it filled slowly with more bags. “These are heavy. What do we need so much food for?”
“Are you planning to eat it with me?”
Azriel looked up and stared into a pair of bright eyes that certainly weren’t Elain’s. Nor was your hair pulled back in a ribbon, or the worn-out cape hanging from your frame. His shadows helpfully recognized you from the missed date and awkward encounter, and he blinked surprised.
He opened and closed his mouth. Proudly, he could argue that only few times someone managed to make him speechless. But he didn’t find anything to say as he held half of your bags, looking a caught thief.
Your smile lowered at his surprise. Surely, you expected a kind stranger helping you with your heavy groceries, not him. Just as he didn’t expect you.
“Can I… have that back?” you asked when he didn’t move, only stared at you. “Please?”
The standard, cordial reaction would have been to apologize and carry the bags for you. If Azriel’s brain hadn’t stopped functioning, he would have explained he had confused you with someone else and would be on his merry way to find Elain.
But his heart wouldn’t stop beating stubbornly against his chest, loudly on his ears. His shadows, that you had noticed by now, were tangling themselves between your knees, holding part of the weight themselves.
He tried not to make it too obvious when he inhaled your essence, so characteristically nice. Instead of doing any of the rational things, he dropped your bags to the ground with a loud crack and a wet splash and turned around, disappearing into the crowd.
The flowers
Feyre had given him the directions, and he had quickly written them on a piece of paper as his high-lady prepared Nyx’s bottle, cradled the fussy baby and ate her own breakfast.
He was extremely thankful for her help, because she had also had the idea to give Elain a bouquet of flowers. Azriel felt bad about ignoring her for the two days they were alone, too busy trying to regain what was left of his dignity after the market. So, he had prepared the flowers and put them together with a blue ribbon, and had asked Feyre where Elain was staying.
He had walked through the streets of Velaris with a content smile, humming to himself in silence. His shadows were active that morning, dancing between his feet and knees, and tangling themselves in the flowers. He couldn’t explain the sudden urge of joy if not for the imminent encounter with Elain, who had been on his mind for two days straight.
The rays of sun warmed his cheeks, and he felt extremely lucky.
It only took him ten minutes to reach his destination, a busy street in the center of the town. People sneaked glances at him and whispered, as if he wouldn’t hear them. Azriel stopped in front of a white wooden door. It looked old and worn, and matched the pots with flowers on the window. It was a cozy house, exactly what Azriel had imagined Elain’s house to be.
She had moved out a few months ago, claiming she needed her own space. And he had yet to visit her place – which, once he realized he was about to do it for the first time, made him kind of nervous.
Azriel stood in front of the door, his frame covering the whole space. Between his shoulders and wings he shadowed it, and he felt weirdly insecure. Something fell to the ground inside, probably a bag, and even though he knew Elain would be inside, Azriel recoiled back.
In a pathetic attempt to make his intention known, he raised his fist.
Knock, give her the flowers, apologize, leave.
Don’t throw them on her like a burning pot.
Knock, give her the flowers, apologize, leave.
Try to smile without looking creepy.
Knock, give her the flowers, apologize, leave.
He heard soft humming from the inside, and the fact that it was the exact same melody he had been humming on his way there threatened to give him a heart attack. Before he could think better, he quickly searched his pocket for a pen while trashing for the tag of the bouquet.
In the meantime, he heard the humming coming closer and closer to the door. It was a sweet melody, one he had loved since he was a kid, that brought a selfish smile to his face. Who was the world to tell him they weren’t meant to be, if their minds aligned like that?
Azriel found the pen and, leaning against the brick wall, scribbled down a quick note on the tag. His handwritten was shaky, not neat nor perfect, and he felt a bead of sweat rolling down the corner of his neck.
Once he was finished, he tucked the tag between the stems and placed the bouquet delicately on the ground. He mentally kicked himself at his stupidity, and when he rose back, he crossed his arms in front of his chest.
He was the shadowsinger. The spymaster. People feared him, respected him, and he had had enough women in his bed to know he could get them. They liked him, men and women, and he had never had an issue before. And there he was, leaving a bouquet of flowers like a coward because he couldn’t knock.
All because of the stupid melody.
His impulsive thoughts won again and he crouched to write down his name at the bottom of the note. Only having his good luck ran out and knock his head against a pot when he rose back up. Azriel cursed under his breath at the sharp pain, but wasn’t fast enough to catch the pot.
He didn’t know what worried him most – that he was sad because the humming stopped, or that it stopped. Azriel didn’t need his fae hearing or shadows to hear the approaching steps, and he quickly retreated into the darkness. Just as he appeared in the other corner of the streets, hidden from the public’s eye, the door opened.
“Hello?”
Azriel let his lips part in surprise when Elain didn’t peer at the street, but you. The stranger with a memorizing smell that had been stood up. The girl whose bags he had dropped in the middle of the street.
You were wearing a stained apron, and had been clearly cooking. Azriel felt the sudden need to know what. What you were doing that made you look like that, that made Azriel’s rebellious heart jump.
He watched as you looked to both sides of the street, smiling to acquittances and finally noticing the bouquet. Your eyebrows almost rose to your hairline and an adorable shade of pink covered your chest. You quickly covered your mouth, but Azriel’s bones reverberated at the sound of your giggle. He found himself wondering if you were curling your toes in your shoes.
Leaning down, you picked the flowers and Azriel’s stupid smile, that had no right to be on his face, dropped.
He had signed it.
Your eyes scanned the tag and read through his words at a sickening speed. Sorry about last week, hope I wasn’t too much of a dick. Yours, Azriel
His shadows swallowed him before he could ask the Cauldron to dig a hole and swallowed him, but he could still see your content smile and have the utter and complete realization that your smile shadowed Elain’s.
The dance
“When have you ever cleaned up so nice?” Cassian asked him as he invaded his room, with no warning.
“Whenever you’re not around to see it” he answered back, not tearing his eyes away from his tie’s knot on the mirror. “So I don’t eclipse you”
Cassian scoffed and threw himself on the perfectly made bed. Azriel didn’t bother asking him to move, because while any other time he would have kicked him out, his bed was the farthest point from his work desk. Where, between patrol reports and court’s correspondence, were a month’s worth of letters between you two.
His hands trembled even more at the thought of his brother finding about it. He was already nervous enough at the premise of dancing with Elain tonight, at the thought of her wearing the bracelet he had sent her that matched his tie. Azriel didn’t need to think about the pointless, certainly not important letters that he shared with you.
“Nesta has kicked me out of our room” the male proclaimed. “She’s determinated to get to the ball on time. As if me not seeing her now would change our early departure”
“You’re disgusting” Azriel met his brother’s stare through the mirror.
“And you’re jealous. When was the last time you got laid?” Cassian raised her eyebrows suggestibly. “Anyone in mind for this particularly night?”
“Nesta, if you leave her unsatisfied”
“Can it be me if I’m unsatisfied?”
Cassian’s laugh boomed through the room and took Azriel’s mind out of the last hours’ frenzy. He had wanted to be excited, had been thinking about Feyre’s birthday ball for months now. Thinking about how Elain and him would dance, proving Rhysand that they were a match and should be together.
Indeed, Azriel had been excited about it until a month ago. When he found himself cutting his encounters with Elain short when a note came through, falling asleep with thoughts of a different woman on his mind.
He hadn’t seen you since the incident of the flowers, and his intention was to never see you again. But then, he had found a note on his training room, delivered by Nuala. I’m glad we both agree you were a dick that day, but if my forgiveness has you loosing nights of sleep, I forgive you. Although, for the next time, don’t be disappearing from a crime scene – those flowers were expensive.
Azriel had found it and had scoffed a laugh, a sound foreign to his ears. He had replied and had sent Nuala back to your house, with an apologetic smile.
Seems that I keep encountering you when I don’t mean to. Those flowers were for someone else, but I’m happy to hear that I will be sleeping soundly from now on. Sorry for your pot. If it makes you feel better, fate was my witness and gifted me with a nasty bump.
Two notes evolved to another two, then to four more, and suddenly, Azriel found himself sending you noted almost every day, sharing stupid facts and reading about your day.
“Is it because Elain?”
The mood was broken and shattered at the word of the fae, and Azriel finished his knot to turn and look at Cassian.
“Don’t judge me. I’m not Rhys ‘don’t you dare to touch my sis-in-law’ or Mor ‘bad choices are made’” Cassian lifted his arms slightly. “I’m just curious”
“Am I cleaning up nice for my high-lady and friend’s birthday ball? Yes, unlike you, I do care about having a clean presence” he looked down to his jacket. “Your shirt is stained with Nesta’s lipstick”
“Oh, I plan to let her stain more than my shirt” he chuckled.
Azriel rolled his eyes and turned towards the door without saying anything else.
He walked with Cassian through the long hallways until they reached the main hall, talking about training and pointless topics. The usual knot on his stomach loosened a bit when he was with him, even if he wouldn’t say it out loud. He knew Cassian only looked for him in those social events for his sake – because he knew how much Azriel struggled with the attention, with the looks.
For the first minutes, he stood by his side silently as Cassian greeted different people that Azriel didn’t want to talk with. He engaged short conversations with his family, laughed softly at Mor’s attempt of escaping with the wine, and entertained Nyx briefly.
He kept looking at the main doors, waiting for Elain to walk through so he could regain that excitement, that want, that seemed to seep through his fingers lately.
When the first dance started, Rhysand took Feyre’s hand and dragged her through the floor, looking like a regius couple. Mor took a giggling Nyx in her arms and danced in the corner, and Cassian used the opportunity to sneak with Nesta.
Azriel quickly found himself in the middle of dancing couples, and he swore the knot of his tie got tighter. He looked around for Elain, tried to identify her sweet smell or long hair, but he didn’t find her.
“She’s not coming, you know?” Amren’s voice appeared to her right, and he turned to find her leaning against a wall.
“Who’s not coming?”
“Elain” she explained. “She left yesterday with Lucien to get to know his court. Thought you, of all people, should know”
Had he been so out of it that he hadn’t notice it? Had he tried so hard to think about her that he hadn’t talked to her? He tried to think of a conversation where Elain told him that she wouldn’t be assisting, but he realized that he hadn’t talked to her in the last few days.
Actually, he had just sent the bracelet and guessed she would wear it. Part of his excitement wore down at the news, and he regretted agreeing to the ball.
Amren raised a brow at his fallen expression.
“Are you still after her, boy? Knowing she has a mate?” she inquired. “Thought you were smarter than that”
“You don’t understand. None of you do” he said, trying to sound angry. Trying to sound convinced, as convinced as he had been when he met her, but his voice sounded deflected.
“Maybe we don’t, but don’t fool yourself thinking the Cauldron makes mistakes. You’re not above its power”
Azriel scoffed at the answer he had heard before too many times, and faced away from Amren. She could try to convince him all she wanted, but his mind was up. As he walked out of the room, evading dancing couples, he forced the disappointment down his chest, where most of his feelings lay forgotten.
Of course she wouldn’t come. Of course, all those glances meant she was nervous around him, not reciprocated feelings. Of course, someone like Azriel wouldn’t end up with someone like her.
He loosened his tie briefly as he exited the ball, only to stop close to the entrance. He looked back at his family, dancing happily in the main floor. Even Amren, who didn’t dance, talked with a content half-smile to Varian, who had attended in behalf of his court.
Through all his centuries, all he had wanted was to have someone to dance with. To hold while the world fell apart, not to endure it on his own. Azriel felt a rebel knot climb to his throat, making the sight in front of him blurry.
Like a fool, he had thought Elain would be that person. After Mor, he thought he had found his person. Azriel looked once more to the ball before hastily turning around and colliding full force with a person entering the ball.
“Damnit!”
“Careful – “
Azriel didn’t get to stop the body falling to the ground, and he almost fell right above it. He gathered his footing back before he could cause more damage, and looked down to the incomer.
Something in his chest cracked when he saw the color of the dress pooling in the ground, the same one he wore on his loosened tie. The exact same color in the bracelet now forgotten in Elain’s room, that he had chosen so carefully and thoughtfully. He blinked past the initial shock and muttered an apologetic smile, offering his hand.
His eyes traveled up the wrinkled but beautiful dress to an exposed cleavage adorned with a simple blue gem. He didn’t register the similarities with his own siphons when his eyes met yours, both widened at the same time.
Centuries of waiting, of uncertainty, were suddenly nothing when the bond snapped loud in his soul. It rattled his bones and threatened to send him to the ground too.
“Y/N” he whispered, the room around him quietened. It was the first time he said your name out loud, and it felt divine on his lips. “What…?”
“Hm, Feyre’s birthday” you accepted his hand and let him pull you up, and he almost sent you crashing against his chest. “She invited me”
“That’s good”
Your eyes didn’t leave his for a while, as the bond settled for the two of you. Something had called you when you saw that dress, hanging beautifully in the window’s shop. You never wore that color, never attended to those parties. But the premise of seeing the owner of the notes you had been receiving lately, who your friends were tired of hearing about, was too appealing.
Somehow, buying that dress, coming late to the ball because of pointless delays, felt like a trick of fate.
“The bond” Azriel supplied uselessly, and you nodded for moral support way too enthusiastically.
“Yeah. It’s… here” you pressed your free hand against your chest, squeezing the one trapped in Azriel’s warm grip. “I didn’t think it would feel like this”
“It feels right”
Azriel couldn’t explain what had been missing until now. A void that had lived for so long in a place he couldn’t reach that now pulsated loudly where he needed it. He expected to be nervous, to be overjoyed, but above all of that, Azriel felt calm. At peace with himself as he stared into your eyes.
Time didn’t exist and the rest of the world was insignificant, only you mattered. And he could have spent an eternity looking at you if you hadn’t taken the first step and hugged him. If he thought the snapping bond was intense, your body against him robbed his breath.
His hand moved by itself to the back of your head, fingers tangling between your locks and pressing your face closer to him. The other arm rounded your waist, until you both belonged together like one soul.
The song ended and you looked up from his arms. With a small smile, you looked down at the loosened tie.
“Would you like to dance?”
Azriel nodded quickly and turned his back to the exit, your hand in his. People stared, his family looked at him, but all he could see was how blind he had been not to notice you were what was missing.
The Suriel 2
In the busy morning, few people stopped to see what lurked in the shadows of Velaris. They walked and rushed to their meeting points, talked with friends and families in the corners, and enjoyed the sunny day in the square. They all held interesting stories, futures that the Suriel fed on.
But he didn’t look at any of them. Only at the male standing a few feet away from him. He was sure his shadows had noticed him by now, that they knew his scent and presence, but decided not to warn his master. After all, he was no threat, just a mere spectator of fate.
The shadowsinger seemed to doubt between two books from a stand. He was oblivious to the world around him, but the Suriel knew. He noticed how he had changed in just five months, how not only his scent screamed a mating bond but also his soul. The way he stood, walked, talked.
As if the world didn’t own him anything else, as if he was finally the main character of his story.
The tall, dangerous male picked up the thicker book and paid for it with a small smile. He asked the woman in charge of the stand for a blue ribbon and tied the bag with it. Azriel turned around and distanced himself from the Suriel, not noticing his looming presence. But as he got farther and farther away from him, the Suriel was pleasantly surprised to notice shadows gathering at his feet, curious but not aggressive.
He showed them a terrifying smile, all teeth and cruelty – and still, they only brushed the torn parts of his cape in silent gratitude.
Want to read more? Check out my side blog @imaginesmaimasterlists, where I keep all the masterlists! Feedback is always appreciated
Let me know if you want me to do an Azriel taglist!
Azriel taglist:
@boygeniuses10 , @tothestarsandwhateverend
Missed target taglist (will be added if I make a second part)
@kayjayjwrites , @phoenix666stuff , @lupinswolfsbanes , @bionic-donut , @tothestarsandwhateverend , @favsrachz , @dwlyniii , @mischiefmanagers , @sassybluebird , @saltedcoffeescotch , @andrewgarfield2022 , @leeknows-wife , @marscardigan , @celear , @sstrohma , @pricklepearbloom , @blackgirlmagicforever , @emiliasdump , @erencvlt , @that-one-little-soybean , @meshellexplosionmurder , @atrxidxs , @feyretopia , @sidthedollface2 , @littlelunatica , @historygeekqueen, @ash-mcj , @haileycannotcometothephonern , @thesunloveschips , @meritxellao , @impossibelle , @kalulakunundrum , @nebarious , @cullenswife , @emryb , @sandramalikstyles-blog
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corkinavoid · 3 months
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DPxDC Fae!Danny But Make It Fantasy
I've already made a whole Changeling AU with fae!Danny, but guess what, I have decided not to achieve any level of chill with fae ideas.
We all know Danny is Ghost Kind. Now, what if he is a Fae Prince? A Prince of Winter, to be exact. Imagine all the ice castles (Elsa, I'm looking at you), the snowy lands, northern lights in his crown, a cape made of tiny ornate snowflakes. Crystalline ice swords, skin so white he doesn't even look alive, eyes clear and blue like a frozen lake. Formal gowns, ballrooms, duels and carriages pulled by horses made of snowstorms.
He used to be a changeling, put in place of Dan. Grew up in a village with his parents being witch hunters, or maybe just hunters in general. Meanwhile Dan, a human child whose place he took, grew up in a fae realm, surrounded by magic creatures and miracles.
But Danny couldn't hide he was a fae his whole life. He used to look human when he was a baby, but as the time went by, he started to look more and more fae-like. Jazz was the first to notice it, of course, but this was Danny, a child she practically raised, so she dealt with it. Their parents, though, did not.
Sam and Tucker are in the know, for sure. Sam used this opportunity to learn witchcraft - who is better to learn from than an actual fae? Tucker is a blacksmith, as is his family. The first thing he asked Danny when he discovered he is a fae, was "how in the seven kingdoms are you a fae, and you decided a blacksmith is your best friend?" because, honestly, not even Fentons have so much iron around them as Tucker does.
Now, you may be thinking of where the DC part comes in here.
Well, the Waynes are actually the royal family. Bruce is the King of Gotham, and his children are princes, princesses, and heirs. They are also protecting the country not only by the word of the law, but also from the other, more shady side. I think they should go by Shadows, not Bats, though, since I doubt a name like 'Batman' would fly in the fantasy world.
Constantine is a mage, the strongest one alive, and yet he couldn't care less for his uniqueness if he tried for a week. Diana is the Queen of Themyskira, of course. I think Krypton should be its own country or a continent, ruled by the family of El. Although Jon is the first heir to a throne, due to Kon being, well, a bastard in terms of medieval customs.
After Danny's race is found out by his parents, he leaves for the fae realm, and he offers his friends and his sister to join him. Tucker refuses, Sam and Jazz take him up on that, but Sam leaves shortly after - she mostly used it to get away from her overbearing parents. She is now a witch who lives in the woods all alone, and no one can find her. She keeps contact with Danny, though. Jazz is traveling both the fae and the human realms, just having fun with it.
Jason is part-fae. After he died, a cult has abducted his body - the cult leader being Ra's, of course - and used it for an experiment. They used some fae magic to bring him back, or, maybe, they have tried to merge a fae and a human, creating a chimera. This was the first option of Ra's trying to get closer to Bruce in order to take power. It was not a very successful option since both Jason and whatever was left of the fae inside him decided not to obey the madman.
Damian was... slightly more successful. He was not merged with anything, but his development was magically enhanced.
And now, while Danny is back in the fae realm and he is a crowned Prince of Winter, Clockwork has a problem. He knows humans are afraid of fae, but this is not a very productive way to go. And there is a timeline somewhere there that can fix it.
Of course, Danny is right in the middle of that timeline. Now, Clockwork just needs to find a way to help Danny make an alliance with humans.
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hanafubukki · 10 months
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Menstrual Cramps Comfort Headcanons with Diasomnia (+ Meleanor Draconia and The Knight of Dawn)
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You are cramping and curled up in bed, Malleus holds you, his tail and arms holding you protectively. The heat from his hands sooth your pain. Malleus would try and keep your mind off the pain by talking to you or spouting random gargoyle facts. When you were sleeping, he would cast a spell so you would have sweet dreams. “Ask me anything you need, beloved, and I will provide.” Suffice to say, Malleus will be with you the entire time.
Lilia knew about menstrual cycles but the fae’s differs from the humans vastly. So he learned what he could from books and online resources, now if those books were up to date is another story. Lilia is a caretaker and he will take care of you: blankets, chocolates, and head pats are some of what you can look forward to. “I’m here, love. You can lean on me.” But also, because he’s cheeky, “I know there’s a way you don’t have to worry about your cycle for 9 months. What do you say? Should we try it~”
Silver knew something was wrong from the way you moved. He was a trained knight, it was his duty to observe for anything out of the ordinary, and you were clearly not yourself. When you hunched over in pain, he was quick to your side, offering to take you to the infirmary. Chivalry isn’t dead, it is literally personified in Silver. He would hold heavy items for you, pick you up from class, get you food, and make sure to remind you of meds if you need it. He would offer to stay with you so you wouldn’t be alone. “I don’t want to see you suffer, please rely on me.”
Sebek could smell the blood miles away. Normally he would think it’s just a result from normal NRC brawls, but when he smelled it concentrated on you, he was alert right away. He would ask you where you were hurt, practically ready to haul you over his shoulder to the infirmary, but when he paused and observed you: he knew what was wrong. It’s okay, he would assure you, he knew what to do from his mother and his sister after all. You could tell he was embarrassed, but he took his duty diligently in protecting you. He would make you teas, spout facts on what you should and shouldn’t do, and be ready for anyone who looked wrong at you. “Be at ease! For I will protect you from any harm. Now, drink that tea. It will help your pain.”
Meleanor was surprised when she learned about human’s cycles. For the fae, it was vastly different. They had it a couple times a year, but for humans to have it every month? My, how inconvenient it can be, especially if it is as painful as yours seems to be. No worries, she will provide so you are always comfortable. After all, she is Queen of Briar Valley, everything is within her reach. She would have you rest, her hands threading through your hair, soothing you. Her humming a melody calming you down. If anyone dared to hurt you, she wouldn’t hold back from smiting them. “Imbeciles, they dare to hurt you? I will deal with them personally. Now rest, little one, I’m here.”
The Knight of Dawn is determined and loyal as you know. He would notice right away when he saw you. He knew something was off. You seemed to curl into yourself more as time went on. He would watch you throughout the day, helping you whenever he could. He had an inkling of what was wrong but didn’t want to embarrass you. He would bring you food and have you rest repeatedly throughout the day. He would ask the three fairies who blessed him for a potion to help you should the pain be more than you could handle. At times, you couldn’t help but wonder if he wanted to just carry you to bed with how antsy he unknowingly was. He would hold your hand and rub his thumb on your wrist, trying to sooth you. Don’t be surprised if you fell asleep in his warm presence and woke up to him smiling gently at you. “Are you awake? Sleep some more, I will watch over you.”
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riddlesb1tch · 5 months
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All in Your Head
Azriel x reader
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summary: You have been working late for the past month with Rhysand, leading to Azriel feeling neglected.
warnings: Azzie is a sad boy :(
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“There is another place we can look, I think,” Rhys piped up after some minutes of silence. You two had been trying to track down the mask Nesta found at the bottom of the lake which seemed to have disappeared into thin air after the first sighting. 
“Where?” you asked, sitting up in your air. You uncrossed your legs and leaned toward Rhysand, elbows resting on the table. 
Rhysand scratched his chin in contemplation, then said, “We could try with the human queens maybe?” 
The idea at first seemed absurd to you. What would humans want from a fae treasure? But given how power-hungry they had come off after the first time you met them, it seemed plausible that they would go to great extents to ensure the mask was in their possession should it ever come down to waging war against Prythian. Especially given what the mask could do: summon and control the dead.  
Just as you went to answer, you were hit with a sudden wave of insecurity. You sucked in a harsh breath, eyes widening in shock before you felt the need to cry. However, the wave washed away before you could, leaving you confused. 
Rhysand noticed your change in expression. “What's wrong?” he asked. 
Your brows furrowed. “I-I dont know,” you confessed. “I just felt this sudden rush of emotions.” Your eyes met him when a realisation struck you. Getting up from your seat, you collected your belongings from his office. Rhsyand looked at you confused and concerned. “What’s going on, Y/n?” he asked. 
“I think something is wrong with Azriel,” you explained in a concerned tone. Standing by the door you asked, “Is it okay if we continue this meeting tomorrow?” You barely waited for his approval before rushing out the door and winnowing to the House of Wind. 
Before your feet even hit the floor of the House of Wind, your eyes were scanning the house for any signs of Azriel. Weirdly enough, you found some. Weird because Azriel was a male of immaculate discipline. After a mission, he always took off his leathers and set them aside for cleaning. His weapons were always laid out in a line on the vanity so he could polish them the next day, so seeing his stuff thrown around the house was very concerning. His leathers lay on the floor haphazardly as if he took them off recklessly, his boots lay in the middle of the living room, and his daggers were thrown on the kitchen counter carelessly. 
Furrowing your brows, you moved towards your bedroom. You couldn’t hear any sounds but the bond told you he was in there…and he was not okay. 
The door was ajar and the scent of alcohol hit you as soon as your approached. His silhouette sat on the bed, flipping through some papers while a drained glass of alcohol, no doubt, rested next to him. 
“Azzie?” you called. 
He looked up from the pile and beamed at you. 
“Y/n! You’re home! I wasnt expecting you for another few hours.” He set his papers aside and got off the bed to greet you. Somehow this bright behaviour concerned you further. It was so contradictory to what you’d felt down the bond earlier. 
“I wasn’t expecting it either,” you said as Azriel wrapped you in a hug. You inhaled his scent, tinged very strongly with alcohol and realised he was completely intoxicated. His deameanour made sense now. 
Pulling away, Azriel gently kissed your lips. 
“Are you okay, baby?” you asked, running your hands over his arms. 
“Yes! Why wouldn’t I be?” he asked, grabbing your hand and pulling you towards the bed. 
You tossed your bag on the floor, letting him take you where he wanted. Azriel sat down on the edge of the bed and rested his hands on your hips while looking up at you.  
“I missed you,” he admitted. The honesty and desperation in his eyes killed you. 
Smiling sadly, you ran your hands through his hair. He leaned into your touch, kissing your palm.  
“I missed you, too, love,” you said. 
Suddenly Azriel’s expression changed and he looked almost annoyed. “You’re lying,” he stated. 
You were taken aback by this. “No. Why would I lie about that?” you questioned. 
“Cause you’re never here!” he yelled then plopped down on the bed face down. You sat down next to him, hand resting on his back and rubbing soothing circles. 
“I’m busy with work, love,” you said gently. 
He turned onto his back, making eye contact and took a hold of your hand.  “I know,” he said. “I’m sorry. I just miss my mate.” 
“Well,” you threw off your shoes and put your legs up on the bed. “I’m here now!” 
Azriel looked at you wearily but seeing the beaming smile on your face, the corners of his mouth quirked up. He pulled you into his chest, holding you tight. You giggled at the sudden, a sound that was music to Azriel’s ears that had been begging to hear it from you. 
You and Azriel talked a long while, lazy kisses being pressed into each others skin occasially, before you fell asleep holding each other. 
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The next morning, Azriel laid on his stomach, arm stretched out beside him. His eyes opened slowly to the sunlight pouring into the room. The memories of last night came to him and a small smile turned up the corners of his mouth. Azriel sat up and turned around, hoping to be greeted by your beautiful face. 
However, the bed next to him was cold and empty. You’d left before he’d woken up again, and somehow, this hurt more than the other times. Azriel sighed, rolling out of bed to get ready for training with Cassian. 
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You sat down in Rhysand’s office for the millionth time this week. The same study you had been seeing every day for hours on end the past week, with the same stacks of papers on the desk, the same weathered, worn, look on Rhysand’s face, the same crumpled clothing on both your bodies, and the same mugs of the same stale coffee. Dread filled your chest thinking of the same conversation you two had had for the past week: locating the stupid mask Nesta got from the bottom of the lake. One of the Dead Troves, can call upon and control the dead. The thing had disappeared off the face of the planet and you and Rhysand had been searching all over Prythian and the human lands for the darned object for at least a month straight, all with no luck. 
“I’m out of ideas,” Rhysand said in defeat, running a tired hand through his hair and leaning back in his chair. 
You mimicked the movement, leaning back into your seat and sighing. “So am I. I haven’t a clue anymore where it could be.” 
Rhysand faced the ceiling and closed his eyes. His chest slowly rose in a deep inhale and deflated, tired sound escaping his lips. You eyed the movements, feeling a wave of pity wash over you. Rhysnd had been attempting to locate the mask since the moment it disappeared. When he was unable to do so by himself, he had called on you. You, one of the most powerful fae, were born with the gift of detecting a magical object within a hundred feet of you. But if even you were having difficulty detecting it, there was barely any hope left. 
Rhysand breathed slowly once more under your watchful gaze and this time you spoke up.
“Maybe,” you leaned forward and rested your elbows on your knees. “We should take a break for a bit,” you said. 
Rhysand lowered his head to face you, looking as if he was about to protest but sighing in defeat at the pity in your eyes from his state. He nodded, pinching the bridge of his nose. 
You nodded with a slight smile and stood. 
Rhysand watched as you gathered your things from around his study, then headed towards him. 
“Sleep for a bit, okay?” you looked him in the eyes that looked a dull mauve instead of the vibrant violet, and so your tone was demanding rather than suggesting. He nodded. You leaned down and kissed the top of his head while he squeezed your hand. 
“Bye, Y/n,” he spoke in a raspy voice. 
Shutting the study door behind you, you winnowed to the House of Wind where your beautiful mate you hadn’t seen since this morning would be. Sleeping most likely, given the time, but your eyes craved to see his face regardless. Your ears longed for his voice, and your body yearned for his touch. Before last night, it had been a while since you had spoken, truly spoken to Azriel. Most of your interactions as of late were restricted to greetings and farewells: a simple “enjoy your breakfast” with a kiss on the cheek before you left the house and a “hi Azzie” whispered into the darkness of your bedroom with a kiss to the lips delivered to his slumbering form. As late as it was, you were selfish enough to wish Azriel wasn’t asleep. 
Your shoes were quiet as they hit the marble flooring of the House of Wind. The living room was quiet, the only state you had known it to be in for the past month. A glass of whiskey sat half empty on the side table next to the sofa meaning Azriel had been drinking. Worry filled you instantly. You’d found something similar last night as well, and Azriel only drank alone when he was upset about something. You knew for a fact he had been alone because the rest of the IC members were busy dealing with their issues. 
Tossing your things on the sofa, you headed to your shared bedroom. There wasn’t a sound coming from inside so you guessed he was asleep. However, once inside, you could see Azriel’s silhouette sitting on the bed's edge in the room's low light. 
You nearly cried with happiness. You had missed him so dearly that you would kill for even a few minutes of simply being awake at the same time as him. Slowly, you headed towards your mate. 
“How come you’re awake?” you asked while approaching and braced your hands on his shoulders. Normally, with this proximity, Azriel’s hands would have automatically found your waist, or, if he was feeling a bit mischievous, groped your ass. But when he did neither, your brows furrowed in concern. Your hands traveled down to his neck and you felt tension there. 
He was stressed about something. 
“Azriel?” you questioned, crouching down in front of him. “What's up, baby?” you asked softly, stroking his cheek with your knuckles. 
His hazel eyes, dull and sad, moved to yours. Your heart broke at the pain they held and you felt the immediate need to fight the cause of this pain. He simply stared at you, unsaying, but a rush of insecurity and stress flooded the bond like a dam had been broken. You gasped from the intensity of the emotions, taking a second to stabilise yourself.
Once you had your bearings, one simple question remained in your head. 
“Why?” you voiced. “What happened?” 
“A-” he started and looked down. “Are we breaking up?” he asked in a broken voice. 
You were taken aback by the question, brows raising at the sheer absurdity the statement held. 
“What? No! Of course not!” you replied. Your hands tightly held his, squeezing in reassurance. “Why would you think that, sweetheart?” 
He looked down at your hands that held his, thumbs stroking his with featherlight touches. “Lately you’ve been cancelling all our plans to work. And I know you’re busy, I understand that. But I guess, after a certain point it started feeling like it was partially because you didn't want to be around me,” Azriel hesitantly admitted.
If your heart was broken before, this confession just broke the broken pieces further. Suddenly it made sense what he was talking about last night about you lying about missing him. Still, you could not believe your ears. Yes, work had been stressful and had led you to cancel plans, but you hadn’t realised the extent…to the point where it started feeling like neglect to Azriel. You felt nothing short of appalled with your actions. 
You looked down in disbelief, shaking your head. “Baby, I-” you looked back up to his face. “I am so sorry.” Tears flooded your eyes as you digested the extent of Azirels insecurity, and felt that loneliness down the bond. 
“I am so sorry, Azriel,” you choked out. “I cannot believe I let it get this bad.” You sniffled. “But remember this Azriel: We are never, ever, ever, breaking up, okay? I love you so much! I know I have cancelled way too many plans lately, but I swear, darling, not a single one of those was because I didn't want to see you or be around you. There is nothing I wanted to do all day except be with you and talk to you and listen about your day, I swear, baby,” you ranted. 
A small smile appeared on his lips and he pulled you up to sit next to him on the bed. “Really?” he asked. 
“Really,” you assured, bringing his hands up and placing a firm kiss on them. “I love you, Azzie,” you whispered, resting your cheek on his hands. 
“I love you,” he whispered back. 
You got up from the bed and moved onto his lap, wrapping your arms around his neck and hugging Azirel close to you. It was a hug you both needed, assurance and intimacy you both craved in the moment. The bond on Azriel’s side was still open and you felt the insecurity dissipating, being replaced by assurance, security and relief. 
You kissed the top of his head a few times, then tipped his face up towards yours and placed a firm, long-lasting kiss on his lips. Both of you sighed into it, holding onto each other a bit tighter and smiled brightly while letting go.
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yaksha-lover · 6 months
Text
Thus Always to Tyrants
Summary: Lilia has always been an enigma to you; slipping through your fingers at every attempt to get close - follows fae!reader’s relationship with lilia from childhood to the war to present day in briar valley
Lilia Vanrouge x Fae!Reader, small background Meleanor x reader hehe
wc: 3.8k
cw: i’m too into medieval fantasy so i created unnecessary lore (clown noises), also i haven’t read book 7 so prob butchered canon, (but spoilers), angst, grief, unrequited (?) love, pining, mild description of war events/tragedy
Even then, he hadn’t seen you. Before the wars and before the bloodshed, when there’d only been long grass to tickle your ankles and azure skies allowing you to guess at clouds, Lilia had never seen you.
There’d always been something, someone, to distract him.
At least, that’s what you tell yourself. It’s easier this way, to imagine that there’s something other than disinterest and disgust keeping you apart.
The forests of Briar Valley are filled with pine trees, their scent so potent you wished you could bottle the air and take it home.
That was where you and Meleanor had met Lilia. You’d grown up in the royal castle, the two of you spending afternoons giggling about the latest court gossip and eating all the sweets you could before the queen could scold her daughter.
That day is one of your fondest memories, and not entirely because of him. The trunk of the giant oak tree was hard against your back, but you hadn’t been able to think about anything but the feel of your princess’ head in your lap. She’d simply closed her eyes and demanded you read to her, dark hair spilling around your legs.
“As you wish, Mel,” you’d agreed, gathering up one of her favourite books.
She’d only popped an eye open to tease you. “Mel, is it? Not princess? Perhaps I should have you punished for such transgressions~” She giggled.
“If I am to be placed in the dungeon, then who will feed you ice cream and read to you, dear princess?” you countered, ruffling her hair.
“Hmm, I suppose your insubordination will have to forgiven…but only if you allow me to remain on your lap for an adequate amount of time. Any sooner, and I’ll have to punish you myself~”
She was temperamental yet whimsical, delighting you as much as she terrified you. Mostly, Meleanor was your best friend. Your only friend, truly. There weren’t many children your age around the castle; you were only there because your father sat on the high council as the master of coin.
After you’d been reading aloud to her for some time, a sudden rustle in the trees caught the both of you off guard. The princess had jumped up quickly, all the combat lessons she’d taken with the head of the Queen’s guard finally paying off.
Out from the vegetation, a short, dark-haired fae who looked to be around your age emerged. He was fitted in what could only be described as rags; torn and stained all over. Despite his disheveled look, you thought he had a certain charm about him.
Meleanor, who’d grown taller than you ages ago, towered over him. It was almost a pitiful sight.
The princess had narrowed her eyes and asked: “Where have you come from?”
“Nowhere,” he’d answered simply, looking down at his feet. “I’m no one.”
That was the meekest you’d ever seen him, no indication of his true vibrant personality.
From that day in the forest, Lilia had been with you. Meleanor had begged the queen to let him stay in the castle, to grow up with you and her as another companion. The princess’ tears worked especially well on her mother, so of course she’d gotten her way.
As she grew up, the princess only became more and more beautiful. You weren’t the only one who noticed, either. The three of you were still young at the time, but Lilia seemed fond and more than fond of Meleanor. The princess returned his affections, but perhaps not with the same intent; she almost smote him when he’d jokingly proposed to her with a ring of grass. It made you angry, for a while. She was your friend first, and now Lilia had come to hog all her time and attention.
It was hard to see your only friend pulled in a new direction, especially one that seemed so far away from you. That was back when you were small; things settled quickly after that, with the three of you falling easily into friendship. There would still be times, occasionally, when you were envious of the friendship shared by Meleanor and Lilia, but it was on both ends. You simply wished to be included, not to have the princess or Lilia all to yourself. That was never a possibility, after all.
As you grew, it wasn’t long before Meleanor fell in love with Levan. You’d been…annoyed, at first, at how fast your friend had seemed to leave you behind yet again.
“You promised to take me flying today, dear princess,” you’d said, trying and failing to keep the gloom out of your voice. “Don’t you remember?”
Meleanor looked up from brushing her hair, making eye contact with you through the mirror. “Forgive me, I cannot turn away Levan…my heart will not let me.”
“But it will let you turn me away?”
She turned now, facing you directly, some of her signature anger evident in her expression. Her violent temper only seemed her grow with her adolescence. “Stop this foolishness! You are my friend, but Levan is my beloved. If you find issue with that, you will leave my castle at once.”
As though you couldn’t feel more humiliated, she’d moved, stopping in front of you and tilting your chin to meet her gaze. “Do you understand?”
“Yes,” you’d whispered, wondering when things had changed.
And then she’d pulled you into her arms, and suddenly she’d felt all too familiar again, hugging you and telling you she loved you, asking you to always stay by her side. As her dearest friend.
Being cold to Levan only pushed you further from Meleanor, so you were forced to accept his presence. Once the initial hostility dissipated, you found that Levan was quite pleasant.
If Meleanor was always destined to be with another, then you were happy it was someone as great as Levan, at the very least. With your princess’ time now being taken up by her lover, you and Lilia spent much more time alone together than before.
The first time you had the courage to broach the subject of marriages and pairings had done nothing but splash the cold water of Lilia’s indirect rejection on to you. With how cold and empty you felt, it was as though the shivers went bone deep.
Your father had insisted on looking for a match for you. A political marriage to improve your family’s standing, surely. You had protested and held it off as long as you could, but now his asks were becoming unavoidable.
You’d thought - hoped - that Lilia might be interested. He wouldn’t be your father’s number one choice, but he would still accept it; Lilia may not have been of noble birth, but his status as a respected general amongst the court bought him points. Marrying him would certainly be better than any stuffy old fae you’d be forced to settle down with.
It wasn’t just avoiding others, either. You wanted Lilia, as loathe as you were to admit. He was your friend, a close companion, and perhaps you’d even desired more.
It was difficult to voice to yourself that your affections went beyond platonic when you were not so delusional as to imagine that he felt the same in any way.
No, you felt like an afterthought to Lilia. As though you were merely Meleanor’s friend, and not his own. He wasn’t so kind to you as he was the princess, and the affection he held for her, although now platonic, went beyond anything you could imagine receiving from him. Even Levan seemed to bond with him easier than you had after knowing him for years. It was like he tolerated you more than anything; when Meleanor was off with Levan, you were the only option left.
It shouldn’t have hurt so much when he said he didn’t wish to marry. The ‘you’ part seemed unspoken, even though he claimed reasons of freedom and lifestyle instead of saying anything about you.
Regardless, he’d made the decision for you. Your father would ship you away from the castle, to be married to a stranger, leaving behind your beloved…friends.
At least he would have, had the war not begun so suddenly.
-
If you believed Lilia had hardened his heart to you before, then becoming a war general had hardened his heart to the world. Although it was the last thing on anyone’s minds, had you tried to bridge the gap between the two of you, not only would you have failed, but you might’ve gained a nice scar along with it.
To the untrained eye, Lilia seemed to thrive on the battlefield; swift with strength that went unmatched by any. But you knew better. There was a sense in which Lilia lost himself in action, where he seemed so distant from the boy you’d grown up with; perhaps it was his own way of coping with the horrors he’d been forced to experience, fae he fought alongside being slaughtered. In the end, it hadn’t mattered who they were before the battlefield; nobles and common folk alike fought and fell.
It was torturous to wait out the war in the castle. Every letter that came made your heart race, fear taking ahold as you read through the list of your fallen companions. It almost seemed inevitable that one day Lilia or Levan might appear on the list and send you into despair. Your only saving grace was Meleanor, the two of you keeping quiet company during this time, both not allowed to join the conflict and feeling useless for it.
You begged your father to let you join Lilia; you weren’t the most skilled fighter, but your healing magic excelled beyond any other, and you could hold your own for the most part. He’d denied you until so many had been lost that the queen asked for your service. None of you had known just how close tragedy was, how your departure for Lilia’s camp would mean leaving behind your beloved princess to die.
-
“Go back,” Lilia had growled at you. It was the very first thing he’d said since you’d come to his camp.
“I’m here to help, instead of rotting away in the castle while my people suffer!” You’d followed after him as he strutted between tents, giving orders to the other soldiers.
He’d shook his head, glaring at you. “You’re a spoiled little noble, you know nothing of the battlefield. Go back home. It’s not safe here.”
“I know I’m sheltered, but I’d like to try and help where I can! I don’t care what happens to me.”
Lilia stopped in his tracks, not facing you as he spoke.
“You don’t care? You’re selfish, you know that? What would Meleanor do without you? What would I-” He shook his head. “I don’t have time for this. Go back. Don’t make me make you.”
“Perhaps I am selfish, but what about me, Lilia? Shouldn’t it matter that I can’t possibly imagine a life where we’re not together, fighting side by side?” Your voice goes quiet. “I had a dream, an awful dream. One where you were dead…I’m afraid. I don’t want that dream to become real.”
You’d thought, for a moment, that his hardened gaze had wavered, but the next second, he’d ordered one of his subordinates to take you back to the castle. Perhaps the softness you believed you saw within him was only a trick of the light.
-
You’d been a fool. A fool in grief and despair, but a fool nonetheless.
Meleanor’s death had pulled you away from yourself, made you into some automaton which possessed none of your good qualities, for which you had to wonder if there were any to begin with. She’d been your friend, your only family. You should’ve been with her; you should’ve died with her. You should’ve done anything you could, and you’d failed.
It was only by a day that you’d left the castle and missed the fight that occurred.
Meleanor fought bravely, a knight had told you. And Meleanor died.
You waited for Lilia to come back. To come home to you. Your heart sang, a brief reprieve from all the aching when you found out he was alive; he was all you had left.
He never came, at least not to see you.
You fled the castle. There’d been no goodbyes to your father and no concern for Meleanor’s child.
If she’d been around, she surely would have killed you for your selfishness, but your head swam with grief and so you left everything behind.
-
It had been…surprising, to hear from Malleus. You’d heard amidst your travels that your father still sat on the small council, so perhaps he’d heard of you from him, considering they were together in Briar Valley. Who else would have known about you and your relationship with his mother?
There was General Vanrouge, but he…why would he even mention you at this point?
You’d taken to calling him that in your mind, if only to distance yourself a little more from your past. You heard he’d returned to Briar Valley years after you’d departed, but other than acting as a guardian for the prince and a curious human boy, you had no idea what he was up to.
It was a wonder the world was as big as it was, meaning you’d never run into the general during your travels.
And here, on the desk of your hostel, sat a letter from the crown prince. Your Meleanor’s son. The one you’d left behind.
With the distance of time, a new feeling stirs in your chest. One of unease and shame, yet another failure to the Draconia’s. You hoped the boy was doing well. Would it even be possible to accept if he wasn’t?
Well, he was asking, along with Meleanor’s mother, that you pay them a visit once again. The Queen…you’d abandoned her too, in a way. You dared not hope that she thought of you as another one of her children, but in a way, you’d loved her as a mother.
Heat burned at your cheeks. With your focus on Meleanor, Lilia, and Levan, you’d forgotten there were more people you considered your family. More people that you’d left behind in Briar Valley.
After all this time, you owed them an explanation, no, an apology. You owed them your return home.
-
Malleus greets you at the gates.
You’re stunned, for a moment. Dark locks of long hair sprawled elegantly across his shoulders, two curved horns peaking out from his head. Piercing green eyes that look into your soul.
He’s the spitting imagine of your best friend.
You try to move forward, but a green-haired fae stops you in your tracks, moving between you and Malleus.
“Keep your distance! Have some respect for your Prince!”
Malleus is quick to shake his head. “Leave them be, Sebek. This is Lord Tyrell’s child. My mother’s childhood friend.”
Sebek is quick to step-aside, bowing before you in apology, allowing you to step forward and hug Malleus. He’s motionless for a moment, and you’re worried you’ve crossed his boundaries, before he slowly slides his arms around your back, returning the hug.
“The resemblance between you and your mother…it is truly incredible. Pardon me for getting emotional, but I wasn’t expecting you to look so grown up…last I saw, you were merely an egg.”
He looks at you, smiling gently. “It’s nice to meet a friend of my mother’s. I feel I hardly know anything about her. Even Lilia refuses to speak of her.”
Your heart stirs at the mention of your former friend’s name. “I hope I can provide some memories of her.” You look away from him. “I only wish I could’ve done so sooner…I apologize, Malleus. I should have been here for you, just as Lilia was. I should have taken care of you, not left you behind when you were only a child…”
He shakes his head once again. “You are here now. That is all that matters.”
“Thank you, I hardly deserve your kindness.”
He returns your smile. “It is what my mother would have wished for, is it not?”
-
He leads you through the halls of the castle, but you wouldn’t have needed his help to get around. Every wall in the castle is burned into your brain, engrained with a variety of memories.
The halls are vastly the same as you remember; the same silver trim, the velveteen carpets, and the Draconia sigil hung on banners.
Only one thing stands out as different to you: there’s one more portrait than before.
Normally the Draconia family portraits were done about every century, so it made sense that one had been added semi-recently. This one is just of Malleus and Maleficia, occupying a rather empty-looking frame. Even if you didn’t know about Meleanor and Levan, you would know something was missing from it.
Your train of thought is interrupted by the appearance of a Silver-haired boy. He pauses to stare at you for a moment before smiling.
“You must be MC. Father has told me so much about you.” He bows lightly.
“You’re Silver? Lilia’s boy?” You take his hands in yours. “It’s very nice to meet you.”
“And you as well. We’ve promised to help some of the younger knights with their training, so Sebek and I won’t be able to stay for dinner, but I hope you’ll stick around. It would be nice to hear about you from more than the stories my father shares.”
“I’ve been gone so long, I certainly intend to stay for a while. Maybe I’ll be able to tell you some stories of your father when he was younger.”
With a nod, Silver is off.
Malleus leads you into the dining room and you catch your first glimpse of Lilia Vanrouge in over a century.
-
He’s different and the same, all at once. He’s maintained his youthful looks, but his hair has radically changed; cropped and pink, where it once flowed in its red glory.
You turn to greet Maleficia first, bowing in front of her. “It is an honour to dine with you, your grace.”
“Stop that nonsense. Come to me, my dear. It’s been ages since I’ve seen you.”
The queen embraces you gently in her frail frame.
“I am truly sorry,” you whisper.
“It’s already forgotten,” she whispers back. “The past is the past, and we are here now. Please, take a seat, so we may dine together once again.”
Maleficia and Malleus sit at the head of the table on each side, so you take your place across from Lilia.
“It’s nice to see you again,” you offer.
“You as well,” Lilia replies, seemingly at a loss.
The dinner proceeds, Maleficia and Malleus asking questions about your travels. Lilia chimes in occasionally, but he’s uncharacteristically silent. Or perhaps characteristically? You hardly know him anymore, after all.
Once the final course comes and goes, Maleficia stands from the table. “Malleus, let us take our tea in the garden today. I believe these two have a lifetime of catching up to do.”
With that, the two of them are off.
-
“I missed you.” You don’t intend the words to come, but they spill out of your heart anyway.
“As did I.”
You fidget with the cutlery in front of you. “You’re still so formal with me after all this time. Have we truly become strangers?”
“You could never be a stranger to me. Not a day has gone by without you being in my thoughts.”
“And yet you never went looking for me. You returned to the castle only after I left, starting a family, raising Silver and Malleus…”
“They needed me. You know that.”
“You left me. You were all I had left after…I would have done anything, followed you anywhere. I would have helped you take care of Silver, Malleus. But you left without saying a thing.”
“I never knew…”
“Of course you did. Everyone did.”
“Nothing good would have come from us being together.”
“At least you’re finally being honest about your feelings. If you hated me as I feared, you should have sent me away the moment I came.”
“Hate? No, it was never like that. The distance between us…it seemed quite impossible to traverse.”
“Distance? We grew up in the same castle for hundreds of years…”
“That’s not what I was referring to.”
“Then to what?”
“You know how they all thought of me. The senate, your father, all believed I never deserved to be so close to you and Mel-” Lilia takes a moment to breathe. “To you and the princess.”
The mention of her name has you squeezing your eyes closed. Even after hundreds of years, it hurts to remember your beloved friend, her sweet memory tainted with the despair of her death. “Why does it matter what they thought?”
“They never would have allowed it. You know that.”
“No, that’s not true. My father said…”
“He lied. He was the first to send me away after her death.”
“He what? I- I was told you left, torn apart by grief.”
“I was in pain, but I always planned to return home…return to you. But the senate, they declared that there was no place at court for me anymore. That I failed- I failed at protecting Meleanor.”
A short silence rings between you. It’s perhaps the first time either of you have heard her name said aloud in centuries.
“I’m sorry,” you say. “I never knew.”
“I never wanted you to. I’d rather you hate me than your family.”
“I understand. But you were my family, too. Perhaps the only one who truly had my best interests in mind and not some political scheming or such. And now look at you: Silver, Sebek, Malleus. Against all odds, you’ve found yourself a new family.” While I’ve ended up alone, you don’t say.
“You know I’ve always said, families are better the bigger they are. Perhaps it’s far too late, but-”
“Later’s better than never.”
A moment of understanding passes between you two, perhaps for the first time.
“Your hair…you look quite different from when I last saw you.”
“Hmm, Red was going out of style, I suppose. Although I’m sure you wish I hadn’t changed it. You always did prefer red.”
You shake your head softly. “Perhaps in the past, but we’ve both changed, haven’t we? No, I was going to say that it becomes you.”
The silence that settles between you is filled by an exchange of gentle smiles and a skimming of one hand over the other, until the two finally link together.
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arkhammaid · 7 months
Text
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— ˚₊‧⁺˖ THE WORDSMITH.
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fandom. formula one
pairing. charles leclerc x author fem!reader (fc: none)
about. bestseller author genevieve dedicates her newest book to a special person. the internet tries to find out who it is
content warnings. social media au, not edited/proofread
notes. who doesn't dream about being a world famous author?
GENEVIEVE_UPDATES
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liked by pierregasly, charles_leclerc and 10'883 others
genevieve_updates The dedication in the newest Bestseller 'When We Were Wallflowers', by @/genevieve. For the first time in her career she mentiones a partner, calling him 'my love' and surprisingly also 'mon coeur'. Who could her beau be?
user NO MOTHER IS NO LONGER SINGLE
⤷ user my life is officially over...
user HE'S THE REASON WHY WE HAVE THE BEST ROMANCE BOOK OF THE DECADE THANK YOU DAD
⤷ user parents fr 🙏🙏🙏
user "our story now forever immortal and never forgotten" AND WHAT IF I CRY
user don't know if i should cry tears from sadness that mom is taken or happiness that mom is taken
⤷ user at least he makes her happy (delulu)
⤷ user you're so right, tears of happiness then
user THE F1 X GENEVIEVE CROSSOVER IS HAPPENING??
⤷ user SO I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO NOTICED PIERRE IN THE LIKES
⤷ user charles as well???
⤷ user hello wtf is happening SINCE WHEN DO THEY READ??
user "YOUR WORDSMITH"???? am i the only one loosing my mind over this
⤷ user no. i just haven't recovered yet
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GENEVIEVE
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liked by pierregasly, charles_leclerc, haileybieber and 503'002 others
genevieve My summer was filled with flowers and love, so much love. It has given me enough inspiration to write yet another romance book, even if I promised to return to my beloved fantasy. Yet when the heart calls... who am I to refuse? 'Reverie, Lost in your Love' will be published in November '24!
user HOLY SHIT WE'RE GETTING FED FR
user SHE NAMED HER NEW BOOK REVERIE I CAN NOT
⤷ user reverie: a state of being pleasantly lost in your thoughts, almost dreaming
⤷ user mom is big brained fr "lost in your love"? yes, yes i will be
haileybieber I will be (im)patiently waiting, as always 💗
⤷ genevieve And I will be sending you the first draft, as always
⤷ user their friendship is so dear to me 🥹🥹
⤷ user icons supporting icons i fear
⤷ user auntie hailey better drop some spoilers!!!
zendaya We're getting another romance by our queen! Rejoice!!
⤷ user DAYA IS LIKE US FR
⤷ user WEWOOO SHE READS GENEVIEVE
user i just know the cover will be serving cunt (in the most beautiful flowers)
user REVERIE REVERIE REVERIE
user only four months left... only four months left......
pierregasly super liked by pierre gasly
⤷ user why is he so unserious 😭
⤷ user "super liked" goddamn we're finally reaching the part where he will rate posts he likes
CHARLES_LECLERC
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liked by pierregasly, andferrari007, arthur_leclerc and 1'032'883 others
charles_leclerc Nothing better than summer, sun, beach and a good book in my hands. And of course good company 😉
user the tan 🫠🫠
user IS THAT A GENEVIEVE BOOK??
⤷ user oh my god you're right
⤷ user and it's one of her fantasy ones, from her fae series 👀
⤷ user charles has taste
user first he's in her likes and now he's reading her books... how do we tell him
⤷ user hear me out, genevieve and charles *gets shot*
⤷ user KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT, MOM DESERVES SO MUCH BETTER THAN HIM
⤷ user i trust in mom and i trust that she wouldn't fall for a vroom vroom man
pierregasly you already finished the other books?
⤷ charles_leclerc Breezed through them 😆
⤷ arthur_leclerc He's waiting for November
⤷ pierregasly aren't we all?
user the filter is back..
⤷ user the filter never left
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GENEVIEVE
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liked by charles_leclerc, zendaya, gigihadid and 3'029'746 others
genevieve "J'adore ton sourire, ma belle." I remember hearing these words for the first time, I remember his own smile he gave me back then, and I just knew, I love him. Thank you, Charlie, mon coeur, for standing by my side, for being my inspiration, my defender against the cursed writer's block. Your passion inspires me to write even more, so I'm proud to announce once again, another romance book. 'Winterbliss and Midnightkiss' will be available in March '25.
charles_leclerc Tu es incroyable, ma belle ❤️
⤷ genevieve Right back at you, my champion
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ARKHAM MAID 2024
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First: once you know something’s name you have power over it. This is an old, old rule. Be careful giving out your name, because if it can be given it can be taken, and you along with it.
Second: the fae love beautiful things, and they will steal what they love. Sometimes it is to keep the object of their affection pristine and unaging, unravaged by time; sometimes it is just for the sake of having it. (They don’t love in the same way we do.)
Third: a changeling is a replica created to hide a theft. Sometimes it is a fae creature fully alive and wearing a stolen face. Sometimes it is simply a bundle of branches wrapped in magic, meant to die a wasting death and leave mourners who never suspect the truth.
Last: our city was beautiful. It was known far and wide, and because of that had names spoken in many different tongues. But it was not so hard to gather them all, in the end.
The changeling city was built in a night. The elf-queen fell in love with it, the story goes, and she had to have it. The sun on the far side of the equinox rose to find our city had been stolen from under us, and an imperfect imitation left in its place. Those who had known it their whole life found it suddenly strange underfoot, unfamilar and uncanny. Something woven of branches wrapped in magic, meant to die a wasting death and leave mourners who never suspected the truth.
And yet. What does a changeling want? It exists to hide a theft and then to die. What does it want?
A city can die. A city can be dying. So a city must then also be able to live. A city grows and changes and devours itself to grow further. Cities are hungry. A city kept unaging and untouched will starve to death: it becomes its own mausoleum. (Our city, the stolen city, is pristine and unaging and unravaged by time, in the elf-queen’s land. It is also dead.)
Our city, the changeling city, was meant to die - and so it must have been living, and living things want to keep living. We want it to keep living. We tear down buildings and raise new ones, pave and repave old streets, dig deep into the earth below, coax the borders ever outward like creeping vines. The changes tear open the glamor. The cobweb-thick veil of magic bubbles and warps around new steel girders and road salts, the slow march forward of time and architecture and the tides of humanity. It is how we discover the theft. But even then our city, the changeling city, was already too much something-else to be sent back wholesale. We would not burn it.
Our city becomes stranger around each new rupture point. Marble crumbles into ancient seashells when we tear down old buildings for the stone. When we dig downward into what should be ancient, buried streets, ready to excavate and tunnel, we find untouched cave systems full of silver trees, perfect unmoving imitations of life. Sometimes the cobblestones shake loose and you can see tiles of lapis lazuli and bone laid below them. Some streets writhe like snakes, or unname themselves. In the oldest parts of the city, which we have altered the least, there are buildings that have electricity and running water and heat, even though there is nothing in the bundled-branch walls but kudzu.
This strangeness, the way it shifts and contorts as it grows into something new, is as much part of our city as the image of the stolen city is. The changeling city is a branch grafted into another tree, bearing the first blooms of something the roots were never meant to support. But bloom it does. There are people born in this city, now, who never knew the stolen one at all. People who will never, in all their lives and all the world, feel at home anywhere else, nor know another place half as well.
What does a changeling want? It exists to hide a theft, but what does it want? To be allowed to be. To grow beyond the image it was made in. This is not our city, the stolen city. And yet this is our city. Ever-changing and ravaged by time and alive, it is our city.
It has its own name by now, but you will never know it. We have lost, and learned, and love too dearly to lose this one.  
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lqveharrington · 3 months
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Feelings Mutual | C.G.
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summary: Your forced to hangout with Cardan at the High King’s birthday celebration. Turns out, you both make stupid decisions when drunk. And what’s the fine line between hatred and love between two being who can’t lie anyway?
pairing: Cardan Greenbriar x half fae!fem!reader
includes: drunk Cardan, drunk reader, cursing, making out, suggestiveness, no use of Y/N, barely proofread (i think that’s it)
a/n: i’m on a reading spree, and working on my projects, so this should help get me out of a huge writing slump.
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In Faerie, it was uncommon for a half fae, half human being to be a princess in the court. Your father — the King of one of the many lands — wed a human woman, causing you to become the land’s princess. Of course many of the court thought that you were lesser than them; For such a creation should never hold that high of a status.
Ever since you were younger, you often attended lessons with the High King’s youngest child. At first, you sought out to befriend him and his group of friends. But you soon found out that they loathed you. Because how could a halfling ever be a worthy princess?
So you gave up trying to befriend them. You let the group taunt you for not being full fae, but what was the worst thing they could do? You still were a daughter of a very powerful king. The very king that was the closest with the High King himself.
You and your family were constantly invited to all their gatherings, and this one wasn’t an exception. It was the High King’s birthday, which meant all of Faerie was invited to Elfhame palace to celebrate such a day. The only issue with that meant your father and mother urged you to talk to Cardan and his group.
“Mother, they don’t like me.” You wring your hands together, fidgeting with your silver jewelry.
She clicked her tongue, “Nonsense. Prince Balekin spoke of how much Cardan talks about you when he comes home from your lessons.”
“Wait what?” Your eyes widen at her in disbelief. “Mother, I’m sure they’re words of hate.”
“Is it because you don’t like your dress? Are you afraid they’ll hate it?” She tugged you to stand in front of herself. “You look gorgeous, angel.”
You purse your lips at her compliment. You truly loved the dress. It was a beautiful sage color that complimented your skin tone completely, and the corset really did wonders. There were gorgeous lace details of butterflies that were a shade darker, with a slit running down one side of the dress. It was beautiful, but you feared that it was much too modern for Faerie, causing your thoughts to wander to how Cardan’s friends would insult it.
“No, I love the dress, mother.” You give her a tight lipped smile, squeeze her hands. “If you truly wish for me to find Cardan, I’ll go and be friendly so you and father can enjoy your time here.”
“Thank you.” She pressed a kiss to your forehead and a real smile etched its way onto your face.
“Be safe, alright?” Your father squeezed your shoulder before leaning down to whisper words your mother couldn’t hear. “If trouble comes, you know what I’ve taught you. You have your dagger?”
Your lips twitch in excitement, “Of course.”
“Then you’re all set then, kiddo.” He gave you one last look before resting an arm around your mother’s waist. “I’ll come find you when it’s time for us to depart.”
You nod before taking a small bow. You watched them leave and make their way to the throne, immediately engaging with the High King and Queen. They seemed happy, which made you glad that they accepted your mother as their own. Shaking your head, you took a deep breath and blew out the air in one go. Carefully, you made your way over to Cardan. Luckily, he was on his own for once.
“Cardan.” You nod in his direction, watching his dark eyes with flecks of gold suddenly gazing into yours. Without fail, his eyes roam over your body, tail whipping behind himself after gaining someone’s attention.
“Princess! Don’t you look absolutely captivating tonight.” He slurred, red wine dripping out of his glass. “Welcome to my humble abode.”
You raised a brow at the prince. From what you could recall, he didn’t live inside the palace walls. And there wasn’t a chance he could lie either. “You don’t live here.”
“I used to.” He tipped his glass up to his wine stained lips, taking in the drink whilst taking in the sight of you.
“Where are your—“ You use your hand to gesture in the air as you grab your own glass of wine from a server passing buy. Unsure of how to word your question, you sip on the wine, immediately hit by its strength. “Where are your friends, I should say.”
“Off to bother some mortal or do something stupid.” He smiles in your direction as you down your drink and reach for another. “What’s upsetting you, princess?”
“Nothing.” You tilt your head toward him, eyes flicking down from his strange stare to his stained lips. “Just want time to move faster.”
“How drunk do you want to get?” He leans closer to you, fingers itching to pull you into him.
You place a hand to his mouth and push him further away from yourself. He hums as he traces his finger over his empty wine glass.
“How many glasses have you had, Cardan?” You tip back your third drink, missing his smirk while he watches.
“Enough.”
“Enough to forget?” You turn toward the table and grab the strongest drink, carefully downing the drink.
His shadow towers over you as his breath tickles your neck, “Forget what exactly, love?”
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“I hate you.” You say against Cardan’s lips, arms loosely hanging around his neck. “I hate you so much.”
He continues to push you backwards as he slams the door behind him, hands finding their place around your waist. “Feelings mutual, princess.”
Letting your hand thread through his hair, you pull him in for a more heated kiss, tugging ever so slightly at his roots. Cardan groans against your lips, pulling your body closer to his.
“This is such a stupid idea.” You unwillingly part as he drops you down on a bed — hopefully one that used to be his. You let out a small gasp as he litters soft kisses on your throat and down to your exposed collar bone. Your hands find his shoulders, pulling him impossibly closer. “Cardan—“
“Yes, love?” He slowly makes his way back up to your lips, pressing short kisses as you try to make sense of the situation. He stops attacking you with his lips, staring and waiting for you to continue.
You shake your head, eyes glassy with drunkenness as you meet his gaze. “Kiss me.”
“You’re too perfect for me.” He groans again, tasting the red wine from your lips as he kisses you harder. “God, I hate you.” Cardan mumbles as he lets his hands wander over your body, refraining from the more private areas at the moment.
Cardan allows you to wander over his own body, feeling you fidget with the hem of his shirt. Letting your hands slip underneath his shirt, you let out a small sigh before flipping the both of you over. You quickly toss your dagger onto the floor before meeting his lips again, the kiss heightening all your profound feelings.
As minutes turned into an hour more, you both fell into a pit of no return. The shared kisses were intensified, and without either party having a clear mind or being sober, neither could stop the motions that lulled them both to sleep very late into night.
It wasn’t until early afternoon that the pair awoke to the sounds of pounding at the door and a splitting headache.
“Your highness, your father is looking for you.” The voice called from outside the wooden doors, causing you to groan and bury your head into the warmth emitting from your bed.
A beat passed before the pounding occurred once more.
“Your highness—!”
“In a minute!” Cardan shouted, eyes shut from the dizziness and hangover. “For fucks sake…”
Your eyes widen at the voice, head rushing up before falling back down at the impact of a jaw. “Shit, that hurt.” You mutter, wincing when you felt the hangover hit you. Slowly, you remove yourself from Cardan’s arm, slightly frowning when you saw him rubbing his jaw. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to slam into you…”
“I think that’s the least of our concerns.” He grumbled, glaring at the door again.
He pushed himself up from the bed, eyes raking over your appearance. He smirked over at you before leaning against the headboard. You crease your brows before looking down and realizing whose clothes you were in — crossing your arms over the loose shirt.
“Princess, I think your father will be a little disappointed in you.”
“Why is that?” You roll your eyes at him, keeping one arm over Cardan’s shirt while running your free hand through your hair.
Your bored gaze meet his amused one, watching him tilt his head. You look away as you weren’t necessarily hiding the fact that you were eyeing his bare chest either.
He pulled you into his chest, despite your halfhearted protests. “Because you have hickeys all over your skin.” Cardan presses a kiss to your cheek, causing your breath to hitch.
All the memories from last name came rushing in, warmth filling your body at the thoughts. Your eyes flit to your dress and dagger scattered across his floor, still thinking of the punishment to come.
However, you did not regret him.
“I don’t think we drank enough last night.” You twist in his arms, lips barely touching his.
“I don’t think so.” He lands a soft kiss to your lips. “I still hate you, love.”
“Feelings mutual.” You straddle over his hips and rest your forehead on his, both your heads still pounding from last night’s activities.
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©lqveharrington - all rights reserved. do not copy, translate or share my work on other media platforms
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fanwarriorfictions · 5 months
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Not Again - Part Thirteen
Summary: With Y/n reunited with her family, her and Az must face their inevitable fate, the exact reason Azriel hid the mating bond in the first place, their ending.
Warnings: ANGST!!!!! Light smut, and more angst
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-Part Thirteen-
With a sword pressed to his back, dangerously close to his wings, he really should have listened. Azriel did the opposite, holding Y/n tighter to his chest, the words not quite registering, only the immediate danger to him, to his mate. Shadows swarmed around them, ready to defend, to kill.
“Gods,” Y/n groans, harshly pulling away, glaring over his shoulder, “Could you not?”
Azriel didn’t let her go far, instinct screaming to protect her from whatever dangers were behind him. His hand firmly holds hers as he turns to look over his shoulder, finding that sword still leveled at him, and a large fae male behind it. If Azriel wasn’t so concerned with protecting his mate, he’d be more than a little nervous of the foreboding male.
White hair, braided back from his face, sprawling tattoos going down one side, continuing to his neck, and onto the arm holding his weapon, in a language Azriel couldn’t read. The male was large, he could put even Cassian to shame in sheer size, daggers strapped to every part of his body, clad in fighting leathers. His green eyes were narrowed, lethal focus on Azriel, on the hand holding Y/n’s. Azriel almost snarled that attention, Y/n beat him to it.
Teeth bared at the male, she growls, “Put your sword down.”
Azriel’s shadows were frantically swirling around and around, trying to hide her from the male’s view. She hisses at them, and as if they answered to her, they backed off.
“I’ll kill him,” the male replies coldly, voice like the harshest winter.
“Now is not the time for you to go over protective dad mode,” she snaps at the male, “Put the sword down.”
And just like, the words finally register in Azriel’s mind. Take your hands off my daughter. Mother spare him, this was Rowan Whitethorn Galathynius, one of the most powerful fae males in her world, her father, here, in his home, speaking his language.
That revelation left him reeling. They’d opened a gate, she’d reunited with her family, and she was still here. Still with him.
“Threatening lover boy without me?”
He didn’t need to be told who the female was, Y/n had inherited the very cadence of her voice, that confidence, that soft, swirling accent. Queen Aelin Ashryver Whitethorn Galathynius, gods killer, his mate’s mother. From the stories she’d told him of both her parents, he wasn’t sure which one to be more terrified of. Perhaps the father who had just caught him thoroughly kissing his daughter.
“Mom please,” Y/n sighs, “He just woke up from almost dying. He doesn’t need you two threatening his life.”
“He seems fine,” the golden queen shrugs, turquoise eyes examining him intently, “Fine enough to be pawing after you like a dog.”
“Gods spare me,” Y/n groans beside him, resigned to whatever was about to happen.
Aelin stalks closer, Azriel felt like he was being hunted, maybe he should be more concerned about her. She moves with grace, surpassing that of usual fae stillness, an assassin, a warrior, a queen. There’s a brilliant blade in her hands, an ancient presence, something made like his dagger, like Gwydion. It has an intricate golden hilt, a large ruby set into the pommel, when she raises the sword, level with Azriel’s throat, golden flames coat the blade, hot enough to bring sweat to his brow in seconds.
Y/n hisses, shoving herself between Azriel and that sword of fire. Despite knowing that she was essentially fire proof, and that her mother would never willingly harm her, Azriel wraps his arm around her waist and pulls her to his chest, shadows tightening around them, ready to shield them.
Aelin’s eyes sparkle with amusement, practically twinkling in the light of her flames, “Don’t get all huffy, I only want to offer him some advice.”
“Is Goldryn necessary for that?” Y/n snaps, gripping onto Azriel’s arm.
Aelin ignores her daughter, looking directly into Azriel’s eyes, “I know what you did for her, all of it, the weight you shouldered alone.”
Azriel doesn’t miss the flash of emotion in Rowan’s face, that look of old pain. It echoes in Aelin’s, tinged with guilt. There was a story there, and it wasn’t a happy one.
“I know you took that arrow for her gladly,” the queen continues, “That you would do it again, my advice is simple, dying for her is easy, getting yourself killed in some heroic need to protect her, is easy, but in the end she’s the one who truly gets hurt, having to watch you die, having to live with that hole in her chest where you used to be.
“Live for her, fight for her, and know, that if you ever hurt her.” The fire on that ancient powerful blade burns brighter, hotter. “If she doesn’t do it for me first, I will kill you, and I know a thousand ways to do it, each more painful than the last.”
Azriel simply nods once, holding Y/n to him, she didn’t need to warn him, he would sooner die on his own blade than hurt the female in his arms. Aelin, seemingly satisfied, lowers that flaming sword, Rowan stepping to her side, that harsh glare, cold, promising a slow painful death, Aelin smiles warmly at her mate, a vicious gleam in her eye.
They made a menacing image, Azriel remembers teasing Y/n when she’d first arrived, of how it must have been to bring partners home, he understood why some ran screaming. He prayed they hadn’t brought the Witch Queen with them.
“As much as I love Azriel getting threatened by the in-laws.” Rhys casually strolls around the corner, hands in his pockets, “Would you all care for breakfast?”
Azriel gave his brother a scathing glare, opening his mind, you couldn’t have come to my rescue sooner?
You’re the one who shoved your tongue down their daughter’s throat, where we could all hear you might I add, Rhys grins, gesturing to the dining room behind him, “Shall we.”
Y/n had nervously placed herself between her mate and her parents, her mother by her side, unbelievably grateful for Cassian who had taken up the empty seat on Azriel’s right, Nesta beside him, taking up the rest of their side of the table.
There were to many glaring sets of eyes on Azriel to count, to his credit, he didn’t back down from any of them, that calm mask firmly in place as he met every single one.
“Well this is just wonderful isn’t it?” Rhys grins from ear to ear, fighting back a laugh when Feyre smacks his arm. “We’ve been getting acquainted with your new extended family, Az.”
Across from her sat her uncles, all glaring and sizing up Azriel like they were ready to leap across the table and tear him to shreds, all but Fenrys who was grinning just as devilishly as Rhys.
“You disappear for nearly two months and come back with a guy with wings,” he laughs, it seems almost threatening, “At least he’s pretty.”
“Debatable,” her father says quietly, stabing his fork into a poor unsuspecting strawberry on his plate.
Beside Fenrys, Lorcan looks almost as murderous as her father, glaring past her at her mate. Y/n doesn’t miss the way Cassian sizes her uncle up from Azriel’s side. Even sitting, Lorcan towers over everyone around him.
Aedion sat to his right, the wolf practically snarling. He might have been one of the most protective of her uncles, he’d had more than his fair share of scaring off her past partner’s. Lysandra beside him eyes narrowed as if she’d shift into an actual wolf, together they’d had boys screaming as they ran from her home.
“Hands off,” Y/n halfheartedly snaps at Fenrys, fighting to break some tension, “He’s mine.”
She can feel a ripple of satisfaction from Azriel. Again, Y/n sends the word down that bridge, mine. He entwines his hand with hers, squeezing once in response, mine.
On Fenrys’s other side sat Chaol and Yrene, Dorian at her side, they were the only ones not seemingly premeditating murder, but her uncle Dorian was a master of hiding his true thoughts. He could easily smile at someones face, and send a shard of ice into their back. Y/n thanked any god or mystical force, the mother, the cauldron, the Wyrd, that Manon was not with him.
The witch would never admit it, had only let Y/n call her aunt once in her life, but she was sure Manon had hunted down one of her poor exes. There was no tears shed when the male had wound up missing.
Beside Dorian sat Rhys, separate she wouldn’t have necessarily made the connection, but side by side, they look eerily similar. Raven black hair, sharp jawlines, the only major difference was the eyes, blue to violet.
“I recognize you,” her mother says from her side, eyes trained on the Lord and Lady down the long table, “This place.”
“I’d had a theory,” Rhys says, “When dear Y/n had described your journey through worlds.”
Y/n feels the dots connect, she’s surprised she hadn’t done it before. Her mother had told her of the world of stars she’d fallen through, the male who’d slowed her down enough so that she could go home. The wings, the heavily pregnant female, the night kissed power that had slammed into her.
“You’re the one who slowed me down,” Aelin says, leaning back in her seat at the revelation, “Thank you for that, if it wasn’t for you, I might have never made it home.”
Her father takes her hand in his, pausing his glaring at Azriel long enough to nod his thanks to Rhys, turning back to her mother, the tell tale sign of a silent conversation passing between them.
“You were that red star?” Nesta asks, leaning forward to peer around Cassian at Aelin, “But that was only a few years ago. That happened many many years ago according to Y/n.”
“Time was strange when I was falling,” Aelin explains, “I fell through worlds, moving forward and backward in time and place. I fell into your future, twenty odd years seemingly.”
There was a brief pause as everyone takes in the information. Only a few years ago, her mother had been here, falling through the sky like a red falling star, Y/n hadn’t even been born and yet she fell into this word only a few years later. It was hard to wrap her mind around.
Cassian seems to finally finish his thorough examination, breaking the silence that had fallen, “How tall are you really?”
Lorcan simply gave the male a incredulous look, “Tall.”
Cassian sighs, “Why is there another one, we’ve already got a tall dark broody with Az.”
Azriel glares at him, “Really?”
Y/n grins, chuckling under her breath as he gives her a near perfect match of her uncle’s look. His eyes light with amusement, lips twitching like he was fighting a grin.
Cassian leans his elbows one the table, with a feral grin, “I bet I could-“
“Don’t make bets you can’t win,” Lorcan interrupts.
“I could definitely win,” Cassian scoffs, crossing his arms over his broad chest, perhaps to look threatening.
“No,” Lorcan says simply, “You couldn’t.”
“Don’t mind him,” Aelin waves off Lorcan, “He’s just grouchy because his wife had to stay home to watch over things.”
Lorcan turns his glare on Aelin, she only gives him a sweet smile. It instantly gets beneath his skin, his hands clenching into fist on the table. No matter the years they’ve spent as friends, Aelin never failed to annoy the male.
Azriel gently squeezes her hand, saying down that bond, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, exact same infuriating smile.
Y/n simply gives him one of her own, turning to look at the room full of her family and his, who slowly open up into uneasy conversation.
Nesta looks half ready to corner Lysandra to wring her for shifting stories. Dorian and Rhys look like mirrors talking, Feyre, Chaol, and Yrene talking beside them, glancing between the two with similar expressions of confusion. Poor Lorcan was not getting away from Cassian, with the help of Fenrys and Aelin.
The only one still silent, still paying attention to their hands entwined between them, her father. Rowan glares intently at the connection between them, Y/n was half tempted to hide her hand below the table, Azriel wasn’t having any of it. He held her firmly in place, scars fully on display, shadows gently twining over her wrist, caressing her skin in comfort. He held her father’s ice cold glare, met it with one of his own, the shadowsinger’s like the cold of darkness.
“He’s had enough, buzzard,” Aelin says quietly, her mother putting herself into Rowan’s view, “Save some of the threatening for later, you can sit by the door, sharpening your sword when he can come to visit.”
“Visit?” Azriel asks, a brow raised at Y/n.
“I was hoping to have this conversation later,” she glares at her mother who simply shrugs.
“What do you mean?” Azriel holds her hand tightly, like he was coming to his own conclusions, none of them good.
Y/n didn’t want this to happen now, for anyone else to be the one to tell him. She was still reeling from the pain of being told herself.
“We waited for you to wake up,” Rowan says, an edge to his voice, “For her sake.”
There were to many risks, to many long lost enemies that would be drawn. To go between worlds frequently, to open and close those gates to many times. They’d already opened so many, already tested their fate. So she had to make a choice, she had begged to wait for him before she made it.
“Wait to do what?”
Y/n could feel his panic down the bond, and she hates the words as they come from her mouth, “To go home.”
He knew it was coming, had known it from the moment Rhys told him she was his mate. It was the reason he didn’t tell her, the reason he’d fallen apart so spectacularly. Despite everything, of course she would still go home, still leave him, she was a princess, she had a destiny, a crown, a kingdom, and he, he was nothing.
He was a bastard nobody of a long dead lord. In what world would this female, this princess, stoop so low to be with him, to give up her crown?
“Az.”
Gentle, oh so gentle, as if she spoke softly it would keep him from shattering.
“Excuse me.”
Azriel stood, ignoring the eyes from every angle, concerned gazes, glares, all of it. He walked away, he didn’t break, didn’t fall apart, didn’t cry, didn’t scream, he just left. Put distance between him and the knowledge that he found this beautiful female, his mate, and fate would rip her away from him just like that.
“Az,” her voice almost broke him, “Hold on, stop for a second.”
He couldn’t, if he stopped he was scared he wouldn’t be able to hold himself up anymore, he would fall apart and he would never be able to put himself back together again.
“Az,” she pleads, running to catch up, “just hold on.”
Shadows screaming in his ears, stop, listen to her, stop, don’t let her go. He forces them away, forces his legs to keep moving, to find his room, to hide, hide, hide.
“Damnit, shadowsinger.” A hand wraps around his arm, nails digging into his skin to simply hold him in place, “Will you just listen to me.”
Azriel whirls around, and he does the one thing he could do without breaking completely, the only selfish thing he’d allow himself. He kisses her, putting every raging emotion he was feeling into his lips on hers, into his hands on either side of her face. She gasps and his tongue sweeps into her mouth, fighting, claiming, begging.
“Stay.”
One word, whispered against her lips, one word, one selfish selfish word. Azriel would never ask for anything else, would never need anything else, as long as she stayed.
“Az, I-“
He couldn’t do it, couldn’t listen to her say no, because she would, and he didn’t blame her for it, didn’t hate her for it, he couldn’t. He couldn’t.
He pulls her to him, lips crashing in desperation and despair. She doesn’t pull away, doesn’t continue to say those words, doesn’t break him. Azriel drops his hold on her face, reaching down to her thighs to lift her, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist when her legs wrap around him. He carries her, blindly finding his way to his room several doors down, closing them into the space, lips never parting from hers, never allowing those words to come.
Azriel pulls away, only long enough to find the bed, to gently lay her down atop it, settling above her. Her hands caressing his face, brushing through his hair, dragging her nails over his shoulders and chest as they undress each other. He takes his time, ignoring the ticking clock in his head that counts down to the inevitable end.
She’s just as beautiful as the first time he saw her, soft skin beneath his palms as he holds her, admires her. Undoing each lace of her leathers, watching the way she writhes beneath him, listening to the whines and pleas.
“Az,” she gasps, “please I-“
He tugs the material down, taking the small lace beneath with it until she’s completely bare beneath him.
“Beautiful,” he whispers, not trusting his voice as the emotions rise in his throat, as words beg to be let out.
She can feel it, feel everything, the tears he bites back, her eyes fill with them, quiet silver tears that roll down her cheeks. Azriel takes her in his arms, kissing away the hurt as best he could, their naked chest pressed against each other. He could feel her shaking, Azriel wasn’t sure if that was just him.
“Az,” she begs softly.
Azriel knew what she was pleading for, and he wouldn’t deny her, wouldn’t deny himself. They were both selfish, they both needed this, needed each other, even if it was the one and only time. They would take everything they could before it was taken from them.
He lays her down, softly kissing her cheeks, right over those tears, before sitting back, scarred hands undoing his own laces, quickly, desperately. There’s immense relief when he pulls the pants down his thighs, a strike of pure lust through him, from that bond, from her when she sees him standing naked before her.
“Please,” she begs again, hooking her legs around him to pull him close.
The briefest touch has him gasping, and when she lifts her hips, pressing her center to him, he groans. Dropping down to capture her lips again, tasting her moans as he slowly guides himself into her. Slow, he would need to be so slow, she’d been tight around just his fingers, he didn’t want to hurt her, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he did.
“I’m not going to break,” she whispers against him, “Please, Az.”
Any control snaps when her voice wavers with the weight of her emotions, when she wraps her legs tightly around his waist and pulls, taking his breath away from him. Azriel had never felt anything like her, like their bodies along with their souls had been made for each other.
The sound she makes, the high breathy moan almost has him coming undone. He waits, letting her get used to the feeling, to the stretch, he kisses each of her cheeks, tasting the salt of her tears, and then he claims her lips, claims all of her, all that she can give, and he gives himself in return.
She writhes beneath him, silently begging him to move, he does, slowly dragging his length out, groaning against her lips, perfect, absolutely perfect. He rolls his hips, drawing sharp gasps from both of them, slow delicate movements to draw out their pleasure.
“Az, I-“ She gasps as he hits that spot deep inside her. “I-“
Azriel felt the words she tried to say, felt the emotion mirroring his own, felt his heart heal and break at the same time.
“I love you, Princess,” he whispers against her lips, his pace quickening, “I love you, I will love you even with a million stars between us.”
She cries, arching into him, matching each of his strokes. Bodies, minds, hearts, and souls completely intertwined, everything she felt, so did he, every emotion, every stroke, everything. He felt the tightening band in her core, threatening to snap and send them both over the edge.
“I love you,” she gasps out the words, struggling to speak around the pleasure and the pain, “I love you.”
And when she can’t speak it anymore, she chants it down that bond, I love you, I love you, I love you, my mate, those words are Azriel’s undoing. The band snaps, and both of them are thrown over the edge.
I love you too, Princess, he can’t find his voice, My beautiful mate.
She clings to him, like she’s terrified he will disappear at any moment, Azriel finds that’s exactly why he holds her just as tightly, sitting back, lifting her into his lap with his arms around her waist to have her as close as he physically can. Her arms wrap around his neck, nails digging into his skin like she could anchor herself to him.
In all their time together, he’d never actually heard her cry, not until now, the smallest, most heartbreaking noise, a whimper of pain. He can only hold her tighter as that small sound turns to a sob.
“It’s not fair,” she cries, burying her face into his neck, “None of this is fair. How could fate be so cruel, so gods damned cruel to gift me a mate, all the way across the stars, to bring me here, bring me you, just to rip us apart.”
Azriel wants to be strong, to just hold her, stay put together for her, but he can’t. The tears he desperately wanted to hide, to hold back, flood his eyes. And all either of them can do is cry, and hold onto each other.
They gave them time, time to be together, to cry, to feel everything they could offer each other.
Y/n had cried until she had nothing left to give. Azriel holding her through it all, listening when she’d finally gotten herself together to explain, to tell him what she’d been told.
That there were gates opening to worlds that should be long gone, that the threat of enemies like the valg, enemies stirring in this world even, was enough to keep them from coming and going from each others worlds, that it wasn’t forever, just long enough to find a solution, one they would work on in both worlds.
It was nearly nightfall by the time someone came knocking for them. Whoever was on the otherside waited patiently for them to dress, to have those last few moments together.
When Y/n finally had the courage to open the door, she’d been met by her mother’s turquoise eyes filled with love and understanding. She didn’t miss anything, the joined scents between them, the puffy red eyes, the hands that refused to let go.
“Everyone is waiting at the gate,” Aelin says gently, “We figured you would want to say goodbye.”
Azriel is a silent figure behind her, his hand never letting go of her own shaking one. They walk down those familiar halls, the house’s presence beside them, sad to see her go.
Y/n bows her head, a gesture of thanks to the first being in this world that had reached out a friendly hand and kept reaching despite her own protests.
Voices travel on a stray breeze, and Azriel’s hand shakes, that panic flowing like a river down the bridge of shadow between them. She never thought she would dread hearing her family.
“We’ll see each other again,” Dorian’s voice sounds, “We’ve had our best scholars looking into the gates while Y/n had been missing, we’ll continue searching for a solution.”
“As will we,” Feyre promises.
Y/n feels the tears welling up in her eyes again as they pass through the door way. Even in the large space, the sheer amount of bodies crowds the room. Her family, the one she’d been born with, had been surrounded by her entire life, and the family she was slowly growing into. Even Amren had shown up, the small female offering her a solemn bow of her head.
The gate was already open, and through it she could see Orynth, the setting Sun lighting the sky in brilliant colors, bright oranges and pinks slowly fading to deep purples and blues. And there, starting to faintly glow in the sky, the bright flame between his antlers, the Lord of the North, shining down on her, welcoming her home.
There were many eyes on her as the tears began to fall down her cheeks. The only thing keeping her from collapsing completely was Azriel by her side, his arm coming to wrap around her waist.
Azriel leans down to whisper in her ear, “He found you.”
She wasn’t lost anymore.
Her family said their goodbyes to the Inner Court, slowly filing through that gate until only her and her parents remained. Rowan still glares at that arm around her waist, but he raises his hand to Azriel’s free one. They shake once, and Y/n knows that her father was not holding back his strength in that grip.
“Take care of her,” Rowan says, and there’s a hard look in his eye, “I don’t care what hell it would bring down on us. If you ever hurt her, know that I will hunt you down through gates and worlds and I will kill you.”
Confusion lights her eyes, Azriel’s too, “I would never dream of hurting her.”
“What is this?” Y/n asks, searching her parent’s faces for an answer.
There’s a broken look in her mother’s eyes as she says, “Stay.”
Behind her, through that gate, her family stands united, sad smiles on their faces. It takes a moment for Y/n to understand, to grasp the words, the warning from her father, the gentle command from her mother.
“What? I- I don’t,” she struggles to find the words.
She staggers forward on shaking legs, Azriel letting her go. Her mother grabs her hands, steadying Y/n, she felt like she would fall apart at anymoment.
Aelin smiles, holding tightly to Y/n’s hands, “Stay, it won’t be forever, we will see you again.”
Her father stood beside them, a small heartbroken smile on his face. Y/n felt like the world was tipping beneath her feet.
“But,” Y/n felt like her throat was closing around the words, “I want to go home, that’s what I’ve been fighting for this whole time, to find my way home.”
And it was Rowan who said, looking over her shoulder, “You are home.”
Y/n follows his gaze, finding Azriel, a shattered expression on his face as he nods at her father. He’d made a promise to Rowan, and he would keep it.
“Stay,” Aelin says again, one hand lifting to Y/n’s cheek, swiping at the tears streaming down her face, “Live, be happy, love fiercely with everything in your heart, and know, that no matter how far away you are, the stag will always be there to watch over you.”
Y/n looks at that constellation through the gate, saw that brilliant stag watching her, watching the sky above like he could see all the way to the world she stood on now.
“We will always find you,” Rowan says, and she can hear the pain in her father’s voice, “I promise.”
“I’ll miss you every moment,” Aelin says, drawing Y/n into her arms, “But I will sleep peacefully knowing you’re here, safe, with him.”
She felt her legs give out, felt her father’s arms wrap around her and her mother as they all sank to the stone floors. Rowan held them all together, like he had always done. She felt like she was a child again, so small, so breakable, but with her family around her, she would always be safe.
“I love you both,” Y/n cries, “I will see you again.”
Aelin was the first to pull away, “We will see you again, my Fireheart.”
Rowan held on a moment longer, kissing that invisible mark on her brow like he’d done since she was a child. When he rose, taking Aelin’s hand, he looked past Y/n, to her mate standing behind her, Rowan bows his head just barely, a thank you. And her parents turned, and walked through that gate.
Y/n could only watch and cry as her family waved their finally goodbyes, as that gate closed between them, as the Lord of the North smiled down on her one last time.
He stayed with her, well after that gate had closed, her family behind it. His own had left, giving her the privacy to grieve. Y/n simply knelt there, staring at that empty arch on the wall, silent tears still streaming down her face.
Azriel was a selfish male, the relief he’d felt when Aelin told her to stay had almost taken him to his knees. But when he’d seen the broken look in his mates eyes, felt her heart shatter beside his own, he felt the guilt eating him alive.
So he stayed with her, sat down beside her, not touching, but close enough that she could reach out whenever she was ready.
Hours passed, and finally she leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. Azriel sighs at the contact, wrapping his arm around her to pull her closer. She finally looks away from that blank wall, only to bury her face in his chest.
Azriel holds her tighter, lifting a hand to her chin, tilting her face towards his. He searches her eyes, the tears are long gone but the redness remains, and in them he doesn’t find the lost and broken pieces he expected, that he prepared himself to help put back together.
He tucks a stray piece of hair behind her ear, resting his palm on her cheek. She leans into that touch, nuzzling into his palm.
“Where’d you go, Princess?”
For a moment he doesn’t think she’ll respond, she only stares up at him. And then she’s capturing his lips with her own in a soft, gentle kiss. Azriel runs his thumb over her cheek, admiring the feeling of her lips against his own. Here, she was still here, with him, in his arms.
She pulls back, only just far enough, lips still brushing against his own as she says, “Home, I’m finally home.”
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