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sodapopwrites · 27 days ago

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a ballad of flame and shadow part one

images are not mine! all artwork credits go to termesart for their beautiful drawings!

pairings - lucien vanserra x rhysands sister!reader, azriel x rhysand's sister!reader.

series summary - what's easier to love? a crackling flame or a spiraling shadow? rhysand's sister, emissary of the night court, finds herself delving into her feelings for the seventh son of the high lord of the autumn court while pushing aside something possibly deeper she feels for the night courts infamous spymaster.

chapter summary - before amarantha's party, the emissary of the night court, rhysand's sister, seeks out her lover in the spring court in an attempt to issue a warning of what's to come. she finds a small comfort in his warmth much to the disapproval of her family back home, especially a certain shadowsinger.

word count - 1.6k

read the rest of the series here!

Music floated through the air around her. Fae danced around her in whooshes of color and laughter. She observed the festivities raging around her with a cool separation.

Her black dress a sharp contrast to the bursts of color covering every person and every inch of her surroundings. The bottom of her dress swished around her ankles with every warm spring breeze. The glittering blue embroidery is a sharp contrast to the sweet pastels adoring the clothes of the revelers.

Every inch of her out of place.

She heard her name wrapped in an all too familiar voice.

Cinnamon and crackling flames. The smell wafted towards her like ember red leaves falling to the ground. She straightened her spine, a small show of composure. She felt him before she saw him. At her back, his breath fanning across the side of her neck as he leant down to whisper in her ear.

“I never knew shadows celebrated the summer solstice.”

She turned slowly, facing him at last.

Lucien Vanserra.

Small braids weaved their way through the fiery river of hair flowing over his shoulders. His eyes glitter with something roguish as he watches her eyes flit from his hair, across the planes of his chest, and down the tall expanse of him, before coming back up to meet his gaze.

“I’m here on business.”

“So you came to spoil the fun.”

She let her eyes roll before her hand came up to pull on one of his carefully woven braids. She twirled it between her fingers.

“Who said emissary business can’t be fun?”

He leaned down, closer to her now than he should be. The tip of his nose just brushed hers. His lips mere millimeters away from her own. It was like they shared one breath.

≻──────────────⋆✩⋆ ──────────────≺

The music of the celebrations outside were muted against the windows. An easy quiet flowed through the room as he watched her dress. Slowly pulling the straps of her dress back over her shoulders. She flipped her hair away from her face and he let himself be mesmerized by the way the curls, black like shadow, tumbled down her back. He stretched his arms over his head and let them settle there. Content to watch her flit around his room trying to find her shoes. A small smile snaked its way across his face as he watched her grow more frustrated in her search.

He leaned down and picked a silver slipper from the ground next to his bed. He let it dangle from one finger.

“Looking for this?”

She turned to him and let out a huff of irritation. She grabbed for her lost shoe but missed as he moved his hand a little further. Losing her balance she fell across his chest and he used his free arm to pin her.

“So what was the business you came to discuss with me?”

She glared at him, still reaching for her shoe. Realizing it was a losing battle she gave up and slumped against him, maybe even letting herself savor the feel of his skin against hers, the warmth of it.

“My brother wishes to meet with Tamlin”

Lie.

Lucien raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for explanation.

“Is he going to try to kill him again?”

She scoffed and pushed away from him, “You really do know nothing Lucien Vanserra”

He winced at the name, the harshness with which she said it.

“Don’t”

A small warning. Don’t inflict his family name on him. The reminder of it a petty way to rip him from the sanctuary of the moment. A flicker of guilt lit behind her rib cage and she let the haughty draw of her shoulders fall.

“Rhysand just wishes to issue a…warning.”

Lie. She had come of her own volition. Wanting to warn Lucien and only Lucien about what her brother thought was to come.

“A warning?”

She looked at him. Tight lipped. A small crease in her brow. And he just couldn’t help himself. He reached up and smoothed that crease with his thumb. A feather light touch that seared its way into her skin.

“The war may be over, but there are still enemies to be dealt with. People who we shouldn’t be so willing to put our trust in.”

“You sound just like him,” Lucien sighed, “Always telling me not to put trust in anyone.”

The crease returned. The comparison to Tamlin sending a spark of rage down her spine. The knowledge that Tamlin knew exactly what Lucien got up to every time she visited sent a churning to her gut that she couldn’t bring herself to calm.

“So why trust me?”

Her words came out softer than she’d intended. Like she was asking some unspoken question. He smiled, brushing an inky strand of hair behind her ear.

“I’ve always had a bad habit of letting myself get distracted by beautiful things.”

The playful glimmer in his eye contrasted sharply with her serious expression. He sighed and handed her the shoe still dangling between his finger tips.

≻──────────────⋆✩⋆ ──────────────≺

Her family was scattered around the lower level of Rhysand’s townhouse. Mor and Amren sitting in the dining room pouring over some books and whispering to each other. Cassian, Azriel, and the high lord himself lounging in the living room.

She tried her best to slide into the room unnoticed.

Late.

She had missed dinner and she had no good alibi.

She prayed no questions would be flung her way as she slid onto the couch, tucking herself under Cassian’s arm. The shadowsinger found her eyes first. They flitted over her form, studying it for anything even slightly out of place. His eyes narrowed as he took her in and his shadows curled tighter around his forearms.

Rhysand didn’t bother to look up from his stack of papers and sent a bored question her way,

“Where have you been?”

She shrugged and watched Azriel shift in his seat in what could have been discomfort. Cassian saw it too, the way his friend tried to hide his annoyance at her absence. He wore a wicked grin as he turned towards her, leaning into her, and mumbling,

“New perfume?”

She looked up at him confused for a second, “Excuse me?”

“You smell faintly of…” Cassian rolled the word around on his tongue, “autumn”.

Rhys looked up at this and studied his sister. Cassian’s insinuation rippled through the room.

“Again?” Rhys kept that bored tone, something else behind it now though.

“I was working,” She said, clipped and stern. Not wanting the conversation to continue. But Rhysand pushed forward,

“I didn’t send you anywhere.”

“And since when am I not allowed to do things of my own volition?”

Azriel let out what could only be described as a snort. When she whipped her head towards him there was no humor in his eyes. The small laugh disapproving more than anything else.

“What?”

She was getting defensive now that the shadowsinger deigned to be involved in this discussion. He shook his head at her,

“What exactly were you working on?” His question came out cold and quiet. His shadows creeped towards her as if they could pry the information from her. Cassian laughed. A real laugh.

“She was working Lucien Vanserra.”

She cast an annoyed glare at his crude statement.

“I’m sorry when did my personal affairs become the business of this court?”

Amren’s voice floated from the dining room now, “More like the entertainment of this family.”

She rolled her eyes and looked at the males in front of her. Challenging.

“It’s unprofessional is it not?” Azriel pointed the question more towards Rhysand than to her. “Emotional entanglements.”

“And who are you to say it’s an emotional entanglement? Maybe it’s just someone to get tangled in.”

He winced at the sharpness of her words. The innuendo behind them. She tried not to note how it bothered him, how deeply it seemed to bother him. He shook it off fast though.

“Because I know you.”

Rhysand strained his neck, trying to make eye contact with Mor, trying to get her to come interrupt this conversation. She would not look at him, choosing this time to not get involved.

His friend and his sister glared at each other still. Azriel using his face of stone cold disinterest as a weapon against her. Waiting for her to push at some unspoken boundary. She broke the silence first. Her tone withering.

“Since when do you care who I fuck?”

Rhysand grimaced. Not particularly caring to hear about this aspect of his sisters life. Not particularly happy with whom she chose to share this aspect of her life with. His disdain for Lucien was made evident to her since this whole affair started many years ago. As unsavory as this conversation was he couldn’t stop himself from looking at Azriel, waiting for his friend’s response, waiting to see how far the spymaster was willing to push his sister.

“I don’t”

Azriel’s answer was quiet and laced with some sort of simmering contempt. He leaned back in his chair, signalling and end to his involvement in this semi pointless discussion. His response washed over her exactly the way he had intended. A wave of cold. Triggering a pounding dissapointment in her. She hadn’t really realized how she had leaned closer to him while they sparred. The embarrassment of it hit her as she let herself fall back into Cassian, let his arm snake its way around her shoulders again. She didn’t look back at Azriel as she said,

“Good. Cassian is next.”

The warrior beside her pumped his fist in mock victory and exclaimed with teasing tone, “FINALLY”

Before putting his fist down at the first glower from his shadowy brother. Cass shot him a smirk before leaning down to her to very audibly whisper,

“I’m free anytime little star. Just give me a shout.”

She pushed her elbow into his ribcage and Cassian laughed through the cough the blow sent through him. Rhys studied Azriel’s features. Noting the jealousy etched across them.

“Enough.”

The one word from Rhysand was enough to quiet his friends.

#azriel x reader #lucien vanserra x reader #azriel shadowsinger #lucien vanserra #acotar #rhysand #morrigan acotar #amren acotar #shadowsinger x reader #night court #bat boys #cassian acotar

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