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abruisedmuse · 3 months

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Yall are delusional if you think Nesta is going to leave Cassian or the night court. First, they are mated. Not just mates. Mated. They accepted the bond, and SJM loves her Heas. It's a done deal. So either keep reading and deal with it or drop the series and find something you enjoy. Not to mention if they even could break the bond, how empty and broken Nesta would be for eternity. You really want that for her?

HOFAS happened three months after acosf. There's still alot of healing on Nesta’s part. Just because she saved Rhys, Feyre, and Nyx doesn't mean things are swept under the rug with them. Her and Cassian are both fiery and stubborn. They are going to have arguments. Honestly, it's perfectly normal for them to argue on occasion.

This. What Nesta did in HOFAS. Went beyond her and Cassian, beyond Rhys. This was a decision that Nesta should not have made herself. Yes I understand that she saw Bryce's desperation and understood her. She probably put herself in Bryces shoes for a moment. She took a chance. But it's a huge fucken chance because they don't know nor trust Bryce fully. And if she failed the whole of Prythian/Midgard is fucked. They have nothing to defend themselves against the weaponry Rigelus has. They will all die. Including Nesta Archeron.

Rhys had every right to scold her. And Her saying he's not her High Lord isn't accurate. She lives in his lands. Whether she wants to admit it or not. If any of the courts got wind of what was happening with Bryce or that Nesta gave this mask up to a stranger from another world do you know who would be faulted? Not Nesta. Rhys and Feyre would. They would suffer the consequences because Nesta falls under their lands. Their rule.

And now Cassian, who apparently had never defended Nesta once. Again. Nesta was In. The. Wrong. Her actions were beneficial and understandable but wrong. Cassian being upset and disappointed in her would absolutely make sense. Think of times in TOG, when Rowan wasn't happy with Aelin. He stood there silent until they were alone. That's more than likely what happened. Cassian didn't say his piece until everyone left. It's an argument between Nesta and Cassian and no one else.

That argument. The one that happened off page yet everyone wants to fucking crucify Cassian over cause you think you know what he said. When in reality you don't. Is wild. Three months ago, when she was with Emerie and Gwyn, they were taken and placed in the Blood Rite where he was helpless in going to her. He lost her briefly in the bog, watched her put her life at risk. How many times in acosf? He went a year or so watching Nesta absolutely ruin herself, had her lay over his body in front of Hybern, almost losing her, them, then too. Now, someone, a stranger and someone potentially dangerous, opened a portal in his living room where his mate was. And he wasn't there. All that trauma and ptsd he keeps on lock was blown wide open.

So now Cassian is a storm of emotions when he arrives home. Probably arrived mid argument between Nesta and Rhys, and the entire flight was given brief details of what's happening fueling his emotions. His fear, trauma, concern, disappointment, and anger. When Rhys leaves, Cassian and Nesta got into it. Sure he was pissed about the mask anyone would be. I would be. I personally think it goes on beyond that. Far beyond it. Nesta’s life, once again, was put a risk and no one knew what Bryce wanted. Cassian’s worst fear when the portal was open, was Bryce taking Nesta and never seeing her again. All that came out in their fight.

As readers, we know Bryce's intentions are good. They as characters who haven't been given the best view of Bryce dont believe it. Yes, I do think there needs to be more trust in Nesta. Especially where Rhys is considered. Cassian, as her mate, blowing things out of proportion is logical cause all mates have done it at some point. But yeah he needs to trust her a bit more too. He trusts her more than Rhys does that's for sure.

To play devil's advocate, I could be wrong on Cassian and Nesta and their fight. Absolutely. Im not Sarah. But neither are you who are wishing he dies, and Nesta leaves him over a risk that was never hers to make alone when it involves the whole world of Midgard.

If you read this entire thing and disagree. That's cool. The unfollow and block buttons are right there.

#im so fucking tired of seeing this #leave Cassian alone jfc #until we have confirmation of exactly what went down its all speculation #hofas spoilers #nessian #nesta archeron #cassian #rhysand #feyre archeron #feysand #bryce quinlan #pro cassian #pro nessian #acotar #a court of thorns and roses #crescent city #house of flame and shadow

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lanitalay · 2 months

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Back to the basics

Cassian x reader

Premise: Cassian has been working too much, reader is upset

a/n: hello loves, this is my first cassian fic and I'm kind of unsure about it since I've never written for him specifically but hopefully you enjoy it!

warnings: tiny bit of angst (minuscule)

Masterlist

“Cass!” You yell from the bottom of the stairs and wait for your mate to answer.

“Cassian!” Now climbing up, and a little agitated you walk into your bedroom and expect to see him sprawled out on the mattress. But the room is empty and the bed is cold. You roll your eyes and send Rhysand a mental insult. There’s only one place he could be.

You had grown tired of asking him to take a break and rest. Maybe it was selfish, but you missed your mate. Wanted his attention only on you, like the old days. When he would whisk you away for picnics and spontaneous camping. You couldn’t say you were the outdoorsy type. Having been born and raised in the heart of the Rainbow, you were a proper city girl. But Cassian loved all of that, and you loved him more than what was rational.

The door to the study was closed and you could hear him shuffling around in there. Probably frustrated with something happening in the Illyrian Mountains, or maybe Eris sent word of Beron’s newest antics. It must not be grave though, since no one called an emergency meeting. Whatever he was dealing with could wait.

Once the tent and food supplies were packed you barged into the office. “I’m busy right now, sweetheart.”

“Cassian, I’m going to say this with love. You are a workaholic.” He scoffed “just give me a few minutes-”

“No! You’ve been in here for who knows how long. I supposedly have a mate but I never see him. We never talk and if we do it's “Devlan this” or "Kier that” or “Eris said” and I’m sick of it! I’m pulling you out. Come on.” You grab his arm and drag him out of the stuffy office. All the way down the stairs he’s complaining “sweetheart, I’m sorry but I have to work, it's time sensitive-” he finally stopped talking when he saw all of his camping gear packed up in the middle of the sitting room.

“What-”

“We are going camping. Like we used to, you remember? When you still paid attention to me?” Cassian groaned, “I’m sorry I’ve been caught up with work-”

“Nope. That word is forbidden. If you mention anything to do with work you will have to face… undesired consequences. I’ve told Rhysand to leave you alone for a few days. Let's go.”

“Are we walking or..?” You smile, he didn’t put up much of a fight.

“You are flying us, silly.” Hand him the bulky gear and then open the door for him to walk out.

“We can’t go too far if I’m going to be carrying all of this.” You jump in his arms and kiss him on the cheek “let’s go to that little island where we used to see the dolphins.”

He considered it. The flight was longer than what he would have wanted but you had some precious memories there and he knew that you were trying to do something nice for him. “Alright.”

After a comfortable flight, Cassian immediately set you, and all of the gear down. “What should we do first?” He asked as he looked around, trying to find a spot to set up camp.

“Let’s set up the tent, then go fishing.”

Cassian nodded and pointed out a level patch of grass nearby. You begin by taking out the tent from the bag and organizing all of the little sticks and stakes in bunches so you knew how many you had of each.

“Do you remember how to do this?”

“Well… I think this went together-” he snaps a few sticks together “and then it goes through the loops on the tent.”

“No, I don’t think that’s right.” You distinctly remember that the loops were for securing the rain tarp. Cassina sighed. “Sweetheart, I’ve set this tent up enough times to know how.”

“Well, sweetheart, you haven’t touched this tent in over fifty years so you’re probably misremembering.”

“Do you really want to fight right now?”

After a deep breath you reply “no, but you’re wrong. Those things go through these sleeves.”

Cassian did as you said and the tent was up in a matter of minutes. You grabbed the fishing rods and walked towards the shore. There was a dock that ended near a reef where fish were abundant. It was also the place where you and Cassian had your first kiss.

Back then you were smitten with the giant Ilyrian but Cassian was sweating cold, unsure if you felt the same. He brought you here for a picnic and when the sun began to set you grew frustrated and asked “Cassian, be honest, do you want to kiss me?” He choked on a piece of cheese and struggled to articulate that “yes, but I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to kiss you and-” you pounced. Latching your lips to his and kissing him until you were both panting.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for a while.” You smile at him. Months later Cassian told you that he knew he was done for when you smiled at him like that, wild and wicked.

“Cass?” He hums, eyes focused on the line he just threw, waiting for it to bob.

“Do you still like me?”

“What?” You throw your own line.

“Well, we’ve been together for so long I sometimes wonder if you like me. Like if you saw me walking down the street would you still feel attracted to me?”

“Of course I’d be attracted to you. You’re the most beautiful creature I have ever seen and I mean that as a fact not a compliment.”

You give him a soft slap on his shoulder “you old sap.”

“What about you?”

“I think you only get more attractive as the years go by.” The fishing rod bends down, signaling that a fish took the bait. This is where Cassian always takes over and pulls out the catch with minimal effort.

The sun was setting and you sat flush to Cassian, head resting on his shoulder as he hoped to catch at least one more fish for dinner. You were drawing idle lines on his hand and forearm, just how you knew he liked it. “Cass?”

“Yeah?”

“Is it that I’m annoying to be around or something?”

He shifted “what do you mean?”

“Well you’re always doing something else and I… it sometimes feels like you’re taking on so much because you don’t want to come home and spend time with me. I mean today I had to drag you out of that study.”

He sets the rod down and turns to face you. His hands come up to cup your face, he almost flinches when he sees your eyes, hard and unfeeling. He knows you’re bracing yourself for whatever he’s about to say and something inside him cracks. “Y/n, I… I’m so sorry if you feel that way but that is the farthest thing from the truth. I treasure our time together and… if I’ve been absent it has nothing to do with you.”

He feels the roll of your eyes like a stab to the heart “you say that but you don’t even make it home for dinner most days.”

“It's just- y/n, we came so close to losing everything. The war, Hybern, the Cauldron- we are still here by pure luck. I was out there doing my best to keep you safe and it was not enough. Nothing I did was enough. But now we’re here and we know something is happening. Koshchei, Beron and who knows if Hybern had other allies looking for retribution. The only thing I can think about is that now the world knows Velaris exists and you are here if something were to happen… if another attack happens and you get hurt- that would kill me. So I try to stay on top of everything because it's the only way I can sleep at night. Sweetheart, I love you, I love you with everything that I am and everything that I’ll ever be. I’m sorry, just-”

Cassian stops talking when you wrap your arms around him in a desperate hug, face buried in his chest. He hugs you back and his heart sinks as he hears you sniffle and moisture pricks at his skin. “Sweetheart you don’t need to cry- I’ll be home more, I’ll-”

“No Cas, you don’t need to do anything. I- I’m just so selfish and self centered. Here I was mad at you while you’ve been carrying all this burden and I could only think of myself. You deserve better than a spoiled brat and-”

“What are you saying?”

“I should be apologizing to you!” Tears are cascading down your cheeks now as you burst with emotion “please forgive me, we can go home right now if you want.” You begin to stand up but Cassian pulls you down again.

“Don’t you see? You’re right. I’ve been obsessing over potential problems but I haven’t been home and you are entitled to react to that because I vowed to you to always be by your side and I’m sorry I failed you-”

“Don’t say that! You haven’t failed anyone. I just- I miss you.”

“I miss you too.”

“So how are we gonna fix this?”

“I’ll be home everyday for dinner and we can have lunch together in a cafe and-”

“Don’t suggest I train with you.”

“But babe it would be quality time spent together.” You giggle and wipe away the drying tears from your eyes. “I’ve seen you train and trust me, I’d die.”

“Are we good?” You nod and crawl into his lap to straddle him. With both hands on his neck, you pull him towards you in a kiss that reminds you of your first.

He deepens the kiss with a nip to your lower lip and his hands come to squeeze your hips. You pull away “do you want to-” before you can finish, he mumbled a “yes” and began carrying you back to your campsite where you would not be getting any sleep.

#acomaf #acotar #acowar #acofas #acotar fanfiction #acosf #cassian acotar #cassian #a court of silver flames #a court of wings and ruin #a court of thorns and roses #a court of mist and fury #cassian x you #cassian x reader #cassian x y/n

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minicoffee00 · 6 months

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Fast Changes Part 7 Azriel x Reader

Plot: You are Feyre’s younger twin and get sent into the Cauldron with your sisters coming out as high fae. What happens on this journey.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 🌶️ Part 5 🌶️🌶️ Part 6

"You're pretty good already" Cassian smirks, you had a long sword pointed towards Cassian's chest. He wanted to see your flow, he could feel one within you. It was the sense of a natural battle streak and everything he'd shown you so far you'd picked up as if in a past life you'd been a warrior.

She continued day in and day out for months, and she'd started to gain some muscle and with her physical strength her powers when she was training with Amren also got stronger.

It now didn't feel as suffocating walking into a room with her family, she didn't have to hold her breath, it was now only a light buzzing in the back of her head.

"Thanks. I still cant beat you though" you smile looking up at him.

"Okay, lets take a break and get some water" he suggests seeing your slight wobble and the sweat across your forehead. You both indulge in water leaning against the columns built up into the roof, as a way to rest without fully sitting on the floor.

"Okay, this time I'm going to give you no pointers. We are going to fight and you just do what you would do if i was attacking you, or if you manage to if your attacking me" he explains picking up his own sword... he gets into a position before you can even get your own sword.

"Wait Cassian i don't have a sword?" you say but in the blink of an eye hes running at you, so smoothly that for a second you stand there like a deer caught in headlights. Just as he's about to reach you, you roll out to dodge him. You start to run towards where the sword rack is but Cassian is far to quick on his feet, gaining on you.

"What the hell Cassian!"

He swipes his sword at you, making you jump back to miss his swing. He keeps swinging towards you, forcing you further and further back. You end up with you back against the pillar, the railing off the side of the balcony close enough that you can feel the gusty breeze.

"What you going to do now sprite" he smirks, you look around, the beams of the high risen roof were low enough to grab onto if you had a boost, but Cassian would grab you leg and slam you into the floor before you could even do that.

Without thinking you spin round, wrapping your arm around the pillar, spinning round, both your legs out ready to kick Cassian in the abdomen to give you time to get a sword. A seering pain goes through your thigh but the adrenaline of getting a sword makes it almost un-noticable.

Somehow, the plan worked and Cassian buckled to his knees. You ran as quickly as possible to the sword rack, swiping one up and turning back seeing Cassian smirking and now up and on his feet.

"Well done" he admits, proud of you for managing to hold him off and get a sword as quickly as you did.

"Thanks" you smile and in seconds swords are reclashing against one another, you manage to get the upper hand and with light and swift work, Cassian's sword falls out of his hand ended up in yours. You cross them over one another holding them at the nape of his neck.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE" you hear from behind you, the voice was all too familiar and made you spin round in shock.

"Azriel" Cassian says tentatively.

"No, you keep quiet. I'm angry with you" he spits, head snapping to you.

"Az!" you say softly but his face doesn't lighten up like it normally would in your presence.

"Don't Az me, you said you wouldn't do this, why are you doing this?" he growls out coming to you, his shadows wrap around your thigh where Cassian had cut you and blood was slowly trickling out as if to hold it in, and show Az where you were hurt.

He looks down, glaring up at Cassian when he sees the cut.

"You did this?"

"Az, look" Cassian starts but he stalks over to him, his eyes arent hazel anymore they are almost as dark as his shadows. Cassain's gulp could probably be heard all across Prythian.

"You hurt my mate, bother?" he spits, his shadows launch out around Cassian's neck starting to choke him a little.

"Az, we were training. She asked me. It happens!" he excuses his eyes wide as he struggles to communicate.

"Azriel, stop this or I'm leaving" you spit, looking between the two, hard eyes, but with a soft pleading behind them.

"Do it I dare you" he says, not believing you would actually do it, you couldn't last that long without him before becoming whiny and clingy. Even after these training sessions you'd unknowingly to Azriel been having became very clingy after them.

"Rhysand!" you yell out both in your mind and into the house. He winnows up in seconds, you communicate with him in your mind, and before Azriel can even step a portion closer to you, Rhys has winnowed you away.

“No” Azriel mutters, he feels a slight bit of pain before satisfaction come through the bond, most likely Rhys healing that nasty cut on your leg.

“Azriel, she wanted this. She asked me for help because you wouldn’t show her” Cassian explains softly.

Rhys winnows back and Azriel is on him within seconds of his arrival.

“Where is she, where did you take her?” Azriel questions.

“Your mums house” Rhys mutters, making Azriel freeze, he hadn’t been there since he started to work for Rhysands father.

But for you, he would go back, for you he would do just about anything!

A/N: sorry it’s a day later guys, uni kills me each day!

TAGLIST:

@cat-or-kitten

@sstrohma

@horneybeach1

@its-sam-allgood

@starryhiraeth

@xcastawayherosx

@glitterypirateduck

@azriels-mate2

@mavropouloupanagiota

@chasing-autumns-chill

@justdreamstars

#acotar #acomaf #a court of thorns and roses #acotar fanfiction #a court of mist and fury #acowar #acosf #azriel #azriel x reader #azriel shadowsinger

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oceantornadoo · 2 months

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next time

johnny soap mactavish x reader, heavy angst

“fuck, i’m hit.” you say into your comms, repeating it along with your call sign. you scramble around the side of the building, desperately looking for somewhere to sit or lay down. too bad the terrorists your team was currently hunting down didn’t think of their guests when they designed their hideout.

you lay down with you back to the wall as you put pressure on your wound, only to see blood dripping through your fingers. you’re bleeding too fast for a normal injury, the shrapnel from the bullet having nicked an artery internally. your vision starts going fuzzy as you suddenly turn desperate. you can see the reaper out of the corner of your eye, the room turning cold. not yet, you beg.

“bonnie, where are ye? come on, come on.”

“south-south side of the building. i don’t know where, i can’t - i can’t see.” your vision is fading, years of professionalism going down the drain as the tears start flooding down your face. out of all the bullet wounds you’ve survived, they’ve never felt like this. final.

you hear a skid of boots and a sharp curse down the hall. he’s here, he found you.

“johnny?” you hiccup, trying to hold your hand to your wound while feeling your strength fade.

“right here, leannan. come on, gotta get ye to exfil.” soap tries to prop you up, strong hand covering your own over the wound, a new source of pressure. you’re trying to stand but you can’t, instead emitting a whine of frustration.

“johnny, i can’t. it doesn’t feel right.” he’s the only thing you can see, tunnel vision creeping from all sides. this lovely man of yours, the one who gets on your last nerves daily but silently accepts your knocks at his door after nightmares. he’s always pushing your buttons, trying to see how far you can both take this push and pull before someone gives in. you know he’s meant for you, know him like the back of your hand because he’s you and you’re him, one and the same. all you wanted was more time, you see that now.

he’s murmuring to you in soothing tones while yelling into his comms for the rest of the team, pleading for backup. everyone is too far away, ambushed by unseen forces. it’s just you and him.

“johnny, johnny. look at me.” you leave a bloody handprint as you turn his chin, exerting far more effort than you physically can. he’s looking at you with love in his eyes, the yearning built up over years and years.

“no. not today.”

“i’m sorry. wanted more time with you. we haven’t even gotten to the good part yet.”

“leannan, no. stop.”

“in the next life, yeah? you’re my man, johnny.”

“yer my woman, leannan. i cannae-“ you stumble and he helps you back to the ground, realizing you won’t make it to exfil.

“cannae do this without you. please.” he’s murmuring silent prayers as you smile weakly, trying to take in his handsome face one last time before your vision goes dark. he pulls your forehead to his and breathes you in, souls entwining.

“next time?”

“always.”

—

inspired by cassian and nesta from acotar in that one scene

#cod 141 #john soap mactavish #tornadothoughts #johnny soap mactavish x reader #john soap mctavish x reader #soap x you #john soap mactavish x reader #soap x reader #soap cod

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olenvasynyt · 16 days

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Does Azriel want a mate?

Short answer: yes

But here is my long answer:

Az expresses his dislike and resentment and jealousy instead of expressing these feelings people say he has for Elain is so telling that he is thinking of having love and a mate and he is jealous of his brothers for having mates.

He was elated for his brother, and yet… Azriel couldn't stop it. The envy in his chest. Of Cassian, and Rhys.

And people will say "well he's just jealous that his brothers have found love and he hasn't!" and I feel like yes, that could be a part of it, but we see that he is also can't stand the smell Elucien’s mating bond, and we all understand that those two aren't in the love stage of their relationship. He needed the option of leaving the room because the smell of their mating bond was too much.

Because her mate had been in the family room and Ariel had needed to stay by the door the whole time because he couldn't stand the sight of it, the scent of their mating bond, and needed to have the option of leaving if it became too much.

So it sounds like he is jealous of the others around him who have mating bonds, not just those who have found love.

And this quote right here:

“The Cauldron chose three sisters. Tell me how it's possible that my two brothers are with two of those sisters, yet the third was given to another."

This is Az’s way of thinking. The cauldron blessing the three of them with three sisters as their mates is the simplest solution to Az’s need to have a mate and he is upset that the Cauldron didn’t follow through with this. He is questioning it, he’s wondering why? This would be so simple!

But life isn’t that simple, especially in a fantasy romance where relationships are formed around plot.

The first half of the Azriel bonus chapter is filled with such negative emotions: desperation, self-hatred, resentment, rage, regret, disappointment. He seems to have a strange mix of entiltlement and insecurity. He doesn’t think, he is too overwelmed with these emotions, lust and desperation overpowers him. He said it himself:

He hadn't gotten that far with his planning, certainly not beyond the fantasies he pleasured himself to.

Over and over he says that it’s a mistake, that it feels wrong.

He knew it was wrong, but there he was, sliding the necklace around her.

Wrong—it was so wrong.

And when he leaves Rhys, we get this quote:

He'd been so vigilant about keeping away from Elain as much as possible, and had stayed up here to avoid her, and tonight ... tonight had proved he'd been right to do so.

And then you know what happens? When Az keeps away from Elain and he goes to the training pit to work off his feelings, he stumbles upon Gwyn.

#Dana dumping her insanely long tiktoks onto Tumblr but making it easier to consume #pro gwynriel #anti e/riel #pro elucien #elain archeron #azriel shadowsinger

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lovemyromance · 2 months

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Antis: “Azriel only feels lust for Elain”

…

Ok. Yeah. Sure. Exactly.

Azriel only feels lust for Elain.

…

Azriel has been a side character thus far in this series, seen and understood only through outsider eyes (Feyre, Nesta, Cassian, Rhys).

According to all his friends/family, he’s absurdly in love with Mor. Or at least he was, until he seemingly moved on

But then in ACOSF, in the ONE POV we get from Azriel…he is showing desire for only Elain.

Now, keep in mind: This is after his interactions with Mor, after his interactions with Gw*n, the hordes of women in Velaris, etc. And yet… he is only showing attraction and feelings for Elain.

If this man just wanted a quickie, you really think he’d have to go to such lengths for that? I’m betting he’s everyone in the IC’s hall pass 😭 This is not a man that needs to elaborately scheme to get laid 😭

And if this man just wanted a mate, you think he’d be chasing after the one female he KNOWS is already mated? He KNOWS she is not his mate. With that logic, wouldn’t he be looking towards anyone BUT Elain?

You can’t be out here saying “Azriel only wants a mate” and then in the same breath saying “Azriel only feels lust”. Which is it? Is he looking for only his partner in eternal-everlasting love or is he just looking for sex? Those two cannot exist at the same time for the same person in one instance.

And before you reply all indignant and huffy, I should tell you that yes, I have heard the ridiculous other explanation from antis saying “well he has a lot of issues so he goes for unavailable women because he’s not ready to be loved and deep down he knows that” 🤡

Do I need to deign that with a response? Now you’re saying “He only wants a mate but he isn’t ready for a mate so he then wants only lust with Elain”. Make it make sense. Please tell me where in his POV it says any of this, and it might help me understand how you came up with all these words. You are making assumptions, on top of assumptions. We do not know ANYTHING about this man. He has ONE POV and in it all he does is dream about Elain and have some banter with his trainee. How are y’all coming up with such a complex, deep layered backstory and user guide for Azriel when we don’t know shit about him?? We don’t even know his last name ffs. How are you out here advocating as his personal therapist??

Just read the words on the page as they are. They paint a clear enough picture.

Call it lust. Call it love. Call it attraction. Call it whatever you want - but there is something worth acknowledging between Elain and Azriel. Something important enough that SJM published an entire bonus chapter about it.

People speculated they might be a thing throughout ACOMAF-ACOFAS, but then that bonus chapter came out and clear as day you can see them so down bad for each other, they’re ready to risk it all while everyone’s still snoring upstairs. You think either of them would’ve risked that for a one-night stand 🤡🤡?

….

And do we really think if the next book was Azriel x Other Character, SJM would start it off with him fantasizing about getting on his knees for another woman? Sure the very first love interest might not be endgame for SJM… but both Az & Elain have had other LIs (Mor, Graysen, Lucien even). They are not each others first, but they are certainly each others last.

They are the only pairing currently mutually attracted to each other. They aren’t fully in love yet (that we know of), but there is something there. That’s what their book will then explore. The idea that despite fate, despite politics, despite everything against them, Az & Elain will choose each other.

But I thought that was obvious 🤷🏻‍♀️

#elriel #azriel #elain archeron #elain x azriel #pro elain #acotar #elain

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sadiegirl2021 · 1 month

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For the prompt: Mates, I thought I should just write 12 pages of smut.

Let our happy couple have a filthy, fun time together!

@gwynrielweeksofficial

You've Been Waiting So Long, I'm Here to Answer Your Call on Ao3 - Sneak Peek

When Emerie had opened Gwyn’s world to romance books, life was never the same again. A hunger she didn’t think she’d be able to feel again bubbled up inside her, and she needed a male to sate it.

But therein lies the problem. There was only one she wanted, and if he said no, she would literally die on the spot of embarrassment.

“Are you certain he’s not seeing anyone?” Gwyn whispered to Nesta during training.

Nesta shook her head. “He told Bryce ‘no’ when she asked if he had a partner, and I asked him again when she was asleep, and he confirmed it. He’s single.”

“Or lying… He probably has the most beautiful females in the Night Court chasing him, he’s going to laugh in my face.”

“He won’t, Gwyn. And you are smoking hot! I’m still devastated you’re not into females. I would have definitely bedded you,” Emerie reassured her with a leg squeeze.

Gwyn smiled with appreciation, “You mean that?”

Emerie nodded.

Gwyn squeezed her hand to thank her. If she was into females, Emerie would definitely be her type!

She was almost convinced… but the doubts were loud. “What would I even say to him?”

Nesta spoke in a light, singsong voice to try and imitate Gwyn, “Hi Az, I think you’re sooo handsome! Do you want to fuck me?”

Emerie burst out laughing as Gwyn smacked Nesta on the arm with a smile, “I don’t sound like that!”

“Yes, you do!” Emerie squeaked out between giggles.

"Is that what you said to Cassian?" Gwyn asked Nesta, her voice low so no one could hear them speaking.

Gwyn had never initiated contact with a male before. They were rarely allowed near the temple or nearby village, and the elder Sisters would ensure they stayed far away from the priestesses when granted permission to be in their vicinity. While her sister would often sneak out with others, Gwyn never summoned the courage to do so. Now, she deeply regrets that choice.

Nesta scoffed, “No! We were having a fight, and I kissed him to shut him up. Then things just kind of… escalated from there.” Emerie quipped nice and reached over Gwyn to high five her.

"Should I do that? Kiss him and see where it goes?" Gwyn asked tentatively. Maybe she didn’t need to ask him to sleep with her… she could just manoeuvre him to his bedroom if he was into it.

"Not the worst idea," Emerie agreed. "He stares at you all the time. I’m sure he would love for you to make the first move."

"He doesn’t stare at me," Gwyn huffed.

Emerie grabbed her face until she was looking up.

Sure enough, Azriel was watching them curiously from across the training ring. His cheeks tinged pink when her eyes caught his, and he looked away so fast she swore it would give him whiplash. His shadows danced and grew bigger, as if they were excited she was looking over at them.

She blushed, averting her own gaze. That didn’t mean anything.

#gwynriel #pro gwynriel #pure smut #gwynriel weeks 2024 #gwynrielweeks2024 #prompt: mates #very little plot #a whole lot of fun

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zenkindoflove · 2 months

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Elain and the bond

I've been thinking about Elain's feelings around the bond and reflecting on various theories and what people hope to see.

I think that it's clear that Elain, as of yet, feels like the bond is something that has been done to her. Given the circumstances which the bond snapped for her and Lucien, and her own naivete about mating bonds since it doesn't exist for humans, it makes a lot of sense. She was in love with Graysen and being his wife was the future she wanted. At the same time that she was made fae and that dream was dashed forever, she feels this magical pull to a stranger in her chest.

I can see how Elain would feel that pull and draw and think that this strange magic is manipulating her feelings and fight against it.

What I would love to see in their story is a little different than what I've seen some others express. A lot of people like the idea of Elain and Lucien falling in love despite the bond, sometimes even going as far to say they'd like to see her reject it and then they fall in love anyways.

For me, that would be a really dissatisfying story to tell with Elain's own relationship to the mating bond. I would much rather read about Elain discovering that the mating bond isn't something that has been done TO her but rather the mating bond IS her.

What we know about mating bonds is that they seem to be determined by a force that goes beyond basic magic. The characters often talk about how bonds come from the Cauldron, but that is their own religious interpretation of how the Cauldron works. Instead, we see across all of SJM series that mating bonds are consistent, even in worlds where the Cauldron doesn't exist. SJM uses the trope of the mating bond as a physical manifestation of how everyone experiences a draw they have to someone who they ultimately fall in love with. With Rhys and Cassian, we both know that they suspected the mating bond existed before Feyre and Nesta were fae. Before it had the ability to snap. And Feyre and Nesta also show clear signs of being drawn to Rhys and Cassian as well as humans.

Elain and Lucien never met when she was human, and something about either the situation they were in or the strength of their bond, made it snap for them soon after Elain was turned fae. Lucien was clearly showing mate behavior before Elain went into the Cauldron, indicative that he felt a similar pull to her even before it was possible for the bond to snap.

What I would love for Elain to figure out in her journey is that she was always going to be drawn to Lucien. Just like in worlds without mating bonds, where we feel an indescribable instant attraction to someone, Elain was always going to feel that way about Lucien. The mating bond isn't manipulating her feelings or her desires but rather those same attractions she would have always felt are amplified by the magic of the bond. I suspect this is one of the reasons she pushes him away and explores lower risk options and rebounds as she heals from her broken heart. She feels drawn to him but for many reasons she's not ready/afraid to explore what that attraction and pull could become. When they do start to learn more about each other, I would love for Elain to have this moment of acceptance about the bond. Rather than resenting it or loving Lucien despite it, embracing that the tether to Lucien has been apart of her since before she even knew him, and that the bond is just a way for them to access each others souls because they were always meant to be together. The Mother saw that and gave them this tether so they could find each other.

#elucien #pro elucien #lucien vanserra #elain archeron #pro elain archeron #pro lucien vanserra #elain x lucien

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acotar-taylorsversion · 2 months

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More Recent Thoughts and What Not

So, I've been thinking about Lucien a lot lately. I don't hate him, so don't come at me, but sometimes I just feel that there were a couple of reasons why Sarah made him Elain's mate. I'm an Elriel girly for life and nothing and no one but Sarah saying otherwise will convince me that they aren't endgame. That being said, I think that Sarah made him Elain's mate as 1) Elain and Az's "obstacle" and 2) a way for him to stay relevant so she could use him in the overall plot. I mean, think about it. Feysand and Nessian both had these "obstacles" that kept them from getting together right away and Elain's bond with Lucien is a big reason why Az hasn't pursued her or thought more about a future with Elain. Why would he get his hopes up if he doesn't know how Elain truly feels about Lucien? He said himself in the bonus chapter. Elain was more than willing to kiss and perhaps go further and Az said that they had never gone that far. AND HE NEVER ACTUALLY THOUGHT THAT THEIR ALMOST KISS WAS A MISTAKE! HE FORCED HIMSELF TO SAY THAT BECAUSE RHYS WAS THERE AND WAS DEMANDING AZ TO STOP! Anyways, but yeah. And I know that Sarah orginally planned for Lucien and Nesta to get together but instead made Nesta end up with Cassian because of how perfect they were when she first wrote them in a scene together. But she needed a way for Lucien to be relevant to the plot, because let's be honest, I saw no place for Lucien after Feyre chose to stay in the night court. I actually forgot all about him until he showed and tried to take Feyre away. I think she always intended for Lucien to be involved with Vassa, but how would he have known about her if he didn't leave the Spring Court with Feyre because of Elain. Elain was the only reason he left with Feyre. Elain was the only reason Lucien didn't blow Feyre's cover the entire time she was back and I don't think that he would have been as close to her as he was if it weren't for the promise of offically meeting Elain. Even being Helion's son hasn't really done anything for the plot, yet. Do you guys see where I'm going with this? I don't know. LOL. The Eluciens might think I'm crazy!

And I want to say that Elain does not owe Lucien anything. Her silence is an answer in itself. I mean, she was about to kiss Az and do God knows what else with him in foyer of the river house while Lucien slept upstairs. She just doesn't care or doesn't care enough to consider him in moments like that. Clearly, time away from him does not affect her and he seems to be just fine away from her as well. Yes, he's being respectful by not pressuring her, but he can also take a hint. I don't think she'd be offended if he never got her a gift again until they both make the decision to accept the bond. And I don't see that happening. I just don't.

It's also suspicious how their bond was instantly recognized. Like feysand and nessian's bond took time to snap but Lucien instantly knew? And why can Az smell it and no one else can? Amren smelled feysand's but she's different and no body else could smell it until they accepted it. Elain and Lucien have not accepted it so what's going on there? Eluciens and gwynriels can call us crazy all they want to but we have legit questions. I still stand by my opinion about how Az acts more like Elain's mate than Lucien does.

Also, can I just say how much I hate all the hate the inner circle is getting on tik tok? Like, I'm sorry. I know we are all entitled to our own opinions but if you hate Feyre and Rhys so much that you create a 10 page slide show about how much they need to die and how horrible they are, then you don't deserve the series anymore. Why are you still reading it? Sarah has stated that Rhys is her favorite and feysand will always be the center of everything so they aren't going anywhere.

Same goes for all the Nesta and Cassian hate. Like wtf? NO. I will absolutely not put up with hate for either one of them for any reason. They are my favorite couple, like more than elriel and that's saying something. I waited years for their book and I am absolutely disgusted that people want her to break her bond and get with ERIS?! That is an insult to Cassian.

Let's see. What else? During my reread of Silver Flames, I realized that all the signs of Gwyn being a lightsinger or having some type of power are there from the moment we meet her. Both Nesta and Az and his shadows all react to her powers, which involve singing and music in some way. I noticed that she is always singing, too. I get the feeling that most of Gwyn's arc was not only proving to herself, but to everyone around her, that she's strong and capable. I think Az triggered something in her and she wanted to prove to him that she's not that girl that he saved anymore. You know? Also, when Nesta described her smile, it was said "Nesta couldn't explain the way she sensed that there was something else mixed into her. Some secret beneath that pretty face." This reminded me of the infamous quote of Az thinking of Gwyn's smile "a thing of secret, lovely beauty." Why are they associating secrets with Gwyn? I have so many questions and I need Sarah to explain ASAP. Like legit questions, someone explain it to me.

What do you guys think?

Now, I know that some gwynriels and eluciens might see this, and that's ok! I am open to discussions as long as they are civil, in the comment section or a message or an ask.

#acotar #elain archeron #elriel #pro elriel #azriel shadowsinger #nessian #lucien vanserra #gwyneth berdara #anti el*cien #feysand

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david-talks-sw · 1 year

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Where do you sorta stand in terms of "Adhering to Lucas's" vision but also like "Well Lucas isn't making it so Star Wars is open to interpretation" Like don't get me wrong I don't like Karen Travesis's take on Star Wars for a whole host of reason and I think if anyone ever did a story and said "Well the Empire is right" then you are completely doing Star Wars wrong. But if someone legit wanted to do a story having a critical eye on the Jedi Order or IDK the Republic or even coming at Star Wars in a way that George Lucas wouldn't cover it cuz they are ideologically different, IDK, how far should that go?

I think the main thing to keep in mind is that it stays consistent with the spirit of what George Lucas was trying to say, if not the letter.

You can try alternative narratives, focus on certain characters, do it in different genres, but at the end of the day the message needs to stay the same.

And if you can't do that, at least try to be fair about your criticism of that message.

Different narrative, same conclusion

You can explore and certainly argue that the Empire brought about order and peace, and that it is better than the chaos and war present during the Republic.

You can argue that maybe, if instead of a Sith Lord who rules by fear, the Emperor was a benevolent dictator who lead by example, then the Empire wouldn't be as bad.

Legends stories have done this before.

You can even argue that the Rebels are terrorists and that the attack on the Death Star was the equivalent of 9-11 for the Imperial citizens, like this guy does.

But at the end of the day, that's a fallacy.

The previously-shown Empire storyline makes it clear that Moff Trachta is ambitious and greedy, as are his fellow conspirators. They're hypocrites who tell themselves "it's for the greater good" but really it's just so they can backstab each other to have the top job.

And the war the Empire's peace replaces was one orchestrated by the Emperor himself, so the entire regime is based on a lie, because really the only thing the Empire's system runs on is greed and fear, as shown in Andor.

Finally, while some of the Rebels' methods are hard and dark in nature... it's a war. And the narrative makes it clear that at the end of the day, the enemy they're fighting are space nazis. And 90% of the stormtroopers we're shown range from bullies to extremists. That one Imp pilot saying "millions died on the Death Star" also mocked Cara Dune for the genocide of her people, seconds prior.

The smaller narrative may take some deviations, it may question some aspects, but the larger one is consistent.

The moral of the story remains the same: the Empire is evil.

Different tone & characters, same message

When George Lucas made the six films, he had a very clear idea in mind, in terms of genre and style: imitating the Saturday matinee specials (think Flash Gordon), blend them with long standing psychological motifs derived from mythology, add dash of Buddhist philosophy: you get Star Wars, a movie for kids.

But I would fully expect a horror movie about a stormtrooper being hunted by an ice spider to go "fuck this 'we're all connected, we're all symbioms' bullshit. Die you creepy bastard!"

Same goes for Andor.

It's not rated PG-18, but it's still very dark. This isn't a movie for kids, it's a movie for teens and older. It opens with the eponymous character shooting someone in the face.

In Andor (and Rogue One) we see a side of the Rebellion we hadn't seen before. A darker one. But the genre of those productions demands a darker outlook on these concepts.

Cassian lives in a world where everything is nuances of gray.

He's the perfect kind of character to tell this story.

As is Dedra Meero. She is written as an underdog in the first half of the show. You're rooting for her. But then the series reminds you that: "hey, she's as much a nazi as the rest of them". She's willing to torture people to keep her job or get a promotion. The narrative frames her as ultimately evil.

Because at the end of the day the message is the same. The Empire is evil and it takes regular people to beat the elite 1%. Greed vs compassion, fear vs hope.

Now suppose there was a series opening on a "Gray Jedi" character, juggling between the Dark and Light Side with little to no effort or repercussion, sabering someone in the face.

That fucks with the message. Because it's okay for Cassian to do it, because Cassian doesn't need to deal with space magic, he lives in an un-mystical, cold and harsh part of the galaxy where you're either evil or less bad, rarely good.

But the 6 films make it clear that for Force sensitives, things are binary. They have to be or bad shit happens.

Gray morality works in Star Wars if we're talking about non-Force sensitives. In the case of a Force user, that's a darksider waiting to happen.

Criticizing the narrative via unreliable narrators

You mentioned Karen Traviss. For all my criticism re: her stance on the Jedi philosophy and their relation with the clones, I think her definition of Boba Fett is the best one yet (probably because she actually likes that character).

As a result of this personality, an eventual Boba Fett film would have to be Jedi-critical, because if you ask him, the Jedi took his father away from him. And you can argue using logical points all you want, his pain is emotional, not rational. Him being right or wrong is irrelevant, his pain is real.

Same goes with the recent Tales of the Jedi.

Dooku's an unreliable narrator, he is a character notorious for lying to himself and to others, he's poisonous and deceitful.

Of course three short films shown through his point of view would cast him in a noble "free thinking" light and the Jedi as infuriatingly obtuse.

The problem comes in when the author steps in and sides with the unreliable character with a subjective opinion and says that character is objectively right.

Okay, so now we have a situation where you've deviated from the established narrative.

You're having someone say the Jedi are asleep at the wheel and Dooku is the only one ahead of the curb when the movies and TCW show us the Jedi being just as aware and frustrated as Dooku is.

You're having someone say the Jedi can do more than what they're already doing, when Lucas' story shows us that there's really not much more that can be done, and Lucas himself confirms as much.

Which brings me to my final point.

Being fair with the criticism.

That's what it comes down to for me.

You can criticize the Jedi Order (I do so right here). But just be fair about it. And be informed.

For example, you can question whether the Jedi's rule of non-attachment is good or not.

But first you gotta know what attachment means, in the context of Star Wars. It does not mean "emotional attachments", aka "relationships". And it's not about repression.

So if you go into it thinking either of those things then your criticism isn't really 1) informed 2) done in good faith.

Because in Star Wars, the term "attachment" is used in the Buddhist sense. It's not about depriving yourself of bonds, it's about being able to let go and move on from who/what you love, when it's time.

Other example: you can argue the Jedi "accepted" the use of a clone army bred for combat because "we don't see it in the movies"... but you'd be disingenuous.

Because Attack of the Clones takes place over a bunch of days. You're not gonna be shown every second of those days. That'd be like arguing that "we never see Mace Windu eat in athemovie, so Mace is unable to eat".

AOTC is a movie about how Anakin fell in love with Padmé and lost his mother, and how Palpatine rose to power by engineering a war, a storyline shown through his and Obi-Wan's POV. The film isn't gonna stop and touch on a point that isn't directly relevant to those two storylines.

In TCW, you see the Jedi, some Senators and some civilians are the only people to treat the clones like, y'know, people. To argue the above, you'd have to deliberately ignore the 12 Jedi we're shown caring for their troops and just focus on Pong Krell.

Also, I think we've criticized the Jedi Order enough. Don't you think?

Different artists, mediums and tales have done it so much that the very clear, very obvious message of the Prequels has been twisted into something else.

If you look up any George Lucas interview between 1999 and 2021, he'll say it's about Anakin and the Senate's greed, it's about how a good kid becomes a bad man and how a democracy becomes a dictatorship. The Prequels weren't about the Jedi.

Instead of challenging the notion that the Jedi are good, which has been done baselessly for over a decade, I think it would now be fair to explore whether the Prequel Jedi were all that bad.

Oh. We're not trying to be fair? My bad then. Let's keep misinterpreting the source material because we like it more that way then say it was how it was originally intended to be.

#QnA

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foxylady13 · 8 months

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The Azriel Bonus Chapter that was included in the Books A Million edition is canon and inside of it, I feel like Sarah J Maas has let us know Elain and Azriel will not end up together and that they aren’t a good fit for each other. Whereas, by the end of it, she has laid down the groundwork for a mate bond between Gwyn and Azriel and shown a new love interest. When you consider how Azriel feels, what he says, and his actions in the bonus chapter when he interacts with Elain, Rhysand, and Gwyn, it is very telling.

♡

Interaction with Elain – He focuses on what he perceives as the negative things about him. He can’t fully accept himself in her presence. He almost feels unworthy of her. He seems to focus on her more sexually to me.

- “Az tried not to look at his scarred fingers as they took the gift.” He hasn’t even touched the gift she gave him last year. It stays on his nightstand just for him to look at whenever he does sleep there where it's located at. He's not doing this every night either because remember he has other places he can sleep at...

- He wasn’t sure about giving her gift from him because her mate was there, had been in the family room and he had to stay be the door because “he couldn’t stand the sight of it, the scent of their mating bond, and needed to have the option of leaving.” He also mentions how he rarely comes to family dinners. He's intentionally staying away from her at this point and appears to have been doing so for a while before this even took place in ACOSF.

- “It had never gone this far. They’d exchanged looks, the occasional brush of their fingers, but never this. Never blatant, unrestricted touching. Wrong--- it was so wrong.” This shows its all been surface level and Azriel knew it was wrong to even be touching Elain..

- “She looked up at him, her face so trusting and hopeful and open that he knew she had no idea that he had done unspeakable things that sullied his hands far beyond their scars. Such terrible things that it was a sacrilege for his fingers to touch her skin, tainting her with his presence. But he could have this. This one moment, and maybe a taste, and that would be it.” He doesn't really seem to want her beyond the moment he wants to experience with her. Signifying it's all about the sexual release for him.

-Rhysand stopped them before they even kissed!!

- Their interaction ends with Azriel saying, “This was a mistake,” and deflecting an apology while vanishing before she could say anything else. Which visibly hurts Elain as it's a clear rejection by another guy who she has grown some feelings for.

♡

Interaction with Rhysand – Before this, Azriel has already admitted that he was and has been envious of Cassian and Rhysand.

- When Rhysand calls him out for about to kiss Elain in the middle of the hall where anyone could see them, including her mate who was there, all he can ask is, “What if the Cauldron was wrong?” This to me brings into question on if the Cauldron was wrong, does that mean it could have made a mistake pairing Nesta and Cassian? So in essence he's essentially also questioning his own brother bond...

- He then deflects Rhysand’s question about Mor and goes on to say, “The Cauldron chose three sisters. Tell me how it’s possible that my two brothers are with two of the sisters, yet the third was given to another.” He reduces Elain to the third sister here and to me it just means he wants the mate bond. Because if he wanted Elain, he'd accept her and want to be with her despite her mate bond with another. Not questioning things...

- Then, Rhysand asks Azriel if he believes he deserves to be her mate to which he deflects and mentions how he thinks Lucien will never be good enough for her and how she's not interested in him anyways (let’s not forget Elain hasn’t really given Lucien a chance and Lucien has stayed away respecting Elain’s wishes)

-When Rhysand asks him if his plan is to seduce Elain away, he says nothing and “He hadn’t gotten that far with his planning, certainly not beyond the fantasies he pleasured himself to.” (Which only happened in the dead of night when even his shadows are asleep). Once again, proving its all about the sex/sexual release for him with Elain.

- When Rhysand mentions Lucien could invoke the Blood Duel (which is a brutal battle to the death that is only enacted in rare cases) if he finds out Azriel is pursuing Elain, Azriel with pure arrogance states he will defeat him. Rhysand reminds of the repercussions of those actions and puts an end to it.

- This whole interaction only shows that Azriel is only thinking of himself and his wants/needs. He isn’t thinking about Elain and how him killing Lucien would hurt/traumatize her because of the mate bond. He isn’t thinking politically which also brings about its own issues.

♡

Interaction with Gwyn – A little background history about them two: He is the one who found and saved her at Sangravah and ended up slaughtering all the soldiers and wrapping her in his cloak who was then taken by Mor (when he usually leaves one or two for interrogation purposes). When he is around her in this bonus chapter, he also seems to be himself and not have any thoughts about his scars or feeling of unworthiness being in her presence. He just is.

- His whole interaction with Gwyn, he never once focuses on his scars or anything negative about himself. He actively engages in conversation with her and its in a flowing, joking, kinda flirty behavior. He even stays after pretty much a clear dismissal by Gwyn.

- When Gwyn was trying to copy his movement, “and he watched her self-correct, fighting against the urge to open up her wrist and rotate the blade.” Notice no mention of his scars or anything negative associated with him touching her if he was to do that...

- After Gwyn makes a joke about Cassian and Nesta and thanks Azriel, “Azriel dipped his head in a sketch of a bow, something restless settling in him.” (mate coding)

- He ends their interaction wishing her a Happy Solstice and telling her to not stay out too much longer or else she’ll freeze. Showing he already cares about her in a way already.

♡

Now onto some other things I found interesting….

His shadows – I think this is important when mentions how the shadows interact between Elain and Gwyn- “Though his shadows kept him company, as they always had, as they always would” His shadows are always going to be apart of him. They aren't going away and based on this thought from him I don't believe he wants them to either.

- When Elain sucked in a soft breath that whispered over his skin, “His shadows skittered back at the sound. They’d always been prone to vanish when she was around.” Interesting they have ALWAYS been prone to vanish when she's around. If that's good/bad remains to be seen but compared to how his shadows react around Gwyn.....well I'll get to that...

- When Az was thinking about Elain (sexually) he mentions how he only ever had those thoughts when even his shadows had gone to sleep. This arises the question.... Why only then Azriel?

- The shadows never warned Azriel that someone was in the training pit when we went to work off the temptation, rage, and frustration. Then, they peered over his wings at Gwyn when they were talking. Something I haven't seen them do yet around anyone else...

- When Gwyn asks him how that party was, “Her breath curled in front of her mouth, and one of shadows darted out to dance with it before twirling back to him. Like it heard some silent music.” (Mate coding here here me)

- Another quote: “Even his shadows had calmed. As if content to lounge on his shoulders and watch.” This is a direct mention of how his shadows calm while he's in the presence of Gwyn, which is a more accurate representation than Feyre or other POV of how they act around people. (I think this can also be mate coded)

- When he is leaving the training pit, he mentions how he swore he could hear faint, beautiful singing following him and that his shadows sang back in answer. (Mate coding)

♡

The Necklace – “It was a small, flat rose fashioned of stained glass, designed so that when held to the light, the true depth of the colors would become visible. A THING OF SECRET, LOVELY BEAUTY.” (There is a reason I capitalized that last part.)

- Azriel at first gifts it to Elain and puts it around her neck. As he is doing that- “He knew it was wrong, but there he was, sliding the necklace around her.” He knew it was wrong.... I think that speaks for itself...

- The next morning after Rhysand stops them from kissing, Elain’s necklace is back in his gift pile. The whole day he has every intention of returning it to the shop. Instead, he finds himself in front of the library as the clock chimes seven in the evening. It's interesting how he was pulled there.... maybe the mate bond led him there? Especially since in Hebrew 7 is said to communicate a sense of "fullness", "completeness", "perfection", "wholeness and harmony" and we know Sarah is Jewish.

- He gives the necklace to Clotho and asks her to give it to Gwyn if she sees her, but then tells her to not to mention that it came from him.

- When Clotho mentions Gwyn deserves something as beautiful as the necklace and thanks him for the joy it will bring to her, this happens:

“Something sparked in Azriel’s chest…. He could picture it, though, as he ascended the stairs back to the House proper. How Gwyn’s teal eyes might light upon seeing the necklace. For whatever reason…. He could see it. But he tucked the away the thought, consciously erasing the slight smile it brought to his face. Buried the image down deep, where it glowed quietly. A THING OF SECRET, LOVELY BEAUTY.” The "something sparked in his chest" is mate coding to me as well as the fact he tucked the thought away and buried it down where it glowed quietly.....

I also happen to think it is significant that in the description of the necklace it mentions a thing of secret, lovely beauty and the bonus chapter ends with that same sentence when he is thinking about Gwyn and the image of her that he buried deep down. Azriel felt it was wrong to put the necklace around Elain but was drawn to the library and gifted it to Gwyn and his reaction and thought process afterwards makes it seen like the necklace was meant to be Gwyns all along. With his mate. Because we all know Azriel wants his own mate, and I think it'll be Gwyn.

♡

Between the interactions, Azriels shadows, the necklace, the wording Sarah uses, just in this one bonus chapter, I fully believe that Sarah J Maas has already shown us who Azriel is going to end up with and that is Gwyn.

#pro gwynriel #gwynriel #acosf #bonus chapter #azriel shadowsinger #az x gwyn #anti e/riel #acotar #azriel #azriel x gwyn

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kanansdume · 1 year

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I've seen a lot of discussion on why Andor DOESN'T feel like Star Wars up until this point, why that's good or bad or what have you, why it's unique and different and special, but I want to talk about why Andor DOES feel like Star Wars still to me.

Cassian wants to save everyone, he wants to just be able to find some small place he can lay low and live a normal life with his mother, wherever that may be and whatever it takes to achieve it. He doesn't truly want anything fundamental about his life to change (for example, he's willing to move off of Ferrix but he wants to take Maarva with him). But what he's not willing to accept that that life is no longer possible. The Empire is here already, it's not going away, and it'll never let him live a normal life. Even if he WEREN'T being actively hunted, the Empire won't let him live a normal life the way he wants. It doesn't matter how far he runs, what name he chooses, what clothes he wears, the life he wants isn't going to happen.

When he tries to get Maarva to run away with him, to ignore her failing health and dismiss her growing desires to fight the Imperial presence on Ferrix, Maarva tells him that his inability to stop worrying over her is just love, and nothing he can do about that. The love isn't the problem, it never was. She's not trying to get him to stop caring about her, just to convince him to accept her choice and let go, to accept that things are changing, including their relationship to each other.

And Cassian leaves. But when he does, he hasn't fully accepted Maarva's choice. He doesn't understand it until he lands in Narkina 5 and starts to feel what she's been feeling and then tries to talk to her and she's already gone. He goes back to Ferrix, hears her final words, and the last time we hear him speak about Maarva is when he sees Bix for the first time after she's been tortured.

Bix: Maarva was here. Cassian: Wasn't she great?

He's let go. He's accepted Maarva's fate, her choice, and made his peace with that loss, knowing there was nothing he could do about it, knowing that nothing he could've done would've changed this outcome. And only once Cassian has truly let go of Maarva and his past is he truly able to step into the role we all know he will take up. Only then can he go to Luthen and ask to be taken into the Rebellion. It's perhaps not the life he WANTS, but it is the life available to him. He either spends the rest of his life being hunted, or he turns around and becomes the hunter himself, even if it means sacrificing a life with the people he loves. He chooses to protect those he loves, to fight for their ability to live in peace, even when it requires giving up his own.

In The Phantom Menace, Anakin is offered a choice to follow his dream, but it requires leaving his planet and his mother behind. He ultimately makes the choice to leave, but we see throughout the rest of his storyline that he's never managed to let go of the desire to have the life he WANTS, a life with Shmi still in it, a life where he gets to have his cake and eat it too. He didn't want the fundamentals of his life to change, but he also wanted to be a Jedi and never quite accepted what that was going to mean.

This inability to let go of his past, to let go of the fantasy life he dreamt up for himself, ultimately has a cascading effect of instability and darkness on his life. Because he loses Shmi anyway, despite everything he has now learned, he loses the one thing he truly wants in his life. And that loss, that inability to keep change from happening, causes him to cling even more to what he has, it makes him incapable of letting go of anything or anyone that he has deemed fundamental to his life now.

Cassian's ultimate ability to recognize that he has to accept change, that his worry for the people he loves is part and parcel of loving people, allows him to rise.

Anakin's inability to recognize any of this forces him to fall, and he brings the entire galaxy down with him.

Much like Anakin, Cassian's major arc in this show was about LETTING GO. He had to learn to accept the world as it was, how to accept himself and the people he loved as they are, and only then could he move forward to become the revolutionary rebel we always knew him to be.

Cassian is morally gray, yes. He kills people pretty quickly, he's not always compassionate, he can be selfish and unkind. But he still lives by the rules that govern the Star Wars universe, and so he cannot become a hero until he learns these specific lessons

We're getting the same basic message about attachment, letting go, and accepting change as we've always gotten in Star Wars. This is the same message we got through Luke and Anakin, the same theme we saw explored in the recent Obi-Wan Kenobi show, the same concept we saw brought up a few times in places like Rebels and The Clone Wars.

Andor is looking at the world of Star Wars through a very specific lens that we haven't looked at it through before, and it brings a lot of wonderful new things to light about this world, but it also stays true to the ultimate message of Star Wars, and that's what made it feel so incredibly special to me.

#star wars #andor #star wars andor #andor show #andor series #sw andor #cassian andor #anakin skywalker

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starsreminisce · 3 months

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E/riels give me this vibe like “don’t be mean to her she’s too beautiful!” (Almost implying: she can’t handle it) Tf? Is her worth only based on her looks?

I know in psychology they’ve studied that ppl tend to subconsciously be nicer to attractive ppl, but does that mean we should keep doing it?

I feel like most E/riels do want Elain to surprise people, including the Inner Circle, with what she can and can't do. The problem is that they assume Azriel will be that person for her when clearly they aren't communicating more than necessary, and Azriel made his case about Nesta searching for the trove, suggesting Elain shouldn't be exposed to it.

Some logic that I can't follow suggests that he is protecting her, even when it's something she wants to do, and he doesn't offer anything to explain his reasoning when Cassian asked why Nesta should. We were given his POV, and it still wasn't addressed.

Rhys is a bit of a weird ally because he sees what Elain is capable of, but he defers most of the decision-making to his council - Azriel disapproved, and Amren made the call to give Nesta the week before they go to Elain. Even Nesta had more say in what Elain shouldn't do, and Amren flat out said they were not above using Elain to manipulate Nesta.

Is that really the environment that's best for Elain to stay in? Where she is no more than a carrot on a stick to Nesta and a leash to Lucien as her only role?

Feyre said, “We won’t allow any harm to come to Elain. Rhys warded her this morning, and we have eyes on her at all times.” “Eyes can be blinded,” Nesta said. “Not the ones under my command,” Azriel said with soft menace. Nesta met his stare, knowing he was the only one aside from Feyre who could truly understand her hesitation. He’d gone with Feyre into the heart of Hybern’s camp to save Elain—he knew the risk. “We won’t make the same mistake twice.”

This is why I believe Azriel won't allow her to do anything that can put her in danger by keeping her away from danger, which is the antithesis of SJM's push for a strong FMC.

I suppose that's also why now they want Elain to wield Gwydion instead of Truth-Teller and have her be a secret ninja warrior spy because they know that's who is the best match for Azriel, completely ignoring that Azriel has helped Gwyn handle daggers and she picked up enough to know how to spy to tell Nesta and Emerie what she did, versus Elain stepping out of the shadows.

They are also ignoring that Lucien has the best skill set match to complement Elain's strengths, and he is putting his own right to claim his mate in order for her to make a decision.

SJM never put Elain and Lucien in a situation where they had to kiss. She even goes so far as to make sure one of them leaves the room or both of them are ignoring each other, and yet she couldn't bring Elain and Azriel to kiss, even after his hand was in her hair and she gave him offer and permission… Elriels can keep claiming and claiming that they were stopped by Rhys, as though it wasn't SJM who wrote the damn scene.

#elucien #antie/riel #antielriel #gwynriel

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acourtofthought · 2 years

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In the first third of ACOWAR, Feyre wonders why Elain and Az were not mated because she doesn't understand what determines the bond.

Since that moment however, once Rhys explains some of it, Feyre never makes mention of Az and Elain being a match again. In Silver Flames, Nesta notes that she's aware of Az's secret but does not have any thoughts on Az and Elain being together. Cassian notes Az acting a bit odd but does not make note of anything between Elain and Az.

We do have the following though.

Feyre to Elain about Lucien:

“No.” I blinked. “But he is a good male.”

“He cares for you.”

“You don’t give him the chance to even try to do so.”

We also have her mention how maybe Elain prefers getting her hands dirty after Elain receives the enchanted gloves but..... a book later she says:

"I didn't dare mention that if she had been wearing the gloves Lucien had gotten her last Solstice, nothing would have pierced them at all".

Mor's opinion on Elain and Lucien

“Stay out of it. She’s not ready, and neither is he, no matter how many presents he brings.”

“Let him live with his Band of Exiles. Let him deal with Tamlin in his own way. Let him figure out where he wants to be. Who he wants to be. The same goes with her.”

Nesta's thoughts about Elain and Lucien:

Elain, the wretch, had taken the seat between Feyre and Varian, about as far from Lucien as she could get.

Cassians thoughts about Lucien and Elain:

Cassian’s heart strained at the pain etching deep into Lucien’s face as he tried to hide his disappointment and longing.

Rhys regarding Elain / Lucien / Az

To sum it up, Rhys is not a fan of the idea of Az using Elain to get his rocks off especially when Az can't admit to what his feelings for Mor currently are. Rhys also expects Az to have a little more respect for Lucien who is currently under his roof.

I'm seeing a lot of Elucien support from the IC.

#elucien #lucien vanserra #elainarcheron #elain x lucien #lucien and elain #lucien x elain #elain and lucien #pro elucien

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theladyofbloodshed · 1 year

Text

A Court of Tangled Flames - Chapter 25

Sorry to leave you on that cliffhanger last time :-)

A buzzing sounded in Nesta’s ears. It grew to the point of pain. A silence clawed up the walls. She wasn’t breathing, every breath her lungs tried to suck in wouldn’t come.

Cassian reached out a hand for her.

‘Azriel. Take me away. Azriel.’

Nesta was swept up in a blur of shadows and wished she was swallowed into oblivion instead.

Her whole body trembled violently. She pushed away from Azriel to stagger to safety, but they weren’t in the Autumn Court or even the Hewn City.

They were in a darkened cave that held a slight warmth. Harsh light streamed in from the mouth set at an angle against the stone and she could see snow falling heavily.

‘Where are we?’

‘Illyria. Far north.’

Azriel scratched the tattoo on his wrist roughly.

‘Take me home. Take me back to Eris.’

The shadow singer shook his head once, still scratching his tattoo with discomfort twinging his features. ‘I can’t, Nesta.’

‘Azriel, please.’

She hated the desperation in her voice, but Nesta would have got on her knees and begged if she thought it might have swayed him. Her bottom lip began to wobble then tears spilt down her cheeks. Her cheeks flamed but the rest of her body was cold and unprepared to be outdoors in just a dress.

Noticing her distress, Azriel took a step forwards, but she shrunk away, heart caving in on itself. ‘Azriel, take me to my husband. Please. Just take me home.’

He swallowed, shaking his head again. ‘Nesta, please listen. I cannot take you there now. I can’t. For your sake and Eris’.’

The moment continued to repeat on her – Cassian’s words, her laughter then the sudden tautness that had come over her like her ribs were being peeled apart to expose her beating heart.

Nesta doubled over and vomited.

She heaved and heaved until nothing more could come out.

Azriel was there, helping her to rise and cutting off a length of his top for her to use as a rag to wipe her mouth.

When his hands pressed against her shoulders, Nesta didn’t shrug him off. She was grateful for the little warmth his body could give her. ‘Rhys will be keeping Cassian as under control as possible but the last thing any of us wants is him charging into the Autumn Court and demanding the Blood Duel against Eris.’

Nesta tried to protest. She didn’t want Eris in the dark – or to find out from anybody other than her.

Azriel squeezed her shoulders tighter.

‘Did Beron know you’d come to the Night Court?’

‘No.’

‘It puts the entire alliance in jeopardy if Cassian goes there – and Eris’ life is in danger not just from Cassian, but Beron too then. I will not take you there in case Cassian does go and catches your scent. He will be frenzied. It could spark a war.’

Nesta felt adrift with nothing to cling to. ‘What am I to do? Where am I to go? I just want Eris. I wish I’d never visited.’

The last thread that had been keeping her together snapped. She broke then, letting out great, shuddering breaths as she cried. Azriel did his best to soothe her but he didn’t circle a hand against her back as Eris did, he didn’t nuzzle against her hair like her husband did, and he didn’t try to find a solution like her best friend did.

‘You’ll freeze here,’ he murmured, stepping away. He glanced towards the mouth of the cave and for one terrible moment, Nesta imagined Cassian swooping through the gap to steal her away.

‘I can’t go home. I can’t go to the Hewn City. I won’t ever go to Velaris again. Where am I to go, Azriel?’

Again, he clawed at that tattoo. It was hurting him because he hadn’t truly fulfilled his portion of the magical deal.

‘Trust me. You’ll be safe. Then I’ll go back to Velaris to find out what’s happening.’

‘Get to Eris. I need to know he’s safe.’

‘You’re my priority. And his. That was the deal.’

If Eris heard that a mating bond had snapped, he would be devastated. Nesta already was. She felt hopeless. In her heart, she felt nothing but betrayal – but at what? The Cauldron? Prythian? She’d tried to do good and speak to Feyre, to try and save her life, and this was how the universe treated her.

‘I just want to go home.’

Shadows swept around them, engulfing them in darkness for a moment before it spat the pair out on the fringes of a vast estate. It stood in the foothills of a mountain range with snow blanketing every inch of the place. There were many wooden cabins clustered together in the grounds – some larger than others with two floors – with thick wedges of snow on the roofs and smoke billowing from chimneys where fires were lit. There had to be at least twenty homes on the grounds, but when Nesta tried to count them, her vision blurred at the edges and she was unable to stare at them for long.

‘What is this place?’

‘Inside,’ Azriel murmured. ‘Too cold to stand around talking.’

With an arm to guide her – or to keep her from winnowing – Azriel led the way towards the largest cabin stood in the centre of the small village. He knocked a couple of times on the door before letting himself in.

The cabin was quiet, but the soft scuff of footsteps somewhere upstairs signalled that they weren’t alone.

Her body shook from the cold. That and the horror that had unfurled over breakfast.

She was foolish to have felt proud of herself. Nesta had survived the night in Velaris without old wounds being re-opened. She had squared up to Rhysand without balking. She had been proud. Then it had all been thrown back in her face. Every good deed, every triumph. Fate mocked her.

‘This is Rosehall,’ he murmured. ‘It’s a safe place for females. Nobody knows about it. Only Rhys knows my mother is here – not the other females.’

‘Other females?’

All of the cabins then made sense. With no library available for Illyrian females, Rosehall had become a sanctuary cultivated by Azriel and his mother. That was why her vision had blurred, because it was heavily warded and only his presence had allowed her access to it. She had read a book from Eris’ library specifically about casting wards and the various levels that could be created.

The rustling of wings sounded down the stairs and Nesta held her breath, deathly afraid again that it would be Cassian.

‘Azriel, I wasn’t expecting you until evening.’

The female stopped short at the sight of her son and Nesta lurking in the hallway. They hadn’t ventured further into the house out of politeness. Her son looked like her; the same almond-shaped hazel eyes, sweeping cheekbones and full lips. There was little difference in their ages that Nesta could see but that meant nothing to the fae. There could have been twenty years or two hundred between them.

‘Oh. Hello, high lady.’ His mother swept her head low as she offered a curtsey.

A blush stole across Azriel’s cheeks. ‘This is her sister, Nesta.’

Matching blushes came over Nesta and Azriel’s mother’s cheeks. ‘Forgive me.’

‘We look alike,’ Nesta said, swallowing against the dryness in her throat.

‘Is the snowball fight about to begin?’

Azriel turned his face to the ground, avoiding looking at his mother. ‘Not this year. I have to go. Will you look after Nesta for me?’

She stole a glance at Nesta, eyebrows creasing together with concern. ‘Certainly. None of the cabins have spare rooms. I do have two here that are empty, but we will need to think about expanding if-’

‘Just for a few hours,’ Azriel said swiftly, still not looking at his mother or even Nesta. ‘I’ll be back as soon as I can.’

Without any chance to protest or beg him to return her to the Autumn Court, Azriel strode back out into the snow.

When the door swung shut behind him, her heart ruptured again. It was like that damning day where she had been summoned then trapped into the House of Wind. She let out a broken sob and hurried for the door, hand wrapping around the handle, ready to wrench it back open, but a gentle hand turned her by the shoulder. Arms engulfed Nesta and she let herself be embraced, let herself fall apart in a stranger’s arms.

‘I just want to go home,’ she repeated.

‘I know,’ the female soothed as she kept her arms wrapped around Nesta.

***

Not a single moment of sleep had come to Eris. He had spent the night pacing. At one point, Orla had even joined him downstairs for a cup of tea with creases on her face from the pillow, claiming his thoughts were so loud that they had woken her.

‘I just want her home,’ he said once dawn had cracked the sky and the healer had come back down stairs.

Orla nodded absently as she prepared a breakfast that Eris wouldn’t touch.

‘Their shadow singer would have returned Nesta if anything had happened. The deal was iron-clad. He knows to bring her straight here. That was in the wording. Surely he couldn’t bypass the deal even if Nesta didn’t expressly demand a return here.’

‘Eris,’ Orla said, brows rising. ‘You will make yourself sick.’

His eyes stung from exhaustion. Several times during the night, he’d stepped out of Orla’s house to stand in the darkness as if anticipating the arrival of his wife in a blur of shadows. The dogs hadn’t settled either; they’d traced his steps through the house. He was surprised he hadn’t worn a track in the floor from his pacing.

‘Two hours. Just two hours left,’ she said.

Two hours felt like an eternity. He couldn’t imagine a life without Nesta by his side – but one where she was condemned to the Night Court caused his emotions to become unmanageable.

‘Why do I feel this sense of impending doom?’

Orla folded her arms across her chest, trapping her braid within them. ‘Because you haven’t slept and you’re hungry. It always feels like the end of the world when you’ve not rested.’

‘How can I rest? How?’

‘You are so dramatic,’ she said, a smirk curling her lips. ‘Have you ever considered a life on stage? I really think you’d excel.’

His friend came to stand in front of him then placed her hands on his shoulders. ‘Eris Vanserra, you are making yourself sick with no good reason. Niamh and Ashur have not been in contact which is a good sign. It means nothing has happened. I bet Nesta has gorged herself on Solstice food and is enjoying a lazy morning in bed. Eat something before I force feed you.’

His voice came out as a whisper, ‘I am so worried.’

A thumb swept along his cheek. ‘I know. And I will laugh about it with Nesta when she’s home. The cruel heir of the Autumn Court, having kittens because his wife left him alone for one night.’

‘It’s the longest night of the year.’

‘Still one night, Eris.’

***

When the Illyrian female tried to lead Nesta towards a fire, her panic descended to new levels. She couldn’t cope with the fire, not now.

‘Alright, alright,’ the female soothed, as Nesta jostled to get past her, back towards the hallway. The female didn’t let her past, just pulled her arms around Nesta again so could press her face against the warm skin of the female’s neck and sob. ‘You are very cold. Come with me to the kitchen. The stove is on there.’

Nesta didn’t truly believe she had a choice in the matter, but she followed after the female, eyes snagging on the brutal scars criss-crossing over her wings. They reminded her of Emerie’s wounds, but this female’s scars were worse. The scars were aged, thick and ridged, that rendered flying impossible. More than clipping, this was been frequent damaging to make the wings almost useless. Nesta doubted there was any feeling in them. Emerie, at least, could twitch hers or move them slightly going through doorways. There were no adjustments as the female walked; her wings clipped the doorway, but she didn’t seem to notice. They were a dead weight on her back.

By a huge black stove, Nesta took a seat on a three-legged stool. The female retrieved a blanket and wrapped it around Nesta’s shoulders.

‘A hot drink to warm you up from the inside, I think.’

Without question, she had begun taking care of Nesta. The female boiled two copper kettles on the stove after filling them with water then began toasting bread and slathering butter on it.

‘I’m not hungry.’

‘You need to eat,’ she replied in a gentle, but firm voice that left no room for debate.

Nesta accepted the plate and forced a mouthful down but it tasted like ashes. How long had it been since the bond snapped? Twenty minutes or less? Yet it felt like an eternity of damnation.

‘You’re Azriel’s mother?’

‘Call me Rovena. Yes, I brought that sweet boy into the world.’

‘And this place is for…’

‘For females who need a safe place,’ she finished. ‘Here, I used to do this for him when he was little and afraid of fire.’ Rovena wrapped a ceramic bed warmer filled with boiled water in a towel then tucked it against Nesta’s lap beneath her blanket so warmth spread from it.

Her shivering slowed until it ceased. Rovena didn’t push her. She merely continued brewing tea then left the room for a moment.

Nesta took the chance to peer out of the window, over the crust of snow that had settled. What a remarkable place this was. And a secret. One that Azriel would never yield to his family – but he had taken Nesta here, to prove his vow that he would keep her safe. It was better than the library. She doubted the females here had to work then return to a small room in the evenings. They could take a walk, feel the air on their face, visit the homes of other females in this almost-village. And at the heart of it was Rovena who welcomed in any new females. There were rooms in this cabin to settle in newcomers, to offer the care to those most in need of it before they spread their wings and settled in another cabin. Maybe some of these females even left the sanctuary to return to their lives in Illyria once they were ready. They didn’t need to rely on somebody flying them down ten thousand stairs.

It changed her opinion of the quiet shadow singer. This was a good place, but Nesta wished that – like the library – it didn’t have to exist. Azriel understood the necessity of it, but it was his brother who could change things. Still, she was thankful that he had created such a place with his mother.

When Rovena returned, she removed Nesta’s shoes then peeled off her wet socks. Her toes were red and numb from the cold. The female remained unbothered by it. There was a dogged determination to her actions that suggested to Nesta taking in females and caring for them had become a well-rehearsed dance. She slipped a pair of clean socks onto Nesta’s feet and the warmth eclipsed them at once.

‘I won’t ask you what happened. I won’t pry. But if you want to talk then I am ready to listen.’ A warm, brown hand cradled her cheek.

Nesta couldn’t speak. She didn’t want to give it a voice. If she told people about the bond, it made it real. All she wanted was to go home to Eris and find a way to break the bond.

‘I want to go home,’ she sniffed.

‘Is home safe?’

She thought of Eris who had been so worried about her leaving. She’d been grateful that he hadn’t blocked her visit, hadn’t acted like her brother-in-law and pulled rank over his wife. But now she knew, she wished he had. Wished Eris had never let her out of his sight.

Nesta’s face cracked again as she nodded. ‘I should never have left.’

***

Only Rhysand was in the cold, black room belonging to the Hewn City when Eris arrived early. Every step towards that room had been the tightening of a noose.

‘Where is my wife?’

Rhys spread out his hands, placating. ‘Eris. Sit down.’

There was no arrogance in his tone for once. He felt his stomach tighten.

She wouldn’t stay there. Nesta wouldn’t want to remain in the Night Court. She wouldn’t.

‘Where is my wife?’

Fury built inside of him, growing with every ragged inhale. If they harmed her-

‘The mating bond snapped.’

That flummoxed him. He fell into a seat. Instead of the white-hot anger that had coursed through his veins moments before, ice coated his insides. He couldn’t breathe.

‘To who.’

Rhys spared him a sorry glance. He didn’t want his pity. ‘Do you need to ask?’

He clenched his fingers into fists beneath the table. A mating bond was a gift from the Mother. The only thing more sacred was a child. Eris wanted to rage, wanted to destroy every wall in this miserable fortress – but his wife had found her mate. How could he be angry when she had something that others searched their whole lives for?

Eris swallowed, trying to manage his emotions. It was futile. They were written plainly on his expression – and he was glad then that only Rhysand had been in attendance to witness his mourning. He wiped his face with the back of his hand.

‘I understand.’

Mates. Mates. Mates.

The word echoed in his mind, more painful each time.

‘I will have her belongings packed and brought here by sundown.’

When he stood, Rhys caught him by the arm, preventing him by leaving. ‘You think Nesta has accepted it?’

‘She would be here if she hadn’t.’

Those violet eyes shuttered closed. ‘I have a heavily pregnant mate at home. Morrigan, Varian and Amren are trying to keep Cass contained before he tears halfway across the world to find Nesta. I want to be home. I need to be there. You need to return to Autumn and wait there. At the healer’s. When I have Nesta, she will be returned and shielded from him.’

‘Where is she? Where is my wife?’ Panic slithered down his throat.

Rhys gave a tight shrug. ‘Azriel took her. I don’t know where. His shadows won’t let me locate him.’

A rare and fragile hope flickered to life in Eris’ chest. There was no place safer for Nesta than the cottage. Perhaps she was there waiting for him. His wife wasn’t one to hide – if she wanted the bond then she had the courage to face him, Eris knew.

Eris didn’t know if Rhys was in his head or not, but the high lord shook his head as if reading those thoughts. ‘Cassian is incensed. If he scents Nesta in Autumn then he will demand a blood duel with you. He thinks Nesta is being held against her will and is afraid of you.’

‘Afraid of me?’ He blurted. ‘I’m not the one who forced her to march until she fainted!’

And then suddenly Nesta’s departure made sense. Moon-eyed children dreamed of one day growing and finding a mate – an equal in every way – but Nesta hadn’t known what a mate was until a couple of years earlier. And now, her equal was the male who’d laughed when she fell down the stairs, who’d never made her a priority.

If Nesta wanted her bond, if she wanted to try with Cassian, then Eris would follow her wishes even if it broke him.

But, if his wife wanted to rip that bond apart, he would be her sword and her shield. He would bleed himself dry than ever let that brute lay an unwanted finger on his love.

‘She never should have gone to your court. I knew it was a bad idea from the start. If any harm comes to my wife, I will not rest until I see the rivers of Illyria run red with his blood. I will curse the name of every Illyrian who draws breath. And if that brute thinks he can force my wife into submission, I will bring a nation of fire to these lands and see it turned to ash.’

@owllover123 @rarephloxes @fanboy7794 @sugardoll22 @kitkat-writes-stuff @this-is-rochelle @sv0430 @embersofwildfire

Just a short update - and of course Rovena gets into every universe :-)

If you like my fics, would you consider reading my original work. The paperback is coming soon, but it is also available as an eBook on amazon/kindle unlimited

#a court of tangled flames #acotf #neris

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