Until the darkness claims us — Azriel X original!female OC
Synopsis: The Hound of the Night Court, they called her. A nickname that began as an insult and later became the title of horror stories whispered throughout Prythian, stories that told of a blindfolded female with iron at her fingertips.
But Morwenna Blueblood had long since freed herself from the collar that suffocated her, motivated by the breaking of an oath made under the supervision of the stars, an oath that promised a freedom she had longed for, but which in the end proved to be just a new hand trying to pull the leash and demand obedience.
And now, with the disappearance of Nesta and Elain Archeron, the two girls she swore to protect after Feyre was taken to the other side of the Wall and who were snatched from under her wings when Morwenna looked away for a moment, the female finds herself returning under the same stars she once cursed.
Pairing: Azriel X original!female character
— Basically these two will be one of my favorite trops: enemies to lovers, but she's in enemies and he's in lovers. Besides, Azriel for me is the type who would look at her, all covered in blood and with a murderous look on her face, and immediately think she was the most beautiful creature in the world... and get turned on. Our dark batboy is just a male obsessed with his wife who doesn't yet know she's his wife.
Warnings: Violence, blood, murder, possible smut (+ more may be added)
Warnings: Blood, death, attempted abuse (briefly mentioned). Besides, English isn't my first language, so grammatical mistakes can happen.
He was dead long before his skull hit the ground with a hollow thud that made almost no sound. Blood quickly spread from the wound in his neck until it formed a crimson pool that was absorbed by the surrounding snow.
Morwenna remained silent, her head bowed toward the body of the man she had just taken the life of as if it were nothing more than a minor inconvenience in her routine, a slight disdain appearing on her beautiful features as she wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, even though she knew she would have to find a place to clean herself up, considering that the blood had dripped down her chin and splattered on her clothes.
She hated winter, mainly because the water was so cold that it felt like her bones would freeze beneath her skin, and the fire in the fireplace in her cabin could only warm her to a certain extent without attracting unwanted attention from humans who were too curious for their own good.
The dead man on the floor was not one of those curious people, he just had the misfortune and stupidity to try to chase a woman through the forest on the very day Morwenna had just returned from her trip. The woman had long since fled, clutching the ruined sleeve of her dress and stumbling over her own feet without looking back, surely watched from above by Sethyra, as her wyvern always had a soft spot for creatures with keen survival instincts and the willpower to stay alive in dangerous situations.
The sun seemed a little warmer that day, and Morwenna looked up despite her covered eyes, only to realize that it was almost time for her visit to Nesta and Elain, something that had become less frequent after the younger Archeron had been taken to the other side of the wall about a year ago.
She thinks this description defines women and females very well, and that must be why Sethyra liked the female gender much more than tolerated any man or male.
She knew that the two Archerons no longer needed her protection now that they had returned to their former living conditions, having left the dilapidated cabin where they lived and moved to a larger and safer property. But Morwenna had still shown up once since the two had moved, two days after their father had left to travel to who knows where, just wanting to check out the surroundings and make sure everything was okay there, and both Nesta and Elain invited her in and then asked her to come back again for the middle Archeron's birthday, even if it was just to say “hi.”
She agreed, and a week ago she had traveled in search of a gift for Elain, something simple but that Morwenna knew she would like.
She turned her back on the body, deciding to leave it there for the wolves to devour as they saw fit. It wouldn't hurt anyone else anyway.
The smell of smoke was the first thing she noticed as she got closer and closer to the Archeron property.
She skidded to a halt in front of what had once been a beautiful property of polished marble with an emerald roof, but which had now been reduced to black rubble reeking of ashes and despair. She could smell the fear and dread emanating from the smoke, cataloging without needing to see the corpses of the Archeron's employees, now reduced to lifeless bodies disfigured by fire.
At first, Morwenna told herself that must have been carried there by the wind, perhaps someone had decided to burn wood near the village to warm those who did not have the privilege of a roof over their heads. But the closer she got, the more that thought fell apart, and her steps began to quicken until she was practically running, her hood falling back and the dark cloak covering her body rising as Morwenna gained speed, knowing without looking that Sethyra was keeping pace above her.
Her breath came out shaky, a feeling of fear and anger forming in her stomach as she forced herself to walk through the rubble in search of Nesta and Elain, something she hadn't felt since she was still working for the male who ordered her to dirty her hands so that his could remain clean.
She counted each of the bodies, counted each of the twelve employees who were there, and promised them a dignified burial, even if she had to dig their graves with her own hands.
But that was all there was, twelve corpses of people she didn't know beyond the descriptions given by Nesta and Elain, but no sign of the two girls, and Morwenna didn't know whether she should feel relieved or even more terrified by this realization.
She searched further, looking around for any clue, even if it was just a strand of hair covered in blood or a hand sticking out from somewhere buried in the snow, but there was nothing, no trace that Nesta and Elain had suffered the same fate as the humans who worked for them, even though their scents were still there, albeit faint and mixed with fear, indignation, and something else that Morwenna couldn't identify. A new scent, from someone or something that had been there when it all happened.
Suddenly, she stopped. She stood as still as a statue when she identified something else nearby, something familiar that she felt in her bones and made the magic inside her boil.
Morwenna knew that smell, she would recognize it even if she were blind and deaf or confined to a lighthouse in the middle of the ocean after going mad, and she couldn't help but shudder when cold night mist and cedar overwhelmed her senses as if he were right there in front of her.
But he wasn't, only his scent had remained like a trap waiting to ambush her, and Morwenna could almost feel the cold, familiar sensation of his shadows curling around her wrists to say hello.
It was both a blessing and a curse, because now Morwenna knew where to start looking, but it was also a place she had sworn never to set foot in again, a place whose memories still haunted her even as she tried to forget the marks that had once encircled her neck centuries ago and had been reduced to white scars.
In the sky, Sethyra's roar was loud enough to shake the earth, and on the other side of the Wall, violet and hazel eyes simultaneously looked up as if sensing her inevitable arrival.
