I will weave the bonny flowers of spring for you (oneshot)
Summary: A year has passed since Elain interrupted Lucien’s love confession with news of her engagement to Graysen Nolan. Desperate not to go alone to Rhysand and Feyre’s ball by herself, she sends an unexpected letter to Lucien, asking him to be her escort.
To her surprise, he agrees.
Fake Dating & Fairy Tale AU // Also on ao3
(Rated M) // A gift for @the-lonelybarricade who gives and gives to this fandom. It’s high time LB received something back.
Special thanks to @separatist-apologist for the steadfast encouragement, I love your guts. And thanks to @shadowhunter2003 for the prompt!
The letter arrived with the noon sun, folded neatly inside an ivory envelope and sealed shut with lilac petals sprinkled in the wax.
I know that after such a long drought between our letters, I must be the last person you expected to receive correspondence from and as such, you must be expecting the worst. No, no one has died. Let me put your heart at ease, all of us Archerons are well. You might have heard already, but Feyre is even expecting a child this summer.
Ah, I forgot—you despise pithy pleasantries, especially with me when we have known such intimate conversations in the past. I’ll get right to the point.
I’m writing to ask a favor of you. It may be bold to expect that you would extend your kindness to me after the way we last parted, and I won’t think any less of you if you decline. In truth, it’s my own pride at risk.
You may recall that I was long engaged to Lord Graysen Nolan. I’ll spare you the unpleasant details, but I regret to say that he has broken off his engagement. Just as well, I suppose, since he was quite taken with a woman from his parish. Taken enough that she is swelled with his child.
So much for sparing the unpleasant details
To my dismay, Lord Nolan will be attending my brother-in-law’s ball this coming weekend. It will be the first time he will step out with his new wife and the first time I am stepping out alone.
You can likely surmise where this is headed. It’s not that I want to make him jealous—or perhaps I do, I confess I am more bitter than I let on—but I don’t want to be some object of pity that Rhys’ guests can ogle at. I want to show this court, and all its gossips and meddlers, that I am quite fine without Graysen. Then, if they believe it, I might be able to convince myself.
All that is to say, would you consider being my escort to Rhysand’s ball? I know it is quite an imposition on your time and kindness, but I didn’t trust anyone else. You have never judged me, have always championed for my happiness. And once you said that I should never be afraid to ask you for something I want. So, Lucien, I’m asking.
I’ll be anxiously waiting for your response. Maybe this can be the first step to rebuilding our friendship.
Lucien slumped in his chair, legs sprawling out so far they peaked out beneath the other side of his desk. He held the letter above his face to read it again, then once more, until finally on the third review, he let it float down until it was blanketing his face.
Dammit, the blasted parchment even smelled like her.
