From what SJM said so far, we’re headed for a long, slow-burn arc between Elain and Lucien. Everything we already knew tbh, with the added bonus that Elain knows Lucien is hot, which only makes the tension better 🫶🏼
Hello my friend!! The word I'd love to know how you associate with Elucien is yearning. Two questions for you!!
Is there anything you've written for Elucien that comes to mind when you think of yearning?
Is there any fanart you've seen that really conveys Elucien's yearning?
hi friend!!! omg i am sorry i am just answering this one now!!
1) i think Seen and Unseen and Unsighted both have yearning vibes! lucien is staring at her from across the room in the first one, and then elain is thinking about lucien while he’s away, and then they both cry when they give in to the bond haha
2) THIS ART IS PEAK YEARNING by the amazingly talented @majuandrad !!! it’s all about the EYES with elucien and they captured the longing in lucien’s so well!!!!
Hello friend!! I've come to offer you a friendship bracelet and to ask if you'd be willing to share a snippet of dialogue from any of your wips so we can guess who's saying it? 👀
hi friend!! thank you for the bracelet!! so far this is the only coherent dialogue that i have 😂😂
After the death of her father and the disappearance of both her sisters, Elain Archeron resigns herself to a quiet, joyless life bound to a man she doesn’t love. But when her betrothed decides she is worth more to him dead than alive, Elain flees into the night with nothing but the shoes on her feet and the desperate hope that she might survive until morning. A strange voice leads her beyond The Wall to a land she thought only existed in storybooks, where she runs into the male who has lived in her dreams for as long as she can remember.
Elain
Elain stomped through the gardens, brambles catching at her skirts. She halted, tugging the gauzy fabric free and continuing on.
The sun was already settling low beneath the treeline over the hedges, turning the sky a deep purple ribboned with orange. She’d taken the way of the garden because she knew the paths well, but also because she knew she wasn’t likely to be followed.
Ianthe had been sending her on what Elain was starting to suspect was a trail of wild goose chases all day. She needed something from the staff setting up by the fires, the ceremonial paint had been delivered to the wrong place, there were people arriving who weren’t able to find the lot of land they’d been assigned to stay.
When Elain had offered her services, she hadn’t imagined that she’d spend the day being ordered around by her least favorite person in the Spring Court. She’d snuck out before Ianthe could find her again, slipping from her room after she’d locked herself inside to wash the sweat from her body and change. Lindy and Elain had parted ways earlier in the day, with Lindy opting to stay inside the manor.
“I know how Calanmai works. I don’t need to see it in action.” There was something almost sad and bitter in her tone, and after reading about the ceremony and what it entailed, Elain understood why.
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay in my rooms?” she’d offered for the thousandth time.
Lindy had squeezed her shoulder. “Thank you, again, but I’ll just stay in the staff quarters tonight. They’re going to be celebrating on their own, and I’d rather be amongst a crowd.”
Elain understood the urge. She thought she might tear someone’s head off if Lucien were in the same position as Tamlin.
Now, as she slithered out through the gardens, she released a breath when it seemed no one had followed her. She wanted to be alone, and she wanted to enjoy the night—a distraction of her own. She navigated farther and farther away from the manor and closer to the edge of the rolling hills of bonfires ahead. Already, she could hear the music, the pounding of drums, and the smell of the burning timber was heady in her nose.
She tread a little more carefully, avoiding another hedge filled with brambles and pulling her skirt up past her ankles to be safe. It was fire night, and she wasn’t going to let anything else keep her down—or away from it.
It had been a long two weeks since the ball. A long two weeks since the morning after her nightmare where she’d woken up to find Lucien gone. Apparently, he’d been called away urgently for business in Dawn, and Tamlin made apologies on his behalf. She’d tried not to be offended, but they’d never had a chance to speak about the kiss in the hall or her nightmare or the fact that he’d stayed in her bed. He might have fled before sunrise, but the place beneath his pillow had still been warm. He’d stayed with her the whole night.
Since then, she’d been trying to keep busy, making sure her mind and hands were occupied whenever possible. Tamlin had asked for a bit of help with for Calanmai as it approached, and otherwise she’d been keeping busy in the gardens with Lindy, listening to all the details of whatever tentative thing was forming between her and the High Lord.
But Lucien had gotten back earlier today. She had felt him the moment he’d winnowed back onto Spring property, his heart thundering in her chest more loudly than normal, as though it had missed beating in time so close to hers.
She’d been trying to find him all day, her tasks pulling and tugging her away at every available opportunity. It had become so ridiculously pointed that she wondered if Ianthe was doing it on purpose. Elain rolled her eyes just thinking about it. She wasn’t sure she’d ever disliked anyone the way she disliked the priestess. She kept meaning to ask Tamlin why he kept Ianthe around, but every time, she remembered that she, too, was a guest here. She always backed out, feeling it wasn’t her place.
Tonight, though, there was nothing Ianthe could do to stop Elain’s mission to find Lucien in the already huge crowds. The orange streaks in the sky had faded to a violet as deep as a bruise when Elain left the garden walls and stepped through the gates.
It was a warm night, the air heavy but nice on her skin. The dress she’d picked was more revealing than she was used to, but Alis had said it was a little more fit for Calanmai. Right before she’d told Elain to not go out without an escort from one of the guards. Exactly what Tamlin had also told her as he blushed and stammered through a very vague reasoning for why he wouldn’t be able to keep an eye on her. She’d been too embarrassed to ask anyone about the details of Calanmai after the ball, choosing instead to blush wildly while she looked them up herself in a chair in the dark back corner of the library.
She’d hoped she’d run into Lucien before then—maybe even see if he’d go with her so they could talk once she’d felt him return within the wards of Spring.
But in the end, Lucien hadn’t come to see her. She was hurt he hadn’t said a word, hadn’t sent a letter. She wanted to talk to him—needed to talk to him. At the very least, perhaps, he might show her mercy. He could put her out of her misery, tell her the kiss was a big mistake, and she could begin to pick up the broken pieces of her heart with her tail between her legs and move on.
Her heart throbbed at the thought, the bond chafing so raw in her chest she thought for a moment she might be sick.
“Hush,” she admonished it, then nearly laughed at herself for talking to it. What was she even supposed to do with an unclaimed bond? When he rejected her, would the bond understand that? Or would it just stretch out forever, endlessly looking for the other half that didn’t want her, until she died?
Perhaps she would need to leave Spring. It hadn’t felt quite so overwhelming when he’d been gone. Maybe she could find some peace elsewhere—another court, even, if her sisters ever remembered she existed.
“What’s a pretty little thing like you doing so far from The Wall?” The voice leered beside her in the dark. She was far into the crowd now, and though many members of the nearby Spring Court knew who she was, she didn’t recognize these fae.
They were tall and lithe, almost spindly in their build. Their teeth looked nearly as sharp as their eyes, and something about the way they looked at her made her want to recoil.
“I’m a guest of the High Lord,” she responded, holding her chin up and trying to remain calm. The people she’d met so far were mostly curious, but something here felt more nefarious than that.
“The High Lord would let such a precious gem out of his sight?” The one in front stepped closer, and Elain stepped back. “Seems irresponsible.”
“Well, he correctly assumed the Cursebreaker’s sister could take care of herself,” Elain replied, injecting as much confidence into her voice as possible. As though being doused with cold water, the fire in the fae’s eyes died.
“The Cursebreaker’s—”
“Sister, yes. Elain Archeron.” She held out her hand mockingly, and the fae jerked back.
“Our apologies. We didn’t know.”
At least her sisters were worth something here, Elain thought as the fae scrambled off, talking in animated whispers amongst themselves with their heads bowed low, shooting a single glance back before disappearing into the dark woods. Elain scoffed.
The crowds were buzzing as she approached, the refreshments doled out freely and the fires blazing high. The drums were so loud now that she could feel them in her bones, a beautiful buzzing that filled her body with a strange sense of joy and wonder.
Around her, people danced, talked, and sang. A band played in the distance, their instruments doubling down the fun and frenetic energy of the drums. Elain wanted to dance, as though her feet were pushing her to do it without her consent.
She didn’t see Lucien as she looked around, his shock of bright red hair nowhere to be seen. Inside, she felt that bubble of hope sink even lower into her stomach, the way it had been for days now. Still, his heart thrummed next to hers, the beautiful beat telling her that he wasn’t far.
Beside her, people were speaking.
“—just took off toward the manor—”
“—came out from the cave and simply bolted away—”
She took in only parts of the conversation, but stood next to a young couple and asked what was happening.
“The High Lord.” The male nodded toward the massive cave in the distance, the small light glowing and flickering as the drums pounded away. “He came out once the ceremony began, but didn’t choose anyone. Just took off back toward the manor.”
“I’ve never seen it happen before!” the female next to him replied, all flushed cheeks and gossip. Elain grinned.
“Right back to the manor, you say?”
I’ll be damned.
He’d gone after Lindy after all.
Around her, the crowd was already rustling, whispers and quiet jubilation spreading as a figure made its way back over the hill. It was too dark to see anything—too swift to make out any shapes—but in the silence, Elain could make out a peal of quiet, familiar laughter and just barely see the bobbing of dark curls as the figures descended into the cave.
A year ago, she might have thought this barbaric. Actually, she was sure she would have. It likely would have changed how she’d seen both Tamlin and Lindy. But Elain was an entirely different person now, and just about everything had changed. The only thing she felt, other than the slight tinge of a blush on her cheeks, was elation for her friends.
The two were enamored with each other, and Lindy had made Tamlin work for it. He’d gladly risen to the occasion. Elain’s grin spanned ear to ear as the drums heightened, the crowd resuming their celebrations. Around her, people danced and sang and ate and drank, the feeling so euphoric that it pulsed like blood in her veins.
She grabbed a glass of mulled wine herself, sipping as she swung along with the crowd, the music beautiful. It was like her feet wanted to move on their own, twist and twirl her along the throngs of people who were happy to be here, to celebrate the land and the life it gave.
Elain found herself nearly overwhelmed with the gratitude of those around her—a whole celebration based on second chances and rebirth. The lore of it all had touched something inside her when she’d read about it, but now, in it, she felt it take her over completely.
Elain was alive. She had never felt alive like this. She’d lived her whole life muted, gray painted over swaths of hidden color like a sodden canvas. But now, Elain had been living as herself in a land she’d thought existed only in fairytales.
As she spun with a group of females—hands sweating and firm, supportive and gentle—she felt the tears rolling down her face as she danced and swayed. The fae around her smiled, twirling her out and back when her turn came, and trusting her to do the same for them.
Elain had such sudden clarity that this was where she belonged. This—this land of magic and friends and family like she’d never known—was the closest she’d ever felt to living.
She danced for what felt like hours, her heart pounding and full, feeling safe and cared for and included. She spun until her feet hurt, until the colors of the fires and sparks blurred around her. Finally, when her throat was dry and her head starting to thump, she bade her goodbyes and headed back toward the manor. Toward her home.
The drums beat softly through the walls as she moved through quiet, lacquered halls, her bare feet near-silent on the marble. She could still hear them as she removed her pretty dress, washed her body in the tub, and crawled into bed. She could hear them as she faded in and out of sleep, the residual sparkle of the wine she’d had swimming prettily through her mind, shifting the stars and the shadows from the faraway fires into delightful scenes on her ceiling.
Elain could still hear the drums as she tossed and turned, the steady beating of them shifting into something more familiar, more lovely. It beat right next to her heart, closer and closer until her eyes shot open in the bed.
She knew, somehow, that Lucien was right outside of her door, her body moving before she could tell it otherwise. Feet padded across the floor, the satin of her nightgown swishing around her thighs as she opened the massive, wooden doors to the hall.
She’d been right—he was there—surprised to see her, his brows high and eyes wild like he could feel the drums too as he stood between their two doors. Almost like he’d been waiting. Almost as though he’d been talking himself out of something.
Elain wasn’t sure if it was the wine, or the drums, or the magic of the night that possessed her. Perhaps it was everything, and the time they’d spent apart. But her body was moving through the door, stepping toward him where he stood closer to his.
“Elain.” Her name was a shaky whisper, his eyes flashing to her chest and back to her face. She didn’t feel embarrassed; she felt bold.
“You left.”
The words were simple, perhaps less accusation in them than hurt, but the whisper filled the empty hallway nonetheless. The words struck, though—she could see each as it landed, something like guilt in Lucien’s eyes. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know what it meant.
“Will you let me explain?” he asked.
She found she wanted that more than anything else. She nodded.
“I left on business, but I stayed in Dawn. I was looking for answers. About the vines.” He stepped closer, and Elain inhaled on impulse, filling her lungs with the smell of him. “About you.”
He’d gone searching for answers. He’d left to find something that would help her.
“And what did you find?” she asked, fighting every urge to bridge the small space between them and put her hands on him. The drumbeats shook the walls, shook her bones.
A flicker of disappointment crossed his face. “Nothing yet, but I have leads. I wanted to see if there was a way to help. Wanted to see if perhaps, especially with what happened to your sisters, there was something about you that wasn’t as human as you’d thought.”
The words he said shifted in Elain’s head, forming a picture of something new. Lucien had gone to find answers, to find if Elain might not be entirely human after all. Lucien had gone to look because the possibility might change things…because Lucien might—
“You kissed me,” were the words that found their way out of her. He nodded.
“I did.” This time, it was Lucien who stepped closer, the heady rush of the space between them making Elain woozy. He hadn’t been trying to leave her. He had been trying to find answers for her, something that might allow them to be together for more than just right now.
She opened her eyes, looking up at him and finding him so close that she couldn’t help but reach out her hand. Just over his collar, she stopped, hesitating, and Lucien closed his own eyes.
“I can’t stay away from you anymore, Elain,” he said, the words so quiet she could barely hear them.
She let her fingers fall, brushing over his collarbone and taking note of the sharp exhale of breath from his lips.
“Do you want to?” she asked, feeling the heat of his skin sear into her like a brand on her soul. The drums beat into a crescendo so loudly that she was no longer sure what came from outdoors and what was the beating of their hearts.
“No.” The word was firm, but it was almost lost in the collision of their bodies, chests and arms and lips crashing together all at once. It wasn’t like the kiss in the hallway of the ball, no trepidation or hesitation. They were immediately locked into each other, limbs twining and mouths moving and a door opening behind her as the air rushed through. She could just barely tell from the scent that they were in his room as the door clicked shut behind them, the darkness swallowing them again until her eyes adjusted.
His mouth was on her jaw, her neck, and she was seeing stars behind her eyes. Where his body pressed against hers, her silk nightdress pushed up, exposing her thighs to the air and how wet she was between them. At each point where he sucked into her skin with those perfect lips of his, her body arched forward, wanting more—more touch, more contact, more, more, more.
“Lucien,” she sighed the name into his neck like a prayer, suddenly aware of her back against the wall of his room. She’d been in here before, back when she first arrived, that smell enticing her before she’d even known who he was, what he was to her.
A sound hummed low in his throat, almost a growl as it rumbled between clenched teeth. “Can I please touch you?” She could hear the restraint in his voice, feel it in the rigid hold of his frame. But when she nodded against him, everything was a sudden flurry of movement. His hands were beneath her thighs, her body lifting, skin moving against the gilded wallpaper. A gasp left her lips as her feet left the ground, but Lucien was kneeling, holding her up with one of her thighs over his shoulder and the other resting on his arm.
“I cannot tell you how long I’ve waited to do this,” he murmured into her thigh, the sensation of it causing Elain to rock forward and close her eyes. He was lifting her like it was nothing—like he could do this all day, and the proximity with which his lips moved to where she’d let no one but Graysen touch her before was making her heart rocket around in her chest. He moved closer, dragging his skin against hers until she was vibrating with anticipation. Her chest was exploding with the sensation, the need, the longing finally coming to a head.
She heard where he inhaled, heard something that sounded like a sigh as she felt his breath skirt over her most sensitive skin. She’d have begged had he not immediately closed his mouth over her, his hot tongue moving across her so intentionally that all Elain could do was close her lips tightly to pull back the scream that wanted to escape from her throat.
Lucien pulled back and Elain almost cried at the emptiness. “Exactly as perfect as I’d imagined you’d taste,” he said, words barely discernible as he dove back in. Elain had never felt anything like this—never known she could feel anything like this. Graysen had barely touched her, had thrust against her for a while before spitting into his own hand and readily chasing his pleasure with no regard for hers.
But Lucien—gods, Lucien.
Lucien was devouring her like a final meal. Like he’d been a man starving and she was what he’d chosen to slake his hunger. Behind her, his hands grabbed at her ass, sinking into flesh that had never been touched so possessively with such need. She could feel the pulsing of him within her ribs, the arousal so potent that it was nearly a tangible thing as she bucked against his face.
“Oh, gods,” she whimpered, somehow noticing in the sweltering heat of the pleasure ripping her down that she’d switched to addressing the plural gods of Prythian in the time she’d been here. He took it as a sign, doubling down and she almost swore she could feel him smiling against her. She was babbling, begging, though she knew she wasn’t making any sense. She couldn’t care—nothing mattered except his mouth on her and the iron grip of pleasure coiling tight and hot around her spine. When he moved slightly, adjusting his fingers just enough to include them in his ministrations, Elain detonated, an orgasm harder than anything she’d ever felt rocking through her with the force of a storm.
She wasn’t sure when she’d had her feet lowered to the floor, wasn’t sure when her consciousness had floated back into her body as Lucien loosely held her, pressing kisses softly into her neck and along her collarbone. She came back into herself, feeling his hands brush up and down her arms, over her waist and hips, and she felt treasured. It was nothing she’d ever experienced before—nothing she ever thought she would. But as she cleared the haze, she could feel Lucien against her, still hard and considerably larger than she’d been expecting.
She tried not to balk as her hands began to explore beneath his shirt, fingertips tracing and moving along his searing skin. His trousers were held by a tie, and Elain swiftly undid it, loosening the leather and tugging down the waist of them. Her fingers explored lower and lower, and Lucien let his forehead fall against her shoulder, his arms practically shaking against her as her fingertips finally made contact.
“Elain…” It was a plea if she’d ever heard one, soft and beautiful against her chest where he’d leaned in when she touched him. And as her fingers closed around him, barely touching, he exhaled so hard that she’d worried at first she’d hurt him.
“Is this okay?” She’d never done this with Graysen, though he’d tried to get her to put her mouth on him once and she’d blatantly refused. The thought of doing that with Lucien, however, piqued her interest in a way she hadn’t expected.
“Cauldron, yes, Elain. It’s more than okay.” She smiled against his hair, her hand tightening just enough to hold a little pressure as she moved up and down the length of him. He muffled a curse as he bucked forward, and her grin widened. It was fun to elicit this reaction from him. She’d been so passive with Graysen, but something about Lucien, about the way she could feel how he wanted her in her own veins, pushed her to do more. To play. She stopped, pulling her hand back, and Lucien sprung up.
“I’m so sorry, Elain. I was carried away, I—” But his mouth closed so fast his teeth clacked as she slipped down the wall, settling on her knees. Even in the dark, the light from the outside sent shadows across the angles of his face above her, illuminating him just enough for her to see the wide-eyed awe on his face and the breath on his parted lips.
“You don’t have to—”
“I want to,” she responded before he had a chance to stop her. And she did. Since the thought had passed through her mind moments ago, it had consumed her. She wanted to taste him—to know what the weight of him felt like on her tongue. Perhaps she wouldn’t be good at it, perhaps it would be messy. Still, the thought made the place between her legs throb all over again, the goosebumps blanketing her arms as she placed her hands back on his thighs.
Though it was hard to see in the dark, she leaned in, resting just the tip of him on her tongue. The length of him was heavy and soft, smooth in her mouth as she closed it over him. Above her, Lucien made a strangled sort of sound that only motivated her. She raised her hand to the base of him, holding him firm and steady while she let her mouth and tongue explore. She based her movements on the way he held himself, shaking and pitching forward, his hips moving out of time even though she could tell he was desperately trying to hold himself back.
Before, she might have been embarrassed by the saliva, by the obscene sounds her mouth and hand made as they moved over him. But she was inspired by the way he leaned forward and gripped the wall for dear life above her. The way one hand came down to cradle her jaw, soft and possessive and gentle and just barely held back from losing control all at once. Elain experimented with touch and movement, with pressure and rhythm, until she could feel the tightness in her own chest, until she knew he was close.
“Elain,” he gasped. She continued. “Elain, if you don’t stop, I’m not going to be able to.” She nodded once, bobbing her head on him and hoping he understood. She wanted to taste him, wanted to do this for him and know forever how it felt. He shuddered against her, his fingers twining in her hair as his body lurched forward.
He tasted as good as he smelled, something spiced and salty and almost sweet. Elain slowed as she swallowed, pulling herself gently off of him as he sagged and sighed above her. She tried to stand on her own, but he barely let her move before he was lifting her again, pulling her body up and to him so that her arms wrapped around his neck and her legs around his waist. He was kissing her, mouth moving against hers as he carried them across the room and set her gently on the bed. This close to the windows with the curtains pulled back, she could see every detail of his beautiful face in the glow from outside. He looked like she felt.
“This time, I get to ask you to stay.”
Elain simply nodded, settling back against the pillows as he crawled in beside her and tugged up the sheets. This time, there was no space between them as she shimmied down beneath the covers, his broad hand coming around her stomach and pulling her tight against him. She was exhausted, her body finding the safety that it had craved for so long in his arms and immediately letting her relax so intensely that she could barely keep her eyes open. It felt like sunshine and fire in her chest, something tight and expanding and wild as the bond wrapped around them.
His heart beat next to hers, that ribbon stronger and more physical than it had ever felt between them.
Elain yawned, but the words whispered out too. “I can feel you, Lucien. I can feel your heart beating with mine.”
It was the closest she’d come to saying it, the closest she’d come to telling him about the bond. Behind her, he tensed slightly, his body curving around hers as though it wanted to protect her from something. The feelings of comfort and concern warred inside her.
Had she gone too far?
“Elain, I have to tell you something,” Lucien spoke so close that she could feel his lips brushing the skin of her shoulder.
Her breath froze in her lungs, realization dawning on her. He couldn’t possibly know, could he?
“I should have told you sooner, and I’m so sorry I kept this from you. I just didn’t know how to explain what was happening.”
He did know. He thought she didn’t know.
All this time…
She spun around in his arms, turning to face him close in the dark, and that tugging in her chest flared into something wild, acknowledged.
“Mates.” The words were out of her in a breath, and for a moment, neither of them breathed.
Then, Lucien was up on his elbow staring at Elain with a sort of incredulity that she’d never seen. He looked almost like he was on the verge of tears.
“You knew?” He spoke the words like he didn’t dare to believe them. Elain’s heart nearly exploded. Had he known the whole time, too?
“Since the first night I saw you,” she whispered back, reaching a hand up to touch his face, to make sure he was real.
“And you know what it means?”
“I’ve been doing some reading.” She smiled, and his laugh was wet. “I thought it was something from storybooks before I came here. Before I met you.”
Something like a sob tore from Lucien’s throat, and his arms were around Elain in a heartbeat.
Had he known the whole time? Had he been afraid of what she’d think?
Almost as if he’d heard her thoughts, he spoke into her hair. “I thought it wouldn’t be fair to tell you all this—to put it on you when you were all but exiled here. I thought you’d hate me.” She barely heard the last part of his admission, his words covered in such pain.
“I ruin everything I touch, Elain. I was so scared that I would ruin you, too.” Her heart was breaking for him, the emotion in his voice so painful that it hurt her down to her bones. She held him closer.
“And then, you told me about the magic, and I thought there might be hope. There might be something to the idea of the Cauldron matching us. That you might survive…me.”
“Oh, Lucien.” She was crying now too, the tears soaking his hair as it pressed against her face. He pulled back, the strands sticking to her face as he did. But his face was more open and earnest than she’d ever seen, something so vulnerable that Elain felt like breaking herself open just to let him search for whatever he needed.
“Do you want this?” he asked. “Do you want me?”
It wasn’t the first time either of them had asked, or the first time they needed to know, but Elain could feel how important this was—not just for Lucien, but for her, too.
All her life, Elain had done what was expected of her, trying to fit in inside of her upbringing, trying to find a home that was hers. Elain had never asked for what she wanted, always going with the expectations and standards and demands of everyone else.
Now, here, it was time for Elain to finally ask for what she wanted.
She cupped his face in both her hands, using her thumbs to wipe the moisture off his cheekbones. His eyes never once left hers, but she knew he could feel her answer in his chest before she said it.
“The chance to be happy? To be with you? I would give anything.”
This time, when he kissed her, she didn’t hold anything back.
We know in ACOWaR, on the first night Lucien was in Velaris, he comes down for dinner and he’s dressed to the nines. Feyre spends a good amount of time describing how he “truly looks the part of a High Lord’s son” with a coat buttoned all the way up and tight pants to show of his thighs and nice knee high polished boots. She also notices he has taken care with his hair I believe.
Now, arguably, this was because he did not know what kind of affair dinner in the Night Court with Rhysand was gonna be, and, you know, better overdressed then underdressed. This is certainly supported by him literally asking Feyre what dinners would be like. BUT
We know Nesta came down for dinner shortly after this. And I can’t help but think that part of the reason Lucien took special care to dress up and make himself look like a “High Lord’s son” is because he was hoping Elain would come down as well. Elain who was engaged to and mourning the loss of a human lord’s son.
Like he was hoping that Elain would come down for dinner and he wanted to make a good, favorable, first impression on her. 🥲🥲🥲
Hi!! I just wanted to 1) say hi and 2) say that I love your fics!! Like I’m planning on devouring at least half your works tonight 🤭😋 I started off with Death and Decay and I just love love love how your portrayed Nesta!!
aaahhh omg thank you that’s so kind of you to say!! i love nesta so much, that was just a short little idea i had in my head because i would love to see her powers truly unleashed so she’s truly Lady Death, and i think it would be an awesome sight to behold if she didn’t hold back 🗡️🗡️🗡️
Hi!!! From 1 = best to 5 = worst, I'd love to know where you would put Elain's dream of seeing the tulip fields on a blind ranking list? 👀
hi friend!!! thank you for this fun question!!!
asking a blind question about elain is funny cause she’s a seer hahaha but i think if she was going places blind its cause lucien is surprising her!! they will absolutely travel all over together and i feel like she lets him decide where to take her, she just wants to see it all and he’s so happy to be her tour guide 🥹
tulip fields would be number one on the list for sure, and probably the first place he takes her (im thinking fresh after their mating bond and he tells her all about how her father talked about her desire to see them and they both cry about it and have big sappy romantic kisses in the fields)
then number two has to be day court!! elain loves it specifically for what it does to lucien - he looks absolutely radiant, completely at home, sunshine looking so good on him, and they both come alive a bit more under the rays of the sun ☀️
then number three would be dawn court to meet nuan!!! nuan takes them around and shows them the beautiful mountains (idk if that’s accurate but in my mind there are tall mountains in dawn), elain thanks her profusely for saving lucien’s sight, nuan offers some adjustments to the prosthetic and elain has some input (and maybe gets something sappy engraved on it like “i always see you” because i like to think they are HUGE ANNOYING ROMANTICS UGH THEIR LOVE MAKES ME SICK!!) (also nuan teaches her how to maintain it so it doesn’t break and elain dutifully works on it every night, the sight of her caring for him like that makes lucien cry every time so he has to leave the room sometimes hahaha)
then number four i would say the winter court because the idea of them with rosy cheeks and warm drinks is too cute - sleigh rides!!! looking at the snow on the trees!! it’s only ranked lower cause we don’t know too much about it haha but i think they would get along with kallias and viviane because i think elain and lucien would love their story and vice versa
and then number five as worst would say autumn court because of all the Drama with the vanserra’s (keeping up with them fr!!!) but i’m thinking lucien won’t take her until after beron is dead (our boy is traumatized) and then they would visit this one the most often because elain absolutely adores his mother and they love spending time together!!
honorable mentions: i cut these from my official ranking list but im mentioning them anyways cause they’re worth mentioning (and also i realized you only wanted five after i derive about all the courts oops) so i think elain would adore spring court and lucien knows this cause he knows his mate!! (let’s pretend everything with tamlin is fine!) - she spends most of her time in the gardens, taking plants home to propagate and sketching the flowers and cataloguing the seeds, and lucien just sits with a cup of tea and watches her work, but every now and then she asks his opinion about something because he has a lot of gardening knowledge too and they spend their days covered in dirt (i cut this from the rankings in favor of dawn court because i love nuan hahaha)
then i think they could be so cute in summer court - they spend nearly all their time at the beach!! lucien teaches elain how to swim and then she’s like a fish, he has to drag her out hahaha but they go to waterfall after waterfall and just see it all (and i cut this one from the rankings because summer is my least favorite season so it’s pure bias hahaha)
this was so fun to do!!! thank you for the fun ask!!!
hiii it’s @lucien-archeron sending you a moon on a string bracelet to thank you for always drawing such incredible elucien art and for being such an amazing person!!! i really like that you draw lucien’s scar as graphic as you do, and i love how your art always has that otherworldly quality 💕 thank you for everything!!
HIIIii thank you !!! 🥺😗🫴💋
this is so sweet AND coming from one of the sweetest people in the fandom herself???
i love lucien's scar, i did a lot of research when i was designing it to hit all the points i thought were important, and godd it elevated my lucien design so much i really love it, I'M SO HAPPY YOU DO TOO
i'd offer you the entire sky of stars on a string if i could!!
no it’s so wonderful and perfect - i can’t imagine getting one’s eye gouged out by a fae with a vendetta would leave a thin pretty line, and i love how gnarled you make it, all the way to his lip, and how it changes when he smiles (usually at elain 🥹) and how it just adds to his lucien-ness - truly well done!!
