#Elain x Azriel

[violetasteracademic]

L/ucien gave Elain a Solstice gift and she shrank into herself, disappearing.

Azriel gave her a Solstice gift and she said:

It's beautiful.

She said:

Put it on me.

She leaned into his touch, blatant and unrestricted.

She said yes.

She said yes.

She. Said. YES.

[thinkinthoughtsalot]

I really do love Lucien. I honestly want great things for him. Shipping Elriel has nothing at all to do with my feelings about him.

When I first read ACOMAF, even though Az was in love with Mor and Elain was engaged, I thought there were hints at Elain and Az becoming something in the future. I thought the same about Nesta and Cassian. But when Lucien was revealed to be Elain's mate, my thought was "Oh! That makes sense. Can't wait to see how this plays out."

I fully expected to see some development between them in ACOWAR. Just like we saw for Nesta and Cassian. Even if it was more push than pull, I expected something that could lead to a romance. Instead, the author separated Elain and Lucien, and pushed Elain and Azriel closer together. The romantic rescue went to Az. Az was the one to figure out what was "amiss" with Elain, when her mate should have been the one to see it. Az's understanding was what freed her from her murky realm. Az was the one she accepted a weapon from.

Even after all of that, I thought there might still be potential for them, even if I preferred Elriel. But ACOFAS killed it, and ACOSF buried it.

Every SJM couple has their "s/he did not balk" moment. Elain does nothing but balk from Lucien, but she does not balk from Azriel. Elain shrinking away from Lucien and losing her boldness is enough for me to know these characters aren't endgame. Elain, the sister that no one truly sees, the one who everyone writes off and stuffs into the "sweet but boring" box, is the absolute last person who should be shrinking around her love interest. She should be emboldened, not losing her boldness. And it's Azriel who does that for her - not Lucien.

[nicolemabes]

The fact that this man has her Christmas gift on his nightstand, that he stares at every night. The fact that she purposely doesn’t wear gloves, allowing her hands to get torn up like his. The fact that he sits and listens to her plans for the garden. The fact that she’s content with sitting in silence with him.

[nikethestatue]

Elain Archeron thought that she needed sunshine.

What she really needed was someone to shed light on the dark void in her head.

When Azriel uttered 'The Cauldron made you a Seer' he quieted the demons in her head and put a name to the darkness that was plaguing her.

Azriel was Elain's sunshine.

He was the light at the end of the tunnel and he led her out of the confines of her mind.

She never asked for 'sunshine' again. She had her light.

[8bitrosethorn]

Something I’ve been confused about for a long time is the whole “Azriel’s shadows are afraid/running from Elain” argument and his shadows skittering is “a bad thing” or the “sinking of Elriel.”

But I’d like to offer an alternative take. Because literary analysis requires context: the surrounding scene and words and characters’ feelings. And given that this is Az’s POV, we start the scene seeing his longing firsthand and of his reverent language towards Elain “glowing like the sun at dawn” in “the dead of night.”

And then we get this:

Skitter, be definition, is not a negative verb. It airs on the side of playful, even. And in the context of what’s happening, it’s a response to Elain’s soft breath whispering over his skin.

His shadows’ response is the equivalent of the racing of your heartbeat, the breath catching in your throat. From anticipation. Yearning. Longing. All things setup in the scene. Just prior to this moment, we find out Azriel has yearned for Elain for at least a year, staring at her gift to him. And we’ve very rarely seen Az loose a breath or stumble over his words. But guess when we do see those things?

In ACOFAS, when Az considers giving Elain a gift. It’s established that Elain affects him in such a way that he’s officially down bad at the thought of her.

And then when faced with her so close, the whisper of her breath against his skin? He effectively shudders with anticipation when his shadows skitter. My man then proceeds to wax poetic about kneeling before her (again, with that reverent imagery). If the shadows skittering was anything to be alarmed by, wouldn’t Azriel, the most perceptive of the Inner Circle, alarm at his shadows acting negatively in this moment? No, instead he acknowledges that around Elain, the shadows are prone to vanish.

Because after her breath whispers on his skin, he does not need them to protect him.

And why did his shadows appear in the first place?

In a lightless, airless prison with no windows, no light. To protect him.

And when standing with a woman who glows like the sun at dawn, Azriel’s shadows—his defense mechanism born in a place of darkness and fear in his life—are no longer needed.

Because Azriel is safe with Elain—his light.

And as Feyre noticed, Azriel alone had heard and understood Elain where others could not—had not. He freed her from the murky realm of her Seer abilities through his understanding.

Azriel and Elain’s mutual understanding is the throughline of their friendship and burgeoning relationship. And to willfully ignore the context in which his shadows skittered does a disservice to their characters and who they are.

Thank you for coming to another one of my ACOTAR TED talks 🫡

[deathxfawn]

if i'm SJM and i'm wanting to end Elriel in the BC, I'm not going to spend half of said BC describing how they want to bang in the hallway of their family's house.

if i'm SJM and i'm wanting to retcon 3 books worth of buildup in a bonus chapter, i'm not putting said couple together at all in the BC.

L/ucien was in the house as well. Elain just as easily could have run into him. maybe in the kitchen for some late night leftovers, a few glances, some blushes, maybe a promise to meet up for lunch soon to just get to know each other. leaving us with the impression that there's more to come.

Az could have still ended up in the library (without the secondhand necklace, of course) and run into G/wyn. the shadows could have sung or whatever, they could have stayed up late into the night perusing the aisles of books while talking about anything and everything. they could have brushed against each other while strolling in the library, jumping back a little too quickly to be casual. leaving us with the impression that there's more to come.

but we didn't get any of those things. we got Elain and Azriel running into each other in secret. exchanging gifts, jewelry even. we got Azriel's inner monologue detailing just how down bad he is (why elaborate on his feelings if the intention is to end this?). explaining he can't bear to be in the same house as her, the same room as her and her mate because he wants her so badly. we got Elain welcoming his touches, instigating them actually. then they left us hanging with their almost-kiss. leaving us with the impression that there's more to come.

[bright-side20]

Azriel is someone who is deeply haunted by his past. He experienced severe traumas and went through a period where he fell into a deep, cold, and isolated emotional state. To cope with his past traumas, he distanced himself from feelings and connections. This emotional numbness made it difficult for him to open up and connect with others.

He built an ice wall around himself, believed that he was unworthy of love, and hid his true self behind the Shadowsinger and Spymaster reputation. He rarely showed who he truly was. Until Elain, the sunshine girly, came and started melting that ice wall. She allowed him to be himself from their first meeting when he spouted poetry in response to her simple question. She saw him for who he really was and didn't judge him for the shadows or his job. Even her gifts for him weren't related to the warrior, they were related to his well-being, telling him, I see you, I care for you. With her, he was able to be the gentle, loving, and caring male he is. He could effortlessly drop his shields and always be his true self around her. She is the sense of coziness, normality, and acceptance he needs and craves in his life, and that's exactly why he fell in love with her. That's why he thinks that the Cauldron is wrong, because he feels that she is his soulmate. He was able to emotionally connect with her to the point that he had to change the house because he knew if he kept meeting her, he would act on his emotions and defy the laws and fate to be with her.

This also explains his inner conflict about her. He thinks that he's unworthy of her and that when she learns about his past and what he does in his job, her feelings for him might change. But Elain has spent her life being judged based on her appearance and hobbies, not her essence. So, she relates to and understands Azriel's desire to be seen and loved for who he truly is.

Elain is capable of accepting him for who he is and giving him the unconditional love he needs because what she cares for is the male who saw her, listened to her, and understood her when no one else did. The male who risked his life to save her, trusted her with his precious dagger, respected her efforts in preparing and serving food, and stayed up late listening to her talk about her hobby. Elain experienced the process of falling in love with Azriel, which is what she wants and values more than any preordained bond.

Elain and Azriel are simply compatible. They can live in the middle of chaos and still create a comfortable, loving environment for each other. They see each other; they can be home for each other.

[shitwillnotbegiven]

WHAT ELAIN "NEEDED" WAS UNDERSTANDING, NOT SUNSHINE

In Chapter 32 of Acowar, we have the scene where Azriel finds out that Elain is a seer :

Lucien murmured to me, eye still fixed on Elain, “Should we—does she need …?”

“She doesn’t need anything,” Azriel answered without so much as looking at Lucien.

Elain was staring at the spymaster now—unblinkingly.

“We’re the ones who need …” Azriel trailed off. “A seer,” he said, more to himself than us. “The Cauldron made you a seer.”

Right after that, in chapter 33, Feyre notices that Elain sounds "normal" again because she finally understands what is happening to her :

Elain turned to Mor, who was now gaping at my sister from her spot beside her on the couch. “Is that what this is?”

And the words, the tone … they were so normal-sounding that my chest tightened.

Mor’s gaze darted across my sister’s face, as if weighing the words, the question, the truth or lie within.

Mor at last blinked, mouth parting. Like that magic of hers had at last solved some puzzle. Slowly, clearly, she nodded.

The clear explanation that what Elain needed was understanding :

“You stole from the Cauldron,” I said to Nesta, who seemed ready to jump between all of us and Elain. “But what if the Cauldron gave something to Elain?”

Nesta’s face drained of color. “What?”

Equally ashen, Lucien seemed inclined to echo Nesta’s hoarse question.

But Azriel nodded. “You knew,” he said to Elain. “About the young queen turning into a crone.”

Elain blinked and blinked, eyes clearing again. As if the understanding, our understanding … it freed her from whatever murky realm she’d been in.

A little bit later, in chapter 40, we see that Elain is getting better and that she started spending time with Nuala & Cerridwen in the kitchen :

Elain stood between Nuala and Cerridwen at the long worktable. All three of them covered in flour. Some sort of doughy mess on the surface before them.

The two handmaiden-spies instantly bowed to Rhys, and Elain—

There was a slight sparkle in her brown eyes.

As if she’d been enjoying herself with them.

Nuala swallowed hard. “The lady said she was hungry, so we went to make her something. But—she said she wanted to learn how, so …” Hands wreathed in shadows lifted in a helpless gesture, flour drifting off them like veils of snow. “We’re making bread.”

Elain was glancing between all of us, and as her eyes began to shutter, I gave her a broad smile and said, “I hope it’ll be done soon—I’m starved.”

Elain offered a faint smile in return and nodded.

She was hungry. She was … doing something. Learning something.

And then Rhys explains to Feyre that she is feeling the same way he felt when she was getting better in Acomaf :

I put a hand on my chest, leaning against the wood panels of the stair wall. Rhys’s hand covered my own a heartbeat later.

“That was what I felt,” he said, “when I saw you smile that night we dined along the Sidra.”

I leaned forward, resting my brow against his chest, right over his heart. “She still has a long way to go.”

“We all do.”

Bonus :

ELRIEL X ROWAELIN PARALLEL 🥰

Elriel 🥀🦇

It made sense, I supposed, that Azriel alone had listened to her. The male who heard things others could not … Perhaps he, too, had suffered as Elain had before he understood what gift he possessed.

Rowaelin 🦅❤️‍🔥

“The male I fell in love with was you. It was you, who knew pain as I did, and who walked with me through it, back to the light. Maeve didn’t understand that. That even if she could create that perfect world, it wouldn’t be you with me. And I’d never trade that, trade this. Not for anything.”

Rowaelin 🦅❤️‍🔥

Aelin, who had known suffering as he did. Who had been shown peaceful lives and still chosen him, exactly as he was, for what they had both endured.

[greenleaf777]

Elriel meeting in the garden

Still figuring out digital art but i think this came out really nicely.

Especially love her hair

[lovemyromance]

Idk why the EL/GAs are desperate to paint Elain as some kind of sad, self-harming, naive, immature, rebellious teenager.

She's a grown woman. All these people saying "we just want what's best for Elain" is wild because

1. She's a fictional character - she is going to do whatever SJM writes, regardless of the faux concern ELs exhibit

2. She's grown! She's not a literal baby who needs people looking out for her. That's exactly what she has repeatedly said she doesn't want.

And I would've been willing to overlook it because hey! Maybe these people just really care and relate to Elain!

But they don't.

They are purposefully skewering her character and turning her into this sad emo mess because they literally just want her with Lucien. That's it.

She is some sad damsel that will "grow and heal" only with Lucien at her side. He will swoop in and take her away from her family so she can help solve all the issues in his family.

She's not a bandaid! And I'm so tired of seeing all these Elucien posts saying she's gonna go to fix the Autumn Court, she's gonna be besties with Jurian and Vassa, she's gonna just sit there and hold Lucien's hand through it all.

What about her skills? Her powers? Her story?

[deathslovelyfawnx]

i will never not get giddy over the fact that the dress elain wore when she first met azriel was cobalt blue 🥹

[stargirlfeyre]

So whose going to tell these people that Elain was friends with the shadow twins before Nesta was friends with Gwyn and Emerie? How are Elain fans copying y’all by talking about her trio when canonically her trio existed before Nesta’s😭?

Seriously though the possessiveness Nesta fans feel over normal things is so…? They’re some of the most envious people in this fandom because how are you gatekeeping friendships? It’s canon that they’re friends. It’s canon that they spend more time with her than her own sisters. It’s canon that they’re friends with her not because they’re getting paid for it but because they like spending time with her (they literally rejected when Feyre tried to give them a raise for helping Elain). Elain’s life does not revolve around Nesta and she does have outside relationships that matter to her. Y’all need to just cope with that.

Like having friends is copying someone now? Please go outside platonic relationships are normal.

And secondly how are you gate keeping a court that already belongs to Rhys😭? “Elain fans try to steal Dusk from Nesta” now how can they steal something from Nesta that doesn’t belong to her in the first place? The Dusk Court/Prison does not belong to Elain or Nesta and it’s already said that even if it’s an 8th court, it still falls under Rhys’ jurisdiction. His blood is the only thing that can open the gates. You’re gatekeeping territory that already has Rhys’ name slapped on it. But you want to talk about fans copying and stealing from other characters?

And it’s funny how people only have an issue with saying another character is going to get Gwydion when it’s Elain. Don’t get me wrong I don’t think she’s going to get it because I’m personally not an “Elain becoming a warrior and wielding a powerful sword” girlie but why is it this big discourse only when it comes to her? Mind you, y’all aren’t even arguing over how her becoming a warrior and getting Gwydion wouldn’t fit her character (which would be valid)…y’all are arguing over her “taking” something from Nesta. Which makes no sense because almost every character is foreshadowed (by this fandom) to wield Gwydion and y’all don’t have as much of an issue with that.

Like I’ve even seen some theories about Nyx, a baby, getting it (because if the High Ruler plot does happen he would be a future High King) and it wasn’t a big deal. It’s like people understand that Nesta did not claim that sword the way she did with Ataraxia until Elain is brought into the conversation. We can make fanart and create theories of every character under the sun with that sword but you better not even think about Elain getting it.

From gatekeeping Motherly relationships, friendships, a court that doesn’t even belong to Nesta, and a sword I think it’s safe to say Nesta fans have officially lost it.

[secretpuppyflower]

The fact that the 3 brothers who are feared among the other courts are just out there simping really hard for 3 human sisters turned fae is just so cute. And the fact that the sisters are not scared at all but like to tease them is so funny.

[acourtofmishapandmistakes]

Azriel: I just don't know what I should say.

Rhys: Just tell her, "You're beautiful"

Rhys: Great idea. Thanks!

Later on.

Azriel: Hi Elain, I'm beautiful.

[nikethestatue]

Salted Cashews

Despite all the ickiness in this fandom, my Elain Archeron Week continues.

This little fic was based on the quiz that is found on SJM's website.

Happy Summer Solstice!

June was in full bloom across Velaris. The city was always a thing of beauty, but springtime and early summer were especially lovely. The sea took on a special cerulean colour and all the parks and boulevards were clad in blooming flowers and trees of every hue and blossom.

The River Estate of the High Lord and High Lady of Night Court was swathed in blue and white. These were the colours that Elain Archeron had decided on for the garden’s colour palette. There were fat, shaggy hydrangeas of every shade of white and blue, beds of violets, rows of forget-me-nots, tall stalks of grape hyacinth, a smattering of bluebells, and plenty of white and cream peonies. She had taken special care to plant blue wisteria around one side of the estate, and jacaranda trees had been delivered from Day Court and replanted here. 

Currently though, all the beauty around her was lost on Elain. She was, what one might call, hate gardening. Whether that was a real thing or not, Elain didn’t care. She was hot, the soil was giving her pushback, her knuckles were skinned, something was digging into her knee and her dress was sticking to her back. Also, she was giving real serious consideration to just cutting off her hair and going with a nice, short haircut. The heap that was currently baking her head was enraging her. Even in a tight braid, the hair was still hot and uncomfortable.

She was almost elbow deep in the ground, sweating and cursing under her breath, when finally there was some relief from the sun. A cloud covered the blazing rays and offered a bit of shade. Elain sighed, wiped her brow and continued to dig and pull. 

It was Summer Solstice and she wished that there was something interesting and entertaining happening in the city today, but there were only smaller, localised celebrations happening, and she didn’t want to go alone anyway.

“Cauldron damn it to Hel!” she groaned, when she pulled on a weed, but it didn’t budge, and instead, she rolled back on her ass and jerked like a fish.

To her utter horror, she heard a hearty snort, followed by a chuckle.

She scrambled to her hands and knees and looked up. 

Azriel stood above her, arms folded on his broad chest. He was dressed in a simple shirt and light jacket, instead of his leathers. A day at the office then…She already knew what he typically wore, depending on what he had planned for the day. If the day demanded a lot of flying, he usually dressed in his leathers. If he spent most of the day with the High Lord or in Velaris, dealing with his informants, then he typically dressed in a simple tunic, or a shirt and a jacket. And if, by some miracle, he ever had a day off, he just wore a black, knit shirt. Elain wouldn't admit it, but those shirts were her favourite–the way they draped over his immense, muscular form, subtly emphasising every curve of his biceps and his shoulders, not to mention the perfect washboard stomach that he possessed so casually. 

Which brought Elain to her current reality–she was on her hands and knees, her breasts straining the neck of her dress, her ass up in the air. Like she was ripe and ready for mating. Azriel was watching her with a smirk, his massive wing stretched out and blocking the sun.

“It was…you…you,” she muttered, embarrassed. 

“Gave you a bit of shade? Yes,” he confirmed.

“How long have you been standing here?”

He smiled.

“A while.”

Gods. He was standing there, watching her for however long, shading her from the sun.

“Well, you shouldn’t do that!” she said primly.

“Oh?” he cocked his head, “which part? The shading? The standing? The watching?”

“All of it!” she exclaimed, blushing like a strawberry. “You...you shouldn't sneak up on people.”

“Spymaster, remember? It’s kind of my job. To sneak up on people.”

“Well…well, you shouldn’t! And also, you shouldn’t use your wing like that,” she scolded him.

“Why not?”

“Because it can burn!” she said firmly.

“And you are such a wing expert?”

“I know enough. You shouldn’t sneak up on unsuspecting people.”

“Did you not enjoy a bit of a cool down?”

“Maybe. But that’s not the point!” she insisted.

She didn’t like being alone with him. It confused her.

He said that they were a mistake.

Which was his right, of course.

But then he shouldn't have been chasing after her in his own way. He shouldn't be here right now, shading her from the sun and watching her.

He was always watching her. She knew it. She could feel his eyes on her, even when she was in the garden, or in the kitchen. Once, she noticed a blob of shadowed darkness in the corner of the kitchen. She wouldn’t have noticed it, if it weren’t for that blob reminding her of something. She had continued shelling peas, and then sliced the green beans, and went to fetch basil from the garden. When she returned, the blob was still there. It hadn’t moved. And just when she began telling herself that it was nothing more than shadow play, and nothing to worry about, she remembered. In the recess of her mind, an image came to her–a memory–of the same dark shadowy blob keeping vigil in her room, right after she was Made. Typically, only Nesta would come and visit her. Sometimes the twins, who became her friends, because they brought food. But no one else really visited her in those miserable weeks. No one. But she’d noticed the darkness in the corner. And for some reason, when it had gathered there, and stayed, ever watchful, she didn’t feel quite so lonely.

Azriel was watching her face and then commented, “Seems like something just dawned on you.”

She didn’t answer, shocked by her realisation. Was it true? Did he hide himself within his shadows and did he watch her? Has been watching her since day one?

“What might it be?” he pondered.

“Nothing!” 

He made a sound, but didn’t push. Instead, he extended his hand to her.

“Not that I mind watching her like that,” he teased and she coloured even further at the remark. “But I think that you should probably get up, lest someone gets the wrong idea.”

She was scandalised by his implication, but took his hand and he lifted her with alarming ease. 

“You sure you don’t want to tell me what it was that you had suddenly realised?” he probed.

She shrugged impudently and said, “no, not at all!”

“Shame,” he murmured to himself. 

She smoothed her dress on her hips and legs and muttered nervously, “I have to go…go see about dinner.”

“Well then,” he announced jovially, “then we are going in the same direction.”

His broad warm hand lay on the small of her back and she had no other choice but to walk next to him. 

“Do you, by any chance, keep a journal?” he asked suddenly.

“Umm, no. I don’t. Why do you ask?”

“If you did,” he said with chilling honesty, “I would’ve wanted to read it.”

Her head whipped to him and she asked, shocked, “what?!”

“Yes, I would’ve loved to be a daemati–and believe me, I wouldn’t have been asking anyone for permission to read their thoughts, unlike Rhys–but I am not a daemati. And as much as my shadows provide me with useful information, reading someone’s thoughts must be incredible.”

Elain glared at him in disbelief.

“Wait a minute!” she cried. “That’s horrible! That’s utterly dishonourable too! You cannot read people’s thoughts or their diaries!”

“You can, and you should,” Azriel contradicted her ruthlessly. 

They entered the quiet, cool mansion and walked towards the kitchen. Everyone was out, and it was just the two of them. The twins were probably around somewhere as well, but they didn’t make themselves known.

“See, if I had that information,” he continued nonchalantly, “I would’ve known how often you think of me. What you think. What worries you. What excites you.”

She paused by the cupboard, as she took out two bowls and turned away from him, so he wouldn’t be able to see her face.

“I don’t think about you,” she whispered.

He didn’t say anything for so long, that she thought he’d left. So when she turned around, she was faced with his wide chest and the fact that he was standing almost right next to her.

“Gah,” she gasped.

“We both know that’s a lie, don’t we, Miss Archeron?” he breathed, bowing to speak into her ear.

“No,” she shook her head, breathing heavily. “No it’s not. I…I don’t think about you.”

“Hmmm.”

“I, I need to cook,” she stammered. Despite the coolness of the house, she was feeling very hot.

“Cook then. I will help,” he offered. 

“Umm, you don’t have to.”

“Why not? If I am going to eat, I might as well cook as well. What will you have me do? I am putty in your hands,” he opened his arms widely in invitation.

She sighed dramatically, and then dumped a bunch of cucumbers in front of him and said, “you may slice these. Not with Truth-Teller!” she added quickly.

He chuckled and took a knife, and then began slicing.

She pulled a fresh chicken out of the ice box and placed it in a baking dish, before grabbing a bulb of garlic, some onions, lemons and fresh thyme. 

Glancing discreetly at where he was standing, she noted how precise his slices were, as he ran his knife through the cucumbers with ease.

“You know,” she said suddenly, “I don’t need to read your diary to know everything about you.”

He looked at her in amusement and inquired, “is that so?”

“It is,” she nodded. 

“And what do you know about me?”

“If you listen closely enough, and observe, you can find out everything you need to know,” she said confidently.

“Alright then, indulge me,” he welcomed.

She minced garlic on the chopping board, and said, 

“Fine. Here it goes: You are haunted by your past and cannot reconcile your need for peace with your warrior nature. You cherish the gifts that you receive from some of your friends–and strangely, you like jewellery. You have silver rings and your syphons that you tend to closely, polishing and cleaning them often, you wear leather bracelets and a silver forearm band, and you have a pierced ear. You don’t show it to others often, but sometimes, you wear an earring.”

At her words, Azriel stopped slicing and just listened, his face inscrutable.

She continued, 

“You have a terrible sweet tooth, because you didn’t have sweets when you were a child. However, your favourite snack is salted cashews. What’s more, you like reading people’s diaries, and when you cannot find what their thoughts or motivations are, it frustrates you.”

“Anything else?” he asked, his voice stony.

“Sure,” she nodded. “You are loyal to a fault, but your loyalty battles the need that you have for freedom and independence. It’s a constant struggle. You like to eat. You especially like to eat what I’ve cooked,” she said the last part so quickly, it came out slurred. “And you don’t realise what others value in you the most. And it’s not your bravery, or your acerbic humour, or your shadowsinging abilities,”

“What is it that they value then?”

“Your incredible kindness.”

She finally looked at him. 

His face remained expressionless.

“How did I do?”

“Wrong about everything,” he told her tersely. 

“Oh.”

“Except one thing.”

He got up and laid the knife down.

“I just remembered that I had to be somewhere,” he lied.

She knew it was a lie.

“Alright, thank you for your assistance,” she said simply.

“But I do like eating what you cooked,” he said at last.

Elain watched him, her big brown eyes following his every move.

“I will see you later,” he said and headed for the door.

“Wait!” she called out, and hurried to the cupboard.

He stopped, a slight expression of annoyance on his face.

“I have something for you,” she said, wiping her hands on a towel. The next moment she emerged from the pantry, holding a packet.

She walked over to him and then extended her hand, so he had no choice but to take the packet.

“I know I was wrong about everything, but I still got you this. Happy Solstice.”

He looked at her for a long time.

“Happy Solstice, Elain.”

With that, he turned and walked out of the kitchen.

The moment he was out, he shot into the sky, his breathing heavy. 

She…she saw too much.

Too much.

Once high up in the air, he soared over the roofs of the buildings and then curious, he opened the packet. Inside, he found a bag of salted cashews.

His favourite snack indeed.

[acourtofquietdreamers]

Elriel Month: Clandestine Meetings

Rhys growled, "Allow me to make one thing very clear. You are to stay away from her."

"You can't order me to do that."

⊱❊⊰⁣⁣⁣

Art by lynx_illustration and commissioned by duskcowboy_ and myself!

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I’m so excited to share my first ever commission for Elriel month! In this piece, we wanted to show Elain and Azriel captured in a moment leading up to their first kiss (while hidden away from prying eyes). Huge thanks to lynx_illustration for beautifully bringing this to life! She captured the emotions perfectly and was such a joy to work with! 💜

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Please do not repost without permission.

@elriel-month @duskcowboy @little-lynx