#papa archeron

[the-valkyries-gwyn-nesta-emerie]

Lucien being the one to spend time with the girls father was done with intention. Elain being the one closest to their father was done with intention.

He's going to help Elain the most with her continued grief over the death of her father. Because there is no way she's over his death.

Lucien more than likely has some stories he could tell her of his time with him. I bet he also got told some things about Elain from her father, which only endured him towards her. Which is why he continues to try to be there for her in any capacity, even with the distance between them.

I also do wonder if he made a promise to her father to protect and look after Elain if something happened to him. I just know if something was to happen with Elain, and she needed him, he'd be there in a heartbeat for her 💖

Art is by mftfernandez

[darkest-fantasy]

FRIENDLY REMINDER: LUCIEN PROBABLY GOT PAPA ARCERON’S BLESSING TO BE WITH ELAIN 😭

I know that Elain will have internal battles about her father’s death in her novel. Elain was probably the only sister who loved her father unconditionally. Even Feyre knew that Elain was the special child, the one whom their father adored.

I also think it is so beautiful that Lucien went on an entire adventure with Papa Archeron. I think about the fact that he most likely gave his blessing to Lucien to be with Elain 😭

Out of all the mated males, Lucien was the only one that got close to Papa Archeron. I think his blessing will mean the world to Elain. Even though it is not something necessary ( which the elriels will claim) I know that Elain will hold that to her heart forever.

I am just so ready for them to completely open up after all these years. I know Elain will love the story about Lucien’s adventure with her father. It will be incredible.

[the-darkestminds]

I bet Papa Archeron met Lucien and thought “wow thank the gods my sweet daughter Elain has such a good and loyal male for a mate. Whatever happens, at least I don’t have to worry about her being taken care of and treated well.”

[whitedemon-ladydeath]

it. is. his. fault. for losing their wealth. it was. his own. actions. that got his leg shattered. It. is. his responsibility. to take care. of three. young. girls. he can walk. for over a mile. he is literate. he was affluent. in society. Feyre went hunting. he didn't even. try. to. stop her. even when Nesta yelled. at. him. He didn't help Nesta. when she. reached out. to family. in the continent. they were IN. the. COTTAGE. when they still. had. money. it lasted. for. years. the money. was used. to heal. his. leg. and he STILL. did. not. Get Up. and Take. Care. of. his. Three. Young. Daughters.

[lorcandidlucienwill]

Many people have a headcanon that the stranger who appeared at the Archerons’ door asking Papa Archeron to invest was Lucien, so I decided to write the scene! This is the first coherent thing I’ve written in ages so don’t judge me too hard😭 Also I have no idea what currency is used in acotarland so I’m using pounds because it’s based on Britain.

Lucien had not even seen a human house yet and he already felt like an outsider. He was no stranger to the feeling; it was how he’d felt when he’d first shown up in Spring, covered in his brothers’ blood, steam curling off his body from the fire in his veins, his ember smell and red hair both clear signs that he didn’t belong. However, at least, while his magic had felt weaker outside of his home territory, it had still felt potent. Even with Amarantha’s stupid curse. But here… By the Cauldron, this place was so dreary. So ordinary. If this was where Feyre had grown up, no wonder she was such an ignorant mortal fool. Her human life was so mundane compared to his. Lucien couldn’t imagine living here his whole life like this. 

Tamlin had offered to send an entire entourage to protect him, but Lucien had insisted that just a horse would do. He needed to look wealthy, not like a prince. He wasn’t going to be slain by two girls and their absentee father. Andras had only been killed because he had willed it. Lucien shut down that thought, not wanting to think about the pain he’d felt when Andras had died. His closest friend in Spring, most likely. Tamlin was his friend too, but he was also his High Lord; the relationship was inherently unequal, unlike with Andras.

At last, Lucien exited the forest. The clearing was even more boring than the trees. The ground was a yellowish-green reminiscent of dying grass, and every step was a loud crunch under the horse’s hooves. Pahhh. No wonder Feyre was half-dead when she’d first arrived. Then Lucien felt guilty for thinking that way. It wasn’t her fault the humans were left like this. Prythian before Amarantha had ample resources to help out the humans, but they hadn’t. They’d freed them from slavery to the Fae, only to make them slaves to their basest instincts. 

They were even worse off than the lesser faeries. Lucien’s eyes stung as he remembered Jesminda’s dream of an equal Prythian, the dream Tamlin was working hard towards. She would’ve loved Tamlin and the Spring Court. 

Calm down Lucien, he chastised himself as he urged the horse onward. Holy shit, Tamlin hadn’t exaggerated; these homes and buildings were tiny. He moved through bustling streets with little humans pushing carts full of wares of some kind. Several stopped what they were doing to stare at him. Excellent; he set himself apart plenty simply being astride this mare. 

As Tamlin had said, the Archeron home wasn’t hard to find. Mostly because of the lingering faerie scents that he followed all the way to their house. He didn’t remember human etiquette as it had been ages since he’d met one, but it couldn’t be that different from Faerie etiquette, right? Right?? Cauldron boil him, he should’ve done more research, but he didn’t think it would be that big a deal. Tamlin’s glamour magic that he’d cast as he kidnapped Feyre should hold, plus Lucien’s own glamour magic. 

He didn’t have anything to tie his horse to, so he gently descended the horse and led her near the side of the house, praying that she wouldn’t run. Then he knocked on the door, internally cussing at this infernal hat he was wearing. Some gentlemanly human fashion that he despised.

The door opened a minute later. Lucien looked down at a small woman who looked a lot like Feyre- only, her features were sharper, stronger. Her dirty blonde hair was up in a braided crown, her angled brows were arched as her silvery-blue eyes assessed him with a courtier’s precision. Lucien instantly recognized this one as Nesta- the older sister. Cold, cunning, and more beautiful than Lucien had expected. He gave her a practiced courtier’s smile as he bowed to her. “Hello, Lady. I was wondering if your father was home?” Nesta stared at him suspiciously, eyes narrowed. “What could you possibly want with him?” Another feminine voice in the background gasped, but Lucien maintained his smile, only replying, “He is a merchant, is he not, Lady? I have a proposition for him.”

“Our father hasn’t been a merchant in many years,” Nesta said coldly. Oh, she was a viper, alright. She’d fit right in at the Autumn Court. Unfortunately for her, Lucien had far too much experience with people worse than her. “Perhaps what I suggest will convince him to get back into it.”

Nesta looked him up and down again. Somehow, Lucien got the feeling that she could see through the glamour. Impressive. Lucien’s smile morphed into a smirk as Nesta continued to stare her displeasure. “See something you like, my lady?” Nesta’s eyes instantly snapped back to his. “How dare- oh just come in; let’s get this over with quickly.” 

Lucien bowed again, and unable to help himself, he sent a wink and grin Nesta’s way before he turned towards the man sitting on the chair. Lucien repressed his wince of sympathy at the ruined leg. That must have hurt a lot when he got it. He didn’t know the story, but it made Lucien’s face twinge in memory of his own eye getting carved out. “Does that hurt?” Lucien asked the man, nodding at the leg. The man blinked, as though surprised to be addressed. “Often,” he admitted. “Particularly when I try to stand up.” Unable to help himself, Lucien blurted, “I could give you supplies to help you with that, you know, Lord.”

The man cringed. “Please just call me Tristan. And I couldn’t possibly accept-“

“Please, Tristan. I insist. It’s just in my satchel here. Give me one moment.” He bowed to him and turned around, the scent of jasmine wafting into his nose. That’s when he saw her.

The younger sister: Elain. She had the same burnished gold hair of her sisters, but her eyes were wholly different; she had lovely doe eyes that you could drown in. She had a slight blush on her face, and she had an inviting smile on her face as she fluttered her eyelashes at him. “Won’t you tell us your name, my lord?” Lucien had fully intended on giving them an alias, but he fumbled on his words, instead saying, “I-my name is Lucien.”

“Lucien.” His name on her tongue-

“Pretty name for a pretty lord,” Elain teased, and Lucien felt his face heat up. His shirt sleeve sparked with fire, and Lucien hastily patted it down. Why was he so nervous? Elain wasn’t the first beautiful woman he had ever seen. “Why, um, thank you, Lady Elain.”

“How do you know her name?” Nesta cut in, and Lucien sighed. She was even worse than Feyre. He turned to her, letting that practiced smile return. “You didn’t think I wouldn’t know about the family of the man who I’m trusting with my money, did you?” Lucien tried not to laugh at the expression on Nesta’s face as he sauntered out of the cabin to get the faerie pain killer and tonic. He made a mental note to get new ones once he went back home. This man needed it more than him, and he could just get more when he went home.

 Thankfully, his horse was obediently standing near the side of the house, and Lucien rustled through his satchel, getting the two bottles he always kept on him. Then he strolled back towards the front door, knocking politely again. This time, the door was opened by Elain, who gave him that adorable smile again. “Lord Lucien.” Lucien gave her a real grin, replying, “Lady Elain.” “Please don’t worry about my sister. She can be a little…overprotective, but she means well, I promise.” Lucien lifted a hand to place on Elain’s shoulder assuredly before he remembered that humans were really weird about physical contact. 

“Rest assured, I understand your sister’s misgivings. I’m a strange man entering your home, and I know of the struggles ladies must go through in this world. I do not resent her for her attitude.” Elain beamed. “Does that mean you’ll visit us again?” While Lucien had been careful to avoid physical contact, it seemed Elain had no such qualms; she grabbed his forearm with her small, surprisingly strong hands. Lucien stiffened slightly in surprise. He was going to say no when he caught a glimpse of her expression and scented her mood. Her excitement was so contagious. “You seem a worldly man. Have you traveled much?” Lucien blinked. “Yes, I have.” He opened his mouth to say more, but his mind was blank. Cauldron boil him-

“Excellent! Then it’s settled then; you’re coming back so you can tell me all about your travels,” Elain said firmly. Lucien blushed again. Think of something intelligent to say! “As you say, my lady,” Lucien finally managed. Then the two of them walked back to her father, Elain’s hand still on his arm. Lucien felt Nesta’s glaring at it, but he didn’t care; he was glowing at her hand on him, and he was too giddy to wonder why. “Here it is, Tristan. When you feel pain, take two sips of this red liquid and your pain shall go away. Rub this purple liquid into your leg every day to help relieve the bones in that area. I shall leave them on this table.” Lucien placed them on the wooden table where he noticed Tamlin’s claw marks punched into the table. By the Cauldron, Tam. You went all the way with the theatrics, didn’t you?

“Now, for my request: I know of your reputation, so I am asking you to invest some of my money for me.”

Tristan inquired, “And how much do you wish me to invest, Lord Lucien?” “Twenty thousand pounds.” Elain gasped and Nesta moved to cover her younger sister’s mouth. Tristan stared at him in disbelief. “Twenty thousand? Really?” 

“Of course. Will that be a problem?”

“Well…it’s just so much money…”

Lucien resisted the urge to snarl at him. His patience was waning. “No, it’s nothing to me. Just a small sum to see what you can do. I’ll think of investing more if I am interested.” Tristan stared at him some more. “That sounds like a wonderful idea!” Elain exclaimed, walking forward as her sister tried to shush her again. “My father would be delighted to accept your investment, my lord.” Lucien sighed slightly in relief as Elain met his eyes. “Thank you,” he mouthed at her. She merely winked at him, and Lucien blushed again. Something was wrong with him; must be the human weather. 

“Erm, yes, of course I would,” Tristan said with slight confusion. “Father-“ Nesta began, but Lucien spoke over her. “Splendid! I could not be more grateful.” Lucien reached his hand into midair, searching for that small bag of gold Tamlin had given him and stored in the ether. At last, he found it, handing it to Tristan. “Here’s another token of my gratitude.” Tristan blinked, as if he could not possibly believe his luck, and Lucien handed him another back, this one with the twenty thousand pounds. “It has been a pleasure doing business with you, Lord Tristan, and meeting your wonderful daughters.” He bowed to each of them in turn before exiting the room. 

“Wait!” Elain cried, just as Lucien mounted his horse. Lucien turned to Feyre’s sister. He tried not to get distracted by her big brown eyes as she said breathlessly, “You will come back, won’t you, my lord?” He hadn’t planned on it, no. But he couldn’t bring himself to say that to her. “I swear it, my lady Elain.” She grinned then, her fully smile so brilliant it took Lucien’s breath away. “Until then, my Lord Lucien.” 

That expression remained imprinted on Lucien’s mind all the way back to the Spring Court.

[aho-dapa]

Just like saying this again but

- Papa Archeron was not gambling, he was doing his medieval equivalent of overworking a job that wasn’t paying him enough to pay off his loans

- His loans cough debt, is actually not his fault at all, it was an inherited debt by the previous Prince of Merchants, which ran in his family

- (Okay but can we talk about the expectation of that title and how this debt may have literally controlled his life since the day that he was born???)

- He did that voyage to Bharat because it was the last chance his family had before the medieval mafia came in and literally busted his kneecaps

- Said injury literally leaves him disabled, which is obviously not a conversation this fandom understands but, anyway his injuries mean he can’t work in the way able bodied people can, say, like his daughters

- Not only is he now a disabled single parent with no programs to help his children, he cannot hunt or teach them things he may or may not know because sjm’s world building is a trash fire

- Nesta and Elain not doing shit when it came to their very lives being at stake with starvation is literally??? sjm herself even says they weren’t even more than one dimensional characters at this point so (edit, saw a post about executive dysfunction and depression, and frankly, YEAH THAT TOO)

- Please stop calling him useless ya’ll, I’m begging

(Edit, useless is also just not good phrasing for anyone at all in general. Useless implies that people should inherently have a use, which is just dehumanizing)

There’s also something about how he could have done work in other ways, but he was never written to play that role by sjm

And neither was Nesta or Elain at this point, Feyre’s whole family was written around Feyre, because of her, to make her life more of a hellhole, and not as people that exist outside of her

Which is just frustrating since sjm later bases this half assed dynamic for the future of their dynamic and like??? Weak.

[daybreakmusings]

I really don't think SJM handled the Nesta x Papa Archeron ending well. It's all well and good for Nesta to go back to the cottage and face some of her hardest memories.

But what she should have taken from it, in addition to seeing her father in a different light, is accepting her anger towards him and making peace with it.

Because as much as the book tries to say otherwise, her anger was warranted. The first book in the series paints Papa Archeron in a very clear way. He didn't do much for his daughters. His pride and ego kept him from facing his new reality and showing up for them when they needed him most.

The ending of the book should have focused more on her forgiving him and showing grace. Rather than believing she needed to "beg for forgiveness" for being angry at him for not protecting her (and her sisters) the way they deserved.

[animezinglife]

Let’s add some laughs into the fandom.

Without saying their name, describe your favorite ACOTAR character badly.

[silly--fangirl]

i think we all need to start putting much more shame on the archeron parents' name but people aren't ready to hear that

[huntquinlan]

i full stop am down for elucien regency vibes. 100%. i hope their romance gives that! but i can’t help but hope that the plot, the intrigue of the next book gives some gothic realness! the vibes:

you are elain archeron, you pride yourself on being joyful and light and surrounding yourself in kind. you are drawn into a mess with a death-lord and a man you are basically arranged-married mated to. he is meant to guard and guide you as you try to help in this impossible situation. his closest friends and allies are all some variation of mad or close to it: one’s a fierce queen on borrowed time who does business by night and turns into a shrieking firebird by day and is subsequently lost to herself; one’s a human general whose sanity may not quite be intact after all he’s seen; one’s your sister’s ex a high lord who spends more time in the form of a beast than a man. you are traveling between the latter friends’ half-wrecked/under construction manor in your previous home the human lands to the wrecked manor at the heart of the spring court, where a rot is spreading and affecting the very magic (the very heart) of the court, and could affect more of prythian if not stopped. but you know a lot about gardening—you’re good at rooting out rot, aren’t you?

you feel as though you are always being watched. even when alone. even when asleep. you keep dreaming of an old stone structure more crypt than castle, long forgotten, nestled deep in some far-off mountains, where swans glide across an enchanted lake that should be frozen, their cries that of weeping women. there is always a heartbeat, present somewhere in the background. it is not yours and it is not your betrothed’s mate’s. you have strange waking visions and often feel your body isn’t your own, and maybe it isn’t, not anymore. you are still uncovering proverbial skeletons in the closets your father left to you and your sisters, you think he might haunt you most of all. you were his favorite after all

[princessofmerchants]

“Who found Vassa,” Nesta said with that same flat tone. As if she somehow already knew.

Closer, those human ships sailed. So many—so, so many, bearing a variety of different flags that I could just start to make out, thanks to my Fae sight.

“He calls himself the Prince of Merchants,” Drakon said. “Apparently, he discovered the human queens were traitors months ago, and has been gathering an independent human army to face Hybern ever since. He managed to find Queen Vassa—and together they rallied this army.” Drakon shrugged. “He told me that he’s got three daughters who live here. And that he failed them for many years. But he would not fail them this time.”

The ships at the front of the human armada became clear, along with the gold lettering on their sides.

“He named his three personal ships after them,” Drakon said with a smile.

And there, sailing at the front … I beheld the names of those ships.

The Feyre.

The Elain.

And leading the charge against Hybern, flying over the waves, unyielding and without an ounce of fear …

The Nesta.

With my father … our father at the helm.

—Ch. 71 of A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

Artist: @/hmmr.art on Instagram / @hmmr-art-blog

Commissioned by me. Follow the artist on Instagram! Reposts only permitted with proper credit to the artist (and obviously no editing the art in any way please and thank you).

~*~*~

I am rousing my Tumblr account from a much needed slumber to share my first ever art commission. Every time I read this part of ACOWAR, I cry. It's hard to explain what this moment means to me in the narrative, and specifically in Nesta's story. I have had this moment in mind for a commissioned artwork for years, but had yet to encounter an artist whose style and lens felt like the right fit for what I knew I wanted to the piece to be.

When I discovered Haley's ACOTAR art, I was so dang excited to encounter a fandom artist who draws and paints the Archeron sisters with such love and care. See this piece that blew me away when I first saw it—it was the first time I ever saw something to do with their dad, and the sisters' complicated relationship with him, in an artwork.

When I shared my vision for this piece, Haley was all in to make it a reality for me, and I couldn't be more happy with how this came out. Nesta's face and eyes. The light on the water. The color palette. The way Cassian is looking at her. The ships. The details of both figures.

Thank you, Haley, for your patience and desire to make this exactly as I envisioned it!

[munsons-hellfire]

My Love Will Never Die: Prologue

SUMMARY: Circe Archeron is faced with the tragedy of losing her cousin when a faerie arrives at their home demanding to know who had killed the wolf.

PAIRINGS: Azriel x Circe Archeron x Eris Vanserra

CONTENT WARNING: None really, at least I don't think.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello and welcome to the prologue of My Love Will Never Die. I have had this idea for a while. There will be two other characters that will be introduced in this series. The first chapter will take place in A Court of Mist and Fury. I hope you enjoy this! Also I decided to write this in first person pov instead of 3rd person. If you'd like to be added to a taglist for this series let me know in the comments.

WORD COUNT: 3.7K

My Love Will Never Die Masterlist

Snow and ice crusted the earth below. But it didn’t matter to me, I stood tall in the snow covered trees. My dirty-blonde hair was pulled back and braided so it would be out of my way. I jumped from tree to tree, Feyre was always jealous of the fact that I had an easy time hiding in the trees. I had always felt this heavy weight on my back, and because of it I had learned to balance myself especially in trees.

They became my friends. Odd, I know, but totally worth it when we’d go out hunting. That’s what my cousin and I had been doing, hunting for food in this brisk winter. I could feel the cold running along my skin. I had been living with the Archeron sisters since shortly before they had to leave the luxurious home behind and move into a smaller home. I didn’t understand why my parents had dropped me off with my cousins, all I know is they’re hiding something from me. One day I’ll figure it out. But today I’m hunting in the woods.

Feyre and I had separated from each other hours ago. We’d hoped that by doing so we’d gain more distance to find something to eat. But so far I had no such luck, I was secretly hoping that Feyre had gained the luck today. Feyre and I had started to go out into the woods to hunt for food when we were fourteen. Her reasoning was a promise she’d made to her mother, mine was mostly because I didn’t like to be alone with Nesta and Elain when Feyre wasn’t there.

Our relationship was strained. Nesta hated me, I don’t know why. I guess she blames me for moving in, because soon after they could no longer afford anything. I’m not sure honestly, she doesn’t ever give me an answer whenever I question her, whenever I ask her the same question. She just lets it fuss out like it's nothing important and honestly I’ve given up trying to figure out why she hates me. Feyre and I are now nineteen, it’s crazy, I know but what more can I do in this life.

Most of the things I know how to do I managed to teach myself, reading is one of those things. I’m not as skilled in reading but I can get by somewhat. It’s not important right now anyway. I’ve tried to help Feyre but I don’t really know what I’m doing. Feyre has become my best friend, she’s more of a sister than a cousin. And I so badly wished to have had that sibling connection with her that Nesta and Elain have with her but seem to not care much about.

I shake my head, easily getting lost in my thoughts these days when I’m alone in the woods. I gripped the bark tightly, small scratches littered my palms. I tend to get my hands cut a lot when I’d climb up into the trees. Feyre always had something to say about it and I know she’ll most likely say something about it when she sees my hands. Sometimes I like to feel pain, and the only healthy way is to climb trees. I adjust myself trying to ignore the heavy weight on my back.

I knew at this point without having any luck it was time to call quits and head home. I was hoping that Feyre had already made it back to the small house. I lunge off the branch I was hanging out on, I grip onto the next branch holding it tightly as I swing back and forth. The slight pain in my hands is evident. Finally I’m able to let go of the branch and land on the icy ground. The ice crunches beneath my boot covered feet.

I pull my dagger from my holster, it’s not much but it’s kept me safe over the years since I’ve started hunting. I lower myself into a crouching position and release a breath. My breath mixes with the cold air causing it to turn into a mist. Just to be safe I always stay low to the ground to make sure I’m not caught as I walk back home to the house where Nesta, Elain and my Uncle are. All of whom probably aren’t doing anything.

An hour later I had given up on the crouching, but I’d made it home. The dagger is back in the sheath. I don’t need Nesta and Elain to know I have it. One day I’d found it near the border that separates us from the Faeries, it was calling to me. Odd. It was so odd that a dagger was calling my name. But I found it and since then it has been with me. Finally reaching the door I pushed it open and walked inside.

A soft grunt leaves my throat as I enter the house. The house had a small amount of warmth, I could feel it but it was barely there. Not that I mind, I preferred the cold anyway. At least that’s what I tell myself. My ocean blue eyes land on my Uncle and cousins all of whom are close to each other.

“Where’s Feyre?” Nesta questioned, not bothering to give me another glance.

“Like you care.” I mumbled the words as I removed my cloak from my body. It didn’t do much to keep me warm during the winter but it was better than nothing. “She’s probably still hunting, I didn;t have any luck but I’m hoping that Feyre found something.” I said that loud enough that all three could hear me. Nesta didn’t budge, nor did Elain. I walked past them making my way into our small shared room. Sometimes I wish I could sleep on the floor in the winter. I hate sharing a room with my cousins. Feyre not so much because she didn’t hate me.

I closed the door behind me once I was in the room. I needed to change into warmer, dry clothes. I tracked towards the dresser and kneeled down to stare at the painting Feyre had drawn on my drawer. I had the same recording dream, it was always blurry so I couldn’t make out much. But I got enough from the dream. I had asked Feyre one day to paint hazel and amber eyes, mixed with bat wings, shadows and flames. I could never really understand why I had seen those images so constantly in my dreams but I wanted to be able to see them no matter the time of day.

Feyre had even questioned me about it when she was painting it, but I just didn’t know how to answer it other than the fact that I had seen everything when I was asleep. I didn’t know who the eyes belonged to but I knew one day that I’d figure it out eventually. I knew whomever the eyes belonged to they would most likely be important to me. After pulling on a warm set of clothes I heard the front door open, followed by Feyre’s voice and shortly after Nesta’s voice.

“Where did you get that?” Nesta had asked, as I rejoined them. I glanced over at Feyre as she looked at me. Over the years Feyre and I had developed a secret sort of communication and were able to talk with each other via expressions. Feyre was asking for my help without actually saying something. I moved from my spot walking over to her.

“Where do you think I got it?” Feyre questioned back, her voice hoarse.

I looked over at Nesta and my Uncle, they were by the hearth warming their hands. I had noticed Elain but gave her no mind just like she did to me. I watched closely as Feyre removed a wolf pelt from the doe she had collected. Then she turned and took her boots off placing them by the door. Feyre turned back towards Elain and myself, she glanced at her second oldest sister before her eyes fell onto me.

“Will it take you long to clean it?” Elain had asked simply.

I took note of the question, it was directed towards me and Feyre. We were the only ones who truly knew how to clean an animal. It wasn’t a hard task to learn, all things considered. I released a huff and glided towards the doe. I paid no mind to the conversation going on currently. At some point Feyre had joined me and we began working together.

“Are you going to come with us to the market tomorrow?” I lifted my eyes at the question Feyre had asked. Then briefly I looked over at Nesta and Elain.

“I think I’ll stay here if that’s all right.” For some reason my voice was soft as I answered Feyre’s question. Feyre only gave a nod and the conversation dropped there. Eventually night fell and we were stuffed in the bed. I was exhausted from today’s adventure and ready for bed.

☾

I had spent most of the day with my Uncle though he hadn’t made much of an effort to talk to me. So I ended up in the trees. When I didn’t want to talk to anyone this is where I’d come. I’d pick a tree, climb it and sit on the branch. Sometimes I’d stay resting on the tree well past sunset to watch the stars shine brightly in the sky. This was my safe heaven and I didn’t know what I’d do without this. Feyre stood down below staring up at me.

“Come on, food’s ready.” She said my cousin was never happy that I could climb the trees. She also didn’t understand why I did it. In a sense I guess I needed to be closer to the stars or the sun or maybe the clouds. I never really knew, it was always a guessing game with my feelings. “When will you stop climbing into trees?”

I shrugged my shoulders, attempting to move the weight on my back. It always felt like something was dragging against the ground. I didn’t understand it, I had hoped to one day reunite with my parents and ask them why it felt that way on my back. I hadn’t seen them since they dropped me off at my cousins, so I guess I would never really get my answers. I looked back at Feyre realizing that she was still waiting for me to answer her question, the one I hadn’t answered yet.

“Never. It’s my safe haven away from Nesta, Elain and Uncle.” I finally answered the question as Feyre and I started walking back towards the home.

“Just don’t hurt yourself. I can’t lose my best friend.” Feyre looked at me. Her blue-green eyes blazing brightly. We entered the house, finally we were all sitting down and eating the deer. I wasn’t in the mood to listen to whatever conversation they were having. I would take small bites of my food to savor it, and in between I’d play with it until I decided to take another bite. A roar so loud I had to cover my ears brought me out of my thoughts.

Hesitantly I reached for my dagger, but didn’t make a move to pull it out of its sheath. Nesta and Elain were screaming, snow burst into the room we were in as the door opened and a growling figure appeared in our line of sight. I was so confused as to what was going on but finally I pulled the dagger out of my hands and moved in front of Nesta and Elain. The dagger was in front of me as I looked up at the beast. My heartbeat was beating so fast, I couldn’t seem to calm it down.

“MURDERERS!” Its voice was rough as it looked around the room. My breath caught in my throat as I glanced over at Feyre. We both knew what this was. Faerie. I couldn’t believe there was a Fae in our home. Who was it and what did they want? Those were the only questions that seemed to be running through my mind. “MURDERERS!” It roared again.

“P-please,” I could hear my Uncle’s voice from somewhere in the room. I couldn’t look away from the beast to figure out where his voice was coming from. “Whatever we have done, we did so unknowingly, and—”

“W-w-we didn’t kill anyone.” Nesta added, choking on the sobs that left her lips. I briefly pulled my eyes away from the beast and saw her holding the iron bracket over her head. I guess she hoped it would protect her from the monster at our front door.

“Get out,” Feyre snapped at the beast, she held a dinner knife in front of her. I shifted slightly and caught the eyes of the beast. It looked at me, then it seemed to halt its movements. It sensed something on me, I could tell. “Get out, and begone.” Feyre added. His roar was so loud it shook the entire cottage along with everything in it. Before I had a chance to speak I watched Feyre hurl her hunting knife at the beast. But he was able to block it before it made contact with his skin.

Feyre stumbled backwards almost knocking into her father. I stepped forward slightly, the faerie had almost killed my cousin. I had almost lost her. The eyes of the monster landed on me, he looked at me differently then he had looked at Feyre. I straightened my back slightly, moving my shoulders to adjust the weight on my back. It was almost like he could sense that something was different about me. That I was different from my cousins. But as far as I was aware whatever was different about me he couldn’t see it. At least that’s what I hoped.

“WHO KILLED HIM?” He roared out, pulling his eyes away from me to look around at the rest of my family. He stalked towards us, he set his paw on the table, his claws scratched into the table one by one. I shuddered at the thought of what those claws could do.

“Killed who?” Feyre was quick to ask the question.

He growled out, his voice was low, “the wolf.” I looked to my cousin as her eyes fell to mine. I hadn’t been with her but she had in fact killed that wolf. At this moment I wish I had been with her. Maybe I should tell the creature that I was the one who had killed the wolf, but I knew Feyre wouldn’t let me do that.

“A wolf?” Elain released a shriek, I had to stop myself from covering my ears when I heard it.

“A large wolf with a gray coat,” he snarled at us.

“If it was mistakenly killed,” Feyre said to the beast, her voice calm. “What payment could we offer in exchange?” I closed my eyes dreading what this creature might want in return.

“The payment you must offer is the one demanded by the Treaty between our realms.”

“For a wolf?” I asked, tilting my head. This was so confusing.

“Who killed the wolf?” His eyes whirled around the room staring at each of us. I moved my shoulders, stepping forward however Feyre beat me to it.

“I did.” She said.

“Surely you lie to save them, to save her.” He said pointing at me with his clawed finger. I gulped, I feared that he might try and take me instead of Feyre. This wasn’t happening, this had to be a dream. I need to wake up now, I go to pinch myself only it hurts. This is real.

“We didn’t kill anything!” Elain cried. “Please… please, spare us!” Nesta hushed Elain, though she did it through her own crying. I couldn’t bring myself to cry like they were. I guess because I had been hunting for a while with Feyre. Suddenly my Uncle was standing from where he’d been sitting, grunting in pain.

“I killed it!” Feyre said, I watched as the beast pulled his eyes away from Nesta and Elain to look at her. “I sold its hide at the market today. If I had known it was a faerie, I wouldn’t have touched it.” I knew that was a lie.

“Liar.” So did he, apparently. “You knew. You would have been more tempted to slaughter it had you known it was one of my kind.”

“Can you blame me?”

“Did it attack you? Were you provoked?”

I looked over at my cousin waiting for her to say yes, to say something other than the word that was uttered from her mouth, “No,” she said, with a snarl of her own. “But considering all that your kind has done to us, considering what your kind still likes to do to us, even if I had known beyond a doubt, it was deserved.”

He released a growl to Feyre’s answer. I could feel the rage coming from the creature. I think we all could. I didn’t like where this was heading and I knew where this was heading. I didn’t want it to be the case. I can’t lose Feyre, she’s all I have. Sure the others are here but they don’t really care for me, I’m just an extra mouth that my parents forced them to take care of because they couldn’t handle whatever was wrong with me.

“What is the payment the Treaty requires?”

He continued to stare at Feyre as he talked to her, “A life for a life. Any unprovoked attacks on faerie-kind by humans are to be paid only by a human life in exchange.” Nesta and Elain stopped crying at the admission.

“I didn’t know.” Feyre said. “Didn’t know about that part of the Treaty.”

I couldn’t think of a way out of this, of a way to keep Feyre here with us. “Most of you mortals have chosen to forget that part of the Treaty,” he said, “which makes punishing you far more enjoyable.”

The panic inside me was flickering, I couldn’t lose her. He was going to take her away. I would never see the only person who understood me ever again.

“Do it outside,” Feyre whispered, her voice trembling. I wanted to cry for the first time in what felt like forever. But I still couldn’t bring myself to not yet anyway. “Not… here.”

“Willing to accept your fate so easily?” He asked. “For having the nerve to request where I slaughter you, I’ll let you in on a secret, human: Prythian must claim your life in some way, for the life you took from it. So as a representative of the immortal realm, I can either gut you like swine, or… you can cross the wal and live our the remainder of your days in Prythian.”

“What?” Feyre asked.

“Please.” I begged, no matter how hard I was trying to hold back my tears they had started to fall down my face. “Please don’t take her away from me. I can’t lose her.” I broke, as the words exited my mouth. My knees trembled and I quickly dropped to the ground staring at the beast.

“You can either die tonight or offer your life to Prythian by living in it forever, forsaking the human realm.”

I was shaking my head looking at my cousin. “Do it, Feyre,” my Uncle whispered from behind Feyre. “Go.”

“No. Please.” I cried out again.

“Live where? Every inch of Prythian is lethal to us.” She does have a point. “Why bother?”

“You murdered my friend,” he snarled at her. “Murdered him, skinned his corpse, sold it at the market, and then said he deserved it, and yet you have the nerve to question my generosity?”

Feyre stepped forward. “You didn’t need to mention the loophole.”

He released another snarl. “Foolish of me to forget that humans have such low opinions of us. Do you humans no longer understand mercy?” He’s so close to Feyre now. “Let me make this clear for you, girl: you can either come live at my home in Prythian—offer your life for the wolf’s in that way—or you can walk outside right now and be shredded to ribbons. Your choice.”

“Please, good sire—Feyre is my youngest. I beseech you to spare her. She is all… she is all…” His words seemed to die in his throat as he talked. “Please—”

“Silence.”

“I can get gold—” He tried to come up with a compromise, and I hoped that the beast would allow it over taking Feyre away.

“How much is your daughter’s life worth to you? Do you think it equates to a sum?” He questioned. Nothing came out to answer the question, the silence was deafening as Feyre stepped forward. She looked back at me, like she was sending her apology to me. I knew what it meant, she was leaving to protect all of us. And to honor the Treaty he was talking about.

“When do we go?” Feyre asked, I started shaking my head. I couldn’t breath, this was happening too fast for my liking.

“Now.”

I couldn’t hear anything after that. It was all silent. I wanted this to be a dream more than anything right now. I wish it were. I really do wish I could just wake up from this. I felt myself begging the creature over and over, asking to go with them. But Feyre turned it down before I even had a chance. I felt her arms around me as she said goodbye. But I still couldn’t process anything. Before I knew it she was gone, taken just like that.

I wouldn’t have my best friend with me anymore. I’d live a life without her and that broke me. I crumpled to the floor and cried out silently. I received no comfort from any of them the rest of the night. I just stayed on the floor until I eventually cried myself to sleep, hoping for a better future. Maybe I’d get a better future now. I just had to remain strong and not let my thoughts consume me. But that was a difficult challenge.

[unyieldingwings]

Since we’re all functioning under the theory that Mama Archeron is possibly fae, are we all also functioning under the assumption that Papa Archeron encountered Mama Archeron via Koschei?

Is she also one of the women that Koschei collected and Papa Archeron found a way to free her? Because how the heck was Papa Archeron able to barter for Vassa’s temporary freedom if he wasn’t aware of who Koschei was and how he operates?

Also how does Tamlin know her?

Remember in acotar how Tam asked Feyre if her mother told her nothing?

Does this mean that she was either og from Spring Court? Or from Hybern? (Bc Tamlin has ties to both)

[jemdeserveslove]

Forgetting about the ships for a moment, you know what I want in the next acotar books?

My man Koschei being a good villain and making everyone absolutely hysterical and miserable

GIVE ME A GOOD VILLAIN PLEASE

I think he has sooo much potential, this guy was first mentioned in ACOWAR with the fucking Bone Carver being scared of him, like 🤯

We know he keeps cursed women confined, that he has a black box that is very important to him, that he made a deal with Papa Archeron, that he still has influence across many territories even if he has been locked away for centuries (including the Night Court), that for some reason he turned Vassa into a firebird and that he pulled a big prank on Cassian and Azriel

I NEED HIM TO DO VILLAN THINGS AND SCARE EVERYONE !!

I know villains are not Sarah’s forte, but I have big hopes

[whitedemon-ladydeath]

okay. so. They were in the cottage BEFORE????? the creditors shattered his leg? what the fuck was he DOING then besides just *talking* about regaining their wealth. it still took YEARS for ALL the money to go after they used it to make sure he could walk. and he can walk for OVER a mile?????????? what the ever living fuck is his excuse besides feeling sorry for himself for letting his three daughters STARVE while he sat there running his mouth about getting money again. wishful thinking isn't going to feed three young girls mouths, you stupid man

I'm not inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt, of perhaps equating it to severe depression considering the beginning of this book is so caricaturesque there is no room, no writing or nuance allowed outside of him being "ashamed". If it were written, perhaps like Katniss' mom, with parallels drawn between depression for him + Feyre or him + Nesta, I might be more inclined

he can WALK. for over a MILE. they still had MONEY after healing his LEG. since he has chronic pain with the bad weather I'm inclined to be more forgiving during the winter months and bad storms but the other half of the year....? he's mobile. he's literate. he's well read. he was an affluent member of society. how the HELL are we blaming NESTA for EVERYTHING. HE IS MOBILE. HE HAS RESOURCES. HES JUST LETTING HIS DAUGHTERS KEEP THEIR FAMILY ALIVE OR TRY TO REACH OUT TO OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS WHAT IS HE DOINGGGG

[lorcandidlucienwill]

“Glamoured their memories—like putting a veil over them. I was afraid your father might come after you, or persuade some villagers to cross the wall with him and further violate the Treaty.” And they all would have died anyway, once they ran into things like the puca or the Bogge or the naga. A silence blanketed my mind, until I was so exhausted I could barely think, and couldn’t stop myself from saying, “You don’t know him. My father wouldn’t have bothered to do either.” Tamlin looked at me for a long moment. “Yes, he would have.” But he wouldn’t—not with that twisted knee. Not with it as an excuse. I’d realized that the moment the puca’s illusion had been ripped away.

Do you know who did try and come for Feyre though? NESTA! But she didn't have a portrait from Feyre and their father DID?!!!! And then you made it seem like Nesta had been undeserving of her father's love???? What. The. Actual. Fuck.