#she'll stop biting helion eventually

[achaotichuman]

Anyway six-year-old Elucien's daughter coming home like "MOM DAD LOOK WHAT I FOUND" and it's a feral creature from the woods that snarls at them.

Said feral creature is Tamlin's six-year-old daughter, Dahlia.

[ae-neon]

Anyways more Lucien and Nesta

They definitely ride together on horseback like @toast-com said. They'll ride to a shady spot by a stream or lake and Nesta will read while Lucien fishes.

When it's books about Fae topics she'll ask him about it, and Lucien knows now to give her long detailed explanations because Nesta loves deep diving into topics and once went on a week long research rabbit hole on Fae astrology because she just couldn't figure out what any of it meant.

When it's books about human topics she'll tell him everything she knows.

"Did you know in Bharat people believed salt would protect them from Fae so they lined their thresholds with salt and eventually it became custom to..."

"The first king of Scythia only ruled for 3 months because it rained on the day of his coronation and didn't stop for 4 weeks. People believed it was an omen and when..."

"There's a spot in the trade routes called the Siren's Pass that only pirate ships pass through because it's so dangerous, ten years ago 4 ships..."

Lucien is a bit skeptical of Nesta essentially adopting monsters who've wandered out of The Middle but Nesta shrugs and leaves out bowls of bloody meat before going to bed.

(@aho-dapa) Lucien braids his confessions into her hair without telling her. It's an Autumn Court tradition that holding a belief in your heart while braiding your or your loved one's hair will hold that thought there. So he sometimes braids "I love you" and "I want to be with you always" and "beautiful woman" into her hair.

Nesta isn't as poetic but she's there and talkative and she laughs and loves and he feels it. Sometimes he doubts but then, like she knows, she'll hold his hand in bed or bite his shoulder or spend the day with him with her hair loose and curling down to her waist and he'll know.

It's been 67 years since the War and they're doing okay. Twice a week Lucien will winnow them to some obscure eatery in a different court to have Nesta try authentic foods from different Fae cultures. Once he even took her to an Illyrian kitchen of a family he knew.

He's learned to cleave wards (that's how he just winnows into and out of courts without anyone noticing) and he suspects the truth about Helion even if he doesn't say. Nesta does too since she spends so much time with them both it's easy to see.

They're big fans of and friends with Tarquin and Cresseida and are honorary members of his council (before he is voted High King). Lucien plays a key role in building the InterCourts Alliance which implements continent wide laws (Nesta, Thesan and Helion proposed a Constitution) and the Mortal Lands are counted and represented as the 8th Court.

They become actual members of his High King's council around 154 years after the War. Nesta serves one term of 20 years before she decides she likes theory better and dedicates herself to scholarly pursuits instead.