Elain watched the group around her laugh and smile, enjoying each others company before it was time for Azriel and Gwyn, and her, to leave. But she wasn’t sure she wanted to go with them.
She had come to the Mortal Lands with Azriel and Gwyn two days ago to help with a mission, her seer powers allowing her to see what others couldn’t. But now that she was here, spending time with Lucien’s Band of Exiles, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to go home to the Night Court. But was that really home to begin with?
She had begun to feel like more and more of an outsider, like the Night Court didn’t have a place for her. Or, maybe, she didn’t want a place there. Whichever it was, she knew she didn’t belong there. She loved her family, but it never quite felt like that was where she was meant to end up. She wasn’t like Feyre and Nesta, and she was slowly realizing that that was okay. Perhaps she could find a life elsewhere, somewhere that felt like home.
Lost in her thoughts, she barely noticed the tall male sit next to her, angling his body so his attention was on her rather than those around them. She turned, unable to hide the sadness from her eyes when she met Lucien’s gaze.
“My lady, is there anything I can get you?” Lucien asked, his brow furrowing with concern that made her heart flutter. “You looked a little sad. Or lost, perhaps.”
She frowned, his words striking unexpectedly close to the mark. She was lost, wasn’t she?
“I suppose I am,” she murmured, not realizing she had said anything out loud until Lucien responded, his voice gentle, a softness in his tone she had grown to like.
“One is never truly lost, my lady,” He whispered, holding her gaze steadily. “They are only…misplaced. But they can always be found.”
She swallowed, unsure how to respond to the vulnerable sincerity in his tone, the slight tinge of sadness in his eyes. Is that what she looked like? She gave him a small smile, drifting into silence for while until she found the sudden urge to tell him something.
“Lucien, I’ve been thinking of leaving the Night Court,” she blurted, shocked by her own boldness.
“Oh,” he said simply, studying her. “Where do you plan to go?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Well…there is always a place for you here, if you wish,” he quietly responded, his eyes holding more meaning than his words could convey. “But you don’t need to decide today.”
“I…I’ll think about it,” she promised, turning silent again. They watched the group for a while, both lost in thought before she once again felt the urge to speak.
“Lucien?”
“Yes, my lady?”
“I don’t want to choose you just because I have nothing else,” she whispered, unsure why she was telling him this but knowing it needed to be said regardless. “I want to be happy and do something that matters. I want to have something to fight for. I don’t want to choose you just because that was the only option. I want to see the world and everything it has to offer, and when I choose you…I want to know that out of all those things, the only thing I wanted was you.”
She met his gaze again, scared she might find fear or indifference or perhaps nothing at all, but what she found instead was warmth. A bright, burning warmth that held promises of life and friendship and, underneath all of it, love.
you know where elain would fit? with a human that was tortured and enslaved by a fae general, brought back to life only to be further used by her king, who doesn’t know who he is and where he belongs anymore. with a human queen that got punished for refusing to ally with fae, sold off to a death-lord to become someone without any control over her own body left. with her mate who more than anyone knows how it is to lose the person you loved the most, the place you called home.
elain, jurian and vassa are all human victims of fae politics. no longer human, they struggle with the reality forced on them and can’t recognise the person they are anymore. they’re stuck in-between the two worlds along with lucien, having lost everything that defined them. I hope that they find each other as their story unfolds because if anyone could make elain finally open up, it’s those that suffered the same fate as her.
Becca ( @silvergriff ) and I ( @moononastring ) wanted to thank each and every one of you that created and/or shared something for our Lucien Vanserra appreciation week! Our fox boy deserves all the love and we appreciate you for sharing it with us and spreading the Lucien love!
We hope you’ll be inspired to continue celebrating with us any events coming up! Stay tuned for our Band of Exiles prompt announcement coming up later today! You can find it here.
“It is not the years in your life but the life in your years that counts.”
Lucien enjoys reading in the library and basking in the sunlight. He loves exploring locations and cultures. His morning tea and breakfast spread are essential to his day. He loves experimenting in the kitchen with his cooking and baking.
A parallel between Vassa and Miryam - is Vassa already immortal?
Please don’t share or screenshot this post without credit.
I know I’m not the only one who has wondered if the following passage suggests that Vassa is already Made, or immortal, in some way.
But Elain shook me off, heading back to the stairs. She said as she climbed the first steps, “I can hear her—crying.” I gripped the bottom post of the banister. “Who?” “Everyone thinks she’s dead.” Elain kept walking. “But she’s not. Only—different. Changed. As I was.” “Who,” I pushed. - ACOWAR, chapter 27
Coincidentally or not, it happens to parallel Feyre’s thoughts about Miryam pretty well.
“Miryam died—a spear through her chest during that last battle at the sea,” Rhys explained. “She bled out while she was carried to safety. But Drakon knew of a sacred, hidden island where an object of great and terrible power had been concealed. An object made by the Cauldron itself, legend claimed. He brought her there, to Cretea—used the item to resurrect her, make her immortal. As you were Made, Feyre.” Amren had said it—months ago. That Miryam had been Made as I was.-ACOWAR, chapter 16
Does this mean that Miryam was Made similarly to Feyre, and Vassa like Elain and Nesta? Given Miryam was Made 500 years ago by “an object of great and terrible power,” and Feyre was Made by each High Lord donating a kernel of their magic, not to mention Elain and Nesta were Made by a newly reassembled Cauldron, which was unlikely to be used for Vassa (though not impossible, of course), I’m not sure what to make of this parallel, and if it’s meant to be taken so literally.
Could it just be that they are all Made, and so have immortal lifespans, whether their bodies are Fae or human? Or possibly have something to do with their powers? Could Vassa and Miryam be related to the Archeron sisters? Many of us have wondered about Vassa, but Miryam? It’s a stretch, but she’s half human, so who knows? Anything is possible.
We also know Jurian is another mortal character who has been made/resurrected and I found this line in acofas interesting:
“Vassa and Jurian are two sides of the same coin.”
Could this be another potential hint that Vassa is no longer mortal?
Great catch! There is so much going on behind the scenes with the Band of Exiles and I really need to know. This is why I miss multi POV, I’m greedy.
