—So since everyone has been posted such amazing pieces of gwyn and azriel for the gwynriel week, I decided to whip something out as well! I love these two so much ahhhhh.
So I saw that @court_of_sketches made this beautiful drawing of Rhys from the Fallen Angel painting challenge that’s been going round, and I had to ALSO do it
But the original painting was giving me massive Azriel vibes so I drew him instead
There’s this gwynriel headcanon in my head, it’s like,,, my comfort hc. Imma share it with you guys
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One morning, before the training starts, Cassian tells the trainees that today they are going to fight with either him or az, with their chosen weapon. If trainers win nothing happens, but if the trainee wins whoever they fought with (az or cass) will owe them a favor. Whoever they fight with is decided by picking a stone from a bag. There are two stones, one blue and one red. Red obviously means cassian and blue azriel. Whoever drops their weapon first loses.
One of the trainees shouts “Is cheating allowed?”. There are chuckles and then azriel says “If you think cheating is gonna help you then why not?”
So the game begins.
A few priestesses fight, some with cass some with az. They all lose, some even with cheating in different ways. Nesta picks the red stone and fights with Cass. Cassian gives her a smug smile when she loses despite all her dirty moves. Emerie picks the blue stone. Azriel shakes his head as if to say another time when she loses. And then Gwyn picks the blue stone.
She looks at azriel and says with a big smile “Ready to lose Shadowsinger?” Azriel, with a little smile of his own, says “Sure.”
They fight. Gwyn tries a few dirty moves too, but they do not help her disarm him. After a small eternity of fighting she finds an opening and gets closer to azriel. So much closer than an opponent should. She kisses azriel’s cheek and he stills in shock for a few seconds. When he’s aware of his surroundings again, his sword is on the ground and all the trainees are laughing and congratulating gwyn on her success.
Gwyn looks at him with an even bigger smile and says “You owe me a favor!”
Azriel, who is still feeling faint, clears his throat and says “It appears so.”
“I wish for us to have the courage to go out into the world when we are ready, but to always be able to find our way back to each other. No matter what.”
Chapter Synopsis : Azriel’s thought process, And a bit T/W of Gwyn’s past. Only one or two lines are there, but they’re there.
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Since the last few days, Gwyn had been sleeping in Azriel’s room. Everything had been going smoothly. Azriel didn’t have to awkwardly ask Gwyn to come to his room. She just automatically came, bid him goodnight, and slept on the bed.
Gwyn was a space - occupying sleeper. At the start of the night, She would be curled up on her left side, but when the sun shone through her auburn locks in the morning, Azriel could see her legs sprayed out, one over his leg and out of the blanket, and one in it. Her hands would he resting on her eyes.
Though Azriel always felt her leg on his, her body covering 70% of the bed (despite Azriel and his wings, Gwyn occupied more space) and giving him barely 30%, he didn’t mind it and neither did he need to tell her.
He actually liked it, it made him feel like someone was constantly there for him. Even if it was a small gesture like their legs touching each other.
Azriel used to wake up in the morning much earlier than her. He used to stare at her face for 5 minutes, like a creep.
He used to count her freckles. It was the first thing he did every morning. He sectioned her face and made it his goal to count at least the freckles on one part.
He knew it was creepy but it calmed him. He was also very thankful that his nightmares were at bay. He was glad to know that hers were too.
He didn’t know for sure if she had nightmares or not. Her beautiful peaceful sleeping face revealed nothing. But he knew that something as painful as that incident at Sangravah would give someone nightmares.
It gave him nightmares. Nightmares in which he wasn’t able to protect her. Gwyn’s sobbing voice echoing through his mind as a man thrust into her - “You weren’t fast enough.”
Azriel was taken aback when he heard Gwyn slam the door behind her and very angrily lie down on the bed. Azriel said nothing but watched her with a raised eyebrow.
When Gwyn didn’t tell him goodnight for another few minutes, Azriel knew something was wrong. Gwyn always said goodnight, even on the nights in which she came a bit late and Azriel was (pretending) asleep, he heard her whisper a goodnight to him.
“What’s wrong priestess?”, he asked worriedly as he lied down on the bed beside her. When Gwyn didn’t reply he asked again, it made him worry.
Was she mad at me? Did something happen? Did someone do something to her? No. No. She’s an independent women who’s very capable of protecting herself. But did something happen? What happened?
Azriel then went towards Gwyn side, and lent on her body a bit. “What’s wrong Gwyn?”
He heard Gwyn sighed and mutter a ‘nothing’.
Not gonna let you go so easily love.
Azriel couldn’t see her face, it was covered with her hair.
Azriel wanted to see her face. Her eyes, her freckles. Her pointed nose and crinkled eyes when she smiled. Her narrowed eyes when she said something egoistic and her rolling eyes when he said or did something stupid just to see her smile.
Azriel gently removed the hair from her face. She was lying on her side and facing the wall. When he did that, she didn’t stop it or flinch away.
She felt comfortable with me.
She didn’t look him in his eyes either. She was hiding something. Her eyes were a bit teary and cheeks a bit rosy. He knew she had been crying.
When Gwyn still didn’t look at him, he felt feeling in the pit of his stomach that he didn’t like.
He took her chin in his hands.
Look at me. Please. He begged her silently as if his sanity depended on it.
And for some reason she did.
She heard his silent plea. No one had ever heard his silent pleas before. They were ignored at the most crucial of times. The moments before which he knew he was close to a breakdown. He felt like this was one of those moments.
But now he wished that she hadn’t looked him in his eyes. Because his heart leaped in his chest for some reason.
His shadows had formed a crown over Gwyn’s head
And there were butterflies in his stomach from looking at the sight.
He gulped visibly and made sure his face remained neutral, but even he couldn’t hide the emotion from his eyes when he asked, “What’s wrong love?”
A/N : This has to be one of the best chapters I’ve ever written cause I just love it for some reason. Do comment if you like this type of writing ;)
Chapter Synopsis : Azriel has a mini heart attack and Azriel and Gwyn sleep together
“So shall we get ready for bed?” Gwyn asked. “Yeah sure.” Azriel replied and went towards his bed. “I’ll just go and change then.” Gwyn said and went straight to his bathroom without waiting for his reply.
So they were really doing this. He was gonna help her get through her fears so that she could find a person to spend her life with. Azriel couldn’t stop himself from feeling a pang of jealousy.
He wasn’t sure if it was from imagining that he would be left lonely again and each one of his friends would have found their partner, or from imagining Gwyn with a guy.
—————-
Gwyn thanked the house for the pajamas and t-shirt that appeared in the bathroom. The bathroom was as big as a house and Gwyn could probably spend her entire life in there.
She changed into the night suit and fixed her hair a bit. She then brushed her teeth with the brush that had appeared on the slap. She had never really wore anything except her training leathers or her priestess robes until now, but when she looked at herself in the mirror, she liked the way she looked.
The t-shirt was more of a crop top than a shirt and it let a little bit of her naval show. But she wasn’t nervous in any way. She was actually very comfortable. A sudden hint of proudness hit her and she smiled.
I am the rock against which the surf crashes, nothing can break me.
She took a deep breath, and walked out of the bathroom.
——————
Azriel was just staring at the ceiling trying not to be nervous when he heard the closing of a door. His gaze snapped towards the sound that came from his left side of the room and saw Gwyn walking towards his bed.
She’s beautiful.
The first thought that came in his mind that Gwyn was absolutely beautiful. He had never ever seen her like that. Her hair open and a small smile on her face.
He’d always known Gwyn was beautiful, but he refrained himself from thinking that during training because it was unprofessional.
But acknowledging someone’s beautiful isn’t unprofessional shadowsinger.
And the words slipped out before he could stop them, “You’re beautiful.”
Azriel damned his shadows to hell because he could hear them chuckling while he was having a heart attack.
Gwyn’s eyes widened a bit before her face became neutral again, “Thank you.” And continued walking towards his bed.
She silently slipped under the covers. Azriel could hear her heart beating fast. But he was sure Gwyn could hear the beating of his heart as well.
Azriel could use his shadows to mask his scent, not his heart.
“Goodnight Az,” Gwyn said before turning towards Azriel and staring at him for a second before closing her eyes. “Goodnight Gwyn.”
A/N : Short chapter againnn I knowww but my finals are coming up and I’m also preparing for Gwynriel week :)
BAHAHAHAHAHAA I CANT, I can totally see the shadows being jealous of Azriel getting all of Gwyn’s attention : Like this is how they would feel in the ‘court of shadows’
This is also for sjm romance week but it’s a crack ship :
High Lord Shadow : *grumbles* I can’t believe that motherfucker stole her away from us this easily. WE WERE THE ONE WHO GOT THEM TOGETHER!
High Lady Shadow : I KNOW RIGHT?!! WE WERE THE ONE WHO GAVE HIM THE IDEA TO TAKE HER OUT ON A DATE! WE WERE THE ONE WHO PESTERED THEM!
Clown Shadow : and he stole her away simply by preparing a candle lit dinner, y’all are stupid af *snickers*.
Everyone : *murmuring* Shut up.
Logical shadow : No but srsly, we did all the work, we made the bond snap for Azriel, we made him realize his true love was Gwyn. I think he took advantage of us.
High Lord Shadow : *Gapes: NO*
Clown Shadow : *breaks out into laughter* It’s ironic isn’t it, he made her forget about us by not even taking us on his first date, a date WHICH WE ORGANIZED.
High Lady Shadow : Enough. We’re having a war. get the ignorant shadows ready. We aren’t helping him until he promises never to leave us alone and leash us into place when he’s with her. Get the innocent and lovey dovey shadows ready too, we’re gonna get mama Gwyn on our side.
Ignorant shadows: *groan* We have to work? Again? Gods why can’t this guy do anything right.
High lady shadow : Oh shut up, all you have to do is ignore him.
Ignorant shadows : *role eyes* fine
High Lord Shadow : Great. Let’s commence this war. ALL HAIL GWYNETH BERDARA!
I have seen many theories here and do not know what I think.. let me hear all your crack theories and trash posts..
One I am feeling out is from TikTok user @slimjimjo who thinks
Elain can block Az’s shadows and that’s why they are prone to disappear around her and no one else.
She is plotting and working with Greysen
It was kinda sus when she said she needed to be up early to help someone with their garden…but Cassian got a weird feeling about it.. (This scene also stuck out in my mind)
Honestly I do not know how to feel, but the more I think about it Elain becoming our next villain would be so interesting to read.
