ELUCIEN CHAPTER
About what happened that day in the inn. Not in any of the character's perspective. Takes place right after they both talk about the mating bond in Chapter 11.
They talked all the way into the night. Lucien made dinner for two and they laughed, giggled and just… talked.
It was pleasing, Lucien thought, to just have someone to confide in about your problems and things you just want to discuss with someone.
He had explained the entire of Prythian to Elain and its High Lords. He could see it in her eyes when he told her about the Spring Court, she wanted to be there. It correlated with her powers, but Lucien would never want her to go there while Tamlin was still in charge there and most definitely not while it was overrun with Hybern and his lackeys.
"When I was a child, before my father lost all his money, I used to be the most demanding sister out of the three of us. I wanted a pet and when I couldn't get that because Nesta hated animals, I wanted those three dimensional jigsaw puzzles. And when I had completed them and had worn through them all, I would always want something different. We didn't have any wealth problems at that time. My father usually obliged and was all too happy to accept my demands," She laughed and then turned solemn.
"I guess that habit didn't exactly change when my father lost all our money," She said slowly, "Feyre always used the money she gained from hunting to buy Nesta and I new things. Now, I wonder if that money she wasted on us would have helped our family even more, in terms of food or even services we used to get."
Lucien didn't try to give any words to console Elain's frantic words. He hesitated instead before speaking his next words. "Why did you let her?"
Elain knew what that meant. It was a proper question, the right question. It didn't offend her. She knew how painful the answer was and was ashamed of herself for having let her Feyre do everything for their family.
"I think… I think we felt rather hopeless. All I did was run around, trying to make the small cottage we had my home when it was so obvious the rest of my family wanted something much more, like how it used to be," She said quietly.
"We all knew she had made a promise," She continued, "And perhaps that's when we all felt this pressure lift off our shoulders and left everything to her. We knew how much, how far she would go to keep that promise and so we left her to it."
She gave a bitter laugh. "Nesta was too proud. Our father was too useless. And me? I was too carefree."
Hesitantly, Lucien reached out a hand and brushed the back of his fingers on her palm. Elain didn't withdraw her hand.
"I don't think that's a problem," He said, smiling at Elain.
"Truly? Is my cheerfulness not what, a turn off?" Elain mused.
"Rather the opposite, love."
Elain laughed at the nickname and at his response.
"Speaking of Nesta…" Lucien continued.
Elain stopped abruptly, fully focused on the topic now. No more laughs, utter silence coming from her.
"Do you think she'll be coming back?" Lucien asked.
"No… at least I don't think so. She's been spending all her time at the House of Wind. She much prefers it, I think, due to… certain company," Her eyes sparkled with mischief at this and Lucien nearly swooned. "She came by this morning to get her stuff so I don't think she'll be returning anytime soon. Word will get to her, though, about you being here and there's no doubt she's going to go crazy."
Then, she narrowed her eyes at me. "How did you get here?"
"After, what, five hours and you now ask that question, love?" Lucien barked out a laugh, resulting in a blush blooming on Elain's cheeks.
"Rhys brought me here. He decided that I needed to talk to you immediately, seeing as you're, you know. My mate. And also because the last person I ever truly talked freely to was Feyre and-"He caught himself.
"And who?" Elain asked curiously.
Lucien swallowed. "My… previous love. My family killed her and forced me to watch."
There was a moment of silence and a horrified noise came out of Elain's throat. "That- that's terrible, Lucien. No one should have ever been forced to go through that. I- Oh my god, Lucien, I'm sorry, I didn't know, I'm sorry for asking for ever even thought about the question-"
"Elain, no, it's not your fault," Lucien said quickly, reaching out to take hold of Elain's hands.
"It was a long time ago, anyway, I… It still hurts, you know, but I think I can move on now. Or move on from the pain, at least."
There was once more a moment of silence between them. "I- I know what it's like to watch someone you love die and the feeling of not being able to do anything to stop it. And that feeling of hopelessness? I would never wish it on anyone, even my worst enemy."
"And," She added, "Your family is not true family if they treat you like that. You had every right to turn your back on them and leave. No one deserves that. Especially you. You deserve much better. I can gather that much from what we've shared with each other over the past few hours."
"Thank you," Lucien said, his head drooping down.
Elain gave him a few moments and went into the kitchen, fixing them both a hot cup of tea. She set it before him and Lucien looked up, eyebrow raised at the drink before him.
"I suppose I can offer you drinks?" Elain asked, already taking a sip out of her cup.
Lucien nodded and took the other cup. They sipped their hot drinks quietly but soon had put the solemnness of the previous topic behind and their conversation was soon sparkling with laughter again.
xXx
They both had a peaceful sleep that night. One, Lucien thought, that no ghosts from his past had intruded on and one, Elain thought, which hadn't been filled with horrific memories of her human life or the ordeal at Hybern.
They both awoke at the same time, although Lucien chose to linger in his bed. Azriel came by as Elain was making breakfast to deliver more supplies and also deliver news on Feyre and other situations in all the courts.
"Is she going to be okay?" She asked softly.
"Tamlin is still under her orders to find the cure for her. None of us trust him but getting information from him would be better than storming the spring court for the cure from Hybern," Azriel replied. "Is Lucien treating you well?"
"He's nice and kind to me. I don't exactly understand how Nesta is so overprotective of me around him. I get that she doesn't trust any fae but I know he wouldn't dare hurt me," Elain pondered.
Azriel smiled at Elain's innocence but it quickly faded as he remembered what a certain family had done to harm someone he cared about, a certain family that the person he loved used to believe wouldn't have hurt her.
"You wouldn't ever know with certainty who would or wouldn't harm you," He said, a hint of anger and remorse behind his words.
Lucien chose that moment to walk in, hair mussed from being far too lazy to walk in. He froze when he noticed Azriel, who didn't look at all surprised that Lucien had spent the night. He was the spymaster for a reason.
Elain remembered Lucien's request to stay over very clearly, or rather, her prompt for him to stay.
"It's getting late. I should probably go," Lucien murmured, getting up from his seat on the couch.
"Do you even know how to get back?" Elain asked worriedly.
"Yes, I… I do."
"But you seem uncertain about going back."
Lucien didn't answer her and Elain leapt at this chance to prompt more from him.
"You don't want to go back, do you?"
He sighed and finally gave a reply. "You can read me too well, I… No, I don't. I… I don't feel like I'd belong there in whatever room Rhysand would give me in his house or whatever place he'd put me in."
"Would you feel like you belonged here if you stayed?" Elain asked.
Lucien once more didn't give an answer but Elain already knew it.
"Then stay. Stay the night here. Nesta won't be back and you won't need to ever be worried about her. Stay if you feel like it. There's plenty enough rooms here."
Lucien shook his head. "I can't, it wouldn't seem right."
"Would it feel right if you left? Tell me yes, say yes and look me in the eye when you do. Do it and I won't ever bother you with this again."
But he couldn't. She knew damn well that he couldn't do what she had asked of him if it meant lying to her. Sighing once more, he said, "Okay. But just for this night."
She had smiled at him, that bright smile from ear to ear and left the room.
Now, Lucien carefully walked over to her side, eyes narrowed at the spymaster. Azriel bowed his head and took this time to leave. "I'll see you tomorrow."
As soon as he was gone, some tension lifted off Lucien's shoulders.
"What was he doing here?" He asked, trying to make it not sound so possessive and winced when he failed in doing so.
Elain didn't seem bothered by it. "He delivers supplies every day to me in the morning. The cabin does its job well on its own but it doesn't replenish its own food supply," She explained.
"Right. Right, the cabin does its own job. Right, um, that means it makes the bed, right?" He asked, face pale now.
"Yes." And then Elain frowned. "Did you make your own bed?"
"No," He said too quickly and hurriedly escaped from the room.
Elain giggled and shouted, "Breakfast will be ready soon, don't you dare take a bath yet."
She heard him curse and the sound of the bathroom door being shut.
xXx
2 days later
"Elain!" Nesta ran through the cabin door.
The excitement in her eyes dimmed as she caught sight of Lucien.
"What are you doing here?" She growled, stalking towards him. "I told you to stay away from my sister."
"Nesta!" Elain cried out, placing herself in Nesta's path, blocking her from Lucien. "Don't. Lucien isn't what you think, he would never hurt me." She didn't add that the one night request from Lucien had turned into 3 nights.
"He's a fae, Elain. He's one of them, one of the people we've despised all our life!" Nesta protested.
"And what are we now, if not fae? Not one of those people we used to despise?"
"You're still betrothed, Elain, never forget that. Are you going to throw that away for them- for him, a fae?"
Elain felt her cheeks turn red. "He's a friend, Nesta. And that person hunts our kind. He would kills us as soon as he caught sight of us, no matter if I was his fiancé or not, he would kill us without a second thought. We need to live, Nesta. Live out the life we now have and put the past behind us. We no longer need to be the falling stars, where our life was just a simple light streaking through the sky. We can live and be the stars that hang in the night sky for eternity, our light shining every time. Please, sister, hear me out." Elain pleaded.
Nesta blinked at Elain, clearly shocked at her choice of words. Elain grabbed this as her chance to continue.
"Nesta, we're different now. We can either choose to live and make the best out of it or always live in the past, wanting to return to that life when it is impossible."
"It was impossible to make mortals into fae. Yet it happened to us. Is it that impossible for it to be the other way around?" Nesta said dryly, although her voice held more waver now.
"Please, Nesta," Elain pleaded once more, reaching for her hands and gripping them tightly. "I'm no longer that young, innocent girl you felt you had to protect. Perhaps you still feel like you need to, that sisterly love and protection of yours. We're both stronger now, better yet to protect our own selves."
Nesta tugged her hands away. "They're much older than us. We're new, they're the experienced. They can cut us down if they wish to."
"Do you really think we're that heartless?" Lucien cut in, anger behind his words.
"Your people killed my sister."
"Amarantha wasn't my people. She enslaved us. My true people brought her back to life."
"You wouldn't have needed to do that if she hadn't been killed in the first place. By your people or Amarantha or whatever people she comes from." Nesta snapped, although sounding unsure now.
"If she hadn't been remade into what she was, do you think you or your sister would be here right now?"
All three of them were silent. Feyre wouldn't have been strong enough to fight against Amarantha or stand up against Tamlin. She wouldn't even have had the mating bond with Rhysand or have met his Inner Circle- her Inner Circle now too.
Finally, Nesta gave in. "Fine," She snapped, looking away from Lucien to Elain. "He can stay. But that means I'm staying too. I don't trust him to be alone with you."
"And Cassian?" Elain asked.
Nesta waved it away with her hand. "He's better now. Feyre-" And suddenly, her eyes brightened up once more.
"Feyre's awake- that's what I came here to tell you about."
And just like that, Elain was out the door.
"How did you even get here?" Lucien asked, frowning.
"Mor brought me here to call Elain," She said.
Then it was her turn to frown and squint at him. "Did Elain weave flowers into your hair?"
That could very well be the first time Lucien ever blushed, seeing the immense amount of red on his cheeks.
