I tried to take my time more and I hope that has turned out for the better. Feel free to leave comments, I love feedback! Unless folks specifically request to see Lucien and Elain's trip to the Day Court/their first mating, this will be the final installment of this little ficlet. Next on my docket takes place in this same head cannon but will have more Feyre, Rhys, Nesta, and Cassian in it (as well as Elain and Lucien). Let me know what you all want to read and I'll try to accomodate.
Lucien had arrived in the Autum Court with plenty of time to support Eris and Gerod's armies as they assaulted the Forest House from the north. Finn and Isak were attacking from the south, from Spring's border. If there had been time to think and plan, Lucien would have gone to Summer and asked Tarquin for help penning Beron in on the west, but the Vanserra brothers were focused on vengeance and haste.
The Vanserra brothers. Lucien realized while commanding a contingent of Eris' forces that he didn't fall into that category. Not really. He had every right to his anger and to fight along side his brothers. His mother had been murdered, but they were his half-brothers. She'd used some of her last minutes in this world to tell Lucien that he wasn't one of Beron's sons at all. Lucien was the son of Helion Spell-Cleaver.
He'd gone through so many emotions that day. There was concern when Elain nudged him, hope when she'd said she missed him, even more hope as they spent the day together, heartache at losing his mother, rage at Beron for murdering her, and shock at learning of his true parentage. He'd been a courtier long enough, though, to think through the implications of that information. He had to be careful what role he played in Beron's demise. It could never be construed as an act of the Day Court, and if Lucien was truly Helion's son then . . . . So Lucien had given Eris and Gerod the satisfaction of the combined killing blow.
Thankfully the power of the High Lord transferred to Eris immediately. Lucien was still surprised that he was grateful for that outcome. They'd made their peace, though, once Eris explained his role in Lucien's escape to Spring. Then when Eris had realized Azriel was his mate, Lucien had been the first brother he told. Ever since then, they'd been on reasonably good terms. Heck, Eris was one of the ones who kept telling Lucien not to give up hope with Elain. So to say that Lucien was fully supportive of Eris as the High Lord or Autumn was an understatement.
Gerod was too. Beron's third son had always supported Eris. Finn and Isak on the other hand were wildcards. Finn had always hoped for the power to transfer to him and Isak was a spineless lackey of Finn. Lucien was wary of how they would react when the dust settled. At the end of that first day, though, everyone seemed to accept that Eris was the new High Lord. Swearing fealty would be the next order of business and Lucien knew he needed to get away before things got that far. So he found himself knocking on his brother's suite of rooms, his palms sweaty.
Azriel opened the door. "Lucien." he said simply.
Lucien nodded to him. "Azriel. I know there's been a lot today, but is he available? Just for a few minutes?"
Azriel looked back of his shoulder and then nodded, standing to the side so Lucien could enter. Eris' suite of rooms were so quintessential Autumn Court. The colors were orange, deep red, and deep gold on dark woods. There was dark green accenting things here and there, like you would see it in a forest during the height of autumn. Lucien wondered if Azriel would get any voice in the decor now that Beron and his predjudice was out of the picture.
"Thank you," Eris said as he strode in from the bedchamber, his tunic untucked and open at the top. "I know you were in shock when I left Night."
"She was my mother too," Lucien said a little more harshly than he intended.
Eris nodded slowly. "But I think she'd told you . . . something . . ."
Lucien's brows narrowed. "You know what she told me?"
"I think I do," he admitted and looked to Azriel. "I think it's why you let Gerod and I have the killing blow?"
"How do you know?" Lucien asked, not sure how to feel that Eris and Azriel apparently knew something he only learned that afternoon.
Eris gave him a sympathetic smile. "You forget, little brother, that I've been around much longer than you. And as much as you look like Mother, you lack the features of my sire."
Lucien's mouth opened and closed in surprise. "Does everyone know?"
"I doubt it," Azriel put in. "I've known for awhile. Feyre and Rhys highly suspect, but that's all that I know of." If Azriel said that was the extent of the people who knew, it probably was. It was Azriel's job to know things and know who else knew them.
Lucien sighed and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "I don't even know what to feel about this," he confessed, surprising himself.
"You could feel relief," Eris suggested. "You don't have to live with the knowledge that your father murdered your mother." That last bit sounded pained and bitter.
Azriel joined his mate and took Eris' hand in his. Mates.
Elain. Lucien's mate. He suddenly remembered her last words to him and the way she'd held him in the minutes after his mother's death. "Elain . . ." he said softly.
"Is worried about you," Azriel said confidently.
"But just this morning we were barely getting to know each other," Lucien argued.
Azriel nodded. "But in my experience, Elain is a caretaker. I think she saw you in need and everything finally clicked into place for her."
Eris smiled at Lucien. "You're welcome to stay, of course, but I wouldn't be offended if you wanted to get back to her."
Lucien's mind was racing. There was just so much to process! But he couldn't deny that he was craving the closeness of his mate. He looked Eris in the eyes and nodded. "I will speak with Helion as soon as I can. I'll make sure Day supports you if Finn and Isak get any rebellious ideas."
"Thanks, Lucien," Eris replied sincerely. "Hopefully they have senses of self-preservation and will know when they're beat."
Lucien nodded his agreement at that sentiment. "Any message for Rhys?" he asked Azriel.
Azriel shook his head. "I'll report in mentally before the night is through."
"Alright. Then I'm heading back to Night. She did say to come home to her," and he allowed himself a hopeful grin.
"Then don't keep the lady waiting!" Eris agreed with a broad smile of his own.
Lucien nodded and headed for the suite doors. As he made his way out of the Forest House, he found himself breaking into an excited jog. He wanted to get back to the Night Court as fast as he could winnow, but he had to get clear of the main grounds. As soon as he felt he was passed Eris' wards, he winnowed to the front of the River House.
He was about to knock on the front door, hoping someone would be up, when Feyre spoke into his mind. C'mon in, Lucien Elain's reading the sitting room. Waiting up for you. Lucien opened the door quietly, not sure if Nyx would be easily awakened by his entry, and hurried to the sitting room doors.
They opened before his hand could touch the latch. Elain was standing before him a little breathless, eyes wide and expectant. "You're alright," she breathed in relief.
Lucien nodded. "Perfectly fine," he assured her. "You . . ."
"Came to my senses," she finished with a slight blush to her cheeks. "I don't know why it took me so long to see you, to really see you, but I did today." She closed the distance between them and reached up to put her arms around his neck.
Lucien put his arms around her waist, relishing in the feel of her body close to his. He realized where they where and looked to the sofa where his mother had told him about her and Helion, where she'd taken her final breaths. It looked like nothing was amiss.
"Rhys is going to deliver her to the Autumn Court in the morning," Elain explained, reading into his questioning expression. "You can go with him of course."
Lucien nodded first and then shook his head. "I need to go somewhere else first," he said and paused, unsure how to explain.
"Can you pause for food and sleep?" she asked, worry etching her face. She lifted her hand to his face and gently cupped the side, completely unphased by his metal eye.
"Yes," he agreed. "I wasn't really hungry at the Forest House, but maybe I should eat something."
Elain smiled and let her hand fall, taking him by the hand. She led him to the kitchen and sat him down at the table. Neither of the wraiths were in sight, it was just the two of them. She pulled a roasting pan from the oven and set it on the stove top.
"Elain . . ." he said, starting to understand why she'd brought him there.
"I have it on good authority that you like a well roasted chicken," she replied with a smile over his shoulder.
He blinked in surprise, unsure of whether he should stop her or not. "I do," he agreed. "But . . ."
"I've never tried to make the carmelized brussel sprouts before," she continued. "So maybe don't try those first." She continued to fix a plate for him. She brought it over, and he saw a juice chicken breast, purple carrots, carmelized brussel sprouts, and a dinner roll on the plate. "I accept the bond," and she placed it before him along with utensils and a napkin.
"Elain . . ." Lucien was speechless. He hadn't been expecting this. He'd dreamt of this moment for years now, but he'd almost given up hope that it would ever happen. He certainly didn't expect it to occur when he'd woken up that morning. Of course a lot of things had happened he hadn't expected when he'd woken up that morning.
Slowly, almost like he was actually in a dream, he picked up the knife and fork and attempted to cut into the chicken. It fell apart easily and he brought a fokful to his mouth. Without taking his eyes from Elain's, he took the bite, savored the perfectly seasoned meat, and swallowed.
Elain was beaming. "Is it good?" she asked hopefully.
He smiled back at her, surprised that she didn't know. "It's perfect," he promised. "Get yourself a plate too."
"Is that allowed?" she asked, clearly still uncertain about the rules of the occasion.
Lucien chuckled. "Yes," he assured her. "And I will enjoy it all the more if you join me."
She nodded and went to the cooler. "First, a little wine," she said. "Rhys said this is a good vintage. I'm sorry to say that I'm not an expert on such things, even in the human world." She produced to glasses and poured them each a portion of white wine that Lucien immediately knew was one of the better bottles from Rhys' personal collection. He'd thank him for the generosity later.
"When we throw parties, I'll take care of wine selection," he assured her. "Several centuries as a courier had better make me good for something."
Elain laughed lightly as she served herself a plate of roasted chicken and vegetables as well.
She sat down and Lucien raised his glass. Elain raised hers as well.
"To our future," he said. "Because I am going to finish every last bite."
Elain blushed a little but clinked her glass with his and they both sipped at the excellent wine.
As they ate, Lucien gave her a high-level account of the assault on the Forest House. She'd seen battle before, but she wasn't a warrior like Nesta or Feyre. She wouldn't have appreciated all the details. And that was perfectly fine with him. He hoped he'd be able to protect her so she'd never be exposed to that sort of ugliness ever again.
As promised, Lucien finished every ounce of food she'd served him. When he was finished, he reached over and took her hand. He brought it to his lips and kissed the back of it gently. "Thank you, Elain. I will spend the rest of my existence working to make you happy."
"I will do the same," she promised a little breathily. Then she bit her lip, gazing down at the table. "What happens now?"
Lucien released her hand to gently guide her chin back up. "Whatever you want," he said gently, looking in her eyes. "We can say goodnight here if that makes you more comfortable."
Her eyes were glistening. "I'm . . . Lucien, I . . ." she kept trying to speak and stopped herself in frustration. "Maybe you should tell me what to do?"
"Never," Lucien said with a shake of his head. "I don't get the impression that you have all that much experience in the physical aspects of love and courtship."
Elain bit her lip and shook her head. "But I know I should . . ."
But Lucien cut her off. "There's no should about these things, Elain," he promised. "We'll take things slow, physically, and I'm certainly not going to push you into anything tonight."
Elain looked relieved. "I do love you, Lucien," she insisted.
"I'm confident of that," he replied with a loving smile. "So our forays into physical affection will be meaningful and extra special, but we don't need to rush." He couldn't help giving her a roguish grin. "Because we're mates, and I think that once we start, it may be very difficult to stop."
"Oh," she replied and blushed crimson. She stood quickly and cleared the table, taking the plates to the sink. "Ceridwen and Nuala said to leave the dishes. That they'd take care of them."
Lucien got to his feet and went to the sink, sidling up behind her. He leaned down, placed a gently kiss right by her ear, and felt her shiver. He could feel it was a happy shiver, though, and he smiled. "I have one other thing I need to tell you," he said, gently turning her to face him.
"What's that?" she asked, letting him wrap his arms around her waist.
"I'm not a son of the Autumn Court like I thought," he said.
She looked at him in confusion.
"My mother, before . . . before . . ." he couldn't say it. It was too fresh.
Elain nodded her understanding.
"She told me that I am Helion's son," he explained. "I belong to the Day Court."
Elain was surprised. "That's where you need to go. To the Day Court?"
Lucien nodded. "Helion doesn't know. About my mother's passing, about me, about any of it. I need to speak with him. Will you come with me tomorrow?"
Elain smiled lovingly up at him, her arms snaking around his neck. "Of course."
"Thank you," he said gratefully. "I think I can face it all if you're by my side."
"I will always be by your side. From here on out," she promised.
Lucien took her by the hand and led her from the kitchen. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Lucien gently guided her onto the first step and let go of her hand. "I'll be back just after breakfast," he assured her.
"You could come before breakfast," Elain said urgently. "Feyre and Rhys won't mind."
Lucien chuckled. "Would you like me to have breakfast with you?"
Elain nodded, biting her lip and Lucien realized she was staring at his lips. She might not be ready to consummate their mating that evening, but she was certainly thirsty for some physical affection.
Lucien nodded slowly. "Then I'll come by in time for breakfast. Elain . ."
"Hmm. . .?"
"May I kiss you goodnight?" he asked. He was pretty sure he knew the answer, but he wanted to make sure he didn't misunderstand.
"Yes please," she whispered.
Lucien gently took her chin between his thumb and forefinger and brought her closer to him. Ever so gently, he placed his lips on hers, trying to memorize everything about this first kiss. Her lips were softer than silk, supple and pliant, and although he wasn't pushing it, she began to open them to him. He gently opened them wider with his tongue and found hers. She was a little timid and inexperienced, but as he coaxed her out, she gained a little confidence and returned his kiss in earnest. He felt her hand on his arms, giving his bicep a little squeeze, and he slid his own hand around to brace the back of her head. He could feel the mating bond driving him to get more from her so he pulled back gently.
"That was lovely!" she exclaimed quietly, as if she were surprised by it.
Lucien chuckled. "I'm glad."
Elain wrapped him in a tight hug quickly and then released him with a smile. "Until tomorrow morning, then."
"Until tomorrow morning," he agreed with a nod.
She turned and headed up the winding staircase towards the River House's residential wing. He watched her go until she was out of sight before turning and heading for the front door.
He had no idea how Helion was going to take the news that he was a father, albeit of a full-grown male. He was fairly certain the news of his mother's passing was going to be devastating for the Day Court's High Lord, though. Hopefully having Elain there would help. She was such a ray of sunshine, Lucien almost hoped Helion would acknowledge him as a son so that Elain could spend more time in the Day Court. It was almost like she was made for it.
