Chapter 435

Warm sun shone in through the window, and he watched the sheer curtains billowing gently in the morning breeze. He had been awake for at least half an hour now, but he hadn't moved. Elain's head was resting against his shoulder as she lay curved against his body and, with his hand on her warm back, Lucien had never been so content. His eyes followed those billowing curtains, the breeze bringing with it the cool morning scents of earth and the flowering garden his mate had grown outside. From this position, Lucien could see the flowerbeds along the far wall of the garden, he could see the striking yellows and golds and blues that she had chosen. Those colours mirrored those Helion had chosen for his throne room and much of the palace, and Lucien smiled softly to himself, beyond thankful that Elain felt as strongly as he did about making this their home, about belonging here in this place. They would be spending countless hours together out in that garden, there was no doubt about that, and something in him told him that Elain had chosen those colours to draw that link between their home, a place she made for them, and the Day Court and his own blood ties to it.

Warm breath caressed Lucien's throat, and he ran his fingers gently up and down Elain's back. She had turned her head, her nose now pressing against him, and he smiled again when one of her slim arms came up and draped across his chest. One of her legs slid across his and he had to bite his lip to keep from chuckling. He wished that he could somehow capture the image to show her when she awake, because he would dearly love to see her face when he revealed to her how she slept. This was contentment. Elain curled against him as she slept, warm and comfortable, with a good view of the glorious day outside, and absolutely no demands on his time. Lucien loved this, and he never wanted it to end.

Eyes on the garden outside, Lucien wondered what it would look like in a few years. He wondered how the trees would have grown and how the flowers would have wound around one another, when they had been given the time to flourish. He was certain that, under Elain's tender care, their garden would be truly magnificent, and he knew that he wanted to make sure that they spent a little time out there together every day. Just as they had in the Night Court, Lucien wanted to make sure that they had that time. No matter how busy the Court got, no matter how many demands of him there were, and he knew that as Helion's Heir, there would be many of them, he would have time to be with Elain.

She moved a little then and, when Lucien glanced down at her face, dark eyes met his. "Good morning, Petal." He smiled, tightening his arm around her. She snuggled into him, tightening her leg around him.

"Not time to get up." She murmured, lips against his skin. "No."

"We have a few minutes," he told her, drawing her close. She let out a slow breath, relaxing, and Lucien looked to the garden again. "How about we have that picnic you mentioned this afternoon… out there…"

"Sounds perfect to me…"

Lucien had the distinct impression that her mind went then to pastries, and he made a mental note to have something sweet from the city sent up. It seemed unlikely that the Palace Kitchen staff had been found or replaced just yet, and he figured he would need to look further for what he wanted.

Closing the door to their room behind her, Elain turned and slipped her hand into Lucien's. They had dressed relatively quickly, and she thought they might just be the first to arrive in the dining room. It was only when they were halfway there that she remembered that the kitchen here was currently unmanned.

"Do you suppose Helion has done the same as last night and organised food to be brought up to the palace?"

"If not," Lucien relied, swinging their joined hands just a little, "we could always go for a walk to find somewhere to eat…"

"I do like the sound of that." Elain thought that was rather something they would need to do more often. It would be good for the new Heir to be seen out in the city, living here, getting to know the faeries of the city. Not today, though. Today he would need to be seen within the palace, helping put things right, helping to mend what had been broken.

As they drew closer to the dining hall, they came across more members of the Court and the apprehension in their eyes was all too apparent. They looked wary, as if not sure what to expect from the day, and Elain would not have blamed them for turning tail and going to hide in their rooms until they could be sure they were safe and things were back to any semblance of normalcy. She knew they would not, however. There was too much to be done, and Elain got the feeling that Helion's Court was one that would be willing to get its hands dirty to help their High Lord put it right.

The tension in the faeries they met seemed to ease a little at the sight of Lucien and Elain felt that pride swell within her once more. They were glad to see him, glad to see that he would do what he could to help. She listened to their soft chatter as they all approached the dining hall and then went inside.

As suspected, Helion had organised for fruit to be delivered to the palace. It sat along the low tables by the walls, platters upon platters of it, and Elain watched for a moment as a group of Courtiers selected pieces to sit atop their plates before moving toward the dining table. She and Lucien joined the queue, and Elain allowed her gaze to sweep the room, looking for anyone she knew. She found Eris within moments, already at the table, and she was not surprised that he was still here.

"Your brother is still here." She said softly to Lucien and watched as his eyes moved to locate the redhead at the table.

"He'll not leave until Helion is done with the Hounds."

"You don't think he's here to help…?"

It was clear that Lucien thought about that, silent for a moment as he considered. "Possible." He agreed, "He'll likely hide it behind some other excuse, though."

"Shall we find out?" Elain picked up a plate as they reached the table, and moved to select the fruit she would have for breakfast.

"Why not?" Lucien asked, following her.