Elain Archeron has bangs and no one can convince me otherwise. 😌
It's good that people on other social media think we're dead‚ stops them from coming over here ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
Commission for bookish_art_cat on IG. It was a pleasure to work on this artwork of Gwyn for her 😁
Remember when Sarah said this durning an interview?…
‘“That reminds me! Lucien and Elain would go to London and tour through the gardens before making their way out to the countryside. They are pretty much happy to be out in nature the most.”’
Yeah, I don’t see SJM canceling those vacation plans.
"If Elain chooses someone who isn't her mate it will cause a political uproar and that's what makes e/riel forbidden".
I don't know, there didn't seem to be much drama when the LoA chose to marry Beron despite the very clear hints at her mating bond with Helion.
Elain has spent over a year choosing not to be with her mate and it doesn't seem like anyone gives a shit, politically.
The only person beside Elain who matters in this mate equation (Lucien - her actual mate) has never demanded a thing of her nor has he ever hinted that he would cause a political uproar or call a Blood Duel if she were to reject him and start a relationship with someone else.
People really need to stop acting like Prythian would be in upheaval if Elain chose someone other than Lucien. Literally, it's not that deep especially when Rhys said she'd have their protection against a mate who felt she was owed to him if she rejected her bond (which she hasn't done and Lucien has never believed). All Rhys was saying to Az in the bonus was "let's not piss off our ally just so you can get your rocks off since you literally could not tell me you had feelings for her." Rhys also told Cassian to get Nesta out of his face so he didn't kill her. Sometimes he's got a flare for the dramatics but that doesn't mean anything is going to come of his idle threats especially because the only person who would have a right to start drama over the Elucien bond is Lucien and it's pretty much a certainty he never would.
Edit because @theangryhistoriananna is a genius.
Imagine thinking that someone else is going to throw a political tantrum on behalf of Lucien when Lucien himself would be like "whatever she wants".
You also can't say Elain rejecting Lucien is something groundbreaking to society when we've been told there is choice and that it's now been illegal for centuries in the NC for a male to have free reign to kill the person his mate chooses to be with. Clearly she's not going to be a trendsetter when the law is already in place.
And if there were the 1% chance of fallout from Elain choosing outside the bond than let's hope she picks a guy who actually cared to plan a future with her beyond his sexual fantasies.
Elain: "Lucien."
Lucien:
Lucien didn't love Jesminda because he thought she was his mate.
Lucien loved Jesminda so much he thought she must be his mate
Lucien never wanted a mate, at least anymore than anyone else did. But when he found Jesminda he assumed he was gifted on, because how else could he explain how utterly in love he was with her? And when she died, he believed he had lost his one true love.
Lucien's story has never been about love versus duty/obligation. Nor has it been about expectation versus reality. Nor has it been about finding a love that trumps a mate bond. Nor has it been about finding someone who will pick him first.
Lucien's story has always been about learning to let go of guilt, fear, anger and the trauma of his past and trusting that fate has given him something far greater than he thought possible.
And I love that.
"It felt strange. Like you pulled a thread tied to a rib."
Elain and Lucien- A Court of Thorns and Roses, Sarah J Maas
flower harvest🪻
mind you, elain didn’t have to correct graysen and stand up to him when it came down to what her mates name is
mind you, elain didn’t even have to utter a word to lucien when he went into the room to check on her
mind you, elain didnt have to go on that staircase and take a half step when lucien was getting ready to leave
mind you, elain didn’t have to ask lucien if he was okay after the war
mind you, elain didnt have to smile slightly at one of luciens little jokey jokes after a deadly war.
mind you, elain didnt have to go follow feyre and lucien after their father had jst died.
mind you, elain didnt have to tell lucien he can stay in velaris KNOWING full well that is where she will be.
More canon facts, let’s go:
Lucien is not “untrained.” He trained with Tamlin for hundreds of years, a high lord that even Rhys admitted was more skilled fighter than him.
He got “winded” while hiking with Feyre because he was drugged at the time, impacting him physically.
Lucien fought across an entire battlefield to get to Elain in ACOWAR. He stated that he didn’t wish to fight again, but that doesn’t mean he can’t.
Lucien was able to break through the King of Hybern’s restraints to get to Elain. No one else managed that.
Cassian is the most skilled fighter in the Night Court, nicknamed the Lord of Bloodshed. Lucien was able to magically force Cassian to obey him with just the sound of his voice.
Lucien has respected Elain’s need for time and distance. He has never forced her to do anything and has never been possessive of her and fought the instinctual need from the bond. There are no signs that he would call a Blood Duel.
Elain stated in SF that she is not a thing to be fought over.
In the bonus chapter for the same book, Azriel says he would fight Lucien for her and “kill him with little effort.”