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Sarah is sort of wrong about one thing. Rhysand’s parents were not poorly matched. Fate is incapable of such a thing. They were perfectly matched. But Rhys’s father exercised his free will and did not behave in a way that honored that gift. He didn’t officially reject his mate, but he behaved in such a way that was a rejection of her. Of her essence, of her self, of her unique and special energy in the world. Energy that was created to perfectly compliment him.

He did it purely to put a jacket around her. To protect her dignity through the most traumatic moment of her life.

We have her Pinterest showing many pins of him - shirtless in a good portion of those pins. We have her writing into the book how strong he is, how fast he is, how handsome, how well dressed, how he's the only male to have met the Archeron's father, how he's the one who befriended Vassa who has the most information of any character as it relates to the main villain, with Rhys being impressed at how he can still play the fox, with Rhys and Feyre relying on him for the reports on Spring, how he's the hidden sole heir to the Day Court, how he had dominance in his eye when commanding Cassian to calm down, how he was "setting his sights on Koschei across the continent". Yet people still call him loser? People still think he's not getting a HEA just like Rhys? Just like Cassian? People can call Lucien whatever they'd like but when the author clearly isn't in agreement it's silly not to acknowledge how ridiculous they're being.

Just a little snippet for very patient people! Remember, YGM isn't on hiatus, I'm just taking a break to make space for another fic update! :)

Lucien ground his jaw even more. It was, [Elain] supposed, annoying but reasonable. “Any other terms?” he grunted.

Rhys’ smile grew alarmingly sharp and his violet eyes glittered. “Just the one. While I understand that you two have been seeing one another, if Elain is going to train in Day under your escort, Lucien, then I don’t want my mate and I to spend the next several weeks wondering whether you’re using proximity to potentially influence anything.”

Mortification, bright and hot, rose in Lucien’s face and the oily feeling of shame flooded the bond. “I will have you know that I have been nothing but respectful—”

“I beg your pardon?” Elain cut him off sharply, rising abruptly to her feet. “Nobody here gets the right to decide who can or cannot touch me—”

“Oh, it’s nothing personal,” Rhysand insisted, still smiling as he waved her off. Elain didn’t need to be a daemati or half a millennium old to know how much of a lie that was, though the why of it was still a mystery. “It’s the mating bond, that’s all. I know from firsthand experience how hard those instincts are to overcome, especially when one’s mate is in close proximity.” He turned to her then. “Think of Lucien as… oh, what did Feyre call them… the adults that escorted eligible young ladies?”

“Chaperones,” Elain answered stiffly.

“Yes, that!  Much obliged, Elain.” The High Lord clapped his hands together briskly. “But! Those are my terms, if you both are truly serious about pursuing training in Day.”

Lucien was staring daggers at him. Broadswords, even, before he barked a short, humorless laugh. “You really think that the bond is all this is about, Rhysand?”

“I think,” Rhys answered, perfectly pleasantly, “that you’re a male who’s spent years waiting for an opportunity, and that you’ve conveniently presented me with a plan during a crisis that places you both together, in another court, under minimal supervision.” His eyes went hard, suddenly. “So convince me otherwise.”

Lucien opened his mouth but hesitated, choosing instead to weigh his words; Elain decided to fill the silence. “He doesn’t need to.”

“Elain—” Lucien interjected.

“I agree,” Elain declared. “I accept the terms, or whatever you say to agree.”

A sudden shock of pain bloomed in between her shoulders, at the base of her neck; reaching back to rub at the spot, the skin felt smooth but hot, like she’d been resting against a hot water bottle. She watched as a moment later Lucien and Rhysand did the same thing.

“The bargain is struck,” intoned Rhys. “So it is, and so shall it be.”

“Heh,” murmured Lucien, gazing between Elain’s shoulder blades. “Elain move your hand?” She did. “A blue-black moon and sun against a field of wildflowers… oh my, that’s colorful.”

“Colorful?” Rhys asked petulantly. “Five hundred years of making bargains and now I get one with color?” He seemed affronted by the entire notion. “How many?”

Lucien could barely contain his smile. “So many colors, High Lord.”

Rhys swore in High Velarian.

Taglist behind the cut! Let me know if you want to be added for when Chapter 2 comes out. :)

Hello! Coming to you with a friendship bracelet to ask what theory of yours do you think will come true in ACOTAR 6 and Which one you think is the most unlikely to come true, but you still think it’s a fun theory regardless.

My biggest theory is that because ACOTAR 6 is shorter, it will mostly take place around Nessian's mating ceremony. I think that is the most likely to come true given how SF ended and it's a really great way to check in and establish an ongoing plot with Elucien that will push into ACOTAR 7 which will really delve into their story.

I really love @crazy-ache 's theory about ACOTAR 6 being compromised of Elain's visions. I have always headcanons Elain's seer powers as being expansive in time, being able to see and walk through things that happened in the past and present in other places as well as see abstract images of potential futures. Very much like Bran in Game of Thrones. So my outlandish theory is that we will get a lot of lore through Elain's visions and this trippy sort of narrative for the 6th book because we keep switching between things Elain is experiencing with visions and the events of the mating ceremony.