𓆸( 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖿𝗅𝗈𝗐𝖾𝗋-𝗀𝗋𝗈𝗐𝖾𝗋, 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝘩𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡, 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖘𝖊𝖊𝖗… a private portrayal of ELAIN ARCHERON from a court of thorns and roses. please read my rules before interacting.

⁰¹ verses . — ⁰² prompts . — ⁰³ headcanons .

leaving the entirety of her life turned out to be more dangerous than elain assumed it would be. when she left home, her family, and the town that raised her, she didn't believe people would care. because no one, other than her sisters, ever really had. but caring about her versus caring about the investments they'd made in using her were two very different things; and as it turned out, there were more people willing to hunt to the ends of the earth for her than she could have imagined. her parents and graysen had begun separate but equally desperate searches of their own.

when she and azriel arrived in a small town just about a thousand miles from where she grew up, there was already someone waiting for them. their saving grace - was that the person didn't know she was with azriel and that azriel was more stealth than most highly trained assassins might have been. when he overheard a man asking the bartender about her, he was quick to bulldoze his way into the bathroom. her fear passed quickly when he held up a finger to quiet her. his eyes gestured to the window, he kept his back to the door. "go," he mouthed, unconcerned about her ability to get herself out. they were lucky it was easy, that elain could climb up and out without too much of a struggle. he took her hand the second he was close enough to.

in the few weeks they'd been traveling together, azriel made a point to take his time in the journey. they didn't rush. they made their way north, then west, and then north again. with no real destination in sight. without elain being in need of one, they found it easy to meander about the country, getting to know each other slowly and with care. it didn't bother her to spend time with him. elain enjoyed azriel's company. his calm, quiet confidence made her confident. she didn't have to doubt her intelligence or her feelings anymore. he never belittled her for either. she got to exist as herself and in turn, so did he. there were no facades.

elain had never seen him like this though: frazzled, or scared. the speed at which azriel drove away proved enough of a point she'd been wondering about. he cared about her.

eventually, she said his name- "azriel," repeated it calmly until he heard her. they were in the middle of nowhere. the world was pitch black save for the light of the moon. "pull over, please. you're scaring me." within a few seconds, he did.

he didn't speak when he got out of the car, leaving the lights on to illuminate the road ahead as he paced. elain got out and closed the door, having a sense that whatever was happening, it might take a while. "can you talk to me?" she called as she came to stand in front of the car. "what happened, azriel?" again it was as if hearing his name was a trigger. he looked up immediately and she could see the anxiety coursing through him. when he didn't move, elain did. "why did we leave?" his jaw ticked, slightly, just enough for her to catch. for her to know. it wasn't about him. he hadn't been scared for him, he'd been scared for her.

the realization came like a tidal wave, one that crashed over her with little warning. she moved back to the car and sat on its hood, head falling into her hands as she took a few deep breaths. when she heard the crunch of gravel in front of her, she looked up and let azriel see the few tears she'd allowed. the first since she'd left. "he used to warn me," she started. "he said if i ever left, he'd find me. and that's what you saw, isn't it? or what you heard? someone was there for me." it would have never been graysen. he wouldn't be the one to find her. 'he didn't have the time.' but he had the money and greed, the jealous vengeance he'd make her feel for as long as he could. graysen wanted to scare her. he loved to dangle threats like a terrorizing mobile; always circling, always ready to drop them on her head. except now the threats were becoming real.

this ball was different than the last she'd been to, though not so different from what she could remember of the events she'd attended when she was human. which made sense, given they were in human territory. elain watched lucien over her glass of champagne, charmed and giggling from the amount of covert flirting they'd been deeply engaged in all night. the woman he was in conversation with across the room looked nothing like her, which helped. elain wasn't a very jealous person but she had her limits like everyone else. the brunette tossed her head back in such a deep laugh that she snorted, much to her own embarrassment. but lucien was poised to put her at ease, brushing a finger across her cheek. the gesture caused a visible blush and therefore, he'd won their bet. if he could make a dozen women blush that night, elain would be at his discretionary service. not in their own chambers, but in the estate they currently stood in.

she discarded her drink and made her way over to him, casting the brunette a genuine apology. elain could tell she was devastated to lose lucien's company. but it was only fair. lucien won. he deserved to have his prize. elain took his hand and lead them from the ballroom, the pair falling prey to the unrestricted touching they'd been forced to abide by all night. they enjoyed the build up. they enjoyed teasing each other in equal measure. when lucien made a woman blush, elain made sure to find the most attractive man in the room and asked him to dance.

they were barely down the hall before lucien had pinned her against a column, hands roaming to her back side for a squeeze that told elain how little patience he had left. she batted him off, whispering that if he could wait just a few more minutes he could have her any way he wanted. except, that wasn't completely true. their bargain was for his pleasure, not how it was achieved.

eventually the couple came to a room she'd scouted hours ago. it was a library with a balcony. a balcony that overlooked parts of the party that managed to spill outside. she took him to it, opening the french doors so he could hear the commotion below. when she lead him to the edge, it was clear lucien didn't quite understand what she wanted. the way she touched him, though, made the vision a bit clearer. he quirked an eyebrow, clearly delighted and curious about her proposal.

when she reached for his pants, when her kiss grew more fiery than any other kiss they'd experienced together before, lucien growled. "what?" she teased, "you won, fair and square. and i believe your words were, 'when i win, i'd like for this whole party to know it.'" elain removed his belt, unbuttoned just enough of his shirt to reveal his chest. she wanted to enjoy the view from below. "i don't want the whole party knowing but a few observant guests are fine." she smirked at that, ready to create enough pleasure that lucien wouldn't be able to handle himself; wouldn't be able to control his reaction to elain's mouth.