A Court of Silent Suffering

~𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓼𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓷~

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.　　　.   　　˚　　 　　*　　 　　✦　　　.　　.　　　✦　˚ 　　　　 ˚　.˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　 　　 　　

𝓛𝓾𝓬𝓲𝓮𝓷

He felt as her arm retracted from his, the loss of weight reminding him to turn around. He had noticed her flinch at Feyre, but hadn't expected their relationship to be quite like this. The younger girl had nearly died in the woods to get to Feyre, yet here she was screaming about how her sister didn't deserve anything. His eyes tracked her movements as she continued to yell at Tamlin. He sighed, resolving to find the undoubtedly scared girl. 

"My horse, if you would please." He asked of the stable boy when he got outside. Only moments later was he swinging his leg over the saddle, flipping a gold coin off his fingers into the cupped hands of the young attendant. He urged the mare on, following the soft scent of vanilla down his favorite riding path. She was still nowhere in sight, and the thought struck worry into Lucien. 

"Elara?" He softly called out. 

"I'm sorry. I didn't know Feyre would react that way. I suggested to Tamlin that we got you two together, considering you've been out for days..." He trailed off when he got no response, eyes wandering to the already fading sunlight that was casting a golden hue across the land. He strained his senses, tensing as the girl's scent seemed to fade off. The trail turned another corner, bringing a small village into his vision and a reason for Elara's scent to blend away. High fae and lesser faeries milled around, neither paying anyone any mind. It was then that he noticed the girl standing down on the road. She too was staring at the village in wonder, admiring the regularity of it.

"Elara?" He kept his tone light, unsure of how she was feeling. She whipped around, eyes darting around his figure atop the horse. He waited a moment for the surprise to slide off her face, then dug his heels dug slightly inward, indicating for the horse to walk forward. He held out a hand to Elara.

.✦　˚

She stared at his hand, unknowing of what to do. Her face must have betrayed her because Lucien laughed, face contorting into a wide grin before he hopped down from his mount. 

"Here- let me help you up." He reined in his laughter while speaking. He placed her hand in his, gripping tightly on her fingers while pulling her towards the horse. She resisted for a moment before giving in to the fae's strength. He placed his hands on her hips, bending his knees slightly before lifting her up. A light sound omitted from her when he placed her atop the steed. Her dress fanned around her legs, lightly swaying as the mare trotted forward to tickle her ankles.  Lucien stood below her, hand on the reins to guide the horse into the village.

.✦　˚

They walked through the village, Elara still barefoot atop the horse and Lucien below her leading the way. She gasped at the faeries, the children, the houses, and everything in between. Every time he heard a new sound of admiration from behind him, Lucien smiled.  He heard her small sniff, along with a slight sigh. He too inhaled and noticed the mouth-watering scent of chocolate. He followed it, going left towards the bakery at the end of the cobbled road. The scent grew and grew until they were right outside the quaint store, beautiful pastries decorating the arched windows as displays. Elara seemed content to simply stay here and bathe in the smell of the deserts forever. She closed her eyes, basking in sunlight and the warmth it brought. Lucien took this as his opportunity to slip away and inside the bakery.

"Aster!" He greeted his old friend warmly, having not seen her of late due to his duties as emissary.

"Lucien- you get over here young man! Where have you been?!" Even while she shouted at him, he noticed her beaming smile at his return. He felt her arms wrap around him, returning the gesture immediately. She pulled back and kept him at an arm's length while she examined him. She inhaled and exhaled deeply, then opened her mouth to ask;

"Have you come alone?" Her eyes narrowed. He shook his head ever so slightly, but the fae caught it. She stepped back, turning to the counter to yell-

"MAISY!" The girl popped around the door frame seconds later, eyes wide. 

"Would you grab us some chocolate croissants dear?" Maisy nodded, walking away to the back of the store where the ovens were.  Before the girl could return, the small bell above the door jingled to grab Aster's attention. She gasped moments later, and as Lucien turned he found with his eyes Elara's tiny figure huddled in the doorway.