A Court of Gold and Shadows

you'll be made of ashes too

Summary:

Elain Archeron makes the most beautiful bride.

Azriel...Azriel copes.

Notes:

I should be studying. Instead, I binged around 750k in fanfiction in the last week and also wrote this.

Mostly Canon Compliant Through A Court of Silver Flame including the Azriel Bonus Chapter with some teeny tiny changes, which are explained in the story (a difference in the necklace arc). Set around 1 year into the future from that point, where it veers off wildly.

You'll be made of ashes too

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Elain Archeron was the most beautiful bride the world had ever seen.

Azriel was sure of that .

A flower meadow come to life , clad in a white dress that was shot through with her favourite blooms, sparkling with every step she took. Hair falling down her back like spun gold, whiskey brown eyes filled with the kind of happiness that nothing could touch.

She was irrevocably happy as she married her husband.

There was no doubt in anyone's mind how much she adored him as she gazed at him with such love in her eyes.

Lucien looked at her in awe as if she were a precious, precious thing he didn't deserve.

Azriel watched from the shadows as the person he loved found her happily ever after with somebody other than him.

Elain Archeron married Lucien Vanserra on a gorgeous spring day in the garden of his townhouse in Velaris.

The garden bloomed with the couple's love and Elain's love for the flowers that she had planted, roses and lilies and daffodils. A whole ocean of them, blooming brightly for their mistress.

Azriel watched.

It was all he could do.

All he had done over the last year as Elain and Lucien had fallen in love.

After that catastrophic solstice.

That would-be kiss. When Azriel still thought that maybe...maybe he had a chance.

He hadn't.

Rhys had made sure of that.

So you will leave Elain alone. If you need to fuck someone, go to a pleasure hall and pay for it, but stay away from her.

Like that was all he had wanted from her.

Like that was all Azriel was good for. All that he wanted. It hadn't even passed Rhys' mind that Azriel had actual feelings for Elain. Or maybe it had and he hadn't cared. Azriel didn't know which was worse.

But it hadn't mattered either way, because Rhys had pulled rank. It hadn't been his brother saying these words, but the High Lord of the Night Court.

What Azriel wanted...it hadn't mattered.

Not that it ever had before.

He should get used to that by now.

He had followed that order. What else was he supposed to do? He had left. Left their friendship in tatters...and Feyre had played matchmaker. Elain had moved on. Lucien had a chance. They had fallen in love.