r/ProElainArcheron

Quick one shot I wrote up today. Elain feels stifled; she does some gardening; she finds a surprise.

Barely edited because well, I don’t feel like editing more. Thanks for reading!

*slightly IC critical - but like, not that they’re bad people, just that Elain feels claustrophobic and like she’s not part of the group.*

Elain’s hands were aching.

They were torn up, bloody, and caked in dirt. She had been weeding in the garden at the townhouse since dawn, unable to sleep yet again.

It had been another night of them making plans without her. They thought she couldn’t hear them, but she could. She heard their conversations about the Mortal Lands, Cassian relaying information about Illyria, and Azriel giving updates on Eris. She had tried to join a few times, but they only politely smiled and changed the subject to something more palatable for "soft" Elain. It was obvious she wasn’t part of the inner circle. To them, she was too breakable, too sweet. So she spent another night alone, listening to their laughter and inside jokes—a world she was not a part of and wasn't necessarily welcome in.

She had been forced into this body and forced to move to a strange land. She was happy to be with her sisters and safe in a city with everything she needed, of course she was, but this was not her plan for herself. This was not what she wanted at all. She had wanted to travel and see the continent. She wanted to sail on a ship with her father, navigating the sea and bartering with foreign merchants. She longed to see the tulips of the continent, to harvest their seeds and spread them around her home. Instead, she was stuck in Velaris, forcing herself to stay busy with gardening, baking, and homemaking. She was bored and deeply lonely. Plus she had this ache deep inside her, like she could never get enough sunshine….

So Elain buried her feelings so deep she couldn't feel them anymore. Her magic thrummed in her veins, begging for release, but she forced that down too, squeezing it into a tiny box. Because that was another thing she couldn’t deal with: Lucien. Whenever her magic escaped its box and flared - she had a vision and it was always of him. He was smiling, laughing, or crying tears of joy. She couldn't handle it because, in those visions, she was there with him—relishing his laughter and smiling back. They were happy, and they traveled, saw distant land- She wouldn’t think of that now. She wouldn’t think of it ever, actually. Instead she plunged her hands into the garden bed, trying to pull out a very stubborn weed. It. Would. Not. Budge.

Elain gritted her teeth, hissed, and yanked at the stubborn root. It finally gave way, the thorns digging into her palms. Dirt flew into the air as the root tore free, and her hands stung from the impact as she fell back on the stone pavement. She looked down, staring as the blood began to pool on her hands. She was covered in dirt and dark red blood, her nails cracked and bleeding.

“Elain, are you okay?” Rhys’s smooth voice spoke in her mind.

She clenched her teeth. “Yes,” she replied, wiping the blood on her dress. Although she was close with her brother-in-law, she wasn't in the mood for talking. “Just weeding. I cut my hand on a thorn. I’m fine.”
It was a lie, but she didn’t care.

“You know, I believe a certain someone gifted you gloves that would prevent that?” he joked. She could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

Elain snapped her mental gates shut, shoving Rhys out with a final “prick!” She swore she could feel Rhys’s midnight laughter in the air.

She wouldn't think of him. Not now. Not ever, if she could help it.

First, she was going to clean her hands, and then she was going to bake Rhys’s favorite dessert—but with extra salt and no sugar. Nosy prick.
She hauled herself up from the stones of the courtyard and headed back to her room.

She went straight to the back of her wardrobe, pushing aside some gowns and heavy cloaks until she reached a plain, wooden box. She hadn't looked at it since the day he gave it to her. She had barely said thank you and couldn’t even look him in the eyes. She hissed internally at the memory of that day.

Her fingers, still stained with garden soil and dried blood, trembled as she lifted the lid.
The gardening gloves were beautiful; enchanted to never get pierced, and they probably would fit her hands perfectly. She pulled them out, the scent of expensive hide filling the small space. The scent of him struck her, shocking her as she dropped the box. The box clattered to the floor, the gloves falling out. She bent down to pick it up, her dirty hands starkly contrasted against the beautiful gloves. She marveled over them once more before putting them away, when she spotted the edge of a piece of paper.
It was a small, wax sealed letter. For her. She opened it with unsteady breaths, his scent on the gloves filling her lungs, her heart. She slid a shaking finger under the wax seal, breaking it and inside she found one sentence:

“In case you need room to bloom

-L”

On the back, there was a small silver key, magically attached to the sheet of parchment.

A key, to his apartment in Velaris.

A space for her.

Room to bloom.

So I want so badly for Elain to get an animal friend that follows her around in her book, it’s one if my favourite tropes in fantasy when the FMC ends up with a little creature/animal who becomes her one of her companions.

(Bonus points for me if the MMC “hates” it but would literally die to save its life 🤣)

What animal/magical creature would you envision for Elain?

Elain’s young years were spent being treated as “little more than a doll to dress up” by her mother. Additionally, the cultural vibe I got from the mortal lands is sorta regency. Women from the upper class were to marry, run the home, and have children. Thus, that’s what she would have been raised for. She was still a child when her family fell into poverty, and a child raised to be nothing but pretty and pleasant at that. She was then infantilized by her sisters for years. It’s mentioned the sisters didn’t associate with villagers much, so she didn’t really have any other frame of reference up close. That doesn’t excuse everything, but it should be taken into consideration. Elain is frequently referred to as beautiful, sweet, innocent, and oblivious (which is actually quite wrong as I’ll discuss later) by characters. Nobody has ever taken her seriously or treated her like an adult. Before you say but that’s her fault for not acting like one, she became what was expected of her. As Rhysand said “But I wonder if everyone has spent so long assuming Elain is sweet and innocent that she felt she had to be that way or she’d disappoint you all. With time and safety perhaps we’ll see a different side of her emerge.” Nesta recalls her mother saying “Elain is pleasant to look at but she has no ambition. She does not dream beyond her garden and pretty clothes. She will be an asset on the marriage market for us one day, if that beauty holds, but it will be our own maneuverings, Nesta, not hers, that win us an advantageous match.” Elain was just a child and already written off to be nothing but a pretty face. That’s damaging. Elain never felt seen or understood by anyone- “No one ever looked—not really.” A bramble of words. Her voice strained to a whisper. “[Greyson] did. He saw me. He will not now.” Imagine only being seen for your beauty and treated as if you had nothing else going for you especially if you were a people please and felt you needed to fit the role handed to you. Moving on, people have accused Elain of not showing remorse for not helping Feyre and that’s untrue. Elain was the one who insisted upon letting Feyre use the house. Additionally, when Nesta was getting all the blame by 3 angry fae for the treatment of Feyre, Elain stepped in and said she was to blame for failing Feyre as well. As for the often brought up idea that she could have started a vegetable garden instead of a flower garden, possibly, but in ACOTAR, there’s a point where Feyre says Elain wants start “perhaps a vegetable garden, if she could learn enough about it.” That makes me wonder if in universe, it is difficult and expensive.

Ok. Let’s cover some other topics.

Starting with Elain’s intelligence. Elain is quite observant and she’s good at social maneuvering. Elain had the idea of how to send the servants way and to use Greyson’s estate, and was the one who convinced them to leave quickly and helped to convince Greyson’s family. Elain has been described as being able to charm anyone into doing what she wants.

-In ACOTAR, Elain could quickly tell Feyre had found love even despite not knowing Feyre had even gone to Prythian just been observing Feyre.

“Did something happen at Aunt Ripleigh’s house?” Elain asked. “Did you … meet someone?” There are other instances as well.

-“Elain, noticing Azriel’s ease as proof that things weren’t indeed about to go badly, offered one of her own as well.”

-“But Elain’s cry—a warning. A warning to— To my right, now”

“ I know it’s not easy for you,” Elain observed. “Buying things without a dire need to do so.” “It’s their tradition, though,” Elain countered, her face still flushed with the cold. “One that they fought and died to protect in the war. Perhaps that’s the better way to think of it, rather than feeling guilty. To remember that this day means something to them. All of them, regardless of who has more, who has less, and in celebrating the traditions, even through the presents, we honor those who fought for its very existence, for the peace this city now has.

”Pain slowly washed over Elain’s face. And understanding. “Is that what this is all about? Father?”

“Silver lined Elain’s eyes, but her voice remained steady, sure. “There was nothing that could have been done to save him, Nesta.” Feyre smiled. “Elain was the only one who guessed.”

“Nesta never spoke of it afterward,” Elain said. “I just observed.” Nesta was wrong, Cassian realized, to think Elain as loyal and loving as a dog. Elain saw every single thing Nesta had done, and understood why.”

Next let’s cover Elain’s depression which is at best overlooked by many fan’s and at worst used to insult her. Elain went through a severe trauma. Her bodily autonomy was violated. She went through the horror of being in the cauldron. She became a being she was raised to fear and her fiancé hated. Some guy who seemed to have been an associate of her abductor claimed she was his mate. She was so depressed her sisters worried she would end her life. I’ll let the book speak for itself here.

-“She will not leave her room. She will not stop crying. She will not eat, or sleep, or drink.”

-“I couldn’t breathe, looking at this broken, carved-out thing my sister had become.”

-“Elain had always been gentle and sweet—and I had considered it a different sort of strength. A better strength. To look at the hardness of the world and choose, over and over, to love, to be kind. She had been always so full of light. Perhaps that was why she now kept all the curtains open. To fill the void that existed where all of that light had once been. And now nothing remained.”

—“Even wasted away by grief and despair, Elain’s beauty was remarkable. Hers was a face that could bring kings to their knees. And yet there was no joy in it. No light. No life. “

-“Something in my chest cracked as Nesta’s eyes also went to the windows before Elain. To check, as I did, for whether they could be easily opened.”

Even after she resumed a more normal life, we still see some hints of it.

-“Why wouldn’t I be all right?” she asked, a smile lighting up her face. I’d seen those smiles before. On my own damn face.

-“Elain is overwhelmed by crowds.” “She didn’t used to be that way.” Nesta swirled her glass of amber liquid. “She loved balls and parties.”

Next, let’s look at her courage and willingness fight and take risks when needed. It was Elain who agreed to allow Feyre to use their house and have the queens come despite any risks that may come with it. Elain was prepared to attempt to fight fae with a dinner fork if needed be. Then, as as mentioned earlier took her share of blame for not helping Feyre in front of them even though she could have stayed and let Nesta take all their rage. When they tried to put Elain in the cauldron she fought like crazy. When Azriel and Feyre rescued her and Briar, she fought and yelled at Briar to get her into motion and grabbed her by the neck to pick her up when that failed. She kicked a beast in the face with her bare foot multiple times. Of course, most famously, she walked through a battlefield and stabbed the King of Hybern in the neck. She went to Greyson’s estate. She offered to help locate the Trove even after similar activity got her kidnapped. Elain offered to do whatever was needed to help the Night Court in fact.

Onto other aspects of Elain’s personality that are shown. She is hardworking, willing to get her hands dirty, and curious. She is also the sort of person who is willing to befriend servants (seeing as Nuala and Cerwidden are close friends of hers) and to fight fate (she says her mating bond means nothing and she doesn’t care who decided it or why).

Gardening is hard, dirty, and sometimes painful work. Yet, she has taken it on not only for her own home, but as a job in which she helps restore Velaris. She often starts work at dawn. She has also risen at dawn to help cook and bake. This is work she wouldn’t have to do as the family has servants, but she chooses to. Elain prepared their father’s body.

Her curiosity also shows up. She was interested in traveling to the continent. She was interested in the Valkyrie. She asked Azriel about his wings and flying.

Rhysand said “But I wonder if everyone has spent so long assuming Elain is sweet and innocent that she felt she had to be that way or she’d disappoint you all. With time and safety perhaps we’ll see a different side of her emerge. “ We’ve around seen some fire and sass from her. I‘ll share some favorites.

-About the queens- “And it was Elain—Elain—who sighed and murmured, “I hope they all burn in hell.”

-“He brought you a present.” Those doe-brown eyes turned toward me. Sharper than I’d ever seen them. “And that entitles him to my time, my affections?”

-“Her mouth tightened, the only sign of anger in her graceful countenance. “I don’t want a mate. I don’t want a male.”

-“Why?” Elain demanded. “Shall I tend to my little garden forever?” When Nesta flinched, Elain said, “You can’t have it both ways. You cannot resent my decision to lead a small, quiet life while also refusing to let me do anything greater.” Elain cut in sharply, “I am not a child to be fought over.”

• “I went into the Cauldron, too, you know. And it captured me. And yet somehow all you think of is what my trauma did to you.”

• Elain’s eyes flickered. “Did Feyre pay you, like last year?” “Oh, fuck you,” Nesta snapped, and then choked. Elain blinked. Nesta blinked back, horror lurching through her. And then Elain burst out laughing. Howling, half-sobbing laughs that sent her bending over at the waist, gasping for breath. Nesta just stared, torn between questions and wanting to throw herself into the icy Sidra. “I— I’m so sorry—” Elain held up a hand, wiping her eyes with the other. “You’ve never said such a thing to me!” She laughed again. “I think that’s a good sign, isn’t it?” I think shows Elain wants to be treated like a normal person.

To address the situation with Lucien, she does not owe him anything not even a moment of her time. I won’t stand for a female being villianized for that. I do not care how much you like Lucien or that they are mates. How can we even blame her for avoiding him? He was an ally of the male who kidnapped and traumatized her even though he was not in on it. He also yelled out he was her mate in that awful moment.

Finally, I’m just going to discuss a few random things that I find important. She is a seer. She possibly used her ability to save Cassian and Nesta. The cauldron loves her. It gifted her abilities. It has been described as putting in her presence. She befriended Azriel and called his hands beautiful. She gives witty gifts. She is hinted at as having a secret and lying to people. Feyre says she’s better at keeping secrets than Azriel. She sneaks up on people multiple times. It’s theorized she’s taking stealth lessons.

When we finally get inside her head, what do you think will be the thing that surprises you the most?