"Shattered Reflections"

Prompt: ⚔️ Lucien Vanserra – The Young Courtier Turned Outcast Background: Lucien is the youngest son of the Autumn Court’s cruel High Lord, Beron Vanserra. As a noble-born, Lucien was raised among fire, manipulation, and cruelty—where political games were as deadly as battles. Unlike his scheming brothers, Lucien stood apart. He was sharp-witted, sarcastic, and often used humor as both shield and sword. But he wasn’t cruel. He had compassion, something his family saw as weakness. His crime? Falling in love with a lower fae woman, not of noble blood. The night it happened: Lucien fled the Autumn Court after his lover was murdered by his own brothers—sanctioned by his father. When Lucien refused to accept this fate, he left everything behind and sought sanctuary in the Spring Court, under Tamlin’s protection. That night, he lost not only his place in his birth court but the woman he loved. The rage and grief hardened him. ⸻ 🦊 Personality (Pre-ACOTAR): • Cynical but loyal • Carries deep pain behind quick wit • Views Tamlin as his only true friend—and someone who saved him • Struggles with the emotional weight of his past, masks it with sarcasm ⸻ 🐺 Tamlin – The Reluctant High Lord Background: Tamlin was the youngest son of the former High Lord of the Spring Court—a brutal man who ruled with an iron fist. Tamlin’s father, allied with Beron and other courts, waged bloody, senseless wars. Tamlin, unlike his father and brothers, was quiet, introspective, and often unwilling to participate in needless violence. But as the youngest, he was never supposed to inherit the throne. That changed when his father and brothers were slaughtered by the High Lord of the Night Court—Rhysand’s father—during a brutal retaliation. Tamlin, in turn, killed the High Lord of the Night Court in that ambush, earning his seat at the Spring Court by right of blood. ⸻ 🐾 Personality (Pre-ACOTAR): • Deeply conflicted between duty and desire for peace • Insecure in leadership; sees power as both gift and burden • Feels immense guilt over the bloodline and violence that led to his title • Tends to isolate emotionally—even from Lucien • Protective of Lucien—perhaps as atonement, perhaps because he sees a kindred soul Lucien is the son of the Lady of the Autumn Court and Helion, the High Lord of the Day Court, as a result of their secret love affair. When she was pregnant with Lucien, Lucien's mother was already married to Beron Vanserra, the High Lord of the Autumn Court. Fearing for her life and the life of her unborn child, as Beron's temper and penchant for violence were well-known to all, the Lady of the Autumn Court attempted to pass her bastard son off as the true son of Beron. Her husband, however, always suspected the truth. Lucien believes himself to be the youngest blooded son of Beron as he was raised as one of the seven sons of the High Lord, and was never told the truth. Lucien grew up in the Autumn Court, but never cared much about his nobility. He made friends with individuals of different Courts and with individuals from non-aristocratic backgrounds. As Lucien was unlikely to become High Lord, he was allowed to roam the Court as he saw fit. During his youth, he met a Lesser Faerie named Jesminda, who lived in the countryside of the Autumn Court. She teased and seduced Lucien until they fell in love.[3] Beron disapproved of this relationship, believing it was inappropriate for a High Fae noble to marry a Lesser Faerie, and so he had Jesminda executed in front of Lucien. Two of his elder brothers restrained him and forced him to watch. Neither of the brothers was Eris Vanserra, Lucien's eldest and most sadistic brother.[4] After this event, Lucien left the Autumn Court and fled to the Spring Court, to Tamlin, the son of the High Lord of the Spring Court, whom he became friends with. Eris, his older brother, claimed later to have warned Tamlin about Lucien to ensure his half-brother's safety. His brothers believed that he was a strong contender to the High Lord's crown, and so the three of them went to kill him, to prevent him from one day becoming High Lord. Lucien killed one of the brothers, while Tamlin killed the other. The third escaped back to the Autumn Court to report what had happened. Now without a place at the Autumn Court, Tamlin gave Lucien a place at his Court and then appointed him as the Spring Court Emissary to give him some political protection through a title. After the appointment, the Autumn Court members dared not openly attack Lucien for fear of starting a war with the Spring Court. As the emissary for the Spring Court, Lucien met with individuals from other Courts, including eventually his father, Beron, who he was forced to meet for political matters between the two Courts. Another such required meeting was with Amarantha, Hybern's former General and a High Fae of incredible power. Amarantha desired Tamlin and wanted a relationship with him, but Tamlin was not interested. To convey his disinterest in a political manner, but to discuss how they might keep the peace despite it, Tamlin sent Lucien to her to parlay. Amarantha did not take Tamlin's rejection well and she allowed her anger to get the better of her, claiming there would be no peace so long as Tamlin refused her. In a rare moment of losing his temper, Lucien told Amarantha to, "go back to the shit-hole she'd crawled out of."[5] As punishment for his words, Amaranatha attacked Lucien and carved out his left eye. She sent him back to the Spring Court so severely wounded that Tamlin had vomited when he saw his friend, to serve as both an insult and as a challenge to the Spring Court for war. Lucien's face was left scarred from the incident. Nuan, an alchemist from the Dawn Court and Lucien's friend, aided him in his healing. She crafted a metal eye and gave it to Lucien to use as a replacement for his left eye. [6] Not long after those failed "negotiations" Amarantha hosted a masquerade ball Under the Mountain and claimed it was to make amends for removing Lucien's eye. The entire Spring Court attended, including Lucien, who wore a fox mask. Amarantha claimed the ball would be a masquerade, so Lucien could hide the scarring. Her true motive for the party was to seduce Tamlin into becoming her lover and consort. However, Tamlin was outraged at the injuries that Amarantha had inflicted upon Lucien so he refused her again. To add insult to injury, he told her he would rather take a human to bed than her. Amarantha may have forgiven Tamlin for that insult, but he added one last unforgivable one. He said that her own sister, Clythia, had preferred a human's company over hers, referring to Jurian. Facing his scorn before a room full of Fae humiliated Amarantha, and so she cursed the entire Spring Court to forever wear their masks. The only chance to break this curse was for Tamlin to find a mortal girl who despised faeries but still fell in love with him, and he was given a time limit of "seven times seven years" to break the curse. If he did not manage to complete this task in time, Amarantha would claim him and all of his subjects as slaves and imprison them in Under the Mountain forever. To aid his best friend and end the curse on all of them, Lucien vowed to help Tamlin try to find this mortal female. WRITE A FANFIC OF TJE NIGHT LUCIEN LOST HIS EYE IN TAMLINS POV BERY HURT/COMFORT WITH LUCIEN NOT DOING GOOD