Notes:
1. I started this story a year or so ago because I felt that some of Sarah J. Maas's characters (ie. Lorcan, Elide, Gavriel) were unable to be developed deeply due to the abundance of wonderful characters she wove into the story. While this is probably a wise choice on her part to avoid too cluttered a plot line and avoid divided interests, the point of fanfiction is to see if you can offer a better story or, if not, offer more to make the original story even better. So much of the point of this fanfic is to add depth and angst and conflict to some of these lesser focused-on characters (although, worry not, Aelin makes her appearance and Rowan is a big part of the plot). I love SJM's work. I am only borrowing her characters and adding to them. :) I don't own them.
2. While there is definitely romance (mostly Elorcan) another point that I wanted to emphasize and explore is the depth of intimate relationships which are non-romantic (ex. between the Cadre as "brothers" or between Elide and the witches). I found that in my own writing and in much of the stuff i read the only intimate relationships are romantic. I think we're more complicated than that and I wanted to develop some meaningful/painful/angsty friendships and familial relationships.
-For this reason I screw around with who goes where (Dorian goes with Aedion and Lysandra/ Elide goes with the witches). This is intentional. I love Elide, but she throws off the dynamics of the cadre. They don't act like themselves around her so I developed her elsewhere. :)
3. I'd love to hear your thoughts! Please review (nicely) with praise or constructive criticism.
Eigengrau
Color Seen By the Eye in Perfect Darkness
Chapter One
Fury. Fury that hurt. Fury and pain and grief that skinned the thin layer of flesh away from the inside of her rib-cage and stuffed the remnants in the sacks of her lungs. Her soul wailed in her chest for her Queen. Her Aelin. The star in that sky she'd looked for every night in her tower. The fairytale her nursery maid told her every night that kept her child heart beating against the well of hopelessness and pain that always tried to drown her. The hope her mother had died for.
Gone.
That light was gone.
There was no star.
There was no fairytale.
There was no hope left to live, or die for.
Gone.
Lorcan was struggling to get to his feet. She'd never seen him struggle to rise before. Never seen him in that kind of pain. It wasn't enough pain. As that fury twisted her heart and wrung her soul dry, she felt every bit a witch and not an ounce of human, and with a glance over at Manon who gave her a frozen nod of approval, she stalked over to the dark haired fae male.
"I hope you spend the rest of your miserable, immortal life suffering." She did. Nothing in her flinched at that, or at the tear streaks down his face, or at the brief flicker of pain as her words hit home before he expertly wiped emotion off his face as he'd been doing for centuries. This witch in her groweled. "I hope you spend it alone. I hope you live with regret and guilt in your heart and never find a way to endure it."
She turned her back on him and walked to Manon who gave her a wicked smile to welcome her home. Aestrin lifted an inviting arm and Elide slipped beneath it. Slide into her new home of iron teeth and braided hair and the beat of Wyvyrns wings.
Gone was the cold of the tower.
Gone was the dark of Morath.
Gone was the safety in Lorcan's arms.
Gone was the warmth of her place in Aelin's fiery heart.
Manon spoke briefly to the males before striding back with that brisk, confidant pace and ice cruel face that she had worn since the first time Elide met her.
"North?" Aestrin asked, with that wicked grin of hers.
Manon only nodded and sent a sharp glance at Elide as though she thought to say something, but then her lips pursed into a thin line and those gold eyes hardened. She said nothing as she mounted Abraxos.
"Ride with me little Blackbeak." Aestrin offered a hand down to the girl from Terrasan.
But gone was Elide Lochan.
And born was Elide Blackbeak.