#wanted to do a series for the blue lions but ugh

[minaramen]

Thanks for the 7th Anniversary - Part 3: The school festival starts!

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7  

*Osaka manor*

Secretary: I brought today’s newspaper

Soshi: Leave it here

Soshi: Part of this page has been torn off. What’s the reason? What kind of article did it feature?

Secretary:...it was an article about young master Sogo. You told me to get any article concerning him out of Your sight…

Soshi:...what kind of news was it?

Secretary: It was about the role of the main character in a drama serie inspired by the awarded novel “Kizuna” 

Soshi: Mpf. So now he’s done with music and wants to be an actor? He’s quite fickle

Secretary: Actually…The young Master will compose the theme song

Soshi:.........

Secretary: Would you like to see the ripped page?

Soshi: Did I ask for that?

Secretary: I apologize 

Soshi: Put this magazine away. I have a breakfast meeting at the hotel

Secretary: As You wish

*Cut to a blue sky*

Tsumugi:...and so

Tsumugi:  the day of the seventh school festival arrived!

*Cut to a classroom*

Matsunaga Taro: I’m happy to be working with you today

Tsumugi: Same! 

Riku: We’re happy to be working with you!

Mitsuki: This school’s students are amazing! The archway they put at the gate was very authentic!

Nagi: Yes! And they decorated it with seven stars

Matsunaga Taro:  We even rearranged that mascot costume, just to make the “Birth of the Nanahoshi star” atmosphere more exciting! 

Sogo: The lion’s head was turned into a black circle, while the arabesque cloth was replaced by a silver cloak…right? 

Tamaki: Ah, is it a microphone? The upper part is the head of the microphone and the body is where the grip is

Matsunaga Taro: Correct! And since it will be the mascot for the “Birth of the Nanahoshi star” event, it will be called Starbi! 

Iori: There was a public contest to choose the mascot’s name 

Mitsuki: Wearing that costume must be hot as hell. It seems pretty solid, a relative of yours could be inside and you wouldn’t even notice

Yamato: I don’t think anybody’s relative is supposed to wear it

Nagi: Oh…really?

Riku: What about your class project, Iori?

Iori: I’m joining it when it’s my turn. Pay attention to do the same, Yotsuba san

Tamaki: Roger

Sogo: So, what’s it going to be? Ah, maybe it’s on the pamphlet…

Tamaki: You can’t look

Sogo: But I want to see what you’re going to do at the school festival, Tamaki kun

Riku: Me too! I want to see what the two of you are planning!

Iori&Tamaki: Top secret

Riku&Sogo: What??

Matsunaga Taro: There’s still some time before the  performance, so please, feel free to enjoy the festival

Nagi&Mitsuki&Riku&Yamato&Sogo: Thank you!

*Cut to a street*

Momo: Ah, it’s here! There are so many people!

Yuki: Seems like it. We’ve arrived, Shizuo san

Shizuo: Yes….

Passerby girl: Re.vale?!

Passerby girl 2: It’s Re:vale, isn’t it?!

Momo: Hello! Sorry, it’s our day off!

Ryo:......

Momo: Ryo….?

Yuki: What happened?

Momo: Ah, no….

Ryo:.....tsk

Momo: …He ran away…! Ugh…Yuki…! Go ahead, okay?

Yuki: What?!

Momo: I’ll catch up with you later! Take care of Chiba san!

Yuki:...Momo’s gone. I wonder what’s going on…

Shizuo: Aah…I don’t know, maybe I should just stop here…

Yuki: We came all the way here, what are you saying now? I even brought a penlight for you

Shizuo: A penlight?

Yuki: Let’s wave it together. Hurting Yamato kun’s feelings is something you do quite often, right?

Shizuo: Recently…

Yuki: Yes?

Shizuo: I thought things were going well, until a few days ago…

Yuki: He’s really grown up, hasn’t he? I bet you were very happy about Mikazuki Ookami

Shizuo: Yes, I was….

Yuki: And still, you had to say this and that and made him angry

Shizuo: It was never my intention. It’s just that they asked me to say something, and so I did…

Shizuo: And there were so many things I wanted to say to Yamato, as an actor, that I couldn’t stop. I think you went through something like that with Momo, too

Yuki: Ahah…yes, it happens to me sometimes. Now that I think about that, you told me something years ago

Yuki: “We are bastards who only care about their art, that’s why we often end up hurting people. So, if you can, do your best to be a good human being”

Shizuo: I said so, yes…I wonder how I could forget this lesson

Yuki: Please, reconcile with him. That boy has already endured a lot. Today, you must yield

Shizuo: I know…

Shizuo: That’s why a wind of cowardice is blowing

Yuki: Yamato kun has proved himself brave. Let’s go, I’ll treat you today

Shizuo: With what?

Yuki: Well, since it’s a school festival…Kakigori? Yakisoba, maybe?

Shizuo: Ahah…the springtime of life

Yuki: Fufu. It really is

Shizuo: So…is it me or has your partner just run away from you?

Yuki: Don’t say things like that! He wasn’t running away from me

Yuki: But I wonder where he went…Momo…

*Cut to a secondary street*

Momo:....anf…caught you!

Ryo: Ugh…!

Momo: Why are you running like that?! Also, why were you there?!

Ryo:.....

Ryo: Could you let go of my hand? At this point you are the one assaulting me, aren't you? 

Momo: Grabbing one’s arm is assault to you?!

Ryo: Long time no see, Momo

Momo:...yeah. So, why were you running? The sight of me shocked you that much? 

Ryo: And why were you following me? Yuki may get angry if he finds out you’re still involved with me

Momo: Because I saw you running! What are you doing? I hope the answer is “nothing”, though…

Ryo: …..I went to the temple

Momo: To the temple?

Ryo: I wanted to torch the document that proves Riku and Kujo Tenn are twins

Momo: You wanted to erase it from the face of the earth?

Ryo:....hmpf

Momo: I see…sorry, I thought you were plotting some sort of awfulness 

Ryo: It’s fine

Momo: And so? Did you torch the document in the end?

Ryo: I dropped it 

Momo: What?!? Dropped?!

Ryo: It can’t be helped. The place was so crowded, and everybody was walking in the same direction

Momo: The school festival is just two steps away! Where did you drop it? Oh no, we must find it quickly!

Ryo: Calm down

Momo: You’re the one who’s way too calm about this! Panicking is the bare minimum! 

Ryo: I'm very panicked, then! Very, veeery panicked! 

Momo: Are you kidding me, bastard?!

Ryo: Stop! Grabbing me like that…! You’re supposed to be an idol

Momo: Where did you lose that document?! It was inside something, I suppose! What was it?

Ryo: A blue carrying case

Momo: Ah…those fashionable, expensive ones that are trending among celebrities?

Ryo: Yes! Rather than dropping it, let’s say a foreigner took it by mistake

Momo: A foreigner took it by mistake?

Ryo: We bumped into each other and dropped our bags

Ryo: We picked them up without looking at each other, I noticed that the cases were almost identical

Momo: And that guy’s is..?

Ryo: I threw it away

Momo: You did what?!?

Ryo: Well, I didn’t literally throw it away. Let’s say I left it at the bonfire's acceptance. I have other things to do, you know

Momo: What was in there?

Ryo: A letter

Momo: It’ll be lost if they burn it! We must go take that letter back! 

Momo: But the document must be found as well…alright! You’ll contact Utsugi san

Ryo: Why?

Momo: Because we’re completely lost without any help! And I can’t ask Yuki…

Ryo: Eeh, why can’t you ask Yuki? Did you realize you’ve betrayed him?

Momo: Yuki would definitely trust me if I said I thought you were up to something awful! 

Momo: At the same time, you wanted to finally get rid of that document

Ryo:.....

Momo: Of course, I wonder why of all the ways to get rid of a document you chose burning it at a temple’s bonfire

Momo: But you were up to something good for once, and if it ends up making you look bad you won’t do anything like that ever again

Momo: I don’t want that

Ryo:...oh, really?

Momo: If you got it, let’s call Utsugi san and ask for help

Ryo….I don’t want to call Shiro

Momo: Why?

Ryo: He’ll make things bothersome 

Momo: Then make an effort! As depraved as you are, you're still the president’s son, aren’t you?! You must have some power!

Ryo: However, I’m not the president anymore…

Momo: Call, now!

*Cut to the school*

Girl: Ah, look! It’s ŹOOĻ, isn’t it!

Girl 2: They must be here to see Isumi! Inumaru Touma looks so scary! He’s cool!

Girl 3: Midou Torao looks even better in real life! 

Girl 1: Ooh, look at Natsume Minami san! He’s so so beautiful! 

Touma *thinking*: Haru said that this school’s students are used to celebrities and wouldn’t make any fuss, but…

Torao *thinking*: As expected, we draw too much attention walking all together like this…

Minami *thinking*: Maybe it would be better to separate until we meet Isumi san…

Shiro: Hello! Nice to meet you, we’re ŹOOĻ!

Minami&Touma&Torao:....?!

Shiro: Take care of us today!

Touma: U-Utsugi san! What’s going on? You have quite a positive attitude, today

Shiro: This school’s students are used to celebrities, aren’t they? So, I’ve been told to act normal

Shiro: We’re basically Isumi san’s parental guardians, today. It’s not good for us to be rude and not greet properly, right?

Touma: Well, yes…Haru’s grandma told us to take care of him as well

Student: Ah, ŹOOĻ …

Touma: Oh yeah! We’re ŹOOĻ!

Shiro: We’re ŹOOĻ!

Student: Kyaaaah, ŹOOĻ …!?

Touma: Exactly! In the flesh!

Shiro: We’re ŹOOĻ, yes! Thank you for taking care of Isumi Haruka!

Torao:...really? We must act that open?

Minami:..people are crowding around us

Touma: Ah! Mina, Tora, listen. Haru was pretty embarrassed about today, so even if he shows up wearing something weird don’t make fun of him 

Torao: Something weird? I knew he was going to do some kind of cosplay, but what costume is he wearing?

Touma: I have no clue, but he’s definitely ashamed of it.  We don’t want him to sulk, right? Poor Haru

Minami: Oh, I understand…shall we avoid ridiculing him no matter what he’s wearing, then?

Torao: We don’t want to make him angry at school, after all

Shiro: Whatever he’s wearing, I’m sure it suits Isumi san!

*Phone ringing*

Shiro: Ah…Ryo kun is calling me. Excuse me for a moment

Touma: Ryo san? Ah, I see…

Shiro: Utsugi Shiro here.  Ah, yes, I’m at Nanahoshi school. What? At the temple? Oh no, I absolutely don’t want to go 

Shiro:...I don’t want to. Go there yourself. Why? You’re talking about that temple, right? Up on the hill…Yes, yes. Well, I don’t want to climb up there

Shiro: What? You already did? Basically, you got up there and then you came down? And now you have to go back there?

Shiro: Ahah, what a fool’s errand. Look, the answer is no. See you

*Bip*

Shiro: Sorry, I made you wait

Touma *thinking*: Is he comfortable facing Ryo san like that?                                                                                                                                                      Torao *thinking*: How is this guy still alive?

Minami *thinking*:  Why is Ryo san so interested in a temple? Does he want to visit it 100 times to make amends for the past?

Shiro: So, where shall we start the tour from? Let’s look at the school pamphlet…

*Phone ringing*

Shiro: He’s so persistent… I apologize. Can you guys go ahead?

Touma: Ah, yes. Message us once you’re done with the call

Shiro: I will

Touma: If we manage to find Haru, we’ll catch him for you!

Shiro: Please, do it

*Cut to the school stage*

Student: This is the “Birth of the Nanahoshi star” stage! Judges’ seats are over there!

Otoharu: Thank you

Sosuke: Shit… I don’t understand. Why the hell are me and Takanashi normal judges and you’re the President of the Jury?

Rintaro: Ahah, I was surprised as well. My small and weak agency against yours, how could I end up being the president?

Rintaro: Young people hold the future, don’t they? They must expect something good from my agency

Otoharu: Why did you choose the president of Okazaki company?

Student: Well…because Re:vale are in that company, and they are the overall champions of Black and White

Rintaro: Reason is being a winner, then. I’m sorry, but victories and achievements do talk

Sosuke: Mpf, look at the way he shows off….this man sucks

Rintaro: And still I like you, Yaotome san. Let’s get along, okay?

Sosuke: Don’t forget what you said

Rintaro:  What? “I like you, Yaotome san”? 

Rintaro: Oh, don’t worry! I won’t forget! I like you

Sosuke: I’m not referring to that! The line about getting along

Sosuke: We’re the judges of a project involving a newborn star

Sosuke: If we find somebody with the potential to become a star of the new age, there will be no march stealing

Rintaro: But of course! I’m not planning to do anything like that

*Seth passes by*

Sosuke&Rintaro:......!

Otoharu: Ah, what a stylish, beautiful guy! He must be from Northern Europe. Very charismatic

Otoharu: It reminds me of somebody, though…

Sosuke: We must talk to him right now! Before Okazaki agency beats us 

Rintaro: Rinto! Where’s Rinto?! Go, go!! C’mon c'mon c’mon, give him our business card!

Sosuke: Okazaki! You said “no march stealing”, didn’t you?! 

Rintaro: Yes, yes. I like you, Yaotome san

*Cut to a school hallway*

*Electronic noises*

Thorvard: <Diagonally behind us, on the right. There’s a young man with glasses, wearing a suit, coming toward us>

Thorvard: <Please, double check>

*Bzzz*

Seth:  <This is a Japanese summer festival…>

Thorvard: <Our men have tracked Nagi sama. He seems to be in this area. Apparently, he’s going to perform>

Seth: <So we’ll get to watch him sing. What’s that, Thorvard?>

Thorvard: <Your Highness Seth! Don’t walk away from me, please>

Seth: <What’s written here?>

Thorvard: <“Your first scarecrow-making experience”>

Seth:  <Amazing….and what’s written there?>

Thorvard: <“Heart beating ☆  Amateur hypnotism show”>

Seth:< ...I’m sure Sakura Haruki would have loved to go back to Japan and experience a festival like this once more>

Thovard: <This festival is more suitable for students, but…yes, maybe >

Seth: <The reason why Sakura Haruki could never come back home is me. It’s because I locked him up...>

Thorvard: <This is also true, but he had the desire to pass away in North Meir…>

Seth: <Yes, but…the letter he addressed to Nagi must still be filled with hateful words against me, right?>

Thorvard: < Yes….>

Seth: <I knew it. Let’s go back home>  

Thorvard: <Do you mean, let’s go back home to North Meir?>

Seth: <Exactly. Let’s hurry>

Thorvard: <Please, wait!>

Seth: <Nagi will find us if we stay here…!>

*Seth and Thorvard run away*

Nagi: Yeey! Let’s go see it!

Yamato: A mimicry competition? Mitsu, do you have some kind of trademark gag ready?

Mitsuki: Roppu chan, from Usamimi friends. Iori’s gonna love it

Yamato: Ahaha! What the heck is that?

*Nagi, Yamato and Mitsuki walk away*

Seth: <...is he gone?>

Thorvard: < He is… >

Seth: <Aah…that was scary…>

Thorvard: <I thought we had come so far to meet him…>

Seth: <Yes, but… <

Tenn *in english* : Are you okay?

Seth:.....

Tenn *in english* : You’re sitting down. Are you not feeling well?

Seth: <I’ve seen his face before…ah, the minister Kenneth…his phone’s wallpaper…>

Thorvard: <Aaah! Your Highness is right…!>

Ryunosuke: Is everything alright, Tenn?

Tenn: They don’t seem to understand english…

Gaku: A heat stroke, probably! Here, I bought some water!

Seth:....!

Gaku: W-what?

Seth: Shinpachiro!

Thorvard: Mikazuki Ookami!

Gaku: Ah, do you know me? I’m happy, thank you. Ah, I should say it in English. Thanks

Seth: Kuro…?

Tenn: Yes. I’m Kuro’s actor, my name is Kujo Tenn

Seth: Ok…Jobei! Jobei!

Ryunosuke: Ah, yes…I’m Kibaya Junpei’s actor. Tsunashi Ryunosuke

Seth: Kiba wo….mukuyouni…

Gaku: You’re well informed! In english… We sang crescent rise

Seth: OH MY GOD…!

Student: Over there…is it Trigger?!

Student 2: You’re right! And they’re together with some handsome people! I want to speak with them…!

Student: We can’t! Teachers told us we can't do that, didn’t they?! Ah, but they’re so handsome…

Ryunosuke: Ah, hello…!

Student: Ah, he did greet us…!

Student 2: That’s so kind of him!

Gaku: Tenn. Are these guys alright?

Gaku: I have water if they’re not feeling well

Seth:....?

Thorvard: Ah, sorry, I can translate. I do speak japanese

Tenn: Are you doing okay? Please, have some water

Thorvard: Thank you

Thorvard: <Your Highness Seth, they thought we weren’t feeling well and brought us some water>

Seth: <I see.  I’ll send them an appreciation letter from the palace. As expected from the people acting in Mikazuki Ookami>

Thorvard: <Yes, You’re right>

Seth: <Such an amazing encounter makes me want to support young people with talent, like I used to do>

Seth: <If this place was North Meir, I would have invited them to the palace>

Thorvard: <Ahah, right. Lord Kenneth would definitely be amazed!>

Gaku: You seem to know us pretty well, and it doesn’t look like you’re travelers. Do you live in Japan?

Thorvard: Ah…we’re travelers, actually. We’re feeling alright, we just had a little shock

Tenn: What happened?

Seth: <What are you saying?>

Thorvard: <I told him the reason why we were sitting down was due to a shock>

Seth: <Tell them that my little brother probably hates me. Nagi likes historical dramas, right?  I’ll send him a picture of them>

Thorvard: <I’ll try to negotiate>

Thorvard: Actually, his little brother probably hates him. In order to let him reconcile with his brother, may I take a picture of you?

Thorvard: Because he likes historical dramas and Mikazuki Ookami

Gaku: Yeah, we don’t mind. Right?

Tenn: It’s fine with me

Ryunosuke: He had a fight with his little brother…?  There was a time when my little brother wouldn’t talk to me,so I understand the painful feeling

Ryunosuke: If you do your best and act honestly, he will surely understand. You can do it!

Thorvard:  <He said he also had a fight with his little brother. If you act honestly, you can  reconcile. Then he said “you can do it”>

Seth: <What good-natured young men. When the time comes, I shall invite them to dinner with Nagi>

Thorvard:  <Really?>

Seth: <Of course. They’re promising Japanese actors. Ask them to dinner>  

Thorvard: <He said that he wants to invite you to dinner, once his relationship with his brother gets better>

Ryunosuke: Ahah, I’m happy. But, really, you don’t have to bother

Gaku: No, thank you, but I appreciate the kindness. I hope you can fix things with your brother

Seth: < What did they say?>

Thorvard: < They’re grateful>

Seth: <What a wonderful story. Keep track of their contact details>

Thorvard: <At Your command>

Tenn:....I have the impression I’ve seen this person before…

End of part 3

#Idolish7 #idolish7translation #trigger #revale #zool

[wtfkiana]

slapped on a background bc I’m done with it I hate I hate I hate color theory and shading and shit

anyway, who wouldn’t fall for this guy???

#this is plain af #ugh i hate it #fe3h #fire emblem three houses #fire emblem #fire emblem warriors three hopes #fire emblem three hopes #three hopes #sylvain #sylvain gautier #sylvain jose gautier #freckles! #my art #wip #? #wanted to do a series for the blue lions but ugh

[fruitcoops]

Truth Or Drink

I have so many ideas for social media videos that I literally looked up the Lion Pride channel on YouTube the other day before remembering that it exists in my head. Oops! This was inspired by Cut’s Truth or Drink series, but Sweater Weather credit goes to @lumosinlove!

TW for alcohol and a few sexual references

“I’ve never played this before,” a kind-looking woman in a blue cardigan says as Marlene sets three bottles of alcohol on the end of their small table.

“Are we going to need all of that?” Sirius asks, looking alarmed.

“That remains to be seen. Welcome back to Truth or Drink, Lions!” she says, looking up at the camera with a wicked smile. “My name is Marlene McKinnon and I’m here with Captain Sirius Black and his soon-to-be mother-in-law, the lovely Hope Lupin.”

Hope waves at the camera with a cheerful smile. “Hello.”

“For today’s game, you two will be asking each other a series of uncomfortable questions, which you will either answer or have to take a shot. And no, taking a shot of the provided juice does not count.” Marlene levels a warning glare on Sirius, who raises his hands in surrender as she returns to her place behind the camera. “Do you want to start with some alcohol?”

“Absolutely,” Hope says, pouring out two glasses. “I have never seen you actually drink, did you know that?”

“First time for everything, I suppose.” They clink their shots together and drink; Sirius grimaces a little at the taste. “Marlene, this is awful.”

Hope frowns slightly. “This is from my hometown.”

“Really?” Sirius’ eyes widen and she starts to snicker.

“No, I’m messing with you,” she laughs, patting him on the arm. “Oh, honey, your face.”

He drops his head into his hands with a heavy sigh. “I knew he got it from somewhere. Would you like to ask the first question?”

Hope takes the first card off the top and snorts as she reads it. “I already know the answer to this one.”

“You’re not even going to ask it?” Sirius laughs when she sets it aside.

“Would you ever cheat on Remus?”

“God, no.”

She spreads her hands in a told you so manner and takes a new card. “How long did you and my son know each other before you slept together?”

“Almost exactly two years.” She eyes him skeptically. “It’s true!”

“How long did you know each other before you started dating, again?”

Sirius hesitates, then looks behind the camera. “She can’t ask that if it’s not on the card, right?”

The camera crew giggles in the background. “Technically, no,” Marlene manages. “But we’ll make an exception.”

Sirius pours a shot and drinks it. “My turn. Do you think I take good care of your son?”

“For sure,” Hope answers without hesitating. “You two are so good for each other and that’s clear to everyone who knows you.”

“Aw, thank you.”

“Of course, honeybun. What is one thing about my son that you know and I don’t?”

“He sings in the shower,” Sirius says.

“No, really?” she gasps dramatically. “Who would’ve thought?”

“Actually, that’s a tough question.” He thinks for a moment, then grins. “The superstitions are worse than ever.”

“That is not surprising,” Hope sighs. “You hockey players and your rituals.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Alright, what is your least favorite thing about me?”

“I know it’s your job, but I hate seeing you get into fights on the ice.”

“We have pads on, it’s okay.”

“I know, but still.” Hope draws another card and raises her eyebrows at him. “Have you ever had sex in my house?”

“Definitely not. Marlene, you and I are having a discussion after this.” He turns away from the camera as he takes a card. “Was there ever a time you wished we would break up?”

“No, never.”

“Not even once?”

“Nope.”

“Good, that means I’m doing something right.”

“You’re doing lots of things right,” Hope says. Sirius flushes all the way to his ears. “What is the sexiest thing about my son?”

“His heart.” He smiles a bit. “Everything he does comes from a good place.”

“I think the card means a physical aspect,” Marlene calls.

“Too late, I already answered it. Do you think Remus and I will last?”

Hope seems surprised by the question. “Of course I do. You love each other beyond belief and have already gone through so much together that marriage is going to be a breeze. I couldn’t be prouder of you. It’s—it’s rare to find something like what you have.”

“Oh, Hope, it’s okay,” Sirius says as she sniffles lightly.

“Ugh, I didn’t think this would be emotional. Bring back the horribly invasive ones, please,” she teases, swiping under her eyes with the edge of her sweater and reaching for a new card. “Ah, this one is suitably dangerous. Do you actually enjoy being around your in-laws?”

Sirius reaches for the alcohol and she gasps before he starts laughing. “Oh, I got you so good!”

“Is that payback?”

“Yes. To answer the question, I love hanging out with you guys. You’re the best in-laws anyone could ask for and you’ve really become like parents to me over the past year. I’m the luckiest person in the world.” His voice is uncharacteristically soft, and Hope squeezes his hand quickly.

“Those were the last questions,” Marlene says. “Do you want to do the goodbye?”

Sirius waves to the camera. “Thanks for tuning in to Lion Pride! I’m Sirius Black—”

“—and I’m Hope Lupin—”

“Signing off.”

#sirius black #hope lupin #sweater weather #lumosinlove #social media #lion pride #marlene mckinnon #my fic #fanfic

[thewildomega]

Master list - Hobbit

Thorin Oakenshield 

Alpha Dwarf - So this is my first Hobbit fan fic. Yay! So basically this is an alpha Thorin and Omega Reader Fanfic. Will do more. Just a story I came up with in my head. Let me know what ya'll think.

For Me? -  Hi uhm, could you maybe do a birthday fic plz? My birthday is coming up in 11 days and i was just wondering. Uh maybe make it something like a thorin or kili x reader and they find out her birthday is that day? And then they like go to all this trouble to set up a really nice day for reader and then like smutty at the end maybe?(if not comfy with smut its cool) and just something cute plz? Tyvm! Love your work btw. Sorry you wont be around much longer Youre great(not tryin to be rude at all)

Short

Lion, Wizards and Dwarves oh my! - From the ask... After the battle of five armies. Thorin is currently courting you, you´re not from Middle-Earth originally and he had for beginning high doubts about you but you proved him wrong and he fell in love with you. Erebor is in peace and is thriving. But that happiness isn´t going to last as an dwarrowdam from the Iron Hills arrives in Erebor with hopes that Thorin Oakenshield would agree to marry her after all these years. She was in love with him when she saw him in the Blue Mountains, Thorin was kind to her but didn´t love her. When she discovers that Thorin has already found his One and it´s a human girl she vows to have her revenge because of the broken heart. She finds a wizard who casts a spell on him which turns him into huge black lion. When you see Thorin in lion form you´re panicking because you don´t know it´s Thorin but luckily he can still communicate with you. So now you´re forced to deal with Erebor´s kingly duties with male lion beside you and that causes quite a few hilarious commotions around the corridors time to time. Luckily Balin has been able to make contact with Gandalf who is on his way to help you.... ( A/n: oh you are lucky I love you! will be a two part fic)

Different Kind of Afterlife - When Thorin is killed by Azog the defiler he drifts off into what he expects to be the afterlife but things are not as he thought they would be. Based off of a dream I had. Story was too good to pass up, Hope ya like it.

Porn Star Dancing - Quick drabble of Thorin being stuck in our world for a while and living with the reader and learning what it is she does for a living. Way out of my comfort zone but writing for a friend for her birthday. Hope you like it and let me know what ya'll think.

Born this Way - Elves and Dwarves despise each other so for someone to be of both races would be considered a down right freak of nature, a mistake. Hated by everyone because of what you are you find it hard to believe when Gandalf, one of your only friends asks you to help your fathers race. You knew you would not be accepted but maybe a king will learn a lesson or two along the way...

The Sick Thief - Hi. I'm sick rn and I was wondering if I could get a fan fiction where the dwarves have returned to the mountain and Thorin has the dragon sickness? His s/o is bed ridden with a terrible cold and he assumes that that means she took his stone, so he barges into her room to confront her and sees her having a coughing fit. When he tries to talk to her he hears how congested she is? Thank you, I know this is a lot. (I'm still sick btw... Ugh!) Lol.

Rut Tired - Got this a while back and I am a horrible person that has only yet to start it but here it is. Basically you are Thorin's intended mate but he is an alpha and you are human and normal. Thankfully she is letting me use some of her work for inspiration. Sorry again for it taking so long.

The Hunt - So I was asked to write more Alpha Thorin fics and yall all know those are my thing so here you go. Basically Omegas are rare and in the dwarven community priceless. So when one is born and comes of age they are forced to go on a run and be hunted like sport to see who their alpha will be.

Darkness - When Thorin finds out that Reader helped Bilbo give away his Arkenstone he decides to make an example of her.

Beorn

The Bear and the Wolf - Beorn is the eldest son of the king of bears. He is known best by his clan for being incredibly strong and overbearing at times. So what will happen when he is brought face to face with the girl he has been arranged to marry, the only daughter of the alpha wolf. Will he force the free spirited shewolf to change? Many trials lie ahead for the totally opposite skin changers. But will they make it through it?

Not Enough - Reader overhears Gandalf and beorn talking about a proper mate for him.

Colliding Worlds - Beorn had accepted that he would die alone. That he was the last skin changer but what if he was wrong. What is two wizards knew of another that had been sent away when the orcs came.

Less of a Man - Was thinking what it must have been like for beorn in azog's prisons.

Frisky Bear - Hi OMG i just wanted to say I love you Beorn stories and I was wondering if you were going to do more with the Less of a man series? also was wondering if you could do one with him where maybe the bear him like gets frisky towards his wife or whatever....NOT bestiality or anything but maybe just little stuff. If not I understand I'm weird I know. Sorry. Thanks.

Hidden Status 

Bofur

Down in Goblin Town - Bofur must hide his wife from the goblin

When you’re Ready - so need a bofur imagine; preferably one about being lost in the tolkien world from our own and he takes you in, until he learns you're an omega and his instincts are to watch over you until you're ready to be his mate!!

Sometimes Serious - Just some Bofur fluff. Pre hobbit.

Dwalin

Fight like a Girl - Unexpected events convince Dwalin that his wife needs to learn to fight. don't know how good is going to turn out but oh well. Just a little thing I thought of before bed.

Thranduil

Hold Still - The elf king has to get a hair cut and doesn't like it. Written for my best friend hope you feel better soon.

Say Too Much - Trade up for my dear Ashely_Winchester_77... could you do Thranduil x reader where they have been fighting. And he almost loses her to orc in battle. And fluff happens later, plz! :-)... now i get my beorn fic YAY!

#the hobbit #the hobbit fanfiction #thorin oakenshield #thorin x reader #bofur x reader #dwalin x reader #thranduil #thranduil x reader #beorn #beorn x reader

[hotdamnhunnam]

Dream Baby Dream

A/N: So Charlie’s latest movie, Jungleland, is an ABSOLUTE MUST-SEE!! It’s so fucking lovely 🥺😭🥰  Whether you’ve seen it or not, I hope you’ll enjoy this little one shot, based on the below request that I got! It’s all kinds of angsty and smutty and fluffy. (Title is a reference to the Springsteen song played at the end of the movie!) **This fic is SPOILER-FREE**

Pairing: Stanley Kaminski x F!Reader Warnings: smut, swearing, reader gets pregnant, gifs of Charlie in his underpants 😋 Request: This lovely request (p.2) for pregnancy/smut with Charlie’s character from Jungleland!

Word Count: ~3.1k

Important Note: The first line of this fic is a line Stanley says in the movie (scene shown in the gif above and in this gifset) – yes, loves, an actual quote. So if you’ve not yet seen this film but are a fan of Charlie Hunnam, I promise you this scene is reason enough, to watch if only just to hear those words from him... 🤤

***************

“I like the way they make my dick look.”

... Is he serious? Yes, definitely is. One drink was all it took, for you to know. He walks and talks like someone straight out of an old forgotten book or an obscure off-Broadway show. As if his whole life is imagined, yet for him the fiction feels so fucking real that it’s the only thing he’ll ever understand.

“I like the way they make my dick look”? What the fuck? You’d just paid him a half-joking compliment on his ridiculous sweatpants. But this is a man who takes jokes for the truths they expose. Mama always told you to avoid men like this—cons and crooks—men who crush their own hearts in their fists, steal their strength from the shadows, to run from their weakness. She knows best, and knows that you can’t. Knows that you turn to dust in their hands. But she’s not here to witness.

No, nobody is.

You take another shot, tossing away what little self-restraint you’ve got. “Dare you to tell me just how many times you’ve used that line.”

The fucker flashes you a smile. Cheeky smirk, the only kind that suits his style. Cheap as dirt. Just like his stupid ugly shirt. “Hey, if I had a dime...”

Rolling your eyes, you suck the sour from a slice of lime. Can’t seem to chase away your thirst. “How many times did that shit work?”

“Well, let’s just say you wouldn’t be the first...” he whispers, leaning close to take the lime in his own fingers, squeezing it without reason till every little pulp ruptures and bursts. “Wanna fuck you so hard it hurts.”

***************

Is it the best sex that you’ve had? Hell fucking no—not even close. It’s pretty bad. Probably the worst.

It’s almost gross. Feels like you’re stuck in a low-budget porno. Just a mess of theatrical thrusts. Heated groans, grating deep in his throat. Grabby hands. Somehow you know that he could fuck you so much better, though, if only he stopped trying to put on some kind of show. You doubt he even knows he can.

“Ugh, just—” you grit your teeth against each thrust. “What are you even doing, Stan...”

He groans out loud again. “Screwing you like a fucking man.”

That tasteless statement almost makes you want to laugh, but you bite back the urge. “No, that’s not how it works,” you mutter as his hips spastically jerk, massive dick splitting you in half. “You can’t—”

“Shut the fuck up,” he rasps, ravaging your ass with a rough series of slaps. Pulling your hair, making you arch your back, wrapping one hand around your neck until you choke. The sex is so damn close to being epic if this man would just stop acting like a joke. Like, really close, which honestly doesn’t seem fair. “You’re not supposed to talk when you’re taking my cock. Supposed to be too drunk to care.”

Oh God—he’s even dumber than you thought. He should’ve counted that you’d only had a couple shots. “Yeah, well, I’m not.”

“As fucking if,” he huffs, taking the hint that you’ve had quite enough. Reluctantly rolls off. Finally stops fucking you over. And that’s when you realize you miss it, although it feels strange to admit. He turns aside, tucking himself in tight under the covers like some kind of scorned lover. Spurned and burned so many times it makes him sick. “That’s bullshit and we both know it. Sober, a girl like you wouldn’t have touched me with a ten-foot stick.”

That gives you pause and breaks your heart a little bit. How is this man already getting at your heart, damn it? Mama would say he’s creeping in there with his crooked claws and all that shit. You can’t let yourself fall for his theatrics. Is that even what this is? Somehow, you sense the weight of more than just his body on the mattress; your heart feels heavy now, but not nearly as heavy as his.

“A girl like me? Seriously, what does that even mean?” you ask, reaching to run your hand across the faded scars and bruises on his back. Noticing how he flinches as if your soft touch is a savage attack. No doubt he wishes that you hadn’t seen. No wonder somebody so damaged really thought you wouldn’t touch him with a ten-foot stick. “Stanley, you are honest to God hot. And plus you’ve got an almost-ten-inch dick.”

He reacts with a snort, and a shake of his head. Scooting out of the bed, shrugging into his hideous shirt. All the scars on his back and his heart safely hidden inside it. “Doesn’t matter if it’s big. Apparently I can’t use it for shit.”

Without bothering to put pants back on, he settles on the couch across the room. You move to follow him, unable to resist when he looks so cute sitting there. Raking your fingers through his ruffled golden hair. “That’s not a problem we can’t fix—come back to bed with that big dick. You just have to get out of your head. Just a bit.”

That’s a notion he’s quick to dismiss, though you notice he’s no longer flinching away from your touch—which means something, you’d bet. It must. Nevertheless, Stanley snickers at what you said, struggling to keep his facade firmly set. “Out of my head? Bitch, I live in it.”

You don’t doubt it. Just want him to try stepping out of it. “Just for a minute.”

Lucid blue eyes look up at you now like you’re seeking to push him past some lifelong limit.

“Damn, what’s it like in there...?” you wonder aloud as you comb through his hair. He’s a poem, a portrait of someone who doesn’t believe he’s a man. Soul has never known any true home. Heart has been locked away for so long that he thought it could never be freed. Head full of dreams, broken and bursting at the seams. His silence fucking screams. “What do you really want, Stan? Really need?”

And you can tell he’s scared, to dare believe you really care. “...Nobody ever asked.”

There’s a whole world behind his words. Woefully true. Yet a whole other world now opens up before the two of you, with yours. “Well, then I’m glad to be the first.”

Of course you asked. Of fucking course. You barely even know him now, but can already tell somehow... you want to love this man so hard it hurts. Truly glad that you were the first. Already want to be the last.

***************

Fucking months have gone by in the blink of an eye. And already you love him so much you could die. 

He’s never fucked someone who ever gave a shit about him, so he gets a rush from knowing that you cannot live without him. And the feeling goes both ways, needless to say. He’s always looking at you like his first glimpse of the sacred light of day. And always seems afraid you’ll run away, no matter how wholeheartedly you reassure him that you’re here to stay. That he should never doubt it. 

Still he’s just crippled with this unshakeable fear of fucking up and everything falling to shit, just as it always did. Of losing love now that he’s finally fucking found it. Stanley’s past is a ripple effect of the failures and losses that constantly kept him desperate and dishonest, and it’s fucking haunted. Can’t help but dread the day it’ll rear its monstrous head and make him pay for ever dreaming he could have the kind of life he’s always wanted.

The most that you can do is hold him close and fuck the pain away, and love him more than words can say. His dreams are beautiful, you tell him. They deserve to see the light of day. With you he never has to act like he’s some character straight off the page; he doesn’t have to be afraid to feel. To fear that all the demons in his soul are real, and full of rage, and fierce enough to kill him. ‘Cause now you’re finally here to hold him and to heal him.

All of his dreams once revolved around his intense bond with his brother. For so long, his heart never had room for another. He tells you often about Walter. The fighter. ‘Lion’ as it were. The whole life that they lived for no one but each other, till one day the champion boxer abandoned his gloves to vow love at the altar.

And Stanley is happy, that Lion has found a new family. A new life as boundless and bright as the sky. Such love as an overbearing older brother could never provide. Though Stan knows that the door’s always open for him, to be part of that family and part of that life... he won’t take Lion up on the invite. Tells himself that the home that his brother has built is too precious for someone so poisoned to set foot inside.

You fuck the poison and the pain out of his veins a little bit more every night. But you know it’s a big fight; you won’t try to push it or rush it. Just guide him and stay beside him as the shadow slowly turns to light.

So what’s left to dream now? Somehow your lover tells you his deepest secrets and desires without ever breathing a damn word aloud. Like the fire’s so fragile a whisper could blow it right out.

Tells you and shows you through passionate, powerful kisses, devouring you with the heat of his mouth. Through the touch of his tough calloused hands on your skin, softly treasuring every last inch, devoting his whole broken heart to the moment in such breathless silence... then driving inside you with vigor and violence, the lion inside him awoken and roaring out loud. Slow and gentle again, at the end. Once you’re both well and truly fucked out. The soft look on his face and his tender embrace expressing just how grateful he is that you taught him to fuck, and to love, without playing pretend.

Is it the best sex of your life? Hell fucking yes. Without a doubt. Every damn day, every damn night. Far and away the fucking best. The kind of sex starry-eyed poets strive and fail to write about. 

Stanley Kaminski is a living, breathing, tragic, magic little poem. But he is also very real, thanks to the love that you’ve allowed his heart to feel. Beating so beautifully now that it’s finally healed. And he’s become your fucking home.

***************

“Babe, you up?”

You weren’t until he spoke. The sun is only barely just; as he so often does, Stan beat the day before it broke. But you don’t mind being awoken by the man you’ll always love. More so than ever now because... you have some news to share today, bound to blow him the fuck away. In the best way, you hope. And trust.

“Mm-hmm,” you hum, shifting in bed, lifting your head to see him seated by the window far across the room. Gaze lingering upon his gorgeous features gilded by the glow of dawn. “What’s wrong?”

Nothing at all, for once, he wordlessly responds. Smiles at you before he glances back outside, watching the sun begin to rise, as if its light promises everything he wants.

“Today’s gonna be good, baby,” he states, blue gaze so wild and bright he looks a little crazy. “I mean, I can see it. I can see our future when I close my eyes.”

It’s almost like he knows what’s coming, in the next moment. Maybe he does? Your souls are intertwined so close you wouldn’t really be surprised. “Well, looks to me like they’re wide open. Why you even gotta close ‘em?” you reply, stretching your arms out with a peaceful sigh. All set to break the news you would’ve shared with him last night, if only he hadn’t come home and fucked you so epically hard that you just went out like a light. “Stanley, I...”

“Shouldn’t have woken you up, actually,” he interrupts, somewhat unnaturally. Crosses the room toward the bed, to hold your head up, kiss you slow and deep. Then turns to leave. “Love you—sorry. Go back to sleep.”

You pause and blink your bleary eyes. “What? Why...?”

“...‘cause it’s a special day and I’m cooking up a surprise.”

Although that’s super cute... you don’t exactly like the thought of Stanley making food, to tell the truth. You almost puked, first time he tried. He has a lot of skills and virtues, but his cooking isn’t one of them, unfortunately. “Babe, I told you there’s no need to make a big deal of our second anniversary...”

“Yeah, but why’s that for you to decide?” he playfully retorts as he heads out the bedroom door. Shouting back at you down the hallway as he hastens away. “Besides, you’re gonna need something to build your strength up after getting fucked so good and hard last night. Stay put and don’t even try sneaking into the kitchen, alright?”

“Fine,” you sigh, figuring that you might as well listen. No harm letting your man do his thing in the kitchen. You just hope that he won’t be offended if you can’t hold down what he’s serving... especially now that your body’s especially prone to hurling, for reasons that he just unwittingly stopped you from sharing with him.

You can picture him trying to cook, looking so adorably domestic as fuck. So damn cute it hurts. Standing there over the counter in his fugly turtleneck shirt, glancing up every few seconds, just to make sure his girl doesn’t walk in on him while he’s busy at work.

Absentmindedly scratching at his lower back with his wandering fingers, as he shuffles over the cracked tile floor in his raggedy slippers. The ones that he stole from some random hotel years ago. Why he chooses to wear a long-sleeved shirt and slippers, when he can’t be bothered to put on a damn pair of knickers, even in the middle of winter... you don’t even know. It’s such a fucking Stanley thing to do, though.

You can picture the low-hanging hem of his shirt getting stuck in the top of his briefs as he scratches his back. While he just carries on with his business, oblivious, focused on whipping up some sad excuse for a breakfast that will most likely make you gag. Your man can’t cook for crap, and you’re certain that he’s well aware of that fact. So what gives? Where’s he going with this...? You wonder as you wait in bed, enamored with the image of him in your head.

GIFs by uuuhshiny

When he finally returns to the bedroom he’s holding a steaming white mug in his hand, biting his bottom lip to stop himself from grinning like a madman, for reasons that you can’t even begin to understand.

“Okay, listen, Y/N—before you say anything...”

You can already smell the unholy concoction he’s got in his cup, and you’re struggling so hard not to throw the fuck up. “Stan, is that what I think—”

“Hear me out,” he begs, squatting down next to the bed. For some reason he looks all at once shy and proud. “I want you to remember our first time together. The morning after.”

You nervously swallow and nod your head. He can’t really expect you to put that ‘breakfast’ in your mouth—doesn’t he know you’ll spit it right out? You just try to focus on the heartwarming words he just said. “Babe, you know I won’t ever forget. But is that...”

“Yes, it is. Kaminski’s specialty hot shit. The mess I used to make for Lion every day for breakfast. The only family that I ever had, until the day we met.”

You pause at that; is it just a coincidence now that he’s talking about you as family? Surely he knows somehow, what you’re about to tell him now. You want to just tell him already, so badly. “Stanley...”

“Just let me say this. Please,” he murmurs, shifting where he’s squatting on the floor, repositioning his knees. “Tonight I was thinking of taking you out to some nice swanky place I can’t even afford... would’ve tipped the waiter off to drop a little something in the fancy French champagne we ordered...”

Your heart stops as it hangs on his words. Why is he suddenly... down on one knee...

“But I thought maybe this would mean a little more,” he continues. “Baby, I cooked this for you, the first morning I ever woke to the most beautiful view... because a part of me already knew. I wanted you more than I’d ever wanted anything before. I was already fucking yours. I never would’ve made this crap for anyone but family—that shit’s sacred to me. And now I know, deep down, that’s what I always wanted you to be.”

“Stanley...”

“You had to dig through so much shit, inside of me, and stole my fucking heart right out of it. Still can’t believe you did. Still can’t believe you think I’m worth it. Scared I’ll wake up any second just to see that this was all some crazy dream.”

Your heart is bursting at the seams. “Believe it, baby. You’re worth everything to me. I’ll dig through all that shit again, if it means being with you in the end.”

He holds the cup out toward you like the treasure that it is. “That’s what it means. That’s what I’m asking you with this. Dig, baby, dig.”

You love this man so much more than you can believe. So much for him thinking that you would never touch him with a ten-foot stick. 

Your hand dives straight into the mess to find the ring and scream out yes. Stan smiles and wipes the excess stuff off on his sleeve, then slides it carefully onto your finger as you shower him with kisses. Honestly couldn’t be happier right now that someone else is here to witness.

And he needs to know it, right this fucking minute.

After he takes your newly bejeweled hand in his, blessing it with a kiss... you take his hand in yours and press it onto the surprise that you’ve been harboring inside. Your secret little Stanley. “So... you know I had something to tell you as well, right? I’m not the only one who’s so happy about this. Happy to be part of your family.”

His eyes go wide, the brightest light you’ve ever seen. “Y/N...! Y/N, does—does this mean...”

You answer with a smile as big as his, and seal the promise with a kiss. “Dream, baby, dream.”

***************

Hope you enjoyed this!! Would love to hear if you did! 🤗💖

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[msotherworldly]

The Blue Door: Chapter One

While this was originally the second book in my Children of Pandora series, I’ve decided it will do better as book four. The adventures of Insula don’t yet have a direct affect on the main protagonist, Eradica, making the placement of her book in the early timeline fairly flexible. 

Reading this book without reading the others would be like reading The Horse and His Boy without touching The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. While there’s a deeper appreciation if you’ve read Lion, Horse still makes sense if you haven’t. 

Insula’s adventure remains a self contained story, connecting to Eradica’s stories but not yet in a direct capacity. It should be noted that The Blue Door hasn’t been as heavily edited as The Cracked Mirror (or book one). Therefore, this should be treated as a rough chapter. Pieces of it will likely be cut in the future. Below is the first chapter of Insula’s journey:

CHAPTER ONE: THE ISLAND

Alternate dimensions played a large role in our daily lives, though we had known little about them for the first eight years or so of staying on the archipelago. That was the fancy word Grandpa liked to use: it was meant to describe a collection of islands, and we lived on only one of them.

    Life was simple and perfect and idyllic, and that made me crazy. I had explored every inch of our little island. I gazed across the sea. What were you supposed to do when everything was handed to you, and you weren’t allowed to do anything?

    Perfect. I was growing sick of that one little word, and I was only eight. Still, I had to admit that perfect was...pretty perfect. The water, a tropical blue, washed up on a sandy pink shore. Palm trees, their leaves unusually bright and green, waved in the breeze. It was never too cold here. It was always hot, hot enough to make your clothes stick to you while you tried to sleep or your head spin if you stood out in the sun too long. Mom’s skin had actually cooked once; she had stopped sun tanning after that.

    I walked along the beach. It was pleasant...but boring as heck to write about. I kept my little journal in my bag, which I wore slung across my soft body. Despite running around constantly, I was chubby.

    I plucked a small package from my bag: it was a little chocolate bar...or a big one, according to Mom. Grandpa had brought a bunch...and donuts.

    I went to the only interesting spot on the island: the ruins were large and shaded by maple trees. Palms weren’t the only native plants; they blended with northern firs and oaks and willows and other trees I didn’t know the names of. The island, despite it’s temperature, couldn’t make up it’s mind what it was.

    The ruins were the part I loved best. I ran my hand over the stone. It was rough, and patchy with moss in places. I liked to imagine kings and queens.

    “You shouldn’t be here,” a voice grumbled. Mutari approached me. Having a twin brother should have been fun, but there was nothing fun about Mutari.

    “Don’t you ever wonder who built this? We’ve never met anybody else here before!”

    “I’ll tell Mom.” Mutari crossed his arms. He looked identical to me, except that he was skinny. He had impish features, a pointed snub nose, thin lips, and a slim face. His ears had only the slightest point, and his hair was so blond as to appear almost white. We also shared weird eyes: they were like a Wolf’s, but a deep sea foam colour, and our eyelids were black.

    “Don’t you like learning?”

    “Risking death is not learning.” Mutari peered between a crack in the wall. “This structure could tumble down and crush us.”

    “Oh, don’t be a sour blanket. Somebody must have built this.”

    “Yes. Then the roof caved in and killed them.” Mutari glared around. The wind sighed through the trees, and the grass was lush underfoot.

    “There would be skeletons.” A rush of excitement went through me. “Oh, but they might have been buried!”

    “No, Insula-”

    I rushed through the none existent doors to what would have been the courtyard. There was a long hall, shrouded in shade and dappled sun. There was a raised stone dais. In addition to sprinklings of grass, daisies grew from between the cracks.

    I paused to gaze around, enthralled. Characters and stories raced through my head. I had killed Dragons here, and given Vampires Knighthood. In my mind, I had danced with princes and banners had fluttered on the walls in the glow of many golden candles.

    I could imagine it as it had been, brilliant and bright. I had been a princess in this court...and a knight. I spent my life in dreams.

    “Ugh. What’s so fun about just standing here?” Mutari plodded up to me. He looked out of place in his tight dress shirt and long slacks. Even his shoes were polished, his long hair gelled back.

    “Aren’t you hot in all that?”

    “At least I’m fit to be seen.”

    “Don’t be dumb. There’s nobody here to see us...except our squires!” I giggled. “Lord Mark is over there, and all the ladies are goggling at him. He has beautiful golden hair, but he’s too stubborn to cut it.”

    Mutari made a gagging noise. “Don’t draw another picture of him, please. The house is filled with them.”

    My face burned. “It is not!”

    “Are so. You’re in love with a made up guy!”

    “I don’t want to fall in love! That gets in the way. King Mark is just...nice.” I ran to the end of the hall. “There must be a door somewhere.”

    “What are you doing, Issy? Mom will kill us!”

    “There’s got to be a mausoleum.”

    “A what?”

    “A tomb?” I rolled my eyes. “You haven’t read the word in any of those fat, boring books of yours?”

    “I don’t spend all day reading about castles and fantastic nonsense.” Mutari spat in the grass. He looked washed out in this light. He looked…

    “You’ve got Zombie sickness! Or maybe Vampirism. Your skin has such little colour. Lady Zania must have bitten you.”

    Mutari groaned. “No more of your games. I’m going to tell Mom you were here again.”

    “No, don’t do that! I have to find the graveyard.” I ran up a set of stairs.

    There was a sharp intake of breath. “Issy, get down from there!”

    “Why?” I put my hands on my hips, and stared down at my brother from above. I imagined that I looked tough. “Are you worried about me?”

    “You’re...being stupid.” Mutari blushed. “Get down!”

    “I’m not afraid of any-” The ground beneath me cracked, and I screamed. A piece of the parapet crumbled away, and I fell.

    “Issy!”

    I seized a clump of growing vines. I dangled in the breeze, pulled like a strand of hair. I whimpered.

    “Issy, don’t move! I’ll get Mom!”

    “No, I can’t—I can’t hold on!” My grasp slipped. My arms ached. My whole body was dead weight. The vines slid further between my fingers. I screamed.

    “Oh, Genitrix, Genitrix above!” Mutari sank to his knees. He prayed, his lips moving quickly.

    “That’s not going to do anything!” I slid further. The ends of the vines were skinnier. The one I held thinned and…

    With a snap, I fell. There was nothing to grab. The ground rushed up to meet me, and then it didn’t.

    It was falling away, but everything looked bigger. Wind whistled in my ears, but I couldn’t feel the air on them. I was going around and around in circles. I was dizzy.

    “Insula!”

    I could feel the breeze rippling through my hair, but I seemed to be covered entirely in it. I could feel the hair rippling along my arms and legs.

    I tried to move my hands, but I didn’t seem to have hands anymore. I opened my mouth to shout, and a shrieking sound came out. It sounded like a hawk.

    I angled down towards the ground. Air brushed my feet, but my toes were numb. I tilted to the left. A draft shoved me, and a wall rushed up to meet me.

    I batted my arms, but it was too late: the wall smacked me, hard. I fell to the ground. I heard the plop, like a sound from far off. My head felt like mush. I stared up at the blue sky. Mutari towered above me, a giant. He was blurry. I tried to speak, to move, but I couldn’t. My vision darkened at the edges.

    “Insula.” That was the last word I heard before the darkness swallowed me.

#work in progress #wip #book wip #tcop #the children of pandora #book oc #original fiction #original character #fantasy books #fantasy series #oc #bookish #readers life #writing #creative writing #novels #novelist #self published #am writing fantasy

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #411

“everybody’s got loaded stories, and i know for a fact everybody sees a bullseye on my back”

Have you ever been to jail? No. Opinion on snow? I absolutely love it! Not big on the slush it leaves behind, though. It gets ugly. What are you best at drawing? Meerkats. Are you scared of going over bridges? Nah. If you had endless energy and stamina, how would you spend your days? Plenty of exercise, lots of exploration with my camera, doing chores much more regularly... stuff like that. What mental or physical space do you go when you want to recharge or relax? I go to my room and watch YouTube. Did you have/use a comfort object as a child (do you continue to have one)? I actually don't remember. Now as an adult, if I go somewhere, my purse is actually like my comfort item in that I like to sit and sort of hug it to feel more secure. When was the last time you said something you regret? What did you say? I'm unsure. What do you tend to get carried away with? New hobbies/interests. It will be like all I care about for a long while, ha ha. Do you believe we have souls; do you believe in a life after death? Yes to both. Do you still talk to the person you last made out with? No. Have you ever seen your best friend cry? Ugh, yes, and it's the absolute worst. What kind of vitamins did you take as a kid? We had those Flintstones ones for a while, but for most of my childhood, we had gummy vitamins. Have you ever gone to court? Well, yes, but not for like your ordinary court hearing. While hospitalized on one occasion, a lawyer visited to speak to the patients informing us that we could argue against our discharge dates if we believed we were going to be committed for too long, which I thought I was, so I signed up to bring my case in front of a judge. So yeah, I've been to court, but not for ordinary reasons. Are you friends with your neighbors? "Friends," no. The people to our left like just moved out, and I don't even know if we've ever been outside at the same time as the family on our right. Favorite color? I like baby pink. How long has it been since you’ve seen The Lion King? I saw the CGI remake when it came out, if that counts? I don't know about the original. When did you last hold hands with someone? Sometime when I was at my sister's house, my niece grabbed my hand to drag me somewhere, ha ha. Have you ever had a crush on your sibling's friend? No. Have you ever gone to a beach? Multiple times. How good is your eyesight? It is very, VERY bad. I need new glasses severely. What’s the best wedding you’ve been to? My former dance teacher's. Have you ever had a negative encounter with the police? What happened? No. What’s your favourite thing to cook/bake? Do you eat it often? I don't do either. How do you flush the toilet in public? I generally use my elbow. I don't like standing on one leg, so I don't really use my foot like I'd prefer. Favorite horror movie? Silent Hill is dearest to me overall just because of what it is, but as a horror film, I think the original Blair Witch Project is best. Do you have your wisdom teeth? X-rays have only ever shown two are present, but I have enough space for those. What would you name your pet snake if you had one? It would depend on their appearance. The snake I have currently is named Venus because her coloration is similar to the planet. Do you like peanuts? Only when covered in chocolate. Where do you typically shop for bras and underwear? Do you tend to keep it simple, or have a variety of different items? Have you ever gotten a professional bra fitting? I don't get new undergarments (or clothes in general) frequently, but historically, my bras are bought online and underwear just from Wal-Mart. I don't really get the second question? I mean I don't have a style when it comes to those types of clothes, if that's what you mean. I've never had an actual bra-fitting, but I absolutely need to but keep putting it off. It seems like NO bra fits me properly all-around, and it's ridiculously annoying. What (if any) types of xrays/scans/other diagnostic tests have you had done? Was anything found? Idk man, a lot. I've had xrays on my wrist (found a fracture), teeth, legs... maybe more? I've also had an ultrasound on my liver for reasons I don't recall. I either had an MRI or CT scan (I can't remember which) when I got a concussion, and uhhhh... I can't think of anything else. Were you breast or bottle fed as a child? If you plan to have children, which do you think you’ll choose? Do you think one is really better than the other? I was nursed, and if I hypothetically had children, I'd definitely try to do the same. It was so incredible to me that I've never forgotten this: when I was at the hospital while my sister had her first baby, there was a chart on the wall of how many more nutrients were in breast milk versus formula milk, and the list was GARGANTUAN. Like, unbelievable. Now, do I think it's BETTER? That's a complicated question for which, in short, my answer is no. More nutritious, well, given what I just said, obviously. But breastfeeding just doesn't work for all mothers for a plethora of reasons, like the time demand, they can be self-conscious, it's painful... and all those things are okay. A mother should do what works best for her. Neither one is "wrong" or makes someone less of a mother because they feed their child less traditionally. Do you find that you have become more selective in terms of friendships as you’ve gotten older? Did the friendships you thought would last over time end up that way? Absolutely. There are just some kinds of people I absolutely do not tolerate anymore. And no, not most. We just drifted apart with time, or given most of my closest friendships are/were online, they just fell off the face of the earth. What are you doing right now? This and re-watching John Wolfe play Bloodborne. Bloodborne is such a comfort series to me... somehow, ha ha. Yet another game I've never played but desperately want to. Where are you? In my bedroom, as always. When you get yelled at, do you yell back or let it go? Depending on who it is, I might yell back, but most likely cry, ha ha. I hate being yelled at, like a lot. Is the person you last texted single? That would be my mom, so yeah. I've hoped she'd find a partner forever... She, probably more than anyone I know, deserves love from the *right* guy. I worry a lot how lonely she may become whenever I move out. Are you easily scared by horror movies? Not at all. Are you friends with any of your ex boyfriend/girlfriends? Girt and Sara, yes. Are you lonely? Be honest. Very. What has made you happy today? It's too early for this. What has made you sad today? Nothing, really. Last thing eaten? I had leftover pancakes from yesterday. Are you wearing anything that’s not yours? No. Do you like to wear makeup? I mean it makes me feel prettier, sure, but the actual time investment doesn't feel worth it for me personally. Especially when you're not even that good with applying it. Have you ever attempted to write a story or novel? Many times when I was younger. Would you rather have perfect hair or perfect skin? Perfect skin. I hate my skin, it has so many blemishes. What’s your middle name? Marie. How big is your bed? Queen. Do you drink? Only a bit for special occasions, really. I'll have a daiquiri on your average day every once and a blue moon. Would you fall apart if that last person you kissed walked out of your life? That's an understatement. Do you prefer pasta, salad, or coleslaw? Pasta. I hate coleslaw. Do you find smoking unattractive? Yes. Where’s the last place you went besides your house? The TMS office. Do you eat breakfast daily? Yes. Who were you with the last time you went to the movie theater? My dad. Do you like your cell phone? No, but it gets the job done. I just wish I had a phone with a good camera. Has anyone ever sang to you? Yes. So, what if you married the last person you kissed? That's the dream, but I acknowledge and accept it just might not work out like that. Do you usually answer your texts? Almost always. Have you ever changed clothes in a vehicle? Yes. Who has seen you cry the most? My mom, for sure. Have you ever just laid down outside and stared at the stars? Yeah, Jason and I did that one night on the trampoline. Have your friends ever randomly stopped by your house? In the past, yes. Think to the last person you kissed; have you ever kissed them on the ground? No. Do you have a condom in your room? No, got no use for one. Do your siblings ever pay for stuff for you? Yes. What brand is your digital camera? Canon. Do you own expensive perfume/cologne? No; I really don't get the point. When was the last time you went tanning? Ew, never. I find NO appeal in just lying in the boiling sun. Do you like the smell of fresh cut grass? No, I hate it. Do you get embarrassed easily? Like you would not fucking believe. It's one of the things I hate most about myself, because I'm embarrassed about everything I like and what makes me me. Has anyone ever thrown you a surprise party? No. Do you always wear your seatbelt? Absolutely. You couldn't pay me not to. Do you sing in the shower? No. Have you ever been called a slut/whore/something along those lines? Only playfully among friends. Have you ever stood up for someone you hardly/didn't even know? Yes. Have you ever fallen in love with a really good friend of yours? Yes. Do you own a blacklight? No. Do you like fruit better than vegetables? Definitely. Have your friends met the last person you kissed? Of my current friends, only Girt has. If you’re straight, have you ever thought about kissing the same sex? If you’re gay, have you ever thought about kissing the opposite sex? I'm bisexual, soooo. What does your laugh sound like? Do you have a loud laugh or a quiet laugh? Bro my laugh is so fucking loud and obnoxious. Is there a reality TV show you would consider taking part in? No.

#survey #surveys #random questions #lyrics: ''paranoiac personality'' by alice cooper

[musicallisto]

Okay hi, I didn't know if I should send this request in because I'm shamefully shy with saying anything to people who aren't my friends and I haven't followed you for long (which only makes my shyness worse) but seeing that you're closing your fandom ID's soon made me decide that I'm just gonna do it because wow gurl, they're GORGEOUS! And sorry this is gonna be a bit long because I don't know how to keep things short and simple but yeah :D (One reason why I never request, I always babble) 1/4

So could I please get ID cards for Disney and uhh Watch Dogs (since Legion is coming :'D)? My name is Jenni (female, she/her), all genders are fine, I'm from Finland. I'm 173cm / 5"8, I have black pixie hair and blue eyes. I'm INFP-T Hufflepuff and a Taurus. I'm really shy and timid with strangers but with friends I can be really loud and make a lot bawdy jokes. I don't like big groups and that's why I never go to any concerts etc. My friends say I'm very loyal and a good listener and give good advice. I tend to forgive people too easily but I can also be pretty hotheaded if provoked by wrong people but I'm working on turning it down. I'm super protective of my friends if someone hurts them and someone once said that I'm like a lion protecting its pack in those situations. I love writing, reading, watching movies/series with my friends, going on long nature trail walks and playing video games. I'm also learning to play piano but I pretty much suck at it as for now. (I can play Ezio's Family and Flea Waltz, but that's pretty much it). I'm a huge animal lover and have 3 boys (guinea pigs) who keep me standing when I'm having difficulties with my mental health. I hope I did this right and just a note: thank you so much for making such beautiful content for us!! So glad I found you ^__^ And take absolutely no stress, art needs time and girl, you're making amazing art here!!

here are your cards, Jenni! I’mn so sorry I took so long to make them, but as you know, I had a thousand setbacks and a lot of work. Anyway, I hope you enjoy them, and I wanted to send you as many hugs as I can & all my support, because I know times are tough for you rn and I wish I could just high-kick the anons who keep on harrassing you into the Sun, ugh. You’re formidable and loved and I’m so glad to have you as a mutual! Here’s a little Disney x Hufflepuff moodboard for you, to give you courage, or at least make you smile :)

i.d cards are closed!

#it's ridiculously hard to find good pictures of pixie cuts where is my short haired girls representation? #swanimagines #id cards #disney #watch dogs #moodboard #thesearemyfriends

[yourdeepestfathoms]

Ceaseless Discharge

In which Cassandra gets stung by a monster. Also there’s quality Cass and Eugene brother-sister content in here 👌👌

Word count: 6414

TW: Blood, vomit

———————

A crunch echoes in the darkness. Cassandra freezes in her cot. The moon is full, but the night is overcast, so she strained to see in the darkness when she sat up. A small cluster of bushes lined the clearing she was sleeping in, along with gnarled old trees that cast needle-like shadows across the grass from the firelight.

When she listened, there are no bells or hoofsteps, so it can't be a carriage approaching. Besides, this doesn't sound like the clatter is wheels on a dirt path, but a rasping scrape over gravel.

Movement in one of the further bushes. The clouds part. A shaft of moonlight glints off something shining among the leaves and brambles.

It's nighttime. She’s the only one awake in the camp. She’s heard tales of a beast stalking the countryside: the Fen Lion. A ghost, a monster, a hoax, depending on who you ask. It'd make an awfully good story if she saw it. That was the plan of this excursion, anyway— The King wanted to rid the kingdom of the creature stirring terror, and Rapunzel’s answer to that was to find it and ask it nicely to leave, or at least settle down. Of course, that dragged Cassandra and Eugene into the “quest”, as well, which was why they were sleeping out in the middle of the woods in the first place. Rapunzel had said something about the creature possibly having answers to the Black Rocks, which was a horrible way to convince them to agree, yet here they were.

Cassandra stood up slowly. The dying fire only provided some visibility outside the perimeter of the camp, so she had to squint—not that it helped. She had to go check out the sound, though. It could be a threat or someone in trouble. Or maybe she was just really curious, plain and simple.

She liked to do things thoroughly, so she grabbed her sword and slunk out of the fire’s glow and into the woods. She made sure to keep low and in the shadows, hoping the crunching of leaves and twigs beneath her boots weren’t as loud as she was hearing them.

Silent as a ghost, Cassandra paused just at the edge of the brush where she swore she heard the rustling. If she listened very carefully, she could hear something breathing.

She wondered if it could hear her heartbeat, which seemed to thunder in her ears.

Instead, there is a whimper. And then, slowly, something poked out of the dense cluster of leaves. Cassandra’s breath catches.

It isn’t the Fen Lion, but it is a wolf. It’s yellow eyes seem to glow in the dark, but as it swings its head from side to side, looking up and down the road, Cassandra can’t help but think that it looks scared. The wolf just looks so sad. Her heart goes out to it.

She stepped a little closer. After hesitating for a moment, she extended her hand. The wolf sniffs it; it’s definitely a flesh-and-blood animal, not a ghost.

“What’s wrong?” She asked. “Can I do anything?”

She wasn’t actually expecting an answer, but it replied with a strange combination of yelps and rumbles. Suddenly, clicking fills the air, and it goes silent. It glances up and growls. Cassandra looks up, too.

Good news: She found the Fen Lion.

Bad news: She found the Fen Lion.

It was a lot bigger than she was expecting, as tall as the trees themselves, which made her wonder how it had taken them so long to find it. It was also a lot less lion and a lot more snake because it had a flat, serpent-like head and was covered in iridescent scales that glinted in the moonlight leaking down from the canopy of leaves overhead. A tail with a menacing barb at the end flicked back and forth in the dirt. Eyes a color Cassandra has never seen before narrowed and, suddenly, there’s a large paw pinning her to the ground.

Cassandra tried to yell, but had no choice but to shut her mouth when razor sharp claws pressed into her flesh. She clenched her jaw, feeling utterly helpless as the creature weighed her down.

The Fen Lion rotated its head like an owl would, which doesn’t sit well with Cassandra’s stomach. She squirmed again, but the talons press harder and she hisses in pain.

“What do you want?” She spat with as much ferocity as one could muster when pinned beneath a giant monster that could kill them with one swipe.

The Fen Lion tilted its head to the other side, then a giant frill opened up along its neck, bordering the skull like a mane.

Maybe that’s where the name came from, then...

Colors flowed through the scales like a waterfall- red, blue, green, purple, yellow, pink, orange, red again; Cassandra felt like she was being hypnotized. She struggled once more, but was halted when a sharp pain seared through her left side. She looked down and was horrified to find the creature’s stringer embedded in her flesh.

The Fen Lion tipped its head up and almost seemed to be smirking smugly at her. It made a series of clicking noises and wrenched the stringer to the side, causing Cassandra to whimper in pain. She began to worry if it was going to kill her or gore her with its tail, but then the tip pulled out with a small spurt of blood.

The Fen Lion lifted its claws from where they had Cassandra pinned and stepped back. Another animalistic smirk twisted on its snout until Cassandra can no longer see it when inky black spilled over the scales and camouflaged it with the night. She can only stare in shock at where it used to be and listen to its footsteps walk away.

There, Cassandra lays until dawn. By then, the bleeding has stopped and she can see the wound clearly- it’s a tiny little thing, only around the size of her thumb, but had a mouth of red flames and drooled pus down her waist. At least, she thought it was pus. It did look a little too dark to be such a fluid, but it also wasn’t red, so it couldn’t be blood. When Owl flew down at her weak whistle, he took one sniff and reeled back in disgust.

“Great,” Cassandra grunted. She tried to sit up, but her limbs felt like they were made of ten ton lead. “This is just great...”

Owl hops onto one of her arms and peers into her tired eyes with a hoot. She glowered at him.

“No, I don’t need you to go get Rapunzel and Fancy Pants.”

Another hoot.

“No, I’m not going to tell them!”

Another, this time with more skepticism.

“God, why do I even try talking to you in a crisis situation?” Cassandra grumbled. “I’m fine. It can’t even be considered a cut.” She abruptly pushed herself up, sending colorful stars bursting across her vision. She blinked rapidly to fend them off from consuming her. “See?”

Owl gave her an unamused look. She shooed him away before standing up, at least finding that a little easier. But then she takes one step forward and nearly keels over again. The “I told you so” hoot from her avian companion doesn’t help, either.

It was going to be a miserable day.

———

They saw the creature on a cliff. It was perched on a pillar of rocks further in the distance, hunched over like a lurking vulture. When it noticed the group gawking at it, it sat back on its haunches and raised its long neck and large frill.

“Oh, look at that,” Eugene said. “I wonder if that’s why it’s called a ‘Fen Lion.’”

His voice sounded a million feet away in Cassandra’s ears. She wanted to focus on his words, on Rapunzel’s amazed comments, on Max’s breathing, but she couldn’t think about anything but the colorful eyes boring into her very soul and the hole festering in her side.

———

Monday.

It’s been two days since the run in with Fen Lion, and Cassandra has cleaned up her wound pretty well, yet she woke up feeling like she had a fever. She moaned softly and lifted a hand quaking with tremors to press against her forehead; it was quite warm, much to her dismay.

“Ugh...” She groaned. “Fuck this...”

After wallowing in bed for ten more minutes, she finally hauled herself out to put on her damned lady in waiting dress. Luckily, the exertion from doing so woke up her muscles, and the feverish feeling diminished into mere warmth behind her eyes once she splashed her face with some cold water.

Perhaps the day wouldn’t be so bad after all...

———

Tuesday.

Three days since the run in with the Fen Lion, and Cassandra’s fingernails feel like they’re shooting out of her fingers. They only stop hurting when she grates them against a solid surface. Rapunzel deals with the sound it makes when she does so while cleaning her room until she can’t anymore and politely asks her to stop. Cassandra obeys and stops.

Twenty minutes later, Cassandra starts again without even realizing it.

Rapunzel doesn’t say anything this time.

———

Wednesday.

Four days since the run in with the Fen Lion, and Cassandra feels itchy and achy all over. First, it starts at the site of the injury and she accidentally makes it bleed when she rips off the bandages and scratches desperately, then it spreads to other parts of her body until it feels like she had rolled in poison ivy.

“Uhh... Cass?” Rapunzel said at dinner.

“Yeah?” Cassandra replied.

“Are you okay?”

Cassandra blinked at her. She lowered her hand from where it had been itching her neck for at least five minutes straight. The marks it made glowered a seething pink in the open air.

“Yeah.” She said again.

“Cassandra has fleas,” Eugene said helpfully.

“I do not have fleas.” Cassandra growled as she scratched behind one of her ears like an itchy dog.

She didn’t have fleas, but there was something under her skin, making its home in her body. She wanted to claw her flesh open and rip it out, and such a lust for that violent alternative scared her.

———

Thursday.

Five days since the run in with the Fen Lion, and Cassandra thinks she’s turning into it. Her insides are beginning to burn.

———

Friday.

Six days since the run in with the Fen Lion, and fangs are growing in over the teeth that are already there—flat teeth, human teeth. Those have to go.

Her joints ache from kneeling on the cold stone floor of her bedroom; even the thin cloth of her lady in waiting dress does not dispel the chill.

The scales don’t come in right, growing into her skin, itching and scratching. She rakes her long, hooked nails over her ribs until she rips her dress and draws blood and yellow pus.

New joints bristle beneath her flesh, as itchy as the scales.

There are bruises on her wrists and wasted biceps, purple and yellow. No fault of anybody- her skin has become so delicate that even the gentlest bump against a surface leaves a mark.

Fever chills, seizures, blood from her bitten tongue, staining her blankets and drying in a crusty mess on her face.

She bars the door to her room and tells a passing guard with the most human voice she could muster that she would not be turning up to work that day.

———

Saturday.

Seven days since the Fen Lion ran off to a new location, and Eugene was strolling the halls of the castle after third training with the guards. An oncoming storm caused them to end early, which was fine. That meant he could go see Rapunzel sooner than usual.

However, on the way there he finds Cassandra in a dark corridor that was lit only by the crackling torches thanks to the dark grey, nearly black clouds outside. She was clenching a basket of clothes she was supposed to wash, and leaning against the wall. Such a moment where she let her guard down was a strength for Eugene in their ongoing feud over who could insult the other the most, so he quickly slid into the opportunity at full force.

“Too weak to even carry some clothes, Cassandra?” He teased. “And here I thought you were strong! Here, let me.”

He took the basket of clothes without permission or waiting for a response, and found that it was way lighter than he expected. He internally laughed; this was too easy!

He opened his mouth to make another remark and essentially gain another point on his side, but stopped when he realized that Cassandra hadn’t snapped at him or yelled or even taken a swing. She showed no signs of annoyance or anger.

“Cassandra?” Eugene waved a hand in front of her face- no reaction. “Cass?”

Eugene set the basket down and leaned over. Cassandra’s cheeks have an odd color tinting them. He also notices her eyes are kind of glassy and she’s…hot. Like, fever hot. He bends closer and sets his hands on the girl’s shoulders to steady her, and he can feel her shaking slightly. She opens her mouth and pants like a tired animal, and her teeth look really sharp. Glinting.

Cassandra reached out and gripped his arms for some kind of grounding, and her nails start tearing his sleeves. But that isn’t normal, is it? No, because she has claws and there’s a tiny hole with black, root-like veins in her side that Eugene can see when her shirt lifts up slightly.

“I think something is wrong with me,” Is what Cassandra whispered hoarsely right before she goes unconscious in his arms.

———

Saturday.

Seven days since the run in with the Fen Lion- since the Fen Lion ran off to a new location— since the Fen Lion stung its prey, and there’s an unconscious girl in Eugene’s bed and claw marks on his neck and back.

The rumbling, fire breathing sky is pouring out rain, and the wind was howling as if the kingdom was falling beneath its elemental talons. Raindrops that had to be as big as oranges pattered against Eugene’s bedroom windows loudly, making him worry that they may break, but he quickly turned his attention to the bigger issue at hand.

Cassandra is struggling to stay awake. She’s breathing harshly and blinking her eyes rapidly, fighting to keep away black spots from her vision—or maybe it was to keep back tears. Eugene would have teased her for the latter option if it weren’t for the intense worry he was feeling. Cassandra looked like death itself. Her skin was paler than usual, except for her cheeks, which were dark red from fever. Her face was soaked in sweat, plastering tendrils of damp black hair to her forehead. Not to mention the obvious claws and fangs and seemingly-infected hole in her side.

“Cassandra, can you hear me?” Eugene called out. He sat down on the side of the bed, carefully brushed back her sweaty bangs, and placed a wet cloth on her forehead. Doing so elicits a small noise of relief through grinding breaths and feeble whimpers. “What happened to you?”

“F-Fen Lion,” Cassandra panted. Her eyelids flutter shut for a moment, but she forces them back open. “It-it stung me. During th-the night.”

Eugene grimaced. He wouldn’t say he was surprised, though; hiding a possibly-venomous and fatal wound was very in character for Cassandra.

“Geez, Cass...” Eugene muttered. “I should get the doctor and Rapunz-”

“No—” Cassandra reached out and grabbed Eugene by the sleeve. “I-I d-didn’t just let you c-carry me here for y-you to blow it.” It was impossible to see her as threatening when she was like this and her voice was shaking so badly her words could barely be discerned. Eugene gently eased her back into a lying position, but she kept talking. “Y-you can’t—you can’t—” Her eyes become very cloudy. Eugene quickly swipes up the rag, which had fallen off, and dabs Cassandra’s hot face with it.

“Easy, Cass,” He murmured. “Breathe.”

“You can’t tell anyone.” Cassandra finally forced out. “P-please. You c-can’t.”

Eugene went to argue, but then he saw the look in Cassandra’s eyes and broke. He looked away in defeat.

“Geez, don’t give me those eyes—” He sighed. “Okay. Fine. I won’t.”

Cassandra manages a weak, thin smile.

“Thank you.”

Moments later, she blacks out from exhaustion. Eugene tucks her back under the blankets, places the rag on her forehead again, then goes to see Rapunzel. He keeps his word, however, and tells her that Cassandra went on a last minute excursion with a battalion of guards that were short handed. It would take her a few days to get back, he said.

Rapunzel buys it.

———

Sunday.

Nine days since the Fen Lion ordeal, and now sometime after midnight. Cassandra is asleep in Eugene’s bed as Eugene sits by a lantern and sharpens a sword. He couldn’t help but constantly glance over at the girl he was harboring in worry, which nobody could blame him for. Especially when she began to writhe and whimper.

“Cass?” Eugene put his tools down instantly and went to the bedside.

Cassandra rolled over and stared up at Eugene with eyes he’s never seen the color of before. They looked almost like a mix between silver, red, and blue, and were filled with tears that Cassandra didn’t have the energy to hold back.

“S-something is wrong,” She croaked.

Something was wrong, Eugene knew, and not because of the illness. He, too, could hear the subtle cracks and pops of Cassandra’s bones.

The wings came first.

They started out as little bumps that Eugene saw bulging underneath Cassandra’s shirt, but then they grew out and out and out until the shirt ripped and the skin ripped and they burst free with a splattering of blood.

Cassandra was now rocking back and forth on her knees and elbows as the wings awkwardly flapped on her back, heavy from all the fluids and cocoons of flesh swaddling them. She made a pained noise no human could make, and scales began to devour her skin. Each part of her they tough gets reformed- muscles twisting and turning, tendons reconnecting, bones snapping like twigs and reshaping entirely. It was all too much for her. She lost herself to the pain.

—

Eugene clawed wildly at his face when his friend’s blood splattered into his eyes. He rubbed vigorously, trying to watch and see and monitor what was going on, but he was momentarily blinded. All he could do was listen to the cracks of bone and tear of flesh and squelch of blood and sobs of pain, and maybe even thank whatever deity that he couldn’t see.

Eventually, the noises died down, replaced by rustling and low, very nonhuman sounds. Eugene opened his eyes and stared at the creature on his bed.

It was...small. Small for a monster, at least. It had to be only slightly larger than Max and could comfortably fit in his room. Firelight glimmered against raven black and navy blue scales. Mahogany and amber speckled the folded mane of frills around the neck. The eyes were the same indescribable color from before.

“Cass?” Eugene called out cautiously.

It- the thing- Cassandra looked at him and blinked. Then, she looked at her talons and screeched. She scrambled off the bed in a panic, tripping over her own tail in the process, and smashing into the wall. Watching her stagger around and then writhe on her back with her legs flailing awkwardly in the air genuinely made Eugene laugh- he couldn’t help it! As worrying as it was to see his friend and little sister figure turn into a giant (well, moderately sized) monster, this was priceless.

And then a guard knocked on the door and ruined it all.

“What’s going on in there?” The voice demanded.

“Uhh— Nothing!” Eugene called out. He frantically tries to shut up Cassandra, but she was too caught up in her monster panic attack.

“Open this door!” The guard ordered.

Eugene obeyed, but just opened it enough to where he could just peek his head out. He attempted to reason with the guard, but the man stormed inside with his weapon drawn to find...nothing. Nothing but a trashed room, of course.

“I told you!” Eugene said after a moment of bafflement.

“What happened here?” The guard asked.

“I was training. And it got a little out of hand.” Eugene answered.

The guard looked at him like he was crazy and then sidled out without another word. Eugene quickly closed the door, locked it, then turned around frantically. In the corner, he saw a shimmer and, suddenly, Cassandra appears in a mishmash of pale green and purple scales.

“Neat trick.” Eugene commented.

Cassandra can only reply in a chirp.

———

Monday.

One day since Cassandra has become a scaly, color-changing, draconic creature, and Eugene was taking her through the forest where the Fen Lion had been, hoping to find some way to reverse the effects of being stung.

When they arrived at the spot where Cassandra’s blood was dried in the grass, Cassandra tipped her snout up and sniffed the air. Then, she clicked at Eugene and tossed her head towards her back. For a moment, the man is very confused.

“Do...you want me to get on?” He asked, slightly unsure.

Cassandra clicked again, so Eugene straddled her back as if she were a horse and not a beast that could kill him with one swing of her deadly claws if she wanted to. Before he could ask what this was about or even get a proper grip on her scales, the creature catapulted forward, nearly launching her friend off of her back.

Headed straight for a cliff side where the Fen Lion was last spotted, which dropped into another section of the woods below them, Eugene began to question Cassandra’s sanity, even if she had wings (which she didn’t know how to use just yet); however, she leapt at the last moment, although that still didn’t make this first time dragon-riding any less traumatizing.

Eugene gripped onto Cassandra’s neck with the tightness of a drowning man clutching onto the edge of a boat, and the quake that jostled through both their bodies assured him that they had landed on something. But Cassandra’s mobility did not last for long, for within the next moment, they were again airborne for another fleeting instant of terror. It seemed that, as Cassandra’s animal senses had been heightened, she could detect a grove better and far more secretive than she could have ever discovered as a human. And, Eugene had to admit, she did seem more agile and able within this state.

“I think you’re getting too comfortable in that body,” He had said mere hours ago. It seemed as fitting now as it did when he had first said it- after he woke up that morning to Cassandra relaxing in a ball in the corner of his room. But now, after being like this for just ten or so hours, her harmony with the body of the monster seemed complete, almost natural. Yet this time….this time things were different.

The jerk of the next landing sent Eugene’s thoughts and upcoming worried internal monologue flapping away with the rustling leaves Cassandra had disturbed upon her fall. Eugene looked about and saw an archway made of bark, where two branches of different trees had reached together and woven around the other. It was a magnificent sight, for the trees around them were of some mysterious species that he had never seen the like of before. Boughs twisting elegantly about themselves, and their roots jutting up and out of the ground to curl around those near. Their green leaves, shaped as majestic crowns, whistled in the gentle winds. Above, the trees sprang into a canopy, as if shielding its very existence from the outside woodland world.

“How did you find this place?” Asked Eugene, impressed with the girl (could she even be referred as such?), yet rather worried.

No chirp or growl replied. Instead, Cassandra moved onward, totally aware of all her surroundings- but was she aware of her own mind?

Indeed, Cassandra struggled, trying hard to concentrate as she propelled herself forward. She could feel her human consciousness slipping farther away with every step she took. If she could not soon learn how to muzzle the inner animal and be the alpha out of the two of them, she feared she would lose her sanity forever.

But when there came a faint odor upon the air, her mind fogged, and her last effort in fighting back the thoughts of the monster failed.

All at once Cassandra reared, and Eugene was thrown to the ground. Brown tumbled before his eyes, and he tossed back his bangs to watch in horror as Cassandra excitedly sniffed at the air, burnt orange and scarlet flickering through her silver and dark blue scales like fiery embers. Drool began to pour out of her mouth. He could see one of her eyes at his angle, and what reached out from Cassandra’s colored socket frightened him: an insane gaze of hunger, licking at the air it smelled.

He pushed back the fear, gaining his footing on the ground of the hidden forest. Slowly, he approached Cassandra.

“What do you smell?” He tried, hoping that his voice would force his friend’s senses to return to her.

But her reply came in an angry growl, and though every bone, muscle, and nerve within Eugene screamed for him to back away...he moved closer.

“Cassandra...it’s me. Eugene. You’re okay. There’s nothing to be afraid of. I won’t let anything hurt you.”

And for a moment, the true eyes of the monster seemed to flash with Eugene’s answer, but a savage darkness regained the creature quickly, and it sped off under the archway of the trees.

“No, Cassandra! Wait!” Eugene cried, racing after the girl.

There were so many winding paths, closed in by the density of the woods, and Eugene soon found himself becoming lost. It seemed that the wood was a labyrinth, narrowing in some tunnels, others ending abruptly by rows of trees. Yet there were still few pathways for any visitor to stray through; though, as Eugene soon discovered, some of the roads twisted about into areas he thought looked the same as other places he had already passed. This forest...it felt like a place where humans should never roam.

Just as he thought he had lost himself completely within the woodland maze, Eugene heard the trickling of rushing water. He guided himself along by his ears until he spotted, between a patch of trees, a spring which filtered lightly along two small waterways. Along the muddy bank were talon prints far too big for a regular animal. His companion wasn’t completely gone yet.

Eugene did not have time to pat himself on the back for solving his missing dragon problem, however. He needed to find out what had happened to Cassandra- both with her being what she was now and what just happened. He doubted that the confusion of this place had bothered her ability to navigate, for it was in an animal’s nature to be able to sniff their way out of any dangerous circumstance. Yet, what was it that Cassandra had smelled on the air? Eugene could detect no odor other than the scent of the rain sticking to the leaves and bark in the cold morning air. Although, he had nowhere near the amount of olfactory cells she had, so it was no wonder he didn’t catch onto what she noticed.

Eugene no longer had to rely on his muddy path when he heard a shuffling noise coming from further ahead. In an upcoming clearing, the fire orange and caramel brown and ocean blue dragon was hunched over some object. Eugene approached slowly as to not startle her, but when he came to Cassandra, he was the one who was horrified.

Cassandra crouched over long dead travelers, the smell of their clothes and hair and flesh a putrid perfume. Eugene nearly vomited but he composed himself within an instant. What exactly did Cassandra think she was doing? Her jaws ripped at the leather armor and garments covering one ancient man, the rotting flesh exposed to the cooling rain that continued to drench their bodies.

“Do you know what you’re doing? Don’t you dare!” Eugene yelled, running up to her.

Cassandra turned and, lowered on her haunches, growled insanely at his figure. She rattled her stinger on some rocks as a warning not to come any closer. Deep red bubbled through her scales, and Eugene halted mid-step and backed away only a few paces. His friend had truly become deranged, he could see.

“Stop that right now! You’re not like this! This isn’t you!”

Cassandra ignored his presence and dug her maw back into the decayed flesh. She tore at all her teeth could reach, feasting upon the dead victim with a passion that scared Eugene. How would he ever….

“Cassandra, do you understand what you’re doing? You have to stop right now. If you don’t, you’ll just be another monster, just like the thing that made you into this.”

Eugene didn’t mean for his words to come out like shards of glass, but maybe the harshness of his tone would make Cassandra realize what exactly she was scarfing down and bring back her human mind.

It didn’t.

No, instead, Cassandra snarled like a wild dog with rabies. She flexed her claws in the dirt before rising up on her hind legs to her full height, easily towering over Eugene. She spread her wings and flared her ruff, letting dark red billow through her scales. Even in the dull, grey lighting of the rainstorm, her eyes still glinted with the ferocity and hunger of a feral beast.

For a long moment Eugene wondered who he was even looking at anymore. Was that Cassandra? Or was it the creature? Had she lost herself to the beast within? It seemed that way, with her claws primed for blood and her jaws dripping with gore.

And yet? He held out his hand. He held back a flinch as blood dripped to his fingers and palm, held tight to the ridges on her back with the other arm as red smeared up across the scales. He held her face, held his breath, and held tight to all the courage he could muster.

The beast he was clinging onto let out a long, guttural snarl that vibrates Eugene’s rib cage as he’s pressed against the thing’s softer underbelly. Hooked, barbed black claws raise up and hover mere inches away from his back. He feels blood and drool and maybe some foam drip onto his head and run in gooey trails down the back of his neck.

The deadly talons flex, just barely tear the fabric of his shirt, and then fall down limply to the monster’s side.

Cassandra, and Eugene was sure now that it was still Cassandra, stooped down to press her head to his chest. Though mute in this form, he could see the grimace on her mouth and imagine the words she was longing to say.

“I’m sorry”

Eugene gently strokes one of his quivering hands over the top of Cassandra’s head. He murmurs to her softly and it doesn’t matter how softly he speaks because he knows she will always hear him soothing her.

For a long time, man and monster stay tangled in an embrace. Eventually, though, Cassandra pulls away so she can revert forms and be free from this animalistic insanity that shrouds her mind.

The transformation is forced and as painful as the first one that day, but it leaves behind more throbbing and burning in her exhausted muscles. She blinks away black spots and then shook her head, like she was trying to expel the remnants of her feral thoughts. Her horns and webbed frill remain in this form, along with her tail, which is tucked in between her legs like a scared dog’s. Ironically, she’s not trembling in the form with flesh and no clothing. Eugene immediately shut his eyes and put his cowl on her, buttoning and tying it securely, seeing Cassandra was a bit too out of it to do it herself or even be embarrassed over her nudity.

“Are you all right?” Eugene asked. The rain is beginning to lessen its brutality as it lashed against their bodies.

Cassandra did not respond. Instead, her face became rather pale, which was impressive given that she was already ghost white. More concerned than curious, Eugene raised a hand as if to draw her attention up to his eye level. However, in that moment, Cassandra buckled to the opposite side, a line of vomit splattering from her lips. She sank to her knees, clutching her stomach. As she rocked herself, Eugene placed a hand against her forehead.

“I’m not feeling that great,” Cassandra gurgled through cringing lips.

“You’re not kidding.” Eugene said, “Must have been...”

He stopped because Cassandra retched again, so she most likely didn’t want to be reminded of what exactly she had done in her feral state. It didn’t help that she was still wet with blood, gore, and goop from decayed human flesh. She vomits once more.

“I’m just gonna...sit here for a moment.” She panted.

“That’s alright.” Eugene assured her, rubbing her back and quickly pulling her messy hair out of the way. “It’s okay, Cass, it’s okay. Just get it out.”

She was trying. She was trying really hard but it came to a point where her body felt like it didn’t need to throw up anymore and was ready to start feeling normal again. But she wasn’t ready. She became so desperate to purge the human flesh from her stomach that she half-mutated one of her arms and shoved monstrous fingers down her throat just to make herself vomit again.

“Cassandra!”

Eugene grabbed both of her wrists, feeling one of them shift back to normal beneath his fingers. Cassandra is crying, struggling to breathe over an oncoming panic attack that’s taking over her mind, just like the inner monster had.

“It’s okay, Cass. It’s okay. It’s over now. Nobody is going to hurt you, I promise.”

Cassandra whimpered and shook her head as tears spilled over.

“Other people aren’t going to be the ones doing the hurting.”

Eugene stared at her in disbelief as she sobbed below him.

“It’s like I was hallucinating,” Cassandra started softly, “I couldn’t control myself anymore. I smelled meat and thought I saw something, so I went after it. Eugene, I was hunting them.”

Cassandra put her head in her hands and shook it miserably. Her frill droops and fades into a mix between deep blue and pale green- sadness and fear, if Eugene had to guess.

“Oh god, Eugene, I’m a monster. I’m no different than the other creatures!”

“Don’t say that.” Eugene said firmly, “You are not them.”

“I chased the people I saw,” Cassandra whispers hoarsely, “I chased them to the ends of this place and they ran from me. They were scared of me.”

“You won’t be like that.” Eugene assured her. “It’s alright. I promise.”

“No,” Cassandra croaked, shaking her head softly. “No, no it’s…s’not alright, is it? For you to be-”

“Cassandra, honey,” Eugene interrupted softly with a sigh.

Suddenly, there’s hands cupping either sides of her cheeks and she flinches, then waits for her neck to be snapped. It’s the fate she deserved. But, instead, her chin is lifted and she makes eye contact with Eugene kneeling in front of her.

“Whatever you’re going to say, save it.” He said. “There’s no use, because you’re not going to get rid of me.”

“But-“

“But nothing.” Eugene stopped her. “If you think you being infected with some dragon gene that turns you into a creature is going to be the defining factor that ends the dynamic we have going on, then you must be crazy AND too weak to hold a basket of clothes.”

That prompts the smallest laugh out of Cassandra. She sniffled and leaned forward, collapsing into Eugene’s arms. He practically pulled her into his lap, but she couldn’t really care. She was dying to be held after all that’s happened, and Eugene seemed happy to comply with that need.

“Plus,” Eugene went on. His fingers stroked delicately through Cassandra’s tangled hair. “Okay, actually, first- we seriously need to get your a proper hairbrush. What is with this bedhead style?”

“Shut up,” Cassandra growled. She quickly shut her mouth when she felt her monster rumble within her and she buried her face against Eugene’s chest, trembling again. The arms around her hold her even closer, more securely.

“Anyway,” Eugene continued. “It’d be a huge bummer if I couldn’t tell people my little sister was a dragon...hybrid...thing.”

“Your...sister?” Cassandra echoed. She peeked up at Eugene, but whipped her head right back down when she saw that stupid smirk on his face.

“What should I call you? You’re clearly more than a friend.” Eugene mused. “Just not in that way. No offense, but I would NEVER date you.” He paused. “What about platonic significant annoyance?”

Cassandra snorted against his chest. She could scales bristling back up along her shoulders, but she couldn’t bring herself to care at that moment.

“No, I- I like sister.” She said shyly.

“Sister it is, then...sis.”

“Don’t wear it out.”

Eugene shifts her in his arms, but doesn’t let go. She feels him press a kiss to the top of her head and her ears flame red.

“We’ll get through this, Cass. I promise.”

“I’m just- I’m so glad you’re okay,” Cassandra whispered. “I don’t know what I’d do if I-“

“It’s not going to happen,” Eugene answered definitely. “I’m okay and you’re going to be okay too, Cass. You’ll see.”

If it were anyone else speaking these words to her, Cassandra would have never believed them. But Eugene, with all his frustrating flaws, was different. And maybe, just maybe, one day Cassandra would be able to see herself the same way he saw her.

#tangled the series #rapunzel’s tangled adventure #tangled #tts cassandra #tts eugene #eugene fitzherbert #tts rapunzel #tts fanfiction #tts fanfic #tw: blood #tw: vomit #tw: emetophobia

[ginny-rose-sixx]

What the Fork? Ch 1

Story Summary:

Eva Rozlyn "Roz" Roberts accidentally time travels when she fiddles with her time turner while watching The Dirt. She ends up in 1981 in the Mötley apartment. How will the Crüe react? Will she ever be able to get back to 2020? Will Roz be able to handle their way of life? Will she ever be able to control the time travel?

A/N:

I decided to start putting my story ‘What the Fork’ on Tumblr in addition to AO3 and WattPad (11 chapters). I wanted to organize my writing some more. Since I plan on this being a very long book and I want to make it a series, I want to take notes on my chapters so that I avoid continuity errors. Also, if I find any grammatical errors that I missed I will fix those. With the notes and everything, I thought that I would start putting this up here as well. As time goes on, I may do alternate takes on chapters and stuff like that. 

Oh, and the title is a bit of a funny story. When I first was trying to come up with a title, I asked for my boyfriend’s help. I told him the premise of the story and a summary of the first chapter. The first words out of his name were, “What the fuck???” And I was like, “Ok, there we go.” Of course, I wasn’t gonna swear in the title even though I do in the story. So, I decided to make a reference to the tv show ‘The Good Place’.

Pairing: Not disclosed to reader yet

Warnings: swearing

Word count: 1886

Chapter One

Eva Rozlyn Roberts, aka Roz, was sick of waiting for her friend to pick her up. She was supposed to be going to her first ever convention. She was dressed as a Gryffindor witch. She started to fiddle with parts of her costume. First, she was twirling her Newt Scamander replica wand for a while. *Why on Earth am I still waiting for her?* Roz wondered. Roz put her wand up her sleeve, and she tried calling her friend Katy for what felt like the 100th time that day.

After the voicemail picked up again, Roz decided to start watching The Dirt again. She had lost track of how many times she had watched the movie and listened to the songs since the movie came out. As she watched the movie, she took out a time turner necklace and started twirling it in all of the different directions. *I wish I had never agreed to go with Katy. She always forgets about me or bails.* She dropped the necklace and started to braid her hair.

 About an hour into the movie, Roz had already braided her hair so that it hung over her left shoulder. Her hair was black and it had deep red highlights all throughout. When she started twirling her time turner necklace again, a faint blue tendril of light started twisting around her fingers and slowly working its way up her arms. Before she even noticed it, the light was covering the entirety of her forearms. She immediately stopped playing with the time turner and started to panic. *Time turners are NOT even real! I cannot deal with this. I just turned 19 and I have to move soon. Fuck! What’s gonna happen to Hope?* The blue light had engulfed her and no matter how hard she tried; she couldn't get the time turner out of her hands. The last thought she had before she blacked out was *I hope she’s safe and that I’m at least gonna go somewhere fun.....*

 *******************

 The guys had just finished agreeing on a name. Mötley Crüe was finally a reality. They kept drinking together and didn't pay any attention to the strange blue light emanating from under the table. After a few hours, Tommy exclaimed, "Dudes, the only thing that could make this better would be for a chick to be here!"

 After a pull from his beer Vince laughed and asked, "Where exactly do you expect a chick to come from?"

 Mick growled sarcastically, "In a ball of light ya dumbass."

 Tommy's eyes lit up with teenage enthusiasm. "Ya really think so Mick?"

 Nikki just laughed and said, "He was joking dork."

 By then the light had waned and then, all of a sudden, it flashed back out from under the table. It engulfed the Crüe and Vince screamed. Once the light was gone Mick was shocked. "Seriously, I was joking about the light. What the fuck's going on under the table?"

 Tommy ducked his head under the table and immediately popped his head back up. "Dudes, I can't believe it.  I think I drank too much! There's a fuckin chick under the table!"

 Nikki cackled "T-bone quit fuckin around! Is there even anything other than trash under there?"

 Tommy glared and pouted "I'm not joking. Just look for yourself dude!"

 Mick grunted in pain as he got down on the floor and saw the strangest thing. There was girl who was maybe in her older teens. Her sudden appearance wasn't the only strange thing. She had unnatural black and red hair that was braided. She was also in what looked to be a school uniform. She had a red and black plaid skirt, knee high socks, odd combat like boots, a black blouse, a dark grey cardigan with a lion crest on it, and oddest of all a cloak. Mick decided that they needed to at least get her out from under the table. Maybe wake her if possible. "Nikki stop your cackling and help me move her to the couch."

 "Fine, fine" Nikki said as he rolled his eyes.

 Tommy and Vince moved the table and Mick carefully lifted her head and shoulders with a grimace while Nikki got her legs. Once they got her on the couch, Vince decided to bail to his girlfriend’s place, "Sorry, but I'm not sober enough for this shit. I'll be back later."

 Tommy leaned over the girl and asked, "Where do you guys think she came from?"

 Nikki shrugged, "Fuck if I know. Wake her up and see."

 Tommy started to poke her in the cheek. She mumbled "...5 mur min mum..." Tommy giggled and then decided to poke her sharply in the side. The girl's emerald eyes flew open as she shot into a sitting position.

 She screamed and flailed her arms which resulted in smacking Tommy in the face. "What the fork? Son of a bitch! What kind of asshole jabs someone they don't know in the side? Seriously, what the fuck?!"

 The guys looked at her with wide eyes and then at each other. "Well Mick you're the one who said a chick would come from a ball of light.  What do you think we should do with her?" Nikki asked.

 Mick chuckled "Your apartment, you guys figure it out.  I'm gonna just drink more."

 Sitting up fully and looking around the room, the girl was disoriented.  "She's right here and she even has a name! She also wants to know who you guys are and where she is," she snapped at them.

 Tommy sat next to her on the couch and responded, "Well I'm Tommy, that's Nikki and that's Mick. You are in our apartment."

 "Well theirs" Mick said pointing between Tommy and Nikki with his bottle of Jack.

 "Now your turn" Nikki said pointedly to her.

 Roz nervously tucked her legs under herself and hugged her knees. Looking down at the floor Roz said, "I'm Roz, that's all you're going to get from me right now. I want to know what city I'm in and what year it is. I've learned from books, TV, and movies that fresh out of a ball of light you figure out where and when you are."

 Tommy's brow knitted and he said, "Um its 1981 and you're in Los Angeles. Uh I guess that means I should ask you; where and when are you from Roz?"

 She looked with wide eyes between Mick and Nikki before settling back on Tommy. "Please don't freak out," she said quietly. As she looked down at her boots, she mumbled, "I'm from Madison, WI, and I was in the year 2020. I was born July 1, 2001 so I turned 19 a week ago in my time.”

 Nikki snorted, and Tommy elbowed him before he interrupted, “Seriously dude?? You’re from the future AND from Wisconsin?? How the fuck did you get here? Also, why under the table?”

 “I have no clue Tommy, I was just messing around with my necklace and then POOF………” Roz trailed off and then stared wide-eyed at Mick, Tommy, and then fixed her eyes on Nikki. She had finally realized who she was with. “Holy fucking shit balls!!!!!! M-Mick Mars? T-Tommy Lee? …. A-a-an-and N-ni-Nikki S-ss-Sixx?” She continued stare at Nikki who, after a bit, narrowed his eyes at her before turning to Mick and Tommy.

 “How the hell does she know who we are?” Nikki wondered.

 Mick shrugged and Tommy laughed and said, “Wait dude, she’s from the future, right? We’re probably famous. Hey Roz is that how you know us?”

 “Shit, I shouldn’t have let that bit slip. This better not fuck up the space time continuum. I refuse to tell you guys about your futures.” She said wildly staring at Tommy.

 “Ok… ok… What should we do with her until we figure out if she can even go home?” Tommy asked turning to Nikki.

 “Well we can claim she is related to one of us,” suggested Nikki. “Hey Mick want a sister or a cousin?”

 Mick shook his head and chuckled slightly. “If she’s gonna be my cousin I wanna know her whole name.  So, lady teen, what’s your name?”

 “Seriously Mick? Lady teen? Ugh fine, my name is Eva Rozlyn Roberts. I prefer Roz though.” She looked between the guys and then around the disgusting living room. “So… um…. Where am I going to live? If I recall this place only has the 2 rooms and Vince and Tommy already share one of them.” She thought for a moment, *Honestly, I hope they say I have to share with Vince and Tommy. Sharing with Nikki would be nerve wracking.*

 “Seriously dude, it’s creepy how much you know about us. You can share the room with me and Vince. I know Nikki ain’t gonna wanna share.” Tommy said looking like a hopeful puppy.

 “I guess that works. I’m gonna need something other than my costume to wear guys. I can’t always walk around LA dressed as a character from Harry Potter.” Roz said.

 “Wait who’s this Harry guy?” Nikki asked frowning.

 Roz giggled, “He’s the main character from a series of books that started in the late 90’s. He is a wizard and goes to a magical boarding school. It’s my favorite series of books ever. Right now, I’m wearing the Gryffindor version of the Hogwarts uniform. I also have a time turner necklace and a replica of Newt Scamander’s wand.”

 Mick rolled his eyes, “ So let me get this straight. You just decided to dress like a wizarding school girl and then play with magical objects?”

 Roz’s face clouded over, “Well I was supposed to be going to a convention with my friend Katy. Bitch never actually picked me up. I was fiddling around with the time turner necklace while watching a movie. Then I was in a blue light and passed out. Seriously, magic isn’t real. At least it wasn’t until the time turner decided to spaz out and actually work.”

 Nikki smirked and asked, “Are you sure you’re not a witch? You’re already a time traveler. Why not be a witch too?”

 “Bro do you really think she’s a witch? That would be so cool!!!” Tommy turned to Roz and asked, “Do you think that your wand will work too?”

 Roz giggled, “That would be amazing, although I doubt it does. But damn is it getting late or what? Any chance we can go back over this after some sleep?”

 “Well Tommy show her to Vince’s bed. I think it would be hilarious if Vin came back while she was sleeping in his bed.” Nikki says lighting up a cigarette.

 Tommy turned to Roz, “I should have some sweatpants and a shirt for you to wear.”

 “Tommy I hope you’ve got some workout shorts because your legs are way to long,” Roz said as she followed Tommy. Tommy handed her some shorts and a t-shirt and pointed out Vince’s bed. “Thanks Tommy.”

  After Tommy left the room Roz shut the door and changed. She folded her clothes and stuffed them in the pillowcase, and she still wore the time turner and kept the wand in its sheath on her forearm. She laid down and her last thought before sleep claimed her was of how strange this all is.

#accidental time travel #fanfic #fanfiction #motley crue #motley crue fanfiction #motley crue x ofc #motley crue fanfic #nikki sixx #nikki sixx x oc #nikki sixx x ofc #nikki sixx fanfiction #nikki sixx fanfic #tommy lee #tommy lee x ofc #tommy lee x oc #tommy lee fanfic #tommy lee fanfiction #original female character #eva rozlyn -roz- roberts #roz is my ofc #comedy #romance #drama #slow burn #what the fork fanfiction #what the fork

[hpdabbles]

That’s not my name Sir.

Harry James Potter is the storybook hero who comes to life for the majority of the wizarding world. He defeated the leader of a terrorist group that had been raging war against their country at age one and a few months. 

Avenging his parents' death while also making it possible to finally let the war end in one single casting. He then went on to live in a disclosure location but a few of his adventures were leaked to the press. 

Some of the favorites of these adventures for young witches and wizards were the boy’s knack for finding trouble and fixing it no matter where he went. He had been rumored to stoping a werewolf pack form attacking a muggle city, then had been spotted riding on the back of unicorns who lead him to a group of missing children a week later. 

Harry Potter the series, was a collection of the boy's heroic exploits, each broken down in a couple of books for the magical world’s pleasure and delight. Everyone knew that the stories were all gathered from mouths of eye-witnesses and the publishing company placed a warning label indicating some of the details to be inaccurate but they were small things like “Harry Potter was wearing a blue scarf, not a red one when he fist fought a vampire from harming a young muggle girl”.

Then there were the research and magical academic journals inspired by the young Potter. The sight of his unknown spell which finally vanquished You-Know-Who, had left such a heavy leftover traces of advance magic all originating from Harry Potter crib that it opens entire new theories and possible a field or two. The higher education side of the magical world flocked to the areas Harry Potter was said to be spotted and each time, indicated to the boy’s large and powerful magic. No one really knew what the readings and test results from these areas could be used for, but any untaped energy bursts could make any academic egghead woozy in gleeful joy.

Overall, there are sixty books that reference one Harry James Potter and that is quite the number of books for a community so small as theirs. It can be well said that everyone and anyone who is someone with magic,  had heard of the name Harry Potter. Even across the waters and into other countries this is true due  to the book series being translated

No one really knew where Harry Potter lived but they had tracking spells that informed everyone he was at least in Britain land and seemed to be relatively safely following the laws. These spells and charms let the public know their hero was nearby and able to help should the need arise again.

This is why one stress Ministry of Magic intern is very worried about informing his boss of the latest dreadful news. His coworkers had already been using him to summon coffee and quill through the tedious of forms, meaning they saw no reason why he couldn’t be the office sacrificial lamb. 

He has practically been acting like one for the past three months. 

“Excuse me..um Head Auror sir?” 

“What is it now?”

“Um..well I just been sent to inform you that we...ugh..misplaced Harry Potter. In fact, a recent study of the charms...indicate that Potter has been missing for..um five days now. But he’s not dead.”

“...what do you mean?”

The intern shift, holding his clipboard in front of him as if though it would shield him from the sitting man. “We misplaced Harry Potter sir. No one can find him or the trace indicating he’s...um where he should be. His name hasn’t appeared on the desased list, which um, means, his magic is still active. Since he has no wand we are aware of...this means the boy isn’t dead... Sir.”

“I heard you the first time, Horn, I want to know how someone can misplace a seven-year-old child!”

The intern looks like he’s going to break down sobbing. “I don’t know sir. I just work in intel. I’m new.”

“For the love of Merlin-! Moody get in here! I’m assigning you to a missing child case and you better find this child!”

Five days before this poor intern is spent shaking in place and taking notes while the field Aurors gove over every detail of one of the biggest celebrities' disappearance, something was happening. 

 That something was in a perfectly normal muggle house where a perfectly normal family thank you very much, and a perfectly normal boy is rob his Aunt and uncle for any money they have while they sleep and is slipped out into the night hoping to make it to the train station before the performers left.

This young boy saw on the telly a show of teens who ran away from home to join the circus and the boy is determined to do the same. It’s his luck that he somehow finds all of the circus train door open. He climbs in, wishes that no one finds him until they cross the country line, and with a soft pop in his ears, his wish comes true.

He is effectively gone off the grid, both in the ones he’s aware of and the ones he is not.

This boy is ever so happy that if he wishes hard enough the knives he throws never miss a mark upon the performers discovering him because it means he can help in one of the shows and can be useful.

The circus crew aren’t as open to the idea. They make a fuss about sending him back but there are no records of who he is nor any missing person reports with his description. It honestly seems as if he just appeared from thin air.

When asked what his name is, the boy of seven years realizes that they may use his name to find his aunt or uncle and being sent back there after he stole from them, could be a death sentence if he ever heard one.

That’s why, when faced by the ringleader, the boy with messy dark hair, bright green eyes, and a lightning scar, opens his mouth to say his name. He thinks of the flowers and herbs he had to plant this summer stringing them together in a hopeful convincing matter.  “I’m Basil Irises and I want to be a knife thrower.”

It takes ten days of no one claiming the young child but eventfully, the circus does add a new assistant to their act. Basil, is happily adopted by everyone in the circus collectively though the ringleader is more or less his legal guardian and he travels with them for the following years happy as a clam.

A knife-throwing clam with aunts who trapeze above his head and an uncle who makes lions jump throw hoops. And many more family members who do something else extraordinary. A few of them even teach him a few tricks. 

He learns his maths from a strong man. He learns to read and write from three of the clowns. Science from the man who is shot out the canon. He learns French from one of his trapeze aunts. 

Never once does he think of Harry Potter again. 

Not until the Ringleader named Rig but whose family spitefully calls Squib realizes that Basil has received a letter from a certain school inviting him to attend at the age of eleven. He refuses to hear any protest Basil has on the matter.

“This a chance for a better life! A chance I never got,” Rig says fighting back some tears that has Basil freezing in place. If there is one person Basil can’t stand to hurt it’s Old Man Rig. He’s like a grandfather to him.  “You are going, young man”

Basil Irises sends his acceptance letter to Hogwarts that same day bitter about being sent to a boarding school but happy to spend the night in Old Man Rig’s trailer talking about the world he is now apart of. 

The wishing he had been doing since he was seven is magic and he is about to go to a school filled with other children just like him. Rig promises to have him brought to the circus every summer no matter where they are traveling at the time. This mollifies Basil. 

His letter is read by an older woman around Rig’s age, who marks down another muggle-born has accepted but seeing as the boy’s adopted guardian is a Squib knows that she is not needed to go and explain what magic is to him. She turns her sadden eyes to the pile of letters addressed to Harry Potter but none of the owls have been able to find, flying back confused as they can not find a boy with that name.

She closes her eyes, sends a mental apology to two of her former students who are now buried and gone, wishing she could bring their son home.

#hpdabbles #That's not my Name sir #Part 1 #In which Basil Irises lies #and joins the circius #Every one is looking for him #Random plot bunny #Harry Potter is still missing

[scarletwelly-boots]

Books Read 2020

I started off really good this year, what with quarantine and all. And then I got sidetracked by reading one hundred and forty-nine fanfics (and counting) (mostly Destiel; CW can kiss my ass). 

I read 30 books this year, which I thought was bad, but apparently I only read 24 last year, so not awful. I did the Popsugar reading challenge for the fifth year. There were 50 categories this year, so 60% isn’t too bad. So without further ado, let’s get started under the cut.

1. The Mermaid, The Witch, and the Sea, Maggie Tokuda-Hall (a book that’s published in 2020). This book, y’all. My god. It has it all: pirates, queer relationships, genderfluid characters, an intense plot. This book was so good. I definitely recommend this book. Pirates!!! And gay!

2. Somebody Told Me, by Mia Siegert (a book by a trans or nonbinary author). I don’t know how Siegert identifies, but I know they use they/them pronouns. This book was... okay but frustrating. A bigender teen, Aleks/Alexis, has a traumatic experience and moves in with their aunt and uncle, who is a newly converted Catholic priest. I liked the queer rep, but sometimes it felt like the author had these assumptions or prejudices about the Catholic church. Some of them were right, granted, and I’m not a practicing Catholic anymore so I don’t know why it pissed me off, but it bugged me anyway. So I guess if you don’t mind it seeming like the author did little to no research on Catholicism, then it’s a good book.

3. All the King’s Men, by Nora Sakavic (a bildungsroman). Who, me? Rereading my gay comfort trilogies during quarantine? It’s more likely than you think. Love the All for the Game trilogy. This is the third book in the series. It’s the best book in the trilogy. It is a series about a college sports team who play a made up sport called Exy, which is basically a more violent version of lacrosse. I’m not a huge sports fan, but the way she writes Exy matches had me on the edge of my seat. The team is made up of all “at-risk” students, the main character being a kid on the run from his mob boss dad. Trigger warning for the series for violence, sexual assault/rape, abuse, drug use, I may be missing some things. It was so good though.

4. Captive Prince, by C.S.Pacat (a book with a map). Back again with the gay comfort trilogies. This is the first book in the Captive Prince trilogy, and whoops, did I say love All For the Game? Love this series more. It’s awesome. It’s fantasy and gay and romantic. But the romance isn’t even the central part. Laurent is my favorite asshole. Damen is so sweet and sassy as fuck. HIGHLY RECOMMEND. Seriously. I can’t do this series justice.

5. The Foxhole Court, by Nora Sakavic (a book recommended by your favorite blog, vlog, podcast, or online book club). First book in the All for the Game series. What are you still doing here? Go start this trilogy!

6. Ella Enchanted, by Gail Carson Levine (a book that passes the bechdel test). This is such a good book. It was one of my favorite books when I was a kid. It’s basically a retelling of Cinderella, and if you’ve seen the movie version with Anne Hathaway, the book is way, way better. 

7. Loki: The God Who Fell to Earth, by Oscar Basaldua (a book with the same title as a movie or TV show but is unrelated to it). God, I cannot WAIT for the Loki show. Anyway, this is a new comic about Loki (obviously). I love anything with my disaster wife in it, so 100% I recommend it. 

8. As Drowning Men Clutch at Straws, by EA Roisin (a book by an author with flora or fauna in their name). Okay, so. Roisin is an Irish name that means rose, and EA Roisin is my (unpublished) pen name. In my defense, the manuscript is 186 pages long and it felt like an accomplishment when I finally finished rereading it for the first time since I finished it in 2015. Do I recommend it? I’ll let you know if it ever gets published.

9. Red White and Royal Blue, by Casey McQuiston (a book that won an award in 2019). I’m still rereading this book. I got interrupted because my sister wanted to read it and then I got a new book for my birthday. But this is, far and away, my FAVORITE BOOK. It’s so beautiful. It was very romantic (once they stopped “hating” each other), and gay. The premise sounds far-fetched: First Son of the United States falls for the Crown Prince of England. But, guys, it’s soooo gooooood. Highly, highly, highly recommend. 

10. A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor, by Hank Green (a book with only words on the cover, no images or graphics). This is the sequel to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. This was just as great as the first, but I spent a good chunk of the book vibrating with anxiety. The stakes were way higher, and I don’t think I’ve been scared while reading a book since reading Jade Green (Phyllis Reynolds Naylor) in junior high (which was fucking terrifying, btw). But I definitely recommend it!

11. Crush, by Richard Siken (a book with a pun in the title). Guys. I read this book almost every year, because it’s quick and gorgeous and the title is accurate because it absolutely crushes me. This is a collection of LGBT (more specifically, gay) poetry, and OH MY GOD. This is in my top five favorite books. I read it all the time. This is the book that made me fall in love with poetry, back in high school.

12. The Raven King, by Nora Sakavic (a book with a bird on the cover). The second book in the All for the Game series. Trigger warnings for All the King’s Men apply to this one, too. 

13. 1014: Brian Boru, by Morgan Llewelyn (a fiction or nonfiction book about a world leader). If you know me, you know I’m a complete Irish history nerd. This book is about a very important battle that took place in Ireland, and the last great High King of Ireland, Brian Boru. High Kings are mostly just an elected title, who get paid via taxes from provincial kings and chieftains, but Brian was the only one who saw as close to a united, free Ireland as it got until 1921 (although since the island is split between the North and the Republic, it’s still not totally unified). I recommend if you like history.

14. The Magnolia Sword, by Sherry Thomas (a book by a WOC). Oh. My. God. So this is a retelling of the ballad of Mulan. Mulan is a very important story to me anyway (tomboy as a child, genderfluid, bisexual as fuck), and this retelling was so good and interesting. It also features one of my favorite tropes, Surprise Gays. I highly, highly recommend.

15. My Own Ways Through This Life, by Chris Viau (a book with at least a four-star rating on Goodreads). Okay, so it miiiight have a four-star rating because of me and my camp family all rating it, but it counts. This is a mixed media autobiography by one of my camp friends. He has written at least three books, and all are available on Amazon. This is the only one I’ve read so far, and it was really interesting. I definitely recommend it. 

16. Insomniac City, by Bill Hayes (a book you meant to read in 2019). This book was beautiful and heartbreaking. It was a Christmas gift from my brother. It’s a memoir about Bill’s time in a relationship with Oliver Sacks, a famous neurologist. It’s sweet and melancholic and funny. Huge recommendation.

17. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens’ Agenda, by Becky Albertalli (a book about or involving social media). Still such a wonderful book. Better than the movie, I’m telling you. It was really good, and I definitely cried. If you liked the movie, read the book. It’s different in several ways. I think if you’re thinking in terms of trueness to the book, the movie was maybe not as good, but they’re both good as their own standalone things. But I highly recommend both.

18. Loki: Agent of Asgard, by Jason Ewing (a book that has a book on the cover). This is such a good series. It’s a great characterization of my disaster wife.  I love this graphic novel series. I love how they depict Loki, how he finally gets a goddamn redemption arc. It’s a really fun read. Check it out.

19. Kings Rising, by CS Pacat (a book with a made up language). This is pushing it, since they never actually speak in the made up languages on paper. But UGH. Third book in the Captive Prince trilogy, and hands down the best. Laurent and Damen finally let go of the goddamn longing and actually do something about it.

20. The Deep, by Rivers Solomon (a book set in a country beginning with C). This is pushing it, because it’s about mermaids (basically), but I think they’re in the Caribbean. I loved this book. It was so interesting. It’s based on a song by clipping., Daveed Diggs’s group. The premise is the wajinru (the mermaid people) originated as the infants from pregnant Africans that died and were thrown overboard during the slave trade. So like, it’s a pretty heavy book. But it’s heartfelt and sweet, too. Also more Surprise Gays, which came at an excellent time (November, post-Supernatual finale) for me. I highly recommend.

21. Written in the Stars, by Alexandria Bellefleur (a book you picked because the title caught your attention). I just finished this book tonight and it was so. good. It’s basically a modern, lesbian, fake dating rendering of Pride and Prejudice. And let me tell you, if there’s one thing I love more than Pride and Prejudice, it’s lesbians. It’s really really great. I highly, highly recommend. 

22. Running with Lions, by Julian Winters (a book with a three-word title). Thanks to All for the Game and movies like Handsome Devil and Boys, I have discovered that I have a huge thing for queer sport stories. So this book was really, really good. It’s got friends to enemies to friends to lovers, which is great. It’s got soccer, which is way more homoerotic now. And it’s got gays, which is really why I picked this book up. But it’s well written and the story is interesting, too. I definitely recommend.

23. The Prince and the Dressmaker, by Jen Wang (a book with a pink cover). Oh my god. AHHHHH!!! This book is amazing. It’s a graphic novel, so it’s a quick read. It’s fantasy and feels a little Cinderella-y, but that’s not the best part. The queer relationship is amazing, but that’s not the best part. The prince is genderfluid! Like me! And his mask name is Sebastian! Like me! (Okay, so my name is Bastien, but close enough) This was so so so good. I got it at a convention in February, and I was practically vibrating with excitement as I read it. I highly highly highly recommend. 

24. Girl Crushed, by Katie Heaney (a book by or about a journalist). I think I’d have liked this book better if it wasn’t so...similar to my life. The main premise is the main character is getting over a sudden and painful break up, after being dumped by her long-term (maybe first? I can’t remember) girlfriend. The ex has the same initials as my ex and acted very similarly, so maybe I ended up picturing her when the character came up in the book. The ending pissed me off. It was very gay and that wasn’t the entirety of the book, so maybe you’ll like it more than me. It was just too true to life for me and opened up some old wounds I didn’t want to open up. The author is an editor at Buzzfeed, so that’s how it fits into this category. 

25. Date Me, Bryson Keller, by Kevin van Whye (your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge--a book published this year). This might be my second or third favorite book, goddamn it’s that good. It’s queer, obviously, and sort of fake dating? Bryson is dared to date someone new each week. He’s assumed to be straight, so all the people he dates are girls until Kai asks him. It’s really sweet, and there’s some issues with coming out to your family that don’t always sit well with me, but overall it was really good and it ends well. I definitely recommend.

26. Loki: Where Mischief Lies, by Mackenzi Lee (a book written by an author in their 20s). AAAHHHH!!!! Fuckin.... Okay, y’all know I have feelings about Loki. He’s my spouse and I love him to death. This book was so, so good. Loki gets sent to Victorian London to solve a mystery and meets a group of humans who know about Asgard and basically keep Midgard in order for Odin. Loki is canonically pan and genderfluid (as he should be), and Theo is a sweetheart. I wrote a 10k fic coming out of reading this book (Phantom Limb by Irishavalon on AO3, check it out.). I seriously recommend!

27. Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo (a book by an author who has written more than 20 books). I read this with my third graders at the beginning of this year. Such a good book. I read it as a kid too. The movie is great but as always, book is better. Recommend.

28. Adventures of Charls, the Veretian Cloth Merchant, by CS Pacat (a book with more than 20 letters in its title). This was a reread of a short story that comes after the Captive Prince trilogy. Charls, the cloth merchant, was such a great side character in the CP trilogy, and telling the story from his perspective was great. It doesn’t have to be read after the other CP short stories, but at least the trilogy should be read first.

29. Fence vol.1, by CS Pacat (a book from a series with more than 20 books). I’m pushing it with this category. I read the first volume, but this is a comic book series, so the 20 books is more issues. This is very good too. It’s another gay sports story, and is probably going to be enemies to lovers, but they’re still enemies by the end of volume 1. Still recommend. 

30. Prince’s Gambit, by CS Pacat (a book with a main character in their 20s). Book 2 of the Captive Prince trilogy. Very very good. 

#books #Book Recommendations #book recs

[maaaddiexo]

Chapter Sixteen | Peter Pevensie

[Red Series Book One: Roses]

Synopsis: With World War Two ravaging the world, no one is safe and no one is happy.

Despite their protests, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie are evacuated from London and sent to live in the English countryside with an old professor. Scared and unhappy, only the youngest Pevensie child remains optimistic and ends up sharing her hope with her siblings in the form of a wardrobe that takes them to Narnia, a different world where they are the only form of hope to bring an end to an evil witch's reign of terror.

Rosemary Bennett has no more hope left in her heart. Her brother and father are off fighting for their country, the former having gone missing months ago, and her mother ignores her, preferring the company of a bottle over her own daughter. Giving up seems the only logical plan of action. But when it finally comes to carrying it out, she's transported to a different world, with talking animals and a prophecy that doesn't involve her. Unsure as to why she is there, she must navigate a new world and ponder the possibility that maybe - just maybe - she doesn't actually want to die.

*Warning: this book deals with depression and suicide. Though mental illness isn't what this story revolves around, the act of suicide and depressive thoughts are intertwined with the plot and act as 'backseat drivers' to the novel.

[Chapter Seventeen] [Series Masterlist] [Masterlist]

Rosemary watched the four Pevensie children from afar, smiling at their happiness. For the first time since Rosemary first saw them, they looked genuinely and completely happy. There was no weight on their shoulders. No line between their brows.

"Well done today, Rosemary," Aslan praised, coming up to stand beside her. She was standing a few feet from the Witch's body. She had to see for herself that the Witch was well and truly dead. And now she couldn't stop staring at the long sticking out of her pale throat.

"I just did what you asked."

"You did more than keep my secret. You saved countless lives today."

Rosemary looked at Aslan but it was like looking through water. Her eyes were glassy, tears ready to spill onto her cheeks. "Not without taking some myself."

"That is the nature of war. Kill or be killed."

"It doesn't matter!" Rosemary fisted her hands and began to shake. "Even though I won't be losing any sleep over the death of the White Witch and her henchmen, a life is a life and that is what will make me lose sleep. I killed people, Aslan. The only person I ever wanted to kill was myself."

"You said 'wanted'. Does that mean you no longer have the same plan you once did?"

Rosemary stood silently for a moment, looking at the Witch's body. The blood on her face and neck was starting to get sticky. "Before you arrived, I got distracted for a moment and one of the Witch's supporters attacked me. We fought and all I could think was, 'I don't want to die'. And it wasn't because I had to protect Peter or because I had a job to do. I didn't want to die because I didn't want to die. I don't want to die, Aslan."

Aslan hummed. "I'm glad to hear that, Rosemary. You make excellent company."

Rosemary chuckled and bent over to hug the Lion. "Thank you, Aslan. For everything."

"You're welcome, my dear." Together, with Rosemary's fingers tangled in Aslan's mane, they walked over to the group of four.

"Rosemary!" Arms wrapped around Rosemary's neck and a body threatened to knock her to the ground. Rosemary was able to right herself and Susan, laughing through a mouthful of hair. "You're alive!"

"Did you doubt me?"

Susan shook her head vehemently. "Never. Thank you for having Peter's back. I'm certain he wouldn't have made it out alive if it weren't for you."

"Okay, now you're doubting me!" Peter gasped overdramatically. But he smiled.

"Obviously," Susan remarked, loosening her arms from Rosemary's neck so the others could hug her. Peter hugged her the longest, pushing back her hair, which had come loose during her fight with the hag.

"What happened to you?"

"It's not mine," Rosemary said simply. Shakily. Gently, she touched his wounded arm. "How's your arm?"

"Saw that, did you?"

"I was the one to put an arrow through the witch's jugular."

Peter scoffed incredulously, "And you couldn't have done that before she put a sword through my arm?"

"I had to let you get a bit of a beating. You know, lull her into a false sense of security and confidence and all that."

Peter's shoulders shook as he laughed and he pulled Rosemary in for another hug. One hand held her head against his shoulder and he whispered into her hair over and over again - "Thank God you're okay."

•

The slain warriors of Aslan's army were carried back to camp, where they would be burned on a pyre and their bones buried by the lake nearby at sunset. The air was heavy with grief and so thick with silence that it could be cut with a broadsword.

Rosemary had walked back to the camp without saying a single word. When they got to camp, she grabbed a towel and a fresh pair of clothes and then made for the river. Peter frowned but let her go. The surviving warriors continued to the center of the camp with their heads hung low. There would be no celebration tonight.

"Aslan, what happened to Rosemary?" Edmund wondered.

"She's never had to take a life before today."

"Shouldn't someone go check on her and make sure she's okay?"

"Maybe not while she's bathing, Peter," Lucy giggled. Susan and Edmund joined in, their giggles quickly turning to full blown laughter at Peter's red face.

"Right. Of course."

"Don't worry, Peter," Aslan assured. "She will be fine."

"Is there something you're not telling us, Aslan?" Susan questioned, cocking her head at the Lion. The look in his eye as he stared in the direction Rosemary had gone gave nothing away, but the tone of his voice did otherwise.

"It isn't my secret to tell. And besides, it is in the past. Pack up your things, Your Highnesses. We leave for Cair Paravel in the morning."

Peter watched Aslan walk away before heading for his tent. "Susan, Lucy? Let me know when Rosemary's returned? I need to speak to her."

"Going to kiss her again?"

Peter froze before he turned back around to face Edmund. "Who told you?"

"Nobody."

"You saw?! Rosemary asked you to leave us alone!"

"I did. But then Oreius asked me to go get you. You seemed quite... preoccupied so I let you two be."

"You kissed Rosemary?" Susan squealed, running to hug her brother. "Oh, Peter. You're growing up!'

"Shut up. I'm older than you."

"Only by a year."

"I'm still older."

"Shut up."

"I see everything is back to normal between you four." Rosemary appeared from behind the tent. Her face was now free of blood and she wore her familiar red dress. Instead of being braided back, her hair hung loosely over her shoulders. The only thing out of place were the bruises on her neck. They weren't visible before, having been covered by all the blood, but the purple finger-shaped bruises were easily noticeable now.

"Telling Peter to shut up happened before Narnia and I'm sure it will continue after," Edmund replied. "That will never change."

Rosemary laughed, moving to her shared tent. "And it will also never happen."

"Okay, that's it!" Peter lunged for Rosemary, snatching her up by the waist and pinching. She let out a squeal of laughter as Peter's fingers assaulted her sides. She tried to escape his grip by falling to the ground but he followed with her, laughing overtop of her as she rolled from side to side, panting and laughing.

"Stop! Please!"

"What do you say?"

"Shut up!"

"Wrong! Try again!"

"I don't know. Pizza!"

"Ugh, now I want pizza," Lucy groaned, simply watching on and not bothering to help Rosemary.

"Say that you're sorry."

"But then I would be lying."

Pulling away, Peter helped Rosemary into a sitting position. "You're going to be the death of me, Rosemary Bennett."

Without thinking, Rosemary smoothed out Peter's tousled hair. "Quite the opposite, actually. I saved your life so many times today."

•

In one of the guest rooms at the Castle of Cair Paravel, Rosemary stood in front of a large mirror as servants rushed around the large room. A pale blue tulle dress with off-the-shoulder sleeves had been laid out on the bed with the expectation that Rosemary would be wearing it to the Pevensie's coronation. A second, more detailed and extravagant dress hung on a rack in the corner. She would change into that one for the "after party " of the coronation.

Rosemary sat in the chair without a complaint. She let the servants prep her for the events to come without a word. Her hair was braided back and then pulled up in a bun, secured with a hairpiece made of roses and forget-me-nots. They didn't have to hide the bruises on Rosemary's neck thanks to Lucy's cordial. One hour later, and Rosemary was making her way through the extravagant halls of Cair Paravel. Waiting at the door to the hall were Beaver, Mrs. Beaver, and Tumnus.

"You look beautiful!" Mrs. Beaver exclaimed happily.

Rosemary graciously bent down to give her a hug, careful not to step on her dress when she stood up. "Thank you. Your fur looks very well-groomed."

"Oh, stop it."

Inside the hall, knights and warriors dressed in decorated armour stood shoulder-to-shoulder on either side of the aisle all the way from the large double doors at one end of the ballroom to the stage on the other end. On the stage were four thrones made for two kings and two queens. Rosemary couldn't think of anyone more deserving than Lucy, Susan, Edmund, and Peter Pevensie. In the past few days that they had spent in Narnia, they had all faced so much and aside from the friendships they'd made, none of them were good. But the hard times didn't begin when they hid in the wardrobe. Their father was off fighting a ruthless war and they'd been ripped away from their mother to go live with a reclusive stranger and his unpleasant housekeeper.

Rosemary took her place next to Tumnus and felt her chest swell and almost burst with pride as the horns blew and the new rulers of Narnia appeared. Lucy looked around the Great Hall with wonder in her large brown eyes, smiling enthusiastically at anybody she made eye contact with.

Susan kept her eyes on what was in front of her, but the pride and contentment in her eyes were clear. And to think - she didn't even want to go on the adventure.

Edmund seemed a little fearful of the large swords over his head but did his best to keep his emotions hidden. He was, after all, considered a traitor at one point. But now he was a king and the past was in the past.

Peter held his head high as he walked between Edmund and Aslan. His strides were confident and he stood tall with his shoulders pulled back. He looked distinguished. He looked like a king.

Not one soul in the room could help themselves from watching the Pevensies make their way to the platform at the end of the hall. Rosemary's cheeks began to hurt from smiling so much but she didn't stop. She couldn't. The pride and happiness that filled her to the brim were worth the small amount of pain.

"To the glistening Eastern Sea, I give you Queen Lucy, the Valiant." Lucy smiled at the surprise in front of her. Tumnus and Rosemary walked behind Beaver and Mrs. Beaver, the latter two carrying the crowns. Rosemary went to the far side with Beaver, while Tumnus and Mrs. Beaver approached her. Gently, Tumnus placed a silver crown on Lucy's head, giving her a gentle smile. The crown's design was the perfect mix of delicacy and strength. The laurel leaves represented victory and the yarrow flowers symbolized healing, love, and courage. The crown was clearly made for Lucy.

"To the great Western Wood, I give you King Edmund, the Just." Rosemary stepped forward and Edmund bent down to one knee. Proudly, she placed a silver crown on his head. This crown wasn't delicate like Lucy's. It was thick and decorated with birch leaves which symbolized protection and change. Rosemary knew that after his time with the White Witch, he came out a changed boy. They all had, but Edmund especially.

"To the radiant Southern Sun, I give you Queen Susan, the Gentle." Gentle seemed the perfect word for Susan and the crown perfectly embodied the tall brunette. She went down into a perfect curtsy so that Tumnus could placed a golden crown detailed with daffodils on her head. The flowers represented beauty and spring, and the leaves that connected them were of the mountain ash tree - the wood that bows were made from.

"And to the clear Northern Sky, I give you King Peter, the Magnificent." Peter gently got down on one knee. With shaking hands, Rosemary placed a golden crown on Peter's head. The design features consisted of fleur-de-lis, oak leaves, and apple leaves. The oak leaves symbolized wisdom and the apple leaves were the symbol of Narnia's protection tree, an attribute Peter clearly channeled. When he stood and she curtsied, he could see her glassy eyes and bright smile. Her joy was contagious and even King Peter - who had killed an uncountable number of creatures twenty-four hours ago - wasn't immune. He smiled back at her.

"Once a King or Queen of Narnia, always a King or Queen of Narnia," Aslan declared. "May your wisdom grace us until the stars rain down from the Heavens."

Together, the crowd chorused, "Long live King Peter! Long live King Edmund! Long live Queen Susan! Long live Queen Lucy!"

[Chapter Seventeen] [Series Masterlist] [Masterlist]

#narnia #the chronicles of narnia #chronicles of narnia #the lion the witch and the wardrobe #peter pevensie #edmund pevensie #susan pevensie #lucy pevensie #william moseley #peter pevensie x oc #peter pevensie x fem!oc #peter pevensie imagine #peter pevensie fanfiction #love #romance #fantasy #adventure

[voyager-into-the-unknown]

Part 6 of my Plance fanfic series is inspired by the song “Lucky” as sung by Lance’s voice actor, Jeremy Shada. Get ready for intimacy, hilarity, and the fluffiest of fluff in Pidge’s room. Lance and Pidge sing in this chapter. Guest starring Bae Bae and the Trash Floofs. (That might be a good name for their band if they decide to start one.)

https://youtu.be/6Sn_O9vDlR0

Part 6: An Intimate Moment in the Bedroom

Lance had been in Pidge’s room before, both on the castleship and onboard the Atlas. It was always a mess of odds and ends from computers, robots, and unidentifiable alien technology. There were clothes strewn about (Paladin gear, Garrison uniform parts, or her brother’s old hand-me-downs), and a couple of fluffy trash nebula creatures floating around. Her pets, she called them, but she wouldn’t ever tell anyone their names. When Pidge opened the door, he wasn’t prepared for the sight before him.

There were books and video games neatly lined up on bookshelves, a tidy desk and chair, many photos in frames and a few posters on the walls. There were model spaceships and robots on display, along with a teddy bear and a mermaid plushie. There were wall decorations of distant stars and planets, matching her bedspread, which was patterned with constellations from Earth’s night sky. There was a television with a gaming console, a computer, various small electronic devices, and a telescope. She also had a little collection of perfume bottles, makeup containers, hair accessories, a jewelry box, and so many other cute girly things that Lance almost thought they might have entered the wrong room. He realized then, that he had only really seen Pidge Gunderson’s room. This was the bedroom of Katie Holt.

Lance stood there for a moment, just taking it all in, while Bae Bae darted in through the open door. There were old photos of the Holt family when Matt and Katie were little, and some from when they were a bit older, including several taken on the launch day of the ill-fated Kerebos mission. There was a newer family photo taken on board the Atlas, and an amusing one of the Holts in costume, taken at the Clear Day celebration. There were many photos of the Paladins as well, some taken onboard the Castle of Lions, others onboard the Atlas, and many from the various planets that they had visited. In nearly every single one of them Lance saw himself standing next to Pidge, often with one arm casually draped around her shoulders. She was always beaming at the camera or laughing in every picture of the two of them together. He smiled at the happy memories that the photos captured. She probably had many other pictures of the Voltron team, but she displayed only those particular photographs for a reason, as if to cherish those particular moments. Lance felt another pang of guilt when he saw those mementos, regretting how he wasted so much time in those days, flirting with strange females he barely even knew, when he should have been paying more attention to the amazing girl who had been by his side the entire time. Hunk’s words came back to haunt him. “She’s had a crush on you since forever,” and “She’s cried herself to sleep over you a thousand times.” Lance hated himself for not noticing her sooner, and thought maybe the Holts should have been even more protective of their daughter. He didn’t deserve her.

“You’re awfully quiet.” Pidge looked at him, concerned.

“You’re room isn’t what I expected. I’m just...overwhelmed. That’s all.”

“You think it’s too girly, right?”

“It is girly, but you’re a girl, so that’s perfectly natural.”

“But you don’t like it,” she said dejectedly.

“No! It’s just the opposite, really. I love this room. It’s really cute. In fact, if I ever have a little girl of my own someday, I would want her to have a room as cute as this one.” He was still staring at everything. He had just picked up a framed photo of himself, Pidge, and Kaltenecker that made him smile fondly. Pidge’s fluffy blue and green trash nebula friends floated over his shoulder, as if to admire the photo with him.

“A little girl? You’re already thinking about starting a family?”

“What?! Oh...” Lance’s face felt warmer than usual. He nervously set the photo back down. “Oh, uh, yeah...I’d like to have a family of my own someday.” He couldn’t believe he had just admitted that out loud. He dared to steal a glance at her, and when their eyes met, he could not look away.

Pidge looked at him with a soft expression, her lips slightly parted and her golden brown eyes wide with surprise. She was small and vulnerable, and at the same time, she was also his Pidge—strong and tough, courageous and brilliant, but still so very young and innocent. For a fleeting moment, in his mind’s eye, she was more beautiful, more radiant, more dazzling than every star in the sky. “I want a family with you,” he admitted. “Someday...I mean, if that’s what you want, too.” It was if his mouth had a mind of its own. The blue and green space pets seemed to be blushing right along with him, as if feeling empathy for his discomfort.

She smiled at him, then looked down at the floor, blushing adorably. “Yes,” she said quietly. She was quivering ever so slightly. “I want a family someday...” Her eyes began to water. She took her glasses off and wiped her eyes, then swallowed. “...with you.”

Lance moved towards her and pulled her close, enveloping her in a warm embrace. She buried her face in Lance’s chest, her shoulders shaking as she wept quietly, grabbing a fistful of his shirt. He hid his smile in her hair, inhaling her sweet scent. He wasn’t crying, there was just a bit of space dust in his eyes...

They stood like that for a long time, saying nothing. The only thing he could hear in the stillness of the room was the sound of her fluffy trash nebula friends softly trilling, and Bae Bae’s tail thumping against the floor. Pidge stopped shaking and her breathing slowed, Lance rubbed her back gently. She slid her arms around him and hugged him. When she finally let him go, he held her by the shoulders and looked at her.

“I love you, Katie,” he said,. “I want to spend the rest of my life loving you. I want to grow old with you. And I am just as terrified by it as you are.”

She grinned. “I love you too, Lance.” She reached up to touch his cheek. He closed his eyes blissfully to savor the gentleness of her touch, then looked at her through eyes that were half closed. “For me, it’s always been you, and I never thought you’d ever feel the same as I do. I am happier and more frightened than I have ever been in my life. Everything is happening so fast...”

His opened his eyes wider. “We need to slow down. I...I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. We have been best friends for years, and we share a Paladin bond. Ever since that last battle, when we fully bonded with our lions...”

“We have been closer than ever before. Which is why I can tell you, with great certainty, and without fear of retribution, that you look like a raccoon right now.”

“What?!”

“Your mascara.” He turned her toward the mirror, laughing a little.

“Ugh! I’m not used to wearing this stuff. This is so embarrassing.” She picked up a makeup wipe and began to dab under her eyes. He grinned at her awkward attempt to maintain her dignity.

“Stop it. This isn’t funny, Lance.”

“Yes, it is.” He couldn’t stop giggling at how silly she looked. Then he saw her hurt expression.

“I’m sorry. Please, allow me. Close your eyes.” Pidge obeyed. She turned her face towards him, and handed him the moist little cloth. He held her chin as he gently wiped the dark smears away. Then he lowered his head and kissed her lips softly. It was intended to be a quick chaste kiss, but Lance couldn’t suppress his joy when she cupped his face and kissed him back. He deepened the kiss, wanting more, and Pidge then began to kiss him with more intensity and passion than ever. Lance began to pull away, afraid that things were indeed moving way too fast. Pidge pushed him down on her bed. “Take off your shirt,” she commanded.

Lance looked at her, both aroused and terrified. “Pidge, I don’t think we should...”

“Take it off,” she said more gently, sitting very close to him on the bed. “Start undoing those buttons.”

“Pidge, I really respect you, and I don’t mind waiting until...”

Pidge shut him up with another kiss. She took adavantage of his surprise to begin unbuttoning his shirt.

“I really don’t think we should do this,” he said breathlessly as she continued to undress him. “Pidge, I’m really trying to be a gentleman about this.” She had undone all of his buttons.

“Take off your shirt,” she insisted.

“I think we should wait. Now isn’t the time for either of us to lose our virginity.” He was blushing so hotly that he nearly radiated steam.

Pidge cracked up, laughing so hard her sides hurt. “I’m not trying to seduce you, goofball. You have mascara all over your shirt. I’m going to put stain remover on that, then put it in the washer. It should be as good as new after that.”

Lance’s facial expression changed from aroused embarrassment to cool shock in an instant. “Pidge!”

Pidge was in giddy hysterics. “That look...on your face...priceless!” She wheezed at him, so overcome with laughter that she nearly fell off the bed.

Lance sighed as he took off his shirt and handed it too her. “I still think that you’re using this as an excuse to tear my clothes off.” He turned on the charm, and said in his deepest, most seductive voice, “I’m just so sexy that you just can’t resist me.”

“In your dreams, Loverboy.” She draped his shirt over one arm, and then made finger guns at him. “Gotcha!”

She exited the room with his shirt in hand, still giggling as she shut the door. The trash floofs made a kind of sandpapery sound, which was probably their equivalent of snickering. Bae Bae, on the other hand, just whined in sympathy as she thumped her tail on the floor.

*******

When Pidge returned to her room, she discovered that Lance had removed his shoes and was sitting cross-legged on top of her comforter, strumming his guitar. He was definitely underdressed, wearing only his gray trousers, white undergarments, and socks.

“Making yourself comfortable on my bed, Lance?”

“Obviously, I am trying to seduce you with my good looks, charm, and talent.” He smirked at her as he played an elaborate riff on the guitar. The fluffy blue and green alien pets trilled in harmony with his last chord.

Pidge laughed. “I think it’s working. But alas, as much as I would like to keep you up here in my bedroom half-dressed and swooning with mad affection for me, I don’t think my parents would approve. I brought you the sweater you left downstairs. You can put that on before we have supper, which should be in about an hour.”

“Won’t your parents suspect something? They might wonder what happened to my shirt.”

“If they notice, just tell them you spilled something on it, so I washed it for you. Now, about that song you wrote for me...”

Lance played his most recent version of the the song, which he entitled “Lucky.” Pidge was delighted with it, and kissed his cheek when he was done. She sat barefooted on the other end of the bed, facing him, and he taught her to sing her part in the song. They spent several minutes revising the lyrics. The final result was this:

"Lucky"

Lance: Do you hear me, I'm talking to you

Across the stars, across the galaxies

Under the open sky, oh my, baby I'm trying

Pidge: Boy, I hear you in my dreams

I feel your whisper across the stars

I keep you with me in my heart

You make it easier when life gets hard

[Both:]. Lucky I'm in love with my best friend

Lucky to have been where I have been

Lucky to be coming home again

Ooooh ooooh oooh oooh ooh ooh ooh ooh

Lance: They don't know how long it takes

Waiting for a love like this

Every time we say goodbye

I wish we had one more kiss

I'll wait for you, I promise you, I will

[Both:] Lucky I'm in love with my best friend

Lucky to have been where I have been

Lucky to be coming home again

Lucky we're in love in every way

Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed

Lucky to be coming home someday

Lance: And so I'm flying through the stars

To a planet where we'll meet

You'll hear the music fill the air

I'll put a flower in your hair

Pidge: Though the breezes through the trees

Move so pretty you're all I see

As the world keeps spinning round

You hold me right here right now

[Both:] Lucky I'm in love with my best friend

Lucky to have been where I have been

Lucky to be coming home again

I'm lucky we're in love in every way

Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed

Lucky to be coming home someday

They were so caught up in the music that they didn’t notice that Sam and Colleen were standing in the open doorway. Sam had his arm around his wife and a faraway expression in his eyes, smiling at some distant memory. Colleen was visibly moved by the song and looked on the young couple with admiration. When the song ended, the Holts applauded. Lance and Pidge blushed.

“Mom, isn’t he amazing?” Pidge gushed.

“Lance, you have a voice like an angel, dear.”

“I thought the song was wonderful. Well done, both of you!” Sam exclaimed.

“You two had better get ready for supper. Matt will be here soon, with takeout from Pizza Shack. And there’s plenty of leftovers from lunch today.”

When Sam and Colleen went back downstairs, Lance and Pidge put their shoes on, and Lance put his guitar back in its case. Pidge handed him his sweater.

“Well, that went well. What’s the plan for after supper?” Lance asked as he pulled his blue sweater on over his T-shirt.

“I was thinking we can get Matt to teach us how he finally got to level 36 of Killbot Phantasm.”

Lance beamed at her. “That is a great idea! Then I’ll give you the surprise that I brought over for you. It’s in the white bag on the sideboard downstairs.”

“That bag smelled suspiciously like peanut butter cookies,” Pidge said.

“Of course!”

#plance #pidge #lance #katie holt #lance mcclain #bae bae #trash floofs #trash nebula friends #colleen holt #sam holt #matt holt

[crackimagines]

I love professors daily life series, terrifying cryptid byleth is best byleth. How do you imagine Seteth reacts to the new professor and his strange powers?

Part 1 here!

Hooo boy, the man has a lot on his plate as it is, to deal with an SCP version of Byleth would stop his poor heart.

Welp, let’s get his suffering on with.

Thanks for the ask anon, I hope you enjoy!

-------

A Professor’s Intervention (FE: Three Houses Short Fic)

Seteth gets some disturbing reports on the professor from his students. He decides to investigate personally.

“And you’re a 100% sure about what you saw?” Seteth asked, growing more concerned by the second.

“A-Absolutely! We all were there to see it!” Dimitri replied, the rest of the Blue Lions nodding their heads in agreement.

“We will look into the matter, please try to rest easy.” Seteth said.

Everyone nodded and left the room.

“I knew bringing him here would cause some concern but...these reports seem outlandish!”

He put his hands to his face as Flayn chimed in.

“Is it really that concerning? I thought that was normal.”

“...Wait, you knew, Flayn?!”

“Y-Yes...I thought it wasn’t really that scary, so I-”

“FLAYN...! Ugh, we shall talk about this another time. The Professor is coming in now.”

Byleth walked in with his blank stare not saying a word until Seteth cleared his throat.

“Do you know why you’re here today, professor?”

“Um...not really, no.”

“We’ve received reports from your students of some strange incidents that you partake in. Teleportation being among them.”

“That? You mean the fast travel, right?”

Seteth had no idea what he meant by that.

“So, you don’t deny it?”

“It helps me get around the school faster. Students don’t really seem to mind, nor did the knights.”

Now that he thought about it, it was only NOW that this topic was being brought up, despite the Professor had been teaching for several months now. Byleth continued.

“I couldn’t really get anywhere until I walked to all parts of the Monastery, which I assumed is why you had me explore the entire place.”

“What...?! What kind of reasoning is that, do you really think the church has the ability to hand out those kinds of powers willy nilly?”

“Well brother, he DOES have the sword of the creator-”

“Quiet Flayn! Besides, I don’t recall the original wielder being able to teleport with it! Er, nevermind. Can you demonstrate it real quick?”

“...Okay.”

Fast Travel to this location?     [YES]     NO

And right before his eyes, Byleth disappeared.

“MY GOODNESS!”

A few seconds later, Byleth reappeared right outside the door to the room they were in, and casually walked back.

“I-I see. Those kids weren’t lying then! What about your ability to teleport people to the dining hall?”

Byleth nodded and turned to Flayn.

“Hey Flayn, would you like to eat some of the fish we caught from the competition with-”

“D-DON’T TEST IT ON FLAYN YOU BUFFOON!”

“I thought you wanted to see-”

“SILENCE!”

Flayn sadly looked down. “Aw...I kinda wanted some though-”

“FLAYN, YOU’RE NOT HELPING! Now, where did you acquire these abilities, and how do they-”

As Seteth shot question after question, Byleth heard Sothis in his head.

“What in the world is he going on about? Is this not normal for other humans?”

I guess not? Byleth said in his head. 

I thought it was normal myself.

“Whatever the case is, he is quite furious about it. Do they not realize that we cannot do this outside of this location?”

Yeah, if I had the ability to teleport I’d just be able to kill the enemy commanders instantly every battle. It would’ve made mercenary life a lot easier too. On that note, weren’t you the one to give me this ability?

“All I gave you was the Divine Pulse. I suppose this just resides within you? By the way, I think he asked you a question.”

“...W-What?” Byleth said while blinking rapidly, his attention finally back on Seteth.

“I said, do you have any defense for these unholy abilities?!”

“...N-Not really, no.”

“Unbelievable! How did you even become a professor?” 

“Lady Rhea-”

“THAT WAS RHETORICAL! You are suspended until further notice! Your abilities are far too dangerous to permit being used!”

“...So are we not going to talk about my lost and found then?”

“...Your wha-”

Byleth pulled out a bag that looked it had a body in it, spilling out treats, weapons, paintings, an odd amount of feathers, flowers and other objects.

“Where on earth did you even acquire these?!”

“The Academy. Students keep dropping them and I have ask each student if any of the items are theirs.”

“Should I even ask about what else you can do?!”

“Do you really want the answer?”

“J-Just what is that supposed to mean?!”

Byleth thought about his supersight that came on whenever he had a pleasant conversation during teatime.

...He decided against it.

#shitpost #fire emblem three houses imagines #fire emblem three houses #fire emblem three houses headcanons #blue lions #dimitri alexandre blaiddyd #seteth #flayn #byleth #sothis

[phoenixmaiden-reading]

Kings Rising Book Review

Kings Rising by C.S. Pacat

Read: April 20, 2020 – April 29, 2020

Wow! That’s all I can say. It was so much better than what I was expecting. With the truth finally out about who Damen was, all that was left was for him and Laurent to get together and of course, take down his uncle. It was a long road to get there because of their feuding countries and the fact that Damen killed Laurent’s brother. But they eventually got over that, and they are so perfect with each other. Laurent is such a love-starved person and Damen was more than willing to show him, and he certainly did, often it seemed. And I have to say, Laurent is really smart and knows how to get what he wants. Though it took him a while to realize what he wanted was Damen, he just fought it so hard because of their past. But once that was out of the way, they were happy and Laurent was open to having a relationship with Damen and looking to the future and what they could do together when everything was over. It was a nice change to when Laurent was pushing him away, but after it was like a  natural thing. They just had to win the war against his uncle in one piece.. And ugh, his uncle! I hate him. What a manipulative son-of-a-bitch. But at least Laurent and Damen were able to overcome him and Kastor and now they can be happy. All in all, the book was well written and given a perfect end to tie everything together. This series will always be my guilty pleasure.

Stars: ★★★★★

Warning! Spoiler Summary ahead!!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It picks right up where the last book left off with the Akielon army kneeling to their King, Damianos. While they were shocked and happy to find him still alive, the opposite was true for the Veretians. They were outraged and were starting to rebel in having the Prince-Killer inside their walls. In order for Damen to keep the fort under control, he had Nikandros take the fort. Once it was done, Damen met with Guymar and Jord to see of their loyalty. Guymar was livid and refused to fight with Akielons, he was removed from the room. Jord was more forthcoming because he already knew who he was. Damen said he had made Laurent a promise even after he learned who he was. Afterward, he met with Nickandros who was happy to see him and said he had mourned him. He also told him that he had been there when Kastor was crowned and how he had said that Damen’s guards had killed him and in turn he had the guards killed. Nikandros then showed him a letter that had been from Laurent written some time ago requesting aid to take down his uncle in return he would provide proof that Kastor had colluded with the Regent to kill King Theomedes of Akielos. Nikandros also gave him a golden lion pin that he had taken the night Damen had died; it was treason to do so but he wanted something to remember his friend by. But it belonged to him as a mark of the King of Akielos. Nikandros saw Damen’s golden cuff and knew immediately that it was a mark of a slave and was horrified. Damen admitted that Kastor had made him a slave and he had been given to Laurent who has since freed him, but he doesn’t know who he is. But Nikandros was still in shock that his King had been a slave to the Prince of Vere. To make things worse, Makedon overheard and was just as disgusted and horrified at the revelation; he knew what he did with slaves and the fact that Damen had done those things for their enemy was the most degrading and an insult to Akielos. Damen wanted to hide it but that would be the wrong thing, so instead, he told them that yes he had been a slave to the Prince but he will not hide it. They will have to bare the knowledge just as he had. And it was not like he could hide it anyway, it was common knowledge around the fort. Nikandros wasn’t sure if they could be able to control the actions of the men, so Damen said that if they pledged to fight the men will follow. That morning, Damen made his announcement to the Akielon army saying he was alive and he was there to fight as their King. He didn’t try to hide his slave cuff either. They then set out for Charcy and the Prince Guard: Jord, Huet, Lazar, and more men in blue came with them to fight for their prince. The plan was that Laurent was to go a day early to approach from the north while they left a day later to go south and block in the Regent’s army from both sides. When they got close to Charcy, the soldiers could see how bad the ground was to fight and they were getting nervous, but Damen had to trust that Laurent would come. But something was wrong. The Regent’s men were there early and his men were coming from the north. It was suddenly clear that Laurent wasn’t coming. A scout was yelling coming toward them that the Prince wasn’t coming. Makedon knew they should never have trusted a Veretian. Damen had no time to think and ordered the men to fight even though they were outnumbered, they had to fight.

For once there was a chapter not in Damen’s POV. It was Laurent’s.  He woke up in a cell at Fortaine and Govart was there. But he would be easy to deal with, the trouble was that the deadline for the battle had come and gone, the slave along with the Akielons would think he had betrayed them but knew that somehow he would win. Laurent then focused on what was going in and took in that he was injured and tied up. Govart gloated that they were all alone and no one would come to help him and proceeded to hit him. But Laurent just took it and said that he wondered what Govart had on his uncle that allowed him to keep him around. They had only put them in the same cell in hopes that one will take out the other, not that it mattered when his uncle became King. He could make Govard disappear and that would be it. But Govart wasn’t threatened and advanced and proceeded to beat him for an hour. He ended up with a knife in his shoulder, an inconvenience but a victory since it meant he wouldn’t remove his tongue like Govart had threatened. Guion came eventually and Laurent asked if he knew what Govart had on his uncle. It was clear that Guion didn’t know and he opened the cell door and demanded to know. While Govart was distracted, Laurent was able to get out of the ropes binding his hands and took out the knife from his shoulder. His grunt of pain made Govart notice but he was pleased that he could play with him now. Laurent felt a little weak from blood loss but was strong enough to lift the chair he had been sitting in and break it on Govart’s head. He went down and didn’t move. Laurent escaped the room and closed it, leaving Guion trapped inside the cell. Their positions now reversed. Guion tried to plead his way out of the cell, but Laurent wasn’t going to hear it and threatened to stab him with the knife. Guion said that the Akielons will not trust him and will want to kill him for letting them die because he missed their meeting time, but Laurent knew that. Laurent told him that there was a man that tried to stop him from doing the wrong thing but he wasn’t here now. He then said he wondered what the Regent will think when he hears that Guion had helped him kill Govart and let him escape…it didn’t really happen, but who knows what happens with rumors. Laurent could leave and Guion would be stuck here because this had been a private arrangement, no one was to know Laurent was there so no one would know to look for Guion. So Guion had no choice but to ask what he wanted.

Oof this chapter was rough. Damen was fighting on the front line with his men at Charcy. He lost half his men and Nickandros was angry that Laurent didn’t show. The battle lasted hours until Damen took out the leader but it wasn’t the Regent, it was simply a puppet put in his place. The Akielons were looking at him in awe and Damen looked around and saw why, he had simply been killing the ones in front of him to get to the Regent decoy and he had taken out a lot of them in the process. But they had won. At the edge of the field, a herald came wearing blue, Laurent’s colors with a message. Damen was angry and wanted to know where Laurent was, but the herald just gave him a scroll that said Damen had Charcy and he had Fortaine and to meet him at the fort. So Damen had everyone gather and they left for Fortaine. When they got there, Laurent’s banner was raised and tents were lining the front of the fort. Nickandros was angry that Laurent had been safely in his fort while their men fought and died in his battle. Damen just made his way to the main tent alone, leaving his men to set up camp. Inside the tent, Laurent was waiting for him unsurprised that they had won at Charcy. Damen told him that the men think he is a coward, but Damen didn’t believe he was. He wouldn’t break a promise to him. Damen also noticed that Laurent’s shoulder was injured and understood that had to do with his absence. Damen then said that he was there to tell him who he really was, but Laurent already knew. He knew from the first day that Damen had been brought to him- his brother’s killer. Damen was stunned with the new information and the sudden venom in Laurent’s voice. Yet he couldn’t understand why, if he knew, had he allowed him to live and why he had slept with him. Laurent just said he was using him, that he suffered through his touch in order to secure victory at Charcy. Damen couldn’t believe what Laurent was saying, he had to be lying, what they had shared at Ravenel hadn’t been Laurent using him, he had surrendered to him fully, not as a slave, but as a man. Laurent denied it again and mocked him and said that he had lied when he said Damen was his slave, he had never been a slave, not really. Damen finally admitted that no, he was not a slave, he was the King of Akielos, they were equal. So now that was out in the open, Damen wanted to know why he was brought here and Laurent said that his uncle was in Akielos.

Laurent told him that his uncle knew who he was from the beginning too and gave him to Laurent waiting for Damen to fuck him so he could rub it in Laurent’s face that he had slept with his brother’s killer and watch him implode. But that didn’t work out, yet Laurent had slept with him anyway. Damen didn’t want to believe that it had meant nothing, but Laurent kept throwing his words while they had made love in his face, mocking him. Laurent then said that his uncle had planned Charcy as a diversion and had set sail for Ios days ago. He then said that he will give Damen supplies and troops to set out to the south in exchange for Delpha. Damen was shocked that Laurent would ask that of him especially because Delpha belonged to his close and loyal friend, Nickandros. It was clear Laurent had planned all this from the beginning. Damen said he would form an alliance with him and help him go against his uncle, but he will not give him Delpha. Laurent said that was fine, but he had Guion who had a letter with his confession of the deal between the Regent and Kastor. If he rejected his offer, he will kill Guion and burn the letter. Yet Damen knew Nickandros would never give up Delpha, but that was why Laurent said he will when they gave him Ios instead. Damen was cornered and when he tried to see if Laurent had any sort of connection with him, he found Laurent impassive. So Damen didn’t have any choice and he agreed. When Damen left the tent he felt lost and vulnerable, and feelings that he had thought he had shared with Laurent had been a lie. He felt the loss even though Laurent hadn’t been his to lose, to begin with. The relationship between them didn’t have any right to exist in the first place, even if he had hoped that there would be. But Damen was a King and couldn’t wallow in anything that could have been. So he headed to the Akielon camp and had Nickandros brought to him in the command tent and told him of the deal and of his decision to give Delpha to Laurent. Nickandros was understandably upset and said that Laurent was trying to put them against each other, yet Damen already knew that. Nickandros said that this action would make him lose men, Makedon, and Straton most prominently. The men will talk also about Damen being a slave and what that meant especially with the new alliance, but Damen refused to take off the cuff. Yet despite all that, Nickandros said that he will stay because he wanted Ios- like Laurent knew he would. Laurent always thought of everything. Damen told Nickandros that even though Laurent hated him and Akielos, he hated his uncle more and he needed them, just as they needed him. They had to work together to take down the Regent, he was doing it for Akielos. Nickandros just said that if he was wrong and Laurent betrayed them, there will be no Akielos. Later, Damen finally went back to his tent and found a slave, a woman, naked waiting for him, sent there by Nickandros, knowing his tastes. If it had been before all of this, he would have gladly taken her to his bed, but now he just found it awkward. It was like he had forgotten how to command a slave now that he had been one himself. He just couldn’t do it. So he told her to leave and that he will require no slaves during the campaign and will be attended to by a squire.

The next morning both sides, Akielon and Veretians gathered together for a big announcement where Damen and Laurent sat on twin thrones and announced that they were forming an alliance. Laurent then said that it was customary in Vere to give a gift to a companion and then gave him a whip…the same one he had been whipped with back in Arles. No one else knew the meaning of the gift, but Damen did. But that wasn’t all he brought, he also had whipping posts brought in where he had the men who had attacked the Akielon village strapped to them and whipped to pay for their crimes. Damen didn’t like it, reminded of his whipping, yet he watched it all. After the men were dragged away, Damen gave Laurent a gift of his own. The matching gold slave cuff to his own. Damen said that he would wear it to mark them as equals. He didn’t think Laurent would wear it but after a moment, he had Damen put it on him. Damen then said that if Laurent helped him get his kingdom back, he will see him crowned as King of Vere. After, there were display fights to commemorate the occasion. While they were watching, Damen could feel Makedon watching them, it was clear he was not happy allying with Veretians, he hated them. When Makedon approached, he wanted to see a contest between Akielos and Vere, specifically between Laurent and Damen; Makedon didn’t think much of Laurent and didn’t think he could fight, but Damen knew better. Yet Laurent said that they were like brothers, meaning, brothers were not supposed to fight. Not long after, their alliance was signed and the company went their separate ways. Later, Nickandros came to confront Damen. He recognized Laurent as his type, blonde and blue-eyed, like the women he had been interested in before. Nickandros thought he was a fool and was trying to go after Laurent because he was his type, it was like he was giving Laurent Delpha as a bedding gift. So he told him to just bed him already and move on. Yet he could see in Damen’s face that it had already happened. Damen just told him it had only happened once and yes, he did want him, but he was the King of Akielos, he had to think of his people. What they had now, was just an alliance that was it. Nickandros didn’t believe it, at least not for Damen, he knew him, knew that once he trusts someone, he will give his loyalty and fight until his dying breath for that person. Damen then said that Nickandros was doing the same thing with him. If he was wrong, Nickandros could lose everything, yet he still chose to follow Damen. Nickandros just warned him that the Prince of Vere could not be trusted. Damen just replied that he already didn’t trust Laurent just being with him for one morning, just wait until he spent a whole day with him.

Damen spent his days with a routine. He would do work- making plans and having meetings with the Captains, both Akielon and Veretian. Meaning Laurent was there too, just as smooth-talking and confident as always. They had agreed to have their camps separate since both sides didn’t like the other, especially the Veretians who thought the Akielons were barbarians walking around half-naked, yet that was their style. In Akielos, they were freer in their clothing while the Veretians were more restricted with their laces and sleeves. Damen also refused to take a slave to bed which started rumors among the men, but he couldn’t, not after being one himself and because of Laurent. Always Laurent. He couldn’t stop thinking about him and the friendship they no longer had. So he threw himself into work, and at night, he trained with his sword until he was sore only to do it again the next day. Damen also went to go see Guion who had not changed sides though it wasn’t like he had a choice since the Regent wouldn’t forgive him for failing to kill Laurent. He had asked how Laurent got hurt and learned that Guion had put Govart in a cell with Laurent and had a little accident. (yeah right) But as a result, Govart had died after Laurent hit him over the head. Not a huge loss though. He then asked Guion if the Regent knew who he was. Guion wasn’t sure but if he did he made a mistake in sending him to Laurent. The plan probably would have been that Laurent would have recognized him and made a mistake or he wanted Laurent to sleep with him and be ashamed after he realized he had slept with his brother's killer. Either way, it would be a win for the Regent. Damen just said that he was supposed to swear loyalty to the throne and his Prince, and yet he had turned on him for power and personal gain, yet it had gained him nothing. Guion just said that Laurent killed his son, but Damen disagreed saying Guion did by putting him in the path of the Regent. The other thing he had to deal with was the divided troop; he was used to it because it had been the same at the beginning from Arles, only this time it was between two warring factions that had been fighting each other for years. And Makedon was not making it easy either, he kept trying to one-up Laurent and would lose before it would begin. He first refused to take the extra food from Fortaine, the Akielons didn’t need pampering. Yet Laurent said that everyone in the troop will have the same amount of food depending on how much Makedon got. So he lost that round to Laurent. The second time was when a fight happened between an Akielon and Veretian, Makedon passed it off as friendly competition. So Laurent said that the next time a Veretian attacked an Akielon would be executed; that only a coward hit someone who couldn’t fight back. Every time Makedon tried to show Laurent up, Laurent would outmaneuver him. Damen remembered what that was like. In the meantime, they made plans to move to Marlas where they will hold an okton along with a feast to celebrate the pledge between the countries. One night while Damen was out practicing, he caught some of Makedon’s men making sport of throwing spears at a target with a Veretian that was tied to the center. Damen revealed himself and they stopped, scared that their King had caught them. Makedon was sent for and Damen told him that his soldiers had broken the peace and Makedon said that they will be executed for it. Nikandros then took the Veretian boy back to his camp and find the physician to tend to him and to let Laurent know what had happened. Damen then told Makedon that he respected his loyalty to his father, but if his soldiers step out of line again, he will have to face him. Later, Damen went to Paschal to see how to young Veretian man was doing, he was fine but he had taken more than a beating; the soldiers had raped him as well. Damen then apologized for not telling Paschal who he was. Paschal just said that he should prepare himself for what the Regent was planning to do in Akielos. Guion had said he didn’t know what he was planning, but Paschael said that all Veretians knew that he was planning to rule Akielos.

The next morning, Makedon’s men were executed for breaking the peace. While it was the rule, Makedon wasn’t happy and he and his men left ahead of everyone else. Then both companies set out for Marlas, Damen, and Laurent rode side by side as was expected because of the alliance. As they rode through the villages bordering Akielos, there were a lot of people coming out to see their King, and it wasn’t Damen, these villages had been Veretian before Akielos won the war. They reached Marlas and it had no mark of that fateful day, but Damen remembered the fallen soldiers and the scorched, blood-soaked earth, even as he saw the lush grass that had taken over. When they were inside the walls of Marlas, they were greeted by the attendants and there was a Slave Keeper there with fresh slaves to serve the Prince of Vere since Damen did not take slaves. The one Laurent chose was an unbeded slave, who was shy and submissive, named Isander. As a test to the slave, he had Isander kiss his boot, but while he was doing that, Laurent was watching Damen. Laurent was trying to get a rise out of Damen to use the same tactic he had used on him. Damen didn’t let it show, but he was jealous of what Laurent could be doing with the slave…attending him the way Damen did. Later, the two factions met in the hall, and Damen and Laurent sat on twin couches. It was there that they asked for the bannermen to pledge their support. Yet before they did so, one of the bannermen wanted to make sure that Vere wasn’t controlling Akielos by affirming if Laurent was Damen’s lover. Laurent answered by showing that he still wore the other gold cuff that had been Damen’s, then asked if he was really the type of person to sleep with the man who killed his brother (except he had…). The bannerman said that someone would have to be cold blooded to do that. With that said, the bannermen said their pledge. After the food was served and both countries mingled together, or rather they tolerated each other as they started drinking. At one point Jord came over to Aimeric’s mother and gave his respects. He then told Damen he was glad he and Laurent were friends now, he had thought that he would have killed him when he found out. Damen told him that Laurent had known the entire time, but Jord was still glad since he had someone to trust For the rest of the meal, Damen had to keep himself busy from watching Laurent were his slave, Isander, was attending to him- he didn’t like it. But after a while, he saw him leave with the slave and Damen tried to follow but was stopped by people from the party. By the time he made it to the corridor, Laurent was gone…but Isander had been left behind. Isander was confused about why he hadn’t been taken to the bedroom and said that Laurent had gone to the stables. Damen knew where he went and headed out to the field where he had killed Laurent’s brother years ago. He found him sitting on a rock and Laurent clearly didn’t want to see him, yet Damen approached anyway and said he was here if he wanted to talk. Laurent just said that Damen didn’t want to talk, he wanted to fuck him, that he had been thinking about it since Ravenel. While it was true that Damen thought about it a lot, it wasn’t what he came to talk about, Laurent was just saying words to make him hurt, and it worked, yet Damen didn’t let it show. Instead, he said that Auguste’s death had been quick. Before they could talk more, they heard horses coming and Damen pushed Laurent against the rock to hide as they passed and there were a lot. An entire troop was going off to some unknown destination and they weren’t their men and they didn’t know how they had slipped past their scouts. And so they went back to Marlas.

Damen and Laurent took some men and rode out after the riders and came upon a burned village. It was clear that the villagers had no time run and barricaded themselves inside, but they had to come out when the houses were set on fire. Only one building was untouched and inside they found a girl, a woman, and a man who was dying from a spear wound having tried to defend the village. When Damen asked the girl who did this, she said it was Daminos sending a message to Kastor. It made him sick. Soldiers came in the dead of night shouting his name as they killed innocent people all to hurt Damen’s political standing. When Damen went off to the edge of the village for air, he spotted a body of a soldier, one of the ones who had attacked the village and he had a notched belt, a mark of one of Makedon’s men. Damen went to Makedon and challenged him to a fight for what he had done. It didn’t help Makedon that he didn’t care that Veretian’s were dead. So they went to blows until Laurent came and ordered them to stop. Damen just barely stopped his sword from slicing into Laurent’s neck, who had pulled Makedon out of the way and had put himself between them. Laurent said that they were playing right into his uncle’s hands and that anyone could put a notch on a belt. Someone had framed Makedon in order to put a rift between him and his people, and it wasn’t Kastor…no someone else was pulling the strings on this. The Regent. It wasn’t the first time either, Damen remembered the attack on Laurent in the palace in Vere when the assassin’s had Akielon weapons. Later, Damen was at the training grounds working off his anger and frustration when he spotted Laurent watching him. He didn’t know how long he had been standing there. Then Laurent said that he should fight an equal if he was that angry, meaning himself and he took up a sword. Damen knew it was a bad idea, there was still so much unsaid between them, but he didn’t say no instead giving him a warning. Fighting Laurent was irritating because every move was calculated, but he already knew that as he remembered the fight with Govart. The fight started off light, Laurent not even exerting himself, until he taunted Damen, and then they really started fighting. They each blocked each other’s attacks, but Laurent was struggling with the force of Damen’s blows and was now panting with excursion. At one point, Damen had knocked Laurent down and told him to yield, but instead, he flung dirt into Damen’s eyes and was able to get back up to continue the fight, this time with everything he had, using anything in his path to throw in Damen’s way to try to win. In the end, it wasn’t enough. Damen was able to pin Laurent to a wall, but he continued to fight, kicking and punching him, trying to go for a knife, but Damen didn’t let go and wrestled him to the floor until Laurent yielded. Damen then told him that he could have done this when he was a slave, but he didn’t. He can’t beat him, he wasn’t good enough, not when he was coming at him for revenge. And asked him if that was what he wanted between them. Laurent said yes because his brother was all he had. He knew he wasn’t good enough, but Auguste would have stopped him, yet he laughed because that wasn’t true either. Damen then gave him a knife and pointed it at his stomach and told him to stop him. Yet Laurent didn’t kill him, though Damen could see him warring with himself. The air around them shifted to something else, and the knife dropped to the floor. Damen just left the hall.

The next morning Damen and Laurent had to act like nothing had happened the night before and had to sit next to each other in an arena where the day's games and festivities were to take place. There was an awning above them to protect Laurents fair skim who was dressed head to toe in traditional Veretian style while Damen was the opposite with arms and legs bare with only a chiton pinned around him. Their armies were dressed much the same as their kings, though much of Damen’s army, mainly Makedon was noticeably absent. Despite this, the games began. Each side fought fairly and won several games. One soldier, Pallas, won three an won the right to challenge Damen to a wrestling match, traditionally fought naked. Damen accepted and disrobed and joined the young soldier in the ring where they wrestled in the mud until Pallas gave in. Damen had enjoyed himself; it had been a while since he had participated in a game. When he was cleaned off he joined Laurent back on the dais. Nickandros asked him to join him in inspecting the weapons for the okton. Once they were alone, Nikandros advanced on him and turned him around and pull off the fabric covering him to look at his back, specifically the scars left there from his whipping. Nickandros was horrified and asked who did it to him. Laurent answered from behind them that he did, or at least he had his man do it while he watched, he had wanted to kill him, but his uncle didn’t let him. Nickandros wanted to attack Laurent especially when Laurent continued to give more details, but Damen held him back and told him to leave. When they were alone, Damen said he didn’t have to say those things, he would defect, but Laurent said he wouldn’t, he was loyal. Damen then caught Laurent looking at the scars on his back in the mirror and asked if he was admiring his handiwork. Laurent just said he was due back in the stands, hiding that he had been caught looking and they returned to the stands. The okton was now set up and ready for the main event and everyone was waiting for it to start when Makedon finally made his appearance with his men. He said that a village had been attacked in his name and he wanted a requital. He said he will pledge himself to Damen if the Prince of Vere proved himself on the field as they have yet to see. Damen wasn’t sure since Veretians didn’t train in the okton. Makedon said that their King will take the field and asked if the Prince of Vere lacked the courage to do the same. Laurent agreed and mounted up. The Okton was simple enough, there were 5 riders that had their own colored spears that they had to throw at targets while they rode in a figure eight without stopping. There had to be precision and athleticism with a risk of injury. Damen had trained for months as a boy to participate and while he knew Laurent was good on horseback and knew he knew how to throw a spear, but both at the same time with others doing the same…men have died from it. And Damen couldn’t help him wither. So he only had to hope for the best. The game started off well, Pallas, Laurent, and Damen each hitting bullseye on the target while outmaneuvering the other riders and missed spears hitting the ground. Then one of the riders knocked the target down and Pallas and Lyros threw at the same time as it fell and each of the spears was heading for the other on the opposite side. The one Lyros threw was heading to either Laurent or Pallas and the one Pallas threw was heading straight toward Damen’s chest. There was no way to dodge it, so he adjusted his stance and caught the spear in mid-air. On the other side, Pallas was frozen, if he moved it would risk killing the Prince or he would die. Laurent had seen what was about to happen and lept from his horse to Pallas’s and kept him low in the saddle so the spear passed over their heads. Laurent then took Pallas’s spear and bullseye it on the opposite side and Damen did the same with his caught spear. The crowd went wild. Both Damen and Laurent were crowned the winners and the festivities continued and the men were starting to get along as the night wore on. Makedon came out and sat down across from Laurent and offered to drink with him. It was a huge step on Makedon’s part, but Damen knew Laurent didn’t drink and thought he would turn him down. Instead, Laurent drank and Makedon did too. And they continued to do so, getting drunk in the process and Makedon reminisced of old oktons. It seemed like Makedon had now accepted Laurent and even invited him for a king’s hunt. He eventually left leading his men weaving out into the night. Laurent was done too and needed help getting up, so Damen helped him to his room. Along the way, Laurent talked, nonsense mostly, he just didn’t shut up. Laurent said that he rarely drank because he had no alcohol tolerance even though he knew he may have to. Damen said that the night they met, Laurent had been drunk and Laurent said he had to be because he had to deal with Damen…an Akielon bed slave named after his brother’s killer…but of course Laurent knew it was the real deal. It pained Damen to hear that Laurent hadn’t been able to be sober to deal with him. Damen guided Laurent to his room and ignored what that may imply to anyone who saw them. He told the guards to not let anyone enter the room knowing that Laurent wouldn’t want anyone to see him working off a night of drinking. Laurent, drunk, told Damen to attend him without thinking and Damen did so for old time's sake. Laurent in his drunken haze said he missed him and their conversations. That made Damen happy and he could barely restrain himself especially when he told Laurent to go to bed and Laurent replied with “then take me” giving it a different implication. Seeing Laurent laying on the bed vulnerable and wanton was torture, but he didn’t do anything. He wasn’t himself and he would kill him when Laurent sobered up. So he left him to sleep it off.

Damen woke up in a good mood as he remembered the night before and the fact that Laurent missed him. That mood followed him down to the war room where he met with the captains to go over their next move to take Karthas. Laurent was supporting a hangover when he came down but he now had Makedon’s approval especially with how much he had drank of his personal drink. It made Laurent uncomfortable with Makedon’s camaraderie but he bore it. They then went over an attack plan and strategies for the upcoming fight. Laurent was still suffering from a headache and Makedon said to have his slave bring him some tea. So he said “Bring me some” and instinctively Damen stood. It was awkward for a moment when both Laurent and Damen didn’t move until Nikandros had everyone clear the hall to get ready to ride. Nice cover up Nick! When they were alone, Laurent wanted to know what had happened last night, he remembered only a little of it. Damen told him he had just taken him to his rooms and attended him and nothing else. He had been drunk and he wasn’t someone who would take advantage of somone in that position. Laurent agreed that he wasn’t and then asked if he had said anything. Damen said that Laurent had said he had missed him and Laurent blushed red. Damen admitted that he missed him too and that he was jealous of Isander. Laurent said that Isander was a slave, yet Damen had been a slave. Laurent just said he hadn’t been, he had been born to rule like he was. Later, Damen went to go see the villager survivers to see how they were and to apologize for what had been done. They knew who he was now and were angry and said they wished someone else had come to Delfur and won years ago. The little girl there was getting upset and another one tried to make her feel better with a coin trick. A familiar one. Damen now knew that Laurent had been here before him. The troops then set out for Karthas. Along the way, Nikandros warned Damen to be careful ‘when’ not if Laurent let him fuck him again, he could want something. It was what he did, he did it to Makedon and he could do it to Damen; he only gave if he wanted something. Damen took this in stride and continued to the front of the line where Laurent was and continued forward. When they got to Karthas, it was empty. They thought it was a trap at first but there really wasn’t anyone there, everyone in the fort had retreated. But they had left someone behind. Jokaste. Along with a handful of handmaidens. She had been sent to a different town to give birth but hadn’t made it. She had obviously been the one to organize the attack on the village in order to slow them down. When Damen saw her, he thought she was as beautiful as ever and didn’t act like she had been surrounded by the enemy. Damen had her sent away.

Nikandros told him later that Jokaste had been confined to a cell but didn’t know what to do with her. Damen wanted it to be worse than what she had done with him, sending him to Vere as a slave. For now, he had her confined with no men about who could be lured by her. Damen now had the fort under his control and a powerful prisoner. It didn’t take long for the Regent’s heralds to come. This time Damen and Laurent were ready to receive them, unlike last time. The herald had a message from the “King of Vere” whom the Regent was now calling himself. Damen refuted that by saying the King sat beside him and that the Regent had false claims to the throne. The Herald pretended not to hear and said to Laurent that his uncle was extending him a chance to restore his good name. That his uncle doesn’t believe that Laurent has turned on his people and offers him a chance to stand trial to prove himself. That he would be returned everything that was his. Laurent made him repeat exactly what he said and then asked what would happen if he refused. The herald said he would be executed and he will be given a traitor’s death on display for all to see and his name struck from the family register and forgotten. Laurent said nothing, so Damen told the Herald to go back to the Regent and tell thim that everything will be Laurent’s when he is named King. Akielos and Vere will ride united and he will fall. A dignitary that had come with the herald spoke to Laurent, pleading with him not to side with Damen because of the things he has done; of what he had been accused of in Ios. When Damen asked what that was, the herald said in Akielon so everyone could hear that Damen had been accused of killing his father, the King Theomedes of Akielos. The hall erupted into chaos and Damen had the Herald removed from his sight. Damen’s mind was swirling at the injustice, at the fact that his brother Kastor had killed their father and lied to say that Damen had done it. It was the last straw and he knew that there was no hope in saving any relationship with his brother. Being accused of killing his father was worse than being sent to Vere as a slave. The hall had been cleared from all the shouting people and he didn’t want to believe that his people would believe the herald’s words. He now knew how Laurent felt when his uncle had taken away his support and turned his people against him. Damen was realing with just this one fight, Laurent had put up with it for years. Yet Damen wasn’t going to act out in anger, he was going to march and take the Regent out. Larent continued not to say anything and seemed to be considering the proposal, yet Damen didn’t think he would get a trial, he would kill him. Laurent said he wasn’t considering it, his uncle would have witnesses that would smear his name across the floor before he was killed. But there was something that was missing. His uncle wouldn’t extend his hand knowing it wouldn’t be taken, there had to be something else. Before he could figure it out, Pallas came in saying that Jokaste was asking to see Damen. Damen knew he couldn’t deal with her knowing now that while his father had been dying, she had been having an affair with Kastor, that she had used him. She would tear him apart in his current state, so he had Laurent go. But after a few minutes, he followed Laurent to the cells, but stayed out of sight as they talked. Seeing them side by side, Damen could see how alike in coloring they were, with blonde hair and blue eyes. They exchanged biting words about how Damen had fucked both of them. Jokaste went into detail of how it must have been for Laurent to take his enemy into his bed and enjoy it. Laurent didn’t rise to the bait. Jokaste then told him that she had information and asked for clemency where she will be released back to Kastor. Laurent said no, that once Damen was crowed king in Ios, she will be executed. He was going to leave when she said that her son had come early and had to send him away when she heard Damen’t soldiers coming. Laurent didn’t care about a bastard child, but Jokaste said he should since he was the son of a king. Damen, who had been listening, put it together. The child had been early, why she had gone so far to give birth to obscure the birth date…because it was his. Laurent was horrified to learn that Jokaste had sent Damen’s son to his uncle. Jokaste just said that she was not going to be left to rot in a cell and wanted Damen to come see him next time, not his bed boy.

Laurent had seen him when he left, but Damen didn’t care and went to his room where he could think. All he could think of was the fact that he might have a son and that he had failed his father. After a time, the door opened and Laurent was there. Damen didn’t want to really deal with him at that moment but Laurent just said that he was here. He also noticed that no one had disturbed him and that Laurent had something to do with it. Damen was going to thank him for it, but before he could he found himself in Laurent’s embrace. It was clearly an inexperienced hug, but a hug all the same. They then talked, actually talked. Damen finally admitted to himself that his father was dead and Laurent knew how it was to lose family. Damen then asked if there was no way forward for them, could they not just hold their position and rule it together, could they even be together? Damen left it out there and waited. Laurent just asked him how he could trust him after what his own brother did and Damen just said that Laurent was a good honest man and his brother was not. He then said that if he gave him his heart, Laurent would treat it tenderly. (ugh, Damen! So sweet) Laurent couldn’t take it either and said he couldn’t think when he spoke or made love to him like that, so Damen told him not to think. Laurent tried to tell him to stop but Damen just told him not to think again and Laurent blurted out to kiss him. It surprised Laurent that he admitted that but he didn’t take it back. He also admitted that it had been a long time since he had been with anyone, only one other besides, Damen. Damen just told him he would never hurt him, but he had in regards to lying who he was and killing his brother, but he was sorry about it. After that Damen made Laurent admit and see that he wasn’t a slave, he was a man. Laurent then said Damen’s name for the first time. They didn’t do much talking after that. There were no more secrets between them and Laurent accepted who Damen was and made love to Damen anyway. Their joining was beautiful and hot, I enjoyed it far too much. 😊 But it was Laurent’s acceptance of Damen that was so moving, it took a lot for him to do it, but his love for Damen won out. And Damen knew exactly how to make Laurent feel good, slow, and steady and it was amazing for both of them.

In the morning, Laurent was still there lying next to him, a fact that made Damen very happy. He also took great pleasure in hearing Laurent saying his name. They had a bit of bittersweet pillow talk where they wondered “what if.” Damen said that he would have courted him properly if they had the time and Laurent said that he would have gotten along with his brother, been friends perhaps. Laurent then promised that he wouldn’t let his uncle hurt him or his child if it was his child. They got busy again and were interrupted by Pallas who came for instructions and caught them in the act. Laurent was not bothered in the slightest, but Damen was embarrassed. He was not used to being seen in a position except for slaves, but they were beneath him in stature, but Pallas was a soldier. After Pallas left with his instructions,  Laurent asked if he was shy, which he thought was funny because he had wrestled naked earlier. Damen said that the wrestling was a sport, in Akielos they don’t do it in front of others. Laurent said that in Vere, a royal married couple consummates their marriage in front of the council. Damen was horrified. As they lay next to each other, talk turned to Govart and Laurent said that he thought Govart had something on his uncle and wanted to know what, but didn’t get a chance to find out. He told Damen how he got out of Fortaine, it was unbelievable, yet Damen believed it. He didn’t think Nikandros would though. Damen then asked if Laurent had anyone there to comfort him when Auguste died, and Laurent said he did, though he seemed stiff and uneasy in his reply. Damen was just glad that he hadn’t been alone. They still had things to do, but they spent the rest of the morning together. Later they talked and laid out their plans, or Laurent did since Damen wasn’t exactly a planner. When the servants came in to take their dishes away did the question of why Damen didn’t have slaves in his household. Damen thought it was obvious why, since he had been one himself, he now didn’t like slaves a sentiment that Laurent agreed with. And Laurent probably would have freed him on the first night if he hadn’t been who he was. When Damen questioned if Pet’s in Vere were the same, Laurent’s answer was no, Pet’s didn’t have a choice if they wanted to survive; a slave in Akielos had better options. Laurent then said that his uncle wouldn’t hurt the child, but would likely use it as leverage, so they will have to get it back. But first, they had to find out if there really was a child, so Damen had to go see Jokaste. He didn’t want to play her games and straight out asked her if there really was a child, but he knew he wouldn’t get a straight answer out of her, so he asked her handmaids. He said that Jokaste will be executed, but they can be saved if they answered his questions. None of them answered at first and Jokaste tried to get in a word or two to try and play a game with Damen, saying that Kastor will kill the child if he finds out it’s Damen’s and if she is killed, the wet nurse that is with it will tell him, but he wasn’t having it. He had a soldier come and start to take one of the handmaids and she cracked and revealed that there really was a child, it had been taken to Ios, but she wasn’t sure who the father was, yet Jokaste said it was Damen’s. She also revealed that Jokaste didn’t trust the Regent so the wet nurse had been instructed to trade the child to Damen in exchange for Jokaste’s freedom. (Wow, what a mother she is). Jokaste didn’t show it, but she was not happy that the plan had been revealed, but she took it in stride and said that the only way for the trade to work was for her to be there in person. Damen knew that he couldn’t just walk into Ios with his brother and the Regent looking for him, but there was one place where they could meet without being ambushed, the Kingsmeet. The handmaids were then separated from Jokaste with one of them to communicate with the wet nurse the plan. Now alone, Jokaste said he was a fool to trust the Prince of Vere, he had his own plans, but Damen knew that already, Laurent was always clear in his intentions. Before he left, he told her he chose the wrong brother to follow, following Kaster landed her with nothing and even her own women have turned on her. Jokaste just said that Kastor should have killed him.

Since they couldn’t just walk into the Kingsmeet, they decided to go in disguise as cloth merchants. After careful planning, they planned their route and who was going. Only the best soldiers were going, so Jord, Pallas, and another Lazar, and the doctor Paschal, and Guion and his wife so he behaved. While he watched everything come together through a window, Damen waited for Laurent to come to discuss the plan he had come up with. He was already dressed in a simple cloth merchant garb with his gold cuff hidden. Then Laurent came in…dress in Akielon clothing, something that Damen wasn’t prepared for because there was a lot of skin showing; his ankles, feet, and one shoulder. It was not something a Veretian would wear as they are always fully clothed. Damen was speechless, but all Laurent said was that everyone else was wearing Akielon clothes so he was too. They then went over the plan again. Later, Damen told Nikandros the plan and as he expected, he didn’t like it because it was dishonorable; going in disguise wasn’t their way, it was backhanded.  Yet that was what they were going to do. So they set out with their two wagons and light guard and kept a lookout because there were a lot of dangers, one of which was Jokaste herself who was bound and gagged in a wagon. The first test was to get past the border guard. They were stopped and Damen told the Captain that they were escorting Jokaste to Ios after her birth and didn’t want to be disturbed. But the Captain didn’t care and wanted the wagon opened. That was a problem because Jokaste would be found, but when they forced open the front wagon, Damen could hear the Captain talking to someone and then came back and said that they can go through and they will even ride with them through the rest of the checkpoints. The Captain even told Damen that Jokaste was as beautiful as they say. Once they passed all the checkpoints and were a safe distance did they stop. Nikandros didn’t know how he got Jokaste to go along, Laurent then came out of the wagon saying she didn’t and tossed aside a blue garment to put a jacket back on. Meaning it hadn’t been Jokaste in the wagon, it had been Laurent…in a blue dress pretending to be Jokaste, a fact that was blowing Nikandros’s mind. They now had to move quickly when they realized they didn’t arrive at their destination. Jokaste was removed from the supply wagon where she had been to the front one, then they moved on, taking refuge in old child hideouts that Damen used to go to, to hide from the patrols. The next challenge was to go to Heston who was loyal to his father, but Damen had to go himself and present himself and hope he could shield them from Kastor. Damen set off and Laurent went with him as they left the wagons behind to the estate. Yet when they got there, there were too many horses in the stables, meaning Jokaste had warned the guards that they may be coming there, so that was a bust. But they still needed to find a way to hide the wagons, so Damen set off back to the wagons and Laurent went to take care of the soldiers. By way of letting loose the dog that went off on the strange horses which spooked them and they got out and ran off. Of course, the soldiers followed trying to get the horses back. With them distracted, Damen raced back to the wagons and got them to move faster and across a small stream behind some bushes. Shortly after, they heard Kastor’s men coming and move past them going to the Heston estate. They continued on and Damen just hoped that Kastor didn’t remember the stream they had found as children or that he told Jokaste about it. Laurent was able to join them at some point bearing an apricot from the orchard. They stopped the wagons by some old runes and set up a small camp where they wouldn’t be found. Camp was awkward for the Akieleons because they were not used to sitting around a fire and sharing wine with their King. It wasn’t until Laurent came in and told them of their escapade from the brothel where he got the blue dress and had them in tears from laughing. Later, Damen went to his bedroll to go to sleep and was pleased when Laurent joined him. They spoke about the runes around them that were similar to Acquitart and a bit about their childhood with their brothers. Damen said that when all of this was over, they could spend a week out here in the country and he could show him around. Laurent said he would like that.

Their luck ran out the following day when one of their wagons broke an axel. They were in the middle of repairing it when Akieloen soldiers appeared, they tried to be quiet but Laurent had a different idea. He hailed the soldiers bringing their attention to them. Damen wanted to strangle Laurent because they were outnumbered. Yet when the soldiers came, Laurent told them that they were cloth merchants making a delivery with a  defective wagon. They asked for their name and Damen said Charls, since it was the only cloth merchant he knew. Turned out that Charls was a renowned Veretian cloth merchant and they didn’t believe it because clearly, Damen wasn’t Veretian. Laurent said that he was Charls and that Damen was his assistant, Lamen (basically a combination of their names. Cute!). Somehow, Laurent was able to convince the soldiers to help them with the axel and guide them to an inn. Damen wasn’t even fazed anymore, but Nikandros couldn’t even believe what was happening. They did run into a bit of a problem…because Charls the cloth merchant was already there! Charls was brought forth and he recognized Laurent as the Prince of Vere and played along saying that he was his cousin Charls and he was Charls, named after their grandfather Charls. (I was laughing at this. So funny!) With that situation resolved and “Charls” vouched for, the soldiers left and Charls brought Damen and Laurent to a private corner. Charls was glad to see his Prince again, in another disguise no less. Laurent introduced Damen as Lamen, his assistant again because they couldn’t reveal who Damen really was. They were then introduced to other merchants as Charls younger cousin and assistant. While Laurent was absorbed in conversation with the other merchants with some surprising knowledge on merchant politics, Damen spoke with Charls’ assistant Guilliame who told him that Charls had met the Prince of Vere before in disguise as a prostitute. Damen played along feigning disbelief. When it was time to retire, Damen was led to Laurent’s room where he was waiting freshly bathed. He had dismantled the bed and set it before the fire, and kissed him when he came in. Damen then went to take a bath and when he was done, he was in for a surprise because Laurent had planned a bit more by lighting candles around the room and the man himself waiting for him which he thought was sweet. Things turned uh, passionate after that and Damen got the size of his lifetime as Laurent dropped to his knees before him and, well, gave him a blow job, a good one too even with it being his first time. After, Laurent asked him to show him what it could be like if they were together. So Damen made love to him, slowly, just how Laurent liked it. When they were done and lying next to each other, Damen commented that he was jealous of whatever princess Laurent was going to marry and Laurent said that there was no princess, he was going to be the last of his line. Damen didn’t know what to say to that, so stayed silent. After a while, Laurent said that he was glad Damen was here, he thought he would have to face his uncle alone and Damen said he wasn’t alone. They traveled with Charls for a few days and didn’t have any trouble, and the journey was relaxed for everyone as they bonded with some of the merchants. During one stop, Paschal said that he was the Regent’s physician and took care of his boys, meaning the boys he took to his bed (gross). He also said that his brother used to serve in the King’s Guard before he died. When they parted ways with Charls, Guilliame said that he noticed that “Lamen” had been a slave and that “Charls” had freed him and that he and Charls have never traded in slaves. Damen said without hesitation that Damianos will end slavery when he is King. As a parting word, Laurent told Charls to mention his name to Damianos when he is on the throne, he will give him a good price on cloth. Which is funny, because he was standing right there. They then parted ways, their party heading to the Kingsmeet. When everyone was asleep, including Damen beside him, Laurent got up and went to Jokaste’s wagon. He dismissed the guards and opened it up. He was letting her go as part of his own plans. He told her that he thought it was Kastor’s child. That she knew what was coming so to save Damen’s life, she had to send him to Vere and to do it, she had to be in Kastor’s bed. Jokaste didn’t say anything nor did her expression change, but Laurent could tell he had got it right because for the first time he could tell she was afraid. Laurent continued to say that he knew it was Kastor’s child because she wouldn’t use Damen’s child against him. He said they were alike because they both gave Damen a chance to live. Jokaste asked if the only difference was between them was that she chose the wrong brother, and Laurent said that she didn’t choose. (I think that means that she didn’t have to choose, she chose Damen all along, its why she did what she did. So Damen would survive).

In the morning, Laurent said it was best to not disturb Jokaste before the exchange so he and Damen went off alone to the Kingsmeet. It was a beautiful place made of white marble where pilgrims came to pay tribute to the Kingstone and a place where enemies could parlay. So Damen and Laurent went in as pilgrims. They had to pass through the gates first that were guarded by KIngsmeet guards dressed in white and take a pledge to not break the rules of peace. Damen had last been here when he was an infant when he was brought to be presented as the heir. No one spoke about how Kastor had been there, having been passed over, if he hadn’t been born, Kastor would have been the one presented. Damen told Laurent that Nikandros had served here at the Kingsmeet for 2 years, but he hadn’t been allowed because his father had said he was supposed to lead not follow. As they passed through the halls, Damen pointed out the different statues of past King’s and Queen’s of Akielos, one of which was the First King. He had unified the Kingdom and everything Damen has now has been passed from him. When they entered the inner chamber the Regent was waiting for them. Damen thought there was an ambush, but no one came, he was alone. Laurent and his uncle faced each other and exchanged sharp retorts each trying to get under each other’s skin. That was until the Regent said that Laurent knew he was going to be here and had come to give himself up for the child. Damen didn’t believe it at first but Laurent didn’t deny it. He had come to give himself up because Laurent knew that Damen wouldn’t fight if the Regent had his child, so he was going to give himself up so that Damen could win. Damen wanted to do the exchange instead, but the Regent wasn’t interested in making a deal with him, he wanted Laurent to stand trial before the Council. Laurent wanted him to leave, but Damen wouldn’t and said that Laurent would never kneel for him. Yet the Regent said he had, that he should have turned him away…(That pervert! Him and Laurent! He took advantage of a child!) Damen couldn’t control himself and drew his sword on the Regent but in that moment, Damen had broken the pledge and was swiftly taken down by the white sentries in the chamber. He didn’t go down without a fight of course, but they managed to pin him down and they told him his life forfit to the King. And the Regent said he was a King and wanted Damen killed. Laurent pleaded with his uncle to stop, to take him instead, but the Regent didn’t want him. So Laurent said he will go with him to Ios and stand trial if they let Damen go. Yet the Regent wasn’t going to make it easy. He wanted him to beg. For a man like Laurent, it was an utterly humiliating position but he did it. He got down on his knees and begged. Damen could scarcely believe what was happening. The Regent accepted and the next thing Damen knew Laurent was leaving with him and Damen left behind.

They didn’t let Damen go until the morning just as they said. By then Laurent was long gone. He was met outside the Kingsmeet by Jord and Nikandros and the former wanted to know where Laurent was, so he told him. Jord was understandably upset about the news and blamed Damen for leaving him there with his uncle. But there had been nothing he could have done. Laurent would be taken to Ios to stand trial where he would be branded a traitor and killed. Damen couldn’t let that happen. Laurent thought he was alone, but he wasn’t. He wasn’t going to just leave him. So Damen went to Ios alone and turned himself in. As he walked through the town, no one stopped him, no one seemed to even recognize him until he announced himself at the gates to the palace. Once everyone knew who he was they stared in shock because their King was alive and they were so happy to see him. But the guards had to bring him in despite this and had to manhandle Damen into the palace. They put him in a cell and tried to figure out what to do with him, when they did, they put him in cuffs and took him to the great hall where there was already a ceremony going on. The Regent was there with Kastor sitting next to him on a dasis, soldiers, both Veretian and Akielon alike sat around the room, as was the Council and right in front in chains was Laurent. He was still alive, a little worse for wear, but alive. Kastor was smug and clearly didn’t know what he had brought into the palace. When Laurent saw Damen, he was shocked and it took a moment to control himself. The Regent announced to everyone that Damianos of Akielos, the one responsible for the death of King Thromedes, had been captured. But Damen hadn’t been brought to face his crimes, he was the final piece of evidence against Laurent. That they were working together and that Laurent was sleeping with his brother’s killer. Then the Regent asked with false concern if Damen had forced him, that he was safe and could tell the truth, but Laurent said that he lay with him of his own volition and that Damen was innocent of any charges against him, that he was a good man. Damen understood that Laurent was trying to protect him, so he tried to do the same, and told the court that Laurent was wrongly accused and they will hear him if this was a fair trial. The council immediately tried to interrupt, but Damen was adamant that he will be heard. And the Regent, confident, let him. So he told the truth, how when they first met, Damen didn’t like him, that he was blinded by prejudice and didn’t understand who Laurent was and who he was fighting alone. That Laurent had more honor than any man he had ever met and he was proud to be his lover. The Regent said that while it was a heartfelt decoloration but there was no proof of this. Damen replied that the Regent was the architect of it all and he did have proof.

Damen then called Guion to come and speak. So he was sent for and with him the rest of his party; Guion’s wife Loyse, Paschal, Nikandros, and Jord.  But it didn’t go as planned. Guion lied. He said that Laurent was guilty of everything he was charged with. That he had been a prisoner for months and had seen what he had been up to, bedding the Akielon every night, and chose him over his country.  Damen was understandably angry that he was lying when he swore to tell the truth about the Regent’s group in Akielos. Guion just said that the Regent was innocent and his only crime was that he trusted his nephew. The Council had enough after that and were ready to pass their sentence. Damen and Laurent were pushed to their knees and a black cloth was brought out a symbol of death. Laurent pushed forward so that he was standing in front of asking his uncle if he wasn’t going to give him any last advice. The Regent just said that he had so much promise. That it hurt him that he hated him so when all he wanted was what was best for him. And that he should have known better to use Guion against him. Laurent then said that he wasn’t who he brought with him and Loyse, Guion’s wife stood up and said it was her and she had something to say. Guion tried to stop her, but she ignored him and said that the Regent had brought ruin to her family and killed her son, Aimeric. She said that the Regent would come to Fortaine and her husband allowed him to visit their youngest son’s bedroom in exchange for land and a position on the Council. He also made Guion the Ambassador to Akielos and was the go-between for the Regent and Kastor. Aimeric had killed himself because he had been an accomplice in the Regent and Kastor’s plot to kill King Theomedes and take his country. She then brought out a signet ring of Vere, (I think the same one that Laurent sent off before with the messenger) Loyse finished by saying that Kastor had assassinated his father in exchange for Veretian troops that he wanted to use to take Ios. Kastor denied the claims and wanted her arrested, but the Council had heard it all and they were disgusted. They already didn’t like that the Regent took young boys to his bed, and that a council member’s son had been used didn’t sit well with them. But it still didn’t clear Laurent’s name, but it did absolve Damen’s crime of being accused of killing the King.  Damen tried to think of how to save him, Govart had known something about the Regent, but he was dead now. Nicaise had known, and he was killed too. There had to be a conection…. Damen pushed forward and said that there was someone else who can testify, but he hasn’t come forward. He is a good man and maybe he would if he was free to do so if he did not fear repercussions. But he said to the room that he had a duty to his country. Paschal came forward with a bundle of letters from his brother who had died. They were carried by Govart and stolen by Nicaise and was killed for it. Paschal said his brother Langren was an archer and he a physician and they came to the capital together. Langren rose in the ranks and into the King’s Guard quickly. Then the war came with Akielos; talks fell through so the King took his army to Marlas to force Theomedes away. Paschal said that his brother had been nervous before the fight, speaking strangely and didn’t find out why until years later. The Regent had advised the King to leave the safetly of the fort saying it was safe as they launched a surprise attack on the Akielons. But instead Veretians fell and Prince Auguste died. In his grief, the King took off his helm and was hit by a stray arrow in the throat. With the King and heir dead, the Regent ascended the throne. Paschal looked for his brother and found that he had fled the battlefield and had died several days later in a village and the people told him that a young Govart had been with him. He didn’t know if Govart had killed his brother, but the soldier had suddenly rose in power and was given money and slaves. It wasn’t until he read the letters that Nicaise gave to him did he understand. It was what he had used to blackmail the Regent and why his brother had fled. His brother had killed the King Aleron of Vere on orders from the Regent who promised him money, but instead had him killed to keep him quiet. It was proof that the Regent had conspired to kill his brother in order to claim the throne for himself. There was silence around the room as Paschal passed the letters to the Council. Damen looked at Laurent and he was white as a sheet, not having expected this outcome. It also now made sense to Damen why the Veretian army had attacked that day in the open when it had been obvious that they shouldn’t. Guion tried to deny all of it but Herode of the Council said that a Nicaise had been more loyal than the Council. Then he knelt in front of Laurent and said that they had failed him as their King. Then one by one the Council knelt in front of Laurent who was in shock that he was now King. The Regent said that the Council has been deceived into treason and wanted them arrested, but no one moved, even the Regent’s Guard didn’t move. One soldier ripped his insignia off his clothes and stood by Laurent and then the rest followed. The Regent tried to talk his way out of it, until Laurent told him he had lost. The Council then passed judgement. He was charged with treason and sentenced to death. His body will be displayed on the city gates and not with his family. As soldiers grabed him, the Regent said he couldn’t sentence him, he was King. Herode said he was never King. In a last ditch effort, the Regent said that he’ll kill Daminos’s child, but Laurent said no he won’t. Because he didn’t have the child and also that Damen knew it wasn’t his. He had found the scrap of paper that morning from Jokaste saying it wasn’t his and he was safe. The Regent was then brought forward and the sentence brought down, by a beheading. Now in charge, Laurent gave orders to have his uncle’s body displayed on the gates and his flag put out to let the people know. Then he ordered to have Damen unchained. The Akielon soldiers were confused now having been following Kastor all this time, and Kastor himself was gone having taken off with his guard in the confusion. Laurent came forward and said that if he needed an army to take the capital, he now had one. Damen just said to find him after…he had something to do.

The halls were in chaos when Damen set off to find Kastor. Kastor’s men were defending his retreat and he had to get to him before he left the palace to regroup with an army, it would turn into full out war. Laurent’s soldiers were not going to be any help because they were in an Aklieon palace and didn’t know the place like he did, but so did Kastor. So Damen went after him using a shortcut through the slave viewing rooms to the baths. The last time he had been there was when he was caught and stripped down to be sold. It didn’t take long for him to wait and soon Kastor was in front of him and alone. Now that they were face to face, they finally talked as Damen went up the stairs to confront him. Kastor basically blamed him for being born because he had everything that should have been his. Kastor said that when he was captured, the Regent had wanted him and at first he had refused, but Jokaste had convinced him to send him to Vere. When Damen got close enough, Kastor told him to kill him and let his sword go so that he was defenseless. But Damen couldn’t do it, he was going to take him in and have him live the rest of his life under house arrest in Ios. Kastor said thank you…then stabbed him with a knife. Damen fell backward down the stairs and landed at the bottom the wind knocked out of him and Kastor advanced on him with this sword that he had dropped to kill him because there couldn’t be 2 Kings of Akielos. Then miraculously Laurent appeared having followed Damen through the halls. He instructed Damen to staunch the blood, then used the gold cuff on Damen’s wrist to chain him to the floor. Laurent said that Damen won’t kill Kastor, but he will. Damen didn’t want him to because it was his brother, but he didn’t listen. Kastor was confident he was going to kill Laurent and then Damen.  Damen knew how Laurent fought, he was good, yet Kastor was good too and had more experience. Last time Laurent and Damen had fought, Laurent had been still injured and clouded by anger, but this time he was at his best and clear-headed. Kastor and Laurent faced each other and fought, Laurent parrying each of Kastor’s attacks until Laurent stumbled. Kastor went in for the kill, but it had been a feint and Laurent drove his sword into Kastor’s chest, killing him. Then Laurent was by his side. Damen just felt relieved that Laurent was okay, and even if his brother was now dead, the brother he had known had been lost to him years ago. Later he will mourn the loss of his brother and inter him with his father. But for right now, he focused on Laurent. Laurent said he had killed his brother, but Damen wasn’t mad, instead, he understood him now. They were now both orphans. Laurent said they now held Ios, the center of both their lands and it had been one kingdom at some point. Damen agreed. They just had to wait for a physician to come, but he wasn’t too badly hurt. He just let Laurent fuss over him and looked to the future with Laurent by his side.

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