#( what i call home ; castle town information )

[flowersandbigteeth]

Meeting your drider general

A/N: It's the middle of October, so I wrote a spider story ^_^

There have been a lot of requests for NSFW drider content. I don't plan on doing any NSFW of my other drider character Vass (he is just too pure 😳), so this is a completely different story in a completely different universe, literally.

General Plot: You've been stolen from your home by a lich, who has declared himself King and assigned a handsome drider general to watch over you, his Queen.

Word Count: 7k

Drider (Ruvain) x fem reader

TW: arachnophobia! THERE ARE SPIDERS! (<- heavy spooky, spider content), a rather graphic death of a minor character, bondage, nsfw drider smut, some graphic violent talk, mention of self harm, yandere behaviors and talk

“You must do it again,” the lich who called himself King hissed at you. 

You tried not to glare, tried not to imagine his slow, agonizing death. The amulet he’d fuzed with his body prevented you from harming him, though if you had a single second left in your life where that amulet was gone, you would use it to cut off his cock and feed it to him. You’d spend your last moments smiling as he bled out while he choked to death. 

Instead, you lifted the spoon to your lips and tipped the soup into your mouth. It was delicious, as all things were in this castle, but you only tasted ash. 

“Yes, that’s more like a Queen,” he cooed, brushing his hand over your hair. 

His cold fingers drifted further to your cheek, and you forced yourself not to jerk your body away. Since you’d been captured only a few days earlier, you asked yourself if it was worth waiting to seek revenge. You could end yourself and join the family King Camus had slaughtered to obtain you in the afterlife. 

Perhaps you were too much of a coward, but you liked to think that one day you would find a way out of this trap, and then you would take your revenge. 

Camus was the cruel ruler of the country of Ventirest, where you’d been born. 

You would have lived and died in the small town Cerulle, where your family lived as ranchers, if Camus hadn’t come riding through on a countryside tour. He just happened to see you leading a cow through the market and, in his words, “fell in love.” 

That was a lie. Camus didn’t love anything but himself. He wasn’t a popular king, but he had that amulet and an army of monsters to keep the mostly rural country in line. You all toiled to pay his high taxes, though you made very little. He’d sent a page to your father to inform him you’d been chosen as his Queen and that your future was secure. 

Perhaps your family would have thanked him for your good fortune if it were a different King, but your parents were only afraid. How long until he grew bored of you and snuffed you out? They tried to hide you, saying you’d run off, and they couldn’t find you. Camus sent his dogs to sniff you out, and when they found you, your family was punished for protecting you. They were all killed, everyone who carried your family name, and you were thrown in his carriage on your way to the Capital. 

So, for the past two mornings, you’d wondered to yourself if this was all a waste of time. You pretended to be obedient. You did as he said and let him touch you, though you feared the day that his advances would grow more intimate. He’d promised you that you were lucky that he found you so desirable but was willing to give you a few days to “acclimate” before he forced you into his bed. 

You shuddered at the thought of his cold body, which carried the stench of rotting corpses touching your warm skin. 

“Master! Master!” one of Camus’ servants yelled, running in with a pile of maps and books in his arms. 

“What is it?” Camus snapped. “I’m in the middle of an etiquette lesson with my Queen. What can be so important?” 

“Of course, I would only interrupt you if it were dire!” the servant said, throwing himself to his knees in a bow. “And it is dire!” 

Scrolls and books flew everywhere as he prostrated himself. 

“Well, get on with it. What’s the matter?” Camus barked. 

“There’s an uprising, Your Majesty,” he whimpered, afraid he’d be killed as the messenger. “The villages of the west, where you obtained your Queen, have sworn to overthrow you for stealing a child of the land! They mean to take her back to her home.” 

Camus snorted, but your heart skipped in your chest. The people of the land came together for you? To seek revenge on your behalf? Your eyes misted with tears. You knew the people of the land were good and just. Their loyalty to a mere farm girl touched you deeply. Inside, you also wept for them. Camus was an immortal lich. You knew of no way to kill him. Many of the people who rode for you would die. 

“I didn’t steal her! I am the Goddess's chosen ruler of this land! All women are mine,” he snarled. “I could take every farm girl in this country, and I would still not be wrong. Perhaps I will after I’ve rendered their heads from their necks!” 

“Of course, of course,” the servant said. “I am only repeating the reports. I would never-” 

“Ruvain!” Camus shouted to nowhere in particular, and from the vaulted ceiling, cloaked in shadows, a drider appeared, elegantly sliding down a length of silk. Despite and maybe because of his bulbous body and eight brown legs, he was incredibly handsome. His eyes shimmered a rich gold, and his hair matched, laying over his tan shoulder in a thick braid. 

“You called, Your Majesty?” the half man, half spider, asked, his voice smooth as the silk he’d arrived on. 

“I need to convene with my generals. Guard the Queen!” Camus snapped. 

The drider looked a little offended. 

“Am I not a general, Your Radiance? Have I been demoted?” he asked. 

Camus let out a wet laugh. 

“No, but you’re the ugliest of the bunch,” he chortled. “I can’t leave my new Queen with someone too pretty, lest she get the wrong idea. Your eyes alone would send any woman running.” 

You felt outraged, not only that he questioned your character, but that he’d called this beautiful creature ugly. 

The drider’s eight eyes met yours for a moment. They shined like gold coins, and you saw they held the same fire and hate. He, too, was putting on an act. 

He gave Camus a deep bow. 

“As you wish, Your Highness,” he said, and Camus ran out of the room, dragging the poor servant behind him. 

When you were alone, you took the measure of the drider. 

“I don’t suppose you’d agree to lose me accidentally, would you?” you asked. “I can just slip out of the window over there. I’ll give you a slap if you want to say I fought you.”  

He let out a chuckle that made your heart flutter. 

“It is wise to let the King have his way,” he said vaguely, though he circled you, looking more closely. 

“I don’t like that he called you ugly,” you said, looking deeper into his eight gold eyes. “The only ugly one here is him. He smells like rot. You can smell that, can’t you? Everyone pretends…Anyway, I think you’re very handsome, actually. I quite like your legs, if I’m to be honest. And your eyes are…arresting…uh, in a…ah good way.”

At that, the drider smiled, revealing large, pointy teeth that sent a quake to your stomach. 

“He bathes in perfume,” he commented evasively, rescuing you from your own awkwardness. 

“Well, it’s not working. The perfumer should be shot…or maybe that’s just how bad he smells,” you said. 

The drider looked amused. 

“He hasn’t yet conquered you? Has he?” he asked. 

“If I could stab him in the neck, I would,” you admitted, clutching the silver spoon you held. “Only it wouldn’t work, would it? He’s warded himself cleverly.” 

“You don’t fear retribution? Telling all this to his general?” he asked, touching a lock of your hair and examining it. 

“I don’t believe he’s conquered you, either,” you said. “I’d bet my life on it. You want out of here just as much as I do. What’s keeping you? You’re strong…and very stealthy, I might add. How long were you watching from the ceiling?” 

He tipped his head, interested in you. Everyone around Ruvain whimpered and cowered in front of Camus; you were very different. 

“Where is a monster like me to go?” he asked. “The village from where you came would never accept me. If I didn’t work for Camus, I would have to live in the forest, where some intrepid knight would come for my head on a quest, thinking I had a magic liver or some other such nonsense. I was stolen from a land far from here, and I’m unsure how to return..” 

“So you bide your time serving that asshole?” you asked. 

He looked thoughtful. 

“I thought having access to the royal library would produce some results,” he admitted. “Camus pulled me through a portal. I can’t take a ship back. For all I know, he’s taken me from another universe entirely. In fact, that’s how he obtains all of his ‘monsters.’ To answer your other question, I’ve been watching you since you arrived.”

“And in all this time, you’ve found nothing?” you asked. 

He frowned. 

“Camus has a secret workshop that I think holds the answers I seek,” he said, “but I can’t get access to it. It’s warded, and if I tried, Camus would know and order my death. I have to approach it very carefully.” 

“Slimy bastard,” you grumbled, and Ruvain gave you another of his silky chuckles.  

“It is very frustrating, but I wouldn’t say I’ve found nothing. I’ve certainly found something,” he said, his eyes flashing. 

“Well, is it useful?” you asked. 

His eight eyes blinked in an eerie cascade. 

“Only time will answer that question,” he said. 

“Care to share?” you said, and he gave you a wide smile. 

“We’ve only just met. I can’t reveal all of my secrets,” he said. 

You scrubbed your hair and growled your frustration. 

“Since I’ve come here, it’s been nothing but secrets,” you huffed. “I miss my ranch. I miss my family. He took the only good things in my life, and now…now I’m just a doll for him to dress.” 

“Know this (Y/N): you have my protection,” he said. 

You sighed. 

“You don’t have to make me promises like that, Ruvain,” you said. “I know you’re only looking after me for Camus. I don’t need your lies. I’m all too aware of the truth.” 

He tipped his head and gave you a curious look. 

“You will learn the truth of things soon,” he said ominously. 

You wanted to ask more, but Camus came in like a tornado, his face the picture of rage. 

“How could they?” he snarled. “They are nothing…ants, and they think they can capture me? I’ll destroy them…crush them under my boot.” 

His spooky eyes, milky white, turned in your direction. 

“I’ll have you tonight!” he said, which seemed to cheer him up a bit. 

He crossed the room and cupped your cheeks in his hands, meeting your gaze. 

“You’re thrilled, aren’t you, darling?” he asked. “You’ve been waiting for my body, haven’t you? Saving yourself for me? I won’t make you wait any longer, and I’ll fly your virgin blood as a flag for those vermin to see as they arrive. Before they die, they’ll know I’ve taken you and filled you with my seed.” 

He was too frantic, his eyes filled with madness, to notice your fear. You did not want him to touch you, and you weren’t a virgin. You trembled, wondering what he would do when he discovered that fact. It wouldn’t be your virgin blood on that sheet; it would come straight from your veins. 

He clapped his hands and grinned, his crooked, rotting teeth making bile rise in your throat. 

“I must prepare myself!” he beamed. “Our first night of passion and the counteroffensive must be timed perfectly!” 

His eyes flicked to the drider. 

“Take my Queen into the city, to the fashion district,” he said. “I want her to choose something just for me. A dress, lingerie, oils and perfumes!” 

You were surprised he didn’t want to dress you himself, but it seemed he wanted to feel that you adored him, proving so with whatever you chose. You wanted to be sick. 

“Don’t let me down, (Y/N),” he said, winking at you. 

You gave him a tight bow. 

“It will be as you wish, Your Highness,” you choked out, and he hurried out of the room. 

You gave Ruvain a serious look. 

“End me, Ruvain,” you said. “I’m too much of a coward to put a knife to my own skin. Do me this favor. I won’t let that…monster touch me! He’ll have fuck my cold corpse.” 

Ruvain shook his head. 

“There are so many reasons I won’t grant you your request, but the most important for you to know is that death will not end your misery. If you kill yourself, If I killed you…he would resurrect you…tie you to him for eternity,” he explained. “A far worse fate than a few minutes underneath him.” 

Your heart turned cold as ice, and you gasped. 

“No,” you murmured. “He can’t! I can’t…” 

“He will,” Ruvain insisted, lowering himself so you were eye to eye.”Camus has no real magic but we can get out of artifacts. He experiments with alchemy. Reanimating bodies, fusing what few relics he finds to living hosts…But I told you. I will protect you.” 

“How?” you gasped. “He holds all the cards.” 

“Well, the window wasn’t a good option, but now we have some time to play with,” he said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “First, we need to get a message out to your kin. They will only get themselves murdered coming here when we’ve just escaped.” 

“Escaped?” you asked. “What do you mean? You just said you wouldn’t let me escape.”

He smiled down at you. 

“I told you I would protect you,” he said. “I’ve been working out a plan since I first saw you.” 

You blinked up at him.

“You-you have?” you asked. 

He gave you a grave look. 

“I’m no better than Camus,” he admitted. “I won’t return you to your countrymen, but I will protect you. In my web, you will always be safe. Do you…do you hate me?” 

Your mouth dropped open, and you slowly shook your head. Your cheeks were burning like hot irons. The handsome drider thought he would take you for his own? Fear and uncertainty flickered within you, but Ruvain didn’t smell like death, and making love to him would be no hardship, assuming driders and humans could make love. 

“Um..n-no,” you said. “I don’t hate you…” 

He smiled, showing a white, sharp fang.

“That’s enough for me,” he said. “Now to your message. I have many spies that can reach out to your countrymen, but they won’t believe a warning coming from me. You must record one on a recording crystal. You’ll tell them you’ve escaped and are fleeing, not to come for you.” 

He gave you another sobering glance. 

“Once you record this, however, there is no doubt it will eventually fall into Camus’s hands. I have many spies, but so does he. He will know you ran from him, and he will spare no expense to find and punish you,” he said. 

“Wait, wait!” you said, waving your hands. “What about you? You have a mission here. We can’t run away without whatever he has in his lab!” 

He smiled again. 

“Don’t worry your pretty head over that,” he said. “With a gorgeous companion, my time in this realm will be far more…pleasant. Returning to my homeland can wait.” 

You took a step forward, setting a hand on his fuzzy leg. 

“I don’t want to tear your dreams from you, Ruvain,” you said. “It’s not fair. My family is gone…they’re never coming back, but yours are waiting for you.” 

His face softened into an expression that was hard to imagine a powerful drider would have. 

“You’re still very young,” he assured you. “People assume dreams are static things, that they are losing something if they change. That’s not true at all. Dreams morph and blossom like flowers. You are stealing nothing from me and giving me so much more in return.” 

Again, your cheeks burned from his tenderness. If he had some nefarious plan for you, he was doing a damn good job breaking down your walls. 

He chuckled. 

“Camus is going to be very angry when he realizes you walked right out of the front door to escape him,” he said. “I kind of wish I’d be here to see it.” 

You gave Ruvain a shy nod, and he waved a hand for you to proceed. 

“After you, my Queen,” he said. 

—

The sun was sinking low in the sky when you climbed into the royal carriage. Ruvain walked alongside as it made its way slowly through the bustling city. The citizens were used to seeing Camus’s monsters running errands, and many of them had even made friends when they went to drink in the bars and visit the brothels. 

They were much more afraid of who might be inside the carriage. No one wanted to be in the King’s eyeline. It would only lead to ruin. Ruvain had given you a recording crystal, and in the privacy of the carriage, you’d made your message and returned it to him. 

You’d told those who would avenge you that you were escaping and going into hiding. You told them not to look for you for their own safety but that you would send a message later to assure them you were okay. 

You could not tell them to drop their uprising. Those who would stand up to their King did so for many more reasons than a single woman; you were only the last straw. A revolt was a long time coming, so you sent them the Goddess’s blessing and only asked them to be smart and safe. Do not fly into battle blinded by rage, you’d warned. The King is wiley and immortal. You must be quiet and clever if you mean to unseat him. 

Your heart pounded as you entered the fashion district. Ruvain insisted you needed to be seen shopping, or the King’s spies would realize you were running immediately. Ruvain worked best in darkness, so you would stay out until sunset. 

You went to shop after shop poking around. Not intending to wear any of it, you purchased the most expensive, obnoxious items you could, happy to be spending the King’s money frivolously. Your heart pounded in your chest as the sun set. It was time to put your plan into action. 

Ruvain took you to a spa to have you bathed, plucked, and oiled up like a dinner chicken. Only you didn’t do any of that. The moment you were checked in, you asked one of the ladies for the bathroom and slipped out of the back door. 

Ruvain was supposed to meet you in the alley on the other side, and the two of you would climb the rooftops out of the city. 

That’s not who greeted you when you opened the door. Yes, Ruvain was there, but he was surrounded by six of Camus’s monsters– three nagas and three minotaurs. Camus stood there, smugly tossing the crystal you’d sent in his hand. 

“Tsk. Tsk.” he said, peering at you in the torchlight. “I offered you everything, and you chose to betray me. You should know this spider is a devil. He would have eaten you once you left the city. However, I am kind, and you are just a naive farmgirl; I’ll give you a chance at redemption. Come to me.” 

He held his hand out to you. You growled at him. Now that your escape plan had been discovered, there was no reason to pretend. 

“I’d rather he eat me one limb at a time than fuck your zombie body!” you snapped, then spat at him. 

Ruvain gave you a glance filled with both worry for your mouthing off and also sudden determination. Camus’s face turned to one of pure rage. 

“You snivelling bitch! You’re nothing! I could have had you and then tossed you in a ditch, but I offered you the world! To be a Queen!” 

“You’re nothing but a filthy murderer who hides behind creatures with nowhere else to go!” you shouted. “Those who have come to challenge you do so with nothing but pitchforks and torches. They have more spine than you’ll ever have!” 

“You won’t speak to me that way!” he snarled, the nagas at his side slithering towards you and one grabbing you by each arm. 

“I’m going to let you watch while my monsters tear this traitor’s legs off one by one!” Camus promised, glaring at Ruvain. 

His face had lost the fear it held and was only a mask of indifference. 

“Perhaps,” he said, eyeing the minotaurs approaching him. “You are not the only one protected by magic. You know so little of the creatures you've detained." 

He murmured some words under his breath, and in the flickering firelight, a wave of darkness roiled around you. It looked like the earth itself was writhing, a shiny black, living oil…only it wasn’t liquid. You couldn’t tell what it was exactly until the wave began climbing one of the naga’s bodies. Then it was all too clear; millions of spiders rolled over him like the tide rising. 

His screams pierced the night air as he frantically tried to brush them off. 

It was no use; the wave kept coming, and more and more spiders filled the alley, climbing the walls and smothering the torches. 

“I’ll give you a choice,” Ruvain told the other monsters. “You can die like your friend is going to die…or you can hand me the girl and join me.” 

“Don’t you dare!” Camus screeched, watching in horror as the naga’s face, covered in spiders, began to bloat, pustules forming and popping from their venomous bites until he all but dissolved in front of you. 

The other monsters looked horrified, and a moment later, you stumbled to the ground as they dropped you. 

“Come here, darling,” Ruvain hissed, waving a hand at you. 

You scrambled across the ground, the sea of spiders parting in your path. 

Ruvain scooped you up and set you on his back. 

“You fool!” Camus snarled, tearing his eyes away from the bloated, deformed body beside him. “You can’t harm me! I’m invincible!” 

Ruvain laughed. 

“I don’t need to harm you. In fact, I need you alive,” he said. He nodded at two of the minotaurs. “Bring him. We’re returning to the castle. I’m sending you all home.” 

Camus screamed and howled, but carrying him against his will was no harm, so his amulet did nothing. His only power was in the monsters he wielded. He carried no other weapons because he was arrogant and smug. His monsters would follow his order to the letter because they had nowhere else to go. 

The minotaurs dragged him behind you through the back alleys. Everyone in the city knew not to meddle in anyone else’s affairs. Camus himself had set such a precedent. So they ignored his cries, as they’d been taught. Shutters closed, and doors were locked as you proceeded to a secret back entrance to the castle. 

As you moved through the castle, the monsters you passed were quite happy to let you through. Ruvain told them simply that he was sending them home, and they fell in line, interested to see how this played out. They all had nothing to lose and everything to gain. 

You stopped in front of a door covered in runes. 

“Open it,” Ruvain barked. 

Camus, still filled with pride, shook his head. 

“Never! I’ll never bow to a bunch of mindless creatures!” he spat. 

Ruvain shrugged. 

“I can’t hurt you; we all know that,” he said. “But spiders crawling in and out of all your orifices for the rest of your miserable eternity causes no direct harm. I can’t imagine it will be pleasant, though.” 

If Camus’s face could blanch, it would have. 

“Let me go; I have to use my hands!” he snapped. 

The minotaurs looked to Ruvain for guidance, and after a thought, he nodded. 

Camus stumbled forward, turning three of the runes so they formed a pattern you wouldn’t have noticed if you hadn’t seen it after it was solved. The heavy stone door slid open to a set of stone stairs leading downward. 

“Let’s go, him first,” Ruvain said, shoving Camus forward. 

The parade of monsters followed Camus into the darkness. You worried he’d tricked you all when you finally reached a basement that smelled of rot. You coughed and covered your mouth. 

“What is that smell?” you asked, but it was soon clear. 

The laboratory, if you could call it that, was filled with dissected bodies. Monsters, people, you couldn’t tell one from the other as they were all flayed like raw fish. The only other notable thing other than sets of alchemy tools, bits of metal, and flesh was a large round mirror on one wall. 

“Hold him,” Ruvain told the minotaurs, “don’t let him touch anything. I know what I’m looking for.” 

Ruvain set you on the ground and started shuffling through papers. He gave a cheerful shout when he found the right scroll and a small book. You peeked over his shoulder, curious. 

“This is the spell to take us home,” he said, then showed you the book. “These are the coordinates of where he pulled us all from.” 

“Now then,” he said. “Since we no longer need him, what shall we do with him?” 

You all looked around the room,y our eyes landing on the torture equipment, disappointed you couldn’t just dissect him like he’d done to the poor souls rotting on the tables. 

One of the nagas had an idea. 

“Let’s lock him away, where no one will find him, and he’ll never escape,” he said, nodding to a small inset in the wall near the back of the room where a candelabra would normally go. It was just the right size for a body.

“I expect your silk is too strong to break with his fingers or teeth," the naga said.

Ruvain's face filled with an evil smile. 

“That it is, friend!” he said, “I can spin a silk so strong even steel swords or fire won’t break it.”  

“No! No! You can’t!” Camus screamed, but it was no use.

Locking him up caused no direct harm, so there was nothing he could do. As a lich, he did not need to eat or breathe, so a comfy coat of spider silk was harmless to his health.

He cried and begged, promising everyone in the room the world, but Ruvain simply took him in his arms, taking his time as he wrapped line after line of silk around him. The monsters listened to each scream and cry with satisfied smiles until Ruvain stuffed his mouth with spider silk and sealed it up. He finished wrapping as Camus whimpered, a mummy of white silk. Then he stuck him in the inset and sealed the whole thing up with a web of more silk. You couldn’t even hear him inside. From the outside, it looked like a nasty spider infestation but nothing more. 

The monsters gave one another high fives as their task was complete. 

“Now to send you all home,” Ruvain said. 

He scurried over to the mirror, twisting and turning various runes until a world appeared in the glass. 

“Home!” the minotaurs gasped, racing forward through it before Ruvain had even waved them on. 

You winced, expecting them to shatter the glass, but instead, they passed right through it. They ran through without a single glance back. One after another, he put in the coordinates of each of the monsters’ homes, and they left, some of them thanking him, others so excited they simply ran before the chance passed them by. When every monster was gone, you gave Ruvain a sad look. 

“It’s time for you,” you said, smiling a little. “You were my savior, and I can never thank you enough for that, but I understand you need to return home.” 

He smirked at you. 

“Now I can go home whenever I like,” he told you. “And perhaps I will someday, but now we have your world to attend to.” 

You looked at him, confused. 

“What do you mean? You’re free? Why aren’t you running like the rest?” you asked. 

“Because my world never needed me and this world needs a Queen,” he said. “And a Queen needs her guardian knight and first general. With the word of their Queen, your world will accept me, not as a monster, but as your companion.” 

He bowed in front of you, taking your hand and kissing it.

“I offer you my life, Your Radience,” he said, then peeked up and winked at you. “But don’t think because you’re my Queen, I’m ever letting you go. You’re mine, and we will rule this land together.” 

He stood and looked around. 

“Now, let’s get out of this filthy place. I’ll have the mirror moved somewhere that doesn’t smell like death and seal this miserable laboratory up forever,” he said. “I’ll  be sure to make it look like every other wall in this castle so no one has the bright idea to go exploring looking for treasure and instead finding an angry lich.” 

He returned you to his back, and the two of you ascended back to the empty castle. Footsteps echoed through the halls, and soon, you were faced with a bunch of farmers carrying torches and pitchforks. 

“Free her from the creature!” someone shouted, but you held up your hands in panic, worried they would hurt Ruvain. 

“My companion is not your enemy, people of the land!” you shouted. 

They all looked at one another, confused. 

“He’s one of Camus’s monsters!” one of them said. 

“NO, no. You are very wrong,” you explained. “Ruvain has freed us from Camus and sent all of the monsters back to their homes. They never wanted to be here to start. Ruvain is mine. You will not take him from me!” 

The villagers looked confused, but they’d noticed on the way in that no one had put up a fight. The monsters appeared to be gone, and the castle was empty, but what servants hadn’t run the moment no one was looking. 

“Her Majesty (Y/N) gives me too much credit,” Ruvain said, smiling down at you. “She is the one that deserves your thanks for freeing us from the nasty lich. I am only her servant, bound by the same gratitude as you should be. She is my Queen and should be yours as well for her service to the kingdom. There is a power vacuum now that the lich is gone. Do you want it filled with some other despot who cares nothing for you or a woman from your own land? She’s brave, kind, intelligent, and beautiful. The countryside will welcome a humble Queen who is one of their own.” 

Ruvain bowed to you deeply. The lead villager gave you an odd look and turned to discuss the issue with his fellow countrymen. A moment later, torches were extinguished, and pitchforks hit the floor with a clang as the villagers bowed as well. 

“Long live Queen (Y/N)!” they shouted in unison. 

You couldn’t help your burning cheeks, but you knew your kin needed strength, not a shy girl, so you tipped your head. 

“I promise to serve you well,” you said as Queenly as possible. “Now, we must rebuild what Camus has broken. You are the bravest, strongest citizens of Ventirest. You came here knowing you would face monsters with only your farmtools and spirits. I can never truly express how your care for a simple farm girl moved me. I would be honored to have you form my guard if you are willing.” 

“We will begin to rebuild tomorrow,” Ruvain said. “For tonight, you have traveled a long way, and the Queen has accomplished much in only a few hours. Let’s all rest. Run and tell the heralds to inform the people Camus is defeated. Tonight, they should celebrate their freedom.” 

The villagers gave Ruvain uncertain glances, but mostly because it was hard not to be frightened by such a large creature, especially one with eight legs. You encouraged them with a nod, and they gathered their tools and took off to the barracks where the monsters used to sleep when they ran the guard. 

“I’ve told you a lie,” Ruvain admitted when they’d gone as he sat you on his back. 

“What is that?” you asked, your heart fluttering, hoping he wouldn’t let you down, that he didn’t do this all to trick you. 

“I told them you needed rest when, really, I just wanted you all to myself,” he said. 

His gold eyes glinted with mischief. 

“Should I be worried?” you asked, your voice wan, and he chuckled. 

“Only if you don’t like orgasms,” he said, crawling down the hallway towards the unused Queens chambers. 

You’d have to fumigate the former King’s room and bed. It all smelled like rot. 

Your cheeks burned again at his words, and a very special tingle shot down your spine to your core. 

When you entered the room, he set you down on the floor, sliding the door shut behind you with one elegant leg. You watched, your heart racing, as he slowly and deliberately lit the fireplace, then the candles, casting your bedroom in soft, flickering light. 

When his gold eyes finally met yours, they were full of hunger. 

"You said you'd rather I eat you than for that lich to fuck you," he hummed, circling you to take in your form. 

He lowered his head, sniffing your neck.

"I liked that," he purred, and a shudder that was something between fear and excitement rolled through you. 

You let out a yip, as he pounced on you, taking you up in his arms and climbing gracefully to a shadowy corner at the arch of the vaulted curling. 

Candlelight flickered in his eyes so that they glowed in the darkness. 

Another surprised yelp echoed against the stone, mixed with the sound of fabric tearing as Ruvain ravenously stripped your dress from you with his teeth. Strips of gold and indigo fluttered to the floor far below. 

“You’ll never don human clothing again,” he insisted. “I’ll have dressed made of spider silk, so you always wear my mark.” 

When you were bare, he examined every part of you, all the white spinning web he crisscrossed to form a large nest for the two of you to rest. 

"Wh-what are you doing?" you asked, your breath shaking as one arm, then the other was bound by silver silk. 

He grinned at you. 

"This is how driders mate," he hummed, diligently tying elegant knots to bind your limbs. Your legs were tied open, and your neck and hips pulled slightly so your back was arched, your breasts presented to him. 

You had to admit the knots and lace he formed with strong, nimble fingers were beautiful and complex. You trembled both with a touch of fear and a lot of desire. His chest and arms were chiseled from a lifetime of climbing around lofty places. Your eyes followed his elegant movements. 

The men you'd known from town were stocky and strong from a farmer's life of chopping wood and eating beef, but Ruvain's figure was all athletic elegance. His muscles were chorded and lean, flexing as he tightened one knot and then another. 

It was a delight to watch. 

When he seemed happy with the lace of web he'd tied you up with; his attention turned to you. A finger traced your breasts, then drifted lower where his eyes ate up the tender flesh between your thighs. 

"I've been dying to taste you, darling," he said, glancing up. 

His lips brushed yours lightly at first, and then as if you were a sweet surprise, they landed more firmly, his tongue pushing into you. 

"Mmm," he groaned, tasting you as it slid over yours.

When he pulled away, he looked ravenous.

Lowering his head, he returned to examining you between your thighs, fingers parting your folds.

"I'm fascinated by your anatomy. Your two legs hide such a pretty treasure." 

He circled your clit, making you moan. Never in your life had you thought being trussed up would get you hot, but your cunt was dripping for him. You squirmed in the soft silk bindings, testing their tightness. You were his prey. He could do what he liked to you. 

Unable to hold himself back any longer, his head lowered, a long, searing tongue collecting the moisture at your slit. 

"Mmm," he hummed, licking you with long strokes between pressing kisses onto the inside of your thighs. "I love how soft you are. You're going to feel so good on my cock." 

His tongue explored your channel, making you let out a loud gasp. 

"Mmm, Ruvain," you murmured, making him chuckle, the silky laugh that made your nipples harden. 

"Are you eager for me?" he asked, teasing you with a finger as his eyes focused on your face, a smug smirk on his lips. 

"P-please Ruvain," you whimpered, every inch of your skin tense and sparkling, begging for release. 

"Be patient, little human," he purred. "I'm still exploring." 

One finger circled your back hole experimentally before two more entered your pussy. 

"Ahhh!" you mewled, twisting in your bonds. 

He lowered his head again, licking and sucking your clit until your pleading and sobbing filled the room. His fingers worked inside you gently, the third teasing you where you'd never been touched before. You didn't know it could feel good, but he drove you mad. He brought you higher and higher until you cracked, and an orgasm bloomed from deep in your core and blossomed over your whole body. 

Your nipples especially were tight and desperate for his touch. 

He pulled his fingers out of you, sucking your flavor off the ones covered in your juices. 

"Mmm," he said, briefly closing his eyes as he savored you. 

When you'd regained your senses, Ruvain was perched over you, palming his cock as he watched you. His other hand pinched a nipple, twisting it gently to see your response. The eyes you were trying to keep open squeezed shut as he toyed with them, soon leaning down to play with them with his tongue. 

"So sensitive," he growled, and you felt his sharp teeth nip at the sensitive skin, "and so vulnerable. You're all mine. I could keep you up here forever and torture you, making you fall apart over and over again for me." 

"I need you, Ruvain, please," you whimpered, your eyes on the large shaft he was stroking in his hand. 

The smile on his lips widened to show all of his sharp teeth. 

"I do like it when you beg," he hummed. "Your sweet pleas are very hard to resist." 

He didn't make you wait any longer, sheathing himself in your hot, wet cunt. He hissed, and his hands gripped your hips as he seated himself inside of you. 

"You're searing inside," he groaned, sliding slowly out and thrusting back in with a bit more force.  

You jerked in the silk as he drove into you for several strokes, purely for the pleasure of breaching you, before his sense came back to him. His eyes shone as he kneaded your breasts and curled his body down to you to invade your mouth with his tongue. It moved against yours, mimicking the treatment your pussy was getting. 

His powerful hips slammed into yours, held firm by his web. You cried out in his mouth, and you heard a lusty growl build in his throat. He pulled back, leaving your lips wet and shining. 

"That's it my sweet little human, milk my cock," he hummed, never taking his eyes off of yours. 

Your pussy was doing all of the work since you couldn't move, squeezing and spasming around his thick cock. 

"You belong to me. Every inch of your tender flesh; your mouth, your cunt, your cute little asshole are mine to use and enjoy," he growled, one hand clutching your throat while he pounded harder and more raggedly.

 "If anyone else touches what's mine, I'll kill them, slowly. You understand? I'm never letting you go. I'll never tolerate a competitor," he promised. "I'll let you perform your duties as Queen, but if you ever let anyone too close, I'll steal you away to my homeland, fucking your pretty body until you forget about this world altogether. I’ll make you my toy. You'll cum when I let you and beg me for my seed…and I will make you beg."

His threats were lost on you. Your thoughts were scattered, drowning in bliss as he filled you over and over again. Your pleasure was at his mercy. He could give it and take it away as he liked. Fortunately, at that moment, all he wanted to do was give. 

His finger circled your clit, while he sucked on your nipples, pushing you closer and closer to your end. 

"Beg me," he demanded. "Beg me to let you cum." 

You would have agreed to anything. 

"Please, please , Ruvain, please, don't stop," you wailed. "You feel so good. Please let me cum!" 

He gave you a devious smile at you as his eyes rolled back in his head. 

"Tell me you want me to fill you with my child," he demanded. "Tell me I'm the only one who gets to spend his seed in your womb." 

Your eyes squeezed shut, hovering just on the tip of an explosion. 

"Anything you want, Ruvain," you said. "I'll carry your child. I'll give my body to you; just please don't stop!" 

He laughed, pleased that you were willing to be his, and doubled his efforts. His mouth crashed against yours, pulling your tongue into his mouth and stroking it. You felt pleasure in places you'd never felt before. Your lips and tongue were sparkling. Your breasts ached, brushing against his chest, your nipples hard points. And finally, your cunt felt like a vice on his cock, his thick shaft hitting every sensitive spot. 

You detonated in his arms, the world dissolving, and your only conscious understanding was Ruvain's scent, touch, and delicious, overwhelming pleasure. Colors exploded behind your eyes, and your body felt like fireworks. Your muscles went completely limp as Ruvain emptied his cum inside you. There was so much, waves of hot fluid gushing from your cunt. You heard it splash against the stone floor far below you from somewhere far away. 

"I love you, (Y/N)," he breathed in your ear. "The moment he stole you from your village, you were mine. You may take time to feel the same tenderness for me, but I'm happy to wait." 

He carefully extracted you from the nest he'd made, orienting himself so he could tie you to his chest with more silk to rest. 

In any other circumstance, you would been frightened being so far up, but you felt perfectly safe tied to Ruvain's body, and your thoughts quickly muddied as you fell asleep.

#tw: spiders #tw: smut #tw: breeding #tw: monster fucking #tw: violence #tw: death #drider x human #drider boyfriend #monster boyfriend #monster x human #monster x girl #drider #yandere romance #yandere scenarios #yandere x you #yandere male #yandere monster #yandere x reader #male yandere #drider yandere #monster fucker #monster fic

[reallyromealone]

Ganon omegaverse 3

Fandom: the legend of zelda

Warnings: omegaverse, male reader, Zelda isn't good in this

🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑

(name) wasn't sure what to do, with these new freedoms he previously lacked back at Hyrule Castle, Ganon letting him wander around the palace AND THE CITY! With guards of course but still! He wasn't allowed to leave the grounds back home... Well he supposed this would be his home now.

That was something to get used to, things he was noticing back with his sister that left a sour taste in his mouth...

Why did she do what she did?

Why did she lock him away the way she did?

(Name) didn't know if he would get the answers he wanted to know or at least honest ones...

"Over the years we have expanded the town, it's not as big as Hyrule Castle town but it is impressive on its own" a guard explained as she showed him around the merchants row, before the palace entrance that surprised (name) at how accessible it was "unlike Hyrule Castle, we firmly believe the people should not be barred from visiting the palace-- of course there's times where it's not possible such at night but closing the palace from its people seems unreasonable to us"

"We believe in transparency to the people, of course they can't go anywhere they want in the palace but they are welcome to visit the throne room or see the public areas with the understanding of respect"

(Name) was fascinated by this information, the palace he knew was very closed off and from what he knew, very different from the rest of the kingdom in terms of wealth, the valley was much more forgiving and attentive to their people.

Zelda was a good queen, he knew this but he also knew she often focused on her own adventures and left the responsibilities to her second in command.

"There's so much I must learn..."

"And you will in time, you will have the rest of your life to learn" (name) nodded as he was slowly brought to the private dining area, unlike back home it wasn't stiff and cold, regal still but it felt....warm.

There was a low table with many bowls and plates with delicious looking foods as Ganon waited for his fiance to join him "how was your day, my star?" Ganon had grown to call (name) pet names, my beloved, my star... Many sweet words that made (name) flustered, his body warm with each sweet word.

"We went throughout the city today, one of the vendor ladies gave me this! I tried to pay her but she refused, she said "a gift to our future queen" the piece in question was one the made Ganon nearly blush, it was a fertility amulet.

"It looks very lovely on you" Ganon said as he led the Omega to sit in his lap, the Hylian dwarfing in comparison as they began eating, (name) finding he quite enjoyed spicy foods that the desert offered "try this!" Ganon already knew what all the foods presented tasted like but gave into his mates whims, eating the food presenting "very good, my love" his words rumbled through (name)s body, Ganon liked having his omega perched in his lap, so small and cute...

Ganon liked having (name) accompanying him during his royal business, include him on things and let him know how things worked And have an intimate knowledge in Ganons life.

"Our trade routes should alternate to this come winter months" Uberosa pointed to the map, an alternative map to get to the Bazaar "the merchants coming from the east have been notified through notices at inns and ranches" she explained as (name) looked curiously at the large map "This will also be the route we take for the wedding, I assume?" The concept of the wedding was both nerve-wracking and exciting at the same time, to think they should have been married for much longe...

Ganon gently pumped out pharamones as to calm the Omega, knowing he was nervous about his sister but Ganon knew she wouldn't try anything as to not disrupt the peace.

Going to war with the Guredo was a death wish after all.

"The wedding will be held at the temple of time now that it's been restored" Uberosa pointed to the map and (name) seemed excited, having never gotten to see it repaired.

Ganon worried (name) would grow bored when Ganon had to leave him, but the Alpha was pleasantly surprised to see (name) helping the teachers with the pups, the little girls wanting (name) to play with them the second they saw him as he was the only Voe outside of Ganon himself who they were allowed to look at, omegas were always deemed safe to the Guredo people.

"He will make a fine dam, brother" Uberosa said as Ganon gazed from a window, a soft look on his face "he will raise wonderful children if they get his attitude... God help if they turn out like you" the elder teased as Ganon huffed with false annoyance "he will be wonderful"

"Any word from the princess?"

"She's been quiet, she made many people upset with her actions and is most definitely doing damage control" he said methodically and Uberosa laughed slightly "she could have started a war, thankfully her brother is less selfish"

"His priority is always those around him, like a true Omega"

"You better spoil him to make sure he cares for himself"

"I already have things on the way"

Ganons clothes were going missing, mainly his shirts, thankfully he had an abundance due to needing to change from the heat.

Something Ganon took notice of was that (name) hadn't started nesting while here, weeks passing and the Omega seemed nervous when offered nesting materials "I-im allowed...?"

"Why wouldn't you be allowed, little one?" Uberosa asked the other who bit his lip, Ganon having a bad taste in his mouth as (name)s words confirmed his suspicions "w-wouldnt it be an inconvenience? I'm a royal Omega, it's unsightly for us to nest, no?"

"(Name), nesting is a basic instinct for all omegas, it doesn't matter what status you are, not nesting can affect your physical and mental wellness" Uberosa knelt down to the sitting Omega who seemed uncomfortable "I... I just don't want to inconvenience you all with my Omegan problems..."

"You have never and will never be a problem to us" Ganon was serious as he was half ready to start war over this but knew better, soon (name) will never have to deal with that again, he would be free to do as he pleased.

It took another week for (name) to try and make a nest, shy and nervous about it though happy Ganon gave him a spare room connecting to the bedroom "such a beautiful nest my Star" Ganon comforted (name) who looked at him for approval, his mood something new to Ganon compared to the others he was used to "we will get you even more nesting materials if you desire" he would have the finest materials sourced for his mate, anything for him.

#legend of zelda x male reader #legend of zelda x reader #omegaverse #omega male reader #ganondorf x male reader #ganon x male reader #ganondorf x reader #ganon x reader

[little-mouse-gardens]

Yandere vampire rottmnt au concept/idea

A rottmnt au that popped up in my head (romantic)

Warning: Mentions of violence, blood, unhealthy relationships, manipulation, kidnapping (I do not condone this behavior in real life. I Do not condone anyone to do any of these actions in real life. this is only for entertainment purposes only.

I don’t normally do character x reader writing (mostly because I’m not great at it) I mostly do character x oc stuff.

However I got a random idea for yan vampire turtles au idea?

Thought about this a day or two ago and got some great ideas on discord. Saying thank you and Crediting at @lexiechr and @astral--horrorshow for inspiring some of my ideas!

Reader is an upcoming mystery thriller novel writer seeking inspiration for the next book they want to write who moves into the local village far, far away from the city.

Reader Hear legends about vampires and decided they want to stay a little while longer to write their novel and see what All the fuss is about and one night while they are out and about on some late night errand.

The turtles (separately) spot them and instantly fell in love with their personality, the way their eyes sparkle with emotions and the way they spoke. Making them want to make reader their bride. To love and to cherish them in their castle for the rest of eternity no matter who gets in the way. Suddenly reader notices strange things occurring around them that are quite hard to ignore.

- a local bookkeeper reader was talking to the other day? Suddenly disappears and is later found in the river. The only calling card being the turtles family name emblem carved into the bookeepers flesh. A dire warning to stay away.

- The turtles visiting reader outside their cozy cottage at night, talking with them. Trying to sweet talk them into letting them in and being theirs with equally sweet promises of love and anything reader desires. Though reader is clever enough to not let them in.

- the villagers suddenly being extra nice to reader. Offering them free things to them, letting them have special privileges, life is made easier for them. It’s very confusing to reader, but the villagers know they have to unless the turtles decide to go after them.

Reader, after another string of vampire based murders and disappearances, does their research on each of the turtles and discovers more information about them based on the emblem. Wandering into the local library one late evening and finding a book on them.

The turtles are a bloodline of vampires that dated back for many years.

- Raphael, dubbed as the brawn’s of his brothers and the most feared by the town. Actively known to hunt down and brutally maul people and livestock. Occasionally steals soft things like fabrics and plushies. However he is the only one recorded to have actually spared some peoples life

- Leonardo, the charmer. Everyone in town knows his tricks, he charms and flirts with his victims before delivering the finale blow. Has been known to enter the local tavern when it’s not busy, or even steal from local tailors and jewelers to buy new shiny expensive things to add to his collection or himself.

- Donatello the mad scientist. The second most feared. His methods are simple, grab and torture his prey with his experiments in his laboratory. Villagers will not hesitate to give him the things he needs and or wants for his inventions. Leaving them outside their homes at night in an effort to get him to leave them alone.

- Mikey the artist, he will use his victims blood to decorate the streets with messages to taunt those who don’t give him what he wants. Sweet but not unwilling to cause mass chaos. Every craft store and bakery will always find something missing by morning, and sometimes he will leave different paintings on the walls of the town as a reward for their offerings.

Then, reader leaves the library that night, they are kidnapped by the turtles (separately) and brought back to their castle to be their partner for life. Promising to make them immortal, to give them all the love and joy they possibly can and making the clear vow that they won’t escape them.

However reader is clever and determined to find their way out. Even if it means playing along for now.

- Forcing themselves to Cuddle with raph and accepting his gifts and tokens of affection

- letting Leonardo shower them in compliments, dolling them up in silks and jewels while they compliment him on his attributes

- listening to Donnie speak of his inventions and praising his genius no matter how diabolical it may seem

- painting with Mikey, eating all the treats and snacks he makes them while he paints their portrait

The ultimate sacrifice for reader, other than their freedom, is to let the turtles have a taste of their blood and agreeing to be their partner for life. The turtles (separately) are much more gentle with reader, or at least they try to be.

- they’ll make sure reader comfortable. Each turtle (separately) will praise them for being brave and shower reader with compliments, cuddles, gifts after they finish. Soft blankets, their favorite snack or comfort food, a nice warm bath scented with flowers. Name it and reader can have it so long as the turtles get a taste.

Each yan vampire turtle has a different wing in their castle. Each with a specific set of theme colors and decor. Each place being huge, full of secrets for reader to uncover and secret entrances for them to potentially use so long as they don’t get caught.

Leonardo’s wing = Soft blues. Golds and silvers. Jewels encrusted everywhere you go, silks arranged around as if you were walking through a kings palace. So many drapes and screens that make it very Easy to hide what isn’t meant to be see. All the jewels and fine clothes for him to dress reader in. To shower them with compliments and sweet promises, making sure that his beloved will never want to go looking for the secret passages in the castle

Donatellos wing of the palace = Reader never dares to get to deep into his Lab, lest they find the many remains of the missing villagers turned into something sick and twisted. Donatello prefers to keep his beloved partner close to his side, showering them with endless gadgets and gizmos to impress them. Keep them distracted and their interest away from his sources of food and morbid curiosity that would put victor Frankenstein to shame.

Raphael’s wing = His halls are expansive, almost never ending. A place for the brute of the vampire brothers to wander at ease, lest his rage be incited. Rooms full of soft things and others full of little objects he collects. Objects he will gladly show and shower reader with if it means they’ll stay with him as his bride for all eternity.

Mikey’s wing = All down the halls, throughout every room reader will find art of all kinds. All of which he painted, sculpted and crafted himself with delicate yet skilled hands. He will spoil the, with all the beautiful sights and delicious smells. How can they search for the secret corridors out if they’re too distracted by Mikey’s art and him forcing them to sit for another portrait or sculpture? Or making them try all the fine delicious foods and drinks?

Most of the time reader is able to get alone time, which would be when they leave at night. Though occasionally one will stay behind to watch them, reader mostly spends their time in the ornate guest room or exploring the shadowy halls of the old castle.

Using their clever mystery novelist mind to come up with plans of escape. Writing down things about their captors and potential routes of escape in a journal they keep under a floorboard beneath their bed.Reader is kept in the highest point in the castle. That Overlooks the village and forested mountains below. Reader can only see their freedom from a distance while they bide their time.

Now, if reader managed to escape? All hell would break loose. Reader running for their life and packing any important belongings to get out of town while the loud roars and shouts of the turtles don’t linger too far behind.

- Raphael wouldn’t hesitate to reign destruction upon the village in a blind panic rage. Demanding his beloved be returned to him unless this whole town gets stomped down to the ground.

- Leonardo who is portaling to every corner of the town and nearby woods to get his beloved home safely or even threatening to portal the villagers into the gator infested swamps and wolf infested forests unless someone spills the details.

- Donatello who actively starts torturing people until someone gives him answers on where his darling went to

- Mikey who is literally using his powers to tear apart houses and farms looking for his lover

No place is left unturned, and it wouldn’t shock reader if the villagers came hunting after them to bring them back or snitched about their where about’s and to be honest, reader couldn’t blame them either.

Once and if reader is brought back to them, they are never let out of their sight if they can help it. If reader wasn't smothered before, they’ll definitely be smothered now and the wedding date will be bumped up closer from a year to a few months time.

Anyways, that’s just my random take on it. Hope you guys enjoy!

#rottmnt #vampire au #yandere rottmnt #yandere donnie #yandere donatello #yandere leonardo #yandere michelangelo #yandere raphael #vampire Donatello #vampire raph #vampire Leonardo #vampire Michelangelo #yandere tmnt x reader #rottmnt x reader #headcanon #rise of the tmnt #tcest dni

[thelovelylolly]

15 and 31 valentines for Frank castle lol 😜

Away From You

Summary: After being away for a job, Frank realizes he can't be away from you Warnings: reader is described to be smaller than frank, but that should be it :) Word Count: 627 Notes: frank castle always makes me weak so thank you for the request lol <3

You couldn't really remember when Frank started crashing at your apartment, but you knew your life had been better with him in it. You let him stay with you after you found him half-conscious on your fire escape. Since then, you would patch him up after jobs, help him with investigating the people he targeted, and you were there for him when he would wake up from nightmares.

Everything just flowed easily between you two and you worked well together.

Which is why being away for so long was so hard for Frank. He enjoyed your presence, your voice, your smile. He enjoyed having coffee with you in the morning and dinner in the evening. He started to find excuses to stay in the city more and more just to stay close to you. As much as he was doing it for himself, he also wanted to protect you.

Being close to him and working with him put you in danger, and he didn't want to risk you getting hurt. He couldn't live with himself if you got hurt because of him.

Did Frank have feelings for you? Definitely, but he ignored them because he didn't want to scare you away.

Then, he went out of town for a job for a little over a week. You texted him on his burner phone with information, but late one night, you texted him while half-awake at 2 a.m.

'I miss you.'

He couldn't ignore it anymore. After the job was done, he raced back to your apartment, which he started to call home.

You stayed up for Frank like you always did. You made yourself comfortable on your couch with a good book, a soft blanket, and a cup of tea. You didn't expect Frank back until well into the early hours of the morning, but there was a knock at your door around midnight.

You perked up at the knock, setting your book down and pulling the blanket off of you. You stood up and slowly walked towards the door, grabbing the pepper spray you kept by the door just in case. Then, you peaked through the peep hole and saw him waiting outside.

You let out a breath of relief and put your pepper spray down, opening the door and letting him in. You closed the door behind him, making sure to lock it before turning to him.

"Frank, I-"

You were cut off by Frank cupping your face with his large hands and his lips smashing against yours. You were frozen with surprise, then melted into his touch and kiss. You let him push your back against the door as you trailed your hands up from his chest to around his neck. One of his hands stayed on your cheek and the other dropped to your waist, holding you close.

Even when he pulled away, he made sure you stayed close by leaning his forehead against yours.

"W-what was that about?" You asked, breathless from the kiss.

"I realized that I can't bare to be away from you," he answered, just as breathless as you. "You...your perfect and I'm just so scared of losing you, but I've loved you for a while now. Even if you don't feel the same way, I-"

"Shut up and kiss me," you cut him off. "Kiss me like that again, please."

Frank smiled before pressing his lips to yours again. This time, you trailed one hair up to his hair, running your fingers through it as you tilted your head to the side to deepen the kiss. His grip on your waist tighten and his other hand went from your cheek to the back of your neck, pulling your closer.

He didn't want to be away from you again.

#frank castle x reader #frank castle x you #frank castle fanfic #frank castle fanfiction #the punisher x reader #the punisher x you #the punisher fanfiction #the punisher fanfic

[glyhpsrfvckincol]

Hi! Could you please do an Emperor Belos x reader where the reader and Belos used to be good friends in the human realm and When Belos and Caleb found the Demon Realm Reader tried looking for him but died in the process and somehow ended up in the Demon Realm? Then Belos found them and took them to the castle and helped them and then they kiss lol srry if this is long

History || Emperor Belos

Synopsis - Emperor Belos, who you once loved as Phillip, finds your corpse and restores you.

Warnings - Mentions of death. Old ass Belos. Cannibals. 

A/n - I have a love-hate relationship with this dude.

Requests are opened; headcanons only

↳ Ahh, young love.

↳ Your families had betrothed you to one another, as he had been born only a month after you.

↳ Either that, or it’s childhood friends to lovers. Cause ✨ Gay ✨

↳ Despite that, you fell for one another by 15.

↳ You know that trope, “She fell first, but he fell harder”? Yeah, that’s you both.

↳ Philip, who you affectionately call ‘Pip’, discovered the demon realm while he, you and Caleb where off sneaking out of the village for a few hours.

↳ The 3 of you were famously known around the village for your reckless adventures. Many of these adventures had worked out in favour though, considering you had caught a few mountain lions heading towards your town and were able to warn the towns folk before any real harm could be done to gravesfield.

↳ You actually moved with them to gravesfield, as what had killed their parents was a mistimed house fire that took your parents as well.

↳ Being only the short age of 19, you decided that instead of messing with fate, you travelled back home, pretending as if you all had all been out picking berries.

↳ Or some bitch lame activity.

↳ But, as fate happens, Caleb came across the portal to the Demon realm again, and y’know what they say, right?

↳ Curiosity killed the cat.

↳ Philip finds out, mainly cause Caleb actually planned his trip by writing it down in his diary.

↳ Caleb had been missing for a few days and both of you were worried.

↳ So Philip actually informed the town that he was travelling into the Demon realm.

↳ You assumed you would be going with him. You were not.

↳ Let’s be honest, there is no way in hell he would let you go with him. He genuinely loves you bro.

↳ So, you begrudgingly stayed. Obviously not without him proposing, in secret as it is the early 1600’s, giving you a pretty ring.<3

↳ So, off he traveled into the demon realm, with the promise of coming back safely with his dear brother.

↳ You never saw him again.

↳ He had promised he would come back to you within weeks. You waited years. The ring he gave you remained on you finger, hoping he’d one day come back to finish the end of his promise.

↳ When you were nearly 30, you gave up waiting for him to come back, and instead searched for a way to get to him.

↳ The portal you had found with the Wittebane brothers had closed long before you had seeked it without them.

↳ So, instead you would search the forest in hopes you would stumble across a gate or door of some description by chance.

↳ That wasn’t where your luck was.

↳ You fell through the earth, which turned into sky and landed on hard, yet simultaneously soft rock.

↳ Though, you still broke a leg when you hit the ground.

↳ Bone poking through the leg.

↳ And unfortunately for you, barbaric witches could smell the blood from your fucked up leg.

↳ They ate you.

↳ They ate and left no crumbs bestie😔✊

↳ They buried what was left of you. Your clothes, bones, hair, 1 eyeball and your ring.

↳ And around 350-ish years later, a random coven scout, managed to find your remains.

↳ He was on a mission with the GG prior to Hunter, who was barely out of training.

↳ He pointed out the pile of bones and dirt covered clothes to him, and the GG recognised them as the love of Belos’ life, the one he had heard a few stories of.

↳ Belos talked about you so often, to all the previous Golden Guards with such details, it was no wonder the GG could recognise you. Belos also had a small painting of you, cause it was the 1600s when you knew each other.

↳ He also saw the similarities between the ring your finger held to Emperor Belos’.

↳ So, he ordered the other coven scouts that had been assigned on the mission to bring your bones back with them to the castle.

↳ During his mission report, he mentioned the pile of bones he had discovered. He also told Belos himself, figuring that if it were you, he’d want to know immediately.

↳ Belos had demanded to know where you had been placed, and sought you out the moment the GG told him.

↳ He too recognises you, noticing how you had been wearing one of your favourite outfits and the ring he had given you.

↳ And so, like he had done with his brother a multitude of times, he was gonna make a Grim Walker of you.

↳ Belos is a psycho, I don’t know what you expected. 🤷

↳ Belos gets to work immediately, and seeing as he has done this process several times before, he finished quickly and then just had to wait.

↳ Eventually you crawled from the dirt, around the age he had left you back in the human realm.

↳ Though all your memories of him or anything, weren’t existent.

↳ So you know the memory thing Luz and Willow did back in season 1? Yeah that, but to himself.

↳ Belos is a psycho but a psycho in love with you.

↳ He talked of all the memories you two had together, how you fell in love and when tragedy struck.

↳ But none of it worked.

↳ So he asked Collector to just restore your memories and fake ones of how you got to the Demon Relam

↳ Belos wanted to be your saviour, to be the one person you remember.

↳ He knew he’d have to be careful with how he treated you, worried that you’d remember how he had abandoned you and become cold to him.

↳ Belos only had these fears due to Caleb’s ghost constant remarks about how shitty Belos was for leaving you alone, filled with hope based on fake, empty promises.

↳ Belos kisses you when he sees a fit opportunity, which is a lot, scared that he’d have to restart the process of getting you to love and remember him again.

↳ Constantly bribes you with lavish gifts and promised riches.

↳ Also, a lot of gaslighting, he’s a tad bit very toxic.

↳ He loves you, he’s just incredibly mentally ill and hella misguided by 1600’ Orthodox Christian’s.

↳ Back when he was Phillip, he loved you in the way he thought he’d go crazy without you. But now, as Belos, you make him insane beyond all reasoning.

#the owl house #toh #toh belos #toh emperor belos #toh emperors coven #the owl house x reader #the owl house emperor belos #toh philip #toh phillip wittebane #toh belos x reader #toh emperor belos x reader #emperor belos x reader #belos x reader #philip x reader #philip wittebane #philip wittebane x reader #emperor belos

[teecupangel]

Im curious about what is cannon and fannon in the AC fandom. Ive read many different origins for the scar Desmond has, but most people go with Bill being the one to give it to him. Is this because its cannon from a little known source(similiar to the fact that Altaïr can swim, as seen in the 3ds games, but most people make him unable to swim despite the fact) or is it widely accepted fannon? What about Masyaf castle? Ive read some fics about it being an Abstergo facility with the Templars having opened the Library, while others write it is just been left to time. And ofc cant forget Eagle Vision. Is it a unique ability to Altaïr only? Did his father have it too? Did every novice have to master it before becoming an assassin?

There could be others, but these are the facts that im mostly curious about. Thank you for answering. ^^

So I’m gonna break this into sections so I don’t have to think about scene transition or whatever rambling equivalent that has.

Altaïr Can Swim

We all accept that he can’t swim because that’s funny. However, if we take into consideration how Altaïr can swim as seen in his ‘sequel’, this is pretty much the complete opposite of “Altaïr has never been hit” status that he has in the fandom. They both causes desyncing so if we believe in “Altaïr has never been hit” then it’s not that Altaïr can’t swim, it’s that “Altaïr never slipped or fell into the waters” which actually points more to Altaïr being a badass. But we decided that Altaïr not being able to swim is a much funnier idea and went to town with it XD

Bill Being The Reason Desmond Has His Scar

Okay, so ngl, I also liked to write that Bill is the reason Desmond has a scar, either directly or indirectly (I mostly go for indirectly with another kid being the reason why he has a scar but Bill was there ‘supervising’), mostly because I like the plot point that getting the scar is the thing that finally snaps Desmond and got him to leave the Farm ‘randomly’.

Anyway, the canon/fanon blur a lot in this one as there are enough people that believe Bill made the scar as seen by this post.

My thoughts on that is pretty much summarized in the tags I left in that one:

#wait it's official? #or did we as a fandom just collectively saw how bill treated desmond and went #ah yes he's why desmond has that scar #seriously i hc it and it makes sense narratively for bill to be the reason why desmond has a scar #whether from training or by accident #but i don't remember it being even implied in any games #especially in ac rev where it could have easily been added in

To add to that, I’m talking about AC Revelations specifically because of Desmond’s rant in an early scene where he finally shouts at Bill for being a bad father. That was the perfect time to just drop that bombshell of Bill being the reason why Desmond has his scar but we didn’t get that. That’s the main reason why I don’t think it’s canon that Bill is the reason why Desmond got his scar but there’s 3 more scenes in AC Revelations where he could have talked about it, all of them from Desmond’s memories scenes.

I also talked about how I couldn’t find any evidence of Bill being the reason that Desmond got his scar in this post.

But the summary is I tried looking for any information about it in the books, pamphlet, manuals and references I had (I say ‘had’ because I had to leave them back in my old home after I moved due to space constraints TTATT), only focusing on any mentions of Desmond and Bill

Assassin's Creed Limited Edition Art Book (p40-41)

Assassin's Creed The Complete Visual History (p290 -292) - p291 has the line "... Desmond's father, William, adds an element of family drama..." calling it family drama sounds like an understatement considering how Bill and Desmond act around each other

Assassin's Creed The Essential Guide (p14, 66, 161, 218-219, 236, 238, 240) - this book is so weird. P218 says that Bill and Gavin shared the mentor role after the Great Purge, p237 says that only Bill took the mentor role (but didn't call himself the mentor) after the Great Purge

Assassin's Creed Atlas (p159, 165)

Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia (White Version) (p18, 158-183)

Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia (White Version - JP ver) (p18, 158-183)

Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia (Black Version - JP ver) (p17, 113-127) - The Black Version is an older version, only going as far as AC Revelations + The Fall comics, The White Version has up to 3 + Liberation

No mentions at all about Desmond's relationship with Bill in the following:

That short game manual that's inside the game disc for AC1-AC3 (JP ver)

Assassin's Creed Reference Guide (JP)

Assassin's Creed Perfect Guide (JP)

Assassin's Creed 2 Reference Guide (JP)

Assassin's Creed Archive Book (JP)

In conclusion:

The most I got can be summarized from Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia, p182

"... driven, intelligent but emotionally distant father of Desmond Miles..." " ... technically minded man, fully devoted to the Assassins and their cause, whose passion for politics outweighs his responsibility to his family. While William's wife has always been able to deal with this emotional distance, young Desmond could not. Eventually he grew to feel that his father was more of a drill sergeant than a parent and fled the compound, despite his parents' repeated warnings to never leave."

If Bill did directly or indirectly cause Desmond's scar, I could not find it in the official books I have or even on Desmond's or Bill's AC Wiki page.

Unless someone can point out where it officially states that Bill caused Desmond's scar, I believe the whole "Bill is the reason for Desmond's scar" is AC fandom's own Mandela Effect. Most probably something that started as a headcanon (and for a very good reason) and is commonly used by fanfic writers (including me) which has evolved as a Word of Dante that we, as a collective, have mistaken as a Word of God.

Masyaf’s Current Situation

There’s no official note of the current situation of Masyaf in the modern days and I think Ubisoft would probably not do anything about it narrative-wise… I’d honestly be surprised if they did anything about it if they make an AC1 Remake. Now, it’s a bit nebulous if the Templars did manage to get the library but it should be noted that the last time we see Altaïr’s Apple, Ezio let it stay in the library and the ACR novel gave us:

“The bookshop was used as an outpost for the Assassins, and Ezio stored the Masyaf Keys in the chamber where he had found the first key, underneath the bookshop.”

If the Templars got into the bookshop then they’ll find all the keys and would have everything they needed to get into the library.

However…

The Apple would find itself in the hands of Queen Elizabeth I and Mahatma Gandhi before falling into Templar hands.

As far as I can see, Queen Elizabeth I isn’t a Templar so it’s highly possible that the British Empire did their usual ‘finders keepers’ thing and this wasn’t a nefarious Templar plan. So either Ezio got the Apple out of Masyaf and hid it somewhere else that would later be found by someone (maybe John Dee?) or Ezio… just left it in Masyaf?

I wanna give Ezio the benefit of the doubts and believe that he knew leaving it in Masyaf would be such a bad idea so the Apple was most probably transferred somewhere else.

Which means that Masyaf was completely abandoned by the end of Ezio’s era which Ezio would have believed be something that Altaïr wanted to happen.

I realized now I’m rambling further and further away from the actual topic for this section.

In conclusion: we have no idea if Masyaf is abandoned or occupied by the Templars in modern day. I will also add if it’s occupied by Templars, it might be a secret ‘base’ or it’s affiliated with a non-Abstergo Entertainment section of Abstergo because, as far as I can see, Abstergo Entertainment’s headquarters are based on existing Ubisoft headquarters (ex: Black Flag’s Abstergo Entertainment is in Montreal = Ubisoft Montreal)

Personally, I think that Abstergo would take over Masyaf castle either officially or unofficially as a way to show the Brotherhood how they hold one of the most important locations in their history. That’s the kind of power play the current Inner Sanctum would do.

(It would be funny in a ‘that’s fucked up’ kind of way if Masyaf is an Abstergo secret facility that does experimental work with captured Assassins as guinea pigs which they have done in the Philadelphia facility (Fall comics) and Madrid (AC Movie))

Eagle Vision

It was actually never explicitly stated who had Eagle Vision and who hadn’t but it’s noted that humans, in general, have the capability to unlock Eagle Vision although there are humans who has an easier time unlocking it.

AC1 noted that the Levantine Assassins knew about Altaïr’s Eagle Vision but there’s no evidence to suggest that they have it as well. Most of the time, they just tell Altaïr to use his vision without saying if they have it as well or not.

(it’s just personal preference to write that 12th century Assassins, both in Masyaf and Alamut, would have some form of Eagle Vision to show how much the Brotherhood had ‘fallen’ in the modern day. Canon actually points that only a small number of people can access Eagle Vision)

#ask and answer #assassin's creed #desmond miles #altaïr ibn la'ahad #teecup analyze more than necessary #headcanon: assassin’s creed #william miles

[jelzorz]

The Crack Quartet Timeline BC I'm sleep deprived and obsessed. Some housekeeping before we get into it:

For those unaware, the canon crack quartet, as @raayllum and I like to refer to them, is rayllum and the following insane trio of ships: claudiez, sorpeli, and corterry

You read that correctly

I got dragged onto this boat unwillingly so now all of you have to suffer too.

These are my hcs and I've already written some of it into fic (linked for convenience). Some of these @raayllum and I share but they also have their own separate ones and these are specific to what I've written already

It's important to note that the crack quartet can only ever take place 10-15 years from the end of canon. Everyone involved by this point is a fully consenting adult. Please keep this disclaimer in mind before you all start coming at me.

Now that that's out of the way

Some of you may have read the seed, so you may know already that I hc Soren and Corvus to be pretty steady at least until the end of the war, where the trauma is too heavy for both of them to be healthy about it. Soren ends the relationship and Corvus informally leaves the council. He's always preferred the serenity of the forest to the hustle and bustle of the castle anyway, and he returns every now and then to give Ezran reports about how things are going among the surrounding towns. It's on one of these journeys that he meets Terry, and their passing knowledge of each other is what gets them talking over a drink in a tavern. Corvus is doing his job and listening for gossip. Terry wants know if he's heard anything about Claudia. All the drama aside, it's nice to see a familiar face and to talk about old times.

In Katolis, Ez and Rayla bully Opeli into taking self defence lessons with Soren after she insists Ez keeps up his swordfighting lessons when she herself has never touched a weapon in her life. If you haven't already read the seed, this is how sorpeli starts. Soren and Opeli have been p good friends for years now, and he has never considered her a mother figure the same way Callum and Ezran might have. He was essentially an adult when everything started so he hasn't ever really needed that guidance, but he's always had a ton of respect for her too. He is 24/25ish when he realises he's caught feelings. He asks her to dance at Callum and Rayla's wedding. He starts having tea with her in the mornings and walking with her to Temple Hill (ia163a)

The month before Callum and Rayla's wedding, the kids are called away to a skirmish in a little town near the border. Ez goes for a wander through town to assess damage and how much they'll need in funds to repair everything when he finds a small clinic that desperately needs financial support. This is where he finds Claudia. She is tending to the medicinal herbs in the garden when he rides past. She's been going from town to town trying to make up for all the trouble she caused by assisting in their clinics and apothecaries under the name Lissa. Ez recognises her immediately. He knows he should tell the others. He does not. He is 14/15.

Claudia tries to leave but the other medics beg her not to. They need her help and her knowledge of medicinal herbs and potions. There's no one to replace her. She stays for a little longer, intending to leave the following week when a cart arrives bearing equipment and support and the king's seal. There is also a letter addressed to Lissa. In it, Ez promises her that her secret is safe, and that she will always have a home in the castle if she wants it.

For a while, everything is fine. Callum and Rayla get married, and castle life is pretty stable in amongst the political squabbles and the trips to quell conflicts in the surrounding towns. Soren hangs out with Opeli pretty regularly. Ez is writing letters to Claudia and personally funding the clinic she works at. Callum and Rayla start trying for a baby. Rayla falls pregnant three years after their wedding. She is 20ish weeks along when Claudia comes home.

Callum, snake boi that he is, is Not Having It. Claudia is thrown into a cell on arrival and he insists on exiling her as a minimum but Ezran, who's been in contact this whole time, knows she's been trying to make amends for her mistakes. He demands a trial on her behalf. Soren agrees. Opeli, as a stand in for Justice, argues that a trial is the fair thing to do. Rayla looks at Ezran, realises something else is going on, and agrees that a trial is the better way to go. The sentence her to service within the castle. Callum is Not Happy about it. (ia165)

They're so caught up in the drama that no one notices Soren and Opeli having drama of their own. They are now having secret, hurried meetings in each other's quarters, knowing how absolutely Forbidden it is, especially for Opeli, both because of her age and her position as High Cleric, but they can't stay away from each other until Opeli starts throwing up in the mornings and she breaks it off in her panic. Rayla is the only one who notices and goes investigating. She is the only one Opeli allows to know of the situation. Rayla goes to Claudia to find the appropriate herbs to help Opeli with her Dilemma, and Claudia figures it out on her own 1) because she knows her brother, and 2) she's not an idiot. Rayla takes the opportunity to thank her properly for saving her life and their friendship begins here, while the boys are still at odds with each other. Opeli does not take the herbs in the end. (the fruit)

This is one of the biggest disagreements Ez and Callum ever have. Rayla does her best to placate them both but she is also pregnant and doesn't want to deal with it. Frustrated that his brother won't trust his decision making and keeps treating him like a child, Ez spends more and more time with Claudia, who trusts him and treats him like an adult, until they're courting in all but name. Callum HATES this but reigns it in for Rayla's sake who's stressed enough. She goes into labour at the end of that summer and suffers a post partum haemorrhage so bad that the only thing that can fix it is Claudia's knowledge of Xadian herbs. The midwives kick Callum out of the room to let Claudia in and Ezran lets them. Rayla and the baby are both fine thanks to Claudia but Callum is FURIOUS with Ezran for allowing it to happen.

Opeli miscarries. She collapses during a council meeting, and it all comes out while the castle doctor and Claudia are attending to her. Callum and Ezran realise how stupid they've been because of the way they hadn't even noticed and they are speaking to each other again by the time Opeli is in recovery. Callum accepts Ezran and Claudia's courtship and does his best to process both this and Soren and Opeli (ia164) and things settle down again for a little while. Opeli resigns from her post as High Cleric and attempts to do the same from the council but Ez refuses her resignation and keeps her on informally. Soren and Opeli are married in a quiet ceremony. Opeli finds herself pregnant again six months later.

Viren returns to the castle that same year. It's Claudia's return all over again: Callum demands he be executed on the spot. Ezran wants to give him a trial. Claudia begs them not to kill him through her courtship with Ezran, her relationship with Soren, and her friendship with Rayla. Soren votes no, for himself and for Claudia. Rayla votes yes because, tentative friendship with Claudia aside, she can't trust Viren, especially not with her and Callum's little one running around. Ezran votes no because he wants to be a better king. Clio, the new High Cleric, Opeli's old 2IC, votes yes as the stand in for LJ. Barius, too soft hearted, votes no. Opeli is the deciding vote. She also votes no and all hell breaks loose all over again. (the snake).

Anyway, this is where we're up to. Obviously there will be more as I update the snake but I don't wanna give anything away BC hooo boy that drama is a doozy. I know, okay, these ships are Insane but the extrapolation you can do is just so Delicious and the drama is absolutely *chef kiss*

#rayllum #sorpeli #claudiez #corterry #canon crack quartet

[albert-whiskersss]

Countess's Favorite- Lady Dimitrescu

Words: 2,749

After moving to Romania to evade troubles back home, you find yourself working as a handmaiden for the house of Dimitrescu. You'd seem to have taken a liking to The Countess, Alcina Dimitrescu. One night, Alcina called you to her dressing room with a spilled mess of wine, not expecting a sudden turn of events.

-MINORS DNI-

[CONTENT WARNING]

sexual content, vaginal fingering, oral sex, blood play, human x vampire relationship, size difference, lesbian sex, (sort of) knife kink (Lady D's nails are sharp so idk)

It was the late 1960s in Romania. You’d moved there hoping to find some sense of peace within yourself. After searching for a proper town to live in, you found a village full of lively people. They had always talked about the castle just east of where you lived. The village-goers mentioned how the countess, Alcina Dimitrescu, was a ruthless woman thirsting for blood. Morbid curiosity took over you, and you set course to hopefully become a handmaiden; it would provide a comforting home, food, and something to do to kill time. 

You arrived just a day later, and they happily took you in with open arms. Countess Alcina was a tall woman. Well, tall was a complete understatement. She stood around a staggering 9 feet. It was nothing like you had ever seen before. Her daughters were kind, politely asking you to go outside for them to fetch things. It seemed they despised the outside. It was thought-provoking as to why everyone in the village said the house of Dimitrescu was ruthless and bloodthirsty. That was until you’d worked there for a while longer. Handmaidens seemed to come and go as quickly as they came, disappearing without a trace. It was a while until you learned from Alcina that she was the one getting rid of them. Alcina trusted you enough to tell you such grisly things about what she did to them; she was a bloodthirsty woman. She feasted upon the handmaiden’s blood if they weren’t working correctly and tossed them in the cellar, letting a mold you still did not understand eat away at their bodies. It was shocking knowing Alcina trusted you enough to tell you such information. Though, you felt pride grow within your body with each passing day, knowing she kept you around longer than others. 

You hated to admit it, but after the handful of months you’d served the Dimitrescu family, you took a liking toward Alicna. It was more than a liking. It killed you to figure out you were in love with the woman you served. That was why you left your country to find your inner peace; loving a woman wasn’t socially acceptable in the slightest. Your family disowned you for it. You had nothing to live for then, so escaping all of your issues seemed the best option. Running away from such thoughts worked for a short amount of time. But Alcina came into your life, and every impure thought returned to you. Was it so wrong to want to love a woman? Why did it have to be frowned upon to love someone? The weight of societal norms prevented you from wanting someone you truly loved. 

Unbeknownst to you, Alcina noticed your liking for her. You hid it horribly, in fact. 

She could practically see hearts in your eyes whenever you gazed upon her. Alcina was not complaining, however. She loved the attention you gave her and only her. She loved how you carefully cared for her, listened to her rambles, cooked her food just as she loved it, cleaned her garments with such care as if they’d fray at any moment, and hummed along to the songs she played as you cleaned. 

Alcina had called upon you one night to help with some cleaning duties. You quickly came to her aid, only to find a large bottle of wine spilled all over the dressing room. You looked around before looking at Alcina, seeing her frantically cleaning her dress with a wet handkerchief. “What happened, My Lady?” You asked.

Alcina stood up straight and sighed deeply, a look of annoyance and anger engraved into her face. “I knocked the wine off of my vanity.” She mumbled. “Help me clean this godforsaken mess.” You nodded and scurried off to find some cleaning supplies. You soon returned with them in hand, placing them by the door. It was going to be tough trying to get the deep red stains out of the hardwood flooring and the oriental rug, but it wasn't anything you couldn’t accomplish. You started by picking the bottle up and placing it back on the vanity. It had a distinct metallic and almost pungent smell to it, and you knew it was the Sanguis Virginis wine she’d told you about. It was a product of wine from her family’s vineyard, enhanced with the blood of past maidens. You brushed the thought of you possibly being next off and began mopping up the mess. Thankfully, the wine hadn’t seeped into the wooden flooring just yet. After that was finished, you gathered up the rug and placed it outside the door to clean later on. Once you closed the door, Alcina let out a sharp sigh. You looked up at her, seeing her still trying to clean the stain from her dress. “My Lady, change into something else. I can clean that for you.” You went into her wardrobe and pulled out a slip dress. “It is nearing night, you can head off to your chambers and rest for a while.” You turned to her and held it out.

Alcina took the slip and discarded her dress. “Thank you, Maiden. You treat me all too well.” She smiled. She removed her hat and gloves, placing them in their respectful areas. 

You watched her strip off her dress, leaving you completely entranced by her body. She was curvy, and it was perfect on her. Her undergarments were sheer, giving you a perfect look at her body. You snapped yourself out of your thoughts as she handed you the wine-stained dress, making you smile obliviously. You placed the dress on the arm of the day bed and walked over to the wine bottle. You then picked it up. “I will be back in a moment, I’m going to discard this empty bottle.”

Alcina threw her slip on and turned to you, storming over. “No!” She snatched the bottle from your hands.

“My Lady, it is empty; it has no use-”

A sudden backhanded slap across your face sent a searing burn on your cheek as you gasped out in pain. “You will not throw this bottle away, Maiden.” Alcina growled. 

You nodded. “I’m so sorry, Countess.” You held your hand against your cheek to help numb the pain, though you felt a warm liquid seep between your fingers. You took your hand off your cheek and examined your fingers to find blood coating them. Alcina managed to scratch you. You looked up at Alcina with a scared look in your eyes. “I didn’t know that bottle held such importance. Please, forgive me.”

Alcina placed the bottle back on the vanity and grabbed your jaw, tilting your head up to her. She ran her thumb across your cut cheek, smiling as she watched you wince in pain. She let go and stuck her thumb against her lips, licking up your blood. “Your blood is sweet, Maiden.” She hummed happily. 

You watched as she licked the blood from her thumb. Heat welled in your body from embarrassment, knowing she was practically getting off to your blood. “Thank you?” You didn’t know if it was a compliment or not. 

Alcina leaned down and brought her face to yours, licking up the rest from your freshly bleeding wound. She exhaled deeply and groaned softly at the taste of your sweet blood. “I know you like this, Maiden.”

You closed your eyes as your breath shook, hoping to calm your nerves just a little. You loved it. It made you dizzy just thinking about what she would do to you next. “Yes.” You whispered. You opened your eyes back up as Alcina pulled away. She tilted your head back up. Her face was dangerously close to yours. 

“Tell me, Maiden, what have you thought of me doing to you all these times you and I were alone together?” She tilted her head and ran her thumb across your bottom lip. 

“I…” your voice trailed off. You swallowed hard, unsure of what to say. 

“Use your words, dear.”

“Touching me.”

“Like this?” Alcina ran her hand down your neck and chest, stopping at your waist. She caressed your body gently, watching you tilt your head back in pleasure. Your mouth hung open as she stopped in between your legs. You whined softly as she pulled her hand away. Just from her touch, you practically melted into a puddle beneath her. You could only nod as you remembered her asking. 

“Now, lay down on the day bed. I’ll show you what you’ve been desiring, Maiden.”

You didn’t think twice about heading over. You sat down and watched Alcina stride over. She kneeled down and trapped you beneath her body. You hesitantly placed your hands on her shoulders, bringing them down her chest as you felt her soft skin beneath your fingertips. You honestly couldn’t care if she was a vampiric immortal being; you loved her for who she was through and through. 

Alcina took your shoes off and lifted you up, undoing the lacing on the back of your dress. She removed it and eyed your body, eventually looking back at your face. She smiled as you stared at her in awe. “You're my favorite maiden, you know that?”

You nodded. “I figured.” You let out a breathy chuckle.

Alcina laughed and removed the rest of your clothing, leaving you completely bare. She reached down and took ahold of your breast, gently kneading it in her large hand. She then dragged her thumb across the top of your breast just above the nipple, watching your blood dot and pool on your skin. For good reasons, she did not go too deep, trying not to hurt you. The slight stinging pain made you groan. But it felt surprisingly good knowing it was Alcina doing it to you. Alcina leaned down and connected her mouth to your breast, licking and softly sucking at the blood. She hummed against you and pulled away as she licked the remaining blood from her lips. “Maiden, does that satisfy you?” The sweet, intoxicating scent of rose and jasmine perfume filled your senses as Alcina pressed herself against your body.

You were a panting mess at that point, being completely lust driven. “I…” You were too afraid to ask for more, worried she’d become mad.

“Say it.” “I want more. More of you. Please, My Lady.” You reached down between your legs and drew small and slow circles against your clit, feeling all too needy. 

Alcina pulled your hand away. “We will get there soon. Don't be too impatient.” She cooed. You could only nod as Alcina leaned down and soon connected her lips with yours. There was a taste of blood mixed with wine in Alcina’s mouth, though you weren't complaining. If anyone else were to taste that way, you'd surely be disgusted. But you were head over heels for Alcina; anything she did, you wouldn't bat an eye at it. 

Alcina moved her lips down your neck and to your sternum, eventually reaching your stomach. She loved hearing your moans at every little thing she did, knowing you were one to easily please. She pulled away and once again dragged her nail down your abdomen. She watched the blood pool and dove in, licking a long strip until she reached the top of your ribcage.

You shuddered as her warm tongue danced against your skin. “Alcina,” you whispered. You realized you called her by her first name and jolted ever so slightly. “I-I’m sorry. I didn't mean to call you by your first name.”

“It’s alright, Maiden. Just relax.” Alcina placed wet kisses down your body again, dodging between your legs and moving to your thighs. She slowly worked her way up to your pussy and hummed as she planted an open-mouthed kiss on it.

You swallowed hard and threw your head back. It’s definitely happening now. was all you could think of. Your hands found the plush fabric of the day bed, and you dug your nails into it. A shock of pleasure ran up your body as Alcina began to gently lap at your pussy. She circled your clit with her tongue before harshly pressing her tongue flat against you. Your eyes rolled back into your head as you let out a sultry moan. Alcina just started, and she was able to work you well already. Fuck, if you spent the rest of your life like this, no one in the village or back home would ever see you again.

Alcina grabbed onto your thighs and spread your legs further apart as she continued to slowly lap at your pussy. She pulled away slightly and peered up at your pleasure-stricken face. “Does this satisfy you yet, Maiden?” She questioned as she brought her middle finger up against you, running it up and down your folds. She smiled and pushed her finger into you as you nodded, watching your face contort with satisfaction. She slowly worked her finger back and forth in you before adding another. Alcina was sometimes self-conscious about her large stature, but in times like these, those thoughts slipped her mind completely. She enjoyed nothing more than watching you try and fuck yourself against her fingers. She took your grinding as a sign and quickened her pace before connecting her mouth against your pussy again. Alcina flicked her tongue against your clit quicker, making your thighs twitch beneath her grip. You wanted to try and be at least a little quiet, but you couldn't help but let out moans here and there. She worked her tongue against you in every perfect way. She must've had past lovers from how much of an expert she seemed to be. Her fingers occasionally pressed up against your G-spot, making your back arch every time. No woman (and clearly no man) had ever seemed to find every spot within you that made your head spin with euphoria like Alcina did. 

Alcina suddenly sucked on your clit for a few seconds and smiled against you as you tried to close your legs against her head. She moaned against you, sending another shock of pleasure through your body that made you near your orgasm already. 

“My… Lady…”

Alcina let out another moan against you, acknowledging your nearing orgasm. She rubbed her tongue against your clit faster, making you let out a choked cry. You took in a shaky breath before moaning loudly. You rocked your hips against Alcina’s face and fingers as you came against her. It was slightly embarrassing to have come undone that quickly, but you hadn’t been fucked like that in a long time. You mumbled incoherencies under your breath as she began to fuck her fingers into you faster.

Alcina rode your orgasm out completely before pulling away. She moved back up to your face and deeply kissed you, letting you taste yourself against her tongue. She pulled away and took your bottom lip in between your teeth as she chuckled softly. She then let go of your lip and gently kissed your neck as she ran her hand up and down your side, hoping to calm your erratic nerves. “I hope that suffices, Maiden.” Alcina sat up on her knees and caressed your cheek gently with her thumb. 

You sat up so your back was against the back of the day bed. “Do you need- help..?”

Alcina stood up and placed your clothing beside you. “No. I’ll be alright, love. Though, I expect the favor to be returned soon.” 

“Gladly.” You responded with a smile. You stood up as well and got your clothing back on, as well as your shoes. Alcina seemed to recover quickly, but you were stuck in a dreamy haze from the sudden fucking you’d just received. You cleared your throat awkwardly and grabbed Alcina’s dress, walking over to the door. “Have a good night, My Lady.” You opened the door and looked over at her.

Alcina looked over at you and smiled. “You as well, Maiden.”

You smiled back and nodded once. “Thank you.” You stepped out and gently shut the door, looking around to make sure no one was near to have heard your ecstasy. You grabbed onto the rug that was by the door and walked off to your own quarters. You surely weren't going to sleep that night at the thought of what had suddenly happened in the dressing room. It felt exciting finally knowing the lust and love was returned.

Notes: Thank you for reading! I would've gotten this out way sooner if I wasn't flooded with work AUGFHB!!! But it's out now. I do post on AO3 as well! @ AlbertWhiskers

#lady dimitrescu #lady dimitrescu x reader #lady dimitresxu x female reader #smut #resident evil #lesbian alcina dimitrescu #vampire x human #lesbian reader #afab reader #sapphic #resident evil village

[scotianostra]

On 8th January 1313 the forces of Robert Bruce seized Perth from the English garrison.

This victory was significant as it brought all of Scotland north of the Forth under Bruce's control. However, it was also a source of embarrassment for later Scottish writers seeking to cast King Robert in a positive light, as the events of 8th January seem to have degenerated into a bloodbath.

By 1313, the tide of the war had very much turned in Bruce's favour. He had defeated his main Scottish opponents at the Battles of Inverurie and the Pass of Brander in 1309, survived an English invasion of Scotland in 1310-11, and even begun raiding into northern England. 1312 had ended on something of a sour note when the barking of a dog had thwarted a Scottish attempt to capture Berwick by surprise, but undeterred Bruce marched his men north to lay siege to Perth.

Perth was no easy target - its castle had not been rebuilt since a flood a century earlier but it was still protected by a wall and a water-filled ditch. It seems that Bruce was counting on the English being unprepared for the Scots to keep up the military pressure on them during the frigid Scottish winter (normally, the campaigning season would last from spring to autumn at the most, as I have pointed out in previous posts, I call it “the battle season”)

Both the contemporary Lanercost Chronicler and the late Scottish writer John Barbour blame the fall of Perth at least in part on the negligence of the garrison. On the night of 7th January, under cover of darkness, the Scots surged across the ditch in force and threw ladders against the wall, pouring into the town and overwhelming the unprepared defenders. By the morning of the 8th, Perth belonged to Bruce.

The aftermath of the capture of Perth is a source of some disagreement among contemporary and near contemporary historians, possibly because many of those writers felt uncomfortable with the facts as they saw them. The earliest surviving account comes from the Lanercost Chronicle, which claims that those in the town 'who were of the Scottish nation' were put to death, although the Englishmen there were allowed to return home.

The earliest surviving Scottish account of the incident - written by John Fordun in the 1360s - states that 'the disloyal people, both Scots and English, were taken, dragged and slain with the sword', although he attempts to mitigate this by emphasising that their disloyalty is what earned them this fate and adding that the king spared anyone who begged for mercy.

Writing about a decade after Fordun, the Scottish poet John Barbour - who was writing for Robert II, addressed this aspect of the capture of Perth simply by denying it, claiming that Bruce had specifically ordered his men not to kill anyone unless they refused to surrender without a fight. Despite Barbour's protestations, it would seem that the capture of Perth was accompanied by considerable bloodshed. If we are being generous to Bruce - and most historians who have written about the fall of Perth have been inclined to be just that - any executions after the town's capture can be understood as a very emphatic way of discouraging disloyalty among his subjects in other towns around the kingdom, a common enough tactic in medieval warfare, these were brutal times.

King Robert could now claim to control all of Scotland north of the Forth. Further offensives later in the year secured Bruce's control of the south-west, so that by the end of the year only Lothian and the Borders remained in English hands. By late spring The Bruce controlled almost all of Scotland .

Stirling castle was still under the control of English forces but was under siege from the Scots led by Edward Bruce. Bruce and the English commander, Sir Philippe de Mowbray, came to an agreement that if English forces had not reached the castle by midsummer 1314, Mowbray would surrender the castle to the Scots. Bruce even let Mowbray leave the castle to inform the English king of the agreement, the scene was set for the Battle of Bannockburn.

#scotland #scottish #history #Stirling #Stirling castle #First War of Scottish Independence

[willel]

A thought on my mind I wanted to type before I go to bed.

Although there are a lot of allusions to time and time travel, I'm thinking there won't be literal time travel. If you don't know what I mean, my two main focus points being:

Will's original S1 outfit being a reference to Marty McFly from Back to the Future and various other Back to the Future references

Henry/Vecna's obsession with time and clocks

Even though I don't think time travel will literally happen, what if the team has to figuratively "step back in time" to find the answer to something? Retrace their footsteps?

They revisit vital locations from the past, finding clues to defeat Vecna along the way.

I'm not a Harry Potter fan but I saw all the movies once and I'm aware of the "horcrux" lore. Did they do something similar in the final movies to find all Voldemort's hidden soul pieces to kill him?

I have a different similar example from my favorite manga/anime called Natsume Yuujinchou (Natume's Book of Friends). To keep it simple, Natsume is an orphan who has been passed around from family member to family member and suffered a lot of abuse along the way. Why? Because he has the rare ability to see, interact with, and talk to yokai. Despite his best efforts, he can't lie about his abilities to himself or the people around him. Luckily, at the start of the series, he is taken in by distant relatives of his father and his life finally starts to get a bit better. I highly recommend you check it out.

In Natsume Yuujinchou, there is a chapter about a powerful mirror that is split apart by a thunderstorm. While venturing in the woods, a piece of the mirror falls into Natsume's eye. The owner of the mirror (a yokai) demands Natsume help them piece the mirror back together or else (threats, as yokai tend to do). How? Well, because a piece of the mirror fell into his eye, Natsume feels pain whenever he starts getting close to another shard. The pain is only relieved when he finds it.

The locations are a little random, but they're all around the small rural town Natsume now lives in. Some places are recurring important places in the story like a shrine, he's friend's house, or Natsume's school. Others not so much.

So think of it this way. The team with Will and El in the lead going from spot to spot looking for.... "something" that will help them learn information or maybe grow stronger? Maybe a way to defeat Vecna who knows.

So that leaves us with what are the "vital places" where they would find such clues to Henry's defeat. Let me put my brain to work

The Byers home. Reason? From the audience's point of view, this is where everything kicked off. The place where Will was taken. I find it unlikely though simply because the real life Byers house got sold off a while ago and might be inaccessible

Mirkwood, the street where Will first encountered the Demogorgon. It's also near where Castle Byers was and where The Party found El. Many significant things happened there Upside Down related or not. I find this one very likely since they posted a picture of what is probably a flashback in Castle Byers

Hawkins Middle School. Like Mirkwood, a lot of significant things happened here. It was where the Mind Flayer finally caught Will. It was also the place of El and Henry's reunion even though it was taking place in Max's mind.

Ruins of the Starcourt Mall. This might be unlikely but depending on how much has been cleaned up/repaired, maybe there is something to be found there as well.

Hawkins Lab. Of course, the lab is the true place where all this begins. Surely if there's a vital place that will help them figure things out, it must be the lab right?

Hopper's cabin. Maybe a stretch since they were only briefly there in S3 to hide away. But it was attacked by the Mind Flesher and deeply wounded by El there. It was also El's special safe place for such a long time relative to how long it's been since she was free.

Mike's house??? Nothing supernaturally interesting has happened here but it's a vital place of safety for most of the cast for pretty much every season so I dunno. Eh, this one is probably a stretch.

Well, that's all I had on my mind but maybe someone else has other ideas for these "vital places" and what they might find there?

#stranger things #theory

[41319kbex]

Hell Hath No Fury (5/?)

Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed! It really means a lot!

This is a long chapter, very heavy on plot. It’s taken me longer to post it because I told you before my least favorite thing to write is police work…and this chapter is painfully full of it. But it is necessary. I’m sure I rushed through it because I absolutely hate writing it, but I hope it’s not so rushed that you can’t understand and enjoy the story. I hope I don’t lose any of you with this chapter.

I still don’t own Castle…

xxxxx

Days turned into a week, and a week turned into two. Beckett’s days consisted of going to work, being micro-managed by the new captain…there had been a murder case she’d caught; Gates hadn’t completely benched her, of course, and still expected her to lead her team on any case except the shooting…and then going home to work on the shooting case on her own--more often than not with at least a couple of shots of something stronger than wine, usually whiskey or vodka; it wasn’t enough to get drunk, but it was enough to take the edge off the emotional tailspin she was in.

The main component missing was Castle. She hadn’t spoken to him since he’d kicked her out of his hospital room. He’d been angry with her, and she’d been so insistent on both working the case and getting him safely away from the fallout of…well, her…that she’d figured he’d call her if he wanted to talk. When he didn’t, her pride wouldn’t let her call him either, no matter how much she missed him or how much having him tell her to leave had hurt her.

She had called the hospital daily to check on his condition. He’d been released almost a week ago, and when she still hadn’t heard from him, she did request a police detail put on his building for precautionary purposes, which hadn’t been difficult for her to get approved considering the circumstances of his shooting and his friendship with the mayor…but when one of the officers had informed her he had packed his car and looked like he was heading out of town, she’d pulled them off, figuring he actually was going out to the Hamptons to fully recover. She was at least relieved by that information; it meant he’d be safe from everything, including her.

The boys had kept their word, discretely sharing anything they came across regarding the shooting, but it hadn’t been much past the sketch of the shooter. On a hunch, she’d suggested the boys run financials on Montgomery, Raglan, and McAllister so they could try to find some kind of money trail…she was working on trying to piece everything together now.

She found herself thinking about how much easier it may have been with Castle’s help. Despite the fact that she didn’t usually admit it to him, his way of thinking outside the box somehow pushed her to be able to do her best work; building theory with him was second nature to her now, and she missed it. Stopping her train of thought before it could get too far out of the station,

she poured herself another glass of whiskey, but before she could take a drink she saw it–an account number with an oddly large amount of deposits…and one huge withdrawal date right before her mother’s murder. “Got you, you son of a bitch,” she murmured, the alcohol in her glass now forgotten.

Another hour and a half of research on her part and she’d discovered that the bank had closed, but she’d managed to find an old warehouse where the records had ended up. Within minutes she was on the phone to the boys, explaining what she’d found and telling them to get a warrant and meet her at address she was sending them. Grabbing her leather jacket as well as her badge and gun, she ran out her door. Finally, FINALLY she had a solid lead that was going somewhere.

xxxxx

Beckett arrived at the warehouse before the boys and remained in her car, watching the building until they showed up with the warrant, despite the way every fiber of her being wanted to go inside and find the files she needed. But she was too good of a cop; she knew if she didn’t wait for the warrant, anything she found inside would be useless. As badly as she wanted to finally find out who was behind this whole thing, she wanted justice more…so she waited.

She narrowed her eyes as she saw a man coming out of the building, which was suspicious given the late hour. Getting out of her car, she drew her gun. “NYPD, don’t move,” she identified herself. The man froze for a moment. “Show me your hands and turn around slowly.” The man did as he was told, holding up his hands and turning around with a smug smirk on his face. Her eyes widened when she realized she was looking into the face of the man from the sketch; the man who shot Castle.

“Detective Beckett…” he stated, his tone as smug as the look on his face. He was cocky, but calm.

Her jaw clenched, her finger itching to pull the trigger on the man who shot Castle if he would give her any kind of reason. “You shot my partner,” she stated, her voice dangerously low. “Tell me who is behind this.”

“You’re wasting your time, Detective. You have no idea who you’re up against,” he stated simply.

“Neither do you.” Her tone was steely as it took every bit of self-control she had to not pull the trigger. She knew she still needed information, though. Information this man had.

The man chuckled lowly. “Actually, we know exactly who we’re up against.” At that moment, a small explosion was triggered inside, knocking Beckett off her feet slightly as the warehouse was suddenly engulfed in flames.

Despite the fire, she managed to maintain her gun on the man as he started to back away slowly. “Tell me who is behind this!” she demanded again.

“First I’m going to finish getting of all the evidence…and once I’m done, I’m coming back for you, Detective. And this time, if your pretty little writer boy gets in my way, I’ll kill him too.” He kept slowly backing up into the dark.

His last words got to her. By the time she had recovered, the sirens from the fire trucks signaled their proximity and the man had disappeared into the shadows again. Staring into the dark for another long moment, she finally lowered her gun and reholstered it before running her hands through her hair.

xxxxx

“Fire department confirms there is nothing left of the files,” Esposito approached Beckett’s desk at the precinct the following morning. “The explosion happened right in the file room. Anything that wasn’t immediately destroyed burned in the fire.”

Beckett heaved a deep sigh, leaning back in her chair. “This guy is always a step ahead of me. He was right there…I had him. And then…” she trailed off, clenching her jaw and pounding her hand on her desk in frustration.

Ryan watched for a moment, understanding how hard this was for her. “Beckett…we’ll get him, ok?”

“Will we? Because he’s a damn ghost that just appears when he wants and then disappears into the ether when he needs to,” she growled in frustration. Sighing again, she pinched the bridge of her nose. “I know his play now. He’s getting rid of the evidence. And then he’s coming back for me,” she said lowly. “For the first time in this case, I’m going to be one step ahead of him. I’m going after him before he can come after me.”

Ryan shook his head. “What do you mean?”

“I’m going to draw him out before he gets to me.”

“Beckett, do you think that’s really a good idea? Gates is already highly suspicious with what happened last night…”

She gave him a stern look. “I don’t care. This is my case…my mother’s murder…my life. I am not sitting around and waiting for them to come and take it from me,” she said angrily. “Look, I’m not asking either of you to do this with me. But I’m getting this son of a bitch before he hurts anyone else I care about.”

“Come on, you know we’ve got your back, Beckett.” Esposito shot Ryan a warning look. “Don’t we, Ryan?”

The other man nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, we do.”

xxxxx

“Yo, Beckett…we caught a break,” Esposito kept his voice down as he approached her in the breakroom at the coffee machine.

She arched an eyebrow. “What did you find?”

“Surveillance cam from across the street caught our guy approaching the warehouse. I was able to track his path backward using mostly traffic cams, and found him getting out of a parked car. Turns out the car was a rental,” he explained, acting like they were having a nonchalant conversation as he was making coffee.

“Were you able to figure out where he rented it from?”

Esposito smiled. “Better than that. I have an ID. Ryan is running it down now. Guy’s a pro, so it’s most likely a cover ID, but he might have used it for something else in the city.”

Beckett nodded, keeping her back to the window. “Thanks, Espo.”

Ryan popped his head in the breakroom then. “Cole Maddox. ID is fake, but the rental company keeps a GPS tracker in its cars. It’s within a one-block radius of this address,” he held up a piece of paper.

“You guys go canvas, see if you can find his base of operations…a hotel or apartment building. Someone had to have seen something. Gates isn’t going to let me leave now, but you find him and I’ll meet you there,” she kept her voice low as she spoke discretely before grabbing her cup and heading back to her desk.

xxxxx

“Did you find him?” Beckett asked the boys, approaching their car in front of a hotel. She’d finally been able to get out of the precinct after 5PM when her shift was over and Gates was no longer watching her every move. She finished fastening her police vest around her.

“Yeah. Front desk clerk confirms Maddox is here on a one-month lease. They agreed to let us in his room,” Esposito filled her in, both men already in their own police vest. “How do you want to play this?”

She thought for a moment. “Ryan, you stay down here in case he runs out. Espo, you’re coming

with me.”

The boys nod and Esposito follows Beckett inside, guns drawn and ready. Once up at the room, Esposito gestures for the hotel employee to go once the door is unlocked. He waits for Beckett’s nod before pushing the door open and stepping inside, her right on his heels as they clear the room. “Yo, Beckett!” he called from the other room.

She followed the sound of his voice. He was standing at a table with a laptop and a bunch of police files. “What the hell?”

“These look like old police files,” he answered, looking through them. “They’re Montgomery’s old files.”

“The evidence. He’s getting rid of the evidence so it can’t be linked back to his employer…so that this whole case gets buried…” she realized.

Esposito looked up to meet her eyes. “We’ve got to get out of here…get back-up to secure all this…” he started, already heading out of the room.

Maddox was waiting on him, though, and easily disarmed him, knocking him out and dropping him down to the floor. Beckett was already coming through the door with her gun drawn too, only to end up on the floor as well, without her gun. She wasn’t out of it yet, though, grabbing her gun and quickly scrambling out of the room after him and dialing Ryan’s number as she gave chase toward the stairwell. “Ryan, he’s heading to the roof!” she yelled through the phone before hanging up so she could focus on the man.

She ran out onto the roof and slowed when she didn’t see anyone. She kept her steps slow and quiet and paid attention, looking for any sign of him. Before she knew what happened, he grabbed her from behind. She immediately tossed her head back, knocking him in the nose and causing him to lose his grip on her. She immediately took a step away and tried to aim her gun back at him, only to have him knock her feet out from underneath her, causing her to land on her back with the wind knocked out of her, her gun falling from her hands.

She pushed herself up enough to lunge at his knees as he was getting up, tackling him back to the ground. She slammed his head into the ground, trying to subdue him. “Who do you work for?” she asked angrily.

He gave a hard punch to her ribs, knocking her off him. “Doesn’t matter. You’ll never touch him,” he said lowly, taking the opportunity to get up.

She was pretty sure the hit had at least fractured a rib or two; it hurt to breathe. But she had to get up. “You shot my partner!” she growled, using her anger to fuel her as she got up and lunged

at him again, jumping on his back to try to tackle him again.

He easily threw her off his back, elbowing her hard in the ribs he had previously hit. “That was a miscalculation on my part; I didn't anticipate he was brave enough to push you out of the way; guess what I heard is true...he is sweet on you,” he replied, kicking her in the same spot on her ribs. “It’s over, Detective,” he said calmly, turning away.

It did take her a few moments to get her breath enough to push herself up this time, but she had at least spotted her gun on the ground and was able to grab it, aiming at him as she stood. “You’re right…it is over,” she said lowly.

Before she had the chance to pull the trigger herself, a single shot rang out and Maddox crumpled to the ground. Beckett instinctively dove behind a rooftop ventilation unit, hoping it would provide appropriate cover. She waited for another shot to come, but it never did. Holding onto her ribs, she tried to push herself up to try to see something, but before she could even get to her knees she heard Ryan’s voice.

“Beckett!”

“Ryan, there’s another sniper!” she yelled out the best she could. Damn, her ribs really hurt and it was getting harder to breathe.

Ryan immediately slipped behind another rooftop unit. “Backup is already on the way,” he called out to her. “Maddox?”

“Sniper shot him,” she called back.

“You alright?”

She winced as she took a deep breath. “Other than a broken rib or two, yeah…I’m good. Espo is knocked out downstairs,” she informed him.

Once ESU arrived and had cleared the surrounding area of the sniper, Beckett was able to stand and slowly walk over to the body of Maddox, holding her ribs. She was bleeding from her nose and lip, and had a few other scrapes, but was otherwise okay; the damage was pretty much localized to her ribs. Standing over the body, she was silent until Ryan approached her. “Montgomery’s old files are down there…he was trying to get rid of the evidence. We have to get those files, Ryan,” she told him.

“You go get checked out. I’ll get the files,” he promised her. “No one is going to know about Montgomery,” he added.

She winced again as she took a breath and nodded. Seeing Esposito already awake and being checked by medics as she exited the building, she was able to smile. However, seeing a very angry Captain Gates caused her smile to fade.

“Sir…” she started immediately.

Gates held up her hand to interrupt. “Get yourself checked out, Detective. Then you and I are going to have a long conversation about what it means to be off a case,” she said angrily, pointing Beckett toward the medics.

“Yes, Sir.” Beckett did have to wonder exactly how much trouble she was going to be in and hoped she would be able to mitigate any kind of trouble the boys might be in by falling on her own sword, so to speak.

Spotting Beckett about the get into an ambulance, Ryan approached and asked the medic to give them a minute. “Those files you and Espo saw are gone,” he told her lowly.

Her eyes widened at that. “ESU?”

Ryan shook his head. “No. They were gone before any of our guys got here. In fact, they couldn’t find anything indicating Maddox was ever here, aside from his body on the roof.”

She thought for a moment. “The other sniper. Maddox screwed up shooting Castle instead of me. Whoever Maddox worked for must have gotten tired of waiting for him to finish the job and took him out to clean up his mess so that the whole case gets buried again.”

“Looks that way,” Ryan nodded. He gestured for her to go ahead and get into the ambulance.

xxxxx

“Withholding evidence. Lying to a superior officer. Disobeying a direct order. What you did dishonors this city, and dishonors the badge!” Gates was angrily giving Beckett a dressing down. “You are on administrative leave, effective immediately.”

“Sir…”

“Don’t you Sir me, Detective. You’re lucky I’m only suspending you and not firing you,” she continued angrily. “You don’t deserve to wear the uniform. Now hand over your badge and gun,” she ordered.

Beckett straightened slightly, placing her gun on the desk. She looked at her badge for a little longer before she placed it on the desk.

“For all the good things I had heard about you, Detective, I have to say you haven’t lived up to them. You’ve been a disappointment since I got here,” she stated. “Oh, and Detective? Your suspension doesn’t start until AFTER your medical leave for your injuries sustained on that roof is up. I don’t want to see you back here until September. I suggest you use these 3 and a half months to get your act together and decide if you still want to wear this badge; I will not tolerate my detectives going rogue and disobeying my orders.”

Clenching her jaw, Beckett nodded. “Yes, Sir,” she replied simply through clenched teeth before leaving the office.

The boys were waiting as she exited the office. “Well?” Ryan asked.

Beckett looked at both of them and shook her head. “It could have been worse,” she admitted. “I’m out until September.”

“September?! Beckett, that’s almost 4 months!” Esposito turned back to the office.

She was upset, but the last thing she wanted to do was make it worse for the boys. “It’s fine. I knew it was coming for going against her orders; she's no Montgomery. I’ll see you guys in September, ok?” She grabbed her things from her desk and headed for the elevator.

The boys watched her leave in disbelief, staring at the elevator until the doors had closed. “This sucks,” Esposito murmured.

“Yeah it does,” Ryan agreed.

xxxxx

Castle was staring at a blank screen on his laptop. He’d been trying to write for days, but nothing would come to him. He was broken out of his staring contest with his laptop screen by his phone ringing. When he saw the caller was unknown, he almost didn’t answer it, but his curiosity got the better of him.

“Hello?”

“Mr. Castle,” a man’s voice answers.

“Yeah?”

“I’m a friend of Roy Montgomery’s. I’m calling about Detective Beckett. We need to talk.”

xxxxx

“Richard, you have to tell her!” Martha insisted, trying to talk some sense into her son.

“If I tell her, she won’t let this thing go! She’ll just keep running right into the line of fire!” Castle argued back.

“She’s already in the line of fire,” Martha countered. “Richard, listen to me. You haven’t spoken to her in over two weeks. She’s already investigating the shooting, she knows it’s connected to her mother’s case. You are in no condition to physically help her. Right now the only thing you can do for her is to tell her about this man.” Seeing her son about to interrupt, she held her hand up to stop him. “It’s her life, Richard. You can’t make decisions for her. You owe it to her to at least let her have all the information so she can make an informed one.”

He was quiet for a moment. “And what if I don’t like her decision?”

“Then you have a choice to make. You can stand with her, or you can move on. That’s your choice. But this…Richard, this first choice is hers.”

He took a deep breath and released it slowly. He knew his mother was right. She had the right to know. Maybe he’d be able to reason with her. Maybe they’d be able to figure out something together. But he had to tell her. The only problem was he wasn’t sure she would talk to him now; it had been over two weeks since he’d kicked her out of his hospital room. He had no idea where they stood before that point, but now he really had no clue. Picking up his phone, he clicked on her name and hoped she would answer.

xxxxx

Beckett sat alone in her apartment, trying to get comfortable. She was stubborn about taking the pain medication for the broken ribs, preferring to suffer for the time being. Between that and her head space surrounding the shooting, her mother’s case and her suspension, she was finding it increasingly difficult to relax, not to mention she had no idea what she was going to do to stay sane all summer. Maybe I should pack a bag and head up to Dad’s cabin. She was already shifting to get up when her phone started to ring. Seeing Castle’s name surprised her. They hadn’t spoken since their argument at the hospital. “Hey Castle,” she answered, trying to act like she wasn’t affected in the least by everything.

“Hey…” he started, suddenly unsure how he was supposed to talk to her. It needed to be in person, and he was in the Hamptons. “How busy are you?”

She wasn’t busy at all considering she wasn’t allowed to work until the fall, but he didn’t need to know that. “Oh you know, the usual. Why?”

He figured he might as well just be straight with her. He had a better chance of her agreeing to meet if he was. “We need to talk about the case…in person. Can you come out to the Hamptons?”

That shocked her; why was he calling her about the case? “Castle…”

“Kate, it’s important. I can’t tell you over the phone, it needs to be in person.”

She could tell from the way he was speaking to her that it was important. “Okay. I can drive out tomorrow.”

“Okay.” That hadn’t been as difficult as he’d thought. He lingered a moment longer. “Uh…you could stay a few days if you wanted…” he found himself offering. He had missed her…and maybe they could talk about what was between them, assuming the argument at the hospital and what he was going to tell her hadn’t caused her to retreat back into herself again. Maybe now they could have a chance to talk, really talk, with no interruptions.

She found herself rolling her eyes. Though she supposed it was at least something to do so she wasn’t going crazy in her apartment. She thought back to the previous summer when he’d made her the same offer and she’d turned him down, only then to reconsider too late; she’d missed her shot then, did she want to risk missing her shot now? “Text me the address. I’ll see you tomorrow, Castle.” She hung up without giving him an answer one way or the other, figuring she’d take a bag and decide after she heard what he had to say whether or not she would stay for a few days. After all, it wasn’t like she had to be back at the precinct.

xxxxx

I told you guys this was a long one, full of plot. Hopefully you all made it here to the end! Next chapter will be better, I promise…Castle and Beckett will be in it together and no real police work!

#caskett #castle #kate beckett #richard castle #castle fanfiction #caskett fanfiction #beckett

[mysecretlittlelibrary]

To Love Who Wears The Crown Pt. 1

Pairing: Modern Royals: King!Bucky x Reader

Word Count: 2k

Warnings: none

Genre: Fluff

Summary: You meet the king of Andia by chance when he hosts a ball and he's immediately taken with you, enough to invite you to spend your summer at the palace with him while he formally courts you. Although he's everything you could dream of from the moment you arrive, nothing is ever straightforward in the world of powerful people. Who would have thought that when you tripped over his feet at a dance you'd eventually have to find out what it means to love a king.

***

There are many things you enjoy about your little cottage-like house, the small garden behind your kitchen, the flowers that line the stone path out front, the pond in your backyard, it's all very quaint. You take pride in the home you've made for yourself here. You live outside of the city, in one of the towns further from the castle, though you visit the city as often as you can.

"Y/N! Are you in here?!" The voice of your closest friend as she enters your home makes you shake your head.

"Kitchen!" You call back to her.

"Hey!" She practically beams at you.

"Hello. You're very excited about something."

"I have a thing we just have to go to." Monica leans over your island excitedly.

"That- sounds very suspicious." You look at her.

"Oh come on! Have I ever steered you wrong?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"Rude!"

"Monica look- I love you but 'a thing we just have to go to' is not enough information for me to agree to go. Like I need more details from you." You chuckle.

"King James is throwing a party."

"A party? What for?" You frown. In all the time you've lived here the king has never been particularly festive. Even on his birthday, he doesn't usually throw big parties or have large events. Besides, his birthday was months ago anyway.

"I'm not sure what it's for but like we have to go y/n! A chance to go to the palace? How can you pass that up?"

"Is it an open invite? I can't imagine the king is just throwing a party for the whole kingdom to show up at the palace." You hum.

"I mean I got an invitation in the mail today. Did you not?"

"I haven't looked at my mail today." You shrug gesturing towards the small pile on your counter. Monica is quick to flip through the few letters you have.

"Girl- it's literally right here!" She scoffs at you.

"Oh- okay well I told you I didn't look." You laugh.

"Well there you go- you have an invite. So we're going."

"Honestly Monica what if I didn't have anything to wear?"

"You're telling me you don't have something to wear to a ball?"

"No. I have something to wear for every occasion of course. I'm just saying what if I didn't?"

"But- you do. So- the party is Friday. I'll pick you up at 8 o'clock."

"You're impossible." You scoff.

"It's what makes us such great friends." She shrugs.

"Yeah, whatever- I'll see you Friday." You roll your eyes.

"Indeed you will." She says skipping out of your kitchen.

When Friday comes around you stare at your closet for a long while before deciding on a dress. I mean the obvious choice is to wear a ball gown to something like this but what if the expectations are different? You don't want to be overdressed but it'd probably be even worse if you came underdressed. 

"Show up to show out." You say to yourself finally deciding on a dress. You put on your ice blue gown and style your hair up, out of the way but framing your face. Your makeup is a smokey eye and just as you're finishing your look, your phone rings letting you know Monica is outside. You slip on your shoes and grab your clutch, shoving your phone inside before heading out to meet her.

"You look gorgeous!" She gushes when you slide into her car.

"So do you. Love the dress." You say taking in her red mermaid-style gown.

"Alright- let's go tear the castle up." She peels off towards the city. You and Monica are led towards the ballroom by guards once you arrive at the palace. You've seen the palace before, in pictures and on TV mostly. It's gorgeous, obviously, but something about it feels almost daunting in person. When the doors to the ballroom are opened the party is in full swing already. You and Monica share a glance as you take everything in.

"Wow." You whisper.

"This is so awesome!" She quietly squeals. "I have to check out everything!"

"I'm going to get myself something to drink. Find me later?" You look at her.

"Sounds good. I have so much to look at, see you later." She says, unlocking her arm from yours and slipping into the crowd. You chuckle as you watch her disappear into the excitement. You find your way to one of the staff holding a tray of drinks. You take one with a thank you and choose a spot to watch the party from, just long enough to finish your glass.

"Excuse me." You turn when someone clears their throat.

"Oh- sorry, am I your way?" You ask.

"No not at all, I just wanted to introduce myself." The man smiles.

"By all means." You muse.

"I'm Thor. And you are? A princess I'm sure."

"No not a princess, though I appreciate the compliment. My name is y/n." You smile.

"Y/n. So then, what's a lady like you doing all alone over here? Surely you've not been left by someone?"

"If you mean a date, no. I came with a friend, she was so excited to experience everything that I let her go ahead while I had a drink."

"Well, seeing as your drink is finished, would you like to dance?"

"I would, sure." You find a spot to place your empty glass, taking Thor's hand and allowing him to lead you to the floor.

"Are you from around here Thor?" You ask him as he moves you around the dance floor.

"Oh, no, not at all. I'm a friend of the king." He tells you.

"A friend of the king? Really?"

"Yes! When I heard he was having a party I simply had to come down."

"I see." You hum.

"What of you y/n? Are you from around here?"

"I am. I've spent all of my life here." You nod. Just then, the song changes and you gasp. It's a song you know, upbeat and exciting but doesn't require a dance partner. "Oh- sorry to cut our conversation Thor really, it's been lovely but I love this song. Do you mind?" You smile at him.

"By all means! I'm sure I can keep up." Thor beams back at you. You place a hand on his arm in thanks before you begin to match the beat of the song. You spin and twirl around the floor, laughing and cheering as you get lost in the music. You hear others joining in around you, but you're so wrapped up in the song you don't realize you're backing into someone's path until you trip over their foot. You let out a gasp as you fall backwards, arms flailing as you try to brace for impact. The impact that you realize never comes. Your eyes open up when you notice the feeling of something at the small of your back, keeping you from hitting the ground. You realize quickly that it's someone's arm when they adjust to upright you and your arms fly to their chest to stabilize yourself.

"Oh." You shake your head slightly, stepping back a little bit to smooth your hands down your dress.

"Are you alright miss?" A deep voice says gently.

"Yes I'm fine, thank you. I'm sorry-" you look up finally only to see the king looking at you with concern, "Your Majesty." You breathe out.

"No worries. No harm done. You said you're alright yes?"

"Yes, thanks to you. Thank you for catching me. No doubt I would've fallen on my butt otherwise." You say. You break eye contact to cringe internally at your words, why would you say that to the king? Yeah, you'd fall that's how gravity works. Bucky laughs at your words.

"Well, I couldn't allow that to happen. Certainly not to the most gorgeous person I've ever laid eyes on." He smiles.

"You flatter me your highness but thank you." You say with a small curtsy.

"Can I ask your name?" He asks gently.

"It's y/n."

"Y/n, you're not a dignitary, right?" He looks you over with an analytical glint in his eyes.

"Is it that obvious?" You chuckle.

"No. I don't mean anything by that. Honestly, you could tell me you're a princess and I'd believe it. It's just that I have the names and faces of most of the dignitaries that are here memorized and- well I'm certain I'd remember a face like yours." The king says with a nod.

"You're very charming your majesty. I'm not a dignitary no, I'm one of your citizens."

"Oh, you are? Do you live in the city?" He asks.

"No, I live outside of it." You shake your head.

"Far away?"

"Not really, it depends on the traffic of course but usually, it takes less than an hour to get to the city from my home."

"I see, so do you come to the city often?"

"I try to when I can. When I have time." You say.

"How do you like it? The city."

"You are more inquisitive than I would've expected your majesty." You muse with a small smile.

"I apologize. Let me know if I'm being intrusive, I just, find myself wanting to know everything about you." He says, looking at you intently.

"I'm not all that interesting your highness." You chuckle, avoiding his piercing gaze.

"Do you know how you ended up tripping over my foot in the first place?" The king asks you.

"I wasn't paying attention?" Your brows knit together in confusion.

"No- well I guess yes that too but that wasn't the answer. You had to have noticed the crowd you had while you were dancing. Didn't you see everyone watching?"

"I- I didn't notice, no." You shake your head.

"Well, I noticed and other people noticed too. I was coming over to talk to you anyway. You just happened to fall into my arms before I could start a conversation." He chuckles.

"Oh- well, sorry about that. I just- I really liked that song- I know it's not really how the other half lives." You joke.

"Please, don't feel like you have to apologize, I like it. You're spirited. That's quite uncommon these days." The king says.

"I think that might have more to do with the people you're around most of the time." You say. You immediately cover your mouth when you register what you said. "I'm so sorry. That was not polite." You correct yourself.

"It's fine, you're probably right." He laughs. When his amusement dies down, he speaks again, "I'd like to dance with you." He says.

"Oh?" You blink at him.

"Sorry- that was not a question. I meant to ask if you would like to dance with me."

"I'd love to." You giggle to yourself a little as take his hand and let him lead you around the floor to the music.

"Are you enjoying the ball?" He asks you.

"Yes actually, I haven't even been here an hour and I've already met the king. How can you top that?" You shrug.

"Do you want me to?"

"What?" Your brows scrunch in confusion for a moment.

"Top it. I'm sure I can." You can hear the amusement in his voice, and when you look up he's clearly turning ideas over in his head.

"Oh! No, you don't have to top anything. The question was rhetorical, this has been great really. Considering it's my first time in the palace, it's totally passed my expectations for the evening." You chuckle.

"Next time." He nods.

"Next time? Are you already planning another party your majesty?" You joke.

"No, not yet anyway." He smiles. You dance with the king for a little while longer before he's called away by someone else. You don't see him again for the rest of the evening though you're tempted to find him again before you go. Eventually, Monica finds you and the two of you decide to leave. She raves the whole drive home about how much she enjoyed everything and you're content just listening to her recant her version of the night and all the things she did while you were apart. You're glad she seems to have thoroughly enjoyed her evening. You half expect her to grill you about your time but you surmise she was preoccupied enough to somehow missed your run-in with the king or you're sure she'd be giving you the third degree. Since she doesn't ask about it, you're happy for now keeping that detail to yourself.

***

Part 1/???

#bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky fanfic #bucky #marvel #marvel fanfiction #To Love Who Wears The Crown #bucky barnes

[12pt-times-new-roman]

c3e39

"We didn't fucking cause this. We're his legacy." That entire speech from Ashton had big Caduceus vibes.

The necklace that Fearne found was one that Laudna's father gave to her mother on one of their anniversaries. He saved up for it, and got it with three stones to represent the three of them.

Laudna's name was Matilda Bradbury. She "kind of forgot who [she] was" after a while of running from town to town, and used to sing to herself.

oh god I had forgotten about Pate

Laudna's eldritch blast looks like the flame in her chest we saw in the dream realm. When she casts it, she feels what she's always felt — the magic coming from with in her, in her blood and bones, from the weave of arcana within herself. And she proceeds to bonk Ashton in the head with one of them.

"I was born with magic... that's why they [her parents] were so eager to push me out the door, to the castle."

Holy shit, that's one hell of a testament to Matt's character voices being distinct. The cast remembered Ollie's voice after months. The Green Seekers were sent by Shishadri to escort the Bells Hells to Eshteross' estate.

Chetney opens the letter from Eshteross to Shishadri against Orym's direct objection without hearing Orym out at all. I'm sure this will have no consequences in the future

The letter speaks on a couple of his last jobs as a mercenary, recalling the work he's done for her and the good will they have. At the very bottom, it states information about what the Hells are doing, what they've discovered, elements of the Grim Verity and the dangers of the solstice, and essentially says to stay out of their way.

Laudna casts mending on the wax seal Chetney broke. Marisha Ray has committed mail fraud on graph paper in two campaigns in a row

Mistress Shishadri called in someone to cast speak with dead on Eshteross. She has pale, pearlescent skin, powder-white. The hair is long and silver-gray, no eyebrows, with almost elven features but no sign of elvish ears. "Human, but more so — mystical, but like a creepy doll in energy and visage." Her voice is a lot like the eisfurra from the All-Minds-Burn. She wears a pendant of a golden, beaked skull — a symbol of the Matron of Ravens.

"This is the Grave Mystic Weva Vudol. She is a very useful talent when it comes to dealing with the unexpected demise of important individuals."

Her eyes roll back when she casts the spell and the face almost looks like a porcelain mask. There's a weird, sickly sweet joy to her voice as she asks the questions, and when she moves Eshteross' body, it's like moving a puppet.

"When did you die?" Not but a day before. "How did you die?" I was killed by the Legend. "And who was this legend responsible for your death?" The Legend of the Peaks, Otohan Thull. "Were they [the Bells Hells] responsible or involved in your demise?" No. "Do you have any final requests?" To be interred next to Mistress Prudaj, in the Lucid Memorial Mausoleum.

Shishadri asks the Hells to hunt down Otohan (after the Green Seekers turn it down), and offers them a contract, which they accept.

Otohan got that title during the Apex War because of her involvement with the Taloned Highlands and the Apex city Sruwargas, home of the Stratos Throne. The mountains where it resides are known as the Coven Peaks. For the people of the Throne, she was a hero, and for those opposing her, she was a nightmare.

The Stratos Throne holds rulership of the Taloned Highlands, including Imogen's hometown. She vaguely remembers having to hide, fields being burned, strongholds and military installments on the pathways along the mountains.

The death of the previous sovereign brought the Apex War to a ceasefire, alongside the mutual economic destruction that was happening.

Jovahn, Imogen's hometown, is a place where many warriors and soldiers passed through; there were many inns, homesteads, and barracks built for them that have since been repurposed. Otohan could have passed through or stayed here.

Shishadri takes all of Eshteross' letters, and will arrange the Silver Sun for pickup by the morning.

Weva's HP, AC, and levels are all much higher than Orym's. She works throughout the city and the Oderan Wilds, but works for Shishadri. Chetney smells no fey, fiend, or undead essence on her, but her skin is sort of sparkly and opalescent, sort of like that aasimar who was with Kotho back in C2.

She's flirting with Laudna.

She can..... see souls? She says Laudna's "a little dark around the edges... ooh, welcome back."

Pate!!

Keyleth had theories that the attack on Zephrah was a test, a way to test the abilities of Zephrah's defenses, but there was never a second attack.

She would sometimes talk to the deRolos about the leylines, and Orym thinks that that could be related to why Otohan wanted her dead.

FCG tries to identify the toxin residue on Eshteross' weapon. With a 26 medicine check, they recall "poisons, liquids, alchemical concoctions... and you feel with certainty that you have never seen something like this." There is no magic to it, but it's nothing FCG has encountered in the natural world.

This is the second or third time Matt has described something unidentifiable to FCG in this way — he makes a point to say how strange it is that FCG has never encountered it before or can't remember what it is, like it isn't the item itself that's strange but rather their inability to recognize it. So is this a situation where FCG's memory was wiped? Like they used to know about it but can't anymore because their "memory banks" are damaged or altered?

FCG also identifies the blade itself. It acts as a magical club when wielded as a cane, but when the command word is spoken, the ball on top of the cane becomes a scythe blade. It acts as a greatsword.

To the skyship!

But first, some shopping.

They got diamonds for revivify, and FCG got a 25gp commemorative coin. This is likely for divination, which has a material component of a 25gp "sacrificial offering."

To Yios!

It's a little less than an 1100 mile journey, and it'll take 7-8 days since they're going across the Hellcatch Valley again.

Day 1: No issues

Day 2: No issues

Day 3: Sandstorm! Chetney, Fearne, Imogen, and Orym all rolled below a 5 to stay on the ship, but everyone's tied in one way or another to the rails or the masts. No one actually fell off, but they lose a day of travel.

Day 4: No issues.

Ruidus is flaring. The date would be 30 Sydenstar 843,

Imogen is dreaming of her and Laudna baking in a cabin. "The candlelight goes from orange to a deep, deep red. The door is open, and outside the hut, you see a red cloud swirling. The storm is around you, you can hear the impact of it, the hut creaking and breaking apart. You can just barely see a shape walking into the storm, away from the hut, away from you — the darkened clothed shape of what looks like Laudna, walking away from you. Laudna? No response, just keeps walking. You will yourself to move faster, and your feet leave the ground as you glide until you are right at the back of the figure. You touch it, and it spins around, and instead, it is a darkened ruffled cloak. What you thought was Laudna's hair is tattered shreds of a funeral shroud. You see this scraggly hair in a lavender-like color, and that memory that unlocked, you recognize your mother. 'You need to run.'"

"While that's happening, Chetney. Roll a Wisdom saving throw. 6. You've concentrated on this in the past, the curse that you hold. It is tethered to the history of Catha, and the transformations have always been pulled by that massive white-silver glow in the sky. Ruidus didn't seem to have much of an impact. But as you've been more conscious of these flares, there's been this itch in your belly. Simple. But this time the itch gets stronger. And stronger. Until you can't help but try and scratch for it. You scratch and scratch, and you pull, and you tear. Fearne and Orym, you see Chetney begin to double over and clutch his stomach. Chet? Can you talk to me? You have to pull, you have to be free, you have to scratch, it has to be free. From behind, he tears the flesh away from his torso, and as you watch the skin and hair of the gnomish form flop away, the wolven body emerges with an aggressive howl, the eyes emanating a red glow. Who do you go after first? Orym."

Fearne casts daylight on Chetney, which gives him another saving throw against Ruidus' influence. He rolls 16. It has some kind of effect, but it doesn't knock Chetney out of it. (Meaning that 16 is still a fail against the influence.)

"As far as your consciousness goes, you just have to scratch the itch. This is primal impulse and instinct. You've been here a few times, but this is an odd timing."

Liam playing a battle master is so good. the battle master fighter is easily the most complex full-melee class (and is definitely more complex than many casters), and it's so nice to see the class played with such... poise? ease? skill.

Rolling another 16 save gets Chetney out of the influence and the itch goes away, but he's under half health, so he has to make another save against bloodlust, which he fails. Fearne's daylight spell knocks him out of that.

The flare fades away, and the ruddy moon is left dull in the sky.

But before that, back in Imogen land—

"As you see into the face of your mother, she steps back, and the wind whips her away like she was just strips of cloth. You glance up, and you can see through the cloud, the bright, flaring moon of Ruidus. What do you want? No response. Otohan? Are you here? Nobody seems to be present. Just the sound of strong, dangerous wind. [I reach out and lightning strike the hut.] As you reach out your arm, all the designs on your body, the extended tendrils of energy completely fill your arm and the bolt arcs across the outside of the hut. It burns and darkens, and as it burns up, the wind carries it away like the cloak but a moment before. [I fly up into the air.] The dust around you subsides slightly. You can see the darkness, the stars, beginning to come closer. You concentrate on the moon, and a few moments later, the bright light of the flare dulls, and in that moment, your ascension slows, then stops, and you begin to fall. Faster and faster. Faster and faster, you plummet. You spin and see the ground come towards you — and you wake up."

Sending to Liliana Temult: "Are you there?" "...Imogen?"

#critical role #critical role liveblog #critical role c3 #critical role campaign 3 #note watches c3 #critical role spoilers

[wildflower-otome]

[Translation] Clover no Kuni no Alice ~ White Calling~ Light Novel - Chapter 3

Author: Sana Shirakawa Artist: 文月ナナ

Act 3 - Event at the green tower

Alice walked alone through the bustling town.

'............'

In the centre of the mostly green coloured townscape was a gigantic tower.

Clover Tower now stood in the place where the Clock Tower in the Country of Hearts had once been. Her light blue apron dress swaying, Alice was walking around the venue where the assembly would soon be held.

She had heard general details about the assembly from Blood, but didn't know anything substantial about it. She understood that special rules were in place for it, but still had her doubts whether a discussion could really be held amongst such a gathering of individualistic people.

In contrast to her misgivings, Blood Dupre had answered as if it were no big deal.

'It's not about having a proper discussion. The important thing is that we gathered and discussed something, that's all that is necessary. What it's about is meaningless. That's the kind of world this is.'

From his point of view, it was likely the real problem was that something so pointless would be taking away his precious tea times. As he drank the tea that had been his souvenir from the Castle, he repeatedly said, 'Ah, what a pain,' while looking annoyed.

She wondered what her other acquaintances thought. So thinking, she asked Elliot who had just returned from work, but the look on his face was complicated as he answered.

'The assembly? Yeah, it really is a waste of time…..there's more work to do, and I feel bad for Blood since he can't have his tea parties, plus I can't eat carrot cake whenever I want…..nothin' good about it at all.'

He was already so busy with work on a daily basis to begin with, she was puzzled as to exactly what kind of situation would cause him to be even busier than he already was. She was even less sure than before about what the assemblies were like.

She tried asking the Twins as well but…..they too shook their heads and sighed.

'Assemblies are awful, Big Sis. We get less days off, and we can't take long vacations. They really overwork us…..don't you think it's far too much, brother?'

'You're right, brother. They gotta increase our salary for the extra amount of work, or it's not worth it.'

The words the boys repeated seemed to imply that there was nothing else they found so troublesome.

Perhaps such a reaction was only to be expected of them, for whom time off and how much they were paid were matters of particular concern…..

But from such explanations as these, it was an impossible task for her to understand what the assemblies were, when she had never experienced them.

No matter how much she pondered, they would eventually happen. Maybe it was pointless to try and collect information in advance.

However, Alice had decided to remain in this world of her own free will.

Even though at the beginning she had only thought about returning home, before she had realised it, she had grown accustomed to this world.

Its workings were somewhat peculiar, but she had confidence that to a certain extent she could get used to them. That was why, even if it wasn't to the level of those around her, she wanted to obtain at least the minimum amount of information regarding the large event known as an assembly…..but it seemed that was easier said than done.

She had heard that just like the Clock Tower, the area surrounding Clover Tower was a neutral zone that did not involve itself in territorial disputes. Since the assembly was so soon, she had thought that if she went there she would meet one of her acquaintances, but as of now she had yet to spot a familiar face.

The fact that she couldn't help but remember the Clock Tower as she looked at the town square—meant that Alice had not yet been able to process all that had happened.

Because until now, assemblies and moves where the land itself changed were matters unrelated to Alice.

'I wonder what I should do now.'

If it were a festival that involved the entire town, she could likely gain the answers she wanted by asking one of the people nearby. However, the assembly wasn't something just anyone could attend. She had heard that only certain people could enter the meeting place in Clover Tower. Although most people knew of the assemblies, they had no direct involvement with them, so even if she were to enquire, she wouldn't be able to get her desired answers.

Just as she was about to give up and return to Hatter Mansion-

'.....Ah-'

She had a feeling she had just seen a familiar vivid pink colour in the midst of the crowd of people.

She quickened her pace a little as she ran up to him, but faster than Alice could call out, it appeared that he had noticed her too.

A face she knew well turned around, Alice reflected in his gaze.

Even from within the fluffy fur muffler wrapped around him, she could see his broad grin.

'Oh, it's you, Alice. It's rare to see you in a place like this. Did you come here to play?'

'It's been a while. I'm happy I got to see you, Boris.'

As she reached a spot that was close to him, Alice's feet came to a stop. Though his colours seemed all the flashier the more that you looked at them, she was no longer surprised. In the midst of the pink fur, she could see his small ears twitching.

Boris Airay, the Cheshire Cat, who could be called Pierce's natural enemy. In the Country of Hearts his place of residence had been the Amusement Park, but now he was living in the Forest.

'Ah, did you maybe have an errand here too, Boris? I would have thought you'd have been in the Forest, or playing with Dee and Dum.'

She would feel bad if she had gotten in the way of his errand. But as she was thinking that, he chuckled and shook his head. The gold decorations attached to the fur muffler glinted as they reflected the daylight.

'Nope, just out here to have some fun. And what about you? Shopping? It'd make me happy if you came here looking for me though.'

Boris' face drew closer to Alice as if looking for her attention. Striped tail swaying, he came nearer to the girl. The tall figure as it bent down a little looked exactly like a cat coming up to nuzzle against her.

It appeared that despite the move and the soon to be held assembly, he was still the same as usual. While feeling somehow lonely as well as relieved, Alice continued.

'I heard about it from Blood…the assembly is about to begin soon, right? I came here wanting to ask everyone about it, but…'

'The assembly? It's a waste of time going around asking about something like that. If it wasn't for the rules, I wouldn't want to go myself.'

Hearing what Alice had said, he shrugged as if bored. Even the tail that had been wafting  about excitedly just a moment ago had drooped down. His tail was even more honest than his face.

'I gotta wear stuffy clothes, and can't play whenever I want to. Isn't it just too cruel for a Cat to not be able to chase a Mouse even if he's right next to me? And I can't eat fish whenever I feel like it…..it's such a pain.'

Sighing, the Cheshire Cat stretched himself from his formerly bent position. The flexible Cat quietly looked down at Alice.

As Boris continued to stare intently at her, he suddenly smiled mischievously. The one eye that had seemed so bored before suddenly twinkled as if he were enjoying himself.

‘Why so interested? Are you attending the meetings too, Alice?'

'Yeah, seems like it. Formal situations aren't really my kind of thing though…'

The head of the Mansion had prepared the outfit she would wear to the assembly before she had even realised it. Without a doubt, Alice's name was registered as one of the people to attend with him.

She hadn't yet seen the aforementioned formal wear. If all went as Blood had said and it was ready the time period after next, she would soon be making her debut in the new outfit.

Alice had experience interacting with high society in her original world, but of course had never taken part in any meetings called an assembly. At most, there had been the briefing sessions at the place she had worked at after school, but it wasn't as if she had been an official full-time employee.

'It's just that you all seem to know about the assemblies. I wanted to hear a little about what other people thought of them ahead of time. I feel bad that everyone always has to explain things to me though.’

‘Even if you don’t fret so much over it, you’re way better than that stupid mouse…..no, even more than me, you’re putting a lot of thought into the assembly. If it were me, I wouldn’t have even considered doing something like that.’

The pink coloured cat drew nearer to peer into Alice's eyes.

Half of his face was always hidden by his long bangs. That was why she could usually only see one of his eyes. The single eye that at times appeared childish, sometimes fearless as he laughed, was now looking at her gently as he smiled.

'I get you might feel anxious from not knowing, but once you've been to one once, you'll understand exactly what they're like. No need to be so worried.'

'.....Really?'

'Yeah. You really take things way too seriously.'

When asked if she had been worried, Alice wasn’t sure how to answer for a moment.

To be sure, she did feel a sense of uncertainty as a person not originally from this world in the face of rules that she did not understand. But she had a feeling it wasn't worry that she felt.

The feelings inside Alice couldn't be completely defined with a single word like anxiety. Even if she were to say that to Boris, it would be something difficult to resolve.

‘So by that you mean it’s useless to try and find out.’

‘Well, seeing as it’s the reason I got to see you, perhaps assemblies aren’t so bad….and also-’

His eyes having lit up with curiosity for just a moment, Boris laughed.

‘I’m looking forward to seeing you in formal wear. During the ball, the Hatter guys were sticking to you so closely, I couldn’t really get near. This time it seems I’ll be able to get a good look.'

‘The clothes might be fancy, but it’ll just be me wearing them, you know…..?’

It wasn’t as if Alice were a girl of rare or unparalleled beauty. As far as Blood’s taste in clothes went—although different from her own—while not incorrect, there was still a chance that they would outshine her.

That had been what she had thought, but Boris laughed as if exasperated saying, ‘You’re too down on yourself.’

‘It’ll be fine. It’s not like the others will be wearing clothes that are all that amazing. But, more importantly, Alice-’

‘Boris?’

Grabbing Alice’s arm, the Cheshire Cat grinned mischievously. His eyes narrowed, with one corner of his mouth raised, he pulled her along firmly as he began to walk.

‘Good timing, I’m hungry right now. There’s a restaurant with some good fish dishes nearby, so let’s go eat together.’

‘Huh-…..W-Wait, Boris?’

‘You’ll just tire yourself out overthinking things too much, ya know? In times like these, fish is the best! Let’s go!’

As Boris began to walk nimbly forward, he turned to look back at Alice, who was still surprised, and bent his head quizzically.

‘Oh, did you not like fish? Or would you have preferred a mouse?’

‘I-It would be a major problem if you gave me a mouse-!’

‘Is that so? Then, fish has to be fine, right? Even I like to dine out with a cute girl sometimes too.’

Just like that Alice was dragged along, but suddenly she couldn't help but think.

'............'

His previous place of residence had been the Amusement Park. The liveliest place in the Country of Hearts, where day and night, music was always playing and fun rides were always in operation.

But in comparison, there was barely anyone in the Forest where he now lived. The only other person living there was just the one other role holder…..it was a completely different type of environment. Of course, there was a town in the middle of the Forest, but she had heard he spent most of his time in the green space where the trees grew densely together.

'............'

If it was her, she would surely feel lonely. If she had ended up being separated from the boisterous and dangerous group that lived in the Mansion, and had to live in a Forest where people rarely went, she probably wouldn't be able to bear it.

'Aren't you…..lonely, Boris?'

'? What's this all of a sudden?'

He pulled on Alice's hand as he continued to walk on without answering.

She couldn't tell how the Cat felt just from his tail when his back was turned.

'It's just you and Pierce in the Forest. Gowland and all the other employees were always there with you up until now….I was just thinking you might feel lonely since they disappeared all of a sudden.'

I think I would definitely feel lonely.

She didn't say it out loud, but it was likely the intuitive Cat had picked up on her thoughts. Alice purposely didn't try to hide them.

'.....I'm a cat, Alice.'

So said the pink cat in a light tone, not looking back.

'Cats are fickle creatures after all, we can go anywhere…..and we can return from anywhere, too. That's why I'm not lonely at all. Or could it be-'

'.....Could it be?'

As Alice opened her mouth to confirm what he meant, he at last turned around.

The face with one corner of his mouth lifted in a roguish grin was the smile of the Cheshire Cat that Alice knew very well.

'If you're that worried about me, how about coming to the Forest too, Alice? If we chase after the Mouse together, I won't have the time to feel lonely at all.'

It was a cynical, somewhat unreadable smile. There was no way Alice could say anything to pry further. 

She had told Pierce the same thing. No matter how much he were to invite her to the Forest—she could not live in the same place as them.

In the end, Alice stopped at slightly shaking her head with an awkward smile.

'I'll have to refuse.'

'Is that so? If you ever change your mind, come anytime.'

Accepting Alice's words, Boris once more returned his gaze ahead. 

'Well, with that idiot mouse around…..the Forest might not be suitable for you, Alice.'

That was what he quietly murmured to himself, but his voice was so small it did not reach her ears.

Unbeknownst to them, there was a single hidden figure secretly watching them from the shadows of an alley.

'.....No fair, Boris…..I wanted to share a meal with Alice too…..chuu.'

The one pouting in a huff was the boy Dormouse the two of them had been talking about.

Moving his large ears, he muttered to himself.

'What to do, what to do. Maybe I should tag along too….but I don't like the kitty cat being there..and I wanna eat cheese, not fish.'

He took a step out onto the main street, but then stepped back again. After doing this repeatedly while humming to himself uncertainly, it looked as if he had at last made up his mind.

'Ah, but I can't. I'm in the middle of work right now! I gotta clean up properly, or the boss will get mad at me.'

Nodding to himself, he took hold of the trunk case he had left nearby. The heavy sounding bag trundled down the path as Pierce began to walk.

'Eheheh. But it's great Alice is coming to the assembly. That makes me happy, so happy…the assemblies are a bother, but Petey will be there, and so will Ellie. How nice, how nice. It's good everyone will be there…..although it would be even better if Boris and Dee and Dum weren't there too.'

With a rumbling, clattering noise-

In contrast to the Mouse's lighthearted sounding voice, the weighty sound of the trunk case echoed as he disappeared down the back alley.

#heart no kuni no alice #hnkna #translation #alice in the country of clover #boris airay #alice liddell #otome game

[raccoon-eyed-rebel]

White blossoms - Chapter 6

Masterlist

Series Masterlist

If you like this fic, please remember to reblog so that others may also see it!

Pairing: Melot x OFC (Tamsyn)

Word count: 3k

Warnings: Angst. Shenanigans. Historical inaccuracies, probably.

A/N: I was informed that @geralts-yenn has run out of things to read, somehow, therefore I present to you: The next chapter of young love, pining and anticipation... And some fun little history on our young friends.

@deandoesthingstome @ellethespaceunicorn @peaches1958 @peyton-warren @summersong69 @mayloma @livisss @geralts-yenn @sillyrabbit81

It was dreadfully dark in the forest where your camp was set up, and you were dog tired, yet struggled to find sleep on the rough floor. Next to you, Lowen turned around so frequently you vowed to stick a sword right through him and into the ground, so that he might finally stop moving. Aedan sighed every few minutes, a sound of hurt and pining you recognized all too well. It occupied your mind, that sound, threatening to break free from your own lips as you lay there in the dark, staring up at the cloth above your head, clutching the ring that hung from a leather cord around your neck. 

After what seemed to be an eternity, sleep came to you, only to plague you with dreams of your beloved; remnants of the past, at least for the time being. The touch of her hands ghosted over your skin as your mind forced you to relive one of your fondest memories: the day you first laid eyes on her. 

You stood in the square of the town outside the castle walls with Aedan and Lowen, as you waited for Pyran to emerge from his home. When he finally did, he was closely followed by his sister, Morwenna, and had been tasked with accompanying her on an errand. 

“Must you?” you asked. 

“I am afraid so, my friend,” he said. 

“God, why can’t these women ever go anywhere on their own,” Aedan asked, knowing all too well the ample reasons that made up the answer to his question. 

“I am so terribly sorry to inconvenience you,” Morwenna snapped, “I, too, would much rather go about my day without having my brother watching my every move, thank you very much!”

“And exactly what would you do that you’d rather I don’t see,” Pyran said back to her, brow furrowed in suspicion. 

“None of your concern,” she replied without batting an eye, an impish look adorning her sharp features. She was quite becoming, especially when she was angry - which, in the presence of her brother, seemed to be always. 

“Whatever the two of you think you are doing, do it elsewhere!” Their mother shouted from inside the house, prompting your group to take leave and deliver Pyran’s sister to wherever it was where she was needed. 

“I don’t need the lot of you to take me there,” she said, unsmiling as before. 

“We insist,” you said simply, so as to leave no room for discussion. 

“Thank you for your time, lord Melot,” she said, emphasising the honorific. She mocked you often, but you paid her no mind. Women of her beauty got away with such transgressions, or so you had noticed. Your small company made its way to the edge of the town. 

“Tamsyn!” Morwenna called once you were close to one of the houses. 

“Morwenna! One moment!” 

It was after that moment that your life was forever changed - when a beautiful young woman stepped out of the house and your heart seemed to skip a beat. She stood still outside for some time, during which Morwenna made her way over to her. 

“They’re just my brother’s friends,” she said, rolling her eyes and making a face hardly fit for a lady. Morwenna had known most of your company from early on in your childhoods, when her brother had first been brought to start training with you. She was hardly as strict with protocol and etiquette as she should be. The girl she had called Tamsyn seemed much more concerned on that front. 

"I address every last one of the men you are with as 'lord', Morwenna," she hissed, her cheeks flushed and her eyes nervously avoiding yours.

"Oh, stop it, if I ever so much as catch you calling my brother 'lord' anything, I shall… Good grief, I know not what I shall do, but I promise you it will hurt!" 

"That would be fair," you said lightly, "he isn't of noble blood. Morwenna, before we drop every sense of decorum, might we be introduced to your friend?" 

"Of course, my dearest lord Melot," she said before turning to Tamsyn. "Happy?"

"Ecstatic, Morwenna," she sighed. "My lords." She dipped slightly - a modest curtsey, exactly what she should have done. Then why did it feel so wrong?

You couldn't tear your gaze away from her face while Morwenna introduced her to you. Her beauty was striking, with lively eyes and beautiful, full lips. You noticed more about this girl than about any other before her, and the image of her was from that day on etched into your mind, and you were hopeless in your attempts to forget her.  

When you returned to the castle later that day, you stumbled upon Beryan. She immediately discovered that something was the matter with you. 

"What is it, Mely," she taunted. Beryan had given you the nickname when you were small children, and now that you were adults, she only brought it out when she wished to poke fun at you. Which was still far more often than you thought she should.

"Morwenna - Pyran's sister - introduced us to one of her friends today," you spoke slowly, pondering, running through the brief conversation you had had with Tamsyn in your head. 

"And my dear lord Mely has taken a shine to this lady?" 

"Stop calling me that!" you hissed angrily. The inexplicable urge to push her off the fence she was sitting on struck you suddenly, but you wrestled it down. It wasn't just the name calling that bothered you, but also the taunting tone in which she had suggested you fancied the girl. "And I haven't taken a shine to her. Besides, even if I had, it would go unanswered. She's…" 

"A town girl, not of noble birth, her name is Tamsyn, she is exceptionally beautiful, and I hear she has quite the lovely singing voice. Her mother weaves the finest cloth in all of Cornwall, her father is a master carpenter, her uncle a rather wealthy blacksmith in another city. She had a younger brother once, but he was struck by illness and passed away. Her favourite colour is blue and she likes daisies." 

"Bery…" you stammered. How was it possible, in Heaven's name, that she knew all this?

"How many times must I tell you, Melot," Beryan said with a very unladylike grin on her face, "women know everything. We are cunning, powerful and beautiful, and you men would be utterly lost without us." 

"You are wrong, my dear friend. You women are annoyingly nosy and utterly insufferable," you retorted. It was the truth of a young boy, and over the course of the past several years, it had gradually become the lie of a young man. However much you hated to admit it, girls no longer disgusted you to the core of your bones. In fact, you occasionally found yourself rather enthralled by the doings of the fairer half of the population.

"I take it I can't kiss you anymore," Beryan said, and you laughed at her mischievously. It had started as an experiment, following a rather inappropriate conversation. You had been kids, playing in the woods, chasing after one another, fourteen summers young and curiosity had struck you as you had caught her and had tumbled down a slope with her in your arms. Since then, you had oftentimes turned to one another to satisfy your bouts of curiosity, and the feeling of her lips against yours, and her soft skin beneath your fingers would forever be etched into your memory. Now, no matter how curious you did actually find yourself at this time, her lips held no appeal to you. 

"You could, but it would be against my will," you replied softly. With a single brush of her slender fingers, Beryan stroked your dark curls behind your ear. 

"Your ears are red," she noted, "are you ashamed of your affections for this girl?" 

"She isn't of my standing, Bery," you said as you cautiously looked around before you let her envelop you in her embrace. "My uncle will never allow it." 

"Let me see what I can do for you, my precious Mely," she laughed. Her smile was bright as always, shining like the sun over the creek on a beautiful summer day - yet it paled in comparison to Tamsyn's modest yet gorgeous smile. 

“Ow!” You and Morwenna both cried out at the same time, and Beryan and Elowen laughed. While your men were away at battle, they had taken it upon themselves to teach you embroidery, and it was safe to say it had proven frustrating and - quite frankly - perilous to all parties involved. Never in your life had you suffered so much pain in your fingers - and yours were a working girl’s hands, used to decidedly more abuse from daily tasks than the hands of your friends who grew up at court. 

“How do we prevent this?” Morwenna asked, agitation clearly present in her voice and manners. 

“You can feel where your fingers touch the fabric, can’t you?” Beryan asked kindly - perhaps a twinge too kindly. 

“Yes,” Morwenna snapped back at her. 

“Try not to stick your needle through the fabric there.” If it wasn’t so highly inappropriate that it might have cost her her freedom if anyone saw, you suspected Morwenna might have struck Beryan. To her left, Elowen tried her very hardest to contain her laughter, and you yourself had a rather difficult time with the same task. It struck you suddenly; the realisation that Beryan and Elowen had changed in their teaching methods since they first started. 

"You're Tamsyn." The voice startled you, as you were utterly consumed by the task you were performing. Turning around did not remedy your shock, as you looked straight in the face of…

"Lady Beryan," you said, bowing immediately. 

"Won't you walk with me, my dear Tamsyn?" she asked sweetly, and you knew there was no way you could refuse her query. Your chores would simply have to wait. 

"Of course, my Lady," you said, bowing again. The two of you began to stroll through the fields near your house, away from town. It struck you as odd at first, until Beryan began to speak.

"I hear you recently met Melot - or lord Melot, as I should probably say."

"Yes, my lady, I did indeed. He accompanied my friend Morwenna as she came to pick up some cloth," you replied, your gaze dropping to your feet as you realised the lady Beryan would hardly care for the information you offered up so unpromptedly. 

"What do you think of him? And please, speak freely," she furthered her inquiry. You blushed at the thought of sharing your opinions. So often those of higher standing - if they spoke to you at all - said to speak freely, but it was commonly known that they would not appreciate your doing so at all. 

"He is a fine gentleman," you spoke carefully, afraid to say anything that would offend. For a girl of your standing, the consequences of such a mistake could be disastrous. Beryan chuckled and smiled at you, easing your nerves somewhat. 

“That, he is,” she said, “if he isn’t behaving like a complete and utter fool. Which isn’t all too often, I have to admit.”

“My lady, pardon any insolence, but might I inquire as to the reason for your question?” As you asked the question, you could hardly bear to look at Beryan, so great was your fear of coming across as crass or impolite. 

“Oh, dear friend, are you afraid of me?” she asked you, her tone as full of incredulity as the expression on her face. 

“Lady Beryan, I beg for your understanding,” you said nervously, unable to stifle a chuckle of disbelief, “I am not quite used to visitors of noble standing, let alone unprompted inquiries about the nephew of the king.” 

“Dear Tamsyn, I promise you,” Beryan spoke as she put a hand on your shoulder, “my query isn’t unprompted. I will explain in due time, but first, I must insist you give me an honest answer to my question.”

It struck you then that, regardless of your answer, she could spread whatever information she wished at court, and there would be nary a thing you could do about it. Thus, you decided on a truthful response, hoping it would satisfy her curiosity. 

“He seems like a kind man,” you spoke, failing to keep a smile from pulling at the corners of your mouth, “and he is rather fetching, I would say.”

Beryan chuckled softly. “He would be most pleased to hear that,” she said. 

“You won’t tell him, will you?” you blurted out, forgetting your manners for a moment as the fear struck you that Beryan would really share your answer with him. 

“That you find him attractive? God, no! Could you imagine? The man would become absolutely insufferable! And it is barely tolerable to be around him as is!” she snickered. Then, her expression changed. It was a very sudden change, that took you by surprise, in part because it was a sense of guilt that took over for her former playfulness. “I’m terribly sorry, I shouldn’t speak of him that way. The last thing I want is to scare you off… Melot and I grew up together, he became a rather good friend. I know him better than what’s good for me - and Lord knows better than what’s proper. He truly is a fine man.”

It was one phrase in particular that stuck with you, and you turned your head to Beryan, raising an eyebrow as you inquired: “Scare me off, my lady?”

“Right,” Beryan said as she laughed lightly, “that’s why I came to see you. He found you quite becoming when he met you the other day - and that might be too modest a statement. He truly seemed rather taken with you.”

As soon as the words had left her mouth, your feet refused to move any further than they had thus far taken you. “My lady, forgive me, but this hearsay…”

“It’s not hearsay, Tamsyn,” Beryan said as she took your hand in hers, “he told me himself.” 

For a moment, you said nothing, but simply let the words of Beryan run through your head over and over again. Perhaps it was in part to convince yourself of their truth. Though your answer hadn’t been a lie, it had been somewhat of an understatement. The simplest truth was that Melot was, indeed, a very handsome young man, and these days there seemed to be a new rumour regarding his betrothal to some lady or other every other day. They always turned out to be false, which left many a girl in the village to wonder who he would eventually be married off to. That there was even a shred of hope that his uncle would allow him to marry for love… It simply couldn’t be so.

“Even if it is so,” you stammered, taken aback by the sudden turn this conversation had taken, “he is of noble birth. I am not. I have… Lady Beryan, I understand his affections are not something for me to refuse, but this… It can never go anywhere. I have nothing to offer to a lord.”

“Well, he seems to have forgotten about that at this time,” Beryan replied, “I have not.”

“And you are here to tell me not to answer to any advances… Not that I mean to presume he will…”

“Quite the contrary, I am here to help you. If you’ll let me.” 

“My lady, I beg of you,” you said as you turned away from her so as to not allow her gaze to fall upon your pained expression. If only Melot could be yours… The fact of the matter was that you were as taken with him as Beryan told you he was with you, and though you had only spoken those few words to him, and he to you, it was as though he had touched your very heart. 

“Tamsyn, listen to me,” Beryan pleaded. “I have never seen him like this. I think there is a chance for the two of you. Your beauty is striking, and I hear you can sing. Now, you may not know this, but Melot is hardly the king’s favourite, I doubt he will care much with whom Melot decides to enter into a courtship, as long as she’s a kind, honest and educated girl. I genuinely think he might let him marry for love.” 

“I, lady Beryan, am the furthest thing from an educated woman,” you sighed in despair. For a moment, you wondered why this seemed so difficult for her to understand. Until she spoke again:

“And I can change that,” she said. “I can teach you etiquette and vocabulary, dancing, riding, embroidery and other fine crafts. I have even had the privilege of being taught to read and write!” 

“Why would you do that?” you asked without thinking much about it. 

Beryan looked at you with a melancholic half-smile on her face. “I know men and women aren’t supposed to be,” she said softly, “but Melot truly is my best friend. To see him happy, would mean the world to me.” 

And so your lessons had started. Every day, after your chores were done, you would meet with Beryan, who soon became a good friend to you. Not much later, when Morwenna found out about your arrangement, Beryan called in the help of Elowen to teach you both manners fit for court. Your parents had found your new attachment to the young ladies somewhat odd, but your mother - bless her - had recognized your efforts for what they were, and had silently decided it best not to mingle. So long as you did nothing unbefitting a young woman, of course.

#melot fanfiction #melot #melot fanfic #melot x ofc #tristan + isolde #henry cavill characters #henrycavill fanfic #henry cavill fanfiction #henry cavill

[oceanlue]

The princess diaries 2

(P.s rook is going to be female in this) It was a normal day at the office, rookie was doing some papers and auron was in a meeting and it was going quite well. At lunch auron got a weird call saying a royal messenger is coming to his office and building with a message to one of his workers and auron was quite skeptical of this for there was nobody in his building that had Royal Blood.

After he got the call he notified Trish about it and even she was skeptical of it but nonetheless they waited and the next day in the afternoon Trish notified him that the Royal messenger was here and when he went down it was actually a royal messenger and he gave him a letter.

Then the Royal messenger has to go to the legal department as the Royal bloodline child needs to hear news. Auron said of course and the Royal messenger walked all the way to find the royal child and stopped at rookies cube, rook saw him and went pale as the messed said "princess of Genovia I come to inform you that you are to come back home to take the throne as queen".

Auron looks at rookie with shock and everyone else did to. Auron gave dave the messager a place to stay and asked rookie to meet him in his office.

"Rook when were you going to tell me that your a princess" "I actually wasn't going to tell anyone" "rook how can you not tell me this" "cuz I wanted to leave that life behind. I didn't want to be queen I wanted something else, to be free and not stay in one place....I.....I love it here and I thought that my brother was taking the throne to be king...but I think something happened to him cuz if something didn't then I wouldn't be queen and I could be here with you."

Auron thought about it and gave rook a hug to calm her down and to tell them that he understands why she would not say anything. So he thought about it and asked if it would be ok if he came with her. Rook nods and auron got Trish to take care of the company.

Some days later auron and rook flew 1st class to Genovia and on the plane rook told auron on what Genovia was about and the history. While auron took a well deserved nap rook did some work on her computer and as she did this she couldn't help but wonder what was going on that she had to come back to her home town to be queen. She then finished her work and read a book the her bodyguard woke up auron and told them "welcome to Genovia princess" auron and rook looked out the window and saw the hole country of Genovia auron was amazed and rook smiled.

After they got off the jet they got into a limousine and drove to the castle where they will be staying as they were driving through the town of Genovia everybody was excited that their princess was back they were waving saying hi even some people in the workshop waived Through the Windows they got to the castle the Royal announcer announced that Princess of Genovia has arrived along with her guest auron.

And that evening was a a party celebrating that to the princess was back and the Queen that was on the throne for now announced that she was back as Rook was in her beautiful (f/c) ball gown she dances with people. And one of the men she dances with tried to flirt but she was not have any of it it doesn't care if you was trying to flirt but honestly she has an idea what this man wants and the last person to dance with her was auron and they danced for about an hour loving every minute of it.

So the next day auron and rook we're in her grandmother's sweet having tea and also reading some books she was introduced to her Maids and asked if she could look around with auron and that was fine.

And when they walked around the castle they found a secret passageway and sound a little patch opened it and it led to a meeting where her grandmother was and as they were listening the grumpy old man Derek said that his nephew was ready to take the throne but the queen told him to shut up but she didn't really mean it she just thought it was surprising and so the Prime Minister and also the politics said that if she is not married then she cannot be Queen but her grandmother said my granddaughter earns the same right as any man and the leader of that Court said if she does not marry she does not be Queen I am giving her 30 days if she cannot find her husband the crown shall go to the nephew

Auron was enraged by this how dare they make her marry when he has already claimed her rookie belongs with him not some pompous spoiled man.

Now he has another reason that he came stop her from finding someone other than him

And this is going to be a long vacation.

----------

Should I do a part 2

I was watching The Princess Diaries 2 and kind of thought about your voice for a minute and decided I should mix the two I love the movie though

Hope you love this

Peace out

💙💙💙

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