#Kingdom hearts is held together by red string and moments that will make you cry even if you went ‘well that doesn’t make sense’ a sec ago

[mysteriouslyspookyandcooky]

Kilug the Orc (f/m)

female protagonist has moderate stutter

warnings: violence, language, sexual themes, mature themes

words: 4442

Being born into such a high family has, I admit, given me some problems. Unlike the rest of the clan, I refuse to follow in their footsteps.

That sounds stupid and selfish. But in this day and age, as the world progresses and the different empires rise from the ground, I realize there's no need to murder our way through.

Death is necessary. I, too, have fallen into the desire to paint people red, but in youth, anyone can be an idiot. My mother, bless her soul, has tried her hardest to make sure I never turn into my father. As terrible as it is, I thank the gods he's dead. Even though I was meant to love him, his ways are worse than any tyrant could make up.

As an orc, we were destined to be hated. Yes, we rule a part of the North, but it wasn't taken without decent bloodshed. Now I'm left with the parts my father destroyed. Left with string and hope to try and pull the kingdom back together.

Coming into the crown was terrifying at first. To think I had to try and win the hearts of a nation over from the fear my father planted within them.

It was a slow start, but in two years' time, I made Aidrinyar into a prosperous nation that didn't need to kill people to show its dominance. Trade with neighboring kingdoms opened once more with some negotiation. Seems people are more trusting of my mother. A saint she is.

Along the corridor, Kilug hears a small cry. Not one of pain as it sounds. Opening the door to his right, a woman looks over frantically. It's one of the maids. Kilug takes in her disheveled figure and gasps, "Is everything alright?"

She shakes her head as she sits on the edge of the bed, "My mother. And sister. They're oh gods-"

Kilug looks around then approaches her, "Come along. My mother will help you."

His mother sits in the mess hall playing with some yarn as her son approaches her. The woman gasps and sets her needles down, "Dear, what's wrong?"

The woman falls to her knees. Kilug manages to catch her as she falls to help her into a nearby chair. She sobs slightly, "Tell me what's wrong."

She takes a moment to collect herself, "My mother and sister are at the edge of town. I just got word that someone raided that end and I-" 

The maid breaks into sobs again, "Kilug. Take Ornis and the others to go check it out. What do your mother and sister look like?"

Gulping, she squeaks out a simple response. "My mother is older but my- my sister has bright red hair. It's long too. Answers to Ivor."

Kilug nods to his mother and heads out of the room. Ornis is his head knight. His sword shield as well. Just as he tells the darker orc the news, he's grabbing his axe off the wall with a curt nod.

It doesn't take long to reach the edge of town. The maid was right. At least five homes are destroyed. Kilug curses but a person comes flying out of one of the houses. It's a man. Human man. He groans from the floor as someone appears out of the door he got thrown from.

Red hair flashes in the wind as a sword is held in their grasp. It's a woman. The man scrambles to get up but she steps on his hand as he reaches for his sword. He begs for a moment before her sword goes into his chest.

Kilug frowns slightly but he gets what he deserves. The woman turns to them quickly, terrified. Kilug gets off of his steed first and smiles.

Her sword goes up, ready to attack him as well. Seems she has a wild spirit. Her clothes are dirty and ripped in some places. Those places are from slices to her limbs. Bloody scratches seep through the fabric as she stares him down.

This must be the sister. Her hair is long down by her hips. She wears pants much like a soldier would. Her legs stand apart as she breathes in heavily. Her eyes are a dull blue as they stare into his own brown ones.

He approached her carefully, "Ivor?"

Her head tilts, "Your sister. She sent for us to come and find you."

Her head shakes as she holds her sword, "She works as a maid in the castle."

That makes her drop her sword slightly. Then she points to the house. Kilug motions for Ornis to check. They stare at one another as the knight heads in. He comes back out, "Her mother. She's sick but doesn't look injured."

"We'll grab your mother and take her back to the castle, okay?" Kilug watches as she goes to retort but when her mother starts a coughing fit she frowns. Ivor nods his way. She watches as they load her mother into the wagon. Ivor looks at the thing before pulling herself up.

Ornis takes hold of the reins as the king moves back to watch the two. Ivor holds her mother's hand. She's going to be fine, that he's sure of, "Did you know those people?"

The redhead looks his way and only shakes her head. Kilug nods and it goes silent the rest of the way back to the castle.

Her mother is automatically taken in by the medics as Ivor follows the king and his tall knight suspiciously into a large room. Kilug's mother looks over and then stands. 

The maid gasps, "Ivor!"

The redhead smiles for the first time as she runs toward her sister. The smaller one collides with Ivor as she wraps her arms around her frame. The maid sobs into her chest as her sister holds her there.

She pulls away, "Are you okay?"

Ivor nods. Her sister sighs, "You look terrible..."

Kilug approaches, "Go get some rest. I will have to ask you about what you knew of those men. I'll also send one of the guards to tell you news of your mother."

Ivor still stares at him as her sister smiles, "Thank you. Thank you so much. What could I ever do for you?"

The precious queen shakes her head, "Nonsense, my dear. Go rest."

Ivor holds her sister's arm as they walk out of the room. The redhead looks around as her sister speaks to her.

"Good job, my son."

Kilug smiles down as his moth, "Her sister is odd."

His mother raises an eyebrow, "Idi, the maid, mentioned she doesn't speak much. And tends to be the most standoffish of them both."

"I could tell. She raised her sword at me."

His mother, Amaria, chuckles. They both leave the room. Sometime later, Idi heads off to sit with her mother as the king calls for her sister. They have a small conversation before splitting ways.

Ivor looks much cleaner now as she comes into the main area. Kilug sits there waiting for her. He smiles when she enters, "Please come sit."

She looks at the chair before sitting in it. Her clothes seem new and there's no blood left so he assumes her wounds were also dressed.

"Ivor."

The woman looks up at him, a plain expression on her face. The orc smiles, "Do you remember anything about the raid?"

She says nothing for a moment before settling on a simple nod, "What do you remember?"

The woman makes a motion with her hands and points to her ears. She symbolizes a loud noise with her fingers extending, "Loud noise?"

Ivor nods then points to her mouth then makes another move to show screaming. The orc feels odd watching her act this out but he doesn't question it. But he can't help but wonder as to why.

Kilug nods, "Could you tell me what you heard or if you knew anyone's faces?"

She frowns before pointing to the quill on his desk. He frowns, "I'm afraid it's empty at the moment."

Ivor groans and crosses her arms in front of her, "Can you not speak to me?"

The woman flinches. The king watches her as she opens her mouth, "P- p- people do- don't like th- the way I- I talk."

Kilug sighs. She has a stutter. That must be why she doesn't talk. Her speech sounds lovely though considering.

"I don't see anything wrong with it," he tells her. She looks up at him and sighs. Then she starts the story.

The king leans back into the chair as he nods, "And that's what happened before?"

The woman nods, "Y- yes. Is th- that al- all you n- ne- need me f- for?"

"Unless it's for personal business, I will no longer need to ask you questions."

"P- personal b- b- business?"

Kilug smiles and shakes his head, "I just meant if we could talk."

Ivor looks at him and laughs, "Why?"

"Am I not allowed to want to speak with you?"

She sighs, "You c- can. B- but wh- why wo- wou- would you wa- want t- too?"

The king smiles her way, "It may surprise you but I rather enjoy your voice."

She states at him then laughs. He rolls his eyes, "I'm not kidding. Besides, I have time to talk to you as you'll be staying here for some time."

The redhead nods her head and offers him a hand, "I- I'm n- no e- eas- easy t- t- target."

Kilug smirks, "Doesn't that give me more of a challenge?"

Ivor opens her mouth to speak but closes it again. A small smile comes to her lips, "D- do- don't get y- your h- hopes up."

The king smiles, "I'm sure you'd humble me real quick if I did, my dear."

He watches as a small blush comes to her cheeks. She smirks and nods her head, knowing he to be true.

A week goes by. Their mother heals splendidly as Ivor acclimates to the castle life. Her time is spent in the library or in the training field. Her work as a warrior is worth talking about.

Every day, given the chance, Kilug will show up by her side. He watches her fight and looks at a distance as she reads.

One day, he moves into the library and notices her sitting by the window. He smiles as she tucks her hair behind her ear, "H- how m- m- many times wi- will you j- ju- just stand th- there?"

Kilug flinches but ends up chuckling. This time he approaches her, "You've noticed?"

The woman nods her head, "Ev- ev- every time."

A blush comes to his face and she chuckles. Her hand comes forward and pats his shoulder. She leans back and looks back to the pages before her, "You read a lot."

Ivor smiles, "I do."

"Why?"

The woman frowns. He tilts his head her way. She smiles at his ways, "I can- cannot spe- speak well."

"You sound lovely," he admits. The woman stutters, but not from speaking. She shakes her head, "I re- read be- be- better than I- I ta- talk."

He thinks for a moment and nods his head, "It makes you feel better?"

Ivor nods a little sheepishly. Kilug smiles and takes the book from her hands, "May I?"

The woman nods slowly, not sure what he's about to do. He looks at the page and starts from the top. Then he starts to read. It surprised her but soon she was leaning against the cushions and watching him. She studies his movements. Everything. It only makes her smile. At some point, she's not even listening. 

After the chapter, he turns towards her. He blushed from the look on her face, "Did I read okay?"

She nods. The woman moves towards him and brings him into a hug. He freezes for a moment before wrapping his arms around her, "Th- thank you."

Kilug smiles and squeezes her a little, "I'll do it for as long as you'll have me."

Ivor shakes her head, "Idiot."

"That I am."

After that interaction, Kilug doesn't shy away from walking up to her. For months they talk and become closer. Sometimes he even spars with her. It makes her happy and he could always use the practice.

Approaching the field, he notices she's not there. Frowning, he enters the castle. Ornis comes running up to him, "Kilug?"

"What?"

His friend seems frantic, "It's Ivor."

He runs alongside his friend as he takes him toward the medical ward. Idi stands outside the door with his mother. She sighs, "She's in there."

"What happened to her?"

Kilug's hands won't stop shaking as he speaks to them. They notice.

Idi let a few years fall down her face, "Some orc had asked to spar. She thought nothing of it. But he wasn't even playing fair! He almost chopped her arm off!"

Kilug turns to Ornis. He nods, "We have him already."

He says nothing more as he walks past his friends and into the room. The medics now at his presence, "She should be fine, your highness."

"What's wrong?"

"Her arm is in bad shape. The gash was so deep we're surprised it didn't fall off," the king grimaces, "But she's a tough one."

Another medic cuts in, "She may not have all the feeling back on the lower end of her left arm though."

They bow once more before leaving the room. With a shaky sigh, he moved towards the bed. Her hair lays on the white pillow. It's a stark contrast that makes him smile.

Sitting next to her wakes her. Ivor looks up at him through blurry eyes, "Kilug?"

"I'm here, my love. I'm here."

She barely registers the endearment as she sits up some. Then she hisses, her arm hurting, "Th- that fu- fu- fucking hurts."

He chuckles. At least she had her humor still. He pulls her to his chest, "Are you alright?"

"I'm a- alive."

Kilug sighs and pulls back. The man reaches into his trousers and pulls something out. It's a necklace. Small green beans are the main focus but a rin hangs in the middle, "Wh- what's th- th- this?"

"I won't lie to you, Ivor. These past three moons you've changed my life. I couldn't bear the fact that you were injured. I may kill that orc with my bare hands..."

The woman chuckles, "But that made me realize how I can't live without. You may say you hate your voice but I want to listen to it for the rest of my days."

He moves to kneel on the floor beside her. He takes her hands in his own, "Marry me. Be my queen."

Ivor notices how he says my instead of our. The woman feels tears in her eyes. They fall but she makes no sound for some time. Her good hand cradles his cheek in her palm, "I love you."

The orc smiles and crashes up against her to meet her lips. Her hand tangles I'm his hair. He pulls away, "I wou- would l- l- love to m- marry y- you."

Kilug smiles, a tear falling down his face, "My lovely bride."

The redhead laughs and kisses him over more just before he places the necklace over her head.

As she heals, he barely leaves her side. Rehab becomes something she has to do towards the end. Her arm is still attached and still works but she had to train it back to what it once was. She can't feel much of anything below the elbow, but it still can be used.

Moving around the library, someone comes up and picks Ivor off of the floor in a sudden burst of energy.

The woman yells, but a welcoming and rememberable smell hits her nose. She turns to look down at her king and smiles, "H- hello."

Kilug lets her down some and places a kiss on her lips, "Hello, darling."

She still blushes at the nicknames but it only makes her happier. Much like the rest of the family was to the news of the engagement.

Her fingers tangle into his hair and push it out of his face. He nips st her fingers making her pop his cheek, "Stop."

"You know I can't help it."

He sets her down and she smiles, "Now wh- why are yo- you here?"

He smiles and winks, "You're arm feeling better?"

"Yes?"

"Good enough to get married in an hour?"

Her mouth hangs open wide, "Hey, close that mouth of yours."

He pushes her bottom jaw up and smirks as she rolls her eyes, "R- r- really?"

He nods, "Just us, Idi, my mother, your mother, and Ornis."

Ivor only smiles, "I d- don't ha- have an- any- anything to- to we- wear."

"Coming as you is good enough for me."

The woman smiles up at the orc and nods, "I- I'll me- meet you in a- an hour."

The king smirks wide and kisses her again, "Good. I plan to enjoy you tonight."

He leaves her with those words. The woman almost drops the book in her hand. She looks at it. It's a romance. She laughs as she puts it back on the shelf.

Idi grabs her within minutes, refusing to let her go in without something nice. Her mother stands there and chuckles as the two bicker, "Now, dear sister, we both know Kilug is rather large so-"

Ivor makes a loud noise and shushes her sister, "Th- that's not im- im- important!"

Their mother rolls her eyes, "Idi."

Idi shrugs, "You're my sister. My tall and strong sister. But Kilug is two feet taller than you! Be careful."

Ivor grumbles as her sister winks at her. The wedding is simple. Neither of them wanted anything grand anyway. In the end, they all serve themselves food and ale. They all realized Ornis rather enjoyed it a little too much.

Kilug, being his friend, helped him to his room before heading back to his own. Ivor was already there, sitting at the vanity in the room. Her knees were up to her chest as she wrote something.

He enters the room. She smiles his way before turning back to the letter, "What are you writing?"

She blocks his vision, "Yo- you can see l- l- later. It's n- not d- do- done."

Kilug smiles and nods, "Of course, dear. Now come to bed."

She shakes her head but is soon picked up from the vanity and taken toward the bathroom. He, with her still in his arms, starts the flowing water from the river. The bath fills with water as he sets his wife on the sink.

Ivor frowns but smiles regardless. Kilug moves between her legs. The redhead kisses his nose with a small chuckle. He growls and kisses her lips in retaliation.

Their lips move against one another before he leaves to stop the water. The woman hops off the sink and starts to discard her clothing. The orc turns and is met with tanned skin. She shakes her head to ruffle her hair.

His eyes trail along her naked body in awe. She turns to him and notices his staring. Ivor frowns and points to his own clothes. He laughs and starts to discard his own.

Her eyes widen when his pants drop but she only smiles at him. He approached her and pulls her up. He settled into the tub with her in his lap. Ivor frowns and pushes his face away playfully.

Her thighs lay on his own. It's plushy, he notices. And soft to the touch. His hands land on her hips, somewhere he usually settled then but this time it's different.

Her hips are wide to accommodate her larger thighs. Her waist is straight from her work. Muscle lays in her abdomen and arms. Her breasts lay against his chest. They're bigger than he thought but she also liked to layer her clothing.

He lays on her chest. The woman sighs and drags her fingers through his hair. 

The two of them wash each other in the quiet. Then his wife settled back into his lap and kisses him softly. The notion makes the orc moan into the kiss. She smirks and he notices.

"I love you," she mutters.

"And I, you, my love."

Her hands fall down to his stomach as they kiss. One stays at his chest while the other reaches down to his cock.

He flinches and bucks his hips, "Hey...you don't need to do that."

Ivor rolls her eyes, "I- I wa- want to- too."

Her hand barely wraps around it. But the weird angle is worth it when he moans out. Her fingers drag along it, bringing him closer.

His head falls back and she kisses his jaw. He makes a small groaning noise before grabbing her hand, "Wa- was th- that not oh- okay?"

"No," he states, "I didn't want to cum like that."

Ivor smiles and kisses him once again. One hand of his holds her neck while the other moves down her chest. She gasps as he drags over her nipple but his trail doesn't end. His fingers turn oddly as he searched for her clit. 

Her body jolts when he finds it. The woman whimpers and pushes away some but he holds her there. His thumb makes small but precise circles. Her body then starts to move on its own, humping into his hand. Kilug smiles and kisses her forehead.

He keeps going and her moans only increase. Such beautiful sounds, he thinks. "K- kilug."

He nods and holds her in his arms, "Please," he begs, "Cum for me."

His thumb pushes harder and she yelps. It both hurt and felt so nice at the same time. Ivor falls slack against his chest. He runs her back as she catches her breath.

She shivers from the cold water, "P- pick me u- up?"

The man smiles and takes her with him as they wander back to the bed. He lays her down on top of the furs and smiles as she does.

Her hands reach out for him and he willingly falls into her embrace. One of her hands moves down and grabs his cock in her hand. He shivers, "Hey..."

Her hand pulls him towards her slightly and aligns it with her entrance. Kilug smiles, "Are you sure?"

"M- more than a- ah- anything."

The king smiles and moves his arms around. He helps align with her entrance and pushes in. The first initial thrust makes her back arch. He groans as her chest collides with his own. She already feels full.

He pushes forward more and a wanton moan comes from her lips, "Please."

The man smiles and kisses her softly, "You okay?"

"Yes. Pl- please."

"Please what?" He teases.

She groans aloud and slaps him playfully. It makes him shiver and twitch inside of her. The woman smirks and wraps her legs around his middle, "M- my love, pl- pl- please."

Kilug smiles and pushes into her. Soon enough his thigh is touching her backside. She whines and holds onto him. Her sister was right. Ivor lets out a small chuckle and kisses his lips.

"Want me to move?"

"Please."

He does. The first thrust tests the waters and she moans lightly. That's not enough. He pulls out and pounds forward. A loud moan exits her lips. He smirks and moves to her neck. He lays his neck in the crook of her shoulder as he pounds into her.

Her voice heightens as she mutters words. Small jumbles of words come out of her mouth. He does hear a few "I love you"s and "harder". The man smirks and takes her legs and pulls them over his shoulders.

Her back arches as she moans into his mouth. Her hands reach his back and hold onto him. He smiles as her nails drag painful lines down his back. He'd be proud to wear those for the rest of his life.

Ivor whimpers and holds onto him, "Love?"

"Hm?"

She grabs his head and keeps him close, "I- l- love yo- you s- s- so mu- much. You- you're the- the be- best th- th- thing t- to hap- happen to m- me."

It takes her a minute to get it all out, but it only makes tears form in his eyes. Kilug wraps one arm under her and keeps her to his chest. He kneels up, holding her upright in his arms. 

She moans and holds onto his face. They kiss with a fever as he bucks up into her. She grinds into him as they go. Her head falls back as she feels her climax approaching. His head falls forward and kisses along her collarbones, "I love you."

"I love y- you too," she whispers back.

One more thrust and a thumb to her clit has her screaming into thin air. She convulses a little as he thrusts into her, helping her high and reaching his. She can feel him cum. It's warm and it makes her smile. Her hands hold her body against his as they both breathe heavily.

Kilug falls forward slowly and lets her lay back on the covers. He rolls onto his side and watches her breathe. Her breasts move up and down with her movements.

Ivor turns to him and smiles. Her bad hand cradles his face and rubs small circles over his cheek with her thumb.

He kisses her hand before pulling her towards him. She lays on top of him completely as they bathe in the afterglow.

Her hand lays on his chest, drawing patterns, "Darling?"

"Hm?"

"Don't you want to clean up?"

Ivor shrugs, "W- wait. I wa- want to feel you."

He smiles and pulls her up to his face. The redhead smiles and kisses him, "A- are y- you pre- pre- prepared for- for the con- conse- consequences?"

It dawns on him and he chuckles. She joins in and shakes her head, "I am as long as you are."

Ivor smiles, "If it d- deals wit- with you, I- I don't m- m- mind."

The king smiles and pulls his queen down to lay beside her. Within the next year, however, two babies are born on a stormy night.

Then came Isiaha and Lynoi: the heirs to the throne. One temperamental princess and a powerful prince.

On that stormy night, the woman spoke a verse. Something they would share for years: "I love you."

The orc then repeated the same verse, yet only with a bigger smile and a baby in his arms: "And I love you, my dear."

#monster #monsters #monster boyfriend #monster romance #female protagonist #male love interest #orc #orc romance #stuttering #character with stutter

[squishy-spear]

I posted 16,474 times in 2022

That's 15,369 more posts than 2021!

47 posts created (0%)

16,427 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@cherry-flavored-content

@tharkflark1

@derinthescarletpescatarian

@fluorescent-air-fresheners

@xionandpluto14

I tagged 1,907 of my posts in 2022

#hahahahahahahahahahaha - 203 posts

#kingdom hearts - 41 posts

#pokemon - 39 posts

#kirby - 32 posts

#pokemon legends arceus - 31 posts

#my art - 20 posts

#kh - 18 posts

#kirby and the forgotten land - 16 posts

#legend of zelda - 13 posts

#reblog - 13 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#kingdom hearts is held together by red string and moments that will make you cry even if you went ‘well that doesn’t make sense’ a sec ago

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

29 notes - Posted February 17, 2022

#4

I stole this from Reddit

BECAUSE IT'S TRUE

58 notes - Posted August 24, 2022

#3

Stole some more memes from Reddit because Xeno-Tumblr is slow and I'm not desperate enough for the Wretched Bird Site

59 notes - Posted September 1, 2022

#2

60 notes - Posted August 24, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

The duality of man

182 notes - Posted August 26, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

[kicktwine]

Explain kh to me like I have absolutely no clue what it is (I don’t)

well it’s a series of games, and the games start out as a fun idea, what if you squashed final fantasy and disney together? And that was cute! Like, you have the ff protagonist type, a kid with a magic weapon that can unlock anything (including the heart) and is the only way to defeat the darkness + Disney villains. You go to different Disney movie worlds with Donald and Goofy and do that. It ends with you restoring the worlds fallen to darkness and rescuing your friend and leaving your tragic other friend in the realm of darkness. It’s cute. it ends.

and then.

they made more.

they added an organization of monstrous villains made as a byproduct of the act of creating the cute mob enemies in the first game. They added memory manipulation. They added tragic clones. They added sympathy and humanity to the villains. They added new characters. They added boys within boys. They added Star Wars concepts, ancient societies, a horrible bioweapon made by turning a boy into two boys and making them fight, existential crises, possession, depression, pokemon, child soldiers, whodunit murder, dream realms, time travel, more Disney worlds, prophecy, apocalypses, love as the point of it all, giant swords, pete the cat, digital worlds, glitches, a suit of armor in the ancient grave-filled desert inhabited by the pure rage and will of its long-gone wearer that will kill you because it only knows how to recognize the villain and kill him for what he did.

but like it’s still a Disney property. woody toystory still calls the bishie anime boy out for having never been loved before. and it’s great

#this series RULES. no one has ANY IDEA WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT #we are all on a rollercoaster and we can never get off. #kh #kingdom hearts #ask #anon #I hope that was a good explanation bud #and they were all released on different consoles too #I’m a particular fan of the darkest game (the mobile game with a chibi artstyle) #Kingdom hearts is held together by red string and moments that will make you cry even if you went ‘well that doesn’t make sense’ a sec ago #and setups that pay off 10 years later

[theholycovenantrpg]

In the beginning was ISOLDE WICKEN, a GIFTED loyal to the cause of the HUNDRED-EYED GOD. She is said to be TWENTY-EIGHT and uses SHE/HER pronouns. In this New Testament she serves as a ALL-SEEING PRIESTESS of the HUNDRED-EYED GOD. Blessed be her name.

THE INDELIBLE MARK.

As the only Seer, Isolde was quickly given the status of All-Seeing Priestess within the religion of the Hundred-Eyed God. Her visions often depict the endings of things and are highly subjective. She is able to bear witness to the outcomes of different decisions, however it is difficult for her to focus on specific people and scenarios without a great deal of mental power and concentration since she can become overwhelmed by her Sight. Due to this, she may have to meditate for hours or even days before being able to give definitive details. It takes quite a physical toll on her and can render her incapacitated due to the fact that when she was a vision it is almost like being swept into a waking dream -- she has difficulty pulling herself from its overwhelming tide. However, many people within positions of power still seek to solicit her and utilize her gifts, hoping that they might obtain some control of their future. It is why her journalings are coveted and carefully guarded by those who are closest to her. As all who have suffered and survived the Blood Plague, Isolde’s scars are obvious and unsettling: her vision was heavily impaired and her eyes, once warm, dark and warm as they were, now look as though they are made of molten gold with similar colored tear stains falling along the curves of her cheeks.

THE HISTORY.

TW: VERBAL ABUSE, ABUSE IMPLICATIONS

From the moment she was nothing more than a beating heart, she knew what it was to be cursed. She knew what it was to never work quite right -- each breath seemed to make her lungs ache, every too-loud thump of her heart seemed like an offense against her, her bones seemed to grind against one another; Isolde was  an ever-evolving study of how intimate a person can become with suffering, with pain. Yet still, she learned to bear such things with an enigmatic smile and an endearing bat of her lashes, steps as light as naiad’s, laughter as bewitching as a siren’s. There wasn’t much choice in the matter given to her, the Wicken family being such an auspicious name within the confines of the Holy Land. Their name was a gilded one, murmured among the society’s elite, often with a mix of reverence or envy -- oftentimes there being a mixture between the two. Such a legacy necessitated perfection from every figure bearing the name; her parents were philanthropists and innovators, her cousins were highly regarded socialites, and she had no commendations to speak of. Isolde was bright, but not clever and personable, but not quite charming. In a world where excellence was expected, mediocrity was tantamount to the most abysmal of failures. And, as she looked at herself in the mirror, she could not help but shed a tear at the mundane creature that looked back at her with red-rimmed eyes.

How could she see past the horror of her own reflection when her mother clutched her shoulder, nails digging into flesh, all too eager to highlight the faults that were to be found? Never did the great Lady Wicken dare to pass a chance to compare her daughter against the other socialites and heirs, sneering each time at how Isolde paled in comparison; a weed that marred the garden of carefully cultivated beauty. All the while her father acted as though his mouth had been sewn shut, content to look on, far more interested in what glitter of his next mistresses’ eyes rather than the bleakness that was to be found in his offspring’s. When one is told that their mundanity is a curse, that their excellence is passable and their accomplishments are subpar, it is difficult to believe otherwise. You have nothing to offer this world, little Isolde, her mother hissed into her ear, you have more to offer the worms in the garden, you have more to offer by withering away. It is difficult to imagine that there is a world of color when you are told - time and time again - that there are only muted grays. It took her a great while to realize that a sculpture is simply a block of stone before an artisan liberates the beauty from its marble confines -- a painting is a blank canvas until someone dares to bespeckle it with rich, vibrant colors. The realization dawned on her the moment that her tutor strode into her life with their great, bellowing laughter and ruddy cheeks. 

They liberated her from her stony confines, coaxing from her laughter so arresting that it would leave her with aching cheeks and streams of tears. It was through them that she learned how gentle hands could be more cutting than the blunt edge of a blade, how tender words could cause a more fatal blow than any strike to the heart. Slowly, deliberately, the colors of gray that had painted her world sloughed off like the blood and mud that blinded a warrior’s gaze; suddenly, her vision was clear and she could see the world with its vibrant, impassioned hues. She had been through the hell of her own soul and came through it wielding a sword of empathy and compassion -- how could she not want to aid others in their quest to do the same? But the moment that this red-flamed dream flared to life, it was dashed away. Not only was her newfound dream stolen from her, but the source of its inspiration too. In a fit of fevered, scarlet-colored tears her great mentor was stolen away. Crying out in anguish, she held their pale, limp hands in hers -- she begged and she pleaded, bargaining with the Hundred-Eyed God to return them to her, striking at their hollow chest in despair when her cries fell on ears of stone. 

The pain that befell her when the Blood Plague took hold of her soul was welcome. It was a relief to the numbness of her grief -- just as it was a relief for her parents to turn their backs to her, taking advantage of the opportunity to rid themselves of a daughter that they considered a blight on their name. Throughout the bouts of her fevered agony she clung to the one memory of her mentor that had been left to her; a delicately carved thing, gilded and as pale as bone. She should have died, and there was no denying that something within her did. However, as the fever abated, as those abhorrent parts of her soul were burned to ash, something took root in her. When she stepped forth upon the great green earth, with her eyes of molten gold, there was complete and utter clarity to all that she had endured -- and will continue to endure. The world had been born anew, just as she was; it was like a newborn fawn, attempting to rise upon its shaky legs while starved wolves encircled it. The calamity that could befall it might leave it in irreparable ruins. Her vision had been taken from her, but in its place she was able to bear witness to something far greater than that -- was granted a gift that allowed her to see the truth of the matter: the Wicken woman was tasked with shepherding the New Testament, with creating a world greater than the last. With a heart burning so righteous and pure, it was Isolde, and only Isolde, that could ever achieve it. 

THE CONNECTIONS.

ESTIENNE WICKEN: Half-sibling. They are her opposite in every imaginable way and yet the reality of sharing the same name as them is enough to cause bile to rise in her throat. Whatever lessons that her parents failed to instill in her as a youngling seems to have been easily grasped by Estienne. If they did not share the same aristocratic mannerisms and enigmatic smiles that are practically a Wicken trademark, she might have claimed that they were not related at all. But alas, the blood that runs in her veins runs in theirs as well. As Isolde builds her name among the Holy Land’s society, it seems that Estienne is determined to ensure that it is tied with theirs as well -- what could be more winning than spiritual recognition as well as political? The portrait that they paint of themselves incites within her an anger that is barely recognizable, because she has buried it for so long; it has festered like an open wound and the mere mention of Estienne’s name is like rubbing raw sea salt upon it.

ZADKIEL: Heartache. When he looks at her, she feels as though she is drowning. Not within her own despair, no -- this is a very nuanced sort of pain. In the throes of her fevered dreams, his face had appeared to her, lingering over her shoulder, the edges of his wings brushing against her cheek. It did not take long for her to place the pieces together. The look that painted his gaze when his eyes flickered between hers, the slight downward tilt of his lip, the palpable pounding of her heart and the ineffable ache that descended upon her. He had been tasked to be her guardian angel at one point in time -- and he had either forsaken his duty or failed at it. And to be honest, she is not entirely sure which possibility might be more cruel. What she is sure about is this: the fact that he dares to see her at all, to talk to her, and grow close to her and tug at her heart-strings so shamelessly is the most sadistic thing he could do. (Why, then, can’t she bring herself to make him stop?)

GADRIEL: Guardian. It was odd, initially, having a shadow with teeth -- stepping forth and knowing that a creature that once brought forth ruin hounded her steps. The guardian of the High Priestess was initially a means of the angels demonstrating their good will towards a religion that they would rather those within the kingdom of Caelum not ascribe to. It was made an all the more imperative position to hold once word spread of Isolde’s abilities; having an angel so close to a mortal that was so powerful could only be seen as leverage. But she has found that Gadriel’s presence serves as a comfort more than anything -- the angel’s rather stalwart protection of the Seer being the only thing she can depend on when in the throes of a vision. It is odd, she thinks, how much solace one can take in a creature so rigid that she seems to be rendered from marble. It is even more odd, then, how fond Isolde has grown of her.

ORIAS: Catalyst. She cannot help the singularly unnerving feeling of being a sparrow caught within the sights of a hawk whenever she steps into Orias’ line of vision. She feels their gaze upon her, fixated like an arrow, string taught and ready for release. Though they have never given her a reason to think that there was any animosity or maliciousness in their intent, she still remains attuned to the small details of the interactions. The way that their eyes seem to drink her in, the curl of their mouth, the merest twitch of their fingers are all meticulously noted and analyzed in the night, when the moon is high and the shadows pervade every corner of her room. There is something primordial that resonates within Isolde whenever they approach her, something ancient that yawns widely the longer Orias is within her presence. And Isolde refuses to be blindsided when it truly awakes.

Isolde is portrayed by Sydney Harper* and was written by ROSEY. She is currently TAKEN by LISSA.

#biblical rp #literate rp #rpg #lsrpg #new rp #w #g #isolde wicken #c #cw

[just-another-author-i-guess]

Heartbeat:

Requested: yup

Warnings: she/her pronounced reader, mentions of boobs because I’m kinda gross, also I didn’t edit it through

Pairing: Zuko x blind! Reader

Authors note: I’m really sorry it took me this long to do this request, I don’t really have a good excuse or anything I’m just kinda lazy. Anyways, the other requests I got will come up soon, I promise! Okay, so in this you’re a blind waterbender, the only thing you can see are colors but everything is very blurry, luckily you’re able to see better through your bending. Kinda like Toph can see through her earthbending, are you able to feel the blood in other people and therefore know where they are. I hope you enjoy it!

~

The first thing you saw when you woke up was red. Something red standing over you. Or was it someone?

Quickly a blurry, blue form moved in front of the red, and you heard a girls voice. So it was someone.

“Zuko, can you get me some water?”

The girl in blue said, and the red figure let out a little grumble, before disappearing out of your sight.

Quickly, you tried to sit up, scared of what the two figured might do to you, but two gentle hands pushed you back down.

“Calm down, we’re not here to hurt you, actually I’m trying to heal you,”

The feminine voice explained, and you cocked your head slightly as you allowed her to push you down on the bed.

“Heal me?”

Your voice came out a little hoarse, surprising yourself, as you wondered why in the world she was trying to heal you.

Where you hurt?

“Yes, heal you. You it your head pretty bad, back in the village,”

The girl explained, and you closed your eyes again, trying to remember.

You had left the North Pole with your aunt a few years back, and moved into a little peaceful village in the earth kingdom, sadly your aunt died a couple months back and you’d been living on your own. The last you remember was going outside your house when you heard screams, you didn’t see much except some blurry black and red figures, before you woke up here.

“W-what happened?”

You asked, this time a little scared as your head were spinning, desperately trying to remember why you woke up here.

You heard the girl sigh sadly, before sitting down on the bed next to you.

“Your village was attacked by fire nation soldiers, we tried to stop them, but..”

You saw the blurry outlines of the girls head drop, as your eyebrows furrowed.

“Wha- is everyone okay?”

You asked, voice a little hesitant, scared to hear the answer.

“You..”

The girl stopped mid sentence, and turned her head fully to you, her long hair tickling your arm slightly. She swallowed hard.

“You where the only survivor, they’ve become much more ruthless,”

She started, sorrow lacing her voice and instantly you opened your mouth in shock, fists clenching.

You didn’t cry, only swallowed hard a couple times, before tilting your head up again to look in the girls direction.

“I’m so sorry-“

“Excuse me, but who are you?”

You demanded, instantly going into defense mode, fingers already moving, ready to search for nearby water.

“Sorry, I should have introduced myself first. I’m Katara, from the southern water tribe-“

“You’re from the south?”

Your defensive demeanor was quickly changed to overjoyed, when you heard where Katara was from.

“Yes, I’m their last waterbender,”

She stated, voice still filled with sorrow, but you ignored it and beamed up at what your blurry vision identified as her face.

“I’m from the north,”

You stated rather proudly, extending your hand.

“(y/n) (l/n), a bender from the northern water tribe,”

Instead of taking your hand, she instantly pulled you into a bonecrushing hug, a sharp pain erupting from your lower back all the way up to your head, and Katara instantly pulled away once she felt you cringe.

“I’m so so sorry, I completely forgot for a moment-“

She started, and you just shook your head.

“Don’t worry about it, but, what exactly did you forget?”

You tilted your head once again, the sharp pain slowly fading away.

“You got knocked out pretty hard, we saw you being thrown right into a wall, does your burn marks hurt?”

“Which burn marks- shit!”

You hissed when your hand made contact with a rather large burnmark, stretching up your neck, anger returning to you once again.

“Sit still, I’m trying to heal that-“

Katara explained, removing your hands and placing them in your lap, as you sat fully up, the blanket falling completely off you, as you bares your throat for Katara.

The water she bended around it didn’t hurt, quite contrary did it cool and soothe, and you sighed contently as the burning sensations slowly faded.

“Hey Katara-“

Thump.

Splash.

The sound of a bowl full of water being dropped to the floor, hit your ears, and you quickly turned your head in the sounds direction.

Closing your eyes, you focused what little engery you had left to feel the water and the person who had dropped it. You where able to locate the water, but as you focused deeper and felt the persons blood you noticed a male with a rather frantic heartbeat. It was much quicker than your own and Katara’s.

“Zuko, what in the world are you doing?”

Katara’s stern voice snapped at the boy, and you felt him shudder slightly.

“I-I’m- why isn’t she wearing a shirt?”

The boy asked, blood rushing to his head, you presumed he was blushing. And suddenly you knew why.

With a quick squeak you realized you were completely bare chested, except for a small string of bondages covering the most important parts of your chest.

Instantly you felt blood rush to your face, and with shaking hands you quickly covered your chest opting for staring pityfully at Katara.

“Zuko! Out!”

Katara was quick to squeak at him, and it took no more than a few milliseconds before you heard scrambling out, what you presumed was a tent.

“I’m so so sorry-“

Katara rambled on, quickly helping you into one of her shirts, before silently continuing to heal your wounds.

~

It had been a couple days since the incident with Zuko, and thankfully no one had brought it up afterwards.

You had decided to stay and help team avatar, and everyday you, Katara and Aang would go down to a nearby lake and practice waterbending. Katara has already learned you lots of cool tricks, you didn’t even knew existed.

The burn marks on your neck were slowly starting to fade, and you were finally able to be hugged without your back and head killing you.

“Earth to (y/n)!”

Aang yelled, right before a big wave of water washes over you, instantly breaking your train of thoughts as you gave Aang the nasties glare you could muster.

“What was that for?”

You yelled, and splashed water back at the grinning avatar, as soon as you surfaced from the water again.

“We’re going back to the camp, wanna come?”

Aang asked, voice still full of laughter and you couldn’t help but smile.

“No thank you, I think I’ll stay here for a little while,”

You shook your head as you spoke, and it wasn’t long before you felt them leaving the water, leaving you alone.

You sighed contently, and laid back in the water to look up at the sky. Even though you couldn’t see much, one of your favorite activities was to stare at the sky. For you, all the colors blended together creating a beautiful mess of white, yellow and blue.

Suddenly, your ears perked up, upon hearing footsteps approaching the lake. Your body relaxed, once you caught onto Zuko’s heartbeat, but quickly a warm blush spread across your cheeks when you realized that once again he would see you in only undergarments.

“O-oh, hi (y/n), I didn’t think anyone was here,”

He stammered, sounding more flustered than startled.

“Y-Yeah, where do you think we go to practice, dummy,”

You joked back, becoming a stuttering mess yourself, quickly folding hour arms over your chest in attempt to cover it even the tiniest bit.

There was silent for a bit, before you heard a little rustling and suddenly felt Zuko approach you in the water.

“Mhm, there’s tons of lakes around here,”

He grumbled, righ behind you, and a little startled you turned around to face him, chuckling.

The water around him was already starting to heat up, due to his high body temperature, and you couldn’t help but enjoy it, slowly moving closer to him.

“Why is it, you’re never wearing prober clothes when I’m around?”

He jokingly asked, and poked the hand you held protectively over your chest quickly, making you shudder and look up to look at the blurry outline of his face.

“Hm, what do you look like?”

You wondered out loud, smoothly ignoring his joke, when you felt a gentle pair of hands grip your wrist.

“You can feel,”

Zuko mumbled, and before you knew it, you were placing your hand over the scar he had told you about a couple days earlier, the other one moving down to place itself right over his heart. It was beating more frantically than ever before, you noticed.

You took you time, gently brushing your hands over his face, and before you knew it, you had come to the conclusion that he in fact was pretty handsome.

“Thank you,”

You muttered, feeling flustered, as his heartbeat sped up.

“Your heart, it’s beating very fast,”

You informed him, before gently removing your hand, sliding it down his stomach slowly.

“Y-Yeah I know, it does that a lot around you, you know?”

He said smoothly, and you let out a little squeak at his attempt at flirting, face going even redder and you playfully hit his chest.

“Stop that,”

You mumbled, voice just above a whisper, when you felt his hands come to rest on your hips, and before you knew it, a soft pair of lips was pressed against your own.

Your eyes widened, but you still leaned into the kiss, placing your hands on his shoulders and standing on your tiptoes.

His careful kiss, soon turned heated, and when you pulled away for air, he had your legs hoisted up around his waist and both your hands cupping his face, as you both were sat on a big rock in the water.

“Is my heart still beating fast?”

He wondered, leaning his head on yours and gazing into your white orbs, trying to imagine what you were seeing.

“Not anymore,”

You breathed, chest pressed against his, and you felt his increasingly slowing heartbeat against your own.

“Good.”

He mumbled, before bowing his head down and capturing your lips again.

#i hope this is okay #zuko x reader #prince zuko fanclub #prince zuko x reader #katara x reader #avatara the last airbender x reader #atla #atla sokka #atla zuko #avatar aang #avatar the last airbender #atla toph #atla katara #blind!reader #atla zuko x reader

[the-omni-princess]

Frozen Heart [Chapter 4]

Author: @the-omni-princess 

Summary:  After the war against Hydra, King Bucky comes home to take what has been promised to him since he was young, you. But he is not the same person as the young boy that you grew up with. Can she break through his tough shell and bring back the young man she once fell in love with? Or will she be forced to marry the monster everyone thinks he’s become?

Word Count: 4.7K

Pairing: King!Bucky x Fem!Reader (Royalty Au!)

Warnings:  Soft!Bucky, sickening fluff, a bit of language, Insecure!Bucky, nightmares

A/N:

Tell me all your comments and thoughts!!

[Series Masterlist]    [Masterlist]

----

Another week passed by, and you were getting closer again with Bucky. You could tell he was still a bit apprehensive, knowing him, he was probably trying to keep the horrors of the War away from you. Yet, as promised, you waited, having patience with him. Gentle touches that lingered, random small talk, faint smiles shot across tables at meals, the progress was there. It was hard to find times to yourselves, as the entire castle was in a frenzy for Steve’s coronation.

Today was the day, and you couldn’t be prouder of Steve, seeing how hard he was working to make sure the shift between royals went as smoothly as possible. And now I’m just uncomfortable. You groaned softly, Natasha behind you, pulling the strings on your corset tighter. “Can I at least breath Nat? Damn.” You mumbled, the corset already constricting airflow to your lungs.

“You know how traditional the kingdom likes its coronations to be, dresses and corsets included,” Wanda replied for Natasha, both already dressed in proper Lady in Waiting dresses, although Wanda was technically not your lady in waiting but a healer, but semantics. “Besides y/n/n, you look amazing.” Both have already finished your make-up and hair, and now Natasha was tugging the strings of your dress together.

You chanced a glance at the full-length mirror, biting your lip as you saw yourself, it was a far cry from the loose sundresses you adored to wear. The sleeves were off the shoulder, and the corset pushed your breasts up higher. Black and gold adorned the dress, golden rings with the family crest on your fingers and phoenix gold earrings that lightly touched the edge of your shoulders. Your hair was out, the only thing in your hair was the small crown of gold and jewels on top of your head. There wouldn’t be a doubt that you were someone with power and wealth.

Nat’s head poked up from behind your shoulder, “My, my, I wonder how long into the coronation until the Northern King is practically begging for your attention,” she teased, making you blush faintly.

“Nat, it’s Steve’s coronation, and as the princess, I’ll be standing beside my parents, so no messing around. The entire kingdom will be watching,” You reminded lightly, nervously excited, despite knowing the eyes wouldn’t be specifically on you till later in the night. “And later during the ball, Steve will be announcing the Engagement to the people, and in a week, I’ll be following him to the Northern Kingdom.” To say you were nervous about the whole affair was an understatement. Announce an engagement, move with Bucky back to a kingdom you barely knew, and start acting not only as a diplomatic princess and representative to the Southern Kingdom but as the fiancé to the king of a sovereign nation. It was a lot to take in.

“You’ll be perfectly fine y/n/n, and you look lovely,” A new voice joined in, making you spin to face it. You lit up, attacking Steve in a hug, careful not to mess up his uniform.

“And you look amazing!” Steve chuckled, gently putting you down. You could already tell he was nervous, after all, the entire kingdom’s attention (not to mention the world’s attention) was on him. “You will do splendidly, and you’ll be a great king, Stevie.” You gently held his hands, smiling up at him.

He was smiling nervously, “I don’t know y/n/n, it’s all a bit much, I’m not sure I can handle it.” He was entirely serious, his hands already faintly shaking.

“Absolute and utter nonsense, Stevie. You a good, kind man, one hell of a leader, and the most beloved blondie I know. You’ll do amazing, and the kingdom will love you, they already do.” You gently squeezed his hands, letting one go to fix his hair. “Bucky and I are here for another week, and even in the North, I’m a letter or call away. You’ll have support and love, Stevie, you will do amazing things, and I cannot wait to watch.” He smiled faintly at your words, nodding.

“Geez you became so diplomatic in the years I’ve been gone,” he teased.

“And you finally hit that growth spurt,” you replied back instantly. “Oh, and Stevie? That Lady of the Court you have been ogling since you got back? Her name is Peggy Carter, you should gain some courage and actually talk to her, so I don’t have to hear all the gossip from the maids and from her.”

He went red, not realizing his crush had been caught. “I haven’t been ogling… much.” He mumbled. “Wait, you know her y/n/n?”

“She joined court a year into the war, you were too busy trying to ship yourself off you never realized she was there. She’s single too.” You poked his cheek affectionately, “Now go talk to her before the new crown scares her off.” He blinked, chuckling as he realized you were clearly trying to set him up with her.

“Alright, alright, but hurry up y/n/n, Buck’s going to want to see this.” He teased, noticing your blush as he spoke. He quickly walked out the door, off to find his place before the coronation.

Glancing at the clock you groaned, “Come on girls, we are going to end up being late soon.” You gladly took one of each of Nat’s and Wanda’s hands in your own, Nat to your right and Wanda to your left, as you quickly made your way to the throne room. Cameras were already set up, and the few presses allowed in were making comments into small mics, as they would not be allowed to speak once the ceremony started.

Dropping hands, the girls managed to steer your way from the press, leading you to your place beside your parents who were sitting on their respective thrones. Both girls went to their respective spots behind you to the side, close but away. Your eyes ran through the crowd, noting the royals. King T’Challa, Princess Shuri, King Thor, Prince Loki, among a few representatives and warriors your mind provided you with the names for. Hiding off to a corner were the Howling Commandoes, dressed up in the military colors of their respective nations. You smiled, noticing Bucky, despite having the higher birth and the ability to sit near the other royals, opted to stand beside “his Howlies.”

He was already looking at you, smiling faintly as one of the Howlies, Jim Morita you believed, leaned over and said something in his ear. You subtly nodded towards him in acknowledgment, unable to do more than that under the glares of the cameras.

Then the coronation started. As beautiful and patriotic as it was, your eyes kept wandering away from Steve and onto Bucky. Similarly, he also couldn’t tear his eyes away from you. The crowd applauded, prompting you to turn back towards the throne, Steve now sitting on the King’s throne, a golden crown on his head. He locked eyes with you and you gave an encouraging smile. You’ll be a great king, Stevie.

-----

Time was moving too fast, you decided. One moment you were in the throne room, the next you were in the banquet hall. As the crown princess, and now technical next in line for the throne since Steve was on the throne, and being a woman of age, every eligible bachelor of wealth and power seemed to try for your hand. You turned everyone down, unable to give the reasoning that you were already engaged, simply dancing with whoever asked. You felt eyes on you throughout the evening, already very aware it was Bucky, you finally decided to take a break from dancing. Stepping away from your current dance partner, King Thor of Asgard, with a small curtsy, you rushed as daintily as possible to the bar. Downing the whiskey was easy, momentarily forgetting the princess attitude you were supposed to be currently using. You grabbed a glass of red wine before leisurely heading towards Steve, saving him from the onslaught of women going for the crown instead of the man.

Placing an arm in his you gave your best smile, “Sorry girls, I need to steal the King for a moment,” not waiting for any replies you practically dragged him to the balcony.

He sighed in relief, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “Gods, you’re a lifesaver y/n/n, thought my head was going to be bitten off.”

“But that would just make your new crown all bloody,” Bucky’s voice rang out on the quiet balcony as he joined you, standing on the opposite side of you from Steve, causing you to chuckle at the comment.

You smiled faintly up at the two of them, “Are we doing this whole engagement thing yet? My feet are going to fall off if I have to dance with one more person who isn’t either of you two, and I positively cannot breathe in this stupid thing.” You sipped from the glass, your eyes falling back to the view of the ocean, storms brewing in the distance.

Steve sighed softly, “I guess you have been tortured enough sister, and after all, you did save me from those rabid women.”

“Not the worst thing to have attacking you,” you teased, placing the now empty glass on a table. “Now, am I going to have to beg one of you to dance with me or will I have to find Prince Loki? At least he knows how to dance, unlike some of the other royals.” Both men chuckled, Steve was the first to grab your hand, leading you back inside.

Bucky’s right hand was offered towards you, his blue eyes sparkled in mischief the second the three of you were back inside. “May I have this dance, Your Highness?”

A slow song was just starting, making you smile, “I’d love to, My King.” You took his hand, noticing he wasn’t jumping back. He led you to the dance floor, twirling you playfully as you laughed, before pulling you in flush against his chest. You looked up at him, biting your lip faintly as you danced slowly in time with the music, allowing him to lead the two of you. His right hand was laced with your left hand, your right hand perched on his shoulder brushing against the metal of his shoulder, his left hand pressed gently against the small of your back. The cool metal made you realize how hot you had become, and it suddenly hit you that this was the first time he felt comfortable enough to even left his left hand even touch you. Baby steps. You no doubt had some stupid love-sick grin on your face.

“You look wonderful, y/n,” Bucky spoke softly, his head gently pressed the top of your own, careful not to hit your crown. “And I can already imagine your own coronation,” He teased.

“We have a few steps before this crown changes to your Kingdom’s colors,” you teased back, smiling faintly as you leaned into him, his cologne intoxicating. “And you look amazing as well, Bucky.” The two of you kept dancing slowly, pressed against each other, firm enough that no other royal bothered either of you, but light enough that you didn’t feel like you were being suffocated. Even as the song ended, and Steve had everyone’s attention, Bucky kept his hand pressed to your lower back.

“Good evening everyone, I hope you are enjoying the festivities,” Steve held a microphone in one hand and a glass of wine in the other, soon turning his smile towards you. “Tonight, we actually have some big news to share, our lovely Princess Y/n,” you felt multiple eyes shift towards you, prompting Bucky’s hand to gently press harder against you, grounding you. “Has agreed to marry King James of the Northern Lands, ensuring prosperity between both of our Kingdoms, as well as a stronger alliance.” Applause responded to your brother’s words, and you smiled shyly, glad Bucky’s hand was acting as your anchor. “To the newly engaged happy couple,” Steve raised his glass, the rest of the hall following suit, making you blush.

“Come on doll, one more dance, this time officially,” Bucky whispered in your ear. A shiver ran down your spine, his breath fanning against your neck before you looked up towards him.

“Lead the way, My King,” you smiled, letting Bucky take you to the dance floor for another dance, this one a traditional waltz from your kingdom. Bucky’s moves were a bit rough, as it had been years since he had to even attend a ball, let alone one in your kingdom where this specific waltz would play. You laughed faintly, fixing his right hand to press against your own right hand as you two twirled together to the music. “Almost have it, just let loose Bucky,” you teased, making him blush as you lead the two of you through the dance.

----

You lost your sense of time as the two of you danced, your aching feet and tight corset seemingly caught up with you, making you hiss softly as you turned in a twirl. Bucky noticed instantly, slowing the dance down to a sway. “Ready to call it a night, princess?” he teased the nickname, his right thumb gently rubbing circles on your waist.

You nodded, “I guess I got lost in the dancing, I didn’t even realize how late it had gotten.” It was significantly darker outside, with fewer people in the ballroom. Natasha and Wanda were nowhere to be seen as you looked around the room. “Will you please walk me to my room, Bucky?” you asked softly, looking up at him.

He was already smiling down towards you, grinning as he brought your hands up to his lips, gently kissing your knuckles. “You’ve read my mind, doll.” He kept hold of your hand, happily leading you out the ballroom and towards your chambers. “Tonight’s been amazing y/n/n, I’ve missed your dancing.”

You grinned mischievously, seeing an easy opening for a joke. “And I’ve missed your terrible excuse for waltzing.”

He chuckled, smiling warmly towards you as you made your way through the halls. “Not as bad as Stevie’s dancing.”

You laughed, “He’s absolutely terrible, I have given up on him honestly. You, however, are getting better, just need a bit more practice.” The two of you stopped just outside of your chamber doors, the only guard being replaced by Sam, who walked up behind you.

“Hopefully I will be a better dancing on our wedding night.” He teased softly, making you blush.

“That would be ideal.” You kept your hands locked together, gathering the courage to say what you wanted. “Bucky? Would you like to come inside? It’s not too late, we could drink tea or watch a movie.” You tried not to seem too desperate, wanting to spend a bit more time with him.

He smiled warmly, “I’d love to, doll. How about you get changed into the fluffiest pajamas you can find, find a movie, and get comfortable, while I’ll go get changed in my rooms?”

You lit up, already letting go of his hands, rushing towards your open door. “Well hurry Bucky! You’ve missed some great movies you absolutely need to watch!”

He chuckled, “Alright, I’m going, be back soon, princess.” He turned on his heel, already heading to his own room to change as well.

You grinned, turning back towards your door, Sam smirking, making you roll your eyes. “Nothing’s going to happen, Sam, it’s just a movie.”

“I’m not judging, either way, Your Highness, have fun.” He smiled playfully.

“I will, and Sam? Will you please fetch a maid to have popcorn and ice cream brought over?” You quickly told him the flavors, grinning.

He nodded, “Of course, Your Highness,” He closed the door behind you.

Rushing to change, you let out a breath in relief as you undid your corset and tossed your shoes into your walk-in closet. A problem for later you or Natasha for torturing you into the corset in the first place. You changed into pajama shorts and a t-shirt, tossing extra fluffy blankets onto your king-sized bed as you turned the tv on, flipping through the movies. Definitely would have to be a Disney or Pixar movie, and you wanted it to be one Bucky hadn’t seen yet.

You were stuck between Coco and Moana as someone knocked on the chamber doors. “Come in!” You called, smiling as Bucky walked in, now in pajamas as well.

He held up the platter of ice cream and popcorn in his hands, that he no doubt stole from the maid on his way here. “You thought of just about everything doll, even my favorite ice cream flavor.” He set the platter down on the bed in front of you, as you were already curled up in a fluffy blanket, as he sat beside you.

“Wanted to be prepared. Now, for the important questions. Should we watch Coco or Moana? Both are amazing, but I can’t quite decide which we should watch. Oh! And we should fix the blankets to get comfy.”

He chuckled, gently pulling you closer, his leg now pressed against yours. “How about Coco? Stevie said it made him cry. And you look very comfy y/n/n.” he teased, making you blush faintly. Gods I missed this sweet side of him.

You selected the movie, “Coco it is, and for the record, you could always get comfier.”

He chuckled, “Duly noted, doll.” As the movie progressed, the two of you ate the popcorn and ice cream. You were so caught up in the movie, you didn’t realize how close the two of you were lying beside each other on the bed, nor that Bucky kept glancing towards you.

Without realizing it, you leaned your head on his shoulder, staying like that for a minute before you realized what you did, shooting up. “Oh shit! I’m s-sorry Buck, I didn’t mean to invade your space or anything, I should have asked, or I shou-“ Bucky gently took your hands in his own, making you realize you were speaking with your hands wildly.

“Y/n/n? It’s okay. Seriously, you’re an absolute dream. Your patient and still the kindest, sweetest, loyalist woman I’ve ever met. I don’t have a problem with small touches like that when it comes to you, doll.” He admitted softly, blushing faintly as he wouldn’t meet your eyes. “I just need a bit of time for anything too major between us.”

Your eyes went wide, effectively calmed down. “Oh… I’m sorry for freaking out then, Bucky.” You said softly, looking up towards him, now realizing how close your faces were.

He chuckled faintly, and you could feel his breath against your lips as he spoke, “You don’t have to constantly apologize for, doll, you’re my fiancé, what is mine is yours, cuddles included.” You could tell he was both teasing you and entirely serious.

You relaxed, going back to leaning gently on his shoulder as he kissed your head, resuming the movie. “That’s good because I love cuddles.” You deadpanned, making him laugh. The two of you settled back into the bed, his arm around you as if protecting you as you cuddled. As the world dimmed and your brain started to send itself off to sleep, you realized the cold arm wrapped so protectively around you was his metal arm.

----

You woke with a start, eyes wide as you sat up, looking for the source of the noise that awoke you so suddenly. As your groggy mind started to wake, the night’s activities begun to sink in, you must have fallen asleep next to Bucky, but currently, your bed was empty. The clock on the bedside informed you it was a bit past three am. Your hand pressed against the disheveled sheets beside you, it was still warm, so Bucky couldn’t have gone far. That’s when you noticed the balcony door was open, the curtains moving slightly in the night breeze.

Holding the bedsheets around your body tightly, you stood and made your way to the balcony. “Bucky?” You called out softly, seeing his figure hunched over the railing slightly.

He sniffled softly as he turned at the sound of your voice. “Y/n/n? Shit, did I wake you up? Gods, I’m sorry, Doll.” His voice was grave with sleep. Even in the moonlight, you could see his eyes were red and wet, his face flush. He had been crying.

You frowned, already coming closer. “Oh Bucky, what happened, baby?” The pet name slipped off your tongue so naturally, you didn’t question it, your only concern being the crying man in front of you.

Suddenly aware of how he must look he quickly turned again, hiding his face from you. “It’s nothing, just a nightmare. Go back to sleep, Doll, I’ll be fine” he said quickly, you realized his voice didn’t sound grave because of sleep but because of the tears.

Your frown deepened in concern, coming to stand beside him, “I’m not going anywhere, Bucky. Please, just talk to me, it doesn’t have to be about what you saw.” You spoke softly, wanting him to turn towards you. “I’m here for you Bucky, no matter what, and however you need me.” You pulled the sheets off of yourself, gently placing them around his shoulders. He visibly relaxed against the sheets when your fingers grazed his neck.

Deciding to take a chance as he kept quiet, you very slowly reached for his right hand. You knew he was watching you, as he tensed briefly, but didn’t say a word. Running your fingertips across the top of his hand that was gripping the railing, you gently pried his hand from the metal bar. You gingerly laced your fingers into his calloused hand, your thumb already rubbing small circles into his palm, letting yourself be his anchor to the real world. A small sob escaped his lips at the gesture, the walls around his heart were quickly being demolished by you, no matter how hard he tried to keep them up. “I’ll always be here for you Bucky, no matter what those dreams showed you, this is real. Now, here, that’s real.” You reminded softly, still gently rubbing circles into his hand.

He choked on another small sob, “I do not deserve your kindness doll, I’m a monster, I’m weak,” his voice was so soft and broken you almost missed his words. You gently tugged his hand, getting him to slightly turn, you were finally able to see his face again. Silent tears streamed his cheeks, as he kept his sniffles soft, terrified of showing weakness, but unable to stop the flood of emotions he was drowning in.

By now, the frown on your face was starting to hurt, upset at the world for breaking the boy you knew until he thought nothing of himself. Taking your free hand, you gently and very slowly wiped his tears with your thumb, before delicately cupping his cheek with your palm. He leaned into your touch easily, you knew he must be petrified but clearly touch starved. “Oh Bucky, baby boy, you deserve the world.” You spoke with conviction, making sure he heard your every word. “What happened to you and your family was not your fault. What you did as a result of that abuse should not be held against you. You were only bringing those men to justice, and you were protecting what family you had left. You, James Buchanan Barnes, are the softest yet strongest man I have ever known. You deserve kindness and so much more. You deserve love.”

He looked seconds from more tears, he knew he must have looked like an absolute mess. His brain was foggy, the terrors from the night slipping away, and he was drunk on the woman in front of him’s very touch. He leaned into your hand that rested against his cheek, savoring the small touch before you inevitable rushed away from him in disgust once you saw the truth. “I’m scared y/n/n,” he closed his eyes, not wanting to see you turn away from him. “That once I show you exactly what I’ve done, you’ll leave me too. I cannot lose you too y/n/n.” He practically whispered, and you noticed his hand was shaking, nervous of your reaction.

“Bucky, I’m not going anywhere,” the hand at his face gently wiped the new tears forming. You took a deep breath, gathering up the courage for your words, knowing he needed to hear them. “I have loved you since we were children before I even knew what love meant, before I learned of responsibilities, before I learned of the cruelty of the world. I will stay beside you no matter what has happened, no matter what you have done, and no matter what will happen. As your friend, your confidant, your wife, and your Queen; as simply yours. You have owned my heart since the day we met as children, laughing as we ran circles around Stevie in the ballroom, and hiding from the maids in the gardens. I knew even then I would do anything to be in your life, no matter the cost. I still would. You might be different but you’re still you, Bucky.” His eyes were now locked onto yours in pure awe and adoration. You had meant every word, and even though you were engaged to the man in front of you, a small part of your heart fell, panic-stricken that he did not return your afflictions.

He turned away from the railing his metal hand now resting at your waist. Ever so carefully, he used it to pull you closer to him. You could feel the warmth radiating off of him, his eyes taking in every detail of your eyes as if memorizing your very soul. Your faces were mere inches from each other, and now you could feel his warm breath against your lips, mirroring the position you were in earlier that night. Though now he knew every wall he had built up to protect you from himself was cracked and breaking, a few already demolished entirely. To him, you were the missing key in his life.

You couldn’t say quite who initiated it first, as both of your minds were lost trying to take in every feature of the other, but as the two of you kissed, you couldn’t find it in you to care who started it. Your daydreams of kissing him were completely shattered by the reality of it. His lips were as soft as velvet, and while salty from his tears, the intimacy of the kiss was making you melt. Bucky Barnes was a perfect kisser. He was warm and soft, yet he was also hard and protective, his metal arm now wrapped around your body as his lips devoured yours.

His kisses were fiery with desperation as if this would be the last time he would be able to kiss you, yet they were gentle and slow as if taking his time memorizing the taste of you. His tongue lightly traced your bottom lip, and you blissfully opened your lips, allowing him access into your mouth. He deepened the kiss, tenderly holding you as ravaged your lips. You lightly bit and sucked on his bottom lip, a dark growl erupting from deep in Bucky’s throat, sending heat directly to your core.

He broke the kiss first, much to your dismay, both of you practically gasping for air. His pupils were dilated, a small ring of baby blue around pure black sin. His lips were deep pink in the moonlight, kiss swelled, and no doubt yours were as well. “I’m not going anywhere.” You reminded lightly, his grip on your hand and waist tightening faintly in acknowledgment.

“You’re my Northern Star, Doll.” He whispered softly. You smiled warmly, deciding to ask him what he meant in the morning. You successfully tugged him back inside, and he settled into bed beside you, pulling you close to him. Your back was pressed against his chest, his arms wrapped protectively around you as your eyes closed. Bucky pressed his face against the top of your head, letting his eyes close as well as he kissed your hair. As the depths of sleep started to tug you back you could have sworn you heard a small voice whisper. “I love you too.”

----

Tags:

Frozen Heart Tags:

@jsmith509 

@lumar014 

@littlemissporter 

@kaylaphantomhive 

@damnbuckyishot 

Bucky Tags:

@cassandras-musings

For a tag, just reply/comment, if I don’t see it, just message me. Tell me what you think! Literally, any comment makes me happy! Like, comment, reblog, interact <3

#bucky x reader #bucky barnes #frozen heart #King!steve #King!Bucky #Princess!reader #royalty au #arranged marriage au #friends to lovers

[izupie]

Okay! Ask game! I pick 1, 13, 19, 35, and 47!

Thank you for the ask from this fanfiction ask game!

1. What was your first fic and could you stand to reread it today?

My first ever fanfiction that I ever wrote - before I even knew what fanfiction was - was a self-insert YuGiOh story I wrote because I was a little kid with an imagination and a pen and I wanted to interact with my favourite characters.

Which is why I will never be mean about kids writing really cheesy self-insert fics. Let them have their fun!

I still own this notebook and honest to god it’s the funniest read ever. Sometimes I get nostalgic about my writing and I’ll reread it just for a laugh. There’s an iconic line in it that me and my friend lose our minds over - if I just say ‘Cause she shouted...’ at any time to her she will immediately just shoot back with ‘mega loud!’

It’s a great read ahaha h a h a

In terms of my first actual published fanfiction it was a Kingdom Hearts fic I put on FF.net and it reads with all of the excellent tropes and cliches a 12 year old can write. It’s horrific! How weird that I can read the one I wrote as a really young kid, but not the one I wrote as a 12 year old ?

13. What’s the biggest change between your style when you started in fandom and today?

A bit of a neat segue from the previous question is that my style when I first started publishing fanfiction was full of all those typical ‘just starting out’ stuff like describing people based on their hair colour instead of just using their names. THE SILVER HAIRED TEEN did this. THE BRUNETTE did that. oh yes. I went there. Describing people’s eyes as ‘orbs’ 

and

holding a breath

they didn’t even know 

they were holding

(Oh wait I still do that one)

I kept it very simple, lots of dialogue.

Now I try to get inside my characters heads. And I loooove to describe simple acts, but as something pretty or important - like watching a character getting ready or eating lunch in a Ghibli movie. And I guess I’m more adventurous now, and willing to be flexible with my ‘style’. (Though I can’t really describe what that style is - does writer struggle to capture the essence of their own writing style???)

19. If you had to pick one fic/scene/chapter of your work to describe your entire portfolio to a stranger, which would you pick?

I’d pick Ochako entering the cafe and finding Izuku there in Beep Beep Beep. In my head it’s probably my favourite thing I’ve written - really atmospheric and my heart clenches whenever I think of that whole scene. Probably that whole last chapter makes me want to cry with sentimentality.

I’ll add it under a cut~

----------

“What the…” she breathed. The whole café was covered in strings of fairy lights – even more than usual – winding and twisting over the tables and chairs, dripping over the counter and draped over the plastic planets hanging from the ceiling. Softly glowing spots of silver shone through the darkness and bright lights like stars were being projected onto every surface. Ochako lifted her hands in awe to see the spots of light on her skin. It looked like she’d just fallen into the night sky.

It was beautiful.

She looked around, mouth still open slightly, and noticed the ‘stars’ were being projected from a glowing ball in the centre of the room.

Ochako softly closed the front door behind her and began to walk over to the projector, wondering why Mina had set this up, when she noticed a figure standing nearby, nearly hidden in the dark shadows cast by the lights.

She yelped in surprise and grabbed a chair, brandishing it in front of her. “Who’s there?”

“Ah! N-No- Wait, Ochako, it’s okay- it’s just me! It’s just me!”

She could barely make out the figure that jolted forwards quickly and dropped down to crouch by the projector, but the voice was achingly familiar. She heard a few clicks and the starry lights illuminated the café more brightly, making it so that she could see the figure clearly as he stood up and rubbed the back of his neck.

Ochako replaced the chair slowly.

“Izuku?”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I was going to say something- but you looked so, um… so pretty standing there and I…”

Ochako wasn’t sure who moved first. But within another beat of her heart, so loud in her ears, they had pulled each other into an embrace. She buried her face in his chest, arms tight around his middle, and gripped onto fistfuls of his soft hoodie. His strong arms squeezed her against him, and he lay his head on her shoulder.

Together at last.

It was like everything she’d been feeling for him came crashing through her in waves all at once; that initial spark, gratitude, friendship, fondness, admiration, affection… She’d missed him so much. Though they’d only been apart a few days but her longing to talk to him and be close to him had only grown with each day that passed.

She inhaled deeply and snuggled into his warm embrace. His clothes had picked up the subtle tang of coffee that permanently lingered in the café.

“I thought you had to work tonight,” she eventually managed, though it still came out as barely more than a whisper into the soft material of the hoodie over his broad chest.

“I was supposed to be.” He turned his head slightly so that his breath tickled the skin on her neck.

She shivered, despite her warmth, and hated that her thick winter coat felt like a barrier between them. She had to resist the urge to just throw it off.

Izuku eventually pulled back gently so that they could look at each other. Silver light kissed the flushed skin of his cheeks, and the projected stars gave him cosmic freckles.

“Someone gave me some good advice. I decided it didn’t matter if the universe just kept on keeping us apart. I just needed to t-try harder.” He brushed a stray flyaway piece of hair behind her ear and stroked her cheek lightly. “Last time I got you a bouquet of flowers, but this time… this time I got you the stars.”

Ochako could feel tears filling her vision and she tried to say something, but her voice stuck in her throat. Something she couldn’t identify passed between their shared gaze, intense and powerful, and she had the sudden incredible urge to kiss him. She might even have done it if he hadn’t blinked and looked away, a vibrant red blooming strongly across his nose.

“Uh, s-sorry, that was kind of corny…”

His hand drifted away from her cheek.

Ochako shook her head violently, scattering the tear drops she had been desperately holding back, and knew they would be catching the artificial starlight as they finally trickled freely down her cheeks.

“No!” she squeaked. “Nobody has ever said anything like that to me. Ever.” She took a steadying breath, hoping it would stop her voice from wobbling so much. “Nobody has ever tried this hard to get to know me and spend time with me. I-I can’t believe you’d do all this just for me. All of this, it’s beautiful.”

Izuku stared long and hard at her, a smile creasing the skin in the corner of his eyes. “I’m so glad.”

He gently wiped her tears and Ochako’s stomach flipped like the moment of weightlessness that she loved at the very top of a roller-coaster, just as plunges down the track. She felt like her whole body was being held together by the vibrations of the pulse through her veins.

“Although you did nearly attack me with a chair,” he added playfully.

Ochako blushed as she hiccupped and clamped her hands to her mouth. “Ah! I did, didn’t I? I’m sorry Izuku, I didn’t know it was you.” She couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled out from behind her hand.

----------

35. Have you ever written a ship into a fic without meaning to?

I accidentally had Ochako kind of almost slightly crushing on Doctor Shouto in BBB - I couldn’t stop her describing his ‘pretty eyes’ and I was like Yeah Me Too. oops

That’s as far as it’s ever gone though - I am pretty focused and single minded when it comes to writing my ships aaa

47. If someone you know in real life who isn’t involved in fandoms asked to read your work, would you let them? If yes, what would you recommend they read first?

I have had a few people in real life read Beep Beep Beep! A friend from work read it and passed it onto her son who also read it and he drew me some fanart that he printed out and framed for my birthday. I literally nearly just died on the spot. 

Other than the names it’s one of those AUs where it’s kind of it’s own thing - just a really really cheesy romance - so I think it’s fairly accessible even if you don’t know the show? You just lose some of the neat callbacks

#thanks again!! <3 #izu replies #fanfiction ask games #this one was especially fun to respond to

[atlas-of-a-human-soul]

The King of Hearts, pt. 12/finale

Summary: Desperate to find the truth about what happened to her husband and King, Queen Y/N starts to ask questions only to find not everyone is happy about it nor willing to help. Dissatisfied with the way things are, she finds it necessary to remind the army and all her subjects who is in charge. In order to find the love of her and retrieve his body, she calls to arms, more than ready to start a war if necessary and marches through the kingdom, toward the battlefield.

Warnings: ANGST, slight fluff and implied smut

Word count: 4.2k

a/n: Thank you for sticking with this story for so long and I hope you like the way this ends. It’s definitely one of my favorite ones.

The King Of Hearts - Series Masterlist (E.D. Royal AU)

The news passed through her like a hurricane, everything she and Ethan worked for becoming dust and ruins. She blinked fast a few times, feeling as if the soldier is distant and the voice which he used to proclaim her husband dead is a whisper of her worst nightmares. There was that moment of absolute peace as she awaited news, moment she was sure it would bring her happiness and not this. This devastating desolation that blew through her insides like the icy wind these lands haven't seen in years.

„How?“ She mutters through her teeth, her eyes open wide and focusing on the soldier's blood-stained face. Her fingers curl and form fists, nails piercing through the skin to cause a physical pain in order to ease the heartache threatening to drown her in sorrowful waves of grief and loss.

„I don't know, Your Majesty. The army is only hours behind me and they'll have a better answer for you. All I know is that we won.“ The soldier replies, but not to her satisfaction. He gulped when her eyes narrowed and the always kind looks she had for everyone turned into a stone cold glare that could hurt as well as a dagger.

They won? It didn’t feel like a victory. If the won, people would cheer and no head would be hung low as it is now. If they won, she wouldn’t be frozen in the last moment they shared when he mouthed an I love you before leaving her in this castle alone. She’d be smiling, not fighting tears.

„Have them wait for me when they arrive.“ She orders to everyone who had gathered in hopes of learning the news as well. Ethan was a well loved King among his people, she knew that, but seeing the entire castle staff surrounding her as she turned to walk inside had her insides turning. Her eyes pass over each of them, a sort of shame filling her. They were with him for those years she spent running from her feelings...so much time wasted. So much they could have had and now they never will.

The crowd parted like the red sea as she walked, each of them looking at their Queen with sympathy. She couldn't stand it. Instead of walking, she ran. She ran as fast as possible inside, feeling overwhelmed by anger and sadness that had blinded her. She ran all the way inside the throne room where her pain is most focused, stopping right between his and her throne and looking at the room entirely. It held memories of Jon's death, of her and Ethan's rift forming and of all the times she wished to stop loving him in fear of today happening.

Twice a widow at the age of twenty five, three times if she counts Jon, someone she would have married if they had luck on their side. It’s as if she’s a poison to anyone who dares to love her.

A scream erupts from deep inside her chest; raw and human like never before, rooted in complete and utter devastation. It was the kind of scream that made your blood run cold. It was the loudest most piercing scream her subjects had ever heard. It sounded like a scream of wild panic. A scream of hysteria and disbelief, bordering on terror. It echoed throughout the castle, the sound breaking through wall, heard on the outside as well and the sheer intensity of pain in it had left a mark on anyone who heard her screams.

Y/N's entire body shook and her body was ready to give up and follow Ethan into nothingness. In her mind she's been left with nothing, like she is nothing without him. She can almost hear him argue with her on it, stating all the reasons why he loves her that have nothing to do with him at all and it brings her to tears instantly.

„My dear, the army is approaching.“ The Queen Mother speaks and Y/N turns to her with glossy eyes and blotchy cheeks.

How can she take all that she lost with such poise? Y/N thinks bitterly.

„I can't handle this. I can't.“ Y/N croaks, falling to her knees and hands. Lisa rushes toward her, taking her face in her hands. Wiping away the young girl's tears, she smiles softly despite the loss she too has suffered.

„You're a Queen and Queens don't fall to their knees for anyone. Get up and be a Queen. Be as strong as Ethan thought you are. Be that force of nature I met with disdain but grew to love. You’re not just a Queen, but a warrior. Don’t let anyone think differently now.“ Her voice is sweet and uplifting, but her words feel like knives to Y/N's heart.

„I'm no longer the Queen.“ Y/N reminds her, placing her hands on Lisa's shoulders for proper anchoring before standing and wiping her own tears away.

„My son sent a rider ahead with this scroll. This very scroll that you need to read.“ She tells her and Y/N frowns, her eyebrows furrowing together as she licks her lips clean, the salty taste of her tears reminding her of the reason why she's crying a river of tears in the first place.

„Unless it's him telling me he's well, I do not care.“ Y/N brushed Lisa off, trying to compose herself enough to face the army and to face his lifeless body. She felt her blood turn cold and her mind calming with it, almost like her heart froze and her insides turned numb.

„It's him telling you I love you and I trust you in the most ostentatious of ways....He gave you the crown matrimonial.“

***

„Where's the King.“ Y/N's voice is clear and loud, despite her previous state only minutes ago.

The Lord Commander approaches, his eyes boring into hers, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. It’s almost smug, the look on his face unwavering and no traces of sadness of his King’s death are visible.

„The King is dead, my Queen.“ He repeats the soldier's words, only pushing her anger to the surface

„I have been informed. I want to know how and when and where his body is. Why don't I see him?!“ Her voice grows louder and louder as her anger spreads, igniting her fierce heart once more. Another thing Ethan loved about her; her fierce heart.

„We saw him fall after a French soldier ran him through. He never got up.“ The answer left her forehead wrinkling and her left eye twitching.

Wrath – it's no longer anger, but wrath.

„And you didn't see fit to find him and make sure he is truly dead? You didn't see fit to bring his body back home for a proper burial?!“

„They burned bodies.“ He shrugs so carelessly that a cold chuckle escapes her, rather loudly as well. The fire inside her is now ice and the ice she has to offer is far worse than the burning rage.

„You're telling me you abandoned your King and left him to die or you left him to be burned to death on the battlefield? And you're telling me you didn't find his body? Did you even look for it? Because if you had, you would have found him. His crown...his sword...his ring, those are all the ways you could identify him.“ The calm before the storm, it's how she looked like. The eerie calm of her sharp tone had chilled the soldiers to the bone, but not the Lord Commander. No, he had anger of his own.

„It's done now.“ He snarled and she bit her lip before allowing herself to regain her regal stance. She could taste blood on her tongue, her teeth ripped through the soft skin on her bottom lip and it spilled both in and out her mouth.

„That's not the answer. You will answer my questions. I am Queen and I command you“, she begins, but Lord Commander grew impatient, already cutting her off and using an aggressive tone with a very disrespectful string of words.

„YOU COMMAND NOTHING! Without the King you're just a common whore.“ He leaned down enough to get in Y/N's face and she could finally see him for who he is. They all could. Should the King fall, the kingdom is left to the Lord Commander until the next in line takes over or sets a regent and Grayson would most likely appoint him as such....or so he hoped.

Unfortunately for him, Y/N isn't the kind of a woman he can scare into submission. Without her rage he'd treat her as the carpet on which he walks. With her rage she is trouble best ignored, left alone until signs of submissive behavior are offered. Should she demand acknowledgment of her pain she can expect his counter-rage - the scorn of last resort to put her back into her box. She read him as an open book even before he spoke. She knew to push his buttons would mean he'd reveal his true intentions.

„Do not test my patience and do not tempt my fury, for today I am King and I will punish those who defy me.“ She spat, getting into his face as well before turning to the men.

„Take the Lord Commander to the dungeons and then rest till morning. This is an official call to arms and we will march to the battlefield to find your King and bring his body home.“ And in that moment love left her body forever. Without it all she can focus on is revenge. She wants them dead, all of them, every last one. And if she needs to start a war to make sure the man who ran her husband through is found and killed, she will.

***

Y/N sat at her throne, staring at Ethan's in thought the entire night. Knowing he singed the crown matrimonial despite her never asking for it confused her. No one simply singed such a document as it meant the line of succession and dynasty would change. It was outrageous on his behalf, but the most honest way to show how deep his affection runs for her. It means he took care of her even after his death.

Y/N didn't sleep that night at all, staring at his throne and imagining he's still there. That smirk he always had that made her believe he's the most arrogant man she's ever met, the way he'd cock his eyebrow knowing well it made her heart skip a beat without her ever confessing it or perhaps the way he'd look at her like she's the Sun and he was unworthy of her in some way...it all came to her.

She could hear the people walking and whispering how the Queen lost her mind and how sanity left her and she smiled, knowing they weren't far from truth. She wasn't the same anymore, not without him. He made up a whole lot of pieces of her heart and now it was missing. Her body lost its strength. Her mind shattered and the rest of her followed suit. Without the hatred she'd die, there isn't any part of her that feels anything else. Without it she'd be nothing, feel nothing, so why eat? Why sleep? Why continue to breathe? But she has the hate, the fuel that keeps her heart pumping and brain ticking.

Revenge is coming. It's coming real soon.

***

On her horse, she lead the army back where they came from. Her resolution is admired and feared among the soldiers, mostly among her knights. Some of them remembered her fight with Ser Roderic and the way she sneaked inside the castle during the siege that took their former King's life and they were ready to follow her in the pits of hell if necessary. But those same men remembered her kindness and mercy, the same qualities that have left her now. She was a hollow Queen and there isn't a more dangerous quality to have than that.

„We're close.“ Ser Jorah informs her and she nods, feeling a pungent smell of burning flesh in the air. She had never been on a battlefield before nor seen the aftermath, but she was determined not to look weak. She raised her head high and tapped the hilt of her father's sword once to make sure it's in place should she need it.

She's been riding with a silent oath repeating in her mind:

I will find him or burn both kingdoms to the ground, for without him I have nothing. Without him, my heart and soul are just an empty, bitter void filled with endless darkness no one can touch and survive.

And she meant every word.

The battlefield came to view and she had to stop herself from grimacing. A lump formed in her throat and she swallowed thickly, her mouth dry and her eyelids refusing to close and allow her to blink. The battlefield lay quiet, for it was now a graveyard of the unburied. Their corpses lay among the buttercups and forget-me-nots. The sun still shone and the wind still blew, but somewhere mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters waited in vain. These men that were once boys who played in the yard with sticks and laughed were now meat for the birds.Their eyes were as immobile as their limbs. Their souls had long departed to the celestial planes to walk with the ancestors and all she could think is about Ethan.

Where is he? Had he left too? Was he watching over her with their fathers and was he proud?

„Find your King. The bodies aren't burnt as Lord Commander claimed, so it should be easier. After, make sure these men have a proper burial.“ She orders and the soldiers comply silently.

„I don't want to seem disrespectful Your Majesty, but you need rest. I suggest you remain here while we search.“ Ser Jorah offers and for a moment a flicker of pain and gratitude reflect in her eyes.

„Thank you, Ser Jorah, but I will take a few knights and search the woods around here. I can rest when we return.“ She gives him a small smile before picking a handful of knights to follow her into the surrounding woods. She just couldn't handle being on the field, knowing the body she worshiped and loved had laid among them.

Her mind went back to the time they did have together: all those roses he sent her, the sweet smiles, dancing, riding together, him chasing her through the wilderness, stolen glances and the way his hand held hers gently, but firmly all along. She remembered his voice that calmed any storm her mind would make up and the way he'd run a hand down her back at night when she asked him to stay. She remembered all the hushed I love you's, their fingers intertwining as her thrusted inside her while he whispered sweet nothings in her ear. She couldn't forget his quiet snores, nor the heavy arm he'd drape around her form that brought her a sense of safety she never knew could exist.

„FIND THE QUEEN!“

She heard the knights yell and her first instinct is to draw her sword and look around for danger. Her eyes move left to right in order to identify what she might be facing only to find Ser Jorah rushing toward her.

„Follow me, Your Majesty!“ He waves her over and she lets out a small sigh before doing so, knowing they must have found him.

She didn't feel ready to face his lifeless body that once had so much love for her. How could she look at him and not have him look back at her? How could she handle seeing a blank stare instead of the warmth his eyes usually held? His skin would be pale and cold, coated in bruises and blood of his enemies. He'd be as hollow as she is now and there wasn't any part of her that believed she'd see him as such and survive.

Death by a broken heart. It suited her. He was the king of her heart and she was the queen of his and it would be natural that one dies and the other follows.

In a short while, she found the knights gathered and her eyebrows furrowed, a pained grimace taking over her features as she dismounted and approached them. The men moved to let her pass and she felt her chest shake under the immense pressure her still beating heart forcing blood in the bloodstream.

Once Ser Jorah moved as well, her knees buckle and she falls to the damp forest ground. She stares ahead with her eyes wide and unmoving, tears filling and her vision blurring. For perhaps a split second her grief was suspended, the surprise protecting her until it shattered like glass. I guess you could call it shock, but to her it's an inability to compute

„Told you I'd come back to you.“

His voice seems to unfreeze her, his hand taking hers bringing her back to reality.

„You never break your promises.“ She whispered, her tears spilling over as she takes him in.

Ethan's perched against a large rock, his armor damaged and a large velvet colored pool of blood on his abdomen. He's drained of color and his hand is clammy, lips chapped and eyes tired. His hair is mattered with dirt and blood, but he's alive.

„Well once, but it was for a good reason.“ He reminds her of his decision to stop her execution all those years ago and she shakes her head, a smile coating her lips before she lunged forward and kissed his lips. She didn't care how dry they are or how his breath smelled, only that she felt him under her fingertips.

„You need medical attention. Let's go home.“ She snaps her fingers and soldiers surround them, lifting Ethan.

„You got my army to listen to you better than they listen to me. I'm jealous.“ Ethan jokes, groaning in pain and panting as they move him.

Y/N holds his hand, giving him a reassuring squeeze before they set him on a horse.

„Hold on, okay? I still need you. I still want you.“ She tells him and the honesty in her voice shakes him up, forcing him to keep his eyes open and fight to stay awake for her. She could tell he was barely holding on, but he didn't want her to worry.

Ethan could tell his Queen is in ruins. He knew her well. He knew the dark circles beneath her lovely eyes meant she barely slept at all since he left, that her lips had small wounds on them from biting on them, that her pale complexion meant she hadn't eaten...she was more dead than alive, worse off than he is and he's been injured. He wouldn't worry her any further and if staying awake and joking while pretending he's not in any pain is the way to keep her going, than he'd do it.

For her.

Anything for her.

„I believe I promised to be around to bother you for a long time as well.“

***

Somewhere close to the castle, Ethan had lost consciousness. The moment they returned, physicians took over and Y/N helped them to the best of her knowledge. She worked with them without showing any signs of distress, letting her instincts and mind take over instead of heart. She studied with great physicians during her time away and she would not let it go to waste.

After several hours, they managed Ethan's injuries and cleaned him, letting him sleep and regain strength naturally. Y/N laid next to him, afraid to even touch him. She feared hurting him any further.

She woke to Ethan already awake and watching her. Before she can draw in the air her body needs she melts into his form. She can feel his firm torso and the heart that beats within. His hands are folded around her back, drawing her in closer. She can feel her body shake, crying for the missed time they will never make back and for the darkest of hours she spent thinking he was gone forever, taken from her, crying to release the tension of these five long years. He pulls his head back and wipes the tears with a calloused finger, even this roughness brings more relief than her heart can hold. He is eating her with his eyes, running his hand through her hair.

„Don't cry my valiant rose. I'm here. I'm with you. Always with you.“ He whispers into her hair, kissing her forehead gently. He let her cry her heart out, sob into his chest until she had no tears left to cry and quiet sniffles filled the room. He let her cry until she exhausted herself and his heart felt strangled by pain he brought her. They fell asleep again, holding each other for dear life.

***

The King and Queen soon discovered the truth of their Lord Commander and his plot to save the French Queen. Ethan telling her he’s the one who wounded him had left Y/N resolute. He was tried and executed for treason before the King recuperated and was well enough to resume his duties. Y/N had no mercy for the man and she made sure to make an example out of him. The Queen managed the court until he was prepared to join her.

„I'm ready! I'll lose my mind if I stay in bed one more day.“ Ethan complained, fighting his wife's attempts to keep him in.

She smirks, raising an eyebrow before straddling him. Her palms over his chest, hair falling forward, she leans down and peck his lips.

„How about you stay in today and I'll make it worth you a while?“ She winks and Ethan's will crumbles. Instead of fighting her on it, he allowed her to make his mind hazy and body praying for more. He found himself addicted to her and addicted to all she is.

„In the darkness our cuddles are feel like a little touch of heaven, warm, together, cozy. I wish I could extend the night just so I could stay close to you for longer, safe in your embrace.“ Ethan pecks her shoulder, trailing kisses to her neck and she smiles widely, finally content and happy.

„When did you become such a poet?“ She teases, lifting her chin to allow him access to her sweet spot, his hand gripping her thigh firmly in response.

„When I fell in love with you.“ He says between kisses, eliciting a moan from his Queen and it makes him smirk as well.

„I have something to tell you.“ She pushes herself away from him slightly, wanting to be face to face when she delivers her news.

Ethan frowns, worried there's more trouble brewing. He feels her fingers grazing the still angry scar left on his left side, tracing it like she's still unable to comprehend what happened to him. He knew she's still cross with France and she still seeks revenge, but he knew her wisdom and she wouldn't do anything rash now.

„Whatever it is, I can handle it, love.“ He pecks her nose once more for good measure, allowing her to speak.

„I'm with child. The physicians confirmed today.“ The words barely left her lips when Ethan flipped them over, hovering over her body before peppering her face with kisses, then her neck and chest before kissing her belly.

„I think there's already a little bump.“ He says excitedly, tracing his fingers across her abdomen to determine if he's right.

„I know!“ She squeals, her hands cupping his face and gently moving him to look at her.

„You have no idea how happy you just made me!“ Ethan's voice cracks and Y/N laughs, letting him settle back by her side, his hand on her lower abdomen remaining.

„I'm the happy one. I'm glad you never gave up on me...and I'm glad you have meddling sibling who never gave up on their intent to find something worthy that would force me to come back to deliver the news personally.“ She rambles, remembering Grayson and Cameron fondly. Both of them are to visit soon and Ethan is ecstatic about it.

„I could never give up on you. Without you, I'm hollow. With you, I'm unstoppable.“ He rests his head on her chest. He listens to the sound of her beating heart, letting it lull him to sleep.

„Sleep, my King. My love, my heart, my sun and my moon.“ She whispers softly, falling asleep in her bliss.

Blessed with four children, the King and Queen lived a happy life together and their kingdom lived in a golden age many would remember for centuries to come. The King of Hearts and The Valiant Rose remained in the hearts and minds of history, a mark no time could erase.

Tags: @heeydolan  @ashwarren32 @ourlittleshawnie @peacedolantwins @accalialionheart @dolans-lover  @xalayx

#ethan dolan #dolan twins #ethan dolan x reader #ethan dolan au #ethan dolan series #ethan dolan fanfic #ethan dolan imagine #ethan dolan angst #ethan dolan fluff #ethan dolan fanfiction #ethan dolan fic

[actualbampot]

Skewed

A/N: I’ve been writing crap fanfiction since the dawn of time and not once have I posted any of it online. Be nice, this is 3/4 years old. If it’s your cup of tea, enjoy or whatever.  What if Raven didn’t save Yang in the ‘No Brakes’ episode? Warnings for mild/moderate torture, blood, YangxNeo, Baked Alaska

The cracking thud of Yang's heavy body dropping to the floor was a sickening sound.

Pain blossomed out over the narrow of her vision followed by a loud whimper. How had this happened again?

Oh yea.. heterochromia

That was Yang's first thought at the time, her clothes, hair and eyes. All of them alternating between sickly sweet colours of pink, chocolate and vanilla, betrayed by that sudden shift of her innocent smile curling into a cruel and knowing smirk.

Those eyes. Had they been really changing?

At first Yang thought the pumping adrenaline was simply making her lose her focus, that she was just imagining it. Her opponent had been landing some lucky shots and throwing her off her game.

But when her face and body began to sting, when her arms were heaving towards the girl and hitting only air, Yang dreadfully began to realize that this pint sized monster was just toying with her, her small frame moving with such fluidity and grace that Yang could only snarl at each dodge and parry, and in response her opponent flashed a toothy smirk solely in mockery.

Come on. Hit me

She’d remained silent throughout, though the words may as well have been written all over her features, and in a flare of rage Yang was carelessly throwing all of her strength behind her hooks. The familiar sight of red bleeding into lilac becoming more apparent with each swing, drawing a silent chuckle from the short girl, hand resting over her lips for effect.

Yang was having trouble recalling the exact moment her body hit the floor. She remembered throwing all her body weight into a jab- so sure that this time it would hit and wipe that smug expression of hers to kingdom come.

However the girl had parried, sending two kicks in quick succession square underneath her chin with enough force that her body collided harshly with the steel wall of the train carriage before unceremoniously hitting the floor.

Stars of pain broke out along Yang's skull and she found herself squinting up at the lights through a dark tunnel of vision. She tried to move but everywhere throbbed in angry and exhausted pain, even Ember Celica felt like dead weights on her arms.

How had this happened again? It was getting harder to recall.

-Oh yea, heterochromia.

'Concentrate Yang. Stay awake'

The familiar click of heels scraping metal flooring approached over her body. The sound trapped a lump of dread in Yang's throat and within moments her dazed but desperate eyes were locked with another pair.

The brawler held in a whimper when the small terror blinked away the brown and cotton candy pink eyes that had been taunting her thus far, replacing the former with a pale, almost eerily transparent silver.

Yang could only watch as her hand lowered down to the handle of that wretched parasol she wielded. Attached to the handle the girl unsheathed a long and deadly pointed needle from the umbrella’s spine, and within moments Yang's expression creased in terror.

The smirk that had been nothing more than a frustrating distraction was gone, replaced by a manically wide grin of intent that only matched the sharpness of her needle.

In an act of self preservation Yang’s body kick started to life, bringing her arm back to throw a last ditch and desperate punch.

It was met with a heeled boot slamming down into her bicep. The heel drove her arm back down to the floor with the harsh point almost puncturing her skin. Yang hissed in pain, and before she could try to retaliate she felt the same searing pain as her opposite arm was cruelly pinned down in a similar fashion.

Above her the girl shifted her weight back onto both heels and carefully squatted lower to Yang's body, only stopping when her hips hovered a few inches from Yang's chest. The weight tore a cry of pain from the huntresses throat and to her horror, Yang watched a faint redness bloom along the girls cheeks, her teeth tentatively catching her lower lip in unadulterated thought.

She was enjoying this.

'Don't- My teammates will- DON'T-'

Pain ripped out along Yang's shoulder and chest and nothing could have suppressed the cry that tore from her throat mid sentence.

Neo buried her needle inch-deep, her eyes lighting up in delight as Yang desperately writhed and twisted underneath her.

Yang's head was swimming, her chest rising and falling fast and dangerously close to hyperventilation. She need to do something. She needed her team. Needed Ruby.

Meanwhile Neo drank in the sight of this towering hot-head coming undone. She sharply tilted her head and twisted the needle in unison, escalating cries of pain deepening the pink blush she already wore.

More.

A small bud of blood rose to the surface of Yang's skin when the needle slid out with ease, red blooming beneath her jacket.

There was no warning when the needle punctured for a second time, and Yang's jaws clenched hard enough to shatter.

'F-FUCK-' leather tight against her mouth cut her cuss short. Neo twisted the needle again, her lips parting and closing wordlessly at the vibrations of Yang's muffled screams against her gloved hand.

This was too much. She couldn't breathe, couldn't find her voice to try crying for help. White began spotting the girls' vision, feeling that at any point her mind would snap like a taught thread.

And this terrifying, beautiful little nightmare was winding the string tight around her fingers, forcing her desired responses from Yang with every single pull and tug.

Yang watched as Neo's small pink tongue darted across her lips, then pursed as if trying to contain her excitement. The needle eased further inside, flesh offering little resistance against its razor sharp point and the girl above her forced her weight down.

More.

Yang's eyes snapped wordlessly wide as needle found its mark, puncturing through the other side of her shoulder into the floor beneath. A shudder coursed up Neo's spine, the sensation of Yang's raw screaming against her palm making her fingers tingle in delight.

What felt like an eternity passed for the younger girl before Neo's leather clad hand finally slid from Yangs mouth, allowing her to heave in agony and panic. Her gulps and coughs of air were close enough to mingle with the hot breeze of her captors short and excited breaths.

The blondes heart felt like it was breaking through her chest in fear as Neo's gloved thumb traced patterns on her soft lower lip, parting her own in unison with Yang's when sliding the needle further down.

Neo drank up her opponents cries with bated breath relishing the heat emanating from her body like a wildfire.

Just as she'd expected, the younger girls aura was weak and untrained and couldn't compensate against intense pain, but in turn it fueled her fiery semblance to its limits. Heat defiantly rolled from her body in waves, those red pools of hurt and rage coupled with heady scent of blood and sweat almost causing Neo to lower her lips and close the few centimeters left between them- Almost.

Her stretched and manic grin continued to push the limits of her blushing cheeks. Abandoning the needle that held Yang down, her hands found the brawlers hot and dampened face, thumbs tentatively catching her tears.

'M-my team...' Yang rasped out between the scorching area that separated their lips 'W-will find you down h-here.'

Neo cocked her multi toned head as if urging her to continue speaking, feeding gloved fingers up through those gorgeous blonde tresses.

'..T-they won’t let you g-get-'

A rip cut her short. Neo sunk tight fists into the helpless girls' hair and tore her body up from the floor.

Yangs agape and wordless scream could never be matched by the girl above her. In a single blink one silver and one chocolate eye lidded over with heavy desire as she slowly dragged Yang's quivering and flushed body up the length of the needle.

Neo could only appear to suppress a moan of delight that would never be heard as she wrenched on that glowing golden hair of hers to brush their lips together.

'..S-stop' The word barely passed as a whisper, repeating brokenly until the plead died out on Yang’s tongue.

The beautiful monster above wrenched her head back, tilting her neck at a sharp angle to expose the length of her throat, one hand freeing her hair to tug her annoying scarf aside before pressing the hot skin flush against her lips and teeth.

Yang felt like she was going to die. The girls mouth left hot trails along her neck, biting and sucking possessively as if proof of her existence wouldn't be validated enough by skewering the girl to the floor like an animal.

Her body shivered despite her semblance, and somehow the pain became a background drone, the only thing she could differentiate between being the stiff rattling in her bones, and Neo's warm lips and breath trailing from her neck to her jaw, her shockingly hot tongue mixing against the dampness clinging to her skin.

Something hot was curling a knot in her stomach, a sensation hiding beneath the surface of the pain.

She was sure she was dying, but her semblance continued to burn life into her heart until her chest felt like fire. Somewhere deep down, Yang knew her body was betraying her.

Neo's weight shifted and the blonde felt the throb of relief when her heels dislodged from her arms and moved away, the shorter girl instead sitting perched on her chest like a throne. It wasn't long before she realized the multicoloured girl had shifted her attention, leaving Yang's skin simmering with the absence of her mouth.

Neo reached behind her to where the girls legs lay motionless. She couldn't feel a hand against her clothes, rummaging until she moved back with a scroll in hand. HER scroll.

The blonde squinted through hazy vision to focus on her sisters face on the screen and somewhere in the background a familiar ringtone was playing. Neo's next smile was one of endearment, her finger toying across the glass where Ruby's mouth was displayed before swiping to accept the incoming call.

Sharp elbows were propped on her chest hard, and the scroll was held to Yang's ear, playful eyes silently observing, Neo's small pearly teeth catching her lower lip to suppress a smile that made Yang feel sick.

'Yang the train is coming close to the end- are you ok? We need you up here! Yang?'

Ruby's voice carried clearly across the speaker and the fiery blonde swallowed down hard to control her breathing.

She kept absolutely silent, the sound of the rickety train should have been the only noise playing on the other side. No. She wouldn't lead Ruby down here, not with Neo waiting and with no way of defending her sister.

The girl above her shifted with a soft tut of disapproval, reaching for her needle and bending.

'Yang are you there?! Yang!'

The moment went white.

#rwby #yang xiao long #neopolitan #baked alaska #I originally called this kebab #rwby2 hiatus was a dark time

[abloomntime]

A Bloom In Time Ch34

(If you're wondering what dress Poppy's wearing towards the end and her hairdo, let's just say it looks a lot similar to the dress from Jim Henson's Labrinyth. Like the one shown in the video.)

The audience got silent as soft fairy tale like music drifted through the place and the first thing everyone saw on screen was a pair of bright red curtains. And slowly they opened. The other side of them was an expertly drawn and put together cottage and forest background. The two people on stage was Mr. Timophy and Poppy!! Both wearing a very nice blue suit and frilly dress of a time era from a thousand years ago when Snatcher was alive.

"O-Once upon a time far away in the milky way galaxy, there lived a kind man and his daughter." The deep voice of the narrator voiced out loud and from somewhere off stage so no one could see him. Poppy and Mr. Timophy looked at each other and bowed/curtzed. Like a proper gentlemen and lady. "The man was a very wealthy business man and his daughter was one of the most magnificent people of heart and beauty in the land. With a firey passion and flare like fire, and kindness that shone brighter than the very sun. Because of such bright straits people often referred to her as a star among the people. So she was named, Starella."

SNATCHER'S!! EYES!! WIDENED!!! WAS-...WAS THAT THE SAME POPPY!? The woman on screen had bright beautiful fluffy hair that was curled all the way down to her waist and her bangs was curled around her soft face that looked so soft from the blush. Big beautiful blue eyes blinked at him from the screen with cherry lips and freckles like rose petals being laid delicately on her soft vanilla skin. Her hair adorned with a sparkly blue bow and the dress complementing her well built but curvy body like a-....Like a perfect princess from those fairytales. Snatcher's jaw dropped and he guessed Hazelle must've noticed his expression because she smirked at him. To which when he finally noticed, scowled at her from the shadows. The two on stage suddenly stopped bowing to one another and Mr. Timophy held out his hand towards someone off stage but quickly was answered when a lady mafia in a ugly green dress and the two joined hands and gave each other lovey dovey looks. Behind her strolled out Hazelle in a similar green styled dress. Guess these were the step mother and sister.

"One day Starella's father fell in love with a beautiful widow who had a daughter close to Starella's age. But the woman's beauty hid a cruel heart of greed that would ultimately reveal itself."

The light turned off before popping back up with a fake Hazelle, the mafia woman, and Poppy standing in front of the cottage and waving at Mr. Timophy as he sat within a fake carriage waving back to the three ladies.

"One day her father's rich work came to a point where he had to leave for a year long business trip and left poor Starella in the care of her Stepmother, which is where the trouble began," the Narrator continued. Just as the carriage prop was pulled towards the other side of the stage with Mr. Timophy on it and the lights dimmed again, this time for a little longer before they came back on. It was Poppy again, but with a quick costume change. She was wearing a brown dress with patches, her hair looked messy, and there was fake dirt patches on her face. The scenery had changed from the outside cottage to one that looked like a classic old fashioned kitchen with a shelf, table and everything to complete a kitchen. Poppy was looking down pretending to do dishes as Hazelle and the mafia lady laughed at her from behind. "Starella's Stepmother and stepsister were cruel to her. Taking away all her fine clothing and treasures and making her dress and work as a maid in her own home. Despite this she never lost that shiny kindness she was named for." The lights blacked out again before the lights came back up yet again. This time a grand sparkly scene of a throne room appeared before them with two gold spray painted thrones, a stone wall background, and a mini red carpet running between them. Two mafia men sat on the thrones and it was Thor! Wearing the most ridiculous stereotypical prince costume Snatcher had ever seen. Making him grimace as he continued to watch. One mafia man a light blue suit and the other a dark red suit. "One day the Prince of the land had finally become eligible to be married and his parents wanted nothing more than to know he found the right soul mate for him. So one day one of his fathers asked his son a question."

''My son,'' the mafia man in the red suit and fake crown spoke in that mafia accent, "Your father and I are growing more old in age and one day you shall take responsibility over the kingdom and all who live in it. We must know, have you picked who will rule by your side?''

Thor with his back to the camera bowed his head sadly and shook it no. "Alas for I have not. For no one has caught my attention and no one has wanted anything more to do with me than my throne. I wish to meet someone I can love as much as they truly love me in return, but no one I have ever met had showed me such a thing.''

The red suited mafia man had stood up and was now pointing at Thor who was wearing dark blue. "I have a grand idea! One that shall solve this problem. We shall invite all the eligible people in the land no matter commoner or noble. From them you can choose who you shall wed!"

Thor nodded before the stage went black again and the narrator's voice came back. The cottage scene from the beginning was back and a mafia wearing a yellow suit and a mailman's bag and hat was standing on stage, a few penguins in dresses or suits walked past and he handed them each an envelope before they continued to walk off stage. "The prince happily agreed. So a message was sent out to every young eligible man and woman no matter commoner or wealthy noble." The mafia man in the suit then turned around as the door to the fake cottage opened and out came the mafia woman, Hazelle, and Poppy still in that patchwork dress and he also handed them a letter before turning and walking off stage also. Hazelle and the step mother then proceeded to pretend to gush over the letter.  "One day a letter arrived at Starella's home. Offically inviting Starella and her step sister to the grand ball. The Stepmother and Stepsister were overjoyed."

''This is your chance!,'' the Stepmother said to her Hazelle in the same accent as the mafia men, ''You are the most beautiful young lady in the land! You must make the prince fall in love with you and you shall become the queen! Then we shall both live the rest of our lives in peace.''

Poppy made a gesture behind them as if saying something but neither of them looked at her as they continued to fake gush over the letter.  "Starella politely asked if she could go but the stepmother ignored her in favor of showering her own daughter in praise and telling her what needed to be done for their goal." The lights dimmed again and they were back in the kitchen scenery with Poppy clutching the fancy blue dress she had been wearing at the beginning of the play and both were glaring at one another. "Days passed and the day of the ball came to be. Defying her Stepmother's wishes she stole back one of her fancy dresses and said to her stepmother."

"I don't care what you say anymore. I will be going to the ball and my father shall hear of your ways!," Poppy yelled loudly still with her country accent but it sounded like she was trying to hide it before turning away from Hazelle's glaring and marching towards a doorway. Opening it and marching up fake stairs out of sight.

" With that Starella marched up the stairs to get herself ready for the ball that night. Enraged by Starella's actions the stepmother and stepsister decided to seek revenge." The lights dimmed and when they came back on it was the outside cottage scene again with the fake carriage that took Mr. Timpohy away. Hazelle and the mafia lady ran out of the front door pretending to sneak around on stage and climbed onto it. Before it started to pull them off stage. "Without Starella knowing the carriage to take them to the ball arrived. As quickly and quietly as mice, the two slipped away and made off into the night. By the time Starella noticed, it was too late." It showed Poppy all prettied up and cute looking like in the beginning running out the door just as the exited the stage....before putting her face in her hands and running back into the door and inside the cottage. And the lights dimmed once again only to light up back into the kitchen scene with Poppy sitting on her knees with her hands still in her hands pretending to cry as she did. "Distraught. Starella sat by the kitchen fire to warm herself and weep her sorrows away."

''Do not be sad'', cried a woman's voice and a moment later a very well made duck puppet ascended from somewhere above stage suspended by strings and Snatcher rose a brow.

Poppy looked up and blinked in surprise. "Startled, Starella turned her face up towards the sound of the voice and saw a tiny duck perched in her window."

''Who are you?," Poppy asked the floating Puppet.

''I am the great Mother Goose.,' the lady who voiced the duck puppet replied, ''Do not weep. Dry those tears. You saved me when those two wicked women wanted to fry me for dinner, and now I shall repay your kindness in full. Bring me one chess knight that's snow white, a nutcracker, and one apple from the pantry. Now hurry. We haven't got much time.''

It then showed Poppy stand up and quickly go through the door connected to the kitchen scene. The Pantry he supposed it was supposed to be, she came back with a few knick knacks in her hands. "She quickly did as the duck asked and brought what she needed."

''Lay them upon the ground and stand aside,'' the duck said.

The lights dimmed again as the narrator took over.  "Starella quickly did as she was told as the duck waved her wing over the items."  The lights came back on and there was the same carraige from the first two scene and Poppy sitting in it as the duck puppet stayed next to her. "Before her very eyes the items turned into a magnificent couch with a horse and driver to navigate it. As Starella climbed into the couch, Mother Goose perched upon the door to give one final warning."

''I hope you find the happiness you seek, but remember this,'' the duck warned, ''You must leave by Midnight for that is when my magic will fade away and you shall be stranded.''

Poppy nodded before the duck puppet was pulled up and the carriage pulled off stage. "Starella promised the Mother Goose she'd remember the warning and bid the goose good bye as it flew into the sky, and the couch slowly made it way towards the castle." The lights dimmed again and this time there was a scene of the outside of a castle with stone walls and fake stairs that Thor sat upon boredly but looked up when the carraige with Poppy came back on it and stopped in front of him and Poppy got off. Thor stood up and approuched her and the two pretended to start talking. "Unknownst to her the prince was awaiting within the entrance to the grand castle, tired from the large gathering of crowded people inside and not having the desire to having others and so many seeking him out at once. But suddenly he saw the most unusual sight. The most radiant of red couches he had ever seen appeared pulled by the most purest of white horses. Surely this must've been someone important. As Starella emerged from the couch, the prince was entranced by her beauty as she stepped towards him. Taken by her stunning beauty, the prince stood to greet the fair maiden and welcome her to the castle. Moved by the handsome strangest politeness she asked what he was doing out here all alone, and he replied."

''It is because it became too crowded for my liking. I wished to come out here and take a break and talk to someone. But you look new around to the castle. My I offer to show you around the castle?'', Thor asked before holding out his arm to Poppy who took it and both began to walk off stage.

"Starella agreed and took the arm the man offered her. Leading her into the castle above." The lights dimmed again and when they came back on Snatcher's eyes widened...before scowling at Thor on screen. He and Poppy were back in that throne room scene without the thrones this time dancing around in a circle along with a bunch of penguin couples as the narrator spoke. "Starella and the prince spent the entire ball together sharing each other's interests and experiences, getting along so very lovely enraptured by each others' personalities. As time went on Starella forgot all about Mother Goose's warnings as they talked, laughed, and danced the night away. But that all changed in a blink of an eye." Suddenly there was a loud noise of a clock chiming and Poppy suddenly broke off from Thor looking in the direction of the clock chimes with dread.  "The clock struck midnight and everything the Mother Goose had ever said came rushing back to her. In an instant full of dread, Starella fled from the Prince and to the exit but it was too late. The couch had transformed back into an apple. The horse to a chess knight. And the handsome couchman back into the nutcracker. Having no other choice, Starella fled down the road into the night back towards her home." Poppy then ran off stage as all the dancers stopped and looked at Thor as he extended his arm out towards her as she ran and suddenly Hazelle and the mafia woman came back to the stage. Thor suddenly holding up his arm.  "Determined the prince announced that same night that he would love nothing more than to again meet this mystery lady and he was determined to meet her again. Because the castle was so crowded Starella's Stepmother and Stepsister had not seen her at all, and so paid no attention to her upon arriving home. Only caring about the Prince's proclaim." The lights dimmed and again the lights came back on. This time back in the kitchen scene with Poppy still in the blue dress with Hazelle and the mafia woman behind her. Thor suddenly came on scene and Poppy looked surprised as the other two ladies glared angrily as he came over and took a knee. Taking Poppy's hand and Snatcher's eyes narrowed further. "For days the prince searched far and white for the maiden with bright kindness and hair that shown brighter than any star. No one could tell him who this mysterious maiden was and he was beginning to lose hope when he finally reached the home of Starella and her step family. Where he finally found what he seeked."

''At last I have found you,'' Thor said with glee, ''Starella, I have searched far and wide because before no one had ever showed me the kindess you have. With your permission I would love nothing more than to learn more about you. "

"Starella happily agreed and her father returned." Poppy nodded to Thor before the lights dimmed again and it came back on a moment later with Hazelle, the mafia lady, Poppy, and Thor with one arm around Poppy's shoulders were standing in the outside cottage scene again as the carriage prop returned with Mr. Timophy in it. Snatcher narrowed his eyes even more at Thor. Mr. Timpopy got off as the carraige prompt was pulled off stage and Poppy pretended to say say something to him, as he then turned to Hazelle and the mafia woman with a glare. "Upon hearing what her Stepmother and Stepsister had done while he was away, he banished them from his home never to return again." Mr. Timophy pointed off stage and with glares, Hazelle and the mafia woman fled from the stage as the lights dimmed once again. When the lights came back on Snatcher's eyes went wide once again at the sight. Poppy was wearing a bright white ballgown with her hair done up in a beautiful hairstyle and she was holding hands with Thor smiling. All the penguins, mafia men, and Mr. Timophy was around them smiling and clapping, and throwing white petals and glitter around them. Snatcher's yellow orbs widened at the very obvious wedding dress as the petals and glitter shimmered around her smiling face making her shimmer and glow. "After a few years of letting their love and fondness for each other grow, Starella and the prince were finally married. The End."

The red curtains slowly closed on them and then the end credits rolled. And that's when the audience cheered from before like with Comductor's movie as they all clapped and whisteled and cheered. Again spilling some popcorn and other food on the theater floors. The end credits saying the names of the ones resposible like- Starella by Poppy Rose Bloomington. Step Sister by Witch Hazelle. Prince by Thor.  Director DJ Grooves. And so on and so forth. Poppy was still frozen to her seat, feeling anxiety as she had watched the whole thing questions running through her mind. Had she done a good job? Would anyone like it? Did she mess up anywhere? Would she betray Mr. Grooves expectations? But those anxieties mostly went away as she saw the absolute happy smiles of the crowd clapping and cheering for the screen as the credits kept rolling, which made her give a sigh of relief.

"YOU WERE GREAT, POPPY!!," Hattie shouted over the crowd and Bow nodded as both girls smiled wide eyed at the red head. "You too, Hazelle!!"

"Yeah!! You were the most evil step sister ever!!", Bow added.

Hazelle chuckled and waved them off. "Well of course I am. I AM a witch after all.~"

The crowd's cheering died down as the lights lit up the stage again and the same lady owl came back on as the screen went back to it's regular white. "Wow! Wasn't that lovely? Who'd have thought we'd get a forbiddon love story and a play straight out of a fairytale all in one night? Let's have a round of applause for Mr. DJ Grooves and his wonderful staff for bringing us that lovely treat, eh?" A small round of clapping ensued. "Thank you to all the contestants today for such a lovely performance by both teams, but as we know there can only be one winner of the Annual Bird Movie Awards this year. While the judges go over their notes and decide who shall be this year's pick, please exit back into the main lobby to your right as they do where we'll be doing some live interviews with the cast and people behind this year's movies and see what they have to say. Please throw away any wrappings and leftover garbage into the trashbins on your way out."

The crowd of birds stood up and began to make their way toward the door way that opened up again letting light flood right in. The girls and Hazelle stood too but waited as most of the crowd went past them to avoid getting crowded and seperated again with Poppy did NOT want. The lady owl on stage too off stage followed by the two camera Penguins/owls and towards where ever she was going Poppy guessed. When it finally thinned out, the girls and Snatcher walked out back into the floor and were greeted with the sight of birds throwing Popcorn buckets, candy wrappers, and empty soda cups into an overflowing trashbin before departing into different places onto the floor. Poppy and the girls made their way over to the food desk handing out even more food to the birds who was still hungry or wanted more food. After that little scare she was starting to feel hungry, some solid food in her stomach would be nice for once. As they got in the surprsingly long line they saw a familiar face in front of them.

Hattie gasped. "COOKIE!!" She and bow took off running towards the orange cat in line with Muriel right next to her but turned around hearing the girl call her name. When she realized who it was, she smiled and held out her arms to hug the two girls as they ran up to her. "We missed you!"

Cookie chuckled as the two grown women walked up to her. "Oh, I missed you too! I'm so sorry I couldn't visit for a while, but Conductor asked me to help him with his movie. And who am I to say no to him?" She looked up as the two women came up to her. "Ah! Sugercube, I saw ya'll in Mr. Grooves's play! You looked mighty stunnin' in that dress of yours!"

Poppy chuckled awkwardly. "Uh...T-Thanks! Ya looked really purty too! And ya acted so well! It was a mighty fine movie ya did!"

The cat chuckled and waved her paw. "Oh it was nothing a lil practice couldn't help! Say! Why don't ya'll join us and we can catch up a bit? Been a while since we had a chat."

"That sounds like a great idea!"

So the group of girls (and Snatcher) all got together by Poppy and Muriel who was already in line. It was nice to catch up a bit since it'd be a while with like twenty birds in front of them still. They found out Cookie and Muriel had been asked by COnductor to help out with his movie as they were perfect for the roles to which Poppy compliment Muriel on. MU looked proud as she did, she was a good mayor. Currently Cookie was being introduced to Hazelle and the two were complimenting each others roles as Catrina and the evil step sister while Poppy looked around. She noticed the owl lady from the stage in front of Conductor who had his arms crossed and a smug smile on his face camera crew pointing the camera on him. She asked something into the mic before holding it out to Conductor. The owl(bird thing-) cackled and said something back she couldn't make out as he had the interview.

"WOW!! IT'S COOKING CAT!! ANS SOME GIRLS!!" Poppy jumped when a bright light flashed and an owl holding a camera. Looking at Cookie and the two girls. "I s-saw you all on TV!! C-Can I have your autographs?!"

Cookie and the girls being nice and polite agreed and soon small crowds of penguins and owls came up to them all asking for pictures and their autographs, and eventually some attention went to Hazelle, Poppy, and Muriel too. MU seemed proud to be taking pictures and signing papers when they realized she was the mayor actor, and the same with Hazelle as she was recognized as the step sister. Poppy was pretty overwhelmed-...Being swept up straining a smile for the camera and sighing her name with shaking hands when they asked, feeling her anxiety spike up as she smiled and bared it. Snatcher watching from the floor and yellow orbs blinked out from her shadow. He-.....He couldn't believe that was Poppy back there. She looked....so different from what she looks like now. Just a plan white dress with purple flowers and long hair in a braid like usual. She barely looked anything like the make up caked self on the screen wearing those beautiful gowns or all messied up and patchwork dress. And he couldn't help but wonder....Would that have been what Poppy had looked like if she had been a noble? Would she have been that beautiful in a wedding dress if they ever did get married? Would she have been that beautiful as his princess if he had ever gotten the chance to tell her how he felt long ago and if she felt the same? Guess he would never know- He grunted when an owl stepped on his face and blocked his veiw of her as the group slowly continued to move. The line continued to get smaller as the group slowly moved in between the signing and pictures. Poppy didn't know how long it took until they finally got to the stand still signing and taking pictures, but by the time they moved away she was too preoccupied to even get anything, so when they left, she was still hungry, straining a smile, and still signing and taking pictures through it as a few others came up to them for them.

"Are you ok there?," Hazelle asked after she just finished signing a penguin's notepad.

Poppy nodded. "I-I-It's just....s-so much...I d-don't like bein' the center of attention."

"Don't worry. We can leave as soon as those silly birds finish judging and announce the winner already." Hazelle suddenly smiled as an owl took her picture.

"I certainly hope so." And she really did.

"DARLINGS!!!" They all looked up as a certain dancing Penguin came rushing towards them with a few penguin body guards behind him and a whole slew of cameras and birds behind him...and Poppy gulped...Uh oh. The Penguin came right up the the group of girls with a bright and cheery smile. "THERE YOU ARE!! Darlings, darlings, darlings!! This is the happiest day in my life!! And it's thanks to you all that made it all possible! I have a good feeling about tonight! A VERY good feeling!! I can not thank you both enough!!"

Hazelle waved a hand. "It's not a problem."

Poppy smiled nervously more. "N-No need ta thank me. Shucks. Ah only helped."

"Oh NO!! You all brought it together marvelously!! Don't be so bashful, Darling! You were beautiful out there!" Poppy flushed an embarrased pink at his compliment before he turned his attention to Cookie. "Cookie, Dearest! Look at you! You looked positively ravishing out there! Really stole the thunder away from the ol' Conductor now."

Cookie giggled as Muriel rolled her eyes behind her. "Oh you charmer.~"

Poppy sighed as they continued to talk up and even more people asked for the groups autographs and pictures. Some even throwing questions at her. Are you the Starella Actress? What made you audition for the part? How long have you been working with Dead Bird Studios? Peck. She just wanted to go home already. PLEASE LET THIS END SOON!!!

"ATTENTION EVERYONE!!" A loud voice boomed out and everyone looked over to the same owl lady that was previously talking to Conductor a little while ago. She stood in the middle of the room with both cameras on her, the judges behind her, and an owl holding a shiny gold trophy gleaming in their arms. "The judges have decided after much careful planning and the winner is about to be announced!" The room clambered with happy excitement as well as the small group and Mr. Grooves immediately laser focused on her as she looked to one of the judges. This was it. Oh boy this was it. Her heart beat picked up as did her breathing, her forehead sweating a bit as the owl lady was handed a piece of paper by one of the judges. She brought it to her face to read it. "And the winner of the 500th Annual Bird Movie Awards Ceremony is-........" She smiled and suddenly pointed somewhere away from her. "CONDUCTOR!!" Poppy could feel her mind shatter and her stomach drop upon hearing those words leave the owls mouth. The cackling bird walked walked up to the owl lady as the took the trophy from the other owl and handed it to Conductor who happily took it with a wide smile and shook her hand when she offered her wing. The crowd around them cheering as they did. "Congratulations, Mr. Conductor on your fabulous win!! Is there anything you'd like to say to the folks watching this success?" She offered the mic to him.

"Ahehehe!! Aye couldn't have done it without me lassie!! Not that I didn't think I wouldn't win, cuz who didn't?", he said smugly to the camera and she nodded before turning back to the cameras.

"Well this has been a rather exciting and eventful evening with lots of wonderful acting and talent. While the winner celebrates his victory, we'll go for a small commercial break. Stay tuned because it's not over yet. Later we'll have live interviews with the staff and actors behind the scenes of the movies tonight along with the judges and Mr. Grooves about how he's taking the loss of this year. Stay tuned for all the exciting bonus behind the scenes content as well. Expect a word from our sponser and even a secret interview with our special guest judge about their books and upcoming series. See you all back after the break." She made a cutting motion with her hand and the cameras were lowered from her.

Poppy slowly turned to the penguin in front of her. He looked....upset. Frowning and head lightly staring at his feet. ...And she swallowed the lump in her throat. "M-Mr. G-G-Grooves?? A-AH-.....I-I'm s-s-s-so sorry-"

He waved her off with a flipper giving a small smile and looking up to her. "No. No, Darling. I knew this might've happened and It's alright. It's not your fault. Everyone gave it there all and I couldn't have asked for a better crew. Besides....There's always next year."

Poppy felt bad. I mean she was absolutely relieved he didn't seem to be mad at her or think she owed him anything, but seeing him so sad after all the hard work that everyone had put in it was so sad. She still felt bad, but guess she couldn't change anything about it. No one noticed the penguin with no hat waddling up to them until he cleared his throat and Mr. Grooves gasped.

"*ahem* Mr. Grooves?"

"*GASP* M-M-M-MR. GWEN!!!"

".....Who?," Poppy asked looking between them.

"WHO?! DARLING THIS IS THE PENGUIN BEHIND THE STORY WE BASED THE PLAY OFF!! AND WINNER OF THE BIRD WIRITING AWARDS ELEVEN YEARS RUNNING!! THE MOST FAMOUS WRITER ON THE PLANET!!!" Eleven years winner AND famous? Wow. That's pretty impressive. Mr. Grooves smiled nervously and stammered out. "W-W-What are you doing here, Sir?"

".....I thought the dedication you put into staying true to the source material was.....masterful."

"W-Why thank you, Sir!!"

"And I wanted to discuss a possible series of movies of my other older classics with you."

Mr. Grooves's beak dropped!! And the two penguins stared at each other for the longest time before he managed to speak again. "A-A-Are you serious?!"

"Of course I am. You're the most famous movie director in penguin history. It'd be an honor to work with someone in your field knowing you'll stay true to what I write. So what do you say we do lunch within a week from next Tuesday? Yes?"

"I-I-I- YES!!" His smile came back BIGGER than before. "ABSOLUTELY YESS!! I-I-I look forward to it!!"

"Then I'll see you then. I look forward to doing business with you." He held out a flipper and Mr. Grooves happily shook it.

Poppy's face lit up like a star when seeing this. Mr. Grooves may have not won, but he got a great deal out of it as he seemed thrilled by it. After maybe another hour of Poppy congratulating everyone, and smiling and signing autographs and smiling for taking pictures-......She was absolutely mentally exhausted and tired. She guessed Snatcher must've noticed because he (demanded) told them all they were all leaving no so Poppy could rest her anxiety. After finding Cookie so the girls could say good bye, and then Finding Mr. Grooves so Poppy could congratulate him and say good bye, they exited with Hazelle through the back door to avoid the big crowds and parted ways with her in the alley as both her and Snatcher decided to teleport back home. So Snatcher was finally able to come out of their shadows grumpily. He was SO tired of being stepped on by everyone for a few hours, and soon they were whisked away back to the ship with that familiar dark purple surrounding them. The ship was just as they left it. Quiet and peaceful.

"THAT WAS AWESOME!!," Hattie shouted throwing her arms up. "Cookie was so pretty and cool! And then Conductor pulled the thing out like POP!! And then you were so pretty, Poppy!! And then you danced around and there was the milky way prince just like in the story and-"

"AND it's bed time," Poppy interjected making both girls awe in protest. "It's been a long night. But tell ya what. Ya'll go and get in pajamas by the time I get there and ah'll read ya that Starella book again before ya sleep. Deal?"

They had already run off towards the bedroom that opened and closed behind the two rushing children and she chuckled watching them go. Ah. To have that kind of energy. But she paused and looked behind her hearing Snatcher clear his throat, almost forgetting Snatcher was still there behind her. The two stared at each other for a little while before he looked away and spoke.

"Uh......I know you already heard this, but you did a decent job back there. Not that I enjoyed it or anything. ....And you looked....really nice...N-Not that I noticed or anything either."

Poppy stared at him for a moment, before smiling. "Thanks! And I never got ta thank ya for helpin' me when I got lost back there."

Snatcher scratched at his fluff. "Yeah. Well someone had to keep an eye on you to keep you out of trouble."

She giggled before patting his side. "I mean it. I appreciated your support back there."

He looked at her for a while. ".....Your welcome."

She smiled at him one last time before yawning and turning around. "W-Well...I better go and read them that story. They'll never sleep without it."

"Heh. Don't I know it."

She smiled before turning away. "Well. G'night."

"Good night, Poppy."

He watched her walk towards the girls' bedroom door for a moment, before turning around and surrounding himself in purple to take him back to the forest. He still had work that needed finishing.

#Snatcher

[nerdygirl2888]

Call It What You Want.

This story was inspired from the song

Call it what you want by Taylor Swift. 

I hope you all enjoy this little blurb of my imagination

Tina.

No one said life was easy, and Sarah Williams learned that first hand after she followed in her mother's footsteps. Falling into the world of the Industry as it was called. Auditions, casting calls, seeing her name up in lights on Broadway theatres boards. She was beautiful with her peaches and cream skin, dark tresses and vibrant green eyes. A slender body with just the right amount of curves for the wardrobe to appreciate when making her costumes.

Yes, she was a star, even if she made enemies doing it.

She learned the gritty side of the business and the men who ruled the roost, who used their power to take advantage of the young women who were trying to make a name for themselves. She fought, fucked and lied her way to the top; the string of men that came and went on her arm. They never compared to her ideal in the end. She hadn't meant to break up a marriage, she didn't want to be her mother. Yet she let the limelight blind her, she lost herself in the process. She was on top of her career, she was sought after and wanted by everyone whether it was for a role or to wear a couture gown at the Tony Awards. Yes, Sarah Williams was a superstar.

She had men falling at her feet, relationships ending and beginning each season. Soon she was too picky, too temperamental for them to put up with.

'Someone somewhere is sick of her shit' was the saying they recalled as they said her name on TMZ one night.

Then it came tumbling down piece by piece. Suddenly the Broadway princess was tarnished, she didn't want to be known as the woman that one young girl would know as daddies mistress one day. She holed herself up, stopped drinking and the needless prescription drugs that made up her life. Maybe her therapist was right and it was all in her head. Everything thing was just a made up fairy tale? It had been just all a strange dream.

No one would call on the Goblin King thinking he was real. This was just proof that she wasn't crazy. No one would show up in a cloud of glitter when called or in a form of an owl. Pictured like the one that sat on her hip, a white and brown barn owl taking off in flight.

How wrong had she had been when he stood in front of her when she spoke the words. Her adolescence was shaped by a dream that she didn't believe to be real. He had been keeping tabs on her through the years, he never could come to her because she took back that power that fateful night. Instead, he watched from afar flounder and drown in her own lies and affairs, he watched her realize that mistakes she had made and what she destroyed in the process.

How he saw beyond the frayed ends and knitted them back together was a mystery. She felt whole once again as she hid away in his kingdom.

They had no label, it was just them wandering the labyrinth, the castle. Telling him stories of Toby before she cut herself off from her family. They didn't understand the Industry it was simple as that. Her father gave up giving her legal advice and Irene well she only cared for the designer samples that Sarah sent to her.

She sent them a note saying she put herself into a rehab retreat. A place to think for herself and reevaluate her life. She spent her days by his side now, living a simpler life. She noticed things about him, despite being a king he was humble and kind to his subjects. He ruled fairly and did not use terror as a way to get what he wanted. How the roles reversed as she once considered him to be the villain. Instead, she was now the one who was vain and conceited. It comes with age he told her; he had his moments in his youth.

Slowly she returned to her life she was under contracts and needed to work so she wouldn't be blacklisted. She was cautious about being seen about the city at first. Refusing to let him be seen. This was theirs and the media would just ruin whatever they had.

They were meeting at a bookstore, they already caught wind of her already being there. She watched him from the window, his head down his blond hair falling forward as he was dressed in a long jacket, warm scarf and leather gloves. They locked eyes as she waved to him and greeted him from the window of the bookstore cafe.

Who was this unknown man? Who was Sarah Williams new beau? The tall, lanky golden hair man who looked dressed from the high streets of London?

The media were puzzled at the changes of the tarnished star who seemed more meek and modest in her words and actions. She kept to herself, she even skipped the Tony's that year which leads to an ambush of what was going on in her life. Her revivals were relishing in her seclusion as she worked less than she ever did. Rumours spread rampantly on her seclusion, the lack of social media. Some praised her for changing her life around other called it was a ploy to get attention when she decided to return.

Press are going about how she showed her true colours to the world. Everyone placing bets on when she would mess up and throw aside this mystery man. They didn't know it has already been months for them, you could even say this had been in the works for years. He was the one to keep her stable in this world she lived in. Warm and fed most nights when he was there, letting her cry over new tabloids and telling her that it didn't matter what people thought of her anymore.

After everything, all she needed was to look in those strange eyes of his to feel grounded to know she did one thing right in her life. All she had to do was believe, believe in the magic she once longed to forget or believe was all a dream.

She did the right thing, she told him one night. Her secret that haunted her, she didn't regret it but she couldn't hide it from him. No child should have been brought into a world of chaos when her world tumbled from undeneath her. He told her understood, that he didn't judge her for her decision. She made the one that seemed right for her and her life.

Nothing matters beside them as the curled up in her apartment, or his bedchamber. She could trust him. Something she hadn't done in so long was trust someone. Friends were rare in the industry you never could be real without the fear of being betrayed. He however she trusted, he was the one thing she did right.

It was him who managed to get her to reconnect with her family; to reach out and apologize. It had been an emotional upheaval for everything that day. Toby was a teenager, who seemed confused by his sister. He had been hurt when she cut them off from her life, but now was trying to make amends. He wanted to be happy to see her but didn't want to have her disappear again. It took a long talk that she would never do that to him again; she told him she understood that trust had to be earned and she would try her best to earn his trust once more.

She did the right thing by calling him; without him, without that those eyes that could piece together her broken soul and heart in the aftermath of her downward spiral. The same ones she looked into in the large candle lit room as he kissed her body over and over. Leisurely lovemaking in the early mornings so that slept late into the mornings.

Slowly they ventured out together more in the cities, slowly the media became for positive as they chased for the story of her life changes and choice in jewellery. The small charm with a tiny J on it. Was that his name starting with J?

Soon stories were fabricated, elaborate tales of being a wealthy businessman. Jared King, so if she accidentally called him Jareth it could be put down as being misheard. They were happy, keeping out the spotlight as often as they could. They were boring and mundane in their lives which lead to the press getting bored.

The rare time she spoke of him she was quoted after being asked how he played a part in her recovery on the red carpet for a premiere of her latest show

"I told him he didn't need to save me. We are happy and in love, that is all you need to know." She held his arm as they walked down the long line of carpet. The photos would show like a King and Queen, dressed in their finery. Her ethereal silver-white gown that floated around her. Everyone noticed just how much her eyes sparkled as she gazed up at him. Even his suit being exactly tailored to him that it showed off his lean frame. The fashion police commenting just how well his pants fit him, and if that it was a roll of change in his pocket or not. Sarah Williams seemed to be one lucky woman they concluded.

He rarely spoke a word to the press, keeping silent as she did her thing. The only indirect quote that you could take from him was him telling someone in an annoyed tone, "Your past doesn't define your future. I love her because she is everything to me."

The mystery of Sarah Williams and her eventual disappearance from the industry was a mystery. If they only knew that she was a Queen in another world, with her king beside her. Occasionally you could spot them wandering the park or visiting a museum with two small children; a little blonde girl, and a dark-haired boy who inherited their father's tall slender form.

They came and went as years passed by. Her name once up in lights now was know something of the past. Still, her name echoed in the media, sometimes when another star fell, or maybe it was when a young woman credited her in allowing a generation to see you could save yourself if you truly tried.

Call it what you want, but Sarah William made a name for herself in this world and another.

#taylor swift #fanfic #labyrinth #goblinking #call it what you want

[aurea-mare-blog]

Quiet me from a nightmare

Leave a “Quite Me” in my ask, and I’ll write a drabble about my character trying to calm yours down [be it from crying, from lashing out, feel free to specify.]

“Drabble” the prompt said. This is not a drabble. 

That being said, enjoy(?). 

When they first met - or arguably when they first interacted - Sinbad had a general idea of what Ja’far had been through in his short life. After all, this child sitting in front of him had actually bragged about killing his own parents, and had just made an attempt on Sinbad’s own life; an attempt that might well have succeeded had he not happened to choose that moment to roll over. But having a general idea about what his would-be companion had gone through and knowing the facts were as different as the heat of his village in the desert and the snow drifts and glaciers of Imuchakk. It was a vast difference he wouldn’t truly appreciate until later, after the trials of the Dungeon they had conquered there and began their voyage together. 

It was on the sea, feeling the gentle rock of the waves and hearing the lap of water against the boards of the ship, with the salt on his tongue and the breeze playing with his hair, that he found out that difference. The moon was high in the sky, pulling at the tides, surrounded by so many stars there wasn’t a number high enough to count to, not a cloud in sight. But the quiet night was disrupted by a soft sound, one so small Sinbad would have missed it if he hadn’t already been awake, brain still short-circuited over the lessons they’d been drilled with. It confused him at first, and when it sounded again, he followed the cries - because that’s what they were, weren’t they? - to the mast and looked up. Sinbad frowned, then began his climb, the rope rough against his hands as he made his way up to the crow’s nest. There, he found Ja’far curled in a tight ball, eyelashes moist and chest jerking with small hiccups, still lost in whatever sights he was seeing. 

Hopping over the railing, Sinbad quickly knelt beside his companion, shaking his shoulder, trying to pull him from whatever horrors were holding his trapped and putting such a tormented expression on his face. “Ja’far! Hey, wake up,” he called, shaking him again. His eyes flew open, and for a moment, Sin relaxed, until he got a better look at him.

Sinbad had thought he was prepared for whatever reaction he’d get, but it wasn’t enough to dodge the knife swung blindly at his face. With a startled sound, he jerked back, knocking his shoulder against the wooden boards of the nest, heart jumping into his throat as Ja’far threw himself at him. Sinbad caught his arm as it came down, calling out to him again and again, more panicked this time. 

Finally, as the seconds stretched on, the focus came back into Ja’far’s eyes, his ragged breathing changing just enough to let Sinbad know that he was finally completely awake. He stayed with him that night, and many of the following nights, explaining away injuries he sometimes received as the results of training and his own clumsiness. 

As the years passed, the nights Sinbad pulled him from the claws of his own nightmares lessened, Ja’far’s life as an assassin becoming a distant memory, a past to be buried beneath a new life as they forged new paths for themselves. 

But that wasn’t to say it never happened. 

It was a quiet night in the summer that found Sinbad curled up around the advisor, the hot, humid air not enough to keep him from clinging to his lover. After years of caring for Ja’far, the king had become sensitive to the slightest sound the other man made while at rest. Most nights he slept quietly, barely breathing, so still that the warmth of his skin was the only thing to give away the fact that he was still among the living at all. But there were some night that he thrashed and cried so violently that Sinbad would have to swaddle him in the bedding to keep him from hurting himself, rocking him like a babe while he hushed his sobs and held him tighter until he could call him back to consciousness. 

There was never any sign of when the night terrors would catch him in his grips. Sometimes it was during the monsoon season when the widows were buffeted by screaming winds, nearly torn from the sills by the rain that followed alongside it. Other nights it was like now, when the light of bonfires were still dying down as the last of the festivities were brought to a slow stop, drunken laughter heard all the way from the warf as every other creature slept, unlikely to wake until the sun was well into the sky later that day. 

The small whimper was what drew him to begin his waking process, alerting him to the needs of his lover - but it was the sharp burn in his side that had him jerking awake with a gasp. Too dark to assess the damage, Sinbad turned his attention to Ja’far as he began pushing against his chest, fat tears rolling down his cheeks. His face looked so tormented and broken that Sin could feel his chest tighten with the need to break with him. 

This was his fault, after all. 

Before, Ja’far had been haunted by his past, by the things he had done to others and what other had done to him; but it was when Sinbad had saved him from becoming fallen that the true horrors of his actions had been released onto his mind, his forts torn down and burned away. Sinbad might night have lit the blaze, but he had taken away the mote that had protected the walls from catching the spark that had become a dangerous inferno. 

“…Ja’far…” Sin whispered, voice cast low and calming, steady despite the ache he felt. The king reached out, shaking his shoulder as gently, but firmly as he could. Ja’far lashed out again, and Sinbad hissed, unable to move out of the way in the position they were in. He slapped at his hand, hearing a dull thud as something hard in the floor on the other side of the bed, before pulling Ja’far to his chest, holding him tight and restricting his movement as best he could despite his thrashing. 

“Ja’far,” he said, lips pressed against his ear, kissing his sweat-soaked hair, “come back to me. I’m right here, I’ve got you. Just wake up, you’ll be okay. It’s just a dream.” Sinbad repeated the words over and over again, until his head became light and his voice scratched his throat.

Slowly, he could feel the response as Ja’far came to his senses. The minutes dragged on, until finally, finally, Sinbad could feel him sag as the tension ran out of him like the string of a marionette pulled too tight finally snapping. He continued hushing him over and over as Ja’far panted against his neck, hiccuping and sobbing.

When Ja’far finally began to raise his head, Sinbad held him back down with weak arms. How long had he been holding him as tight as he had? His fingers were numb, and the lightheadedness was worsening. He took a deep breath to steady himself. 

“Sin?” Ja’far asked, voice rough from crying. He tried to pull up again, and again, Sinbad held him down. “Sinbad, what-?”

“Ja’far,” he cut in softly, stroking the back of his head, down to the hard shapes against his spine and lower, enjoying the feel of the textures, repeating the movement a few times before speaking again. “Ja’far, listen. It’s not your fault,” Sinbad said, swallowing thickly, “you didn’t mean to, so don’t blame yourself.”

“Sin, what are you talking about?”

“It wasn’t on purpose and I forgive you - but I need you to get Yamu.”

Ja’far froze, and this time when he moved to pull away, Sinbad let him, wet fingers trailing across his cheek, leaving two lines of red against the shine of his sweaty, pale cheeks. The king could pinpoint the exact moment he realized what had happened, what he had done while lost to whatever torture he’d been subjected to by his own mind less than an hour before. The way his mouth fell open and the horror filled his eyes, body turning so tense he’d probably snap in half right in front of him if he let him. 

“Ja’far, hurry,” Sin said, his voice still cast low, but he tried to add in as much force as he could summon. It seemed to be enough to jolt him into action, and while he seemed to need to remember how his limbs functioned for a moment, his lover threw himself off the bed, grabbing his robes almost as an afterthought as he stumbled for the door. Sinbad watched him go, smiling reassuringly when he glanced back. 

“Sin, I’m so sorry…” 

And then he was gone, the creme of his robes disappearing in a flutter as the door was thrown open and his bare feet pounding down the hall as he ran. Sinbad pressed his hands to the wounds, not wanting to look at them or see what a bloody mess his sheets probably were. His fingers slipped across his skin and he groaned at each touch, but he put as much pressure as he could summon against them. 

Next time, he would make sure Ja’far’s knives were the first things to come off when he undressed him, and that they were kept well out of reach. 

Looking out the window as he waited, Sinbad watched the sky turn from its black-blue to grey, casting a sparkle over the ocean as sunrise crept closer. Slowly, without realizing it, his eyes began to close, the scenery printed across the back of his eyelids, a familiar sight. It was home to him. 

Distantly, he could hear a pounding, but whether that was Ja’far’s return or his own heartbeat, he didn’t know, too lost to the feeling of drifting in the ocean that surrounded his kingdom…

#{a snake in the garden of eden; redstringassassin} #sinja #{ask meme} #mine