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catyo90 · 11 months

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Fighting Fate: Chapter 2

Ch.1,

(Wow you guys really wanted a continuation of this....well who the heck am I to deny yall. Consider this a confirmed series that I will write out. Enjoy!!!)

Ganondorf smiled to himself as he overlooked his kingdom, to see the women and children going about their days as the sounds of the desert surrounded the area with the sun beginning to set for the day. He looked over his shoulder to see Zelda at his desk writing out a letter to be sent to all of the realms as to inform of the union that would come to pass. He couldn’t help but find it a bit funny that she needed a plush pillow in order to sit properly as the desk was much bigger.

He knew that this union would be a difficult one to accept, but if he was truly to insure his peoples freedom then he would be willing. But in the back of his mind he knew this union was not entirely unwelcome. She was a fair and wise girl for such a young age and his attempt to wed Sonia was never going to come to pass, he scoffed at the memory of when he first saw Queen Sonia when both of them were teens. She was just as beautiful as she was now, but years of being apart caused them to drift apart, especially when he found out her betrothal to the Zonai. A memory that would haunt him for the rest of his days.

A small tap on his arm made him flinch ever so slightly as he looked down to see Zelda holding the finished letters.

“You wished to over look the letters did you not?” She asked as he nodded to her and took them to read them. In short they were a simple and none showed of any fear or warning of their union. The ones to the Zora, Goron and Rito were straight to the point and offered comforting words in showing that the union was agreed by both parties. The one written to the hyrulian though were written more as a sign of peace, saying more how the Gerudo were treating her fairly and how no hostility was found with him. It was strange to see how she wrote positive words of his people when many hyrulian saw most Gerudo as thieves and warriors with no mercy.

“They are acceptable. I will have my fastest riders send them to your guards at the border then they can deliver them to each realm.”

“Before you do there is one matter you still need to do.”

He gave her puzzled look as she handed him the quill.

“A show of good faith with your signature and mine on each of them will show that there is no hidden agendas or tricks for the others to worry for.”

He scoffed.

“As if they would care for what I think. They will never truly trust us.” He gestured out to the kingdom.

“Then make them. I promise you...it will help. They will see that you truly wish for peace, trust me on this matter King Ganondorf.”

He was about to speak out once more but he knew there was no point, she was quite headstrong and stubborn, she would make a better Gerudo than Hylian with such traits. He walked over to the desk and signed his name at the bottom of each letter and she signed her own name next to his.

“Perfect, now they may be sent out. She said walking up to one of the women guards who kneeled down and took them bowing her head to both of them leaving them in the room by themselves.

Ganondorf simply shook his head pinching the bridge of his nose realizing that there would be even more political matters in the future. Something a warrior king truly hated...maybe even more the idea of swearing fealty to Rauru.

Zelda turned her gaze to him and softly coughed to get his attention.

“If you would be willing...I would like to see more of your kingdom. Perhaps a walk around the city before it gets too dark.”

He thought on it for a moment before walking over to the throne grabbing his blade in hand. As he motioned for her to follow him. She did so trying to match his speed, every step he took would be equal to three of her own. She watched as he walked ahead of her down the main stairs to see the women guards she had come with were being offered some fruits and drinks as some of the Gerudo women placed fabrics down on the ground clearly showing good faith. The guards noticed her walking with him and for a moment were about to stand up at attention until she waved a hand at them for them to be at ease. It pleased her to see that not all of the Gerudo seemed to hate the Hylians, perhaps staying in his domain would truly help the kingdoms relations.

They both turned at the corner of one of the alleyways to where she saw a few of the small shops, most with food and clothes where she saw other traveling hylians offering trade. She had heard that Ganondorf was open to the trade of the people who were wondering the deserts as not all Hylians were sworn to the crown and preferred the life of being on the open road.

“King Ganondorf!” She heard the sound of multiple small footsteps running their direction to see many young kids run up to their king were he leaned down smiling at each of them gently rubbing their heads messing up their hair in the process. One of the children snuck up behind and climbed up his back making him sigh as they tried to topple him over with no success. Zelda smiled and couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. She saw his gaze fall on her for a moment before the children stood behind him looking over at her. Clearly a bit nervous to see a hylian of her stature. She could see them whispering to him and suddenly he chuckled to himself as he pointed to her and whispered them something that made them all smile and run up to her.

“Lady Zelda come with us! Please you’ll want to meet them.”

“Yes please miss you with love them they are the cutest sand seals.”

“oh I suppose...alright...woah” She said as the girls gently pulled her hand forward and some gently pushed her legs forward. The sigh made Gannon smirk to himself as he walked behind them carrying two of the girls on his shoulder as they gripped his hair laughing as he walked.

Zelda saw the children bringing her to a side stable where a large pen was. The children let go of her hands and ran to the fence to look at the sand for any vibrations. Zelda as well was a bit curious as she looked at the sand with them until a small rumble could be seen but then disappeared.

“Aw no fair, they must be sleeping.”

“Well perhaps all they need is to hear his call.” one of the children said looking up at Ganondorf. He rolled his eyes for a moment as he spoke.

“They are not sleeping children...they are simply waiting.”

Zelda looked curiously at her and then back at the sand when suddenly two of the biggest sand seals she had ever seen pounced out of the ground bringing their heads to the top of the pen.

“In the name of the goddess...they are huge. I never imagined they grew this big” Zelda said as the children laughed and smiled as they walked up to them giving them pets. Ganon walked beside her putting the two children on his shoulder on the ground.

“They have to be, they are mine to command and ride. None of the smaller ones could handle me.”

“Oh...” She said as got a better look at them as they licked the children's hands and faces. One had much more grey than brown fur with a red mane with larger tusks than the other. The other while the same size had blueish fur with a white mane to match. She saw one of the children pick up a whole melon from the side of the pen and offered it to them, eating it in one big bite.

“Miss, here here your turn.” one of the children offered a smaller piece of melon to her pulling her closer to them. Zelda smiled as she broke the piece in half offering both of them. The seals hummed to themselves as they each ate them so quick that it almost surprised her. They licked her hands and gently nuzzled their mouth toward her hands trying to lick up the juice left on them. She started to laugh at the feeling as she watched the children smiling and laughing with her. Ganondorf watched with a bit of surprise and curiosity.

Most hylians were not used to sand seals yet she seemed to be completely at ease around them, it was as if she had seen them before yet he knew she had never been to his kingdom before, he simply chalked it up to her having seen them when she arrived but still it was a bit odd.

Suddenly the sound of a spear hitting the ground was heard as two women stood behind looking to the children.

“Children the moon is out, you should head home for the night. You will all need your rest to become great warriors.”

The children looked a bit disappointed as they simply nodded as Ganondorf held a hand out to the warrior women giving the children a moment before leaning down to them and putting his blade away from their sight as he opened his arms out to them and offered a giant hug making each of them smile and laugh as he lifted them from the ground as if they weighed nothing. They all laughed as he placed them down on the ground running off into the directions of their homes. he smiled to himself before looking over to Zelda who was utterly shocked.

The demon king that she knew would never have done that, heck it was almost impossible for her to even imagine. Yet here he was offering them kind actions like a father would to his children.

“So surprised to see such acts from their King...” He said a bit coldly to her thinking the look she gave him was one of judgement.

“No. Its...its just nice to see they are enjoying their childhoods...I never really had such an option.” She grew a bit saddened as the memories of her father constantly criticizing her for her interests in the tech and the loss of her childhood when her mother passed. She honestly couldn’t recall the last time her father made her smile like that.

He looked ashamed of himself for what he said. He should have known that being related to the royal hyrulian family was no easy task, after all the responsibility was not unknown to him. She looked to see Ganondorf facial expression change as he looked at his sand seals and then out at the gate leading into the desert and immediately a thought came to his mind.

“Did you still wish to see the lands of my kingdom?”

‘Of course.”

He hummed to himself for a moment as he whistled to the his seals that perked up their ears and immediately ran to the front of the gate. She watched as Ganon tied a small supply back on to the back and checked the ropes tied to the gigantic sled, he stood on it and checked the ropes before offering his hand to her.

“Your not afraid now are you? Tough girl.” He said with a small smirk.

She shook her head as she took his hand letting her stand in front of him with his arms on either side holding onto the handle of the sled. He kicked up the reins and in an instant the seals ran off into the vast ocean of the sand. She felt her whole body hit into the front of his as she tried to keep herself stable until she felt his arm wrapped around her midsection. She couldn’t help herself by grabbing his arm, to be both surprised and maybe perhaps a bit welcome at the gesture . The sand seals rushed into the dunes past multiple sinkholes almost too close for comfort, jumping out of the sand so quickly made her whole body lift off the sled a bit making her laugh but also scream surprisingly as she saw them climbing through the thick desert sand up the hills to see a small oasis that seemed to be void of any people. The cool desert air pricked her skin as she felt the grains of sand cling to her skin and clothes. The seals stopped just a bit short of the small oasis shaking off their fur as Ganondorf looked down at her only to laugh loudly at the sight. Her hair was slightly a mess and still she clung onto his arm with her legs shaking a bit.

“That was....that was not what I expected.”

“Hahaha. Perhaps you would want to try it again so you get used to it.”

“No, no, I'm fine with us stopping here...” She said looking down at her hand on his arm, immediately feeling her ears getting a bit warmer as she quickly moved it to fix her hair.

“You...you can let go of me now.”

“Are you sure about that?” He said moving his arm lower so she was sitting on it lifting her up to his eye level.

“I wouldn’t want my new bride to hurt herself.”

“Y.....yes I am very sure...please.”

“As you wish.”

He smiled to himself as he placed her back on the ground as he stood off of the sled untying the ropes allowing the seals to drink from the oasis. He looked behind him to see Zelda looking out into the now illuminated sands by the moon. The wind howling into the night as the faint hue of the kingdoms lights could be seen. He breathed in the night air, moments like this reminded why he was fighting so hard for his people. He knew what the other realm thought and in truth he couldn’t have cared less. All he really wanted was freedom, both for his people and himself. For years he hated that the knowledge of Demise’s curse flowing through his blood made all those who looked upon him as nothing but a monster. The moment from his birth he was told that he would lead the people to their true value...yet he would be hated and feared by all. Perhaps it was foolish of him to hope that he could change his fate.

Suddenly he felt his sand seals leaning on him offering a comforting nudge of their heads as he pet them. He leaned over to the sled and untied the rug that he kept with him in case he was to scout for days on end along with his troops. He placed it down on the hard ground as he watched his older seal sitting behind him as the younger seal lay down beside him breathing slowly knowing fully well the children must have fed them more than they thought they could handle.

As he looked over Zelda and noticed she was shivering. The moon light glazed over her skin making her look almost like a holy spirit as the dress she wore which was lightly covered in sand blew in the air in time with her hair. Yet she was still a sight for sore eyes, truly one he didn’t expect to enjoy.

“Lady Zelda...” He said seeing her turn around gripping her arms as she noticed him sitting down beside his seals with an arm gesturing to the spot next to him. The moon illuminating his body in a low glow as the gold accessories he wore gleamed in the light. His vibrant red hair surrounding his frame as the loose Gerudo clothes blew in the wind. She was now completely nervous. Why was he being like this to her? They were not wed and yet he was acting completely differently than she ever expected. This man was the reason for all the pain in her time, Mipha, Urbosa, Revali and Daruk. All of them died by his hand, the pain inflected on her kingdom and Link.

Link... She had almost forgotten that he was searching for her in their time. But she knew the choice she made was for the best. By marrying him, all the deaths and suffering that happened will never come to pass. But then again there was no true guarantee that it would happen...after all with the blood of the goddess in her veins and Demise in him...fate might be cruller to them than any past incantations. She would not allow such a fate to happen again...not if she could stop it.

“You’ll freeze if you just stand there.” He said this time patting the rug as if it were no big deal.

She simply nodded in agreement as she sat next to him as the younger of the seal cuddled up to her allowing all the warmth to return to her body. She looked up at Ganondorf and spoke.

“...Thank you. In truth I did not think you to be like this to a woman you barely knew...seeing as we both have strange fates...”

“You should know by now that I am not a complete and utter monster. I am a man first and a king second. Whatever the other realms see in me...I will change that fate. No matter how it must be done.”

He looked down at her.

“I can see in your eyes that you wished at some point that you never had the blood of the goddess in your veins...for what reason you need not tell me...but clearly your family sees you as thing to be relished on a pedestal...a holy figure.”

She saw him look up at the stars and sighed. She knew what he meant, living a normal life was never going to happen. She had to grow up fast and learn to fight off the Calamity since she was very young. While the protecting the realm was more than enough a reason to do it...it was never truly enough for those around her. Only the champions and Link truly understood her and yet...here she was sitting with their enemy so to be wed and in truth felt that he too understood her struggle.

“I do hope that this...” She gestured to both of them.

“Will truly work.”

“We will have to wait and see.” He said leaning back. When he felt her lay her head against his arm which surprised him seeing her gently petting the younger seals head making it hum in appreciation. He could feel his heart beat ever so quickly at the sight as a small blush came upon his face as he ran a hand through his hair trying to ignore it.

“King Ganondorf....”

“Hmm.”

“I meant to ask, what are there names” she said pointing to the seals.

He pointed to the bigger one and then to the smaller one.

“ Cerbofog and Tuguk.” the seals moved their heads in response but soon calmed down and layed back down in the sand.

“Really...Huh...”

“What? They are Gerudo warrior names. What would you name them?”

“Well...personally they look more like Blubber and Flipper to me...”

The look on his face was one of pure cringe at the idea of the names for him being so...casual. It didn’t help that when she called them that they actually looked up with wide smiling faces barking in excitement.

“See...even they like the idea of nicknames like that.” She said rubbing their fur causing them to roll over in pure joy as she ruffled up their manes in a friendly manner. He was never gonna the hear the end of this from her. But the sight of her laughing as the newly appointed Blubber and Flipper loved on her even more than before made him sigh to himself...for once...in a very long time did he feel peace.

#zelgan #zelda #link #ganondorf #fightingfate #fanfiction #the legend of zelda #tears of the kingdom #breath of the wild #hope you enjoy #ganon x zelda

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dragon-chica · 1 year

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A Relationship With Doric And Then Simon Would Include:

Fandom: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

You were already an item with Doric when Simon entered the picture.

You'd noticed him talking to himself (trying to psych himself up) about something for days by the time he finally got up to courage to approach Doric, who you were sitting beside at the time.

With a carefully written letter of his "useful qualities" and a lot of sweating and wiping his palms on his sides, Simon asked permission to court your girlfriend.

She sat bewildered for a short moment while you tried to stifle a laugh, no offense to Simon who was clearly trying his best.

It was obvious he wasn't from around here, everyone know full well you and Doric were a couple not to be messed with.

Nor is she known for softening the blow on her bluntness.

"I'm already with someone."

Simon's eyes nearly pop out of his head, clasping his hands together and the note he tried to hand Doric goes flying.

"That-that's wonderful! So happy for you, who, um who is it? Not that that's any of my business."

She opens her hands in a showing motion and looks towards you, sat pressed against her and observing the spectacle before back to him. You wave slightly to the poor guy.

"Ah! You look like a very happy couple, congratulations, so glad for you both. In that case my I um- mayIcourtyouboth?" he speeds through the last words as fast as he can.

"No."

"That's fine too! Sorry to bother you both, I'll be on my way."

You both watch as he hurries and trips running towards the staircase down the trees.

"That was fun." You supply, knocking your shoulder to hers.

"Not really."

The next time you encounter Simon is when he and his party come pleading for help on their quest, and daresay, he's even more awkward than before facing you both.

Mentions how he's not trying to disrespect your decision and totally understands. (mumbles that he wouldn't court himself either)

But you find him and his blunders rather amusing and working with such a group is pretty fun, even if Doric isn't quick to admit it. Rolling her eyes at you instead.

"He's kind of cute, don't you think?"

You're sitting with Doric as Simon is flung with the helm for the umpteenth time.

"If you find sad and pathetic attractive, then yes I suppose."

"Sad and pathetic, strong and badass, I have varying tastes."

She elbows you none too gently but you can see the upturn to her lips.

Your advocating for Simon definitely helped out with his chances.

"So did you memorize that little list of his or what?"

"I just said he's cute and can make a house smell like fresh grass!"

When he asks again if he could have the chance to court you both, she looks at you just long enough to make him worry then rolls her eyes and accepts.

Simon is THRILLED, did not think that would work. Does is absolute best so that you don't regret it, you try to get him to calm down.

"Quit trying so hard, you'll strain yourself. Y/n was just as bad when they started courting me. It's annoying."

"Hey!"

#Doric the Druid x reader #Doric the Druid imagine #Simon Aumar x reader #Simon Aumar imagine #Dungeons & Dragons Honor Among Thieves x reader #Dungeons & Dragons Honor Among Thieves imagine #D&D HAT x reader #D&D HAT imagine #my stuff

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momolady · 1 year

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Keishara the Orc

The royal and the bodyguard trope, almost as beloved as enemies to lovers. The twist here is that the prince (who is shy around women) must deal with his lady bodyguard as he travels home. Also, features the first appearance of Mythri in quite sometime!

Male Reader x Female Monster

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For the past few years, you’ve been away studying at the Rakshasa Academy. While there, you had been a personal guest to King Amit and Queen Mythri, who had been gracious hosts. But a few weeks ago, you received a letter from you family, saying you needed to put your studies on hold since your father’s life was a risk. He had been attacked while visiting local villages, so they were sending you a bodyguard for your trip back home.

“I know your stressed, young prince,” Mythri said to you. “But I am sure you’re willing to make the trip home right now.”

You nodded. “I’ve not stopped worrying about my father since I received that letter. Once the guard comes, I am all too ready to get home.”

Mythri gave you a soft smile. It was the smile of a mother, which had reassured you this entire time. “Any idea who they have sent?”

“Uh yes-” You replied, feeling a warmth come to your cheeks. “A warrior woman named Keishara.”

There was a light that came to Mythri’s eyes then. “Do you know her?”

You shook head. “I’m not sure of the full story. Only that my mother trusts her.”

Mythri humed. “Keishara, that’s an elven name I believe.”

Your cheeks kept warming. “Yeah. It is.” You had always been a bit bashful around women. Here at the school you had hoped to break that habit. But you still fumbled and stuttered no matter how you tried to build your confidence. The fact that Keishara was an elf had you blushing already. But there was something about her also being a warrior that had your mind boggled. You had always admired strong women, but muscular women…it made your heart into a galloping horse.

The day Keishara arrived you were ready to go. You were sick of worrying for your family, and you were eager to get home and see what needed to be done. After being alerted that keishara was waiting, you got dressed and gathered the few belongings you were taking with you.

You saw Mythri and Amit talking at the gate while your horse was waiting. “I’m here!” You called out.

Mythri stepped aside and standing before her was a tall woman with pale green skin.Your heart jumped up into your throat as you gazed at her. She was half orc!

“Y-you must be kei-Keishara.” You shakily offered your hand to her. “Pleasure to meet you.”

Keishara had pale blue eyes that glanced over you like sharp glass. She shook your hand with a strong grasp. “Nice to meet you.”

“You too,” you managed to keep your voice from shaking. “Thank you for coming this far, and thank you for helping me get home safely.”

Keishara nodded her head. “It’ll be a long trip home. I hope you’re ready for it.”

You swallowed, fear and nerves weren’t going to get the best of you. “I’m not used to it, but I’ll try my best.”

Keishara’s pale eyes inspected you again, satisfied she gave a small, crooked smile. She was a hair taller than you with pale brown hair tied back into a fishtail braid.

“Are you sure you don’t want us sending any extra help?” Amit asked.

Keishara shook her head as she brought your horse forward. “No. We need to appear inconspicuous. Besides, I can handle it.”

“Handle what exactly?” You asked.

She tosse dher braid over her shoulder. “A group of thieves has tried blackmailing their way into protection money. When your father tried forcing them out, it made them mad and they called in some more help. They found out your location, so they plan on getting to you before you get home.” Keishara said as she put your things into the saddle.

You got onto your horse. “Is it safe for me to travel then?”

To your shock, Keishara got on behind you. She was so close to you. You were just glad she couldn’t see how red your face would be. “That’s why I am here.”

You bid your goodbyes, and then you were on the road heading west towards your kingdom.

“We’ll be taking some of the more off the beaten paths trails,” Keishara explained to you. “We’ll be able to hide easier, and I know some safe houses along the way. It’ll be a lot of hard riding.”

Your face was bright red. Her strong arms had been around you most of the journey thus far. Not to mention she was so close, aside from the classroom you hadn’t spent this much time so very, very close to a a woman like this.

“If it’s for my family, I can handle it,” you managed to get out without choking.

Keishara chuckled. “I like that. I’ll admit, I was worried.”

Young lanced back at her. “Really? Why?”

“I was afraid I was going to have to deal with some sort of spoiled brat. No offense,” she chuckled.

“I’m more of an educated weakling than spoiled,” you laughed. “But I promise I will try and pull my own weight around here.”

“Just keep yourself safe. My job is to get you home in one piece,” Keishara replied.

You stopped one evening just before dusk, finding a nice spot near the river. So your horse could rest and you could refill your water supply.

“This should do it,” Keishara huffed as she got off the horse. She looked around as you got off the back of the horse. “We’re pretty secluded with all these trees around.”

“It’ll be nice to rest somewhere quiet too,” you huffed. “That place the other day still has my nerves wrecked.”

She smiled down at you. “You’re gonna have to learn to toughen up, princy if you hope to be king one of these days.”

You grunted, rubbing your neck which was still sore from resting on it wrong a few days ago. “I don’t think I’ll have to deal with conditions like a loft above whatever sort of fighting club that was.”

Keishara chuckled and placed her hand around the back of your neck. She kneaded into it, making you feel a whole lot better. But it also made you turn bright red.

“Why don’t you get the tent set up while I get a fire started?” She suggested. “You’re a master at it now, right?” She winked as she stepped aside, taking the axe from the side of the horse.

“Y-yeah!” You were happy to have something to distract you.

Journeying with Keishara hadn’t been all awful. She had taught you a few things that you had known before, like setting up a camp, building fires, even how to swing a sword properly. You’d trained with a sword long ago, but yours was mostly for show.

You set up the tent, laying yours and Keishara’s sleeping packs side by side. You had been sleeping so close to her all this time, and still you grew flustered and embarrassed around her. All this time together, you couldn’t help but grow feelings.

You came out of the tent as Keishara was bringing sticks and twigs from the woods. She had also drug up an old log to chop.

“Good job, princy. Maybe you can work on building a house next,” she chuckled.

“It would be a pretty shitty house, Kei,” you laughed.

She grinned, her crooked smile wrinkled her turned up nose. “Rest a minute. Maybe go refill the skeins for us while I finish up.”

You nodded and gave her a shy smile. “You got it.”

When you got back, Keishara was chopping wood, and you were admiring her all the while. Her strong arms were covered in soft freckles, and in the light of the fire her skin looked so lovely.

“Do you need any help?” You asked.

Keishara shook her head. “I’ll be fine. Just stay put long enough for me to get a bath.” She wiped her brow.

You blushed looking at her.

“Hand me that water though.” She held out her hand to you.

You placed the skien in her hand, placing yours in such a way your fingers touched.

“Thanks, princy,” she said with a smirk. She gulped down the water, taking a breath then using the hem of her tunic to wipe her mouth. You glanced away shyly, not wanting her to think you were staring.

“Do you need to stand guard or anything?” You offered.

Keishara chuckled. “The river is just right behind those bushes. I should be fine.” She patted the sword on her hip.

Once the fire got going, Keishara went down to the river to get a bath. You laid back, sighing tranquilly as you took in the sounds of the forest. The quiet hush of the trees as a breeze went through them. The twittering and warbling of the birds within the branches. You were almost asleep when you heard a scream from the river.

Your body tingled and burnt with fear, but rather than running to hide, you grabbed the axe by the fire and raced towards the river. You came out upon the shore and you saw Keishara standing in the river but nothing else.

“What’s wrong?” You cried out. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine!” Keishara turned around shyly, her arms pressed over her breasts. “I saw a snake in the river.”

Your eyes were fixated upon her, even though you knew you needed to be more gentlemanly than that. But Keishara was gorgeous. You had never seen her long hair undone from the braid before, it it hung in curls around her shapely body.

You quickly averted your eyes and cleared your throat. “I heard you scream, i got worried.”

“I’m fine, just afraid of snakes!” She called out.

You whole body felt on fire. “Okay that’s good.”

There was a long moment of silence between you two where you could only hear the river rushing by.

“Coudl you go now?” Keishara asked.

“Sorry! Yes! I’ll go I’ll-” You fumbled and stumbled, panicking when you realizing your foible. But as you tried to leave, you tripped over a root ont he shore, toppling over and rolling into the river.

You got out in a hurry, splashing and flailing then quickly running back towards the campsite while Keishara laughed behind you.

You got out of your sopping clothes and hung them near the fire, wearing instead a simple long tunic from your pack. Keishara returned later, a slight smile upon her face. Her hair was still down, a gorgeous sight, but you were still too mortified to look at her.

“Are you alright, princy?”

“Physically, I’m fine. Mentally I am beyond repair.”

Keishara sat down beside you at the fire. “Oh come on. I should be more embarrassed.”

You glanced at her shyly. “You? Why?”

She scoffed. “I call myself a warrior, but I got scared by a little snake,” she chuckled. “You must think I’m a chicken.”

“Never!” You blurted.

Keishara turned and smiled at you. “Well, you were quite brave. Coming in swinging that axe when you thought I was in danger.” She combed her fingers through her long hair.

“I don’t know what good I would have been had it been anything other than a snake,” you scoffed.

“Trust me, you’d be more than capable.” She smiled directly at you, and you finally grew the nerve to look at her and smile back.

“You did scare me,” you said.

Keishara glanced away. “Sorry. I would have been half panicked when I was a child. I used to get teased so much by the rest of the kids in my village.” Her eyes grew distant and wistful. “But my mother would tell me that even the bravest of people are afraid of something.” She smiled. “She used to tell me my father terrified her before they grew close.”

“Really?” You asked.

Keishara chuckled. “Obviously my father’s an orc. Back in the day he and my mother had to meet for peace talks.” she shrugged. “One thing led to another I guess.”

You swallowed. “Well, they made a beautiful daughter.”

Her expression went blank and she stared off into the distance for a long spell. She then looked at you and her crooked smile returned. “I beg your pardon?”

“I mean-” You tried to think your way out of this one. “You…you are beautiful.” You couldn’t get your way out of this one. You had to go through it.”

Keishara gave an unsure smile. “Oh come on.”

“I mean it. I really do,” you said breathlessly.

She looked into the fire then stood up. “We should get to bed if we hope to leave early in the morning.” She added some logs into the fire.

“Oh uh…right.” Your heart pounded in your throat. You stood, watching her for a moment before going into the tent. You laid down, wondering if you said something wrong. You closed your eyes as Keishara came into the tent.

Keishara knelt down and laid down close to you. She rolled over and you felt her hand upon your chest. Her palm moved up, touched your face and then her lips brushed against yours.

“Kei-” you gasped.

“Sorry, do you not like it?” She asked.

“No. I’m surprised.” You looked into her eyes. “I didn’t think you would…I mean…not with me at least.”

Keishara inched in closer, kissing you more and deeper. Her tusks hit against your cheeks and his hand caressed along your body. She pressed in close, moving her kisses along your jaw and down your neck.

“Kei-” you whimpered. “Kei I’ve never…done anything like this.”

Keishara kissed your cheek. “Should I stop?”

“I…I don’t think so-” you gulped.

Keishara chuckled, kissing your lips again. “You’ve never been touched like this, princy?” She tugged you your tunic and her fingers brushed against your bare thigh.

“No-” your voice cracked.

Keishara kissed your neck, nipping gently as her fingers took hold of of you. She held your cock in her palm and she moaned softly into your ear. “Have you touched yourself?”

“Yes-” your voice warbled. You cleared your throat and tried to breathe. “Yes. O-of course I have.”

Keishara began stroking you in her hand and you lost your breath. “Do you want me to stop no?”

“Oh gods no!” You whined. You moaned and bite down on your bottom lip.

She kissed your neck and moaned into your skin. “Good.”

You moaned and whimpered, trying to collect yourself. But her hand felt so good, her kisses felt so good. “Do…do you like me?” You were finally able to get out.

Keishara nuzzled to your neck. “I do. You’re sweet and cute…I like guys like you.”

That was a shocker. “I like girls like you-” you panted.

“I noticed.” She sat up beside you and looked down upon you. You sat up, kissing her hungrily. She moved into your lap, straddling it as she held your face between her hands. You felt her rub against you, warm and wet.

“Now should I stop?” She whispered.

You shook your head. “I mean…we should…but…”

Keishara giggled. “I know. But…I want you so badly. All this time being close to you. It’s driven me crazy.”

“Me too,” you gasped. “You’re so beautiful. So strong. I’ve had dreams about you!” You admitted.

Keishara whimpered, kissing you more. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Why didn’t you?”

Keishara chuckled. Her wetness slicked your cock, making your head go dizzy with desire. “You feel so good, Kei.”

She moved, guiding your towards her folds. “Just wait.” She slowly took you inside and the feeling was indescribable. She was so warm, so wet, and her inner walls squeezed around you as she took you inside.

“Princy-” she moaned. “Your cock-”

You couldn’t make words anymore, just sounds.

Keishara guided your hands to her hips then she began moving. She grinded you inside her, bouncing her hips slightly.

“I’ve wanted this for so long,” she moaned.

“Yes…yes-” you panted.

Keishara leaned forward, holding your shoulders for better balance. She moved harder upon you, taking your cock deeper and tighter inside her. “You feel so good!”

You were wrapped completely by her, unable to think or articulate even the simplest of things. Your fingers sank into her hips, and you rolled your hips to meet her, causing deeper thrusts. Keishara cried out, moaning loudly then biting her lip to keep her voice down.

You wanted this to go on forever, but unfortunately all good things had to come to and end. She felt so good, you couldn’t help yourself.

“Coming-” you choked. “Kei…coming!”

Keishara nodded, breathing heavily. She kept moving, watching you, moaning with you. You released inside her, unaware at first. You bucked and whimpered, breathing harshly as you filled her.

The last thing you remember is her moaning; “Oh, Princy.”

You woke in the morning to Keishara getting out of the tent. You sighed deeply until your memory began to return. You jolted up, hitting your head on one of the poles then you scrambled out.

Keishara was drinking from a skein, still naked and glorious.

“Kei! We…did we…was I-” You were slightly panicking.

Keishara wiped her mouth and smiled. “Calm down, Princy.” She walked up to you and knelt down to kiss you. “We need to get ready to go.”

You gulped. “Kei…about last night…that was amazing.”

Kei cupped your cheek. “It was nice. I’ve been holding back for a while. I didn’t want to scare you,” she chuckled.

You kissed her, pressing close to her body. “I never would have guess you’d ever think of me in such a way.”

“I grew up around big, intimidating guys,” she sighed. “Guys like you…I find a lot more appealing” She smiled shyly and pushed away her long hair.

“You remind me of a goddess,” you say.

Keishara cupped her hand over your mouth. “Hush. keep talking like that and we’ll have a late start.” She smiled at you. “We can take a rest stop later. Okay?”

You nodded, smiling giddy to yourself. The woman of your dreams was no longer just a dream.

#exophilia #teratophiia #monster x human #reader x monster #orc #orc girlfriend #monster girlfriend #monster romance #teratophilia writing #exophilia writing #momolady monsters #my writing

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letters-from-dekarios · 4 days

Note

My dear Gale,

I write to you in hopes of finding comfort in your words. If I have never told you before, our conversations have always been a quick way for me to cheer up in the most dire of situations. Now while we are apart, I hope writing to you will have the same effect.

I cherish you dearly. I am afraid to put a name to my feelings because I have been burned once by my heart already. I loved someone - a beautiful companionship that brought light into my life for several years but I was terrified of not being enough. That I might mess up and ruin everything. That all the sweet words I heard every day could be lies to just soothe my anxious and insecure heart. In my fear of losing my love, I unintentionally drove my love away, left alone to now deal with my own broken heart.

And just shortly after that, I found myself recovering from a crashed mind flayer nautiloid and meeting you. In awe of you. Inspired by you. Adoring you. Cherishing you. I never thought I would be capable of feeling such emotions again but my heart betrays my mind, and I find that familiar fear creeping up on me once more.

I am suffering from nightmares - memories of my past. Memories of being loved. Memories of being left alone. While when we were close together I could simply wave them off by having our conversations I cherished so dearly, now while we are apart I am haunted by them once again.

I am terrified to feel again. I am terrified of even writing this letter, but it has been slowly and silently consuming my waking thoughts and I long to hear from you again. Hoping your words could soothe me. Hoping I could experience some semblance of normalcy again.

I do apologize that this is how I confess my emerging feelings for you. If I were more myself - before loss, before tadpoles, before demons - I might have done this better but alas this is all I can do as I am now.

I anxiously but eagerly await your response,

Stelle

Beloved Stelle,

It’s with the most honor and respect I give my thanks to you for your compliments. I know my words can be full of themselves, and oftentimes run-on sentences get the best of me. But, alas, I do try to bring some joy with my speech and it pleases me to know I can accomplish that with you.

Trust not in your fears, I know exactly what you mean and I understand. You well know of my own folly with my Goddess and the pain it caused me. It leaves a horrid taste in your mouth that is not quickly washed away. Only through time does the feeling dissipate, and you can enjoy other things once more. All of us have been through a considerable amount, especially you. It’s only right to attempt to hide the things that scare you in this day and age when those apprehensions can easily be turned against you.

Believe me when I say that I would have your confession no other way. While the anxieties of our pasts may bring us to a low, they also make us who we are. No one wants to relive trauma, but it shapes us and forms us into the magnificent creatures we are now. It’s only through lived experiences do we understand ourselves and grow. You are no exception to that.

I know what it’s like to be hurt in such a way by someone you trusted. I know the aching feeling you find in the pit of your heart. I know the nightmarish horrors that attack when you’re most vulnerable, like thieves in the night attempting to steal your peace. What you experience is no stranger to me.

I would be foolish to underestimate my feelings for you, as new and as exciting as they are. I want to do right by you, even with the emerging threats around us. I can’t say I haven’t adored you either, or been inspired by your strong faith in the face of our perilous journey. Time and time again you have proven to be strong, wise, and honestly quite convincing. I don’t know how you do it, but I’d like to.

You’ve no reason to apologize. I should be the one apologizing for not being the first to admit feelings. Perhaps that would make you feel less awkward if you knew I shared them all the same.

I am more than thrilled to know your regard for me is more than a surface-level distinction of my general attributes. I’d love to explore these feelings with you, if you’ll have me. And if you’d join me tonight, I’d like to show you something within the Weave that may make my feelings seem clearer to you.

With all my love,

𝑮𝒂𝒍𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒌𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒔

text reads: gale dekarios

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zeenimf · 4 months

Text

Where the Sea Ends | The Party

Seo the Mage race : duinnimf age : unknown hometown : unknown allegiance : unknown

It is not often that duinnimfs are seen outside the thorny forests of the dunes near the coast, so when Seo sets foot in the small city of Harilburgt asking around for spells that blur the line between life and death, it causes quite the commotion.

She is an expert mage, capable of learning any spell or ritual she can get her hands on. But when her Mistress passes away after spending countless human lives together, she is confronted with the two things she knows nothing about, dealing with humans, and dealing with death.

She is thrust onto a quest to find a way to bring her Mistress back to life, as Ikuzand the Mage is the one prophetised to stop the Sea from engulfing the known lands. But the realm of Men is not something she can travel alone. As much as she tries to deny it, she's going to need some help.

Karel the Knight race : human age : 39 hometown : Hoogdam allegiance : The Royal Order of the Heavenly Oak

Ever since he was a child Karel knew that he wanted to do what was right. When he received a wooden training sword for his fifth birthday he proved to be a natural, and combined with a strong wit and moral compass he quickly progressed through the ranks to become the youngest member ever to be admitted to the Royal Order of the Heavenly Oak.

His biggest pride is the way he treats the people he meets. He realised that in order to be seen as trustworthy he has to place his trust in them in return. So when he finds out that Ikuzand the Saviour has died before breaking the prophecy, he turns to his superiors. But his superiors do not act.

With each day that passes he gets more and more uneasy. He is being pulled at from two sides, and he knows that there will be a day where he will snap. So he has to make a choice: support the throne that has given him everything he is, or abandon his post and face dishonour to do what he thinks is right.

Pip the Thief race : human age : 15 hometown : Harilburgt allegiance : One and only member of the Company of Honourable Thieves

Being an orphan in Harilburgt is not as bad as it sounds. He doesn't miss his parents, for who can miss parents when he never met them? And by the burgomaster's decree all orphans receive free education, food and shelter.

There is, however, something that he finds even more interesting than his studies: secrets. It did not take him long to find every hiding spot in the city, so he began a new collection: diplomatic scrolls. The fact that some people pay good money for such scrolls was an added bonus.

But his viewpoint changed when he snags a letter stating the death of Ikuzand the Great, and the strict orders to keep this fact a secret under the punishment of death for whoever breaks this order. Pip's isn't under any obligation to listen to the orders of a foreign burgomaster, so he does what anyone else would do: carefully leak the information in the market square and watch the news spread through the country like a wildfire. Little did he know that the next day he would stumble onto the very person who may be able to tell him more about this illustrious mage, but is that information worth crossing into the afterlife for?

Where the Sea Ends MASTERPOST

Let me know if you'd like to be added to the taglist!

#fantasy #fiction #writeblr #character introduction #character intro

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moonshine999 · 8 months

Text

The Crows as Taylor Swift albums (pt.1)

because why would we have a sane method of characterisation

Kaz Brekker : Midnights

♟️”And I wake up with your memory over me // That’s a real fucking legacy to leave” - Maroon

♟️”Did you hear my covert narcissism I disguise as altruism // Like some kind of congressman? (Tale as old as time) // I wake up screaming from dreaming // One day I’ll watch as you’re leaving and life will lose all its meaning” - Anti-hero

♟️”And the touch of a hand lit the fuse // Of a chain reaction of countermoves // To assess the equation of you // Checkmate, I couldn’t lose” - Mastermind

♟️”Do you wish you could still touch…her? // It’s just a question” - Question…?

♟️”Uh oh, I’m falling in love // Oh no, I’m falling in love again // Oh, I falling in love” - Labyrinth

♟️”Spider-boy, king of thieves // Weave your little webs of opacity// My pennies made your crown” - Karma

♟️”Passing by unbeknownst to me // Life is emotionally abusive// And time can’t stop me quite like you did” - Snow on the Beach

♟️”All that bloodshed, crimson clover // uh-uh, sweet dream was over // my hand was the one you reached for // All throughout the Great War // Always remember// Uh-uh tears on the letter // I vowed not to cry anymore // if we survived the Great War” - The Great War

♟️”I drew curtains closed, drank my poison all alone // You said I have to trust more freely // But diesel is desire, you were playing with fire” - The Great War

♟️”Every single thing I touch becomes sick with sadness // ‘Cause it’s all over now, all out to sea” - Bigger than the whole sky

♟️”If I was some paint, did it splatter // On a promising grown man? // And if I was a child, did it matter // If you got to wash your hands?”- Would’ve could’ve should’ve

♟️”And now that I’m grown, I’m scared of ghosts // Memories feel like weapons” - Would’ve could’ve should’ve

♟️”Dear reader // Burn all the files, desert all your past lives // And I’d you don’t recognise yourself // That means you did it right “ - Dear Reader

♟️”Dear reader // The greatest of luxuries is your secrets // Dear reader // When you aim at the devil, make sure you don’t miss” - Dear Reader

Inej Ghafa : Speak Now

🪷”Left yourself in your warpath // Lost your balance on a tightrope // Lost your mind tryin' to get it back” - Innocent

🪷”Oh, who you are is not where you’ve been // you’re still an innocent” - Innocent

🪷”My mind forgets to remind me you're a bad idea // You touch me once and it's really something “- Sparks Fly

🪷”Maybe this is wishful thinkin' // Probably mindless dreamin'” - Back To December

🪷”Miscommunications lead to fall out // So many things that I wish you knew // So many walls up I can't break through” - The Story Of Us

🪷”The battle's in your hands now // But I would lay my armor down // If you'd say you'd rather love than fight “- The Story of Us

🪷”But I never thought I'd live to see it break // It's getting dark and it's all too quiet // And I can't trust anything now” - Haunted

🪷”but Sophistication isn't what you wear, or who you know” - Better Than Revenge

🪷”The playful conversation starts // Counter all your quick remarks // Like passing notes in secrecy” - Enchanted

🪷“same old tired, lonely place // walls of insincerity, shifting eyes and vacancy // vanished when I saw your face // All I can say is, it was enchanting to meet you” - Enchanted

🪷”The crowds in stands went wild // We were the kings and the queens// And they read off our names” - Long Live

🪷”And the cynics were outraged // Screaming, "This is absurd" // ‘Cause for a moment // a band of thieves In ripped up jeans got to rule the world” - Long Live

🪷”Don't you think I was too young to be messed with?” - Dear John

🪷”Well maybe it’s me // And my blind optimism to blame // Or maybe it’s you and your sick need // to give love and then take it away” - Dear John

🪷”Memorise what it sounded like when your dad gets home // Remember the footsteps // Remember the words said // And all of your little brother’s favourite songs” - Never Grow Up

(Nina, Matthias, Jesper and Wylan are already posted)

#grishaverse #six of crows #SoC #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #kaz x inej #kanej #taylor swift #swifties #midnights #speak now #shadow and bone #the crows as taylor swift albums

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vivi-in-the-sky-with-diamonds · 1 year

Text

Ringo's SFW Alphabet

(Source)

Third and final post of today (probably), final post in the SFW Alphabet series, and Ringo's first post! Sequel to this post.

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Ringo (or Rich or Ritchie, all of which I’ll be using) is the most affectionate thing since Paul McCartney. Loves to do that “there goes Elvis” joke to get you to look the other way so he can steal a kiss on your cheek.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

I think your friendship would’ve started after a show when he was part of Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. You told him how much you loved his drumming and offered to buy him a drink, but he insists on buying you a drink. You two are thick as thieves, practically speaking your own language.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

Cuddler to the max. Loves all cuddle positions, but especially when he can rest his head on your chest while you play with his hair.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

Bestie is basically a ready-made housewife (househusband?). Would choose to do more of the cooking and cleaning, if that’s what makes you happy.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

Ritchie would rather live forever unhappy than break up with someone. If he had to, he’d do it through a letter so he didn’t have to face them.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Rich married you the second he saw you. He’s one to propose and marry very quickly.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

Extremely gentle. Literally wouldn’t hurt a fly.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

Hug bug (also definitely not a thing I made up on the spot). Wraps you up super duper tight and holds you like you’ll disappear.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

Says “I love you” instead of “good night” usually. It threw you for a loop on the first date but you soon got used to it.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

Ritchie gets extremely jealous. He doesn’t get mad when he’s jealous, like some would, but rather gets sad. He tries his hardest to work through it, though.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

Loves loves loves to kiss you. Rich constantly peppers your cheeks and lips with kisses, which always leaves you giggling. He loves it when you kiss his nose.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

Ringo is practically perfect with children and doesn’t wanna waste time waiting to have them.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Rich loves lazy mornings, similar to that of Paul and George’s. Lots of cuddling in bed and chatting until you absolutely have to get up.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Ritchie loves date nights. He loves to take you out dancing almost every night.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

Ringo is quite an open book. There’s plenty of things he waits to tell you, but most everything comes out quickly.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

Quite patient. Probably has one of the longest fuses of anyone you’ve ever met.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

Ritchie remembers everything. Like, everything.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

Every moment is his favourite. Every single one.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

Like the others, Rich is quite protective. He’s one to protect gently, though. If anything like a robbery happened, he’d try to talk them down instead of immediately grabbing a bat.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

King of effort. Every single thing he does is filled with love.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

Tapping his fingers on everything like it’s a drum kit.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

More concerned than he should be. He brushes his hair this way and that, shakes his head round, and usually ends up saying, “It’s this stupid neb of mine that’s ruinin’ me face.” To which you always kiss it and say, “I think it looks lovely.”

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

100%. Much like Paul, he can’t imagine how he lived before you met.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

Despite his big personality, Ringo is actually quite shy.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

Ritchie doesn’t like spicy food. Or the smell of hospitals.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

Rich is a light sleeper. If you so much as roll over, he’s probably already awake. Also sleeps in socks and pyjama sets. The socks always match the pyjamas.

#mine #ringo starr #ringo starr x reader #sfw alphabet #the beatles fanfiction #the beatles x reader #vivi in the sky with fanfics

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omgkalyppso · 3 months

Text

What's in your tent?

Template by @menzoberranyr.

The tent photos are from p/intrest: no source for Étoile's, a source which is an in/stagram for Borgakh's, a source which is a webpage I did not read at all for Meabh's.

Things to note: Étoile's tent is also packed with whatever they or the rest of camp has saddled them with carrying. Borgakh likes tinkering with clockwork, wires and weapons. Meabh doesn't have bedding in their tent; they'll sleep out by the fire.

I miss tabletop Outlanders getting an instrument proficiency. Borgakh is a durge in bg3 and so technically a Haunted One, but the spirit of her character is the same.

I was initially thinking "reverent" might be the mood in Étoile's tent, or "soothing" but neither of those were quite right. Astarion would initially think their faith was what was unsettling about their tent until he determined the issue was homesickness, where Étoile also seems to have an issue identifying where their home is or whether it was somewhere they could return to.

Shadowheart would like Borgakh's tent. It's dark and quiet, but lively in all the little tasks she's got going on; and smells of earth, greenery and spices.

The thumping from Meabh's tent could be them going through a bout of compulsion or riding out migraine or working out nervous energy with their knives and tools — pliers which aren't quite what you'd find in thieves' tools, items that might be for carpentry or taxidermy but never any animals or gore. The tent, inside and out, appearing clean, and yet the smell of blood lingering even where the bedding and painting, sans frame, hint at level of class incongruous with Meabh's familiarity with violence. They say it calms them to look upon the symbol of the Absolute. They feel the letters might be useful to someone or material for blackmail, but the books are printings of which there must be others — something to take knowledge from, but not to lament in their destruction.

#long post #baldur's gate 3 #oc tag: étoile #borgakh #oc tag: meabh

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sitp-recs · 1 year

Note

Hi! Good evening!

Im a sucker for fics who makes me cry. Not particularly full of angst or anything, just something that can strike a corde with good characterisation and good plots!! Do you have anything like that in your lil drarry bag?

Hi anon! That’s a great ask, and I must preface it by saying that I’m not a big crier in general! I’m usually moved by fics that hit too close to home which makes this list 100% personal and subjective. Some are quite angsty, others are wholesome fics with happy endings but they felt equally devastating to me. Idk if these will work for you, but I hope you enjoy!

The Long Fall by tackytiger (M, 3.6k)

It's supposed to be a simple house renovation, and maybe it's just the paint fumes, but Harry is feeling dizzy around Draco Malfoy. And what's the real meaning of family, anyway?

An Emerald In The Sky by corvuscrowned (M, 6.6k)

The hardest part about shagging an Unspeakable is that they’re not allowed to speak of anything. All Draco knows is that Harry works in Time. Harry works in Time, and while he’s out there in all of that time, it is as unforgiving to him as it is to anyone.

Life goes not backward by shealwaysreads (T, 9k)

Harry still isn’t used to gifts, but this one is different. A story of coming home, finding safe ground, and the wild courage of putting down roots.

And Save Me From Bloody Men by blamebrampton (T, 10k)

Draco Malfoy once watched others fighting to stop the world falling apart. This time, he's not just watching.

The Eighth Tale by lettered (E, 12k)

Draco Malfoy tries to fix the past, but instead mucks it up some more. For Harry, it all becomes quite clear.

Meet Me at Midnight by thestarryknight (T, 57k)

Harry was beginning to wonder if he’d ever make anything again when Malfoy stormed through the door of Harry’s furniture shop. Now Harry’s got an impossible Ministry commission to finish, and even less energy than ever to deal with his elusive muse.

Running on Air by eleventy7 (T, 75k)

Draco Malfoy has been missing for three years. Harry is assigned the cold case and finds himself slowly falling in love with the memories he collects.

Super Rich Kids by trishjames (E, 81k)

Draco Malfoy has become disillusioned by the glitz and glamour of the scandalous lives of the Post-Second Wizarding War Pureblood Elite. Enter: one existential crisis, one group of thieving cynical friends, and several terrible, terrible decisions.

Dwelling by aideomai (T, 83k)

Curses, James and Lily Potter ride again, several Ministry balls, a teenage Summer of Love, a grim young adult dystopian winter, a few different Draco Malfoys, secrets and the problems re: not having any, alternate lives, impossible lives, real lives, allusions to Dirty Dancing, and just because it's not called the Mirror of Erised doesn't mean you shouldn't know better.

Who we are in the shadows by Quicksilvermaid (E, 100k)

What happens when you’re forced to become the very thing you despise? Ex-Auror Harry Potter, tossed out of the Ministry for something he had no control over, has been looking for a way back to his former life.

Far From The Tree by aideomai (E, 112k)

The arrival of Harry Potter’s children—snapped back in time, the children themselves guessed, twenty or so years—was the most interesting thing to happen at Hogwarts for years.

By the Grace by lettered (T, 140k)

Harry is an Auror instructor. Malfoy wants to be an Auror.

Away Childish Things by lettered (T, 153k)

Harry gets de-aged. Malfoy has to help him.

#asks #Drarry reclist #when in need of a good cry #fics that strike a chord #love me some emotional devastation

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dancemachinetrait · 1 year

Photo

September 19th, 1910- Letter extract, Daisy Gillespie to Clem Gillespie

Mother and Mrs Yates are telling everyone the two of you have gone to take up a secretarial course. I know you’d be amused that they’ve finally found common cause. It’s certainly the first time I’ve ever seen them co-operate.

Things are strange here. I think Mama suspects I know where you are, but she won’t ask me- at least, not directly. That’s a relief as I’d find it hard to tell her a direct untruth.

The most important news is that Jem was accepted into Brindleton College on a full scholarship! Mama has told everyone in the village a dozen times over and took him into Greater Windenburg to have his uniform fitted, even though he doesn’t start for almost a year. Papa has been telling him he mustn’t grow another inch, and Jem has resolved to give up his bedtime glass of milk ‘in order that I shan’t grow any more’ (although I think this is only an excuse as you know he hates milk).

Mama made Jem walk up and down the parlour in his uniform to show us all. Biddy fell about laughing and got sent upstairs and Papa hummed Burlington Bertie, which made me think of you. I couldn’t help but think of what you would have said. It does seem silly to make a ten-year-old boy wear a top hat, but then I suppose I don’t know anything about being a gentleman.

I’m glad there is a little while until Jem leaves. It will be strange when it’s just me and Biddy. I know she’ll miss Jem, too- the two of them are thick as thieves. Of course she will be starting at the village school next year as well. That will be a relief really. She was always headstrong, but since you left lately she’s become a bit of a terror. She got a tin of molasses out of the larder and by the time Mother found her half of it was in her hair and wouldn’t come out! You’ve never heard such ructions. In the end Mother had to cut her hair quite short and she cried bitterly at first, but I showed her some fashion plates of little girls with shingled hair from one of my magazines and told her none of the village girls had anything a bit like it, and that perked her up in no time. It really does look pretty on her, but then she always was the prettiest of us. I suppose you won’t mind me saying that, now that you…well, you know.

Perhaps showing her the magazines worked a little too well. This afternoon I caught her walking up and down the pasture wall with a book on her head, and when I asked her what she was doing she said she was practising to be a mannequin for the House of Worth.

The village is much the same as ever. Paul Farber and Sybil Copeland were married last Sunday. Myrtle was head bridesmaid and looked like thunder. I suspect she’s chafing that Sybil is married before her, and her not even engaged. I think she and Justice Bowlinger have had a lover’s quarrel; she hasn’t been boasting about him nearly as much lately.

Eli has been teaching me songs in Yiddish (his mother’s language) and Ladino (his father’s). I’d never heard either before. I’m sure I make an awful mess of them, but he’d never say so. He’s begun calling me Margeritke, which means daisy, after one of the songs. Daisy is such a prosaic name, the sort of name you give to cows, but Margeritke seems quite different.

He laughed a good deal when I showed him your picture, but he swore he wasn’t making fun. He said you looked more natural in men’s clothes than you ever did in skirts.

I must go to bed now; I have to be up early to milk Betsy. Oh! and I enclose a portrait of Jem in his uniform. Mama had so many copies made, I don’t think she’ll miss one.

Your loving sister,

Daisy

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#decades challenge #history challenge #ts4 history challenge #s4 history challenge #decades legacy #gillespie legacy #gen1

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loquaciousquark · 3 months

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15, 24, 30 for the Tav asks?

15. What motivates your Tav to either embrace or resist the tadpole?

She...well, she never quite embraces it, but she does lean into its power at first! While the idea of having a leech in her brain is horrifying, and she's deathly afraid of the pain of ceremorphosis, she's also extremely used to a narrow view of her own survival. She hasn't looked more than a day or two down the road in over a decade, so it's very much a "if this helps me survive this moment right now, I'll do it happily and deal with the fallout later" thing. She's also half-convinced the prism will fail and the worm will take her any moment regardless, so why not snatch up what she can get? She's going to die any moment anyway; might as well go out knowing she did everything she could to stay alive beforehand.

However, after Myrkul & the early stuff in Act 3, she suddenly starts wondering if they might be able to get rid of these things after all. If she might actually have some kind of future possible after the Absolute and Cazador and everything else. If that's really on the table, she wants to be present for it and not a dribbling husk, so she stops feeding the parasite. She does use what she's got, though, and post-game she does faintly miss exploding people with her mind.

24. What first impression does your Tav give off to strangers?

When she's just been orphaned, she's one of those big dewy-eyed tearful kids they use in those horrible fundraising Sarah McLachlan ads. That doesn't last long, however, as she learns how to avoid being noticed in the first place. If she's actually seen, she's usually just looking hunted and desperate as she tries to extricate herself.

Post-game, once she's become better at interacting with speech and honesty and open exchange of ideas rather than petty theft, I think she's much more comfortable being seen in day-to-day life and going to social events where part of the goal is to be perceived. As she and Astarion travel around the continent, I think they play games like "let's pretend to be minor royalty in this new city and see how many balls we can get invited to before they throw us out."

She was brought up well before her parents died, so she's not going to make major crass faux-pas; instead, she's friendly and conversational, but she always has a touch of distance in her eyes. An invisible wall, a little - disdain isn't quite the right word, but a little - impersonal arrogance, maybe. She's with you, but she's not one of you - she's seen things you can't dream of, and she doesn't really mind if you feel it. I think it's more pronounced the more expensive the society is, for whatever that's worth. She certainly feels more at home in the gutter, even if she'd die before going back there again.

30. What are your Tav’s intentions/goals after the end of the game?

Get Astarion his ring, first and foremost. Once that's settled, they travel everywhere they can get passage. They've both been trapped in Baldur's Gate for so long, even if their raw years are disparately dispensed, and she wants to see everything the world's been hiding from her! The Underdark, the City of Splendors, Calimshan deserts, the Moonshae Isles, Evermeet, Marsember (the City of Spices! it sounds so beautiful until they get there and it's all misty swamp and haunted bogs), Cormyr - beaches! (which they both hate because it's TOO SUNNY and TOO SANDY) - basically anywhere they can get a portal or a road to. They're not hoofing through the woods anymore if they can help it.

I do think Tav splits the money among the companions left behind (so no shares to Wyll, Karlach, or Lae'zel directly, though she takes out some accounts at the Counting House for them and starts accruing interest in their names), and she uses her connections with the Counting House & the Thieves' Guild to start building some portfolios of her own. She never wants to be in a place where she has to think about money ever again. (I think she carries letters back and forth from Wyll to his dad, & Wyll gets his dad to get her in touch with one of the city's trustworthy financiers to help her get all this started.)

Between all that they visit Lae'zel in the Astral Sea for like a week, and when they come back both of them are like, "WELL that was fun let's never do THAT again," but they do visit Karlach and Wyll in Avernus quite often! I think they bully Helsik into opening the portal for them the first several times, but they don't like being dependent on her or the location, so they steal a very hefty supply of the rare materials (esp. the infernal marble) and a copy of the exact rites, along with contact info for more supplies in future, and they repurpose one of the portals in the House of Hope to open to Gale's tower in Waterdeep. (I don't think they tell him ahead of time.)

At some point they figure out how to extend Tav's life, but that's way down the road. Also I think she starts a Thieves' Guild with the tiefling kids that's secretly an orphanage/pipeline into gainful employment.

#quark replies #springacres #tavish gale #tav meme #bless you thank you #quark plays bg3

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raksh-writes · 6 months

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✨ people I wanna know better! ✨

Tagged by the lovely @roxannes-love-letters thank you, hun!! 💗🥰

Last Song? I got into Sabaton recently (like, two days ago 😂) and went for a greatest hits playlist on spotify yesterday to check more of their music, so the last song there was "In the Name of God". A really good listen, y'all definitely give it a go if you like heavier sound! I sure missed it.

Favourite colour? Violet! Or, I guess most people say purple, but for me it's the more blue-ish shade I associate with violet, and that's the one ^^

Currently watching? Nothing much, I'm not exactly a tv shows person, and if I end up watching one, I usually binge it (which hasn't happened since Kinnporsche: the series tbh), so for now it's mostly gameplays and let's plays on yt or streams of games Im interested in ^^

Last movie? Oh, I can finally answer this! 😂 I actually caught up on three movies I wanted to watch for quite some time last week. The last-last was Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, which hasn't sucked me in quite as much as I was expecting until the back half of the movie (tbf I usually watch animations with polish dub and this I watched in original, so maybe that had smth to do with it too?), but overall a very lovely movie and the ending was *chef's kiss* and two days earlier I caught up on John Wick Chapter 4 (Hiroyuki Sanada's parts were Amazing and absolutely my fave in the whole movie 💗💗 yes, Im biased, sorry not sorry xD) and I Finally watched Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among thieves too and y'all... Y'ALL, it was so good 😩👌 I LOVE IT! You can feel so much heart went into it, the humor was super fun, the characters Lovely, it Really felt like a DnD session in play and Holga my absolute beloved 💗 It actually managed to jerk a few tears out of me too 😂 Overall such a lovely movie, absolutely give it a watch if any of y'all hadn't already, it's definitely worth its time 💗 (Also, I'm surprisingly in the mood to catch up on some more movies, any recs anyone? ^^)

Sweet/spicy/savoury? Hm, out of these options, probably savoury. I've been trying to accustom myself to more spicy dishes too and it's slow going, but so far I'm liking that more and more too ^^

Relationship status? Single. Have been for years, unfortunately 😔 I miss having that sort of connection with someone terribly, but so far, no luck.

Current obsessions? Sad to report Im lacking a proper brain rot rn 😔 It was Astarion from BG3 for a while, but I kinda fell off the game after making a 100h in a couple weeks and now Im searching for a proper obsession again. There IS this new survival-building LotR-themed game but I Really don't need another one I'll play for a week or two and abandon forever, not to mention I shouldn't chip away at my savings any more than I absolutely have to now that I'm not working. So... We'll see if I'll cave in or not 😂 (for now I got Shadow of Mordor on sale so I might finally check it out tonight, who knows!)

Last thing you googled? Sabaton - 40:1 'cause I wanted to check the lyrics (and it's currently among my faves from Sabaton and no, not only because it's about polish history! it's just that good ^^)

Selfie? I'll do you one even better! Look at our lovely pupper:

It's an older photo, but shhhh, no one has to know! And she's still looking good ^^ (better even, without the eye buggers!)

Friends I wanna get to know better: @dual-desires @fleet-off @asexualannoyance @the-cookie-of-doom @theflowergirl @livingbythewords @oenothera5 (This is no pressure tagging as always!)

#tagged #tag game #Raksh posts

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tis-the-marmot · 13 days

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Does Varimar favor magic then? Since she grew up around the college of Winterhold. Does she have any particular friendships with the students? Like a BFF?

Getting to talk about Varimar's personal life feels so great, these asks really make my day, thank you so much ♡♡

My reply will be long so it's all under the cut

First of all yes you got that right, Varimar's a skilled mage in some schools of magic such as conjuration and destruction, but utterly incapable in others like illusion :')

Since conjuration has a particularly low reputation she tends to hide her powers around people that might judge her, only summoning Daedra or reanimating corpses in cases of emergencies.

So while she's mainly a conjurer she generally sticks to destruction magic, more specifically shock spells.

As for her friendships with the other students I have a very clear backstory in mind.

I've always imagined that the three apprentices from the main questline - so Brelyna, Onmund and J'zargo - have applied to the College quite recently, but before them there were the missing apprentices from Phinis Gestor's unfinished sidequest: Yisra, Rundi, Borvir and Ilas-Tei. Not much is said about them in game so I thought, why not expand their roles and turn them into Varimar's former college besties?

They all used to spend a lot of time together practicing magic, doing funny little failed experiments or hanging out at the inn :3 Rundi and Borvir were her drinking buddies, Ilas-Tei was this little troublemaker who often tried to involve Vari in her shenanigans and Yisra was not only Varimar's close friend, but also her girlfriend for a period. Eventually they had to break up because Vari realised she's ace and, well, let's just say their physical intimacy levels were incompatible gshdnshshs. However even after their break-up they still stayed on good terms.

Even when the gang wasn't at the College they all used to keep in touch by writing letters to each other. When Varimar stopped receiving them she sensed that something was wrong and she later finds out that they all died for different causes, just like in the sidequest. :(

Varimar has also known Enthir since her early days at the College but their relationship has always been rather shaky and they used to bicker a lot. It's only after obtaining Gallus' journal during the Thieves Guild's questline that they're able to make up :3

As for Brelyna, Onmund and J'zargo, like I said before, Varimar meets them later in the story. She befriends Brelyna first, immediately followed by Onmund, meanwhile it takes just a little bit longer to get to know J'zargo. They're a bit younger than Vari and they remind her of her old squad, so she kind of takes them under her wing and helps them practice with magic :> When the time comes for Vari to go to Labyrinthian and retrieve the Staff of Magnus, Brelyna, Onmund and J'zargo decide to go with her and they all defeat Morokei together (in a very funny way if I may add but that's a whole different story)

Without going into detail that's generally it when it comes to the students, but Varimar has a strong bond with some of the teachers too, mainly Phinis and Tolfdir. When she was just a kid her horrible, horrible caretaker had led Vari to believe that simply having a good aptitude for conjuration would've made her an evil person dreaded and hated by everyone, and once she got accepted in the College, Phinis' help and his lessons were crucial to disprove this belief. Meanwhile Tolfdir was more like a silly little grandpa to her, he tried so hard to make her feel at home during her first days at the College, when Vari was still very nervous and scared 🥺

Obviously Varimar interacts with all the other members of the College as well, but their relationships are much more superficial or not fully fleshed out yet, so I don't have much to say about them atm :'D

#ask box #oc: varimar #skyrim oc #tes

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interstellargatorskinboots1812 · 1 year

Text

Chapter 13: The Rush of Blood

Alfie feels sweat trickling down his back, his eyes lacerate into the interloper in front of him, who dirties and taints the elegant hall as if by osmosis.

Michael McCleary. To Arabella, just a name scrawled in Tommy’s handwriting, but now here he stands, a short and stout man with filth escaping his every pore.

‘You’ve been ignoring my calls and letters, Solomons.’

His Scouse twang echoes strongly in the affluent surroundings.

‘Yeh well there’s a very good reason for that, ain’t there?’

Alfie’s stiff shoulders and heavy-set back, wrap an unwelcome presage around Arabella, as if confirming Tommy’s suspicions that the High Rip gang have prior dealings with her fiance.

Swiping a cocktail from a reluctant waiter, Michael smirks and downs the alcohol. He bites aggressively, with what few teeth he has left, into the cherry that decorates his glass.

‘I don’t like being ignored you see. It gets me all angsty.’

He putters the cherry stem.

‘Maybe I need to get me a good looking tart like yours? Bet she helps relieve the tension at night, doesn’t she?’

With a filthy leer, Michael flicks the tied stem down Arabella’s cleavage. Reacting almost before Alfie has the chance to form a fist, she pulls back his hand.

‘Stop, think where you are and who is around you. It’s just what this fucker wants. Don’t play into his hands.’

Alfie grunts a response, the blood bouncing in his veins in abundance.

‘She speaks a lot of sense, you should listen to her’.

‘She has a name, you know’.

Michael’s laugh fills the darkening space.

‘Oh I know your name, Ms Arabella Shelby. I know all about you and your family. Modern day Romeo and Juliet, you two are. Star-crossed lovers from opposite ends of the trotting tracks.. . and well . . . we all know how that tale ends’.

With a calming composure, Alfie’s bulky shadow casts shade over the Liverpudlian’s pockmarked face.

‘You might be better served expressing your profound views on literature to someone who gives a fuck, mate. You waltz in here thinking you’re a brave lad, when we all know that the only reason you are still stood vertically, thieving my oxygen is because I am choosing not to put a bullet in that thick skull of yours. Now tell me what you’re ‘ere for and then you can fuck off or I will stick my boot so far up your arse that you’ll fly back to Liverpool and hit the Mersey with a breathless sense of having tumbled like Icarus from the sky’.

Michael’s delusive grin cultivates his face, Alfie’s resolute words land beside him like a grenade with the pin still attached. The malodour of old garbage fires thrives from their unwelcome guest and as foul in her nostrils as it is, Arabella inhales deeply in an effort to slow her breathing.

Michael’s drawing quite the crowd.

‘Alfie is right, make your point and then fuck off’.

‘Bad words from such a beautiful broad- be careful none of these toff-nosed Jews hear it. You wouldn’t want to give the game away.’

Alfie’s eyes slice like the ambiguity in Michael’s rhetoric.

‘Oh don’t worry Solomons, your secrets and skeletons are safe with me. . . for now anyway’.

The twine possessing Alfie’s composure splinters and with a constricting grab of an upper arm, he whips Michael away from prying eyes, with Arabella’s plea of his name falling on death ears and Rubin hot on their tail.

At the main entrance a huddle of elderly Jewish women’s discussion on knitting patterns is firmly interrupted by a grapple they look shocked to be witnessing.

‘Now, don’t you worry about this ladies, I’m just taking out the rubbish’.

Alfie’s tone is jovial, but Arabella can see every vein in his body is amplifying to cardinal proportions.

Taking a sharp right, he hurls them into a deserted back alley, before ricochetting Michael’s back off the cold and damp bricks, making Arabella wince and Michael bellow breathlessly.

Years of fighting and taking back meant dealing with dregs like McCleary was almost autonomous. Despite his incensed demeanour, his brain remains utterly calm, firing off a lightening series of automated responses. A continuous of experience distilled into substance.

A multitude of action happens simultaneously and all before anyone has time to anticipate.

Arabella isn’t sure where he pulled it from, but Alfie is now pivoted firmly in front of Michael, a Webley Mark revolver held unwaveringly on his trigger finger.

‘My boy, no!’ Rubin clamours out as Arabella surges to the end of the alley surveying the surroundings.

‘Shit!’

Her panicked expletive reaches the ears of a well-to-do couple dressed in all their finery. Casting her a scandalised look, the lady tuts an ‘oh really’ under her expensive furs.

Arabella swallows her bottom lip. There is no way a gunshot is to go unnoticed and uninvestigated in these surroundings. She makes a dash back to Alfie, tugging at his arm once again.

‘Alfie, Alfie. . .Alfie, put the gun down’.

His eyes pirouette with torment, his fiance's pleas sequestering to the background. He gently bats away her arm.

‘Sweetie, you might want to stand well back for this one, because when I drop this bullet from it’s resting place the blood and matter that will ascend this little cunt to the heavens will deflect itself all over this pigsty. Now green and red just don’t go together and I’d hate for that dress to be ruined.’

‘Alfie, you need to stop. If anyone hears that thing go off and calls the police . . . he’s not worth that’.

‘My dear boy, Ms Shelby is right, put away that weapon. A man like this is not laudable for the ammunition’.

Ignoring Rubin entirely, Alfie addresses Arabella without ever leaving his attention from the snivelling creature caught firmly in his cross-hairs.

‘Treacle, since my resurrected partnership with your brother, I have no need to worry about the old cop shop. It’s all justifiable housekeeping.’

Arabella glances across to Rubin. Beads of sweat interspersing his forehead catch the oppressive luminosity of the gas light.

Alfie lurches forward pushing the weapon straight into Michael's windpipe with force.

‘Now McCleary, don’t ever think you can come into my world, and take an upper-hand. That ain’t ever gunna happen is it? Did you think I’d let you get away with it, what you thought you’d sensed a weakness in the Israelite?’

‘No need for senses when there’s certainty’. Michael splutters through the cold constriction of gun metal. Alfie’s eyebrows shoot up, the lines in his forehead increasing with magnitude.

Driven by instinct, he pushes the barrel of the gun under Michael’s chin as his eyes twitch at his adversary’s cool composure and audacious words His heart races but his mind is icy.

‘Talk to me about this certainty of yours’. The clicking of his gun cocking into place and his detached tone sounds almost deafening to Arabella in this confined space.

‘Alfie stop! He’s winding you up!’ Her voice going an octave higher.

‘Your uncle, Charles Solomons. He’s an interesting fellow isn’t he? Or at least he has some very interesting cargo that comes through Liverpool docks’.

Arabella hears the gasp Rubin drops at the name Charles Solomons. Alfie’s eyebrows lower and pull even further together as his lip curls.

‘You see Alfie, you might have a hand at what goes through Camden Lock and thanks to this new allegiance with Lady Muck there, you have a finger in the pie at Poplar, but Liverpool and the Albert Dock? They’re mine. I control them and with no foot hold there for either of your little gangs, I have a lot of leverage in way of your Uncle Charlie’s cargo from Boston.’

Alfie catatonic eyes continue staring at Michael, looking straight through him.

‘Charles Solomons’ business has nothing to do with me!’

Spittle flies from his mouth along with his indignant rumble of words.

‘Funny that because his business of bootlegging, narcotics and the like has certainly bank rolled a lot of your warehouses and labour. How do you think he’d feel knowing his own nephew had a hand in the fallout of his empire eh? Because between me and my lads, we could make it very difficult for his goods to make their destination points’.

The barrel of Alfie’s gun collides with Michel’s cheekbone, splitting the skin wide open. Michael grabs the wound with his hand shouting a series of expletives.

‘Lets say I shoot you right here, right now. In the fucking face. I’d be doing everyone a fucking favour then wouldn’t I? Including my Uncle Charlie.’

‘You can kill me now, but it wouldn’t make a difference. There’s not just me in on this’.

Alfie swallows, the saliva bounding down his throat like poison. How did this fucker, this scruffy backstreet gang member know so much of his business? Alfie didn’t want this fight but it has come looking for him and battle it, he will. His finger tightens on the trigger, snatching at it. But by now, galvanised by the chaos, Arabella steps into the fold.

Alfie turns his head sharply at her, but she doesn’t react. In that second panic sets in. He didn’t panic ever. Panicking got you killed. A straightforward equilibrium. But, just like panic, distraction gets you killed and when he sees her step into the combat zone, his focus goes to keeping her safe. Already, she is becoming detrimental.

Unfazed by the weapon and the weight of the situation, Arabella looks Michael up and down, her eyes set to a primitive gaze.

‘So, that’s your leverage is it?’

‘Arabella, go the fuck back inside!’

Rubin wrings his hands behind them.

‘Ms Shelby, perhaps Alfie is right and you should. .’ Rubin’s attempts to mediate are cut off by Alfie’s growl.

‘Fuck off Bella, Now!’

‘I’m going nowhere! I want to know what Mr McCleary is using Charles Solomons as a bargaining chip for?’

Nursing his bleeding cheek, Michael winks at Arabella salaciously.

‘I mean, you ask all the right questions don’t you babe? If she’s half as good at emptying your balls, Solomons then she’s too worthy for you.’

Alfie’s anger hits crescendo and just as the adrenaline spikes to manipulate his limbs, he feels the soft skin of Arabella’s hand entwine with his around the gun. With a firm grip she pulls the focus of the barrel between McCleary’s legs.

‘I’ve got more than one method for draining balls, now get the fuck out with what it is you want’.

‘Alright sweetheart, as it’s you. You see, us up North we haven’t got it as good as you bastards down here. You Southern ponces have it perfect, business must be booming with everyone’s love for trotting spectacles’.

Arabella rolls her eyes.

‘Fuck sake, you men and your fucking horses! All this is about the tracks!?’

‘The tracks that have got you were you are standing now, love. Well, me any my lads are feeling a bit left out and we reckon it’s about time you did some sharing’.

Alfie pouts at the fanciful fucker in front of him. That thick-lipped mouth of his on display, that Arabella notes makes him look amenable and cordial, hiding the steel that lays beneath the easy smiles.

‘Carry on down the road to Little Italy and you can discuss all this with Darby Sabini -we hear he is in need of allies at the moment’.

Michael grins wide, oozing more blood from the gash to his face. He likes her, shame really when he considers his end game.

‘Oh no Miss Shelby, I’m not in this to share or be a worker bee for any Italian mob cunt. We want space and pitches and with those we will agree to a truce at the Liverpool docks and no more trouble with the cargo of a Mr C Solomons as well as a new trade network at my end.’

‘Fuck your truce! I don’t do fucking truces mate! Don’t think for a single second of your measly, miserable existence that I would work with a cunt like you. You, yeh, are the lowest and most de sanctified piece of scum and I don’t do deals with men willing to kill the rats that live among them by biting them’.

Either McCleary was mentally deficient or he has more up his sleeve that he can pull out when he wants. Arabella was yet to decide which.

‘Look, how many good-natured businessmen have you lot bullied, hounded and baited for pitches? That’s how it works. Now don’t come the incensed with me when the same thing happens to you’.

Alfie works his way closer into Michael’s space, the gun pushing further into McCleary’s gut with each step.

‘Now, I’ve been very patient of you, considering the circumstances but now your just getting on my last fucking nerve. You come ‘ere to seek me out, you know the road, you know I offer a deal or death. Un-fuckin-fortunately for you mate it’s no deal’.

The sound of a cocking gun fills the expanse around them. Alfie’s eyes knit together as his gun was already rearing to go.

A cold chill fills his body.

As quick as a snake he whips his head in Arabella’s direction. A tall and lanky man with a soot covered face and eyes like piss holes in the snow looms behind her. The same revolver as his own sequestering into the parting of her hair.

‘Well, I did tell you I wasn’t in this alone. What’s say we call a truce that you famously don’t do?’

Alfie’s tongue darts out across his lips to add moisture to his acrid mouth.

‘Take that gun from behind her head now or so help me I’ll paint this alleyway with every ounce of your intestines’.

‘Alright, calm yourself will yeh! Take this gun out of my ribcage and I’ll ask me mate here to throw back your princess once we’ve discussed our bookmaking arrangements for Kempton and Earls Park. We can discuss Epsom when . . . ‘

Smug words drown out to the ear piercing shriek of agony, followed by a gunshot.

Alfie can hear the blood swilling around his ears as they ring. A cold sweat like the ones he experienced in France drapes around him.

Rubin, who has ducked down, cowering like a child to avoid the fired bullet, turns to look at the damage inflicted to the brickwork behind him.

Alfie’s eyes search with frantic need. Never has he felt relief like the kind her green scowl is bringing.

Arabella’s provoked patience melded into fury and flashing her hand from inside her cleavage she had retrieved a flick knife.

McCleary’s cadaverous assailant falls back, nursing his eye socket. His muck filled knuckles struggle to contain the cascade of crimson.

Alfie spots a blood stain growing on the young man’s upper arm. One flow of movement from her had caused the damage. Alfie didn’t know if he was turned on, worried or infuriated- the dilemma was nauseating. He quickly pulls her arm a little too roughly, placing her behind his frame, an action that makes Michael sneer.

‘There’s part of that weakness of yours, Solomons. A devil always protects his angel’.

‘You are pushing your fucking luck mate!’

Alfie bellows the last three words as they spark a fire in his eyes like every demon and monster laying dormant inside him is suddenly awakened.

‘She’s fucking blinded me, you stupid fucking bitch!’

‘That is just a scratch. Rest assured that I think before I act so had I wanted to blind you then that eyeball would be on the end of my knife edge.’

‘Yeh and make another sound and both your fuckin eyes will be in my next batch of rum, mate’.

Michael keeps his eyes on Alfie. Watching him warily and attempting to second-guess what his next move will be, irritating Arabella to no end. She points at him with the tip of her knife, dripping with red.

‘Let me explain a few things to you. For one, I am not in anyway some hapless princess that gets what she wants through the strong-arming of her brothers. Secondly, should you wish to know where my brothers get their violent tendencies from, it’s from having to try and fight back at a sister who has always been two steps ahead of them. As for the devil, well, even the devil doesn’t know where an angel sharpens their knives’.

Despite the situation Michael’s countenance lifts into a smile that reaches his eyes. He knows he’s playing a dangerous game with Solomons, but now he understood that this broad is more strife than he has given thought to. The only thing left to do is see everything through and watch who would be the victor.

Alfie transfixes a snarl to Michael’s assailant who is using his flea invested blazer to wipe away the blood. He reaches into his pocket sending all eyes to his actions with cautious worry. Pulling out a white handkerchief, he condescendingly tosses it across.

‘Why don’t you wipe yourself the fuck up and then the pair of you can trot on down to the end of this road and fuck off from where you’ve crawled from?’

‘Alright, we’ve said what we need to say, no need to labour the point’.

Alfie’s shoulders hunch. Going without a fight seems suspicious and he can almost feel the charge coming off Michael as he pushes the still drawn pistol in the bakers hand out of his way to saunter to his mate.

‘This isn’t a finished conversation though, Solomons. Earls Park races start in a fortnight and we want in on the pitches and not the shitty cheaper rings that you Jews have been used to before now. We can discuss another meeting in the coming days. Don’t ignore my telegrams this time- I’d hate to come back for your princess’.

‘And she would hate to come back for this fucker’s other eye’.

Arabella spits out through gritted teeth as Alfie once again finds himself squaring back up to Michael with all the menace of a mad man. A dense darkness spiking in his eyes forcing devilry to dance in his pupils. Arabella watches warily through the silence. Maybe all the schemes of the devil were nothing in comparison to what this man could muster up.

In one swift blow, Alfie’s knuckles collide with Michael’s conspirator. The sound of bones crunching fill the space as the gangling lad plummets to the concrete,. Rubin gasps in shock and turns his head to the side, scrunching his eyes as if it would remove him from the situation.

‘That there yeh, is just for starters. Consider it a warning to both of you that children do not belong in a man’s world. No fucking deal. No fucking meeting. Take your friend and fuck off.’

Alfie steps over the body below him, barging into Michael's shoulder in the process. He holds out his hand to Arabella, which she accepts as they walk off down the narrow space.

‘Before you go anywhere there’s something else you should know’.

Alfie spins around, his expression dripping with malice.

‘What’s that old saying- an eye for an eye? You might want to check on your little right hand man. He got in our way when we were looking for you at that warehouse you use belonging to her brother. Not sure how long it takes to bleed out from a leg wound but he’s already been there quite a while, so I wouldn’t leave it too long.’

Alfie’s brain feels like it’s in overload. They have got to Issiah. He drops Arabella’s hand. With hunching shoulders, he storms back onto the thoroughfare of the street. He needed to get to Issiah and get to him fast. Everything else could wait.

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