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torashisama · 7 months

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WoT 207 ''Daes Dae'mar'': A detailed theory-analysis

DISCLAIMER :

This explanation is a detailed one. It is a deep dive into the season taking into account the point of view of all the relevant protagonists and antagonists of the game of houses that took place in Cairhien before our eyes in S2E07.Therefore, It's seemingly endless. If you don't enjoy reading or simply does not want to take the time to read, listen and watch all of it. You can check the following links to find the initial (shorter and less detailed, also outdated but still relevant) version of this explanation:

FOREWORD :

Excuse any eye piercing mistakes I might make or clunky phrasings you might notice, I'm French and ADHD's a bitch.

I've seen a lot of confusion about how Lan figured out about Moiraine. So, I analysed his POV throughout the season and those of the relevant characters in all of this so that it's clear for everyone as understanding part 1 is the central and fundmental part of this theory. It would be best for everyone, if there was no confusion.

PS: THE SCENES ARE IN HYPERLINKS FORMS BECAUSE I CAN'T PUT MOST THAN 1 VID PER POST, also forget about the backlinks. I forgot that the url would change if I went back to the different scenes after posting so that it'll stay like this but they won't work. ( no even sure they'll be necessary, i added them in case it was, so it'ss not an issue)

Let's theorise now, shall we ?

Part 1. Lan's and other relevant characters point of views throughout the season

E01 : A taste of Solitude

Here, his point of view is not important as it's mostly about how the bond being severed for the last 6 months affected him. What we can still point out from this episode is that at the beginning, Moiraine finally understands what the broken piece of Cuendillar at the Eye of The World meant. She understand thanks to the poem that was written on the back of the one that Bayle had, that all this time Ishamael was freed not defeated.

And that, at the end, when she first tried to leave without Lan, they ended up getting hurt and almost dying then getting rescued from the Fades who were following Bayle Domon by Verin and Tomas. ( (educated guess thanks to E08)Lanfear used him to get to Mo trough the fades, Moiraine was supposed to die before she had the chance to intervene.)

E02 : Strangers and Friends

After the Fades attack, Moiraine and Lan have been healed.

She's cold and leaving for the "docks", Verin tells her that Adeleas and her will accompany her and suggests that she goes to the White Tower first. She agrees. Later, at night, seated around a campfire listening to Verin, Adeleas and Tomas reminisce about their youth, Lan and Moiraine gets to do the same and remembers the first time they met each other. Sometime after, it's time for them to say goodbye and go their separate ways. Lan, while Moiraine is distracted, searches her saddle in which he finds a worn out piece of paper that is laced into what appears to be a thin thread of leather, before he can take a look at it, Moiraine comes back and he hides his findings in his cloak. They talk.

"I should have sensed the Fades were coming. I should have… I'm sorry. "

"Do you know when I actually decided you'd be my Warder?"

[…]

"You'll go to the Tower and I'll continue alone."

[…]

"We didn't defeat the Dark One, we set his strongest lieutenant free. The Forsaken are 3000 years old. They're the strongest channelers that ever lived, and Ishamael may be waking the others. What they can do with the One Power make the Aes Sedai look like tavern magicians conjuring birds from their sleeves. I mean, he cut me off with a flick of his wrist."

"But it takes eight Aes Sedai to cut someone off. Alone, he couldn't, no matter how…"

"You have no conception of the power they wield. "

"Well, then tell me.You and I walk this path together. […]"

"We've never walked this path together. You've never seen the forest for the trees because I have never shown it to you."

"You can't push me away."

"Rand's alive."

"No. You said he was dead."

"You assumed."

[…]

"I took an oath to defend you. "

"And without the bond, you're unable to fulfil that oath."

"I'm still your Warder.""

"No, you failed me.""

[…]

"I am not letting you walk away from me again."

"I know. Alanna will see you to the Tower. I'll have her take your bond by force if I must."

Lan from his last conversation with Moiraine before Siuan, Alanna, Maksim and Ihvon becomes relevant factors learns that :

He had been chosen as her warder because she thought "he'll ultimately will be fine if I die"

She wants to leaves him behind again

They did not defeat the Dark One at the Eye but only made things worse by releasing his strongest lieutenant, a forsaken: Ishamael a.k.a Ishy.

Ishamael is most likely than not on a quest to release the other ones.

The forsaken are so much more stronger than the Aes Sedai that the difference is hilarious to think about.

Ishy apparently stilled her by himself.

Mo's betrayed his trust for the last 6 months by lying the Aes Sedai way ( purposefully misleading him) about Rand's death.

She thinks that he failed her and isn't her warder anymore.

She never thought of him as her equal.

She'd betray his trust again by letting Alanna take his bond by force (violate him) so that he'd let her leave alone on her suicide mission.

E03: What Might Be

This episode is unusable as Lan only appears as a part of Nynaeve's trial in the arches. However, we can still count the day or days passing in this episode to try and know how long it's been since Moiraine and Lan have been separated.

I've found that it's only been a day since they left each other by the end of episode 3.

E04: Daughter of the Night

When we first see Lan again since he's been forced to leave with Alanna, He's already been 2 days and 1 night away from Moiraine. This episode will be the 3rd day and 2nd night.

During the day, he's with Alanna and instead of heading straight back for the Tower they pay a visit to Alanna's family.

He eats with them ( lunch ) then he leaves the table to go take a piss, he expected Maksim or Ihvon as before but this time it's Alanna that came to see him. They talk.

[…]

"a warm memory. Something worth living for. And at that point… "

"So we're going to skip all of that.,I don't think you're gonna kill yourself. Your bond wasn't ripped from you. She took it. So have you decided what you're going to do now?"

"Have I worn out my welcome? "

"The three of us, we are going back to the Tower tomorrow. Will you come with us?"

[…]

"I wish you could've known Moiraine before. "

"Before what? "

"Something happened to her. About years ago now. A year or two before she bonded you. One day she was simply… changed. The way water becomes ice, and you look at it and wonder how it was ever water before. "

"Was she happier, then?"

"I don't know. I don't know if she's ever been happy. "

Later during the day, in the afternoon, he talks with Maksim.

[…]

"Moiraine has left the bond masked for… the last six months or so."

"I thought I was the only Warder who could go that long. When Alanna first bonded me, it was miserable for everyone. I didn't like having an audience in my head, and she didn't like the show. So, the three of us talked it through, and we decided that she would mask her bond with me. Except in battle. And bed."

"Does the Tower know about this? "

"Have you ever known a marriage that is exactly the same as another? I know the others will tell you…you can't go back to Moiraine. But I'm proof that you can. If you want to."

And finally, at night he talks with Ihvon.

[…]

"It's something she said. You keep saying it to yourself over and over. A thousand cuts for her one. People don't understand that we quiet ones… are quiet because the conversation's always… playing out in our own heads."

"She said that, all these years… Mm…she never considered me an equal. "

"Of course not. We are not their equals, Lan. We're not supposed to be. An Aes Sedai can… call down lightning, raise mountains. The rest of the world only sees their power. We see their weakness. We remind them that they are not gods."

"I wouldn't think that… Alanna needed a reminder."

"Yeah, well, she knows we want the same thing as her. "

"What's that? "

"The triumph of the Light over the Dark. And dessert after. "

"What about Moiraine? What does she want? "

"Maybe that's the problem. I don't think I know anymore. "

While they're talking, Maksim who was meditating with them but left them alone before they started talking, found the old and worn out piece of paper that Lan previously took from Moiraine. He shows it to Alanna, who reads it and immediately understand what it could mean about Lan and maybe Moiraine too. Is he a dark friend ? Are they dark friends ? Later during the night, while Lan is asleep, Ihvon joins them and they talk it out, outside the house, Ihvon then reads it and they figure out that it's a prophecy in the Old Tongue about a forsaken, specifically about the Daughter of the Night, Lanfear. They're not sure of what to think yet, but they now suspect Lan.

E05: Damane

In this episode we do not follow Lan, Alanna, Ihvon or Maksim. There's is no point of view for them while they're travelling together but we can add 2 nights and a day to the counter. It's been 4 days and 4 nights away from Moiraine and as many days and nights spent with Alanna and her warders for Lan. However, we do get Verin's point of view.

After just arriving at the Tower, she asked after Nynaeve and Egwene but it turned out that they were nowhere to be found. Not in their rooms, not doing chores or in class and somehow, it was the same for the Daughter-heir of Andor, Elayne. They seemed to have disappeared so she went to see Sheriam Sedai, the current Mistress of Novices to try and understand where they could have vanished.

[…]

"Why, Verin Sedai. I was unaware you'd be visiting us."

[…]

"Uh, what can I do for you, Sister?"

"I was hoping to have a word with two of the girls in your care, Egwene al'Vere and Nynaeve al'Meara. Do you know where I might find them?"

"Uh, they are likely busy doing their chores. "

"In fact, they aren't. Nor are they in their class, nor in their rooms. And, um, also the Daughter-Heir of Andor is nowhere to be found."

"Is it possible they may have left Tower grounds?"

"The Daughter-Heir? It's worth taking a look, don't you think? "

"Oh. Uh… Oh, goodness, yes. Here it is. A visit to Elayne's home in Caemlyn. The three were signed out just the other day."

"That seems worth remembering. "

"It is. I, um…I don't know how it slipped my mind, frankly."

"It's quite unusual".

"That it is."

[…]

"Oh, yeah, I have another question for you. I was in the library asking after a book, Meditations on the Kindling Flame? Oh, yes, I've been meaning to return it. It's in my room, actually. Do you need it? Just for a short passage on the Amyrlin Tetsuan, uh… if you could. "

Verin went to the library before going to Sheriam and asks Nomy and Yassica about the "new very powerful Novices".

We don't actually see this happening, but since she went to the tower knowing about Moiraine's adopted kids and particularly about Rand, she must have wanted to meet them as opposed to being able to meet the Dragon Reborn himself ( being bothered by her insatiable curiosity again). She learns that they are nowhere to be found, knowing what link they might have with the Dragon Reborn, she finds suspicious that just after Moiraine got attacked by 3 Fades and went looking for the Dragon Reborn, again, that her girls would appear to have left tower grounds with no one knowing about their departure. With these information in mind, before going to see Sheriam, she takes some precaution to ensure that she discovers the whole truth if for some reason Sheriam was not revealing it all. Knowing all of this, we can deduce that she had the following course of action:

Go to the Library and asks her fellow trusted brown sisters about the girls, after she tells her that it seems like they're not in the tower anymore, She asks them to help if she suspects that Sheriam, might not be telling her the whole truth during their talk.

ask about a book she borrowed and did not return yet, so that they can use it's mention as a signal and use it as a diversion (Meditation on the Kindling Flame).

Look for Ny, Eggy and Elayne

Ask and look around for them

Go to Sheriam and ask about the girls disappearance and determine whether it would be wise to use the backup plan.

Signal to Yassica that they're following the plan, that their conversation is coming to an end and that they'll soon get out of her study.

Distract Sheriam long enough so that Yassica retrieves all of the supposedly useful information.

Meet Yassica to talk about her findings.

Get the names of every Aes Sedai who left the tower in the last few days because it seems that a weave of compulsion was used on Sheriam (so Black Ajah).

Get the prophecies about the DR for Moiraine ? (not sure that she ever did)

Liandrin cross examination

Liandrin successfully fails

[…]

"I, um, I thought you were in Jurene hunting a young man suspected of channeling. "

"Luckily it was nothing."

"Hmm. "

"But… I did… bring back some white asparagus. If you'd like some. It's a delicacy from the village. You can only… "

"Procure them there and only at this time of year. "

"Yes."

[…]

"That's strange. Novices shouldn't be allowed to… "

"Well, they've, uh… they've gone to a name day ceremony in Caemlyn. "

"I'd heard on the road back that a royal envoy going to Caemlyn was attacked south of here. "

"By whom?"

"Uh, a soldier at the inn. He said it was… bandits or Whitecloaks. But if the girls were with them… Come, we must talk to the Keeper immediately. Those girls are worth more than gold itself. Hurry."

Even though her suspicions about Liandrin are at an all time high, I think that she did go with her to go "talk to the Keeper". It's the last time we see her before Cairhien.

E06: Eyes Without Pity

It's been 4 days and 4 nights, Moiraine got to Rand the night before and finally separated him from Lanfear. Defeated and her plans for the Dragon Reborn interrupted.

MOIRANE AND RAND

[…]

Lanfear: "But, if you actually want to work with me… I have one condition. "

Moiraine: "What did she say?"

"I have to go."

"Where? Did she tell you where… "

"No. Away from you. That was her condition. If she sees us together again, she'll kill you".

Lanfear, goes to Liandrin who she's been prying on in the World of Dreams. They talk.

[…]

"Ishamael said he'd freed you, but I…"

"Tell me, why do you work for him? For Ishamael? You hate men. With one exception, it seems."

[…]

"Men hurt us… betray us, and still, we love them. You swore your oaths to keep him alive, but this is not life. "

"I know. "

"He's holding you back. The last tie to the girl you used to be. The girl who was beaten and starved, and forced to marry before she bled. "

"I know. "

"And that's why I'm here, to do what you can't. A gift only one woman can give to another."

[…]

"You swore your oaths to the Dark, not to Ishamael. You cannot take them back. It's impossible. But there are many paths to walk through the night."

(optional but recommended) : Torashi's thoughts about Lanfear and Liandrin

Liandrin ends up switching sides at the end of this conversation. She will now aid Lanfear, not Ishy and Lanfear gives her the task of killing Moiraine (it's the 2nd assassination attempt). She needs to get rid of her but can't kill her herself because she wants Rand to trust her and believe in her and her cause.

Meanwhile, Moiraine is in Cairhien with Rand and at some point she attempts to write a letter in response to her "Dearest Siuan" to update her on the situation and finally tell her the truth about being stilled but she can't. At least, not yet. Only, she did not expect Lan to overtake her.

Lan's point of view (during night 4)

It's night, Lan, Alanna, Maksim and Ihvon are travelling. We don't know where exactly they're going but we can expect them to be going towards the Tower as it was what was planned. All this time spent with them, Lan has been pondering on the idea, that, maybe, Moiraine, really is not stilled but something else. He does not know what but he needs to at least dissipate his doubts. On the other side, Alanna, Maksim and Ihvon still suspects Lan of being a Dark Friend. During their trip, they purposefully choose to stop at a Forsaken temple to observe his behavior and judge him. Lan having these doubts in the back of his mind, wants to get to the Amyrlin seat, Siuan Sanche, who happens to be Moiraine's secret wife. He needs more information on the forsaken and needs to know where to find Siuan, so that she can help him dissipate his doubts ( he understands the old tongue- he understood what Ihvon meant by "Blood calls blood") and help him find how to help Moiraine.

Alanna : "Here's as good a place to stop as any. I'm dying for some tea."

Lan: "This is a temple to the Forsaken. Interesting choice."

Maksim: "Shelter's shelter. "

Lan: "We'll need the Amyrlin's permission for me to return to the Tower. Moiraine's banishment applies to me until our bond is formally removed from Tower records."

Alanna: "The Amyrlin won't be back for another few days yet. She's returning from a visit to Caemlyn."

Lan: "Forsaken. Do you believe they had powers the Aes Sedai have lost? Weaves this Age has forgotten?"

Ihvon: "They were the generals of the Dark One's army. The things they did, our Aes Sedai would never even consider."

Alanna: "What you're willing to do changes depending on what you're faced with."

[sometime later Alanna, Maksim and Ihvon are supposed to be distracted, having fun in their tent. Lan attempts to leave but they were watching him all along. He's cornerded by Ihvon and Maksim then trapped in the One Power by Alanna.]

Maksim : "It's rude to leave while your friends are sleeping."

Ihvon: "Ruder still to use your weapon against them."

Lan: "I don't want to fight you. "

Maksim: Rejection's a relatively new experience. You'll have to forgive me for asking, but… where are you going, old friend?

Lan : That is my business.

[…]

Alanna: "The Amyrlin did not banish you from Tar Valon. You know that. You wanted me to tell you where she is. Why?"

Lan: "I need to find her."

Alanna: "What do you want from Siuan Sanche ?"

Alanna: "You will tell us the truth, al'Lan Mandragoran. We will kill you were you stand if you don't."

Lan: "We found the Dragon Reborn."

[Lan goes to Siuan to tell her the truth about her wife, so that she can help him check whether he was right to doubt a forsaken's ability to still someone alone and help her.]

It's the last time we see them before the new day starts. They had all night to talk to each other, research (if needed) and come up with a plan.

DURING DAY 5

-MORNING

Lan is preventing Rand from leaving to go to Falme, alone, without Moiraine. He's accompanied by Alanna, Maksim and Ihvon.

Moiraine sends Jonas to give a letter to a trusted sister of hers of the Blue Ajah so that she can "get it where it needs to go" (To Siuan I suppose). She apologises to Barthy and he hugs her, they're interrupted by Anvaere.

"The Amyrlin Seat is here, in Cairhien, with 14 Aes Sedai, and she's demanded an audience with you."

Liandrin's in Cairhien, thanks to her, we know that Siuan summoned them without disclosing why.

"The last time the Amyrlin Seat called 14 sisters to meet with her in Cairhien, we installed a new king on the Sun Throne."

"Well, maybe this Amyrlin is a little more frivolous daughter."

"Hmm. "

"We'll have to wait and see."

In this part, we learned that :

Lan was suspicious from the moment that he learned how Moiraine got stilled by Ishy.

He doubted what his next step should be and thanks to Ihvon and Maksim, he knew that he had to get back and COULD go back to Moiraine.

He needed to get to Siuan before so that she could help him get back to Moraine and check whether he could have been right or not about her not being stilled.

He told Alanna about Rand and never disclosed that Moiraine could not channel or that Siuan and her were working together or that they are lovers.

He went to see Siuan, they talked and planned an intervention to save Moiraine from herself.

Lanfear used Domon to get to Moiraine trough the fades to kill her before she could do anything about Rand. (educated guess when informed by E08)

Lanfear rallied Liandrin to her cause and tasked her to take care of Moiraine for her. (educated guess when informed by E08)

Verin now knows about the dragon and is going to the Tower to look for prophecies about the dragon for Moiraine.

Verin suspected Liandrin of being Black Ajah and of being able to use the weave of compulsion and left with her to "go see the keeper"

Siuan, Lan, Alanna, Ihvon and Maksim went to Cairhien

Siuan summoned 14 Aes Sedai there but did not disclose the reason why and demanded an audience with Moiraine

Lan prevented Rand from leaving without Moiraine for Falme accompanied by Alanna, Ihvon and Maksim.

Part 2. Liuan : Their off screen talk

Thanks to part 1, we can be assured that Siuan was the one who showed up at Cairhien and not the Amyrlin Seat. It was about Moiraine not the mission or Rand. They were secondary motives and afterthoughts. All that mattered when she saw Lan, was Moiraine. It would have been five days since she answered to Moiraine from their previous letter and she still did not have an answer, so she was already worried. In E06, when Moiraine attempts to write to Siuan before Barthy interrups her. It either was the first letter from E01 or a follow up one that Siuan sent out of worry. Lan showing up alone, probably was horrifying. As for Lan, is sole purpose and worry from the night Moiraine got "stilled" and they lost their bond was to help Moiraine, support her, be close to her again. Basically as he said:

Moiraine: "I don't know what you think you'll gain from this."

Lan: "Hopefully, everything we've lost."

Now onto the talk.

credit: @aflawedfashion

What we can deduce from E07 and the previous episodes we just deep dived into is that Lan told her more than she had just been stilled. He confirms that he went to Siuan doubtful near the end of episode 7 when he says :

"It never made sense to me, Moiraine. What you're feeling? Ishamael didn't still you. Not even a Forsaken could do that alone. It is a shield that he's tied off, which means… "

scene

He just told her what he tried to say from E02 (except this time he knows what it is if not stilling and how to fix it), but she wouldn't listen to him.

scene

So, between Liuan this is what he must have said:

Siuan, At the eye of the world, Moiraine actually fought a forsaken, he was not defeated.

She was mistaken, a few days ago she realised that we released him. We were wrong, we,lost at the eye of the world.

She's lost her ability to touch the source but she said that Ishamael stilled her alone. I don't think she's been stilled, Verin Sedai said that most stilled women ended up dying and that her behavior was not aligning with what's usually expected. After she told me that he stilled her alone I strongly doubted that she really was, I thought maybe it was something else, I told her but she brushed me off. Are they really that strong ? Can a forsaken really still someone alone ?

She's been casting me out for the last six months so I only learned about all of it 4 nights ago when she left me behind to go find Rand. He wasn't with us, she let me assume he died and let him leave.

She forced me to stay back with Alanna Sedai and her warders by threatening me of letting her take my bond by force. They were to take me back to the tower but before Moiraine left me I took a poem she had in her saddle, it was about Lanfear. Ishamael released her, Alanna Sedai found it and cornered me earlier as I was trying to get to you to confront me about it. She wouldn't let me go, she thought that I was to harm you and a dark friend, she was ready to kill me so I had to tell her about the dragon reborn so that she'd let me go.

Lan told her and knew everything she needed to know to be able to help her wife as she's always been doing. Only, this time, Moiraine would have to stay out of the loop. She's emotionally unstable and is not in a place where she could allow herself to think of such a possibility anymore, giving her hope for no reason wouldn't make for anything good.

optional but recommended : Thoughts about why Liuan decided to keep Moiraine out of the loop

We now wonder, what did they plan ?

Part 3. Liuan : The Plan

Before diving into this part, we need to know what might have happened between them beside their talk.

What can we deduce happened ?

Lan tells her everything and Siuan comes up with the plan and tells him what he'll have to do and they'll obviously use Rand as a pretext (well, Siuan will).

(I used to think that she could have not know as soon as he'd tell her since Moiraine herself did not think that a Forsaken wouldn't be able to do that but after further research and taking into account the fact that Lan immediately suspected it and that Moiraine judgement was clouded by her emotions, I now think that Siuan knew as soon as he told her. Anyway, whether she needed to check or not they had their plan which was not about the dragon in case you forgot but about Moiraine.)

Now, onto the discussed plan:

Siuan explains :

Lan you'll :

Get the boy, try to make him understand that he'll be fine but do not tell him the truth, we can't trust that he won't talk to Moiraine or that nobody will spy on you. I'll meet him and try and do the same and use our meeting as my main motive for coming to Cairhien, also, we'll need him to unshield her as I can't see Saidin (men half of the One power).

You'll check with Logain to know if we were right about her being shielded, we have to be sure before attempting anything.

Check if she ever wanted to kill herself if you have the chance.

Everything may not go as planned so be ready not to reveal that there's more than me meeting the boy and follow along with whatever I do.

This is what you'll have to do to un-shield her if we were right

If we get attacked you'll take her there. This will be our escape route in case we ever need it.

As for Alanna and her warders they'll be on the look out.

Most importantly, keep her safe, be careful and stand by her.

Siuan

I'll

Summon 14 Aes sedais and take them with me to Cairhien since we have 2 Forsaken on the loose trying to get him, they'll be useful in case we get attacked.

Meet and talk to Moiraine and distract her from what you'll be doing.

Meet the boy and try to make him understand that i'm on his side.

Alanna, Maksim and Ihvon

Look out for the Forsaken

Alert

Backup

Goals

The goal is to help Moiraine and that is it, probably discuss their next course of action regarding the plan since she might be stilled (which she can do with no problem since she doesn't know for sure that she isn't). As i've stated before, Rand and the mission in this case were the after thoughts as it is Siuan that decided to go to Cairhien and not the Amyrlin Seat.

Moiraine: "Siuan said you were leaving. Where were you going? "

(While they're the same person, they are not the same characters, Siuan isn't the Amyrlin Seat and the Amyrlin Seat is not Siuan but only a part of her, I thought the show made it clear enough but I'm reminding you all again anyway as i've seen that a lot (even other theorist and siuaraine shippers) seems to think that Siuan really went to Cairhien to take Rand away from Mo, cage him and stuff as if they did not show us that it simply was not how it worked between them and that she simply was not her position at all. Most misunderstood and underappreciated character sincerely (those who voted Hopper, i'm looking at y'all). Anyway, SHE IS NOT THE AMYRLIN SEAT AND THE AMYRLIN SEAT IS NOT SIUAN BUT ONLY A PART OF HER.)

So, Siuan shielding and putting Rand in a cell was improvised as he was leaving without Moiraine knowing and she needed him to be around anyway.

Daes dae'Mar : The Game of Houses, Liuan's plan put into practice

House Sanche-Mandragoran

Siuaraine meeting in the Sun Palace

Goals :

Meet and talk to Moiraine and distract her from what Lan will be doing.

Use meeting Rand as her main motive for coming to Cairhien.

[MOIRAINE] Mother. [SIUAN] Leave us, Daughter. She's no threat to me. [LEANE] I'll be right outside, Mother. [SIUAN] Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me you'd been stilled? Six months of letters, Moiraine. And not one word about this…this violation. [MOIRAINE] Well, what else did Lan tell you?

[MOIRAINE] That you threatened to let Alanna take his bond without his permission. You know he told her. That you found the Dragon. (half truth and deflection, she knew about the forsaken and talks about it later,)

[MOIRAINE] Why are you here, Siuan?

[SIUAN] I've let you carry this burden for years, love. You've given everything for it. From here on out, I row beside you. ( half truth, because she also was there to help Lan check her powers)

Moiraine: [SCOFFS] (not convinced)[gets hypnotised by Siuan's touch]

[SIUAN] It's time I met Rand al'Thor. (deflection)

scene

Lan takes Rand and prepare him to meet Siuan

Goals:

Prepare him to meet Siuan :

make him understand without telling him the truth that Siuan is on his side. Even though she's the Amyrlin. ( for the reason mentioned before but also, it's Cairhien)

[LAN] Tuck in your shirt. [RAND] What does the Amyrlin Seat want from me? Is this a trial? I saw what she did to the last man who called himself Dragon. (scared) [LAN] Is that why you ran from the Eye of the World? Why you hid here? (wonders why he left and questions if it was because he was afraid about sharing Logain's fate) [RAND] I left to protect the people I love. (angrily answers, offended by the assumption) [LAN] Don't be so selfish. You were born to protect this world. Every person in it. Not just the ones you love. (reminds him of his responsabilities as the Dragon Reborn)

Listen to me. The Amyrlin's a smart woman. She's a good woman. (reassures him about Siuan) And she comes from humbler beginnings than you. (she's not what she seems) [RAND] Does Moiraine know you're doing this? (asks about the only Aes Sedai he kind of trust) [LAN] There's one rule above all others for being a man. Whatever comes, you face it on your feet. ( ignores and teach him what his answer should be to the fear he's currently feeling)

Put this on. Give me your blade.

Heron Dips the Wing. You've been learning sword forms. (proud uncle moment) [RAND] I've learned a couple of things. [LAN] Keep the sword. (let him keep his sword as he is still stressed)

If the Amyrlin's afraid of you, it won't be for a sword. (build his confidence up)

If you're going to use one of the forms, use Cat Crosses the Courtyard, keep your back straight, every muscle loose. As if hung from a wire at the top of your head. (teaching moment)

Go. The Amyrlin waits.

scene

Siuan meets Rand while Mo'an are talking

[RAND] As you've summoned me, Mother, so I've come. I stand ready. [SIUAN] Do you now, boy? Lan has prepared you, I see. What else did he tell you? [RAND] That you aren't exactly what you seem. [SIUAN] Most people are not. In this world, it is wise to guard your truths, but not us. Not today. (she won't lie, since she can't but she's going to aes sedai her way out of his questions not to reveal blatlantly that she's on his side) I have questions for you. Answer truthfully.

[LATER]

[RAND] And then what? [SIUAN] You say you've been careful. How many times have you channeled? [RAND] Not many. Not deliberately. [SIUAN] You will continue to channel, as sure as roe makes fish. You can't help it. And if you don't learn to control it, you won't live long enough to go mad. (INFODUMP) [RAND] What kind of a choice is that? (when did she give him a choice exactly, please ?), (ignored question) Dying or going mad and killing everyone I love? (ignored) What if I'm tired of being a spoke in the Wheel? (acknowledged) [SIUAN] You're not a spoke, boy. You are the water that turns the Wheel itself or dashes it to pieces. (answers)

Do you know what Tower law says the Amyrlin must do if she finds the Dragon Reborn? (question and attemps at making him understand) [RAND] Gentle him? [SIUAN] Gentle him? No. How do you fight the Dark One without the One Power?

Some of my Red daughters would want that, I suppose, but… (beware of the reds basically) we are meant to cage you. (teaching, infodumping)

Keep you shielded, channeling only when we want, what we want. And when we go to fight the Last Battle, you will be the greatest weapon in our arsenal. But not our general.

This is not a conversation. (yes it is) You already made your decision. (indeed, 20 years ago dumbass) You made it before you ever met me. (how do you know? she made it looking in your other mom eyes the day you were born and ruined their retirement plans, BEHAVE RAND)

I won't live in your cage. (did she say SHE, would cage you or that the Amyrlin was MEANT to cage you ? she infodumped, you stupid boy)

(she had no other choice but to shield him as he was getting hostile, then Mother got mad, i can't blame her I would have too (actually I did), because how can you be so dense, mistaken and dumb, like why would you think you'd be able to do anything against the Amyrlin Seat, when you know nothing about channeling- je souffle (I sigh), je souffle, je souffle. Il fatigue(he tires).)

scene

Six months you've known what you are, and… you've learned nothing.

Six months! Huh?

She taught you nothing. (she's mad, and it takes a lot to get her to snap according to New spring so leave my girl alone, Mo took the decision alone, said nothing and did teach him nothing also from an objective stand point, she's not necessarily talking about chanelling. She's been over their whole discussion since he pulled a Nynaeve while asking about being tired of being a spoke or whatever )

A single Aes Sedai can handle you like baitfish. ( just an astute and accurate observation made with an iconic fish metaphor)

[SIGHS] (me too)

We would've been so much better off if you were a girl. (i'm sorry not sorry to the men who got butt hurt by this comment but she's right, had it been possible it would have been so much better and it's an objective truth, she basically stated a fact so get over it)

scene

Mo'an talk during Rand and Siuan are talking

Goals:

Check if she ever wanted to kill herself ( symptoms of stilling basically)

Do not to reveal that there's more than Siuan meeting Rand

[MOIRAINE] I don't know what you think you'll gain from this. [LAN] Hopefully, everything we've lost. [MOIRAINE] Leave. I have nothing to say to you. [LAN] I have a question for you. And I hope someday you'll forgive me for asking it. ( a single question huh ?)

After you were stilled by Ishamael, has there been a time… in all these months when you thought about ending it? [MOIRAINE] killing myself?

I read the Tower records. (keep that in mind,take a mental or physical note.) There have only been two women in history who were cut off who didn't. Most did it within the year. [MOIRAINE] No, I didn't. (Rand & Moiraine getting offended by Lan's perfectly reasonable and logical assumption)

Not for one second.

Because I know that protecting Rand, guiding him, that is the only thing that matters. More than me, more than you. More than anything. [LAN] That's what I thought. (happy Lan)

[MOIRAINE] And this whole thing you're doing with Siuan, it puts all of it… the Last Battle,the fate of the world… in jeopardy. (Yes, it's true but do I need to remind her "when have ever followed the rules?" or simply that these two never let her not take care of herself? WHY DID SHE EVEN EXPECT THEM TO CARE ABOUT THE WORLD IF SHE WASN'T FINE ? SUCH A DEPRESSED LOVABLE AND ANNOYING PUFFERFISH).

I apologise for my lack of professionalism,

It will definitely happen again though,you've been warned.

What isn't she telling me? (was not convinced by Siuan earlier, just hypnotised)

You have to trust someone at some point, Moiraine. You can't do this by yourself. You can't. And if it's not going to be me… then I thought it might at least be her. (deflect)

scene

Siuaraine, Mo'an, Liuan fight (+ red haired misbehaving toddler)

Goal:

distract Moiraine so that Lan can do his thing

improvised: shield rand and prevent him from leaving, as he's shown that he's ready to be hostile and harm, he's caged and to be kept shielded by Leane who knows nothing but that she has to shield him.

[SIUAN] Let them through. [MOIRAINE] Release him, Siuan. ( Mo, you don't even know what he did) Now. [SIUAN] No. We tried our way, Moiraine. -> true

And we nearly lost everything. -> true

The Tower's laws have stood for , 3000 years.-> infodumb

It's time we obeyed them. -> it was time from the moment they became accepted, it was already time in their hut when Moiraine was asking when did they EVER followed these rules. [LAN ] This is not what we agreed to. (true but he also remembered that bro was leaving alone when he found him and will stay quiet and follow along from now on)

[MOIRAINE] The Reds will gentle him.

[SIUAN] Not while I hold the Seat. -> true, even if she really wanted to follow the rules, she wouldn't let them.

[MOIRAINE] The Tower is filled with your enemies. -> true, she knows

You're this sure of your power? -> true, and siuan stays quiet because she can't Aes sedai her way out of this one

We each had a task, Siuan.

I was to find the Dragon Reborn. You were to get the Tower ready to support him. Or have you forgotten that day? -> something here snapped in her brain people, Moiraine angered her with this one and she loses her temper ( which is, AGAIN, hard to do according to New spring in case I needed to remind you)

[SIUAN]

Of course I have not forgotten.

But you were supposed to be with him, ready to shield him if he starts to go mad.

Yet here you are, stilled. (still isn't sure and it's what it appears to be so she can say it, and she is pissed)

You can't control him. -> true

You can't guide him. -> true

Can you imagine, Moiraine, if one of the Forsaken got their hands on him? (she gave herself away there, remember in the first meeting when I referenced this ? )

He's no more ready now than he was before you found him. -> true

You left the fate of the world to chance… -> true, she let him leave at the eye when she was not sure of what the fight they just "won" meant + she never told her that he left because she couldn't tell her why she let him leave and there was no other reason than she couldn't protect him anymore from the dark and himself and it was best if he laid low + it meant that telling, and admitting that she'd never touch the source again could be delayed

… for your pride. -> so yes but for those not agreeing with her statement there, we do not care, she just need to believe something to be able to say it. IT DOES NOT MATTER.

Tomorrow, when Queen Galldrian returns, we shall announce him as Dragon here in Cairhien… with Sisters by our side to show he is under our control. -> he's supposed to leave with Moiraine as soon as she's unshielded if they were right, no one knows about Rand but them and those who learned about it this season and it's one of the possible choice they could have made by actually having a conversation about what to do if Moiraine hadn't come in there after Lan told her to trust, ordering Siuan around, wanting to hear nothing else, when she didn't even know why he was shielded (he deserved the time out sincerely.)

Prepare him for what is to come.

I think she was saying this to both of them, and it had a double meaning.

Lan: Still on board, even though things got heated carry on with the plan, just lost my temper. ( would explain why the camera shows him and not Moiraine even though the whole conversation had been only between Siuaraine)

Mo and us: yeah i'm apparently ditching the plan we sacrificed 20 years for, and the one I came up with Lan, last night, without a discussion, just because i'm pissed after I told you her earlier that I was there to support you her. Yes, that is right, this is what is happening.

scene

Since there had been no objection, no attempt at bargaining or anything, just plain old silence. Siuan thought Moiraine had dropped the ball. She let her be, and Moiraine chose to stay with Rand. ( good because she'll still be distracted even though they're mad at each other right now) Had Moiraine been imprisoned too, she wouldn't have been allowed to be in the same cell, and Siuan would have disclosed that she had been stilled to Leane but she did not. Siuan trusted her, still, even though they just had a fight about their kid and knew that she had been Aes sedaying her way out of transparency for months. So,to her everything was mostly going according to plan but then Rand happened and introduced another player to the game that was currently unfolding before our innocent, untrained eyes and unaware minds.

House Lanfear- Al'Thor

Goals:

Get rid of Moiraine

Get Rand to Falme alone

[RAND] What is happening to me? [MOIRAINE] You've been shielded from the One Power. [RAND] Um… it feels… [MOIRAINE] As if you've lost everything you ever were and everything you could possibly be. Don't worry, it's temporary. She has to channel to keep the shield in place, but when it drops, you'll feel yourself again. [MOIRAINE] Siuan said you were leaving. (off-screen first meeting)

Where were you going? [RAND] Falme. Egwene is there. Ishamael has her. [MOIRAINE] Lanfear showed you this in the dream world? [RAND] I know they want me to go there. But why Falme, of all places? [MOIRAINE] The Dragon is supposed to proclaim himself there. "Bannered 'cross the sky in fire." [RAND] They want everyone to know who I am before they try to kill me. If they need me in Falme, then they certainly don't want me being held prisoner by the Amyrlin Seat.

He happened, and Moiraine broke Siuan's trust there once again by indulging in it.

As Justine Juel Gillmer( S1E06 and S2E07 writer) pointed out and explained : Moiraine feels like she lost Rand to Lanfear, operates without a clear path to follow for the first time and is all alone. She focuses only on Rand, nothing else matters (as i've pointed before myself too, during Mo'an's talk). (in the bonus)

So, she does nothing else than what she felt she could do : She stays by his side and tries to win him back. She says nothing,let him and indulges in his tendency to call on Lanfear (the dark) for help, thinking that she would be able to outsmart her even though she knows that she wouldn't have been able to see their interaction in the world of dreams, she trust Rand to give her all of the information that she'd need to know if something was wrong and Rand ends up asking Lanfear. A fair price to pay to gain some of his trust back: trusting each other and only one another and further harming the trust Lanfear made sure they would build while she was away and unaware. Without realising it, she built trust in one of her relationship, while harming one of hers too.

She breaks the trust that Siuan chose to still have in her, even though she knew that she was not in the right head space right now because of the shield, by actually trying to escape when she had dropped the ball earlier.

scene

Meanwhile, Liandrin is working on fulfilling the mission she has been given by Lanfear in episode 6. […]

[LIANDRIN] I remember her at that age. You have the look of her, you know. [BARTHANES] Why are you here, Aes Sedai? [LIANDRIN] To deliver an order. (from Lanfear) [BARTHY] What does our master ask of me? ( he assumed it was from Ishy or the DO) [LIANDRIN] Remove her from the board. [BARTHY] She is my aunt. [LIANDRIN] Exactly. Even she will be unprepared for this. Do it today. She's being held in a cell in the palace. (Lanfear or you got this one wrong Liandrin, she's in there voluntarily.)Oh. And if your mother suspects anything… take care of her, too.

scene

Meanwhile House Lanfear-Al'Thor,

[LANFEAR] You didn't even make it out of the city. ( she knew already) [RAND] I need your help. I'm in a cell in the Sun Palace. The Amyrlin's holding me. [LANFEAR] I know. [RAND] Can you get me out? [LANFEAR] Hmm. Isn't Moiraine with you? Surely she could do something. [RAND] Maybe she will. Maybe I won't need you. [LANFEAR] Oh, I do like it when you try to manipulate me. [RAND] Can you get me out or not, Lanfear?

scene

On the other side,

House Sanche-Mandragoran

Goals:

check with Logain to know if they were right about her being shielded, They have to be sure before attempting anything.

Alanna and her warders will be on the look out.

[ALANNA] Through there. What did he say? Does the Daughter of the Night walk in our world? [MAKSIM] Forsaken. Dragon Reborn. I miss the farm, Alanna. I even miss your cousins. [ALANNA] Come now. Did you expect we would fight the Last Battle against an army of kittens?

[LOGAIN] I would offer you a match, but.. stones is a gentleman's game. Tell your master that I'm still waiting for her to keep her promise. Or you can just run me through with your blade now, save her the trouble. [LAN] I can do better than that. You can see male weaves. What do you see when you look at Moiraine? [LOGAIN] A desperate, lonely woman who has given her life to a cause… beyond her understanding. [LAN] A half a year in an asylum, and you're a madman still. [LOGAIN] Madness is expecting a straight answer from the man you helped lock away. There are weaves on her. From a man. Thousands of strands pulled together, held in place, but nothing being channeled into them. [LAN] How is that possible? [LOGAIN] I don't know, it's just like…

scene

House Lanfear-Al'Thor

[PEOPLE SCREAMING IN BADASS LANFEAR ANNOUNCING HER ARRIVAL]

Meanwhile House Sanche- Mandragoran,

[ALANNA] There's a fIre. In the Foregate. [LOGAIN] The key. [LAN] You think I've forgotten what you did to Kerene and Stepin? You will get this key when they take you back to the White Tower. There are two Brown Sisters that are desperate to study a man who can channel.

[LAN] Go. (to Moiraine) [LANFEAR] 3000 years pass and I'm back to this.

scene

And another player comes in, unexpectedly,

House Damodred

Goals:

Save Moiraine

Save the name of House Damodred

Save herself

Get yourself absolutely adored by the Fandom in one action

[BARTHANES] You're sure my aunt's alone? [SERVANT] As you asked, my lord. And a sedative in her tea. She should be asleep already. [BARTHY]] Good. [SERVANT] Would you like me to open it, Your Grace? [ANVAERE] I didn't think you would do it. [BARTHY] Mother. No. No! No! No. [ANVAERE] Why? In Light's name, why? [BARTHANES] I did it for us. I did it for you, Mother. For our family name. Why do you think that we've risen so far so fast, Mother? I am to be king. And you would throw it all away for what? For-for her? Mother, Moiraine doesn't care about you. She trust no one. She cares about no one. She… She will leave this place, and she will not give us a second thought. [ANVAERE] I know. But there are two things my sister understands better than anyone. The difference between right and wrong, and how much harder it is sometimes to do what is right. [BARTHY] Mother. Mother, please. Mother, please. You can't tell the queen. You can't tell anybody. [BADASS, HEROIC ANVAERE] I already have. [CRYING BARTHY] Mother. Mother. Mother! No! Mother! Mother!

scene

House Lanfear-Al'thor

Goals:

release Rand while Lanfear's being the perfect diversion

give him the map leading to the Waygate.

[VERIN] The city's burning. The Amyrlin requires your strength to protect Cairhien. [LEANE] I've been told to watch the boy. [VERIN] This is an order, Leane Sedai. (from Liandrin or Lanfear?) I'll take his shield. [LEANE] Don't let her get close to you. (still doesn't know Mo is "stilled") [MOIRAINE] You are very clever with your words, Sister. (did not realise that she couldn't have known she'd need help) [VERIN] The Dragon Reborn. I'd say you've spent long enough in Cairhien, wouldn't you?

There's a Waygate hidden in the city. (how did she know she'd need to plan for this from the morning she arrived in Cairhien ? Lanfear or Liandrin but really just Lanfear has if not herself she'd give the order trough Liandrin) [MOIRAINE] That's just a rumor. [VERIN] With a grain of truth. An Ogier Stedding once stood in the inner city center. Cairhien families built right over it. Here. [VERIN] Where will you take him? [MOIRAINE] Falme. Toman Head. [VERIN] "Above Toman's Head shall he proclaim himself bannered 'cross the sky in fire." ( here's the reason you might be looking for if not for compulsion by Liandrin when she followed her to "go see the keeper") You plan to have him declare himself the Dragon Reborn. The Wheel weaves.

scene

House Sanche-Mandragoran

Goals:

If we get attacked you'll take her there. This will be our escape route in case we ever need it.

Alanna: Backup

[LAN] Good work. We'll take him from here to the Waygate. ( did not take the map or hear them speak, Verin and Thomas followed as he had the same destination than the one they had planned for Rand) Just make sure that we're not followed. [ALANNA] You're not alone in this any longer, Sister. But you need to hurry. This city is not safe. I hope you're worth this, boy. Light be with you. [LAN] Let's go.

sceane

Meanwhile, Siuan isn't worried about the dragon reborn being protected by a single abled Aes Sedai when she knows that it probably is one of the Forsaken, she carries out her duty as Aes Sedai and Amyrlin Seat with the utmost calm. She even seemed bored of it for a second. Then again, in the utmost calm and collected manner, she sees the only Aes Sedai supposed to be shielding the boy and doesn't pannick and order that they rush there and find him, NO, she calmly ask who's shielding her son and it's only when she hears Verin's name that she's not okay anymore, suddenly she needs time to process what she just heard and then leave in a rush.

[SIUAN] Link with me. [LEANE] I'm here, Mother. [SIUAN] Who's shielding the boy? [LEANE] Verin Sedai. You… you sent her. [SIUAN] Lead your Sisters and heal the injured. That boy must not leave the city. -> something is wrong I have enemies I did not expect and doubts to clear he mustn't leave before they are cleared. [EXHALES]

All the while, Lan is still oblivious that something is wrong and is just following the plan.

[LAN] It should be somewhere. There. (did not use the map) [MOIRAINE] You'll have to channel into it. Split it open with sheer force if you have to. [LAN] No, he won't. You're going to open it. [MOIRAINE] Just do it. [LAN] Look at Moiraine. With the Source. [MOIRAINE] Lan. [LAN] Not just your eyes. What do you see? [MOIRAINE] Don't. [RAND] It looks like a knot tied together. [MOIRAINE] That's im… It's impossible. (see, this woman really wouldn't allow herself to even think about it, Rand tells her he see them, yet she won't believe it)

[LAN INFODUMPING BECAUSE MOIRAINE IS STILL BEING STUBBORN ABOUT HER "STILLING"] There's a story from the Age of Legends about the Foresaken's powers… a skill that's been lost for thousands of years… to tie off weaves and leave them in place. It never made sense to me, Moiraine. (reminder that it is proof he went to Siuan with doubts about this) What you're feeling? Ishamael didn't still you. Not even a Forsaken could do that alone. It is a shield that he's tied off, which means…

[MOIRAINE] It can be removed. (finally) [LAN] Yes. [RAND] What do I need to do? [LAN] You don't have the skill to untie this knot. You'll have to cut it. [MOIRAINE] I trust you. [LAN] Go on. Cut through it. [MOIRAINE] I feel it. I feel it. Thank you. Thank you. [LAN] I am sorry it took me so long to do my duty.( it took you 4 day and nights but go off king)

scene

House Sanche-Madragoran + House Lanfear-Al'Thor

Siuan arrives, shields Rand as he was super dense and leave Lan alone.

[LAN] Stop! No!

Siuan yeets Lan to the side, she does not have the time to explains and maybe he lied to her too.

[SIUAN] Close the Waygate, Moiraine. Now. -> she needs a proof You lied to me about being stilled. -> the aes sedai way obvi

[MOIRAINE not suprised to see her as she knew they were hiding something from her, and she must have her coming with her Siuan tingle.] No. I cannot. -> ok cool you didn't but you know she doesn't literally mean lie -.- I've been more truthful with you than anyone else. -> this just means that she told her the truth more than to anyone else, not that she told her all of it. Moiraine speaking in codes is tiring sometimes.

[SIUAN reminds her, in an attempt to convice Moiraine to close the Waygate herself. ]

We failed, Moiraine. -> They did fail together At the Eye of the World, you failed. -> She did fail at the eye. The stakes are too high to fail again. -> stating facts

Close the Waygate. -> she asked

[MOIRAINE being the bratty bottom that she is] also where was she going ? SO dramatic i swear, she turns around and start walking to the Waygate as if Siuan was just going to unshield Rand and let her leave because she said no) No. [SIUAN] I don't want to force you.-> but I need and have to know.

You swore to obey me on the Oath Rod. An unbreakable oath, bound by the One Power. -> Moiraine knows , she knows she voices it because she doesn't want to have to use it, feels cornered and is trying to convince and brace herself for whatever will come of it if Moiraine ends up forcing her to use it. A real betrayal or she just violated her wife because of this damned Mission. Both, horrific for her.

Siuan… -> surely Moiraine understood after hearing this what was really going on for Siuan. She doesn't know if she can trust her anymore. For Siuan, surely Moiraine understood why she insisted so much and was ready to do what she never even though about as a possibility or as something that was anything but just wrong ( throwback to Lan's bond in the first suiaraine meeting)

Close it. -> this one feels like she's desperate at this point for her to close it there, not the same intonation at all, she's bracing herself for what is coming. No more feelings, no more asking, no more plea, no more bargaining, she has too know before it's too late, she orders. Even though, that's the intent she puts behind the intonation we can still see it on her face, hear it in her voice, see it in her eyes and in the way she moves.

[SOFTLY] Siuan… -> this one must have felt like a ruse, the same way Moiraine first rejected Siuan's touch because she knew what would happen. The facade would break into pieces and she'd give in. Here, Moiraine softly calling her name, almost like she's begging, after she's been warned, after her herself showed how much she just needed her to at least close it did not feel like something she could allow herself to hear so she cuts her off and the rest is history.

Moiraine Damodred… [MOIRAINE] No, if you have ever loved me, don't do this. [SIUAN] … I command you… … to close the Waygate.

House Lanfer-Al'Thor

[MOIRAINE surprised to even see Lanfear as she thought she escaped having to deal with her, when Verin freed her. I believe that she pieces things together here, not all of it but just enough to understand what she couldn't believe happened to her from Siuan, the last person she'd think would ever do this to her just the moment before she arrived, they did not talk but she understood]

Lanfear.

[LANFEAR LAUGHS]

[MOIRAINE] She's too strong, Siuan. Don't. No. [LANFEAR] I told you the next time I saw you two together, I'd kll her. [RAND] You're not going to touch her. Not if you want my help.

[LANFEAR] Every day you grow more like Lews.

Lucky for you, a broken Amyrlin is more useful to me than a dead one.

[SIUAN] Moiraine, please. (go)

[LAN] Moiraine, please. (come)

Highly recommend you watch this scene in particular

Conclusion

All along Daes Dae'Mar was being played, and we failed to realise that in the current game of the houses we were witnessing, there were 4 houses.

House Lanfear-Al'thor

Lanfear

Verin

Tomas

Rand

Liandrin

Barthanes

House Damodred

Moiraine

Anvaere Damodred (unknowingly)

Siuan

Lan

Alanna, Ihvon & Maksim

House Sanche-Mandragoran

Siuan

Lan

Moiraine Damodred (unknowingly)

Alanna, Ihvon & Maksim

House of The Dragon

Goals: different for each person but utltimately related the Dragon.

Rand Al'thor : leave Cairhien, to go to Falme to free Egwene

Moiraine Damodred : Help Rand, avoid Lanfear.

Siuan Sanche : Help Moiraine, Protect her and Rand from the Forsaken

Al'Lan Mandragoran : Help Moiraine, Protect her from the Forsaken and secondarily Rand.

Alanna Mosvani : Help the dragon reborn/ Moiraine

Ihvon : Help Alanna, the dragon reborn/Moiraine

Maksim : Help Alanna, the dragon reborn/Moiraine

Verin Mathwin : Help fulfill the prophecy

Tomas: Help and assist Verin

The Daugther of the night, Lanfear : Seperate Moiraine and Rand, Kill her, Get Rand to Falme

Liandrin Guirale : Kill Moiraine, Help Lanfear

Barthanes Damodred (unkowingly) : Help his house regain it's lost glory

4 houses playing against each other and for each other at the same time. What went wrong ? Everything. Who won ? No one. What was left of what was before ? Nothing.

I wanted to be a little dramatic. On a more serious note, they all lost and won something, except for Barthanes.So that is all.

To sum it all up, everything that went down with Siuan and Moiraine was genuine and real, Lan and her had a plan all along, everything was going fine until the other players of this game of houses started to place their pawns on the board to try and win the game. In the end, as they were all playing for each other and against each other at the same time no one really won.

On the first board,

Moiraine regained her powers, but still has to deal with Lanfear, Siuan is hurt and in a precarious position for both herself and their mission because she did not listen to Lan and trusted her.

Lan regained Moiraine's trust but Lanfear is still a threat and Siuan.

Rand is still manipulated and a pawn in someone else's game, no matter how much he thought he wasn't anymore because of Lanfear.

Siuan is heart broken that she had to do this to Moiraine, even though her plan still worked and Moiraine regained her powers which is a win but then again did she really win, when she's lying on the floor, hurt and surrounded by enemies, even in the tower, where she was supposed to be at her safest and strongest ?

Lanfear gets Rand but Moiraine isn't dead and she even have to deal with Lan now, as she said in E08, they're dead weight.

On the second board,

Liandrin being Black Ajah is known because of Elayne, Eggy and Nynaeve but now, even Anvaere.

Verin is black ajah and known ( or least suspected to be) because of Siuan (thanks to Leane), because she knows Verin couldn't have known about her plan to help Moiraine or known that she'd ever need to escape. Tomas goes with Verin.

Alanna and Maksim seems to have lost Ihvon.

Thank you for reading, answering the poll, carefully listening and watching. Leave a comment and tell me what you think about this theory-analysis of episode 7. I'd love to hear your opinions, answer your questions etc…

Well, it is finally over.

Onto the next one now,

Here..."Daes dae'Mar theory-analysis : What has been proved so far ?"

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jamespotters-realwife · 2 years

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reader X !injured_Eddie Munson

(This is my first piece on tumblr so like sorry if it’s shit idk)

Warnings: hints at enemies to lovers, fingering(f receiving)

I ran to Steve’s house, wondering why I was getting multiple walkie talkie calls to go to Steve’s house without any explanation. I went to knock on the front door but before I could the door swung open and Robin yanked me into the house. She slammed the door shut. “Did you get the stuff?” She asked. “Yeah, I got the stuff.” I said, holding up my backpack. Before I could ask anymore questions she pulled me by my arms and down the stairs to the basement.

As soon as I got down there I was greeted by Dustin, Max, and Steve leaning over the couch. “I’m here, what’s the emergency?” I asked but before anyone could respond they turned to look at me revealing Eddie Munson shirtless on the couch.

“Nope. Im out.” I said, turning to leave but getting stopped my Robin. “Please Y/N! He’s hurt really bad and he’ll die without you!” She pleaded. I hated him but I didn’t want him dead.

I rolled my eyes and groaned. “You owe me, ALL of you.” I pointed my finger around the room getting reassuring nods from everyone.

I sighed and walked over to Eddie. I noticed he was bleeding from a puncture wound in his side. “What even happened?” I said, opening my backpack and pulling out the medical supplies I was asked to bring. “Well sweetheart, demobats are a real pain in the as-FUCK!” Eddie spoke for the first time, cutting himself off in pain. I winced, feeling bad for him. “Sorry! I should’ve warned you!” I said, pulling the rag with the disinfectant away from his body.

“As much as we would love to sit and watch Eddie suffer, we have to get in contact with Eleven and see if there’s any sign of her powers because we really need her right now.” Max said.

“Okay. Please be safe and if you need us my walkie will be on.” I said, waving goodbye to them. They all walked upstairs leaving me and Eddie alone.

“Okay Eddie I’m gonna need to clean the area, so please work with me here.” I said, turning my focus back to him. “Fuck…okay okay. Clean me up doc.” He said, tightly closing his eyes. As put the cloth back to his side he bucked his hips wildly and screamed profanities in pain. I pulled the rag away again. “Could you please stay still you intolerant shit!” I said in frustration. “Not my fault it feels like your opening a portal to hell on my side!” He yelled back. Like a lightbulb flashed in my head I straddled his hips on the couch.

He looked at me with shock. “If you want me that badly, sorry sweetheart your gonna have to wait. I gotta get cleaned up first, doctor’s orders.” He said smugly. “It’s to keep your hips down, as if I’d ever fuck you.” I rolled my eyes. Without any warning I put the rag back onto his skin. He bucked his hips up, meeting with my core. I let out a soft gasp before pushing down with all my weight to get him to stay down.

“Did I just buck against your pussy?” He said with a smile, trying not to groan out in pain.

“No! Just shut up and let me work!” I said, getting red in the face. I eventually got the area cleaned. While I stitched him up he leaned his head back and panted while trying not to scream. I put a bandage on and I went to get up but before I could Eddie put his hands on my hips and held me down.

“What are you doing?” I asked, my voice seeming quieter than normal. “You said i owe you right? Let me pay you back.” He said, licking his lips. His hands slid from my hips down onto my thighs. My breath hitched as I realized what he meant. “Eddie-“ I started but I found no words. “Yes sweetheart?” He said, running his hands slowly up my skirt.

I couldn’t say anything as his hands found my clothed heat. His fingers brushed my core, pressing lightly on my clit for a moment. “Eddie!” I gasped out. “Mhm?” He asked nonchalantly. “Fuck…don’t stop.” I moaned out. He smirked and moved my panties to the side. Without any warning he shoved his middle finger into my hole. “Christ! Yes Eddie!” I moaned as he found a rhythm. I moved my hips to meet his thrust. He added another finger, determined to make me cum. His other hand circled my clit quickly. I moaned loudly as he finger fucked me. “Yes! Right there!” I moaned out. I gripped onto his strong biceps as I came undone on his lap. He pulled his fingers out and put them in his mouth. He cleaned them up with his tongue.

I didn’t say anything as I got up and moved my cleaning supplies out of the way. “Stand up pretty boy.” I said, and he obliged. He got up with my help and sat in an uncomfortable metal folding chair while I turned the couch into a pullout bed. I got blankets for him and pillows before helping him lay down. I went to leave him to rest. “Not even gonna stay to cuddle? Wow such a player Y/N.” Eddie said, clearly with a smile. I playfully rolled my eyes before taking off my sweatshirt and laying down next to him. “I might accidentally hit you in my sleep. If you ever want me to leave let me know.” I said quietly as Eddie started to fall asleep. “Shut up and come here.” Eddie said before wrapping his arm around me and pulling me close to him.

#stranger things #eddie munson #stranger things smut #x y/n #enemies to lovers #steve harrington #max mayfield #dustin henderson #robin buckley #eddie my beloved #!injurededdie

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random-twst-and-oc-stuff · 1 month

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A Grieving Mother

(Inspired by the song above along with the MC is Dead theory.)

While our dear Sarah's life changed for the better by stepping in Twisted Wonderland, let's see how her mother is doing.

A woman was walking around aimlessly around the streets. She seemed to be in her early thirties with. She had a fair complexion with coffee brown locks cascading down her back. Her outfit wasn't anything special: a muted pink sweater paired with black pants and white shoes. Her name was Olivia. She had a sad and empty expression on her face, her caramel eyes puffy from crying. The woman missed her sweet daughter, Sarah, dearly. She knew that her little dove was in good hands in the local orphanage. Olivia was sorry for leaving her sweet firefly without an explanation, but she thought it was for the best, though part of her didn't feel it was right. However, the two couldn't take any more abuse. Yes, Olivia could take Sarah with her, but the truth was that the mother suffered from a terrible illness and was probably going to die soon.

But ever since the news that her daughter was missing reached Olivia, she became scared for her child. Where was she? Was she okay? The woman entered a park and sat on a bench. She watched as the children played with their parents.

'Such happy looking families...', she thought with a sad smile. Yes, the families did indeed look happy, but who knew what was going on at home. Suddenly, the scenery changed. Olivia was still in the park, but everything and everyone looked different. She could see herself and her daughter playing around without a care in the world. It didn't take long for the mother to realize it was a memory she held close to her heart like many others she had with her little loon. Everything seemed to remind Olivia of her daughter. It made her feel slight comfort. Comfort at the fact that her little sunflower was still in her heart and won't leave the warmth of it anytime soon. The more time passed without any news about her daughter, the more Olivia was convinced Sarah wasn't alive anymore. Thinking that her daughter was taken from Life's warm hands and put into Death's cold, but caring ones, Olivia knew she had to hold onto what's left of her sweet little angel for as long as she was alive. Though, she knew that her time was limited. Just a few more months, and maybe the mother and daughter could get reunited in death. The woman wasn't in any hurry though and just let nature take its course on her.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Tagging: @mitsuri28 @the-v-lociraptor @ceruleancattail @bloodyhound12345 @amaya-wu @softplushiee @bottomjamilsupremacy @lolimmago @alysspandacookie @riddlesimps

#Spotify #twisted wonderland #twst #disney twst #twst oc #disney twisted wonderland #sarah kingscholar #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #random's stuff #might turn this into a series #probably will

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uroborosymphony · 1 month

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@stillresolved sent :

She lingers at the door to the guest bedroom. The last time she and Ara had spoken, it was…well, it didn’t end great. Although that probably is the last thing on Ara’s mind. Not the unthinkable (for her) has happened. Annie didn’t need any explanation to know what had gone down between Ara and Ara’s, well, now ex-boyfriend. It’s been a few weeks since Ara has barricaded herself in the guest room and for once, it’s Annie who has been the active one, the one moving between the interior and exterior of the house. It’s odd, actually, being the one relied on for once between them. Ara was always the strong one even back then. But Annie knocks on the door and opens it a moment later. “Are…Are you hungry?” She asks, holding up a plate of apple slices. “I…I cut up an apple for you. I peeled the skin too.” ( and i'm here too!!!....for some wholesome and sads arannie content 🥺🥺🥺 )

The room is silent. Sitting down the bed of the guest room, Ara's knees are brought against her chest, tight. In this position she has been staying for hours today. She does that, sometimes as she lets time flies, as she converses with what she sees and hears in her head. Time has felt like a dragger slowly slinding inside her core, a core she has been stripped of it seems, losing the track of the days and nights passing. The tears sometimes couldn't stop, she would cry, and cry, and cry without never being able to sleep. The hunger became rare, the anger was raw and her mind has never been so loud. There is this cloud, of loss and solitude that surrounds her, wraps her, digests her a little more everyday. Sometimes, the voices and the faces she sees, they talk to her, they stay with her, they hold her hand. Other times, they make her hurt even more, they make her break every single mirror in the house, they make her want to die. It has been months now, that despite the painkillers her mind has never stopped but to get loud, louder, to the point everyone around could hear it. The abyss of a depression she finds herself in doesn't only come from the love of her life breaking her heart, it comes from the love of her life abandoning her, it comes from not being able anymore to fight her own drowning mind. I'm not Sick, I'm not sick, I'm Not sick, I'M NOT SICK.

She would say, to them, to him, to herself, she would yell, sometimes without even nobody around her saying the words to begin with, out of nowhere, dissociating, depersonalizing, moments and places and times where she couldn't tell the difference between what was real, what was not. There were eyes landing on her, whispers behind her back, nights at the Black Cat or at the garage where Grey and Taiyang found themselves having to take her away, tame her down. She remembers of these times they would whisper to each other, behind a door, away from her. The voice of Annie by the door takes her out of her reveries and contemplations. Annie and Ara, in the end they understand each other. They're both mad girls now. On the wall of the guest room Ara wrote, Ara draw, everything she was hearing, everything she was seeing, everything that has been building inside : the tales of a martyr, choosen as the savior and the bringer of a new world, the fires to purify it all, the persecutors perishing from the savior's hand. Her drawing is beautiful, macabre, tragic, the lines are either strong and mad or shaky and broken. There are words too, words written over and over and over again like mantras. To anybody, it would be hard to look at, it's unstable it's uneasy - to Ara, it brings her peace, as if she finally takes it all out to contemplate, she watches it for hours.. Hours, to the point it shall become the new reality. Yes, perhaps even more real than everything she has lived until now. Why cry... when none of everything she experienced with Taiyang, with the gang, here in seoul, is real? "Come in.." Speaks Ara from the bed without moving an inch. Her torments have transformed her eyes, the lines of her features, they are grave, saddened, she lost weight. Her eyes they twitch sometimes, they wander around, they widen and retract. Her lines, they soften for Annie, Annie always manages to pierce through the isolated monster that Ara was turning into. In fact, not once she has been wondering if she was a burden to Annie, if she was the dead weight in the closet Annie became scared of kicking out. They take care of each other, the same way Ara stayed with Annie when it was Annie's mind spiraling on her. "I'm hungry yes..." Ara did a lose weight, the type of consequences she herself couldn't see, couldn't care about much. Annie managed to make her eat, little by little, apples are fine now, the peeled skin is an adorable touch. "Can you sleep near me tonight, please? I can't fall asleep I think your presence helps..."

#둘 𝐀𝐑𝐀 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐆 / the vengeress.#둘 𝐀𝐑𝐀 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐆 / interactions.#I feel so sad for her what #Annie is so cute she peeled apples for her aw baby #Also peep out my new banner isnt she BEAUTIFUL THERE i love this one the most

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frostyreturns · 4 months

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Frosty Ruins The Yearling

This is a movie where there isn't much to say because it's such a simple movie. However I like the simple charm of it, anything like this in the settler/pioneer time period is going to be interesting at least a little. On the other hand I'm not as much a fan of the setting as I am for some other similar stories. The marshy swampland homestead doesn't speak to me the same way as a little house on the prairie or a winter cabin in the woods.

That being said when a story is simple and wholesome it can also be boring at times. However there is one rather exciting but pretty brutal part. There is a scene where a pack of dogs fight off a bear…and there were no camera tricks, no special effects…they just literally filmed dogs fighting a bear. At first I thought maybe the animals were trained really well and none of them were actually trying to hurt each other…then I watched the bear practically suplex one of the dogs and I realized…no this is just from an era where you could just make animals fight and hurt each other on camera for the sake of the movie. Now I'm no PETAfag, I'll gladly kill and eat a bear but I don't see any sense in being needlessly cruel to animals and abusing them for entertainment in a film doesn't qualify as a legitimate reason to harm an animal. Especially when it's called the Yearling and centers around a boy taking care of an animal. So that didn't sit right with me but not in a way where it would ruin the whole movie.

I also think the anachronistic acting is kind of funny because you have an actor who is clearly not a southener saying words like Tabacci with clear dignified enunciation, and not even really attempting to speak like someone who actually had that accent..but he says the words like as though he did have the accent. It's ridiculous but again it can be looked past because most of the acting from this era was pretty bad by todays standard.

I also kind of hate the music, all these old movies from this era had that same super high pitched ambient wailing/singing where you can't hear a word of it. Part of the reason is the tinny sound quality being awful but even if it was perfect with modern audio I can't see enjoying it.

One of the problems I had plotwise is their explanation for why the mom is so cunty, I didn't buy at all. "I lost a child so I'm mean to the one I have now"…what kind of sense does that make. The man buys her a gift and she yells at him for being stupid for wasting money. Like I get the point is that it's a hard life and even minor luxuries we would view as neccessities were rare and ill advised given how close to the edge they lived…however you can make that point graciously. You can insist something is too much and that you don't need expensive gifts…and also accept them graciously instead of yelling till everyone clears the room and only admitting to yourself you appreciated it in private.

Also spoiler alert if you plan to see this now ancient movie and haven't yet. I also don't get the ending, making the kid kill his pet himself, him running away almost getting himself killed. I really didn't understand any of the characters in this, maybe it's that the characters are supposed to be that way, maybe it's that it's a story from another time and place, but I just thought all the main characters behaved kind of ridiculously. And I didn't like the message of the movie either and the obvious comparisons between the deer growing and the boy growing up. The whole message is life sucks and now you know how badly its gonna fuck you. On the one hand part of the reason it sucks is because you forced the boy to kill his own pet for no reason and then let him nearly die in the woods, that's not a life thing that's a you fucked up thing. There could have been a message about how life is difficult and part of growing up is realizing that without presenting such a bleak and tragic view of the world.

In the end I don't think this movie was for me, because by the end I was wondering why they hadn't already eaten the fucking deer, personally I think they tolerated it nearly ruining them for way too long. Just don't make the boy do it himself. Kill it take it to your neighbours and trade the meat with them so you don't kill the animal for nothing and so the boy doesn't have to eat his own pet. Trade the venison for some pork. There were so many common sense ways this could have worked out better that to blame it on life in general, even considering that theirs was a harder life...doesn't make sense.

Overall wasn't terrible C-

#the yearling

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simpingforthisonedeer · 1 year

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𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡 & 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐥

summary: Aika is followed by a stranger who begs for a mission that can change the course of her destiny. Salvation only comes to those that seek it.

notes: This excerpt is kinda far along in Demons Run and it’s been sitting in my drafts for a while so I’m just posting it.

Aika turned around the corner and into the dark alleyway to see if her pursuer will confront her. And almost if on cue, a haggard, white-haired man, materialized from the shadows, eyes crazed. His mouth opened to say something but he fell to all fours with a harsh gasp.

She watched curiously as the man gather himself. Is he some drunkard? That would be the most logical explanation considering he reeked of whiskey, cigarette and...devil?

“I heard you were a forbidden magic user that specialized in life and death,” he breathed.

Aika grew still. She tamped down her anger as she wracked her head for who might’ve told him that.

“What is your name?” Her voice came quietly.

He raised his head and looked at her with startling blue eyes, that shone even in the dark of the alley.

“Faust.”

Her eyebrows nearly disappeared into her hairline. He said his last name on purpose. He knew that everyone forbidden magic user in Clover Kingdom knew that name well. She was definitely listening now.

“Nacht...Faust? The last surviving son of the Faust family?” Aika knew the family well. Not personally, but she had studied them thoroughly, seeing that they are the only people in Clover Kingdom who are rumored to consort with devils and other forbidden magic practices.

His mouth curled into snarl. He didn’t need to be reminded that he was alive and his brother wasn’t.

Nacht stood and steadied himself, feeling a bit more sober and gave her a sharp nod.

“Well, Nacht, may I help you with something? Seeing as you’ve been following me all the way from Clover Castle.”

“I want your help to bring my brother back.” His dead brother? She couldn’t bring back people who were already dead and their soul had passed so long ago.

“No,” she said almost immediately.

That crazed look was back again.

“No! Please! You have to help me.” He fell to his knees again, his hands clasped together pleadingly, tears falling in twin streams down his cheeks. Aika resisted the urge to sneer. She hated people who threw all their dignity aside and prostrate themselves, especially to strangers. She was about to leave him but his next words made her pause.

“Please, I’m begging you. His soul isn’t even resting in the After. Someone like him doesn’t belong in the Underworld! You are the only necromancer who lives without any serious repercussions. Please, I’ll do anything!”

Underworld? She could definitely use this to her advantage.

Aika laid a hand on his shoulder, making him snap his eyes up to hers.

“You want to bring your brother back from the Underworld?”

Nacht nodded frantically.

“Necromancy has a lot do with life and death,” she explained as a smile grew on her face. Internally, she was shaking with excitement. If he agrees to her plan, then she is saved. No one can give her Salvation except herself. She would put him through many trials: a different country, a different name, a different life. But in the end, they would both get what they want. “But it isn’t without sacrifices. You would have to wait years, give up your life for--”

“I don’t mind...” Nacht interrupted. “If I die...”

She rolled her eyes. Now, that was way too dramatic.

“You’re not going to die if you do this right. The point is to live and enjoy your life with your brother.”

He moved quickly and clasped her forearms, his eyes wide with hopeful desperation.

“You have a plan?!”

“Yes, now please unhand me.” Nacht let go as if he was burned and took a step back. “I’ll need you to sober up, gather your essentials and meet up with me at the church in Hage Village in a week from now. Have you ever been to college?”

Nacht was listening attentively but the last question caught him off guard.

“I-No?”

“Oh.” Aika touched her chin pensively. “Then, this will be a new experience for you then...” She thought out loud to herself. “Don’t worry I’ll send you to my alma mater. I’ll make sure they treat you right.”

He cocked his head at her in confusion.

“Clover University?”

“No,” she looked up at him and smiled thinly. “Spade Nation War College.”

Nacht opened his mouth to throw a slew of questions at her but she raised a halting hand.

“I will answer all your questions in a week, but only if you are prepared to do anything to bring your brother back. Sober up, think on this, and if you show up at that church, there’s no going back, understood?”

He stared hard at the dirty alley floor between them and slowly clenched his fist. Nacht needed to know something before he made up his mind.

“How sure are you that this is going to work?”

“Ninety percent sure.”

“And if this plan fails?”

“Then ninety percent of the world dies.” He shot her an alarmed look. “But that won’t happen as long as you do what you are told.”

Aika stared him down nonchalantly as he looked at her in disbelief.

“You have a week to make up your mind,” she adjusted her leather gloves. “And if there’s nothing else, then it was a pleasure to meet you, Nacht.”

He could tell that he was dismissed. His shoulders fell and he closed his eyes for a moment before he began to fall into the floor, into his own shadows. Just before his head disappeared, his eyes flew wide open and met her’s with a fierce resolve.

Aika relaxed. She need not worry.

Nacht Faust was definitely going to come to that church.

She took a deep breath. She wasn’t done yet because he wasn’t the only person who pursued her tonight.

“You can come out now...Julius.”

A hooded man man dropped from the sky and landed noiselessly behind her, blocking the way out of the alley. The cloak fell, revealing the cold, expressionless face of the 28th Wizard King.

“Even if it is actually in good faith, I can’t let you proceed if this ‘plan’ really does have a 10 percent margin to fail and kill nearly everyone.”

Aika hadn’t lied to the stranger but she was sad that she has to lie to someone she was growing to like a lot.

“I lied to him. No one is going to die,” She assured him with a smile. “I just needed to be sure of his resolve before I trust him to come through.”

“I...won’t say I don’t trust you--”

“But that is exactly what you’re going to say.”

“No. I want Nacht to also bring any information he can on the movements of the Dark Triad.”

“That’s definitely doable.”

“Wh--Really?” That was so easy? Julius felt like it shouldn’t be.

“Absolutely. I still haven’t figured out all the logistics of the plan because I just came up with it,” Aika took his hand and brought it up to her face. “I am happy to include you in it if you want.” She kissed his knuckles.

Julius smiled down at her. He lived a life where nearly everyone disagreed with him on a daily basis. It was their job but he couldn’t help but be used to that. But Aika was someone who understood him on nearly everything. Even if she disagreed, she saw his viewpoint. Someone who stood next to him, someone who understood him. Yes, that was her.

He felt his heart race.

“Thank you.”

#black clover #black clover fanfiction #black clover fanfic #nacht faust #oc: aika tolliver #julius novachrono #Julius & Aika #julius novachrono x reader #julius novachrono x oc #demons run fic stuff

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knight-engale · 1 year

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0 context snippet of writing that I have to get out or else I might explode

Lucio put his ghostly hand on Morgan's waist, drumming his clawed fingers against her. Morgan stiffened, her patient façade dropping for a moment. Her eyes remained fixed on him--or at least, his reflection in the mirror.

I forgive you, you know, he commented idly.

"Forgive me? For what?"

Leaving without even saying goodbye, all those years ago. Do you have any idea how much that hurt? I did like you, after all. You were fun. But then one day, you were gone. You didn't even give me an explanation. You should be grateful I didn't get angry. His hand tightened on her ever so slightly. If he were corporeal... Morgan didn't want to think about that.

"I... I left because of the plague." A lie, but a convincing one. "It was starting to spread quickly at that time... If I had stayed in Vesuvia, I would have died."

Not if you were with me. You would have been safe in the palace. Most people were.

"That...wouldn't have worked. My body is weak to illness. I would have caught it somehow if I stayed. You would have watched me die."

You would have been safe with me. But all of that aside, I have graciously decided to forgive you, now that you're helping me.

"I...I suppose I should thank you, then."

Yes, you should. And while you're at it, maybe we can pick up where we left off, once I have my body back. He let out a strange, purring sort of sound.

"...What?"

You heard me, my dove. You make a lovely mistress...and I'm sure you'd be a brilliant courtier. You're already very clever.

Morgan frowned slightly, touching the pendant around her neck. "Listen, I...I'm flattered by the offer. I truly am. But I'm also spoken for."

Lucio waved his hand dismissively. That can be fixed. We'll worry about that later.

"That...that's not..."

No time for talking, my dove. It's time to get my body back...and just in time to surprise everyone at the Masquerade, too.

Morgan nodded helplessly. Why had she gotten herself into this mess? "Very well. I...I have the ritual circle set up in your old room. Let's go..."

#lina's writing #morgan drakos #morgan x lucio #when the sun loves the moon #(technically anyway. this would happen in that timeline)#(at least that's what its meant for)

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birdiesgolden · 2 years

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Hello! Here’s a dose of songs that remind me of Warner I promised ages ago, if you liked it there are more songs if anyone is interested.

Btw this will have spoilers!

BOYFRIEND - Dove Cameron

Basically this whole song reminds me of when Adam and Juliette were together. I don’t think there is specially one line but there are quite a few. “I don't need to tell you twice, All the ways he can't suffice, If I could give you some advice I would leave with me tonight”. “I could be a better boyfriend than him, I could do the shit that he never did”

KILLER SHANGRI-LAH - Psychotic Beats

I heard this on an advert for a tv show and was like ‘oh…yes’. I don’t really think I need an explanation, the song is just pretty badass so I felt the whole vibe was right. “I had to kill you, I’m really sorry”. “But you know what…ain’t nobody gonna change me”

HUNGER - Alibi Music

Literally the same reason for the song above. “I see you watching me with those eyes, I feel them watching me all the time”. “You’ve got secrets and I’ve got mine, but how do we know when to draw the line?”

I DID SOMETHING BAD - Taylor Swift

I felt like this also just fit, it reminded me of when he killed Seamus Fletcher because he had no regrets to it. “They say I did something bad. Then why’s it feel so good?” “Most fun I ever had, and I’d do it over and over and over again if I could”.

THE 30TH - Billie Eilish

I cried when I heard this song it broke my heart. But besides from this just being a masterpiece I felt like it related to Warner in the Believe Me novella when Juliette was thought to die on the plane back to Sanctuary. He was so scared to leave her alone in case anything happened to her because of the trauma of almost loosing her. I think because he wasn’t beside his mother when she died, he may hold some regret that she was alone. In the song, there are a lot of ‘what if…’ and I think it could shows Warner thinking of it happening and struggling to move on from it because of the paranoia of someone you love almost dying. “But I told you even then you looked so pretty. In your hospital bed”. “I remember you said you were scared. And so am I”.

SANCTUARY - Joji

It just felt like a warnette song and it’s just so adorable. I can just hear this playing in the background if shatter me was a movie cause they just love each other and deserve everything. “If you’ve been waiting for falling in love. Babe, you don’t have to wait on me" "Pull me oh so close, 'cause you never know just how long our lives will be" " 'Cause what you want is what I want, sincerity"

LIKE A ROLLING STONE - Bob Dylan

In Restore Me we were told that Warner was listening to this song on repeat and I understand why. It seams to relate to his life and how it has changed so much from Shatter me to Ignite me (and obviously keeps changing). I struggled to pick out chunks of this song to put in this list but if you listen to it then it will probably be clear. "How does it feel, how does it feel? To be without a home" "Nobody's ever taught you how to live out on the street. And now you're gonna have to get used to it" "You're invisible now, you've got no secrets to conceal"

HEATHENS - twenty one pilots

I felt like this fits into the first shatter me book theme but also other books too. I thought it related to Warner because he is often misunderstood by everyone around him as they do not know, nor understand what he has been through. He is both a tragic hero and anti-hero. (Did any of that make any sense?) "Please don't make any sudden moves. You don't know the half of the abuse" "You'll never know the murderer sitting next to you. You'll think, "How'd I get here, sitting next to you?""

FATHER'S SON - Celeste

This feels like this song relates to Anderson, Warner and Adam. Warner throughout the series is almost trying to tell us he isn't anything like his father despite there being characteristics that are the same. Overall there is one clear factor that makes them stand out from each other. Warners emotions. With Adam and Warner it felt like the lines could fit Ignite me and Restore me. It feels like Warner is trying to process how the can be brothers with similar (but different) backgrounds but turned out to be completely different types of people. it reminded me of when Warner told Juliette he admired Adam for his capability to turn out completely different to him despite receiving Andersons abuse. "I know you look at yourself like me. With the same eyes, we both see through to the end" "I heard it's in your blood, baby. I heard you got the same taste in your mouth" "Maybe I'm my father's son, maybe I'm my father's son. Or, I'm nothing like you, or, I'm nothing like you"

SEVEN - Taylor Swift

This song feels to me like it could almost be from Juliette pov of when she was a child. It felt like the memories of their childhood together in Defy me. it was revealed that Warner and his mother hid in the closet to get away from Anderson and Juliette suggested to live underwater (bby). "And I've been meaning to tell you I think your house is haunted Your dad is always mad and that must be why And I think you should come live with Me and we can be pirates Then you won't have to cry Or hide in the closet And just like a folk song Our love will be passed on"

HIGHER LOVE - Lilly Winwood & Steve Winwood

This song is just so cute and I could imagine it playing when Juliette confessed that she loved Warner in Ignite me. "Things look so bad everywhere. In this whole world, what is fair?" "Worlds are turning, and we're just hanging on. Facing our fear, and standing out there alone" "There must be someone who's feeling for me"

#just realising the long-ass descriptions for some then the really short ones for others #I liked doing this it was super fun - let me know if you want anymore #also I’m really sorry for the long time it took me to do this I wasn’t at home when I posted the ask then I kinda had surgery #by kinda I meant I did - sorry #warnette #aaron warner #juliette ferrars #shatter me #shatter me series

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thesilmarilchick · 8 months

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17: The Hunt of the Ganymen

Middle-Earth, The Shire, Hobbiton, Number Three Bagshot Road: T.A 2994, April 1st

Laws were made to protect us, both as individuals and as a collective society. So, if the laws said something was illegal, it could only be for our benefit…that was the general consensus anyway. It was an easy enough fact, or opinion, to accept depending on what was made illegal.

For your average upper and middle-class hobbits who had long degraded the tradition, the fact that Ganymen were now illegal was no great burden …for everyone else…well…things were slightly harder to accept, especially now.

No one was entirely sure what or who had caused the plague folks had started calling ‘The Grand Sickness’, but what was certain, was that it spread quickly. One child would come home coughing or with an ill-feeling stomach and before you could blink the whole damn street would have it.

Generally, it took quite a lot to get a hobbit sick, at least in a serious way. Everyone got a cold now and then, and of course there were childhood diseases like chicken-pox that most had to go through sometime in their life. But stuff like this, stuff that was life-threating; nu-uh hobbits just didn’t get that kind of sickness. Yet no one could deny they were certainly getting it now, when the first child died.

Crops lay untended in the fields because the farmers, whose families often were considered large even by hobbit standards, were too afraid to leave their houses; were too afraid to risk another child. Hence the food supply was going down, and hobbits eat a lot, so it was going down quickly.

If you already had a large fully-packed cellar or could afford to import from out-side the Shire you and your family were unlikely to starve. And if you had caught ‘the grand sickness’, you were unlikely to care if you did. However, the poorer families, those of the working class, were in quite a bit of trouble. Sometimes folk didn’t know what was killing the lower classes quicker, the Sickness or the Hunger.

It was a time of terror for most everyone and the loss of the Ganymen was felt most keenly where it had been believed. A child would collapse in the street for one reason or another and would be on their death bed by the end of the week; and the mothers and fathers of the more rustic families would have to watch their child die without their Last Tale being spoken. They would have to accept that their child’s spirit would fade away into dust, as if they’d never been in the first place. For they could not even attempt to do the task themselves, for even the mention of the dead was considered Gany-Art and a hanging offence. And for the Ganymen themselves, unable to practice their craft, for anyone, even their own families, lest they be executed without a trial …it was almost unbearable.

May Gamgee had come home with a sour stomach around a month ago…in retrospect it was a lot longer than most families had to say goodbye.

***

Bell Gamgee sat at her daughter’s bed-side unwilling to move even to eat, this had led some to believe that the mother of six had caught the sickness as well… but no, that was just how Bell was. May lay nestled in a cocoon of blankets in the middle of her parents’ bed. Her fever was shockingly high, her nose ran continually, and she had eaten nothing in at least three weeks. It was a miracle that she’d survived this long…especially considering no healer of any worth would see her.

It was well known in Hobbiton, perhaps even further than that if the fallout was anything to judge by, that Hamfast was one of the top Ganymen in the Shire. All this positive press, and warm feedback for his skills may have worked to the Gamgees favour before, but now it just served to warn right-minded hobbits away from them.

Hamson had lost his place at the blacksmiths, the official explanation was that apprentices were expensive, and Master Bullroarer could only have so many at a time. But everyone knew the real reason and money had little to do with it. People had even begun to swerve round them in the street as if they carried the sickness with them.

However, there was one silver lining amongst all this grey fog of despair: Mister Bilbo Baggins, by far the best Hobbit anywhere that hobbits called home. He’d kept Hamfast on as his gardener for a start, not only that but he had increased the ex-Ganyman’s pay. Ham’s eyes had boggled the first time he’d caught sight of his new income, he’d never seen so much money in all his life. Mister Bilbo had also said that if any of Ham’s little ’uns felt the call of the green thumb the gentlehobbit was happy to take them on…and at full salary at that. Ham could recognize charity when he saw it, and his first knee jerk reaction was to thank Mister Bilbo for his kindness and to politely decline, but one hard look from Daisy and he stilled his stupid tongue. It was because of him and his craft that his family were suffering now, he couldn’t be the one to prolong it.

Truly the Gentlehobbit’s kindness and generosity knew no boundaries, for no one on Bagshot Row went hungry. Carts driven by some of Mister Bilbo’s dwarves arrived monthly and dropped crates of food at hobbits’ doors. It wasn’t no great delicacies or the like, just plain simple fair that would keep a hobbit’s belly full if they ate with some sense. A lot of pickles and preservatives, stuff that would keep on the long trip from the dwarf kingdom to here, Ham had found that he was starting to quite like the taste of dwarf bread. It was tougher than a hobbit-made loaf, but it was filling and more importantly kept for a long while. The Gamgees had several of the hard breads stored in their cupboards already.

But sometimes even Mister Bilbo’s powers could not make the world move. When Mayor Proudfoot decreed that to heal any Ganyman or any future Ganyman was as good as committing the crime yourself, the grand hobbit had tried to send for a dwarven or even an elven healer to come see to May. But they’d been turned away at the border, which had a steady supply of slightly wounded and bitter Shirriffs guarding the perimeter. When news of that had gotten back to Bag-End Mister Bilbo had stamped and raged even harder than Ham had.

Ham was angry oh aye there was no doubt in that, but he had learned quickly that ranting and raging did little to help either himself or his family. If anything, it only served to frighten Sam-lad and little Marigold, who since May’s sickness, now spent most of their time up at Bag-End learning their letters. Hamfast had felt unsure about that to begin with, having never really learnt his letters himself and seeing no real reason why a hobbit of their class ought to. But Mister Bilbo had been insistent, and Daisy-lass had brought up the quite solid point that Sam-lad and Marigold had to keep away from May while she was lying with sickness anyway. She was right of course, they couldn’t stay in the house while May was sick…the younger you were the quicker it took you, and Ham trusted Mister Bilbo more than anyone to keep his children safe.

They weren’t there now of course, because Mister Bilbo had gone up to Buckland for the week. But it was no matter; May had long passed the stage where she might be infectious to others. She spent most of her days now, unconscious, except for those few and far between moments where she woke up and screamed for death. Like she was doing now or had been until she’d given up words altogether and lapsed into a high keening wail.

Daisy had ordered Halfred to take Sam and Marigold for a walk round the market, even though half the stalls were closed. She then set to work making a lunch of Dwarrow bread with raspberry jam and pickled eggs; desperately trying to block out the sound of…of May.

Ham couldn’t block her out, no matter how hard he tried. It wasn’t just that his daughter was dying…it was that his daughter was begging to die, and there was nothing any of them could do to help.

Almost nothing.

A small voice in his head whispered and Ham began to shake all over. No, he couldn’t do that no more, it wasn’t legal now and he’d put his family through enough because…because of that.

Isn’t it putting them through more to leave her in that much pain?

Ham shook his head till he was sure his ears were starting to bleed, yes…yes it was, but he couldn’t. He’d promised Daisy and Bell, that he wouldn’t put the family in danger no more just because…just because…

She’s in pain.

Finished the voice, Ham was beginning to recognize as his own.

No one will know, even if Daisy and Bell see they won’t tell.

Ham probably could have stood the temptation if May hadn’t been screaming like that, but…how could he stand that noise, those pleas for death in his daughter’s voice anymore and not answer them?

He couldn’t claim that what he was doing was right for all concerned, but he had to make the screaming stop. He had to make May’s pain stop…she was never gonna get better, all she had left now was her hope for death; and Hamfast was always an awful one for spoiling his girls.

Squaring his shoulders, Ham made his way past the kitchen without being noticed, and down into the back-garden where he had buried his Ganyman Staff.

***

Middle-Earth, The Shire, Hobbiton: T.A. 2994, April 2nd

Frodo Baggins sat at the head of the cart, his head nodding from lack of sleep. His Uncle Bilbo had been adamant that they get back to Hobbiton as quickly as possible, so the pair had driven through the night. Frodo had tried to get some rest in the back of the cart, like Bilbo had suggested, but with every bump in the road the young hobbit was jiggled awake once again. Eventually he’d just givrn up entirely and climbed up beside Bilbo, who sat holding the reins of the joyfully galloping pony they’d hired from one of the farmers in Buckland.

It didn’t really matter anyway; Frodo wouldn’t have been able to get a peaceful night’s sleep even if the road had been flat. The image of Merry’s face as he ran after the cart, screaming for Frodo to come back haunted the tween’s every waking thought. He knew going with Bilbo was the right decision in the long run, but that face…oh Valar that face. He’d tried to consul himself with the knowledge that Merry would be coming to visit, but it wasn’t enough to still his raging conscience. Frodo just couldn’t fight the feeling that he’d somehow let Merry down.

With a jolt the cart came to a sudden halt, and Frodo found himself nearly jerked out of his seat. Bilbo had stopped the cart just at the bottom of the lane and was staring fixedly up a it in a disturbed manner.

‘Bilbo?’

As if shaking himself out of a dream Bilbo threw Frodo a tired smile, then gave the reins a harsh slap and the pony was off again. They continued up the hilled lane, but at a much steadier pace than before. The houses and smials they passed didn’t seem very different to the ones in Buckland, the thought comforted him, as Bilbo pulled up alongside a crowd of hobbits congregated outside a small garden.

‘Ho! What do we have here? What’s going on?’

Bilbo leapt down from the cart and marched into the crowd. For a moment or two Frodo sat there, awkwardly balancing at the front of the cart, unsure of what to do. His mind was made up for him though when a sharp cry came from the crowd, a cry that sounded vaguely like Uncle Bilbo. Leaping down from the cart Frodo pushed hobbits aside far rougher than he would have had he not been so panicked. Thus, it did not take him long to reach the source of the crowd’s agitation and the source of the cry.

The house at the end of the small garden did not look dilapidated from age or lack of care. Instead its boarded-up windows and the crude graffiti on its walls and carved into its yellow door, gave more a feeling of a building under siege. Whoever was in there, Valar help them, were trying to wait out the mob…hoping they’d get tired or lose interest soon and wander off.

Bilbo stood in front of the jeering crowd his arms spread wide as if he were trying to hide the whole house behind his body. But it was no use, the crowd was closing in and Bilbo’s back was pressing hard into the yellow door behind him. Frodo had to do something and quickly at that.

‘Hey!’

His voice was shaky and the hobbits in the crowd paid no heed to the tween. So, taking a deep breath Frodo yelled again.

‘Oy!’

This they heard, a few of them even stopped in their tracks and gave him a quizzical look. Finding his courage, Frodo spoke in the most commanding voice he could muster.

‘What’s this now? Is its common practice in Hobbiton to destroy your neibors houses?’

A burly hobbit at the head of the crowd turned and growled at him.

‘Tis when we got a righteous reason to, Outlander. These scums be Ganymen…don’t be fooled into feeling pity for the likes of them: liars and sneaks and baby-killers the lot of ‘em.’

Frodo snorted not even attempting to hide his disdain for the hobbit in front of him.

‘Only the ignorant believe that. I may not believe in Ganymen and their ways, but I certainly wouldn’t call them killers. They may be misled in certain beliefs but at their heart they’re trying to help you. Which is a lot more than your kind would do for anyone. ‘

Frodo and the brute were now nose to nose, and the large bully sneered at the fine hobbit.

‘Who comes to our town and talks like this? Like we’re the scum of the Shire? Aye outlander you have a look of a Took about ye…well that makes sense, always sticking their high and mighty selves where they don’t belong. What oh mighty wonder of the Took Clan brings ye here? Lost on the way to a ball? Or perhaps a banquet with the elves…you Tooks like those folks, don’t you?’

Frodo shrugged unintimidated by the oaf.

‘Some do that’s true; it varies from member to member. But I am not a Took…I am a Baggins. Frodo Baggins at your service, ward and heir to Bilbo Baggins of Bag-End; whom I believe, you owe your continued existence to. Food is running scarce everywhere my large friend, and it would be a pity if the supplies from Erebor and Dale stopped arriving…which they’re likely to do if you turn on the hobbit who made it happen.’

The thought of an empty belly is liable to stop even the angriest hobbit in their tracks, and the image of what would happen if the supplies from the dwarves dried up sent many of the crowd skittering back to their homes. This included the brute in front of Frodo, although in his case it was more that he was dragged back there by concerned lackeys.

Once the last of the crowd had disappeared off into the distance, the door to the house creaked open and a small face peaked out. Frodo thought of Merry again and tried to swallow his apprehension.

***

Three hours earlier

Sam Gamgee for once did not wake up screaming from his dreams, but that didn’t seem to matter because everyone else was. He’d clambered out of bed and into the hall before he’d really wrapped his head around being awake again. So, the people that ran past him were little more than jittery blurs to his child’s eye. The voices though…they were as clear as the brightest day in summer.

‘No…No…please…please…he didn’t do this! She just died, like they all die. He doesn’t even have his staff anymore!’

That was Ma’s voice, more frantic now than even her nastiest of turns. Sam’s feet carried him to where the yelling was loudest. He could see a bit clearer now, so he saw right enough the two Shirriff’s standing in the door way of Number 3 Bagshot Row, and he saw what they were doing.

His Da weren’t even kicking or screaming or doing nothing to fight back as those two villains dragged him out the door and away from Sam’s Ma. Well this weren’t going to stand…not while Samwise Gamgee were alive to stop it. Gathering his courage, the young Hobbit ran after the two Shirriffs, evading the capture of his sister Daisy’s arms, young Sam scooped up a handful of pebbles and threw them as hard as he could at the two Shirriffs’ heads. Of course, as hard as he could was not very hard at all, and so only one pebble out of the many found its mark. But it was enough to turn the villain’s head, and before Sam could be jerked out of the way a large hand came down and struck him right across the face.

***

Twelve Weeks Later

The charge, as the Shirriff’s called it, was Murder under the first degree and willing devotion to followers of the death arts, otherwise known as Ganymen. It was decided, by the Mayor’s office and only them seeing as how no judge in the Shire was allowed let alone willing to touch a case like this, that the punishment while of course leading to eventual death should be more drawn out than that.

It was uncovered after much investigation and ’aggressive interrogation’ that the Ganyman known as Hamfast Bungo Gamgee had committed more than one act of ‘mercy’. The exact number was unable to be found yet, but his jailers assumed it to be somewhere in the hundreds. Thus, it was decreed that the simple drop from a rope that was the fate of most caught and charged Ganymen, was simply not adequate justice in this case. But no one, not even Mayor Proudfoot, seemed able to agree what exactly was.

Some said he should be burned, but others argued that that was simply too expensive an execution for a struggling Shire to afford. Some cried he should be boiled alive or drowned in the Brandywine River, but most found that too morbid for hobbit senses and argued that they wouldn’t get a good turn out with that. It took a total of twelve consecutive weeks of deliberation and endless catered meetings and business lunches, for them to finally reach a decision. It was decreed to all hobbits who would listen that the Ganyman known as Hamfast Gamgee at high noon the following day: would be hung, drawn and then quartered.

During all those lunches and catered meetings the prisoner had to be relocated from the shire’s holding cells. It was simply too expensive to keep the cells continuously open over a long period of time. The guards’ salaries alone made the Mayor’s accountant break out into sweats. So, with little debate on the matter it was decided that Hamfast should be housed in The Dragon’s Keep Playhouse, which had been commandeered shortly after the outlawing of the Ganymen. It was the only place large enough to hold the crowds that turned out for a hanging.

He’d been lodged in one of the old dressing rooms, haphazard bars thrown across the entrance and a rookie guarding the door. If it had been anyone else who ordered it Hamfast might have thought they wanted him to escape…but no if there was one thing that Mayor Proudfoot was famous for, beside the slaughter of peaceful people, it was his cheapness. Which was why the Ganyman wasn’t surprised when half way through his containment, they stopped feeding him.

***

Middle-Earth, The Shire, Hobbiton, The Dragon’s Keep Playhouse: T.A. 2994, S.R. 1394, 15th June

Bilbo Baggins and Daisy Gamgee held their heads high as they passed the guards at the door. Sam walked between the two and didn’t even acknowledge that there were guards there at all. His eyes remained fixed on the package held in his small hands. It had to be him who carried it – no one ever noticed him.

The cell door was unwatched this day, there really didn’t seem a point in paying that extra guard one more day just to contain a prisoner who was too weak to move. The door wasn’t even locked, so the trio entered unhindered into the Ganyman’s dank cell.

Bilbo paused just beyond the threshold of the tiny room, it had been designed as a dressing room for the company’s leading lady, if he remembered correctly. But any signs of beauty or glamour had been stripped from its walls. It was a stiflingly small room now, and the smell that hit Bilbo on entering it made him gag and wretch.

Feces and decay were evident all over the walls, as if someone had gone in beforehand and smeared it all along their once polished surfaces. This sight held Bilbo’s focus so tightly that he almost didn’t notice the small rag wrapped figure in the middle of the room. In fact, he very well might not have at all if it hadn’t been for young Samwise’s cry.

‘Da!’

Bilbo’s eyes were brought down to the child and where he knelt, or rather by who he knelt. The round, ruddy cheeked hobbit that Bilbo’s son had once been, seemed to have vanished almost entirely. His cheeks were hollow now and his belly had depleted to barely more than a bump, and there was a thick layer of caked blood around his eyes, meaning he had to squint through it to look at them at all. And his hair hung lankly off his head, which was pressed to his chest now because he did not even have the strength to lift it. Bilbo fell to his knees before his child and began to weep.

It was Daisy who remained steadily calm as she knelt by her father. She knew what they had come here to do and falling apart now would only hurt him further. She snapped her fingers at her little brother who raised his head in confusion, still half dazed in a wash of grief and horror. But his tear clouded eyes soon grew in comprehension, and he tore open the package that had lain forgotten on his knee. And from within the depths of the brown crinkled paper he removed a small purple vial.

Sam hesitated seemingly unsure of what to do next, Daisy reached out her hand expectedly and he passed it over…his own shaking furiously as he did so. She turned then and cupped the back of her father’s head and, tipping it backwards, she uncorked the vial with her teeth and poured its black contents down his throat. She held his mouth closed until he was forced to swallow and then she let go and his head flopped forward, a smile on his cracked and bloodied lips. Daisy couldn’t be certain, but she thought she almost saw them trying to mouth ‘thank you’, but it was over in a flash and she would never be entirely sure of what she had seen that day.

If the guards of The Dragon’s Den suspected what had happened in that cell they never let on. Not even when on the day that was to be his execution, when they went to retrieve the prisoner in question... all they’d found was the now stone-cold body of Hamfast Gamgee.

***

Somewhere, in a bedroom deep in the heart of The Elven-King Thranduil’s palace, Gandalf the Grey opened his eyes and sat up in bed.

‘Bilbo!’

#the hobbit #fanfiction #lord of the rings #the silmarillion #fanfic #the lord of the rings

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eristic-kaleidoscope · 1 year

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Ring Around the Rosie || Ae-ra || Trial 2 Results Reaction

Well, it was over. It was finally over. That horrible and tense trial finally came to an end, and they'd successfully weeded out the true killer. There was some sense of relief. At the very least, no one innocent was going to get roped into Erika and Rose's web of murders. They'd already harmed too many people as is. It was a good thing this would end without them taking another person down as collateral. Ae-ra let herself calm down. It seemed as though people had a lot of things to say, but Ae-ra couldn't think of much. She'd already gotten her anger out before the results had even been revealed. Plus it seemed like everyone else had the anger towards Rose covered.

Rose...

Hearing the explanation did change Ae-ra's opinion ever so slightly, but it wasn't necessarily for the better. Rose had gone to such extremes of manipulation to save themself, which of course made sense. Who wanted to die? But where had that desperation been for Lyrica? Rose had plenty of excuses. Saying that Lyrica's life had already been forfeit the moment Erika entered the room. Was that really the truth? If that were so...why not let them? Why had Rose been the one to force those gummies down Lyrica's throat? It was nothing but a way to absolve themself of the guilt.

But still, saying any of that would've done nothing but fuel everyone's anger, and make Rose's final moments even worse.

"Rose-ssi, I'm sorry you felt so alone that you felt like the only person you had to rely on was a monster. I wish things could have been better for you. I really do," Ae-ra said, heaving a heavy sigh. It wasn't her place to decide whether or not Rose was worthy of forgiveness, but Ae-ra could at least manage to act without malice towards them. She chose her words carefully, sincere, but not mentioning all of the very negative things she also had in her head. "If you wanted help, there were countless chances even before this point to get help from anyone else here. I really wish you would've taken those chances instead of letting it come to this. If nothing else...I don't wish to see you die like this. I'm sorry."

That was the most kindness she could allow. She wasn't particularly sad to know Rose was going to die, but she wished it wouldn't be so horrible or painful like the previous execution. She wished it could be peaceful. Maybe Rose didn't even deserve that much. Who was Ae-ra to decide? But still. She didn't want to watch anyone suffer, no matter how much she despised them.

Ae-ra turned her eyes to Just Erika, a blank expression on her face. Truthfully, Ae-ra was still scared shitless of Just Erika. It, frankly, horrified her to know that Just Erika would be rejoining them after this. Wandering around among them... It was horrible. It was terrifying.

"Y-You..." Ae-ra swallowed hard past the fear and leveled a glare at Just Erika. "Don't you ever come near me or the people I care about again. I'll be carrying a knife on my henceforth and if you get too close, I won't hesitate to defend myself. Consider this your only warning."

#Ae-ra #chapter2 #trial2 #submission

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emmerrr · 2 years

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Did you like stranger things s4? I was mostly disappointed. All that hs drama. Them casting 30 yr olds as hs kids. Way too many parallel timelines. Steve and nancy ogling each other wtf. Idk i was really disappointed and annoyed. The ending wad ok with the explanation we got, but still, a lot was just stretched out unnecessarily.

sorry i literally only just finished the last episode so i'm like. reeling. but i'm sorry i think i mostly disagree with you! putting the rest under the cut for spoilers:

yeah there was some hs drama but to be fair they are all mostly hs kids so that seems par for the course, but also it mostly gets put aside in the face of the greater threat. i don't think the series was perfect by any means, and it was quite choppy at times given the fact that you were following like 3/4 different groups of characters, but they are all back in the same place now presumably for the last big fight in s5. i could have done without the steve/nancy stuff tbh, but then again, whilst nancy is obviously starting to see steve in a new light now, she still very much seems to be in love with jonathon (who i'm now CONVINCED is gonna die next season) even though there's some obvious problems there with him lying to her about the college situation. but yeah, i guess we'll see what happens next season wrt nancy and steve -- i can't say i care too much about them romantically but there's always so much going on in stranger things that i doubt it would ruin my overall viewing experience.

idk. i'm just so invested that i can't say i didn't enjoy it because like...my heart was in my throat half the time, i had my hands on my face watching through the gaps in my fingers lol. EDDIE...my boy eddie...i'm distraught. like...i don't know how i didn't see it coming, but he was this season's bob and it's so obvious now that he was doomed from the start. i was so distracted thinking steve or someone else was gonna die that i just didn't consider it would be eddie. he didn't deserve it, but also, he made a choice to be a hero in the end and he'll be remembered as one to everyone that matters to him so there is something comforting in that, i think? i dunno, i'm very upset, i keep hoping he is Somehow Alive but i know he's not :(

anyway. it's totally fair to be disappointed or annoyed! but personally i loved it. i mean, i hated it, but it was great.

(also the casting of actors way too old to be teens is annoying but stranger things is hardly the only show guilty of this, and to be fair, stranger things started 6 years ago so more time has passed in real life than it has in the show's own timeline. i know the actors for eddie and jason are both like late twenties or something but i think eddie was supposed to have failed his senior year a couple times so he was probably supposed to have been around 20? idk, but yeah, this is an issue with casting in general think)

#emma answers #anon #stranger things spoilers

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bangtaninborderland · 2 years

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Risk It All (18) - New Home

Genre: angst, violence, Chishiya x f!reader, action,fluff.

Warning: none?

A/N: I’m so sorry if this sucked it’s just a filler for the next episode which is intense intense I also just wanted to get this done quickly because my updating has been poor it’s just with exams I literally have no spare time as I’m also a carer so I have so much to do. Please bare with me and keep supporting me I truly do appreciate every single person on my tumblr.

Ch.17.2 | Masterlist | ch.19

It had only been twenty four hours since the beach was set ablaze after the final hearts game and the borderlands, for once, was buzzing with gossip. You had overheard from some beach members that had followed you to your new temporary home in the middle of some back roads that the games had been paused as had visas in preparation for the next stage.

Everyone was as confused as you when they heard this news, it has been all that was talked about for hours now and you was glad the conversation was coming to an end as night drew over.

The parties of the beach had gone, no more alcohol, no more music. It had been fun, genuinely fun.

You and the remaining survivors had made a deal, no more sadness. If any of you could die at any moment you didn’t want to waste a second of it being sad about where you are. You are all fighting for a life so whilst you’re fighting you still have to live, otherwise it’s pointless.

You felt the smile growing on your face as you looked around those who had come together with you, Kuina and Ann.

A few familiar faces and a few new ones.

“What are you so happy about?” Kuina asked a similar smile across her face.

“I am happy. None of us knows what’s coming and none of us can control it or change it but we have each other. Before the boderlands I was alone. I had no one and nothing. I may be risking my life every day for it but I have friends. I have hope. I have courage, power and strength and I will be damned to let anyone take these things away from me.”

Kuina wraps her arms around you, pulling your into a hug.

“That was rather… sentimental.” You laugh at Kuinas small comeback until you watch her eyes trail behind you.

Despite how easy it would be to turn your head and face what’s behind you apart of you is terrified at what has Kuina so shocked. Your body stayed frozen as footsteps drew closer.

“What are you doing here?“ Kuina spat, her voice filled with anger.

Your heart dropped at the mumbled voice behind you.

“My plan isn’t complete. I have the cards yet there’s more. Strange isn’t it.” His perfect voice hummed from behind you.

You wanted to turn, to face him. Despite your simmering anger at the man who abandoned you or at least tried to your heart still hurt and pined for him.

Kuina looks to you, her eyes filled with concern despite her anger.

You shake your head at her signalling you don’t want to talk to him. She seems to understands and walks towards him, you glance back. Thankfully his eyes weren’t facing you as Kuina was dragging him away.

You sighed trying to focus back on the group of friends that had surrounded you. Ann sat beside you whilst everyone else continued their conversations.

“What was that about?” She nods towards the disappearing figures of both Kuina and Chishiya.

You huff dreading the explanation you’re about to give. “Well me and Chishiya had a thing, or I had a thing with him…” her eyes widen and she signals for you to continue. “Well basically he wanted to leave the beach and I was going to go with him but he was going to leave without me the only thing that stopped him was the beams that set after the game started. I thought he cared about me, he acted like he did in his own strange way but maybe it was in my head. All I know is that I .. began to love him. He warned me and I didn’t listen..”

You feel tears brimming but you hold them back, he doesn’t deserve that.

Ann sits in silent shock for a moment before composing herself and responding to your truthful explanation.

She awkwardly pats your shoulder, Ann’s attempt at comfort is minimal but still meaningful. “I’m sorry that happened to you. I never for a second suspected that you and Chishiya had something together. He always seemed so empty and I guess shut off.”

You brushed the stressful conversation off. “I’m going to look for some new clothes..” you mumble your eyes wandering over the clothes you had been stuck in since before the fire.

You wasn’t afraid of being alone, right now you needed the time to clear your head. Especially after Chishiyas surprising unwanted reunion. You let your mind wander the the conversation that he and Kuina would be having right now as you rummage through boxes of clothes in a broken store An and Kuina had gone into the night before.

You rejoiced as you come across a pair of new sweatpants and underwear in your size. You slipped into the remaining restroom to change only struggling to put the clothes over your stumbling body due to the lack of light.

“Do you need some help there.” A blunt voice muttered outside the curtain as you cursed to yourself.

“You really don’t go away do you? Did anything Kuina say matter?” You spit back at him pulling your shoes back on. The jacket he had given you still covering your body.

You tie your laces fast, more focused on getting away from the arrogant blonde.

You heard footsteps shuffling outside, he was close. “ I don’t think her words had any value to me, so no.”

You walked out of the dressing room pushing past him in the direction of your group. You was shocked as his slender hand wrapped around your arm.

“You can be a child and run away or you can listen.” He pulls you closer to him and as usual you let him. Your body disobeying your mind.

He seemed pleased as you shortened the distance between you.

“Come with me.” He mumbles pulling you by your arm.

You look back in the direction of your friends, hesitant thoughts crossing your mind.

He sighs in annoyance. “Kuina knows.”

You roll your eyes at him, of course his inability to act human meant that of him deciding for you as though you were solely independent on him.

Nevertheless you knew if he had come to find you it wouldn’t be for something stupid, listening seemed to be in your best interest.

You walked for a while before he said anything.

“So I doing something, if one of us dies the other needs to continue that way this place can be conquered.” He mumbles handing you a piece of paper.

You let out a deep sigh as you take it. Your eyes scan over it and you grow baffled. “What’s this?”

He took the paper back, his fingers brushing against yours ever so lightly. “Do you remember the tag game?”

You mind cast back to the first game you played. The first game you had met Chishiya.

“Y-yes.” You hated the way you stuttered due to the warming thoughts of your first meeting with Chishiya.

A practically unrecognisable smirk tugged at his cheeks. “After the game ended I stayed behinf and found this in a taggers pocket. I think it’s a map I just don’t know to where.”

You couldn’t believe what you was hearing, Chishiya admitting he couldn’t figure something out? Impossible.

You look towards him dumbfounded, his face filled with absolute confusion over your reaction to his words.

“What?” He asks awkwardly.

You shake your head taking the paper back from him. “Nothing.”

You analyse the small sheet of paper, lines squiggled on what looks to be a small map. Your mind casts back to when your dad had taken you and your sister to a train convention.

They had taught you how to read maps and this looked awfully familiar.

“Are you going to share what you seem to have figured out?” Chishiya asks slumping against a wall, the streets of Tokyo still bare.

He was using you again. You had no doubt that once you answered his question you would be left behind once again.

You know the only fair thing to do is use him back. “I’ll tell you if you answer my questions.” You state matter of factly.

His eyebrows raise, it wasn’t often you caught him off guard but he didn’t expect you to be so bold, you felt proud at your newfound ability to shock him.

“What questions are they?” He scoffs.

You push the piece of paper into the pockets of your new sweatpants, you walk along beside Chishiyas to the wall he was leaning on, it wasn’t too high so you climbed up on top of it, sitting behind him.

You knew you would be here for a while and so did he, yet he didn’t seem to mind it.

“Why was you going to leave me?” You played with the stones surrounding you, too nervous to look at him.

His feet kicking the gravel beneath him as he turned to you, pulling himself onto the same wall with absolute ease.

He brushed his hands off, sliding them into the pockets of another white jacket he had opted for, identical to yours. “I already explained that to you.”

You sighed. “Really ? Then I can’t tell you about the paper. You wouldn’t have wanted to leave if you didn’t care about me and if you truly didn’t it would be easy for you to say that to me.”

His silence was deafening to both you and him. He knew he couldn’t deny his emotions honestly. Yet he didn’t stop trying.

He chucked making you hit him playfully. “Why must you be obsessed with this?”

“Because you hurt me and I want closure.” You took a deep breath as you answered honestly.

He pulled his hood down turning to face you, your heart jumped as his hand inched closer to yours.

“I didn’t care about you. You just grew less annoying, somewhat normal. I could tolerate you. I didn’t hate being around you but none of that means I care about you.” His cold eyes burn into yours. The familiar feeling of tears fighting there way to your face.

You clenched your eyes shut, wiling the tears to go away, composing yourself ready to ask him the next question that would no doubt crush you.

“What about the kisses? The way you’d take care of me? You left me behind and didn’t need me to get out of the beach.” Your eyes focused on him, not moving for even a second.

He stiffened for a moment, you knew this face well, he was thinking of an answer.

He cleared his throat before he began to talk. “Well.. i don’t have an answer for you.”

“Because you can’t answer honestly. It would break your whole uncaring facade wouldn’t it?” You retort quickly not letting the subject fall flat.

He shook his head. “Because I don’t know.”

His voice grew quite and a uncomfortable lump in your throat grew bigger.

“Kiss me.” You mumbled. His face whipped around to yours, clearly shocked.

He frowned his eyebrows. “What?”

“You want me to tell you about this paper then kiss me. If you don’t care about me you’ll take the paper and leave even if it takes you longer you’ll figure it out, In fact I’m pretty sure you already have it was just an excuse for you to come here wasn’t it?” You lean forward to him, his chest rising much quicker than before.

He jumped off the wall sliding the paper out of your hand. “You was somewhat right.”

You jumped down walking after him. Although you told him to leave you wasn’t entirely sure you wanted him to. His presence feeling familiar and … safe…

“Why do you do this?” He spat turning to face you?

Your feet froze. “What?”

He walked closer to you, his breathe was hot on your face. “Why can’t you let me leave? You make it so hard like it isn’t hard enough already.”

“If you didn’t care about me then it would be easy to leave.” You sigh, your gaze falling to the floor.

His hand moves closer towards you but he stops himself. “You didn’t answer my question.”

You stepped back from him, your eyes wandering to meet his as you confess your secrets to him. “At first I didn’t want to care about you, I tried hard not to in face I even hated how you was but over time I grew to understand you, to understand your coldness is just another form of protection the same way a gun would be. I didn’t realise when it first happened but I slowly began to care for you and eventually.. I began to love you.”

His knuckles grew white as he clenched them together, you began cussing yourself internally for unnecessarily intensifying the situation.

“I can’t love you.” His words were no more than a hushed whisper, barely audible.

You ignored his words wrapping your arms around him before he could object. After a moment you lifted your head, your arms still wrapped around his neck as his lazed on your back.

“You don’t have to love me but let me come with you. You don’t have to love me okay? Just be with me. Promise me you won’t ever leave me again.” You mumbled.

His breathing staggered once again and you chuckled at the thought he was nervous. “I won’t make promises I can’t keep, if you want to come you can.”

You nod and slip your arm around his, pulling him in the direction the paper had shown you. “Let’s go.”

“So the paper?” He asks slyly.

You turn your head to face him as you continue walking. “You really didn’t know what it was did you?”

He shook his head and you chuckle at him. “Your stubbornness really does surprise me.”

He scoffed at your use of the words he has weeks ago said to you. “So?”

You rolled your eyes as he pulled his arm away from your hand, his walking in perfect synch with you. “So it’s a train station. I learned about the underground maps before. Maybe it’s a bunker of some sort.”

He made a surprised gasp. “You do use your brain. What about Kuina?”

You freeze, he was right. What about Kuina.

“We go alone, if we find anything we will come back and find her, I don’t want to put her in a situation that could be dangerous. We don’t know what we will find.” You mumble slightly afraid.

He grabs your arm, your movements stopping instantly. “What?” You tilt your head.

You was as he lifts his shirt up to reveal a small wrapped object. He hands it to you and you realise it’s the familiar blade that he had once given to you.

You hold it in your hand for a moment before sliding it in your pocket. “Chishiya if we get there and one of us needs to sacrifice ourselves or one of us will get hurt then please let it be me. You have a much better chance of escaping and I promise Kuina I would get her home.”

His hand raised to your face and you flinched away, a short image of your dad hitting you flashed through your mind.

You relaxed slightly as his hand brushed against your cheek. “No one is dying. I promise you that.”

You smile at him before he breaks the contact between you. “We should go it’s dark already.”

You nod in agreement with him, the walk to the station would take hours and in the dark it was unpredictable.

“What if we find somewhere to rest for the night?” You ask him, it would be the safest option.

He pauses for a moment before humming in agreement. “I have a place.”

You follow behind him towards the safe shelter he clearly had prepared and just like that the pain he had caused you felt somewhat gone.

You hated that you loved him, but hating him proved impossible and he seemed to love that you couldn’t hate him because no matter what he did you knew you would love him for all he is and all of his complications, you’d love him for moments like this.

There was an outside world and you would find it, it’s just a bonus Chishiya is by your side for it.

You smile at your invading thoughts as you quicken your pace to match his.

“So where are you taking me?” You bounce somewhat excited.

He looked at you weirdly. “To our new home.”

#murakami nijiro #nijiro murakami #aib netflix #nijiro #alice in borderland #aib chishiya #aib #nijiro icons #aib x you #dead stock jdrama

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amaranths-in-hobbitland · 3 years

Text

There are no ghosts on the server.

It’s a rough day for everyone. Many people have died. Many more will soon. In the dark hours of the night, the quiet days spent in hiding before doomsday, a lot of people experience a lot of different things. But... none of them are ghosts. There are no ghosts on the server.

What Martyn experiences is nostalgia. He is alone in the Southlands, growing crops, repairing walls, rummaging through supplies and setting traps. He wished he could remember half of the stuff Impulse and Mumbo showed him about redstone and trapping. It came to him as second nature under the Boogeyman curse, but now he’s left to guess.

He turns, and for half a second he swears he sees Mumbo in the moonlight, stood staring into space outside his bunker as usual. He lets out a bittersweet chuckle, and inserts his own words into the empty space, imagining what Mumbo would say in a situation like this: It’s actually quite simple, if you’re a genius like me, and not a total scrub like Martyn over here. Look at him, he’s got redstone all over his cloak. Good luck getting that to wash out. That probably wasn’t it, but it was fun to pretend. He remembers these sorts of antics so vividly, they happened so recently; he can even almost hear Timmy and Impulse laughing along.

But they aren’t here. Martyn is alone in the Southlands. The last Southlander, he thinks to himself. It feels wrong. He isn’t supposed to be here. He’s a traitor, he always has been; he doesn’t belong here. Something has gone wrong along the way, and he doesn’t know what. He turns his eyes up towards the ever-watchful, ever-judgemental crescent of the moon. With no-one around to hear him, he asks out loud if she’s proud of him. For making it this far, he means to add on, for killing Tango, for following your orders. He doesn’t say any of those things, though.

And he hears her respond- but for some reason, her voice feels more imaginary than the snippets of memories playing around him.

Still, he listens to the moon.

Not to any familiar-sounding non-voices belonging to the non-ghosts of non-allies.

What Tango experiences is loneliness. He stands away from the other Red Names: grumbling, bumbling Joel and oh-so-clever trickster Grian as they plan to take down Etho (as if anyone can take down Etho). It’s nice to have friends, but they aren’t friends, they’re teammates- past the red, murderous haze, Tango has serious doubts about anything the three of them have in common.

So he stands atop the snow tower, away from the conversation. He gazes off into the distance- in theory, he’s on the lookout for other players, but really he’s just letting his mind wander. He feels the chill of the night breeze. It tousles his hair playfully, affectionately, just like Skizz would do for the other members of Team BEST, like they would do for him-

Except the wind doesn’t do that, because it can’t. It simply blusters through Tango, cold and unfeeling. He buries his face in his hands, amazed that he’s already desperate enough to try and make friends with the air.

Y’know what, though? He doesn’t need friends! What have friends ever done for him!? Stolen his lives, stolen his belongings and betrayed him, betrayed him twice, without so much as an apology or an explanation either time! They die when he doesn’t want them to, or they don’t die when he does want them to; he’s sick of it. Crimson clouds his vision and the rage crystal in his pocket hums and crackles like a fire, and he’s ready to show Etho and the others exactly how much the so-called ‘best’ team meant to him.

The wind is tangling his hair. He hates it. It’s a mockery of an affectionate gesture. Or it would be, if the wind had the feelings in it to mock.

He misses Skizz.

What Joel experiences is confusion. He’s never once pretended to have any control of what’s going on, but in this particular moment, he feels truly powerless. He’s always been powerless; the wizard thing was a farce to begin with. He’s just been tossed around by the universe and by other players. Oh, he hated the other players. You could never guess when they would be at home so you couldn’t trap it, or see you sneaking around, or whether they’d burn all you’d hold dear, or turn on you, or die without saying ‘I love you’ like you’d planned before- He had no idea how much damage he could do to the other players, but at this point, he didn’t really care.

He and the other Red Names are roaming the server, searching for survivors, searching for supplies that could give them the leg up. They’ve ended up at the ashes of the Fairy Fort, and are just about to move on, when Joel finds something he can’t help but question: one tree, perfectly intact among the carnage, wrapped tight in thorny berry bushes. There has to be a trick to that, right? He cuts through the bark with his axe, pries back the roots, and his eyes meet... bare dirt. Oh, well. So much for that. He turns to rejoin the other Red Names, but they’ve gone.

What? No, they can’t have gone! They don’t think he’s that unimportant, do they?! They wouldn’t leave him here, forever lost in a deep, dark forest-

The forest is intact.

Before he has time to process anything that happens, a cloud of golden wisps like fireflies encircles him, the lights leaving him dazzled. Unintelligible fragments of a siren’s song echo around him, and he can barely understand the words but suddenly he’s shaking and his eyes are burning with tears. The wisps’ glowing briefly aligns to form a single, humanoid outline, and two warm hands reach out to hold him-

And as he blinks back the tears, he returns to standing in the burnt clearing. Big B calls his name and asks if he’s okay. Joel says he has no idea. He wipes the tears with his sleeve and begins walking quickly to rejoin Grian, when Big B calls out again- louder this time. Joel turns back to see a frightened expression and a trembling finger pointing towards his shadow.

Joel looks at his shadow. His shadow looks back at him with golden eyes. He and Big B exchange glances.

“I have no idea what that is; it doesn’t exist and we never saw it. Okay?” “It- it doesn’t- yeah. Yeah, okay. Saw what? Doesn’t exist.”

Joel has not looked back at his shadow since then to check. Nobody’s told him if anything’s happened. He’s honestly rather grateful for that. After this week, he’s sick and tired of things happening.

Joel is not marked by fairies, or by the ghost of his wife or whatever that thing was. Wasn’t. It wasn’t real. Magic and ghosts aren’t real- he knows that, he’s a professional sham wizard. Anyway, he doesn’t even have a wife.

What Etho experiences is guilt. Etho thinks that everyone is experiencing guilt; he’s just the only one brave enough to admit it.

It’s not wrong that he’s experiencing guilt. It’s a perfectly logical reaction to drastic situations, one which everybody does. Humans are unique in their ability to read and detect patterns, which is a blessing and a curse when you try to detect patterns where none exist, or obsess over the ones that do.

It’s a pain- being harassed by constant, irrational ifs each waking moment. Etho knows he has nothing to feel guilty about, really. Things happened as they did, and they can’t be taken back. Still, it’s part of the grieving process, and he’s just going to have to live with that irrational guilt for a little bit.

So Etho prepares for the coming week, pushing past his guilt- and everything that comes with it.

Like that tight chill that wraps around his shoulders, like someone’s grabbing onto him. Anxiety, he reasons, from his recent loss and from living in these new, claustrophobic accommodations. He shrugs it off as best he can and does a few things around the underground base to pretty it up- stuff he thinks Bdubs would like (or hate, either works).

Or the shameful pang whenever he half-consciously directs a quip towards Bdubs as he rifles through chests, only to half-hear an answer that isn’t there and turn around to look. Force of habit, he reasons.

Or the azalea flowers which have forced their way through every piece of the moss decor for seemingly no reason other than to stare at him. They were always there, he reasons, I’m just more aware of them because they remind me of Bdubs. Basic human pattern-finding.

Or the face he swears he sees in the golden, warped reflection of the clock hung by the skeleton farm...

Or the footprints that follow him as he goes caving, too small and too heavy to be his, outlined in snow and soul sand...

Or the nightmares he has every single night where he wakes up in the dark and Bdubs is stood at the end of his bed, eyes gleaming, grabbing Etho by the shoulders and shaking him, hollering at him to listen, listen, listen to me Etho you stupid angel PLEASE LISTEN-

Well, the meaning to that nightmare’s obvious, isn’t it? If Etho reacted quicker to the death message, maybe things would have been different. Obviously that’s playing on his mind. But he just has to accept it and move on. It’ll take a while to escape the guilt completely, but Etho will try his best. After all, he knows the science behind it. It makes sense to him.

He will not let himself be haunted like this.

#last life smp #last life fic #last life spoilers #inthelittlewood #tangotek #smallishbeans #ethoslab #BDoubleO100 #skizzleman #ldshadowlady #mumbo jumbo #impulsesv #solidaritygaming #amawriting #ah that beautiful feeling of having a vague idea then letting the Hyperfocus hit and writing like 3 ideas in one like an idiot #enjoy whatever this is #ask to tag

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iiraven · 3 years

Text

Odyssey

Pairing: Poseidon!Armin x Reader

Genre: romance, smut

Warnings: slow-burn, minor character death, manipulation, stalking, possessiveness, Yandere behaviour, puppy play, piss play, body worship, throne sex, implied age-gap, oral(male receiving), hair pulling, collaring (without consent)

Word count: 9.8K

Synopsis: Armin’s quest for revenge leads him to you, daughter of a merchant and object of his infatuation.

Author’s note: thank you @bubbleteaimagines for hosting this collab and allowing me to join <3 Also, thank you @onyxoverride for teaching me how to write about pee!

Attack on Titan Masterlist

Present day:

If the river could speak, you wonder what it would say.

In the silence that surrounds the rushing of the water, you’re sure you would hear it. Sometimes, you’re sure you can hear it, but then you remember the dangers of trusting unfamiliar voices. Especially unfamiliar voices in a place like this.

No one goes near the river Shiganshina. And you forget the reasons why much too often.

It’s rocky, slippery, there’s no path to walk on, and the nymphs grow sharp teeth when men approach them, hissing and eyes glowing red. But that’s what makes it perfect for you.

Sasha first mentioned the river months ago, recalling the places on the island that her and her father avoided whenever they went hunting. You hadn’t paid much attention to it until days later, when Connie recounted with round eyes how Floch’s body was found beside the river Shiganshina, mouth full of water and eyes gouged out. You knew you needed to go there yourself.

A pearl necklace is what you stole. And under the guise of going to wash clothes at the well, you made your way south of your small island with only Sasha’s vague instructions and your intuition guiding you.

You could hear the ocean as you walked through the untouched woods, your heart hammering in your chest every time the waves crashed against the island’s cliffs. You weren’t allowed to see the ocean- you weren’t allowed to be around any large body of water, for that matter- but you still knew your island well enough to know that a step in the wrong place could lead you tumbling down the cliff.

You would die before you got to feel the water on your skin and that, you thought, would be the most tragic part.

As your feet began to sink into the muddy ground, you could smell the salty water, and a slight metallic scent behind it that only drew you in closer until you reached a clearing. It was small, crowded with foliage with only a few dead plants on the ground where you could only assume people had attempted to step foot.

And there was the river. It was small, its water emerging from underground before the tide pushed it to the edge of the island- to a waterfall. So loud that it could drown out any noise, any screams. You shivered. For a moment, you just stood back and watched. The water was was green, but so clear that you could still see the fish swimming beside the floating objects. Coins, silver, small statues, and whatever else hopefuls had tried to offer. You pulled out your own offering and whispered a short prayer before throwing the necklace in.

It could have been your imagination, but the water calmed. It was quieter. And, like that, you felt as if the river had opened up its arms to you. Strong arms that you have to be cautious not to spend too long within lest you get trapped.

Thankfully, you’ve learned to read the signs. You know when the river wants you to leave, when it wants you to keep your distance, when it wants to keep you close, and even when it wants you to bathe. Those are the special moments. It’s rare the river is calm enough for you to dip your naked body into, but surrounded by the cool water, you feel like you could stay their forever.

If the river could speak now, however, you’re sure it would tell you to fuck off.

Either that or it would tell you to come back when you have something more to offer its god than a single golden bead from your grandmother’s necklace. Only three are left on the thin string, though you think you might keep the last one to honour her death. After that, you’ll have to go back to offering coins and whatever other trinkets that will keep the god of this river sedated long enough for you to dip your feet into the cool water, maybe take a sip, and then return home before your father realises where you’ve been, much less where you’ve been unchaperoned.

The latter is hardly your fault. Sasha and Connie are too scared to step foot in the Shiganshina forest, let alone the river itself. And you can’t trust anyone else to accompany you, especially the servants whose tongue could slip at the drop of a golden coin. Your father would never forgive you for spending time in the territory of the God of the Ocean or- as he liked to call Armin- the destroyer of seas. And thus, being left alone seems to be the only way.

Well, that’s unless Mr Arlert decides to join you.

The owner of the stable who appeared on the island out of nowhere is the last person anyone would expect to be brave enough to spend time at the river Shiganshina. He mostly keeps to himself, only ever seen tending to his horses or immersed in scrolls of literature and poetry. And yet, he’s here almost as often as you are, almost as vulnerable as you are.

Despite his solitary nature, Mr Arlert has been quick to make himself adored. Mothers swoon over his charm, scholars constantly indulge in his curiosity, and sailors are fascinated by his knowledge of the world and its oceans. He’s no warrior, and already in his late twenties, but he’s still without a doubt one of the most eligible bachelors on Paradis. And, yet, to any marriage proposal sent his way, he declines with a polite “A husband is not what I am fated to become”. Even Annie Leonhardt- whose father Mr Arlert would constantly visit- had her heart broken. But no one blames Mr Arlert, of course, who was there to comfort Annie, to make her realise that she just needs to be a better person, that’s all. It’s not his fault her heart broke, Mr Arlert reassured.

Thinking about it now, you’re amongst the handful of women who haven’t been offered to the tall blond. And with that comes a sigh of relief as you drag your fingers through the water.

It’s not like you dislike him- the opposite, actually- but being with Mr Arlert is like taking the hand of an invisible man in the dark and letting him guide you.

His words constantly have your thoughts spiralling in directions that they shouldn’t be. Thoughts about leaving the island, thoughts about going to the ocean, thoughts about becoming a priestess. Thoughts you aren’t allowed to have.

You fate is bound to the home you were born in, a thick rope tied to your ankle, only letting you go as far as this very river. And Mr Arlert sits beside that rope, a knife in his hand, blue eyes staring into your soul, waiting. You’re not sure what he’s waiting for. But what you’re sure of is that to be taken away from the life you know of is an inconceivable fantasy. The unknown is a dangerous thing, after all.

The small island of Paradis may lie far away from the rest of the world, but their core values remain the same. A woman must grow up to either serve her father or her husband. Your fate has already been decided for you. And, frankly, if it means not having to share a bed with an old man who marries you for your dowry, you’re very happy with taking care of your father until the day that he’ll be put into the ground.

But then there’s always the third option. A woman who serves neither her father nor her husband will serve her god.

You had never been given that option by your god-hating kin. Simply suggesting a future as priestess would earn you at least five lashes, so why… why can’t you stop thinking about it? Your instincts have you blame Mr Arlert, but you know that your fixation began before he arrived on the island; all he’s done is vocalise your thoughts.

As a gust of wind blows the leaves and the salt from the sea gently caresses your cheek, you wonder who your god would be. Do you resonate with Pieck’s beauty, or Zeke’s creativity? Maybe. But as you look into your reflection, you know that your god is no other than Armin, the god of the ocean. The fates must think this is hilarious, but you just want to scream.

“It’s getting late. I wouldn’t want your father worrying about you.”

You jump at the sudden voice, turning around at the familiar face, leaning against a tree with a gentle smile.

“Thank you, Mr Arlert.”

His footsteps are so gentle, as are his apologies.

“You don’t need to thank me. I’ve come to invade your space, after all.”

“It’s not my space, it’s Armin’s. The god is only letting me stay here.”

He smiles a knowing smile, one that you would usually find patronising on any other man. But Armin is charming, too charming for you ever to think that of him. “I suppose you’re right.”

He comes to sit down beside you, taking his usual place at your right- the voice of reason. It’s quiet for a moment, before you remember.

“Lemnos,” you say.

The blond smiles. “I’m not named after a place.”

And you roll your eyes, as you’ve done every time he’s given you a useless hint. “That hardly narrows it down.”

“Well, I can’t make it too easy of a game.”

“You can’t make it impossible either!”

“It seems like I already have.” And you’re not sure if you want to wipe the smirk off his face or just stare at it.

“What about Tree?”

Arlert laughs. “No, but you have one guess left.”

“What?!” You sit up straight, eyes wide. Now you really want to wipe the smirk off his face.

“You have seven guesses, and in the eleven months we’ve known each other, you’ve used up six.” His explanation is calm and rational enough for you to almost convince yourself that the rule has been there from the start.

“Wait- wait. I never knew about this!”

“I thought everyone did. It’s traditional wager rules.” Mr Arlert’s tone is sorry, but you know he’s everything but. So, you cross your arms and pout, hoping that staring him down might at least give you the smallest chance of winning your wager.

He leans forward, mirthful and you feel a shiver go down your spine. “What is it, little puppy, sulking because you’re afraid you can’t win?”

You flush at the implication of your loss- “No- no not at all- no”- before registering his actual words are and only then can you feel the heat rise and you’re sure it’s doing you no service. “I know I can win!”

“I know you can too,” he assures you.

You frown. “Are you being sarcastic?”

It’s his turn to flush. “No, not at all! You can win- the water god favours you, after all.”

And although you shrug, his words stick. They always do.

Before you go home, you pass by Armin’s temple and place at the foot of his statue the remainder of your grandmother’s necklace.

A year ago:

Amrin knew how fickle the gods were and he thought that this knowledge made him impervious to those feelings. He watched how Eren jumped from woman to woman daily, how Reiner picked and chose his battles without a care, how every single fixation a deity would have never lasted more than a year. He thought of how stupid it was to spend a life of immortality indulging in such temporary pleasures. And he looked down on his kin for that very reason.

It was only after one argument too many that Armin finally let it slip. The god of the sea was usually quiet, offering soft smiles, casual conversation, and minimal conflict. That was his only rule: keeps quiet before the gods of the pantheon as he takes his anger out on the humans below. But that day, he forgot about his rule.

Maybe it was the years of silence that caused the Eathshaker’s outburst, or maybe it was just Eren’s bored expression as he talked about his mistresses in front of Mikasa. Armin couldn’t take it. Gathered at a marble table beside all the Olympians, he scowled and told them how stupid they all were.

“Don’t you realise? You’re all wasting your immortality by being so idiotic, so fickle! Everything you touch becomes a temporary pleasure, ruined by your inability to act like real gods.”

He should have stopped; he really should have stopped. But the crack in the glass bridge had been there for years, and now the shards of glass were dropping down into the sea. “You might as well be human!”

The room went silent. Eyes went wide, and mouths gaped, but the gods opted for silence. Every deity wanted to speak up, maybe even draw their swords, but they were more intelligent than Armin was in that moment, which was more unusual than one might think. He had never snapped so violently before. Armin may have been aggressive, but he knew his place. Knew when to be docile. Now, he felt like he could crumble Olympus itself with his rage and bury the Olympians with their dead parents.

The king of the gods, however, leaned forward. His emerald eyes were unmoving, devoid of emotion though his lips tilted into a monstrous grin.

“You’re just as fickle as the rest of us, brother,” was all Eren said.

When Armin lunged at him, knocking the fine glass off the table, it was Mikasa who pinned him down. Arms locked behind his back, all Armin could do was watch as mirth flooded Eren’s face, and the god of the sky laughed. The bastard laughed and laughed and licked the small wound on his hand from a shard of glass. It healed immediately. Even their pain was temporary.

And like he had been doing for the past millennia, Armin found solice in his only rule: if he couldn’t take out his rage on his brother, Armin would take out his frustration elsewhere.

His first instinct was to find a woman, but the thought of seeking out temporary pleasure, from a mistress no less, reminded him too much of Eren. So, he descended to earth, trident in one hand as the other gripped the reigns of his horse and they rode for three days and three nights. That’s all it took for the god of the sea to find what he was looking for- someone deserving of his hatred.

There are many humans like the merchant. But most of their hatred is silent. And when it’s not, blasphemy often falls upon deaf ears. The merchant just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time when his drunk rambles led him up on the deck screaming out Armin’s name like it was venom in his throat, until he could scream no more. He was drunk, but the merchant’s hatred for the god of the sea did not cease when he was sober.

And when Armin heard his name, the god wasted no time calling forth a storm to sink the merchant’s ship. He took care to ensure that the arrogant man watched each and every one of his men be swallowed whole, their bodies only resurfacing lifeless, before the storm calmed.

It took five days for the merchant to swim back to his island.

He never returned to the sea.

As the weeks passed, he relocated his home to help him stay away from any body of water and made sure that his family followed suit.

But Armin followed, and the merchant’s father died weeks later with saltwater water found in his lungs.

Unfortunately, that was not enough to sedate the god of the sea’s need for vengeance. Fortunately, it was not enough to sedate the merchant’s hatred either. The hubris didn’t leave him. Instead, it just grew and grew and grew until the merchant considered himself more of a god than Armin would ever be.

“Oh, oh.” Armin couldn’t help but smile as he watched the man urinate before his temple. “This is perfect, so perfect.”

Armin was going to show his uncaring brother how different he was from the rest of the miserable Olympians. As he stood above the island of Paradis, golden hair blowing in the ocean wind, the god vowed to begin his Odyssey. An eternal Odyssey. A journey that would last longer than the ten fleeting years he had with the Greek hero- a journey that would last longer than the universe itself.

And he knew exactly where to begin. A man’s most valuable possession: his child.

It was only after your grandfather’s death that Armin noticed you. When he first began watching the merchant’s household, under the guise of either a guest or a bird, he had been surprised to learn that the blasphemous man had no wife, nor children. Armin only realised his mistake one night, when you came to lay a blanket on the drunk man’s barely conscious body. The merchant had pulled you towards him, muttering apologies and you had wrinkled your nose before offering him a soft smile. “It’s okay, papa”.

A daughter sheltered from the world, it seemed.

The god had initially thought you were one of the servants. There were only two in the house, and your tasks were all similar. But as Armin began to watch you closer, he saw how you did have a life outside your home with friends, interests, men- a life your father was blissfully unaware of.

The merchant hardly left home- playing the part of the sick man- and you took care of him- playing the part of your dead mother- in a happy sort of agreement.

You didn’t speak about it to your friends, but you detested your doting role. Armin could tell. The way you wrinkled your nose every time your father walked through the door, the eye-roll when you were given a load of laundry. The god couldn’t help by laugh at how pathetic the merchant was that not even his only daughter- his lifeline- cared for him. The merchant didn’t know, of course. Your fake smiles and gentle hands were enough to deceive him, keep him sane. But Armin was going to break that pattern.

The merchant didn’t deserve the care of a woman. He didn’t deserve anything. So, Armin was going to take you away from him.

His initial plan was to kill you. Simple, efficient, quick. And then he thought of dumping your body somewhere far so that the search for you would break your father’s spirit even more. He hesitated, though, he wasn’t sure why, but he did. And then, you changed your routine.

After meeting up with the two individuals you called your friends at the Sunday market- instead of going back home- you carried on walking. Through the houses on the outskirts and into the dense trees, you almost stung your sandal-clad feet twice before reaching a river. The river had no god of itself, but you still threw in an offering and muttered. Stupid human. And then you sat beside the river and- nothing. Your routine was boring, obviously a ritual to let you escape from reality. Yet, he couldn’t tear away from you. The woman at the river Shiganshina was a different one than the woman who served her father. The one here relaxed her shoulders, cursed at the world around her, smiled- albeit randomly but it was real. He decided there that he would kill you tomorrow.

But when, the next day, you led him back to the river, Armin was lost in you again. Lost in your honestly, lost in your need to escape. He wanted to see more, he needed to see more. Metaphorically, of course. But when you began undressing, the pleated robes dropping to reveal soft skin and tender curves, the god of the sea realised that he wouldn’t mind literally seeing more of you. Armin had been with goddesses and nymphs and, hell, even Aphrodite herself, but never had he been this awestruck. He had to hold himself back. Even though the way you were bathing made it seem like you were worshipping him, water dripping from your body, wet hair hiding the swell of your breasts. Armin’s breath stuttered. He couldn’t reveal himself. He couldn’t.

So, he watched, and watched. Trying desperately to take in everything you were from a distance. Armin didn’t count the number of times he visited you before finally decided that killing you was no longer an option. He told himself that his change of mind was progressive. A practical choice to draw out his revenge into the most painful and convoluted Odyssey. To do that, he couldn’t kill you. No. He was going to take you for himself. Armin was going to turn the daughter of the merchant into a servant of the one God he detested.

Putting the thought into your mind was pathetically easy. As you walked past his temple on your way home, an echo of laughter emerged from the marble building. You paused for only a moment, but it was enough for Armin to catch the look in your eyes. It was one of longing, mixed with a curiosity that threatened to pull you in. But you seemed to catch yourself in the act and hastened yourself home.

And so, Armin’s true Odyssey began.

For his journey to progress, he had to meet you. Not as a bird or a horse or through glances as a guest. He had to meet you properly. This was the only way to draw you in, he told himself. The only way for you to submit completely and willingly.

Armin could have forced you too your knees, but he had to ensure that your father watched has his daughter chose Armin over him. And chose Armin you would. Every piece was in perfect place. The fates seemed to have woven a beautiful cloth of gold for the god of the sea.

What he failed to realise was that the cloth was in fact a snare- a trap which he will never be able to escape from.

Eleven months ago:

A short gust of wind had the pears in your thin basket tumbling down onto the rocky ground. You rushed after the fruit, crouching down to pick it up when a shadow appeared, and a hand reached out to pick it up for you. The sandal-clad feet were pale- paler than anyone living on this warm island and the robes a fine, ironed white. He somehow seemed to glow brighter than his clothes, and you purposefully let your fingers graze his as you picked up the fruit.

“Thank you,” you said, standing up.

You were hoping that he wouldn’t catch your staring. But even if he did, you couldn’t tear your eyes off him. He was lean, taller than you but not intimidatingly so and his eyes were like oceans that you found yourself staring into as he introduced himself as Mr Arlert. Just Mr Arlert. The new owner of the stables with a voice so soft, it took a moment before you remembered to introduce yourself.

“Y/N. And thank you, again.” It isn’t appropriate for an unmarried woman to be talking to a man on her own, but you couldn’t help but ask. “Do you have a first name Mr Arlert?”

His smile was contagious. “I do. But names are a powerful thing. I’m afraid I can’t give mine up freely.”

“Oh.” You scrunched your nose. “Can I pay for it then?”

You were dead serious, but the blond man laughed. How can someone look so pretty when they laugh? You wondered.

“I’m serious! I can pay you; name your price.”

Mr Arlert looked down at you, blue eyes twinkling. “I’ll think about it.”

“So, is that a no?”

“It’s a no, for now. One day I’ll tell you my name.”

He was sweet, so sweet, but you still gave him a sceptical frown, nose scrunching and eyebrows furrowing. Mr Arlert in turn gave you a sorry look before his eyes lit up and he pulled out from his brown satchel a small book of yellowed pages and a dusty blue cover, the gold embossing hardly visible. You nose only scrunched further.

“My name is in this story. It’s mentioned few times, but it’s an important one,” he said to you.

You took the book and flipped through the worn pages, immediately recognising the tale of Aphrodite and Ares. The lovers.

Why the challenge? You wanted to ask Mr Arlert but you knew the answer you your get would be too cryptic. Besides, you think, I like a challenge.

“How long do I have?” You asked instead.

“A year and a day.”

“And what will I get if I figure it out?”

At this, he pondered. But it seemed feigned, and you wondered, just for a split second, if the man had planned this from the beginning. But why? This was another one of your questions that went unanswered that day. Because before you could say anything more, Mr Arlert leaned forward and said, “Your reward will be divine”. And he walked away.

Nine months ago:

Life was well after Armin arrived. There was no other way to put it. Your father was confining himself to his room more often than before, and you were finding more opportunities to visit the river, leave the house and, eventually, you met the handsome baker’s son. Jean was kind, a gentleman, but not the arrogant type like most the men your age. You didn’t even feel too much guilt when you thought that spending a future with Jean- taking care of him and his home- wouldn’t be too bad. It’s quite pathetic that your life had been reduced to not being “too bad”, but the idea of marrying Jean sat on the comfortable line between reality and fantasy. Safety.

And then you were visited at the river.

Mr Arlert wasn’t even surprised to find you there, he had just smiled and sat beside you as you clenched your fists and forced yourself to smile back at him. You had always enjoyed him, his company, his challenges, but now it was like he was provoking you. The river Shiganshina was your river, your special place away from the hellscape that was the town. And now Mr Arlert had brought himself and his ordinary life into it.

You pulled your sandals back on, the crease in your brow evident. He clearly couldn’t get the hint. But before you could stand up, he spoke, and you paused.

“I wish I could jump in and swim away,” he said.

Curiosity got the best of you, as it often did with the man.

“The waterfall would kill you.”

The awkward laugh again. It had an effect on you so that your jaw couldn’t help but unclench. “If it means that I get to touch a waterfall, I wouldn’t mind, you know?”

You knew. You knew exactly what he meant. But you didn’t tell him.

“Didn’t take you as the suicidal type,” you said.

“I might get saved, who knows.”

“If you’re counting on me to jump after you, I’m letting you know I won’t.”

“I know,” he laughed. “I was thinking of more of a divine rescue.”

You finally looked at him, and- unsurprisingly- his blue eyes were glued to yours. What was surprising was his unwavering tone, his straight face. Mr Arlert was being serious. Why was he opening up to you this suddenly? So far, your interactions had consisted of him staring, you trying to guess his name, and him continuing to stare. In that order. You knew there was more to him, but it’s only now that you found yourself wanting to seek that out.

“You think Armin would save you?” You didn’t miss Arlert’s smile.

“I’m hoping I’ve gained his favour- done enough for him to allow me freedom via waterfall.”

It was your turn to smile. “You probably have, You’re at the temple often.”

“Thank you.” He blushed and you quickly pushed down the thought of how cute he looked. Sitting beside you, trousers rolled up and feet in the water, Mr Arlert looked more than cute. He looked like he belonged. You weren’t sure how that made you feel but, in that moment, you didn’t mind him entering your world.

“I think you would also be saved if you jumped into the waterfall,” Mr Arlert said.

You laughed. “Is that your way of saying I’m a nice person?”

“Something like that.” He paused. “I think Armin would appreciate your- uh- honesty. You’re like a priestess.” He laughs nervously at your expression. “You know, they have this personal affinity with the water and such.”

You knew exactly what he meant. How a stranger could read you so perfectly, you weren’t sure. But as you hid your smile between your hands, you wondered whether you were prepared to face the fear of the unknown. Maybe, with Mr Arlert, it would be a bit less unknown.

A few days later, Jean was announced missing. A search party was sent out and even Mr Arlert, on his recently acquired brown horse, couldn’t find him.

Present day:

Armin isn’t sure if he likes playing the part of the nice boy or not. Humans are simple creatures who praise him continuously and, without divine responsibilities, there is no need to take his rage out anywhere. But a god is who he is, and every day, he yearns to be seen as one. To be seen as one by you. He watches as you worship him, but you never look at him- not like you do the statues, or even the small river which you think is your only true connection to the god of the ocean.

You both want more, and you both know that, but you only ever admit it to each other when you sit beside that very river. There, in those moments, Armin feels a bit more like a god. Whenever he’s around you, he feels a bit more like a god.

He’s told you before, but your perfect honesty has made it easy for him to unravel around you. He wants to unravel around you in other ways, too, and he wants you to unravel around him. Armin can’t count the number of times he’s sat beside you at the riverside and wanted to do nothing more than to kiss those lips of yours, to press the hard cock that he hides inside of you and watch as your eyes roll back, and you call out his name.

But the God of the Sea is not Eren. Armin will earn you. And he’s very close to doing so. Not Mr Arlert. You have no interest in human men, that much is clear. You yearn for something more powerful. And you’re right. Only a god is worthy enough to stand beside you, lay between your legs, be in your arms. Mr Arlert is simply a means to push you to realising that the god in question is Armin.

In the meantime, he’s been nothing but patient.

It’s only when you come to his door one night, eyes puffy and red, that he lays his hands on you for the first time. He rubs your back as you cry and cry, fat tears refusing stop falling. You tell him about bout your father. About how, since he got better, he’s been refusing to let you out of the house, snapping at every moment and accusing you of being a filthy god-worshipper.

“He s-sai-d- he said we’re ‘gonna move away- said we’re gonna get as far away from the s-sea as possible.” You can hardly speak, though the tears have stopped, your voice still shakes violently. But Armin listens, he holds you close to him and repeats that everything is going to be fine.

You can’t stop thanking him as you leave, and he promises that his door is always open for you. “Whenever you call for me, I’m here,” Armin tells you. “Right beside you, always,” he adds as he watches you walk away.

He’s reached a new chapter of this Odyssey.

Present day:

You suppose your father’s death should have been expected. He was an old man, obviously depressed, and his only lifeline was his daughter who hated him.

You also suppose you should feel guilty. You don’t.

Familiar faces give their condolences and whisper questions of what is to happen to you now. You only pay heed to Sasha and Connie, though, who give you a soft hug before Sasha tells you that her family would be happy to take you in. You reassure her and everyone else that you have a plan, though your best friends are the only ones who seem to believe you.

“I heard Marie has a son who’s single, maybe they can-“

“You’re not actually talking about marriage here are you?”

“Well, the girl is all alone in the world, now! She needs a man to lead her on the right path.”

The old women are wrong, so very wrong. You don’t need a man. You’re fucking sick of men- sick of them all- everything they’ve created and everything they stand for.

What you need is a god.

The head priestess of Armin’s temple in unsurprised when you knock on her door with nothing but a bag and the clothes on your body. Those clothes are burned soon after, along with many of your other things, leaving your old life behind.

She tells you that you’re lucky there’s a place for you. The last priestess left running off with a man, “Which is a cardinal sin”, she makes sure to repeat every-so-often. The head priestess seems to hate men more than you do, sneering whenever Connie comes by.

Sasha and Connie are unsurprisingly shocked at your choice of work and even if they visit almost every day, they always tell you that they miss you. They think you’ve come the temple out of desperation- everyone does- and you let them believe. Because despite cleaning the marble floors or whatever other arduous duty you’ve been given, a smile is never far as you realise that you’re free from man. Indeed, explaining the truth to anyone would be far too difficult.

Well, except one person.

You’ve never missed anyone before. Not with your father keeping you so sheltered for most of your life. But as you push through the Head Priestess’ relentless schedule, you can’t help but miss Mr Arlert. He disappears after your father’s funeral, so you leave him a note at the empty stable with your final guess. You like to think he decided to follow his own path, you also like to think that he too wishes you were beside him, a guide in the unknown.

Present day:

The room is a box of marble, with a throne sat upon a dais at the centre and one fountain at every corner, each one sculped into a horse. The object of your interests, however, is the large bowl of water on the floor in front of the throne.

This is your initiation. You will emerge from this room not as an apprentice, but a Priestess.

You kneel down and lift the pot of clay to your lips. The head priestess kept on repeating how important it is to not put it down until you’re finished. So, you gulp the water down until you can see the image of Armin. You’re the one who selected the pot, with its faded paint depicting Armin and Hange’s fight for patronage of Sina. It’s a powerful image, but when you put the pot down, you come face to face with something very different. Armin is standing in a room-this room, you realise- and crouched down before him is a young woman, looking up in awe. It takes bit longer of a moment for you to realise that the woman is you.

Looking up slowly from the pot, the first thing you see is sandal-clad feet. Golden sandals, just as fine as the robes he wears, draped in perfect waves. The first word you think of to describe him is divine and it’s indeed accurate because-

“Mr Arlert.” Your voice is barely above a whisper.

But you know that’s not correct. The man- no, not a man- before you is taller than Mr Arlert, by a foot and a half at least. His muscles are more prominent that the stable boy’s ever were, strong legs visible through the large slit between the layers of fabric draped over the god’s figure. Half of his shoulder-length hair is tied back using a golden pin whilst the rest frames his perfect, perfect face. You can’t help but think that Armin looks nothing like his statues- no medium of art could capture the ocean within his eyes, glowing in the dull light of the room. Then again, the stories didn’t capture the way the god acts either.

“Armin,” you say, this time your voice louder.

Now, you know.

His sad smile is familiar, but there’s something there that never was. “Oh dear,” he says. “I’m afraid you’ve lost out wager.”

Armin can’t help but compare you to a puppy, with large eyes staring up at him from your crouched position and an expression a perfect mix of excitement, curiosity, and shock.

You reach out a hand tentatively, but it hovers in the air between the two of you once you notice Armin’s raised brow. But he doesn’t rebuke you for it. After all, it’s only your first encounter with the god. He can’t expect you to behave perfectly, to adopt the right etiquette- no, he’ll have to train you first. Like he would a baby mutt. The thought makes him smile.

“I’ll accept any consequences, my god,” you say. Your voice sounds so sure of itself, so unlike your usual ramblings, those that Armin could and would listen to for hours. Right now, though, the certainty, it’s laced with desire that sends blood rushing south. You don’t notice. You’re too lost in his eyes to notice anything.

When he places his hand on your chin to hold it up, he can feel you shiver. “Such a perfect little worshipper,” he says. “I couldn’t possibly punish you.”

Armin can swear he sees disappointment in your eyes before he turns around and walks up the dais. The marble of the throne is cold beneath him, but the sight of you looking up at him with such longing is enough to warm him up. Now, Armin is sure you’ve noticed his growing erection because you crawl towards the dais, not yet climbing it, but close enough to see and lick your lips.

“Let me thank you at least, Armin.” He almost groans at the sound of his name. God, he wants to hear you say it over and over.

“Come here.”

And you climb up the dais only to pause before Armin leans forward and grabs your hips. Two lips, as if led by an invisible string, meet. You kiss like you’ve been waiting years for Armin and, in a way, you have. His tongue is inside your mouth quickly and he’s kissing, sucking, letting his teeth gently graze your lips as he revels in the feeling of you. As your bodies lean against each other, you can feel his heart hammering against your own. His chest is stone, but his lips are so soft and your hands find his golden hair. It’s also softer than it looks, and Armin can’t help but let out a moan as you gently tug.

When you pull back, his pupils are blown. “Thank me, then,” Armin says, breathless.

Sitting between his legs, your hand is tiny compared to his cock, and you can’t stop staring at it. Long and somewhat slender, but veiny with a flushed red top- he can see you gulp before you take an experimental lick at him. Armin’s hold on your hair only tightens and you look up at him, doe eyed and seemingly innocent.

“Put it in your mouth, pretty girl,” he says, guiding your head gently. “So obedient- Yes, exactly, just like-ah- just like that.”

But he doesn’t need to push down- no- he lets you set your own pace only because you do it so perfectly, almost as perfect as the wet noises you make. Armin doesn’t have time to be surprised, he’s just able to react fast enough to suppress his own moans so he can hear your wet tongue caress the base of his cock, as your lips create the perfect o-shape to accommodate him. Your drool is everywhere in a matter of seconds- his balls are coated with it, and so is your lap, where the spit seeps through the thin white fabric you call a robe.

“Like a puppy,” he murmurs. And you look up quizzically. “You’re drooling over me like a desperate puppy- a puppy in heat,” he grunts. “You just want to please me, don’t you? ‘S alright, puppy, I’ll let you do that.”

If you could nod your head, you would. Instead, your cheeks burn, and Armin is so lost in the way that you look- not even able to take his entire cock in his mouth- that his hips begin to buck unconsciously. He hits the back of your throat, and you gag at the sudden impact, but he hisses and murmurs “What a good, wet hole. So good, good-”

The earthshaker is afraid that if he speaks any louder, his voice will slur into incomprehensible sultry sounds. But as you struggle to take his cock even deeper into his mouth, he lets out groans that go straight between your own legs. You moan around him, and the reverberations make his head roll back. God, you could stare at him forever. And he would let you.

“Look at me,” he says whenever your eyes go astray. “Look at your god.”

As his hips buck more violently, Armin can feel the pressure in his lower stomach, the impending orgasm and he wants to stop- wants to hold out the way he always has. But he can’t, it’s too much and he just cannot pull out of you. He simply pushes further and further into your tight throat, repeating your name like it’s a blessing. “fuck, puppy, ‘m going to- I’m going to cum down your throat. You want that, do you you’re your god’s cum- ah, fuck, ahhh”-

Pushing your head down to the base, both of his hands at the back of your head, Armin cries out you name and you can feel the warm liquid go down your throat, thick ropes filling up your mouth, some of it dribbling out. Armin reflexively pushes it back in your mouth, ordering you to swallow it all, to show how grateful you are. Of course, you oblige. But before you can even regain your breath, Armin suddenly pulls you off his cock. His pupils are dilated, and he wears an expression- anger? Shock?

“You’re not a virgin,” he hisses, teeth gritting against each other. His breath is frantic, uneven. It’s not a question and you begin to recognise his expression. Rage. “You’ve done this before.”

Fuck.

The God of the sea has his fair share of consorts and mistresses. Some of them virgins- though he never chases them the way Eren does- some of them not, but none have made him cum so fast. He would like to blame it on the year of pining, of restraint, but he knows better. It’s you. You do this him. You make him so wild, so willing, so pliant even.

In that moment, as he looks your worried face, so desperate to please, he thinks that he’ll never be able to let it go. You’ve consumed Armin and he wants to do nothing more than burn eternally. You must understand that- that you exist as his beacon, that’s where you’ll be your happiest, but those thoughts are too complex for a human. You, in your fragile state, can’t understand. It’s alright, he’ll just have to show you bit by bit that you’re his. But to do so, he must first take on the role he’s familiar with. That of the punisher.

“Who is he?” Armin snaps.

“It was only-“

“Who is he?”

You pause. Memories of nights spent together, huddled close and trying to keep quiet already fading. “Berthrolt Hoover.”

Armin’s shoulders relax, “I see.”

His breathing slowly goes back to normal, and, at the back of your mind, you know you’ve signed the young warrior’s death. But your worry is fleeting as Armin grabs you by the neck and hoists you over his knees, laying you down on your stomach effortlessly. “A priestess who isn’t a virgin?”

You look up as see Armin’s familiar sweet smile, but it’s laced with mirth that makes you forget the Mr Arlert he was before. You cry out at the first slap of his hand on your ass, more out of surprise than pain.

“I don’t think the people of Paradis will be very happy to hear that,” he says. “An unmarried woman giving herself away to a pathetic boy.”

Slap!

“I’m sorry!” you cry out. “It was a mis-”

He slaps you thrice.

“No excuses, dumb little puppy. I’m afraid you’ll have to endure this punishment.” His voice is deceptively soft, as if he is actually sorry. And when you look back up at Armin, his face betrays no malice. But it doesn’t show any cruelty either. Instead, there’s a fascination.

Armin has you sprawled across his lap, at his mercy and he is discovering you bit by bit. As a god. His cock twitches and then suddenly he tugs off the fabric of your robes and they disappear.

The way you squirm is half- hearted, and Armin has to laugh. “Embarrassed? Now of all times? I didn’t know you were such a prude. Or is this all just to compensate for the fact that you’re a whore in my temple?”

You shake your head, “I swear, I’ve never belonged to any man!”

Fingers trace the expanse of your naked body, soft enough to send shivers down your spine. “Oh? Really?”

“Yes yes, I swear, ah!” His fingers find your naked ass and they grab onto the flesh, massaging, groping, feeling you. Armin’s other hand rests on top of your head, stroking it gently and you’re so lost in his touch that you almost forget to speak.

“I belong to no man, I never have. Only you. It’s always been you, Armin.”

The god’s eyes widen, and he gently pulls you up from his lap only to seat you on it, upright and, this time, there’s so much more to admire. “You’re right,” he says. Armin captures your lips and this time, it’s longer, rougher. He doesn’t want to pull back, doesn’t want to lose the feeling of your soft lips against his, but his hands have already found your breasts and soon, his tongue joins them. You moan as he begins to lap at your breasts, leaving hickeys and spit in his wake as his finally finds your nipples and begins sucking them like a child as you whine and lean into him.

“You do belong to me,” he finally says, his voice partially muffled as he loses himself in the worship your breasts. “You’ve always belonged to me.”

And you can do nothing more than nod your head as your fingers tangle in Armin’s hair and you’re pulled into another kiss. His hand goes down your body, squeezing every single mound of flesh as if it needs to be touched so that when he finds your cunt, Armin can’t help but smile at how wet you are.

“Already, but I’ve hardly done anything to you?”

What a liar, but you don’t have a chance to tell him before he plunges a finger inside of you. “Oh, puppy, my puppy,” he groans at the contact the same time you moan, pushing your hips against his digits. “You like my fingers like that inside of you?”

“Yes, yes, I do, I really love them- it feels, oh my god, it feels too good!” you grip his shoulders, unable to do anything but desperately buck your hips at the smiling Armin. He knows what he’s doing, he knows that his fingers are giving you just that satisfaction, but it’s still not enough to bring you over the edge.

“Please Armin, please.” You squeeze his shoulders.

“Tell me what you want, tell me, I’ll give it to you- I swear.”

“I want to feel you, all- ah- all of you. I need to feel you inside of me!”

You’re not sure at which moment Armin removes his robes, but as he moves both of your legs so that you’re straddling him, your hands are on his bare, lean chest. The god’s nipples are flushed pink and pert, practically calling to you and you respond by brushing your fingers over them and watching him twitch ever-so-slightly in response. You withhold the urge to take them into your mouth, even as Armin rubs his cock against your cunt, releasing the sweetest of sounds.

He’s already leaking precum and it mixes with your juices so perfectly, his cock being dragged back and forth, only making you gush even more. “So messy,” he mumbles as he uses his tip to spreads your juices across your thighs. At this point, you can practically feel it throbbing, ready to be sheathed inside of you and the whimpers of your desperation echo against the temple walls.

When Armin slips inside of you, simultaneous gasps escape your lips. The god pulls your body closer to his as you throw your head back, stars in your eyes.

“Look,” he whispers. “Look how easily I slip in- it’s- it’s like your cunt is made for me.”

“Armin,” you whisper back. “Armin, Armin- ah- Armin.”

He sinks you down slowly, the stretch hitting every single spot that leaves your legs practically limp. The god is holding you up, whispering his own mantra that you can’t hear over your bliss. Once inside, your eyes look lock with Armin’s and he’s staring at you in a way he’s never done before. You’ve never seen pupils so dilated and the two of you stay like that as if making up for the moments when you should have been connected in this way. An eternity, it seems, the two of you have needed each other.

“I’m your god,” Armin finally says. “I’m your god and- hng ah-” He begins moving you up and down his shaft. “And I’m going to make you cum all over this cock- okay? All over your god’s cock.”

You nod your head pathetically as he lifts your hips and slams them down against his own. He is strong, ruthless in the way he bucks his hips up every time he lifts you from his cock, as if he can’t bare the empty feeling of not having your tight pussy clamped around him. At this relentless pace, you’re sure that the sound of your connecting bodies could penetrate even these marble walls. And yet, you don’t hold back. Thanks and praises spill from your swollen lips and Armin can’t help but lean forward and push his tongue between your mouth, as if he can absorb all of your word. “So good, so good, it’s- uah- I just want more, more of your cock, you fill me up so good!”

Armin can’t deny you. He pushes your thighs to your chest and picks up your entire body to fuck himself. He manoeuvres your body like a toy and as your tongue rolls out and your eyes become glassy, you begin to look like one too. The only sounds coming out of your mouth are incomprehensible, even as Armin attaches his mouth to one of your bouncing tits, you can only squeal.

“Such a good puppy,” he says between kisses. “Letting me use her holes like this. A god using a puppy’s holes- you should be- you should be grateful! Tell me, tell me you’re grateful!”

“I am!” you cry out. “I am grateful!”

“Good girl, good puppygirl.”

When Armin flips you over, you’re sat on his throne and he fucks into you harder, harder than he was doing before, and you swear his moans are louder too. He’s looking down at the movement of your stomach as if hypnotized by the way his cock disappears into you. And, in a way, he is. The fascination of being inside of you- just the idea even- is enough to make him want to cum.

The sudden position has him hitting new spots and the build-up is so fast, you hardly have the time to warn him. “Armin, Armin I’m cum-“

He grabs your face as you release around his cock, body spasming but unable to look away as Armin’s gaze burns through you. “Good girl,” he says. “Show me, show me how you cum. Just like that, just like that.”

He continues to plough his hips into yours and the spasms of your pussy leave him unable to hold back. “Inside of you,” he practically growls. “I’m going to cum inside of you- yes, yes, yes I am puppy. I’m going to cum inside of you and you’re going to show me how you take it yeah?”

You’re too far gone to even register the implications of what he’s saying, but he buries his cock in your warm walls and releases his cum inside of you with a heavy groan. “Just like that, just like that- I’m going to fill you up with my seed, puppy, my puppy.”

Armin feels like he’s emptied his balls- two powerful orgasms which leave his legs shaking violently. And yet, he pulls out of you slowly and stands back up to his full height, cock in front of your face. Almost instinctively, you rub your cheek against it, giving Armin soft kitten licks and he coos at you, stroking your hair. But he doesn’t push, he just holds his cock there and pumps softly as he stares at your fucked out face. Messy, covered in his spit, his hickeys, his bites, his cum- you look perfect, divine. Only one thing is missing. “I’m going to give you everything I have, puppy. And you’re going to take it, okay?” You nod and open your mouth for him and, immediately, a strong stream of pee emerges.

At the bitter taste on your tongue, your eyes roll back, and you spread your legs even wider, a welcome to the mess he is about to make. Armin accepts and angles his cock to release his pee over your chest, then your stomach, and then your already-throbbing cunt. He lifts a foot to rest on the throne and Armin doesn’t think he’s even seen such a beautiful sight in his life.

As if guided by an implicit will, Armin’s foot hovers on top of you and suddenly, he presses against your lower stomach. Your eyes snap back into focus as you whine out for him to wait, wait just a moment “I just had water,” you cry out. “It’s gonna- It’s gonna come out!”

But Armin simply grins. “Let it come out,” he says and presses his foot down harder. “Pee yourself dumb little mutt, be a good puppy for your owner.” The trickle that emerges is involuntary, but Armin’s grin is wider. “Yes, good girl, just like that. Let me see more, let me see more of you.”

The pressure that was holding the bowl of water back broke and you felt the warm liquid against your thighs before you realise what’s happening. Armin practically moans as he watches you whimper and struggle to hold your pee back as it spreads over the throne, the dais, and even Armin himself. He doesn’t stop until you’ve given it all to him.

You expect Armin to disappear.

You’ve given him everything. His goal is complete, you think, he has nothing more to do with you. But, as he has done many times before, the god surprises you. Armin’s body is heavy against yours when he collapses on top of you, but the weight is comforting. Despite the malaise of urine and cum rubbing against both of your bodies, you wrap your arms around the god of the ocean and hold him close.

Even as you close your eyes and lean your head back on the marble throne, Armin doesn’t leave you. Even as you open your eyes back up and see blue ones staring back at you, the look he gives you is so familiar and long hair in such unfamiliar disarray that you can’t help but smile.

He doesn’t ask why. Instead, Armin calls forth a stream of warm water from the adjacent fountain to clean the both of you. It feels like a fever dream the way floating droplets caress your bodies, and when Armin stands you up, his hands not leaving you, the perfume that suddenly envelops you is heavenly.

“Can I give you a last kiss, please?” you ask when your robe appears once again. And Armin leans forward to capture your lips, dragging his tongue on your bottom lip as if to taste you.

It doesn’t feel like a final kiss. You’ve had many of them- Jean, Sasha, Berthrold, your father, and even your mother, though you can’t remember it. This kiss is different. It feels less like a kiss and more like a promise, a vow. a shiver runs down your spine.

“I am your god,” he says and lifts his both of his hands slowly to wrap around your neck. “And you’re my worshipper.” You gasp as a cold sensation spreads around your neck, just below Armin’s fingers. It’s sudden, and heavy and when he removes his hands, yours fly to your neck and there’s a metal band there where there was none before.

“It’s sculpted from Hephaestus’ gold,” Armin says as he strokes his fingers along the metal. But he’s not looking at his gift, instead he looks at you.

“Armin- I- this is. But why?”

For the first time, he can’t read your expression. But it doesn’t matter. You belong to him. You always have, but now you know. And if it takes time for you to understand, Armin can wait. He’ll wait right beside you, always, always there to guide you.

“This is not the end of my Odyssey. My Odyssey is eternal,” he says before giving you another short kiss and disappearing, the warmth of his lips still present.

The gods might not all be fickle, you think, so you just smile sadly. But the gods are all selfish, so you touch the collar around your neck.

A/N: This is my first ever collab and I was- as still am- a bit insecure about how this story turned out so I appreciate all of your support ❤️. I would also like to apologise to my fellow history nerds for the historical inaccuracies.

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