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benevolentbirdgal · 3 years

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Purim: a Jewish holiday and wild ride from start to finish

So let me tell you about the absolute soap opera that is the Jewish holiday of Purim. The scene is set in ancient (appx. 4th century B.C.E.) Persia during the first Jewish Diaspora, in the city of Shushan (typically identified in secular sources as Susa, a now-abandoned ancient city in what is now Iran). I’m telling you, as a work of literature (even beyond theological implications for Jewish people), this book has everything: love, drama, royalty, intrigue, ego, plots, irony, mystery, and a strong female lead.

[some non-slur swearing below]

Ahasuerus, party-loving king of Persia executed or exiled (translations argue) his wife Vashti, and had to find a new queen. Why did he do this, you ask? Well, it really starts with an 180-day party across his kingdom for all his subjects to celebrate the third year of his reign. After that absolute rager, party-bro KA has another one immediately after for a week, this time just for the capital city of Shushan. Vashti was having a woman’s party in her quarters, presumably living her best life, when party-bro sends his top seven yes-men to deliver a message to Vashti. This sleaze-ball wants her to appear at his party in front of everyone, wearing her crown, with the clear implication being only her crown. Vashti more or less tells him to pound sand (I mean, not the literal translation, but that’s the sentiment).

KA’s advisors convince him that this is not only an offense against the king but also against all the men in the country (ah, the joys of ancient patriarchy and toxic af masculinity). KA writes a degree that women must respect their husbands so he has an official reason to get rid of Vashti. Vashti is soon thereafter out of the picture and the king is short a queen. Whether she was a Wise Lady With A Point Who Got Screwed Over or a Vicious Jew-Hating Adulteress Who Had It Coming has been a matter of furious debate for over two millennia (the Babylonian Talmud and the Jerusalem Talmud vociferously disagree on her). In any case, KA regrets it pretty quick and wants a new queen.

At the behest of his advisors (you know, since their last advice worked out soooooo well), KA had a big contest/forcible gathering of young women from around his kingdom and a Jewish woman, Hadassah, was the winner. Hadassah was an orphan raised by her cousin Mordechai in the city of Shushan. Hadassah is more commonly known as Esther, because she changed her name to hide her identity as a Jew (at the behest of Mordechai). In any case, KA decided he liked Esther best and she became queen (it’s specifically mentioned both that he loved her most and that the palace staff liked her because she was nice to them-it’s unclear how much of an influence the latter was).

Concurrently, a wicked man named Haman was the top advisor to the king and the king would basically rubber-stamp whatever Haman wanted. Haman was a raging Jew-hater-this will be relevant later.

Some time into Esther’s reign as queen, Mordechai, who has taken to hanging around the gates of the palace to keep in touch with Esther, overhears a plot by two guards, Bigthan and Teresh, to kill the king. Mordechai alerts his cousin, and she tells the king. It’s recorded in the book of deeds and life keeps moving.

Some time later, Haman decides (after a promotion to head lackey) that he wants all to bow to him as he passes. Mordechai refused to bow to Haman every single day (citing that as a Jew he bowed to no man), and that did not sit well with Haman. So despite being prime minister and presumably having more important things to do, “genocide the Jews” made it to the top of to-do list. He didn’t like them before, and Mordechai refusing to treat him like a special snowflake was something he took really, really personally (totally can’t think of any modern politicians like that, nope). He told KA, who frankly doesn’t seem to ask enough questions, that there was a people disrespecting the king and his laws throughout the land, and could he pretty-please exterminate them. As a bonus, Haman would “donate” 10,000 silver kikar to the royal treasury (modern conversion vary, but all agree this an absurd amount on money).

KA handed him the royal seal to do so. Haman was feeling lucky I guess so he decided the best course of action was to draw lots to pick the day for the massacre. [Purim is lots in Hebrew, so that’s where the name of the holiday came from]. The message went out to all the provinces that on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, that they citizens and leaders should murder all of the Jews, young and old, man, woman, and child, rich and poor and take their possessions as spoils.

As this wasn’t exactly a state secret, the Jews knew and were quite distressed. The planned slaughter was like a year out, but what the actual fuck were they supposed to do? If you lived in Persia at that point that, the empire was functionally your entire world, unless you were fabulously/ridiculously wealthy and well-connected. Having several months notice the other locals and your rules were going to slaughter you and take your stuff isn’t particularly useful when there’s really nowhere to go.

In Shushan, Mordechai (who, although not explicitly in text, is in oral/Talmudic tradition a leader of the Jewish community) goes into mourning. He dresses in sackcloth and ashes, he weeps, and he fasts at the gates of the palace, as Jews throughout shushan and the kingdom are doing. Esther hears of her cousin’s mourning behavior and tries to send along nice clothes through a messenger, which he refuses. It is then that she learns of the decree. Mordechai (through the messenger) implores her to go ask the king if the Jews not getting murdered could be a thing. Esther explains that she could be killed for approaching the king unsummoned. Mordechai stresses the severity of the situation. Esther agrees to ask the king and tells Mordechai to have the Shushan Jewish community fast day and night (as opposed to just day as prior) for three days, and she and her handmaidens will fast too (no word on what the handmaidens thought of this).

On the third day, Esther bravely approached the king, asked him if she could request something. He said anything, up to half his kingdom (which implies to me that homedude, for all his flaws, was actually into her). Esther invited him to a party, where he and Haman would be the only guests. At the party she asks if she can another request. KA is open to it and she invites him to another party the next night. Party-bro king is obviously down and Haman is tickled to death at this second invitation.

He goes home to brag to his wife, Zeresh, about the invite and also to bitch about how angsty he is Mordechai is still alive (this angst reignited by passing him on the way home). Zeresh suggests he have fifty-foot gallows built to make Mordechai an example on, with the king’s permission, ASAP. Haman orders the building of the gallows, feeling secure in the knowledge that his bestie the king will execute Mordechai on them.

Back at the castle KA can’t sleep. He demands a bedtime story from the his records, because those will presumably put him to sleep. The story that gets read, ~coincidentally~, is of Mordechai saving KA’s life. Haman had sidled on up to the castle to speak to the king about killing Mordechai, and the king called him in. KA asks Haman, if he were to honor someone, what should he do? Haman is thinking “this is obvi about me” and tells the king that the honoree should be donned in royal clothing, and ride through the streets on a fancy horse with people someone shouting how great he is. KA is like great, love it, perf, go do that for Mordechai. Haman is not a happy camper but does the thing. After that, he goes home and tells Zeresh about it, who warns him that this is a very bad sign.

Finally, that night is the night of Esther’s second soiree. Haman and KA attend. The latter offers to Esther anything she wants, up to half of his kingdom. Esther asks that her life, and the life of her people be spared. KA is like “whomst” and Esther revealed it was Haman. At this point Ahasuerus.exe stops working and he takes a walk to the gardens. He comes back to see Haman begging Esther for his life, and KA thinks Haman is assaulting her. Haman was seized by nearby guards.

One of the chamberlains is then like, hey, KA, coincidentally there’s these super high gallows Haman just had built. Why not take care of the problem that way? (The fact that the random nearby chamberlain was like yup, that dude, hang ‘em in the morning, probably says a lot about how Haman treated most people around him, even more than forcing all to bow to him). KA orders it be done.

Not that Haman was around to be sad about it, but what happened next would have massively pissed him off, as his old job then went to Mordechai. Esther then implored of the king that the degree to allow the massacre of the Jews be reversed. The king couldn’t Cntrl+Z the order to murder-all-the-Jews, but he could issue an order that they could fight back. The proclamation was sent throughout the land, and the Jews were able to prepare. Since the royal decree had been amended, the governments (princes, governors, satraps) largely reformulated their plans accordingly, but plenty of Jew-haters still wanted to use the opportunity. The ability to self-defend meant that the communities weren’t massacred. In most of the kingdom, the Jews were now safe. Outside of Shushan, the fourteenth of Adar became a feast day.

Shushan was still not safe though. Antisemites were still out and mad (and apparently had not learned from the previous day), so Esther asked the Jews of Shushan to be allowed to defend themselves once more. Her wish was granted, and the Shushan Jews were able to defend themselves once more (so Purim is celebrated a day later in walled cities).

The story ends with the decision to write it down, and although there some debate on authorship, it is traditionally attributed to Esther herself cowriting with Mordechai.

Nowhere in the book is God mentioned. Nowhere is there divine intervention (at least not explicitly). Just Jews sticking up for themselves, being brave in the face of mortal peril, and a metric fucktown of chutzpah.

#jumblr #purim #purim story #jewish soap opera for real though #purim 2021 #purim 5781 #what is purim #purim explained #jewblr

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hitory--chan · 3 years

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Day 5: Queen of the Garden

(Ranked T)

Title: In my withered roses you lay resting

Around the forest there were always legends of all kinds, about fantastic creatures and horrifying monsters beyond human imagination, about nymphs, fairies, werewolves and giant snakes that would devastate the entire town in a few minutes if they wanted to; they were just legends, stories to amaze or scare whoever would listen to them, hypnotizing the virgin ear that listened to them with their magnetism, leading their victim to demand more, driving them mad in the search to satisfy that need.

But there was one in particular, the biggest, the most fantastic, the most sublime and the most terrifying no one ever dared to tell, the one whose existence was only known to the oldest of the town who defended tooth and nail its veracity, but nevertheless only tell each other, remembering and crying the intense agony that each word conveyed.

The legend of Hinata, the queen of the garden in the heart of the forest, and Sasuke, the infamous king who without any army was able to penetrate the invulnerable barriers that protected the queen.

The king who never returned.

“My King!” One of her courtesans shouted. "Please, I beg you to reconsider!"

He ignored her, tightening the draws of his armor as the guards placed the shoulder pads and handed him his helmet, which he took.

It was still dark, the moonlight hanging over the entire sleeping kingdom as he prepared to leave.

"My lord, he turned, now listening to his first officer, Kakashi, who was speaking to him "Are you sure this is a good idea? Going into the forest alone?"

"It's not something I didn't do before, Kakashi, you should know" he replied without much interest as he grasped the reins of Onyx, the majestic black horse that had accompanied him for years.

"I understand, but it's not the same, your majesty, it never got beyond the Stone River" the man said, his voice so slow and dull as if it was something he was trained to say, but Sasuke knew him better than many as to know that there was concern hidden behind those dead tones “It is a great risk to take to find a woman that we do not even know exists”

"People are dying Kakashi, of hunger, of disease ..." He inclined his head a little towards his first officer, not enough to really see him “If that woman, that… witch exists, it will be our chance to solve all the evils that afflict us, if I find her, then I save my people”

“And if you do not find her, my lord?”

“Then we will have to take more drastic actions, actions that I don't think we're ready for right now, Kakashi”

The silence that followed told Sasuke that the man knew what he was referring to.

They had recently fought a war against a rival kingdom that wanted to take over all his lands. They attacked in the middle of the night, cowardly seeking to have the tactical advantage darkness gave them without expecting the surprise that they were ready to fight back with much more violence than would be expected of a small kingdom that barely prospered in comparison to others. Many lives were lost on both sides, but his army had kept the slightest advantage over the invaders and captured the main officers of the intruders, executing him right on the battlefield as he had ordered them to do, closing any openings to negotiation the rival might propose.

They rose above them and conquered, drove the remaining invaders from their lands and proclaimed their victory, but they had not come out without casualties, as happened in any other war.

Their crops were burned and their women desecrated. Bodies of infants who had adventured out of their hiding spots now laying among the corpses of their fathers and men who sacrificed their lives in the name of the king's sovereignty, waiting to be buried or burned while their mothers, wives, and brothers mourned their losses.

Soon after came the diseases, plagues so violent that even the best physicians in the kingdom had succumbed to permanent contact with the infected and were now lying in beds, signaling with weak voices to proceed to their charges.

The only hope was the woman who dwelt in the depths of the forest, a queen in her own right, the oracle told him, whose miraculous fingers brought life to everything she touched. A witch, servant of the devil, counterattacked the priest, who would only bring bliss before plunging them further into misery.

A queen, a witch, Sasuke didn't care, he only wanted her hands to heal his people, determined to cut them off if necessary to save the few that were left.

Then Sasuke mounted his horse and reached out his hand, taking the sword that Kakashi had prepared for him and fastening it to his waist strap, where it would remain with him throughout his journey.

"Itachi will be in charge while I'm gone" he decreed, looking at his court, who looked at him in surprise and disbelief.

“My king, my lord!” The woman spoke again “His majesty is very ill for this task, I fear that his condition is too delicate to carry the role, your highness!”

“My brother already ruled once in a worse state than the one he currently is in while waiting for me to grow up to cede the throne, he certainly can do it a bit more while I'm gone”

“But sir…!”

"In case his condition worsens ..." he interrupted, with a tone of voice as icy as the look he gave the woman "in case he´s not an act to continue, then Kakashi will make all the decisions in my absence and my brother's disability”

Several indignant murmurs were heard from the other members of the court, annoyed by the possibility of a military man would rule them, but with the same look he gave the insolent woman, he quieted them all.

"Kakashi" he called and the man walked with him towards the limits of the kingdom that served as the border of the forest, trotting slowly as his first officer followed him with great ease "I trust you to keep everyone safe, especially my brother” he said, stopping his steed and staring at the man.

"My king's orders are my perpetual la," Kakashi recited, quoting the motto of imperial strength as he brought his right hand to his heart and bowed to him.

Sasuke nodded, but before starting his horse again, he spoke for the last time.

- And Kakashi ... execute her

Kakashi bowed again and Sasuke pulled the reins of his horse to start running, going into the forest when the first rays of dawn hit the ground, and knowing his order would be carried out without hesitation.

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Inside the forest the thick trees hid any trace of the sun, giving the illusion that it was still night even though Sasuke knew it must be after eight.

Still he didn't back down, mentally reciting the directions the oracle had given him to find the mysterious woman.

“Once crossed the river of stone, the road will split for you, one more dangerous the other, competing for the new prey that appears before them. Be guided by the horrendous noises that make the bones of the strongest of men tremble, by the trail of perdition from which your eyes will not be able to turn away, from the putrid stench of those who defied the sanctity of the earth who stepped on impure feet.

Along the way you will find death's favorite resting place. Do not drink or eat the natural delicacies that will be shown for you, instead you must use your senses, facing the great beast that will attack from the shadows.

If the combat is satisfactory, then the beast will show its respects by leading you to its queen, otherwise, there will be the place of your last rest"

Naturally, oracles liked to be cryptic with their words to the point of making them indecipherable, but the more than a century old woman who had served three generations of her family had put those fanfare behind her, preferring to be as clear as possible in her revelations than risk a bad future for the kingdom because of misunderstandings out of her tongue.

Upon reaching the Stone River, he took a moment to observe the waters peacefully.

That river had been named this way not only because of the rock formation that simulated a natural bridge in the center of that great pool, just covering its surface with a thin layer of water that made it extremely slippery, but also because of the rock at its bottom, arranged in the shape of spikes so sharp that even the slightest fall on them could cause fatal injuries to the unfortunate victim.

He allowed Onyx to drink some of the water before venturing across the stone bridge.

His horse, fearless just like his owner, also had some afraid. On rare occasions he’d tried to cross that path through the waters with the equine, but his partner had acquired a phobia at that particular step when, being very young, he slipped on the stone and it was almost impossible for him to get back on his feet, almost falling to the bottom of the river when with desperate movements he slid to one side before finally reaching the bank of the river and climbing, being completely exhausted on the grass, all under the frightened gaze of his owner who had remained on dry land while his horse struggled.

He remembers that, after that, he had remained with Onyx there for longer than he ever was in that place, being found by the royal guard and brought to the castle only to remain expectant all night at the possibility of having to sacrifice the animal.

Now, Onyx was a majestic and imposing stallion with more history than half his stablemates, but from time to time he would turn back into a fearful foal when they were near that place.

However, while he normally wouldn't push him any further than he considered Onyx could take, this time around he couldn't afford to be understandable to his horse or to be left without a mount for the rest of the way.

“Come on boy!” He encouraged him, shaking the reins several times and smiling as Onyx, refusing at first, approached the rock and put his front legs on it, whinnying loudly as he took small terrified steps.

Even in the slippery material, the new horseshoes he had had his horse put on were being especially helpful in preventing the equine's legs from slipping over the rock even when Onyx's steps were somewhat shaky, leading the horse to gain a little confidence with every step until he was finally on the other side.

“Well done, Onyx!” He congratulated the horse, patting and stroking his neck before pulling out an apple, which he happily accepted.

He wasted no time and continued with the journey, reaching the place where the road divided in three.

At first glance they did not seem dangerous at all, leading him to wonder if the oracle had been wrong with her interpretation or if he had deviated from the correct path himself, but the sudden sound of something sliding on the ground caught his attention and put his whole body on guard again, waiting for any sign of attack.

Instead what he received was the cawing of birds, crows, he recognized, noises of something sliding and the screeching of bats that flew directly to his face at that moment, causing Onyx to panic and stand up on his two hind legs, almost making Sasuke to fall.

When he regained his balance and Onyx was back on all fours, Sasuke looked at the central path, remembering what the oracle had said and thinking that this should be the way to go, so he made the horse move forward, despite the reluctance of the animal.

The putrid stench started only a few minutes on the road before dead animals began to appear on the road, being replaced only a few meters later by human corpses in various states of putrefaction, from skeletons to bodies that should barely have been there for a few days. , and even recognized the uniform worn by the third-rank guards in his kingdom, only stuffed with bones, each corpse wrapped by vines and other local weeds.

He was forced to breathe as little as possible when the stench became impossible to bear, coming to vomit in the section where everything was strongest, without having the opportunity to breathe until the road began to clear of so much death, showing to his sight a great stone plateau clothed with climbing vines and rosebuds.

He got off his horse and gave him another snack, tying the reins to the tree farthest from the ferns and other plants full of fruit that he knew they shouldn't eat.

Slowly and carefully he approached the great structure, gazing at it in fascination. Up close, he noticed the spines that protruded around the roses of different sizes that decorated the plateau, which, he noticed, were deceptively sharp, cutting him at the simple touch and spilling a thick drop of blood that bathed the thorn that caused his wound.

The sudden tremor in his spine appeared as the slight trembling of the earth beneath his feet, accompanied by the sound of something sliding - something that must have been big and heavy, from the way it sounded - and then deafening silence was present. .

“Onyx!” He shouted, turning around when he heard the horse whinny and stop suddenly, expecting to meet the animal where he had left it, however in its place he found another type of animal, giant and with shiny black scales, which were only cut with the three red lines of scales on the tip of its tail, raised in the air with a swaying motion.

The gigantic snake kept its eyes fixed on his, hissing and showing off his forked white tongue.

Eyes wider than they had ever been in his life, he diverted them just a little to the rest of the great reptile's body, almost growling in pain at the bulge protruding from where, he guessed, was the stomach of the immense snake, sure it was the product of his horse swallowing.

Feeling the flame of fury ignite and grow in him, he grasped the hilt of his sword in a slow motion and drew it lightly, as the serpent rose a little higher above him.

With one swift movement he pulled it out completely as the snake lunged at him, barely being fast enough to avoid its jaws, but not fast enough to dodge its tail, which slammed it against a tree and left it stamped there until he nailed the sword almost halfway.

Even his powerful armor hadn't been enough to shield him from that blow, catching his breath cut short by the pressure of the limb that had held him captive, but he had no time to think about that as he tried to get away from the great perimeter that covered the snake.

The injured tail slammed into the ground next to him, causing him to stumble from the din it caused.

The reptile's head also collided with the ground a few feet from his back and then glided at high speed towards him, using its nose to push him up when he collided with him and sent him flying into the air as the snake rose again, now with its jaws open.

But Sasuke was able to hold on to the tip of the animal's nose and avoid being swallowed as he had done with his horse by resting his feet against the bottom of the snake's mouth and giving a little jump before it closed it, being helped by the impulse that the same reptile gave him before the abrupt movement it made while trying to make him fall.

Sasuke stayed on the snake's skull and held onto its scales as best he could before stabbing his sword - which he had clung to as much as he could during the attack - into one of the animal's eyes, which let out a shrill and strange sound before, to Sasuke's immense amazement, it made a 180 ° turn and threw himself hard against the floor, taking him with and crashing him on the flat surface, a blow so violent that it caused him to lose his helmet, his mobility and his strength.

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Only seconds before he lost consciousness he saw the towering snake - now one-eyed - rise above him before launching itself with his jaws open just as Sasuke's eyes finally gave up.

When he woke up, the first thing he noticed was the immense throbbing pain in his head that only got worse when he tried to open his eyes, being hit by the brightest sunlight that forced him to close them again.

Where had so much light come from?

After a while, and when he was sure he could resist it, he opened his eyes again.

It took him a long time to regain the clarity of his sight, but once everything was clear he was astonished at what he saw.

In front of him a large colorful space, green above all, stood proud in all that light. Huge trees were here and there, casting great shadows, covered with fruit in great quantity.

A few meters from him was a lake with crystal clear waters, reflecting everything that was shown from above.

It was only when a slight movement behind him caught his attention that he realized he had been leaning against something cold, and when he turned around he felt as if his entire being had left his body when he found himself face to face with the giant eye yellowish that he recognized instantly.

He backed away quickly, grunting in pain as his muscles protested at his sudden movements, but instead of stopping to ease them, he fought them and reached for his sword at her waist, surprised not to find it.

The snake stared at him for a few seconds before lazily deflecting its head toward the center of the thread that had turned its body.

—You must not fear, it will not hurt you

He turned quickly and looked around, searching for the soft voice that he had said those words.

"Onyx" he breathed out, seeing the mate he had thought he lost, now lying on the grass, asleep on the other side of the lake.

Naturally those words were not said by the animal, but by the other person next to it, who was gently stroking the mane of his horse.

Their eyes met and he forgot how to breathe, incredulous of the moons that were his pupils, beautiful, and that without a doubt were looking directly at him.

The woman stood up and he could see her completely: snowy skin, long dark hair that swayed with every step she took. Her body was covered in leaves, branches and flowers that clung to her like a second layer. The upper part of her was covered by vines up to the middle of her breasts, being enough to cover the most. The lower part was a skirt, much less rigid than the upper one as it was made entirely of green leaves in different sizes, stopping only a few inches above her knees.

A long vine rested in the center of her abdomen, joining the two pieces as one.

She was barefoot and her hair was decorated with the most elaborate flower crown he had ever seen in his life.

As he passed by the lake, he stopped, crouching in the direction of the water, taking from the ground a large leaf of a plant that he did not recognize - and which he had not realized was lying there - and wrapped it gently until it formed a bowl that she plunged into the water until filled it, rising again and resuming its way towards him, now with the makeshift pot that spilled tiny drops from its bottom.

When she finally got to him, he saw her more clearly: thin and natural pink lips, a small and upturned nose, perfectly shaped eyebrows and long eyelashes that only marveled her appearance even more, also highlighting the lack of the slightest freckle on her face.

She offered him the bowl but he did not take it at first, still fascinated and hypnotized by the beauty of the woman in front of him until she pushed it to his chest, forcing him to hold it as she took one by one his hands between her smallest and drew them to the sides of the blade, releasing it when she made sure his grip was firm.

She, with one of her index fingers, touched the surface of the water three times in different parts, and when her hand lowered three different flowers grew in the water: a lotus, a calla and a water lily, which immediately disintegrated and mixed with the liquid, giving it a color that ranged from pink to purple.

"Take it" she said, looking into his eyes "it will help you heal."

He didn't know why, but he obeyed her and took the entire tonic in one gulp, grimacing when the bitter taste of it touched his tongue and she slid down her throat.

She smirked and turned around, walking back to where Onyx was now awake, looking at them wearily.

"It's you" was the first thing that came out of his mouth, looking at her completely uncovered back as she walked away from him “The witch”.

Her walking stopped and she turned around again, looking at him now with a frown, offended.

“That's very rude!. I am not a witch" she protested "My name is Hinata Hyuga, and I am the queen of this garden" she said proudly, turning to resume her march as if her statement was enough to deny his word.

But he would not be fooled; he had witnessed for himself what she had done in the water she had given him to drink.

He looked around him and his sight fell on his sword and armor, arranged neatly on the grass near the giant serpent's tail.

Slowly and careful not to be heard he approached his things and took the sword at the same time that with difficulty he took three steps back as the snake's tail moved to hit the ground and then returned to its original position.

It took a bit of trouble, but he was able to raise his sword and hold it with both hands, directing the tip in the direction in which that woman - that witch - was, now again sitting on the grass, stroking the back of his horse, looking at him unimpressed.

"Witch, you will come with me" he demanded "Everything will be easier if you do not resist, you will get a decent treatment: you will sleep in the softest bed, you will wear the finest clothes ... otherwise, if you resist, you ... you ..." He stopped for a moment, not for lack of words, but from shortness of breath —If… if you resist… the dungeon… the smallest and dirtiest dungeon will be…

"You’re hurting them" she interrupted, and he didn't understand.

The witch looked down and he followed her eyes, stopping at the sword that was now stuck in the middle of a small group of flowers.

When had he lowered his sword?

“What did you do to me?” He growled, aware of the progressive loss of strength to which he was subjected.

"It's the medicine" said the witch, calmly "for your body to heal, it must first rest”

And as if that were a command, his body fell apart, causing him to fall to the floor on a tall grass bed that he could swear was not there a moment ago.

- Witch! ... You will pay...

Unconsciousness welcomed him.

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When he woke up there was still sunlight, quite clear, so he thought that maybe he had only slept a few seconds, but the environment felt different from before and he could hear the distinctive galloping and neighing of Onyx, going here and there as his footsteps slightly covered the happy laugh of the female.

He could not move his body freely, only just his fingers, and mentally he cursed himself for having taken that concoction that this evil woman had given him, clearly using her sorcery to weaken him.

“Your body still needs rest” he could have shuddered at the sudden voice if it weren't for the fact that he was paralyzed, shortly afterwards the witch's face appeared in his visual range, tilted from above so he could see her “you´ve been very hurt by your confrontation with Munda, your injuries will take a little longer to heal”

He grunted, annoyed.

“Why have you risked your life to get here, mortal?” She asked him, now in a more serious tone.

Then and once again without really knowing why, he began to tell her about his kingdom, about the moments of wealth and prosperity before the war struck, about the deaths and the lack of food that besieged them, making their situation worse. He told her about his brother and his mysterious bedridden illness, about the sudden barrenness of his lands, and how he had preferred to make this trip alone rather than take away much-needed protection in case they tried again to invade them during his absence.

In her face there was no sorrow, annoyance or joy for their misfortunes, instead it was pure curiosity what he could see while he finished explaining the reason why he was looking for her.

"Okay, I'll go with you" she answered with conviction.

He, who had gradually regained mobility to the point where he could now sit up and the waves of heat attacked him insistently, looked at her in surprise, unable to avoid questioning her decision.

"I'll go with you" she confirmed again "However, the starting path is more dangerous than the one you traveled to get here, so you will have to make a full recovery first" She stood up and looked at him “I cannot be away for long, this place depends on me, so I will help your people and leave immediately, it is my only condition”

He watched her, almost denying immediately that he could leave that easily, but he was quick enough to bite his tongue before speaking.

"Okay, then we have a deal" he agreed.

She nodded pleased and stood up, walking away from him and up a tiny hill where she began to press with her fingers the closed buds and the withered flowers that surrounded her, opening and coming back to life with the simple touch of her.

Despite having accepted, in his mind they only danced ways of how he would interrupt her departure, it would be very foolish of him to let her go that easy, a person with her abilities, whether witch or not, was unique, one in a million , and no self-respecting kingdom would let her go that easily.

He could try to convince her by showing her everything that she obviously didn't have in her "garden", the wonders of modernity, and if that couldn't convince her, well, he had dungeons at his disposal that he could trick her into or even without them, but surely he would not lose those abilities from his hands.

Satisfied with that plan, he began to touch the back of both of his hands, searching and removing the splinters that he did not know how he has nailed himself.

Even though Hinata's tonics were helping him recover faster than he normally would, it felt like it was actually taking forever.

There, the days and nights seemed to last longer than normal, as if the clock had 36 hours instead of 24.

Each remedy that Hinata gave her were different and she healed something different, like the one she used to make his bruises disappear, which were a combination of wild flowers and citrus fruits that melted in the water as soon as she created them and released. Those bruises that would normally take a week or more to fade, she had done it in almost three days.

The problem is that she could only give him a tonic for one thing at a time, along with the first one that she had given him so his body relaxes and rests.

Now he was drinking one that she claimed would help with his internal ailments, and he guessed she was referring to the bruised bones that barely allowed her to walk or breathe. This was particularly bitter and she had to take it several times a day, which was a mini torture considering that these wounds would take even longer to heal.

He was washing his armor when he heard her scream.

“No! Go away, you can't be here!”

His skin prickled when she heard it. Had someone entered that place? An ally or an enemy? The great snake that was supposed to be the only one that could make someone else reach that place, Munda, hadn't moved from the rock it had spread on the day before, almost looking dead if it weren't for the hiss it left escape from time to time, maybe someone had found a way to enter without facing the great reptile?

“No! Get away!”

Wasting no time he dropped the piece of armor he was washing into the water and instead grabbed his sword, gripping it tightly and ran - or rather, he limped quickly - looking beyond the trees and bushes until he saw her midnight hair, covered with small flowers of various colors, and he went quickly towards her, who kept her fists clenched and her arms stiff down, slapping the floor with one foot while she kept yelling at whoever was there to leave.

But as he got closer to her, he still couldn't see anyone else; maybe it was some invisible person? It would not be unreasonable to think about that.

Finally, when he got to her side, he saw whoever caused her annoyance.

"This… creature…" she began, making an exasperated gesture with her hand at the wild boar that nonchalantly ate the blackberries from the orchard it raided "This annoying creature won't go away!" I've tried everything but it keeps coming back”

He looked at her in disbelief.

“So much fuss over a wild boar?”

“Is this the name of this demon spawn?” She asked him, looking at him intensely "Do you know him?"

"It's a wild boar, there are hundreds of them in the forest" he said more calmly, dismissing the accusation of her previous question.

“Hundreds?!” She gasped in disbelief.

"Calm down, just ... get rid of him."

“I´ve tried it! But this ... boar keeps coming back”

He let out an exasperated sigh, thinking of suggesting of making her pet snake eat the animal, but dismissed the idea as he thought the reptile was pretty useless when it don´t came to attacking and killing unsuspecting humans and their horses near the plateau of stone.

Since he first woke up he had only seen it move a few inches and change position, so another idea occurred to him.

“Can you hold it?” He asked him “with your ivy?”

She looked at him curiously and suspiciously, but instead of answering vocally, she raised a hand and made a few short movements with her fingers before clenching her fist, catching the animal that began to screech in panic.

He approached it, and with a certain movement, cut off it head.

When he heard her loud gasp he looked back and there she was, her brows furrowed, her eyes staked and both of her hands covering her mouth.

He looked back at the now dead animal, grabbed it head and raised it before asking.

“Do you know fire?”

Sasuke sat on a rock while at the same time bringing the now cooked boar meat to his mouth, biting off a large chunk and tearing it from the rest so he could eat it.

Sitting on another rock on the other side of the bonfire he had made, Hinata found herself with her arms crossed and her brow furrowed, looking at him with such intensity as if she wanted to make his head explode with just her powerful gaze.

She was upset with him, that was clear. Since he had killed the animal and cut its meat into smaller portions so he could stick them into branches and put them on the fire to cook.

The turning point, however, was when he gathered branches and leaves and started the fire that he had surrounded with rocks of different sizes as a barrier so that the fire did not spread.

Apparently, she could forgive him for killing an animal even if she was clearly against it, but lighting wood and using leaves as a burning material was where she drew the line, practically declaring enmity at the prolonged silence she had maintained.

It was funny to tell the truth, even if preparing that meat and the dressing he had bathed it with to give it a little more flavor had been torture for his sprained wrist, it was worth it if I could see her normally relaxed and smiling face distorted with annoyance and disappointment, her lower lip sticking out childishly.

Furthermore, and despite the wide variety of fruits she had been feeding him - more delicious than he had ever eaten - he had really missed the taste of meat on his palate.

“Hey!” He called her even though it wasn't necessary, since she hadn't taken her gaze from him for a second. "Try a little" he said, spreading some meat even though he was too far for her to reach.

That scandalized her.

“I will not do it!” She vigorously refused, looking quite offended by his proposal “I'm not a savage!”

"Me neither" he said, shrugging even though he wanted to burst in laughs at her expression.

“You are eating a living being”

“You eat the children of your plants, but I don't judge you for doing that”

The expression on her face finally overcame him, making him laugh.

With difficulty and care, he rose to his feet and walked around the fire, sitting next to her and extending with his good hand the piece of meat he himself had previously been eating.

"Try a little" he repeated, but she pursed her lips and turned her face away, refusing.

“No, I do not like”

"You can't say you don't like it if you haven't tried it yet" he told her, repeating the words his mother had repeated so much to the fussy eight-year-old he was.

But she kept refusing, so he took another approach they used to use with him when he was especially difficult to feed: negotiation.

"How about this" he began “If you try a little of this, I promise I won't complain and take all your strange meds even if they taste like hell itself, you don't have to like it, just try a little”

She looked at him scrutinizingly, apparently looking for some kind of dishonesty, but he just brought his injured wrist to the center of his abdomen, in a well-camouflaged dirty little manipulative move, which he knew was working when she looked at his wrist and then again to in his eyes.

“Just a little?” He nodded "And will you take the medicine without complaining?" He affirmed again.

Hinata closed her eyes and took a deep breath before letting it out again in the form of a long sigh.

She opened her eyes again, now with a look of determination and nodded.

He smiled and brought the meat to her mouth.

“W-wait!” she yelled, holding his wrist.

He was really having a hard time not laugh again.

Without letting go his wrist, she barely opened her mouth and bit into some of the meat, chewing it and stopping after swallowing it.

He looked at her expectantly, watching as she frowned again and sudden tears began to fall from her eyes.

Was it really that bad?

He began to feel guilty for forcing her to do so, but he was surprised when she now took a bigger bite, taking the meat from his hand to grab it herself, saying between sobs

"It's good!" she sniffed and cried harder as she ate more of it.

________________________

That night he woke up because of the pain that attacked his healthy wrist, grunting and looking for the reason for that, and when he looked at it, he was surprised and out of breath to see how a bracelet of branches wrapped him, which would not be a problem if it was not for the fact that they seemed to come straight out of his skin.

________________________

Another few days passed and he had kept thinking a lot about his situation.

Due to his suspicions, he decided to do an experiment.

For a few days he stayed especially close to her, touching her skin with his fingertips in the most subtle way he could, leading him to offer help during the moments when she did her self-imposed tasks that were not really necessary - there was not much to entertain herself with, he supposed — and despite confusion at his sudden need to help, she agreed and directed him what to do, frustrating him when any of those tasks kept him away from her.

But at the end of the day he touched her enough without going overboard - tapping her shoulder to get her attention or patted it awkwardly as he congratulated her with a "good job" - and then he walked away from her and went to the makeshift cot she had created for him, leaving her more confused than at first.

The first night he waited awake for something to happen, for the branches to start coming out or for his skin to turn green, he wasn't entirely sure what could happen, but he waited.

And he received nothing.

He repeated the experiment several more times and nothing happened, so he thought maybe it was a side effect of the last potion she had given him to drink? It would make sense that his body is no longer producing more vegetation by changing the type of medicine she was giving him, and it would also make sense that she did not know that effect as something out of the ordinary, since her own body seemed to produce by itself the plants that dressed her.

Then he forgot the topic, classifying it as a one-time occurrence.

Until he wasn't.

That morning, when he no longer had any kind of ailment and was beginning to feel he was finally regaining his strength, he had helped Munda - who, he learned, was really peaceful when he was not protecting the entrance to that garden - to get rid of the little debris that had stuck to him after his last shedding of skin.

"Good work," Hinata said, patting him on the shoulder as best she could since he was significantly taller than her “Munda's shedding of skin is usually a disaster because it is more resistant than normal, so I always have a hard time cleaning it when it's in season” she revealed, now with her hand fixed on his shoulder “you are very good at that”

He accepted her congratulations with a small hint of pride on her chest.

They passed the day with normally, and at night, while taking a bath in the lake, a sudden pain attacked his shoulder.

When he tried to move his shoulder in circles, he couldn´t, the pain and stiffness prevented him from the slightest movement, then he brought his other hand over said shoulder to try to massage himself, but when he felt his fingers prick, He stopped.

Surprised, he looked at his shoulder and couldn't believe what he saw: it was covered in thorns right where Hinata had touched it.

The fire of anger ignited in him and spread like forest fire, was that it? Her hands? Were her hands causing his body to produce leaves and thorns as if it were a simple plant? Although, now that he thought about it, he had been a fool not to realize it before, after all, she was nothing more than a witch whose hands could grow trees and flowers out of nowhere.

He had been fooled. He had let his guard down and this witch was turning him into another plant in her garden.

Who many more had she done this to?

He looked at the surrounding trees for the hint that any of them were once a man, but he had done his job so well that there was not the slightest trace of a previous humanity in them.

Angry, he left the lake and put on his pants, not caring they were dirty and dusty from the activities he had done that day. He dressed in his armor and took the sword with him, searching for Hinata and finding her, as always, in the center of the small flower-covered hill that surrounded her.

His quick and heavy steps caught his attention, turning and smiling at him when she saw him approaching, but that expression quickly changed when he entered, stepping carelessly on the flowers that she loved so much.

"Sasuk ..!"

"In two days we will leave," he interrupted, placing the sword under her chin and applying enough pressure so the tip dug lightly into her neck, hurting her “I have already lost a lot of valuable time with your stupid games, as of today, I command”

He turned around without giving her the opportunity to speak and went to the farthest part of that garden, where he found what seemed to be the oldest tree of all, the most leafy, where he sat down and pressed his back against it, crossing his arms with his sword still in his hand, quickly creating in his mind all the logistics of what he would do next.

______________________

The desperate neighing of Onyx woke him up.

He hadn't realized when he had fallen asleep, but it seems as if the apocalypse had taken place once he closed his eyes.

He blinked, trying to clear the blurry view of him until everything was terrifyingly sharp.

In front of him, Onyx kept crying, rising on his hind legs and then dropping the front legs in heavy blows, kicking up the dust with each fall.

It was daytime, he could tell, but the whole environment was so bleak that his brain had a hard time understanding it.

He looked around him, all the space that had previously been green and colorful had turned to the darkest gray he had ever seen. The trees shed their leaves at an impressive speed, the same ones that were now on the ground, surrounding him.

He tried to take one, but the blades were so brittle they broke with the simple touch.

"Onix, take it easy" But the horse ignored him; instead, he whinnied louder as if urging him to stop and then ran, leaving him behind.

He walked carefully, looking everywhere: the bushes were dry but still held some of their fruits, of which he took one and put it in his mouth only to spit it out instantly, disgusted by the horrible taste of the previously delicious blackberry had taken. As he walked, a foul stench began to fill his nostrils, aggravating the closer he got to the lake, until he realized that was where it came from. The waters, previously clean and clear, were now as black and thick as tar.

What was happening?

It didn't take long for him to find the cause.

Still on the small hill was Hinata, motionless and with her head bowed, the flowers around her were wilted. Munda surrounded the hill, making a great circle with its whole body, as trying to be a wall of protection for her owner.

The great snake gave him a warning hiss, glaring at him, now with both of its healthy eyes, as if it was challenging him to come closer.

Even with the threat of the reptile, he did, he knew how protective he was, but he had learned that in here Munda was more like a puppy playing at being brave than the gigantic and terrifying snake really was.

Already within the circle of protection of him everything was more horrible, here the flowers were not withered, and instead they seemed burned. Hinata's body remained immobile, not even seemed to breathe, and when he surrounded her and was face to face with her, he was surprised by the horrible state that in just a few hours she had gotten.

Her skin was as gray as the rest of the earth, her previously pink lips were now dangerously close to black, almost all the flowers in her hair and crown had lost their petals and the ones that remained would fall at any moment. Her eyes were open and she kept them that way, without blinking, and the only sign that told him there was still life in her was the trail of tears that fell without stopping.

He crouched in front of her and called out, but he didn't get the slightest bit of recognition from her.

He grabbed her face and winced at the ease of movement he had from her, even if her body seemed stiffer than could be possible.

Then the dark green trail that fell from her throat to her abdomen caught his eye, and he felt as if he had been hit with the strongest metal as he remembered what he had done.

Was this his fault?

"Hinata," he called her, lifting her face so he could look into her eyes, which seemed to be empty. "Hinata, I'm sorry."

But his attempts were in vain because she did not respond or make the slightest movement that indicated she would do it at some point.

Desperation began to fill him and he didn't know what to do, stroking her face and trying to wipe the tears away, but they kept falling and instead, sliding over and around his thumbs, mocking his unsuccessful attempts to stop them.

Then, in a moment of utter despair he did something he had only thought would happen in his dreams, and kissed her.

His lips froze over the cold, chapped of hers, and all ambient sound that he had previously not actively noticed disappeared. He made no move, just stood with his lips joined, praying inside his mind for a reaction, until her lips trembled.

One sob left them, then two, until it was totally a symphony of wailing.

He hugged her and pressed her to his chest, quietly apologizing to her and preferring to hear her cry than remain in the deathly silence of moments ago.

----------------------------

Recovery was slower than he could have imagined. While it took less than one night to produce the disaster, fixing it was a matter of a long time.

She avoided talking to him and he couldn't blame her, not after all that he´d caused.

She was just getting back to her normal color and at the same time so did her garden, slowly returning to the green it was when he had arrived.

He hadn't given her a reason for his action in the first place, and he didn't think he'd do it sometime soon - never, if he could.

He just helped her silently, discovering that when he kissed her, she recovered a little more.

So he kept doing it, morning, afternoon and evening, until the pink on her cheeks appeared and the flowers in her hair began to bloom.

That, however, came at a price, and it didn't take long for him to realize that the mere touch was more powerful than that of her fingers.

It first reflected on his nails, which turned brown and their textures became like that of a tree trunk. Then on his chest, where leaves and thorns came out again.

It was a much faster process than he had thought.

"I think we can leave tomorrow" were the first words she spoke to him after days of silence, smiling shyly at him, speaking in a low voice.

He nodded as best she could, his neck stiff from the changes taking place in him.

That day his feet stuck to the ground, and pulling them off felt as if he had lost a limb.

"Sasuke" Hinata called him the next morning, worried about what she was seeing. "Since when has this been happening?"

He looked at her, but he didn't answer.

He was still lying on his grass cot, trapped by the ivy that had tightly encircled his arms, torso, and legs to keep him in place.

"Wait." The desperation in Hinata's voice was palpable, but he could barely recognize anything.

With her hands, Hinata touched the plants on top of him, but was surprised to see that instead of obeying her and disappearing, they seemed to tighten around Sasuke.

She looked at her hands without understanding what was happening and tried again, her eyes clouding over as she obtained the same result as the first time.

The tears left her eyes and the sobs soon appeared the more she tried and failed, becoming more energetic and miserable with every second more.

"Hinata," he called out, barely a hoarse whisper as he felt a new plant grow from his stomach and slide its roots through his esophagus, slowly exiting his mouth "There is no time for me…”

“Do not!" She shouted shakily" Don't say that!”

“S. Save them ... my people ...” he said, barely breathing.

"I-I will, but-but first ..." A sob interrupted her "you first..."

Sasuke wanted to deny, but he had neither the strength nor the mobility to do so.

"There ... there is ... no time for ... me" he repeated.

“Sasuke”

“Please”

Without finding the words to answer him, she just nodded.

Sasuke smiled and looked at her, grateful as a single tear slid down the side of his face as more roots came out of his mouth.

"Thank you" he said, his voice cracking, closing his eyes, "I lo ..."

But he couldn't finish his sentence, losing the last breath he had and finally letting the roots slide out of his mouth and dig into the ground beneath him.

A heartrending scream came from Hinata's mouth, the loss, for the first time in hundreds of years, completely ripping her apart.

She cried over his body, feeling a pain much worse than that of a few days ago completely invade her, feeling again how she was fainting rapidly.

But she still had one last promise to keep.

Unwilling to leave him, Hinata placed both hands on the ground and gathered all of her strength, screaming as she transferred her power beyond the forest, filling all around with the life that he had come looking for.

The earth shook and great thorny walls rose above all of her garden, joining in the center without closing completely, and leaving a small gap through which the sunlight entered.

Exhausted, she walked to where Sasuke's body lay covered in roots and she dropped down beside him, placing a hand on his chest, slowly closing her eyes and melting into him.

------------------------

From the highest tower of the Uchiha castle, the cries of the courtesans invaded the room of King Itachi, whose body was covered by a white sheet as his court surrounded him.

"You did it, my king," Kakashi whispered, watching from the window as the kingdom began to fill with the vivid green of the growing plants and the colorful buds of flowers and fruit that followed them, though his attention was really fixed on the large bud that it had formed in the farthest part of the forest.

While, at the gates of the kingdom, Onyx the steed without his king arrived.

@sasuhinamonth

#sasuhina month #sasuhinamonth2021 #day 5 #sasuhina #queen of the garden #theres a spanish vertion #but im not publishing it here #too long

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punprincess321 · 3 years

Text

Mchanzo Sleeping Beauty

This is LOOOONG so be prepared...

Once upon a time in a land far far away, there was a beautiful and vast kingdom ruled by two kings, King Jack Morrison and King Gabriel Reyes.

The two had united their kingdoms many years ago when Gabriel's son was still an infant, unfortunately both queens had died, Gabriel had only one heir and Jack feared the worst, when the two met it was like love at first sight, the two were married and Gabriel's son became heir to the throne of the entire kingdom. Jack and Gabriel were conquerors, they would take down tyrannical monarchies and put better more trusted leaders in their place, this system made them loved across the land, along with their 17 year old son.

Prince Jesse was wild like most teenagers, he was mischievous and quite a headache for the palace workers but he was still kind and compassionate, he helped out in any way he could around the kingdom and would give his best hunting prizes to families who needed the fur and meat. This kindness mixed with Jesse's roguish looks made him the most desired bachelor in all the land but Jesse never showed any interest in the countless princesses that flocked to his door, Jesse may have been handsome and beloved, but he still felt lonely, women didn't appeal to him but yet no man had caught his eye either.

One day the kings got word of a kingdom who had terrible rulers, they abused their subjects, stole from their allies and it was believed that they were involved in the dark arts of sorcery and occult rituals. Jack and Gabriel readied their armies and left for the Shimada empire.

Many months passed until the kings returned, the kingdom rejoiced at their return and Jesse ran out of the castle to greet his fathers, behind them was a medley of prisoners, all to either be thrown into the dungeon or executed in town square. As Jesse watched the prisoners walk through the crowd, getting pummeled by trash and rotten produce, one prisoner caught his attention, a man with long black hair and a large blue dragon tattoo on his left arm, he appeared to be Jesse's age, around 17 to 18, and was quite strong, the man looked scared and confused by what the people were doing. Jesse stared at the man feeling his heart race, he wanted him as his own.

The prisoners were brought into the throne room where Jack and Gabriel judged the severity of the punishment they would receive. One by one, the prisoners were divided into groups of ones to be executed and those who would be imprisoned, Jesse stood by and watched the spectacle, they soon reached the one with the tattoo, Jesse looked at his fathers to learn their answer, hoping that he would only be a prisoner, Gabriel stood. "You were the one who attacked my beloved unprovoked when attempting to make an agreement to avoid the mutiny that occurred, for this act you will be beheaded." He announced.

Jesse saw the fear in the man's eyes, like he had no idea what he did would result in a public execution, Jesse couldn’t let this happen and ran to his dad. "Father wait!" Jesse exclaimed. "This man seems to be conflicted about something, let him speak of his actions." He requested, Jack and Gabriel looked at their son then at each other before Gabriel turned back to the man. "Very well, explain yourself to us." He demanded.

A guard pushed the man forward and he looked down at his feet. "I only did as my king father told me, he ordered me to kill on sight, no matter what you say." The man explained, Jack leaned forward. "Your father is king of the Shimada empire?" He asked, the man nodded and held his head high. "I am Hanzo Shimada, loyal son and servant of my family's empire." He replied, this man didn’t look anything like a prince, his hair was matted in dirt and his clothes looked like that of rags, the only way they knew he was honest was the royal crest branded on his right shoulder, not much was known about the Shimada empire, but it was said that royal offspring had their symbol branded on their bodies.

The two kings looked between one another, unsure of what to do with the son of their enemy, Jesse was staring at Hanzo with great interest, Hanzo noticed and attempted to cover his body with his long hair, Jack and Gabriel took notice and made the decision with a nod between them.

"You will serve as concubine to our son." Gabriel announced, Jesse looked both surprised and pleased with this decree, Hanzo on the other hand looked terrified, he knew what happened to concubines if they didn't serve their purpose. The sentencing concluded and Hanzo was dragged away to be prepared for his new position.

Hanzo had to be held down as he was bathed, clothed and done up for the prince, the handmaidens made numerous comments about how his hair looked like it had never been combed once and he reeked of a pigsty, Hanzo didn't understand why they mentioned it.

After nearly two hours, Hanzo was ready, he had been covered in sweet smelling oils and was dressed in tight blue silks covered with silver dust, his hair had been braided and decorated with sapphires, his ears had been pierced and platinum and sapphire earrings adorned his lobes, platinum anklets and bracelets shimmered in the candlelight of the room and an aquamarine and sapphire necklace wrapped around his neck tightly. Hanzo looked in the mirror and was shocked, in all his life he never knew what he looked like clean and done up, he actually began to smile until he remembered why he was dressed like this.

Hanzo was escorted to the prince's chambers, the door slammed closed behind him and Hanzo suddenly felt afraid again, luckily the prince was not there yet so he had time to attempt escape, Hanzo ran to the window thinking he could jump out and escape but he was in a tower and the jump would be suicide, he tried the door but it was locked, Hanzo fell to his knees losing hope, he knew his fate as a concubine was to be the royal whore for a couple months, the prince would tire of him and he would be killed, he would have preferred execution over this torment.

The door soon opened and Jesse walked in, he saw Hanzo looking absolutely gorgeous and absolutely defeated, he walked over, knelt down and cupped his concubine's cheek. "Why are you so sad darlin'? Your life has been spared." He said with a smile, Hanzo sneered and slapped Jesse's hand away. "For only a few measly months and only to be your whore…" He spat, Jesse was surprised but his smile returned before he chuckled and stood up straight. "That was not my decision, it was my parents', I don’t wish to exploit you for sexual pleasure or to take your life in such a short time.”

Hanzo looked confused as Jesse helped him to his feet. “I’m in love with you Hanzo Shimada and I want to prove this to you, I will treat you like a king, even if you don't love me back I wish to win your heart no matter how long it takes.” Jesse proclaimed, Hanzo was understandably shocked by this brazen confession, he felt his cheeks heat up from how flustered he was and it only got worse when Jesse kissed his hand. “Come, let’s toast to new friends.” He said, he poured them some goblets of wine and handed Hanzo one, Hanzo blushed and slowly sipped the wine.

It took a couple more cups before the two were buzzed, Hanzo was sitting in front of the fireplace with Jesse and slowly sipping his twelfth cup, at first the wine was just social lubricant but Hanzo kept requesting more, Jesse was only on his fifth and was only slightly buzzed but Hanzo was wasted, trying to sit up straight and keep a coherent sentence. “I think you’ve had enough darlin’.” Jesse said as he took away the goblet, Hanzo whined and tried to reach for his cup but fell flat on his face, Jesse helped him back up but Hanzo tried to pull away, thinking Jesse was trying to make a move on him, only to fall back onto the floor, he ended up falling asleep before he could even attempt to get back up, Jesse chuckled and picked the man up before putting him in the bed. “Goodnight my treasure~” He said softly, he took Hanzo’s hand and kissed it before getting into bed himself, he kept his body turned away from Hanzo to avoid accidentally touching him and disturbing his sleep.

The next day Hanzo woke up with a splitting headache and no memory from last night except for having a couple drinks, Jesse holding him and him pushing away before passing out, he finally sat up and noticed he was still in Jesse’s room, in Jesse’s bed but the prince wasn't in the room, the mattress was extremely soft and so were the pillows and blankets, much softer than home… Hanzo looked down expecting to be naked but surprisingly he was still in the outfit from yesterday, suddenly the door opened and a maid came in holding a tray. “Good morning sir, his highness prince Jesse asked me to bring you breakfast.” She said as she set down the tray, Hanzo was stunned by the kind treatment but accepted the breakfast and began to eat.

After finishing breakfast, Hanzo was led by some handmaidens to take a bath and change his clothes, the handmaidens complimented Hanzo’s hair and how beautiful it was now that it was cleaned, Hanzo blushed at the compliments before he was put into a red silk outfit and decorated with gold and ruby jewelry.

Jesse entered the room just as Hanzo finished getting his hair done, he smiled and walked over to his concubine. “You look as beautiful as yesterday.” The prince said sweetly, Hanzo blushed as Jesse took his hand and kissed it. “T-thank you your highness…” He replied softly. "Not that I don't appreciate it but why do I have to wear these clothes?"

Hanzo's outfits had been rather provocative so far, tight fitting and rather revealing, Jesse chuckled. "You're considered my concubine in the eyes of the staff and all concubines must be appealing to the eye if they're seen in public, honestly you're already eye catching without all the glamorous accessories." He replied, Hanzo blushed at the compliment, he didn't understand the prince at all, did he not know what a concubine was?

Hanzo allowed Jesse to lead him into the gardens, he was still weary of the prince’s intentions and didn’t fully believe the heartfelt confession he made yesterday, he also had no idea what happened last night and if the prince violated him or not, they were sitting by the fountain and Jesse was going on and on about random things from sword fighting to his art lessons, Hanzo just listened, sometimes adding in a correction of proper weapon use, but he honestly had nothing else to say, he may have been a prince like Jesse but his early life was far different. All of a sudden Jesse walked over to a rose bush, pulled off a flower then plucked all the thorns off the stem before returning to Hanzo’s side and putting the flower in his hair. “Just as beautiful as you~” He said softly, Hanzo blushed and sheepishly thanked Jesse for the flower.

Hanzo was then brought to the library, there was enough books to build an entire mansion by the looks of it, Hanzo gazed in amazement. "I've never seen so many books before…" He said still in awe, Jesse chuckled. "Would you like to read one?" He asked, Hanzo looked confused. "Read them? I thought they were only meant for decoration…"

Jesse looked at Hanzo in shock. "You've never read a book before?" He questioned, Hanzo shook his head, Jesse looked displeased before taking Hanzo's hand and leading him into the library. "That needs to change, there's amazing stories and mountains of knowledge to be discovered in books, I can't believe you never knew about this." He explained, Hanzo was then sat on a couch as Jesse walked over to a bookshelf, he picked out five books and brought them over. "These were some of my favorites when I was younger, I'm sure you'll find one of them interesting."

Hanzo looked at the small pile before grabbing the one on top, it had a picture of a dragon on it so he was initially curious. Hanzo opened the book and his eyes lit up. "There's words and pictures in here! What does it say!?" Hanzo asked in excitement, looking at Jesse.

Jesse gave him a confused look. "You can't even read? Your parents never taught you?" He questioned, Hanzo shook his head. "They said schooling wasn't important for battle, I don't even know how to write." He explained, Jesse looked horrified. "I'm schooling you myself! No one should be deprived of knowledge!" He exclaimed.

As time went on, Jesse showed Hanzo how to read and write, Hanzo took to reading a lot and Jesse had some servants bring some of the books Hanzo liked most to their room. Hanzo really began to appreciate the prince's kindness and the more time they spent together learning, practicing fighting techniques or just hanging around the castle, Hanzo found himself falling in love with Jesse, he was so sweet and didn't treat him like a concubine, he was just there, a man who the prince wanted to be around, Hanzo was also given the option of less revealing clothes opposed to the ones he was made to wear, he was quite happy about that although he did keep wearing the jewelry and getting his hair done.

One night Hanzo was reading in Jesse's room by the fireplace when Jesse came and joined him, Hanzo raved about everything happening in the story when he noticed Jesse was just smiling at him, the flames from the fire reflecting in his eyes, Hanzo didn't even take time to process what he was doing before he and Jesse's lips connected, when they parted Jesse was still smiling. "I've been wanting to do that for a long time~" He said softly, Hanzo blushed and looked away shyly. "Jesse…. Thank you… nobody has ever been so kind to me, I would have died if it wasn't for you and I…. I think I love you too." He replied in a quiet voice, Jesse cupped Hanzo's cheek and kissed him again, the kiss lasted much longer as Hanzo wrapped his arms around the prince.

When the two parted once again, Jesse reached into his pocket and pulled out a platinum and sapphire ring. "Marry me Hanzo, I promise that I will always be with you and make you the happiest man on earth if you become my bride." He requested, Hanzo smiled and held out his hand to accept the ring, Jesse smiled and slipped it onto his beloved's finger before they kissed again. Unknown to the two lovers, a dark presence was watching from the shadows.

The kingdom celebrated their prince's engagement, even Jack and Gabriel were thrilled by the news, Hanzo was deemed a member of the royal court and had extensive knowledge of his family's magic uses, not many knew the uses or strength of the dark arts but Hanzo was able to fill in the blanks, the weeks leading up to the wedding were full of excitement as Jesse taught Hanzo how to dance while they planned their big day.

But meanwhile, Hanzo's family was watching. They had escaped the castle before the army burst in, they had left Hanzo and their soldiers to die so they could run off to their fortress in the mountains.

They had planned to retake their kingdom with the help of their prince but now Hanzo had turned against them, he had learned… Hanzo now understood what was being done to him in his family's empire wasn't right, being forced to wear rags, being made sleep in a shack next to the pig pen in the courtyard, being refused an education, proper food or basic hygiene wasn't right and this was all thanks to Jesse, he gave Hanzo everything he could ever possibly want and more, he showed him that those who cared about and loved him wouldn't make him live like a peasant.

The Shimada family had to watch all of this from their spying spells, every book Jesse gave, every meal Jesse served, every gentle kiss he placed on Hanzo's hand, it had unraveled their entire life's work, they wanted Hanzo to remain an obedient soldier who wouldn't question anything even when he took the throne but all that was gone and it was all thanks to the prince.

They. Wanted. Revenge.

The wedding was now in five days and the couple finally had time to unwind, Jesse left on his horse for his usual hunting trip in the forest, he waved goodbye to Hanzo who was at the castle gates and waving back.

Jesse arrived in the forest and looked around for a good target, he saw it in mere seconds, a female deer. Jesse gently kicked his horse and they gave chase after the animal, unaware how deep into the forest he was going. When they finally caught up to the deer, it was stopped in a clearing and was just staring at him, Jesse was confused by this and got off his horse to investigate, he slowly walked closer to the deer when it suddenly turned into a snake, this scared Jesse's horse and it ran off into the woods, Jesse was about to follow suit but the snake jumped and bit him on the hand, Jesse yelped in pain and looked at his hand and then at the snake, his vision began to blur, he couldn't stand up straight, the last thing Jesse saw before he collapsed was the snake taking the form of a woman.

Jesse laid motionless on the ground, the sorceress laughed maniacally at the effectiveness of her poison, she then said an incantation the clearing began to be surrounded with brambles and thorns of any kind, she quickly made her escape from the cage and placed a guardian by the prison before vanishing.

It had now been four days since Jesse left and Hanzo was still waiting for him to return which was odd, Jesse had been gone so long and their big day was tomorrow. Hanzo soon noticed Jesse's horse running into the kingdom and towards the castle, Jesse was finally back!

Hanzo ran down to the courtyard where the horse was to greet his fiancé but to his shock, Jesse was not on the horse, Hanzo immediately had a bad feeling, if Jesse had been gone this long and only his horse had returned, something had gone wrong. "Bring me a horse, sword and my bow!" He demanded, the stable workers nodded and fetched Hanzo what he needed, Hanzo immediately snatched the weapons, got onto his horse and rode towards the forest, he reached the edge of the trees and felt a strange aura around it, something wicked had been casted in the forest… Hanzo was about to head in when suddenly…

"Stop boy."

Hanzo froze when he heard the voice, he turned around and there was his grandfather, along with his uncles. "What are you all doing here?" He spat, his grandfather smirked. "We're here to bring you home, where you belong." He replied, Hanzo glared at him. "I am home grandfather, and I'm going to find where my fiancé is so if you'll excuse me-"

"There's no need to boy, he's gone."

Hanzo snapped back to his grandfather. "What do you mean?" He asked, venom dripping from his words, the elder snapped his fingers and a crystal ball appeared, it showed Jesse in the clearing, laying as if he were dead, his hand bleeding from the snake bite. "The poison was sleeping death, he'll never wake up, he's gone Hanzo."

Hanzo's eyes filled with tears, he couldn't believe it… He basically lost the person who saved him from death in more ways than one… Hanzo wanted to sob but he let out this agonizing scream, it was so loud that the crystal ball shattered, Hanzo then drew his bow and shot his grandfather in the heart before he grabbed his sword to battle his uncles, Hanzo showed no mercy for his family, the ones that tormented and abused him were shown the horror of what they created, a ruthless warrior that could only be stopped by death. “YOU DID THIS! YOU COULDN’T STAND ME BEING HAPPY AND YOU SENTENCED HIM TO DEATH! YOU’RE ALL MONSTERS!” He screamed in anger.

Hanzo eventually bailed out of the fight and ran into the forest, he couldn't leave Jesse there to die alone and forgotten. The cage of thorns was soon in sight and Hanzo made a break for it only to be stopped once more but by a dragon, the guardian the sorceress had placed there. Hanzo was not fazed by the creature and immediately slashed at it but his last few uncles had followed him so he had to dodge arrows left and right but they managed to hit the dragon, this weakened the monster significantly and as Hanzo finished off his treacherous family, he was able to make one last quick slash at the dragon's neck.

The dragon laid slain at Hanzo's feet but Hanzo was not satisfied yet, he passed the creature's corpse and began to cut down the brambles, when he finally managed to make himself an entrance he looked inside, there laying in the light that came through the top of the cage was Jesse, Hanzo dropped his weapons and ran to him, he held his lover in his arms and cried. "I'm sorry Jesse… this is all my fault… My love is what killed you..." He whispered, brushing hair out of his fiancé's face, he gently kissed Jesse's lips as one final act of love before holding him close and crying. Suddenly, Hanzo felt a hand brush away his tears.

"Darlin'... why are you crying?..."

Hanzo gasped and looked at Jesse and saw his eyes were open and he had a weak smile on his face, Hanzo cried even more and hugged Jesse tightly. "You're awake! I thought I lost your forever!" He sobbed, Jesse hugged Hanzo back and kissed his cheek. "I would never leave you darlin', I made a promise to you." He said softly, Hanzo smiled and kissed Jesse again.

Hanzo and Jesse returned to the kingdom, Jesse was a little weak from his five day sleep so he leaned on Hanzo’s shoulder as they rode home on his horse. “How did you manage to wake me up? You explained to the court that the sleeping death spell was unbreakable, how did you free me?” He asked, Hanzo thought for a moment before realizing the answer. “It was when I kissed you, I remember my parents talked about it near me once and only the kiss of a person you loved that loved you back could wake you.” He explained, Jesse smiled and kissed Hanzo’s cheek. “I knew you were the one the moment I saw you." He said happily.

The next day was the wedding and as expected it was beautiful, Hanzo was dressed in a glittering white and royal blue suit with a golden diamond and sapphire crown which had a veil attached to it, Jesse wore a red suit with gold trim and his golden ruby crown sat proudly atop his head, after the ceremony the reception happened in town square, several chefs and bakers in the kingdom helped the castle kitchen staff prepare the feast for everyone in the city. Hanzo danced with his husband and some villagers having the time of his life but the best part was before the celebration ended, a group of soldiers marched into the middle of the party with the last members of Hanzo’s family in chains.

Hanzo smirked, when he and Jesse had returned to the castle yesterday he told Jack and Gabriel what his family had done, he also told them where the mountain fortress was since he knew that’s where they hid. Jack and Gabriel immediately sent some soldiers to arrest the ones who attempted to kill their son.

Hanzo stood up from his seat next to Jesse looking proud. “Hello everyone, I am so glad you made it to my wedding, however you will not be staying much longer after what you have done, the only person who deserves my pity is my brother Genji and I will be giving him the proper family life he deserves that we never received, with the blessing of my husband and fathers in-law, I sentence you to death.” He announced, he motioned for the soldier holding Genji to step forward, Hanzo took his little brother and held him close while the rest of their treacherous family was dragged away while being booed at by the crowd and pelted with food.

Jesse smiled at his husband and introduced himself to Genji who looked weary but Hanzo knew with a little time he would be okay, just like he was.

THE END

#mchanzo #mccree x hanzo #hanzo x mccree #jesse mccree #mchanzo au #hanzo shimada #genji shimada #reaper76 #reyes76 #gabriel reyes #jack morrison

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firelordzukohere · 4 years

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Interior Decor

Hello! I started this blog because I wrote a Zuko x Reader fanfiction and I wanted somewhere to post it that wasn’t my main blog.

I came up with the idea for this fic randomly one day and I thought I’d write it down and share it with you all. It’s going to be 4 parts with a possible epilogue, but I’m not sure yet. Please let me know what you think!!

I’ll be updating every Sunday with a new chapter! Hopefully you guys really like this and keep reading!!

I’ve also posted it to AO3 if you’d prefer to read it there

Thanks!

Zuko X Fem!Reader

Warnings: Fluff, Slight Aangst(heh), and some implications

Word Count: Almost 3k

Summary: Iroh felt it was time for the Palace to reflect the time of Peace and Love that Zuko promised five years earlier at his coronation. He takes it upon himself to hire an interior decorator to help his nephew out and work together. What he didn’t expect was for Zuko to possibly find his own peace and love in the process.

Chapter 1: Feng Shui >> Chapter 2: Tchotchke

Walking into the grand entrance of the Fire Nation Palace, (Y/N) couldn't help but stop and begin mentally jotting down the changes she would make to the décor. It was very dingy, dark, and drab, as though the Palace had been sitting in it's own dusty iceberg for a hundred years, keeping it's hatred preserved with each speck of dirt. The windows were covered in black-out fabric, the walls had pictures of past Fire Lords glaring down at those who dared to enter their sacred home of destruction, plants wilted and dead, no life left within them, and the carpet looked as though it had seen millions upon millions of feet within its lifetime.

Now, (Y/N) wasn't trying to be rude, but it was her job to notice these things. She had been hired by General Iroh to redo the interior of the Fire Nation Palace. This meant every single room from the throne room to the dining hall, the ballroom to the Fire Lord's private quarters, everything needed a refresh. She expected this kind of thing to be done back when the Fire Lord had first taken over, however, her services weren't requested until five years after his coronation.

Which is why she stood at the entrance, questioning why it took them so long to get someone in here. The poor Palace staff and the Fire Lord must be drowning in darkness and discomfort. Not to mention cowering in fear at Sozin, Azulon, and Ozai's deep glares within several portraits throughout.

She was busy having a staring contest with Ozai, which she was undoubtedly losing because he was terrifying to look at, when Iroh walked up and greeted her with a warm smile. The look immediately lit the room up, sending a comforting feeling from the top of her head to the bottom of her toes as if she had just dipped herself into the warm ocean to cool off.

"Ah! Miss (Y/N), thank you for your patience," he bowed causing her to return the sign of respect back, "I was just making sure my nephew was ready for our meeting today as well. He's just finishing up with the council, so we'll go on ahead without him and he can catch up," the older man winked before guiding her further into the Palace, "Please, tell me what you think so far, first impressions may not always be accurate, but they do tell quite a lot, especially when it comes to decoration," Iroh said as they walked.

Clearing her throat, (Y/N) tuned into her interior decorator mode. "I feel like I'm living in the Fire Palace from Sozin's time," she said, bluntly, however still with a hint of hope. "I feel like this Palace has most likely been causing the Fire Lord nothing but stress, as though it's a dark cloud looming over his head, watching his every move, almost like Ozai never left." Her voice calm and diplomatic, she had dealt with several Fire Nation officials before and no matter how often she tried to soften the blow, she was usually always dealt with backlash and anger over her honest opinion of the look.

Iroh, however, surprised her, and laughed with his whole body, resting his hands on his stomach for a moment, stopping their stride. "My dear, you are spot on!" This immediately caused (Y/N) to smile brightly, grateful that she was with a client who didn't seem to want to fight her every move. "Even when Ozai and I were boys growing up in the Palace here, we always felt as though we were living during Sozin's reign. Not that we believed that to be a bad thing at the time," he chuckled before continuing on down the hall.

The hallway led into the throne room, which was one of the biggest rooms in the Palace according to the layout that Iroh had given her during her interview with him. The only other room that was as large was the ballroom followed closely by the dining hall.

"This is where my nephew holds council with everyone in all four nations, whoever wants a seat with him. My brother, father, and grandfather stopped using it for that purpose and just became a place to dish out their royal decrees, banishing visitors that were not worthy." (Y/N) frowned listening to the history of this room. "My nephew likes this room to be where he listens and does very little talking, which I think is a wonderful sentiment to have." She nodded and began jotting down notes on her parchment.

There needed to be more light, some greenery added to liven up the place, possibly a little less fire around the throne itself, to seem more welcoming. Overall, the layout of the room was beautiful, it just needed some acceptance instead of deterrence.

Iroh led her toward the next room which appeared to be the ballroom. It was gorgeous, high ceilings with chandeliers, ready for their candles to be lit and make the glass sparkle, tall windows that went nearly from the floor to the ceiling providing a glorious view of the garden outside. Other than a couple of touch ups here and there, this room was incredible. However, it looked like it hadn't been used in centuries. Webs and dust littered the vast room, sheets covered small tables and seating areas and were yellowed with age.

"When my father took power, dancing and parties became nonexistent. He loathed people enjoying themselves, obviously because he did not. My nephew would like to throw a celebration after this redecoration, allowing all nations to come together and dance." Iroh smiled.

"Obviously it was more of a strong suggestion by the Dragon of the West, who rumor has it, excelled in dancing due to his bond with the dragons," a husky voice behind them added, causing the two to turn and find the Fire Lord standing behind them in his royal attire, with a small smirk on his face.

(Y/N) had seen beautiful interiors, gorgeous landscapes, sunsets, flowers, paintings, structures, and everything in between, however, her breath left her body the moment her eyes landed on the Fire Lord in person. He was a very handsome man, defined features and golden eyes that pierced any girl's heart.

This admiration, unfortunately, caused her to stare at him longer than normal, creating an awkward tension within the room. Beside her, Iroh cleared his throat, waking the girl from her trance on his nephew. She blushed furiously and bowed properly to the Fire Lord.

"Your Highness, my apologies, I wasn't expecting you this early," she whispered quickly attempting to cover her ogling with a valid reason, "I'm grateful that you have allowed me the opportunity to work on your home and make it something that you'll enjoy living within and celebrating for years to come." He smiled at her before turning to Iroh.

"It wasn't exactly my plan, as I said, the Dragon of the West is a very convincing man and deemed it necessary that since I was bringing a time of new, the Palace should reflect that." Iroh smirked.

"Please Fire Lord Zuko," Iroh said with a hint of snark in his voice, "I just couldn't bear to see you glare at the paintings of your father strewn everywhere and decided it was a time for change." Zuko blushed and sent a small glare at Iroh. "Plus, you're never going to woo any ladies with a Palace looking like this!" His statement caused (Y/N) to cover her mouth quickly and let out a giggle. Hearing the noise from her, Zuko's face burned darker, matching the Fire Nation red of his robes. "Anyway, my dear nephew, I must leave you at this time, you see it's nearly noon and I have a Pai Sho game to play with an old friend," he stepped back and bowed to both his nephew and (Y/N). "I'm sure you can take care of the rest of the tour and inform her on any changes you'd like. She's brilliant and really knows what she's doing so take everything she has to offer into account."

"Wait, you're not staying?" (Y/N) stopped him, nervously. Iroh smiled and shook his head.

"This isn't my home, it's his, he should be first hand in working with you. You're both smart and will definitely come up with something great together." Zuko's eyes were daggers as he looked at his Uncle. Iroh merely smirked before stepping away and back down the hallway she had originally met him in.

"I apologize for my Uncle, he's… eccentric, to say the least," the Fire Lord said with a frown. "I guess we should move on with the tour," he mumbled awkwardly before shuffling toward the room after the ballroom. The dining hall.

They traveled through the dining hall, the council chambers-as Zuko refused to call it the war room anymore, the spa rooms, a few bedrooms though they all looked the same according to the Fire Lord, several various hallways, where they finally ended, his bedroom.

(Y/N) had filled several parchments with notes and ideas for the Palace. She was already growing excited about the new plans and was ready to bring some life back into the Fire Nation's symbolic building.

"Not much needs to be done in here, to be honest, I don't use it for anything other than a place to sleep," he grumbled as he had essentially the entire tour. After Iroh had left, Zuko seemed unenthusiastic about showing her around and even less excited about her decorating anything.

"With all do respect, your Highness," she started, unable to bite her tongue this time, as she had the previous dozen times he said that he didn't need much done to the room, "that's a problem. Your bedroom should be a safe haven where you go to escape, especially with your job," her (Y/E/C) eyes narrowed in his direction, attempting to convey her seriousness about the situation. "This room is a comfort to you, not a grave to your father's previous sins." His single eyebrow cocked.

"With all do respect Miss…" it was then he realized he didn't know her name. Iroh had handled all the details, Zuko simply nodded his head and did as his uncle said.

"(Y/N)," she whispered somewhat defensively, ready for his retort.

"(Y/N)…" he repeated, "I have an escape in the Palace, though it may not be my bedroom like it seems to be for several of your clients, I can assure you, I'm not like them." He began to walk out of the bedroom, stopping only to turn back at her and nudge his head, signaling her to follow.

Confused, the decorator followed him back toward the ballroom and out into the garden. This view had caught her eye earlier when she was first in the ballroom with Iroh and now, finally getting a thorough look, she couldn't help but stare at the area in awe.

A large tree sat in the center of the zen place, a tiny pond full of quacking turtle ducks swimming happily within. Several other trees and flower bushes littered the area, with small fountains and statues around. It was serene and tranquil, calm seemed to wash over her instantly as she took in her surroundings, admiring the wonderful atmosphere that the garden provided.

Zuko led her toward the pond where he crouched down to rub the head of one of the turtle ducks with the back of his index finger. The duckling quacked and nuzzled closer to his touch instinctively. As the other turtle ducks saw this, they began swimming toward, looking for their own affection from the Fire Lord as well.

(Y/N) couldn't help but stare at the interaction before her, amazed at how the Fire Lord's demeanor changed rapidly. He seemed at peace and happy in this moment just spending time with ducklings in the garden.

"You see, miss (Y/N), while others escape to their bedrooms, I find myself coming here where I can be calm with my thoughts," he smirked up at her as he pat the last turtle duck on the head and then straightened up. With a sigh, she nodded her head, understanding what he meant now. "I do, however, agree, that my room needs more of a makeover than I initially suggested. You're welcome to do with it as you will, just make sure my belongings are taken care of properly." She looked up at him hopeful that he was okay with her being there.

Smiling, she moved toward the tree next to the pond and plopped down. It wasn't quite as ladylike as Zuko expected, like he had witnessed his mother, Mai, Azula, and Ty Lee do, but he couldn't help but smile and follow her lead, sitting down beside her. As she began handing him papers with notes, he watched as she animatedly talked about what she was going to do with each room and how it was supposed to make him feel more comfortable.

"For a Nation about light and the sun, your Palace has very little of it," she started, pointing at sketches she had apparently made as they walked of the different rooms, "I think removing the coverings on the windows and allowing more light to come in will be great. Plus, the sun makes Firebenders feel better, so why wouldn't they want more of it?" Zuko nodded, realizing that it made a lot of sense. "Then your people will be able to see you better instead of the dark shadow that Ozai assumingly was previous." Her casual use of his father's name seemed to shock him, but he didn't say anything and continued to listen. "If they see your face, they'll feel they can trust you more, you're not a bad man to look at either and that could possibly help you in the department General Iroh was requesting which was a new lady friend." She rushed through quickly.

Zuko held up his hand to stop her, "Contrary to what my uncle says, I don't need a woman to make me happy." He said, "I'm doing just fine all on my own." This caused her to stare at him for a few moments in deep thought and Zuko couldn't help but wonder what was going through her head. She seemed to be lost in herself for a moment before her vision returned and she realized she had been staring intently at the Fire Lord.

With a small shake of her head, she focused normally back on him, "I'm sorry, um… yes you're right, you don't need a woman, I was just trying to help." She mumbled before looking down at her papers awkwardly. Zuko handed her back the ones that he had been given and smiled.

"These look great (Y/N), why don't we start tomorrow on it? I will approve anything you want to do," he said trying to reassure the girl who had what felt like an emotional moment from his words.

"No, let me do this right, especially with the Palace. I will return with better sketches tomorrow and then if everything is approved I can bring in a team to start clearing out rooms. We'll do them one by one so you're not without the entire Palace for a couple of weeks," she said, watching as he stood up and held out his hand for her to take. Gently she pressed her palm to his and goosebumps ran up her arm at the shockingly warm contact. He smiled as he helped her to her feet, waiting several moments before leading her hand back to her side and slipping it from his grasp. "Thank you for this opportunity your Highness, you have no idea how excited I am to be able to help you feel like this is your home," she repeated her earlier sentiment with a long bow.

"Zuko," he said bluntly, causing her to look up at him from her bow. Her eyebrow cocked slightly and he couldn't help but smirk at the emotion written across her face. "Call me Zuko, none of this your Highness formality."

With reddened cheeks she smiled and nodded her head. He led her back into the ballroom and toward the entrance to the Palace. "Tomorrow then?" she asked as they reached the grand doorway.

"Tomorrow," he said, looking at her intently. "I'm interested to see what you bring me (Y/N)," he bowed to her.

She returned the bow with one final word for farewell, "Zuko." Her lips formed a smirk that Zuko couldn't stop his eyes from studying for as long as he could before she turned and made her way down the steps, internally wondering why this job made her feel all fuzzy inside.

I hope you guys liked it! Please let me know! Thanks!

Master List

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sun-stormz · 3 years

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Genshin Impact Visions & Gods

This has been bugging me since i started playing in mid november, but what makes a certain Archon give a Character their Vision. Considering i couldnt find any official info, I decided to do some research on each Archon and then on the player Characters we have of each element as of beginning of December 2020.

This will contain spoilers on characters & story!

Note: The travelers will not be included due to them not having Visions and having more then one Element.

I am basing this on overlaping themes and not on anything related to the actual Archon. I did add some info on the archons tho, due to this being about Visions and archons

“It is unclear whether Visions are directly granted by its element's corresponding Archon or by the nation's Archon. There is also the possibility that granting a Vision requires approval from both Archons. Yet another possibility is that they are granted by neither, and are instead given by the gods on Celestia.”

-Genshin Wiki on reciving Visions

Starting with my Favourite Element, Electro.

Electro wise, We have five Characters as of right now: Kequin, Razor, Beidou, Fishl and Lisa. The Electro Archon, God of Eternity, Baal, is the ruling Archon of the Area, Inazuma, whitch is the area we are getting in the 1.4 update in 2021.

To start off i read into any info i could find on Baal and i gotta say, she is a interesting Fellow. As of right now we know that Baal has locked Inazuma down and has initiated a Vision Hunt Decree, due to her thinking Visions should be under the sole domain of divinity. She also hasnt handed out any Visions since this decree which means all Electro characters we know have gotten theirs before this drastic change.

Now, why did these 5 characters get their Visions? Well each character has a different reason, from Razor wanting to protect those he calls friends to Lisa simpley saying it would be of use to her and just getting it. From what I've found there isnt really a big overlap in the reciving of the characters, but what is overlaping is their fixation on something.

Razor recived his vision due to him being fixated on getting stronger to protect his friends after he failed to while being dragged away by an abyss mage

Kequin was fixated on sharing her beliefs, that the people of Lyiue shouldnt rely on Rex Lapis and have their Pride and that their views are of Equal importance

Fishl was so fixated on a book series she changed herself to be like the main character, fishl and her Vision manifested in the form of Oz, one of the characters from said book

Beidou was fixated on killing Haishan, a sea monster, from a young age and recived her vision when she did so

Lisa is pretty much fixated on understanding magecraft and the cost of reciveing a Vision.

Now onto a easier Element, Geo

The Archon of Geo and Contracts, Morax, Archon of Lyiue.

Morax or Rex Lapis, was one of the oldest gods, defended Lyiue in the Archon war, the Currency in Teyvat, Mora, is named after him and as of Chp.1 Act 3 we know that he has taken the form of Zhongli and has retired as the Geo Archon.

Morax, Along with Barbatos, are the only two Archons of the Original Seven that havent been replaced.

Now, who are our Geo Characters? Noelle and Ningguang, two dedicated powerhouses! This one is fairly simple, thanks to voicelines we have of Zhongli since he came out as a player character (Bless the pity pull for giving me this man)

In his “About Ningguang” Voiceline he says: ”Despite the multitude of affairs she deals with in a day, Ningguang always continues to press on. A rare gem indeed. I'm reminded of the time that she used to walk barefoot from Yaoguang Shoal to the south wharf, trying to sell her wares as she went. Time is cruel to humans.”

Noelle recived her vision when Jean Acknowledged her hard work when she tried to get into the knights of favonius. in her “Vision” story it states: This was a lucky day that she would always remember, for she would receive recognition from two all-important sources this day: once from Jean, and the other from the gods. Her hard work has been remembered after all.

So for short: Hard working and dedicated = Geo Vision

Next up we have Anemo

Our wonderful Tone deaf bard, Venti or otherwise known as the Archon of Anemo and freedom, Barbatos, the not really ruling Archon of Mondstadt.

Barbatos is a freedom loving guy and refuses to rule over Mondstadt, the city of freedom and is by far the weakest of the Archons, despite this the people of Modstadt still love and adore their windy God.

I went into this one thinking “Oh this is easy, itll be love for freedom or something!” Nope, it surprisingly wasnt. Jean and sucerose recived their visions through their Determination it seems. Sucerose from doing her 159th Dandilion seed Simmering experiment and Jean seemed to be determened to be a good grandmaster and to protect Mondstadt.

That aside, i couldnt find many overlaps with the two, they are both free spirited and love what they do.

Now on to Pyro

Pyro, the Element of the Archon Murata who is also the god of War, is wielded by the fan fav Diluc, as well as Klee, Xiangling, Amber, Bennett and Xinyan.

Not much is known about Murata, Venti describes her as a “ wayward, warmongering wretch” and thats about all we know. She presides over Natlan.

Now to the characters, this was acually the easiest of them all: Passion.

Every Pyro user has a huge amount of passion that a rolemodel or Loved one ignited within them.

This one definitly surprised me the least and i am really excited for when we meet Murata and Natlan.

Diluc has the same passion his father had

Klee has a passion for Explosives that her mother ignited

Xiangling has a passion for food and cooking she got from her father

Amber got her Passion for Mondstadt and the outriders from her grandfather

Bennett got the Passion for adventure from all the old adventurers he calls dads, yes Dads as in plural, that raised him

Xinyan has a passion for Rock, tho i havent found out more of her story due to her being so new.

Now heading onto Hydro

Hydro, along with Dendro, is the only element where we do not know the name of the Archon. All we do know is that they are the Archon of Hydro and Justice and rule over Fontaine.

So straight to the Hydro characters: Barbara, Mona and Xingqiu.

I dont really count Childe due to the only thing talked about is his dilusion and i am rather confused on if he even has a real vision but i still love him lots

Im going to be honest this one really had me running the brain gears for a while.

All three recived their Vision as an extension of the self.

Barbara got hers after helping a sick boy by singing to him to help him sleep through a fever, Mona rekindeled a learning aid to her vision, to aid her with her search for the truth of the rules of the world and Xingqiu got his after he explained the principles of his clans martial arts anew, litterally saying that martial artists should see Visions as a extension of the self.

Last but definitly not least, Cryo

Cryo, the Element of the Archon know as the Tsaritsa. We acually dont know her corrisponding ideal nor her acual name and this one was just as geargrinding as Hydro.

The Tsaritsa, Ruler of the fatui and the one that gives them their Dilusions, is one interresting lady. We get a description of her from Childe: “Her Royal Highness the Tsaritsa is actually a gentle soul. Too gentle, in fact, and that's why she had to harden herself. Likewise, she declared war against the whole world only because she dreams of peace. Her gaze was cold but pure, arrogant yet sharp. She was not only the sacrosanct Cryo Archon but a true warrior also.”

Kaeya, Chongyun, Diona and Qiqi, our current four Cyro userer, all have rather interesting storys when it comes to how they got their Vision.

All dont accept something

Kaeya felt guilty about hiding who he was from the family that adopted him after his father abandoned him to be a spy in Mondstadt, and told Diluc, someone he used to be very close with, the truth, since then he sees his vision as a stern reminder that he must live his life under a heavy burden of Lies. He pretty much doesnt accept the truth of his situatin and would rather live with that heavy burden

Chonyun is surpressing a part of himself, the condition he has, and as Xiangling says in Chongyuns stories, is denying a part of him. He trys to work around his condition and wont accept it as the way to go about how he practices exocrism.

Diona wont accept the truth about her father being a Alcoholic, and places the blame on the Alcohol industy instead of accepting that he isnt as high and mighty as she thought. She wont accept that her fathers bad control over his drinking habits is the reason he acts as he does and instead blames the alcohol industry.

Qiqi didnt want to accept her death nor does she really accept her Zombie like traits and only uses them when she needs to defend herself.

My theory is the Cyro Visions are recevied when you wont accept the grim reality as it is, if this is positive or negative variates

When it comes to the last element, Dendro, we sadly know nothing nor have we seen any dendro character in action. So that might be a addition later on.

I’m really interrested if we find out the actual criteria for reciving each Vision one day

#genshin impact #genshin diluc #genshin theory #kaeya #diluc ragnvindr #zhongli #childe #genshin venti #genshin chongyun #this game is taking over my life

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feybarn · 3 years

Note

I feel like someone now needs to prompt you with 'hate' or 'suffering' for the WIP guessing game! Whichever of those you haven't gotten yet lol

I did have both words in the WIP folder, but hate beat out suffering for my favorite context. I want to write Leia and Obi-Wan interacting, okay? We were ROBBED.

“I was… perhaps a little obtuse and had not quite realized that the situation was meant to give me the opportunity to have a break. Your father had invited me to dinner, and to be fair to me, there were delegates from a few other worlds that I was trying to ah… persuade into a more tolerable viewpoint regarding the war and the soldiers who fought in it.”

“Mother hated those dinners.” Though there were few who were better at them then she’d been.

“Yes, well, they’re political dinners and I was doing my political duty. But as the rest were leaving, your mother asked me to stay longer to join her and your father for a less political retreat.” General Kenobi smiled. “She told me, and I despair that my memory is not quite good enough to repeat her words exactly. ‘General Kenobi, my husband has assured me that you’re the most smooth-talking man he has ever met, but I’m tempted to make it an official decree that if I hear so much as another word of politics from your tongue I’ll have you gagged. And for all the stars, get some sleep before Bail gives himself an ulcer worrying about you.’”

Leia laughed, picturing it exactly: mother would be wearing her stern ‘I do know best, after all I am the Queen’ look; while Father would have been grinning but trying to hide it; General Kenobi, she imagined, must have looked just the slightest bit flummoxed at receiving the royal decree to rest.

#fey's writing #WIP guessing game #Leia and Obi-Wan would have gotten along so well #those two were both so strong #letting everyone else lean on them #even when their world was collapsing around them #they deserve some good bonding time

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khoicesbyk · 3 years

Text

The Royal Romance.

A/N: I’ve decided to go into my own little TRR world and create an AU. This will be fun! So; Talley Ho! *in my Sherlock Holmes voice*

Rated: Explicit. | Contains sexual content and strong language. (You know? The usual from me. 😁) | Bolded and/or italicized words are conversations and thoughts of the characters. | Main Characters: King Marquise Rys (LI) and Queen Shanelle Dawkins (MC) | All Characters and names: (except MC and certain original characters, created by me) are property of Pixelberry.

Current Word Count: 1,500 words. (more or less. I stop counting after editing and re-editing. 🤷🏾‍♀️)

Song And Story Inspiration: NOLA-August Alsina | Away From Me/Control-Puddle Of Mudd

Prompt Time! Using @wackydrabbles prompt #76 “You’ll Feel Better In The Morning”. It’ll be in bold in black.

Tag List: @lifeaskim @choiceslady @secretaryunpaid @bebepac @pixie88 @txemrn @glaimtruelovealways @kingliam2019 @texaskitten30 @choicesfannatalie @hopelessromanticmonie @shanzay44 @wackydrabbles @choicesficwriterscreations

I AM UNAPOLOGETICALLY NSFW! READER DISCRETION IS STRONGLY ADVISED AND ENCOURAGED!

If you’d like to be added to my tag list. Just reblog or DM me and I will gladly add you. 😁😘

Chapter 21.) Shadow Of The Crown.

(This is from My King’s POV)

Here I sit with a drink in my hand while staring at the documents on my desk. One is the hotel blueprints I showed Tariq and the other is the Royal decree of debt collection for Lord Winslow. All both needed was my signature and a few lives would be turned upside down. But could I really do it? Could I be that heartless? Short answer: yes! Long answer: hell yes!

They deserve it after all. They’re coming after me and what is rightfully mine. They’re coming for My Queen. And they would have succeeded had that idiot not sent handwritten messages to me and Shanelle. I have always been afraid of becoming somewhat of a dictator like my father and my grandfather before him. But, now I understand why they ruled the way they did. Their enemies stopped at nothing. And clearly mine aren’t either.

Sure, their challenge for the crown and throne doesn’t bother me. But what does bother me, is them thinking that they’re going to undermine or intimidate My Queen. I can’t have that. I have to protect and shield her from them. That’s my job as her fiancé and her future King. I serve her before I serve my people.

They pushed me to this point. I don’t want to be this way. But if I’m gonna be honest, I actually like being selfish. Making them fear The Crown and it’s unbridled power is quite satisfying. I now understand why my father enjoyed it so much. He loved when nations feared him as much as they respected him. He always said it helped to know who was weak and who wasn’t. Just like now.

And sure, the court won’t like my decisions should I decide to make them, but then again that damn court doesn’t like anything that specifically makes them look bad. As long as I fall in line with what they want, they’re happy. My happiness and sanity be damned. Which is why I fight so hard for Shanelle. I want them to see her as the queen that she will be for all of Cordonia. But their stubborn determination will never let that happen. They’d much rather I be with someone like Duchess Kaitlyn or better yet, they’d rather I’d reunite with Madeleine.

Poor Maddie truth be told we were doomed from the start. Not just because I couldn’t get over My Queen but, we just weren’t compatible. And it didn’t help that she was still somewhat in love with Leo. Yet and still we tried to make it work. But the court and their whispers of an heir needing to be produced the minute we returned from our honeymoon, became too much. I do think she was a great queen. But with her endometriosis, she could never have children. And with no true blood heir, our marriage failed. I don’t hate her and I sincerely hope that she doesn’t hate me. She was a queen for Cordonia, not for me. I need a queen for me and I found her in My Goddess.

She is everything I could ever ask and pray for in a woman. Which is why this whole ordeal is so frustrating. I found the queen that I need and want. And the court has their noses turned up at her. Instead they’re actually leaning towards the Duchess and her idiot of a fiancé. Preposterous to say the least. They’re worried Shanelle would bring the country to ruin. But they have no idea how much ruin this kingdom would be in if the parliamentary vote goes in their favor. And when and if it does, they’ll be sorry.

All of this makes me thankful for whiskey because without it, I’d be out of my mind. It’s also making my current decision making a lot more fun. So do I or don’t I? I know the risks that I’m taking by signing these but a clear message has to, no…a clear message needs to be sent.

But what would she think? How would she feel or respond? Will she understand my decision? Now I have no delusions. I know that she’d be furious with me, but I’m only doing this for her and her protection. I see the way the vultures in the media treat her. Like she’s a fresh carcass for them to scavenge upon.

And while I’m proud to see that she is doing a fantastic job in her lessons with Regina, she’s still vulnerable in the eyes of the court. I realize that but I also know that she is a brilliantly resilient woman and I have full confidence that she will make a great queen.

That’s why I choose her. Her resilience. She doesn’t know the meaning of the word quit. The way she faces, challenges and takes down adversity is awe inspiring. She makes me a better king and a better man.

But the more I think about it, the more I lean towards approving the documents in front of me. Because I know that they won’t stop until she leaves me and Cordonia forever. And that will be the moment that I become the dictator that it was rumored my father was.

Many in the court whispered that he changed after my mother’s death. Which is partially true, he became suspicious of our enemies and certain allies and with good reason.

Many in the court didn’t like or necessarily agree with my mother. They opposed her being for and about the people. They wanted her to be about maintaining the court and its image. That wasn’t my mother. Like Shanelle, my mother was not a native Cordonian but my father loved her. Dearly. And much to the courts objections, he married her and eventually they had me. They were happy. He was happy. Until she was stolen from us.

My sweet mother. I miss her so much. I just want to hug her. I want to hear her sing to me. I want to see her smile again. I want to tell her how much I love her. Don’t get me wrong, I love Regina and will move heaven, hell and earth for her. She’s been good to me and my brother and she was a saint to my father. I do love her but it’s just not the same.

The way the court treated my mother is how they treat My Goddess and as a king and especially as a son, it’s infuriating. Both are beautiful, fierce and compassionate. My mother would’ve loved Shanelle. And much like Regina, she would’ve done everything that she could to convince the court, that she’s the one. My mother was young and vibrant when she was killed.

I’ve known for years that it wasn’t accidental. But I never knew who murdered her or why, but I vow that I will find out and when I do I will crush her murderers.

I can hear her beautiful voice in my head.

She would be disappointed with me. She would say, “my son, I know that you want to protect your fiancée but this isn’t the way to do it. I raised you to be better than this.”

And she’d be right she did. I am better than this. But I am also a king. My rule is being challenged. So I must do what I have to do as king to protect myself and My Goddess. Which is why these documents sit on my desk. This is how I protect us. What people don’t understand is that being a king is not just a title, it is a responsibility. I am responsible for the health, prosperity and safety of my people and especially my queen.

And what kind of king would I be if I can’t and don’t live up to my responsibilities?

And sure I could just brush off Duchess Kaitlyn and Tariq as nothing. And I really should but I don’t want to. I want them to fear what I can do. All with the swipe of a pen. And well this kind of power is delicious and it makes me understand who my father really was as king.

So if I sign these I will be the dictator that many in court said my father was. And honestly, especially now that I’ve thought about it I don’t care. I’m at my limit and this keeps me from plummeting towards having public executions just for the hell of it.

I can hear both my mother and My Goddess tell me not to do this. They’d say “Marquise you’re upset. You’re not thinking clearly. This decision isn’t who you are. Go get some sleep. You’ll feel better in the morning.” And they’re right I will as soon as I sign these decrees. And sure, Tariq and Lord Winslow will hate me. But that’s what happens when you cross me.

And with the stroke of my pen it’s done.

Long Live The King!

Forever I shall reign!

#choices #pixelberry #choices stories you play #khoicesbyk #choices fanfiction #fanfic #the royal romance #queen of cordonia #queen shanelle #king of cordonia #king marquise

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coffee-obsessed-writer · 4 years

Text

The Pact - Part 6

Sam Winchester x Crowley’s Daughter!Reader

Gothic AU

A/N: This idea was a long time coming. My first true AU, so please be gentle. This will be a slow burn, multi-chapter fic.

A big big thank you to my bestie @kazosa for not only keeping on me to write more of this story, but also for being my beta, my cheerleader, and all around amazing human.

WC: 5K

Series Summary: Lord Samuel Winchester has lost the love of his life due to the actions of the Demon King, Crowley. As he plots secret revenge, his father, the King of Lawrence, decrees that Sam will wed Crowley’s daughter in order to unite the two families to protect the sacred ground the Winchester’s Kingdom is built upon.

Pairing: Sam Winchester x Crowley’s Daughter!Reader

Other Players: John Winchester, Crowley, Rowena, Dean Winchester, Bobby Singer, Jessica Moore (deceased)

Series Warnings: 18+ only, mild language, violence, implied smut

The sun rose over Lawrence on a typical Tuesday morning. A familiar sound woke Sam, something he heard every Tuesday morning--the melody of the tower bells summoning the Winchester guard to court. Normally, they didn’t ring until later in the morning, but their early clanging roused a reluctant Sam from a deep, painless slumber.

When his eyes finally fluttered fully open, he slowly rolled his head to the side, knowing he’d see her there, but this morning was different than any other before it; this morning, she would wake up and truly be his wife. His mind recalled the night before, and into the early hours of that morning, rolling around on the floor, making love to the woman he was supposed to despise. The corner of his mouth twitched into an awkward smile as he thought about how she moved her body with his, how she opened up and let him take her. There was a manner of uncontrolled passion that erupted between them, and even then, he was getting hard thinking about it.

The bells rang again, along with the Horn of Gabriel, a much deeper tone that stood out over the sound of the melodic chimes. Sam furrowed his brow, knowing this meant for the guard to assemble quickly. He wondered if there was news from the front lines… from Dean. He looked at his sleeping bride with a last longing look, taking special notice of how her hair spilled out on the pillow around her. Resisting the urge to brush a finger against her cheek, he threw off the covers and didn’t think of his hip once as he put his feet on the floor and moved about his chambers to dress for the day.

Just as Sam fastened the last button on his shirt, he heard (Y/N) stirring from behind him.

“Samuel?” she spoke, half asked in a low, sleepy tone. “Where… it’s so early.” She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and pulled the blanket up to her collarbone, covering her naked breasts.

“Rest,” he tutted. “It is early. I need to go to court, the bells are calling the guard. I’m going to check it out, but you can go back to sleep.”

“No,” she said and sat up further in the bed. “I’ll go with you, we should present a united front.”

“I appreciate that, (Y/N), but your presence there would be questioned, even by my father. I promise to take it all in and report back.” Sam sat on the edge of the bed and took her hand in his. His thumb rubbed the back of her hand for a moment before he spoke. “I’m not trying to leave you out, I swear. I just--”

“It’s fine, Sam. I understand. I just wanted to be there to support you. Dealing with your father can’t be easy.”

“Since he has seen us playing along with whatever their plan is, he’s been surprisingly pleasant,” Sam said, a small tinge of sarcasm coating his tone.

“Well, he’s getting what he wants. Of course he’s going to be kind.” She paused and gave his hand a little squeeze in return. “Sam, about last night. I--”

A deep, penetrating knock rapped at the door, interrupting her and causing both their heads to snap around. Their eyes met in a questioning glance before Sam released her hand and walked towards the door.

“Sam!” She whispered hoarsely but sharp to gain his attention. “Your cane… appearances and all that.”

“Good thinking,” he said, half embarrassed that he hadn’t thought of that. He scooped up the now unneeded crutch and went to open the chamber door.

As he pulled it open, a member of the Winchester Guard was standing at full attention.

“My Lord, your father, the King, requires your immediate attention. He needs you to come to the War Room without delay,” the guard rambled quickly, causing Sam to shake his head and lend a soft smile at the man.

“Slow down… what’s wrong? Why are the Court bells ringing so early?”

“Please, Lord Winchester, your father… he--”

Sam could see the unsettled look in the guardsman’s face and knew that something was definitely happening. He drew in a steading breath and patted the man on his ironclad shoulder.

“Let me finish dressing. Something tells me I need to be prepared for anything,” Sam said more to himself than to the guard.

“I would say that’s an accurate assessment,” the guardsman replied in the same manner, but Sam could hear the slight tremble in his words before he closed the door, blocking the man’s view into their chambers.

Sam leaned his cane near the entry, this way he wouldn’t forget it on the way out. He then made a mental note that he would also have to remember to add his now healed limp back into his entrance to the War Room. His mind began to race at what could be so urgent. It must be about Purgatory, as that was all his father had been concerned about lately. Well, that, and Sam’s ability to produce an heir.

Sighing deeply Sam sat on the edge of the bed and studied (Y/N)’s face as she did the same to him.

“You’re very troubled, husband. What could possibly be so dire that you have to run to Court at the very minute of daybreak?”

“I don’t know,” he replied, still buried in thought and growing concern. “But I plan on finding out. For now, I think you should stay here. Don’t wander today.”

“Okay, if you think that’s for the best.”

Sam’s head snapped up when she agreed so easily. “What? No fight from the Mistress Macleod? I’m shocked.”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and crawled out from beneath the covers, either unaware or unphased by her vulnerable nudity and positioned herself right beside him. “I’m a Winchester now, remember? And if my Lord husband asks me to do something because he thinks it's best, then I shall grant his wish.”

Sam’s dimpled smile lit up his face, knowing that she was being half truthful and half sarcastically playful. The urgency to leave for the inevitable meeting with the King his guardsman loomed over him, but he was having difficulty pulling away from her and leaving her alone in the bed they just shared. He allowed himself his own moment of vulnerability and let his fingers slowly wander up the silky flesh of her arm, tracing his finger across her collarbone and up to her cheek.

“Thank you.” His voice was rough and low, but she didn’t pay it any mind. Instead, she placed her delicate hand against his stubbled cheek.

“Go, before he sends another Guard rapping,” (Y/N) chuckled, then leaned forward and kissed his lips tentatively. Sam returned her kiss and knew that if he didn’t stop then, his father would quickly be forgotten and he would be tangled up in her all over again.

With a grunt of frustration, Sam stood from the bed and grabbed his coat from the back of the chair by the fireplace. He could still feel the heat of the fire from the night before and smiled at the memory of how they enjoyed it for the entire night. One last look back at the woman now laying in his bed, and he left the chambers to see what fresh Hell awaited him in the War Room.

Every step towards the War Room, Sam could feel his nerves growing and vibrating beneath his skin. The tension was buzzing so loudly in his head, he was having trouble streamlining his thoughts. Luckily he had remembered to grab his cane on the way out, but halfway towards his destination, it finally registered that he needed to add in his now gone limp. By the time he reached the hulking wooden door that led to whatever awful things awaited, he was back in the habit of babying his hip; but not because he physically needed too, whatever (Y/N) had done the night before was holding strong and then some.

Drawing in one long, deep breath, Sam pushed the doors open and used his sharp eyes to survey the room the second he stepped in. To the left were his father’s top advisors, including Bobby and Pastor Jim from the Church of Lawrence. To the right of the room were a dozen or so of the Winchester Guard, standing at attention and waiting for any order the King may decree. In the middle of the room, the ancient table that mapped out the lands for hundreds of miles--including the Elven Woods and the entrances to Purgatory--was set with various pieces representing the Winchester’s army and their current battle plans. Sam noticed another set of pawns added to the table. They were black forms dotted with bright spots of bright crimson. Sam’s gut took a dive as he realized those markers belonged to Crowley’s army of demons.

Looking up, Sam finally noticed his father’s form standing in front of the raging fire, whose snap and crackle was the loudest sound in the room. John was free of his usual Royal garb, and instead dressed in a simple pair of denim pants and black long sleeved shirt. One arm was stretched all the way out, leaning against the stone mantle, while the other hand was pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Dad,” Sam spoke tentatively, carefully studying his father’s slumped shoulders and lowered head, “what’s going on? Why are you calling court so early?”

John stood motionless for what felt like an eternity. When he finally turned and met his youngest son’s eyes, Sam was taken aback by what he saw in them. The normally stoic, no nonsense King of Lawrence, had wet cheeks and red-rimmed eyes that made him look as though he had been crying.

Sam’s gut swelled with sickness, as he considered what could be so bad that it would cause his father to show such a surge of emotion in front of anyone, much less the highest ranking members of his Kingdom. Words were stuck in his throat as he continued to stare at John, unable to force anything more than a trembling breath to expel from between his lips.

“Samuel…” John’s rough voice finally broke through the silence of the room. “I have news from the front lines.” He paused and stood tall, lengthening himself to full height, but still not as tall as the son he was staring down. “It’s your brother, he--”

“Dean? Is he okay? Is he… dead?”

John opened his mouth to speak, but another voice chimed in before the King could answer.

“Come on Sammy, you think I’m gonna let a few Purgatory sonsofbitches take me out?”

Sam whirled around on one heel quickly, a move that would have certainly left him in agonizing pain before (Y/N)’s treatment. He didn’t even think of it, because the voice belonged to his brother, who was now standing right behind him.

“What? No hello for your big brother?”

“Dean,” Sam breathed with a relief sigh, “You’re alive!”

Sam was stunned to see Dean. Speechless, he stared at his brother, trying to convince himself that what he was seeing was real, and not some fever dream. Bruised and battered, Dean stood before his younger brother, his patented smart ass smile plastered across his face and his arms outstretched, palms up, and shaking his head. “Well of course I am. Damn, it's like you have zero faith in me... Bitch.”

“Jerk,” Sam snorted and rolled his eyes and took the last few steps to embrace his brother. Dean didn’t hold back and hugged Sam just as tightly, smacking his back to accentuate his joy at their reunion. When they finally parted, they gave one final nod of acknowledgement; they’re way of saying, ‘yeah, I’m okay’ without having to actually say it.

“Dean’s return from the front lines is certainly cause for celebration, don’t you think?” John said loud enough to capture the attention of the room. “And now that Samuel is married, on the way to producing an heir, both my sons are on track to fulfil their destinies. If that isn’t a good enough reason to call an early Court, I don’t know what is.”

Sam watched John’s face transform into a grin, but he could feel no genuine happiness radiating from it. There was something else behind his King’s mask that Sam could feel instead… guilt, fear, regret… he wasn’t sure he could pinpoint it, but he knew that his father was hiding something.

“I called this early court because I wanted to discuss a few things before we got down to real business. There is to be a big celebration--”

“Celebration?” Bobby interjected from the shadows. He stepped into view and adjusted his cap nervously. “I don’t mean to barge in here, but, John… c’mon. Now is not the time--”

“Bobby, please. There has been so much blight and pain in the last few years,” John said, then paused to adjust the hint of a smile to appear more heavy than happy. “With Sam’s marriage, and Dean’s return, I think it's appropriate to let the people rejoice for once instead of mourning their loved ones who don’t come home.”

The room fell completely silent. Sam watched as his father starred down the old Maester, and could feel the tension fill the air. Bobby flicked a quick glance Sam’s way--only the briefest of looks--but Sam knew exactly what it meant.

Tread easy boy...

Sam cleared his throat. “I think a celebration is in order,” he agreed, then paused before continuing. Sam was trying to appear diplomatic and act in accordance with his father’s wishes. He didn’t feel a party of any kind was proper, but, if he could find a way to use this to his advantage, he would do what he had to. “I mean, it's not every day my brother returns in one piece. And my wedding wasn’t exactly the happiest of occasions. Now that some time has passed and (Y/N) and I are embracing our commitment, I think a party is a great idea.”

“I’m surprised at you, Sammy,” John snorted. “I thought you, of all people, would be fighting me.”

“No dad, I’m done fighting you. I am here to fulfil my duties and take on the role you need me to take on. Just like Dean did in Purgatory…”

Murmurs of agreement began to radiate from the guardsman that had gathered. Sam noticed John’s demeanor change, and could feel how rigid the King had quickly become. He knew he could leave it there, just agree with John and let it go. But something in his gut told him to push it further, twist this to his favor…

Sam grinned knowingly at John, which seemed to throw the King off even more.

“For the return of my brother. For the joining of Winchester and Crowley lineage--” Sam heard Dean audibly react to the name Crowley, but Sam didn’t chance a look back. Instead, he held John’s dark eyes and twitched another satisfied smirk. “--and for the battles we are fighting in Purgatory against Eve’s most terrifying monsters. Like my father said, it's time to raise a goblet in good cheer, instead of in mourning. So, let’s throw a feast and raise a cup of ale to ‘We, the Hunters and Protectors of Lawrence’! To all of us, those who fight and those who WILL win the fight every day that it rages on!”

The Winchester Guardsman in the room erupted into shouts and cheers just as Sam had hoped they would. The King’s grin expanded, showing off his deeply dimpled cheeks and his perfect teeth. Yet when Sam watched him, he saw nothing but contempt in his father’s eyes.

“All right, all right…” John said in an authoritative, deep voice that immediately quieted the room. “There are still matters to discuss at hand. Yes, we can celebrate, but first, we must strategize. I need to speak with Bobby and Pastor Jim. We will reconvene later to hear what Dean has brought us from the front lines.” John paused from addressing the room and turned to Sam. “Sam, for now, why don’t you take Dean to meet your lovely bride. It’s only right he meets the newest member of our family.”

Sam turned to Dean, who nodded swiftly. “I think that’s a great idea. Would love a chance to catch up with my little brother here, and his new wife. Did I hear correctly… she’s a Crowley?”

“Macleod, actually,” Sam corrected. “But yes, let’s leave the King to his business. You and I have some catching up to do.”

“Dude,” Dean rasped and swiped a smack to the back of Sam’s head. “You married a Crowley?! What the HELL were you thinking?!”

“Dean, relax. First of all, it wasn’t my idea. This was all dad,” Sam scoffed as he walked slowly through the maze of stone corridors leading to his chambers. “Trust me, I was NOT on board at first. I fought dad on this tooth and nail.”

“But yet…” Dean huffed as his arms animatedly waved in front of him, as if he was calling someone safe a home plate.

“Look…” Sam turned and made sure Dean stopped before crashing into him. “I hear you, okay? Don’t think for a second that I went along with this easily.”

“So why did you go along with it at all? He got you brainwashed?”

“No, I just realized that maybe he wasn’t entirely wrong.”

Dean choked on whatever words he wanted to say and just stared at his little brother.

“Also,” Sam started then turned and kept moving towards his room, “She’s not a Crowley. Crowley is… Crowley. (Y/N) is Crowley’s daughter.”

“Oh, well, that makes it sooo much better,” Dean rolled his eyes and grabbed Sam’s shoulder to make him stop walking.

“Dude, stop for one second… please, explain this to me. How did this happen?”

“Dad told me it was up to me to produce an heir. Your place was on the front lines. Since I am the resident gimp and can no longer fight, my role is to make him a grandpa.” His tone oozed contempt. “Apparently him and Crowley made some sort of deal. We bind our two families by marriage, have a child, and dad gets reinforcements of Crowley’s minions at the front lines of Purgatory.”

Dean snorted a sarcastic laugh. “Right, because demon deals always work in our favor.”

Sam shrugged unsure of how to answer him. Dean was right, demon deals never ended well for the Winchesters. They had centuries of family history donning the castle walls proving that. He turned to start walking again, but once again, Dean made him stop.

Sam could see the shift of Dean’s focus was going somewhere else, so he didn’t argue. Instead, he waited for his older brother to arrive at whatever point he was trying to get too.

“Let me get this straight, because none of this makes sense. Dad wants you to produce an heir with a blood relative to the King of Hell?”

“I know, it seems insane.”

“No, what’s insane, Sam, is that you agreed to it in the first place. Why would you say yes to that? Especially since Crowley is the one who killed Jes--”

“Dean!” Sam barked, loud and with enough assertiveness to make Dean slightly recoil. “I know. Okay, I get it. Maybe it will turn out to be the worst choice I could have made. But when I agreed to it, I had a plan. I was going to kill her to get back at Crowley. Take the life of his daughter as revenge for Jess.”

“Okay… and? Apparently she’s still alive, so what’s stopping you?””

“The plan has since changed. (Y/N) isn’t who I thought she would be. Dean… she’s…”

“Oh God…” Dean buried his face in his palms. “Sammy, don’t… don’t tell me you already knocked her up.”

“No!” Sam

“Ok, good. Because the last thing I need to worry about while slaughtering vamps and ghouls is you playing house with a literal demon spawn.”

“Just meet her, okay. She’s… different.”

“Oh, you mean her eyes don’t glow red and her body isn’t filled with black smoke?”

“No, they don’t. She’s human, Dean. She’s not a demon. She’s human. Though, she’s got some serious knowledge when it comes to magic.”

“Magic? Like… magic, magic?”

Sam nodded and desperately wanted to back up his words by showing his brother how (Y/N) had healed his hip. Instead, he decided to wait. Dean would need more than that if he was to be convinced that (Y/N) was on the level.

“Man, I go away for a year and all Hell breaks loose, literally. So what is the real plan here, Sammy? Because even if the girl is legit, you agreeing with dad leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”

“Dean, just breathe, okay? I promise you, it will all be okay.”

Once Sam left for the War Room, you laid back against the pillows and drew the blankets up to your chin. Fighting the smile that tugged at the corner of your mouth, you closed your eyes and couldn’t help but think about the night before, spent tangled up with your new husband in the tapestries and sheets. He was an amazing lover; from the moment he had first kissed you, until the moment you fell asleep, he attended to every part of your flesh with a gentle, yet fierce longing you didn’t know could exist.

Not one part of you wanted to want him. In fact the internal struggle that raged between your head and heart was raucous and frustrating. As you lay there with your eyes shut, your hand went to the place between your breasts where the vial of potion normally rested. It was when your hand felt nothing there but your own soft flesh, that you sat up quickly and with force. Panicked, you began to remember more details from the night before.

In the recklessness of tearing at what remained of each other’s clothing, the vial on the thin cord must have been removed and tossed aside. You had a vague memory of realizing it the night before, but you had been too punch drunk and lustful in Samuel’s arms to do much about it then.

Kicking off the covers, grabbing at the robe that lay across the back of the chair, you threw it around loosely and fell to the floor in search of the vial. As you frantically searched the room, your fears were starting to grow that Sam would find it, and you would have to explain… too much. Suddenly fear struck you that he would think you used it on him; that the night you two had spent together was contrived and manipulated as part of your plan. Truth is, that is exactly what it had been for, but there was no need for it. You and Sam found your way to each other naturally and coming to terms with the fact that you didn’t hate it, was something else entirely.

Before you could begin to process that feeling, you had to find the vial. Rooting around on the thick shag throw rug and coming up empty, you moved to under the bed, silently praying you would find it easily. Minutes were passing as if you had all the time in the world, and still the vial seemed to have disappeared. Even in the mess of clothing strewn around the room, there wasn’t a trace of it.

Another panicked thought hit... Sam would be back soon. Too much time had passed now, and you weren’t dressed. If he arrived and found you still half nude in your robe, hair a mess and frazzled, an explanation would be necessary. Nothing that you could say would sound convincing, especially with the bond you two had been forming over plotting against your fathers. Sighing in relent, you got up off the floor and went to the chest where you kept your clothing and personal effects to choose something to wear for the day.

Not too long after putting the finishing touches on yourself, you heard the rumble of the chamber door begin to open. You drew in a steadying breath and turned from your reflection in the ornate wall-hung mirror, to greet your husband. Opening your mouth to speak, you were immediately silenced when you saw that Sam wasn’t alone.

“(Y/N),” he said, a hint of a secret smile on his face as he reached out to take your hand, pulling you towards them both, “my brother has returned from Purgatory. Dean,” he stepped aside so Dean could come forward, “this is my wife, (Y/N).”

Seeing the much-storied Dean Winchester in the flesh was a shock. He must have been the reason the bells were ringing so early on a Tuesday; the joyous news of his return must be making its way through the city by now.

“Wow,” you breathed “It’s wonderful to have you home, My Lord.” You bowed your head and gave the slightest curtsy, unsure of the proper greeting, but not wanting to offend.

“Is this chick for real?” Dean asked in a semi-hushed tone while elbowing Sam in the ribs.

“Shut up,” Sam bit back and shook his head with a snort. “(Y/N), it’s okay, you can drop formalities in front of my brother. He would rather go back to the depths of Purgatory then be called My Lord.”

“I dunno, kinda has a nice ring to it,” Dean quipped, very amused with himself until he caught sight of his brother’s eye roll. “Fine,” he said, and turned his attention back to you. “Nice to meet you, (Y/N), I’ve heard absolutely nothing about you, so I am sure you will have no trouble living up to the hype.” He flashed Sam another distrustful glance then looked back at you again.

This time though, you could feel the older Winchester brother’s scrutiny as it traveled down your body from your hair to your toes. He examined you quietly as if looking for the marker that would clue him into exactly who you were. Something about the way his green eyes watching you with such distrust made you nervous, as if he could see straight through you and know every thought that staggered through your mind.

“I’m happy to see you home in one piece, Dean. Sam has been very worried for your safety,” you said, trying to keep the nerves in your voice to a minimum.

Dean gave a half-hearted smile. “Well, he wouldn’t be Sammy if he wasn’t worrying about me.”

“And I suppose you worry about him the same.”

“I do. Which is why, if you try anything to hurt him, I can promise you they will never find your remai--”

“Dean!” Sam’s demeanor and tone said all his brother needed to hear.

“Alright, I get it. I don’t know you and I am already being a dick. What can I say, its who I am.”

“I would have you no other way,” you said, returning his half-assed smile. “I can promise you that I am nothing like my father. Crowley is an evil man with evil intentions, who sold me off to his enemy to be a broodmare. He thought I would be miserable, pained… angry. Yet, I take great pleasure in the fact that his plan has so far backfired, and I’ve come to find a wonderful, loving man in your brother. Sure, we had our issues, but I think we are of the same mindset.”

“Meaning?” Dean asked, crossing his arms over his chest and watching you carefully.

“Meaning… neither of us what to help fulfil whatever crap our fathers are plotting. Instead, we want to stop them. End the War. Bring everyone home.”

DEan scoffed. “End the War? Sweetheart, that war is just getting started. Nothing can end it, not even Eve’s monsters killing every last Hunter and Winchester to walk this Earth.”

“We have to try,” Sam spoke up, holding eyes with his brother, then glancing your way.

“And somehow having a kid is part of that?”

“It's what our fathers want,” you replied and shrugged. “I have no desire to be a mother. I didn’t even know my own. And, my grandmother, as much as she has taught me, wasn’t exactly a stellar role model.”

“So why the push towards family planning?”

Sam shrugged. “That’s what we are trying to figure out.”

Dean got quiet and began to slowly pace around the room. His hand thoughtfully rubbed at his mouth and down his chin. He didn’t look at you or Sam at all, but kept his focus on the floor in front of him. After a few moments, he stopped in his tracks and shook his head, as if to clear its thoughts.

“Could that be what they are doing?” he whispered as a question, but Sam wasn’t sure if it was directed to him or if Dean was talking to himself. “God I hope that’s not what she was talking about…” he trailed off, clearing not speaking to Sam now.

“Dean? What are you talking about?” Sam asked.

If Dean heard his question, he ignored it. He shook his head and cleared his throat. “Can’t be… John would never…”

“Dean… dad would never, what?”

Dean’s piercing green eyes met with Sam’s then slowly made their way to you. “Sammy, I don’t… the things I heard on the battlefield… I doubt they’re true. But, still.”

“What is it, Dean?” Sam asked, both his impatience and temper starting to rise. “Tell me!”

“I think Dad and Crowley want to sacrifice your child to Eve.”

Series Tags: @theplaid-wearingmoose / @zombiewerewolfqueen / @silkiechicken / @collette04 / @katiecurls75 / @death-unbecomes-you / @colie87 / @roxytheimmortal / @klanceiscannon14 / @voltage-my2dlove / @flamencodiva / @xhannahbananax03

Sam Winchester: @buckyscrystalqueen / @unabashedsoul97

SPN (all): @wings-of-a-raven / @negans-wife / @kazosa / @deans-baby-momma / @hobby27 / @breereadsthings / @maddiepants / @sorenmarie87 / @screechingartisancashbailiff / @winchesterxfamilybusiness / @spnhollis / @unlikelygalaxyiver / @linki-locks11 / @stoneyggirl / @clarinette07 / @lefthologramdeer / @destielhoneybee / @faughnphotography / @katehuntington / @81mysteriouslyme / @mrswhozeewhatsis / @deathofmissjackson / @lauravic / @akshi8278 / @rebelminxy / @idreamofplaid / @fictionalabyss / @blackcherrywhiskey / @his-paradox / @closetspngirl

All Tag Lists are open! If you want to jump on any of these lists, send me an ask with your choice and I will happily add you!

#Sam winchester x you #sam winchester x y/n #sam winchester AU #Sam winchester x reader #Crowley's daughter #SPN AU #Gothic AU #The Pact Part 6 #The Pact

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patrickstargang · 4 years

Text

To Heal (Shadow of Kyoshi fic)

Chapter 1: The Other Side of Peace

Chapter 2: Master and Student

Chapter 3: A Cause for Celebration

Chapter 4: Taking Off The Mask

Chapter 5: Call to Action

Epilogue

The rain had come to pass, it's only remnants being the smell of morning dew that permeated near the estate.

Rangi’s usual morning routine involved getting from her bed to find an empty spot next to her. So it was a breath of fresh air to find Kyoshi by her side, fast asleep. It wasn’t just that she was still there, but that it looked like Kyoshi was in the deepest sleep she’s had ever since her journey as the Avatar began. To see the master of all four elements face down on a pillow, sleeping like a baby, was a sight to behold. Rangi couldn’t waste the opportunity to see this. But it also gave Rangi a great deal of comfort, knowing that the Avatar, no, Kyoshi could allow herself to be vulnerable. Even if it was for a brief moment.

But as she looked at the woman she loved, she still found the scars. The painful remnants of the past. But Rangi began to see them in a different light. She hated the pain they caused Kyoshi, the history that they hold, but they were still a part of her. Rangi didn’t just love parts of Kyoshi, like how she doesn’t just love her for being the Avatar. She loved everything about her, even the things that others might consider unsightly.

She carefully traced her finger around the edges of the red bolts, just like she did the other night. She didn’t want to wake Kyoshi up, considering how peaceful she looked right now. But a sound interrupted the moment, a knock at the door. Rangi’s eyes narrowed, it was pretty early for anyone to be up and about.

She quickly put on the nightgown she was wearing and made her way to the door. She opened to find Jinpa with an envelope in one hand. He was tapping his foot, looking somewhat impatient.

“There you are Kyosh-”

His expression changed to surprise and confusion, seeing the fire nation lieutenant standing before him instead of the Avatar.

“Oh, Rangi. My apologies I thought Kyoshi might be in here, she's usually up by this hour….”

Then out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Kyoshi face down on the bed. His confusion was spent and now all that was left was embarrassment, realizing he might have interrupted a private moment.

He turned to the side, tight-lipped. “Well, this is awkward…..” He regained his composure and then held out the envelope to Rangi. “Anyways, I have an important notice for Avatar Kyoshi. It was sent all the way from the Fire Nation royal palace. Could you give her this for me?”

Rangi nodded. “I’ll relay the message.”

Jinpa nodded back. But then he narrowed his eyes and glanced back to Kyoshi. “Is she actually sleeping?” The tone of his voice sounded like he was witnessing the impossible.

“ Thank you, Jinpa. ” Rangi’s expression hinted at the Air Nomad overreaching his duties.

“Right….sorry.” He stiffly walked back down the hall.

Rangi scratched her forehead, now she knows how Kyoshi must have felt when they were working in Ba Sing Se. She stared at the envelope, colored completely in bright red. It had the Fire Lord's specific seal, so she knew that this was official.

While Rangi studied the mysterious envelope, Kyoshi began to awake from her slumber. As she got up her hair puffed out in a wrangled mess, her eyes half shut. She rubbed her eyelids, trying to break out of her sleepy haze.

“Did I sleep in?”

Rangi smiled, walking over to Kyoshi’s side of the bed and lightly kissed her forehead. “A little bit.”

Kyoshi smiled back, softly holding onto the firebender’s hand. She notices the red envelope in Rangi’s hand.

“Jinpa wanted me to give this to you. Considering the seal on it, it’s probably important.”

Kyoshi sighed, remembering she still had responsibilities as the Avatar to attend to. But luckily she could attend to them from the comfort of her bed. Rangi moved over to the other side of the bed as Kyoshi opened the letter. Kyoshi’s eyes scanned down the paper, her face slowly changing to surprise. Then she put the letter down.

“What does it say?”

“It's from Zoryu. He said that hes released the Saowan clan and freed the man that stood in for Yun’s execution.”

Kyoshi stared at the letter again, just to make sure she read it right. She let out a sigh of relief.

“Maybe I’m starting to make up for my mistakes,” she said jokingly.

But something bothered Rangi. Something about this felt too easy. Only sending a letter to Kyoshi seemed like it was underselling the severity of an act like this. There wasn’t proof in the letter that the Saowan clan was relieved of imprisonment besides Zoryu’s word (which wasn’t all that trustworthy anymore). It felt like it was just a cover.

She could sense Rangi’s distrust in the claim. Kyoshi turned her body around to face her. “What are you thinking about?”

Rangi shifted in her spot, thinking on it further. She didn’t want to sound paranoid, but the more she thought about it the more validity was added to her concerns. “Something about this is fishy. If he was going to make a decree like this, there would have been notice from the military and the council. But he just sent you a letter, nothing else to go with it.

“What if he’s lying? I mean we’ve seen him set up the whole Saowan clan, this might just be another act he's trying to pull.”

Kyoshi pondered on that question, Zoryu had her trust before but it didn’t take long for it to be dashed with his attempt to keep his honor and position of power steady. Rangi’s uncertainty then became Kyoshi’s.

“You're right. There isn’t enough to go off of, we need to make sure he’s actually kept his word. Lao Ge’s gone silent for a little while, so I don’t know how hes been handling it. But it’s got me worried.”

To Rangi, seeing Kyoshi begin to think about her duties more clearly was also a relief. She didn’t seem as bogged down by the uncertainties, she was thinking actively.

Rangi looked at Kyoshi, an air of love and respect radiating from her. “Thinking about paying our ‘friend’ a visit?”

Kyoshi could see the look in Rangi’s eyes. It was comforting, even healing, to see someone who believed in her both as the Avatar and who she was deep down. She didn’t need to hide anything, pretend to be stronger than she was. But when she was around Rangi, she felt like she could lift mountains and move the seas.

“It's time…..for the Avatar to return.”

Her duties had now moved from beyond the comfort of her bed. But it was nice to know that she wouldn’t be alone while attending them.

(this storyline will be continued in another fic called "The Firelord's Promise", so keep an eye out for that when it comes out)

#avatar #atla #rise of kyoshi #shadow of kyoshi #kyoshi #rangi #jinpa #trok #tsok #fan fic #to heal part 5 #to heal chapter 5

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randbwrite · 3 years

Text

The Phoenix Queen

Just a teaser of something I’ve been working on for a long time. It’s the beginning of a dark fantasy novel. Enjoy. -R

Faster, she had to move faster. She knew, she could feel it, he was almost gone. Why did she have to sleep? It was just a nap and he promised he wouldn’t leave the throne room. Please…. Please…. Don’t be too late.

She threw the heavy doors to the throne room open and gasped for air. Though there were only about twenty or so nobles present, the red liquid slowly seeping down the steps to the throne was quite visible. She took off in a run again, her shoes clattering hard against the solid and cold stone.

She shouted his name, yet she couldn’t hear her own voice as she ascended the steps. Her husband lay in front of her, blood slowly trickling down the steps from several stab wounds. She sank to her knees, tears forming in her eyes, her breath shaking as she pulled him into her arms. For the second time in her life, she held the one she loved most, as they lay dying in her arms. His beautiful blue eyes met her brilliant teal ones as she slightly shook her head. He mouthed the words “I love you” and then slowly closed his eyes.

She let out a cry from the very depths of her being, a wail that sounded of a world-ending. Had her hair not already turned white from the events of her childhood, it would have done so now. The room grew cold and ice crystals began forming across the floor. The nobles glanced back and forth between one another, with several bolting for the open doors. The doors, as if making sure that none would escape justice, slammed closed, the nobles turning back to look upon their queen.

The light in the throne room began to dim, as outside, what appeared to be a solar eclipse suddenly and rapidly appeared in the sky. Hushed whispers of panicked voices arose in the room, all seeming to be some variation of “it can’t be”. The room plunged into total darkness and silence, save for a pair of glowing amethyst eyes near the throne.

Unearthly sounds could be heard from the windows followed by a beastly and deep growl. Small bursts of a purple-black fire ran along the walls, lighting the sconces along the wall with the strange magical fire. A deep, raspy voice echoed through the throne room,

“My, my, my. What have we here? A murdered king in the throne room. Did none of you pay any attention in school? Or did you think it was all just an old legend meant to scare bureaucrats into not killing their rulers?”

As the room lit more and more, it revealed a man, or what looked like a man, with glowing red eyes standing near the throne. He was dressed oddly, wearing what appeared to be black dragon skin in the form of a long, tailored coat. He leaned against a cane, with a silver dragon head at the handle. His smile sent chills through the nobles who were present, especially when he ran his fingers through his black hair. He picked a piece of dust off the vest of his black suit, seemingly bored with the whole affair.

A nobleman, still holding a knife drenched in crimson, spoke up, his voice trembling, “A-are you?”

“The one who appears whenever a Wizard monarch is murdered? Yes, that would be me. Please tell me you remember my name at least? One can’t go around bringing about prophecies and fulfilling old legends properly without the requisite knowledge of just who is smiting who, now can we?”

“Dracten? No…. it… it can’t be.” The noble shook his head in disbelief.

“Ah, well, at least your schooling was good for something. Now, let’s see here. I count…. Five of you with blades, several more with magical residue. My, my, what did he do to deserve such a death?”

“He and his queen have yet to save us from the undead scourge that is threatening to take over the realms.” The noble replied.

The same beastly growl filled the room from before and the man dressed in black slowly walked towards the nobleman, looking quite annoyed. “If you mean to lie to a god, I suggest that you do a better job of it, mortal.” Once Dracten was right in front of the noble, he tapped his cane on the ground, “Let’s try that again, shall we?”

“He’s only half wizard. Not fit for being a royal.”

Dracten’s eyebrow twitched and his expression grew stern. “THAT is why he was murdered? Not for power, revenge, personal vendetta, the throne? No, you all chose to kill someone, over THAT?”

“Without a pure-blooded heir, the Wizard kingdom would surely suffer a lack of power against the other races.”

Dracten inhaled a few times, seeming to start speaking before pressing his lips together, only to repeat the process over again. “You…. Are an idiot.” Dracten walked away, shaking his head, making his way to the grieving queen. He stretched out his hand to her, which she reluctantly took as he helped her stand. He looked her over and then sighed, “My, my. Being the one to fulfill the prophecy of reuniting the realms apparently was not enough, was it? As you know, I am here at your service, especially seeing as you are the last of the royal bloodline, are you not?”

Her eyes had grown puffy, and her tears had crystalized into ice along her cheeks. She nodded and then spoke in a hoarse voice. “I am.”

“What is your request then? Torment for all eternity? Death, destruction and chaos? Come now, I must have an answer.”

“Any of you who had nothing to do with my husband’s death, leave now.” Her expression grew distant as the doors to the throne room swung open. All but a few hurried out of the room. Just beyond the threshold of the door, several sets of eyes watched with great interest and relief, thankful that they were not caught in the ancient enchantments of the throne room. “Dracten, my wish, in part of my family’s agreement with you ages ago, is to borrow your power for a time.”

He grinned with a deep laugh, “Now THAT, is one I have never been asked for before. Very well, you will be granted my powers for a time. And in return?”

“You may do with their souls as you wish. This I grant you, not only as the queen of the Wizards, but as the rightful heir to the Angelic and Demonic thrones, unifier of the races and restorer of the realms.”

He hit his cane on the floor twice and laughed again, “Excellent! I do love a good show.” He hopped over to the throne and sat down as if getting ready to watch a highly anticipated play.

The nobleman spoke up, now visibly trembling, “Your Majesty, please, understand what we did was for the good of the kingdom.” Her eyebrow quirked and her gaze met his, her eyes both glowing a deep blood red. “Please… there must be someone far better suited, that you would prefer.”

The ice that had initially formed across the floor now spread, coating every nook and cranny. Dracten watched and laughed, “I’m afraid that won’t do when she loved him dearly. Be a good mortal and die with dignity, or do you mean to grovel?” Dracten’s laughter filled the room. It was an unnerving laugh, one that only one who enjoyed death and destruction could produce. He hit his cane on the floor twice and his eyes glowed brilliantly, the amethyst hue pouring out of his eyes. Blackened smoke, with purple lightning, began to pour out from him, taking the shape of a serpent dragon. It surrounded the queen until she was completely enveloped.

When the smoke cleared, she stood there in the room, one eye glowing red, the other purple. Dracten now held a goblet and took sips here and there as he made himself more comfortable on the throne.

“Hear me now. I will never love another. There will be no heir and the royal line will die with me. Then this realm and all our underwater cities will lie in ruins, all for your intolerance of someone who was merely half. And while I will defeat the undead and necromancers that plague us, I will do so on my terms, the same with the remainder of my rule.” She spoke clearly, yet her voice shook, not with sorrow, but with rage. “Tell me. You know me as the Phoenix Queen, yet, have you ever seen a dark phoenix?”

“Erm… no, your Majesty.” He replied, afraid not to answer her.

The same creepy smile that Dracten once displayed now took hold of her lips as a dark shadow grew from behind her. The fire on the sconces dimmed and the screech of a bird sounded. A great many screams were heard afterward, as retribution and an old bargain was once again fulfilled, the floors stained red, and the sky darkened.

In the days that followed, several funerals were held, the queen standing by at each, expression ice cold, her teal eyes hollow and devoid of emotions. She never cried publicly over the loss of her husband, but rather issued a decree stating what had happened that day, the surviving bureaucrats signing as witnesses.

The kingdom mourned for their king and for their queen. But there was little time for such things, as there was a horde of undead that needed defeating.

#rwrites #dark fantasy #magic #dragon god

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rebelcourtesan · 4 years

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Sneek Peek at Home Chapt. 3

Forgive any typos or grammar. Hasn’t been edited nor put through Grammarly yet. There may be changes in the finished chapter.

Dinner began as a quiet affair, much like a Cold War. Hordak sat on one end of the long table viciously glaring down the length at Coda who returned his glare with a deep scowl. Between then, Entrapta nibbled her tiny foods while sipping from a bottle of a fizzy soda.

He and Entrapta usually took their meals in the labs or the bedroom when they decided to turn in early. The dining hall was usually empty and dark, but tonight it was lit up with candles and servants serving dishes and standing at attention around the table. Hordak wasn’t accustomed to so much activity around a meal. If he tried, he could recall Horde Prime holding such dinner when he decided to entertain those he found worthy of being his guests.

“I want to apologize,” Coda began, short fingers tapping the table. “I may have let my temper get the better of me.”

Hordak bit the inside of his mouth hard to almost draw blood. A pointed look from Entrapta pushed him to reciprocate. “And I too apologize. My anger, though justified, should not have directed me to react with violence.”

“Well, I suppose it would be difficult for you. For so long, your emotions were controlled by a mad man so free must be a novelty.”

His claws left four neat lines on the edge of the table, but he maintained his composure. “I regret that we aren’t on the same page about the Builders Association.”

“No, we’re not,” Coda said, eyes so much like Entrapta’s narrowed slightly, the widen in a more amicable appearance. “But what’s done is done and there’s no undoing an official decree. As long as it never happens again.”

Hordak felt Entrapta’s hair on his knee, giving it a reassuring and supportive rub. As much as he would have love to sling the little man through a window, he swallowed back his pride. “Of course. It was a misunderstanding and won’t happen again.”

He was rewarded with an approving pat on the knee which almost made up for the satisfied glint in Coda’s eye.

Then dinner was served and there was peace for almost ten minutes. Hordak considered how he could inquire about when Coda was leaving without coming across as rude or eager to see the back of him. It was a shame that he couldn’t growl and order him to ‘get out’ as he did in his Sanctum.

“Niece, there is a matter that I’ve been meaning to discuss with you,” Coda said, for the first time giving his direct attention to Entrapta.

“Sure, Uncle Coda, do you want to talk about?” Entrapta said, as a tendril of hair clutched a soda pop bottle.

“It’s a delicate matter, but it must be discussed sooner rather than later,” Coda continued.

“Delicate? Like computer parts? You just have to repair them in a dry area with little static. We have suits you can wear that reduce static, but it’s best just to take your clothes off.”

Hordak took pleasure in Coda’s raised eyebrows until a suspicious look was cast his way. “Ah, no, it’s more of a . . . lineage issue. I’m a traditional man, as you well know. I was a lad long before the Horde rear its ugly head.”

This time the accusatory look wasn’t disguised. Hordak took a long pull from his glass of wine, hoping that Coda would get to the point already.

“When I was a lad, princesses and princes paired for political and financial aims. Such pairings brought riches, security, and prosperity,” Coda continued. “The original purpose of the Princess Prom was to allow princesses and princes to mingle and form connections to each other.”

Where was this heading? Hordak arched an eyeridge, but stayed silent and looked to Entrapta who didn’t seem to know anymore than him what Coda was aiming for. She was listening, nodding along, while her brow crinkled in confusion.

As if catching on that his audience wasn’t grasping his meaning, he tried a different approach. “Prince Peekablue’s parents met at the Princess Prom and were wedded after a six month engagement. His father was in need of money and his mother provided that money upon their wedding day. Their kingdoms became close allies since that day and Prince Peekablue is the result of that union.”

Why was he going over history that meant little to nothing to the present? What did it matter to them of the parentage of a forgotten prince? Should he say something? Demand that Coda get to the point so they finish dinner already?

“Such traditions were commonplace among the kingdoms,” Coda sighed as if grieving a loss. “And it seems because of the war, the princesses have gone astray in their choosings. Queen Glimmer has taken on a scholarly archer, Princess Mermista has paired with a ridiculous sea captain arsonist, and even She-Ra has settled for a stray cat.”

A sneaking unsettling realization was forming and Hordak narrowed his eyes, at last, seeing where this inane topic was heading.

“The only pairing that has made any sense these last few years is Princess Netossa and Spinnerella.”

Setting down his wine glass with a sharp thunk, Hordak seethed. “And what of Princess Perfuma and Princess Scorpia? Is their pairing not to your satisfaction?”

Coda sniffed, disliking being interrupted, but never one to not give his opinion. “The flower princess and the scorpion princess matter little. One is the leader of tree people and the other calls a wasteland her kingdom. I’d sooner care if my housekeeper wedded the stablehand or doorman.”

“Perfuma and Scorpia are my friends,” Entrapta said, her hair almost drooping. “What you said isn’t nice.”

Seeing Entrapta distressed was enough to set his teeth on edge. “Get to the point, Coda, or are you going to have us sit here listening to you judge every royal in Etheria.”

“My point is,” Coda said, eyes narrowing. “Is that you have paired yourself with the ex-lord of the Fright Zone. He brings no lands, wealth, or any political advantage. He’s nothing more than a freeloading paramour who eats your food and sleeps with you.”

“Oh, you bastard,” Hordak seethed.

#Home #hordak #Entrapta #entrapdak #fanfic

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swanqueeneverafter · 4 years

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Sins of the Past Pt.3

Camelot. Past. Main Square. (A young Morgana watches on as Uther Pendragon addresses a crowd from the balcony while a convicted man is brought into the Square.) Uther: "Let this serve as a lesson to all. This man, Thomas James Collins, is judged guilty of conspiring to use enchantments and magic. And, pursuant to the laws of Camelot, I, Uther Pendragon, have decreed that such practices are banned on penalty of death. I pride myself as a fair and just king, but for the crime of sorcery there is but one sentence I can pass. (Uther gives the signal and the man is beheaded, much to the horror of Morgana:) When I came to this land, this kingdom was mired in chaos, but with the people’s help magic was driven from the realm. So I declare a festival to celebrate twenty years since the Great Dragon was captured and Camelot freed from the evil of sorcery. Let the celebrations begin." Storybrooke General Hospital. Present. (A small group has gathered outside the hospital room where Morgana is being examined. Having learned from Guinevere exactly who the woman is, only Hook seems to recognise the name.) Hook: "The daughter of Uther Pendragon? The architect behind the Great Purge of Camelot?" Emma: "Great purge?" Hook: (Nods:) "King Uther was notoriously against magic and sorcery of any kind. I remember hearing some of the stories during my piracy days. Uther made even the royal navy's methods of dealing with pirates seem civilised. (At Guinevere's stern look:) Of course, these were just rumours, I myself never stepped foot in Camelot as I knew it'd be the last place I'd find the Dark One." Guinevere: "Uther's reign ended a long time ago. It was a dark time filled with bloodshed. Not everyone agreed with the King's actions, least of all Morgana."

(Doctor Whale exits Morgana's room.) Guinevere: "Doctor, how is she?" Whale: "She needs rest, but she'll be fine." David: "There's nothing wrong with her?" Whale: "Well, certainly nothing physical." Snow White: "May we see her? Perhaps we can find out-" Whale: (Raising his hand:) "I'm sure all your questions can wait until morning." Snow White: "Oh, yes, of course." Guinevere: "I'll stay with her." Whale: (Nods:) "Call me when she wakes." Camelot. Past. King's Palace. Evening. (Morgana looks out the window from the top of the large staircase as Uther approaches.) Uther: “Morgana.” Morgana: “Yes?” Uther: “What is it? Why are you not joining us at the feast?” Morgana: “I just don’t think chopping someone’s head off is cause for celebration. That poor mother.” Uther: “It was simple justice for what he’d done.” Morgana: “To whom? He practiced some magic, he didn’t hurt anyone.” Uther: “You were not around twenty years ago, you have no idea what it was like.” Morgana: “How long are you going to keep punishing people for what happened then?” Uther: “Until they realise there is no room for magic in my kingdom! You will be with me when I formally greet our guests.” Morgana: “I told you! I want no part in these celebrations!” Uther: “I’m your father! I expect you to do as I ask. If you show me no respect at least do it privately. I will not be embarrassed by your lack of support in public.” Morgana: (As the King walks away:) “You know, the more brutal you are, the more enemies you will create!”

Kingdom of Valencia. Present. Council Chamber. (King Richard and Queen Roberta stand ready to receive Lady Catrina as she enters.) King Richard: "Lady Catrina, is it really you?” Catrina: “I can hardly believe it myself.” King Richard: “We had tidings from the north that the House of Tregor had fallen to invaders.” Catrina: “All that you heard was true, My Lord, and worse.” King Richard: “Your father, the King?” Catrina: “Gone, Sire. The enemy attacked without warning. We were outnumbered five to one. He could not endure. I would never have survived had it not been for my faithful servant Jonas. But we did survive, and we have made it this far… (Catrina swoons and Gareth steps forward to catch her:) Oh! Thank you, kind sir. (To Richard:) Forgive me, My Lord. I fear my trials have taken a toll.” King Richard: “Your sufferings are beyond imagining, My Lady. It would be an honour to help you in any way we can.” Catrina: “A bed for the night would be most welcome.” King Richard: “And consider yourselves our esteemed guests. It’s the least we can do.” Catrina: “Thank you.” Catrina’s Guest Chambers. (Gareth shows Catrina and Jonas her guest quarters.) Gareth: “I’m sorry it’s not quite what you’re used to.” Catrina: “Forgive me, but I didn’t get your name.” Gareth: “Gareth.” Catrina: “Well, Gareth, considering we spend last night in a cave, this will do very nicely. Thank you.” Gareth: “Well, if you need anything, just ask.” Jonas: “My mistress and I could not be more grateful for the kindness you’ve shown us.” Gareth: “You’re welcome.” (Gareth leaves.) Catrina: (Immediately slouches and drops any pretense of nobility. Her voice scratchy and rough:) “Well I can’t sleep here. This whole place stinks of cleanliness.” Jonas: “Do not worry, Mistress. I will find you somewhere more suitable.” (Catrina takes a seat at the table. When she breathes onto the fruit bowl, she causes its contents to rot before her very eyes.)

Outside Storybrooke General Hospital. (Emma and Regina stand waiting outside discussing the events of the day.) Emma: "Did you ever have any dealings with Uther?" Regina: (Shakes her head:) "I think I remember Leopold used to visit Camelot quite a lot. Of course, the King never considered it necessary to take me along with him so I never met the man." Emma: "By the sounds of it, you wouldn't exactly have been welcome anyway." Regina: "Had I known how nice the castle was, I might've considered invading." Emma: "You think Uther would've been so easy to conquer?" Regina: "Oh please. Those toy soldiers? I could've killed them all with a wave of my hand." Emma: (Smiles:) "So, mom said she arranged a car to come pick us up for our date tonight." Regina: "Mm well the driver is late. I'm not sure I like the idea of your mother arranging dates for us." Emma: "Oh relax, it's just her way of getting her hands on Maria for the evening." Regina: "Even so..." Emma: "Well it's not like Zelena's any better." Regina: (Chuckles:) "That's true." Emma: "And, with Henry, Ella and Maria gone, we have the house to ourselves." Regina: (Eyes sparkling:) "Yes indeed. (The car arrives:) Finally." (Just as she's about to give the driver a piece of her mind, Regina's eyes widen when Henry steps out of the cab.) Henry: "Moms." Regina: "You're our driver?" Henry: "Seems that way." Emma: "What about Ella? We thought you'd be halfway to Wonderland by now." Henry: (Awkwardly:) "Yeah... well there was a slight change of plans. Can we talk about this in the car? I have like eight more customers booked after you." Emma: "Oh you can bet your butt we're going to talk about this. I wanna hear just what's more important than going with your fiancée to the dark side of Wonderland." (Henry sighs as his mothers take their seats inside the cab, knowing that this ride could be the longest few minutes of his life.) Kingdom of Valencia. Dining Chamber. Evening. (Richard, Roberta, Gareth and Catrina are having dinner.) Catrina: “Well, this is wonderful. Thank you.” King Richard: “It’s an honour. The House of Tregor have been allies of my family for as…well, as long as anyone can remember.” Catrina: “Our fathers spoke often, My Lord.” Queen Roberta: “I’m sorry we didn’t get the chance to meet him.” Catrina: “I’m sorry too. For the House of Tregor is no more.” (Catrina pushes her plate away.) Gareth: (Speaking up:) “Well, no, My Lady, it lives on in you.” Catrina: “Oh you are kind. I only wish that were true.” Gareth: “It is, My Lady. Your courage, your modesty. And your beauty.” (At this, Richard and Roberta exchange knowing looks.) King Richard: (Fake yawn:) “I’m sorry, it’s been a long day. If you’ll excuse us?” Catrina: “Of course.” Queen Roberta: “It was a pleasure to meet you.” Catrina: “And you, my Queen.” (The King and Queen leave.) Gareth: “Can I get you anything else? You’ve hardly touched your food.” Catrina: “I’m sorry, I find I have little appetite ever since that day.” Gareth: “I wish I’d been there for you.” Catrina: “Oh, but you’re helping me now. (Placing her hand on his:) Your kindness, your companionship. (Staring longingly into his eyes, catches herself and makes to leave. Standing:) I must also bid you goodnight. It’s been a long day.” Gareth: “Of course. Goodnight, My Lady.” Catrina: (Taking his hand and kissing it:) “Goodnight, Gareth.” (Catrina leaves the room, an unseen smile upon her face.)

Wonderland. The Tulgey Woods. (Ella and Will stand at the entrance to Tulgey Woods.) Will: "Ella, I didn't exactly leave this place on good terms. Are you sure you want me as your guide?" Ella: "Would you prefer it if I had asked Alice to help me?" Will: "No. Look, I left this part of Wonderland behind me because I did a lot of bad things here. A lot of people wanna see me dead. They have their reasons, and to be honest, they're good reasons. I left this place for a future I'm quite keen to see through." Ella: "Just get me as far as the Mad Hatter's old place." Will: "That's why we're here? It's abandoned. The Hatter hasn't been in Wonderland for quite some time. And he ain't never coming back. He's found himself a nice little life back in a place where the dragonflies aren't actually dragons." Ella: "I know, but he's the closest link to my mother there is. (At Will's look:) It's a start at least! Now, the Hatter's place is on the other side of these woods. If there's even the slightest chance of finding a clue as to where my mother might've gone, I have to take it. Let's go." (Ella walks into the woods as Will reads the sign before him.)

TULGEY WOODS. Generously secured for passage and residence by her Majesty. THE RED QUEEN. By Her Excellency's Command.

Will: "Why do I get the feeling this sign won't be the only thing wrong with this place? Anastasia hasn’t been Queen for years now." (Sighing, Will follows Ella as they walk deeper into the woods.) Ella: "The Hatter told you that he modeled the dream version of Wonderland to be as close to the original as possible, right?" Will: "Yeah, to seamlessly blend everyone's dreams together during the tea parties." Ella: "So it stands to reason that when we reach his house, it should at least be familiar to you." Will: "I suppose so, yes. (Notices something nailed to a tree:) Oh, bloody hell." (Will walks over to the tree and Ella reads the poster over his shoulder.) Ella: "Wanted. With or without his head. The Knave of Hearts. What exactly did you do, Will?" Will: "Don't ask. (Tears down the poster:) Now, which way?" Ella: "Up. We'll never see anything under these tall trees. We need a different point of view." Will: "What do you mean?" Ella: "If I get high enough, I can see the Hatter's house." (Without another word, Ella turns and begins to climb the tree, much to Will's amazement.)

Kingdom of Valencia. Catrina's Guest Chambers. Night. (Lady Catrina enters her guest room and slumps down into her hunch once more.) Catrina: (Her voice hoarse and scratchy again:) "What’s that?" (She sits down by tray full of fruit.) Jonas: “Compliments of Sir Gareth.” Catrina: “Revolting. (Catrina rots the fruit by breathing on it and begins to eat:) Gareth’s so stupid, so blinded by pretty things. Already he falls for me. I can see it in his eyes. It’s only a matter of time before he is completely under my control.” Jonas: “Excellent.” (Chef Vincenzo knocks on the door and enters while Catrina quickly wipes her face of rotten fruit.) Catrina: "Jonas, you must take these back to the kitchens, it’s, er, it’s perfectly rotten.” Chef: “I–I’m sorry. I did not mean to intrude.” Catrina: “That’s, er, that’s quite alright. At least I wasn’t undressing.” Chef: (Blushes:) “Er, I came for the tray.” (Smiling nervously, Vincenzo takes the tray of rotten food and leaves the room as Catrina and Jonas glare after him.)

Storybrooke Heritage Park. Night. (Taking a leisurely stroll through the park, Regina and Emma walk arm in arm in high spirits.) Regina: (Laughing:) "I think Henry will definitely think twice about driving us anywhere from now on." Emma: "I don't know what he was thinking. How could he just let Ella go by herself?" Regina: "Oh it's worse than that, she's alone with Will." Emma: "You don't think he'll try anything do you?" Regina: "Of course not. Aside from Ella being her best friend, Tiana is not someone I would've liked to get on the wrong side of, even in my Evil Queen days." (They share a laugh and walk in silence for a few moments.) Emma: "I know he's working hard, but I just think Henry's concentrating on the wrong things. Relationships take just as much work, especially given how little time they're spending together recently and now will spend apart." Regina: "Mm, speaking of work... I have a little confession to make." Emma: "Ooh, go on..." Regina: "Well, retirement isn't the only thing I've had running through my mind lately. I've also been thinking about you and how wonderful you've been since Maria came into our lives." Emma: (Smirks:) "I think you mean extra wonderful, right?" Regina: "I'm serious. (They stop walking:) Watching you making trips to the grocery store at all hours, changing diapers and making meals-" Emma: "I told you I could cook." Regina: "It's made me so happy to see you really doing all the things you missed out on with Henry." (They kiss.) Emma: "Yeah, it's been pretty great. I never want to miss a moment of Maria growing up you know? Learning to walk, to talk, teaching her how to ride a bike - all of it. And I have you to thank for it." Regina: "Well hey, we're in this together right? But I mean it, watching you... all maternal... it's very attractive." Emma: (Smiling:) "Is that so?" Regina: "Oh god yes." Emma: (Chuckling:) "I always knew you had Mommy issues." Regina: "My biggest issue has been seeing you in my apron preparing Maria's food and being unable to ravish you where you stand." Emma: "Mm, well, I don't have the apron with me... but there's a perfectly good looking bench over there that we can get to at least second base on?" Regina: "We could.. if we were a pair of horny teenagers. I'm looking to run home." Emma: (Laughs:) "I think you mean you’re looking for a home run." Regina: "I mean take me home. (Pulling her close:) Right now." (As Regina lays a searingly hot kiss on her, Emma waves her hand and they disappear in a cloud of smoke.)

#sq #swanqueen #swan queen

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aliypop · 3 years

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The Dance Of Fate

Wordcount: 1,925

A/N: So I’ve been really wanting to flesh out Adina more and so I thought a few short stories could help so anyways here’s another!

Warning: Language , violence hints of abuse

"It's too early to get out of bed.." Adina said, her voice gravelly from being awoken by the lack of a certain Witcher next to her. "And don't you dare hum.." her vision still full of sleep. Geralt turned back to face her. After what had happened the other night with the blistering boiled scar, he was still unsure of his feelings for her. Geralt knew he liked her, but at the end of the day, she was still a princess,

which meant she had to have had someone waiting for her in the kingdom that they were no longer faraway from, "I need to find you a mage.." he said, making an excuse to leave, looking back at the semi- sleeping woman, he noticed how at peace she was,

"Where the hell are you going to find a mage in these woods at this time in the morning..." She popped her head up, dark hairs peering out of her braid. "Tell me that, Geralt." suddenly entering from the tent was Flora. Covered in what the pair both could see were love bites, "Not to intrude, but..." her eyes on Geralt then back at Adina, "What is it.." Geralt asked, keeping his focus on the elf. " A royal ball!" she said, wiggling in excitement.

The two only stared at her, giving the signal that it wasn't a good time. "Seems fate is calling you hmm," Geralt asked, a bit standoffish towards Adina. "Seems it is.." she covered herself back into the covers.

The sun was hot with beating beams shining on the travelers. As both Buttercup and Roach trotted along the dirt paths, their riders were silent. Not a word uttered by Adina, who usually had something witty to say.

"I was thinking the one song about the striga," Jaskier mumbled, walking next to Flora.

"Too raunchy.." Flora responded, "Mahaps the fish one? it'll keep everyone dancing." she laughed,

"You like that one.." he asked, a blush rising on his cheeks.

"It's the wink you do.."

"What will you do when you return.." Geralt looked over at Adina,

"You think I want to go back to that hellish place.." she snapped her head at him. "You'll never understand how it is to have such a burden thrust upon you to overtly fuck you over!" Geralt looked at her in shock as he only laughed, "You wouldn't last a day being a witcher.." he snarled, pulling the reins to get Roach to gallop faster. Abbinshire was an enormous village with tall fixtures. Waterfall mountains and "A Tavern... I could go for a drink..." Jaskier said, happily taking Flora by the hands walking her over.

An a kiss from the princess!

To the champion to the Knight

Spare a maidenhead tonight!

Flora smirked, sitting down on the table as the crowd of drunken cheers grew louder. "Flora's ome!" Adelaide shouted, her red hair gleaming in the sun. "Tell us about yer ventures.." Swan, a pirate, said, her chin in her hand. "Well, I defeated a Striga using my lute.." Flora started, watching as Jaskier looked up to her with the most loving eyes. "And then I said to it.."

"You hid in the bushes.." Adina smirked, her caped hood covering her face. "Got your biscuit buttered by the bard." she walked closer towards the elf. " Then I sliced it in half and saved a witcher.." she took her hood down, revealing her face. "Your h-highness.." everyone dropped silent at her voice. It had been a while since the kingdom had last seen her. " Give us your best mead.. " she laughed, as she then plopped next to Flora. As much as Adina hated being back home, she did miss the ounce of power she had over people from time to time.

" Do you have in mind what suitor you're going for ?" the pirate asked, wiggling her eyebrows at the now monarch.

"Not a Lryian nor a Cintran they bore me.." She winked at the woman, "I'd much prefer a Rivian or a Kaedwenian." she looked at Geralt, who seemed to be flirting with another woman. One that looked like her friend Ravalee, Adina thought nothing of it as she then paid with coppers and walked out, taking Buttercup towards the kingdom's drawbridge. Seeing the golden dragon tapestry hanging on the walls brought back many memories, some joyous others, mostly pain. The once ever so bleak halls shinned with decorations fit for an engagement made for a one-sided party.

As she took further steps, she could feel the bloodshed of someone that she had ought to have remembered longer than before. "Are you okay?" Jaskier asked, standing beside her, taking in awe the detail of the castle. "Just haunted by the ghost of the people my father killed.." she said, feeling the scar on her back sting again,

"Do whatever is you must to retrieve my-" Clarion looked at his daughter in disbelief of what Adina had been wearing. Geralt's shirt, with pants and the armor of a knight. "Thank you, bard, for returning my daughter to me," he mumbled. Jaskier only nodded as he then left.

"So the songs are true.." the king glared, taking a whiff of her scent. "You've been impersonating a knight .."

"I am a knight I swore under the code when you neglected me!" she growled.

"You reek of Witcher.." he balled his fist. The familiar boils around her scar reappeared, some making puss the others growing like a boiling potion. Adina was practically on her knees from her pain. "I thought I advised you never to socialize with their kind."

Adina looked at him, hot tears staining her face,

"Please stop.." she whispered, her vision going black.

The sound of lutes and instruments flooded her ears as the voices of millions began drowning the cheery tune out. Although she didn't know how she got there, Adina noticed that she was sitting amongst her father, dressed in a gown of red.

"From Cintra lord... Gazza!" Adina nearly scoffed, a look of boredom on her face.

"Princess Adina, I bring forth to you the promise of a male heir," he smirked. Adina nearly choked on the wine. "I doubt it.. " she mumbled under her breath, " a cocky bastard with half the cock.. " she laughed, thinking about how Geralt would have loved her witty comment.

"Presenting The Knight Bram from Nilfgaard."

"Boring.." Adina commented,

"Bring in the next suitor .. and have him executed." The king decreed. Although he was doing this in his favor, he could at least pretend that he was listening.

"You're going to go in there and impress.."

"No.." Geralt sighed.

"I bathed you and dressed you."Flora whisper shouted from behind the door. Flora and Jaskier had set up Geralt with the best royal treatment they could muster up as two bards. "I feel stu-"

"Presenting Geralt of Rivia!."

Adina's heart swelled up as it began to beat faster than usual. She knew that the way they had ended things before she had gotten to the palace was a bit unjust, but there was nothing like seeing that white-haired brooding man in front of her. Adina stood impressed with the clothes that Flora had bought him. If she didn't know any better, she'd think he was a prince. " He's the one!" Adina said, walking towards him, the soft red fabric trailing towards the witcher, emerald jewels on her neck.

"Why not think this over with a dance of the other suitors.." The king whisper shouted, balling up his fist as a threat.

As the music of the ball played, Adina's eyes found amber ones looking directly at her. She was surprised that her father didn't pick up on the fact, but for now, she just wanted to be with Geralt,

"Flora amazes me.. she's been strumming for 8 hours now," Adina said, standing next to Geralt.

"How are you.."

"Magic.. daughter of a wizard ." she pointed to her clone. "Walk with me.." she nearly commanded. Sitting in the stable under the moon and stars were Adina and Geralt, silence falling over the two, but this time more comfortable. With the company of Buttercup,

"About the other day."

"What about it.." Geralt asked,

"The kiss .. and the words.."

"You are a big fucking pain in my arse .." he laughed, pulling her closer towards him. "But you once more are not a burden." he flashed a charming smile as he heard her heart skip a beat. "And the kiss?" she looked him deep in the eyes.

"What about it.."

"Did you mean it.." Geralt had never witnessed a face so delicate and wanting as he did now. Seeing Adina in her full princess attire only made him want her more. Geralt gave her a nod, pressing his forehead against hers.

"We need to go.." Flora ran into the stables, "Your father found out Geralt's a witcher, and well.. "

"There's a bounty on your pretty heads." Jaskier finished her sentence. The two then saddled up as Adina wrapped her hair. Charging and slicing the bodies of guards they had made it off the moat,

And closer towards an Inn. As usual, Geralt was in the tub, but this time he was accompanied by Adina. "

Go ahead, ask about the scars..." he sighed. Adina only laughed as she stepped into the bath.

"Those are cute." she grinned, "Especially the kikimora scar." she rubbed her finger across it, noticing how Geralt never shivered under her touch.

"Tell me about that one.." He pointed to a deep cut like scar on her leg that from her ankle to her knee. " Oxebeast.. ugly looking bastards." she laughed, "I surprisingly shouldn't have that leg, but miracles, am I right.." she turned to face Geralt. He was amazed that a woman of stature was so bold enough to fight an on oxebeast.

"How'd you get so brave," he asked, sitting her between his legs. "Well.." her breath hitched, "I wasn't always so brave.. haven't been since my mother died...I knew her for a short time.." she teared up, "And then she was gone... sometimes I wonder if she'll come back, and other times I wonder.."

"Why did she leave me .." he mumbled, reflecting on his childhood for a bit.

"You feel empty..and you wonder when you're next, so you stop giving five shites." she then looked at him, moving a strand of hair from his face.

"You start to appreciate life when it doesn't give a damn about you.." he smirked, knowing that what she said was true. "Are you sure you aren't a product of Kaer Morhen," he kissed her cheek. The way she was so vulnerable at the moment reminded him of how he used to be before the world around him came crumbling down as he laced his fingers in her hair. He couldn't help but feel that she was apart of his path to destiny.

"No, but I'm a product of my honor. " Adina smirked, ghosting her lips over his own. She felt him lean closer as she then moved away.

Laying her head in Geralt's lap, Adina saw the destiny she always wanted, staring right back at her.

"You look like a greasy pig." she laughed, playing with the sweat-soaked hair stuck to his forehead.

"Shut up.." he rolled his eyes, lacing their fingers together. Adina then wrapped her arms around his muscled torso as she then scrunched her face in pain, a vision occurring.

"She's alive.."

#the witcher oc #the witcher fanfiction #the witcher fandom #geralt x oc #geralt fanfic #jaskier x oc #royalty #new series

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enchantedbride · 4 years

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A Ballad of Brimstone.02 (1/2)

<02. But Let Me Go Back to the Start> (1/2)

Tagging: @curiousobsession101, @goldenworldsabound, @foreveryours-mouse, @juliannos

Warning(s): Brief Profanity, Discussions of Being Kidnapped

A/N: If you like me to tag you in my Obey Me or other Self-ship writings, let me know!

As mentioned in the previous installment, this series of ficlets will be jumping around timeline wise. While the first one offers a glimpse into the future, we now go back to the day Joey was summoned to the Devildom to take part in the exchange program.

Due to how long this wound up being I wound up splitting this into two parts, this is part one of two!

She had slipped into a dark slumber that night. Her mind was held by dreams she wouldn’t remember when she awoke in the morning. But, she would remember the sound of soft, beckoning whispers. In the midst of her dreams, they didn’t seem out of place, almost blending into the surreal sensations he mind conjured.

“Come,” they said. “Come this way. Come to us, into the dark below.”

It was like a round, but the words were spoken rather than sung.

Joey felt a sudden, sharp feeling of hesitation that broke through the murkiness of her dreams. But, in response the whispers became more insistent, and she felt the vague sensation of being pulled away. But to where, she didn’t have the awareness to question.

“You must come. Your fate has been decreed.”

Weakly, she tried to pull back against what was pulling her. At first she stopped, but then a more forceful tug overpowered her.

“Come this way,” the whispers insisted once more. “Come... come...”

It started to feel almost like she was falling. Or perhaps she was floating? It was hard for her to tell the difference. She felt the sensation of cloth and hair fluttering, and then-

A high-pitched voice severed the hold of sleep on her.

“She’s waking up. Everyone stand back and let Mister Barbatos through!”

The next thing she sensed was the feeling of pain and throbbing in her temples. Then, she felt the surface underneath her was harder than she remembered her bed being. Joey let out a groan as she slowly opened her eyes.

“Ow...”

The soft light of what appeared to be distant lamps came into view, only to briefly be obscured by a round, inky silhouette. But, as her brows knit and she attempted to understand what she was seeing, she made out the shape of a pair of small, dark blue eyes looking at her before they disappeared. A moment later, the silhouette was gone.

“It looks like she had a rough ride, sir.”

“So it seems,” a voice lower in tone replied to the high-pitched one she heard first. “Lord Diavolo’s suspicions and mine were correct, it appears. Truly extraordinary for a human who appears to have no magic potential.”

Joey turned her head towards the voices, putting her hands to her temples as she attempted to soothe her headache with gentle circular motions. She saw what appeared to be a man in a suit kneeling down in front of her.

“Please try not to move just yet.”

“O-okay.” Joey didn’t move from where she was or change her position, but she kept her fingers to her head. “Sorry, my head really hurts.” What’s going on here? Am I still dreaming?

“No need to apologize,” he assured her. “Here, take your hands away for a moment.”

She complied, resting her hands on either side of her. She felt...was it stone underneath her? It was also at that moment Joey recognized an array of other noises in the background. She could hear the flow of water, the soft pattering of feet, and the distant caw of crows.

“I’m going to touch your forehead,” he explained. “Is that alright?”

“Yeah.” Is he going to check me for a fever?

Joey felt him gently press the tips of his fingers to her forehead, and whisper something she couldn’t quite make out. No, I don’t think this is a dream. This feels too stable to not be real. But then, why am I not in my bed? Where am I? ...Ah! Suddenly, she felt the throbbing pain begin to subside.

“There. Does that feel better?”

“Yes, I’m starting to feel better!” Joey replied. But then she blinked in surprise. “Did you do that? If so, thank you!”

“Indeed,” he confirmed. “I used a minor incantation to ease your pain. It was no trouble.”

“Incantation?” Joey asked. “As in...? You used magic? Real magic?” Or maybe I am dreaming after all?

“Yes,” the man answered her without hesitation. “I take it you’re not the sort of person who believes in magic?”

“Well...” Joey however, did hesitate. “I’ve always wanted to believe there was magic. But I’ve never really seen it. Or... recognized it, I guess.”

“I see. I’m afraid you may have a hard time accepting your current set of circumstances then.”

“You mean, where I am and what’s going on?”

“Precisely.” The man withdrew his hand from her slightly, moving to offer it to her. “Do you think you can stand? If so, try to get up slowly. You can use my hand for support if you’d like.”

“I think so.” Joey pressed her hands to the ground for a moment to help herself sit up. She then took him up on his offer, taking the offered hand to use as leverage to carefully bring herself to her feet. She took a breath for a moment, closing her eyes and opening them again to better take in her surroundings.

“Who are you?” It appeared to be nighttime. The sky was dark with distant stars offering little in the way of light. But there were lamps close by more clearly illuminating stone walkways. They went every which way around a fountain and a bed of flowers that wrapped around it. Though the flowers were nothing like anything Joey recognized.

The air also carried with it smells she didn’t recognize either.

“Ah, of course. I should introduce myself. My name is Barbatos,” said the man. “I believe I already know who you are, however. Your name is Joey Andews, correct?”

“Yes, my name is Joey. But, how do you already know my name?” As if things weren’t already weird enough, she thought.

Barbatos simply smiled. “I’m afraid that will require me first to answer your original questions about what’s happening and where you are. Allow me to start with the latter.” He paused for a moment, looking away from her. Joey followed it and realized that eventually the walkways all went into a large building that surrounded them on all sides.

A courtyard of some kind? Joey wondered. She turned her attention back to him and nodded.

“You’re in a place called the Devildom,” explained Barbatos. “It is the realm of Demonkind, ruled by the Demon King in name. Although my master, his son and heir Prince Diavolo has been governing the realm for some time.” He paused, looking back at her. “It was his wish and his will that brought you here.”

Bewilderment spread across Joey’s face. There was also a knot of fear beginning to form in the pit of her stomach. “The land of Demonkind? Where I come from the name for where demons live is...”

“Hell?” Barbatos cut in to predict the end of her thought. “The realm that sinful and evil human’s souls are banished to in death? Oh, that’s certainly part of it, but there’s more to our realm than most humans speak of to one another.”

Joey felt the instinctive need to take a step back, but she restrained herself. “Okay, so I’m in the realm of Demons. And Prince Diavolo brought me here. Have I got the story straight so far?”

“Indeed you do,” Barbatos confirmed. “Unfortunately there was a bit of a mishap in trying to get you here. You have quite the strong will it seems, Miss Andrews.” At this he laughed. “You resisted my master’s call to the point that you went off course and wound up a bit further away then where you were supposed to appear. But, I was sent to fetch you and guide you to where Lord Diavolo is at present.”

My dream... “I-I see.” But what would a prince of demons want with me? What’s going to happen to me!?

“Your willpower will serve you well here. You may not have magic to protect you, but you have that, at least.” He remarked. “But, I digress. Lord Diavolo has summoned you here to assist him with an undertaking of his- an exchange program between the realms of demons, humans, and angels.”

“An exchange program...?” Joey questioned him. “You make it sound like he intends me to be a student in a school down here.” She of course was joking. Surely he meant something else.

Barbatos laughed once more. “Actually, that’s precisely what he intends.” He turned away again. “We are currently in the courtyard of the Royal Diavolo Academy, or RAD for short as it’s often called. I would say it most closely resembles a university or other similar institutions you may find in the human world,” he explained. “My master founded the school long ago, but he is also enrolled here as a student and serves as President of the Student Council. He is forever trying to improve himself and the Devildom, and thus is forever on a quest to learn, and encourage others to do the same.”

“That’s... quite an admirable thing.” Joey found herself struggling to word what she wanted to say. “So, I’m to be a student at this Royal Diavolo Academy?”

“Exactly.” Barbatos nodded. “You will be joined by two other humans like yourself and three Angels who hail from the Celestial Realm. We’ve sent three of our own to the Celestial Realm, and another three to the Human world to attend schools there for the duration of the exchange, which will be a year on Earth.

“My master’s hope is to foster understanding and respect among angels, humans, and demons, and bring a peace between the realms not seen before. It truly is an ambitious project, I must admit.”

“No kidding!” Joey blinked, face shifting between expressions as she attempted to process everything she was being told. “If what little I know of demons and angels has taught me anything, is peace between them and humans is not an easy thing to achieve. Most people believe it’s impossible.”

“Many angels and demons believe that as well,” Barbatos noted. “But my lord believes otherwise. And, I am certain it lies within the realm of possibility.”

“So then...” Certain pieces began to fall together in her mind. “Was I specifically chosen for this? It wasn’t random or anything? Is that why you know my name?”

“Well... there was an element of randomness to the selection. You were chosen from among many other humans we had information on. But you were specifically chosen from among them, and it is indeed why I know your name.”

Joey thought for a moment. “I think I get the gist of what you're telling me so far,” she said. “But, I’m also wary. And I want to know if I’m allowed to turn this down and ask to be sent home.”

At this Barbatos sighed. “Your wariness is not unwarranted. As to whether you can refuse... you may certainly voice it, but I’m not sure it will be granted. When Lord Diavolo has his mind set on something, it is hard to get him to change course, even if he already has doubts about what he’s doing.That and well... he’s very much used to getting his way, being the Prince of Demons.”

After a moment, Joey raised an eyebrow. One thing was now abundantly clear, and she felt it needed to be said.

“So basically what you’re telling me is I’ve been kidnapped.”

Barbatos fell silent, his brow furrowing as he put his hand to his chin. Joey wasn’t an excellent judge when it came to reading the expressions of others. But were she to take a guess, he was considering what he said next carefully.

This can’t be happening! She screamed internally. You’re telling me demons, angels, and magic are all real. You’re telling me I’ve been snatched by demons to attend what’s basically demon college for... a year he said? This is just... unbelievable! You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!

“I won’t pretend it is otherwise,” Barbatos finally spoke. “I imagine this is a lot for you to take in. And further still, it must be frightening to be here without prior knowledge and against your will. I doubt you can persuade my master to let you leave and choose another to replace you. You can try if you so like, but I suspect it will prove futile. I can offer you little assurance but this: Diavolo is a demon of honesty. He can tell if anyone is lying, but more importantly to you at this moment, he also never lies. He has made it clear he only intends for the exchange students to attend for a year, and when that year is over, you will be free to go. He will honor his word.”

Joey raised an eyebrow, causing Barbatos to sigh. “I’m sorry I just... I’d certainly like to believe that’s the case. But, it’s kind of hard to be trusting right now given that I was brought here without my consent. And I don’t know you or your master,” said Joey. “But... I do appreciate your attempt to reassure me nonetheless.”

“I’m afraid it’s all I can offer you, Miss Andrews.” Barbatos replied regretfully. “Well... that and perhaps fetching you a change of clothes. I don’t think it would be best to have your first audience with the Prince of Demons in your nightgown.”

“I...” Joey looked down at herself a moment. “Yeah, I suppose that might not be such a bad idea.”

Barbatos smiled, chuckling softly before he became serious once more. “All things considered, I think you’re being rather restrained in your anger about this. And at least somewhat willing to give the benefit of the doubt in spite of your anger.”

“Yeah well...” I’ve just been conditioned to lose my shit internally instead of externally, thanks for noticing. “I’ve always been pretty good at rolling with the punches so to speak.”

“I see.” Barbatos offered a hand. “Well, why don’t we get you changed? I’ll escort you to the assembly hall after.” Joey nodded and took his hand following him down one of the walkways. She noticed Barbatos turn his head and nod to a small shadow with eyes before it faded into the darkness a moment later. She then remembered the silhouette she saw when she first awoke. Another demon? Perhaps a helper to Barbatos, maybe?

This is insane! How do I know I can even trust any of this? How do I know they aren’t just going to… I don’t know, eat me or trap my soul in eternal torment? It seemed all she could really do for now was follow Barbatos and have her audience with his master. Part of her hoped this really was a dream of sorts and that soon she would wake up.

Barbatos took Joey to another part of the building, bringing her into an empty room. A few moments passed in silence between the two before the door opened. A round little creature came scurrying in, and Joey recognized from their eyes that it was the little demon she’d seen before. The demon carried a neatly folded pile of clothing and a hair brush above their head, kneeling down as they presented the pile to Barbatos.

She was then handed the pile and left to herself in the empty room in order to get changed and tidied up. But, as she did so, Joey stayed close to the door, faintly hearing the sound of a phone ringing from just outside. She tried her best to listen in, while also navigating the garments she had been given.

“Apologies, my lord. We will be a little later than expected. It seems she was in nightclothes when she arrived. She’s been given a change of clothes and once she’s dressed and given a chance to tidy up we’ll head down to the assembly hall.”

He’s talking to Prince Diavolo. There was a brief pause, presumably in which there was a reply given.

“I deeply appreciate your patience and good humor in this matter. I promise we’ll be there soon,” said Barbatos. “Miss Andrews is understandably wary and skeptical. But, she’s… surprisingly more composed than I would have expected.” Another pause, but briefer this time. “Has the meeting with the other exchange student already concluded then? … I see. So Mammon is already on his way with her back to the House of Lamentation.”

Joey didn’t take too long to finish dressing herself, smoothing out the wrinkles in the simple dress she was given and tapping the heels of the shoes that came with it. She then quickly brushed her hair and tidied herself up a bit, taking a deep breath before turning the knob of the door to let Barbatos know she was changed and ready. The little demon was outside as well, and took the brush from her before scurrying off into the shadows again.

Barbatos nodded and began to guide her again down the halls of the academy. The interior had an antique, stately feeling to it in terms of aesthetics. But things seemed too spacious for Joey’s personal liking. And shadows seemed to stretch far across the floor.

Eventually they came down a long hallway that seemed to go for some distance. As they walked, Joey could swear she heard the soft sound of sniffling up ahead. Was someone crying? There was also the patter of footsteps that didn’t belong to her or Barbatos.

From behind the corner she saw what appeared to be a man and a woman passing the opposite way. The man seemed to wear a black uniform with his shirt and tie askew, while the woman was dressed in a pair of blue jeans with a baggy t-shirt and tennis shoes.

Once they got closer, it became clear where the source of the sniffling Joey heard before came from. The woman was attempting to rub tears from her eyes and compose herself. Wait… could this be the other exchange student and Mammon that Barbatos spoke of over the phone? I guess they haven’t actually left just yet.

God, she must be so scared.

Joey stopped and attempted to cross to where they were. “Hold on just a sec,” She requested of Barbatos before quickly switching her attention. She couldn’t do much about her situation, but maybe she could at least comfort her fellow captive.

“Excuse me!” Joey called out, returning to a normal tone of voice when she was close enough. “Ma’am, are you alright?”

“Huh?” The man whom she presumed was Mammon noticed her approach and turned around to face her. But, only a moment later he also noticed Barbatos waiting for Joey not too far away. “Barbatos!” He then briefly turned his attention back to Joey. “I guess that means you must be the other human.” He looked back at the woman accompanying him, his brow furrowing. “As if it wasn’t already bad enough I got saddled with babysitting duty.”

Joey registered him addressing her, but continued to approach the other woman. When she didn’t seem to respond to him, the man blocked her path, a clearly annoyed expression on his face.

“Hey! I was talking to you. Show some proper respect for the Great Mammon, human!”

Joey stopped, briefly looking apologetic. So she was right. “Sorry about that. Yeah, I’m the other human exchange student.… I saw my fellow exchange student in distress and I wanted to help them.” She took a split second to think more on what he said and had an idea. I need to convince him to be more favorable so he’ll let me talk. “Again though, you have my apologies, oh great one.”

“Now that’s more like it!” Mammon smiled approvingly. But it was quickly replaced by a frown. “Look, I’m under orders from my older brother Lucifer to take your fellow human back to where the two of you will be staying. If I dawdle for too long he might think I’m slacking off.” He shook his head. “Not that I’m scared of him or anything! Just don’t want anymore trouble than I’m already dealing with. I can’t let you two stay and chat, we need to keep moving.”

“You can’t even spare a minute?” Joey tried to fumble for an excuse he might buy. “I mean, if you’ve got a lot on your plate, having a sniffling human must be grating on your nerves right? Well, if you give me a couple of minutes to talk to her and she calms a bit it’ll be one less thing, right?”

A moment passed. Mammon shook his head, looking back and forth between the two humans. The other woman looked to Joey hopefully.

“You’ve got two minutes,” Mammon finally decided. “But I’m not giving you any more. Make it quick, human.”

Joey nodded. “Thank you so much! I appreciate this.” She walked passed up to the woman, not noticing Mammon’s awkward body language or hearing his muttered ‘yeah yeah whatever’ under his breath.

The other woman pulled her hand away from her face and looked over to Joey. “H-Hi….”

“Hi,” Joey greeted her, a sympathetic expression forming on her face. “My name is Joey. What’s yours?”

“I’m… I’m Katherine, but I usually go by Kat,” she replied. “Are… are you okay? I heard them say you ended up somewhere you weren’t supposed to.”

“Me? Oh, nothing too major. I’m not hurt or anything. Just a bit, well, out of sorts to put it mildly.” Joey huffed. “I’ll be fine. I wanted to see how YOU were doing.”

“I’m terrified!” Kat explained without reservation. “I’ve been taken away from my home! And they won’t let me go back no matter how much I plead. It’s not fair!”

Joey shook her head. “You’re right, it’s not. It sounds like you were taken here against your will too. I’m really sorry. It’s not right. But, unfortunately it doesn’t seem we can do much about that right now. It sucks, but that’s the truth of it.” Joey tried to think quickly before Mammon would insist on her and Kat parting ways. “Hey, is there anything you like to do when you’re stressed out? Or maybe a favorite drink or food you like that’s calming for you?”

“Well…” She thought for a moment. “Mostly I like to go for a run by myself or practice playing my cello. I don’t have my cello though and I don’t think they’d let me go for a run by myself.”

“I see,” Joey replied. “Anything else?”

“I also… sometimes take hot baths. Especially when it’s been cold out.”

“That might work! If it’s possible, when you get to where you’re going to be staying, maybe you can try and take a hot bath as soon as you can? It’s not much but maybe it might help, even just a little.”

“I don’t know,” Kat hesitated. “It just feels like everything is just crazy.”

“Completely understandable,” Joey answered sympathetically. “But maybe giving yourself a little comfort and a chance to destress a bit might help you to think and come down from a state of panic. Maybe there’s not a lot you can do right now, but you can do that, right?”

Kat paused briefly. “I guess so,” she said with a sigh. “Alright. I’ll feel worse if I don’t do anything at all, so I might as well.” She turned her gaze away and then back. “Thank you. For trying to help, I mean.”

I couldn’t just sit by and do nothing, thought Joey.

Kat turned to Mammon. “Sorry for holding things up. I’m ready to go now.” Mammon nodded and started walking, Kat following after him.

“Alright, let’s go!” He answered. “Don’t fall too far behind me, human. It’s my job to keep an eye on you and I don’t want to get blamed if something happens to you.”

Joey was unsure of her true impact on things. But at least now her mind would be at ease knowing she at least tried. But, thanks to the conversation, something else was also on her mind. Kat pleaded to be sent home and she was refused. I guess if she couldn’t convince them my luck might not be so good either. I guess I really should be prepared to be stuck here for a year.

“That was a very brave thing you did,” Barbatos remarked. “Especially considering who you were talking to.”

“You mean Kat? Or Mammon?” Joey asked, confused for a moment. She walked back to Barbatos, waiting for him to start their trek to the assembly hall again.

“I was referring to Mammon in this case,” Barbatos clarified. “He may not look like it as he is now. But, he is a very powerful demon. Among the most powerful in fact.”

Joey blinked looking back in surprise. “Wow, seriously?”

“All members of the Student Council are high ranking demons. Currently, the council includes Prince Diavolo, his right hand, Lucifer, and Lucifer’s six brothers.” Barbatos began to walk, Joey following in step alongside him this time. “Lucifer and his brothers are the avatars of the seven deadly sins, not demons any human should approach too casually under most circumstances. Mammon is the eldest brother after Lucifer and the Avatar of Greed.”

Joey’s eyes widened. “So Mammon’s got some serious weight to throw around.” I guess I really lucked out in managing to flatter my way into trying to help Kat.

“Yes.”

“I’m not so sure that makes me brave,” she replied to Barbatos.

“Would you have ignored your instinct to try and help your fellow human if you knew who it was you were dealing with?”

“Well,” Joey barely paused to give her answer. “No, not really. I might have been more nervous and pessimistic about my chances of persuading him. But, I still would have tried for her sake.”

“Then your actions are no less brave, Miss Andrews,” Barbatos said with a smile. “Now, if you’ll come with me this way, we are nearly at the assembly hall.”

Joey nodded, and attempted to keep pace with Barbatos down a winding and even more spacious hallway. Eventually they came upon a large set of metal doors, with ornate decorations embossed into them. If Joey were to take a guess, this was it. The assembly hall. She followed right up to the doors. And then, Barbartos reached out, pulling on the handle.

“Wait one moment. I need to speak with my lord for a moment. But then, you may enter the assembly hall.”

Indeed he went inside and was gone for maybe a minute or two. She could hear voices but they were muffled from this side of the door. Eventually, Barbatos came back out, pulling the door open and stepping aside for Joey to walk through.

“Right this way.”

Joey began to make her way inside, but not before turning to Barbartos.

“Thanks for helping me get here, and for explaining everything you did Barbatos. I’d be pretty terrified and lost right now otherwise.” I’m still pretty terrified to be honest. But at least I know what I’m dealing with.

“It was no trouble, and it was my express duty to assist you as per my lord’s orders. But, your thanks is appreciated. I wish you the best of luck, whatever your fate may be.”

With that, Joey stepped inside and Barbatos closed the door behind her.

#tales of a magus (fanfiction)#verse (into the dark and back: obey me)#modern persephone (obey me!joey)

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blackcatkita · 5 years

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The Consequence of Secrets- Chapter 25

The Return

It’s back, my friends, and so is Drake! If you’ve stuck with me this long, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I decided to split this chapter to get it out sooner- there is more coming soon. No warnings aside from Drake loving the F bomb, word count is 2288 and credit for this awesome moodboard goes to my bestie, the beautiful, the talented, darley1101. Tag list will be in a reblog because Tumblr, if you’d like to get in on it you need only ask! I hope you like Drake’s (and the series) return and if you do, please like, comment or reblog. I appreciate every single note!

Drake’s idly drumming fingers curl around the steering wheel of his truck, squeezing as he lets out a jaw-popping yawn. It feels like he’s been here for months. Stuck between the hospital and the palace at the longest red light known to man. Noticing the sky to the east barely beginning to grey, he glances at the clock display on the center counsel. 5:23am. He’d been up over twenty-four hours, and that was with what? Three hours of sleep total the night before? No wonder his eyes burn like hell and feel like they’re filled with sand.

He presses the heels of his palms against his eyelids, then blinks away the stars he caused as he rolls down the window to let in the cool morning air. It had been a hell of a day. Between the argument with Olivia and her storming off to learning Jennifer was sick, hearing from Liam and spending the night waiting with him at the hospital; it had been a hell of a few days. He still doesn’t know what Olivia wanted to tell him when Liam called. Could be another of her “get your head out of your ass” lectures about making up with Liam but it didn’t seem like it; not the way she was acting. It was like she was afraid to tell him and from a woman like Olivia Nevrakis, it was… disconcerting to say the least.

Whatever it was he would find out soon enough. If this goddamn light ever changes. Why it’s even working this early in the morning is beyond him. There isn’t any traffic to regulate yet and it’s not even a major street… which means there’s no one around to see if he should just happen to… go through it. Would be his luck that a cop rounds the corner right as he does it though. Doubtful they would ticket a ‘Guardian of the Realm’ on the Royal Council, assuming he hadn’t been stripped of his title and still had a seat, but it would still be a pain in the ass and would further delay the blissful moment when his head hits the pillow.

“Fuck it. I’ll pay the damn ticket.” He sits up straighter to look to his left, then his right to check for oncoming traffic and that’s when he sees it. The opposite lights- blinking red. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me…” Screwing his eyes shut he thumps his forehead against the steering wheel. He’d been fucking sitting at a fucking blinking red light, waiting for the fucking thing to turn green for God fucking knows how long. Yep, that’s a thing he did. He really, really needs to get some fucking sleep. “Fuck!” he roars, hitting the gas to go through the dumbass light his dumbass sat at for no damn reason. At least the palace is only fifteen minutes away. Fifteen minutes he should use to calm the fuck down before he has to deal with the assholes inside.

The quiet drive calms him and pulling up to the gates, he’s struck with a feeling he can’t quite place. It’s… strange. The Royal Palace had been his home for most of his life, but after what happened, and the way he left, he wondered if it would ever be “home” again. He thought he’d be apprehensive returning but, he isn’t. Not at all. He feels… happy, content, comfortable, like putting on his old denim shirt Jennifer teased him for wearing too often. Maybe Liam was right: it would always be his home.

From the guard shack on his left a man approaches the open window while two others move in front of, and on the other side of the truck. Unlike the dark grey suits or plainclothes of Liam and Jennifer’s personal guards, per tradition they wear the ceremonial dress uniform of the Royal Guard; jackets of Cordonian blue with the same color in a stripe down each side of their black pants. Drake had never had to wear the getup thank God, but he knows under those jackets adorned with buttons and rope and other kinds of nonsense they had on bullet proof vests. They could thank Anton’s attack at the Homecoming Ball for that little addition to their wardrobe.

“Stephens,” Drake greets his former colleague with a nod. “Been a minute. How the hell are ya? How are the wife and kids?”

The guard stands rigid with an expression devoid of emotion and speaks in a clipped tone. “Good evening, Sir. Identification and royal decree you have permission to enter the palace gates.”

“Royal decree, right. Ha-ha, very funny. Now open the gate, it’s been a long ass day.”

“Sir, I cannot allow you to enter our illustrious halls without the express permission of His Majesty King Liam or our beloved Queen Jennifer. If you are unable to provide the proper documents I am afraid I must deem your intentions as malicious and you will be detained for further questioning.”

“What in the hell are you talking about?” Drake asks. “I was at your wedding for Christ’s sake and there’s no such thing as a ‘royal decree to enter’ pass.”

Stephens’ nostrils flare and he takes a step back, nodding at the guard on the other side of the truck as he lifts his hand to his earpiece. “We have a possible bogey at the front gate, dispatch Tiny and Cheech.”

“The bomb sniffing dogs? Are you serious?”

“I assure you, we take the lives of our King and Queen very seriously.” His suspicious gaze never leaves Drake as he reaches for the extendable mirror clipped to his belt. “Step out of the vehicle please, Sir.”

With an aggravated groan Drake runs his hands through his hair as the guard begins checking the undercarriage for explosives. He should have anticipated this after being gone so long. Practical jokes were commonplace among the guard’s members but he is far from in the mood. Pulling the door handle, he pushes it open little more than an inch before Stephens slams it shut.

“Stay in your vehicle! Stay. In. Your. Vehicle!” he shouts, one hand on his hip holster.

A snort of laughter sounds from the front of the truck and Drake glances up to see Fitzgerald, turned away with his shoulders shaking as he tries to contain his amusement. He turns back to Stephens, standing there with his lips twitching like he’s trying to fight a smile of his own. “Alright, asshole, you’ve had your fun but like I said, it’s been a long fucking day. I’m running on three hours of sleep, drove from Lythikos and spent the night at the hospital with the King and Queen so if you don’t open that goddamn gate right now, I’m gonna shove that mirror so far up your ass you’ll be…”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, no need for such gratuitous violence.” Stephens holds up his hands, laughing as he collapses the mirror. “Cap already told us you were on your way.” He clicks his heels together, standing at attention. “You may proceed, Sir Drake, sir!” Turning toward the gate he draws a circle above his head, signaling to the guard on the other side to open it while Drake puts the truck in gear. As the heavy metal starts to move he turns back around, tapping the handle of the compacted mirror on the open window frame. “Oh and Walker, welcome home.”

Drake huffs out a laugh, shaking his head. “Yeah, yeah. Watch the paintjob, ya dick.”

He drives through the gate and around to the residential side of the palace, wondering where to park. Should he park in his old spot in the garage that housed the Royal Family’s vehicles? Did he even still have a spot? Staff parking was out unless he wanted to go back through the gates, or there was the garage all the security vehicles were parked. Leave it to nobles to make something as simple as parking so complicated. He didn’t have this issue in Lythikos. No, he parked wherever he damn well pleased; usually in a garage full of cars Olivia doesn’t even drive. A bitter chuckle escapes his lips at the thought. He could park anywhere he wanted but what did that have to do with anything? Is he just the Duchess’ consort or does he hold significance? Ever since he left the Capitol all those months ago it seems no matter where he goes, he doesn’t know his place.

The convenience of a direct entrance from the family garage to the private quarters makes the decision for him and he stops at the bay door, reaching into the center console to press the button on the remote. He drives in, past expensive means of transport he would never buy but loved to drive and pulls into his empty spot. The slamming of the truck door echoes through the open space as he walks across the concrete floor, swinging his key ring around his finger. He unlocks the deadbolt and steps into the hallway, taking a moment to breathe in the familiar scent. Hearing approaching footsteps on marble, he scans the area quickly, gauging whether he has time to escape as Regina appears from around the corner.

She approaches with a modest smile, hair only slightly disheveled and wearing a long sleeved set of lavender pajamas. “Drake, it’s wonderful to see you back at the palace.”

As she gets closer he sees her eyes are red rimmed with bags beneath and the deep furrow of a worry line between her brows. In all the years he’d known her he’d never seen her look so tired. “Your Majesty, what are you doing up at this hour?”

“I’m afraid I didn’t get much sleep. I was going to take a walk to clear my head… perhaps in the gardens,” she trails off, turning her head slowly to stare blankly down the hall for a few beats before turning back to him. “Were you there? At the hospital?”

“I was,” Drake nods.

“Thank you for that. For being there for them.” Her lips tremble as she attempts to smile, faltering quickly as she clasps her hands too tightly for it to be a casual gesture. “The last I heard from Liam they still didn’t know what was happening. They had taken Jennifer into surgery and I haven’t been able to get ahold of him since.”

“I think he turned his phone off. It was… hard on him seeing her like that and then worrying about the baby… he probably didn’t want to disturb you, being so late and all.”

“Were they able to make a diagnosis?”

Resisting the urge to look away from her scrutinizing gaze, he takes a deep breath, chewing on his lower lip as he lets it out slowly. “I’m sorry, Regina, but I can’t…”

She holds up a hand to stop him, shaking her head. “I don’t need details and I would never ask you to betray their confidence. I just… I need to know if they’re alright.” She steps forward, placing her hand on his shoulder. She looks up at him, eyes pleading and wet with unshed tears. “Please, Drake.”

Taking in her concerned expression, he argues with himself. This isn’t Queen Mother Regina standing in front of him looking for an edge. This is just a woman, worried sick about her family. She loved Liam like he was her own son, had come to love Jennifer too and was vocal about how excited she was to become a grandmother. No matter what he will always be loyal to Liam and Jennifer and it’s not his place to say anything; but denying a worried grandmother news that will help ease her mind doesn’t sit well with him either. “She was out of surgery and sleeping when I left. From the looks of it Liam wouldn’t be far behind.” There’s no harm in telling her that much. They could all use a bit of good news.

“And the baby?”

“The baby made it through surgery fine. That’s all I know.”

“It is enough.” The breath she releases wavers as she smiles, reaching up to brush a single tear from beneath her eye before it has the chance to fall. “Thank you, you’ve eased my mind considerably. So much so that I believe I may be able to get some sleep after all. Good-night, Drake.”

“Night, Regina.” He watches as she turns back the way she came, thinking it could have been much worse. He could have run into Madeleine. The she-devil always got up at the ass crack of dawn to make sure she was prepared for whatever the hell she thought she needed to be prepared for. An involuntary shudder moves up his spine and he shakes it off, heading in the opposite direction of Regina to his own quarters.

Letting himself in, he flips on the living room light and tosses his keys and wallet on the table by the door. He takes a second, letting it soak in. Like Liam said, it’s exactly how he left it; from the tools he used to hang his new tv scattered on the hearth to the socks slung over the back of the armchair.

The room feels stuffy, the air stagnant from being shut up so long and he opens the window on his way to the bedroom with his hastily packed duffle bag in hand. Dropping it to the floor with a thud, he barely manages to set the alarm on his phone before flopping onto the comforter fully clothed; his last thought whether Olivia will be there when he wakes up as he drifts off to sleep.

#The Consequence of Secrets #Drake Walker #Liam x MC #Liam x Jennifer #choices trr #choices trh #choices the royal romance #choices the royal heir #playchoices #trr fanfic #trh fanfic

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