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veneror · 12 days

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finally put together some better tags oo baby

. 𓆩 COMMAND ME TO BE WELL. ╱ ooc.

. 𓆩 NO GRAVE CAN HOLD MY BODY DOWN . I’LL CRAWL HOME. ╱ asks.

. 𓆩 JUST TO TAKE THE INJURY OF FINALLY KNOWING YOU. ╱ starters.

. 𓆩 HEAT OF HER BREATH IN MY MOUTH . I’M ALIVE. ╱ promo.

. 𓆩 OUR TEETH AND LUNGS ARE LINED WITH THE SCUM OF IT. ╱ rp memes.

. 𓆩 DON’T LET ME IN WITH NO INTENTION TO KEEP ME. ╱ open starter.

. 𓆩 NO SWEETER INNOCENCE THAN OUR GENTLE SIN. ╱ crack.

. 𓆩 IDEALISM SITS IN PRISON . CHIVALRY FELL ON ITS SWORD. ╱ dash games.

. 𓆩 I FEEL LIKE A PERSON FOR A MOMENT OF MY LIFE. ╱ affiliates.

VOX . (ic) ╱ there are no actors in this film / what you see and hear is real.

VOX . (isms) ╱ fog their eyes with static and color . they may not see the truth.

VOX . (ships) ╱ what could i possibly do to make you love me inhumanely ?

VOX . (visage) ╱ CLICK to apologize! CLICK to be saved! CLICK to be pure!

ALASTOR . (ic) ╱ i am a pitch black slaughterhouse / i am the flesh maggots adore.

ALASTOR . (isms) ╱ the stars are moving now / do you see the hungry eye?

ALASTOR . (ships) ╱ to sink his claws into the overripe pomegranite / to be known . to be eaten.

ALASTOR . (visage) ╱ blessed be the son of the doe / performer to an audience of none.

LUCIFER . (ic) ╱ it is all so heavy / it has nowhere else to go but my shaky hands.

LUCIFER . (isms) ╱ the serpent will always eat itself / no beginning . no ending.

LUCIFER . (ships) ╱ if love is not a shrine / it is always going to be a scar.

LUCIFER . (visage) ╱ i am an accusation . a wicked omen . a promise of apocalyptic unholy.

BEETLEJUICE . (ic) ╱ and i believe all this anger was once love gone to wretched hands.

BEETLEJUICE . (isms) ╱ are you tired of me yet ? i grow weary of my own voice.

BEETLEJUICE . (ships) ╱ think of love . imagine an open and shielded wound.

BEETLEJUICE . (visage) ╱ you will see me rotting in the darkness . i will crack another joke.

ASTARION . (ic) ╱ a personification / an abstraction. what else does it mean to be a god ?

ASTARION . (isms) ╱ who have you become in the wake of all that has happened ?

ASTARION . (ships) ╱ you kiss the palms of my hands so gently. i know how it feels to adore.

ASTARION . (visage) ╱ crimson in my teeth . promises under my tongue.

EVE . (ic) ╱ the sun glows in my chest . the moon blooms across my eyes.

EVE . (isms) ╱ with feather touches and ivory kisses / i bring you to paradise.

EVE . (ships) ╱ i will plant fields of lavender in your soul / i will untangle the fear.

EVE . (visage) ╱ honey - mouthed and quiet. love spills from the stars again.

VALENTINO . (ic) ╱ reminders of me in the walls of your organs. i am the parasite you feed.

VALENTINO . (isms) ╱ see me in the back of your mirror / i haunt like a silent ghost.

VALENTINO . (ships) ╱ tear a confession from you like a fish hook to the throat.

VALENTINO . (visage) ╱ it will reach behind me and rip the spine from my body.

BLITZO . (ic) ╱ what is a battlefield if not a body ? what is pain if not an admittance ?

BLITZO . (isms) ╱ yearn is too delicate of a word. there is something horrible in my chest.

BLITZO . (ships) ╱ you love with so much anger / is it all towards yourself ?

BLITZO . (visage) ╱ it rots in my teeth. the opportunity for second chances.

. ꒰ა ADAM AND EVE | . . . IT WAS SOFTER TO LIE WITH YOU. ╱ origiinis.

. ꒰ა ALASTOR AND LILITH | . . . IN THE DARKNESS I WILL MEET MY CREATOR. ╱ lilitophidian.

. ꒰ა VOX AND ALASTOR | . . . RIP ME APART WITH YOUR LOVING TEETH. ╱ videoaux.

. ꒰ა EVE AND ALASTOR | . . . TO BE LOVED IS TO BE REMEMBERED. ╱ hellsbroadcaster.

. ꒰ა LUCIFER AND ASTARION | . . . ANGELIC ONE . I AM SAVED. ╱ hcllishsins.

. ꒰ა LUCIFER AND VOX | . . . YOU MADE A HOME IN THIS DREADFUL SOUL. ╱ videoaux.

. ꒰ა ALASTOR AND ANGEL | . . . WANTING BURNS FROM THE INSIDE OUT. ╱ spyderdust.

. ꒰ა VOX AND LUCIFER | . . . I'M JUST LOWERING YOUR EXPECTATIONS. ╱ xluciifer.

#. 𓆩 COMMAND ME TO BE WELL. ╱ ooc.#. 𓆩 NO GRAVE CAN HOLD MY BODY DOWN . I’LL CRAWL HOME. ╱ asks.#. 𓆩 JUST TO TAKE THE INJURY OF FINALLY KNOWING YOU. ╱ starters.#. 𓆩 HEAT OF HER BREATH IN MY MOUTH . I’M ALIVE. ╱ promo.#. 𓆩 OUR TEETH AND LUNGS ARE LINED WITH THE SCUM OF IT. ╱ rp memes.#. 𓆩 DON’T LET ME IN WITH NO INTENTION TO KEEP ME. ╱ open starter.#. 𓆩 NO SWEETER INNOCENCE THAN OUR GENTLE SIN. ╱ crack.#. 𓆩 IDEALISM SITS IN PRISON . CHIVALRY FELL ON ITS SWORD. ╱ dash games.#. 𓆩 I FEEL LIKE A PERSON FOR A MOMENT OF MY LIFE. ╱ affiliates.#VOX . (ic) ╱ there are no actors in this film / what you see and hear is real.#VOX . (isms) ╱ fog their eyes with static and color . they may not see the truth.#VOX . (ships) ╱ what could i possibly do to make you love me inhumanely ?#VOX . (visage) ╱ CLICK to apologize! CLICK to be saved! CLICK to be pure!#ALASTOR . (ic) ╱ i am a pitch black slaughterhouse / i am the flesh maggots adore.#ALASTOR . (isms) ╱ the stars are moving now / do you see the hungry eye?#ALASTOR . (ships) ╱ to sink his claws into the overripe pomegranite / to be known . to be eaten.#ALASTOR . (visage) ╱ blessed be the son of the doe / performer to an audience of none.#LUCIFER . (ic) ╱ it is all so heavy / it has nowhere else to go but my shaky hands.#LUCIFER . (isms) ╱ the serpent will always eat itself / no beginning . no ending.#LUCIFER . (ships) ╱ if love is not a shrine / it is always going to be a scar.#LUCIFER . (visage) ╱ i am an accusation . a wicked omen . a promise of apocalyptic unholy.#BEETLEJUICE . (ic) ╱ and i believe all this anger was once love gone to wretched hands.#BEETLEJUICE . (isms) ╱ are you tired of me yet ? i grow weary of my own voice.#BEETLEJUICE . (ships) ╱ think of love . imagine an open and shielded wound.#BEETLEJUICE . (visage) ╱ you will see me rotting in the darkness . i will crack another joke.#ASTARION . (ic) ╱ a personification / an abstraction. what else does it mean to be a god ?#ASTARION . (isms) ╱ who have you become in the wake of all that has happened ?#ASTARION . (ships) ╱ you kiss the palms of my hands so gently. i know how it feels to adore.#ASTARION . (visage) ╱ crimson in my teeth . promises under my tongue.#EVE . (ic) ╱ the sun glows in my chest . the moon blooms across my eyes.

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jedimaesteryoda · 8 months

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What was in Prince Nymor's Letter to Aegon I? (Updated)

Background

Aegon the Conqueror managed to forge the Seven Kingdoms into one with his dragons, but there was one exception: Dorne. The First Dornish War marked the only war where a kingdom managed to avoid subjugation by the Iron Throne.

The Dornish avoided open battle as well as holing in fortresses. Rhaenys found all the castles in Dorne empty as she flew on Meraxes as the Dornish forces melted away.

Meria: I will not fight you, nor will I kneel to you. Dorne has no king. Tell your brother that. Rhaenys: I shall, but we will come again, Princess, and next time we shall come with fire and blood. Meria: Your words, Ours are Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken. You may burn us, my lady, but you will not bend us, break us, or make us bow. This is Dorne. You are not wanted here. Return at your peril.

Princess Meria waited for her in Sunspear just to tell her off. Aegon placed his men to control castles, and declared victory only for the Dornish forces to return. Meria threw Lord Rosby from a window herself.

Also, apparently the Dornish didn’t play nice. Entire garrisons were put to the sword. Knights were tortured, and Lord Wyl cut off the hands of captured prisoners-of-war, including Aegon’s Hand, Orys Baratheon. These actions violated the codes of chivalry, and had Aegon and his bannermen howling for vengeance, which led to a bloody cycle of retaliation and reappraisals.

Aegon’s retaliation was swift as he and his sisters took to their dragons and burned Dornish castles. The Dornish responded by burning half the rainwood and sacking half a dozen towns and villages. The Targaryens then responded by burning more Dornish castles in dragonflame. The Dornish response to that was Lord Fowler capturing Nightfall and taking its occupants hostage and razing the nearby villages and towns. The Targaryens, then predictably, responded with their dragons again, but this time, miraculously, the Dornish managed to take down a dragon. A scorpion bolt in a one in a million shot, hit Meraxes in the eye, killing the dragon and ostensibly, the rider, Rhaenys.

The death of Aegon’s favorite sister-wife was of course a huge personal blow, and it marked the start of the next two years of the war appropriately named the Dragon’s Wroth, the nadir of the war. Aegon and Visenya's initial response was to burn every castle in Dorne, except Sunspear. Some castles were even burned more than once with Hellholt, the site of Meraxes’s death, being burned three times. Aegon and Visneya also placed bounties on the heads of Dornish lords to which the Dornish responded by placing bounties on their heads as well as those of their allies. Half a dozen Dornish lords were assassinated while Aegon and Visneya survived several assassination attempts, and Lord Fell was murdered in a brothel.

Finally, Meria Martell died, and was succeeded by her son, Nymor. Nymor took a different approach compared to his mother, and sent his daughter and heir, Deria, to King’s Landing with Meraxes’s skull and a letter. While Aegon’s queen and advisors pushed for Aegon to harm Deria, Aegon refused and heard out Deria.

Dorne wanted peace, according to Deria—but the peace of two kingdoms no longer at war, not the peace between a vassal and a lord. Many urged His Grace against this, and the phrase "no peace without submission" was often heard in the halls of the Aegonfort. It was claimed that the king would look weak should he agree to such a demand and that the lords of the Reach and stormlands who had suffered so much for his cause would be angered.

Swayed by such considerations, it is said, King Aegon was determined to refuse the offer until Princess Deria placed in his hands a private letter from her father, Prince Nymor. Aegon read it upon the Iron Throne, and men say that when he rose, his hand was bleeding, so hard had he clenched it. He burned the letter and departed immediately on Balerion's back for Dragonstone. When he returned the next morning, he agreed to the peace and signed a treaty to that effect.

Aegon read Nymor’s letter, burned it, and left for Dragonstone on Balerion that day, only to return the following morning and to his court’s surprise, agree to Nymor’s terms of ending the First Dornish War with the Iron Throne recognizing Dorne’s independence.

No one knows the contents of that letter, but there are theories as to what was in that letter that led Aegon to forgo his aim to conquer Dorne and agree to Nymor’s peace. Let’s look at the possibilities offered.

1. Did he threaten to take all the wealth of Dorne to hire the Faceless Men to kill Aegon's young son and heir, Aenys?

The problem with this one is Aegon "flew to Sunspear on Balerion on the tenth anniversary of the peace accords to celebrate ‘a feast of freindship’ with Deria Martell” with Aenys accompanying him. I doubt Aegon would willingly celebrate such a treaty with Princess Deria, and do so, by bringing along the son they threatened to kill if he didn’t sign. That would just make things awkward.

Also, the whole point of hiring an assassin, especially a Faceless Man, is to get someone killed without you being implicated. If you say that “if person A dies, it's definitely because of me,” that would be a clear invitation to retaliation from the victim’s family and allies.

The man whom this threat was made to burned every castle in Dorne in retaliation for Rhaenys’s death. It doesn’t take much speculation to imagine how he would have responded to the death of his son borne by that same woman. A threat like that likely wouldn’t have intimidated Aegon into signing the treaty, but more likely angered him and provoked threats of retaliation.

One must also note that by the time of the meeting (13 AC) Maegor had just been born the year before (12 AC). Even with Aenys dead, Aegon would still have had a son to continue the Targaryen line, and it wouldn’t have been a permanent end to the Targaryen threat.

2. Did Nymor reveal that Rhaenys lived still, broken and mutilated, and that he would end her suffering if Aegon ended hostilities?

It doesn’t take a genius to see the problems with this one. The proposal is basically to tell Aegon "Hey, remember your beloved queen Rhaenys, she's alive, we've just been torturing her for the past two years. Agree to this peace and we'll kill her, the thing that you burned Dorne over thinking we did."

For Aegon, the idea of Rhaenys having been left broken after being tortured and mutilated for two years undoubtedly would have enraged him in such a manner that would have befit his sobriquet “the Dragon”, and had him threatening swift and brutal retaliation. He would have demanded Rhaenys back, no matter what condition she was in. I also seriously doubt Aegon would take Rhaenys’s son, Aenys, to celebrate the peace with Deria that was signed on the condition of killing his tortured mother.

Nymor would also have demonstrated himself to be an idiot by needlessly endangering his daughter, Deria. By sending her, he would have handed Aegon a potentially valuable hostage on a silver platter that Aegon could use to counter any threats against Rhaenys. It also undermined the message of goodwill by bringing the skull of Meraxes.

There is also the question of if they had Rhaenys alive this whole time, why the hell didn’t they use her before, the moment they had captured her? The Dornish would have to be complete fools to not see how valuable a hostage Aegon’s favorite sister-wife could be. They at the very least could have used her to negotiate a ceasefire, and given themselves some respite.

3. Was the letter ensorceled?

Short answer: no. I don’t think we’ve seen magic capable of influencing someone’s consciousness with the most being tales of love potions.

4. Some claim it was a simple plea, from one father to another, heartfelt words that touched King Aegon’s heart.

This seems a little too romantic. I mean even if the words did touch Aegon’s heart, there were still political realities to consider, and I don’t see how relating as a father would move Aegon enough to forget about Rhaenys, the woman who first made him a father to begin with.

5. Others insist it was a list of all those lords and noble knights who lost their lives during the war.

I admit while showing a king the human costs of his war isn’t unappealing to me, one must note that “the Reach, the stormlands and the marches had suffered grievously during the fighting, and would never forgive and forget.” The relatives of those same lords and knights who died in the Dornish War largely wanted the war to continue to avenge their relatives, and would potentially have seen a Dornish peace without submission seemingly make those deaths in vain.

It also wouldn’t be the first time Aegon suffered a personal loss in his conquest. He lost his distant cousin and one of his family’s closest friends, Daemon Velaryon, in the first Targaryen assault on the Vale. Yet, he continued his conquest regardless.

What actually was in the letter?

Think back to Robert’s Rebellion with Dornish anger over the horrific deaths of Elia and her children as well as the death of Lewyn at the Battle of the Trident. Jon Arryn managed to avoid rebellion by the Dornish by returning Lewyn’s bones to Dorne, and negotiating with Prince Doran.

Returning the remains of a fallen relative is an act of respect. It is mentioned that Rhaenys’s bones were never returned. Neither were the bones Elia and her children, but that was because they were given the Targaryen custom of cremation.

I think Rhaenys’s body was likely given the same treatment. What Nymor may have mentioned in the letter is that he was returning Rhaenys’s ashes from her funeral pyre to Dragonstone. That is why Aegon left for Dragonstone that day on Balerion, he wanted to meet up with the ship carrying her urn.

That leaves the question of why Aegon burned the letter. It likely mentioned how Rhaenys died. It must be mentioned that in the Dance of Dragons, dragonriders have survived their dragons falling to the ground like Aegon II on Sunfyre (twice) and Baela on Moondancer, though with serious injuries. Rhaenys actually may have survived the fall, and they put her in bed and gave her a maester to recuperate.

Note, that "his hand was bleeding, so hard had he clenched it," or his hand was stained with Targaryen blood, a trope going back to Cain's hands being stained with the blood of his brother Abel. The letter likely stated that when Aegon attacked Hellholt in retaliation for Rhaenys's purported demise, she was in one of the towers Balerion had burned. In other words, Rhaenys had died not by Dornish hands but by his own hand. The crime he had pinned on the Dornish, and made them suffer for was his own. In his pursuit of vengeance, he had destroyed the one thing he had loved most.

The kinslayer is cursed, and that meant that House Targaryen had been tragically cursed from the start. The tradition of dragons slaying dragons would continue to plague the generations of Aegon's progeny.

Throughout the war, both sides did a lot of awful stuff with the Targaryens burning everything in Dorne in dragonflame, and the Dornish responding by engaging in torture, mutilation and assassination (which the Targaryens did first). All those actions did was escalate the war, and result in more brutal retaliation from the Targaryens with each side upping the violence, brutality and destruction. However, by performing this one honorable gesture, Nymor managed to succeed where his mother failed in ending Aegon’s attempts to subdue Dorne. Aegon having learned he had inadvertently killed his own beloved wife made him realize the futility of the Dragon's Wroth and agree to the terms to end the war.

#asoiaf #house targaryen #aegon the conqueror #balerion #rhaenys targaryen #dorne #house martell #dragons #queen rhaenys targaryen #aegon i targaryen #iron throne #sunspear

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cherrypikkins · 2 months

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FE3H OC Short Fics - Kitt Burgess

some short writings that feature my monster baby Kitt and their somewhat unsettling encounters with some of the students at Garreg Mach, namely Felix, Ashe, Bernadetta, Sylvain, and Claude.

uhhh cw for blood, injury, body horror(!), and death of a tiny animal

be warned and enjoy!

Felix

Kitt had a habit of skipping training, and Felix was always getting on their case. Sometimes he even had his sword out, challenging Kitt to expose the strength he knew was concealed within. They suppressed it like a sordid secret, and Felix was determined to carve the truth out with his blade if he had to.

This time, Kitt made him regret it. Almost.

His knuckles were white on the hilt of his blade as his back pressed against the wall. A massive shadow fell upon him. He had been hoping for a simple sparring match when he cornered Kitt. Never did he expect to be cornered in turn by a fearsome beast of scale, shadow, fang and claw, forcing him to weigh his chances of making it out alive.

"Swordsman," it acknowledged in a voice that was unmistakably monstrous, yet unmistakably Kitt's.

Felix gritted his teeth. His lip curled in a fierce half-grin. "That's some trick," he said, attempting his usual scoff. He could convince himself he was unafraid, if he tried hard enough.

The thing that was Kitt laughed and laughed and laughed. Its throat dripped with ichor and cruelty. Despite his misgivings, Felix found something strangely poetic about this whole scene. It evoked the stories Glenn used to read to him - not of knights and chivalry, but of fearsome monsters… and those who hunted them.

"You asked me not to hold back, and thus I obliged." It appeared to pace calmly, until Felix realized it was moving into an attack position. "But are you sure you're ready for this? I've sunk my teeth into stronger, sturdier knights than you, Swordsman. With neither shield nor armor to protect you, your flesh will only rend quicker."

Those words made his temper flare, banishing all hesitation. "You'll find that I'm no knight, Beast," he growled with fury and anticipation. Oh, he was going to enjoy this.

Kitt laughed louder still as Felix kicked off the wall, lunging forward into glorious battle to test his blade. Not against knight or bandit, but against a creature he had seen only in storybooks and nightmares alike.

Ashe

Kitt strolled through the ancient halls of the monastery, humming a vague tune. Their footsteps paused.

Something scurried in the corner. Their instincts flared. With inhuman swiftness, Kitt was upon the mouse within seconds. Amber eyes gazed with listless curiosity as it wriggled helplessly in their palm. The mouse barely had a fighting chance before it was stuffed into the jaws of a beast that was beyond its comprehension.

Kitt wrestled the tiny critter with tongue and teeth before gulping it down, tail and all. There was a moment of uncomfortable wriggling. Then all was still.

Satisfied, they turned a heel - and came immediately face-to-face with Ashe.

The boy's face was white as a sheet. "Kitt… did you just…?"

Kitt's head tilted, eyes forming slits. They leaned in, just an hair's breadth nearer. That slight but sudden movement was enough to make Ashe flinch.

In that moment they both knew - it was too late for denials. The boy had seen everything.

A hair-splitting tension filled the darkening corridor.

Kitt mused, eyes flickering briefly to the side. Then they smiled, as if they didn't have a mouse trapped in their teeth just seconds ago.

"Let's keep this between you and me. Okay, Ashe?" Kitt suggested sweetly. They had probably meant to reassure him, never realizing just how threatening they sounded in that moment.

Ashe dared to meet Kitt's eyes just once, and for a brief second, he caught a glimpse of something horrifying. Something not unlike the ghosts that haunted his nightmares. And yet, he found himself unable to look away.

"R-r-right. Not a soul," he stammered with a weak grin. Not that anyone would believe him, anyways.

Pleased, Kitt gave him one last good-natured smile before pivoting and continuing their way along the corridor, making noises like they were cleaning their teeth with their tongue.

Ashe felt his knees finally give in as he sank to the floor, feeling faint.

Bernadetta

Bernadetta, as usual, was hiding. This time her refuge of choice was a sturdy shed where she huddled in the dark, sniffling and shaking. Right now, she wasn't hiding from anything in particular, but her chest was wracked with the familiar pangs of anxiety and terror such that being, no… breathing out in the open was unbearable…

The door to the shed swung open. Bernadetta shrieked as daylight flooded in. She stared up fearfully at the figure at the doorway, eyes widening.

"K-Kitt?" she gasped.

The figure cursed and - without warning - lunged. Bernadetta screamed as Kitt made desperate apologies that were all but incoherent to her. Something that sounded like 'there's no time to explain' and 'it's happening now', and other nonsense that Bernadetta was too panicked to comprehend while being manhandled out of the shed.

It took Bernadetta a moment to realize that she was effectively being shoved out of her own hiding place, and Kitt had claimed it for themselves. She stared in complete bewilderment as the door slammed shut in her face, with Kitt still inside. The last thing she saw was a look of pain, fear, and regret…

"Kitt? Wh-what's wrong? A-answer me! P-p-please!" Her anxiety was replaced by concern, much to her surprise.

Disturbing noises emanated from the shed as though something writhed in the dark, gouging the creaking wood. Kitt's voice was halfway between a growl and a groan. "Bernie… Whatever you do, don't let this door open… Promise me...."

"Wh-what? Why?! Kitt? Tell me what's going on…" Bernadetta stammered, reaching for the handle.

The entire shed suddenly rattled, as though something massive was trying to escape - violently. The wooden panels threatened to splinter and buckle as it slammed against the door.

"LET ME OUT! TRAITORS! MURDERERS! DEFILERS! HOW DARE YOU! LET ME OUT OF HERE, I BEG OF YOU! BEFORE THEY COME... BEFORE I TEAR YOU APART..."

Bernadetta flinched and dropped to the ground as an otherworldly howl, desperate and enraged, filled her ears.

"YOU CAN'T KEEP ME IN HERE FOREVER, COWARD! WHY DID YOU ABANDON ME? WHERE IS YOUR MERCY? WHERE IS MY JUSTICE? I WON'T FORGIVE YOU! SOMEONE SAVE ME! PLEASE! IT HURTS! I'LL KILL YOU!!"

The sheer hatred and agony in Kitt's distorted voice left her terrified, yet somehow filled with sorrow and pity. She remained rooted to the spot, not understanding anything or knowing what to do, as the monstrous seething finally ceased…

A puddle of black ichor had formed at the door of the shed, staining her shoes and hissing with vapor. All of her instincts told her to run away, fast as her legs could carry. And yet, something in her heart broke as she grappled to comprehend what Kitt must be going through right now.

Her hand grasped the handle of the door before she could stop herself.

Sylvain

Sylvain was the first and only one to see Kitt collapse out of nowhere. He lunged towards Kitt as they crumpled to the ground, seizing violently. Their bones creaked and cracked, and the veins on their arms darkened…

"H-hey! Kitt, you okay? Talk to me," Sylvain pleaded. His hand hovered, desperate to help but afraid to touch. To say that he had no idea what he was dealing with would be an understatement.

"Syl…vain…" Kitt hissed between clenched teeth, clutching and clawing at themselves in pain. "You need to…get away from here… AGH!!"

Alarmed, Sylvain placed a hand on their shoulder to hold them steady. His eyes widened as a black and inky substance pooled at his fingertips. To his horror, the veins on Kitt's arms began to split and crack, oozing black ichor that encased their limbs and form. He flinched as onyx black scales began to erupt, rippling and razor sharp. Then came the spikes, jutting out painfully as they burst from Kitt's very flesh…

Sylvain drew back, unable to tear his eyes away from the sight. It was a scene that hit too close to home, for it was strikingly similar to the way Miklan had transformed…

By now, Kitt had curled up into a kneeling position, shuddering as they braced themselves against the waves of pain. Covered in black scales, they were nigh unrecognizable. Then came the fangs, and the claws. Amber eyes blackened with corruption and caved in until they were wide and hollow as the void. Black ichor gushed out, a horrifying mockery of weeping…

"Goddess…" Sylvain inhaled sharply, staring at the otherworldly being that Kitt had become. The desire to help overrode the instinct to run, and so he reached out tentatively with a hand. "Kitt… I'm so sorry. Does it…does it hurt?"

The creature screamed at him, its voice shrill and unearthly, no longer a human but a being of rage and agony and hatred and sorrow. The moment it lashed out, Sylvain refused to turn away. Instead, he braved the creature's claws and fangs to pull Kitt into a tight hug.

Kitt's eyes widened as Sylvain murmured into their ear. "It's okay… I'm here. I'm with you. I won't leave you alone. I'll help you get through this - I promise."

Sylvain tightened his grip as Kitt wept ichor and blood upon his shoulder.

Claude

Kitt sighed with weary relief as they sank into the water, submerged to the shoulders in its cool and calming embrace. The scales that covered their body glittered faintly under moonlight. There was something about the monastery pond that soothed the familiar pains of their transformation. Their limbs still ached and their veins still burned, but it was far more bearable this time. Most important of all, however, the peace and serenity of this moment. For now, the monster within was quiet. Resting. Basking.

Kitt's mind began to drift, reflecting on past events. It was but a second too late before they noticed the sudden footfalls approaching.

Claude arrived just in time to see something dip beneath the surface with the slightest splash. He smiled wryly.

"Not quick enough this time, I'm afraid," he reprimanded light-heartedly.

Hiding under the rickety dock, Kitt felt the wood above their head creak with Claude's weight.

"We both know that there's no use hiding, friend. So why don't you come out and say hello?" Claude's eyes flitted across the pond hopefully. "No? Well, it was worth a try…"

His voice was more playful than threatening. But Kitt knew how Claude's mind worked. Even if it was a game, he played to win. And he was just as determined to find out the secret of the monastery's pond as much as Kitt as desperate not to let him.

Claude heard a faint splash underneath his feet and smirked. "Aha. As I expected, looks like our little water bug is hiding under the pier. Let's have a look at you…" Kneeling down on the dock, he braced his hands on the edge of the planks and craned his head down to have a look underneath…

A pair of cold, scaly hands grabbed the back of his collar and pulled with startling strength.

"Woah, wha-"

He barely had time to react as his quarry turned the tables on him, hauling him head-first into the pond with a resounding and unceremonious splash.

Claude's head submerged briefly before breaching the surface with a gasp. His arms flailed in the water as he looked around wildly for the one that had pulled him in.

Aside from his splashing, the pond was tranquil and empty. He was alone. But not quite.

He turned his head to the sound of hurried footsteps, running away barefoot from the pond. A familiar figure fled in the distance, but escaped into the shroud of night before he could fully recognize them.

Soaked to the bone, Claude clicked his teeth in good-natured frustration. A clever play, he admitted with a quiet grin. He was zero-for-one now, but the game had just begun.

There is now a part 2 :)

#fe3h oc #fe3h #fire emblem three houses #felix hugo fraldarius #ashe ubert #bernadetta von varley #sylvain jose gautier #claude von riegan #cw blood #cw body horror #cw animal death #cw injury #fire emblem three houses oc

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corneille-moisie · 6 months

Text

I wanna talk about this twin eagles statue in the entrance of the Kingsbarrow (There are potential spoilers in this post ! It's indicated where they are, but you might want to avoid this post all together if you don't want anything spoiled at all. This being said, hurry ! Play the game ! XD)

There's a lot of imagery going here, but let's begin by the beginning.

The twin eagles is the symbol of Heliodor, right ? It's on its banners, it's a huge golden statue, in the castle, at the bottom of the staircase leading to the throne room, it's on King Carnelian's brooch, it's on the heliodoran guards' capes, and it's on the armour of both Hendrik and Jasper, amongst other things :

Hendrik and Jasper, at this point in the early story, are considered heroes, according to the book found in the house in the far eastern part of town (yes, the one some tourist is looking for, for a side quest), and inseparable, to some extent. I always assumed that the twin eagles were symbolizing the two of them.

But that's also pretty easy to assume, so let's dig a little more.

Mild spoiler alert for Act I after this sentence, as I mention why you're in the Kingsbarrow, what you're fighting in there.

So, two eagles, right ? With weapons. Sitting on an orb.

You get to the Kingsbarrow to retrieve an orb, and to get this orb, you'll need to fight two grim gryphons.

Let's take a look at the weapons on that statue.

A sword, an ax, and a torch. While these can be found in Dragon Quest games since the very first game, I want to point out something else that is going to be a tad bit more spoilerific as I'm going to refer to Act II of the game and your 8th party member. (like... it's weird to only have 7 party members, don't you think ? ;) )

The obvious part here is that both swords and axes are weapons Hendrik can be equipped with, and, sure, you just used a torch to get out of the sewers with Erik, so here's that for direct references, but...

A torch is a symbol for light (duh). Not only is the Luminary someone who can bring the light back to Erdrea after Yggdrasil fell, but he can't do it without the spark of light that Hendrik figuratively becomes by turning Cobblestone into Last Bastion. ("spark of light" being used verbatim by Queen Marina to refer to Hendrik, and again, by (actually) King Carnelian to refer to both Hendrik and the Luminary, both in early Act II)

Then again, and this time, spoilers alert for Act III, after Yggdrasil fell and it is revealed that Jasper is on the bad guy team, Hendrik kind of loses his "twin" knight fellow. But do you know who also turns out to be a knight ? Sylvando. In Act III, Don Rodrigo sends your party to the Kingsbarrow to bring to light that friendship is a very strong weapon. Ultimately, it unlocks a pep power that involves both Hendrik and his ax, and Sylvando and his sword, and which also unlocks the last part of both their skill trees : Fraternity for Hendrik, Chivalry for Sylvando. Friendship/torch + Hendrik/ax + Sylvando/sword = Twin Eagle Statue in the Kingsbarrow lol.

But THEN AGAIN, the whole thing might also be a symbol strictly for Hendrik, as, still in act III (SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER ->), he feels like it's his duty to fight the ghost of Jasper, so his soul can be put to rest. As a result, Hendrik gets the Twin Eagle Armour, as his old companion's soul is now cleansed from Mordegon's influence, now that they finally shed light on what actually happened.

Now, I think that wraps up this info dump that I didn't realize i would do when I first set foot in the Kingsbarrow... I'm gonna go back to the game lmao. Time to go to Hotto :)

#dragon quest #dragon quest xi #dragon quest 11 #dq11 #dqxi #dq11 hendrik #dq11 jasper #dq11 sylvando #dq11 spoilers #a video game post #oof i didnt think i would spend nearly 4 hours on this ^^;

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