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underdark-dreams · 3 months

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[ch1] - [ch2] - [ch3] - [ch4]

A Strand to Climb - Ch.5

Ramazith's Tower undergoes a change in management.

Tags: Mild Angst, Fluff, Oral Sex, NSFW | Word Count: 5.5k [Read on AO3]

Rolan had fought battles with Tav before. So why did he feel such a pit of anxiety in his stomach?

Perhaps fighting gave him too much credit. The goblin camp’s ambush on the Grove, the ghouls descending on Last Light Inn the very morning after she’d returned his siblings to him…they’d never really battled side-by-side before. He’d always found himself somewhat on the backfoot around her.

Today would change that, and there was no more time for those past missteps. Lorroakan could put up a stiff fight when crossed; he was sure to be irate at being denied the Nightsong.

Dame Aylin, Rolan reminded himself. She was a person, after all, not another relic for an archwizard’s hoard.

The Weave required his total and complete concentration this morning. Anything less might put Tav in danger, and that was unthinkable.

As such Rolan spared no thought for the morning’s customers and their tedious inquiries. Most he directed straight back to Tolna, to her clear annoyance—he could practically feel her silent glare on his back. His body moved through the motions of helping the rest, not caring how rude or addled they might find him. His mind whirred away far above the mundane.

Well-worn incantations trailed through his mind like a mantra. Each one that he knew by heart suddenly seemed worth practicing another dozen times.

With his thoughts caught in a loop, the minutes crawled by at an agonizing pace. The sun took an eternity to climb above the low structures of the outer city. Just as Rolan began to wonder whether Tav might have put off the conversation with her allies, the unmistakable signal appeared just as she’d promised.

A blinding, comet-like streak blazed across the sky.

Rolan’s pulse leapt into his throat as he stared up through the vaulted windows of Sorcerous Sundries. The silvery trail of it shone supernaturally bright, even against the cloudless blue of midday. Its path pointed toward the Upper City.

There was a chorus of exclamations from the customers within the building, some delighted and many terrified. A few ran out the front doors for a better look. Out in the courtyard, the troupe performing their unimpressive magic show turned tail and ran mid-demonstration.

“What in—”

A fleck of something molten singed his wrist—Rolan shook it away with a flinch. The dwarf hawking conjurement scrolls had disappeared into thin air on his right, leaving his lava elemental to shamble untethered toward the open front doors. Its trail of superheated liquid spread perilously close to the nearby bookshelves and alchemy chests. Rolan aimed a cantrip at the thing, just barely pushing it back into its containment runes.

Tav appeared the very next instant. Dressed for battle now, she led her companions in a dead sprint through the front atrium of Sorcerous Sundries. Her longsword swung already drawn in her hand.

“Now!” Her eyes pierced Rolan’s as she dashed for the stairs.

Rolan threw his work aside. He dipped to grab his quarterstaff from under the counter, then took off for the staircase to follow Tav and her companions.

Those few seconds passed like hours in his head. In a flash, the scene waiting for them above streaked through Rolan’s mind. He knew Lorroakan’s magic better than anyone—why the hells hadn’t he prepared her better for what to expect?

“Take out his Myrmidons first,” Rolan said in a rush as they took the stairs two at a time. “They’re Weave bound—grant him resistance—”

Rolan couldn't tell if she was listening. “Tav!” He heard his own voice shouting, and gripped the metal plates on her shoulder before she could step to the portal. “Don’t go near him until they’re dust, understand?” All the subconscious reasons why he’d avoided fighting next to her before were flooding back to him.

“Yes,” she said in clipped tones, but she spared him a fierce glance sideways. “We’ve taken worse.”

This isn’t about you, this is about me and my weakness and how I will go absolutely fucking mad if anything happens to you—

He wanted to shake the words into her, but there was no time. Instead, Rolan cast without thinking.

Just before her other leg disappeared into the swirling void, his hand directed a strand of Weave out toward her, wrapping her in defensive magic. He felt the telltale sap of energy in his chest and knew his spell had landed.

Pitiful consolation—but it was what he could manage. Rolan breathed in and shouldered his way through the portal behind her.

Already breathless and disoriented, it took him a moment to come to his senses on the other side. Rolan blinked against the bright Upper City sunlight filling the Tower before catching sight of his master on the far side of the dais.

Dame Aylin had beaten them here. Tav and her companions rushed to flank her shining wings—Rolan followed, trying to note the positions of Lorroakan’s waiting Myrmidons while catching the tail end of the aasimar’s rebuke.

“—one good reason, magus, why I should not strike you down where you stand!”

Aylin spoke like the ancient and powerful being she was; her words hit Rolan’s ears with the weight of some kind of dreadful prophecy. They would strike fear into any sane mortal’s heart.

Naturally, Lorroakan showed no such inclination to humble himself. He preened, belittled, outright lied to Aylin’s face about the glowing runes traced into the floor behind him. The man’s audacity made Rolan’s blood run hot. In this moment, he felt painfully ashamed that he’d ever called himself his apprentice.

Clearly, Aylin was not one to suffer such fools so easily. “A liar and a thief, desperate to stretch his miserable life with the Moonmaiden’s blood. Heretic—” Her feet left the ground as she rose into the air, righteously angry, her wingspan spreading behind her to cast a shadow on Lorroakan’s face.

Lorroakan’s eyes turned pale and cold as he watched her, and Rolan recognized the look as the one he saw before a blow was struck.

“A shame,” Lorroakan sighed, shaking up the cuffs of his robe. His gaze fell on Rolan. “Boy, mind the runes—if she won’t go willingly, then the cage must be ready to contain her.”

Even now he was too self-important to note that it was Tav’s shoulder Rolan stood beside, not his former master’s. A laugh of absolute pity rose in Rolan’s throat.

“You ungrateful hellspawn—” Lorroakan’s eyes widened with rage at the sound. “Stand against me, and you will die with the rest!”

Lorroakan’s hands made the gesture of summoning. Behind him, Rolan heard the four corners of the room surge to life as the Myrmidons woke for their master. Tav’s companions drew steel and shouted a flurry of protective spells.

Rolan took his stance and reached out for the Weave.

—

“Not in range—!”

Too late to heed Wyll’s shout of warning, Lae’zel’s greatsword sliced down into the flaming Myrmidon on the lower stair. A hellish whip of fire lashed out in response. She turned just in time, catching the brunt of it against her pauldron, but a lick of flame sliced her cheek.

Uttering a harsh Gith warcry, she vaulted bodily around the thing to refocus on the icy elemental swirling its way toward Aylin, leaving the other for the casters to handle. Gale launched a volley of magic missiles into the column of fire she left behind. Wyll’s Eldritch blast landed after like a small explosion, bursting the thing into dust.

Tav sliced in frustration at her own target. Every time her longsword cleaved the stormy Myrmidon in two, it seemed to reform nearly as powerful.

She cursed herself for ever underestimating a wizard as vapid yet as cunning as Lorroakan. He’d be easy to take down on his own; the problem was getting at him.

Lorroakan was protected up to the fucking gills, wrapped in elemental power from each of the Myrmidons he controlled. Rolan’s warning echoed in her head—their only course was to pick them off, one by one, until the wizard stood on his own.

Aylin was doing her damnedest, slicing and searing the two elementals nearest Lorroakan with the ferocity of survival. Rolan flanked her superbly, casting back anything that got close on her greatsword’s upswing.

This fight is just as personal for each of them, Tav realized.

Catching her momentarily distracted, the air Myrmidon conjured a gust of air that buffeted her backwards. She wobbled and clenched her legs beneath her, trying to keep her footing on the now spill-slick carpet. The awkward position forced her to thrust her heavy sword forward for balance.

The Myrmidon directed a surge of sparking energy at her. Whether or not it was aimed to, the bolt struck her longsword like a whip crack—lightning skipped and leaped from tip to hilt and rushed straight up to her neck.

Her sword arm spasmed involuntarily, agonizingly, from shoulder to fingertips. The numbing jolt was followed by searing heat that tunneled to her very nerves—the smell of burning flesh emanated from under her arm plates. She was screaming in pain before she recognized her own voice.

A sound she instantly wished she could call back. Rolan’s figure wheeled in panic toward her, turning his back on the archwizard.

No, her lips formed silently. Burning agony forced her wordless to her knees, though she wanted to yell in frustration at her own stupidity. Too many things were happening too fast; Lae’zel flew past with her greatsword held forward like a pike, battering the air Myrmidon away toward the railing with a precise rush. Aylin’s wings beat in righteous anger behind her as she shook her head with rage—the moonbeam circling her swelled with power, incinerating two more Myrmidons on her left and right.

But all Tav could see was the red wizard’s face twisted into a snarl behind Rolan’s shoulder, recognizing an opening and preparing to seize it. She forced air back into her lungs. “Rolan!”

She thanked every god listening that he somehow understood. Rolan turned back even as the incantation formed on Lorroakan’s lips—but the apprentice was quicker than his master.

Thunderous force erupted from Rolan’s extended palms. Shockwaves reverberated out like hot gusts of wind from a furnace, ruffling through her hair where she slumped, pushing rivulets of blood and sweat across her cheeks. The spell carved its path out toward Lorroakan in a crashing wave; his boot heels skidded against the floor like a ragdoll pulled back by a giant imaginary hand.

Then Lorroakan hit the railing behind him with a sickening crack and toppled feet-over-skull, joined by the crackling Myrmidon nearby that was just barely caught in the blast of Rolan’s spell.

There was the echoing shriek of the archmage himself, shrill and disbelieving, followed by the clatter and crash of metal and stone many meters below them. No doubt the crush of Lorroakan’s body was muffled by whatever it had collided with—no living thing could have survived a fall of that force.

The rest of her companions had paused the battle to watch Lorroakan’s fall, even Aylin herself. But then Tav realized that, in fact, it was over. Their final two opponents had just toppled into the abyss below; the rest lay crushed to dust on the floor of the Tower.

“Merlin’s beard,” Gale remarked in wonder. He was peering down over the edge of the dais where Lorroakan’s body had tumbled along with his conjure. “Who taught you how to do that?”

“I did,” was all the answer Rolan spared. His boots were already splashing through puddles and ash to where Tav lay slumped on her side.

He knelt beside her with barely contained panic on his face. “Where is it, your arm? I should have—” Rolan was casting around, clearly trying to conjure up some knowledge of healing magic.

The raw skin below her shoulder was throbbing and hot-wet with what she knew was blood; her tunic chafed like steel against sinew with the slightest movement. With effort, she unclenched her teeth enough to speak. “My p-pack—”

Rolan pushed away from her to where she’d dropped her belongings. Though turning her neck hurt far too much, she heard the clinking of bottles as he urgently rifled through it.

He knelt close beside her again, and his thumb uncorked the potion with one sharp nail. The taste was like honeyed wine as Rolan tipped it past her lips. She could feel the bloody skin of her arm sealing back together and unsticking from her tunic. Then a wave of calm swept the pain away with such force that her vision tunneled for a moment.

Her eyes cleared to land on Rolan’s face. All at once her chest was squeezed with guilt. He was the one whose whole world had just shifted on its axis in the space of a morning. He shouldn't have to nurse her just because her lapse in focus almost got her killed.

She pushed herself back to her feet without success. For a moment she feared that her muscles were permanently broken, but then she realized Rolan’s hand on her shoulder was holding her firmly to the carpet.

“Stay put,” he instructed sternly. “Give yourself a moment.”

“I'm fine,” she insisted. Her eyes traveled over him instead, checking for injuries. A cursory glance reassured her.

“Stop worrying about me—” Rolan was scowling at her in a way she found strangely comforting. “You’re the one who nearly lost an arm.”

She twisted said arm out from under her side, waving it experimentally to and fro until her shoulder plates jangled. “Still attached. See?”

“Only because—” Rolan cut himself off with an impatient huff. Before she knew it, his hands notched under her arms, and he hoisted her to her feet with surprising strength. He kept his grip there until she’d caught her balance.

Aylin swept toward the two of them, wings spread slightly behind her with the flush of victory. But the shine in her eyes was duller than Tav expected.

“Well fought,” she praised them nevertheless. “Both of you. I did not expect you to turn on your master so readily—” Aylin leveled her gaze down at Rolan. “But you proved yourself up to the challenge.”

Rolan dipped his horns to her slightly. “Lorroakan was never my equal in magic, let alone my superior. His plans for you only proved his utter foolishness. And his cruelty.”

“Then you are already wiser than he,” Aylin declared. “I am heartened to hear it. Perhaps you make a worthy consort for my steel-hearted friend after all.”

“Glad you approve,” Tav grimaced, praying none of the others had heard that. Beside her, Rolan coughed in a way that sounded strangely like a cover for laughter.

The subject seemed to amplify Aylin’s weariness, however—with a few parting words she flew the Tower to return to Isobel. Gale was at Tav’s shoulder in the next instant, and she could already read his face.

“I know, I know…Annals of Karsus,” she filled in with a sigh. Just once, she did wish for a moment to catch her breath.

Gale at least looked apologetic. “More urgent than ever, I’m afraid.”

Rolan regarded the other wizard with sudden suspicion. “You’re researching Karsite magic?”

“To fight the Absolute,” Tav explained wearily. “Listen, I’ll tell you ev—”

“We may need Astarion’s help,” Gale interrupted in a single-minded rush, “unless there’s a path past the vault defenses.”

“Don't look at me.” Tav turned to look at her Tiefling. “Rolan’s the Master of Ramazith’s Tower now.”

Her own words sent a shiver down her back. Rolan seemed to feel something similar; he straightened his shoulders to his full height as they looked at each other.

“If it can help, take it,” Rolan decided. He unclipped a small rune hanging at his belt and tossed it into Gale’s hands. “Give that to Tolna, she’ll disarm the route for you.”

The shift in power seemed to ripple around the room like a tangible thing. Even Lae’zel, who had been standing on the sidelines in disinterest at the subject of magery, was drawn in. She cocked her head in her birdlike way.

“This is how the archwizards of Faerûn choose their successor? Whichever apprentice defeats their master in combat?” She jerked her chin. “Barbaric,” she added, decidedly approving of the practice.

“That’s…” Gale raised a finger as if to counter, then took a rare pause. “We’ll discuss it on the way,” he finished.

In the same breath, the two of them headed for the portal and the vault below. Tav glanced to Wyll, who gave a nod of understanding and followed the others. She and Rolan were left standing alone in the middle of the Tower’s main floor.

The two of them glanced around in silence for a long moment. Under her boots, the fine carpets squished with a mixture of ice-melt, spilled sublimates, and shards of glass from shattered alchemy equipment. The stairs on all sides were dusted with piles of ash from destroyed summons. Early afternoon sunlight streamed in cheerily through the windows, as if unaware of the carnage that had just filled the place moments before.

“Nice place you have here,” she joked weakly.

Rolan didn’t answer her. His face was tilted up toward the towering bookshelves rising to the ceiling. Abruptly, he walked up the stairs to one and plucked a random volume from the shelf. Then he let its spine slowly fall open in his hands.

She followed after him with curiosity. There must be significance to the gesture, but she wasn’t sure what it was.

“I can read them,” he said down to the page, so low it was difficult to make out. “Every book in this tower…I can finally read them all.”

“You couldn’t before?” A unique form of torture for a mind like Rolan’s. Already, Tav was hit with another strong wave of satisfaction that Lorroakan was dead—a feeling she suspected would return many times over the next weeks and months.

“Cal’s going to love this,” he added with enthusiasm, replacing the book and tracing along the other titles. “This is the best library for leagues—not just books on spellcraft, memoirs and poetry too—”

“And Lia will love that the bastard’s dead.”

That made Rolan let out a laugh, his fang-like teeth glinting bright and sharp. He was handsomer than ever when he was happy like this. Without thinking, she leaned to plant a besotted kiss on his cheek.

Rolan let out a satisfied hum and took her hand in response. She allowed herself to be gently pulled behind him as he headed for a delicate staircase spiraling upward against the north wall.

“Where are we going?”

“Not sure,” Rolan answered truthfully. “But there must be a bath up here somewhere. We’re both a mess.”

Even without glancing down at herself, she knew he was right. Blood and sweat and ash had soaked through the seams of her armor to coat unpleasantly over her skin.

They passed up several flights, up through floors Rolan remarked he’d never seen before. They included what must be an artificer’s workshop, filled with half-built metal constructs. Eventually they reached what was clearly the previous owner’s chambers. A massive four-poster bed stood against the far wall, rounded with arched windows overlooking the city.

Tav felt a visceral urge to turn and leave the place immediately. But Rolan was surprisingly impassive, leading her with curiosity toward a small door in the corner. It swung forward with a touch, and they both blinked against the brightness as it latched behind them.

The room’s four walls were close-set but cavernously tall. Sunlight streamed in from the narrow windows many floors above, softly reflected by the pale polished marble of the walls. The space was nearly bright as day as a result.

From some high point that her eyes refused to focus on, a sheet of water descended silent and smooth like the surface of a flat bubble. It seemed to flow straight into the marble tiles under her feet without a sound. Behind the shimmering surface an enormous soaking tub was built into the floor.

Intrigued, Tav shook off the gauntlet on her free hand and reached her bare fingers through. The water flowed quietly around them, closing back into a uniform sheet below as it disappeared into the floor. When she withdrew, it took her weary mind several seconds to reconcile the fact that her fingers were completely dry.

“Ramazith’s magic,” Rolan mused beside her. He was inspecting the flow of water above as though he could see the structure of the spell beyond it. Something beyond where her eyes could reach.

“You can tell one wizard's magic from another’s?”

“If you're familiar with their work. Ramazith’s research on conjuration is famous. When I was quite young, I dreamt of learning it from the man himself.”

She watched Rolan’s face glass over slightly, and for a moment he looked very far away. Then his eyes flicked to hers. “He never wrote me back,” he explained simply.

A memory that would do no good for him to dwell on now. She released Rolan’s hand instead, and began loosening the ties of her plate armor.

They undressed beside each other without speaking. The only sounds were the echoes of metal falling against marble as she shed each section of armor to the floor. Rolan’s layers were much faster to make work of; when he was down to just his trousers, he turned her around to undo the tricky buckles behind her neck and shoulders.

Eventually all of their clothes lay discarded in piles around them. She shook her hair down around her face, feeling strangely shy—not because of Rolan, but at standing covered in blood and grime in the most lavish and spotless bath she’d ever seen. She quickly passed under the quiet sheet of enchanted water, and Rolan followed.

When Tav’s dry feet met the bottom of the basin, steaming water poured up rapidly from the carved stone itself and pooled well above her knees. She sank down into it with a grateful sigh, letting the water’s surface graze her chin. It was heavenly.

“Did I mention I love you,” she groaned, eyes closed.

“I can always stand to hear it again.” Water rippled against her neck, and then she was being drawn back against Rolan’s ridged chest. She settled contentedly against him and folded his arms around her own.

Soaking her worn muscles in a hot bath, feeling Rolan’s ribcage rise and fall steadily against her back—it was enough to feel utterly at peace for a moment. The steam rising around them was lightly scented with something fresh and herbal.

Balsam, she realized, which would account for the speed at which her aches and pains were dissolving away. The thought brought back a memory that made her smile to herself.

“You told me once that I smelled like balsam.”

“It’s always reminded me of you,” Rolan agreed, his voice humming between her shoulder blades. “Why is that?” He added, curious.

“Cheap way to patch yourself up,” she said. “We needed a lot of patching up in those days.”

Rolan settled her more comfortably on his lap. “I remember the first day we met. You were absolutely plastered in goblin blood from head to foot.”

“And I remember the look on your face…you were absolutely appalled,” she laughed, leaning her head back against one of his shoulders.

“It was quite shocking.” Rolan’s hands traced her arms under the water. “But sexy, in a way.”

“Is that what does it for you?”

“Yes.” Not bothering to deny it, he leaned down to kiss the juncture of her neck.

“Interesting,” she mused. “Maybe I should get into fights more often.”

“Though I admit, I much prefer you like this.”

“Naked in your bath, you mean?”

“Precisely.”

She turned with a laugh, straddling his legs to sit facing him. It came as only a mild surprise to find the old bruises on his face had faded away from the medicinal steam. Rolan rested his hands on her hips under the water, gazing at her from under his lashes with those flame-gold eyes.

She carded her wet fingers through his hair, tugging out its leather tie on the way. “You’re going to be absolutely insufferable about this, aren’t you.”

“About what?”

“All of it,” she answered, reaching past him for a bar of soap and lathering it between her hands. “Having your new tower all to yourself—” She massaged the lather into his scalp, dipping his head back slightly to better soak his hair. “Being Master Rolan now—”

Rolan closed his eyes with a deep inhale, letting her tug his head this way and that as she gently scrubbed at his wet hair. “Please don’t call me that around other people.”

“Why?” She asked, working her fingers up from his nape to back behind his horns. “You don’t like it?”

“I like it too much,” Rolan clarified, and though he kept his eyes shut, she thought his cheeks were flushed a deeper burgundy than usual.

“Ah.” She tugged his wet hair back a bit rougher than was necessary, dipping to nibble on the tip of one of his pointed ears. “So what you’re saying is, definitely call you Master Rolan when Cal and Lia come to see the Tower—”

With a splash that almost certainly soaked their clothes on the floor, Rolan flipped their bodies to land her up on the edge of the bathtub, back pressed against the cold marble of the wall.

“Insolent woman.” Rolan slung one of her calves up over his shoulder. Before she could catch her breath, his mouth descended hot between her legs.

With a gasp that echoed around the space, her head fell back against the wall. She clutched a fist into his wet hair, panting as the flat of his tongue smoothed up and parted her folds. “Fuck, Rolan—”

He only gripped her hips tighter in response to his name, sharp claws dimpling into her wet skin, tilting her up and open for his exploring tongue. When he plunged it between her folds and licked a curling shape upward inside of her, the tip of his nose brushing her clit, she groaned and shook against him and clenched her knees around his face to keep him there. He lapped at her eagerly in response, slinging her other leg up across his shoulder to join the first.

Seated against him for balance, she found her own very much thrown off. She clutched both his horns to steady herself, panting at the way his tongue swirled over her.

When the tip of his tongue hit her clit, she keened and arched her back into his mouth. “Right there—Gods—”

Rolan groaned involuntarily at the way she gripped his horns and ground herself against his face, seeking more of his hot and eager tongue against her peak. The sound only sent another shuddering wave of stimulation to her core.

His fingers gripped her with bruising force now as she rocked herself against his mouth, tugging his horns with an insistence that only seemed to spur him on. One of his hands curled over her wet thigh to use thumb and forefinger to spread her open. As he did, his lips closed over her clit to roll her in circles with his tongue.

Tav’s legs clutched and spasmed around the dagger points of his ears. Her balance nearly slipped against the wet stone under her—Rolan firmly pressed her back against the wall, holding her steady as she twitched and came under his mouth.

Shaking and off-balance, she leaned completely into his grip as waves of release clenched through her belly. Hot tears of sudden relief rolled down her cheeks, and she scrubbed a hand across her face before he could see them. Her other hand held tightly onto the ridged curve of his horn.

When she finally floated back down to her body, Rolan had slipped her legs down back into the warm water. He kissed a gentle path across her stomach, where the muscles of her core still ached and fluttered from her climax. The loose ends of his hair tickled her inner thighs.

Limp and spineless, she let her body slide back under the water to coil sideways on Rolan’s lap. Her chin landed heavily over his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around him. A handful of warm water was poured over the crown of her head. In the back of her hazy mind, she realized he was quietly washing her hair for her in turn.

To her embarrassment, more tears streamed down her cheeks, rolling to patter against his shoulder. She hoped he couldn't tell the difference from the rippling bathwater. When a snuffle caught in her throat, she knew she’d given herself away.

“I'm so—tired—” She choked out, feeling very foolish for ruining such a rare lovely moment in a lovely place. But the tears still leaked out the corners of her eyes.

“Then stay here and rest a while,” Rolan told her, his nails gently scrubbing her scalp. He sounded remarkably unbothered by her reaction.

“I can’t,” she groaned into his shoulder. “I have so much to do—the Vault—”

“Maybe I can help,” Rolan replied, resolutely dumping more trickles of water to rinse out the soap. “For one thing, why in hells do you need a book on Karsus?”

Tav squeezed her eyes shut; she felt a jumble of words boiling up in her chest.

“Rolan…the Absolute is actually a giant, ancient, angry Elder Brain chained up deep under the city. And Gale thinks it’s wearing the Crown of Karsus, and that’s how Ketheric and Gortash and Orin are managing to control it, with these Netherese stones…only now Ketheric’s dead and we have his stone, so the containment’s breaking. And it’s going to go free and absolutely lay waste to the Sword Coast unless we get to it first.”

Rolan was very still against her as everything poured out. Then his fingers smoothed her wet hair back. “That doesn’t sound like a problem we can solve today,” he said decidedly.

“But I have—”

“Tav.” Rolan’s arms drew her away firmly. Unable to escape his gaze now, she nevertheless hung her head, ashamed for him to see her red-faced and weeping like a child. “You’re making mistakes. You nearly got yourself killed just now. If I hadn’t put mage armor on you, you might’ve lost your sword hand.”

She stared up at him. “But that spell doesn’t work if you’re wearing plate,” she blurted out.

“That’s not the—” He shook his head impatiently, as if she was changing the subject on purpose. “The point is you can’t help anyone if you’re dead. And if you keep going like you have been, you might get yourself that way. Do you understand?”

He let her lean forward to rest her cheek against his shoulder. “You’re one to talk,” she mumbled, feeling rather defeated nonetheless.

Rolan wrapped an arm around her back. “It’s not easy to ask for help,” he agreed quietly. “But there’s no need for you to do this alone anymore. It’s reckless, for one thing. And you have allies.”

She kept her face tucked against his neck, feeling his pulse against her lips, and thought on it.

“Do you think I’m weak?”

“What?” She raised her head to look at him. “Rolan, you’re…you’re honestly one of the most determined people I’ve ever met.”

Rolan examined her expression for a moment. One of his hands worried little circles into her back underneath the water. “I haven’t felt that way,” he told her. “I’ve felt stupid and ashamed for weeks. After everything, when you came to the city—” His voice broke slightly, and he looked up at the ceiling to continue.

“I didn’t want to see you. I didn’t want you to see me. After all the times you’ve helped me and my family, I couldn’t bear for you to see me at my worst all over again. It was painful,” he decided. His gaze tipped back to meet hers. “And now it’s better. You’re strong, and you’ve helped me. So let me help you, Tav. It doesn’t make you weak.”

She leaned in to kiss him. Hands through his hair, she pulled his mouth against hers, pressing their lips firmly together.

When they broke apart, she kept Rolan’s jaw held between her hands. A trickle of water ran from his hair down across his temple.

“I’m absolutely in love with you,” she declared.

As she watched, Rolan’s damp and freckled face split into a charming grin, the sharp tip of one fang notching over his lip.

“I know.”

#hey fun fact i am absolutely insane for these two #bg3 rolan #rolan x tav #bg3 fanfic #tw: lorroakan #but not for long #sage and soldier #rebgrrl writes #underdark-dreams #spicy #nsft

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johaerys-writes · 1 month

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Hi! I’m pretty new to the world of Achilles and Patroclus (I read The Song Of Achilles last month) and I just saw your post about your love for them. When you said “there's just so much stuff out there about them (tsoa, hades game, the iliad, a bunch of other myths and adaptations, non fiction books, academic papers etc)” I was wondering if you could touch on the other myths and adaptations part maybe? I’m not exactly sure where to begin there but I would appreciate any guidance you could give!

Oh boy I don't know where to start either because there's a LOT. I don't want to overwhelm you so I'll just list a few key myths and adaptations off the top of my head:

Adaptations

So as far as adaptations go, I will include works where both Achilles and Patroclus show up and that are inspired by the Iliad.

Hades Game: I'm pretty sure you're already familiar with this, just mentioning it just in case!

Aristos the musical: it's a musical as the name suggests, and it revolves around Achilles and Patroclus' lives from Pelion all the way to Troy. It's really lovely and has made me emotional on numerous occasions and I love revisiting it every so often! It also has a Tumblr account: @aristosmusical

Troilus and Cressida: this is Shakespeare's take on the Trojan War and it's quite interesting, not really faithful to the Iliad but offers a sort of different perspective on the characters and the events that led to Hector's death.

Achilles (1995) by Barry JC Purves: it's a short stop motion film using clay puppets, it's on Youtube and it's only 11 mins and I think it's worth a watch! I find it very compelling visually and any adaptation where Achilles and Patroclus are lovers is a plus in my book 🫶

Holding Achilles: this is an Australian stage production by the Dead Puppet Society, I really enjoyed it and I found it an interesting blend of TSOA and Iliad Patrochilles, which also featured some cool new elements that I hadn't really seen before. It used to be free to watch for a while but now I think you have to pay to watch it, there's more info on their website.

The Silence of the Girls: a novel by Pat Barker, it's a take on the events of the Iliad mostly through Briseis' eyes, I personally didn't really like the book or the characterisations but hey both Achilles and Patroclus are in it so it might be worth a read.

There are some other novels I've heard of where Achilles and Patroclus appear (A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes, Wrath Goddess Sing by Maya Deane) and also a TV show called Troy: Fall of a City but I haven't read/watched them so I can't really rec them

Myths

Most myths revolve around Achilles, there aren't that many with Patroclus I'm afraid, but here are some of my favourites:

Achilleid by Publius Papinius Statius: this is an epic poem about Achilles' stay on Skyros disguised as a girl and his involvement with Deidameia. It's interesting but I'd personally take the characterisations and events in it with a grain of salt because Romans were notorious for their unsympathetic portrayal of Greek Homeric heroes but it's still a cool thing that's out there and free to read online.

Iphigenia at Aulis: a tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Euripides, it's basically the dramatised version of the myth of Iphigenia's sacrifice in Aulis which predates the Iliad, there are many obscure versions of this myth but Euripides' sort of updated version is my favourite, I will never shut up about this play!! Lots of a nuance and very interesting portrayals of Achilles, Agamemnon, Menelaus, Clytemnestra, Iphigenia and pretty much everyone in there, well worth a read.

Lost plays: there are several plays in which Achilles appears but that have been lost or survive only in fragments, but two of my favourites are Euripides' Telephus and Aeschylus' Myrmidons. Telephus takes place before the Trojan War, while the Greeks are on their way to Troy. I really like Achilles' characterisation in the fragments that remain and also the fact that he was already renowned for his knowledge of medicine and healing despite how young he was. The fragments that survive from Aeschylus' Myrmidons I think are fewer but the play was extremely popular at the time it was presented to the public and it sparked a lot of controversy re: Achilles and Patroclus' relationship and who tops/bottoms so I think that's kind of funny lol.

There are lots of other obscure little myths about Achilles that I've picked up by reading various books, papers and wiki posts on the matter and that are just too numerous to list here, but what I will mention and that I think concludes the myths section of this post pretty neatly is that the Iliad and the Odyssey are not the only works about the Trojan War that were written, merely the only works that survived. The rest of the books in the Epic Cycle have been preserved either in fragmentary form or in descriptions in other works, and I think the Epic Cycle wiki page is a good place to start if you want to get an idea of what each of those books contained.

I hope this helped! 💙

#patrochilles #achilles #patroclus #the iliad #homer's iliad #if I remember anything else I'll probably add to this post but I think that should be enough for now #there's just! so much stuff!!#happy reading/viewing/listening 😁

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recurringwriter · 7 months

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Introducing specially for @fe-oc-week week.....

Rodina Louise Fraldarius! ...and her horse

If Rodrigue could have a wife that never gets mentioned at all in Houses then who's to say he doesn't also have a daughter?

In any au where Rodrigue is in a polyamorous marriage with Felicity (my rodwife oc) and another rodspouse oc, then the other oc is Glenn's birth parent, and Felicity shortly after becomes pregnant with Rodina, who they name after Rodrigue--the way that in my au's, Felix is named after Felicity.

Rodina, or Roe, is a Holy Knight like her dad but imposing and aloof like her mom. She and Glenn are very close and he brings out her mischievous side, though she's always much more composed than he is. She loves her little brother, Felix, and tries and fails to get him to like horses. To Felicity's dismay, Roe would probably like Lorenz a lot and they would get along (Felicity is Lorenz's aunt)

Roe rides a foal of the Bastard's (Rodrigue's horse) named Diable de Neige, but she shortens it to Blé. Like Roe, Blé looks frightening but is actually a softy at heart.

I based her looks off of Felicity--she has darker hair but is still very purple, and Felicity's strong nose. Instead of pulling her hair tightly back, I wanted it to be loose and long like a myrmidon of old (but with a loose braid on one side like Louise of fe7 wore). That's how i envision her personality, too--an old-school Myrmidon but reclassed to Holy Knight. I used that and swordmaster looks to make her outfit, while keeping most elements of Rodrigue's tunic thing.

#fe3h #fe oc week #oc: rodina louise fraldarius #recurring arts

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oh-yeah-i-exist · 7 months

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Let me take care of you

Astarion x Durge OC (Eiji) oneshot

Author's note: the idea came to me when I realized I'd been giving all my healing potions and strong spells to Astarion.

Content warning: some gore (par for the course in this game), a bit angst but mostly fluff. Might contain SPOILERS.

Camp was more quiet than usual. Fighting a conniving wizard and his elemental myrmidons had not been an easy feat - even Dame Aylin, who had emerged victorious against yet another villain aspiring to exploit her immortality, had fallen into contemplative silence. By her own words, revenge felt... hollow. In quick succession, the proverbial "bad guys" had fallen by their swords and spells, but when would it all end? Was the end where they really wanted to be? A long road lay ahead, with the Elder Brain still writhing violently against its loosening chains. The party knew what they had to do, knew the price of being the hero, but Gods, a deep exhaustion had settled into their bones this night and none could shake it off quite so easily.

As she peeled off her dusty boots, Eiji mulled over her decisions. Though many in the group would sooner keel over and die than admit they were following anyone's leadership, the bulk of strategic planning had fallen on her shoulders. And as if resisting her psychopathic god of a father was not enough of a monumental task, she had her companions' conflicting desires to balance. Choosing Dame Aylin over the powerful wizard, who could have been a valuable ally instead of a useless, crumpled corpse, was one of those bets she was not entirely certain would bear fruit. Strong and fearsome as the Moonmaiden's shining offspring was, Aylin's temper may yet prove to be her undoing - without thinking, without a single moment of hesitation, the paladin had charged headfirst into battle, practically forcing Eiji's hand. Being referred to by the celestial being as "ally mine" afterwards was barely a reward, and it appeared that even Isobel understood the tension when she'd expressed her fear of her lover's future folly and offered her thanks.

But without any clear recollections of her bloodied past, there was not much else Eiji could rely on besides her instincts. And her first instinct was to never betray her companions, her friends, no matter their faults.

Rummaging through her pack, she was surprised to find five bottles of superior healing potion. She could have sworn her stock had been down to only one or two, especially since she had explicitly refrained from using the precious resource during battle. Even with the mysterious surplus, she figured there was nothing a night's sleep wouldn't fix. No point wasting the very thing that could save someone else's life the next day.

"You know, I do feel for the Dame, considering how revenge against Cazador gave me less catharsis than... well, emptiness," came Astarion's voice behind her back. As was natural for creatures of the night, the pale elf's footfalls were as light as a feather and made no sound, allowing him to make her heart jump whenever he drew near on his own accord.

Straightening up from reorganizing her pack, Eiji sighed in agreement. The movement caused the wound on her back to stretch and throb painfully. She tried to hide a wince, but nothing escaped her lover's blood-red gaze.

"Gods, there really is no justice in the world, is there?" continued Astarion with a frown, taking her pack from her hands. He strode towards a fallen tree trunk nearby and motioned for her to follow suit. Since that one evening in the Underdark, which felt like a century's worth of ceaseless struggle ago, they had grown accustomed to sharing these private conversations while the rest of the party hunkered down for a long rest.

"I wouldn't have gone to the trouble of sneaking these into your possession if I'd known you were too stubborn to use them," Astarion abruptly changed the subject, his tone going from contemplative to annoyed.

"I-- what?" Eiji turned to look at him, genuinely confused. It was the last thing she'd expected him to mention, given where their conversation had started. "Don't tell me you didn't even realize you had healing potion on you," the elf rolled his eyes.

"No, I... I saw them," though not quite understanding what the fuss was about, Eiji went along with his harmless banter. "But I don't think I need them, really. I'll just go to sleep and wake up tomorrow, good as new."

"By that same logic, the rest of us should just snooze our injuries off instead of using the potions you so generously lavished on us," he pointed out. "Or is there something special about Bhaalspawn physiology that I might want to know?"

"No, I don't think so..." she answered under her breath. Vaguely, she was beginning to catch the drift beneath his characteristic quips. "But I don't lavish anything on anyone. I do what is necessary," she insisted. It was not entirely the truth. Only now did it come to her attention that indeed, she'd been loading her companions with as much aid as she could, her own safety be damned. And she might even be guilty of favoritism, seeing how she invariably made it a priority to shield her lover on the battlefield. It was as though her body moved on its own, without so much as a conscious thought on her part.

"And you find it necessary to leave yourself an easy target?" Astarion retorted, almost angry at what he deemed utmost foolishness. "Gods, I should have known you were doomed when you first started feeding Gale our hard-earned loot."

"That was necessary, too. Can't have him blowing us all up one sunny day," she chuckled, half-hoping the joke would persuade him from this particular line of inquiry. But she could see it in his eyes that he wasn't going to let it go. She could see his worry behind the annoyance, his concern and affection. Hells, she could see his love that she returned in equal measure. "I just don't want to see anyone hurt. I don't want to see you hurt. I wouldn't be able to think of anything else during a fight if..."

Astarion's expression softened as he listened intently to her quiet words. Gently taking her hand in his, he asked, "And has it ever occurred to you how much it pains me to see you fall?"

She said nothing in reply, rubbing his knuckles with the pad of her thumb in an effort to soothe him.

"There has been enough pain and suffering in my life to haunt me for a thousand years. If you're really asking me to stand aside and lose the one person I've ever truly cared for, then you should just drive a stake through my heart and end it all," he said shakily, lacing their fingers together so she'd know there was no smoothing over the matter. "Let me take care of you. Please."

For a moment, she refused to look at him. But he waited. Until she finally caved and leaned her forehead against his, letting him support her wary body. "Alright," she breathed, arms circling around his midriff for an embrace.

"Alright," he smiled, his hand coming to rest at the nape of her neck. Gingerly, he pulled away just enough to be able to examine the cuts on her cheeks. "I've got you, darling."

#bg3 astarion #astarion #bg3 tav #bg3 oc #astarion x tav #astarion ancunin #astarion romance #bg3 spoilers #baldurs gate #my oc: eiji

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wangxianficfinder · 1 year

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In the mood for...

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1. ITMF growing up together/teen fics? Are there any fics which focus on the time before the characters all meet at the Gusu lectures? WWX and LWJ could meet as children on diplomacy visits, for example. The story could follow as they grow up and take on duties within their sect (like, how did WWX work hard and prove himself to be worthy of head disciple?), and then eventually catch up to canon when they hang out during the lectures. Thank you for any recs you can give!

the heartlines on our hands by occultings (microcomets) (E, 47k, WangXian, Soulmates, Angst with a Happy Ending, Mutual Pining, First Time, Canon Divergence, Canonical Character Death) Starts when LWJ is 8 years old. It a beautiful story

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2. Hello! Do you have any recs for Wei Wuxian being raised as a servant, not as the head disciple of Yunmeng Jiang? He is treated as a servant by the Jiang family, maybe goes to the Gusu lectures as a servant (not as a student), in the Sunshot Campaign he is just another footsoldier/servant. Something along these lines, thank you!

The Myrmidon by Basingstoke (E, 33k, WIP, WangXian, SangXian, XiYao, WWX raised as a servant, spiritual weapons, gusu summer camp, Flirting, lots of flirting, they're young, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon-Typical Behavior, War) It was recced recently in another itmf and it was pretty good! WWX is brought up as a servant/bodyguard for Jiang Cheng.

Fangs of Desire by @museywrites (E, 39k, wangxian, JC/LXC, WQ/MM, JYL/JZX, SL/XXC, rape/non-con, graphic depictions of violence, vampire LWJ, hellhound/banshee WWX, dub con, sexual assault via vampire venom, addiction, recover, war, attempted murder, modern w magic) Vampire AU, but the rest fits pretty well :))

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3. In the mood for: a non-villainous Jin Guangyao and Wei Wuxian (and if possible, Nie Huaisang) working together? I read a great fic where the three of them put their sneaky brains together and they made some instant message boxes (I can't remember the name of that fic TT) and I would love to see more of them being smarty pantses! I love when brains are used over brawn. Thank you! @gloriousclotpole

scorpion, before the frog by Stratisphyre (T, 59k, NieLan, 3Zun, Canon, Dragons, Found Family, Pre-Relationship, Mutual Pining, Parental Abuse, Hurt/Comfort, warning for JGS behaving exactly as expected, sometimes a redemption arc is just dragons and kids and found families, allusions to noncon because of JGS, derogatory references to sex work, suicidal ideation and attempt) the focus is more on jgy and nhs than it is on jgy and wwx, but i think scorpion, before the frog by stratisphyre might fit the bill

Meng Yao vs. the Board of the Homeowner's Association Series by Ariaste (M/T, 119k, WIP, XiYao, WangXian, Modern AU, Established Relationship, xiyao and wangxian are both already married, Family Feels, Domestic Fluff, Family Bonding, Slice of Life, Discussions of Past Trauma, wwx's canonical kinks, HOAverse)

Collaboration of Dangerous Minds by JustAWanderingBabbit (T, 14k, JGY & WWX, JGY & QS, canon divergence, unexpexted team up, fix-it, canonical sibling incest)

Alliance of the Traveling Pants by JustAWanderingBabbit (G, 112k, 3Zun, WangXian, WIP, Canon Divergence) Instant messaging is a game-changing element in Moxiang Tongxiu Crack and Drabbles, Chapter 11: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by JustAWanderingBabbit (M, 159k, Drabble Collection, tags vary per story), which served as the pilot for Alliance of the Traveling Pants; the women invent it, but Meng Yao quickly learns it and it spreads through Team Sunshot.

Bait and Switch by JustAWanderingBabbit (T, 14k, 3Zun, WangXian, Canon Divergence, body switch, whatif, Weird Cultivation, Mojo's post) WWX and JGY wind up bodyswapped in a Sacrifice Summons gone awry (WWX, comatose rather than dead, has been cared for in secret at Lotus Pier.)

Really? Me Too! by mercyandmagic (M, 59k, XiYao, WangXian, JC/QS, Angst with a Happy Ending, Crack Treated Seriously)

Ch.46 of Moxiang Tongxiu Crack and Drabbles by JustAWanderingBabbit (M, 159k, WIP, Drabble collection) Chapter 46 of Moxiang Tongxiu Crack and Drabble has Wei Wuxian, Jin Guangyao, and Nie *Mingjue* thrown into a conspiratorial bond when a talisman accident enables them to see each others’ chibified Inner Selves.

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4. Hihi! I've been on a 'secretly wealthy' Wei Wuxian kick after binge reading H_Belle's 💖 One Can Keep A Secret. I love those stories where Wei Ying becomes rich and famous by being himself. One of those ideas is that Wei Wuxian (canon timeline, not modern AU mostly) writes, novels. I have read a few but unfortunately I have been unable to find one of them. Basically, Wei Wuxian in the Burial Mounds Days writes novels that become famous and post Resurrection deciedes to take it up again. Any luck? @goddessa39

Chapter 14 of "WWX November Mayhem Prompts" by demoniqt (G, wangxian, one-shot, author WWX) But he's not rich.

💙 Away from Trouble by Ilona22 (M, 15k, WangXian, Not JC Friendly, LWJ/WWX Get a Happy Ending) might qualify. WWX is not secretly wealthy, but he does make a name for himself as both a cultivator and an artist under a pseudonym, and is living comfortably.

Come Around and Stay by trippednfell (M, 160k, WangXian, NieLan, Modern AU, Slow Burn, Kid Fic, Found Family, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, PTSD, Blood and Injury, Dissociation, Angst with a Happy Ending, POV Alternating, Yunmeng reconciliation (eventually), Friend Zoning, Literal Sleeping Together, Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attacks) also has a secretly wealthy/successful WWX

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5. Fot the next I'm in the mood for... I'm in the mood for a fic where wei ying just decides to trust lan zhan and tell him about the core and his three months at the burial mounds after they meet again. So not lan zhan finding out by accident, but wei ying trusting him with it. Thanks! @ranfused4ever

Swordless by WithBroomBefore (G, 32k, WangXian, Established Relationship, Canon Divergence, WWX goes to Gusu, Golden Core Reveal, Trans Character, AFAB LWJ, philos)

Red Flower With One Hundred Petals; Smoke Carried on the Blue Dusk Air by carolyncaves (T, 32k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Post-Sunshot Campaign, Alcohol, Mental Health Issues, Angst, Tenderness, Golden Core Reveal, Hurt/Comfort, thoughts of death/dying, Marriage Proposal, Wedding Fluff, Family Feels, Literal Sleeping Together, Shotgun Wedding, angry wedding planner JC, Yunmeng sibling drama and fluff, physical affection, Terrible Parties, Happy Ending)

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6. hi! itmf fics that play up the effects of Wei Wuxian not having a golden core? He gets cold more quickly, needs to eat more, needs to sleep more, can't keep up with the cultivators as well, etc. Bonus points if Lan Wangji dotes on him to make up for it!

they who refuse to be blessed by sysrae (E, 7k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Whump, Golden Core Reveal, Developing Relationship, Bathing/Washing, Confessions, Sharing a Bed) I /suppose/ they who refuse to be blessed by sysrae would work? Definitely points how terrible conditions were in the Burial Mounds and what that physically would do to a recently coreless wwx

it rains, it pours by jublis (Not Rated, 38k, WIP, WangXian, Hurt/Comfort, Humor, Food as a Metaphor for Love, Case Fic, Established Relationship, Angst with a Happy Ending, Soft WangXian, Canon Compliant, Post-Canon, Protective LWJ, Protective WWX, YLLZ WWX, Rogue Cultivator LQY, LQY & WWX Friendship, BAMF MM, Horror, wwx-centric, Friendship/Love, Ghosts, Junior Quartet Dynamics) there is a story by jublis that plays into this esp in the first chapter, its a wip in progress, also a sequel (the first story is also amazing!)

DanTian Series by ArchiveWriter (E, 150k, WangXian, Post-Canon, Happy WangXian, Slice of Life, Established Relationship, Fluff, Domestic bliss, Family fluff, Tags Vary per story) this is a persistent theme in DanTian, by ArchiveWriter. WWX isn’t getting a new core, and LWJ (who has renounced immortality to age along with him) tenderly pampers him to the extent their austere mountain retreat allows.

Like a Water-Worn Stone by meyari (T, 41k, wangxian, major character death, hurt/comfort, chronic illness, serious injuries, self-medication, disability, PTSD, depression, self-worth issues, implied/referenced child abuse, prisoner of war, identity issues, tw JGS) these two have a same theme: wwx has chronic pain and because he didn't have golden core, he is not healing as fast as normal cultivato.

Elder, an Aesthetic by MarbleGlove (G, 8k, JC & WWX, fix-it, post-sunshot)

let the sun go down on your anger; let it burn you to sleep by enbysaurus_rex (Not Rated, 78k, WIP, WangXian, WWX & WQ, Narcolepsy AU, Chronic Illness, Chronic Pain, YLLZ WWX, Oblivious WWX, Sleeping Beauty Elements, Sleeping Beauty Fusion, tags at the beginning of every chapter, Body Horror) (link in #9)"let the sun go down on your anger; let it burn you to sleep" also works great here. WWX has been mitigating the effects of his undiagnosed narcolepsy with his core and has no idea how much his condition truly impacts him until he gives up his core

silt, or scurvy series by astronicht (M, 11k, wangxian, modern w/ magic, chronic illness, Podfic: The Silt or Scurvy Series by raitala) modern cultivation AU; the combination of corelessness and resentful energy immersion is causing WWX chronic illness and pain.

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7. A) So I was reading Keep Holding On by abCEE and it was amazing. There was a part where we get to know that Wei WuXian's father WCZ is actually a young master of a wealthy, famous and powerful merchant family. The whole arc was really really good.

So this is an IITMF request: are there any fics similar to this? Like WWX being loaded af. And only canon era fics please, 'cause I've read a few modern fics with this theme, but WWX was a lot older in them.

Thank you so much for your precious time 💜

B) Hey!! Give me some NMJ and WWX friendship please :)

C) Are there any fics where there is no Golden Core theory at all? Like what would've happened if there was no such theory written by WQ.

@utxqia

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8. itmf pov outsider fics that watch lwj fall in love with wwx or vice versa please 🥺

💙 Su She Eats his Heart Out by KizuKatana (T, 16k, WangXian, 3rd person pov, implied offscreen wangxian sex)

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9. in the mood for a fic where the golden core transfer is described in excruciating detail :3

Chapter 1 of Departure in Autumn by chomrafy (Not Rated, 6k, Angst, golden core transfer, Whumptober, Wwx and jc have matching scars, Food, Family, Cooking, Xuanwu Cave, Fall of Lotus PIer, Cynophobia, First Seige of the Burial Mounds, Hurt/Comfort, But also, Hurt No Comfort, Suicidal Thoughts) a detailed description of the core transfer from WQ’s POV; warning for torturous medical experimentation and moral injury.

Core-Thieving Hand by x_los (T, 5k, WangXian, WQ & WWX & WN, Body Horror, Fullmetal Alchemist Vibes, Nuclear Horror Vibes, Found Family, Neon Genesis Evangelion Vibes) showcasing WWX and WQ (and WN!) as Science Siblings; canon diverges in the middle of the operation, with the result that core research takes an even darker turn that nonetheless winds up saving more lives; an examination of the terrible decisions scientists face in wartime and thereafter.)

Family Ties by archipelago (E, 3k, WQ & WWX, NingXian, graphic depictions of surgery, Blood, Gore, Protective Siblings, siblings willing to do terrible things for each other, Pain, Emotional Trauma, Physical Trauma, wwx is awake for surgery, Canon Compliant, Golden Core Transfer, cql)

Glow by Quiet_crash (G, 2k, WangXian, Junior Quartet, JC & WWX) it’s fairly brief, but WWX recounts his corectomy (as well as his donghua-exclusive destruction of WZL’s core) to the Junior Quartet.)

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10. Hello! For one of your upcoming “in the mood for” posts, does anyone have any First Jade!Lan Wangji? @emrysmerlyn

The sea and sky and everything in between by apathyinreverie (M, 8k, WIP, WangXian, LXC & LWJ, Manipulation, but in a good way?, Fluff, creature blood, Dragon LWJ, Siren WWX, First Jade LWJ, Possessive LWJ, Oblivious WWX, Possessive WWX, Romance, courting, Older LWJ, not Jiang friendly)

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11. Itmf fics where wwx gets to raise and watch a-yuan grow? It can be at gusu or the burial grounds, wangxian centric or not, I just want to read about him getting to be the best dad in canon setting

both of these fit to an extent but since wei wuxian isnt actually *alive* (not a spoiler, its ghost time babey) in either of them they may not fit what the asker was looking for.

the moon, grown full by Deinde (T, 22k, LSZ & WWX, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Spirits, Identity Reveal, discussion of war crimes, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Hopeful Ending, Homecoming, reclaiming your name and identity, Names, Families of Choice)

Response by Aki_no_hikari (G, 12k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Family Feels, Love Confessions)

The Intervening Years by roserocksrapidly (G, 11k, LSZ & WWX, LSZ & LWJ, WangXian, Canon Divergence, LSZ centric, Parent-Child Relationship, Wangxian is background, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort)

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12. Hi there! I'd like to make a request for a future itmf if thats okay? I know you guys have the comps for parent wx but I was wondering if I could get some fics featuring pregnant wwx? Genderbend, mpreg, a/b/o, modern or canon au, I'm fine with anything! I've just been reading a few lately where wwx is pregnant and it goes through the months of his pregnancy and so I was hoping to find more like that. Hope this ask wasn't too weird 😅 thank you so much for all that you do!

We actually do have a Pregxian & Pregji Fic compilation! Though I am sure our followers will have plenty more recs for you ^^

A Mother's Love by FirefliesNLightningBugs (M, 152k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Unreliable Narrator, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, Miscommunication, Family Feels, PTSD, Post-Sunshot Campaign, POV Multiple, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Good Brother In Law JZX, Genderbent WWX, Intersex WWX, not a/b/o, Expanded Universe, Unplanned Pregnancy, Golden Core Reveal, WWX Has No Golden Core, Bisexual WWX, YLLZ WWX, Parent-Child Relationship, Getting Together, Protective Yúnmèng Jiāng Sect, MXY Lives)

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13. Thanks for all your amazing work! I’m in the mood for fics about wangxian sworn brotherhood. Maybe wwx is all excited about having an official(ish) family for the first time. Maybe Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli have feelings about it. Maybe exploration of "historical" marriage and how that is or isn't what they want.

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14. This is an a specific ITMF request; I'd love any fics where, post-canon, the Gusu elders give WWX so much hell that he decides to leave, and in solidarity with his beloved LWJ secedes from the sect to go with him.

❤️ Attempting the Impossible by Ariaste (T, 36k, JC & WWX, WangXian, Reconciliation, Adoption, Adopted Children, JC POV, Family Feels, Family Fluff, the Yunmeng Bros make up, Post-Canon, the Wangxian Need More Kids agenda, Original Character(s), Kid Fic, Family Drama, Fluff, and like a tiny dab of angst, [PODFIC] Attempting the Impossible by Ariaste by lunatique) its specifically lan qiren that is rude which causes lan zhan to leave CR

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15. Hiii!! I’m itmf doted on wwx. LIKE: imagine yanli…but make it wwx. Just basically most people actually like him and are protective of him (if he has a sorta weak cultivation, or has a delicate constitution, that would be a plus). Ty in advance!!! :D

some things go forward by everythingispoetry (T, 75k, wangxian, modern, hospitals, teenage drama, slow burn, hurt/comfort, fluff, happy ending) For 15! It's wangxian with both of them having cancer (it's a happy ending though! No sad!) But wwx is in remission but has days that are bad and he gets doted on and cared for by his whole family, including madam yu.

A Burning Cold by MountainRose (G, 29k, Chronic Illness, Pre-Canon, Nirvana in Fire Fusion, Character Study, Wen Bullshit, Suibian, Snow Beetle Poison)

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16. Hello wonderful mods! ITMF fics where LWJ makes bad mistakes? I recently read this incomplete 2 chapter one where he dated WWX on a bet. I was hoping for something like this. But generally, anything where the fight/break up is LWJ's fault. (All the better if WWX doesn't immediately take him back). Thanks!

(Un)forgettable by Edens_Cat, VividestList (E, 67k, WangXian, Misunderstandings, Angst with a Happy Ending, Kid Fic, teenage juniors, Teacher WWX, the juniors are the wwx protection squad, Amnesia!, Protective WQ, protective LSZ, Matchmaker LJY, A-Yuan is Wei Yuan, Single Parent WWX, Riding, Dirty Talk, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering)

The Architecture of Heartbreaks by tigersugargirl (T, 5k, wangxian, modern, college/university au, fake/pretend dating, break-up, panic attacks, implied/referenced abuse, rich LWJ, scholarship WWX, architect WWX, rebuilding, healing, found family, WIP) the story in #16 is the architecture of heartbreaks by tigersugargirl. Damn shame it hasn't been updated in a while.

🧡 Life as a House by Terri Botta (Isilwath) (T, 55k, WangXian, Modern AU, Post-Divorce, Father-Son Relationship, Reconciliation, Therapy, Angst with a happy ending)

Honesty is the Best Policy (Except if You're an Asshole) by piecrust (E, 22k, WangXian, Porn with Feelings, College/University)

the earthquake in the room by phnelt (E, 39k, WangXian, College/University, Modern: No Powers, Canada, Getting Together, Mentions of lwj/others, inter-faculty romance, strangers to lovers to frenemies to lovers, mostly book characterisation)

~*~

17. Hi, I guess this would be for the next in the mood for post but I was wondering if anyone knew any fics where LWJ points out some of the hypocrisy of the Lan or Cultivators in general. Or fics where LWJ helps Wen Ruohan? I have read a few fics where WWX goes back and time and sides with the Wen but none where LWJ does that. I've read some where he'll go back and side with the Wen Remnants but never the Wen as a whole. Thanks! @kasey1939

~*~

If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***

#wangxian #mdzs #wangxian fic recs #i'm in the mood for a fic #the untamed #wangxian fic search #wangxianficfinder #long post

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blackjackkent · 2 months

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Lorroakan bossfight report!

Our buddy the mean wizard has four myrmidons on hand (earth, air, water, fire), plus an animated armor named Krank, and a dwarf named Miklaur.

The dwarf is kind of perplexing; all of the myrmidons have triple digit hit points, Krank has 50, Lorroakan himself has 98, and Miklaur the dwarf has... 8.

He's level 1! He's just a little guy! I don't know what the hell he's doing here or why he's in this fight.

Very strange.

Shoutout to Rolan, though! Unlike Aradin, he has been eating his Wheaties since Act 1 and is now level 12 like us!

The myrmidons are all thicc but not particularly scary; their primary function is to buff Lorroakan himself, who gets extra elemental damage for each one that is still on the field:

Realistically I think Hector (who does primarily Fists damage) could probably beat Lorroakan up regardless, but to do this fight as it is meant to be done, I think we want to get the myrmidons off the field ASAP.

Gale's Counterspell did a lot of work in this fight, as any time Lorroakan's turn came up was generally the scariest moment. Gale also managed to successfully Banish one of the myrmidons which was the first time we've done that successfully. XD

I was actually going to try to leave Miklaur alive since he seemed so useless and out of place in the fight but Aylin IMMEDIATELY obliterated him off the field.

I'm literally watching all of Rolan's combat logs and cheering him on. I think I've come to the conclusion that Hector feels distinctly paternal towards all of the tieflings at this point and it's rubbing off on me, because I'm sitting here cheering about Rolan having his own "Rolan's Magic Missile" spell like an overenthusiastic parent at a T-ball game.

Atta boy!

Lorroakan lost his entire third turn because he was stupid enough to run away from the earth elemental Gale summoned onto the field, and it bitchslapped him straight onto the floor, which was VERY satisfying to watch.

I actually kind of take back everything snarky I said about Aylin's combat back in Act 2; she rocked this fight. Maybe we'll blame the Ketheric fight on her having been in lockup for a century and needed to warm up. Look at this set of crits she got on a the Hold-Monster'd Water Mymidon:

Beautiful. Meanwhile Hector, who's usually flattening everything, spent the whole fight stunned. XD Everyone has an off day I guess.

Once the myrmidons were taken care of, Lorroakan folded like wet tissue paper. I actually skipped through a couple turns to let Rolan get the killing blow:

Get his ass. \o/

#bjk plays baldur's gate 3 #hector carlisle

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streets-in-paradise · 11 months

Text

Diverted Course

Troy (2004) Reader Insert Fanfiction / Achilles x Mycenaean Princess!Reader Precuel - Part 22

Word Count 10 K

Warnings: Thetis is being portrayed as a supportive mother. Clichés from the historical epic-swords and sandals film genre mixed with mythology.

Characters (main): Achilles, Patroclus, Thetis, Phoenix, Eudorus, Agamemnon, Hesione.

Summary: Returning to his homeland gives Achilles time to meditate on the intense experience he has lived and he intends to take drastic choices on the matter. However, the reminder of a pernicious detail leaves him in need of good advice and Patroclus convinces him of visiting the best sources available.

In the meantime, Hesione attempts to penetrate the stubborn mind of her master hoping to persuade him using his loneliness on her advantage.

Notes: In the movie Achilles afirms to have seen the gods, implying he is the only mortal arround who had any contact with at least some of them. From this fact i attempt to add some of the mythical element into the story without changing the original tone of Troy centered in mortal actions and motivations.

Tags: @yerevasunclair @mysticaldeanvoidhorse @spideyanakin @spideyanakin-interacts @awakenedevildays @alaysha-of-middle-earth @zoegarfield @helie-brain @rfkfan

There were many silent sacrifices that Achilles accepted to endure for Patroclus since he took him in, but having to stand his new friend during a good portion of the journey back to Pithia was a very annoying one. The bard that the lad befriended in Mycenae was quite talkative and obtrusive, constantly meddling in matters that weren’t his business. He would never stop reminding him that he was a witness of his greatest crime, the only one Greece wouldn’t cheer him for. The awakening of passion in the heart of the queen among greek princesses, splendid daughter of the King of Kings, woman meant to belong with some mighty lord ruler of rich lands. The story brought forward the bard’s curiosity, seeing in it great epic potential and for so, filling the hero with unwanted advice in hopes of making him reveal more details.

Death threats weren’t enough to keep him shut, not at least while being around them. It was most likely that Alexander knew the risk that the rage of the myrmidon champion meant for him and wouldn’t challenge it anyways, but he also wanted to have privileged access to the novelty. He would keep it secured awaiting for better times in which his songs would be an honor instead of a source of scandal. That didn’t stop him from accidentally bringing many questions to the hero’s already troubled mind.

Her suitors and what he was going to do with them were a concerning conversational topic between them on the way. The artist was coming up with ideas on the assumption that Achilles would follow the less subtle route to obtain the lady as wife. Go directly to her father, expect the obvious negative, then do a carnage that wouldn’t leave a single one of her suitors alive and kidnap her. He wouldn’t be the first greek hero taking that path, many stories in the past were evidence of it. Other remarkable warlords before him met with the refusal of their fathers in law and resorted to war like violence.

It would be what everyone expected of him, a typical Achilles reaction according to the brutal fame he was acquiring. He didn’t want that, their nuptial thalamus should not be stained with a bloodbath. However, the reminder brought him the realization that he was indeed capable of jealousy. Despite being completely sure of her feelings for him, the idea of returning to her city and finding out that Agamemnon betrothed her to someone else was unbearable to him. Suddenly, killing the chosen suitor in a rage outbreak didn’t seem an improbable possibility. Not even an oath like the one forced on Helen’s suitors would stop him. If he would have been in their situation he would have killed Menelaus in the blink of an eye. Except that he wasn’t even a legitimate suitor for his lady’s hand, he was only the most dreaded soldier at her father’s command.

Reproaches about his lack of patriotism and long lasting hate were all Agamemnon had for him because he never valued or understood myrmidons like he should. Phthia grew with the frequent arrival of persecuted runaways from other greek cities, many of whom were protected during the times of Peleus, mixing themselves with the descendants of the original habitants of the land. National feelings would hardly emerge among people that were once forced to leave their homelands, mycenaean occupation didn’t change that. The king loved to insult him based on his lack of loyalty to the country ignoring that his definition of Greece was himself. Myrmidons weren’t happy with submission just to feel like belonging to a closed identity given to them by his empire, they were only loyal to themselves.

Reclaiming political power wasn't his particular ambition like was often suspected of him only because he was from a conflictive province. The greedy king could keep the throne and place his favorite crawler general on it; all Achilles wanted from him was the princess. The way to eternal glory, he would win on his own through his actions in the battlefield. She was the only of his wishes that strictly required from the approbation of his hated rival. For her he was going to endure him, since she had the loyalty of his arrow pierced heart. It didn’t take long for him to realize he was starting to miss her, in Mycenae he got used to seeing her everyday and he underestimated how much he loved that. He wanted to wake up beside her, to see her smiles witnessing his training combats with Patroclus, to introduce her with everyone she couldn’t meet the first time she visited him.

Remaining separated in times of war was understandable and normal, but being without her in peace was harder to accept. Something on him was changing and the people around him were noticing it. Patroclus was surprised to see him pick the lyre again, then offering him lessons with the excuse of his recently noticed strong interest in music. They had tried it before and made some good advances, but Achilles postponed those because combat training was a priority. Not only that preoccupation seemed to change, but he even catched the hero playing alone at one given opportunity.

The song sounded melancholic, but it was beautiful, and the lad didn’t dare to interrupt until it was finished.

“ I’m so full of jealousy, I can't believe this… I will never be as great as you. Everything you do feels epic, Achilles!”

The man smiled for him, used by then to be the center of his admiration. It was no secret that Patroclus looked up to him and he didn’t want him to doubt himself in pointless comparisons.

“ You are the one with the musical inclinations, I only play when I’m bored.”

“ You know I’m not talking about musical talent.” The lad clarified. “ When a normal man falls in love, he acts like a fool until successful courting leads to marriage. When you do it, it has to become an intricate adventure for a distant maiden that is practically unreachable. Look at yourself, you are in the part of the tale where the hero mourns his longing for an impossible love because his great challenge hasn’t come yet.”

Achilles wasn’t following the joke.

“ Life is not an epic tale, Patroclus. If it was, I would know what happens next.”

Seeking to help out while trying to differentiate sadness from bad mood, he sat next to him hoping to provide him comfort. Achilles would never ask for it first, especially from him, but Patroclus knew what to do when he needed it.

“ I know exactly what would happen, her father would do something incredibly stupid that would anger the gods. They would punish him through her and you would become her only hope, so Agamemnon would be forced to let you have her in payment for saving her life. “

“ What worked for Perseus didn’t turn out well for Hercules. “ Achilles recalled. “ For some heroes passion leads to doom.”

The pessimistic claim didn’t bother Patroclus in the slightest.

“ But you are Achilles, you are greater than all of them! And your princess already loves you, which means you only have obstacles in the way because the world would not easily accept that her heart belongs to you. All the other heroes won the right to marriage before the girl’s affections … Although Andromeda is still questionable, I like to think that she liked Perseus on sight.”

“ When the choice is marriage or being devoured by a sea monster, the bride is just offering herself as payment for the rescue.”

The stubbornness of Achilles would have disencourage anyone else, but the boy had an inextinguishable spirit.

“ Think of the lack of conflict due to loyalty to her family. Agamemnon is not a father, he is a jailer. From what I saw, she seems to be like a ghost haunting the palace for him. If she has to choose between him and you, he will pick you faster than Medea picked Jason… And with you she wouldn’t be making the worst mistake of her life. You would not abandon her for a younger princess once she would stop serving a purpose for your heroic journey… not unless you want to be fed a stew made with the flesh of your own children as the main ingredient.”

The casual application of her most frequent dark joke got a chuckle out of him, on that he noticed the mark she left on his cousin.

“ That won’t be necessary, once she would be rightfully mine I would never let her go.”

Patroclus had a triumphant smile that gave his expression a mischievous look.

“ What are you up to now?” Achilles inquired, knowing something was coming. “ Don’t give me that look, I know what it means.”

“ Now that you ask, I was going to see Eudorus and I wondered if you wanted to come with me. “ Patroclus innocently offered. “ Phoenix will be there and I bet you would like to talk with him.”

“ I’m not looking for advisors, but you can leave if you want.” Achilles concluded. “ Salute everyone on my part.”

The harsh negative would stumble once more with infallible insistence.

“ Achilles, I’m being serious now. I lost my father and you are the person I search for when I feel lost. Who is yours, if not the old friend of your deceased father? “

He had a point, Phoenix was the closest thing Achilles had to a parental figure found on father’s side. However, he was behind someone else in the matter of being a trustable source of advice.

“ My mother.”

It was the obvious answer, only that Patroclus didn’t consider her first in that opportunity because he thought she was already aware of everything.

“ Haven’t you spoken with her about this? You always tell her everything and you had already visited her before seeing anyone else when we arrived.”

There was a certain glimpse of shame in him.

“ I didn’t tell her yet, don’t make me feel any more guilty about that. “ Achilles confessed. “ If we do what you want, would you go with me to visit her later?”

“ We have a deal." Patroclus agreed. “ I like your mother, tables turn when we are with her. She treats me fairly and you become the little boy.”

Their first stop was the house of Phoenix, adoptive father of Eudorus and old teacher of Achilles. The family had a modest home not too far away from theirs and have been there since the beginning of the mycenaean occupation. The countryside villages were untouched by it, an inheritance of the deposed king that wasn’t magnificent enough for the mycenaean eye. Comfortable places, but not symbols of power they cared to occupate. Those were once conceived as retirement country houses for royals of old age, but with enough patience and work put on them they were turned into suitable places for families. Phoenix took excellent care of Achilles’ inheritance while he was growing up and by the time he reached adulthood the place reserved for him was magnificent compared with its initial state. An architectural hybrid between the palace of a prince and the house of a traveling mercenary, not absolutely sophisticated nor fully rough. In contrast, the place of the old man and his family was just a homely country house.

The disposition intended to imitate the order of things from the times of Peleus. but the space was susceptible to expansions. In times of peace Eudorus was often seen occupied in home improvement labor. Before the rushed travel to fight in Argos he was working on an ampliation to emplace a thalamus for the eventual time of his marriage. It was his wishful project for the future, so he was getting the house ready in advance of finding a woman he would want to take there.

Achilles used to mock the sequential order of his efforts, wondering why he would bother in getting the bedroom ready before actually finding the bride. At that particular opportunity, he was the one asking about the state of the project.

“ He has been working non-stop since he returned, it’s almost ready.” Phoenix told the freshly arrived visitors. “ The women of the argives must have inspired his purpose. “

The impetus didn’t come from Argos, his friends imagined it linked to his mycenaean admirer. The sweet servant girl with an obvious crush on him must have reinforced his will to work on that.

“ We have met Helen of Sparta in Mycenae.” Patroclus innocently excused him. “ That woman is an unstoppable source of inspiration for anyone.”

The old man was absolutely unimpressed by his implications.

“ Those thieves are hoarding treasures from all over Greece, the least they can do with that is getting stunning wives.”

“ … And they do, women were arguably the best thing there.” Achilles joked to soften things. “ When we’ll become truly rich, I would like to get one of those for me and one for my friend.”

“ A mycenaean serving us would be a nice change for once. “ The man snarked, letting them see he thought the hero was talking of buying slaves. “ You know I don’t like to see you both leave knowing you will be fighting for Agamemnon, I accept it because I have no choice.”

“ I fight for myself and your son fights for me. We only use that king to get our deserved rewards.”

The conversation was paused to make proper libations to the gods with the wine that Polymele brought for them.

“ And how good were those this time?” The mother of Eudorus asked. “ I’m absolutely proud of my son’s glory, but we weren’t expecting him to arrive without you. Haven’t you thought about how you were going to scare the people, Achilles? At first sight we could have thought you were lost in battle! “

“ Mother, he was being honored in Mycenae for the great victory against Diomedes.” Eudorus jumped in his lord’s defense. “ The conqueror of Thebes, of seven gates, was never forced to retreat before. Achilles made him.”

The hero seemed pleased with the accurate description of the official motives masquerading his reasons for staying in the mycenaean palace more than necessary.

“ Not easily, he is worth the fame he acquired. Diomedes is the best I have faced, just not good enough to contain me. He knew when to back down, or a deity who loves him inspired him to do it. “

“ Then he got his army submitted to Agamemnon, paid the tribute, and you got the argive blood cleansed from your skin by the hands of the mycenaean princess. “ Patroclus added. “ Not a bad outcome, you got honors that have never been given to any other hero during the ruling of Agamemnon.”

“ Diomedes can still be called a King, Achilles takes the myrmidons to battle as a mere commander.” She recalled, showing disdain for the descripted situation. “ No honors can repay that, a ceremony in the palace of Agamemnon isn’t enough.”

“ But it was a great start.” Achilles insisted, on a positive note. “ His own people are fascinated with me, Mycenae loves me against the wishes of its king.”

The affirmation was accurate, but also an excellent metaphor. Mycenae discovered a fervor for him that Agamemnon despised, but the most special of his subjects actually loved him against his wishes.

Phoenix seemed to have a clear position about that.

“ A bath? If they want to vindicate you, at very least they should have let you sleep with her.”

The joke made everyone chuckle for all the wrong reasons. He wasn’t speaking seriously, but Achilles truly had the even more delusional idea of taking the princess of Mycenae as payment for all past and future offenses when he would finally be able to part ways with the Atreide.

“ Don’t make him wish for so, father. “ Eudorus spoke first. “ The girl is a delight, she surprised us all. Kindness like hers is rare to see in the highest royalty, especially in the House of Atreus.”

The remark made him feel taunted and Achilles wasn’t going to remain impassible.

“ The only one in that family that is worth something. Let me tell you something, Phoenix. That princess is splendid and her personal entourage is not far behind. Her servant girls are as lovely as her, one is very feisty but the other one is pure tenderness.”

Polymele retired to a subtle sign of her husband, understanding he was going to share things that she wouldn’t like to hear.

“ It may seem like that, but servant girls are no game.” He strictly commented. “ Not even with the ones belonging to his own household a young man is safe. One may say that everybody does it, but things are never so simple.”

Patroclus was weirded by the strange reprobation.

“ As long as she consents, I don’t see the problem. Those girls are often offered as part of hospitality. Why should we be the ones to beware of them and not the other way arround?”

“ Because there will always be someone else willing to ruin your life for one of them. Servant girls aren’t prostitutes, you don’t remain free of consequences. Don’t underestimate the damage that a jealous owner can cause you. Everything is fun until he realizes that she wants you for real and barely tolerates him. Some don’t like to get reminded that those girls spread their legs for them only because they have to.”

The passion he showed in the intense explanation was suspicious, almost like a defensive reaction.

“ That’s not ethical advice,” Achilles pointed out.” you are treating us like kids that want to put their hands over the fire because they don’t know it burns.”

“ You already know I was not born a myrmidon, your father offered me shelter after I ran away from my homeland. What I never told you or my son was the reason.” The man replicated. “ I was once a prince of Hellas, son of King Amyntor. My father humiliated my mother with his blatant preference for a concubine of the palace and she begged me to do something about it. She wanted me to seduce the slave so she would despise him and so I did. I got close to her, at first for the sake of my mother’s sorrow, but I got to experience a sweet furtive passion with that girl. I awakened in her the fire that only love brings, she wanted me like she had never wanted my father. When we were discovered, Amyntor forgot I was his son. His jealousy overcame everything, he summoned the Furies to curse me with childlessness and they heard him. “

He stopped the tale for a brief instant and glanced at Eudorus.

“ You know now why my blissful union with your mother has never produced offspring. My seed is cursed, dear boy. I came to this land escaping the hate of my father and you were a miracle that happened after I thought I lost everything. It was decreed that I would never conceive a child of my own and when I met Polymele she was already pregnant with you. I got blessed with a chance to raise two boys, my son and my apprentice, and I thank the deity who had mercy on me for that.”

“ Maybe it was your mother, Achilles, I will never know. “ He continued, back on his main interrogator at that opportunity. “ After all, she allowed me to educate you when you reached the proper age. She honored my friendship with your father by letting me be the one teaching you what he couldn´t. I’m obliged to transmit you the humble wisdom that I acquired in a lifetime. Don’t get in the way of a master and his possessive love, he would destroy you no matter what just to keep the illusion of full ownership over his favorite girl. “

The words of advice Phoenix had to give weren’t a calming balsam for the worries of the heart poured for them. Eudorus received those like a personal alarm while Achilles felt his existing doubts increasing after the visit. The outcome contradicted all expectations, he was still feeling conflicted because the advisor didn’t succeed on the accidental intention of making him desist from his secret purpose. Nothing would, not even Zeus himself coming down from Olympus to tell him that woman was forbidden. Speaking of the servant girls was easier than directly confessing he was going after the mycenaean princess, but he knew the advice wouldn’t change much if the man would be aware of his actual target. In any case, it would be harsher and more determinant giving the substantial difference in the high rank.

On his part, Patroclus was amazed recognizing in them the same fear of disappointment he sometimes felt regarding them. It was a strange realization, since normally his cousin never seemed vulnerable to expectations and Eudorus would only care about disappointing him in particular. Phoenix felt to him then like the patriarch they all wanted to make proud, but whose wisdom they wished to put in question. Not a single word of complaint came out from the men, despite the lad waiting for it to emerge. The two grown adults he admired the most, fearless warriors and makers of massacres, wouldn’t dare to question the advice of the man who raised them taking the lead of their absent fathers.

His hope was in a presumably kinder advisor, the only one who could help Achilles out of the tribulations in a way that wouldn’t make him feel hopeless.

Thetis received them the next day in the usual grout by the sea. Only her son knew the precise location of the isolated spot where he spent the early stages of his childhood and Patroclus was the only company he ever admitted. The reason would have been evident to anyone who could witness his interactions with his mother. The stoic mask would fall completely in her presence, she was capable of discovering the deepest secrets of his heart with amazing ease.

“ You have found more than glory in Mycenae.” She told him right away. “ I saw it in you, but I preferred to wait until you would come to me with the news.”

It never stopped to impress them, Achilles found his initial guilt over hiding the secret absolutely pointless and Patrocus was in disbelief for what he was witnessing.

“ I didn’t want to overwhelm you so soon. You were receiving me as your son coming victorious from battle, it wasn’t a proper time to come to you for help.”

Once he approached close enough she gave him a soft caress on the cheek.

“ There is no wrong time to need your mother.”

He had a sweet smile always ready for her.

“ Your little helper has convinced me.”

Patroclus peeked from behind his shoulder waving one hand and Thetis smiled at him.

“ I see. It's nice to have you with us this time, Patroclus! I heard about your journeys, your first steps outside your homeland. I’m very proud of you.”

The boy was bright with happiness receiving the praise.

“ At least I'm not the only one who is here for your validation.” Achilles mocked him. “ Although I’m not sure who needs it the most right now.”

Sitting on top of some rocks on the shore, she allowed him to rest his head against her shoulder in a calming pose.

“ I always wondered why you didn’t try to sneak into the competition for the hand of Helen.” She commented as a subtle entrance for the matter. “ It’s true that I advised you against it, but many achaean heroes were there. I thought pride could have pushed you anyways.”

“ I’m the best, I have nothing to prove.” Her son answered right away. “ It didn’t matter to me how pretty they said she was, I told myself I was married to the sword and nothing would distract me from fighting. When I had to leave for her wedding party, many men told me I was going to regret it once I met her. I didn’t, Helen is beautiful beyond measure but meeting her didn’t change my life and that made me feel safe in my position. If the prettiest girl in Greece wasn’t trapping me, no other would. “

He made a brief pause looking for exact words that would describe the best what he had to tell her.

“ I met someone else there, a shy girl nobody was paying any attention to. She was the niece of the bride, I thought I was never going to see her again and that’s why I never spoke about her before. I visited her palace, I stayed for more than I should have and now I feel I can’t live without her.”

There was no judgment in his mother’s reaction and he felt encouraged by that.

“ You have a good eye for trouble.” She sweetly mocked him. “ I thought you hated the Atreides, the eldest surely hates you. He invaded the land of the myrmidons in spite of your existence. The age of the demigods was starting to fade, a direct descendant of gods was rare to see. Prince Agamemnon of Mycenae was horrified when he heard people were saying the little boy of King Peleus didn’t have a mortal mother. A demigod child ruling anywhere else was a threat to everything he wanted to build, so he came here with lies claiming the myrmidons were hiding Thyestes and took away your crown before you could get to rule. "

“ No way, he is your Eurystheus!” Patroclus recalled with weirded excitement. “ This is getting very interesting.”

" Deep down Hercules cared for his lost throne, I don't. " Achilles corrected him. " Everyone thinks I say it because I'm trying to escape who I'm meant to be, but I'm not. Agamemnon did an excellent job shaping my fate for his benefit because the man I have become is not the one that prince boy was meant to be. I'm a fighter, not a politician. I can barely look after myself, nobody in their ríght mind would ask me to look after a kingdom. "

" ... Too bad, because your princess seems born to rule. I bet you wish you had your old title just to give her a throne to sit on. "

The tease wasn't ill intentioned, but it touched a detail he didn't consider until then.

" I don't need to present myself to her as the one I was born as. Consider it for a moment, Patroclus. Her mother committed treason sleeping with a traitor. If she finds out I was born a prince, she could think I want her just to get my throne back and she will find logical reasons to believe it. It's the only detail everyone remembers about the Queen of Mycenae, you can naturally assume her daughter is haunted by that. I don't want a scepter of king, I want her... but how do you convince a woman who has been told over and over that her dead mother was a weak bitch seduced by an enemy? "

It made sense and for so, the lad didn't object.

" I have a plan, but it requires time I can't afford and patience I don't have. " Achilles continued. " I can win the dowry with the sword, make Agamemnon owe me so much that he will have to acceed regardless of the mutual hate we feel. Once his greed will be satisfied he will not have any believable excuses. I put the world at his feet and all I ask in return is a wife. The great emperor will not look good if he refuses and we know he will pick his damn empire over her anytime. He could be capable of selling her to old King Priam for the control of Troy."

" Well, to be exact there is nothing he wouldn't give to rule Troy."

" What I mean is that he will not miss her and before he will sell her to anyone else for power he will have to sell her to me. I will bring him all the power he wants so he will not have to exchange her for it on any of the few free kingdoms that remain. " Achilles clarified ríght away. " The problem is that this is a long term plan. She is clever, so far she has managed to delay marriage, but i don't know for how long she will stand. "

There was genuine worry in his face when expressing his deepest concern.

" What if I come back one day to find her married? Maybe she resisted as much as she was capable of, but Agamemnon forced her to marry someone else. Doubt is driving me mad, I don't know how long it will take me to find a new excuse to return. My only comfort is knowing that she is with Odysseus now, that should keep her safe for some time."

Thetis kissed his forehead and prepared herself to deliver bad news.

" I lament to inform you that your friend conspires against you. Is not personal, he still loves you, but nothing comes above the love he has for his wife and son. He fears you could recklessly unleash a country-wide war for that girl and hopes to contain the situation with manipulations. Nothing new, he is once more playing with forces he can't understand trying to cheat fate. "

He raised his glance at her with confusion.

" Mother, are you sure about this?"

" Which one of the two?" Patroclus asked him." Odysseus playing on his own side or her being your fate?"

Thetis seemed quite surprised by the comeback.

" You have returned with a sharper tongue, dear boy. Is that another prodigy from the women of the Atreides?"

Patroclus easily confessed his guilt.

" For cursed people, they are very nice. "

" Don't insult her like that, the only curse my princess has is being born from that father."

" So easily you claim her yours!" His mother followed in a teasing tone. " This is not the same man who left the homeland for war. A true miracle has occurred, my son was visited by the children of Aphrodite!"

" Is that all you both plan to do? Join forces to mock me?" Achilles defended himself. " Yes, I am in love. I thought I would never feel that need for someone else and here I am, losing my mind for the daughter of Agamemnon Atreide. Maybe it is the punishment he got for all the offenses he caused me, or it's yet another motive of suffering I have to endure from him. In either case, it's already done. I love her, I can't conceive the idea of finding her married to someone else or witnessing her wedding as an invited guest. If what you say is true, mother, then Odysseus is ríght in just one thing. I would kill the groom if i have to, she wouldn't even have to ask me to slaughter the husband being forced on her."

" Or you could also remember that the goddess of marriage is the woman who educated me. '' Thetis interrupted before the rage inside him could escalate. " You don't have an immortal mother in vain. "

Achilles wasn't fond of the idea, the mere thought made him feel uneasy. He stood up out of sudden and gave a few steps away contemplating the sea.

" You know I don't like to owe favors in Olympus.You never know how the ones up there will choose to collect payment. "

" I'm loved and respected by both sides of the ruling marriage and that is not an easy achievement." She insisted. " Do you truly want the princess of Mycenae for a wife?"

" Ask Hera if she wants us to honor her getting married or to offend her with an adulterous relationship. In either way that girl is mine. ” Was his terminating answer halfway into an angry ramble “ In fact, being her lover would never be enough. Only a coward would conform with that. I would steal her from her dying husband and if I have to spill blood all over the temple, I will. "

" That sounds like a threat, I think it's not wise to offend the goddess whose favor you need." Patroclus mocked his lovesick rage. " ... You truly are lucky that this lady is your mother. "

Thetis smiled once more, purposely avoiding chuckling to the comment and the overall situation, but remained silent.

" Do you think threatening the Queen of Olympus is a viable option?" The boy continued, horrified. " Are you completely out of your mind?

" I'm not a coward, I speak my mind. If Hera doesn't make her my wife, I'll take her by myself. "

" Or the goddess can obviously go one step ahead of you and marry her to someone that would screw your plans."

To the immortal woman in front of them it was like seeing the argument of two children. However, the unusual wisdom that the youngest was showing was unusual to perceive in someone of his age. He had a healthy fear of gods her son had never acquired.

" No one will get in my way." Achilles confidently answered to Patroclus' provocation. " No one would be that stupid. "

" What about a man you wouldn't kill so easily and she wouldn't want to cheat on despite not loving him ? I know of a prince that fits the description, a great fighter and a very honorable man... Agamemnon would love to get him on board. "

The mere reminder of that man annoyed the demigod. Although the idea seemed improbable,he had realized that his cousin was in the ríght.

" Prepare an expiatory sacrifice for tomorrow morning or Hera will gift your girl to Hector just to give you a lesson. "

Thetis wanted to show support for Patroclus' advice without revealing too much of certain information that could be upsetting for her son. As a sea deity she was aware of many things happening on the domains of Poseidon.

“ That would be an excellent start, I can do my part and speak with her later. “ She quickly took the lead in the conversation. “ The alignments on Olympus could also be useful information to you. I will try to figure out what the great deities think of her, but don’t expect much. Your discredit of Olympians comes from the fact that you have met them, your girl has never felt divine presence. Zeus hates the Line of Tantalus, no one assists them directly. Agamemnon has done more harm than good trying to restore the relationship with the Great King. He thinks that ruling the world would prove that he is better than his ancestors and Zeus will forgive him. I feel confident guessing that the young princess must be secretly watched by Athena, anyone loved by Odysseus gets at least a bit of her attention. Aphrodite is over Helen, if they are close she may be keeping an eye on her too. “

“ Aunt and niece have become hard to separate. That must be why the goddess of love couldn’t keep turning a blind eye anymore.” Achilles commented. “ It explains a lot. I thought the world was going a bit more insane than usual when no other man seemed to mind leaving that gorgeous girl all by herself. She even used to boast of being invisible to the eyes of men and I heard that while my own eyes were feasting on her.”

They shared a few chuckles to the amusing sounding confession.

“ Aphrodite is called the laughter loving for a reason: she adores pranks. Expect some more pranking now that she is bringing her favorite mortal man. “

The words escaped from her in a moment of distraction because the thought was already on her mind. Her son suspected immediately and questioned her about it.

“ Mother… is there anything else that I should know?

She was reluctant to keep speaking, as if they were reaching a cursed topic, but there was nothing else she could have done.

“ Your beloved was invited to Ithaca under false pretexts, Odysseus has a mission for her. To be the bridge between his people and the trojans, Prince Hector is on the way on board of a ship that will arrive soon there. His brother Paris is with him, he is the favorite mortal of Aphrodite. Hector is the predilect of Apollo … and of their entire nation. “

Patroclus cackled loudly to the incredible coincidence.

“ Well, looks like all our mockery will be put to test. “ He concluded. “ Do you think Athena could be connecting her thoughts with Odysseus’? She didn’t tell him about her old escape plan, I'm sure of that. If she sees him the same way I see you, I can confirm that it didn't come out from her.”

Achilles was certainly dismayed, but not even in front of his mother he would admit it.

“ It’s only a shame that I can’t be there to see her gaining fame. Her glory is a motive of cheer for me, she always takes pride in mine. I want the trojans to adore her so Hector can envy me later. And as for Paris, he can check on the wonderful woman that could have mindlessly gifted herself to him if she wouldn’t have met a real man first. He will see how unworthy of her he is and she will feel embarrassed to have ever considered him.”

Surprisingly calm reaction making everyone else suspect there was more behind he wouldn’t acknowledge at the moment.

“ May I ask you one more favor?”

The goddess secured some of the strands of golden hair falling at the sides of his face behind his ear

“ Anything. No matter the path you take, I’m always on your side. “

Achilles seemed partially encouraged and that was a relief.

“ Take care of her, keep her safe when she is unreachable to me. “ He sweetly begged. “ I don’t need you to spy on her because I want to test her loyalty. I trust her, I feel it every time she is close to me. She wants no one else, the world demands her differently. The request is not about me, I just want to know if there will be someone out there looking after her when Athena or Aphrodite would be too busy with the mortals they like more. “

The petition was clearly heartfelt and he hugged her right away.

“ That will not be a problem, she has been praying to the Nereids.” Thetis shared with him in complicity. “ She thinks I don’t listen to her talking of her love for you, but if you would know the things I have heard you will be swimming to Ithaca. “

His eyes went wide realizing that his mother had been aware of everything all along.

While such matters were occupying him, the situation in Mycenae appeared to be diverting the course...

The atmosphere in the palace was moderately quiet, but that wasn’t doing any wonders for the king’s mood. He seemed distracted at best and more easily irritable than usual at worst. Dealing with him wasn’t simple even for his royal advisors. The absence of Nestor complicated things even more and there were no future prospects for an imminent military action that would justify his comeback from Pylos.

For Agamemnon, it was just him and the mundane issues of Mycenae in a boring in between wars period he would be spending alone. It was hard to admit he didn’t enjoy peace, not even the domestic one obtained in solitude after getting rid of his daughter for a while along with all the uncomfortable visits they were forced to receive. Having her around was often a source of headaches, but letting her go to any place other than his brother’s palace and being uncertain about her time of return wasn’t nice.

He was worried, no matter how much he trusted Odysseus or how advantageous it would be to have information about Ithaca after the conflict with Diomedes. To some extent, he was regretful about letting her go.

It was a constant in his relationship with her, taking choices as king that he would later regret as a father. In a more busier context, with some war upcoming or anything to distract his mind, he would simply ignore it. All his usual topics of concern were in control and he had no better idea than turning his thoughts back at her. Their bond was of constant struggle, if there was one thing she learned good from him was the insistence on doing things her way and there was nothing he hated more than being contradicted. She would always stand in the opposite viewpoint for any issue, from the petty things to actual conflicts, and drive him insane.

However, the palace wasn’t a constant battlefield at all times and she was a nice company. Whenever being anywhere else was impossible and campaigns had to be postponed, in the cold seasons when receiving guests was less frequent and the palace would reduce to just the two of them and their servants. Hunting wasn’t her thing, but in the bad weather she did appreciate the fur clothing. He would typically mock the hypocritical stance and she would laugh, admitting her guilt, to later extend the discourse claiming that hunting trophies were the useless side of it she didn’t enjoy. He once tried to explain to her his taste for keeping trophies using battlefield comparisons. In war when one man kills the other, the defeater has the right to take the fallen’s armor as a prize to display at his home. Without hesitation, she told him that an armed man in battle was a danger to another armed man, but a deer in the woods wasn’t. Only greater prizes from actually dangerous creatures made sense to her for that. The hunt of the Calydonian boar or the gorgon head kept by Perseus, not parts from the lifeless remains of animals that weren’t extraordinary.

If wars had to be fought following her logic, only killing the extraordinary people, he wouldn’t be at the edge of ruling Greece. Their philosophical arguments were at least entertaining and he would always crown those with some intricate wartime anecdote that would keep her listening. At some of those occasions she would simply hear him vent about Achilles driving him insane without stopping to question him a single time. Her silent support was comforting to him, seeing her simply nodding and smiling to whatever he said for once was definitely helpful. That man would often manage to outshine him while making him look like the villain of his heroic tale, so the king liked to have someone with whom he wouldn’t feel that way. His girl was always understanding, the onlyone besides Menelaus that seemed to be completely on his side.

Watching her sitting among her slaves, directing their work while keeping up with her own beautiful embroidery works, would sometimes secretly fill him with pride. She already looked like a queen and she had reached the age to become one. Although he was hoping to receive her back before the end of the season, soon he would have to let her go definitely. His empire needed offspring, from his viewpoint as a king he had to get her married as soon as possible. From his feelings as a father, he couldn’t grow the courage to let her go.

He would never admit it. Not even to himself, always up to find new motives to place on her. Blaming her was easy, stating she was not ready yet to be a good wife sounded more rational. In that line of thought, delaying the marriage was saving an unlucky man the disappointment of getting stuck with a disgraceful mess of a woman that would ruin his life. He was merely providing the useful service that Tyndareus should have given him before he married Clytemenestra, making sure the daughter she gave him would be in optimum conditions before her engagement. He managed to truly convince himself of that, satisfied with his self deceiving. She wasn’t good enough for any man and it was his responsibility to perfect her. Behind his cruel reproaches he was hiding the consequences of his paranoid fears, but also the possessiveness of his filial love.

It was no mystery to anyone that Agamemnon was a greedy man in every sense of the term and that included his affections. Shouting that he wanted her out of his life only masqueraded his necessity to keep her by his side. He preferred to have her in the palace, far away from the world, because she belonged with him. A fierce, jealous love was the guide of his parenting style. Taking anything away from him was already a difficult task, expecting him to give it away was nearly impossible. He was the accidental creator of his own difficulties, living in the contradiction of needing her to provide an heir to the house and feeling like any man wanting her was stealing her from him. She, who he had raised to be the exception to the rule in the troubled history following the women of the family, was a final product meant to be handed to someone else.

His mother abandoned him and his little brother when she sentenced herself to death for being unfaithful to their father, then his wife followed the same path. She carelessly left that child lonely for the sake of a lover, but her father knew very well what that little thing endured growing up without a mother. He promised himself he would do better with her, that he would keep her safe from the curse. Her innocent acts of rebellion in the palace were a fair price to pay for rescuing her from that fate.

Under her watch she was doing fine, occasionally trusting her to Menelaus wasn’t doing any harm either. As the only woman they managed to save, she was theirs by right, meant to be their caring company from her roles of daughter and niece. For the same reason she was their special responsability. Odysseus was a great man, but he wouldn’t understand it. He was probably being indulgent with her, allowing corruption to happen accidentally just to be a nice host. He was her favorite for a reason, he would often destroy all of her father’s good work on a week of visiting by giving her permission for anything she wanted.

She adored the King of Ithaca and he had an evident soft spot for her. She was always all smiles at the news of his arrival to Mycenae, even happier than if they would tell her that her father was returning from war. No other visitor would spend as much time alongside her as he did yet it never seemed to be enough. She would always beg for him to stay a few days more, looking at him with an adorable expression. It was the exact kind of trick she used to play as a little girl to stay for longer in Sparta, only not about her uncle anymore. She had built a great affinity with Odysseus, one that replaced Menelaus from the spot of favorite. It was granted that, despite the good intentions of Penelope, that man would give the girl too much freedom.

There was no doubt that his friend also meant good, but he wasn’t the one dealing with the consequences. Odysseus was responsible for her only while she would remain on Ithaca, nothing obliged him to be severe. For as much as Menelaus enjoyed being a relaxed uncle, he was aware of the limits he couldn’t let her cross. He would be more careful because he was aware of the risks, they had a secret mission to accomplish keeping the curse at bay. Although, at the end of the day, it was always up to him. The eldest brother, head of the house and father of that girl he wasn’t ready to raise alone when circumstances made him. His younger brother was a good support, but he wasn’t there all the time.

The trojan was all he had on a regular basis, that damn woman he would never get rid of. She knew too many secrets of the family, so he could never sell her, but he was too dependent on her and could never kill her. They were stuck with each other and over the years she had at least proven a consistent loyalty. It was a bond of relative mutual convenience making itself more evident when there was no one else around.

“ I’m bringing your meal, the poor boy that pours your wine is afraid you may slaughter him so I told him I can handle everything.” She announced herself carrying a tray to serve him. “ We are far beyond that, aren’t we?

Agamemnon tried to remain as composed as possible to show kingly dignity.

“ Just because my daughter has made you a queen among slaves, that doesn't mean you can talk to me as if you were a real one. She uses you to fulfill a need, as slaves are meant for. Queen Penelope of Ithaca is now in your place, surely doing a better job than you.”

The woman began to serve the table for him with cold carelessness.

“ Perhaps you are the one worried wondering if Odysseus is doing better work pretending to parent her. “

She poured wine and handed him the cup with total naturality, upsetting him even more than a claim that got him a bit too deep.

“ That’s an insolence I can't tolerate, not even from you. Hesione, favorite of the princess, I can’t care less about your old age and she is not here to protect you. “

“ The last time you marked my body she didn’t speak to you for days. I have seen her shredding tears of resignation whenever her benevolence wouldn’t be enough to calm your wrath against any other of us. Anger is what will be awakened if you touch me or her handmaids. Only three persons in this palace she expects you to protect in her absence, two of them are away.”

The reprobation made sense, so he switched the topic.

“ Odysseus was blessed with a firstborn boy, but I fear he would never be a good parent for a girl. Not only was he luckier than me regarding his offspring, he has an irreproachable wife and in this fortune lies his optimism. He has no idea of what it's like to have been married to a traitorous whore knowing your mother was one too while you beg for your only offspring, that just HAD TO BE yet another WOMAN, to not end up like that. I’m sure the pretentious little bitch is going to be insufferable at her return, that’s what he does to her.”

“ Be honest to yourself, King of Kings. “ Hesione warned in a mock. “ You are thinking of the people she will meet. Provincial nobles that will be dazzled by her shine, she may make new friends. Some that you didn’t buy for her, that you can’t control in the limits of this palace. Your sad attempt to control Patroclus wasn’t only about upsetting his cousin, he is the first friend your daughter made from outside your borders and that makes him dangerous… Who knows who she may befriend next?”

“ YOU KNOW WHY I HAVE TO DO IT! “ He yelled out of blatant rage for the callout. “ Your intrigues mean nothing to me, I’m protecting her from the curse she was born with.”

If she would have been completely free to speak, Hesione would have said he was that girl’s curse. At least for that she missed the presence of Achilles, he would never hesitate on freely insulting him without fearing repercussions and through the blade he had earned the power to do so.

“ It will not happen again because I have paid enough attention. From the claws of that harpy I rescued her and I made her a decent girl.” Agamemnon strictly concluded . “ Too nice, perhaps, her sense of morality drives me insane… But she has high morals, even if she often uses those to judge me.”

“ Trojan sense of morality, too elevated for the House of Atreus.” The woman clarified, reclaiming what she considered her accomplishment. “ That rectitude and virtue didn’t come from you.”

“ She is a righteous woman anyways, Hesione! I made that possible, on my watch she grew up safe.”

The king had a long sip of his drink while the slave kept accommodating plates.

“ She can’t be under your watch forever. “

He swallowed his first bite of food quickly to eagerly reply.

“ I can’t trust her to another man, they don’t understand. With me the curse is contained…”

“ She is a girl, not a feral force of destruction.” Hesione recalled. “ You don’t need to contain her, you need to understand her. It’s not about finding a husband to control her in your place, she needs one that would care for her. So far you have received prospects following nothing but your own interests. Your local flatterers and a few foreign princes from families you like, all focused on your personal gain. Have you actually checked on any of those men, besides from their inventory of richness or political influence? What about their personalities, goals and morals? Do you find any virtue in at least one of her suitors?”

“ Antilochus is a good young man, Nestor and I have been thinking about it since they were kids. He was my strongest favorite, but he became a suitor of Helen and our plans got ruined. Until quite recently, many of the most righteous princes were too busy fighting for her.”

Hesione was subtly heading the conversation into a very important point she wanted to make. Always letting her master believe that she was simply helping him think, what she actually seeked was to persuade him.

" It's not about righteousness. Look for a man that is in perfect balance with yours and her morals. One that would follow your brutal ways of heartless conqueror but would still make her happy. "

" That man doesn't exist, no one can reconcile such extremely different interests. Agamemnon insisted. " Her purpose in life is to serve me, it's logical that the choice has to be useful to me. "

He was incredibly stubborn, but she wouldn't stop.

" The kind of man you are looking for is a fierce warrior with a good heart. One that would be with you exterminating an entire population of men, but would pretend he didn't see the children escaping. A son in law fitting for your needs that would still have softness reserved for her. A mighty arm to destroy your enemies that would wrap her in a tender embrace."

The servant was purposely describing Achilles in a language vague enough to plant the seed of an idea that was favoring him. Despite the king didn't figure out the underline meaning of her words, the advice seemed sensical to him and precisely for that he was feeling conflicted.

None of his trustfull advisors would have ever been so direct.

" I fail to see what makes you so interested in her departure from this house. '' Agamemnon snarked with poisonous disdain. " You'll lose everything with her marriage and I am not speaking only about your position of privilege. You don't have a family, that girl is all you have. I have many other matters to care about, my mind will move on, but without her you will lose your purpose. "

Her answer was a hard strike.

" My love is selfless, I want the best for her no matter what will happen to me. Perhaps because I have nothing I can call mine and you own so much, you will never understand that. "

Agamemnon cackled carelessly and shamelessly.

" There you are again, playing to be the sacrificial matriarch! It doesn't suit you as good as you think it does. "

Hesione watched him completely unamused.

" You still hope for it, don't you? How many years humiliating me in front of her got you nowhere? How many teachers and etiquette trainers that you have collected among the best wives in mycenaean nobility have failed before? Now you think that Penelope of Ithaca, of all queens, will be the one successfully training her to hate me and my kind? "

" She needs a fitting role model to follow and Penelope is a flawless queen, i believe her influence can inspire her into becoming one. Acknowledging your inferiority is part of that, she is too old to keep pretending you are her mother. "

Her mockery was turning into rage. She had no doubts about the love of her girl, but it was true that her social position demanded other teachings besides from hers and the king was pointing it out to hurt her.

" You are spiteful because she hasn't learned to dehumanize trojans like you wanted. Growing up with me was supposed to show her that we are all pets your family will dominate someday, but you failed in poisoning her with your hate..."

She made a brief pause, unsure of letting the anger dominating her get its outlet.

" ... Let’s revisit some basic facts about your daughter. She loves horses more like any other noble girl who has been in this palace. Do you remember when you whipped a lad working in your stables thinking she was sneaking there to see him, only to later find out she was there talking to the horses? "

The king remained silent.

" If given the choice, she loves dressing in blue clothes as much as your traditional red. She can recite the story of the foundation of Troy as fluently as she would tell you about the origins of Mycenae. Dardanus and Tros are names as familiar to her as Perseus or Tantalus. "

She didn't want to get that far, but couldn't stop herself.

" My child calls me her anna, and she speaks my language with the cutest greek accent. She is insecure of it and would never dare to speak it with another trojan, but King Priam himself would get emotional hearing her because it's perfect mixing. Troy is her secondary homeland, she made my roots as hers as the ones birth assigned her. "

" Being attached to you doesn't make her an honorary citizen of your old kingdom." Agamemnon mocked her. " It's true, you taught her some unusual traditions behind my back, but a princess of Mycenae can only be destined to rule trojans after I'll raid their city."

" Start thinking of her beyond your wishes or you'll lose her. " The trojan concluded, a genuine piece of advice wrapped in the harshness of her emotional state. " Now is the time for you to do it, before it will be too late. Don't get surprised later if once your grandkid is born Odysseus receives the news first."

The callout didn't convince him completely, but it gave him a new problem to think about.

The king sent away emissaries with important messages the next morning. Two to Pylos and several more to Argos, making his advisors suspect he had developed a remarkable interest in Diomedes after managing to submit his army.

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