#ghostly royal advisor

[im-totally-not-an-alien-2]

Danny bit back a sigh from his place on the throne as two young vigilantes fell from a portal in his throneroom. He peered at him through his long white veil as he straitened himself. He knew what to do. He had done this song and dance sixty-two times now and he was about to do it again.

He watched them bicker from the cold floor of his ice castle, something he made from his own ice so that the observants couldn't see or hear what was happening inside or pop in without his explicit permission. Something that angered the nosey creeps to no end. Ah, he's getting lost in his thoughts again. Its time to start the test.

"Why have you come to my Realms mortals?" He felt almost silly calling them that, but it worked in getting the two to stop arguing and pay attention to him. Ah, the younger one has a sword. Cool. Won't help him here, but he gets points for ascetic if nothing else.

"State your names."

"I am Robin!" The smaller one yelled, fierceness of his voice to match the fire in his soul.

The older seemed more hesitant, taking a moment to assess the situation before answering, "I'm Red Robin. Sorry for dropping in so suddenly-"

The younger cut in, needlessly destroying his partners attempt at deescalating the situation, "We were not at fault! A portal opened underneath us and we were transported here!"

Danny knows that. Thats why he was testing them, "Are you saying that fate brought you here?"

Robin looked pleased before confirming.

"Then you shall stay here, as those who enter the Lands of Lazarus are never allowed to leave."

They both bulked, one trying to argue and the other trying to reason with him. Danny tapped his fingers on the armrest of his throne, pretending to think. "I will be merciful and allow one of you to leave. I will allow you a moment to make your choice." Danny barely got his words out before the older one declared that he would stay behind, putting himself between the king and his companion. Good. He passed the test.

He turned his attention back to the younger, "And you are fine with this?" This is the part where the companion adamantly refuses and offers themselves as sacrifice and the two bicker about who will get to sacrifice themselves for the other. The king becomes "moved by thier bond" or whatever and sends them both back to the land of the living.

"Of course! He's useless anyway."

...wat.

The older one made a wounded sound that made his core ache with the need to care and protect. This was not how things were supposed to go. Were ten year olds supposed to be this cruel? At that moment he made an admittedly impulsive decision and sent the child back, keeping the older of the two in the spirit would with him.

Leaving the comfort of his throne he walked down the steps towards the young man, his snowy robes fanning out majestically as his crown of stars bobbed around at his movements, some even going so far as to float around him as if showing off.

"I've made a decision. For this day forth you are my royal advisor." He stated before grabbing the other guys hand and pulling him along down the hall, "You're going to help me rebuild my kingdom from the thousands of years of war and political neglect it has faced. You will aid me in political endeavors as well as help the people in any way you see fit." He paused long enough to open the kitchen door and sit him down at the counter,

"But first, what do you want for lunch?"

#fanfiction prompts #prompts #red is so confused #danny is going to spoil him #Tim is going to repeatedly get complacent in the castle before being brutally reminded hes in an eldrich undead dimension #the moment he leaves the castle grounds he becomes a horror movie protagonist #danny gives him lots of weapons and warns him most magic doesnt work here #and the gods wont answer your prayers :) #which isnt ominous at all :) #danny phantom #dp x dc #danny fenton #robin #long post #damian wayne #red robin #tim drake #dannys protective instincts #future danny x tim #ghostly royal advisor #Tim knows nothing about Danny being half alive #Danny doesnt want to break the poor guys brain hes having a hard time as it is #dannys first move was to feed tim because one of the underworld rules is if you eat food from the underworld #you can never leave #danny has no intentions of letting Tim go #sorry if this didnt turn out too well #im kinda sleep deprived at the moment #white king au

[duskyashe]

NaNoWriMo Day #18

[masterlist] [part two]

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If there was one thing Danny wasn't expecting when he ascended the ghostly throne, it was having to worry about a freaking line of succession. For one thing, he was under the impression the only reason he was the new ghost king at all was because he'd defeated Pariah Dark in single combat. For another, what did they expect him to do, find a nice ghost girl and settle down? He was fifteen, no way was he ready for that kind of commitment! Nevermind the fact none of us even know if being a halfa effects the ability to have kids, Danny thought grimly.

He'd brought all those points up with his advisors before, but the only one with any real advice he could actually use was Pandora. "You need an heir, but it doesn't have to be the same being the entire time. Be warned, however. Some obsessions fare better in royal positions than others do. Those with freedom related obsessions like your Ellie's would be driven mad within short order." Much more useful than Clockwork's cryptic words of, "Time is the wise King's friend."

After some deliberation and careful study of the Infinite Realms' bylaws and charters, he'd made Jazz his heir with Ellie the "spare" in case Jazz wasn't in a position to succeed Danny. This sort of solution was a stopgap one at best, but it would at least give him a few years, a decade at most, to figure out a more permanent solution. If Jazz's inherent liminality wasn't enough to satisfy the bylaws for more than a few years, then they'd switch Jazz with Ellie and have Ember take up "spare" status, but again, no one knew anything about this kind of situation, it was so new territory. Jazz might be able to give Danny ten years to figure out a more appropriate heir, or she won't be able to give him more than a few months. The variables were different enough from the norm in this situation that no one was happy with how things were at that point in time.

He really needed a better solution, though, and soon, because Ember's obsession wasn't any less freedom based than Ellie's was...

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Nearly five years after Danny's ascension to kinghood, the foundations of the Infinite Realms shifted ever so slightly, almost as though a mostly unstoppable force had tried its hand against an almost immovable object. Six months after that, Danny suddenly nearly collapsed in his applied physics class as he felt the creation of a new halfa. It was sudden, it was painful, and it was familiar. But the cry of a newly formed core, so perfectly in sync with his own, being brutalized nearly made his eyes flare green. Instantly, he knew exactly where this newborn halfa was (—halfway across the world—?), he knew exactly what was happening to them (—they're hitting him with tasers—!), and he knew that if he didn't get there as soon as possible, he'd lose something precious (—they'll ruin him, his obsession, his core—!). It was a good thing Jazz had been his emergency contact on file ever since she turned eighteen, she'd understand what he didn't say, what he couldn't say, over the phone.

Danny was excused from the rest of his classes for the day and his sister picked him up from his physics teacher's office.

"What do you need?" No nonsense, straight to the point. Jazz had grown a lot since his accident, since he became the king of an entire dimension.

Danny released an anxious breath. "I need the Infinity Map." Another breath. "And Frostbite. There's a new halfa, and he's being tortured as we speak." Just keep breathing. "His core cried out to my own, Jazz. From halfway across the world." Jazz's breath hitched at that, and he almost snorted. Exactly. Later. First, he had to save the kid, get him treatment, and deal with the idiots who dared play with things they didn't understand. Then he could deal with the fallout of him hearing the newborn halfa's cry. Deep breaths. That's it, just keep breathing.

"Do you have any more information than his location and current situation?" His sister was a blessing, truly.

"I have a name," he offered. Deep breaths, stay calm, just keep breathing. "Jason Todd." His core sang with protective fury, his obsession crying for blood. That was one of his that those assassins were trying to break. His son, that was his son.

Over my half dead body.

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So. What happens when you're so into a fanfic that you lose all track of time? Well, I end up frantically trying to write a ficlet in two hours that makes sense and doesn't leave too much hanging (⁠^⁠～⁠^⁠;⁠)⁠ゞdid I succeed?

I was originally going to use this prompt to continue one of my previous ficlets, but I also really wanted to write something new, so my muse fought me tooth and nail until I finally gave in (⁠´⁠-⁠﹏⁠-⁠`⁠；⁠) that's part of the reason why I'm writing ficlets instead of a full story this month lol I knew my muse was going to be fickle and wouldn't let me stick with one, or even two storylines lol it's happened before (⁠^⁠_⁠^⁠メ⁠)

Y'all rock, honestly. Like, I know I say that every day, but I genuinely mean it every day (^⁠‿⁠^⁠)

Have a good morning/day/night!

#danny phantom #batman #dc x dp #fanfic #dp x dc #dp crossover #dp au #fanfiction #nanowrimo 2022 #NaNoWriMo Day 18 #yes the Infinite Realms felt superboy's punch to reality #it unsettled many of the residents #the Observants wanted to do something about it but Clockwork stonewalled them lol #and yes Danny DID just adopt Jason Todd right after he was dipped in the pit! #no Danny doesn't know this baby halfa from Adam #do you think he cares? #this kid's newly formed core somehow singled his out and managed to resonate with it well enough to cry for help #FROM HALFWAY ACROSS THE WORLD #like hell Danny's gonna leave this kid alone! that kid's his now #oh he's Batman's kid? #tough luck buddy he's mine now #finders keepers losers weepers #shoulda kept a better eye on him #maybe shouldn't have let him die in the first place #what's that Jay? you wanna visit him? #... you're lucky the kid likes you Bruce #you can have him for the weekends #maybe every other major holiday #maybe #only if you teach me that cool move you did the other day when fighting that one villain

[channajen]

BATMAN, MEET TEAM PHANTOM chapter 44 is UP!

As always, here is the link to chapter 1. This is story 5 in the "Ghosts in Gotham Series". Enjoy!

Summary of chapter 44:

It's a play day at Star Labs. The best of Team Phantom is gathering, along with Red Robin and Cyborg, and they're looking to take their mind off of their troubles by doing something Danny loves--making things the Fenton way! Is Star Labs ready for the young men? Is Cyborg??

Also, on an unnamed island in the tropics, a group of young ladies and a singular young man make landfall on a beautiful island paradise. One of them is obsessed with safety. The others just wanna have fun!

Also, DUCT TAPE!

Teaser below cut...

Victor was watching Danny intently when he noticed a blue mist escape from the boy’s mouth. “Aw, man! Not now!” The newest Ghost King groaned. “This better not be one of those asshat Observants trying to mess up my day…” He grumbled then started looking around for—something.

That something turned out to be a head and torso that popped up out of the computer console by Cyborg. “Hello, young friends, my King. Greetings! It is I, Technus! Master of all Technology! I am here to assist you in whatever manner you require of me today!” The what in the hell was that thing??? stepped fully out of the computer and looked around the room. His face lit up like Times Square on New Year’s Eve. “OH! We have so much to work with! My King! Do you have any projects in mind for today?”

The being completely ignored the other three boys in the room. Silas Stone was watching the craziness in the lab from the safety of the Observation Room. He had read what the kids were allowed to work with—or rather the very, very short list of what they weren’t—and decided that he didn’t personally need to be in the room with the four boys, and, apparently, now an ecto-being. He reached for the antacids. It was going to be a long day, unless the two newest boys had enough talent to make this interesting…

Below the observation level, Danny stood facing Technus. “Don’t make me regret making you my Royal Technological Advisor—understand?” He leveled a glare at the ghostly visage in the white luminescent lab coat.

“Technus” bowed his head. “I hope that one day I can fully earn your trust, Your Majesty.”

Tucker looked at Danny and then back at Technus. He walked over and slapped both of them on the back. “Guys, we are here to have FUN. Invent, experiment, and play with hazardous things! Let’s not waste our time on posturing, OK?”

Danny blushed…were his cheeks turning a bit green??...Victor wasn’t sure he really wanted the answer to that question. He was saved from his confusion by Danny, who looked up sporting a grin. “Yeah. I’ve got some great ideas for ghost shields—not shielding against ghosts, but shielding ghosts from human weaponry, so they’d be safe to visit Earth, should the United Nations grant us Sovereignty and possible member status. They should also work against ecto-blasts, so the weaker ghosts—and my armies—can be outfitted with a bit more protection than they have had until now. I want my people to be safe.

Cyborg was a bit taken aback. Most scientific types who were given access to Star Labs always wanted to get something marketable out of the time spent there. This kid—no, this KING—was looking out for his people, first and foremost. He was pulled out of his thoughts when Tucker started talking.

#danny phantom #dp x dc #batman #justice league #ghost king danny #silas stone/star labs #lucius fox vs star labs #DUCT TAPE!

[jezmatronwrites]

Writing Next AU - setting sketch out - Honour thy Father

A GOOD HORDAK AU!

Premise: Hordak crash lands on Etheria, in the Scorpion lands, after having tried to destroy his Brother... As part of the war with several galactic races, including the First Ones. He finds himself stranded but.... Free.

After joining the Scorpion Royal Court as an advisor, he finds himself thrust into a new challenge - fatherhood - as a mysterious message guides him to a plain where a ghostly figure explains all. And gives him the bleak news: his longtime ally, Mara... Is lost.

Set the stage forrrrrr a more gentle, dramatic AU where Hordak is a good guy, trying to fumble parenting, court life, and a couple of rivals for his affections: the young, hyperfocused engineer from Dryll and a sardonic mage master from Mystacor....

And in the background he has to handle his wards burgeoning feelings for the daughter of a visiting dignitary from Half-moon as she competed with his friend, the King of the Scorponis, granddaughter...

This one has been banging around my head for a while. Remember how Hordak in the 80's actually seemed to care for Adora , even if his motives were of course evil. What if we had a world where Hordak did the proverbial "turn left"?

Cue romantic rivalries, gentle court intrigue, friendships and of course - drama.

Also the idea of Hordak trying to be an actual DAD and still being grumpy... But also... Kind?

#what if #shera #catradora #romance #drama #au #canonwithatwist #slice of life

[ask-gandrin]

Introduction to this blog

Welcome to my askblog where you can ask the undead royal guard Gandrin (my oc).

First the lore. It is set in the fictional kingdom of Mattoy. They're quite big on necromancy there, so of course the king has undead to serve them. The most powerful and prominent of these is the "Guardian", a ghostly warrior with a slew of magical powers and fighting skills. This Guardian is the focus of this askblog. Apart from the magic, it is a medieval ish world. Standard fantasy basically, but with some more non-western-european influences.

There are also some other characters you can ask about (not ask to (yet), I don't have them completely worked out):

Akiz - the king that Gandrin serves. He's one of those tyrannical madmen that kingdoms tend to breed as rulers.

Doslo - Akiz's advisor. Sly, wants to betray the king and take over the nation instead.

Jaya - A court mage. Strange, mysterious, confusing. She acts like she loves the king, but actually she hates him a lot. She blames him for the disappearance of her brother (she's right, he is to blame).

Chondam - Doslo's wife. She pretends to be stupid, but very much isn't. Bootlicker to the bone.

While Gandrin has a whole story where Akiz dies and Gandrin gets a redemption arc and everything, this askblog is set somewhere during Akiz's reign, in the royal court of his palace.

I will tag OOC content with #OOC.

Beware, Gandrin's opinions and actions are his, not mine. Don't come at me when he says something insensitive. He's full of hate, fear of damnation, and other unpleasant things. He might not always be nice. I will tag with the appropriate trigger warnings, in the format of #gore or #blood.

#OOC #introduction

[mettleborn-a]

Plotted starter for @ericbrandonrp​

This is no longer the home Adelia grew up in; the paintings have all been removed, leaving behind angular impressions on the wall; strangely spectral marks that denote their decades old positioning. Bare walls now feature where exquisite tapestries were once hung and all the family’s rugs, antiques and finery have all been removed, packed safely into storage and kept under lock and key. Most of the furnishings, save for those in Adelia’s room, have been shifted into corners and hidden under ghostly shrouds; sheets that seem to shiver and dance whenever the slightest breeze passes. Where once the grand hall of the castle carried only the homely scents of old oak, hearty cooking and her father’s cigar smoke, it now reeks only of disinfectant, blood and the sweat of exhausted men.

Mere days before Britain declared war on Germany, Adelia’s Father, the Duke of Dumfries, a former Colonel in the Royal Regiment of Foot, had been called to London by King George V to act as a royal advisor. Adelia’s Mother, bereft over the situation in Europe had insisted on travelling with him, in the hope that her presence might provide the influence required to ensure successful extraction of Adelia’s grandparents from Belgium.

Upon her father’s request, Adelia had agreed to stay at Drumlanrig, to oversee its transformation; like so many of Britain’s castles and stately homes, it had been decreed Drumlanrig would be re-purposed for the war effort; the castle and its expansive grounds serving as a military hospital, base and training camp, with plans to establish a recruitment and transit centre.

It has been less than two weeks since the soldiers started to arrive and already Adelia has had to watch eight young men die. She has comforted them all in their final moments, attempting to make them as comfortable as possible, while agreeing to inform their loved ones of their bravery. Only yesterday morning, she travelled to the post office to send a sad array of wedding rings, photographs, medals and watches to loved ones, each accompanied by penned notes, as agreed at the bedsides of those in her care.

Lady Lennox has no medical training to speak of besides what knowledge the other nurses and military doctors have passed onto her these past two weeks. Regardless, as an intelligent and resilient woman she has taken up the position of nurse within the complement now present at Drumlanrig, at least until someone more qualified arrives. In the past week she has spent her evenings studying medical books and journals in an attempt to further qualify herself, though at times she finds herself too exhausted and worried to concentrate and so instead simply chooses to drink her sorrows away.

Six am and this morning, like every morning since the arrival of the military, she awakes to the noise of bagpipes. In truth, it is a sound she has only previously associated with celebration and moments of occasion, though now it has come to take on another meaning entirely. Now it is a wake-up call; a call to arms and a sign that the men will soon be rousing in search of food and morphine, though rarely ever both.

Rising to hastily wash and dress in her freshly laundered nurse’s uniform; a stark contrast to her large array of expensive dresses, that belong to what is already beginning to feel like a former life, Adelia combs back her brown curls before bowing in the mirror to quickly apply her make-up. New arrivals are due today, not patients, but soldiers, though she remains unclear regarding the purpose of this particular infantry; it has not been confirmed if they will be stationed here at the castle or will be sent off to France like the last group of men.

Hurrying down the stairs, she begins to make her morning rounds.

#ericbrandonrp #Eric Brandon #Closed Starter #The Lady Lennox #[Lady Adelia Lennox] #WW1 verse: 1914 #v: Death was written large everywhere #//war #//death #((Hope this works for you...it got a little long because I was scene setting - absolutely no need to text match!))

[atiny-doodles]

two

HALA

genre: fantasy, romance, alt. universe

warnings: violence?

disclaimer: pirate!ateez x siren!reader, mc is already given a name, female mc

series masterlist

-

“The princess has been terribly injured!” Erina exclaimed. The earth-maid rarely confided with Laila, so the fact that she was rushing over with her fins expanding rapidly with exhaustion concerned the fellow water-maid.

But she looked back at the sailor she just lured. “But I just caught my dinner.” she pouted.

Erina rolled her eyes. “You’ve obviously not been paying attention at school.” she said before swimming over to the unconscious man. Lifting his hand, she showed Laila a tattoo he had of the skeleton of a sea horse crossed over with two violent red slashes on his wrist. “This insignia obviously shows that he’s a pirate. Of high rank too.”

Laila’s eyes widened. Cautiously looking around, she lowered her voice. “We should take him back to land before his crew comes looking for him right?”

Erina nodded. Pirates have had a history of hunting sirens. It’s been a while since human kind thought their species went extinct, so it’s risky capturing pirates and having their crew search the sirens' waters, potentially discovering them again.

“I will do that since I have the ability to walk on land. You need to get to the princess quick! I know your healing powers are not as developed but you're the only water-maid I could find fast enough.” Erina said.

Laila nodded and sped off in the direction Erina had come from. A couple meters away, she found a fire maid sitting by some coral with the princess in her arms. She looked at Laila with wide eyes and beckoned her over.

“Please help her. She was caught in a net from a nearby ship. They were night fishing, a-and a dolphin got caught and s-she was just trying to help!” The fire maid said, shaking before bursting into tears.

Laila wasted no time. She scanned the princess’s body and found a large open wound at her torso, right where her red tail met her belly. Focusing her energy, she took a deep breath and tried to stop the bleeding. Laila was still a kid in training, so she wasn’t sure if she could do this. If she failed to save the princess, would she be imprisoned? For sure she would be hated by the fire clan for the rest of her life for causing the death of their beloved royal daughter. She might even be executed.

She started to hyperventilate. Her powers were starting to get shaky. Her hands were trembling, trying to control the healing properties gifted by the water around her, but she couldn’t. She could see steady wisps of blood leave the princess’s body and float into the clear water above her, tinting the ocean crimson red. The light sobs of the fire-maid were starting to get heavier.

“W-why is she bleeding harder?”

“I don’t know!”

“You’re hurting her stop!”

The fire maid started to shake Laila. She lost her focus, letting the energy from her fingers slip. Clasping her chest, she violently gasped for air. With teary eyes, she looked back down at the princess.

Her fiery red tail started to fade into a dull orange. The steady streams of blood that flowed out of her body turned into bubbles. Her finger tips, her gills, and even the small strands of hair on her eyelashes started to fade into foam.

The fire maid started to wail louder, pushing Laila out of her way and hugging the princess.

“No! No, don't do this! Poseidon save us!” she pleaded.

The princess faded into a ghostly white hue of sea foam and floated away from her arms. Dissolving into the sea, she left nothing but the red tint of the ocean water of what was once her hurting body.

Laila stared at the red wisps as it floated away. All she could hear were the wails of the fire maid next to her.

A soft hand adorned her shoulder, snapping her out of her trance. “Thank you,” someone whispered from behind her.

The two sirens turned around to the voice. Eyes widened in shock, Laila bowed down to her.

“M-My Queen!” she exclaimed. “I’m so sorry, I tried my best I-I didn’t know what to do.”

The fire maid who was on the ground sobbing rose up. Her eyes focused on Laila and all she could feel was fury. Making the water around her boil, her tear clouded eyes focused onto Laila with nothing but hatred.

“You traitor! You purposefully made Ashira bleed out. You killed her!”

Curling her hand back, she aimed the boiling water at Laila’s back. But before she could strike, the Queen promptly waved her arm, sending a gush of heat back at her stopping her attack.

“Adira, calm yourself!” the Queen exclaimed.

She leaned down to the water maid and helped her up. “You’re a warrior.” she said. “Thank you for trying your best to save the princess.” The Queen gave her a warm smile, calming Laila down.

“Thank you my Queen.” she said, still keeping her head down.

Adira on the other hand collapsed on the ground. “Yes, you tried your best. Actually it was my fault.” she cried.

“I could have saved her! She saw a dolphin get stuck on the fishers net and went off to save it herself. I warned her against it but she went anyway and got stuck. I should have helped her, but I was too scared. She had to fight her way out of it alone.” Adira looked from Laila to the Queen.

“She lost the royal ring Ceto!” she sobbed. “This is all my fault.”

Queen Ceto is known by mortals as the Goddess of the sea. She is the oldest known siren in existence and has defeated many legendary sea monsters in her lifetime. Although she’s a fierce fighter, she is kind and loved by all the siren clans.

But no one ever called her by her real name.

Laila turned to the fire maid. “Who are you?” she asked. She realized she was being rude, but she was confused and wanted an explanation.

The fire maid straightened her back and wiped away her tears. “I am Adira. I was princess Ashira’s advisor,” she hesitated, “and I looked at her as my closest sister.”

Queen Ceto looked at the young maid softly. “I understand how you’re feeling, young Adira. I looked at Ashira as my own daughter.”

Adira looked at the ground in shame.

“But I look at you as my own daughter as well.”

Adira looked up with wide eyes. “My Queen-”

“And so if you will accept, will you please be the new crown princess?” Ceto asked. She turned to Laila. “What do you think young water-maid?”

“I think there is no one more qualified than Adira, my Queen.” Laila responded. The Queen raised a brow at her. “Oh, I mean princess Adira.”

Adira looked back and forth at both the sirens and let out a sigh. “I’m honored, but I don’t think I’m qualified enough.”

“Which is why you will go through a test.”

Adira was stunned at Queen Ceto’s words. “A test?”

“Of course! You think this position is something I can hand out so freely?”

“No, of course not my Queen.”

“And I’m sure you feel upset at how former princess Ashira was unfairly taken away from us?”

Adira made fists with her hands. Her breath got heavier and the water around her started to steam. Laila backed away from her in fear.

But Queen Ceto seemed unfazed. “I thought so. And so my dear, your mission is to get revenge on those who killed our princess.”

Adira furrowed her brows. “For sure my Queen.” but she hesitated. “But, how am I supposed to do this?”

“You have all the sirens and sea creatures supporting you. If there is anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask the clan leaders.”

Laila perked up at this. “If you would like Adira, I can ask my clan leader to give you medicine and supplies!”

Queen Ceto nodded. “The Earth Clan can also help you get temporary legs.” She paused for a moment. “I’m not sure the Air Clan won’t be very fond of the idea of helping you though.”

Both young sirens nodded. The Air Clan often kept to themselves and rarely confided in the other clans. They were a very powerful clan on their own, sustaining themselves for centuries.

Adira took a deep breath. “That’s alright. I trust that every siren will have my back regardless.” She turned to Laila. “I promise to avenge our sister.”

Looking down and letting the boiling water around her rest in a simmer, she looked up to the water maid. “Thank you, and I’m sorry about my attitude earlier.”

Laila smiled reassuringly at Adira. “It’s alright. And I believe in you princess Adira.”

#hongjoong x reader #seonghwa x reader #yunho x reader #yeosang x reader #san x reader #mingi x reader #wooyoung x reader #jongho x reader #ateez x atiny #ateez x reader #fantasy #ateez fanfic #fanfic #ateez ff #alternature universe #fantasy romance #pirates #sirens

[talthorn-sylvoran]

Talthorn's Fire Fest Performance 2021

Part Two

Kael'thas reappears in his past form for a couple of moments. With that first step out of the illusion of the image, he steps into the light and color in reds and golds. His slow, sly smile spreads over his lips as he outstretches his hands on either side to present. He moves his finger out in front of him to waggle in front in Sin'dorei fashion, to time with the song to not look away with a reforged Silvermoon in the background.

Kael'thas produces a much smaller embodiment of M'uru and hovers his hands over it, siphoning the entity for its life energy. He concentrates on the n’aaru for a while with a maniacal grin before gestures as if to hand it over to others with glorious intent in his eyes! He begins to channel the energy before everyone swelling with more and more power! There is a portal being made before everyone’s very eyes!

The summon completes and the Prince bursts into the air and seems to disappear!

The thuds of the music are in timing with the feel of an earthquake at the audience's feet. The swelling pool of light and power has a ghostly Eredar of massive proportion pulling itself up pulsing in flames! Wings extend up and umbrella out smashing apart the echo image into vibrant color. The rumble of his voice rolls over everyone while his eyes pierce over all the heroes that dare to show themselves to him! The slow-motion of this gives chills up your spine.

"The expendable have perished... So be it! Now I shall succeed where Sargeras could not! I will bleed this wretched world and secure my place as the true master of the Burning Legion. The end has come! Let the unraveling of this world commence!"

The entire stage is bombarded with explosive effects! Waves and bursts of fire and arcane are everywhere! Kil'jaeden opens shadow portals and sends darkened spells over the crowd. Rains of fire keep coming as those wings flare out to make everyone feel that doom was upon them! As his hands keep lashing wave after wave!

Suddenly it looks like the Eredar is being electrocuted! Snarls fill the air as he yells. "Aggghh! The powers of the Sunwell... turn... against me! What have you done? What have you done???" The ground swallows the demon right back up and seals the portal to this world!

As the illusion dust washes this part of the Sunwell battle away, in the background is the image of Silvermoon, and more come into view once again. Talthorn speaks as the narrator to highlight everyone. "Lady Liadrin stands strong as the Blood Knight Matriarch. No longer does her faith in the light falter since the revitalization of the Sunwell. She leads her order with strength and conviction, ready to defend her people and the world from external threats."

"Grand Magister Rommath remains one of the Regent Lord's trusted personal advisors. Dedicating himself to ensure that history shall not be repeated with the betrayal of the last Prince, this leader of the Magisters continues to offer his unfaltering loyalty to Silvermoon and her people."

"Ranger-General Halduron Brightwing remains military leader of Silvermoon, high commander of its defenses, and leader of the Farstiders. He is Lor'themar's most loyal and trusted comrade and friend, serving with unwavering courage and integrity. No matter the peril, no matter the war, he will be there to help reforge a new future for the Sin’dorei."

"Regent Lord Lor'themar Theron is the appointed ruler of Sin'dorei people of Azeroth. He has never wished for a royal title and has always insisted that there be a council among his people where issues are concerned. Despite all of the wars he has been a part of and still continues to support in, he remains ever strong for the people of Silvermoon, knowing that they will endure and overcome any obstacle. They will always rebuild for anything! Even…..from dust." He salutes to signal the end of the show!

(( This performance has been indeed been my most intricate yet! I adored putting it together and giving the beautiful people at Fire Fest a visual story I hope they would not forget. I poured passion and love into this and I am every soooo elated it was well received! I have so much happiness and gratitude for everyone that was able to be a part of this, then and now.

A big thank you to @succulent-tart for always supporting my character and giving him a stage to work his magic on! And the most huge thank you to @konietzko-lumenstone for being my anchor. In the WoW and in the supportive sense! This would not have been successful without them as they were so kind to help with fire effects too! All these beautiful screenshots are from them and I am so grateful. ))

#firefest #succulent tart firefest #talthorn #part two #Reforging your Destiny! #warriors #visual story #kael'thas sunstrider #grand magister rommath #halduron brightwing #lady liadrin #lor'themar theron #Kil'jaden #Rebuild from Dust #wyrmrest accord #wrarp

[srose-foxfire]

Damirae Week 2021 - Day 3

A/N: Happy Damirae Canon Anniversary Day!!! 

Whoo, day 3 is upon us! I hope you don't mind this prompt being particularly longer than my last two, I couldn't get myself to ‘cut-off’ some parts since I want to keep this AU storyline with the Week’s prompts. Some of the next prompts will be long as well to fit everything that needs to stay in the AU to make it run smoothly. Enjoy and see you all tomorrow for Day 4! ~~ Simona

“Joyfulness before Despair” Day 3:  Holidays

It been years since the castle had ever felt alive. The end of the year celebrations had arrived at the castle. Raven busied herself to get the parlor ready to spend the New Year’s Eve with Damian and his family. After her little incident two months ago, Damian seemed to have changed and Raven had done the same. Since he has revealed himself to be a beast, Damian allowed her to venture outside the castle, and the spirits, which turned out to be Damian’s family were allowed to talk with her and not keep distance.

Dick Grayson, the eldest of all of them had explained to her what happened. Centuries ago, when Bruce had just appointed his youngest son; Damian would be the one to take his throne as the next king. A witch came to their door. Damian who had been studying and groomed by Bruce allowed the witch to rest in their castle as an honored guest. The witch thanked him and gave Damian her blessing, it wasn’t uncommon to allow visitors to take refuge in the Wayne Castle. Though the witch had another agenda, when everyone had retired to their chambers, the witch entered Prince Damian’s room, she was to slay him in his sleep. The witch didn’t count that the young prince was a skilled swordsman and so Damian easily bested her. Furious that she failed, she shrieked and announced she had been hired to bring the prince and his kingdom to ruin. Words of an ancient language spouted from her old weary lips. She cast a curse on Damian and his family. His half-siblings became spirits, binding their souls to reside forever inside the castle. As for Damian, she cursed him into a beastly form so that whoever laid eyes on him would be repulsed.

After Dick finished telling of their tale – he left out what had happened to Bruce - Raven now understood why Damian had been cold towards her. He had allowed himself to be open to a stranger, which then cost him his family’s life and his kingdom. Though she could never recall of ever hearing of the Kingdom of Gotham. Dick explained that it was a mystery as well, King Bruce Wayne was loved by many and an ally to the neighboring kingdoms. They could not understand why their people never came to their castle looking for the royal family after they been cursed.

Just then Jason, Stephanie, Cassie, Kori, and Tim came into the parlor with boxes filled with assorted candles and some golden decorations.

“I can’t believe we are doing this.” Jason grumbled as he set the old box down. It fascinated Raven to see them able to handle physical objects even if they had all a ghost-like form. Tim, who considered himself quite a scholar, believed the witch may had not said her curse properly. If they put their minds to it, they could lift and carry anything if they so wished. They could even open and close doors, though floating through it was easiest.  

Stephanie scoffed and placed her hands on her hips, “Seriously Jason? Have some holiday spirit, we haven’t done this in such a long time. I could almost recall when the whole castle smelled of cinnamon and spice, gosh how I miss Alfred’s cooking.”

Having heard the name for the first time, Raven couldn’t help but ask, “whose Alfred?”

Everyone became stilled and remained silent. Raven could sense that the mention of Alfred’s name had sadden everyone. Though these siblings jested and were always carrying a smile, Raven could always sense they were hiding their sadness. She could only imagine what the witch’s curse had truly taken from them. They all been so kind to her, Raven wished she could do something in return.

“A dear friend.”

Everyone turned their heads towards the doors, Dick was standing there with a silver platter, filled with assorted biscuits and brewing hot tea. He too seemed to be saddened at the mention of their friend’s name.

Raven didn’t know what to do to lively their moods, just then Jason who had busied himself to finish setting the last candles over the fireplace, cleared his throat, “I thought you were supposed to help Damian with the food?”

Shaking his head, Dick tilted hid head to the side and gave his brother a lopsided grin, “I thought I bring Raven some snacks she’s our guest-”

“Demon Spawn kicked you out, didn’t he?” Tim added while he fixed a small round table and prepared two seating arrangements. Raven couldn’t stifle a small giggle at the mention of Damian’s pet name.

“He did.” Dick grumbled.

Raven raised a brow at him. “Are you not allowed in the kitchen.”

Jason walked over and grabbed the silver tray from Dick, he then turns his gaze towards Raven. “After we were cursed, we tried helping out around the castle as much as we could, then someone had to set the kitchen on fire one morning.”

Dick was beyond annoyed and gave out a heavy sigh, signaling he was tired of being reminded of his faults. “What? I was trying to be a good older brother and prepare Damian a tasty breakfast.”

After placing the silver tray on the round-coffee table, Jason scoffed at Dick’s remark. “Tasty? You were practically cooking lumps of coal! If the curse wasn’t enough, Damian would also have to endure your horrible cooking!”

The two brothers continue to bicker, while their sisters went to complain to Tim, asking him to stop the feud. No one had noticed that Raven had left the room. She wanted to feel useful and believed she could lend Damian a hand in the kitchen. Walking down one hallway, Raven noticed the amount of work the Wayne family had put to get the castle ready for their little festivity. A week before the end of the New Year, everyone had pinched in and clean the castle from top to bottom. There were no more spiderwebs on every crevice, the walls that only appeared to held darkness were now illuminated by candlelight. Everything had been dusted off, revealing beautiful golden tapestries, vases, and marble statues of legends. The castle was truly brimming with light and happiness.

When she finally arrived at the kitchen, Raven cautiously entered. She peeked from behind the large wooden door and saw Damian moving some pans over a small fire. He looked almost as he was in his own small word. A world where only he existed. There were still things Raven wanted to speak to him about but didn’t know if she was allowed to ask.

“May I come in?”

Damian quickly turn around and his eye widen for just a moment. “Hello.” He nodded and turned around and tossed some ingredients in the air. “I apologize for the delay; I’m getting our dinner ready.”

“Let me help, just tell me what to do.”

“Very well.” Damian gave her a small yet gentle smile, he then pointed at some dough that need to be rolled out and portion to make garlic bread. They worked in silence, but every once in a while, Raven would catch herself side glancing and just admire Damian. For being a great and large beast, he was very meticulous with his work.  He grabbed a kitchen knife and perfectly thinly sliced some basil leaves. Which he then tossed into a pan that seemed to have crushed tomatoes and ground beef.

“That smells delicious.”

“I hope you enjoy it, it’s a dish an old friend would prepare every year. Beef Ragu.” Damian said proudly as he grabbed a small tasting spoon and handed it to Raven to taste.

“This friend wouldn’t happen to be Alfred?” Why… why did she allowed her mouth to run off on itself? Raven hated herself for letting the name slip from her lips.

“Yes, he is.” Damian added rather nonchalantly. He continues to stir the beef ragu, “Alfred Pennyworth was my father’s royal advisor. He been a friend to the Wayne family since before my father was born. He acted like a grandfather to me, once I came to live with my father.”

“Can I ask, what happen to him… and to your father?”

“The curse affected them differently… they were turned into stone. We don’t know if their alive or gone.” Raven could notice that this hurt Damian greatly, she saw that he was trying so hard to fight off his tears. All she could do in that moment for him was wrapping her arms from behind him.

Once dinner was prepared, Damian and Raven were seated in the small round table in the parlor, they ate in silence. Raven grimaced having his siblings just lounging in the parlor and not have a bite to eat. Kori explained that they never got hungry. They could however smell the food and that was enough for them. After dinner, Dick started rambling off some nonsense and twirled around the room. Tim whispered into Raven’s ears that Dick enjoyed acting like the court jester. Kori left the room and came with assorted instruments in her hands, she gave one to each of her future siblings-in-laws and everyone started to play off-key. Damian couldn’t help but grumble and sighed heavily in his seat as he tried very hard to hide in his black cape. Raven clapped and giggled as everyone gracefully floated around the room.

~~~~~

As the festivities continued to roar inside the castle, outside was slender-hungry harpy; her feathers a dark shade of bloody red, and her body a pale ghostly white. She silently watched the cursed Wayne family frilly and dance around the fireplace with an unexpected guest. She huffed an annoyed grunt and flew off into the dark night. She flew over treetops, meadows, and valleys; until she reached the side of a long lonely mountain. There near the top of it peak was a dark cave, she screeched and flew into it. Darkness enveloped her for a few moments, then green boiling water, erupted from an old black rusty cauldron. The harpy landed next to it, tucking her winged arms to her sides.

“Show us what you found, my pet.”

From the shadows two figures emerge. The old witch that cursed the royal Wayne family and a second fellow who shielded his face with a black and orange mask. The harpy screeched and plucked one of it feathers out, placing it the cauldron. The green waters disintegrated the feather, like it fallen in a pot of acid, and then it started to swirl revealing an image in it waters. It was of the royal family prancing and laughing with one another. Then at the corner of the room stands a raven-haired maiden who reaches for the paws of the cursed prince and bring him to stand next to her. She smiles at him and urges him to dance with her. They move to the off-key music and laugh all together. The witch curses under her breath.

The masked man, the one who employed for her services centuries ago, scoffs and crosses his arms over his chest. “Don’t tell me if the boy falls in love then the curse will be lifted.”

Just like her harpy, the witch screeches angrily, and points her boney-old finger towards the man beside her. “You peg me for a fool? Love is a strange power, but I made sure none of my curses to ever be lifted by ‘true love’s kiss’ or ‘sacrificing oneself for love’. No this is worse, that girl, she holds magic of her own. She is the daughter of a demon and of a sorceress from Azarath. Their magic is far greater than any witch’s enchantment, she could break the curse.”

“Well then, this changes things.” The man said as he hovers over the boiling cauldron and inspected the maiden more closely. She was very beautiful, he thought to himself.

“I can have my harpy go kill-”

“No. Don’t harm the girl. I find her to be quite interesting. Daughter of a demon, you say? Well now, wouldn’t that make for a most pleasant queen to be by my side?”

#damirae week 2021 #day 3 #prompt holidays #damirae #beauty and the beast au #be our guest #Damian Wayne #dc damian #raven roth #dc raven #raven and damian #batfamily

[hitbythunder]

Among the Gods of Asgard -2

A dark!Thor x Reader, minor Loki x Reader story with all the drama and angst you’re craving. Including Alexander Skarsgard as Balder.

–> Read also on AO3

Summary: The gods are being loved and feared in equal parts by their subjects, more the latter by the thousands of slaves working for them. Ten feet tall, powerful and immortal are the rulers of all beings within the Nine Realms. You, the daughter of an Asgardian merchant, fancy the three handsome princes of Odin - like any woman does - and dream of actually meeting them instead of watching them at public events. That is until, as a consequence of Loki’s tricks, you are being forced into slavery at the royal court. Amidst this harsh new reality, you catch the attention of the god of Thunder who then seeks to make you his alone. You are nothing but a toy, a puppet, in the god’s eyes and he will use you as he pleases.

Do not hope for mercy.

**** WARNING: dark story, manipulative Thor, heavy rape/non-con elements, no happy ending in sight

____________________________xXx____________________________

From the window of her room upstairs, ________ watched the four palace guards arriving at her family's estate, the stomping of the hooves being audible from afar. Her eyes were dry and swollen. The moment her father had handed her the royal decree stating his punishment, the young girl had been paralyzed by shock so that the parchment had slid through her soft hands. Then she had snapped out of her trance all of a sudden and had begun to shout angrily, throwing harsh words at her father. Harald didn't respond much since most of her accusations were true, painful statements of how he had failed his daughter. Even if her servitude was limited in time, the girl would be marked as a slave forever. He had ruined his daughter's life and future perspectives. Thus Harald had let her rage like a storm inside the luxurious living room, not caring much when she had smashed one or two vases. All the wealth Harald had heaped over the years wasn't enough to buy back ________'s trust and forgiveness.

After a night of weeping, shedding all her tears in desperation and sorrow for herself, _______ had mentally arrived at the bitter resignation to her fate. Almost ghostly calm and reserved, she had hugged her mother and brother goodby when the time came. Harald only received a cold glare as she picked up the one trunk she was allowed to bring along. _______ kept her head up as she rode among the guards towards the golden palace, her heartbeat quickening when the large gate came into view between the noble houses and mansions. Nevertheless, the young Asgardian girl took her last steps as a free woman full of dignity and confidence, entering the home of the gods.

xxx

Centuries of experimenting and practice had transformed the slavery-system at the palace into one of an elaborated, well-structured design aiming at high efficiency.

According to individual capabilities, age and gender, the slaves were divided into different categories with certain tasks and duties. Young healthy males would be assigned to hard work like construction or field work and such, while the elderly as well as females and children would serve as cooks, maids and valets. Upon their first day of servitude, each of them received a magical tattoo of a ring adorned with Norse runes on the right upper arm. The different colors of the tattoo as a whole and the symbols inside the glowing ring indicated their status within the slavery-system.   A white and empty ring was for the general staff, the type of work being resembled by a matching symbol inside the ring. For example, a field worker had a sickle inside the white ring, while a cook had two crossed spoons.  Whenever the wearer was assigned to serve a specific single god, the ring would change to the color and be filled with the personal sigil of that deity. Then the slave would have to tend particularly and firstly to this one god's needs while still obeying the orders of other gods.

 _______'s father had dishonored the God of Light and so she was bound to serve as Balder's maid. Thus after a short tingling as the magical needle pierced her skin, a lilac ring with the image of a flying dove appeared on _______ 's right upper arm. The tattoo would last until the final day of her servitude, a special rune beneath it showing that she was not a permanent slave. However, heretofore were 49,999 and a half days more to endure.

 xxx

 Aligned in a straight row the maids stood in the salon of Balder's chambers, their gazes glued to the floor and their mouths shut tightly as the royal abigail Gerlinda surveyed them thoroughly. The grey-haired woman was a member of the small part of Asgardian nobility that had the honor of serving the gods as special staff such as abigail, teachers or advisors. After decades of experience at the court, Gerlinda knew exactly how to train the slaves efficiently and her 'management-style' was rather prominent and feared.

“Remember to always show respect and submission to the gods!” she hissed in a raspy voice as she swiftly straightened one of the maid's skirt.

“Some of you already know what happens to foolish girls who dare to disobey.” A few maids shuddered slightly in response as Gerlinda examined one girl after another, tugging a loosening strand of hair back into the tight braid or checking wether the fingernails were clean.

“As for you, new-one....” the abigail paused in front of _______, her stern gaze resting fully on the younger woman who had no clue what awaited her in the weeks to come, still naive and hopeful. Eyes sparkling with innocence and life's joy, a young and lively spirit - Gerlinda had seen so many pretty girls like ________ joining the ranks of the maids. Ultimately, over time the strain of the work, both physically and mentally, had broken them all.  

This one wouldn't be an exception. Gerlinda thought to herself as she continued. "... Keep your mouth shut, watch and learn!"

 _______ only nodded in response and showed some fake respect, hoping the abigail would continue to pace the room instead of lecturing her. Gerlinda then noticed the special mark beneath the girl's tattoo and was about to comment on it when suddenly the large double doors of the adjacent bedroom opened. The abigail stepped back immediately, the new girl and her tattoo already forgotten and all women present bowed in respect as the second prince of Asgard entered the salon.

 "Scolding the girls this early, Gerlinda?" Balder asked in an amused tone as he approached the group with large strides, his bare feet smacking on the cold marble floor. Since he had just risen, he only wore a night garment out of thin silk which probably was worth much more than any dress _______ had ever possessed.

 "Perfection is attained through repetitive practice and discipline, so that we may serve you as best as possible, your highness!" Gerlinda replied humbly and only when she straightened up again, the maids did so too. Having laid eyes upon the gods only from afar during public feasts, _________ was impressed by the sight now that she was this close. The god of light was tall and lean, tight muscles being hidden underneath the white fabric with delicate golden trimming, which matched his blonde straight hair reaching past his ears. Hard lines painted his oval face, especially the straight nose, but the cerulean blue of his sparkling eyes kept the balance and gave him an overall tender expression. The young girl couldn't help but stare at the handsome giant, regretting her bluntness immediately when said blue eyes fell onto her.

"I see..." Balder's attention had already been caught by the unfamiliar face at the end of the row. Sensing the pair of cerulean orbs resting on her, _______ quickly averted her gaze in a naive attempt to fade in with the other maids or perhaps with the luxurious furniture surrounding her and vanish from the god's sight. But it was too late. Balder already made a step towards her. Then another and he was right in front of her.

"This one I haven't seen before." he assessed in a cool tone as he towered over the small girl with flattering amazement written plainly across her face. Not fear like so many other slaves.   "She was brought to service this morning, your highness!" Gerlinda piped from the side while Balder surveyed the girl and came to notice the rune beneath her tattoo. Non-permanent... "You are Harald Leifson's daughter?" the god concluded and his eyes narrowed at the thought of the sly merchant who had embarrassed him in front of everyone. "Yes your highness, I am ________ Haraldsdottir and I shall serve you to purge my family from the shame my father brought upon us." she replied like the well-educated woman from nobility she was, her eloquence surprising the abigail and the other maids.   "All others out, I shall have a word with _______ alone!" Balder ordered then, which only added to everyone's surprise but they all obeyed. Because to a god they must always obey.

 xxx

Silently _________ watched the god making himself comfortable on the large couch in front of the fire place, his large body draped languidly across the plush covers. Once fully relaxed, Balder broke the silence between them. “Has your father told you about his crime?” he asked calmly, his gaze wandering somewhere in pretense of not watching her, which he very well did from the corner of his eye. “Yes, your highness. He was a fool to try and cheat you.” Curt and polite but honest, attributes the god favored in a servant. “Good. You ought to know the reasons that brought you here although I have to admit that I am not a friend of slavery.” the god replied, still not looking at her directly but noting her growing stiffness nevertheless. Then why again am I here?! _______ wondered, the question burning on her tongue but her manners kept her from ushering a single disrespectful word. She just nodded and let the god continue. “But justice must be upheld and your father made me look a fool in front of the gods, the nobility and thousands of Asgardians!” Balder clenched his fists as he remembered the hot shame and embarrassment he had felt that moment. Even if his mother had already forgiven him, the others wouldn't forget so easily, especially his dear little brother. The Trickster would chaff him about it for centuries. The blonde was so occupied by his pondering that he almost didn't hear the quiet voice of the girl in front of him.

“If I may ask, your highness, why not punish Harald himself for his actions?” _______ knew the question was risky but she simply couldn't resist now that they were in privacy. Besides, the whole topic made her want to cry and shout at the same time. Balder sensed as much, not only because the girl had addressed the merchant by his name, and since he was familiar with daddy-issues he didn't mind her asking. In fact, he admired how composed she remained in this unfortunate situation. “You, his only daughter, being here is his punishment, the worst a father can imagine.” he looked deep into her watery eyes, cutting off whatever she was about to retort.

Now her shell has cracked. “But it's not f-” “Do not question the All-Father's decisions!” Balder admonished in a stern tone, his cerulean orbs narrowed and sparkling threateningly. He wouldn't tolerate any offense against his father, especially not from a mere mortal girl.  Staring bluntly at the god, _______ barely managed to keep herself together as emotionally shaken as she was right now. But she had to be brave. They may have enslaved me, but they will not break me. _______ swore to herself, her breath calming as she focused. Balder watched in amazement how the girl swallowed her anger and frustration, her expressions turning almost emotionless like the ones of a pretty doll. “Yes of course, please forgive my offense, your highness!” she said then and bowed her head in respect. The god was impressed.

Perhaps she will endure longer than I thought... “Listen closely, ________...” he began more friendly as he leaned forward on the couch, resting his strong arms on his thighs and drowning her in this orbs as marvelous as the bright sky on a summer day. “I promise not to have you do anything undignified or unbefitting of your former social status. In return I expect diligence, respect, honesty and absolute obedience. Am I clear?”

“Absolutely, your highness.” _______ replied without breaking the eye-contact with the handsome prince, wondering how in the Nine she had managed to screw such a promise out of the god on her first day.

#dark!thor #thor x reader

[faeriexqueen]

Beneath the Moonlight (Update: 1/3/21)

Title: Beneath the Moonlight. Fandom: D. Gray-Man. Pairings: Yulma, Laven. Words: 96.1K+. Tags: Fairy Tale Elements, Fairy Tale Retellings, Mutual Pining, Action, Drama, Romance, Royalty, Class Differences, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Elements, Swan Lake AU. Chapters: 14/29.     Summary: As tensions grow and a string of mysterious attacks occur across the land, Kanda struggles to balance his responsibilities as both an exorcist and the sole heir to the throne. But when things begin to get a little more dangerous, he’s forced to step down as an exorcist, focusing entirely on the drudgery of advisor meetings, royal obligations, and a potential (and unwanted) courtship.     Nothing is ever simple, though. And things get even more complicated when the stable boy he’s fallen for is ripped away from his life, a terrible darkness threatening to destroy them both. (Swan Lake AU) Chapter 14 Excerpt:

He was in the forest and it was dark. Kanda wasn’t sure what he was doing there. It must have been nighttime, the sky above inky and the shadows black. Fog clung to the earth, low as it seeped across the dew-encrusted wildflowers like a ghostly shroud. He looked around. A frown lingered on his face, gaze perplexed. He didn’t remember how he ended up in the forest – he didn’t see Tiedoll or Marie. Had he come alone? Had someone come with him? He didn’t know, but there was no one else in sight. Something loomed in the back of his mind – a distant thought that he couldn’t quite recall. It was frustrating; there was a reason Kanda was in the forest, but he couldn’t remember. Was he looking for something? The realization struck a chord of familiarity, like a signal rippling throughout his senses. Abruptly, Kanda turned. His gaze searched the area, a sudden wave of desperation befalling him. Someone. He was looking for someone. He turned and chose a random direction. Without thinking, Kanda ran. He ran through the forest, looking through the trees and the shadows. He wasn’t sure what exactly he was looking for – a hint. A sign. Something to lead him to them – to that person. He had to find them.

Read on AO3.

#dgm #dgrayman #yulma #laven #alma karma #yuu kanda #kanda yuu #lavi bookman #allen walker #fanfiction #writing #update #writing update #swan lake au #btm #beneath the moonlight #here’s an update to kick off the new year!

[sabrinaandlilith]

hey! could you write nr 8 from the "right to the good parts" prompt list? I really love ur writing!♡

ask and ye shall receive (even if it takes me forever)

prompt: Oh my god, I thought you were going to die! Please don’t ever scare me like that again

“Don’t touch her!” 

There was an explosion, and then there was silence. Lilith opened her eyes, carefully pushing herself up from the floor. On the far side of the throne room Sabrina stood shaking, pale as a ghost, her hands outstretched in front of her. Between them, still as a tombstone, lay Lucifer, eyes wide open but covered in his own blood. 

Sabrina let out a strangled cry and fell to her knees.

Without thinking, Lilith rushed to her side, brushing away her hair and cupping her face, “Look at me, Sab- my queen, it’s alright, you’re alright.” 

“Father,” Sabrina whispered staring at The Dark Lord’s body, “He’s going to be so angry with me-“

“He’s dead, my queen, you killed him,” Lilith forced her voice not to shake. It was true, for her entire existence she could feel him, that dark presence always lurking in the shadows, but now, nothing. 

Sabrina’s gaze shifted to Lilith, “Oh my god, I thought you were going to die! Please don’t ever scare me like that again, I don’t want to be alone.”

Lilith couldn’t help the small smile as she shook her head. It had been six months since Sabrina had been crowned Queen of Hell, growing more and more powerful by the day. She was different somehow, and Lilith often wondered what happened to the girl who had thanked her all those nights ago by the well all those months ago. There was no doubting the Morningstar blood in her now, Sabrina was ambitious, calculating, and possessive- especially when it came to Lilith. 

“Perhaps my queen would like to retire to her chambers for the night?” Lilith said, phrasing it as a question but gripping Sabrina’s wrist and pulling her to her feet all the same. Sabrina’s hands trembled and she was still ghostly pale. 

“Yes,” Sabrina said in a far away, “That is what I would like.”

“Dispose of this,” Lilith instructed the demons as she led Sabrina past the corpse of the Dark Lord, “It is upsetting your queen.”

In Sabrina’s royal bedchamber, Lilith silently helped her undress and get into bed. This time was precious, Sabrina was unstable, more so than usual, and her sudden rise to sovereign reign left everything in flux.

“I don’t want to be alone,” Sabrina repeated as she lay in bed. She reached out for Lilith. 

Lilith leaned down to kiss her forehead, “I’m right here Sabrina.”

“Stay,” Sabrina said, her words more a plea than a command. 

Without hesitation, Lilith got into bed beside her, drawing the little queen into her arms and kissing her forehead again. She’d lay in Sabrina’s bed only one other time, the night of Sabrina’s coronation. Lilith had been requested in Lucifier’s chambers, but Sabrina had denied him.

“I think not,” she’d said, without even looking at Lilith, “She is my handmaiden now and I have need of her.”

Strangely, he never summoned her again. 

“Don’t ever leave me,” Sabrina breathed. 

“I won’t,” Lilith held her tighter. 

“You promised me forever,” said Sabrina, “Forever and a glorious day.”

Lilith knew she was trading one Morningstar for another, but Sabrina wasn’t cruel, Sabrina was- kissing her. Soft, gentle kisses, just at the corner of Lilith’s mouth. 

“I need you,”

She caught Sabrina’s chin in her firm grip, holding her still, “You must promise me something in return.”

She’d startled her, and Sabrina stared unblinking up at her, “Anything,” she whispered. 

“I will rule beside you, not as an advisor, not as a regent, as queen,” said Lilith, “Promise me this and I’ll never leave your side.”

“Yes, yes, I promise,” Sabrina said, the color beginning to return to her cheeks. 

Lilith ducked her head, and kissed her again.

#black sabith #sabrina spellman #madam satan #caos #caos fanfic #lilith #my fanfic #answer #anonymous #Anonymous

[theflashdriver]

Silvaze Pirate AU: Present or Plunder

I’ve had this for a while, I always thought Silvers powers would be capable of creating a great ghost ship. I hope you enjoy!

"Your majesty, are you certain this is the best course of action?" Gardon, an elderly Koala who served as the royal retainer, whispered to his young ruler. "Forgive my saying this seems a little… blunt? A little too direct perhaps, would you disagree?"

Blaze the cat, the sole monarch of Sol, stood at the bow of a warship; eyes locked on a horizon obscured by mist. Eight of her ships and, if reports were to be believed, countless pirate vessels had undergone a plundering described by many supernatural. Due east of Southern Isle, a few miles from the common trade route, was an area prone to thick fog yet strong winds. When the wind was right merchant ships, desperate to meet deadlines, often took this sub-route in hopes of making up for lost time. No one had been injured, the ships went undamaged, but whenever her vessels had entered the fog an ultimatum allegedly sounded. It was best described as a demand for tribute, the choice to throw their valuables to the depths or have phantasmal light seize them. Regardless of the truth, to steal from vessels bearing her flag was a declaration of war.

"Blunt as it may be, they only attack singular ships; we cannot bring our naval might. I want to put an end to this nonsense as quickly as possible. I'll prove this is a pirate front, apprehend the perpetrators and drag them home for trial." She'd spoken plainly, focused on the task at hand rather than formality, as was often the case.

"Of course your highness, forgive me." The old man lowered his head, regalia jangling as he bowed. "You know I worry."

"I'm aware, though, regardless of the reason for this venture," Blaze spared him a glance, the faintest outline of a smile graced her lips, "It is nice to be outside castle grounds. Especially on less serious business." Though Gardon was Blaze's most trusted advisor he'd practically raised her and that, naturally, came with some baggage. He was the closest she had to a parent, she the closest he had to a daughter and yet she was his ruler. "Do drop the titles, while we're out here at least."

He sighed, resuming his usual high shouldered and stiff posture. "If you insist. Shouldn't be long till we breach the fog, are you prepared?"

Free of her kingdom the feline had shed her royal garb and a far more comfortable outfit had taken its place. A purple long coat, adorned with silver buttons bearing the royal insignia, obscured a white dress shirt. A pair of cavalier boots protected her feet while matching black tights shielded her legs. For fighting her foes, two swords hung at Blaze's waist. They were simple sabres, designed for duelling rather than combat, but her aim was always to subjugate rather than kill. She could, of course, rely upon the curse that ran in her blood but that came with repercussions. If those pirates came to trial branded the news would travel far and fast, dissuading other pirates but terrifying her people. They wanted a princess who'd rule them justly, not some demon sat on the throne.

"I won't know until I face them, will I?" As she spoke, turning fully to Gardon, she found his form faintly obscured. Despite her efforts, the fog had crept up on them. "Ideally this vessel serves as my transport but, if I fail, it's armed for a reason. Have the crew ready themselves, the so-called ghost ship should soon be upon us."

With less than a second's hesitation, the koala turned and began to roar orders in a voice the stark opposite that prior. Blaze heard footsteps pound across the deck and the sounds of heavy canons being rolled into place, all the while her gaze was fixed ahead; awaiting whatever form dared emerge from it. Her fur bristled against the salty wind, ears flickering as she tried to identify any shapes in the fog or hear something besides the crashing of waves.

She folded her arms, brow furrowing at her wasted effort, and turned to the stern of the ship. Despite the mist's attempt to obscure them, she saw men and women stood ready; twenty individuals discounting herself and Gardon. No lives had been taken in prior raids, but had these pirates faced such adversity? Twenty-one soldiers, each prepared to die for their princess, but ultimately; they were twenty-one lives she sought to protect. She'd trained since she could walk but it'd been months since she last truly fought and her presence alone likely wouldn't dissuade her foes, not without some show of power. Perhaps unleashing her curse would be enough; showing those pirates something truly supernatu-

Blaze lurched backwards, the wind had dropped from the sails… no, it was more than that. She cast her eyes up to them only to find they'd fully furled, the ropes that once held them were swaying as if caught in a gale; floating beyond the reach of her crew. Waves broke against the hull of the ship and yet it refused to rock. Before she could turn, Blaze sighted her shadow cast in eerie light; a pulsing blue glow that stretched her shade to its utmost lengths before returning it to its regular shape. Hands at her sword hilts Blaze spun on her heel, jaw shut tight as she steadied herself through bewilderment. The white miasma had been cast cyan; ghostly light shone from her own ship's hull as though it had been slathered in ectoplasm. But that couldn't be the case; it had to be some trick! She racked her mind; it had to be some weather phenomena or a trick of the lig-

"Present or Plunder?" The ultimatum was dealt, a booming voice echoed from the fog. But it was no ghostly moan nor haunting shriek, it was the voice of a regular person. This had to be a trick; it simply had to be!

Flinching at her own hesitation the princess turned back, drawing her swords lest the fool could see her. "You are no privateer! What right do you have to plunder? Pirates shall be punished to the full extent of the law! Surrender lest I drag you from your ship, repent and your lives will be spare!"

Silence swept over the sea, the wind did not whistle and her crew refused to move. Blaze knew she had chosen her words well, her voice was known throughout the land and, furthermore, she had given clear warning. No sailor, on their ship or hers, could claim she hadn't been merciful; other countries would have fired into the fog without hesitation.

The pirate's response was clear. "You have chosen Plunder. Your goods are forfeit. Cast your treasures into the depths or I will take them myself."

"Ready the cannons!" With her word Blaze drew her cutlasses, amber eyes sharpened in an attempt to cut through the fog. Unable to see, she shouted again. "You face the crown! Without surrender, there will be no mercy!"

As her first demand hadn't been met, Blaze doubted her opponent would reconsider but that shout was more intended to bolster her crew. To those of weaker minds and dispositions, this would seem like the attack of an adult. Whatever phenomena caused this ethereal light would, undoubtedly, cause the disappearance of their belongings; she just had to determine how and why.

Just as she began to ponder it, Blaze felt herself grow lighter; there was a tugging at her fingertips. It took but a moment to react but her grasp tightened as a bizarre blaring noise swept across the ship, it sounded like the moan of an alien whale. An invisible force had grabbed hold of her swords and (tug as she might) was refusing to let go; the pirates were trying to steal her swords from her very grasp. Digging in her heels, the feline's fangs came to bear. There was a scream behind her, she heard someone cry the word ghost, her bolstering had been for nought; she had to help them!

Irritated but unwilling to part with her swords, her curse bubbled to the surface; blistering flame were leaking from the mark on her back. Soon fire danced across her shoulders and wove its way along her arms, quickly arriving at her hands. With a roar and a final heave, those flames shot up her sword and tore away whatever had grasped them; allowing the princess to quickly return the blades to their sheathes and lock them in place. Despite having learned from this interaction, she was still puzzled. There was no hand grasping at her blades, yet they had been pulled away from her. Perhaps it was a bizarre magnetic phenomenon? If utilised correctly, that could explain her sabres being taken… but then why wasn't the metal on her clothes reacting and why had her flames-

Above the clamour Blaze heard Gardon yell out; "Your majesty! Come quickly!" But as she turned the feline found the fog had grown thicker still, her crew reduced to dark shapes moving within the cyan tinted clouds.

She dropped from the ship's head, racing across the deck and toward the largest cluster of ship hands. Though her journey was quick, with each and every step new shapes appeared through the miasma. Objects wear tearing themselves from the deck and floating toward the sky. Blaze heard koalas cry out as they were robbed of their swords, she heard the sounds of metal clattering and the deck creaking as it was relieved of strain. Following the elder's shouts, she managed to reach him; only half visible through the miasma.

"There's no gold on the ship so they're taking our weapons!" Gardon cried out, clinging to a koala as they clang to a cannon that was starting to float away.

"I've got it!" Blaze shouted, hardly even thinking as she clambered and swung her way up and atop the canon. Despite their combined mass, the cannon still hung in the air. She'd intended to set both it and herself alight when a thought dawned upon her. "Let go, both of you!"

"Blaze! What are you doing?!" Her elder subordinate yelled.

"Clearly we can't stop them stealing from us, whatever they're doing it's spread too far and they've already claimed too much!" She called back. "But, if they hope to steal our weapons, I'll make sure they get more than they bargained for!"

The koala quickly understood, she watched him open his mouth to shout again only for it to close. His eyes shut tight. "Are you sure about this?"

She wasn't, she was doing this on a whim, but she wasn't going to let that show. Steeling her brow and locking her swords beneath the weapon's barrel, further securing herself to it, she turned from him and gave one last shout. "Of course I am, let go!"

There was a final moment of hesitation, but she felt the canon shift higher into the air. She glanced back to the koalas only to find they'd vanished from view, her ship followed suit as she flew beyond its bow. She could make out other canons as she flew but, beyond that, the shape of their plundered weapons was beyond discerning. They'd travelled light, bringing canons, flintlocks and a few dozen swords. Considering the goods they'd plundered from her fleet alone, this was barely a drop in the bucket. Eventually, the smog started to thin and soon she could see that same eerie light ahead.

The enemy was anchored in the eye of the fog cloud, as she drew closer the clear zone granted her a perfect view of both her stolen goods and the ship. The tales of a ghost ship seemed a magnitude truer as it came into view; the vessel's sails were tattered and its hull was punctured in several places. The same blue light that had plundered her ship seemed to coat this boat's entirety, making it hard to identify the hull's shape; let alone any identifiable markings. What little Blaze could see was jagged and broken; it seemed that little more than the glow and great clumps of barnacles were holding the ship together. Rationally, logically, it shouldn't have been able to float, let alone sail.

But, beyond the state of the ship, something far more confusing caught her eye. Despite its state, beneath the rot and the damage, this ship was so very familiar to her. The sail bore the royal crest, despite the state the sails; Blaze could make out seven emeralds emblazoned upon them. The ship's figurehead was familiar too, a crowned feline with a single outstretched arm (now merely a stump), and even the ship's scale was so very familiar to Blaze. It was damaged, almost beyond the point of recognition, but this ship was so very similar to the one she'd just left. Her ship, her family's ship, the one of a kind ship that'd been constructed almost one hundred years ago; The Sunflower. Whatever trick these thieves were playing, it was getting stranger by the moment.

This bizarreness was compounded as Blaze watched the first of her weapons approach the desk, a swarm of ten or fifteen cutlasses. Before they could make contact with the deck, Blaze watched as the wood panelling cracked and buckled upward to create a wide crevice. The swords flew in without hesitation; over the hum of glowing energy Blaze manage to hear them clatter against something. As more and more equipment vanished into the hole, it became apparent Blaze's cannon would soon do the same. From her position atop the barrel she was free to look down, the hull was half-full with shining objects; among the swords and flintlocks were copper trinkets, necklaces and coinage.

Before the deck could engulf her, only half expecting it'd bear her brunt, Blaze leapt from the canon; landing on the deck, a few metres from the opening. The wood, held in place by that blue light, was secure to stand on; it didn't even creak beneath her. A cursory glance to her surroundings gleamed little more than what she'd already noticed. This ship, despite how damaged it looked, was a mirror of her own. Eventually the last of her ship's weapons vanished into the hull and, like the doors to a cellar, the frayed wooden boards returned to their prior position; the deck had mended itself. Now alone on this supposed ghost ship, Blaze couldn't deny there was an eeriness in the air. The sooner she got to the bottom of this, the sooner she found whoever had made that demand, the better.

As she started to walk, the princess realised she wasn't actually stepping on the deck. The touch of her heel against the floor made a bizarre sparking noise and, despite the boards being uneven and broken, it was as though she was stepping on solid, flat, concrete. The light was creating some kind of barrier between her and the ship, preventing her from touching the decrepit wood beneath. Alike her own when it entered the fog, this ship refused to rock with the tide too; hanging in place, unaffected by the waves. Further adding to the eeriness, the deck was lifeless. Not a single crewmember was present and, search as she might, Blaze could find no signs of daily life. There was no mess; no bags left unattended and no sign of sailors' tools (no spyglasses, no ropes and, most astonishingly, no weapons). Beneath the cyan barrier, the deck looked filthy; no fewer than ten generations of barnacles and limpets lined the hull.

Her denial had started to waver; these supernatural sights were growing too great in number. Loot had flown through the air, this ship was floating despite being decrepit and it seemed to sail without a crew. There was no natural explanation for this; it was either the work of some miraculous gadgetry or the rumours were-

After biting her tongue Blaze screamed out. "What need does a ghost have of weapons and gold? You are no spirit; you are a pirate merely masquerading as the dead to avoid punishment! Show yourself!"

It was not fear but outrage driving her shouts; this farcical ship went against all she had learned. Her family were cursed, powerful yes but feared for their power. Supernatural fire was no plaything, born without a spark or match-strike it was a deadly tool easily mishandled. Regardless of how this power was achieved, its wielder was abusing what she'd been forced to hide. The strong were meant to act sparingly, do what had to be done and no more. If there was a supernatural presence piloting this ship, they were using such power to satiate their greed. It was a misuse of power, a misuse so flagrant it brought Blaze's blood to boil.

"If you will not show yourself willingly, I will force you out!" She drew her swords, igniting the right blade's tip. "Failure to heed my words will result in the immolation of your ship, its plunder included!"

Regardless of who manned this ship, they failed to heed her final warning. With the flick of her wrist, the fire leapt from her blade to the floor, sizzling away at the cyan aura before setting the wood itself alight. Despite her training, she felt her fingers clench around her swords' hilts as she waited for a reaction.

She didn't have to wait for long; her ears flickered as the wood began to buckle behind her. Without hesitation she threw herself forward, leaping toward the mast and turning to face what she anticipated to be a gnashing maw of wood. Instead, the hole remained small; just big enough for her to fall through. Unsettling silence continued to rule, a glance to the deck found her flames were spreading very slowly. The coating on the wood was impeding their propagation.

Her eyes raced back to the hole only to find it sealed, hovering roughly a foot from the deck was a form shrouded in brown burlap. Chains hung from their wrists and the bottom of their tattered cloak, their face was obscured by the shadow of their hood and cyan light flared from a pair of billowing sleeves. This figure had all the trappings of a ghost; there was no denying that.

The whole ship seemed to shake as they spoke, the surrounding light flared wildly. "You chose plunder and thus your ship was plundered. Leave this ship with a lesson learned, provide me with a gift and your vessel will go untouched. Share this lesson, lest others share your fate."

The feline pointed her swords at this so-called ghost. "You have stolen from my people just as you have stolen from me, those goods are not yours to keep! You have committed piracy and will be sentenced as a pirate, continued resistance will worsen your charge."

The figure seemed to take pause at her resistance. Though their head was obscured and their clothes were billowy, their body language spoke volumes to Blaze. They were floating no higher than a foot from the ground. This being was looking down on her, just as it had talked down to her, and acting as though she was at fault. Acting as though her intrusion on this ship, a ship modelled after her own, was more boorish than his continuous theft.

"If you will not leave willingly, you will be forced to leave," As if to emphasise their point, the figure closed their right fist. Out of the corner of her eye, Blaze watched as ghostly aura smothered her burgeoning flame. "This is your final warning."

"And I have warned you, several times; surrender or I will show you no mercy!" The princess growled back, grip further tightening on her blade's hilts. "You will not hear me submit!"

Again, the figure fell silent. Blaze swore that, beneath his heavy robes, she saw a set of yellow eyes blink and dart around. They weren't attacking her, not yet at least, but they certainly weren't surrendering. The so-called ghost hung there, hands flaring with a light brighter than that on the ship. The longer they hung, stationary in the air, the angrier Blaze found herself growing. It was all so stereotypical; the light, the robes, the chains and even the obscured face. Though she couldn't explain her surroundings, not rationally at least, she half believed the form to be some kind of marionette; a puppet being manipulated by crafty pirates. She didn't dare break her gaze from them but she knew that the crow's nest was overhead, the angle was strange but it didn't seem impossible.

Regardless of what they were, Blaze was at her wit's end. If they would not surrender by choice then there was no alternative. With a hiss behind her breath, Blaze gave up negotiating. "So be it, I'll take you in by force."

The princess began her approach, swords unlit but raised to strike. The puppet shifted slightly in the air, backing away from her. Knowing it'd be a mistake to let him flee, let alone strike first, the feline pounced with both blades drawn over her shoulders. Her attack was successful, her blunted swords had smashed against his shoulder, but it was as though she'd struck stone rather than flesh. Cyan sparks flew from the point of impact as their form was sent careening towards the deck, Blaze thought she'd secured a clean hit but the ground reacted; swallowing them whole and resealing before she could even land.

Alone on the deck again, Blaze tried to corral her frustration. Taking her right blade, Blaze swung it where the hole had formed. Her weapon caught no strings and a glance to the crow's nest revealed no opponents, the robed figured wasn't a puppet.

It wasn't long before the silence was broken; the sound of splintering wood filled her ears. She spun on her heel only to find the figure hadn't remerged. Five planks had sprung from the deck and were rocketing toward her. She managed to knock the first two away but the third shifted mid-flight, it came at her long ways and struck her in the gut but the initial impact wasn't the problem. The plank kept moving, its considerable speed was pushing her back and keeping her feet from the ground; it was attempting to throw her from the ship!

A snarl slipped her throat; flames exploded from her back and quickly chased along her arms. Orange sparks spat and fought with cyan, crackling and exploding before one gave way; her flames ignited the wood. Her heels found the ground, the beam crumbled into ash as the fire consumed both it and the cyan light that held it together.

Before she could understand what she'd done, the remaining two boards were racing toward her; crossed over each other in to create an X. Without so much as a thought, Blaze thrust her right sword forward; her curse rushed across her body and from the weapon's end, flying toward the cross as a bolt of red flame.

The contact was bright and explosive. As she squinted to see, Blaze had prepared her offhand to strike away whatever remained but when the light cleared, only dust and splinters reached her. The wood had been liberated from the cyan hue and either crumbled or burned, too dilapidated to maintain its form.

Again, before she could consider what she'd done, Blaze heard the whir of electric wind and the buckling of wood. Regaining her bearings, she found herself on the starboard bow; only a few metres from the deck's edge. Unable to locate the crackling's source (nor the figure), Blaze started to stalk across the deck; heading towards the mast. She attempted to move quietly, assuming if that person was relying on sound rather than sight, and prepared to ignite at the first sign of movement.

She managed twelve paces before the wood creaked beneath her. Blaze ignited, casting her amber gaze across the deck, but she still couldn't sight her opponent. She quickly shifted the fire to her weapons; cloaking them in orange heat, before taking another, hesitant, step forward. The ship was still wrapped in cyan light, nothing had changed, but she knew her opponent was out there. It was time for a shift, it was time to swap from defence to offence.

Blaze swung her weapons forward and the fire flew from them again, two burning bolts raced from the metal and detonated upon contact with the ship's sail. The thin material was a far better conductor of flame; the fabric began to rapidly ignite. Almost immediately she heard the deck stir but again, glancing to her surroundings, she couldn't locate the figure. By the time her gaze returned to the sail the fire had been extinguished but a large black hole had formed near its centre; her crest had been removed.

Flames were just beginning to engulf her blades when she heard the loudest shifting of wood yet, a cacophonous splintering that was easy to locate. She looked at the peak of the mast and saw the hooded figure, but she didn't have time to focus on them.

The crow's nest had been torn off and broken into pieces, a hail of glowing wood was tumbling towards the deck. There was no time to move, the mass was too great and spread too widely! She engulfed her blades and dug in her heels, bracing for impact rather than even attempting to flee. As rubble came down she slashed with all her might, batting away and atomising a good portion. But the wood came in waves, by the time she'd deflected one the second was upon her. Rubble struck her from all angles, glancing off her shoulders and back. It hurt less than she'd anticipated, the rot had lightened the wood, but the damage wasn't insignificant; the figure's psychic grasp was reinforcing the wood.

As she attempted to rise from her buckled position, Blaze felt her swords slip free from her grasp and clatter across the ground. The electric humming had grown louder again, chains were dangling at the edge of her vision. Despite losing her weapons, Blaze attempted to pounce only for a bizarre feeling to engulf her midsection. Then it spread to her legs, then it spread to her upper body and, before she could react, the guardian was entirely engulfed. Cyan light had fully surrounded her; she couldn't move and she couldn't see but she could breathe.

Surrounded by the light, having watched the figure conjure it, she could no longer act as though it was a natural phenomenon. It didn't feel like she was being crushed, the hold itself was painless, but Blaze knew how dire her position was. This was a power like hers; this was a curse. At best; she was going to be flung back to her ship, at worst; she'd been taken hostage. But, just as she believed hope was fading, a thought dawned upon her.

"I gave you warnings, I asked you to leave. Don't make me force you, I don't want to hurt you." The light obscured their form, but Blaze could make out their outline. The figure was so close. "Remain still and I will return you to your ship, unharmed. Resist and I'll be forced to fight, I don't want to fight you!"

But Blaze wasn't listening to the figure's further ultimatums; she'd come up with a plan. She was preparing to strike. The feline was pooling heat near the small of her back. The cyan light could muffle her flames but, equally, her flames could burn away the light. There was air in here; if she could breathe then she could burn. Whatever this ghostly power was, Blaze knew she could fight it. It meant relying on the power she hated, but it was the only way.

The flames exploded from her back and ignited the light surrounding her, it spat and exploded as her own orange flames came to engulf her entire body. Soon she was totally free from their psychic grasp, she landed on her feet. Looking up at the figure, she caught sight of their face in the light of her flames. He had yellow eyes and, by the state of his muzzle, he was incredibly gaunt; beyond that, she couldn't make out much.

His ghastly light would mute her burning and, as long as she kept control, she wouldn't end up scaring him. This was an opponent she could fight fairly, an opponent she could fight without holding back. Leaping from the deck, Blaze ignited her fists. She didn't speak, she hardly even thought, for this was the time to strike. She lunged up at him, her flames battered against his cyan hue, but this time Blaze struck true; she felt her knuckle contact his chest. The floating man doubled over at that contact, their body was pulled upward and beyond her reach, but that fine. Blaze had hit him once; she knew she could hit him again.

The figure thrust his right hand towards her and, for a moment, Blaze felt the light's pressure on her shoulders. She reignited without hesitation, rending the light from her body and showing him that his method wouldn't work. He had three choices; tear apart this ship fighting her, fight her on his own or give up fighting.

Light flared around her, the debris from the crow's nest began to hover. He'd chosen option one.

Blaze immolated herself, she allowed fire to fully engulf her body and obscure her vision. Her curse's cracking filled her ears, overwhelming the psychic hum. She felt the wood touch her body but the impact was reduced further still, the rotten wood was being ignited and disintegrated before it could even touch her. When the impacts finally ceased and she subdued her flames enough to see, Blaze was alone on the deck. She scanned the sky, he'd vanished again but she knew how to draw him out.

Channelling the fire that garbed her, Blaze formed a fireball more than a foot in diameter. She launched the orb towards the mast but, as it made contact, the fireball detonated and spread; smaller fires split off to surround the smoking central pillar. She watched the inferno swell and spread, slowly creeping across the deck and leaving gashes in its wake. The ship had already been in poor condition, incapable of sailing was it not for the energy engulfing it, but their battle had more thoroughly destroyed it. Psychic energy had glazed over the holes and perhaps made them safe to walk over, but the ship was twice the wreck it'd once been.

The deck creaked, her flames were snuffed and Blaze sighted the so-called ghost in the corner of her vision. She spun and threw an open fist, a smaller fireball shot free of her palm and exploded against his glowing body. "If you don't want to fight, then surrender!"

The figure was sent tumbling backwards, only managing to stabilise himself by dragging his feet along the ground. Blaze bolted after him; not only had he landed, the light had faded from his form! Only his hands were glowing! Blaze pounced at her opportunity, tackling him to the deck and pushing her hands against his collarbone. She'd won! The pirate was within her grasp!

His hood fell as she pinned him, revealing a tangled mess of overgrown quills. Amber eyes met bright yellow before they scanned the rest of his face. Bones were visible through his skin and, were it not for his panting, she would half-believe that he was a corpse. Black bags hung beneath his eyes, as though he'd gone weeks without sleep, and she saw neither resistance nor fear in his eyes. Instead, she couldn't help thinking that he looked regretful.

The moment Blaze caught her breath; she began the interrogation. "Speak your name."

Those eyes shut tight; she felt him tense once more before again flopping loosely in her grasp, seeming to concede to her. She knew better than to trust him though. "M-My name is Silver," That name matched no pirate she knew; his appearance was entirely alien to her too.

"Do you know my name?" She rhetorically asked. "Do you understand the weight of your crimes?"

"I-I understand what I've done but... I know you are a royal, I-I just don't know which one," He bafflingly admitted. "What year is it?"

Her brow hardened further, her pulse was pounding and adrenaline was racing through her. "Do you take me for a fool?"

"I don't, I'm telling you the truth!" Blaze leant on him a little harder, even if he looked near death he clearly had the strength to shout. In response, he quietened down but his stutter returned. "I know th-that seems stupid but I really don't know! I know this is the sea of Sol, I know we're the 'Merchant's Tunnel' and your ship is called The Sunflower, its been part of your family for generations, but I really don't know what year it is and I'm not sure who you are."

Maintaining her tight grip, Blaze posed an alternate question, "If you profess not to know my name yet know my lineage then answer me this; who do you think I am?"

"Maybe Percival the Eleventh…?" He answered, before quickly hazarding another guess. "Although, judging by your canons, you might be the Twelfth…?"

Confusion, aided by curiosity, forcibly undercut her ferocity. He looked no older than her, despite his tired and sickly state, and yet he had mistaken her for her elder relatives. She felt her adrenaline begin to abate. "Percival was my grandmother's name and my mother's name but it is not mine."

"W-Wait, y-you're Blaze?" He hadn't called her your majesty, everyone referred to her by royal titles yet he had failed to both upon first addressing her and now; having identified her. Against her better judgement, her grip on his burlap slacked. "If you're Blaze then it's almost too late! I-I thought I was at least half a century earlier!"

Feeling him begin to panic, slipping loose of her grasp, Blaze quickly realised her folly. She pressed further down on him, fingers digging into his shoulders as the entirety of her thin frame pushed to pin him. "I said not to move!"

Pain broke across his brow, his eyes shut again. "I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I-I-I…" He froze up, a brief silence followed his stutter. When he reopened his eyes the beginnings of tears had formed. "There's a lot I can tell you, but I don't think you'll believe me."

Blaze felt something in her chest (some hint of compassion perhaps) but, being her royal self, she knew to quash it. She distracted herself by further taking in his person, difficult as that was at such close proximity. The longer she stared the thinner and more ragged he appeared; she'd never seen anyone quite like him. Few citizens lived poorly in her kingdom, fewer still that she saw first hand, but he bordered on being malnourished. Hedgehogs were rare in the kingdom too, but the layout of his quills was simply bizarre and perhaps a result his overgrowth. His physical body was intriguing but not as intriguing as his curse. Though the light had weakened around the ship it still brightly flickered from his palms. Upon closer inspection, seeing how the light refracted through his mucky gloves, she determined those circular marks dyed his flesh rather than his gloves or fur. Somehow, a curse had affixed itself to him.

She waited a few moments longer before resuming, allowing them both some respite. "Where did you steal this power from?" She noticed her voice was sapped of its commanding venom. "Abilities like ours aren't meant for mortals, what foolish occult pact did you make?"

"M-My blessing? I've always had it," Silver claimed. "I've been psychic for as long as I can remember, I-I guess I just got lucky, like you did?"

"Like I di-

She hadn't dared to think of her curse as a blessing, let alone say it. No one ever had, not even Gardon. While in some ways his words made sense, her power kept her kingdom protected, but fear of it separated her from the masses. Still, though her brow furrowed further, that feeling in her chest grew, glowing kindling of compassion. At the very least, he wasn't all bad. This hedgehog hadn't tried to kill her despite resisting, he hadn't fought until she'd attacked him and he'd submitted after she'd defeated him. He seemed to be under some kind of delusion rather than being intentionally malicious. All of a sudden, her grip on him felt a lot looser. Try as she might to smother it, that kindling of compassion was growing brighter. As far as she knew, he hadn't claimed a single life; he hadn't even harmed a single seaman.

A sigh slid passed her lips. "I'm going to let go, you can sit up but do not move from that spot." Quickly deciding she was being too limp-wristed with him she quickly snapped. "I-If you do, my generous demeanour will quickly sour. You'll be back on the deck before you can blink."

His expression softened, as she slid off of the hedgehog he slowly rose to sit beside her; gangly legs poking free of his wrappings and revealing a second set of cuffs. Thin as he was, the hedgehog was almost a head taller than her. "Um… thank you, Blaze."

Neither the terms your majesty nor your highness passed his lips, just Blaze. Again, compassion bubbled in her gut; she felt a strange heat on her face. Being unable to look away, certain he'd capitalise on her weakness, propagated that warmth. She continued the interrogation in hopes of quashing this feeling. "Explain yourself! Why are you out here, why are you stealing from my vessels?"

"W-Well, I don't expect you to believe me but I didn't simply sail out here; at least, I didn't sail out here as you did," He started to explain. "I don't quite understand it myself, but I used this ship to cross a sea of time. I came here from the future."

Before she could even respond, he flinched slightly and his face crumpled. The hedgehog clearly wasn't expecting to be believed and, in truth, he had reason to think that. His claim was ludicrous, but then today had been a ludicrous day. She'd set out expecting to disprove a ghost tale only to find herself face to face with a cursed boy on a decrepit version of her own flagship. At this point, he could say he was an alien and she might have believed him.

A sigh, not far from a grumble, slipped past her lips. "Continue."

"Y-Your kingdom is going to fall. It's going to overtaken by a shadowy puppet-master and his pet monster. They'll shackle your people and work them, to death destroy all who disobey their will." The hedgehog continued to explain. "That's why I'm here, that's why I'm stealing from the past. I'm gathering all I can to rise up against them, give us a fighting chance. I figured that if I stole things from now, he wouldn't have them to use against us then," He quickly listed the types of items he'd stolen. "Weapons, trinkets and valuables; anything that can be used to fight, anything that can be melted down to make weapons and anything we can use for barter."

"That is difficult to believe." Blaze informed him, the strangeness of his tale offsetting her embarrassment. "Though, perhaps, not impossible; if you can provide further explanation. You say you crossed a sea of time to get here, how exactly did you do that?"

"I-I can show you," He offered, before quickly catching himself. "If you'll let me?"

She extended a hand to him, both offering to help him up but setting a rule. "You may stand as long as I hold you. If I release you, then you are to sit. If you flee then you will be made to sit."

Blaze watched a small smile line his lips, she felt his weak grasp and heard the waver return to his voice. "I-I'm not sure I could even stand without you holding me. It's taking all I have left to keep us from sinking…"

This proved true, as she tugged him to his feet he wobbled before stumbling into her. He unleashed an avalanche of apologies like they'd been building up over years but she was too focused on suppressing her blush to care. Her position meant physical contact was a rarity; she'd touched this time travelling pirate more than anyone in recent memory. Not only that but she'd offered her hand to him, pinned him to the deck and now slung his arm around her shoulder. She was initiating this far more than he was.

With his free hand, he pointed her toward the back of the ship, offering what little movement his limp legs would allow. She'd noticed it before, but he really was frail. Admittedly, Blaze hadn't had to hoist someone along like this before but she reckoned that Gardon, who was two-thirds of Silver's height, likely weighed more than him. As she brought her free arm around his waist her fingers struggled to find his form beneath burlap and matted fur. When she did find his side, providing additional support to aid his walking, she felt ribs through his skin. It was the same thinness, the same starvation evident in his pale muzzle. The majority of his weight seemed to be made up of the cuffs binding his extremities, rather than his body. The remains of a broken chain, hanging from both of his wrists, raised both questions and concerns. No wonder his feet were dragging, no wonder he'd flown everywhere, the set on his ankles were even thicker. The hedgehog hadn't flown to condescend her; he flew because he was in pain.

Just as she recalled his mention of her people in chains, the hedgehog began to speak again. He must have followed her gaze. "We're all bound, but those with strength are given stronger bonds. I managed to break the chains myself but I could never get the wrist parts off," As if to emphasise, he gave his wrist a little shake. "I acted as though my power was weak, I hoped if I did they'd leave me alone, but they just pushed me until I showed them more."

"What did they make you do?" Blaze dared to enquire.

"Build, dig…" He began to explain. "They tried to get me to do a lot of things, but I only really did those two. When all seemed lost you brought down the castle, so there was plenty for me to excavate. I-I tried to do it slowly…"

There was pain in the last of his words; Blaze cursed herself for softening further. "While I am glad I made some form of final stand and loosed one last act of defiance." She hesitated, choosing her words carefully. She was talking as though she believed him. Well, she did believe him; whether she liked it or not. "You shouldn't have drawn their ire trying to maintain my final effort."

Silver shook his head. "There were a lot of things they wanted in the palace, I never quite understood what or why though. They talked a lot about jewels and emeralds, saying they'd help secure world dominance. I never found any but they were always talking about emeralds, always promising they'd set me free if I found one. I never did but, if I ever did, I'd probably have buried it even deeper."

The mention of emeralds caught more than its share of Blaze's attention and she was about to enquire more when she ears caught the wheeze on his breath, she halted at the cyan light surrounding the ship flickered but quickly returned. The fight had taken most of his stamina but there was a reason that reserve was so low. Not only was he malnourished; he was clearly sick.

"You stole so why not steal food too? Weapons and gold are far more valuable, I assume you'd have no qualms with doing that?" Blaze questioned.

"I-I have from time to time, bits of hardtack and cheese, but," Silver grimaced. "I don't like doing this, I only wanted to steal what I had to. Only what could help those in the future. I wasn't stealing to make myself comfortable, if I stole food it'd go rotten. There's nowhere to keep it on this boat."

There was a difference between being comfortable and healthy but, clearly, this Silver hadn't considered that. Blaze felt another wave of compassion surge through her, she could relate to him in a way she hadn't really related to anyone. He'd taken on this duty without hesitation and fully committed himself to it, working himself to death was stupid, of course, but it was certainly endearing.

Before she could ask more questions, they'd arrived at the ship's cabin.

With the wave of his hand, the door opened. The inside was stripped bare, the inner walls untouched by cyan light, save for a small object near the centre of the room. It looked to be a stone, roughly hexagonal in shape and an inch or two larger than her palm. With a point, a cyan bubble surrounded the rock and brought it up to hover before them.

"I know it doesn't look like much now but when I found it there was a strange light, almost like fire." He reminisced, wheeze hanging on every word. "I figured that meant it was important so I hid it from them, took it with me wherever I went in case they found it. When they had me lift up your ship the stone kind of reacted, the light surrounded both me and boat. We vanished into this weird blue and yellow swirl for a while? I don't know how to really describe it… but we reappeared on an island in the middle of nowhere. Ships passed on their routes and I recognised their symbols from other wrecks I'd pulled up. It took me a while but I eventually pieced it all together."

Blaze plucked the stone from his aura and immediately felt a bizarre sense of familiarity. Its shape was similar to a set of emeralds she knew and Silver's tale lined up with stories she'd heard; the colouration and texture were wrong though. Drawing the claw of her right thumb, she scratched along its black surface. Black, rock-like, dust was freed by her scraping. She had brought down the castle, or so Silver had said, but perhaps that wasn't all she'd done.

"Close your eyes Silver, I'm going to try something."

Once he complied, she set the hand wielding the emerald alight; engulfing the stone in bright orange flames. The response was immediate; what looked to be tar or rock of some nature, was quickly melted away to reveal a vibrant purple beneath. Her assumption had been confirmed confirmed; as the filth was purged a reliquary was revealed. The sight filled her with equal measures of awe and dread.

"Silver, you did find one of the emeralds," She revealed, indicating that he should reopen his eyes. "But this goes against so much of what I know. The emeralds are inert, fables surround them but they've been sealed away for hundreds of years. There has been no reason to call upon them, no cause great enough to draw them out."

"But that means no one has checked on them, right? Maybe something changed and they've started working again?" He questioned.

"The Sol Emeralds only have power during times of crisis. They are a collection of seven reliquaries, capable of performing extraordinary feats of magic. They last showed their power during Percival the First's rule. When her parents were assassinated and she was left to rule alone, a child of only seven years, they aided in her protection; losing their power as she herself grew more powerful," Blaze exposited before turning back to him. "Do you understand what this is? What this means?"

"Not really, you said a lot of really big words, I-I... I really don't know what a reliquary is," He seemed to perk up a little though, a small smile forming as he pointed toward the stone. "That's a Sol emerald though and it's important, right? I got that much. They work in times of crisis and the kingdom being in ruin must have counted as one of those times?"

"You've understood the essentials, this more than proves your story to be true," She briskly walked him from the cabin and back onto the deck, the gravity of the situation still impacting her. "We must depart for my ship and make haste toward the palace."

"Y-You might be able to depart, I can't," Silver's denial forced her to take pause. "I mean, what about the plunder? If I leave this ship, everything will sink to the bottom of the ocean. Some of it might survive but the gunpowder won't and things will start rusting," He described. "And what about everyone in the future, without that stone, I can't get back to them!"

"You told me that my kingdom will fall; that my people will suffer and the skeleton of my castle will be defiled by a tyrant, lusting for weapons of war. I will not let that happen. It is my duty, both as princess and guardian, to protect my people." Blaze thoroughly explained, not daring to waste a word. "I will put your information to good use and prevent this disaster, be it through the defence of my kingdom or caging this puppeteer and slaying his monster. But, with you by my side, I think we can undo this tragedy rather than heal it in post." She continued, throwing him a glance. "You have stolen much from me over these past months but the righteousness of your cause has swayed me."

"Swayed you?" Silver's head tilted, confusion spread across his brow. "What do you mean?"

"You will not be taken to the gallows, instead…" Blaze hesitated. She was dealing with a crisis but, simultaneously, dealing with a person the likes of which she never had before. One who called her by her name and thought her curse was a blessing. Her mind and heart were at war. "Instead you will stay with me, no matter how long this campaign lasts; I want you by my side," Clearly oblivious, he blinked at her. Blaze couldn't maintain her stare; she finally tore her gaze from his gangly frame. "Y-You're so naïve, must I be blunt with you?"

"I think I would appreciate it?" He gulped, very much unfazed by their situation.

"This is most unorthodox, I-I wish to take you…" She scrambled for the right words. "A-As a companion," That term was close, but not quite what she meant. "A partner of sorts, t-to aid me in preventing this travesty. You have acted to protect my people, so I will protect you from the stockade."

"You mean like friends?" He bluntly inquired, "I've not really had many friends, but they're supposed to help each other; aren't they? So if you want to help me and I want to help you…"

Friendship had no place in a princes' life, she'd specifically worded her proposal to avoid that term, but having met the hedgehog's bright yellow eyes; Blaze couldn't refute his offer. "If that is how you'd prefer to word it, yes."

"I think I'd like that a lot," A smile managed to break across his muzzle. "I haven't really had any friends, just people I've met and been separated from. To think my first would be someone so incredible, it's amazing!"

Feeling that heat on her face again, Blaze tried to press on and ignore his embarrassing words. "Are you strong enough for one return trip, to lift me to my ship then pull me back? I need to announce our plan to my crew."

"I-I don't think so, not while keeping The Sunflower afloat," Silver admitted, the weakened glow of his hands acting as proof. "I could sail closer to your ship though? Get you within leaping distance, or shouting distance at the very least?"

The feline allowed herself a small smile. "That will do nicely, thank you."

Blaze felt him shift slightly, the wind began to catch her fur and she heard the ship groan as it began to glide across the water. Soon the fog obscured her vision and the sound of Gardon panicking found her ears, loudening with each passing second. The old man was clearly panicking, he'd be glad to see her in one piece but before that, Blaze gave her new friend another glance. Though Silver claimed he could do this much, even through the fog, Blaze could see that his eyes were clenched shut and his hands were balled. She'd have to stay here with him, prepared to grab him and leap if his power ran out.

Regardless, before he fell, she wanted to say some final words to him. "Silver?"

"Y-Y-Yes?" He was clearly struggling to talk, overwhelmed by psychic strain.

"I'll do all I can to make this right," She promised, hoisting him a little higher and thus bearing more of his weight. "Your efforts won't be for nought, I will defend my kingdom."

"I-I'm far from done Blaze," Tired as he was, steely determination returned to his voice. His tone wasn't dissimilar to when he'd made his demands. "We'll make this right, together," The feline tightened her grip on him.

She'd found an ally, one she already trusted unlike any she'd made prior, but the guardian doubted her care alone would shield him. His power would prove useful, his knowledge and kindness would too, but the curse affixed to his hands would draw prying eyes and dangerous parties. Rumours would swirl like a maelstrom, engulfing both her and the hedgehog. Blaze knew she would have to hide him from her own people; if they'd fear her for embracing her powers then they'd surely fear his blessing.

This wasn't going to be easy, sneaking him into the castle would be difficult (let alone keeping him safe and hidden there), but Blaze was determined to help her new companion. As the ghost-ship drew closer to its past counterpart, the many mysteries this venture had uncovered started to nag at the princess. Who was this puppet master and where had they come from, how had they overwhelmed the entirety of her armada and when would they strike? Were her people in danger now or did they have a few more years to prepare? Only one thing was certain, the moment her feet touched the shore she would start preparing. Her words couldn't be mere consolation, Silver's efforts wouldn't be for nought; they were going to make this right.

#silvaze #Blaze the Cat #Silver the Hedgehog #sonic au

[galacticsynthesizer]

In a kingdom far, far away. "Yeah no fuck this, I heard there was a open roof hot springs in this town.". A ghostly white girl said with her eyes giving a neutral bored look. "Well of course there is that is one of the reasons why we came here, beside the trading market." A other girl said with a cheery tone. Some say the could be twins if that one girl didnt have a star pupil in her right eye.

The job of a royal advisor was nothing short of stressful. It was a constant flow of royals and nobels asking him what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. Casimir was more than relieved when his supposed only remaining family member- Rexy, or now known as Roxanne- dragged him out to a newly installed hot springs. "Sister dearest, you know there are separate baths, correct? It's quite taboo to bathe with the men." Casimir chuckled as he stepped into the water, sinking into the warm pool. Roxanne just scowled at him tossing her shirt off into the distance. "There's nobody here, what does it matter? Besides, I don't want to sit with a load of squealing girls." She huffed, slipping into the water and splashing it into his face.

[consultingsister-aa]

THE HOLMES FAMILY HISTORY + CURSE 

The history of the Holmes family and the Holmes Estate in Sussex is a long, varied and gruesome affair. From some time in the 12th century, blood lust and ill mental health had plagued the family. This is likely from a spate of inbreeding between cousins but rumours abound as to the beginnings of the Holmes family’s brilliant wealth and power. It is said by some in the village the Holmes family are descended from the devil himself, although some are more kindly, and say the Holmes’ are simply born without souls, having pre-sold them to Satan in return for great beauty, wealth, power and that famous Holmes intellect. 

The Holmes family curse is at least based on facts. It is understood that the line began with an illegitimate but much-loved son of a King, who was granted lands and titles by his younger but legitimate half-brother. It was from that point on that the Holmes’ were revered as the best minds in England and always played the part of special advisor to the Kings. It was even said by some that the Holmes’ ruled the land through their puppet royal. The family were described as being unnaturally clever and beautiful and something of Gods among their lesser men. Through every coo and misfortune faced by the crown and country, the Holmes family seemed to come out on top; always being on the right side of the fight. When exactly the Holmes family luck became the Holmes family curse, it is unknown, but the story of how the original Evangeline Holmes, the daughter of a squire, sold her soul to the devil is now well known in Midhurst, West Sussex. In return for her soul, she asked for the power to beguile the King and, with him, produce a line of beautiful and supremely clever offspring. Admittedly, the family portrait gallery is blessed with sharp cheekbones straight noses and no one in the family could ever be accused of being less than a bonafide genius. 

Historic accounts of Holmes ancestors hunting serfs and peasants through the woods are well documented; Cecelia’s six times great grandmother was accused of murdering all of her daughters so they didn’t outshine her. There was an uncle who married six times after the first five wives disappeared mysteriously; around the time the cellar was bricked up. There was even rumour of devil-worshipping, ritualistic slaughter and cannibalism. All in all, not exactly a history to be proud of. Madness is in the blood, so they say, and passed down from generation to generation like the gene for green eyes and the family silver. 

Stories of the supernatural have only been exasperated with tales of the family house itself. Cowdray House’s plans have been long since lost and the fact that there are windows on the outside with no matching rooms on the inside, as well as basement areas bricked up for no good reason have gone unexplained for centuries. Gardeners report seeing ghostly apparitions at windows when they know the house to be empty. A governess of Cecelia’s once ran from the house screaming in the middle of the night and refused to return. Celia herself remembers talking with great aunts and uncles long since dead during her childhood. Even the ever sensible and stoic Morland Holmes has more than once felt a presence behind him while on his way to bed. Even the woods belonging to the house have a strange effect on walkers. Paths were ill mapped and changed from day-to-day. If you walked around the wood it was no larger than a small-holding; if you walked through the woods it seemed the breadth of a kingdom. Cecelia found her way easily, as did most Holmes decedents. Visitors seem to have more trouble as if they lack that quality which allowed them safe passage. Celia’s mother, Violet, who felt she was more sensitive to that sort of thing, told her husband on multiple occasions that she felt the house worked against her in some way, accepting and protecting only those who were Holmes by blood. She would get lost on the way back from the bathroom at night as if the corridors moved, and things would frequently go missing from tabletops. Morland always put it down to her declining health and naughty children. What he never admitted to his wife was that his mother had had similar complaints, although his own father had chalked this up to Enid Holmes’ mental state and eventual decline into paranoid schizophrenia. Morland has since wondered, what came first? The house or her madness? 

To many, this is considered solid evidence for the curse. For all their clever, beautiful and powerful ancestors, the family cannot boast so many who were uncommonly kind or gentle. In fact, they have a nasty habit of quickly dying off or going insane. In Morland’s own lifetime, his sweet little sister was born delicate and didn’t survive past her tenth birthday. His gentle younger brother who suffered from manic depression and addiction threw himself in front of a train on his twenty-fourth birthday. His mother ended up in an asylum after multiple attempts to kill herself, her husband and her only remaining son, Morland. She often screamed that the devil was in their blood and it was this that had killed her two children. Mycroft’s wife ended up in twenty-four-hour care because of her own delusions, and Cee’s own track record of nice boys turning vicious and her own daughter’s tragic death seems to point towards what no one in the blood family ever has wanted to admit to; they’re cursed. 

The family motto, originally in Latin, goes like this; “the black tree is strong, but the flowers won’t grow” although is often quoted simply as “the tree is strong”. The family don’t like to admit that whenever anyone halfway decent shows up, something terrible happens to them.  For years Celia has chosen to ignore the stories and rumours but has more recently come to believe that the Holmes family is poison; everything they touch seemed to turn to gold, while every person they love withers. The best thing they could do for the world is to die out. 

#dont get me started on the fam curse i LOVE IT #also cee growing up in a haunted house ? obviously #long post -- #suicide -- #( ii. headcanon )

[echoes-of-the-clockwork]

Book One: Death (Noctis x Reader) Chapter Twenty-Four

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse summoned their four steeds—Thanatos, Erra, Limos, and Montu. Noctis rode with Death, Prompto with Famine, Gladio with War, and Ignis rode with Pestilence. They rode to Insomnia, easily avoiding the daemons blocking their path to the city. The four girls could feel the tug of their summoning orbs as they rode further and further from Hammerhead.

Arriving in the city, the party was greeted by an onslaught of powerful daemons. Fortunately, the Horsemen's abilities were enough to keep them at bay as they rode through the streets of Insomnia. They reached the Citadel, but a various array of daemons blocked their way inside. 

"Great..." War grumbled as Montu scuffed his hoof into the pavement below, nodding his head in agreement with a neigh.

"Never said this was gonna be easy," Famine stated.

"Nothing is ever easy," (Y/n) comments to her sisters.

"May I?" Pestilence asked calmly, ignoring the approaching daemons.

"You've got a plan?" Gladio inquired.

The white-haired girl nodded. "You four need to make it to the throne room inside the Citadel. My sisters and I will create an opening, allowing you all to reach the building."

"We're not gonna—!" Noctis started.

Death quickly interrupted him. "We are immortal. We've faced more daemons than you four will ever in a lifetime. We know their weaknesses and their strengths. Trust us, Noctis. We'll meet you inside soon enough."

Reluctantly, Noctis nodded. The Four Horsemen hopped off their steeds, shortly followed by the boys riding with them. They eyed the daemons that were stalking towards them, teeth and weapons ready to tear into their flesh.

War summoned a bow and took out a daemon with a single arrow to the head. She smirked, switching her aim to another enemy. Famine called upon an intricately designed blade before jumping into the action with her red-haired sister. Pestilence summoned a staff, tapping the end twice against the asphalt below. A powerful gust of wind pushed the oncoming horde of daemons away from everyone.

(Y/n) summoned her scythe, slinging it across her shoulder. She turned to face the four boys, who wanted to fight alongside the Horsemen. "When you see an opening, take it." She joined the fray and decapitated an Iron Giant before moving to aid her sisters in any way possible.

"We're not seriously gonna let them take on all these daemons by themselves, are we?" Prompto asked.

"We've no choice in the matter, Prompto," Ignis responded.

"They can handle themselves. For now, we wait," Gladio added.

The boys watched as Pestilence and Famine took down a few Red Giants in the blink of an eye. Death and War handled a powerful Arumusha, who managed to get a few hits in before vanishing into nothingness.

Noctis found an opening and ran towards the Citadel with Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis close behind. They pushed open the heavy doors and quickly closed them when a daemon tore its gaze from the Horsemen and set its sight on them. Luckily, the door sealed before the creature could attack.

Suddenly, a body came crashing through the wall beside the door. The person rolled against the floor before their back collided with another wall. The wall crumbled down upon the person, causing the boys to worry.

The person pushed through the rubble with a groan, revealing themselves. It was Famine. She saw the worried looks on their faces and offered them a smile. "I'm fine."

War appeared in the hole in the wall and nodded towards the royal retinue. "Take them to the throne room. There's bound to be some daemons hiding within the building."

"Just take care of what's outside. I've got them covered," Famine reassures her fiery-tempered sister. War vanished and rejoined Death and Pestilence in the courtyard.

The blonde-haired Horseman brushes off the dust from her clothes and summons her blade. "Follow me, gentlemen."

"You know where you're goin'?" Noctis questioned, curious as to how Famine knew her way through the Citadel.

"Of course I do. My sisters and I have visited the Citadel many times. You just haven't seen us because our meetings with King Regis were secretive and only a few people had knowledge of our existence. His Majesty only trusted three people with this knowledge because he feared one of his trusted allies was plotting against him. It's a shame to see his fear became reality."

"Yeah..." Noctis melancholically sighed.

The wall to their left was pummeled into a pile of debris as a couple of reapers obscured their path. Famine immediately charged in while the boy's summoned their weapons to provide assistance. Noctis, Ignis, and Gladio jumped into the fray alongside the Horseman while Prompto kept his distance with his pistol.

Famine decapitated one of the reapers, but the other one swung its scythe at her. Prompto saw she was oblivious of the incoming attack and ran to her side, tackling her to safety. They rolled across the marble floor, coming to a stop just a few feet from the throne room. Noctis, Gladio, and Ignis finished off the daemon while Prompto released his hold on the girl. "Y-You okay?"

The Horseman smiled sweetly at him. "I'm fine. You do know I'm immortal, right?"

"W-Well..." He nervously stuttered. "That still doesn't mean I want to see you get hurt."

Famine giggled at his response, her smile widening. "Now I know where the gods dumped all their sweetness."

"On your feet!" Gladio roared. More daemons were pouring into the Citadel through the hole the reapers created. Death, Pestilence, and War regrouped with the boys and Famine, taking down the onslaught of daemons.

"We can't keep this up," Pestilence stated.

"Get into the throne room, now!" (Y/n) demanded. The boys and her sisters listened, avoiding the daemons that were trying to swarm them.

Once inside the grand room, the four Horsemen sewed the door and combined their mana to create a temporary lock. "That'll hold for a few minutes," War exclaimed. "We need to make this quick."

"Once the Starscourge has been vanquished, the sun will deal with the daemons for us," Pestilence stated.

"Then let's bring the Crystal home," Famine smiled.

Noctis stood beside (Y/n), watching as she and her sisters used their connection to the summoning orbs to bring the Crystal back to where it belongs. A bright light filled the throne room for a few seconds before dissipating. The Crystal, which was once stolen, stood in the spot where it belonged. All the Horsemen sighed, exhausted from the massive amount of mana they used.

(Y/n) felt her body was weak and she grabbed ahold of Noctis' sleeve, catching the prince's attention. "Now... it's your turn, Your Majesty."

"The rightful king shall sit upon the throne and purge the world of the Starscourge," the four Horsemen said in unison.

Silently, Noctis nodded and summoned his father's sword. He slowly ascended the stairs and sat down in the throne that now was his. Holding Regis' blade tightly, he did what he had to do to bring light back to Eos.

While watching alongside her sisters, (Y/n) felt a tinge or pain in her hands. Raising her hands, she saw her flesh was transparent and slowing shattering with cracks of bright light. "Guess we used too much mana, huh?" She whispered to herself. She eyed her sisters, noticing their bodies were also shattering with a brilliant light. Clenching her fists tightly, she decided to ignore what was happening to her and the other Horsemen.

Rays of sunlight beamed through a large hole in the throne room and through the only few remaining windows.  Even with her body slowly vanishing, (Y/n) could feel the warmth against her skin.

"We did it!" Prompto cheered while running over to Noctis and the new king descended the stairs. He gave his best friend a hug before pulling away to smile at him.

"About damn time," Gladio huffed with laughter.

Ignis gasped in shock when he felt the scars around his eyes mend and his once dark world became bright. He heard giggling and lifted his head to see Pestilence smiling beautifully at him. "Just a final present."

"What?" Noctis' eyes widened when he heard the snowy-haired girl's words. "What do you mean "final"?"

"Our bodies are deteriorating," War sighs, placing a hand on her hip. "Once we're gone form this world, our bodies will be mended back in the Inner Sanctum."

"How long will that take?" Gladio asked.

"Months... Maybe even years," (Y/n) answered.

"No way," Noctis vehemently hissed, shaking his head as he stares at the girl he loves with all his heart. "There's gotta be another way."

"There is no other way, Noctis." (Y/n) felt her body becoming weightless as the seconds ticked by. "But I promise to not keep your waiting for long."

Noctis wanted to protest further, but his words were lodged inside his throat as he saw cracks of light spread across Death's face and torso. He rushed over to her and the moment he wrapped his arms around her, her body shattered into ghostly wisps of glass. He watched as the pieces floated in the air before vanishing.

One by one, the Horsemen vanished. The boys watched helplessly as their bodies dissipated into nothingness. They were all silent until Prompto spoke up. "Never thought I see the day."

"Neither did I," Gladio said. "But we owe it all to them. We barely did a damn thing."

"I already miss them..." Prompto mutters sorrowfully.

"We'll make sure we thank them properly once they return." Noctis glanced towards his advisor when he didn't speak up. "Specs, how about—y-your eyes!"

Ignis was deeply enthralled with the gift Pestilence had given him before her departure. His fingers trailed around his eyes where the scars once were. There were no indications he had any injuries whatsoever. "A welcome change, indeed."

"When did you—?" Prompto started.

"A departing bestowal from Pestilence," he replied with a small smile. Seeing him smile was enough to bring the rest of the boys even more joy.

"Let's go back to Hammerhead. From there, we'll start making plans to rebuild the city," Noctis said.

Prompto nodded and cheered at the top of his lungs. "Let's go!"

<———————————<<<<<<<<<<<<

Three years have passed since the light returned to Eos. Half of Insomnia was rebuilt while efforts to restore the remainder of the city back to its former glory continued.

Noctis was wandering around the Citadel. Construction had completed a few months ago and the hallways were nearly bustling with new and old faces. He was still trying to get used to being the new King of Lucis. Every now and then, he would glance down at the ring of his forbearers when it felt heavy on his finger. Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis were always with him, making the burden easier. Morosely, he was still missing the one person who makes all his worries wash away.

A day wouldn't go by when Noctis would think of (Y/n). He eagerly awaited her return, but he felt his hope for her to return dwindle each day. Only one thought haunted him since the day she vanished alongside her sisters.

She's never coming back

Noctis fought against the frightening and heartbreaking thought, failing to notice he bumped into someone. He went to apologize to the person, but words failed him when he saw who it was.

"I've been looking for you for the past ten minutes! People said you were wandering around and every time I checked where they last saw you, you were gone!" Death crossed her arms, tapping her foot against the marble tiles. When she only received silence in response, she wiped the pout from her face and smiled warmly at him. "Guess I've made you speechless. It's been a while, Noctis."

Without anymore hesitation, the king placed his hands on (Y/n)'s cheeks and pulled her closer. He sealed her lips with his in a passionate, hungry kiss. Deepening the kiss, he moved his hands from her cheek to her hips, pulling her body flush against his.

Once the two were satisfied, they pulled away from one another, but Noctis kept his hands on the Horseman's hips. "Well..." (Y/n) cleared her throat. "That was definitely shocking yet welcoming. You miss me that much?"

"You've no idea," he sighed contently. His arms snaked up and around her waist, pulling her into a hug. He nuzzled his face against her cheek as her arms wound around his neck. "You sure know how to keep a guy waiting."

"Sorry," she chortled. "We didn't realize truly how much mana we used until our bodies returned to the Inner Sanctum. But we're back now."

""We"?"

"Famine, Pestilence, and War are currently looking for the others. They decided to give us a few minutes to ourselves."

"Guess I better get another kiss before our moment's ruined," Noctis smirked.

(Y/n) grinned before placing her lips against his in another intoxicating kiss. Her hands trailed up to his hair, threading her fingers through his soft, raven locks.

When Noctis' hand brushed against her exposed arm, he remembered how cold her skin truly was. He felt her cheek earlier, but he was too occupied with his overflow of emotions to register the cold flesh. He pulled away and stared into her (e/c) eyes. "You're still freezing."

(Y/n) gripped the front of his suit with an eye-roll before tugging him back towards her. "Just shut up and kiss me."

•••••••••••END••••••••••••

A/n: The next book in this series will be Famine (Prompto x Reader). I know I'm a horrible person for not finishing these last two chapters much, much, much earlier. I wanted to apologize for how crappy the ending was and promise the other books will be much better and I'll be extending the length of each chapter. Hope you all enjoyed this story! Love you all!!!

#final fantasy xv #final fantasy xv x reader #ffxv #noctis x reader #noctis lucis caelum