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dandelioncrownns · 3 years

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random grishaverse facts/trivia (mostly tgt/kos, tbh), because i love useless details. Also, attempted organisation, because i like order too. + ft. my unwanted commentary

the darkling

has a sweet tooth

loves animals and nature in general

for those of you who have read demon in the woods, he got to meet the white tigers :)

his bedchamber walls are carved into trees bc he loves the woods

his favourite trees in particular are pine trees (or just evergreen trees in general)

he used to be afraid of the dark (many possibly worrying? interesting? implications to this; i won’t get into it here tho)

he likes bright colours, but wears black all the time basically for the aesthetic

he met his younger half-sister, Ulla, when he was a seer’s apprentice in Fjerda

the darkling is a musician! He plays the fiddle, and growing up, he played the balalaika and oud (i wonder if he can read tablature,,)

His father was a very powerful heartrender (maybe this is why the corporalki are valued so highly by him?)

genya

she got an amplifier between the end of R+R and the start of KoS (kestrel bones)

Genya used Dekora Nevich, the Ornamental Blade, to poison the King

It smells like cinnamon and is a warm golden colour

the royal family / nikolai’s bio family

the King once cut himself on his own sword

genya named the queen’s dog

until she was like 11, Genya was like the daughter the queen never had (omg i really wonder how Nikolai and Vasily felt about that? ik it’s not really mentioned, and Nik kinda acts like he just met Genya is S+S, but they must have been a lot closer, right?? I mean genya was almost always at the grand palace with Queen Tatiana, and nikolai just really wanted his parents’ attention, there must have been some kind of maybe one-sided jealousy/sibling rivalry thing, right?? I digress- for now)

also the queen in a dog person

p. sure Nikolai is a mommy’s boy

(possible explanation:) he looks exactly like his real father (except for his eyes). Nikolai even has the same laugh as Magnus

the queen was also fed up with Vasily and his horses

Vasily rides a white gelding horse and Nikolai rides a speckled grey horse (called Punchline)

speaking of, vasily is definitely a horse girl, but like... just the worst (darkling 🤝vasily)

Queen Tatiana’s letters to Magnus Opjer were “very racy”

She doesn’t approve of women in trousers

Linnea is ~1 year younger than Nikolai

she is good at math + studies engineering at ketterdam (I wonder if maybe she and Nikolai crossed paths when he was at uni- they’re around the same age, so maybe?)

The King and Queen hired a clown for nikolai’s 10th birthday (the worst birthday party he’d been to, inclusive of the night Vasily died, according to Nikolai)

Nikolai is afraid of spiders (and also clowns???)

nikolai:

he can juggle

Nikolai sucks at learning languages

he once spoke Fjerdan so badly a man named Knut offered him a ruby to stop

his Kerch seems pretty good tho

Nikolai met The Darkling when he was 14

Nikolai is a baritone (as is Jesper!)

In his free time, Nikolai writes bad poetry (remember that time he got stabbed w/ a letter opener bc his poetry sucked?)

he went through an emo phase/ existential crisis before becoming sturmhond.

during said emo phase, he wrote rhyming poetry pretty much exclusively

He also took philosophy classes at uni (PPE?)

alina:

alina tried on the same rose dress that the Queen watched vasily die in

Nikolai gifted Alina a VERY low-cut cobalt lace gown (In the words of Nadia, “The bodice might as well be cut to the navel.” )

Alina hates herring, but Zoya and Nikolai love it

She is VERY sarcastic and snarky!! I feel like this gets glossed over so much in the fandom, and just why?? (she’s so gloomy and over everything 90% of the time, i love it so much)

So this isn’t technically a fact-fact, but there is no way Alina wasn’t at least a little bit into women. Did you read how she talked abt genya? Zoya? there’s no way she wasn’t into them

Alina doesn’t really like hard cheese

zoya + zoyalai:

Zoya’s horse is called Serebrine

Zoya can use her lightning as a defibrillator (I’m sure other squallers can do this too with the right training)

Zoya likes Nikolai’s hands (and Nikolai likes Zoya’s feet lmao)

she has ‘weird (long?) incisors’

she definitely had a crush on Nikolai since Ruin and Rising

kaz:

Kaz grew up on a farm in Southern Kerch, in Lij

Kaz is a both a cat and a dog person (he just likes strays)

Matthias is a dog person, obviously

All the other crows are cat people

He likes hot chocolate

both he and nikolai like brandy

hates cereal

Kaz is obsessed with magic + likes puzzles

actually very funny if he wasn’t terrifying (honestly?? at leat 70% of his dialogue is just witty quips/jokes)

Kaz’s right leg is the one he broke, and the dregs usually get their tattoo on their right forearm

the other crows:

Jesper has been known to go line-dancing (and would like country music)

Mal and Jesper were friends in S+S!! (Probably) Jesper has a not-really-secret crush on sturmhond.

He also had a VERY not secret crush on Kaz before wylan, ofc

Matthias’ middle name is Benedik

Nina would win in an arm wrestling contest against Jesper

Inej has a thing for Kaz’s eyes

Nina was at the orphanage with the other grisha kids in R+R

In the opening scene of CK, Jesper was wearing a navy waistcoat with little gold stars (his fashion is just top tier honestly)

grisha- powers, etc.:

A solar eclipse would have no effect on the Darkling’s powers, but it would make it harder for Alina to summon.

Fabrikators can make flowers bloom

The twins have shark teeth amplifiers

Adrik and Leoni are saints

general world stuff:

Gay marriage is legal in Kerch!

there was a landbridge connecting Shu Han and Kerch but the council of tides covered it

Antimony is used as mascara

kruge is pale purple paper currency

ravkan currency has Nikolai’s face on it (ig not anymore tho?)

Hringkälla is celebrated on March 20th

the distance between Ivets and Os Alta is only about 100 miles? (i’m just going to willfully ignore this, because thats,, so small?)

Mermaids and dragons exist(ed) in the grishaverse

misc:

the daughter of the duke of ivets has a daughter who can play the harp

there is not fourth tale of krigi

The baroness Natasha Beritrova is fifty (as of KoS) and has lands near caryeva

Elke Marie Smit is from one of the most powerful Kerch families and is just 16 in KoS

Oncat is an orange tabby

Anya liked Joost a lot :( (I got way too attached to them at the start of SoC and was so sad + confused when they died lol)

david eats hard boiled eggs for his working days in the shops

‘Malyen’ is the Ravkan version of ‘Malcolm’ (very fitting)

Nikolai brought the kids at Keramzin toy boats + frequently sends Alina and Mal gifts

The triumvirate would also visit them every feast of Sankt Nikolai too :)

star signs / birthdays (ik the gv constellations aren’t the same as ours, but idc):

Inej: Cancer (june 21st - july 22nd)

Kaz: Capricorn (december 22nd - january 19th)

Nina: Leo (july 23rd - august 22nd)

Jesper: Gemini (may 21st - june 20th)

Matthias: Taurus (april 20th - may 20th)

Wylan: virgo (august 23rd - september 22nd)

Kuwei: aries (march 21st - april 19th)

Darkling: aries

Nikolai is most likely either a gemini or cancer (but he could also be a Leo or Taurus). Whatever it is, he is a summer baby.

Alina and Mal have the same birthday (they were given the Duke’s birthday when they came to the orphanage)

heights:

Jesper is 6’2” - 6’3”

Kaz is 6′

Matthias is 6’4

Nina is 5’9”-5’10”

Inej is 5’3” - 5’4”

Alina is ’short’ (5’3”?)

Mal and the Darkling are ‘tall’ (tbf, like all the characters are tall >:( I want my short people rights)

Nikolai (well, stumhond, but i think they’re the same height) is described by Jesper as tall (so 6’2”+?? why is everyone so tall??? I-)

Zoya is several inches shorter than nina (zoyalai height difference lets go)

Kuwei is slightly shorter than Wylan (who is about 5’8”?)

there’s definitely more, so if you made it this far and have any more, pls add to the list!

#grishaverse #six of crows #the grisha trilogy #the darkling #nikolai lantsov #alina starkov #king of scars #rule of wolves #<< mild spoilers #zoyalai #kanej #etc. lol #brain dump

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starfleetimagines · 4 years

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Enemies To Lovers With Malcolm Reed Would Include...

Requested by an anon: “Enemies to lovers for mal?” Word count: Just over 1k Warnings/Notes: Just a lot of fluff Tag list: @jaytodded, @wallows-spring

You wouldn’t necessarily be enemies per se, but Malcolm would feel threatened by your talents. He’s not the greatest at making friends to begin with, but when he feels inadequate it’s even worse. Whether you were in security or not, Malcolm would still feel like his skills are marginal compared to yours. He’d be jealous of how good you were with others and how quick you were to come up with solutions to a variety of problems.

Because of his jealous feelings, he would sometimes act cold towards you. He’s never one to admit when he’s wrong so if you ever came up with a protocol or idea that differed from his, he’d get pretty defensive.

You wouldn’t understand why he was often giving you the cold shoulder, but you did your best to be nice to him. Though after dealing with his pettiness for some time, you’d make snarky remarks in return to show him that you weren’t going to accept his attitude.

The two of you would have to work together often. You’d butt heads and argue about what way to go about the tasks at hand. After a few months of working together on various tasks, you’d find a way to compromise and figure things out without getting into a heated argument.

You’d begin to work on solutions to problems together during your off-hours, eating together in the mess-hall as you discussed how to improve the efficiency of this or that, or getting together at one of your quarters to bounce ideas off of each other.

One day Trip would join you two for lunch and after not witnessing any disagreements or spats between you and Malcolm, Trip would grow concerned and ask, “Did I enter an alternate reality or somethin’ Shouldn’t you two be at each other’s throats?

You and Malcolm would just laugh and shrug, not really knowing when the exact moment was when you two started to become friends, but being grateful for it nonetheless.

Malcolm would grow protective over you as you two got closer. He’d make sure to stay by your side on away missions and would insist on you checking in with Enterprise in regular intervals when he wasn’t on the mission with you. He would even offer to talk to anyone who made you upset and would threaten aliens who disrespected you or wished to cause you harm.

You would slowly get Malcolm to open up to you. You’d start asking him personal questions about himself when you two were together. At first, he’d be a bit wary and only give you short answers or would change the subject. But soon he would learn to trust you and feel comfortable enough around you to tell you about himself in a way that not many people knew.

Malcolm would realize he was in love with you when you got critically injured on an away mission or during an attack. He would be worried sick, thinking of the worst possible scenario as you were rushed to sickbay. He would have visited you as soon as he could, and while he waited for that chance his mind would be filled with thoughts of you. When he finally was able to see you, he’d be so relieved that you were okay that he’d tear up. He would check with Phlox several times that you were going to make a full recovery and even then he was still filled with worry.

You’d hold his hand and tell him you were going to be fine, but he would be so worked up and so anxious that he’d not want to leave your side. He’d sit on the edge of your bed and you held his hand tight to reassure him that you were going to be okay.

“I was so afraid I’d lost you,” he’d mumble, voice shaky.

“You won’t lose me, Mal. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Y/N, when I thought I’d lost you, I… I felt like everything was crumbling in around me. I felt as though I couldn’t breathe. I’ve never felt as close to someone as I feel with you. I need you in my life. And I think… I think I’m in love with you.”

“Oh, Mal. I’m in love with you, too.”

Your relationship would take off from there. Since Malcolm already felt so close to you, he’d jump right into the caring and affection boyfriend role. He’d check in on you during your shift, bring you snacks and coffee or tea during a long day, make sure you were safe and healthy, and would be so gentle and caring to you when you were having a bad day. He’d hold you and let you cry it out or just sit with you and listen as you vented or gave you sound advice. He’d do whatever you needed him to do in order for you to feel better.

PDA would be minimal because Malcolm is quite shy around others, and he wouldn’t find it appropriate to show off your relationship in that manner. You wouldn’t mind, though. It just meant that when PDA did occur, it was that much more special and meaningful to the both of you.

You would know exactly how to make him relax and feel better when he was stressed or having a bad day. You’d lie with him in bed, you on your back and him on his side with his head on your chest. He’d love to just be held by you, listening to your heartbeat as he held your hand loosely. You’d run your fingers through his hair and tell him stories, true or made-up.

Malcolm would tell you time and time again that he had never felt so happy and so in love, and that he had never let himself be so vulnerable and open with someone before. He would also tell you how grateful he was to have you in his life and that he didn’t want to ever be apart from you because you grounded him.

You would tell him how safe and loved you felt with him. How you felt so appreciated and cared for and that he was the sweetest partner you’d ever had. He was always so loving with you; so gentle around you. He’d do everything he could to make sure you were okay both mentally and physically.

You were his anchor and he was your protector.

If you like my writing, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi

#malcolm reed #malcolm reed x reader #lol or is it 'Reeder'? yeah? no? okay #malcolm reed imagine #malcolm reed headcanon #star trek #star trek enterprise #star trek imagine #star trek imagines #star trek headcanon #star trek fanfic #star trek fanfiction #star trek enterprise imagine #star trek enterprise imagines #star trek enterprise headcanon

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turquoiseandtangelo · 6 years

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Barrett in the Wars

This is something I wrote about my OC Cillian O’Ryan and his older brother Barrett when they were kids, told from the perspective of their cousin Malcolm Green. Trigger warning: verbal, physical, and emotional abuse of children by a parental figure.

Barrett in the Wars

July 22nd, 1994

Ten-year-old Malcolm Green tiptoed out of the men’s locker room and peered out at the long indoor swimming pool at the Brooks Family YMCA in Charlottesville, Virginia. In the pool already were his uncle Cian and eleven-year-old cousin Barrett. Cian was giving Barrett instructions on how to do a certain stroke, and something about the way he shouted at his son scared Malcolm. The boy saw his younger cousin, eight-year-old Cillian, sitting with his legs dangling in the water at the shallow end of the pool. His eyes were wide and looked frightened. Malcolm decided to go sit with him for awhile instead of joining the others in the pool as he had planned.

“Hey,” he said to Cillian. The younger boy jumped when Malcolm spoke, and his face and neck flushed.

“You ok?” Malcolm asked, sitting beside him. Cillian did not answer. He was staring at his father and brother, who was doing the backstroke at a rather impressive speed.

“Faster!” Cian yelled. “Faster! You’re pathetic. Stop! You’re gonna swallow the whole bloody pool! Stop your sputtering. You’re bloody pitiful. Try it again. I want to see it FASTER!”

Malcolm could hardly believe his ears. Cian was saying horrible things to his son! This was not the jovial Uncle Cian Malcolm remembered from Christmas last year. Cillian continued to stare at his brother as if watching him could somehow make him swim faster. The little boy bit his lip and his fists were clenched.

“You’re a poor excuse for a swimmer, you bloody waste!” Cian was shouting at Barrett. “I’ll bloody drown you if you don’t hit this wall in ten seconds. Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. Oh, you barely made it. Now try it again, you-”

Malcolm wasn’t sure what that word was, but it didn’t sound at all nice. He felt as if he should do something to stop Cian from saying such horrible things to Barrett. He started to stand up, his own fists and teeth clenched, but Cillian grabbed his arm so tightly he winced and sat down.

“What’s he doing?” Malcolm whispered. Cillian didn’t answer, but his nostrils flared and his mouth quivered in fear as he looked Malcolm in the eye. A sick feeling came into the older boy’s stomach. He watched as Barrett desperately tried to swim fast enough to please his father, only to be screamed at and belittled nearly every second. The twenty-something lifeguard, reading a magazine, seemed completely oblivious. No one else was in the pool at the moment. It was almost time for the pool to close, and Malcolm could hardly wait.

“You good for nothing idiot!” Cian was yelling. “FASTER!”

But Barrett was wearing out. As much as the eleven-year-old was trying, he just couldn’t go faster. In fact, he was swimming slower and slower. Before Malcolm had come to the pool, he had been at the basketball court watching some of the older boys play. Barrett had started swimming then. Malcolm could only imagine how tired he must be now.

“Out! You’re done,” Cian told his son. “You’re a bloody failure. Now get a shower and put your clothes on. CILLIAN!”

Cillian jumped up immediately. His face was pale, and he seemed to be bracing himself for what his father would say.

“Get in there and put your clothes on,” Cian ordered. “Bloody coward. He puts on his suit but he won’t even get in the water! Pathetic freak. At least Barrett’s going to be a man! Get your clothes on, both of you, and make it fast. I promised my wife I’d get you all home by 6:30.”

Malcolm quickly followed the other boys into the locker room and changed back into his t-shirt and shorts as quickly as he could. When he was finished, he found Cillian washing his hands in the bathroom. The younger boy’s hands were shaking.

“Where’s Barrett?” Malcolm asked him.

“In the shower,” Cillian whispered. There were tears in his eyes. Malcolm put his hand on his cousin’s shoulder and tried to think of something to say, but he couldn’t. Barrett rushed into the bathroom, his clothes rather wet.

“Let’s go!” he told them. “Hurry.”

Malcolm saw that his lips were firmly pressed together, and his eyelashes were fluttering as if he were trying to hold back tears. He walked in front of his brother and cousin as they exited the locker room. Cian was waiting for them.

“What took you three so bloody long?” he demanded. He was still wearing his suit but had put on a t-shirt and sandals. His muscles seemed large underneath his wet shirt.

“Answer me!” he yelled, and grabbed Barrett by the shoulder. Instinctively, Malcolm stepped forward and tried to get between them. He was on the floor before he could think. Cian had pushed him down.

“Get up and mind your own business,” the man ordered. “Let’s go home.”

“Is everything ok?” an unfamiliar voice asked.

Malcolm stood up and saw that the lifeguard was walking toward them. Before he could say anything, Cian answered.

“Yeah, he just fell. He’s all right, aren’t you, Malcolm?”

Malcolm nodded. He felt numb inside and was afraid to say anything. He followed his uncle and cousins to the truck, which Cian had parked in a disabled spot. Barrett sat in the front next to his father, and Malcolm and Cillian sat in the back seat. Cian began to lecture Barrett about his swimming.

“You’ll be a bloody sissy like my cousin Tiarnán if you don’t learn to swim, boy,” he was telling him. Malcolm tried not to listen and moved closer to Cillian. The boy’s gray eyes were full of tears. He seemed to be almost frozen, staring at Barrett as if he had to keep an eye on him, and his auburn curls were damp with sweat. Malcolm couldn’t stop his own body from shaking. Frightened and upset, he put his arm around Cillian and didn’t let go until Cian pulled into the driveway of the O’Ryan’s house. It was a lovely farmhouse, called Berry Hill, and Malcolm had always had great times there. Now he felt that all the happy times had been a dream and something terrible was going to happen.

“Get out,” Cian told Malcolm and Cillian sharply. The boys scrambled out and followed Barrett to the door. When it opened and Aunt Sinéad greeted them with a smile, Cian got back in his truck and drove away. Malcolm had never felt so relieved in all his ten years.

“How was swimming, son?” Aunt Sinéad asked Barrett. To Malcolm’s utter surprise, his cousin replied that it had gone pretty well and asked what he could do to help get ready for dinner.

“It’s almost ready, but you could put the plates on the counter,” Malcolm’s kind aunt told her older son. “Cillian, sweetheart, would you go get Caitie? She’s in the playroom. Are you ok, honey?”

Malcolm looked at Cillian, curious to see what the boy would reply. Would he also lie to his mother?

“Yeah,” he replied almost inaudibly.

“Are you sure?”

Sinéad pulled her little boy close and held his pale face in her two hands.

“What’s going on, my darling?” she asked him.

“I hurt myself in the truck,” he whispered. Malcolm gasped, but Sinéad didn’t seem to notice.

“Oh, sweetheart. I’m sorry. What hurts?”

“My foot.”

“Do you want to put some ice on it?”

Cillian shook his head for “no.”

“I’ll go get Cait,” he mumbled, and Sinéad let him go. Malcolm stared after him as he ran up the stairs to get his four-year-old sister.

“Hello, sweetheart,” said Sinéad, coming over to put her arm around her older sister’s only son. “Did you have a good time at the pool?”

Malcolm felt as if he couldn’t open his mouth.

“Did something happen?” the woman asked. Malcolm looked up into her soft brown eyes and nodded.

“What, darling?”

“Uncle Cian was yelling at Barrett,” he told her quietly. A flush of color came into Sinéad’s cheeks.

“He was, was he?” she asked. “Well, I’ll have a word with him. He’s too hard on Barrett. Did he do anything to you?”

Somehow, Malcolm knew that if he told her everything, something bad would happen. He was afraid that Cian would hurt Aunt Sinéad. So he shook his head.

“Well, Cian’s full of hot air. I’ll talk to him. Come here, sweetheart.”

Sinéad pulled Malcolm into her arms and hugged him. A few tears slipped out of his eyes, but he stopped himself from sobbing as he hugged her back.

“Let’s have supper, shall we?”

She smiled at Cillian, who had just descended the stairs with Caitie at his heels. The little girl looked so cute in her blue outfit and the ribbons that vainly tried to tame her fiery red curls.

“Hey, Cait!” Malcolm told his youngest cousin, and she ran to hug him.

Dinner was delicious, and Malcolm ate a lot even though he was still upset. Barrett ate as if he were going off to war. But Cillian left most of his chicken pot pie on his plate and claimed he had a stomachache when questioned. After he, Barrett, and Malcolm did the dishes (“Granda says that whoever cooks shouldn’t have to clean,” Barrett told Malcolm), Cillian picked up his baby sister and carried her into the living room to cuddle and play with her. Sinéad turned the TV on to a cartoon Malcolm usually loved. He and Barrett watched it for awhile, but it didn’t seem to make any sense because Malcolm could hardly concentrate on it. He could still hear Cian’s angry voice in his head and feel the force of his hands pushing him to the floor. It had happened so quickly, but Malcolm knew the man had meant to hurt him. Worse than that were the things he said to Barrett and the fear in Cillian’s eyes. When Barrett said he had to go to the bathroom, Malcolm followed him and waited for him in the hallway. He had to talk to him.

“Barrett, don’t go down,” Malcolm told him when he came into the hall. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

“Sure,” the older boy replied. His blue eyes told Malcolm that he knew exactly what he was thinking. Malcolm followed him into his room, and they sat on the bed.

“What is it, Mal?”

“Does your dad always do that?” Malcolm asked in a small voice.

“Yeah.”

Barrett shrugged, but Malcolm saw his lip quiver.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s not anybody’s fault. I just have to get through it, and when summer’s over, he won’t take me to the pool anymore. He’ll be busier. Don’t tell Mum, ok?”

“Why not?”

“Because she’ll kick Dad out again. And if she does that, he might - he might kill us. Ok?”

“He would kill you?”

Malcolm suddenly felt so scared that he wanted to run all the way back home.

“I don’t know,” Barrett replied quietly. “I don’t know. But I don’t want to find out. And Caitie needs him around. He’s nice to her, and she cries when he’s gone.”

Malcolm didn’t answer. There was really nothing to say.

“It’s like being in the wars,” Barrett continued in a stronger voice. “I pretend I’m a soldier. Cillian gave me the idea. He said he pretends he’s a secret agent. We have to look out for each other all the time. He’s like a spy, and he keeps an eye on me when I’m fighting in the wars.”

Malcolm nodded. He wasn’t sure what to think about his brave cousins, but one thing was sure. They were in a war, and they were going to fight to protect each other or die trying.

#OC #story #original characters #sad #brothers #cousins #war #abuse #backstory #90s #depression

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thiswomanshouldbewriting · 7 years

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Whoops, sending short parts to eight different people didn't seem to work well, so -- (1/9) Detective Gold had been in the right place at the right time. At least, that’s what the DEA suit had told him when she ‘recruited’ him for a sensitive undercover operation. Recruited, ha! As if he’d been given a choice. A bizarre series of events during his regular duties as a Hyperion Heights detective had resulted in a big-time Seattle drug dealer believing Gold was a fellow criminal.

Hey, anon, sorry it took me so long. I really have no other apology than: “I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by literally everything and procrastinated every single thing in my life.”

Btw, I originally had part 5, @bellegold part 3, @thatravenclawbitch part 4, @bookwormchocaholic part 9. I’m copying and pasting all parts in a single post and adding a few paragraph breaks, so that it’s more organized.

Detective Gold had been in the right place at the right time. At least, that’s what the DEA suit had told him when she ‘recruited’ him for a sensitive undercover operation. Recruited, ha! As if he’d been given a choice. A bizarre series of events during his regular duties as a Hyperion Heights detective had resulted in a big-time Seattle drug dealer believing Gold was a fellow criminal. Once in the trusted inner circle of the kingpin’s business, Captain Mills ordered him to stay and maintain his cover. It was simply too good an opportunity to pass up. He hadn’t even had a chance to say goodbye to his family. But he knew Belle would want him to get villains off the streets. They both wanted Gideon to grow up in a safe world. He’d been undercover for a few days, following Nottingham’s orders. It was only then that he realized just how utterly stupid the man was, which perhaps helped explain how he’d mistaken Gold for a fellow drug dealer. It was beyond him how Nottingham managed to run a profitable criminal enterprise, when he couldn’t even get Gold’s assumed name right.

Only two days passed before he was arrested and taken in for questioning, SOP when an undercover detective’s superiors needed to talk. They’d gone not to his own precinct, but the main office downtown. There, a DEA officer called Mal informed him that he was now undercover for her as well. Lovely. The only good thing that happened that day was that he was able to call his wife. As expected, Belle supported his efforts to bring down the drug ring and said she loved him. He regretted not being able to see her in person, to hug her or Gideon – who they’d agreed not to tell what was going on because he was too young to understand everything. But her support boosted him and he went back on the streets with a renewed sense of purpose.

He started learning Nottingham’s operation, how the drugs moved and which minions were in charge of what. It was good that he was a quick study; everyone seemed to think that he already knew how everything worked. What he didn’t know, was how he’d ended up on his knees in an alley, staring down the barrel of a gun held by a man who looked exactly like him.

“Who the hell are you?” the stranger asked.

On closer examination, there were minor differences in appearance. The other man was thinner, with a scruffy beard. He also wore glasses, with the lights from the nearby streetlamp glinting off them. But the dark eyes, facial features, and brown hair streaked through with gray were the same. Even their hairstyle was the same, as if they had the same barber.

“I think the better question is, who are you, and why do I feel like I’m looking in a funhouse mirror?” Gold stood up, no longer caring about the gun aimed at him.

His copy kept the gun pointed but didn’t prevent him from standing. “You first. Name.”

“Malcolm McKenzie.” He gave his undercover name.

“Malcolm?” The stranger was trying to play it cool, but couldn’t hide his shock.

“Yes. It was my father’s name.”

He lowered his gun, looking pained. “Was your mother named Fiona?”

“She was,” Gold whispered into the cold air of the alley.

“You were born in Glasgow?”

He nodded. “April 14–”

“1961,” they said together.

“If you’re not planning to use that gun, how about we find someplace warm to sit down? It seems we have a lot to talk about.”

Why the cliffhanger, anon? Why? I need to know what’s going on!

#Rumplestiltskin #Rumbelle #Ouat #Rumbelle fic #Rumbelle au #Rumbelle ask box fic

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artisticestheticreads · 5 years

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ያ ድምጹ (That Voice)

The next day in her apartment’s lab, Anika was looking at the blended blood sample of her last victims through a magnify glass and took some notes. “No trace of any diseases found. This is good for feeding. The others will be happy.” She took off her white lab coat and gloves placing them on the counter before leaving the room. Anika played her stereo to hear Nina Simone’s ‘Sinnerman’. She let her hair down out of its ponytail to massage her scalp as she moved around her apartment to the instruments that surrounded her in the room. She wore small biker shorts with an over sized white crop top. She moved her hips and arms to the sway of Ms. Simone’s vocals, singing every word.

“Don't you see I need you, rock? Good Lord, Lord All on that day So I run to the river It was bleedin', I run to the sea It was bleedin', I run to the sea It was bleedin', all on that day So I run to the river It was boilin', I run to the sea It was boilin', I run to the sea It was boilin', all on that day.”

Anika imagined herself as she was there when she performed this song live back in 1965 when her mother was still alive. Queen Kamili loved this song and whenever the ladies heard it, they couldn’t help but move. They always ended up doing their tribe’s dance moves. Anika moved around in such a full force as she imagined the last few minutes she had with her mother. She felt her soul become stronger within every move like she did whenever she was with her mother. When the song came to an end, she felt tears draining from her eyes, looked into the mirror across from her and saw the gold tears fall. She tossed her hair out of her face and sat on her knees looking at her reflection.

She heard a cough and when she turned, she saw her third eldest sister, Princess Eshe Maraki of Season Beginning’s. She wore her fluffy afro with pride, a bedazzled sequin top with a purple strapless bra , bangles up her arm, matching hoops and a purple fluorite stone around her neck with low ride cuffed jeans and matching stiletto boots. “Hello, beautiful baby sister. Why must you cry whenever you hear that tune?” Anika stood on shaky legs but Eshe caught her. “Why are you here, Eshe” she asked as Eshe wiped her tears away. “I am here to visit you, love. I see you are still not over our Queen’s death.”

“How can I be over it when I am the reason she is gone?” She held Anika’s head onto her lap and started to twirl the braids in her hair. “Dear Anika, none of us all saw this coming and besides you were no where near the scene of the crime. You did nothing wrong.” Anika tried to get up but Eshe pushed her back down. “Listen, Anika. Our women have only one rule and that is never blame ourselves or others for the death of our people. We have to stay strong in our mother’s memory. I know you and I are not close as yourself and Zoya but trust me when I say that you are not to blame. The attack was fast and before we could stop it, it was all over with. Mother is back in her tomb at peace with our Goddess Genat.”

“She was not supposed to die, Eshe. We are im-mortal for a reason. We do not die like the human beings.” Eshe let out a small chuckle and said “this is true but things happen all for a good reason even if they started out terrible. The tribe in question will be punished soon once we find them. Do not worry and once we find the heart and a cure, you will be our queen. You will wear that crown with pride and joy like our mother wants and imagined for you.” Anika closed her eyes and took in her sister’s sweet scent. It was true they weren’t close but when they made up, there were already sweet memories. Eshe was traveling the world so much she barely checked on her sisters. She honestly blamed her mother’s death on her because she was not there to stop it. As her sweet sister fell sleep in her lap, she watched her and caressed her cheek. Eshe lied her head back looking up to the ceiling with gold tears of her own. “inē it’ebik’ishalehu ina k’alihini it’ebik’alehu, ihiti ānīka (I promise our queen that I will protect you and I shall keep my promise, sister Anika.)”, she said as she soon drifted off as well, all to Nina Simones’ ‘Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood’.

In his apartment across town, Malcolm looked at his house phone that was staring him the face. He sat on the couch and just staring at white phone like it owed him money. It had been a whole three days since he met ‘Anne’ but he still didn’t call her. He was scared. Of what he didn’t know why but he just knew he shouldn’t. What if she was busy? What if she wasn’t really feeling him like that? He had called plenty of females, all the time actually so why was he being such a wimp, he thought. His train of thought was interrupted when the phone rung. He got up and answered.

“Hello?”

“What’s up, nigga? You called her yet?” It was Shane of course. Mal took the cordless phone to his couch. “Shane, why and how are you always in my fucking business?” Shane rolled his eyes as he watched Martin reruns. “Da fuck you waiting for, Mal? It ain’t like she gonna call ya ass. She don’t even have your number.” Malcolm thought about it but maybe too hard because he felt he was brain was about to strain. He placed two fingers on his forehead moving them clockwise. “Shane, you my dogg but I don’t need no lecture from you, my nigga. Ima call when I am ready. I’ll call you later.”. He hung up and felt something, like a certain urge. He looked at the phone number he copied on a sheet of paper as soon as he got home and picked up the phone dialed the numbers. “13235558794″ he said and held the phone to his ear leaning on the couch. He waited for the dial tone and it kept ringing he was about to give up but then he heard…

“Hello”, Anika answered as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. He thought she even sound more beautiful like she did in person. She looked around to see that Eshe was gone and so were the containers. She repeated. “Hello? Is anyone there?” He cleared his throat and said “is Anne there?” Her voice eased to his eardrums. “Yeah. Hi, Mal. How’s it going’?” He smiled and leaned his head back relieved. “Good. Were you sleep?”

She yawned and said “yeah but it’s okay.”

“Sorry I haven’t called. I’ve been hella busy.” She laughed and said “it’s coo, Malcolm. I figured as much. I’ve had my hands tied, too. So, how you been though?” He became more relaxed and said “I was stressed but now I ain’t anymore. But, what about you?” She lied in bed now and said “nothing much. School and stuff.”

He was quiet for a little, trying to think of what to say next. “So, what you got goin’ on for the rest of the week?” She took a breath and said “nothing much. What about you?”

“Same as you. You not hanging with you friends.?”

She had to come up with a lie and fast. “Oh, they actually went back home to Texas. They were only visiting, remember.” He smiled and asked “I know this is sudden but would you like to hang out today or tomorrow? I would uh..” He cleared his throat and said “I would really like to see you again.” She looked around in a very paranoid state of mind and asked “why you wanna see me?” He chuckled nervously and said “well, I would like us to be friends and I was always raised that to be a friend, we should build a connection.” The last time she did something like this, her sisters found out and had to take him out; he ended up being take out. But for some, something told her to say …

“Okay. Tomorrow will be fine.”

He smiled. “Great and where would you like to meet?”

“You know where Fox Hills is at?”

“Yes, of course. What time?”

“Noon.”

He leaned in and said “cool, I’ll see you then.” She nodded and hung up slowly, dropping the phone. Anika sat there in bed thinking out loud. “What in all of Ethiopia am I doing? I must be foolish to think that this will end well. So, why am I fine with this? I am the leader of a royal tribe for mother’s sake. I can not go. I must not.”

She lied on the cold golden floor in a sacred temple somewhere in deep Ethiopia but she wore a white gown that hugged her figure and her hair in two braids and matching afro puffs. She wore a gold head piece on her forehead as as she sat up to take in her surroundings. The walls were a white marble and the ceiling was high with a gold chandelier. “lijē, inikwani dehina met’achihu (My child, welcome home.)”, she heard a sweet woman’s voice but saw no one around. “selami. yeti nehi (Hello. Where are you?)”, she asked but no answer. She walked around the room that suddenly faded in as she saw furniture fading in. A king sized bed with black silk sheets with millions of golden throw pillows. There was also a vanity table and a huge wardrobe with two matching lions on each side of the bed. She looked in the mirror to see her mother in a shimmery gold and white gown with a crown that resembled Queen Nefertiti's crown but white and gold. Anika turned to her and felt tears drop down. “nigisiti imayē? (My Queen Mother?)”

“le’inē minimi iniba, lijē. inē lezele’ālemi wisit’i bebētemenihi wisit’i nenyi. inē huligīzē izīhi inoralehu. inē beberikata sewochi dehina nenyi. (No tears for me, my child. I am in our palace for all of eternity. I will always be here. I am safe and loved by many.)”, Queen Kamili opened her arms to her beloved daughter with a warm smile. Anika ran to her arms with so much emotion she couldn’t think right. “imayē, bet’ami āzenishalehu. (Mother, I miss you dearly.)”, she said not wanting to let go. The queen gave a light laugh and held her closer. “Ah, Anika my love. You have a lot to learn. I am amazed that you have not visited me earlier. (ānī, fik’irē. bizu yemīmaruti negeri ālewoti. k’edemi biyē silaligobenyehubinyi desitenya nenyi)”, Kamili said as she rubbed her child’s back.

Anika looked at her with baffled eyes. “What do you mean, mother?” Queen smiled and said “follow me, dear Anika.” They left the royal palace and walked to a secluded ocean where the water was clear and aqua and the rocks were a magenta shade caused by the sunset. “Our people were the first to be on earth ever. The bible say that there was an “Adam and Eve”. No, there was Adam, Eve, Amani and Fassil, Yonas and Nyala but we were separate for a purpose. You see, there is their God and we have our Goddess, Genat. Genat created our kind on the other side of the world because their God couldn’t handle our power. He hated the idea of beings more powerful than him.”, Queen Kamili stated as the dug their toes in the warm toffee sand. Anika said “so, mother. We were able to populate with the male species?” Kamili smiled and said “yes, but only beings like us. Strong, resourceful, and highly intelligent. We used to be guarded by the royal family, the Sahle tribe. They were are protectors and partners before the Serwit tribe. But we had our difference in 1708 due to some issue we do not wish to discuss.” Anika looked on the water with her arms in front then to her mother. “Mother, why am I here?” Kamili looked at her daughter with caring eyes. “the man, you will befriend. He is a good man. He is not like the others we have fed to our kind. Someone I like for you. You need to relax a little, my child. That young man is something special.” Anika turned to her mother and asked “what about the others? What would they think of this issue?” Kamili held Anika’s shoulders and said “ānite merīhi nehi. inesu melikami yihonalu. (You are their leader. They will be fine.)” She smiled and Anika hugged her again. “inē ānichīni iwedachiḫwalehu. (I love you, mother.)” “lijēni iwedachiḫwalehu. kuratenya ina gezhī ādirigenyi. (I love you, my child. Make me proud and rule.)

Anika woke up the next day to realize it was all a dream. Her eyes looked to the sun and she thought of what her mother said and smiled. “Maybe I should give him a chance. As a friend of course.”, she said aloud then saw the time on her clock. It was eleven am and she had to meet Malcolm across Los Angeles at Fox Hills mall. “For the love Genat” she yelled as she ran to the shower then looked inside her closet for something to wear; a paid of Adidas biker shorts, plain red turtleneck crop top, and red converse with a red & black flannel. She wore her hair in high ponytail with two braids out, grabbed her keys and was on her way.

[Elevators (Me & You) by OutKast plays]

She pulled into the crowded parking lot and parked in a spot by the food court. She realized that they never said where to actually meet but when she looked up, Malcolm sat at a nearby table. He wore a pair of red sweats with a black sweater and black Kswiss. He saw her and smiled with a lip bite. He stood as he approached her and said “hey, hope you don’t mind but I just came from class.” She nodded and said “it’s okay. I literally just threw anything on.” He looked her up and down. “You like fly to me, Annie”, he gave a warm smile and she felt hers coming in slowly. They began walking through the mall looking at all the customers running around. “So, Annie. I wanted to actually apologize for not calling. It’s been really busy lately” he said with his arms crossed, looking down at her.

She waved him off and said “it’s fine, Mal. Really. I’ve been busy, too.” He looked down at her, watching her with close eyes again. He watched her lips move as they talked every sweet word. Her eyes were like dark chocolate covered orbs that had a shine to them. Her skin was smooth as if it was touched by A God them self; any God. Her body was a vision that he would to take in all of eternity. She was overall a piece of art and he couldn’t help but just stare. She looked up at him and smiled. “You aight up there”, she asked him. He nodded and chuckled. “Yeah, I’m fine. So, do you have any relatives?” She looked at him then ahead.

“Yeah, I’m the baby of seven women.”

“Whoa. So, no brothers.”

She shook her head. “Nope, what about you?” He smiled and said “I’m actually the youngest of a bunch of men. Just imagine the fights.” He laughed as she looked at him. He was a very handsome man with amazing dark skin, a smile that can make anyone do anything. His arms were tone but not too overbearing. His eyes were like the dark sands that surrounded her royal Ethiopian palace. ‘Why am I thinking like this’ she thought to herself. ‘He is of the human male species and I am an immortal princess who is two hundred years old and also feeds off his brothers’. He looked at her and asked “are you okay, Annie?” She looked at him and said “I’m fine. Just hungry.”

“Well, since we just walkin’ around, let’s hit Denny’s then.”

She smiled and nodded. “We can meet up there.” He nodded once and said “I’ll see ya there. Right down the street, aight?” She smiled. “Okay, Mal.” They walked away each other slowly and surely. He got in his car and couldn’t help but smile as he made his way to Denny’s. He pulled into the parking lot and as he waited his brother called.

“This Mal”, Malcolm said. His brother let out a deep breath and said “hello, Malcolm.”

“Hey, Sal. How’s it going?”

Sal was in his loft in New York city. He was also an attorney; probably the best damned one in all of his law firm. “How is Los Angeles treating you”, he asked his baby brother as he entered his lavish loft. He slipped out his gray tailored coat and placed it on the coat rack before settling in his wooden lounge chair. “It’s cool out here. How is New York , big bro?”

“Fine. Same old. Same old. Have you talk to the other brothers?”

“Nah, why what’s up?”

Sal loosened his tie and said “we will be all going to T’s place for our monthly family gathering. Dad’s wishes before he passed.” Malcolm totally forgot about it until now. His brothers liked to visit him more than anything due to their father’s death. He was scarred after the fact and went through a tough battle with depression. They usually liked to talk about his progress in person but Malcolm never could face him because it felt like they were secretly judging him. “Oh yeah. Okay then. Just lettin’ you know now. I am fine. I am stable.” Sal poured a cup of whiskey into his chilled glass at his kitchen counter. “Yes, I know but it was our father’s wish since you are the last of us. So, we will be there and discuss whatever.” Sal sipped the whiskey and said “aaaah. Smooth. Little brother, we are doing this because we care about your well being. You must stay strong for all of us. We are a team.” Malcolm felt a tear and wiped it with his thumb. “I know, man. I know.”

He turned his head to see Annie’s car pull up to a nearby spot. “Hey, Sal. I’m gonna call when I get back, man.” They said their goodbyes and Mal hopped out to stand by Annie’s door; she smiled and opened her door. They walked in side by side and went to sit at table with two chairs across from each other. He ordered them two chocolate milkshakes and as Anika watched the waitress walk away, she turned back to see Malcolm looking at her. “What”, she asked with a chuckle. He smiled at her and said “nothing. I just feel like, we met before. Is that weird?” She looked into his face still trying to read his mind but she couldn’t. “No, it ain’t. Why do think we met before?”

“Not sure but I feel like maybe in the past we did.” She took a deep breath and felt as if she needed to change the subject. “So, Malcolm. How was your classes today?” The waitress came back with their milkshakes and asked “are you ready to order?” She looked from her menu then at the rose quartz stone on her chain then at the name tag; Idna . “Uh, yes. I’ll just take a cheeseburger with no tomato.”

“I’ll have the same.”

The waiter took the menus and at went to the back. She excused herself to go to the ladies room but before she did, she saw Idna the older white woman go inside. Anika walked in and said “really, sister Ife.” Ife transformed back into herself and smiled. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself and besides, he is kinda cute.” Anika rolled her eyes then asked “how on Genat’s green earth did you know we were here?” Ife looked to the stall, pointed but when Princess Anika went to go open it, no one was inside. When she turned, she saw Chereka standing right behind her as she screamed. “Damn it, warrior Che. Will you please stop that? If I was a human, that would have killed me.” Chereka laughed and apologized. “Any who. Why are with that, young man”, Chereka asked her with a raised brow. Anika walked around her and asked “who is the leader of this tribe, again?” Ife said “you are, Princess Anika.”

“Exactly. So I should not have to explain, my self sister. Anyways, have you heard from the other sisters?”

“Yes, sister Faizah is in Hawaii and have took over two hundred men in the past two years for feeding. Sister Jamila is in Florida and had sent back fifty while sisters Kia and Eshe are back in Brooklyn, New York taking rappers out. And sister Zoya is back home tending to the sick.”

Anika nodded and smiled. “Very good, sister. Let them all know they can rest for now. We have plenty to feed off of for years to come. We need our women to socialize more to seem the less suspicious. You two go back to Texas and have fun.” They heard a toilet flush and a woman walked out to see them with her terrified eyes. Ife transformed back into Idna and looked at Anika as Chereka guarded the door. Ife and Anika’s eyes glowed gold as they lifted their right hands and they said “yetewededikewini yesemachiwini negeri ātirisa. irisiwo bedehina yinoruwotali (Forget what you have heard, dear woman. For you are safe)”. The woman’s mind was completely cleared as Chereka pretended she was going to the stall. Anika said in her hood voice “that skirt is nice as hell, giiiirl”. The woman thanked her as she swung her hair and left. Anika looked to her sister and asked “ihiti āyi’īni be’āfi meficha k’wanik’wa kemenagerachini befīti megenyeti ālichalinimi (You could not check the room before we spoke in their native tongue, Sister Ife?)”. Ife looked to her sister and smiled; Anika patted her shoulder and left back to the table.

Malcolm sat there, patiently waiting while tapping his fingers along the table. “Is everything okay”, he thought to himself. He was starting to think more. “I have never been this protective before so why am I now? What is so different.” He felt something behind him and turned to see Annie walking back. She sat and their milkshakes finally came. She took the straw out, placed it inside hers and swirled the straw around before taking a sip. “I have to her hear talk”, he thought. “Annie, what do you like doing besides being at home?” She looked up at him and said “I like reading. I have a tall bookcase back at my place filled with books. I’ve been reading a lot of books since I was little.”

“For almost two hundred years now” she said to herself in her head.

“What do you like reading? Anything in particular?”

She smiled after taking another sip. “I, uh, really like fantasy, poetry, science fiction, anything that will make me want to stay up for hours in my pajamas and just read all day. What about you?” Malcolm sipped his and said “I like to paint and sculpt. I also am a photographer. I just take randoms pictures of certain areas around LA.” She was so interested in him. It was like he was not at all like the other men she had dealt with. He was … different; the food came and they ate. “So, how long have you been into art for?”

“Since I was younger. My father was also into and taught me a few things.”

“What about your mother?” Malcolm looked at her, away then back at her and said “I never knew my mother. My father remarried a lot so my brothers and I have different moms. I heard she passed when she gave birth to me.” Anika looked up at him with saddened eyes; she felt awful for bringing this up to him. “I, I’m sorry, Mal. I didn’t-”. He held up his left hand and said “it’s okay, Annie. You just asked a question and I decided to be honest with the answer. We good. Don’t trip.” He smiled and she returned a small one. “So, Annie. I was thinkin’ if you would like to go hang out sometimes. We can go to the beach or something. You can read and I can just take photos all day.”

“When will you like to go” she asked with a smile. “Are you free tomorrow afternoon? I have a pretty tight schedule for next week but I would really like to sew you again”, that smile he gave her tugged at her heart strings. She felt like the world was in that smile and she couldn’t help but say..

“I’m down. Wanna meet there?”

“I was thinking. I can pick you up. We can get to know each other more.”

She didn’t usually let humans near her home but for some reason, she was fine with him coming to her. What was happening? “Sure. Call me tomorrow and I’ll give you the address.” They sat with smiles on their faces and eventually ended up back home. Anika kicked her shoes off and looked upon her bookcase to see what to read; her heart chose “Romeo and Juliet.” She made a cup of tea, sat in the middle of her bed with legs crossed and opened to Scene II; Capulet’s Garden.

“Juliet. Well, do not swear: although I joy in thee, I have no joy of this contract to-night; It is too rash, too unadvis’d, too sudden; Too like the lightning, which doth cease to be Ere one can say It lightens. Sweet, good night! This bud of love, by summer’s ripening breath, May prove a beauteous flower when next we meet. Good night, good night! as sweet repose and rest Come to thy heart as that within my breast!”

She continued to read as her eyes became heavy and looked to her clock that was eight pm, now was midnight. She placed her finished cup and bookmarked novel on her bed side table and lied her head on her pillow until her eyes had shut into a deep slumber.

Her eyes opened to a stream of pink and blue shaded water beneath her feet. She wore the same garment from the last she saw her mother. Queen Kamili was picking her child’s afro puffs with a golden pick. “widē lijē. zarēwinu irefiti newoti (My sweet child. Have you enjoyed your rest today)?” Anika smiled up to her mother and said “āwo, nigisiti. āmeseginalehu (Yes, I have. Thank you, Queen Mother.)” Queen Kamili said “be’irigit’i yihi liji be’irigit’i yeteleye newi, negeri gini t’atiwoni belayu layi mech’emeri āyichilimi (This child is indeed different but I can not seem to put my finger on it.)”. They sat as she continued to put an ancient oil in Anika’s hair.

“li‘iliti ānīka, yezīhi gosa merī talak’i neshi ina ānite lezelalemi inidemitalifi āwik’alehu. āhuni mayeti ichilalehu. bek’iribu, ānite ina lēlochu inidegena yemebazati ina hizibochachini ke’inya gari inidegena līnoruti yichilalu. inēni inidefet’erinyi lēlochini desitenya tihonalehi. ye’irisiwo wibeti ina t͟s’ega irisiwo kemīyawik’uti belayi lēlochini yanesasutali. (Princess Anika, you are a great leader of this tribe and I know you will lead for all of eternity. I can see it now. Soon, you and the others will be able to reproduce again and our people may live again along with us. You will make others happy like you have made me. Your beauty and grace will inspire others more than you know.)”, Kamili said as she rested her hands on her child’s chin. Anika looked at her mother and fell into her hands; feeling safe and wanted in her warm touch.

Meanwhile at Malcolm’s, he was in a pair of his painter jeans and shirtless with his feet on a plastic tarp covering the whole floor underneath him. He seem to not be tired as he began working on a new piece; too eager for what God knows what. He stood in front of canvas that started from the top of his ceiling to the floor. He stared at the beginning of his new creation and thought that even though it was not nearly done, he knew it will be beautiful once finished. He looked into the painting and smiled at what he knew will be breathtaking.

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ahzrenbooks-blog · 6 years

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The Alves: Chapter Three

The Broken Tower

Four boys bolted through a field of clover beyond the keep. The scent of the sea was less strong here, the air fresh, the sky blue. Short trees clumped together ever more densely in the direction the boys were headed. The smallest, tow-headed and skinny as a stick fell behind the rest, leaning his hands on his knees and panting. The others stopped and walked back with various looks of concern.

“Why you so slow!” Geoffe demanded, clicking his tongue in annoyance. There were few emotions that didn’t cause him to click his tongue. The others had a name for him, because he clucked so much. “Aren’t you a lord? You get to train in the yard, so you got no right to lag behind like that.”

Marek straightened and lengthened his breathing. The Quartermaster and his tutor, Kagan Restar, had taught him that deep breathing would help him recover better than panting, but in the heat of the moment it was hard to do. “You don’t have to wait,” he griped. “It’s not my fault I have shorter legs.” Then he winced, realizing Jurick would’ve given a much different reply.

‘I would’ve said: “How dare you speak to your better like that? You should match my pace.”’ Dayn suggested. ‘But maybe that’s just me.’

“No, that’s Jurick too,” Marek muttered.

“What?” Geoffe returned. “You talking to yourself again?”

“It’s too hot to run so much,” Marek sighed, tired of the running, tired of the sun, tired of being teased. Still, he was a lord and he ought to try to be friendly and polite with others. Deserve his title, like Mother said.

“You rested yet? If we’re not outta sight of the keep they’ll come catch us,” Geoffe replied, clicking his tongue anxiously. Between the repetitive mouth movements he made after he spoke, his oddly wide eyes, and his buck teeth, Geoffe looked more like a fish than a chicken.

“Why don’t you race the chicken?” Cedric suggested. “Let’s see who wins: the mouse, or the clucker.” Cedric kept his hands in his pockets most of the time. The others knew anyway about his hands covered in scars, not all of them from handling unruly dogs in the kennel. The hunting dogs weren’t especially mean, but Cedric was, and the animals picked up on it. He had the same ill temperament as his father, the Hound Master, but had not learned his father’s respect for nonhuman creatures. He got what he deserved from animals that he treated poorly, and hiding his hands was his sole concession to vanity; but the Beorn boys knew a greater secret than that.

Malcolm had breath to laugh despite his figure, which wobbled when he ran. The cook’s son was as portly as a taste-tester ought to be, for a fat cook was easier to trust than a thin one. It was his lot to take over after his mother and father, and Mal enjoyed testing recipes. His fault was that he liked everything indiscriminately, having yet to develop the discerning palate that would suit a nobleman’s chef.

Marek declined the race and promised to keep up the rest of the way, even if it killed him. At least they’d reached the thick of the trees and were running in shadow. Marek grumbled to himself that there weren’t any other ‘regular boys’ for him to befriend, like ones that actually enjoyed reading as much as he did. There weren’t many families with children to choose from in the Beorn estate without drawing someone in from the town surrounding the keep. While Marek’s father was determined that the boy associate with Jurick and other regular boys, his mother preferred a bit of exclusivity. She strongly valued privacy and didn’t want her people to see her in a weakened state, especially considering how long it had lasted thus far.

She’d given Marek more reason that that, of course. She’d told him something like: ‘The nobleman is an ordinary person masquerading as special. We once believed that Queens were chosen by the Goddess Hadna, but only the superstitious still believe that today. People expect pageantry of their rulers, though. They see nobles as their betters because they have to; they rely on their masters to protect and provide for them, to know what to do in the event of war, storm, fire, or drought. The power is pretension. The power is only power as long as your people believe in you. In the end, the powerful are just people who are trained to be powerful, and trained to know better. In the end, they are trained to care about their people more than themselves.’

She’d also said: ‘Your birthright gives you power, but you will never deserve it the way others believe you do. If you seek to use your power always for others, then you’ll grow into a fine young man worthy of everyone’s trust.” It didn’t make sense yet. What power did he have when the next thing out of her mouth was: “What do you think you’re doing with your feet up on maid’s nice clean table?” and “Sit up or you’ll get a bend in your spine.’

Marek felt small and slow, least of all in power within his little group of mean boys, but he caught up to his friends as his strength flagged. He opened his mouth to thank them for waiting, but he remained wordless as he caught his first glimpse of the tower.

“That’s a good face, Marek!” Mal crowed proudly, as if the massive thing was due to his ingenuity. “How do you like that? It’s way taller than the keep!”

“Making it taller was a mistake,” Geoffe scoffed. He twisted his head to the side and grimaced up at the half-caved monolith. “Buildin’s ought not be so tall.”

“It doesn’t look safe,” Marek muttered. “We’re not going inside, are we?”

“We’re not going inside are we?” Cedric mimicked in a high whining voice. He stepped close and pinched Marek’s cheek. “The poor mouse is scared.”

Dayn grabbed Cedric’s arm and bit him, but of course, only went through the body of the boy. ‘Marek, HIT HIM!’ His eyes burned blue and cold.

Marek tried to slap the boy’s arm away, but Cedric had been training dogs twice Marek’s size and didn’t so much as wince. Cedric scowled and let go when he chose to, then walked toward the tower with immediate and utter dismissal. Marek rubbed his sore cheek and Dayn hovered close to him, fuming.

They got as close to the foot of the stone structure as they could. Vines twined around rubble and trees and created an impenetrable wall covering half the perimeter. Cedric drew his hunting knife from his boot and cut his way through loose vine until he reached a flat stone. He pulled himself up to sit and beckoned to the others. “Well, ain’t this comfy?”

“So now we’re here, but what do we do?” Geoffe griped. “Look at this place. We can’t even explore the ruin with all that rock in the way.”

Marek sat cross-legged in a thatch of soft grass and studied the structure. The stone was white on one side from sun-bleaching and salt air hitting it, but the more protected side was still light grey. Some of the base had sunk visibly into the earth which had caused the dramatic tilt. He could see that the sinking event had happened quickly enough to explain the collapse of the top, leaving an unkempt hole.

“It’s like broken teeth,” Marek said.

“That the best you’ve got, book-rat?” Cedric jibed. “You don’t know the exact content of the stone, or have some over eager words to describe the tilt of the tower?”

“Why would I? I’m no architect.”

“It kind of does look like broken teeth though,” Mal mumbled. “It’s funny, like someone beat up a big rock troll.” He chuckled to silence under the others’ scrutiny.

“What really happened?” Geoffe asked.

Cedric shrugged. “Heard it got hit by lightning some time ba-”

“I heard that too!” Mal interrupted, despite the fuming look Cedric gave him. “It had a crew of six night guards living there a hundred years ago, and when it got struck, the lightning went through all the stone and killed them all. Now you can see them at night if you come out without any lanterns, and if you kill a black cat under the tower’s shadow you can talk to them. My cousin Rouphon told me about that last time he was over from Sabry. He’s full of stories ‘specially when he gets into Pa’s ale.”

“That’s not true,” Marek argued. “It wasn’t lightning. Stone doesn’t conduct lightning well unless it contains a lot of metal, anyway.”

“What are you talking about? Like conduct music? Lightning can travel through anything! Sides, maybe it was raining and it went through the water on the stone instead,” Mal argued back. “Well, it could’ve!”

‘Marek, it’s Guniver’s Lighthouse. You remember, from ‘Local Ruins and Myths’ by Alvor.’ Dayn urged, jabbing at Marek’s side with his elbow.

It jogged his memory even if he didn’t feel the touch. “But I read about this tower. I remember now. And it got like this only ten years ago, not a hundred,” Marek replied.

“Oh sure, if you read it, it must be true,” Mal growled. His face became more red than it usually was. “I’m so sick of you trying to win arguments with your books. Adults don’t even believe in ghosts, so how would they know anything about anything? They certainly wouldn’t write about it unless they believed it.”

“If your story isn’t true at base,” Marek argued, “then why would the ghost part be true? This was a lighthouse, not a garrison. No one would put a garrison so far from the keep. You can even see a piece of the wood from the big lighthouse torch up there. There’s not room for more than a single bed inside the tower. Just look!”

Dayn clapped his hands together in triumph and gave Marek a smug grin.

“Bugger off!” Mal cursed. “It has multiple layers, don’t it? So one bed on each.”

“Shut it, both of you,” Cedric snapped. “Look, if you’re trying to see ghosts at night, you can’t sacrifice a animal in the tower’s shadow if there’s no actual shadow. And there wouldn’t be. Because of the trees around here. Even if the moon was directly above, everything is dark.”

“That’s so stupid! A shadow is a shadow!” Mal cried.

“You shouldn’t hurt black cats anyway,” Marek spat. “You’ll have bad luck. It wouldn’t make you see ghosts, either. Magic doesn’t work that way.”

“How does it work then? It’s not like you have talent,” Geoff stated flatly, finally giving in to the conversation. “None of the Beorns are awake to magic. The orchard just uses it naturally on its own.”

Marek sighed and looked away. “Who cares anyway? It’s just a stupid story.”

“How’d the lighthouse really sink then?” Cedric asked. “Not lightning?”

Marek shook his head. “There’re no scorch marks. Just broken blocks. A lightning strike would leave scorch.”

“Oh. yeah.” Malcolm lost all of his steam as he sighed. “Just another of Rouphon’s ghost tales I guess. Heh…”

“Should’ve known better,” Geoff laughed. “He hasn’t been right once so far.”

“This area was strong at the time, but the earth gets soggy when it rains,” Marek said. Dayn was stalking circles around the group, listening absently, and Marek found it difficult not to follow his invisible friend with his eyes. “It’s something about how the ground curves and the closeness of the sea that makes more water get trapped here. I don’t remember all of what I read, but the tower just sank under its own weight and broke off a little when it tipped.”

The others glowered at him. Geoff clicked his tongue with disappointment. “That’s so boring.”

Marek shrugged, unable to help it. “They started using the new lighthouse attached to the keep once this one wasn’t doing so well. I’m pretty sure nobody even died.”

Cedric laughed. “Do you have a big word to describe this feeling, book-rat?”

“Hmm… Anti-climactic?”

“I don’t know about that. Lightning wasn’t the problem, but the climate still was,” Geoff shrugged.

Dayn laughed and rubbed his face with his hands. While inaudible, the sound of laughter echoed in Marek’s mind and distracted him. Marek shook his head. “I don’t know the right word then.”

In an admirable feat of phalangelical fortitude, Mal wrenched himself up onto his toes and gave a grunt of satisfaction as he noticed something. “It’s not just the beacon up there.” He circled the tower, craning to see up inside the maw. “Oy, there’s a bed up there. You sure no one lived there?”

“I told you, the keeper moved to the new lighthouse when this one became dangerous,” Marek said. “They probably didn’t want to chance the bed on the stairs, and just left it there.”

“How sure are you?” Malcolm argued. “We’d have to get closer to see though. Maybe there’s a body in there. Maybe they had to get a new lighthouse keeper because the old one got hit by a falling stone and never came out. It’s too dangerous to come here or they wouldn’t stop us from checking it out. That’s why we had to sneak, right? Would they be so afraid if no one had been killed?”

“Well,” Cedric murmured, “we do have someone small enough to lift over these stones.”

The Beorns froze, the physical and the transparent. Everyone looked at Marek.

“No way. I’m not going in there,” Marek said, voice breaking at the tail end. He sprang up to his feet anxiously.

“No, you’re not,” Dayn hissed, flashing in and out of Marek’s sight with the immediate reaction of his temper.

Marek flinched at the behavior. Who did Dayn think he was frightening? He wouldn’t be able to do anything to stop what they both knew was coming.

“Not taking No,” Cedric pushed. “We’ll get through these vines on the outside. Once we toss you over, I’ll hand you my knife to keep you safe.”

Marek shook his head, his eyes going wide. “It c-can’t protect me from falling rocks!”

“Oh, poor little mouse is too afraid to move,” Cedric mocked using his high-pitched ‘baby Marek’ voice.

“Yes I am! I don’t want that thing falling over with me in it!” Marek argued, disgusted. “It’s abandoned for a reason!”

“Come on, you weigh the same as a puppy. It’s not going over just because you’re inside,” Cedric wheedled. “Come here.”

“Yeah, you’ll be careful,” Geoffe said, grinning and moving closer from the other side. “I wanna know what’s up there.”

‘Sure, that’s what you want,’ Dayn hissed. ‘Sure, you don’t just enjoy any opportunity to force those smaller than you into bad situations, you buck-toothed bastard.’

Marek hopped to his feet and backed away. Cedric came at him from in front, and Geoffe the chicken, eager to impress, circled him. Mal stood in place and gripped the hem of his shirt worriedly, as he did when anyone threatened any actual physical confrontation.

The other two caught and held Marek by the arms, then began the arduous task of dragging him toward the stones as he kicked and dug his heels into the ground. Dayn fumed and beat his fists through Cedric’s back to no avail. As much as he concentrated, everyone but Marek remained unaware of his presence.

“Get the bloody fuck away from him!” Dayn screamed viciously, eyes slitted with hate. “Marek, become dead weight!”

Marek stared at him, pleading with his eyes, but obediently went limp, willing his body to be as heavy as possible. It didn’t work.

“What’s he lookin’ at again?” Mal cried, voice higher from his nerves. “He’s starin’ off at nothin’, like a simpleton.”

“Forget it,” Cedric spat. He kicked Marek’s feet out from under him with a grunt, and the boys made some real progress. They levered Marek up onto the boulders, then pushed until he slipped off the other side with a cry and a thud. For a moment, nothing happened.

Geoffe coughed meaningfully. “Um… Marek? You alive over there?”

“Ow. Yeah, but there’s something...”

“You sound weird,” Geoffe hazarded. His mouth moved, opened and twitched to either side as he became nervous. “You hurt at all? Shit, was it a bad idea to push him off like that?”

“Too late now,” Cedric griped. “You, answer up! What do you see?”

“I feel strange…” Marek replied, voice muffled and shaky. “It feels like I landed in a nest of invisible bees.”

“The hell is he talking about?” Geoffe whined.

The strangeness spread through Marek’s fingers. A tingling feeling that alarmed his skin until the hair on his arms had stood up. The flesh and small parts that made up his body were accentuated and awakened by this tingling. He felt every sweat droplet as it moistened his shirt and hair, becoming more real and aware as the seconds ticked slowly into place. Each breath was an agony of motion, the inhale as loud and long as the susurrus of the nearby sea, the exhale of living vaporous breath as tangible as mist at morning. His lungs ached with expansion and collapse; time stretched until he forgot when the last breath had begun or ceased. The shadows spread from his fingers, black as night. Blacker. An echo of his body, a trail of decay seeping away from where he sat. It expanded like a pool of oil, and he gathered his voice and breath to shriek, but his strength was stolen by that slow pour. The tingling in his body swelled painfully to a climax, and still he couldn’t make a sound. He felt the power like a ball of explosions in front of him, drawn through him to collect there at a visible source.

Dayn rose in front of him, back toward him. The boy’s shade gathered and swarmed with the visible darkened ball of power until he was nearly overwhelmed by swirls of immaterial black. He thrust his hands skyward and screamed, but only Marek could hear that wrenching cry. His stomach tried to hide in his throat, and he didn’t much blame it. He’d have cowered too, if he could move. The darkness swirled above, directed up Dayn’s hands, and crawled like a writhing swarm up the side of the tower. There was a rumble of shearing rock, almost like thunder but far more present. Three boys screamed distantly. Rocks fell, but Marek couldn’t see clearly how many or from what face of the tower.

Then the screaming turned into hysterical cries, and the tower ceased its shaking. The darkness vanished, and Dayn tried to turn, but faded as he fell, too weakened to remain visible. Marek slumped, exhausted, as time resumed its usual pace. The stone should have felt sharp and hard, but it barely registered against his head and cheek.

“OH GODDESS! NO! Ai, it fell right on him! Ah! What do we do?”

“Go get help you sodden- - - cret- - run - - “

When Marek awoke, it felt as though he’d been crushed under the rock. He jolted awake, feeling intensely claustrophobic, but the room was wide open and well-aired with a breeze stirring the window trimmings. He tried to rub his temples but his arms felt weighed down. He looked at them, hidden by bed sheets, but could see nothing over his body other than the blankets. He tried again, and his arms lifted shakily.

“What…?”

“I hear you stirring, little lord,” Jona said, pushing back the seat in front of her desk. She rose and came close, putting a cool hand on Marek’s forehead.

“Did I…”

“Did you what?” Jona smiled slightly, but her eyes gave nothing away. Surely she should be more concerned.

Marek shook his head. As ever, he was wary of trusting her. “I don’t know. My head is splitting.”

“Here, have some water.” Jona reached to a flagon on a bedside table and tipped it for him. After he’d had a few careful sips she added, “You need more rest, I think. We’ll talk when you’re ready. Hush now.” She petted back his hair, but Marek only felt it for a few seconds before he was out again.

#My writing #fantasy

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