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yoonia · 7 months

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the bedroom hymns ● chapter viii

⟶ Chapter summary | As Yoongi returns home, he is welcomed by the shadows of his past, and the secret behind his journey being challenged and questioned. At the same time, you slowly begin to unravel your father’s secrets, as you begin to learn more about his magic, and you continue following the shadows of his footsteps to find out what he has planned.

⟶ Author’s note | We’re finally getting a long chapter! I contemplated between dropping this part as a full chapter or to split it into two, but I figured it would be best to combine the scenes as they work much better if being shared and told at the same time. That being said, I might be taking a break from posting the chapters for a couple of weeks (just a week or two, maybe) to finish the rest of the upcoming chapters so we can have some more regular updates. I’ll be back soon with more thrilling scenes, I promise. But for now, I hope this long chapter will fill your days as we wait for the next ones to come :)

chapter viii. chasing shadows

Yoongi never truly understood why he was able to find solace while he was staying in Smotia until he finally returned home.

Emburn Empire, Min Yoongi’s home kingdom and the home of the fairies, can be quite distinctive compared to any other kingdoms that inhabit the Land of Far Far Away. Its vast territory rises from one of the most sequestered regions of the fairy tale land, divided into three separate sections connecting Emburn Empire with the three different elements of nature which support the empire as a whole—on the land, its landed territory that is united with the main continent of the fairy tale land; on the water, the small province floating against the rough waves of the Carmine Sea; and on the air, presented by the patch of island housing the main government of Embun which levitates gracefully above the continent, floating among the thick white clouds on the blue-grey sky above.

Here, much like in Smotia, greens in various hues cover the expanse of Emburn. Widespread of green grass and a vast variety of trees blanket the range of hills, with dense clusters of tall trees crowning the rising terrains and stowed between the dip of valleys. Some trees grow here just as wide as the people’s homes and almost as tall as the sky above, with many that are almost older than the entire empire itself. Thick clusters of wild ivy smother the stone walls of the Imperial Palace and the people’s houses in the towns, and flowers bloom in a myriad of shapes and colours that only exist here in the Emburn Empire.

Yoongi recalls all the dawns and mornings he spent sitting on top of the tallest hills in Smotia, looking away from the towns and the mercenary camps to enjoy the sight of the canopies of trees and the widespread meadows and finding similarities there to the sea of green waiting for him back home. Oftentimes, he would wonder how the empire that was built within the human realm could have given him a sense of familiarity which reminded him of his home. Whenever he remembered how Smotia existed in the borders between two realms, he would find himself wondering if the similarities had been deliberately created to mirror their closest neighbour, albeit their existence is separated by the portals hidden in the depth of the Elcester Forest. And that was before Yoongi learned of the truth about the Wicked King’s true antecedents and the true history behind his ascension as the ruler of the Nythelean Empire.

Had King Aneas done it on purpose, then? That he had built his new home in the human realm which resembled the land where he had once been, taking everything that he had learned from his former ally about making use of the land’s resources to establish his empire and to support his people?

Because just like how Nythelean Empire gain their resources from the Land of Smotia, the fertile land, the green hills, the abundant woodlands and fresh springs that spread all over the territories of Emburn are the ones that have helped the empire and its people to thrive for a long period of time. But unlike in Smotia, resources are not the only things that the people of Emburn could gain from nature.

One look was all he needed to see, through the first sight that Yoongi had taken from his homeland on the day he emerged in the bluffs after leaving Smotia behind, to remind him that the two empires are not one and the same. Arriving at the bluffs at dawn, he traveled towards the southeast of Earthpeak Cliffs and across the borders between kingdoms, where the sight of the territory of Emburn first welcomed him. The green hills of the landed territory of his homeland opened for him like a warm embrace. The sight and the feeling that overcame him as he marched his loyal mare, Aspen, through the borders had been almost comparable to what he experienced the first time he first came through the borders of Smotia.

Yet all the similarities ended once he finally reached the area where the landed territory of Emburn and the capital city were connected, where the first sign of Emburn’s distinctive nature could be seen.

What doesn’t exist in the vast fertile land of Smotia is magic. The same kind of magic that exists here in every part of the land, drifting in the air that Yoongi breathes, and is constantly felt by every single inhabitant living within the territories of Emburn Empire. This old magic is what becomes the empire’s source of power ever since the day it was established and built by Yoongi’s ancestors, with the emperor and empress sitting on its throne becoming the pillar and the core that hold the magic together, binding it and keeping it stable for many years.

It is the same powerful magic that allows the capital city of Emburn and the Imperial Palace to defy gravity, levitating far above the mainland and higher than the peaks of Earthpeak Cliff, the tallest rocky mountains which stand above the Carmine Sea.

The sight of the levitating capital city which Yoongi saw the moment he reached the heart of Emburn had become clear evidence and reminder of how different his homeland truly is, not only compared to the human land of Smotia but also to all the places he visited throughout his journey. Beyond the sight of the sea of green that welcomed him in the landed provinces, appeared to his eyes the majestic sight of Marble Falls, the flowing waterfalls that descend all the way from the grounds of the Imperial Palace in the sky and down to the Armere River that flows between the range of hills in the grounded region of Emburn in the mainland.

This powerful magic was first found by the ancient fairies who once roamed this part of the fairy tale land, passed down to Yoongi’s blood ancestors who built the empire from the ground up to create a peaceful haven for the fairies in Far Far Away land. The magic that still exists today, the one that is holding the empire together in the present, and the same magic that becomes the cure to Yoongi’s ailment, helping him piece together the bond that he has with his mana which has grown weak and fragile during his time away from home.

It had only taken Yoongi mere seconds after breathing in the fresh air here in Emburn and stepping through the gates of the Imperial Palace for his power to begin knitting itself together. He could feel every fractured piece of his mana strengthening itself until his powers began coursing through his body once again, until he was finally able to heal. In an instant, his senses were heightened, the mana flow within him stopped rebelling against him and it began to calm down, settling peacefully the way it should have been.

Days have gone by since his arrival, and before he realises it, those days are slowly turning into weeks. Albeit his mana has yet to fully return to its normal state, Yoongi is quite relieved to have made the decision to return home, allowing him the chance to not only recover the magic within him but also to gain more strength before he returns to finish his journey.

Sometimes, when he would roam through the imperial palace on his own, he would be filled with guilt and realisation that he should have probably listened to Yijeong’s advice about returning to Emburn so he could recover. If only he had listened and hadn’t been so stubborn about staying in Smotia, knowing that the chances of him finding what he was after had been slim, perhaps he would have been able to use his powers when he needed them the most.

But that was all in the past now, and all he can focus on now is to recover completely while thinking of ways to make up for his obstinacy once he gets back to where Yijeong is. Because recovering his powers hadn’t been the only thing that Yoongi had managed to gain by coming home.

Ever since the moment he arrived back to the land of Far Far Away, Yoongi immediately noticed the peculiarity hanging in the air. He could easily sense the turbulences happening in the fairy tale land, recognising immediately that something had been brewing in his absence. Warning bells kept ringing in his head as he entered the home castle with cautions upon his arrival. His shoulders had been heavy, not knowing what to expect as he made his way to see his parents.

While it wasn’t bad news which welcomed him home, the odd exchange that he had with his mother during their first reunion didn’t help much to reassure him about the situation.

“Was it really necessary for you to be away for so long? What could have been more important than being here, for you to prepare for the crown and handle the matters around the empire in place of the Emperor?”

Empress Ariane had always shown Yoongi a form strict of love, as she had always placed the matters of the crown and the empire above everything else, including her own son. In her eyes, Yoongi is not just her biological son, but the Crown Prince and the sole heir of the Emburn Empire, and she has always reminded Yoongi of his role at every chance she gets. So it shouldn’t have been a surprise to Yoongi when she immediately brought up his duty to the empire and the crown upon his return home, to remind him of the need for him to focus on preparing himself to take the Emperor’s place once it was due time for him to take the responsibility.

Yet there was something in the way the Empress addressed the matter which had been bothering Yoongi. His own conscience has been brewing with suspicions, and it has kept nagging him in the back of his mind that he finds it hard to shake the thoughts away, even to this day.

“What if something happens to—” the Empress’ words broke and shattered at the mention of the Emperor while they sat together in the throne room the day Yoongi first came to see her. Hurt flickered through her gaze, though she quickly blinked it away before Yoongi could say something about it or look deeper into her thoughts at that moment. “What if something happens while you are out there running amok doing heavens know what? You know I wouldn’t be able to handle this entire empire by myself.”

Yoongi never said a thing in return except making a promise that everything would be okay, regardless of what the Empress was trying to imply. There was no need for her mother to finish her words, as Yoongi could already hear it in his head.

What if something happens to the Emperor?

“Nothing is going to happen. I am sure of it.” Yoongi said this to the Empress with full conviction, as he had truly made sure of the safety of the empire and the Emperor before his departure from home.

Emperor Aymon, the ruler of the Emburn Empire and Yoongi’s biological father, has been bedridden from a mysterious illness which started two years ago. The ailment had come out of nowhere, when the strong and healthy Emperor unexpectedly started to grow weak. It had all begun with the Emperor losing control of his mana flow, until the magic within him began fighting back against him, erupting through his whole body while hurting him from the inside. Once the powerful mana began to simmer down, it almost seemed like every drop of magic within him had been wasted, and so did his soul.

Even the entire empire was hurting, as his magic—that was supposed to stabilise the powerful magic within the home of the fairies—started weakening. The unexpected changes of weather caused the crops to fail and prevented fishing ships from sailing out across the Carmine Sea. Earthquakes and storms happened every so often that people kept having to build new homes, while a series of peculiar illnesses began to spread in towns.

To this, the Emperor had chosen to lock himself in one of the tallest towers in the Imperial Palace, not only for the sake of himself and to prevent his magic from harming people around him, but also to preserve the magic that he had left to keep his empire under control. Even once the Empress and the High Priest of Emburn managed to aid him in stabilising the empire with their magic, Emperor Aymon remained in his refuge while doing his best he could to find a way to heal.

Yoongi still remembers the days he spent with the Emperor during the height of his sickness. The fairy king had always appeared to his eyes as the most powerful being he had ever known. But during that period of time, it seemed to him that his father was withering right in front of his eyes, appearing more frail than he used to be as the Emperor laid down on the massive bed where he had been resting during the time of his illness.

But at the same time, the Emperor still appeared to him as the strongest person he had always known. When even at his most critical condition, the Emperor still did his best to fulfil his duty as the ruler to use the rest of his magic to keep the empire and their homeland from crumbling apart.

If only Yoongi had been as indifferent as how the Empress had made him to be—both to the Emperor’s condition and the turbulences occurring in his home kingdom—he would have thought that Empress Ariane’s inquiries had come from a place of concern. The concern she might have felt for the Emperor’s wellbeing, and what might happen to the empire with the Crown Prince being away during the Emperor’s absence.

Yet, seeing the truth now, Yoongi remains haunted by a lingering doubt.

Unbeknownst to the Empress, Yoongi had visited Emperor Aymon not long before leaving Emburn. Not only had the Emperor always known what Yoongi had been up to during his time away from home, but it had actually been the Emperor himself who sent him off on his journey in the first place.

“I want you to do me a favour while I still exist in this realm. It will be quite challenging of a task should you take it, and it wouldn’t be an easy path, but it is necessary that you go into this journey to prevent the upcoming turmoil that may arise in the Land Far Far Away in the near future.”

That day, the Emperor sat down on his bed, his back resting on the headrest as he spoke to Yoongi. He seemed resolved as he relayed his request to his son. But for the most part, he also appeared resigned, as if he was ready to welcome the end of his time should it come to him. But for the first time after a while, Yoongi had also noticed that his father had looked like he was in a much better shape than he usually would, which gave him a sense of relief, albeit briefly. Because no matter how well-shaped he looked as he sat there looking into his son’s eyes, the Emperor’s voice still showed how weary he truly was.

“If you are willing to take this challenge for me, you have to promise me two things,” Emperor Aymon said then. His voice came out stern, and his words came like a warning that Yoongi had no other choice but to agree and make a promise to follow his words. Only then did the Emperor continue with the list of requirements that Yoongi needed to follow. “One, you must go into this with an open mind and forget everything that you’ve learned about the war between kingdoms that was written in the books. Two, you must never let your mother know about my request. Promise me this.”

Yoongi had questioned this specific request from his father at first, yet the warnings given to him had made him grow cautious enough to make sure that he wouldn’t be leaving the Emperor alone without someone watching over him while Yoongi was away. Before he left, Yoongi had ordered a few of his trusted men to keep watch on the Emperor, warning them to trust nobody except for Yoongi. Not even the Empress herself.

He hated not being able to trust his own mother, but the situation that happened after had proven that he had made the right call. As now that even the Empress and the Royal Aides are being placed under close watch, the Emperor’s condition has been getting better. Though Yoongi has been adamant about keeping this information a secret between himself and his men, that not even the Empress knows about the Emperor’s improving health.

It has caused him to feel unsettled, not knowing who to trust even in his own empire. Yet the situation had only given him more reason to do what his father willed him to, as he set off to fulfil not only the Emperor’s request, but also his own intention.

Tonight would be the last night Yoongi would be spending at his home.

Tomorrow, he would have to decide if he should return to Smotia and regroup with his men, or if he should start investigating the Wicked King more closely to know what he is up to. Yoongi knows that he has been gone from his camp for too long, and through the reports sent to him by his men, he has heard that many things have been happening with the Nythelean Empire since the day he left Smotia.

It has made him feel anxious, suddenly afraid that he would miss the perfect opportunity of accomplishing his tasks, now that the Wicked King is on the move. Once again, he regrets for not taking his time to recover sooner, as his departure from Smotia seems to have only caused him the long restless nights filled with all the ’what ifs’, wondering if Fates are trying to stop him from doing what he is required to do.

To calm his thoughts, Yoongi steps away from his bedchamber once the night has fallen. When the night is deep, Yoongi often feels a heavy awareness hanging in the air around him, as if warning him about the shift happening in the fairy tale land and there is something looming in the horizon that he needs to be wary of.

Normally, he would simply reside in his room when this happens, where the stiff tension that he has been constantly feeling would not be able to mess with his mana flow. Or, he would spend the night in the library, trying to make sense of everything that the Emperor had told him as he dives right into the books that were written about the ancient kingdoms, the great war between kingdoms that had once rattled the land of Far Far Away, and about the ancient magic spells—one of which had been the same one that had allowed him to walk into his soulmate’s dream.

Tonight, Yoongi chooses to spend his time roaming through the dark hallways of the Imperial Palace with no destination in mind.

For the first time after a long while, he allows his mana to lead the way instead of giving in to the silence. He tracks down even the passageways within the castle that he had rarely traveled through—passing the vacant rooms and the Royal Guards’ posts, past the Great Hall where the empire would often hold their annual festivities, and he continues walking until he suddenly finds himself crossing the palace’s courtyard and entering the Lumina Apex Hall, where the source of the elemental magic that the Emperor has casted onto the palace’s grounds can be found.

Originally built by his ancestors as a temple to worship the moon—which was once believed to be the source of Emburn’s magic—the Lumina Apex Hall has become a fixture within the Imperial Palace’s grounds where the Emperor would spend late hours in the night to cast his magic, casting the spells that are needed to maintain control of his empire and its vast territories under his reign.

With walls and pillars built with Clayntine stone, one of the most durable materials that could only be found in the land of Emburn, and windows made of Shadow Crystals, the Lumina Apex Hall lights up in the nightfall with structures that reflect the moonlight perfectly like mirrors. Located at the center of the Royal Garden, the structure is partly covered with a layer of wild vines growing along its walls and pillars which have rapidly developed with time. Thick hedges and flowers blooming in pastel colours line up on either side of the pathway leading to its front door which has been left unlocked for the Empress and the Royal Priests’ daily visit.

A burst of energy welcomes him as Yoongi enters through the door. There are no lights inside the main atrium, yet moonlight streams through the Shadow Crystals that form the dome ceiling above the atrium, illuminating the hall perfectly with streaks of soft light spreading across the stone floors and bouncing against the stone walls. Standing at the center of the atrium, his eyes roam through the walls around him.

Even here, inside the stone walls, vegetation grows rapidly between the pillars. The overgrowth of vines appears along the pillars, bushes rise from the ground to cover the pale-coloured walls, and a thin layer of grass emerges where the floor tiles made of Osnite stones are split. As Yoongi looks up, he gets to see the bright display of stars which adorn the night sky of Emburn. The sight of the dancing aurora in copper and gold in the sky should have been daunting, when Yoongi notices that the shades seem darker than they usually would, presenting the shadows of peril in its wake.

Yet the sky seems brighter tonight than it usually does, with stars glimmering in the night sky, surrounding the aurora like a protective blanket. Somehow, it gives Yoongi a sense of peace to be walking under such a phenomenon as he steps towards the center of the atrium, where a small pond made of Clayntine stone stands on its own, taking over the space at the heart of the Apex Hall. Around the pond, specks of silver and cyan blue glitters appear to be floating around it instead of a flowing stream, beginning from its center and moving out towards where the streaks of moonlight are falling into the room.

He reaches out to touch the silver specks, feeling them crackle against the tips of his fingers before he retracts his hand. Smiling at the sight of the flowing magic that is the essence of Emburn Empire, he turns away and walks across the atrium to reach one of the glass doors of the Hall which leads to another part of the Royal Gardens that only the Emperor and his trusted people could enter.

Under his touch, the door opens for him, and Yoongi walks out through the pathway that has become familiar to him after all the years he has become acquainted with this place. A core memory from his childhood returns to him as he walks down the gravel-covered pathway, though the overgrown hedges and blood orchids blooming all around him are nothing like what he had seen many years ago.

He was a mere child when he first walked down this pathway with his father holding his hand, long before Emperor Aymon took the throne and during the time Yoongi’s father was slowly taking over the empire’s business with their alliances. To the Emperor, those visits had been about introducing Yoongi to his future duty and responsibility as the future Crown Prince of Emburn, while to Yoongi, the memories that had been engraved in his mind from that period of time hold an entirely different meaning to him.

Beyond this pathway is a magical place, the portal gate which acts as the border between realms and the bridge that connects Emburn Empire to the other kingdoms in the mainland of the land Far Far Away. It was through this magic gate that the Emperor had been able to travel freely between kingdoms and realms, to be able to visit their allies and neighbours while keeping the homeland from being exposed to external threats, and without having to lose connection to the source of Emburn’s magic—just like what happened to Yoongi during his journey. It wouldn’t be until later, once Yoongi takes the throne as the new ruler, when he would be required to do the same, though he would still be able to cross the portal gate whenever he needed to.

The Eden Isle Gardens is what the magical portal gate is called, and it is the one place that Yoongi would always come to visit whenever he returned home.

For many years, ever since he was a child, he would secretly escape to this place whenever he needed a moment of reflection. This has been a place of refuge where he would be able to find peace, and a place that holds one of his most treasured memories which Yoongi has kept for many years.

Even in the Emperor’s absence, the vegetation in this part of the magic garden grow beautifully. The Emperor’s magic remains strong here, keeping the grounds fertile, the grass and hedges perfectly trimmed instead of growing rapidly, and the portal gates secured, with nobody else but Yoongi and Emperor Aymon holding the key and memorising the spell that would help them activate the portals when needed. Yoongi follows the path that has been adorned with blood orchids growing left and right, fairy dust leading his way through the areas that moonlight is unable to penetrate, until he finds the center of the garden, to the place where Yoongi would always return to.

At the center of the garden, surrounded by a small pond and blooming blood orchids, stands a small gazebo made of Shadow Crystals. His legs feel light as Yoongi walks across the boardwalk across the pond to reach the gazebo, while a sense of deja vu fills him as he takes a seat inside, right at the spot which overlooks a locked steel gate which has always caught his attention.

Once in the past, that steel gate had been one of the magic portals that the Emperor would use for his journeys. It was the main bridge connecting his empire to their former ally, another empire which the former Emperor of Emburn, Yoongi’s grandfather, had managed to form a tight bond with. A close and mutual relationship which lasted until the height of Emperor Aymon’s reign.

But as Yoongi looks out through the steel gate now, there is nothing left out there but the wastelands and the ruins of the fallen empire that was once superior in its reign.

After the war between kingdoms, the territory which lies beyond the portal has become a forbidden area for anyone to enter. With remnants of hazardous toxins and black magic that may still linger in the area after the war, nobody has been allowed to come across the borders and into the wastelands for many years. From this side of the connecting portal, the steel gate is secured with chains made of Magraonor steel and locks that are bound with magic spells casted by the Emperor and the High Priest.

Even though Yoongi wouldn’t be able to walk across the gate with all those spells preventing him from seeing what is beyond the darkness, he can picture it inside his head. Through his distant memory, he still recalls the majestic empire that had once been the most peaceful place in Far Far Away, the home of the elves, fairies, and powerful mages who once loved to travel between kingdoms to spread their knowledge about ancient magic and healing remedies. But if only he would close his eyes tonight, the brilliant images of the fallen empire that he once remembered would not be the image that he sees.

Another reason why Yoongi has been doing all he could to evade sleep tonight was the dreams. Ever since he used the spell which allowed him to walk into his soulmate’s dream, and ever since the day he arrived back home, a different kind of dream has been haunting his long, restless nights.

In his dream, he saw himself crossing over the steel gate, the chains and locks had been broken and he could easily walk across the borders to enter the wastelands. He saw himself walking up the steps to the fallen empire’s home castle, surrounded by nothing but shadows and the ruins that had been said to fill the barren territory, and a thick layer of white mist following him as he reached to where the main palace should have been.

Everything about the dream has been daunting, and it has only solidified his concerns about the peculiar shift happening in Far Far Away. While he never got to see what was waiting for him at the end of those steps, to see what was hidden behind the thick mist and beyond the broken stone walls, he still remembers the feeling of unease that lingered through his chest as he was stuck inside the dream, the eerie shadows that seemed to follow him through the mist as he entered the wastelands, and the feeling of death that seemed to linger.

The unnerving sensation he felt was so strong that he could feel it touching his skin even as he opened his eyes upon his return to the waking world. Even now, as he silently recalls the sights he saw in his dreams, his body shudders, while the same uneasiness fills his chest, warning him about the darkness that may come to visit.

As Yoongi sits silently at the center of the magic garden, under the dome roof of the glass gazebo overlooking the high hedges and broken pathway leading to the steel gate, he is unable to look away from the darkness beyond him. Lost in the faint memories that he has of the past, he doesn’t notice it when a black cat enters the premises, sauntering between the hedges filled with blood orchids and over the glimmering pond before finally joining him to lie down in the gazebo.

The black cat follows Yoongi’s gaze, as if trying to understand what the man is thinking so deeply about. The cat suddenly slides closer and rubs itself against Yoongi’s calf to gain his attention before sitting back on its hind legs, with his curious eyes looking out towards the nothingness beyond the gate.

“We used to slip away and escape to this place when we were kids, didn’t we?” a deep voice speaks. “What a wonderful time that was, when we were nothing more but oblivious little children who knew nothing about the world.”

Yoongi turns to the black cat with a smile, recognising the voice that had just spoken to him, allowing him to identify this mysterious cat that had just decided to join him in his wonderings. “Indeed, we were. Those moments back then were truly irreplaceable,” Yoongi says, responding to the cat as he turns his gaze back at the steel gate. “We used to run away from the tutors to hide in this place, and then played hide and seek until the sun came down and Father would have to come down here himself to fetch us.”

“Those were the days,” the black cat softly chuckles. The cat falls silent for a moment before it softly continues, “This was also the place where you met her for the first time, wasn’t it?” The cat turns to look at Yoongi as the other does the same, and they exchange gazes with each other when the cat adds, “I’m talking about Her Majesty, Queen Milena.”

Sighing, Yoongi looks around the garden and reminisces about the past. “This was the place—” he says, as his memory takes him back to that moment in time from many, many years ago, when he was nothing more but a little boy who could barely able to speak fluently, yet was curious enough to follow his father to see what the Emperor was up to when he suddenly changed his plans with Yoongi to come to this place, only to find out that the Emperor was having important guests visiting. While the Emperor went on a stroll with his guest, Yoongi came to the gazebo to meet the young Princess Milena, the future queen who was resting while staying under the shade. The young Crown Princess of their neighbouring empire welcomed Yoongi with a warm smile, a sight that to this day remains to be the most glorious thing about her for Yoongi to remember.

“We did come across each other in this place for the first time, but it was beyond that gate where I used to be able to see her—” Yoongi says, pointing at the locked steel gate, while his memory once again takes him back to those days when Emperor Aymon took him along during his visits past the steel gate. Back then, a remarkable empire stood proud and strong on the other side of the gate, with the sun shining brightly on its prosperous land. Now, there is nothing there but the dark void and the flowing white mist that haunts him in his sleep.

The black cat looks out towards the steel gate and, as if knowing what Yoongi had just been thinking about, says, “And now there is nothing left there but the wastelands.”

“Is that really the truth?” Yoongi questions almost distractedly, and the cat scoffs.

“Only you would question it.”

The blunt comment draws a smile to Yoongi’s face, and he turns back to look at his peculiar companion to say, “The only thing I’m questioning right now is why you chose to come here while disguising in that form. I didn’t expect that you would follow me all the way back home, Yijeong.”

The black cat, Yijeong, stretches out and lies down near Yoongi’s feet before answering, “As a concerned friend, I was worried when I didn’t get a word from you since you went home. I had to slip out in disguise to move easier when following you. This form was the perfect choice since nobody would pay attention to a black cat strolling through the gardens. Did you notice that you were being followed by guards? I’m not sure if they know what you’re up to, but it seems that they’re determined to keep people away from the gardens to give you some privacy.”

Despite knowing that he wouldn’t be able to see anyone other than the two of them, Yoongi still steals a glance over his shoulder, looking back to where these royal guards that Yijeong mentioned might be standing by. Somewhere near the Apex Hall, no doubt, as it would be rare for regular guards to be able to come this far. The only exception was given to Yijeong, as the son of the Empire’s General, the only other person aside from the Emperor who has access to visit this magical place. Just like him, Yijeong has been trained and prepared to replace his father once the time comes, to one day stand by Yoongi’s side once he takes over the throne and rules the empire, and he had been trained all the spells that would be needed for him to do his duties.

“I noticed having extra shadows following me since I left my room,” he says, before facing towards the center of the gardens again and settling back against the glass wall on the side of the gazebo, though he turns his attention towards the other side of the gardens this time, where fireflies are beginning to appear around the pond. “I’ve had guards shadowing me since I got back, so I already expected them to follow me here too. But I didn’t care. They wouldn’t be able to enter this place anyway.”

“I guess you’re right,” Yijeong says as he lays his chin on his paw. “What were you expecting to find by coming here anyway?”

“I don’t know. I couldn’t sleep, then I started strolling through the palace’s grounds, looking for some kind of a distraction,” Yoongi answers with a deep sigh. “I suddenly felt like I needed to get out of the palace, and I suppose that’s how I found my way here.”

Yijeong says nothing for a moment, before he questions Yoongi with a hushed voice, “Something was bothering you. Has the Emperor’s request been weighing heavily on you?”

His question draws a frown to Yoongi’s face. Yoongi had never truly revealed the true purpose of his expedition into the human realm, not to his loyal men and even to Yijeong, except to simply mention that it was a royal duty that was needed to be done under the Emperor’s request. Yijeong may have never questioned it out loud, and despite his willingness to stay by Yoongi’s side and to join him on his journey, Yoongi had always known that his best friend had been curious, if not suspicious about what he aimed to find.

It was not until the day Yoongi had to depart from camp, leaving behind Smotia to return home, when he finally pulled Yijeong aside to tell him everything—about the true reason why he left home, about why he had chosen to remain in Smotia, or why he had to keep a close eye on the Wicked King.

Only Yijeong knows what their true mission was, and what the Emperor had requested Yoongi to find without Empress Ariane ever knowing.

“Find my childhood friend. Find Milena. Help me find out what happened to her, and if she is still alive, bring her home. I cannot leave this realm without having any knowledge of her fate. I can’t die regretting that I couldn’t do anything to save her. If you can find ‘him’, then you might be able to find out if he still has her.”

Yoongi understood it quite well when Yijeong complained about being kept in the dark. Thankfully, his friend was quick to forgive him, knowing that such a big secret would cause a myriad of other problems should it ever get out, or for the Empress to hear that her own husband had made such a request. Even though it has been such a long time since both Yoongi and Yijeong ever came across Queen Milena, they both still remember how jealous the Empress had been of the Emperor’s friendship with his closest friend.

But sharing this secret only gave little relief to Yoongi’s heart, because there is still one more secret that he holds dear, unable to find a way to reveal it to Yijeong when he still has his own doubts. That finding Queen Milena, a mission that might be fundamental for the Emperor’s road to healing, has only been a small part—if not the first step—of Yoongi’s personal goal. And he has yet to be able to share this with anyone, even Yijeong, because he has never truly shared the real story of his first encounter with Queen Milena in the magic gardens.

Because that day, Queen Milena had not been sitting in this gazebo on her own, and only Yoongi and the Emperor knew Queen Milena’s secret which had been hidden until now.

Just as Yoongi is silently pondering if he should share his secret with his best friend, the air around them suddenly shifts. There is an invisible weight that breezes through the bushes, stirring the peacefulness that has been accompanying Yoongi in his wallowing. Even Yijeong becomes alert as he stirs by his side that Yoongi instantly rises, already prepared to use his magic to connect to the elements around them so he can see what is happening. But before he can even begin summoning his mana, Yijeong snaps his head to focus on him. His best friend’s gaze remains on his chest just as warmth begins to form against his skin, while the mana flow within him seems to be reacting to the sensation rising around them.

“Hey, Yoongi?” Yijeong says with a spark of surprise lathering his voice.

“Yeah?” Yoongi answers with his eyes focusing back and forth between Yijeong and the gardens, noticing how the leaves are swaying with the unsettling breeze.

“Why is that thing glowing? Did you do something or are you conjuring your mana to have it reacting like that?”

“No, I’m not doing any—” Yoongi starts to respond when his amulet—which has been hanging from his neck and down to his chest the whole time he was here—begins vibrating. He looks down and touches the amulet, which is now glowing in his hand as he lifts it up to get a better look. Blue light shimmers from the center of the amulet, flickering and swirling even stronger as he brings it up, inadvertently pointing it towards the locked gate that was supposed to lead him to their fallen neighbour.

His breath is caught, as he slowly begins to understand what is happening. There is only one reason why the amulet would be reacting this way, even if it makes no sense at all for it to be trying to lead him towards the forbidden territory beyond the sacred gate. And then, something finally dawns on him.

“You know, this amulet has been lighting up quite often since I got back home,” he whispers almost to himself, while the voice inside his head adds, ever since the dreams started happening. “But this is the first time it’s doing something like this.”

This can only mean one thing. “I think someone is using his magic to create portals, and they have been moving around between realms.”

Yijeong slowly rises, while Yoongi’s heartbeat picks up, beating rapidly in his chest right after he says those words. “Do you know who it might be? Can it be possible that—” Yijeong begins to question him, only for him to see Yoongi shaking his head, chucking to himself with disbelief when he says,

“It’s impossible, but—”

And it seems almost too good to be true just to think about it. Yoongi swallows hard as he wonders about this, as he can no longer qualm the rising hope blooming in his chest when he adds, “I think I know who it might be.”

She’s so close. How could it be?

Yoongi has no idea how it could possibly happen, but he can sense you being so close to him that he can almost feel your presence within arm’s reach. His body trembles with anticipation, excitement, and his worries rising at the same time. Seeing that there is light appearing, hope waiting at the end of his journey, Yoongi slowly releases his amulet and kneels down beside his best friend.

If he wants to find the truth, and find you, then he will no doubt need help to achieve it.

“Yijeong, I need you to listen to me carefully—”

Your hands feel clammy as you stand right in front of another silver door.

Unlike the other doors that you have seen so far, this one looks the most ordinary and a bit—old. Made of deep-coloured wood, its front is adorned with embellishments made of thin silver linings that are crafted in intricate curves formed in floral patterns, and they all seem to glint in the dimly lit hallway. You probably shouldn’t be intimidated by its size and the intricate details that you are seeing, but not surprisingly, your knees are already shaking with the mere thought of opening this door filling your head.

Deep down, you already know that whatever you may come across once you step through this door, it will be far from ordinary. This is what you have learned so far from these silver doors after venturing into them for the past few days, as it had become one of your past afternoon activities once you are done with your daily lessons and royal duties.

The shock that you gained after entering the first silver door remained within you for quite a while. Pure disbelief had followed you after coming back out of the door, not entirely sure if what you encountered that day had been real. If only you hadn’t found yourself stumbling back into the hallway of Stargrave Castle or nearly spraining your ankles on your way back to your bedchamber, perhaps you would simply think that you were dreaming. That there was no way you could have gone back to The Citadel, or that the door had connected you back to the smaller—and slightly bland-looking—study room which your father, King Aneas, would often spend his time working in with his men back at the capital.

But you were well awake to feel it when the dusk came in and your skin was covered by the bumps rising as the temperature dropped so rapidly. And you were definitely awake when the palace’s maid came to help you prepare for dinnertime. You even held a long and steady conversation with her while she was brushing out the knots in your hair, further proving that you were walking in the real world instead of being stuck in a long, extended dreamscape.

Yet those things couldn’t stop you from questioning your own sanity as you laid down on your bed that night, particularly when you recalled the conversation that you ’heard’ from your hiding spot when you were in the study room. But then you looked out the window of your bedroom, the curtains left open as you had wished to see the stars and you saw a glimpse of the same copper aurora which had captivated you on the night of your arrival, the magical display of light once again making its appearance known to you as it danced in the sky above the calm ocean.

The sight quickly reminded you of how different and peculiar everything should be in this place. It made you realise that the odds of you actually being transported back into a different place across the realm would not have been impossible. It was hard to deny it when you remembered experiencing jumping into a burning flame to get into this realm, and that magic did exist in this place in ways that you couldn’t possibly imagine.

It was your own curiosity which had drawn you back to the same hallway after you were done with your lessons on the next day. At first, you considered going through the same door again, if only to prove that you hadn’t been dreaming and that you were completely sane. But then your father’s voice echoed through your mind as you stood in front of the same door, reminding you of his warning to only try one door at a time.

As you wished to be able to see more, you stepped away from the first door. There was no humming sound calling you back when you left it behind, while an odd pull was felt through the air, and you followed it until you found another silver door not too far away.

The silver door which soon became your second to try out had been smaller in size compared to the first one you had gone into. Yet you still entered with caution. You came through the door thinking that you would be prepared to find another surprising revelation, only to feel the shock filling your entire being when you walked through the door to come out through a small cabinet, and you found yourself emerging into the royal waiting room that was located within the city hall in the capital city of Smotia.

There was nobody around to catch you as you came out of the waiting room. After finding the podium on the first floor, right where your father’s throne was placed for him to acquire during formal ceremonies, you continued to make your way to the upper floors. Having been to this place often times before to accompany your father, you found no trouble in finding the main balcony, where the King would stand before the people of Smotia as he leads various ceremonies and rituals together with you by his side and his loyal ministers shadowing his movements.

Sure enough, as you looked down from the balcony, the Elysium Square was presented right before your eyes. The town’s square where the people would gather to see their King and to celebrate the empire’s annual events, and oftentimes, to simply enjoy the free time they have during their daily lives.

The same way the people were doing as you looked down from above. Keeping yourself in the shades to avoid being seen, you saw how the town’s workers were walking down the pavements as they were on their way home, making quite a haste to make sure that they would return to their dwellings before dusk. There were also little children playing around the fountains, while their mothers kept their busy eyes to watch over them while gossiping on the sides.

Just like the day before, when you felt your knees buckling beneath you in shock, you had to hold on to the railings as you watched the people below, the faint voices of their laughter became solid proof that you had been once again sent away from your new home. A memory flashed through your mind just then, of how each time you were supposed to attend the royal gathering alongside your father, the King himself would never ride the royal carriage with you to reach the city hall.

Each time, your father would somehow arrive not long after you would, with not a sight of another royal carriage arriving at the city hall to bring him all the way from The Citadel. Turning back to the hall where you came from, you could almost picture it, to see the King walking down the hall before emerging through the main balcony to greet his people, his daughter, and his men, without a single person witnessing how he had truly arrived.

With your curiosity deepened, you continued your adventure for the next few days by trying out two different silver doors, both of them lined up within a nearby hallway just beyond the King’s study room. And just like the previous ones, each of these doors took you back to different areas in the land of Smotia which you had become most familiar with.

The smaller one took you back to the town’s church.

You came out through the storage room door at the back of the church and, in your shock, you came so close to bumping into the head priest while you were busy taking in your surroundings. It was pure luck that you had been quick enough to slip into a nearby room which was thankfully empty, that you were able to avoid getting seen by the head priest who walked by with his helpers.

When the coast was clear enough for you to slip out of the room, the evening mass was just starting to take place. You may have recovered from your shock by then, yet once again, your mind was caught in a battle between acceptance and denial to make your exit. Fallen prey to your own curiosity, as you wanted to get a closer look instead of leaving with questions shadowing your thoughts, you returned to the room where you had been hiding in. From one of the wardrobes you found, you managed to grab a commoner’s cloak for you to borrow, using it to hide your identity as you slipped between the parishioners who came for the head priest’s sermon and gain his blessings.

As everyone around you was listening to the head priest’s sermon with rapt attention, the burning candles on the altar swaying with the breeze, their soft lights illuminating the walls and the dais while giving a serene feeling into the whole church, your attention remained on the side doors leading to the back halls where you came from. Once again, you could almost see the shadows of your father, sauntering through the back halls with his magic before appearing at the altar without anyone noticing or wondering where His Majesty had come from.

The next silver door you tried had appeared to your eyes like a work of art. The carvings on the wood panels had been the ones to draw you in, before you noticed that the silver embellishments that marked the door seemed to have silver specks floating around it, drawing more of your attention to have a closer look. That was before the humming voices began to call for you, pulling you in, enchanting you to slide in the key and open the door for a new adventure.

The magic door brought you to the orchard house that was part of the royal winery on the outskirts of the capital city. Located beyond the borders of the Elcester Forest where the wide, open plane was rich and fruitful enough for the vineyard to grow massively, it was the place which produced the royal wine that the King would often serve to his special guests during royal dinners and important events that were held by the empire.

Despite recognising the place almost immediately, you still took your time to look around to find clues, any signs that may confirm your suspicions. Leaving the main house, you browsed through the warehouse and stockrooms, not stopping until you finally found the crates of bottles that were being prepared to be sent away to The Citadel. It wasn’t until you saw the royal crest marking the crates and the bottles when you finally confirmed it, that the place had indeed been another one of the King’s properties which was situated within the territory of Smotia.

Back in the part of the empire which existed in the human realm.

You walked across the clearing with a mixed feeling of awe and trepidation. The day was beginning to settle down to dusk by the time you were venturing through the property, with the sun descending into the horizon, spreading more shadows than light through the open vineyards. It allowed you to stay in the shade to avoid being seen, and to be able to watch the workers from a safe distance. As the night was closing in, there were only a small group of people left working at the winery. Most of them were just finishing up, either at the warehouse or the stockrooms where they kept the crops. They all seemed busy with their own tasks to notice you, though it didn’t stop you from feeling like someone was watching your movement, causing you to become even more cautious while you were feeding your curiosity.

It was after the last trip you took through the silver doors when you finally came to a realisation, to finally understand the secret behind them. Once you accepted that your little adventures had not been a dream or imagination, and that what you encountered had not been mere illusion, you finally understood what these silver doors were.

Portals.

The silver doors that your father had given you access to have been magic portals, with powerful spells that would bring you to different places, allowing you to emerge in different realms, and perhaps even beyond.

If only you hadn’t had the talk with your father on the day you first arrived in this castle, or taken the time to understand more about this new realm and learn about magic since you have been here, you would have simply thought that you have indeed gone crazy. But all the days you spent learning about the fairy tale land and the magic that lies within the realm have only helped you to understand everything better, and you soon realised that this was the magic that your father mentioned the day he handed you the bundle of keys that you are now holding in your hand.

“Within each one of the silver doors, there is a strong kind of magic. One that has been so demanding of our family’s powers, exists under my control, and it is also the type of magic that should be kept secret, no matter what. Once you go through them, you will understand why it is important for me to defend this castle and our home territory.”

Was this the reason why your father brought you back to this place after so long, after spending years keeping you away from it? Did he want you to learn about his magic after protecting you from it? Was this the reason why he handed you these keys, to show you the power of magic that has been passed down in your family?

But then the most important question still haunts you to this day—

Has this been His Majesty’s way of being able to travel to different places in a short amount of time so he could handle his business, to be able to do his duty without having to travel far and long so he could continue taking care of his empire?

With this new knowledge, your curiosity has been growing stronger than your fear, and you have more questions plaguing you each day. Questions that you would have to keep to yourself until the day your father would return home.

Until then, you would gather more information through your lessons and from opening more magic doors. Perhaps, the more you get to see the magic behind these doors, the more you can see this new world as you continue venturing through these portals, then you will be able to learn and understand more about your father’s magic and this magical realm, and find out who you truly are.

That was the reason why you are standing here tonight, right in front of yet another silver door that has drawn your curiosity that you find it hard to look away. The silver embellishments on the door are glimmering right before your eyes, as they reflect the soft glare of moonlight that has penetrated into the hallway through a nearby window.

The moonlight that rarely accompanies you whenever you are about to embark on your own little adventure.

In your previous trials, you have only chosen the short period of time in the late afternoon after tutoring hours to slip out of your bedchamber and venture into these halls. Keeping the short timeframe that your father had given you for these adventures, you have always used the sign of dusk to remind you to return home, allowing you to be back right before dinnertime.

Today has been different. Tutoring hours lasted longer than usual, when Lord Gordan took over your afternoon lessons and sat you down to teach you about your family’s ancestry. The extra lessons didn’t end until dusk finally came, when Nanny Abigail took over guarding you as she led you straight to dinner in the royal dining hall.

It wasn’t until long after dinnertime when you finally found the chance to slip out of the bedchamber. The absence of Lord Gordan and Nanny Abigail when you stepped out of the room, and the absence of the lady maids in the hallway wasn’t so much of a surprise, but it was quite a shock to find that there had been no guards standing by outside of your bedchamber. Just like how it would have been back at The Citadel when you could barely see yourself going around the palace without at least one guard following you.

It made you curious, yet you spent no time wondering about it, and took the chance to slip out of your quarters and find your way back to this hallway of silver doors.

There were no palace staff in sight as you walked down the halls, but you did catch a sight of a pair of guards standing in their post in a nearby hall, though they seemed to be focused on guarding the King’s study room to notice you slipping into the shadows behind the pillars as you made your way into this place. Glancing towards the end of the hall and to the opposite way, you make sure that the coast is still clear, and nobody would catch what you are doing as you move closer to the silver door.

This time, there is no humming sound coming out of the door to summon you, as if beckoning you to come closer and choose this door for you to open tonight. Yet the silver key that you are holding seems to vibrate against your palm the closer you come towards the door before you. The vibration is strong enough to cause the rest of the keys in the bundle to jingle that you have to press your palm around them to keep them from making too much noise, afraid that it might draw someone’s attention and you would miss the chance to see what lies beyond the magic door.

Knowing that you won’t have much time left before the guards would begin their evening patrol and your absence in the bedchamber gets discovered, you reach back and pull up the hood of your cloak to cover yourself before walking through the door. Learning from past experiences, after finding yourself emerging into unexpected places and coming close to being seen or recognised, you realised that you would have to be more careful to avoid getting caught by someone and accidentally exposing your father’s secret during your trips.

That was why you decided to be much safer tonight, to disguise yourself as you go through with your secret escapade.

Under the half-ragged cloak that you have often worn whenever you escaped from The Citadel at nightfall, you have chosen to wear a commoner’s clothes—a plain, dark-coloured tunic top and a pair of tight breeches—instead of your daily dresses. The pair of boots that would normally be hidden under your bed have replaced the low pair of heels that you wore during today’s tutoring hours and afternoon lessons.

With a deep inhale of breath and a silent prayer, you turn the vibrating key which has somehow become warm in your hold, and gently open the door.

You suck a deep breath as you emerge into a bedroom that looks nothing like the rooms you have seen all around the magic castle so far. The room you walk into appears to be quite small yet cozy, with a queen-sized bed positioned right at the center of the room, covered with a couple of fluffed pillows and fresh sheets, with a thick furry blanket folded on the foot of the bed. There is a shaded lamp on top of the side table right beside the bed, and a cold, unlit fireplace on the opposite wall. Right in front of the fireplace, a brown felt that appears to have come from a deer is laid to cover the wooden floor, making you think for a second that you might be inside a hunter’s lodging, until something draws your attention to make you think otherwise.

On your right appears to you a wooden door. Even while being closed shut, you can still hear the muffled sounds of people chatting and cheering, the sounds of glass clinking and cutleries hitting tables and plates, and the rough voices of men shouting and calling names. The noises that you hear are enough to give you a hint to figure out where you currently are, as they bring you back to the scene you encountered a period of time ago during your late-night trips into town. Though doubt fills your mind, as you still find it hard to believe it to be true unless you can see it with your own eyes.

You turn towards the door, and the door from which you came in from grabs your attention. Looking at it now, it seems to be the door of a walk-in closet. But just like the other portals, magic has turned it into something else. Through the half-opened door, instead of seeing the interior of a closet, you see the sight of the magic portal that is still open. There is nothing there but the sight of a dark void with swirling blue lights floating at the center. The dark void seems eerie to you, yet you no longer look at it with fear as you know that this magical sight is what will lead you back to the magic castle once you are done venturing here.

The sound of a man’s laughter and the loud cheers that follow draw your attention back to the bedroom door. Curious to know where you might have ended, you carefully make your way to it. The wooden floor creaks beneath your booths, making your breath hitch, and you silently pray that the noises outside would drown the sounds you are making as you slowly reach for the doorknob and turn it open. To your relief, the door has been left unlocked, and you carefully pull it open just an inch. Just enough for you to see what is on the other side.

The muffled sounds you heard suddenly clear out and immediately hit you straight in the face—the loud chattering that seems to come from dozens of rowdy men and the boastful laughter that you heard earlier, with the sounds of glasses clinking against each other or hitting against wooden tables. Seeing nothing but a wooden walkway and railings as you open the door, you realise that you are currently on the upper floor of an establishment, while the noises seem to have been coming from downstairs. The familiar scent of booze, dust, and burning candles wafts through the air, and you stifle a gasp as you soon realise where you are.

Moving in haste when you barely have the chance to recover from shock, you shut the door with a soft click and turn the other way. Across from you appears a window, left partly opened for the cold night breeze to flow into the room, blowing the thin curtains that have little to do to shield the lights coming from the street outside. With shaky legs, you walk towards the window and look down.

Just as suspected, you see the bustling street of the business district of Smotia right down below, with people passing by as they are making their route home or searching for a place of leisure after a long day of hard work. You can easily recognise the street you are looking at, because you had ventured into the same street the last time you slipped away from home.

Still busy taking everything in, you almost miss the sound of firm footsteps and the creaks on the wooden floor outside of the bedroom, until you hear them coming closer towards the bedroom door. A low and deep voice calls out from outside the door, snapping you out of your shock, “Anee? Is that you?”

Turning sharply with a gasp, you rush to close the door to the closet, hiding the glimmering portal before rushing into the small bathroom on the other side of the fireplace to hide.

“You didn’t tell me that you were coming tonight—”

The deep sound of voice fades just as the bedroom door opens merely seconds after you close the bathroom door shut. “Anee? Are you here?” the man calls out again after coming to a halt. “Huh. That’s funny, I thought I heard someone here.”

Just when you expect him to leave after finding the room empty, you hear the man entering the room instead. The floor creaks more intensely under his boots, and you hold your breath as you sense him coming towards the window. Peering through the seams between the door and the wooden frame, you catch the sight of the man as he stands in front of the window, looking down the street with a sigh.

“Must have been my imagination, then. ’Am getting old for this, I swear,” he seems to mumble to himself before he gently shuts the window, and as he bends, you get to see him more clearly to recognise him. The illuminating street lights from outside the window are helping you to see his face.

Sir Elias.

A woman’s voice is heard from outside the room, calling for him, and the man turns to walk away. “Nothing, love. I thought I heard someone in the room, is all,” he calls out to whoever was calling him as he makes his way to leave the bedroom.

“Who is it? Is it Anee?” the woman’s voice seems muted as she remains outside the bedroom, with the noises from below rising in the background.

“Nah,” Sir Elias chuckles lowly. “It’s just the wind—” he calls out to the woman that you assume to be his wife as he turns and begins walking away, before adding gently under his breath, “Or maybe I just missed that bloody sucker.”

You remain still as you listen to the faint click sound of the door coming to close, followed by the sound of Sir Elias’ heavy footfalls over the wooden floor fading in the distance, until silence fills the room.

It isn’t until you take a few more deep breaths and steady your shaking hands before you finally open the door, looking around you to make sure that the bedroom is completely empty before finally stepping out of the bathroom. With a deep, exhale of breath, you come down to your knees in your relief and rest back against the bed. Your eyes turn to the window, now closed shut to shield the voices from the town below, leaving you in the stifling silence where your mind once again becomes the loudest.

The silver door has taken you back to The Rare Roots, the local pub right at the center of the business district in Smotia, and straight into one of the rented rooms on the upper floor of the pub, which Sir Elias had offered you to take the night you came here.

Your head spins as questions after questions continue to fill your mind.

Why would the King have direct access to a local pub in the business district of Smotia?

And why would Sir Elias—the owner of the local pub who you have never once seen coming to visit The Citadel—be calling your father by his childhood name, as if they have known each other personally for a very long time, or that he would expect the King to be appearing in one of his rented bedrooms as if it would be such a normal occurrence to happen here?

You remain in the bedroom for a while longer, looking around to find any sign that your father had truly been here, while the night passes by with the muffled sounds from the crowd of The Rare Roots below penetrating through the silence. The noises out there are loud, but not loud enough to drown your thoughts as you take a seat at the foot of the bed, trying to make sense of your findings.

The curtains by the window have been left open after Sir Elias’ departure, allowing the figure that has been moving in the shadows to look his way in, watching your movements in silence, his presence completely unbeknownst to you. Perched atop the roof of the next building, he gets a clear view of you. Of the way you seem to be wallowing so deep in your thoughts that you are unaware of the pair of eyes that are keeping a close watch on you.

And he continues to watch over you, taking his time to take the sight of you in and memorise everything he sees of you until you finally slip away, disappearing into one of the doors which acts like the portal bringing you back home. That is when he also makes his move, stepping back into the shadows to return to where he belongs, filled with the delight of victory that comes after finally finding what he was after.

Found you. Finally, I’ve found you, he wonders to himself, as he slips away and disappears through the shadows of the night.

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timeforelfnonsense · 7 months

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Dafni of Gwynneth

Dafni’s Playlist || Sunshine & Starlight (Dafni x Astarion) Playlist || Bg3 Ao3 series (EA Content) || Sunshine & Starlight Ao3 || D&D Beyond || Artwork of Dafni

I decided to make a new pinned post for my Dafni lore document. With more people joining the fandom, I figured I'd reintroduce her. She's been around since EA and has gone through some changes here and there. Some have stuck, and others that ended up getting cut.

Hopefully, this will be her final big lore update. I am happy with where she is now and how she's fitting into my new drafts for Sunshine & Starlight. If you've been around for a bit, you might notice I landed on a version of her story that is close to my early drafts of her backstory in the end. So this is my PSA to writers to always hold on to your content, even stuff you cut because you never know what you might end up using.

Dafni Ríwen

Alignment: Chaotic good

Race: Eladrin

Class: Cleric of Corellon Larethina || Fey Wanderer Ranger

Background: Outlander

Age: 160

Birthday: Ches 19, 1332 DR

Sign: Pisces, ESFJ

Home: Peleira, Kingdom of Sarifal, Gwynneth’s feywild.

Nicknames/Other names: Daffodil (Astarion), Sprout (Her mother and older sisters), Kora (Childhood name), Despoena (True name)

Traits:

I was driven by wanderlust to travel far from home

I am tolerant of other faiths and respect the worship of other gods

I approach everything with enthusiasm, even the most mundane chore

I can’t stay still. I’m always picking things up, absently fiddling with them, and sometimes accidentally breaking them.

Ideals: Nature, Charity, Change, Creativity

Flaws:

I put the wellbeing of others before myself

I don’t fully grasp customs and niceties outside of the wilds

A pretty face infatuates me in an instant, but facies can fade just as fast.

There’s no room for caution in a life lived to the fullest.

Bounds:

I hold all varieties of elves in tender regard.

I protect those who cannot protect themselves.

I never leave a friend behind.

Appearance:

Dafni is a petite, chubby elf with curly hair and wide mossy-brown eyes. Like most Fey eladrin, Dafni’s appearance changes with her emotional state.

Spring/Light Form

Complexion: Light sage green skin with golden freckles

Hair: light, dusty pink

Faerie fire Illusory butterflies (Morpho aurora)

Flowers for Moods:

Snowdrops & Lily of the Vally: Happy

Foxgloves: Anger, feisty, protective

Ivy: Envy

Daffodil/Narcissus: Flirty, affectionate (Astarion only)

Wilted flowers: Sadness, low moods

No flowers: Trying to hide her fey nature

When she is particularly happy or using her cleric powers, she glows slightly

Winter/Shadow Form

Complexion: Pale pinkish gray

Hair: Light pinkish lavender

Faerie fire lunar moths

She radiates wisps of shadow when she is particularly sad, serious, or using her shadow-touched abilities.

Dafni was born on the spring equinox to Thesmia, a very old and powerful eladrin druidess and bladesinger. Her home, Peleira, is hidden deep within the feywild of the Lylarth Forest. It was built around an ancient oasis created by the first elves to come to the Feywild. It is a place shaped by sylvan and elvish magic, with spires and structures of flawless marble reflecting the breathtaking, everlasting sunset’s burnt oranges and vivid violets.

Hundreds of years of loving restoration returned the oasis to its former glory. Thesmia has made Peleira a paradise and refuge for elves, nymphs, and other fey. Peleria is a vassal of the Kingdom of Sarifal, part of the Court of High Lady Ordalf. The village is the island’s primary source of food and medicinal vegetation. It is also home to Thesmia’s Spire of Laural, one of the most vast collections of elven history and artifacts outside of Evermeet. Thesmia had taken in several wards over the centuries. These women help Thesmia run the village.

Dafni’s father is a shadar-kai knight and servant of the Raven Queen, whom Lady Ordalf has been in conflict with due to a shadow curse taking over one of Gwynneth’s forests.

When Thesmia grew tired of her life in the court’s capital, Caspian granted her the memory of Peleira in the form of an enchanted compass that would always point towards it. A gift Thesmia has since passed on to her daughter.

Due to her shadar-kai, linage Dafni’s seasonal affinities manifest differently than most eladrin. She only has two forms: Spring (Light) and Winter (Shadow). Dafni’s dubious paternity is an open secret at court and has led to some unkind treatment outside her village.

Thesmia is a loving but overprotective mother who sheltered Dafni for most of her life. Dafni was allowed much less freedom than her older sisters growing up, creating friction between herself and her mother.

Starting at age 17, Dafni began training as her mother’s apprentice. While Dafni excelled at druidcraft, she was somewhat inept with wizardry and complex magic. By age 30, her mother had released her from the apprenticeship. Despite never fully mastering the tradition, Dafni still incorporates many bladesinging techniques into her fighting style.

Cleric Calling:

Dafni’s soul holds an extra spark of the divine. She was among the few elves who chose not to take a fixed form and thus was not cast out from Arvandor. This is her first mortal lifetime.

The elves believe that to truly feel Corellon’s presence, they must seek to know themselves. Much of the work Corellon wants her to do as a mortal is centered on her learning to trust in herself more and to make her own choices for her own reasons, not because she thinks it is what is expected of her by external factors, even him.

Dafni has always tended to wander off when something catches her attention. As a small child, she followed a whips deep into the woods surrounding her village.

Unbeknownst to her, a drider exiled from the feydark had taken up residence in the forest. Perhaps sensing her dormant divine power, the creature planned to sacrifice her to win Lolth’s favor. As she was dragged into the heart drider’s den, an enchanted arrow buried itself into the creature’s skull.

A wandering Corellite had saved her. Dafni didn’t recognize him from the village, but he seemed incredibly familiar. He comforted her and headed her injuries.

He took her hand and guided her through the forest. Once they reached the border of Peleira, the man crouched down, placing his quarter moon amulet around her neck.

When she asked why, he smiled and told her it had always been hers and that he had only been holding onto it for her. He told her he had to leave but promised they would meet again.

Corellon has been known to wander the multiverse incognito, seeking new magic and ideas. Despite encouraging self-reliance among his followers, Corellon is a relatively involved deity. Dafni is entirely unaware of the true nature of this encounter. From her perspective, she was simply saved by a cleric.

After her mother released her from bladesinging apprenticeships, Dafni felt lost and directionless. She had never wanted to be a wizard, but she had seen it as her only path for the first 30 years of her life.

She had, at least, inherited her mother’s green thumb. Nature had always seemed to sing in her presence. Her inherent fey magic could coxing even the most wilted plant into bloom. But, her’s was the power of springtime, wild and unbound. She could manage a small garden well enough but was ill-suited to the organized work of yielding crops.

She became depressed and sulked around her mother’s tower in her shadow/winter form for a few months. She had to sit with herself and figure out what she wanted out of her life. Dafni had always had an affinity for the divine. Still, she never pursued it beyond a hobby out of fear of disappointing her mother.

She thought of the cleric who saved her from the drider as a girl. How brave and kind he had been. She realized that that was her calling. To nurture and protect her people.

Although she never received formal training through a temple, her mother’s library was fast and contained many resources on elven theology. Additionally, she still had some access to her primal memories. Allowing her to tap into her knowledge from her first lifetime as a priestess in Arvandor.

BG3 Set Up:

Dafni lived alongside the wood elves of Lylarth Forest in the material plane for a few decades. During those years, she began to come into herself.

She began to feel a pull toward Bauldr’s Gate following a brief adventure with a group of shipwrecked adventurers. She has taken up residence in the Twin Songs neighborhood of the outer city. She rents a townhouse out of which she runs a small clinic, providing both traditional and magical healing.

The Ancunín family owns the townhouse she lives in. After the death of their son, they moved to their country estate full-time but retained their properties and assets in the city. Dafni has never met the people who rent to her. Minimrie Virra, an elf from a lower noble family, manages the building.

Dafni was on her way to the Cloak Wood Forest on the city’s outskirts to treat an outbreak of fever in one of the local wood elf clans when the mind flayers took her. She planned to stay with the wood elves for at least a tenday. She was relatively well packed for her adventure, having her medicine chest, adventuring supplies, etc. on hand when abducted.

The feywild seeps into the material plane on Gwynneth significantly, with some locations existing both planes at once. Her only knowledge of the world beyond the island came from a group of adventurers she had aided following a shipwreck and courtly gossip. She often struggles with the customs and decorum of the material plane.

Gear & Notable Items: Long sword, Oathbow, A golden compass that points towards the nearest portal to the feywilds within 10 miles, A holy amulet of Corellon, lyre, Feywilds & Shadowfell shards, moon sickle, Medical chest & herbalist tools.

Fun facts:

Her favorite treat is lemon bars and honey cake.

She likes romance novels.

She has kept a diary most of her life. She has a century of filled journals in her room.

She loves tea and has a collection of teacups at home.

She plays the lyre & harp.

She’s an Arachnophobe

She can spin and weave.

She is vulnerable to cold iron because of her fey ancestry.

In addition to her cleric abilities, Dafni has studied nonmagical medicine and is a talented surgeon and healer.

Despite being a faerie, she can technically lie. However, the lies taste like soot and bile in her mouth. The taste is more pungent the more significant the lie, so she tries to avoid it.

She thinks she can bake, but it always turns downright awful.

Past life:

Warning: this section has spoilers for a few story elements for Sunshine & Starlight.

Despoena served as a priestess of Elyadia. The acolytes of the temple were sworn to Corellon, Creator of the Elves. The priests were healers and warriors who served as liberators to those stripped of their freedoms. Elyadia offered refuge to elves who had experienced trauma and needed rehabilitation of both physical and emotional wounds.

Reincarnation:

After the war, all but the few elves who didn’t take fixed-physical forms were cast out of Arvandor. Despoena, ever loyal to her god, chose to remain in Arvandor.

She grew restless without a purpose, wandering the empty halls of Elyadia until the temple became overrun by nature. Tired of watching her talents go to waste, Corellon began sending elven souls afflicted by malevolent magics or wounds of the heart and mind to Elyadia, along with elven clerics who accomplished great acts of healing and magic in their mortal lives who wanted to continue to serve their people during their time in the afterlife.

When she first came into being, she had felt limitless and free. She had lost herself in her grief and out of a misguided desire to please Corellon. It became apparent to her that self-discovery would likely need to happen outside of Arvandor. She implored Lord Corellon to allow her at least one mortal experience. Much to her surprise, Corellon was in favor of her request.

Corellon hopes for her to discover that while her kindness and love for her people are great strengths, self-sacrifice to the point of living for other people’s happiness hinders her potential. She’s finding balance and learning that being your person doesn’t have to be at the cost of compassion and community.

Thiramin:

“Like most other important things in their lives, elves describe this mystically. They believe that a person’s spiritual progress is unknowingly intertwined with that of another. This soulmate is called a thiramin.”

Dafni and Astarion are fated mates. They were friends and lovers in their original lifetimes. Free will and self-determination are central to the elven existence. The souls bound simply pulled them together. They have to choose what to do with it.

For Aidon (Astarion), it was love at first sight; he saw her gathering flowers near the temple. She still burned bright with magic lost to the majority of their people. Being near her felt like the wild, endless possibility of spring had taken root in his soul.

Knowing he would not be permitted to approach the temple grounds, he watched her from the shadows for a time. Aidon had a clever mind and a talent for creating loopholes in any rule between himself and his desires.

Despoena was curious by nature. When a strange trail of snow-white daffodils appeared at the edge of the temple grounds, she could not resist the urge to see where they might lead. At the end of the trial, she found a shaded meadow and a masculine elf with a pleased grin.

He was irreverent, flirtatious, and unlike anyone she had known before. He was fiercely independent and sure of his desires. His sharp wit and easy charm had taken Despoena.

Over the centuries, they often wandered back into each other’s lives. They are echoes of each other in many ways, creatures of opposing but complementary nature. This was the source of the occasional falling out, though they always reconciled.

Despoena never stopped mourning the loss of his company following the events of the war of the Seldarine. She thought of him often and even occasionally, looking into his mortal lives.

#dafni of gwynneth #bg3 tav #bg3 oc #tav #bg3 #baulders gate 3 #d&d oc #eladrin #Dafni's Lore Doc #tav x astarion #long post under cut

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robertleechestateagents · 1 month

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Bee Friendly – By Holly Short

In the first of our green-fingered blogs, Holly from Grow Smiles gives us some brilliant advice on how we can help our yellow and black, furry, friends.

Why are bees important?

Approximately 80% of all flowering plants are pollinated primarily by bees as well as other insects and animals. Our food is reliant on this pollination as it provides the fruit and vegetables we eat as well as the crop to feed livestock. According to the Healthy Bees Plan 2030, bee crop pollination brings around £600 million per year to England and Wales based on crop pollination. Of course it also generates invaluable food for wildlife. Bees are an integral part of our eco system and without them we would be in big trouble.

Bees are in danger across the world with rapidly decreasing numbers. There are two main reasons – habitat loss due to urbanisation and intensive farming methods and the use of pesticides.

What can I do?

There are lots of easy way for you to use your garden to provide the bees with food and shelter. Learn to love your bees, find out about them – how to identify the different types, how they behave and what they need. By looking after the bees you will also be looking after other pollinators like butterflies.

Grow bee friendly flowers and plants.

Bees are around for most of the year, some emerge from hibernation as early as February and others are still flying around in November. You may seem them even earlier or later if the weather is mild. I have seen big fluffy, sleepy Queen bees on sunny days in January looking for nectar. So try to make sure that they have some form of food all year round. They need nectar to give them energy to fly and find nests and pollen to feed their bee grubs. You can often see the pollen stuck to their back legs so that they can take it back to the hive – see our photos at the end of the article.

The tricky times for bees are late Winter into early Summer and Autumn, when flowers are not so profilic as they are in full Summer. Plant bulbs in Autumn to provide flowers for the bees in these sparse times – Snowdrops, Winter Aconite, Hyacinths, Crocus, Fritillaria and Alliums. Look to include Autumn flowers plants in your garden such as Asters and Japanese Anenome. Ivy provides a wonderful source of nectar and pollen during the Winter months. Have a look at this wonderful seasonal guide created by Friends of the Earth.

Give them shelter

If you have space and can cope with a bit of wild in your garden – leave a patch of lawn uncut. Bees love sheltering in Clover, Dandelions and long grass. If you can’t do that, why not build a bee hotel? It doesn’t have to be complicated, just a box or even on old plastic drinks bottle with hollow branches, pine cones, drilled out logs – other pollinating insects will love it too. The Bee Friendly Trust have written a lovely, simple guide to help you build a bee hotel.

Learn to love your bees

Watching and listening to bees is mesmerising. In early Summer my garden is full of Alliums and in early Autumn, Asters – the sound of the buzzing is amazing and there are so many different types of bees to see. The Bumble Bee Conservation has a great tool to help you first identify the different types and then to learn about all of their unique habits. They also do some great posters and pocket books. Once you become more involved and connected with the bees, you will naturally want to look after them – which can only be good for the bees!

Don’t use or support the use of chemicals

Learn how to Grow Green – harness the power of nature to grow better plants without harming the environment. Our Grow Green article can help you – it’s updated with new things we learn – so very frequently. Also look at what’s happening in the world around you, at the big picture. For example, in 2021 the UK government reversed recently made decisions put in place to protect our bees and wildlife – read more at the Wild Life & Countryside Link. Stand up for our bees. (Update June 2021 – this decision has once again been reversed – so our bees are now more protected. It is still always worth keeping an eye on legislations as clearly they can be changed very quickly).

You will experience so much joy by loving and protecting the bees – new found buzzy friends that do so much good for our plant, not to mention beautiful flowers, plants and gardens. Our plant list highlights the plants we have that are bee friendly.

Bee friendly – Make the World a Better Place

By Holly Short

[email protected]

Grow Smiles, Church Farm, Betchworth, RH3 7DH

Content source: https://www.robertleech.com/bee-friendly-by-holly-short/

#Lingfield Luxury Homes #Bee Friendly Holly Short #Oxted Homes For Sale #Eco-friendly home #House Sale Oxted

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unfavorableinstigation · 6 months

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Just finished the actual storyline (what there is of it) to Planet Crafter last night. Overall impressions in extremely jumbled order because I can't figure out how to make Tumblr let me reorder bullets, spoilers under the cut:

All the people complaining in the ship messages about being stranded on this horrible hostile planet where all the evil meteor showers happen are whiny little babies. You wash up on the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs planet and you are bitching about getting hit with croutons. The only message-er I have any sympathy for is the other planet crafter who does not live on Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Planet and doesn't have any resources.

The game being in early access means the walls of your living quarters are sort of spasmodically permeable. Having meteors occasionally clipping through the walls is whatever, an expected part of early-access, but I actually kind of like the feel when the trees start growing and do the same - my terraforming is going so well that nature is intruding on my spaces! Muahahaha!

I adore the fact that bees don't seem to notice the walls at all and just sort of hang out in my house with me. We are friends and we love each other.

The appliances and stuff are just big boxes with texture right now, I think, which leads to the Amazing Flying Larvae Circus when they spawn on top of a box in a place that isn't actually part of the object. Not quite as good as my pet bees, but still a fun early-access artifact.

These gorgeous blue-purple flowers start growing wild at a certain terraforming stage and I want them.

I have no idea why, but the story being in exactly the same 'alpha' stage as the rest of the game threw me more than I think it should have - there's a lot of very cool stuff there that hasn't been fully fleshed out yet. I think maybe because I don't trust the wider world to pay as much attention to a cohesive story as to the rest of the game?

The visual design on the ancient alien lore updates is cohesive, and absolutely gorgeous. I could write an essay about this game's use of the colour blue.

I also want to be able to grow the ivy that's everywhere in the ancient ruins. I think it would be cool to have a mechanic somewhat similar to the terra trading rocket, but for recreating some of the ancient alien stuff. There's a definite sense that the player is caught between these two worlds and I'd love for the end result of the fully terraformed planet to be able to reflect that - possibly to require it?

Riley,mybestfriendRiley, who sends me international aid crates like the American government parachuting in beavers... who is Riley? Do they have anything to do with my conviction? For that matter, what was I convicted for? Is my character even interesting? We know so much more about the alien side of this than the human.

Ancient alien lore starts with a banger line: "At first, we were struck by the resemblance." As you go on, you find out that the mysterious enemy the ancient aliens were fleeing are humans, and the aliens' scientists say our souls are somehow compatible and that's why we evolved similar bauplans?

If I ever write sci-fi, I will be on the opposite-but-probably-equally-obnoxious bandwagon of people that compare humanity to little kids that want to be in their own bedtime stories. "Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Angela" / "Once upon a time, there was a species called humanity"

Those who know me, know that one of my pet peeves in science-fiction is humanoid aliens. The compatible-souls explanation cooled some of my feral-ness about this not because I think it's a good explanation for the 'two humans' thing, but because it's really interesting cultural worldbuilding to have it be the alien civilization's official scientific explanation.

This DOES, however, lead to what I think is the accidentally funniest piece of lore in the game. The ancient aliens built some kind of defense device to drain power and block communications from human ships passing near the area, to deter them from expanding into this area. This means their scientists were either lying or stupid because their souls can't be that similar to humans. Anyone sharing a soul with humans as a species knows that device was the best possible way to ensure that only the most stubborn and annoying of humans flock to your planet in droves. [Malory Archer voice] Do you want Shackletons? Because that's how you get Shackletons.

#planet crafter #my closing notes are that i think there should be more frogs in this game.#you can find like 2 or 3 different kind of frogs if you hunt about #but i think there should be more.#the game currently rewards you for exploring with chests #that contain useful items #but i think it should reward me with more and different-er frogs.#planet crafter spoilers

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im-an-anxious-wreck · 8 months

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Hold Out Your Hand And I'll Reach For You Too

Chapter Eight • Virgil

Word Count: 2,225

HOYHAIRFYT chapter collection

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Ghosts And Green Grass

It was several days before Virgil was cleared to be moved to The Prince's house, and while he could kinda walk short distances now, he was still relying on The Prince to help him get around. At least he didn't need help standing at the bathroom sink anymore, and it had been especially embarrassing when the medic had to help him off the toilet.

But even if he couldn't walk too much on his own, it was nice to stretch his legs, and while the medic's healing place was nice, he was glad and so looking forward to easing into The Prince's house and—

Ah, how could he be so careless, he'd almost forgotten. This wasn't permanent. How long would the prince really tolerate him being there anyway? A few days; a week perhaps? If he was lucky, that is.

A bit of anxiety and apprehension grew in Virgil's throat, but he tried not to let it take over as he, with The Prince's help, made his way to the carriage.

The trip to The Prince's house was rather quiet and uneventful, instead they just sat side by side in the small carriage, if it even could be described as such. There was no back part per sé, just an empty luggage rack, but the front bench was comfortable enough, and The Prince seemed to have enough reputable friendship with the horse to keep them steady, although the unusually smooth dirt road also helped.

But despite the quiet trip, Virgil's mind was anything but.

What was he going to do when he will have overstayed his welcome? Would The Prince let him know when it was time to go? Would he politely guide Virgil to somewhere else?

Should Virgil even bother to tell The Prince when he was leav— he stopped that thought. No, he should definitely tell him when, even if it was very short notice. After everything The Prince did for him, he couldn't just disappear, and while he would no doubt be way too nervous to give The Prince a lot of notice to let the awkwardness stew, he at least deserved to know Virgil was leaving and how appreciative he was of all that The Prince had done for him.

Besides, Virgil knew just how shitty it felt to be on the other side of someone disappearing, and there was no way he was going to do that to The Prince.

"Hey," The Prince gently said, distracting Virgil from his ever turbulent thoughts. "We're here."

"Oh." Virgil looked around, just starting to take in their forest-y surroundings. "Okay, yeah."

The Prince had to tie the horse and wagon around one of the mini trees so the horse wouldn't wander off while he had to help Virgil down. The Prince carefully wrapped an arm around Virgil's back to help him down, but after that switched to holding one of Virgil's hands with his other arm and the one on his back moved up to Virgil's other shoulder.

The Prince led Virgil beside the stone wall until they went through a wooden gate.

There was so many plants inside the walls, but what instantly took all of Virgil's focus was the old house, with its wild, yet not unkempt garden, it was silent and full of ancient secrets untold, but Virgil couldn't even begin to guess how old the house was for who knew just how old The Prince was exactly. Let alone when he'd built the house.

But with its red and gold stained glass windows, and flowers of every shade of red, yellow, and white Virgil was quite sure The Prince had at the very least been very influential on the design, if not built by his own hands.

Most of the house was covered in ivy, but under it could still be seen some of the stone that seemed to match the stone fence. The door was a mellow maroon but seemed to be peeling here and there, and the window trim was white and must've been painted quite recently, but seemed to be the only thing that had been updated about the house recently.

The house seemed pretty big before, but now that he was up close he realised it even seemed to have two stories. Yet, it still seemed comfortable, and maybe not even hell to clean… maybe.

Actually, would he be expecting to clean it?

[Much later, Virgil would ask, only to vehemently be told that no, he wasn't expected to nor should he in his current state, and even after that, they would need to have a healthy plan after G had made him do all of the chores for his overly large estate]

Virgil sighed quietly to himself, once again he'd accidently reminded himself that this was just for a few days, but still, Virgil almost wished it could go on forever.

Well, not almost. He just really wished he was useful and good enough for The Prince to keep him around. He wished he didn't have to be useful to be wanted… He just wanted to be a person.

But he'd never been allowed that privilege, and it was foolish to think that he suddenly would be now.

The Prince and Virgil hadn't done much the day prior, but they'd eaten supper and The Prince had shown him to the room that he could stay in, that had a wide variety of clothes in the closet that actually fit Virgil, and in the middle of the room was the largest bed he'd ever seen.

Now it was mid morning and Virgil didn't even feel guilty about sleeping in. Especially not when he'd just had the most amazing sleep of his life. Not only did he feel the safest he'd ever felt, but the mattress and pillows were heavenly, and the sheets were so very soft.

He'd only had one nightmare, but even it wasn't as bad as normal and he'd been able to get back to sleep after washing his face and flipping his pillow over. And while the medic had said that he shouldn't expect them to suddenly go away, with how much sleep he got, it didn't scare him as much that he'd have to deal with them again.

The sleep he'd gotten at the medical place had been fine, but he'd been so out of it that for any of the actual sleep he had gotten, it had to've been under sedation, and it wasn't the same in any capacity.

Virgil leisurely made his way down the stairs, taking them slowly and one at a time. He spotted The Prince reading a book in the living room and sat down in an armchair, exhaustion setting in even though it hadn't been a great distance. "Morning," he murmured. Hoping that his soft greeting wouldn't disturb The Prince, but he didn't want to be rude and ignore him entirely, as well as wanting to greet him.

This was his domain and Virgil had no idea how he'd act or if he would be more possessive or defensive on his property like… well, like G had.

"Good morning!" The Prince cheerfully replied as he looked up from his book and put a bookmark in it, setting it aside on the side table. "How'd you sleep?"

"Oh, good! I still can't get over how soft the bed and pillows are, but also still supporting me somehow??"

The Prince made a half hum, half laugh sound. "Yeah, I was never quite satisfied with basically like all pillows so we actually have a bed and pillow maker here. People actually come from quite far away to buy stuff from him, but of course people who live here get first priority, although we're all quite taken care of by now."

"Well, that's nice."

The Prince paused for a moment before he exclaimed, "I see the clothes seem to fit you well!"

"Yeah, most of it seemed to have a bit of give either way so it wasn't hard to find something!" Virgil considered his next words and maybe he should say this but it was out his mouth before he could really think too hard about it. "I was surprised it was all in blacks and purples."

"Hmm, almost like it was picked out for you?" The Prince said, a knowing look in his eyes.

"Sure," Virgil started out in a teasing tone, "like you would just pick all that out for me, Prince-y—," he quickly blanched though. He was definitely pushing it. "I mean, sir, er— Your Royal Highness."

The Prince frowned. "Hey, it's okay. Why are you taking my title seriously now?"

"Um, well, I am staying at your house and… I don't know, it just seemed proper."

"Oh, hey, you don't need to do that. I rather like Princey, if you wanna just call me that."

"I— well, would that bother you?"

"No! Not in the slightest. I dare say I'm rather fond of it."

"Oh, well… yeah, alright… Princey." Virgil couldn't help it, it still hesitated and looked at The Prince to see if he suddenly changed his mind, but Princey just smiled at him.

"Alright then, Chrysanthemum."

Virgil felt himself flush and looked away. He'd practically forgotten about the silly nickname he'd told Princey to call him when they'd first met.

…That seemed like ages ago though.

Because now— now things were so different.

"...I really did pick those out for you though."

"I— what?"

"Yeah, you needed clothes, so I got you clothes. You really seemed to like violets so I had hoped purple wasn't too far a stretch, and well, black matched your hair and I always imagined you to be a bit emo at heart so… besides, I didn't think you'd really be up to going and picking stuff out for yourself and I at least wanted you to have something until you could go get something more in your style if it wasn't."

"Oh," Virgil breathed, feeling way more touched than perhaps he should be feeling. "That's… yeah, that's definitely my style. I— thanks."

"Of course," Princey said gently, seeming to be quite pleased that Virgil liked them.

Over breakfast —a heavenly assortment of apple oatmeal, toast, pomegranate, and cheesy eggs—, Virgil and Princey had some light conversation and Virgil had to be careful not to let himself get too comfortable.

It was all just so homely.

After Princey's last bite he yet again turned to Virgil. "Oh, hey, I was wondering, when you're feeling better and up for it of course, how about we go visit my brother? It's been a while since I've seen him and I… kinda think you and his partner might get along. You can most definitely say no, however. I'd totally understand."

"Well, that sounds just fine to me, especially since, like you said, it'd be another few days anyway. But yeah, I think that'd be nice."

"Oh, excellent!"

Virgil gave him a small half smile, before he asked, "How far away from here is it?"

"Three or four hours I believe."

"Then yeah. I don't see why not."

"Oh, I'm so excited!"

"Well, then I am too!"

Princey gave Virgil the sweetest smile, eyes crinkling in delight.

Huh, was Princey always this cute?

It was the trip of a lifetime, especially one like Virgil's, yet all he could think about was how soon it'd all be over and he'd be back on his own, fending for himself.

He didn't want it to end.

He didn't want to… to leave Princey.

Ah, and that was the root of the problem, even beyond having no food, money, or house. He'd have no home, he wouldn't have Princey.

Unfortunately, the trip would take several hours, which gave Virgil ample time to think over and overthink about everything. He was vaguely aware of The Prince telling him about his brother and his brother's partner, but Virgil was having a hard time being able to absorb any information, and with being such a bad conversationalist at the moment, The Prince's conversation soon died down. Virgil felt guilty about it, of course, but he still couldn't quite bring himself to talk just yet.

He just hoped he wouldn't make an even bigger fool of himself when they met— oh, what did The Prince say he could call them both? Duke and… Key? Well, no matter. He just didn't want to embarrass himself and certainly didn't want to embarrass The Prince.

Virgil felt his anxiety bubble stronger in his stomach and yet also felt relief as the carriage wagon came to a stop in front of a rather large tower-shaped stone house.

The Prince jumped out onto the soft green grass before turning around and offering Virgil a hand down, which he took, trying not to let the absolutely normal action cause his face to flush.

Virgil had only a moment to glance around on their way to the neon green door, but he briefly smiled at the rainbow of flowers in the yellow window boxes as he subtly hopped from large flat stone to stone in the pathway.

They both took one last deep breath, although not quite in sync, before The Prince knocked on the door, calling: "Oh, Duke? Are you or your partner home?"

The door opened to show… a very familiar and scaly face.

"...Dee?!"

#sanders sides fics #ts virgil #tss virgil #ts roman #tss roman

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phae-undergrove · 2 years

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GREEK DIETY CHEAT SHEET

(nine Greek gods/goddesses and their correspondences)

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Check out part 2 here

A SMALL UPDATE ABOUT PARTS 1&2

1. Apollo — God of the Sun, Prophecy, Truth, Music & Poetry, Archery, Healing, & Light

🌈Colors: Gold/Yellow, Orange, Red-orange

🌏Element: Fire

🗓Day of the Week: Sunday

🌱Plants & Trees: The laurel tree, the apple tree, the poplar tree, the palm tree, cypress, hyacinth

💎Stones & Gems: Sunstone, Citrine, Amber, Carnelian, Yellow topaz, Sapphire

💨Incense: Bay, Frankincense, Cypress, Clove, Cinnamon, Mugwort, Myrrh

🔆Symbols: The lyre, silver bow, Dolphins,Swans,Crows,Ravens,Lions,Wolves, Mice,Griffins,Hawks,Snakes,Laurel wreath Fire/flame,Sun/sunlight,Tripod,Apples

🕊Proper Offerings: Bay laurel leaves (including a laurel wreath), Honey, Sun-shaped cookies or cakes, Wine, Golden cakes, Golden raisins, Apples, Music or poetry, Dancing, Donations to hospitals or health research institutes, Donations to local artists, Drawings

2. Hades — King of the Underworld & God of the Dead & Wealth

🌈Colors: Black, White, Grey

🌏Element: Fire or Earth

🌱Plants & Trees: The asphodel, the mint, the cypress tree, the white poplar tree, the pomegranate tree, the narcissus

💎Stones & Gems: All of them but especially Diamond, Obsidian, Onyx, Jet, Black tourmaline, Hematite (any black stone, really)

💨Incense: Frankincense, Cypress, Narcissus, Mint, Pomegranate, Patchouli, Myrrh

🦴Symbols: Three-headed Cerberus, Helmet which renders the wearer invisible, Gold & jewels (which can be found underground), Scepter, Key of Hades, Drinking horn or cornucopia, Screech owls, Black rams, Bident (two-pronged trident), Skull & bones

🕊Proper Offerings: Cypress flowers or leaves, Narcissus, Mint, Pomegranates, Gold & silver, Jewels, Bones, Wine or honeyed milk (poured directly on the earth), Fish/meat, Mock-blood offerings (again, poured directly on the earth), Cookies or cakes made to look like one of His symbols, Helping others grieve, Remembering the dead fondly

3. Dionysus — God of Wine, Fertility, & Theatre

🌈Colors: Purple, Green, Burgundy

🌏Element: Earth

🌱Plants & Trees: The grapevine, the ivy, the bindweed (sarsaparille), giant fennel, the silver fir tree, the fig tree, the elm tree, cinnamon

💎Stones & Gems: Amethyst

💨Incense: Grape, Ivy, Fig, Fennel, Cinnamon, Musk, Frankincense, Storax

🍷Symbols: Wine, Grapes, Grapevine, Thyrsus (fennel staff tipped with a pine cone), Ivy crown, Figs, Berries, Leopards, Goats, Donkeys, Lions, Snakes, Wild bulls, Panthers, Tigers, Cheetahs, Wine glass

🕊Proper Offerings: Wine, Mead, Intoxicants of any variety, Grapes, Figs, Berries, Apples, Honey, Honeyed Milk, Sweet meats, Wheat/barley/hops, Olive oil, Ivy, Pine/pine cones, Fennel, Thistle, Cookies or cakes shaped to look like one of His symbols (i.e. wine bottle or wine glass), Dedicated sexual activities (if you’re comfortable), Mock-blood offerings, Donations to a theatre or theatre troupe

4. Artemis — Goddess of the Moon, the Hunt, Wild Animals & Wilderness, & Virginity

🌈Colors: Silver/Gray, White (for virginity), Green

🌏Element: Earth

🗓Day of the Week: Monday

🌱Plants & Trees: The amaranth, the cypress tree, the willow tree, the walnut tree, the almond tree, the fir tree

💎Stones & Gems: Moonstone, Pearl, Amethyst, Quartz

💨Incense: Cypress, Frankincense, Anything woodsy

🦌Symbols: The moon, Bow & arrows, Guinea fowls, Quails, Hunting dogs, All wild animals but especially deer, bears, & boars

🕊Proper Offerings: Bow & arrows (or other hunting tools), Parts from animals that have been shed naturally (i.e. feathers or snake skin), Donation to an animal shelter or a charity that helps animals, Moon-shaped cookies or cakes, Deer-shaped cookies or cakes, Amaranths, Wildflowers, Walnuts, Almonds, Honey, Red wine

5. Persephone — Queen of the Underworld & Goddess of Spring & Vegetation

🌈Colors: Black, Green, Blue, Purple, Magenta, Yellow

🌏Element: Earth

🌱Plants & Trees: The daisy, the lily, the lily of the valley, the lavender, the narcissus, the maidenhair fern, the mint, the iris, the violet, the rose, the asphodel, the poppy, the pomegranate tree, the willow tree, the cypress tree, the black poplar tree

💎Stones & Gems: Onyx, Obsidian, Quartz, Jasper, Coral, Agate, Citrine, Topaz, Peridot, Sapphire, Gren tourmaline, Pink tourmaline, Amethyst, Dioptase

💨Incense: Pomegranate, Narcissus, Hyacinth, Vanilla, Almond, Bergamot, Anything floral

👑Symbols: Wildflowers, Wreath of flowers worn in hair, Pomegranates, Sheaves of grain, Torch, Bees, Bats, Parrots, Pigs, Deer, Rams, Monkeys, Waterfalls, Rivers & springs, Crown

🕊Proper Offerings: Pomegranates/pomegranate seeds, Pomegranate juice or wine, Spring water or infused water, Honey/honey wine, Wildflowers, Grains, Bread, Cookies or cakes made to look like one of Her symbols, Milk/honeyed milk, Wreath of flowers, Comforting those who have lost a loved one, Donations of time & money to a SA crisis center

6. Aphrodite — Goddess of Love, Beauty, Desire, & Fertility

🌈Colors: Red, Pink, Seafoam green, Aqua

🌏Element: Water

🗓Day of the week: Friday

🌱Plants & Trees: The rose, the myrtle (flower & tree), the honeysuckle, the apple tree, the lime tree

💎Stones & Gems: Diamond, Rose Quartz, Pearl, Aquamarine, Sapphire, Garnet Incense: Rose, Frankincense, Myrrh, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Cypress, Jasmine, Ginger

💕Symbols: Hearts, Seashells, Mirror, Girdles, Dolphins, Doves, Swans, Sparrows, Bees, Sea Foam, Pomegranates, Apples, Strawberries, Oranges, Pears

🕊Proper Offerings: Roses, Myrtles, Apples, Pomegranates, Honey, Wine, Chocolates, Cookies or cakes made to look like one of Her symbols (i.e. hearts), Strawberries, Oranges, Pears, Perfume, Bath Salts, Bath oils, Bubble bath soap, Scented lotions or fancy soaps

7. Ares — God of War

🌈Colors: Blood-red, Black (the color of death)

🌏Element: Fire

🗓Day of the Week: Tuesday

🌱Plants & Trees: The violet, the ash tree, the oak tree

💎Stones & Gems: Ruby, Red agate, Bloodstone

💨Incense: Frankincense, Sandalwood, Tobacco

🪖Symbols: A helmet, An often-bloodstained spear, Shield & sword, Armor, Chariot drawn by four fire-breathing horses, Dogs, Vultures, Eagle owls, Barn owls, Woodpeckers, Snakes

🕊Proper Offerings: Red wine (or anything stronger, such as whiskey), Black coffee, Mock-blood offerings, Pipe tobacco

8. Poseidon — God of the Sea, Earthquakes, & Horses

🌈Colors: Blue, Turquoise, Sea green, Cyan, Deep blue

🌏Element: Water

🌱Plants & Trees: The seaweed, the coral, the wild celery, the pine tree

💎Stones & Gems: Pearl, Mother-of-pearl, Aquamarine, Lapis lazuli, Turqouise, Azurite, Sapphire, Amethyst

💨incense: Pine, Cedar, Willow, Frankincense, Myrrh

🌊Symbols: The sea, Sea foam/waves, Trident, Merpeople, Hippocampi, Pegasus, Fishes, Dolphins, Horses, Bulls, Conch shells, Sea shells, Oysters/pearls, Starfishes

🕊Proper Offerings: Water, White wine or white grape juice, Honey, Fish (including the first catch of the season), Beef, Salt, Cookies or cakes made to look like one of His symbols (even animal crackers), Mint/chocolate mint candies, Oysters or clams, Pearls, Container of sea water, Conch shells/sea shells, Starfishes, Statue of a horse or bull, Ambergris, Riding a horse or learning to ride one, Fighting ocean/beach pollution, Taking up a water sport (diving, boating, etc.), Enjoying a day at the beach, Supporting fishermen and sailors

9. Hermes — Messenger of the Gods & God of Commerce, Travelers, Thieves, & Athletes

🌈Colors: Gold, Yellow, Orange, Silver, Grey, Green

🌏Element: Air

🗓Day of the Week: Wednesday

🌱Plants & Trees: The crocus (particularly the saffron variety), the moly, the strawberry tree, the palm tree, the almond tree, the silver birch tree

💎Stones & Gems: Hematite, Agate, Yellow topaz, Amber, Citrine, Emerald, Peridot, Red marble

💨Incense: Frankincense, Camphor, Myrrh, Saffron, Dragon’s blood, Cloves, Nettles, Mace, Musk, White sandalwood, Tobacco, Storax

👜Symbols: Winged sandals, Winged helmet, Caduceus (winged staff entwined with serpents), Purse or pouch, Traveler’s cloak, Lyre, Panpipes, Roosters, Tortoises, Hares, Rams, Hawks, Snakes

🕊Proper Offerings: Anything made of silver or containing mercury, Currency (including foreign currency), Crocuses, Panpipes, Saffron, Strawberries, Chocolate, Wheat, Honey, Lemons, Almonds, Cassia, Cinnamon, Pork or mutton, Any type of foreign food, Spring water, Coffee, Energy drinks, Wine/mead, German beer, Brightly colored eggs, Traveling abroad or trading with foreigners, Playing harmless practical jokes, Comforting a dying loved one

Please feel free to use this whenever you’d like! I hope it helps some people out!🥺🥰 if you haven’t check out my GREEK DEITY CHEAT SHEEP PART 2 HERE

If you like what I do here please feel free to check out my Mothers Etsy store! Moon Circle Insights She’s got a wonderful assortment of detailed spells on there✨🥰

all art creds to Yliade on Deviant art! Please check them out!until the next time! Merry meet, merry part, merry meet again✨🔮

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#witch tips #baby witch #dieties #greek gods #gods and goddesses #follow for more #angel energy #norse pagan witch #witches of tumblr

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nyxshadowhawk · 3 years

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Names for Witches

An updated version of an earlier list! Good and evil witches alike:

Acrasia: A witch in The Faerie Queene who tempts and bewitches people, controlling their minds. Means "lacking command."

Agatha: Means "good." A disproportionately common name for witches in media, including the Enchantress from Beauty and the Beast, Aggie Prenderghast from ParaNorman, and Aggie Cromwell from Halloweentown.

Aglaonice: A Thessalian witch from the writings of Plutarch, who could draw the moon down from the sky (probably referring to an eclipse). She might just have been an astronomer!

Akantha: A Greek name meaning "thorn."

Akitophis: The name of an unkown goddess mentioned in the PGM. Possibly a name or epithet of Ereshkigal.

Alcina: An evil sorceress and seductress from Orlando furioso, and the title character of a series of operas. Meaning uncertain.

Alcmene: The mother of Heracles. Means “moon strength.”

Aradia: The title character of Charles Geoffrey Leland's book Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches. A moon goddess and basically the witch version of Jesus, at least in that book.

Arcana: Latin word meaning “secret” (literally “to shut in a chest”), also a word for the two groups of cards in a tarot deck.

Argante: The Queen of Avalon in one Arthurian text, a version of Morgan le Fay. Might be related to argenta (“silver”).

Arianrhod: A Welsh goddess, associated with the moon, stars, fertility, and the passage of time. Means “silver wheel.”

Armida: The name of the witch/seductress in Tasso’s Jerusalem Delivered, meaning uncertain.

Asteria: A Titaness and the mother of Hecate, the goddess of falling stars, prophecy, astrology, and oneiromancy. Means “starry.”

Asterope: The mother of Circe in one telling. Means either “lightning” or “star-faced.” (Also the name of one of the Pleiades.)

Autumn: The season containing Halloween/Samhain.

Belladonna: Deadly nightshade, a poisonous herb. Means "beautiful woman."

Briar: Refers to thorny bushes. Could be associated with evil enchantments, beautiful roses, or both.

Brigid: Celtic fire goddess. Means either "strength, virtue" or "exalted one."

Cassandra: A Greek prophetess whom Apollo cursed so no one would believe her. Means "she who entangles men." Could be shortened to "Cassie."

Cerridwen: Welsh enchantress goddess associated with the sacred cauldron of divine inspiration. Means "white poet."

Circe: A sorceress in Greek mythology who turned men into animals and who was a priestess of Hecate. Means "hoop-round."

Despoina: A daughter of Demeter and Poseidon associated with the Eleusinian Mysteries. Means “the mistress.” Also an epithet of Hecate and Persephone.

Diana: Roman name of the goddess Artemis, the virgin goddess of the moon and the hunt. Associated with Dianic Wicca, a modern cult centered around this goddess.

Edana: Celtic, means “little fire.”

Elergia/Annowre: An evil sorceress in Arthurian legend who tries to seduce Arthur.

Endora: The Witch of Endor was a sorceress in the Bible.

Empusa: Female monsters that served Hecate. Means “one-legged.”

Erichtho: A horrifying, evil hag from Lucan’s Pharsalia. Meaning uncertain.

Esmeralda: The name of Granny Weatherwax (from Discworld), means "emerald."

Freya: Norse goddess of love, beauty, sex, and war, means "lady."

Ganeida: An Arthurian sorceress, a sister of Merlin.

Grimhilde: The name given to the Evil Queen in Disney's Snow White. Good for fairy-tale-esque witches, could also work for a kinda Gothy heroic character. Means “masked battle.”

Gwendolyn: A Welsh name meaning "white bow" or "white ring."

Habundia/Habonde: "Abundance," a name for the queen of witches or fairies, associated with Diana, Mab, Nicnevin, and Hecate.

Hazel: Witch-hazel is a shrub with yellow flowers, associated with witches because of its name and its medicinal properties. Actual hazel is an all-purpose wood for magic wands.

Hecate: The goddess of witchcraft, necromancy, the night, and the crossroads in Greek mythology. Means "worker from afar.”

Hecuba: The Queen of Troy, mother of Cassandra. Uncertain etymology, possibly related to "Hecate." She turned into a dog and became one of Hecate’s familiars.

Hellawes: An evil sorceress in Arthurian legend, who seeks to kill Lancelot so she can embalm his corpse and kiss it every day to spite Guinevere. Creepy.

Hellebore: A poisonous herb.

Ianira: A name of several nymphs in Greek mythology, possibly meaning "enchantress."

Ingrid: A Norse name combining the name of a fertility god and the word for "beautiful."

Ivy: A plant thought to drive out evil spirits.

Lamia: A vampire-like monster from Greek mythology that eats children. Name of the witch in the film version of Stardust.

Lilith: The Queen of Demons in Hebrew folklore, means "of the night,” referring to a screech owl.

Lilura: Basque name meaning "enchantment."

Louhi: An evil witch queen in Finnish mythology. Means "trance."

Luna: Roman goddess of the moon.

Maeve: Based on Irish Gaelic, means "intoxicating." Possibly related to Queen Mab.

Medea: Means "cunning," a sorceress in Greek mythology who helped Jason steal the Golden Fleece. Took violent revenge when he left her for another woman.

Melissa: An apprentice of Merlin, who rescues the victims of Alcina. Means “honeybee.”

Morana/Marzanna: The Slavic goddess of death and winter, means "death."

Morgana: Name of the famous sorceress Morgan le Fay from Arthurian legend. Means “sea circle.”

Morrigan: Irish goddess of death, war, and ravens, means “great queen” or “phantom queen.”

Morwenna: A Welsh name meaning “maiden,” the name of the witch in the book version of Stardust.

Nepenthe: A magical drug from the Odyssey that cures sorrow and causes forgetfulness.

Nicnevan: Queen of the Fairies in Scottish folklore, and the witch queen of Samhain. Means "daughter of the divine." Identified with Hecate.

Nimue: A name for the Lady of the Lake, and/or the sorceress who encased Merlin in a tree with his own magic. Might be related to a Greek word meaning "memory."

Nyx: The Greek primordial goddess of and personification of the night.

Orenda: Iriquois name meaning "magical power."

Persephone: Greek goddess of flowers and Queen of the Underworld. Means either "wheat-thresher" or alternatively "destroyer."

Ragana: Lithuanian Crone goddess of witchcraft.

Raven: The bird, associated with death, magic, and prophecy in multiple mythologies.

Sage: Unisex, a cleansing herb used in many magic spells. From Latin, “healing plant.”

Selene: The Greek goddess and personification of the moon.

Sibyl: Greek, “prophetess,” a word for an oracle.

Strega/Striga: "Strega" is the Italian word for witch (and a word for Italian neopaganism). "Striga" is the Latin word for witch and means "screech owl" (owls are in the order "strigiforms") and a genus of flower called "witchweed."

Sycorax: The name of the witch in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, who is probably based on Medea. Uncertain etymology.

Taika: Finnish, "magic spell."

Vervain: An herb with magical and medicinal properties.

Venefica: A Latin word that simply means “woman who poisons,” referring to a woman who works magic by means of potion-making.

Vivian: A name for the Lady of the Lake, means "lively."

Willow: A tree associated with witches and spirits

And, because I don’t want to neglect the men, here’s a few for male witches (I haven’t been able to find nearly as many!):

Abdecian: Means “to get by asking,” as in a magic spell. (Disclaimer: I have no idea where I got this name. I had it written in my notes, and I remember finding it somewhere, but when I searched it I got mainly my own content on various websites. So… idk.)

Abraxas: A magic word found throughout Greek magic spells as a name of power. The name of the “Great Archon” in Gnosticism, also the name of one of the horses of the Sun. Etymology uncertain. Also spelled Abrasax.

Alaric: Germanic, “all-powerful.”

Alistair: Scottish variant on Alexander, meaning “defender of mankind.” Similar to the chosen name of a certain famous occultist.

Altair: The brightest star in Aquila. Means “eagle.”

Amergin: A druid in Irish mythology, “born of song.”

Aspen: A white tree, associated with fairies. Its leaves turn golden in the fall, and they appear to “shimmer” in the breeze.

Arawn: The Welsh lord of the Otherworld and the dead, and leader of the Wild Hunt. Etymology uncertain; might be a variant of the Hebrew Aaron, “exaulted.”

Aurelius: Latin, “golden.”

Belenus: Pan-Celtic god of light and healing identified with Apollo, who gave his name to Beltane. Means “shining one.”

Briar: Refers to thorny bushes. Same fairy-tale associations.

Eliphas: Hebrew, “God is agile.” The pen name of the famous occultist Alphonse Constant.

Gwydion: Means “born of trees,” a magician and trickster god in Welsh mythology.

Hemlock: A poisonous herb used in spells.

Hunter: Self-explanatory. Modern witchcraft tends to involve the worship of forest gods associated with hunting.

Mabon: Welsh, “divine son,” a figure in Arthurian legend. His name was given to the autumn equinox in modern paganism.

Maddock: Welsh, “fortunate.”

Melchior: One of the Biblical magi, “king of light.”

Merle: A unisex name, from Latin, meaning “blackbird.”

Raven: The bird, associated with death, magic, and prophecy in multiple mythologies.

Rowan: Irish, “little red one,” the name of a tree with the ability to ward off evil.

Simon: Greek, from Hebrew, “hearkening.” The name of an ancient sorcerer, Simon Magus, who founded Gnosticism in early Christianity.

Soma: A name with various mystical meanings in different languages. In Greek, it means “body.” In Sanskrit it means “distill, extract” and refers to the drink of the gods, as well as being another name for the Hindu moon god, Chandra. In Finnish, it means “pretty.”

Tanwyn: Welsh, “white fire.”

Taliesin: A legendary bard in Welsh folklore, the son of Cerridwen. Means “shining brow.”

Valerian: A medicinal herb, used to induce sleep. “Health, vitality.”

#witch #witches #witch names #male witch #names #character names #magical names #mythology #witchblr

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danydragons21 · 2 years

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The Shadows That Sing: Chapter 12

This update took a ridiculously long time BUT... I love this chapter so much. Hope you guys do, too.

Read it on ao3 here.

Chapter 12: Rosehall

“Rosehall?” Elain repeated. She’d never heard of it before, but there was something lovely and familiar about the name. Something sweet in the way it tasted as it rolled off her tongue. Glancing around, she took in the ivory cottage that was covered in climbing ivy and sheltered by trees.

She turned around and saw Azriel watching her closely. She couldn’t help the tingle that ran down her spine as his sharp hazel eyes and lingering shadows took in her every movement. “Let me show you something,” Azriel said, his voice full of something like excitement, though Elain couldn’t be sure. She’d never seen him express that emotion before.

She followed him to the backside of the cottage, and inhaled sharply as she took in the scene.

It was a garden, and yet it was not like any garden she had ever seen. Her own garden back in Velaris and the one in the conservatory were both tidy, organized into rows and displays, and had a sense of artificial uniformity. This garden, however, looked like it was a natural part of the forest. It was sprawling and untamed. Wild, even. But that did not diminish its beauty at all; on the contrary, it made it all the more stunning. If she was not such an accomplished gardener herself, she might have believed that it had simply been here since the beginning of time, and would be there long after the concept of time ceased to exist. But she recognized many of the flower species, and knew that those blooms could only thrive under the hands of someone who excelled at gardening.

“Who did all this?” She asked.

Azriel cleared his throat, but before he could reply, someone walked out the back door of the cottage.

A dark-haired Illyrian female stood before them. Elain had never seen her before, but felt like she knew her. The female was very beautiful, but was looking at Elain with obvious wariness, her green-and-golden eyes wide with apprehension.

Azriel approached the female. He grabbed her hand and said a few words to her in a language Elain did not understand. The female seemed to calm slightly as he spoke to her, as he ran one of his hands down her wispy arms, soothing her.

Then, he turned to Elain.

“Elain, this is my mother, Rozaliah. Mom, this is my friend, Elain.”

Elain’s mouth fell open in shock. Now that she looked at the woman more closely, she could certainly see the resemblance: her high cheekbones, narrow nose and graceful movements were all reflected in her son.

“It’s lovely to meet you,” Elain said finally, finding her voice.

Azriel’s mother only smiled tightly, clearly still nervous in Elain’s presence. In an effort to make her more relaxed, Elain casually took a few steps back.

Again, Azriel began murmuring to his mother in that unknown language. Rozaliah glanced up at Azriel, such affection and adoration and warmth in her eyes. Elain turned away, a slight lump in her throat. She knew, without a doubt, that her own mother had never once looked at her with as much love as Azriel’s mother looked at him now.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t realize Rozaliah had approached her until the female stood right in front of her.

“Hello,” Elain said, not sure what else to say as the female stared at her with eyes so much like her son’s it was uncanny (and slightly unsettling, particularly to someone who’d fantasized about those eyes). “Your home is beautiful.”

Rozaliah smiled and dipped her head. She did not say anything, but Elain understood the meaning. You are very welcome here.

Elain smiled back. She wasn’t sure why Rozaliah would not speak to her, but that was fine. After all, she herself had gone many months not wanting to speak to anyone. Sometimes trauma grasps your tongue like a vice and just won’t let go. She would certainly not judge this female for keeping her lips sealed, no matter the reason.

“I was going to take Elain to the clearing, Mother,” Azriel said in the common tongue. Rozaliah turned and nodded, then mimed something to Azriel before walking back into the cottage.

Azriel began to walk toward a well-beaten path leading into the surrounding woods, gesturing for Elain to follow him. The two fell into step and didn’t speak for a few moments, but when Azriel finally met Elain’s gaze, she raised an eyebrow.

“What?” Azriel asked.

“You brought me to your Mother’s house.”

“Yes. Is that a problem?”

Shaking her head, Elain said, “No, of course not. That’s not what I meant.”

He looked confused. “What did you mean, then?”

Elain ducked her head in embarrassment. Perhaps it was not a tradition in the Fae world like it was in the mortal world to introduce your significant other to your parents.

“Never mind,” She murmured. Azriel continued to look puzzled but let the subject be.

Moments later, the path ended. They stood in a large clearing shielded overhead by arching trees. Sunlight flickered through the thick branches, leaving spots of darkness and light alike on the forest floor.

But the truly magnificent part was the flowers blooming around the rim of the clearing. In the day, the flowers were so pale they were nearly translucent, so timid they tucked into themselves. But when the sun set, they would blossom and bloom into a gorgeous ivory spectacle, dancing in the moonlight. They were ridiculously difficult to tend to; even Elain had never successfully been able to keep them alive. And as they only bloomed fully under the stars, many people never got the chance to see them. But when you did...it was a sight to behold. A thing of secret, lovely beauty.

“Night Roses,” Elain breathed. “Your mother planted these?”

Azriel nodded.

“I wish I could see them during the night,” Elain said, more to herself than to him.

“We’ll come back sometime during the evening so you can see them in full bloom,” Azriel promised.

Elain met his eyes and was surprised to see a soft blush on his golden cheekbones.

Clearing his throat, Azriel said, “I was thinking we could just do our training here for the day.”

Elain nodded enthusiastically; she had not yet told Azriel about last night’s discovery of inducing visions through touch. But with the thought of last night, she remembered all of the important information Vassa had shared with her, and realized that took precedence over any of her visions.

So Elain told Azriel all about her discussion with Vassa, sharing everything she’d learned about Koschei and the mortal queen, though there was a small pit in her stomach. Even though Vassa hadn’t specifically asked her to keep anything a secret, she still felt like she was betraying her friend’s confidence. But she was a spy, and this was her duty.

“One more thing,” Elain said after she had finished her account. “I found out how to make my shadows sing,” She smiled shyly. She was unreasonably excited to tell Azriel about her discovery.

Sitting up straighter, Azriel said, “How?” Anticipation gleamed in his eyes.

She hesitated slightly, then held out a hand. “May I?”

Tilting his head slightly, Azriel grabbed her hand. She ignored the electricity that coursed through her veins as his long fingers brushed against her own. Instead, she closed her eyes and focused.

The vision appeared faster than ever before. She saw Azriel flying high above the Illyrian mountains. Saw him descend and land in a training camp, saw him walk toward Cassian and Rhys, who were deep in discussion.

“There’s my favorite broody shadowsinger!” Cassian called jovially as Azriel approached.

“About time,” Rhys drawled, thinly-veiled suspicion in his eyes. “What took you so long? We were supposed to meet hours ago.”

Elain pulled herself out of her head, coming back to reality. Azriel was watching her intently.

She smiled at him. “You’ll be late for your meeting with Rhys and Cassian. You might want to send your shadows ahead of time and let them know.”

Azriel blinked. Then he threw his head back and laughed, the sound so joyous and wonderful Elain wished she had a Symphonia like Nesta’s, if only to replay that laugh over and over again.

“Fantastic,” Azriel said, still chuckling slightly. “This is great, Elain. Well done.” He was grinning at her, wide and unrestricted. Her heart skipped a beat.

But then she frowned. “Wait. You’re not going to be late because of me, right?”

Shifting, Azriel said, “That doesn’t matter.”

“Of course it does!”

“Elain, I could be hours late to meet them and I still wouldn’t care. I’m staying with you until you want to go back.” There was a hint of finality in his tone that told Elain it would be pointless to argue, but she still felt slightly uncomfortable. She wasn’t sure why he would be late to an important meeting just for her.

“I’m sorry you had to come pick me up,” Elain said softly. She picked up a leaf off the ground and started tearing it into pieces.

After a moment, Azriel asked, “What happened?”

She swallowed down the knot in her throat. “Greyson. He came to the Mortal Manor to meet with Vassa. I don’t know why. I left rather quickly.”

She glanced up to see Azriel’s knuckles flexing slightly, but other than that the shadowsinger gave no other reaction.

Closing her eyes, Elain said, “It’s so humiliating. Truly. That he still affects me so much.”

When she opened her eyes, Azriel was frowning. “You should never for one second let that mortal make you feel humiliated. He is the one who should feel ashamed. He let go of the best thing that had ever happened to him, and did so with disrespect and dishonor.”

Elain sat stunned for a moment. “Thank you,” She finally managed to murmur.

He cleared his throat. “You should never feel embarrassed. Besides, people do crazy things when it comes to love.”

Her head snapped up. “I don’t love him.”

“No?”

She shook her head. “No. Not anymore. I did. And I will certainly always care about him, but...but I have not loved him for a long time.” She let out a shaky breath. “He may have loved me, once. But it was not enough. You don’t abandon the people you love.”

Glancing up, she saw Azriel staring at her with an intensity only he could give. The kind of stare that sent a rush of fire through her very veins.

Unbidden, memories of the night she’d been captured by Hybern came rushing back. Like her experience in the Cauldron, she tried to ignore those memories, tried to shove them down beneath repression and denial and all the other unhealthy coping mechanisms she knew would come back to bite her in the end. But such was trauma: it not only rearranged the pieces of you, but made you want to bury them all together.

The past few months, ever since the disaster that was Solstice, she’d tried to convince herself that Azriel wasn’t all that good. He was selfish. He led her on. She didn’t want someone so secretive nor delusive. She deserved much more than a male who pined after one of his closest friends for nearly his entire existence. And especially after the necklace...well, it had been simpler just to pretend that Azriel was not who she wanted. Not who she deserved.

But he came that night. He had not abandoned her.

It was something she was not able to forget.

“I’m not sure I ever properly thanked you for that night. In Hybern’s camp. For rescuing me. For putting yourself at such risk.” She swallowed heavily. Blinked away the emotion that clouded her vision.

“You do not have to thank me,” he said quietly.

“Of course I do. You saved my life. You and Feyre. You came for me and almost died because of it.” She had to pause a moment to mentally steel herself for what she knew she needed to say next. “I wasn’t myself then. I was...grieving. It’s not an excuse, but I was. And because of it, I made some very foolish mistakes that put you and others in harm's way. I am so eternally sorry for that. The guilt I feel over that night…” She closed her eyes. “I could live a thousand centuries and still, I wouldn’t be able to thank you enough. Wouldn’t be able to repay you for the gift you gave.”

When she finally opened her eyes, the Shadowsinger was staring at her with more emotion than she’d ever seen on his devastating face before. It made him look all the more beautiful, all the more raw and ruinous. Mighty, onyx wings rose and fell behind him, the cadence a comfort to the tempest of emotions spinning through her.

He opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to find the right words to say. He wanted to tell her how she should never apologize to him. That the sadness she’d been drowning in was certainly not something she should ever feel sorry for. But he didn’t know how to tell her that. Couldn’t take this relief of guilt away from her. If anyone knew how important it was to grant yourself forgiveness, it was him.

“I’d do it again,” He said throatily, ferocity burning in his eyes.“I could live a thousand centuries and I’d do it again, every single time.”

She smiled, then, wide and uninhibited, blinking back her tears. “I know,” She replied.

And she did know. Azriel was brave and loyal and true, and she was lucky to have a friend like him. Glad that she could count on having him in her corner.

The two stared at each other for a long moment, and Elain suddenly felt a surge of power within her. Her magic was swirling toward the surface, pushing against her bones and skin, trying to tell her something...but although she was braver, although she was bolder, this was still not something she was ready to face. Whatever it was.

She changed the subject, instead.

“That language you spoke to your mother earlier. What was it? Illyrian?”

“No. Illyrians speak the common tongue. My mother, though she was born in Illyria, lived most of her early life across the sea in Pentalos. Her father was unlike other Illyrian males at the time and believed that females should be treated equal to males. So he wanted her to grow up somewhere where women were treated equally. She grew up learning Pentalian, and as a result, so did I.”

“Why did she come back to Illyria?” Elain asked.

Azriel’s face grew tighter. “Both of her parents died. She was young when they passed, her three brothers even younger, and she couldn’t find work in Pentalos at her age. She had some family in Illyria, an aunt and uncle, that she believed would help them. Instead, they sent her brothers to Ironcrest immediately, and clipped my mother’s wings.”

Elain couldn’t stop her gasp. She covered her mouth with her hands. “That is…” She could not find the words to express her horror.

Shadows rose like smoke as Azriel nodded in response, eyes burning with unbridled rage. “Yes. It is. And unfortunately, her story gets even worse. After they cut her wings, she couldn’t leave Illyria, not unless someone else flew her away. So she stayed, and helped her aunt and uncle with the inn they owned, earning a meager weekly wage. Her brothers would visit from time to time, but each time they did, they were...harder. Less like her brothers and more like mindless soldiers.

By the time she was 18, her brothers had stopped visiting all together. She was still working long hours at the inn, still getting paid like shit, and lonely as one can be. That’s when he came.”

“He?” Elain asked quietly, though a part of her already knew the answer.

“My father,” Azriel said, and it was impossible to miss the positively wicked gleam in his eyes. “He came to stay at the inn one night. My mother was immediately entranced by him. His status...his charming personality...his kindness.” His nostrils flared at the last word.

“And so he bedded her that night, and for many nights after that. But a few months after their affair began, she found out she was pregnant with me. When she told my father, he hit her so hard she lost a tooth.”

Disgust rose in her, and she felt sick to her stomach.

Rolling his shoulders, Azriel focused on a spot in the distance, as if unable to meet her eyes.

“The day I was born,” Azriel said quietly, his entire body still except for his mouth as he spoke,”the midwife told my mother she should throw me off the cliff and be done with it. Bastards aren’t uncommon in Illyria, but it was clear that I was very powerful, even from birth. The midwife knew that trouble would follow me wherever I went. And so she warned my mother against raising me.

My mother, of course, didn’t plan to throw me off a cliff,” He tossed her a forced smile that Elain found she couldn’t return. “She planned to keep me herself and raise me. But my father...he had a twisted sense of honor, if I’d even go so far to call it that. More likely he just couldn’t stand the thought of having a bastard son out of his range of control--especially a bastard son who happened to be innately powerful. So he told my mother that he would raise me, that I would come live with him and his real family.” Scarred hands clenched together tightly, and she fought the urge to reach out and grab them.

“He took you from your mother?” Elain asked quietly.

“Yes,” he said, voice cold and final as death, “and then he stuck me in the cellar basement for the next 11 years. I was allowed to go outside for one hour a day and to see my mother for one hour a week.”

Elain inhaled sharply. She’d known about some of his past, from Feyre and Rhys, but hadn’t known specifics. Hadn’t known he was trapped in that hell for eleven years. How had he survived that sort of abuse?

“That’s when my shadows came to me. While I lived life in a dark basement, they were my only companions. My friends. When my father discovered I was a shadowsinger, he punished me. Greatly.”

Elain’s small hands were curled into fists on her lap.

“Truth be told, my father was not the worst one. It was my step-mother. And my half-brothers. They all...they all just hated me, hated me for being a bastard, for being unworthy of the family name.” His chest heaved as he spoke. “For being a constant and unwelcome reminder of what my father had done with my mother. Despised me for absolutely nothing.” He spat out the last word like it was a curse.

When Azriel finally met her eyes, Elain had to fight back tears. She had never seen Azriel so upset, so emotional, and she couldn’t think what else to do but to listen. To take whatever pieces of his pain that she could and carry them. So she just looked at him, nothing but openness in her heart and a willingness to share in his burden. And to her slight surprise, he continued.

“I could have taken it, I think. All the hell they gave me. The hell they kept me in. Even...even the day with the flames,” Azriel whispered, his mutilated hands shaking. Elain closed her eyes for a moment, overwhelmed by the horror and rage she was feeling. She felt a warm tingling sensation in her hands and knew they had begun to glow.

“But after that day, when my mother next saw me...” His voice grew even darker. Elain controlled herself enough to open her eyes, to meet his intense gaze. “When she saw my hands, she was furious. She told my father and step-mother she was going to the High Lord. Told them that torturing a child who had not even begun his warrior training--who was also not allowed to train, was not even allowed to learn how to fly --was a crime. And she told them she would make my half-brothers pay for what they had done to me.”

The darkness in Azriel’s eyes became something different, then. It hardened, became brittle and harrowing at the same time.

“So they cut out her tongue to ensure she wouldn’t say a word. Ever again.”

This time, Elain did not try to stop the tears as they streamed down her face. Watched as Azriel dropped to his knees.

The trees around them were suddenly cast in flashing blue light as his siphons flickered uncontrollably, the glow heightening with his anger. The forest itself seemed to respond to Azriel’s rage, a primal force that drove birds out of the tallest oaks, sent rabbits dashing away and shook the very earth beneath them. Shadows whipped around him so fast he became encased in a sphere of his own obsidian shade. But with the glow of the siphons, she could make out the way his exquisite face twisted in such devastating pain, and found herself approaching him.

The Shadowsinger, renowned and feared across all of Prythian. The cold and callous Spymaster of the Night Court. The warrior who stayed up listening to her talk about gardens, and rescued her from Hybern, and brought her to this secret haven of his in her time of need. The dark, tortured, cruelly complicated, crucially kind and magnificently intricate male before her.

Her friend, who right now, needed to know he was not alone.

She knelt before him and cupped his face in her still-glowing hands.

***

The effect was immediate. The second Elain’s hands touched him, his shadows calmed, his siphons stopped glowing, and the forest returned to its peaceful self. Now, all that could be heard was his heavy breathing and the rustle of leaves in the wind.

Elain continued to hold his face as he stared at her, something bright and pure cutting through the grief he felt. He felt...lighter.

“It’s not your fault,” Elain murmured.

How she had known he felt that way, he’d never know. But she was right. Ever since they’d maimed his mother, he had held himself responsible. It was his hands that had led her to confront his father in the first place. He should have made up some lie, pretended to have tripped into the fire or something. Anything to keep her from the cruelty she endured.

“It’s not your fault, Azriel,” Elain said again. “You are not to blame.”

Her voice was sweeter than honey, softer than down. It soothed some jagged part of his heart. And for the first time since his mother’s maiming, Azriel felt clean. Felt absolved of the unjustified and unfair guilt he had placed on himself.

A tear slid down his cheek. Elain wiped it away gently with her thumb. Her hands were no longer glowing, but a comforting warmth lingered.

For a long moment, they stared at each other. Azriel thought he could stay like this forever, just drinking in the remarkable creation that was Elain Archeron. When she began to pull away, some instinct made him reach and grab one of her hands, bringing it back to his face.

“Thank you,” he said, and pressed his lips to her palm. It was chaste, it was short, but Azriel thought it was the most intoxicating kiss of his life.

Elain was staring at him like she’d never seen him before. A deep blush stained her cheekbones, a beautiful crimson glow against the alabaster delicacy of her skin.

Behind them, someone cleared their throat.

They broke apart quickly. Rozaliah was standing in the entrance of the clearing, a knowing smile gracing her face.

“Mother,” Azriel said, standing up. Hesitating slightly, he held out a hand to Elain. She took it, and he tried to ignore the charged jolt that went through his entire body at the gesture, at her touch.

The moment she was standing, she dropped his hand and walked forward.

“Your garden is beautiful,” Elain said as she approached his mother. “I am a gardener myself, but have never seen anything like this. It is uninhibited in its beauty, honest in its narrative. It’s phenomenal. And the Night Roses...I have never been able to grow them, can never quite get the timing right. You are incredibly talented.” Genuinity rang in every syllable she spoke.

Azriel watched as his mother smiled wider than he’d seen in years. Watched as she held out a frail hand to Elain, who grabbed it lightly after a moment of hesitation. Watched as his mother led Elain to the nearby Night Rose bush and began to mime with her hands the proper way to plant, tend and care for the flowers. Watched as Elain tucked a piece of honey-colored hair behind her pointed ear, listening intently and asking questions periodically for Rozaliah to answer with gestures and demonstrations. His mother answered them eagerly, and when Elain wasn’t looking, shot him a glance. Rozaliah’s eyebrow was raised and she was smirking slightly.

And he knew then that he was absolutely fucked.

#pro elriel #elriel #elriel fic #elriel fanfic #pro elain #elain archeron #elain acosf #elain x azriel #azriel x elain #Azriel #acotar #acotar fic #post acosf #nessian #vassien #Feysand

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elminx · 3 years

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When Life Gives You Jewelweed, 1

As an intuitive witch, I strongly believe in working with the plants that grow in your natural environment. It's a covenant that I have made with my spirits and the spirits of the land - it's invasive, I should use it all up or if it's native, I should help it to flourish and grow.

Enter jewelweed aka Impatiens capensis, Balsam Weed, Slipper Weed, "Touch Me Not"

Jewelweed is native to the American Northeast but is not often a gardener’s friend.

I don’t blame the intrepid gardener who, appalled at the HUNDREDS (literally) of jewelweed plants that spring up in their yard, pulls them all up in a haste to do be done with the voracious spreader (jewelweed is known as “touch me not” because its seed pods go off like a BOMB when touched, spreading its seed voraciously – one misstep with this and you will guarantee yourself months of weeding jewelweed out of every space you have).

Yes, almost every single plant in this following photograph is jewelweed! Dora has recently moved into her ancestral home and is trying to reclaim her gardens back from the mess that her Grandmother made of them to “fit in” with the popular gardening trends of the ’90s.

As often happens when you start to clear out a wild space, the first thing to move in are the “weeds” – in this case – jewelweed!

Still, as a green witch, I know that even the most “obnoxious” plants have fabulous magical, edible, and/or medicinal properties. Jewelweed is a perfect example of this.

Jewelweed is both anti-inflammatory and an anti-histamine and can be used topically to treat eczema, bug bites, stinging nettles, and fungal rashes. It is best known for its ability to neutralize the urushiol compound in poison ivy that causes many people to have that horrible itchy rash. This can be done in one of two ways. Firstly, by applying the raw sap of the jewelweed plant directly to the area that you want to treat. For longer-term use, jewelweed can be made into a salve or tinctured (I am going to put mine into a Thatcher’s Witch Hazel toner because I know that my skin tolerates that well).

Magically, there is less information on the properties of jewelweed. Like many of the native plants to the Americas, there is a dearth of information due to the continued reliance on “old world” herbs in our modern crafts. Due to its healing properties and the wet environment in which it grows, the obvious elemental association is Water. The bright orange color of its trumpet flowers speaks to happiness and joy. I might simplify that plus its healing properties to a sense of “relief”.

My intention is to pick and dry some of the flowers and play around to see how it works out magically. I’ll update you with the results.

I am pleased with the medicinal applications of jewelweed. My partner has both realized their love of gardening and developed quite an intense contact dermatitis to something in my garden, so a jewelweed concoction is right on time. I intend to make both a salve and infuse into Witchhazel – they will ultimately be my guinea pig as to which is better.

In any case, I’m very excited to be making a new plant acquaintance.

Do you like my work? Please consider supporting me by Buying Me A Kofi.

#witchblr #words #mine #plant allies #jewelweed #herbalism #green witchcraft #green magic #kitchen witchcraft #kitchen magic #cottage witchcraft #wild foraging #native plants #Impatiens capensis #plant spirits

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carnegiemuseumnaturalhistory · 3 years

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What Do Botanists Do On Saturday?

by Sarah C. Williams

Here in the section of Botany we’ve adapted in some strange ways, just like plants do, to the changes of the past year and a half. Let’s learn about the off days of some of our Super Scientists in the Section of Botany!

Mason Heberling, Assistant Curator of Botany

Collecting specimens has become a focus as more time was able to be spent in the field when we weren’t allowed to be at the museum. As our new Botany Hall entrance video shows, Assistant Curator of Botany, Mason Heberling and Collections Manager Bonnie Isaac collect plant specimens on a pretty regular basis. They also snag iNaturalist observations for these plants, taking photos that show what the plant and habitat looked before being picked and pressed.

Mason studies forest understory plants, in particular, introduced species and wildflowers in our changing environment. Mason has a bunch of fun projects going on this summer, ranging from coordinating seed collections of an uncommon native grass to send to Germany for a large greenhouse study to working with a team of students to study the effects of climate change and introduced shrubs on our forest wildflowers.

In addition to work in the field, the herbarium has been a busy place this summer too! Mason has been working with Alyssa McCormick, an undergraduate research intern from Chatham University, to examine stomata (the pores on leaves for air exchange for plants to “breathe”) and leaf nutrients in everyone’s favorite plant – poison ivy! Poison ivy has been previously shown to grow bigger and cause nastier skin rashes with increasing carbon dioxide in our air due to fossil fuel emissions. Alyssa is using specimens collected as long ago as the 1800s to examine long term changes in poison ivy.

Mason, where can we find you on a Saturday?

“This summer has been a lot of going to various places around western PA like Presque Isle or Idlewild to get out and enjoy the fresh air with my family. I can also be found most Saturdays around the house doing chores!”

Bonnie Isaac, Collection Manager

Bonnie, one of CMNH’s TikTok celebrities, and All-Star in the Mid-Atlantic plant world, has spent a lot of the past year doing fieldwork. Her PA Wild Resource Grant involved looking at most of the populations for 10 Pennsylvania rare species. She and husband Joe Isaac spent many days on the road and a few in the bog! You can see some of her videos about these unique Pennsylvania finds on Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s Tiktok account: @carnegiemnh.

She diligently keeps track of various data points from latitude and longitude and elevation, to flower color, size, and associated species within a habitat. In addition to trying to make sure the plant names in our database are correct, she has also been busy georeferencing some of our specimens so that we can see on a map where each one was collected.

Bonnie, where can we find you on a Saturday?

“On most Saturdays I am either home taking care of my many chickens or getting some exercise in one of my kayaks with my spousal unit, Joe. I sometime even take a fishing pole for a ride or see how many different kinds of plants I can find on a hike. As long as I can get outside with Joe, I’m happy.”

Cynthia Pagesh, Herbarium Assistant

Specimens make their way home to the museum, where we assure they’re bone dry, flat as a pancake, and have been frozen twice to get rid of any pests. They then find their way into the nimble hands of Cynthia Pagesh, our resident plant mounter. Cynthia has luckily been able to do some mounting both onsite and at home over this past year, really honing her craft. She uses Elmer’s glue, dental and sculpture tools, linen tape, and a paintbrush akin to a magic wand: transforming roots, stems, flowers, and fruits into scientific and artistic renderings on an 11.5x16.5” archival herbarium sheet.

Mounting can be very detailed and challenging: wrangling a dry and brittle rare plant you want to salvage every detail from, or an oversized leaf ‘how-will-this-all-fit?’ ordeal, or finessing a delicate petal that glue is especially heavy on. Bulky bits, crumbly bits, spiky no nos: Cyn handles them all. Her work is just as much an art as it is a science. When she’s not making masterpieces, she’s probably doing something with plants.

Cyn, where can we find you on a Saturday?

“You can find me on Saturdays helping prune young trees in my community, collecting wildflower seeds or in my kitchen making preserves or homemade pasta noodles. I volunteer in vegetable, herb and flower gardens. I have a pollinator garden at home and raise Monarch caterpillars. I tag and release them to migrate south.

There are lots of Community Science projects for people of all ages: ask someone to help you find one related to a subject you have an interest in. I have an interest in pollinators including bees. I participate in a Community Science Project every Summer that counts types of bees on certain plants when they bloom.”

Iliana DiNicola

After another stint in the freezer for bugs-be-gone, it’s everyone’s favorite day: Picture Day! Each plant: sturdy and mounted, all data logged and super official, makes their way to the imaging station to spend some time under the bright lights. Since 2018, students, interns, and volunteers have lovingly held these plants’ hands as they get their close ups. We take high definition photos using a specially made lightbox and special software.

While this is part of a limited project, called the Mid-Atlantic Megalopolis, we are still hard at work going into our last year of the time we were given. This past schoolyear and summer, former Pitt student, Iliana DiNicola was taking pictures for us on the regular while also interning with the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. She just graduated and I’m excited to hear what she does on her Saturdays in the future.

Iliana, where can we find you on a Saturday?

“I just graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in Environmental Studies, and I am now on the lookout for any jobs related to the environment back in my hometown of Phoenix, Arizona. I am interested in working with anything from sustainability, to policy or political work, or maybe even something more related to ecology and outdoor work.

On a Saturday, I am definitely helping clean my house since I am a semi-clean freak, I love to go hiking if the weather isn't too hot, enjoy drawing and working on any art projects, or work on my future hydroponics garden.

As somebody who interned for Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, I highly recommend participating in any camps or activities the conservancy has to offer. It was super fun learning more about Pittsburgh's history and ecology and getting to teach kids about these topics, alongside participating in fun outdoor activities.”

Sarah Williams, Curatorial Assistant

Next up, Sarah Williams, the Curatorial Assistant in the Section of Botany, is overseeing the digitization project, morphing the photos from raw camera files into smaller files for sharing and detailed files for archival storing using Adobe Lightroom. She takes the images from the newly photographed specimens and makes sure they get uploaded onto the Mid-Atlantic Herbaria Consortium’s website to be shared far and wide across the world.

There is also a lot she does in sorting, filing, and taking care of the specimens as well. She does a bunch of scheduling, hiring, and training of work study students, interns, and volunteers. We consider her a jack of all trades.

Sarah, where can we find you on a Saturday?

“Most weekends I work with a local catering company called Black Radish Kitchen. I usually end up serving delicious vegetable and farm focused meals at least one day a week, commonly Saturdays because they’re prime for celebrations. The re-start up since the pandemic has been cautious, and I’m excited to be amongst people and help them to make mouthwatering memories again. I’ve worked in the restaurant industry for over a decade and the skills I’ve learned doing it as well as the friends I’ve made are matchless. It has a big piece of my heart.

I also moved into a new house this year about five minutes from my mom, so if I’m not running to say hi to her and ‘borrow’ some groceries, I’m doing laundry, dusting and yardwork… but only after I sleep in, eat some delicious breakfast with my partner, and hang out with our two cats, Santi and Gil.”

We hope you enjoyed getting to know us here in the Section of Botany, look forward to updates and more introductions in the future as we continue to host volunteers, federal work-study students, and interns on their journeys to learn even more about the plant kingdom.

Sarah Williams is Curatorial Assistant in the Section of Botany at Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Museum employees are encouraged to blog about their unique experiences and knowledge gained from working at the museum.

#Carnegie Museum of Natural History #Botany #Scientists #Botanists #Herbarium #Natural History Museum #Museum Work

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bunathebunny · 3 years

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Masterlist

My AO3: buna (Last update: 18/5/2021)

Writings

AU where Jasonette are soulmates who share the pain when one is hurt

Jasonette fluff where Marinette just wants to sleep

AU where your soulmate’s injuries show up as color splotches on your skin with implied Jasonette

Dickinette where Marinette wants a cat and Dick has a cat ears headband

Timinette where Tim ran into magic things and got turned into a catboy

Stephinette where Marinette is wounded and Steph subs in for her

Fluffy Jasonette in a domestic afternoon

Fluffy Jasonette in the early morning

Jasonette where Jason meets Marinette’s friends

Stephinette where Spoiler is sent to Paris and finds out she’s not exactly as straight as she thought

Stargazing with Daminette fluff

Spooning Jasonette

late blooming (Daminette) - AO3

Stephinette where Marinette failed a class

Jasonette with Jason and a collar a.k.a suggestive BDSM Jasonette with impled smut - AO3

kaleidoscope (Maribat/Touken Ranbu AU) - AO3

Timiette vampire!AU

reluctant soulmates - AO3

meander - AO3

midnight visit - AO3

Askbox writing

AU where Sabine being from the League and Marinette knew Damian and Jason and Cass from before

Marinette as co-den mother for Young Justice

Thief!Marinette interacting with Duke

Timinette fluff with sleep deprivation and coffee

DamiMariJon where they knew each other from before [1] [2] [3]

Talinette and family dinner (if your ex-slash-father-of-your-son counts as family)

Jasonette lost on roadtrip

Send-a-word-and-a-pairing drabbles

Soft - Cassinette

Braid - Cassinette

Wanderlust - Dickinette

Dynamite - Dukette

Space - Konette

Pressure - Kalnette

Whisper - Cassinette

Home - Jasonette

Reputation - Talianette

Helpless - Timinette

Illuminate - Dukette

Dazzle - Dickinette

Drowning - Garmari

Gorgeous - Jasonette

Realization - Pre-Sladenette (or Sladickinette if you go that route)

Romantic - Timinette

Drive - Jasonette

Wild - Garmari

Grotto - Kalnette

June of Flower Fluff 2020

Jasonette and hot chocolate ( June of Flower Fluff - Black Byron)

Sunday morning with Jasonette (June of Flower Fluff - Holly)

The news caught onto Jasonette (June of Flower Fluff - Delphinium)

Jasonette and a radio (June of Flower Fluff - Viscaria)

Books and Jasonette (June of Flower Fluff - Peonies)

Jasonette July 2020

behind the raven’s closed eyes (Jasonette July 2020 - Children) - AO3

mercury (Jasonette July 2020 - Villain AU) - AO3

Maribat Platonic November 2020

on fluttering wings (Maribat Platonic November - Butterfly) - AO3

in another life (Maribat Platonic November - Timeline) - AO3

picking up lost kitties (Maribat Platonic November - Surprise) - AO3

the trend game (Maribat Platonic November - Public) - AO3

green haze (Maribat Platonic November - Cure) - AO3

on-going payment (Maribat Platonic November - Cheat) - AO3

hide and seek (Maribat Platonic November - Hiding) - AO3

the eye of the storm (Maribat Platonic November - Park) - AO3

spring flora (Maribat Platonic November - Poison Ivy) - AO3

sky map (Maribat Platonic November - Stars) - AO3

do-it-yourself magic (Maribat Platonic November - Store) - AO3

cracking (Maribat Platonic November - Scuffle) - AO3

where books go (Maribat Platonic November - Book) - AO3

tiny shivering birds (Maribat Platonic November - Sick) - AO3

Timari Month 2021

familiar surprise (Timari Month 2021 - Undercover) - AO3 (SMUT)

at first glance (Timari Month 2021 - Soulmate AU) - AO3

Dickinette February 2021

iridescent shimmer (Dickinette February 2021 - Potion) - AO3

night terrors (Dickinette February 2021 - Fall) - AO3

puppy pile (Dickinette February 2021 - Pet) - AO3

Maribat March 2021

morning after (Maribat March 2021 - Warmth) - AO3

in the corner of the eyes (Maribat March 2021 - Second Chance) - AO3

to choose (Maribat March 2021 - Not Soulmates) - AO3

#maribat

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steviesays · 3 years

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July Fic Recs

*walks in 3 days late with starbucks*

The Closed Circle by hmmingbird - complete

Fandom: FMA:B

I travelled all the way to ffn for this one and boy was it worth it !!!! its a royai get together after the promised day where they’re like ..... kind of already together but they’re not on the same page and the TENSION

Rencounter with a Lady Writer by Eissel - complete

Fandom: FMA:B

It’s an AU where Roy and Riza are an artist and writer (respectively) and it was so !!! fucking !!! cute !!! they’re in LOVE but they cant SAY IT because they’re not NORMAL !!!! anyway I really liked the rest of this author’s royai week works as well - I didn’t understand what was happening in most of them but damn did the writing keep me hooked

Controlled Burn by @okiedoketm - in progress

Fandom: FMA:B

Roy/Riza and Ed/Al are age swapped in this fic so Ed and Al are in the military and Roy and Riza are children making horrible alchemy decisions!! I’m so excited to see where this one is going

i’d meet you where the spirit meets the bones by @lantur - complete

Fandom: FMA:B

I know this one is complete but I want more from this AU so bad !!!!!!! its a modern AU where Roy is VP of the US and Riza is his chief of staff - its a long one shot thats mostly a character study and I really love how it was written

also extra points for the ivy lyrics in the title :)

To Withstand the Force of Storms by Pininfarina - complete

Fandom: FMA:B

so I don’t usually ship Olivier/Riza but this one hooked me - it also helps that there is a good amount of royai pining! I saw too much of myself in disaster bisexual Riza

hold your hand out in the dark by @bringingglory - complete

Fandom: FMA:B

So this one is mainly focused on Roy’s trauma from the Promised Day and how Riza helps him through it - I LOVE how it was done, just so well written and the introspection was incredible!!!

Heatstroke by mar_b - complete

Fandom: FMA:B

Its basically just Roy and Riza arguing and then they make out ajldshdhk which I personally very much enjoyed - i’ve actually noticed that its quite hard to do a short simple argument fic like this where the tension is clear and doesn’t feel forced without a good amount of context but this one is done so incredibly !!!!

also please read everything else this author has written as well they’re incredible and it took me a good amount of time to choose my favorite to rec for this list!

when a flower grows wild by @megthemighty - complete

Fandom: FMA:B

pls .... this one was so soft I literally started crying ......... I love young royai SO! MUCH! this fic is short and sweet and perfect ok please read it

an almost madness, a decisive mistake by yourendlessblue - complete

Fandom: FMA:B

when I tell you I loved this fic ...... so much ...... and need a sequel immediately ......... yourendlessblue has done it again !!!!! This one is a college AU where Roy is a chess champion and him and Riza have a hot one night stand after a game of strip chess - if that’s not a perfect storyline for these characters then idk what is

But Monsters Are Always Hungry, Darling by @iruutciv and @orchids-and-fictional-cities - in progress

Fandom: Yuri!!! On Ice

now if I didn’t save the best for last :))))))) this truly is the end all be all of victuuri fics. this isn’t just a fic, its a lifestyle, a reason for living, the air I breathe, this fic ???? saved my life on more than one occasion - I can’t even describe the serotonin rush that courses through my body every time I see that this fic has updated its THAT good !!!!!! Its a noir AU - thats all I have to say go read it RIGHT NOW

I’m so glad I was able to pull this list together, even if it was a few days late - I really enjoy going over what I’ve read for the last month and remembering how much I loved them - with how hectic my life has been the last few weeks, reading is really one of my biggest sources of joy and I’m so grateful to all the wonderful authors you guys see on these lists every month! If you noticed I didn’t tag an author and you’re friends with them, please send their @ my way so I can follow them and tell them that their creations are much loved!!! I’ll see you guys again at the end of August 😗

#fic recs #also my inbox is open if you have any fic recs for me btw #I sure do love a good read #royai #victuuri #fmab #yuri on ice #yoi

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timeforelfnonsense · 4 years

Text

Dafni of Gwynneth

(Art by @freckled-king & @mooreaux)

Dafni’s Playlist || Sunshine & Starlight (Dafni x Astarion) Playlist || Bg3 Ao3 series (EA Content) || Sunshine & Starlight Ao3 || D&D Beyond || Artwork of Dafni

With more people joining the fandom, I figured I'd reintroduce her. She's been around since EA and has gone through some changes here and there. Some have stuck, and others that ended up getting cut.

Dafni Ríwen

Alignment: Chaotic good

Race: Eladrin

Class: Cleric of Corellon Larethina || Fey Wanderer Ranger

Background: Outlander

Age: 160

Birthday: Ches 19, 1332 DR

Sign: Pisces, ESFJ

Home: Peleira, Kingdom of Sarifal, Gwynneth’s feywild.

Nicknames/Other names: Daffodil (Astarion), Sprout (Her mother and older sisters), Kora (Childhood name), Despoena (True name)

Traits:

I was driven by wanderlust to travel far from home

I am tolerant of other faiths and respect the worship of other gods

I approach everything with enthusiasm, even the most mundane chore

I can’t stay still. I’m always picking things up, absently fiddling with them, and sometimes accidentally breaking them.

Ideals: Nature, Charity, Change, Creativity

Flaws:

I put the wellbeing of others before myself

I don’t fully grasp customs and niceties outside of the wilds

A pretty face infatuates me in an instant, but facies can fade just as fast.

There’s no room for caution in a life lived to the fullest.

Bounds:

I hold all varieties of elves in tender regard.

I protect those who cannot protect themselves.

I never leave a friend behind.

Appearance:

Dafni is a petite, chubby elf with curly hair and wide mossy-brown eyes. Like most Fey eladrin, Dafni’s appearance changes with her emotional state.

Spring/Light Form

Complexion: Light sage green skin with golden freckles

Hair: light, dusty pink

Faerie fire Illusory butterflies (Morpho aurora)

Flowers for Moods:

Snowdrops & Lily of the Vally: Happy

Foxgloves: Anger, feisty, protective

Ivy: Envy

Daffodil/Narcissus: Flirty, affectionate (Astarion only)

Wilted flowers: Sadness, low moods

No flowers: Trying to hide her fey nature

When she is particularly happy or using her cleric powers, she glows slightly

Winter/Shadow Form

Complexion: Pale pinkish gray

Hair: Light pinkish lavender

Faerie fire lunar moths

She radiates wisps of shadow when she is particularly sad, serious, or using her shadow-touched abilities.

Dafni’s father is a shadar-kai knight and servant of the Raven Queen, whom Lady Ordalf has been in conflict with due to a shadow curse taking over one of Gwynneth’s forests.

Cleric Calling:

Dafni’s soul holds an extra spark of the divine. She was among the few elves who chose not to take a fixed form and thus was not cast out from Arvandor. This is her first mortal lifetime.

Dafni has always tended to wander off when something catches her attention. As a small child, she followed a whips deep into the woods surrounding her village.

A wandering Corellite had saved her. Dafni didn’t recognize him from the village, but he seemed incredibly familiar. He comforted her and headed her injuries.

He took her hand and guided her through the forest. Once they reached the border of Peleira, the man crouched down, placing his quarter moon amulet around her neck.

When she asked why, he smiled and told her it had always been hers and that he had only been holding onto it for her. He told her he had to leave but promised they would meet again.

She thought of the cleric who saved her from the drider as a girl. How brave and kind he had been. She realized that that was her calling. To nurture and protect her people.

BG3 Set Up:

Dafni lived alongside the wood elves of Lylarth Forest in the material plane for a few decades. During those years, she began to come into herself.

Fun facts:

Her favorite treat is lemon bars and honey cake.

She likes romance novels.

She has kept a diary most of her life. She has a century of filled journals in her room.

She loves tea and has a collection of teacups at home.

She plays the lyre & harp.

She’s an Arachnophobe

She can spin and weave.

She is vulnerable to cold iron because of her fey ancestry.

In addition to her cleric abilities, Dafni has studied nonmagical medicine and is a talented surgeon and healer.

Despite being a faerie, she can technically lie. However, the lies taste like soot and bile in her mouth. The taste is more pungent the more significant the lie, so she tries to avoid it.

She thinks she can bake, but it always turns downright awful.

Past life:

Warning: this section has spoilers for a few story elements for Sunshine & Starlight.

Reincarnation:

After the war, all but the few elves who didn’t take fixed-physical forms were cast out of Arvandor. Despoena, ever loyal to her god, chose to remain in Arvandor.

Thiramin:

He was irreverent, flirtatious, and unlike anyone she had known before. He was fiercely independent and sure of his desires. His sharp wit and easy charm had taken Despoena.

Despoena never stopped mourning the loss of his company following the events of the war of the Seldarine. She thought of him often and even occasionally, looking into his mortal lives.

#bg3 #bg3 oc #dafni of gwynneth #The Ladies of Laurel #Dafni's Lore Doc

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