#rhys daughter

[fanwarriorfictions]

Not Again - Part Ten

Summary: Azriel and Y/n both are left reeling from the fight and revelations that morning.

Warnings: ANGST!!!! Shes a little spicey, Smut (oral, f receiving), this is probably the longest chapter yet

Series Masterlist

-Part Ten-

Azriel was gone until well after dinner, she’d eaten alone in the dining room when the house had seemed sick of her wallowing and forced a plate of food in front of her. Y/n was half tempted to refuse but she felt the scolding presence and decided arguing wasn’t worth it.

The fight had drained from her in the hours she’d spent in that seat, staring at the wall. She didn’t have it in her, the fire from her argument with Azriel dying out, turning to ice in her chest until she felt nothing at all.

Once she finished every last bite of the meal, the house whisked away the plates and she was left with nothing again, just that cold empty silence. She felt the fire tugging on her, felt it like a faint echo of what she’d felt this morning, begging to be rekindled, to keep fighting until she won, that was her mother’s temper, her father’s resilience. But she wasn’t them, she wasn’t strong enough to be them, her parents had taken on the world and won, fighting for a dream that they got to achieve. Y/n? Y/n had lived through nothing but peace. She was trained as a warrior, she could fight and win, but what was there to fight for? To get home, to fight some faceless god that wanted her dead for a sin that wasn’t her own, to die anyway? What was the damned point of it all.

Alone, she was so fucking alone, and it was eating her alive.

“You’re still up.”

Her heart lurches in her chest, “Gods be damned, don’t do that.”

Azriel glides across the room, in that deadly silent way, spymaster indeed. She hadn’t even felt his approach like she usually did, that heavy feeling of being under his gaze, that feeling in her heart that whispered, he’s close. It was like it was suppressed, submerged under water, still there, but so so faint.

“I’m sorry.” He gives her a small grin that says quite the opposite, “Did I startle you?”

“Not at all,” she says, frowning up at him, “Where have you been? Babysitting not fun enough for you anymore?”

It’s easy to throw on that mask of sarcasm and arrogance, anything to hide the crushing weight on her shoulders.

“It was never fun to begin with.” He shrugs, taking a seat across from her, a glass of deep red wine appearing on the table before him, “I was dealing with court matters.”

She leans across the table and plucks the glass into her own hands, “Sounds riveting.”

The wine is sweet on her tongue as she drinks deeply, her eyes closed and her head tilted back. It soothes some of the rough edges of her, chips away at that ice.

She sighs as she finishes the glass, her eyes finding the male in front of her, who’s hazel gaze is firmly planted on her sighing lips. There’s a darkness in his gaze, different than the usual shadows, it’s deeper, it kindles that fire in her, a singular spark that could turn into a blaze. Maybe, it would be enough to burn away the thoughts that threaten to drag her down, down, down.

“That was mine,” he says quietly.

She smiles sweetly, “Was it? I’m sorry, I didn’t realize.”

His eyes don’t move from her lips, “I’ve had a long day, Princess.”

“Oh do tell.” The glass in her hand fills on its own, a gift from the house, she sips slowly. “I do hope you weren’t sulking all day.”

Azriel leans forward, arms resting on the table between them. Earlier it had felt like the only barrier keeping them from tearing into each other, now, it felt much the same.

“Sulking over what, exactly?” His head tilts to the side, examining her, “Over a stubborn female who’s ready to run head first into her death?”

And just like that the fire turns from a gentle heat to a roaring in her blood, and not in the way she wanted it to. There was something about the way he looked at her, the infuriating way he’d looked all morning during their fight, that has her fire burning again. Fight, fight, fight. She wanted to fight and burn and take all of this storming emotion inside of her out on him, and it would seem he was finally ready to do the same.

“I see you’ve still got your panties in a twist over this,” she grins, showing off her canines, “Did you think you could just kiss me and I’d fall at your feet and let you go over protective fae male on me?”

His eyes drop to her lips, “I’d think you’d have wanted to actually survive long enough to make it home to your family.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do,” she snaps, “But you and your busybody court won’t get out of my way.”

“So you can get yourself killed?” His gaze is darker, filled with that rage and something more, “So you can throw yourself in front of a vengeful god that wants you dead, leaving the portal open to it, get all of us killed in your reckless, idiotic, selfish attempt.”

He’s right, she knows that, whatever god has it out for her won’t stop until she’s dead, and after that, who knows what it will do with the lock. She sees his reasoning, she understands it, but she’s geared for a fight and that fire fuels her.

“If you’d let me try,” she snarls, “give me the damned book and figure out how to open the right gate-“

“No.” His voice is soft, a simmering heat lacing it, “You are not going anywhere near that book, you are not trying that fucking gate again, you are not leaving-“

“Leaving what, who? Leaving you?” There’s a raging fire in her eyes, in her blood, in the pit of her stomach, it begs for her to burn with it, she chases the feeling so she doesn’t feel the emptiness from before. “Was my mouth so good that you can’t stand to let me go?”

That narrow focus on her mouth sends a thrill through her, “Is it so shocking that I actually care about your wellbeing, you absolute fucking brat.”

Her grin is feline, “I have a feeling you like brats, shadowsinger.”

Azriel is standing, leaning over the table, wings flared in the perfect picture of a wrathful god. Her eyes skate over him, down those sculpted arms to the hands that look ready to wring her neck. He could easily wrap one of his large hands around her throat and squeeze the life out of her, could make her see stars.

When her eyes travel back up to his, she could melt with the heat in them. This is exactly what she wanted, rile him up, get him to either punch her or fuck her, she didn’t quite care which, only that he made her feel something other than nothing.

“Listen, Princess.” Gods his voice was gravely, laced with anger and something that made her toes curl in her boots. “I see what you’re doing, and it’s not going to work.”

“And what exactly am I doing, Azriel” she lets her voice drop low when she says his name, lifting that glass of wine to her mouth.

His hand snaps out, practically ripping the glass from her hand, “You think you can get under my skin, make me angry enough, make me want to put you in your damned place.”

She was on fire, burning and burning. A noise almost slips off her tongue as he turns the glass, placing his mouth directly on the spot hers had been, and throws the whole thing back, the strong column of his throat on perfect display to her. A primal part of her wants to sink her teeth into the flesh and leave her mark on him.

Azriel slams the glass down on the table, a crack forming in its stem, “You want me to make you feel something, you want to act like a brat to hide how fucking scared and lonely you feel.”

The heat stops, everything stops as he continues, “You want me to be your gods damned distraction from that fucking void in your chest.

“Fuck you,” she snarls, standing to copy his stance, leaning across that table like she’d jump it and tear his throat out instead of laying her claim, “you’re a piece of shit, shadowsinger.”

He leans in closer, close enough she can smell the wine on his breath, “I’ll take you when you’re done being a coward, Princess.”

And like it meant nothing, that soul baring sentence, he turns and stalks out of the room, shadows trailing behind him like they were trying to stay.

The glass is flying through the air, shattering on the arch of the doorway, and those lingering shadows scatter.

He felt like he was that glass, exploding into a million pieces. It took every ounce of self control to keep walking, to keep dampening that bond he could so strongly feel now that he was aware of it. He could feel her on the other side of that tendril of shadow, raging, desperate, scared, and lonely. So gods damned lonely.

Azriel understood the feeling, he’d felt it all day since the moment Rhys has spoken those words, his mate. He’d collapsed, no longer able to support himself and he’d spent those agonizing hours crying, letting Cassian and Rhys bear his weight. How cruel was fate to bring her to him, this female of pine and snow and fire that reminded him of home, this female that would eventually have to leave him.

His mate, a storm of ice, wind, and fire on the other side of that tendril of shadow that connected them. His mate, the warrior who’d handed him his ass on more than one occasion, who could get beneath his skin more than anyone he’d ever known. His mate, the most beautiful female he’d ever seen.

He’d felt her from the River house, the way her thoughts had spiraled out of control, the rage draining into nothingness, it scared the shit out of him, enough that he’d started to pull himself together, using his brothers to haul himself off the floor. It had taken longer than he would’ve liked to make himself presentable, to force his wings to work to take him to her, to dampen that bond so she wouldn’t feel the agony he was in.

When he’d seen her there, broken and lost, he needed to get her back, desperately needed her to come back from that edge. He was willing to shove his own agony into a box and put on a mask. He tugged once on that bond, begging her to fight it. And when she'd started to come back, when she started to play with him, he kept going, stoking that fire anyway he could, he brought back the rage from that morning, the desire in his blood, and they fought and pushed at each other.

He felt that primal urge to claim her right then and there, but he couldn't. He could feel her on the other side, feel the lust and fire, feel the despair hidden beneath. She wanted a distraction, not him, she wanted to hide from everything she was feeling and Azriel desperately wanted to do it, to take her over that table, over and over, to scream that she was his mate, to claim her as his. Instead he’d called her a coward, he really meant it about himself.

Azriel was terrified, to bare his soul only to have it ripped away through a gate across the stars. He would fall at her feet and she would still leave him, he wasn’t enough to make her stay, he knew that. She had a destiny, she would be a Queen in a far away land, and she would one day find a consort who would be able to stay by her side, love her, cherish her.

He felt sick. Barely making it to his room and into the bathroom before he heaved the contents of his stomach into the bowl. Azriel couldn’t breathe, couldn’t stop the spasms in his abdomen, couldn’t stop the tears streaming down his face.

The mother was cruel, so very cruel.

Y/n couldn’t go back to her room, couldn’t be that close to him, she wasn’t sure what she would do if she was. Would she take her dagger to his throat, would she take all the rage in her blood and kill him, or would she cave into the desperate need to kiss him, to turn that anger into passion. Both options were bad ideas, enough that she begged the house to show her to a room as far away as possible.

When she woke with the sunrise, the unfamiliar room nearly sent her into a panic before the night before crashed back into her. All the pain and longing, the fire and rage, the numbness and loneliness. It was to much, these feelings, she felt like she was drowning in them, she needed to get out, get as far away as possible.

She was dressed and out the door, practically running down the halls to the closest balcony. The door was already open for her, the breeze welcoming her as she shifted and leapt of the edge, flying into the sunrise beyond.

She didn’t turn back, didn’t look to see the male who’s gaze she could feel like a brand across her back.

Two days had passed since Azriel watched her take off from the balcony across the house. He’d nearly flown after her, with how fast she was he wasn’t sure he’d even be able to catch her. But instead he just watched, watched as his mate flew as fast and as far away from him as she possibly could.

He’d waited for hours, scanning the skies for that majestic hawk form, but she didn’t come back. The bond grew fainter and fainter as she drifted farther and farther away. That was when the panic had set in. She didn’t know these lands, the creatures within, the fae who lurked in the shadows. Y/n was a warrior, a talented one at that, yet Azriel couldn’t help the fear that she would be hurt.

Cassian had found him on that ledge, had forced him inside, had forced him to eat, to sit down and gods damned breathe for a minute. And he’d stayed with him the rest of the day, through the night and the day after. The only thing that kept Azriel from losing control completely was that thread, no matter how faint, he could still feel her on the other side.

She was alive, burning, those swirling emotions screaming down the bond. Anger, despair, loneliness, longing, fear, so many emotions that mirrored everything Azriel felt. He wondered how much of it was her and how much of it was him.

By the end of the second day, sheer exhaustion had him falling into bed, his brother closing the door behind him to go find his own bed, his mate in it. Azriel was to tired to say anything, even the thank you Cassian deserved for staying with him, for holding him together.

Sleep took him, and he welcomed the blissful darkness.

Wake up, wake, she’s back, wake up, she’s here, outside, back. His body jolts, startled awake by the whispering shadows around his head. Even without them telling him, he knew she was back, could feel her close on the other side of that tether. Closer and closer she grew, coming down the hall towards him. He didn’t think, didn’t stop, just ran to the door, hauling it open to see her standing there, her back turned to him, hand resting on her own door.

“Where the fuck have you been?”

His voice is gravely, still heavy with sleep and lingering emotions that comes to the forefront as soon as her scent hits him.

“None of your business.” It lacks her usual snark, no heat behind it, “It’s late, I’m tired.”

His hand moves on its own, fingers wrapping around her bicep and pulling, rougher than he meant to be but in that moment he didn’t have it in him to care. He’d spent the last two days worrying, scared shitless over where she could be, he couldn’t control the fierce heat that rose in his blood.

She looks up at him, eyes ice cold, “What do you want?”

“Where have you been?” He repeats, each word sharp and short, “You can’t just disappear for two days and expect me to just-“

“Oh fuck off,” she snarls, “I don’t owe you shit, shadowsinger.”

He can feel the spark of anger in her, and it mirrors his own. She’d ran away, flown off to who knows where, and left him. She left him.

“It’s a simple question, Princess.” He pulls her closer to him, looking down at her, “Why do you have to make everything so difficult.”

She gives him one of those sweet little smiles that makes him see red, makes the reins on his control snap. His hand shoots up, wrapping behind her neck and gripping a handful of her hair, pulling so she’s looking up at him. Her mouth opens, most likely to yell at him, to snarl and snap those lethal teeth at his throat, but he doesn’t give her the chance.

Their lips crash together, viciously devouring each other. Azriel pours every emotion he had felt in the past few days into it, the heat and anger, the despair and loneliness, the desire. He decided then that he didn’t care, he would take what she would give him, would be her distraction, would lay his soul bear for her, would let her rip his heart from his chest to bring it with her when she left him behind. He didn’t care that it would kill him to let her leave, to let her leave and never know that he was her mate, he didn’t care, he needed her, needed to feel her, to worship her.

He holds her to him, wrapping one arm around her waist, the other gripping her hair to keep her exactly where he wants her. Her hand grips his arm, nails digging into the flesh, her other grabs the collar of his shirt and pulls him impossibly closer.

There was no softness, no gentle touch and soft passion, it was hard and painful. Her teeth drawing blood from his lip where she bites him, his hand bruising her sides where he holds her.

“You’re a fucking prick,” she snarls against him, pulling away just enough that he can still feel her lips against his.

The hand in her hair roughly pulls, forcing her back so that he can look her in the eyes, he notes the small moan that she tries to hold back, “You’re infuriating, Princess.”

She presses closer to him and he almost hisses at the contact, “I can feel just how infuriated you are, shadowsinger.”

He lets go of her hair, reaching down to her thighs to hoist her up. Her legs wrap around his hips as he presses her body into the door behind her. The sound she makes almost brings him to his knees. He can feel her pressed against him, his cock straining in his leathers.

“I can’t stand you.” Her head falls back against the door, letting him trail his lips and tongue down her throat, “You insufferable male."

He finds her pulse and nips at the sensitive spot. It draws a heady sigh from her lips, he does it again just so he can hear that sweet sound. She claws at his back as he wraps is lips around that spot, writhing against him as he leaves a deep purple mark. Azriel has to grip her thighs even harder to keep her still, or he’d lose his mind completely and take her against the wall.

“Gods,” she pants, “Azriel please.”

He kisses that claiming mark, “Please what, Princess?”

She lets out a soft growl, pushing his face away from her neck. Her lips find his again, her nails digging painfully into his cheek. He groans into it and holds her up with one arm, using the other to unlatch the door. It swings open and he takes them inside, slamming it shut behind him. Only the soft moon light illuminates the space, Azriel doesn’t need it to find her bed.

He practically throws her onto the center of it, grinning at the feral hiss she lets out, “I’m not a damned rag doll, you bastard.”

Y/n props herself up on her elbows, looking up at him with those eyes on fire. She looks delicious in the soft light, hair a mess, lips swollen, that mark on her neck a deep dark purple. A sick sense of purely male pride overwhelms him, she would walk around with that bruise for days, and everyone would know she belonged to him.

“No of course not,” he smirks, slowly crawling onto the bed, over her, caging her in, “A rag doll wouldn’t talk back this much.”

“I hate you,” she sighs, glaring up at him.

“That’s fine.” It wasn’t, it was the opposite of fine. “You can hate me all you want.”

He doesn’t let her respond, doesn’t let her wield that poison tipped tongue to open the wound in his heart anymore. Instead, his scarred hands grip the soft material of her shirt and rips.

Azriel groans at the sight, and Y/n gasps as the chilled air drifts across her exposed chest. Soft and perfect, large and heavy, Azriel takes her in, the valley between that leads down to her belly, the curve of her waist, he devours her with his eyes. Her arms lift to cover herself but his fingers wrap around her wrists and pins them roughly above her head. He wouldn’t let her hide from him.

“Beautiful, so gods damned perfect,” he growls, leaning down to capture one of the peaks in his mouth.

Her back arches off the bed, pressing closer to his tongue, to his teeth that pinch the little bud, drawing a sharp gasp from her. He keeps her wrists in one hand, the other trailing down to her chest, gripping the soft flesh in his palm and squeezing. He groans against her, keeping his hold on her wrist despite the way she writhes and pulls against him. The most devastatingly melodic sounds fall from her lips, moans and pleading sighs.

“What do you want, Princess?” He asks, trailing kisses across her soft skin, leaving those claiming bruises as he goes, “Tell me what you want.”

“More,” she groans, hissing when he takes a nipple between his fingers, squeezing and rolling it without mercy, “More, I need more, I need to touch you.”

He grins, “Don’t be greedy, Princess.”

She growls and pulls against the hold on her wrists, desperately trying to break free of his iron grip. Of course she’d fight him, even now when he was ready to lay the world at her feet, she would fight him. He lets her win, lets her rip her hands from his, lets her use those claws to rip at his shirt, tearing it from his body like he’d done to her.

“Did that make you feel better?” He taunts, smirking at the way her eyes take him in.

“Shut up.”

Her hands trace the tattoos across his chest, nails dragging across him with just enough pressure to draw a hiss from his lips. Violent, wicked, beautiful. She was perfect, so damned perfect.

He drops his lips to the valley between her breasts, kissing down the plane of her stomach while his fingers deftly work at the ties of her leathers. Her hands drag through his hair, tugging at the strands as she gasps and moans at every touch.

Azriel makes quick work of her leathers, roughly tugging them down her thighs, throwing them behind them without care. Her scent washes over him, sweet arousal that has him growling low in his chest. The delicate black fabric covering her center is easy to tear off her body, revealing all of her to him.

“Look at you,” he groans, sitting back on his heels so he could see all of her, “Perfect, absolutely perfect.”

“I told you I was your type,” she breathes, that saccharine on her lips.

Azriel shifts, placing himself directly between her legs, his scarred hands pushing apart her thighs so he could see her dripping for him. His fingers dig into her strong thighs, more bruises for her to wear.

“Az,” she whines, glaring through her heavy lidded eyes, “don’t just stare, do some-“

Her pleas turn into desperate moans as he drops his head to her, laying down between her thighs so he can properly worship her. He runs is tongue directly over her center, tasting her like she was his last meal to savor. So impossibly sweet, her taste has him growling against her.

“Fuck, Az,” Y/n practically screams, rolling her hips as his tongue circles the bundle of nerves at the apex of her thighs.

He could do this for hours, flattening his tongue against her, sucking, biting, bringing out those noises that sound like music to his ears. The hands in his hair pull and push like she can’t tell if she needs him closer or to stop, he has to pin her to the bed with his arm to stop her from writhing away.

He can feel her on the other side of the bond no matter how hard he tries to dampen in, can feel the intense pleasure, it ripples through him, making him strain against his leathers uncomfortably. He has to press his hips into the bed to relieve some of the pain of it.

“Gods damnit,” she gasps, “Az, I- fuck.”

He’s half tempted to taunt her for the way she stumbles over the words, but to do that he’d have to take his mouth off of her and he wasn’t willing to do that. Instead, he takes is free hand, softly tracing it up her thigh, until it’s posed at her entrance. He uses a single scarred finger, dragging it through her wetness. Her hips desperately try to chase the digit and he laughs against her, sending a shiver through her at the vibration.

“Please,” she begs, and it’s the sweetest sound he’d ever heard, “Az, please.”

Azriel doesn’t hesitate to plunge into her, groaning at the feeling, grinding his cock into the bed. She’s moaning and cursing as he curls his finger to find that spot inside that would make her see stars, that would have her coming undone on his tongue. When she screams his name, he knows he’s found it and he keeps brushing the spot over and over as his mouth devours her clit. He adds a second finger, the tight stretch around them nearly enough to send him over the edge.

“Az, don’t stop,” Y/n gasps, head thrown back in pleasure, “please I-“

There on the other side of that tendril of shadow he feels the band in the pit of her stomach tighten and tighten. His tongue flattens against her, his fingers curl, and that band snaps.

He doesn’t stop, keeps rolling his tongue over her, keeps moving his fingers as the shocks run through her, his arm pinning her down as she writhes beneath him. Wave after wave after wave until she’s pulling away from him, trying to escape the pleasure that slowly turns into delicious pain.

“Az, please,” Y/n sobs, “I can’t, fuck, please.”

It takes more effort than he’s willing to admit to pry himself away, the way she gasps as his fingers pull out of her makes him want to go right back in. Addictive, she is absolutely addictive.

Y/n goes limp beneath him, panting like she’d ran a marathon, he’s half tempted to tease her for that too if she didn’t look so tired. Eyes heavy like she was fighting to stay awake.

It only hits him then that she had been out, Mother knows where, for days, flying far enough away that he could barely feel her through the bond. She had to be exhausted, and Azriel had throughly worn out any energy she might have had left.

He pulls away, tugging down the rumpled sheets. She doesn’t acknowledge what he’s doing, not until he’s carefully wrapping his arms around her, one behind her back the other below her legs. She’s almost limp in his arm as he gently lays her at the head of the bed.

“What are you doing?” She asks, voice hoarse, “What about you?”

His cock was begging for attention, begging for her hand, for her mouth, for her cunt. He’d need to take care of himself to get rid of the aching need.

Azriel brings the duvet up to her chin, “I’m fine, Princess. You need to sleep.”

“But-“

He grins down at her, leaning down to brush his lips across her cheek, “Don’t worry, I’m not done with you yet. I have a whole list of ways to ravish you. You’ll be begging me to let you sleep.”

A soft whine, “Az, I want-“

“Sleep, Princess.” He stands, moving towards the door, “I’ll see you in the morning.”

Azriel has to force himself to take each step away from her when everything in him is screaming for him to turn around and take everything she had to offer. His shadows plead with him to stop, to do just that, pulling back towards her against the tight reins he keeps on them.

“Az.” The softest whisper, he almost doesn’t hear it, “Stay, please.”

Y/n looks at him, those eyes still heavy with sleep and an emotion so raw, so open, that he can’t help it when he says, “Of course, Princess.”

Tag list

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#these two have zero idea how to properly communicate #gone is that soft early morning talk #we’re here for the pure horniness #also I have written smut like once before so let me know if this is trash or not #you cannot convince me that Azriel is not a brat tamer #Rhys was wrong when he said Az is not the ravishing type #acotar #azriel x reader #acotar x reader #azriel #rowaelin daughter #rowaelin #not again

[fanttasttica]

Family

Helion x reader, Rhysand x daughter reader

You never knew your parents and yourself. One day you decide to leave your home and try to find something about yourself and your family. You come to the Day court, where you meet their cunning High lord, who also happens to be your mate. But your mate isn't the only person you found..

warnings: mentions of nudity

words: 2764

It was a nice summer day. A wind gently caressed your cheeks, as you were looking at your friends, who were enjoying the day with their families. Fathers, mothers.. siblings. That was a luxury you have never known. You never knew your father or mother. The closest thing you had to parents were Christian and Lucille, who found you one day and raised as their own. You actually thought they were your parents, until they came clean when you reached your eighteen birthday. They knew you deserve the truth. Since then, you were jealous and happy at the same time for your friends, who had families on their own. You were watching them from a smaller distance, as they were laughing together wishing you could have something like that too. Not that you were not grateful for Christian and Lucille, you loved them but.. You wanted to find out who your parents were. Whose violet eyes were looking at you in the mirror? Did you have the same black hair as your mom? Was your smile similar to the smile of your father? Those were questions you earned an answer for.

You grew up in the mountains in Night court. Your village was quite small, nothing extraordinary here. It was not far from the borders the Night court shared with the Day court. You could walk there maybe after two or three hours. That means that sometimes you meet people traveling between these two courts. People who were more than willing to share stories. That was how you found out about Amarantha being dead. You knew her, of course you did. Everyone in Prythian did. She trapped all High lords under the mountain, took their powers.. They were helpless until one day a human girl named Feyre freed them. You were fascinated by her story. She was now your High lady, finally being happy with Rhysand, your High lord and you found that really nice. That they found each other after all that. You heard all stories about them and about other High lords and interesting people from travelers, merchants.. You were always listening to them very carefully, until one sunny day, when you decided to stop being the listener and become the traveler, narrator, yourself. It was an opportunity to get to know new places, people.. and maybe find out something about your parents.

“Are you sure you want to go? I mean..it can be really dangerous.” You smiled at your friends. “I am sure. I love you guys, I love this place but.. I just want to try and find out something about my parents, about me. And I think that's the thing I cannot accomplish here.” She sighed and nodded as a sign that she understands you. “Well.. I will not stop you, if that is really what you want. Just.. be careful and don't forget us.” You hugged her tight, trying to find back tears. “How could I ever forget you? You are my best friend, sister, even though we don't have the same parents. I will never forget you, don't worry. And also.. this isn't definitely the last time you see me. I will come back.”

It has been almost two months since you left. After almost a month of traveling, you came to the town which was surrounding the palace of Helion, the Day court´s High lord. Probably the sexiest male alive. You had only seen him once, from afar when he was walking and talking with some of his friends near the shop you worked. You found a job in a smaller café, simply because you needed money and you also quite quickly fell in love with the city and wanted to spend some time here. You weren't sure how long you were going to stay.. A few months? Year? But it didn't really matter. Your job did not only provide you with the money , no. It also helped you meet a few nice people you befriend and could spend time after work. It was nice, the days were not the same as in your old village. Every day brought something new, new skills you learned, new friends.. But the one day that stood out above all the days.. was the one when you met your mate.

It was almost noon when the bell rang and he walked into the café, where you were currently working. Helion stood in the doorway and was looking around the place as if he was searching for something, or rather someone. And then, suddenly, he looked at you, his already big smile grew even bigger. At that same moment, you felt something in your chest, in your heart. Mating bond. It snapped immediately, taking the air from your lungs. You blinked a few times, not daring to move or look away from his gaze as he walked closer to you. “Hello my little sunshine.” 

From that moment, you didn't spend a day without a stolen moment with Helion. You found out that he already knew about the mating bond. It snapped for him a few minutes before he came in, as he was casually walking around the café. He saw you and needed only a few minutes before you he plucked up the courage to go talk to you. You decided to take things slowly. He was coming to the café, where you chatted when you were working. After a week he invited you to a date, to a beautiful restaurant, theater, then he took you on the picnic.. And that's basically how you ended up waking up in his large bed, with nothing but sheets on your naked body. 

You two were seeing each other for almost three months. It was already winter, but that did not bother you. Helion was hugging you, his big and warm body was better than any blanket in the whole world. You were enjoying this quiet morning in his embrace, when you felt he was already waking up. His breathing changed and grip on you strengthened, as if he also wasn't ready to wake up and leave your bed. You giggled at him, whereupon he grunted. “Is there something funny, sunshine?” You sighed happily. “Just one certain High lord who is behaving like a little child who doesn't want to share his toy with anyone else.” He chuckled, turned you around, so you were now lying on your back on the comfortable mattress and he was towering over you in all his glory. You bit your lips at this sight. “But I don't want to share you with anyone else.” He started placing soft kisses on your neck, which was full of hickeys from the previous night. “I don't think that's possible. My shift is starting in an hour and you also have a lot of work.” You argued, trying to keep your thoughts clear, even though the idea of ​​spending the whole day with your mate in bed was more than tempting. “That's why I want you to quit. You know I can take care of you, I want to take care of everything you need or want” This time it was you who chuckled at his idea. “And what would I do? Spend all my time in your bed, waiting for you to return? It would be boring.” You caressed his beautiful face. Admiring his beauty, before he spoke again. “You could always come with me to the meetings, sit on my lap and warm me.” He winked at you, as you punched him slightly in his biceps. After that his face grew more serious. “I love you Y/N. More than my court, more than the sun, more than everything else.. Just say you want this and I promise I will give you everything in the world. I will make you my High lady. My equal. Just one word is enough.” 

It wasn't that hard a decision. You loved Helion with your whole being. You couldn't imagine a day without him. So you finally agreed. You gave him your answer that day, in the evening, when you served him dinner made by you. It was simple, private and even though Helion was known for parties, he really appreciated this. Mainly because after the meal he could immediately take to to the bedroom and fuck you all night without any disturbance. The only thing that was left to declare you his High lady. You urged him to wait a little. When you officially accepted the bond you also moved to his palace the next day and you simply wanted to get used to the new surroundings and to the bond, which was now stronger than before. He of course agreed to your wishes. But you still were slowly making plans for the celebration, because you decided to make this event publicly. Helion thought that it was only fair for his, yours, people to have an opportunity to witness this moment, when the first High lady of the Day court was crowned. And believed him, wanting to also make people happy, to make a good first impression and that was probably not possible if you were hiding in the shadows on that important day. You also decided to invite your and some of Helion's friends, which also included some other High lords and their families. You personally invited Thesan - High lord of the Dawn court, High lord of the Winter court and his wife, Tarquin, who was Hugh lord of the Summer court and lastly.. High lord, High lady of the Night court and their Inner circle. 

Before every meeting with other High lords you were incredibly nervous and Helion was trying to calm you down as he could and he was successful, but this time.. It was different and you weren't sure why you felt this way. Your heart was beating rapidly in your chest, your hands were sweating.. Maybe because you were supposed to meet the only other High lady that existed? Or maybe you were just nervous because you have heard a lot of stories about all of them? Rhysand was the most powerful High lord, his mate had powers of all seven High lords and her sisters were made by the Cauldron.. Not mentioning Cassian and Azriel, who were alive for more than five hundred years and killed more people than you have met in your lifetime. “Don't worry Y/N. They are really nice and don't bite more than me and you are already used to that.” Helion winked at you and you rolled your eyes at him. This was something about him that you absolutely loved and at the same time found annoying. He was such a flirt. “I know and I believe you. Honestly.. I am not sure why I am so nervous.” You as and at the same time tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. Before your mate could respond to you, you heard the sound of the door opening. You looked behind you and to your surprise you met the same eyes you had  and they stared back at you in shock.

There was silence as the others entered the room as well. They were looking at you with shocked expressions and you returned it, mainly to the man that had the same eyes as you. And after a few moments you noticed that the eyes were not the only thing you shared. You also had the same hair, similar features. In the end it was Helion who broke the silence. “I.. I never realized that.” It wasn't surprising he was not very receptive to these things. “That's.. How?” High lady asked, turning to face her mate, who also finally recovered from the shock. “I have no idea, Feyre darling.” He took a few steps towards you. You looked at Helion, not sure what to do. What to say. Was it even possible? Was this really your father or was it some cruel joke made by the Cauldron? How did it happen? “It's her.” You heard a sweet voice from the group. A girl, a woman, in a pink dress came closer. You shared a confused look with your mate. “The girl from my visions. Rhys's daughter.” 

To this moment, the only person who almost made you faint was Helion but when that woman said those words.. You had to grab your mate's strong arms, because otherwise you would be laying on the ground. This did not go unnoticed by your father and your mate, who grabbed you by your waist, holding you firmly. It was not only supporting in standing, it was calming you at the same time. Your father looked with worry. “Are you okay?” He asked you, you nodded in response. “I am, it's just.. a shock.” He smiled at you. “That's understandable. It's a shock for both of us. Well.. for all of us. He turned to his mate and Inner circle, as if he was having a quick conversation with them. After that, they came closer, introducing themselves with bright smiles. You have learned that the lady who was obviously a seer was Elaine, sister of your father's mate. It was Feyre who introduced herself to you last. It was a little bit weird for you, since she was a little bit younger than you and practically your step-mother, but she seemed nice. “By the way, what are you doing here? And how did you find my daughter, Helion?” You almost forgot they didn't know. Inviting High lords to your celebration was also a moment when Helion introduced you to them as his mate for the first time. He looked down at you and you gave him a simple nod. “Well.. she is my mate. And also my future High lady. We wanted to invite you to the celebration personally.” 

Once again, they were shocked, especially your newly found father, who was looking between you and Helion. You wanted to say something. Something that could make this situation a little bit less weird, but couldn't find the right words. In the end, silence was broken by Cassian's and Morrigan's augh. “Well, I did not see that coming.” Your aunt said with amusement in her voice. You smiled nervously, wanting nothing more than to disappear into the thin air. “Congratulations, it's amazing.” Feyre told you kindly and shook Rhysand's hand, so he would wake up from his trance. “Yeah.. congratulations.”He looked from you to Helion. “You better make her happy.” His words warmed up your heart. It was nice of him to look after you only after knowing you for maybe ten minutes. Maybe you were an adult, but that didn't mean you couldn't create a loving bond with him. After the first shock, you finally felt happiness. You had a parent! A father! And at that moment you realized something. With a hope in your eyes you turned to Elaine. “Do you also know who my mother is?”

The smile on her face and the faces of the others froze. Well, except for you and Helion, since you didn't know anything. Elaine swallowed hard, making eye contact with both your father and Feyre, again having some type of silent conversation. After a while, your father sighed. “Your mother.. Well.. Things get a little bit complicated here.” He breathed out. “Maybe you already heard of her. It is.. Amarantha.” It had to be incredibly hard for him to say that. After he said that, he looked away, hurt from memories that came back only after saying her name out loud. 

Of course you were in shock after finding out who your parents were. Being the daughter of the most powerful High lord and also a person who imprisoned not only him, but also your mate and a lot of other people.. Being the daughter of the person who killed and who was the main villain of many people's nightmares wasn't the best thing that could happen to you. But you were lucky to have your mate and also your father on your site. After finding out, you were really sad, angry, ashamed and also worried about what other people would think. What would Helion think? But luckily, he didn't care at all. He supported you, when you were recovering from the news and trying to accept them. He supported you when you tried and later successfully created a bond with your father, but also Feyre and their Inner circle. You were very lucky to have him, to have all of them. You finally had your own happy family.

#acotar #acotar fanfiction #acotar imagine #acotar series #a court of thorns and roses #rhysand x reader #rhysand imagine #rhys x reader #rhysand fanfic #rhysand's daughter #morrigan #cassian #feyre x rhysand #feyre archeron #high lady feyre #helion x you #helion x reader #helion acotar #amarantha #inner circle #night court #day court

[fuckyeahworldoftaika]

Taika’s daughters are in OFMD S2 😍

#taika waititi #rhys darby #daughters #ofmd #our flag means death

[shallyne]

Feyre and her future daughter

Art by rosebuds.art commissioned by me

Feyre fixing her daughter's hair after Nyx ruined it while playing

#Feysand daughter #acotar #a court of thorns and roses #acotar fanart #feyre fanart #feyre archeron #feyre #feyre cursebreaker #high lady of the night court #high lady feyre #feyre darling #feysand #rhysand #rhys #acotar art #Nemesis Archeron

[motherfeyre-archeron]

"Tamlin's daughter and Nyx...."

This type of people need to be studied.

Like he's mom had a history with him??? Did y'all forget or something???

Can you for one moment just picture the family gatherings 💀.

#please be serious #eyww #acotar #feyre #rhys #nyx #ic #nesta #elain #azriel #morr #amren #cassian #tamlin daughter #anti tamlin

[mermaidsirennikita]

y’all say you like rake books but if you don’t try Grace Callaway I don’t know that you do

#romance novel blogging #this is enter the duke (you’re welcome) #having read their daughter’s book already #can i just say #i’ve never read a more hypocritical character than rhys #“GET UR HANDS OFF MY DAUGHTER YOU VERY NICE AND CLASSY MAN” says this guy #(the daughter he and her mom conceived against A DOOR) #the first quote ain’t even from his own book #he out Sebastian’d Sebastian

[snorzyy]

im by no means an editor but i noticed a distinct lack of ofmd edits to ethel cain so i took matters into my own hands

#ed and stede were meant to be fr #tbh i think ethel cain more suits ineffable husbands but this works so well for ed n stede #ofmd #our flag means death s2 #ofmd 2 #gentlebeard #blackbeard #stede bonnet #taika waititi #rhys darby #ethel cain #preachers daughter

[quietwingsinthesky]

journey’s end au where the doctor tries to kick everyone off the TARDIS and they just go, ‘???? no?’ and won’t leave. can’t be stupid and think everyone will leave you when they won’t get out of your house.

#the doctor is simultaneously so happy about this and SO annoyed. get out of his house!!! this is his tardis!!!! #(tentoo voice) OUR tardis. (doctor voice) MY TARDIS!!!!! #rose and martha and donna and jack are literally having a girls night in the same room as this argument #sarah jane was invited but did not join them. autisms. #however mickey and her have been bonding and the doctor feels so betrayed. sarah jane is supposed to be on his side!!! #can’t even complain to the metal dog. k-9 is still busy. #(sarah jane voice) oh i should invite luke and his friends- (doctor voice) NO CHILDREN ON MY SHIP #((tentoo voice. from the other room.) OUR ship) #jack manages to sneak ianto and gwen on board before sarah jane gets the bannerman gang in simply because torchwood is easier wrangled than #literal children (not saying much) #how does gwen manage to sneak rhys on that one time? no one’s really sure. he didn’t stay on very long but it was long enough for jack to #lose a bet. #i think only jackie leaves but NOT before she and tentoo and rose have established interdimensional facetime so that she can phone her #daughter and her son-in-law and her guy-who-her-son-in-law-is-cloned-from #(doctor voice) donna i need to erase ur memories ur brain will explode otherwise (rose from across the room) hey didnt i absorb something #that would explode my brain once. i still have my memories. (donna voice) YEAH DOCTOR CARE TO EXPLAIN THAT???? #donna metacrisis is solved because jack says ‘fuck it let me eat the metacrisis somehow it probably wont kill me’ and then he glows for like #a week but he’s fine. #he is literally never getting rid of any of them. get found family-ed idiot #(god wait funniest fucking thing if end of time happens here and the master’s plans are completely derailed because he gets tackled by seven #different companions. kicking him while he’s on the ground while the doctor goes D:) #doctor who #tardis family au

[belle-keys]

“hey mom can we go buy some damon?”

“no baby we have damon at home”

and the damon at home is just rhysand

#i will win the real war (end the rhysification of fantasy love interests) #highkey daughter of the blood daemon #and lowkey tvd damon #i dislike bat boi so much #anti rhysand #anti rhys #anti feysand #anti feyre #anti acotar #anti acosf #anti sjm #anti sarah j maas #sjm critical #my tvd rewatch #damon salvatore #rhys is actually a rip-off of two damons hmm

[theladyofbloodshed]

Still find it suspicious that Rhys’ mum left an engaged 17 year old girl who didn’t want to get married alone with a horny 17 year old boy over night 👀

You’d think Mor would have had a proper chaperone when she came of age and if her family are so awful, why would they let her strut around Windhaven without one? 👀

#Rhys’ mum knew they were going to hook up #she’s like mid 30s early 40s at this point #like Keir would leave his only daughter with Illyrians #especially not Azriel and Cassian #just doesn’t make sense

[fanwarriorfictions]

Writing the fourth part of Not Again and I’m sitting here giggling and kicking my feet at the way she teases Az

#she’s got Aelin’s sass that’s for sure #it helps that Rhys adds in because of course he would #acotar #acotar x reader #azriel #azriel x reader #rowaelin daughter #rowaelin #not again

[westerosiladies]

Sansa Stark Appreciation Month Day 10 - Father

#game of thrones #asoiaf #sansa stark #sansaappreciationfest2022 #sansamonth2022 #father #ned stark #eddard stark #sansa fancast #kate duggan #claire maccauley #laoise murray #eddard fancast #jonathan rhys meyers #father-daughter relationship #father and daughter

[marzipanandminutiae]

I may never have a student plagiarize my fanfiction, since I’m not a teacher, but fandom has ruined my top two baby name choices for a girl:

- Edith, after my great-grandmother (who went by Ede, studied cooking at the Sorbonne when women seldom went to university, drank dry martinis every evening until the day she died, and lived almost 100 years)

- Lucinda (nickname Lucy), after a great-great-great-grandmother and a weird coincidence in names on both sides of my family. my mom’s side has a Welsh princess named Lleucu Rhys back in the 15th century, which I’m told roughly anglicizes to Lucy the Lively, and my dad’s side has an 18th-century colonial American woman named...Lucy Lively. So I thought Lucinda “Lucy,” middle name Reese, would be a cool way to honor three family members in one go

but obviously I can’t use either of those now, in case a hypothetical Babby Marzispawn finds Mama’s AO3 someday. it would just. it would be too weird

nobody get me into a fandom with an MC named Arabella, I beg you

#personal #fandom #there's actually a photo of the Arabella in question. she was rather formidable-looking and good for her #my first choice for a boy- Theo with no longer name -can stay for now #although the fact that it shares any similarity with 'Thomas' makes for a rather bizarre trifecta of Accidental Fandom Names #note: Lleucu Rhys' name does not appear to be Lleucu FERCH Rhys ('daughter of Rhys') but simply...Lleucu Rhys. like an epithet #not a patronymic #the Rhys was in quotes in the source I found so. that's what suggested to me that it was a designation of her own #not her father's name #but that could be incorrect

[tsarisfanfiction]

Twenty-Five Fingers

Fandom: Daughter of the Deep Rating: Teen Genre: Friendship Characters: Gemini, Ana, Ester, Franklin Gem remembered to watch Ana's six, he just forgot to watch his own. Seeing if I can get whumptober going again this year - starting with a new fandom and therefore new characters to play with, but I've been meaning to write something for Daughter of the Deep for a while, and the Day 1 prompt "How many fingers am I holding up" fit one of the vague muses I've had since finishing the book, so here we are! This ended up rather longer than planned (story of my fic writing life), and while it's the first thing I've written for this fandom, I don't plan on it being the last!

There were too many thoughts whirling around Gem’s head and he knew it.  Worries, mostly – for Dr Hewett, dragged onto the Varuna without a medic to keep him stabilised and possibly dying, for Ana with the stab wound he’d only been able to do so much for, for the combat situation they were entering with only two guns and a knife between them.

He felt off-balance, with only a single gun in his hand.  It hadn’t been a mistake giving the other to Ana, not tactically and not for his peace of mind, either, but the empty air instead of cool aluminium in his palm felt fundamentally wrong.

It wasn’t as though Gem was fully functional, either, not when he could feel dried blood on his temple and an ache around his shoulders from their underwater scuffle, but he was their combat specialist, the least injured (and Ana’s wound worried him; she needed stitches and rest, not the near-guarantee of another fight), and keeping Ana safe was still his priority.

Except his thoughts were whirring too much, the calm state he entered when he had a gun in his hand just wasn’t coming this time, he was distracted and worried and-

He saw Ana turn around, lips parting as though she was about to say something.  He saw her eyes widen, heard the start of a scream and too slow, too late, realised he’d been watching her six but not his own and-

CRACK.

The throbbing of his head told him in no uncertain terms that he’d been an idiot.

Everything was black, both his hands were empty, and the simple act of even twitching his fingers because his hand being empty was wrong sent a throb of pain all the way through his body, bright colours sparking through the otherwise prevailing blackness of his vision.

There were noises, vibrations travelling through his body.  Familiar noises, even, but it hurt too much to even think and he gave up trying.

He didn’t know how much time passed; something as mundane as keeping track of time was definitely too much effort when his head was pounding hard enough it felt like it was going to explode, but slowly the feeling of something important started to creep up on him.

It wasn’t whatever was causing his hand to feel empty, for all that that felt wrong and like something he should be concerned about.  It wasn’t the noises and vibrations that at some point he’d stopped feeling, although something inside him felt a bit concerned at that, too.

It wasn’t strange material against his skin, cool and definitely not a t-shirt.

Well of course, he’d lost his t-shirt earlier, because Ana had been injured and-

Ana.

He tried to say her name, fighting against the black of his vision now because Ana was in danger and he was supposed to protect her but he’d failed again and where was Ana?

After a moment of fighting, his eyelids peeled open and he blinked slowly.  Nothing was in focus, not the brown or the blue or the dark blob that appeared a moment later, swallowing up almost everything else.

“Hey…” the blob said, voice faint and shaking but familiar and part of Gem almost passed out again in relief because that was Ana’s voice.  All that kept him alert was the fact that she didn’t sound right, didn’t sound like the confident girl that snapped at him more than spoke over the past two years, or the captain that it felt right to follow.  She sounded like something was wrong, and Gem pounded his hammering brain into at least trying to be more awake.

“How many fingers?” he heard her ask, and he squinted as a smaller blob separated from the main blob; a hand, no doubt, but he couldn’t make out any fingers at all, just the blob with a blur around the edges.

“Twenty five?” he rasped, knowing that couldn’t be right but if he really squinted it looked like something like that.  Maybe it was five?

“Yeah, you’ll be fine,” she said, and Gem wasn’t sure that sounded right, but then again Ana didn’t sound right.  If he concentrated enough, the blob looked a bit less blob-shaped and more Ana-shaped, although her face was a bit too shiny.

Water?  No, that didn’t seem right.

He forced his brain to start turning again, to analyse the situation because that was what he was supposed to do, for all he’d messed up already, his head still shrieking a reminder that he’d let someone get behind him, hit him hard enough to knock him out and there was no way he didn’t have a concussion.

Under duress, his mind reached the conclusion that Ana was crying, and Gem had no way of knowing for sure who hit him but something whispered the name of his house captain – former house captain, because Gem would never accept Dev Dakkar as his captain again, not when Ana Dakkar was right there and so much better – and Dev had always been persistent.

“Is Dev-?” he asked, not sure what to say beyond the older boy’s name, but Ana interrupted him before he had to think any more.

“Taken care of,” she said, sounding almost as bad as Gem felt, and the all-too-familiar taste of failure filled the back of his throat because his single order, sole mission since HP’s destruction had been to protect Ana and he hadn’t managed that once.  “I shot him with rubber bullets.”

The shock of her words cut through the pain of his head and nausea of failure, and for a moment he could see Ana’s face clearly, dirty and bruised and red-eyed.  Ana loved her brother, had been cut deeper than any of the rest of them, even Gem and his fellow Sharks, by his betrayal.  Dev was also the top Shark in hand-to-hand combat, and Ana had faced him all alone.  “That couldn’t have been easy,” Gem managed, somehow managing a full sentence although his voice sounded muffled to his own ears.  “Ana… are you…”

“I’m okay,” she told him quickly, and Gem didn’t believe her for a moment, not when her voice was shaking and her eyes were still rimmed with red.  “I’ll be okay.”

He didn’t get the chance to call her out on it, wasn’t sure if he should; they’d finally started working together, had finally cleared the air from his insensitive blunder when they’d first met, but that was the sort of things friends did and Gem wanted Ana to be his friend but had no idea if she wanted the same or if the past week had just been necessity.

Ana’s hands were shaking as she hooked them under him, and Gem realised she was trying to help him up.  Up sounded good, much better than laying limp on the deck, but his muscles didn’t want to co-operate with her and when his head moved the nausea surged.  His vision reset to blurs, a blue that was probably the sky taking up most of it while Ana reprised her dark blob appearance, and he groaned, letting gravity yank his dead weight back down to the deck.

At least he was on his back now, rather than slumped on his front.

“I think maybe I should just… stay here for a minute,” he admitted as Ana’s hands slipped off of his wetsuit.  After a couple of slow blinks, her blob came back into focus again, haloed by the sky behind her.  She looked worried, and Gem almost said something that was supposed to reassure her before he realised what had been so wrong about the lack of noise and vibrations.

“Why has the boat stopped?”

That was wrong, that was a problem because it was just the two of them and unless he’d been out long enough for Ana to beat Dev in a fight, go to the engine room to stop the boat, and then come back-

Two hostiles, his brain dragged up out of nowhere.  With Dr Hewett.  Neither of them had been Dev.

“I’ll check the bridge,” Ana said, and that told him that she hadn’t done it, which meant active hostiles, and Gem tried to pull himself back up so he could help but his muscles mutinied and his body stayed exactly where it was.

“You look terrible,” he told her, because he couldn’t tell her no, knew she wouldn’t listen even if he did, and out of the two of them she was definitely in better shape, but she didn’t look up to taking down any more hostiles, either.

“Thanks,” she replied.  He couldn’t tell if she was being sincere or sarcastic; it could have been either.  “Don’t worry, I’ve got this gun.”

Light glinted off of the weapon, drawing his attention to it.  The shine of sun on metal made it difficult to look at, and the bright flash certainly didn’t do his vision or his pounding head any good at all, but even concussed Gem knew one of his twins when he saw one.

That was why his hand was empty.  He’d given one to Ana.

Where was the other one?

“It’s a nice gun,” he agreed, because it was.  There was a reason the rumour that his name came from his guns existed.  Still, Ana wasn’t the best markswoman and he didn’t know how many rubber bullets were left and just one gun wasn’t enough, but also Ana was stubborn and he knew he couldn’t persuade her otherwise.  “Be careful,” he begged her.

She didn’t reply, and Gem forced his head to turn so he could watch her as she staggered across the deck, looking like the recoil of the pistol would knock her down the moment she fired it.  There was no sign of his second gun, not that he could do anything if he had it.

His head still pounded mercilessly, his vision swimming from the movement of his head.  Nausea choked up his throat; the best he could do if a hostile found him before Ana came back – because she had to come back, had to beat the LI upperclassmen because if she didn’t, she was dead – would be to throw up all over them.

No-one came.

He couldn’t hear anything, either.  No gunshots, no sounds of a fight.  Just the sea, lapping against the unmoving hull of the Varuna, and the ever-pounding throb of his head.

It was disconcerting, and after what he thought were a few minutes had passed he tried to roll over with the intention of staggering to his feet.

He got as far as laying on his side rather than his back before the nausea protested and he threw up.  The world span alarmingly and he completely lost his bearings.

When everything stopped moving again, he was back on his back, staring semi-blankly up at the sky.  Beneath his head, the deck vibrated in short, sharp bursts.

Footsteps.

“Ana?” he called, but the girl that appeared in his vision was completely the wrong colours.

“Ana passed out,” Ester said, and Gem’s eyes sluggishly tracked her as she crouched down next to him.  “She lost a lot of blood but I stitched her up.  You have a concussion.”

Where had Ester come from?

“Ester?” he asked.  “How..?”

“Your pupils are dilated and your reaction time is very slow,” the Orca informed him.  “You’re also bleeding.  You know head wounds bleed a lot?”

“I… yes?”  Gem winced as she leaned over him and touched his head lightly.  It flared, not appreciating the extra contact, and he groaned a little.

“I can’t carry you,” Ester told him after a moment of gentle prodding that nonetheless had his head screaming.  “Can you stand?”

Gem wanted to say yes.  He wanted to get away from the deck and at least to the infirmary with Dr Hewett and no doubt Ana as well, but he knew there was no way he could even sit up, let alone stand, even with Ester’s help.  “No,” he admitted.

Ester nodded.  “Okay,” she said.  “You should stay still, then.  I’ll be back.”

Gem blinked as she disappeared from his view, left alone with his throbbing head and several questions.  How had Ester got on the Varuna?  Was anyone else with her?  Were all the hostiles accounted for?

Ester hadn’t seemed worried, so he was going to hope the answer to the last question, at least, was yes.  He didn’t think she’d have left Ana’s side if she thought there was a danger to her.

True to her word, she didn’t take long to return.  “Painkillers,” she announced as she knelt down next to him with a syringe in her hand.  “I didn’t think you would be able to swallow any,” she explained, and Gem gave her a small nod of acknowledgement.

“Probably not,” he admitted.  He barely felt the prick of the needle past the throbbing in his head.

He did, however, feel the antiseptic as she dabbed at the source of the pain on his head.  Gritting his teeth didn’t stop the groan as the sting made its presence known, but Ester didn’t hesitate.

“This might need glue or stitches once the Nautilus arrives,” she told him as she lifted his head enough to wrap bandages around it.  “But I can’t move you by myself so it will have to wait.”

“That’s okay,” Gem assured her.  “How’s Ana?  And Dr Hewett?”  He shouldn’t have been surprised when his head was put down on something made of fabric – not as much give as a pillow, but far more comfortable than the hard deck – but he was.  He appreciated it, though.

“They’re both unconscious,” Ester told him.  “Ana’s lost a lot of blood and needs a transfusion.  Dr Hewett needs better equipment.”

Gem wasn’t surprised at either status, although neither of them were good news.

“Go back to them,” he told her.  “I’ll be fine.”

“You have a concussion,” Ester protested.  “You should be kept under observation.”

Gem appreciated her expertise, but, “it’s just you, right?”

“Yes,” she confirmed.  “But the Nautilus is on the way.”

That, Gem didn’t doubt for a moment.  He expected nothing less of Nelinha than to get their submarine operational as quickly as possible to come and back up Ana.  “Go back to them,” he repeated.  “Please,” he added almost immediately.  “I’d feel better knowing you’re with them.”

Even if there was nothing more Ester could do with the Varuna’s supplies, the idea of either of them being left unsupervised while they were unconscious worried him.  Ester was resourceful; if something went wrong before the Nautilus arrived, she would work something out.  She couldn’t do that if she wasn’t with them.

“I should stay with you,” Ester said.  “You need to stay awake.”

“Please,” Gem begged her.  “I can keep myself awake.  Just… make sure they’re alright.”

She frowned, but to Gem’s relief, she caved.  “Don’t fall asleep,” she said firmly.  “I’ll check on you.”

“Thank you,” Gem sighed.

Laying on the deck would be boring if not for the throbbing of his head – less than it was, but the painkillers weren’t enough to douse it entirely – and the persistent worries in the back of his mind.  There were several of them, from the hostiles he couldn’t confirm had all been secured, to Ana’s injuries, to the fact that Dr Hewett’s cancer must have worsened whilst in the hands of LI.

True to her word, Ester kept coming back on deck to check on him.  Neither of them were willing to risk moving him – Gem’s nausea and vertigo was not abating, and he was too tall for Ester to feel comfortable lifting – which left him on the deck, but as hostiles remained absent and Ester had no worsening news about her other two patients, Gem found himself starting to relax.

The first sign of the Nautilus docking alongside them was the vibrations of the ship as something hooked onto the Varuna.  Almost immediately he heard familiar voices, although that didn’t stop his head from throbbing at the noise as feet landed on the deck.

“Gem!”  Multiple footsteps ran towards him and he winced as Cooper came into view, golden light glinting off of the Leyden gun in his hands.  Behind him, Gem could make out the rest of the Sharks spreading around the deck, guns at the ready, and finally relaxed fully.  The rest of his house would make sure the ship was secure.

“Cooper, make sure Dev’s not going to give us any more nasty surprises.”  A shock of blue hair heralded Franklin’s arrival as the Orca prefect nudged Gem’s fellow Shark out of the way.  He still looked almost as awful as he had the last time Gem saw him, but that didn’t stop him kneeling down and checking Gem’s pulse.  “You look like you should’ve kept a few more weapons,” the other boy said.  “That’s a bad concussion.”  He held up a hand.  ��How many fingers?”

Gem blinked at it.  “Three?” he guessed, before his vision focused a little more.  “Ah, two.”

“Got it the second time,” Franklin confirmed, bringing his hand back down.  “Let’s get you off this deck.  Rhys, give me a hand.  Linzi and Brigid, go see what help Ester needs with Ana and Dr Hewett.”  Gem hadn’t noticed the other Orcas lingering around, and glanced up at Rhys as she knelt down on his other side.

“Do you think he can stand?” the other Orca asked.  Gem grimaced, and Franklin frowned.

“I want to try,” he said.  “If he can’t, he’s worse than he looks.  We’ll take it slow.  Think you can try, Gem?”

“I can try,” Gem confirmed, although the nausea in his throat didn’t seem too keen.  Franklin and Rhys slid their hands underneath his shoulders, and Gem closed his eyes as the world spun.  Nausea threatened again, but somehow it stayed down as the Orcas got him up into a sitting position.

They paused then, letting him resettle for a moment as he breathed through the nausea and the still-persistent throbbing of his head.  “You good to keep going?” Franklin asked him, and Gem opened his eyes a crack.

“Yes,” he said.  His shoulders, lightly aching but nothing compared to his head, made themselves known a bit more as Franklin and Rhys looped his arms around their necks.

“On three,” Franklin said.  “One, two, three.”  Gem closed his eyes again as he was pulled to his feet, feeling his body sway as his balance struggled to settle.  It took a few more moments before he felt remotely steady, and his supporters held still as he staggered to get his feet under him.  Walking was a challenge, but opening his eyes a crack, Gem managed to stumble over to the side of the ship, catching sight of the Nautilus bobbing in the water next to the Varuna.

Boarding was harder, and Franklin enlisted extra help in the form of Virgil and Jack, but eventually Gem found himself being lowered onto a bed in the Nautilus’ sickbay, and he sank gratefully onto it.  The extra anaesthetic supplied by the submarine helped the throbbing of his head fade away further, even when Franklin removed the dressing Ester had placed to give the epicentre of the pain another clean.  To his relief, after some discussion between the Orcas and Ophelia, the decision was reached that his scalp didn’t actually need gluing or stitching back together, just secure bandaging and bedrest.

The biggest relief, though, was when he saw Ana and Dr Hewett being transferred in a short time after his head was re-wrapped.  Both of them looked awful, but the Orcas and Ophelia were all hopeful that Ana, at least, would make a full recovery.  Dr Hewett was still up in the air, but Nautilus immediately started producing something for him, which Ophelia also declared a good sign, and the knot of worry that had been sitting in Gem’s chest since finding his mentor passed out a week earlier loosened slightly.

Not everything was resolved – LI were still a distant threat, despite the defeat of their upperclassmen and the destruction of the Aronnax, and Ana and Dr Hewett were still very much unconscious and expected to stay that way for at least a day – but the main battle was over, Ana, their class, and the Nautilus were all safe, and after a few more checks by Franklin, Gem was cleared to finally pass out from exhaustion after running on adrenaline and shock for the past week.

It didn’t take him long to do exactly that.

#whumptober2023 #no.1 #how many fingers am I holding up? #daughter of the deep #fic #concussion #nausea #head injury #daughter of the deep fanfiction #gemini twain #ana dakkar #ester harding #franklin couch #cooper dunne #rhys morrow #tsari writes fanfiction

[atopvisenyashill]

streets are saying bethany antonia (baela) and matt smith are dating secretly and dear fucking god i hope that’s true bc it would be so funny

#he’s always having on set affairs aksjdjdj matt widen your dating pool #getting on my soap box #emma/paddy or rhys/olivia would be funnier but most of them are already in long term relationships so. #this is second best. only thing funnier would be matt/rhaena actress who i’m blanking on #or olivia/tom aksjsjsjdj but the rumor is specifically about a father/daughter #house of the dragon

[rambunctioustoons]

I find it funny how others have different y/n's and here I am putting the same guy through the horrors. Red string of fate for horrors with the acception of Chore List maybe

#ramblings #not in a bad way I just can't not picture him in writing in place of every You written. #maybe someday this wont be applicable but hey who knows #the future is unclear! but ive gone through a dusty thrift shop today and re-thought about #your daughter is obsessed with discarded fnaf merch. and one day brings home a Moondrop Sphere that doesnt seem to work anymore #y'know that au. that i mentioned once. #Rhys's daughter is always subject to horrors apparently. either seperated or vanishing early from the story. dont look too into it #that says Nothing About Me as a person :D ✨