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#were they really so foolish as to let someone like him a true king unlike the ones that came before him go
i-did-not-mean-to · 1 year
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Request
@kazenomegaminowanpisu...here is your ficlet. I hope you'll like it; it really would benefit from a more extended and detailed background, but I didn't know what you had in mind.
Words: 1,4k
Characters: Thorin x female dragon S/O
Warnings: none
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Thorin, the second of his name, dubbed “Oakenshield” by his followers and admirers and “stone-skull” by a certain elven king most likely, frowned in discontent.
Despite having perfectly valid heirs already – his sister-sons – the newly re-instated population of Erebor demanded that he take a queen; his sister Dís and his councillors had been tasked with scouring the whole world, as far as he could tell, for the most interesting and promising young dams.
For months now, he had entertained the most auspicious of them in hopes that he’d eventually find someone he could at least come to regard as an ally and friend even if he hardly believed that he’d be finding true love this way.
He could not really understand why any of these ladies – charming, accomplished, and beautiful – would want to marry an old, battle-worn king though, but here they were, arrayed like dolls for him to play with or to discard at his will.
He hated this and earnestly endeavoured to treat each of them with the respect and concern he owed them and their families.
Presently, he took a silent dam – come from very far – for a stroll across the stone ledges that could be seen as rudimentary balconies.
Over the last few weeks, she had become one of his favourites among the throng of nubile young noble-born devotees; kind and discreet, she had the making of a queen for she was intelligent and well-spoken and seemed to be highly interested in everything he told her about his kingdom.
Despite her soft smile at this very moment, he couldn’t help but feel a tad foolish for rambling on about the trade agreements with Esgaroth and the Mirkwood elves while she – as per usual – merely nodded politely and inclined her head every so often.
“Do those elves have magical powers?” she then asked suddenly with a sweet accent to her gentle voice.
“I’d hope not,” Thorin laughed, offering his arm as they descended a steep flight of stairs into a small courtyard that lay in a basin of stone.
“Do you?”
He paused, stunned by her very serious and earnest inquiry that was quite unlike her usual questions that betrayed nothing beyond respectful curiosity.
“Not that I know of. Why? Is that common where you come from?”
With a wince of embarrassment, Thorin realised that he had droned on and on about his own realm without giving her the chance to tell him much about her home; that was an omission that he’d have to amend as fast and as thoroughly as possible.
“I do not want to distress you,” she whispered, “as you’ve made such bad experiences with them in the past.”
“Distress me?” Thorin chuckled; he could not believe that such a demure, taciturn, and polite dam could alarm him by anything she’d do. “With whom?”
Nonetheless, he was wary as he stepped back and signalled his interest by waving his broad hand encouragingly; he was distrustful of magic – which was understandable after everything he had survived – but he was also curious as to the nature of her skills.
“Turn around,” she bade him and, when he did, he could hear the soft swishing sound of robes being discarded. This, he had to admit, did indeed very much trouble him.
It would not do to be caught by any of his councillors with a naked dam while he hid his face in the rock like a child fleeing into the skirts of its mother.
A soft tap on his shoulder let him know that she was ready for him to behold her.
It took a moment for him to rouse both his famed bravery and his redoubtable pride. He turned hesitantly and gasped.
Instantly, his hand flew to his hip, but his sword had been left in his chambers which proved to have been a woefully careless decision.
“What have you done to my guest, you foul creature!” he screamed at the sleek, pale golden dragon sitting where the young dam had stood only a moment prior.
“See? You are distressed,” a voice inside his head that was not his own giggled, amusement and indulgence colouring every word. “It is I, your esteemed guest.”
A red claw was swirled cautiously; the movement was executed close to the dragon’s shimmering chest so as not to seem threatening or aggressive.
Again, Thorin turned but, this time, he was much more reluctant for it was folly to turn his back on a dragon, no matter what the lying, devious monster said.
A moment later, the dam stepped into his field of vision again.
“What curse was laid upon you?” he barked.
“This is the gift of my people,” she replied, pride and anger making her voice cool considerably, “and I will not hear it disparaged by one devoid of magic!”
She drew herself up to her full height and stared him down impassively, self-assured and firm in her convictions and surrounded by a halo of moonlight and residues of the incredible spell she had woven in this abandoned, secluded terrace.
“Forgive me!” Thorin ground out after a moment of stunned silence; he had insulted his guest – a lady of good standing and impeccable manners – and that kind of behaviour was patently inappropriate for a king, no matter how shocked he had been by the revelation of her altered form.
What was it about that soft-spoken dam that made him speak out of turn again and again?
“Dragons are the bane of this land,” he explained gravely. “Our own kingdom has been ravaged and stolen by one, and it was only through long deprivation and brave feats that cost many good lives that Smaug has been cast down.”
“I am aware,” she acknowledged his words with a dignity that stung his heart and made him feel clumsy and churlish all over. “Not all dragons are evil though. Some of us are protectors, not thieves.”
“Are you like Beorn then?”
She cocked her head, visibly interested but unfamiliar with the skin-changers of these parts of the world.
“He can turn into a giant bear,” Thorin explained, “and I might well owe him my life!”
The dam pondered this for a moment and then inclined her head in acquiescence. “Yes, I can choose my form and I have never – this I solemnly vow – harmed anyone who did not seek to destroy those under my protection first. I am the keeper of my people – dwarrows as much as other living beings – and a creature of light instead of darkness.”
As Thorin looked upon her luminous eyes and her dark hair, shimmering like silk in the rising moonlight, he could suddenly believe her quite easily.
“Your mountain is vulnerable still,” she went on, “and my father sends you one of his most precious daughters as a token of goodwill. It is to protect your kingdom, your people, your allies, and you that I have come here. If the worst was to befall you again, the great serpents would meet one of their own in battle.”
She lifted a tender hand to his bearded cheek and murmured: “I’ve been paying attention to the things you shared with me as much as to the things left unspoken, my king; I know that you are worried about other dragons being attracted by your still very sizeable treasure. Let me soothe that gnawing fear by swearing my fealty and – if that should be your desire – my love to you.”
“I’d never allow that,” Thorin said hastily. “If you were to become my wife, I’d never let you risk your life. Who do you take me for?”
It was common knowledge that his potential nuptials were motivated by politics and tradition, but he would be damned if he went down in history as a neglectful and unkind husband.
“As your king and betrothed,” he insisted, “I’d keep you safe and content. Do you doubt that I am honourable? If a dwarf, a king of dwarves, cannot ensure the comfort and happiness of his spouse, how could he be entrusted with the lives of so many?”
“Nonsense,” she laughed freely, “you are a fighter, but so am I. If I was granted the immense honour to be chosen by you, I’d reign, fight, and die by your side as is good and proper.”
“You’ve given me much to think about, Milady,” Thorin muttered – biding his time – and extended his hand once more to her, “but I think we should return inside for the nights are cold out here.”
Indeed, he would have to ponder what she had told and shown him before coming to any kind of conclusion, but – this much was sure – he was much intrigued by this mysterious, magical dam and the inherent contradiction between her serene nature and her terrible power.
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Looking forward to your art commission!
Lots of love from me!
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magmagicstyle · 3 years
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THE KINGS LOVE (3.B)
OTHER PEOPLE (B)
(PART THREE (B) OF THE THE KINGS' LOVE SERIES)
⚠️WARNING⚠️: Edward is an asshole�� Insults, and violence to some extent because… protective Volturies and we kinda hate Bella but we also feel bad for her, because let’s be honest… Edward is kinda a manipulative bitch. Unhealthy relationships.
Pairings: male!reader x The Volturi kings.
A/N: You can totally read this while listening to this song.
*Kinda angst but not really*
PART 1  -  PART 1.B  - PART 2  -  PART 3.A  -  PART 3.B  -  PART 4.A  -  PART 4.B 
Beginning of part 2
Oh, baby, it's just your body
Will it know that you love somebody
Who won't be there when you're sorry?
Other people
Aro let out a soft sigh while looking at Bella, he smiled towards the girl, even if it was a fake smile and after caressing your neck and shoulder, he started to walk around the throne and towards the small group of unwanted vampires.
"I'm sorry, we haven't been introduced properly at all, have we? It's just that I feel like I know you already, and I tend to get ahead of myself. Your brother introduced us yesterday, in a peculiar way. You see, I share some of your brother's talent, only I am limited in a way that he is not." Aro apologised mostly because he had to maintain certain manners and costumes as a king, but still, it wasn’t totally truthful. After finishing talking and explaining part of his powers, he shook his head; while he sounded a bit frustrated.
Your powerful king, that was one of the reasons why he didn’t want to kill Edward. Even if Aro knew that he was powerful, not only naturally but also because of his long time as a vampire, he also understood his limitations and that frustrated him a lot. Still, you didn’t believe that he was limited. Yes, it was true that Aro couldn’t read someone's mind without touching them, but touching a person or a vampire was quite easy, you only needed to be close enough and you would be able to see every thought that you wanted to know, unlike Edward, that could only hear their thoughts at that moment but couldn’t know anything besides that. At that moment, your hand was itching to touch him, to reassure him and to help him see how amazing he was, but you knew you couldn’t just stand up and do whatever you wanted. After all, there were rules that had to be followed.
Your thoughts were interrupted -quite rudely- by Edward’s voice.
"And also exponentially more powerful," Edward added dryly. He looked at Alice as he swiftly explained. Couldn’t they be more subtle? Maybe have some discretion, or was that something that Carlisle didn’t teach his children. Foolish man, he lived with the Volturi for a long time and still believed that they wouldn’t take everything just to have an advantage over other vampires. "Aro needs physical contact to hear your thoughts, but he hears much more than I do. You know I can only hear what's passing through your head at the moment. Aro hears every thought your mind has ever had."
Alice raised her thin and quite delicate eyebrows towards Edward, showing her thoughts like they were nothing, and Edward inclined his head, almost nodding in response. Aro, obviously, didn't miss that either. After all, the king wasn’t stupid and apparently, Edward wasn’t even trying to hide his actions. Stupid child.
"But to be able to hear from a distance..." Aro sighed, gesturing toward the two of them, and the exchange that had just taken place. Inevitably making you smirk when you saw how they got nervous by being caught in the act. "That would be so convenient."
Aro looked over his shoulder. All the other heads moved in the same direction, including Jane and Alec, who stood silently beside the unwanted group, and Felix and Demetri, who were behind them. Of course, Bella was the slowest to move, thanks to her condition as a human, but still, the effect was almost immediate.
Your other mates were looking quite magnificent, proud on their thrones, one at each side of you. They looked like a cat ready to attack a small and insignificant mouse. Marcus, with his flowing black hair and Caius, with his gorgeous blonde locks, looked like masterpieces straight out of a museum, same as Aro.
"Marcus, Caius, what do you think?" Aro asked with a playful and almost devilish smile on his face. "Bella is alive after all, and Alice is here with her! Isn't that wonderful?"
You weren’t offended by the fact that he didn’t ask your opinion. After all, you may be their mate but you weren’t part of the royalty just yet. Even if you were courting, you haven’t had a mating ceremony nor a wedding, so you weren’t a king. Of course, your mates always assured you that even without the ceremony you were their equal and that they considered you as a king. Your guards were the same, they didn’t need to see or test anything to be sure that you were one of their kings. Sadly, for this type of meetings and trials, you needed to pass through the mating or wedding to be seen as a king, or as an authority capable of making decisions about the fate of the vampire in front of you.
Stopping your thoughts, you looked at your sides. Neither of the two kings close to you looked as if wonderful would be their first choice of words. Of course, you wouldn’t blame them for it. After all, they were aware of what happened between the Cullen family and you, and even if you asked them to be letienent with Jasper, Rosalie and Emmet, since after thinking for a while of the day everything was ruined, they looked as confused and offended as you were -and you knew that Rosalie hated foolish humans like you-. Well, you didn’t ask the same treatment for the rest of the family.
Going back to your kings, Marcus, seemed utterly bored almost as if he’d seen too many millennia of Aro’s enthusiasm, which he had but if you actually knew him, you could notice that behind his boredom mask there was some amusement and even fondness. Caius, well, his expression was quite sour, but it wasn’t because of Aro, not at all, he just didn’t like the idea of being stuffed in the room for too long, he liked to walk around the castle, to hide in his drawing room and just spend time there. The idea of being with vampires that were less than him was so pointless and almost foolish, even if he liked the sensation of the power he had over other vampires. Of course, Aro knew that their expressions were just a mask to hide their real feelings, so their fake lack of interest didn’t tamper with his enjoyment.
“Let us have the story” Aro said softly, his voice sounding almost like a song.
Caius fixed his position in his throne, while Marcus walked towards Aro, reaching his hand out with a soft gleam in his eyes. He probably found something quite interesting. He touched Aro's palm briefly and then dropped his hand to his side. Aro raised one black brow.
“Oh…” You whispered, so softly that for a second you thought that nobody heard you. Caius proved you wrong when he turned his head towards you with a curious shine in his eyes. This ought to be interesting.
Edward snorted very quietly -or at least he thought, since you were able to hear him- and Alice looked at him, curious. Apparently, Edward knew about this little joke, or maybe he was being ironic. Either way, it didn’t matter, your attention was sorely in your kings’ actions. You wanted to know more, you needed to know more.
"Thank you, Marcus," Aro said, voice airy and almost like a whisper. "That's quite interesting."
Marcus didn't look too interested, the only difference in his expression being the soft gleam that adorned his red eyes. He glided away from Aro to go back towards the thrones, sitting by your side. Two of our guards came closer to us, deciding to move in case protecting us was necessary.
Aro was shaking his head. "Amazing,"' he said. "Absolutely amazing."
Alice's expression was frustrated, while Bella, that little human, looked quite lost. If you had to be honest, she seemed quite dumb so her being lost wasn’t a surprise for you. Edward turned to her and explained again in a swift, low voice Marcus’ talent.
Aro smiled. "So convenient," he repeated to himself, and then he spoke to them. "It takes quite a bit to surprise Marcus, I can assure you… It's just so difficult to understand, even now," Aro mused, staring at Edward's arm wrapped around Bella. It was quite noticeable that she struggled to keep up with the conversation. "How can you stand so close to her like that?"
"It's not without effort," Edward answered calmly.
"But still–la tua cantante! What a waste!"
Well, that explained some things… You couldn’t help but think. After all, even if Edward loved Bella, his actions and the whole situation involving him, cheating and well, you, was quite confusing. In any case, the condition of having found your tua cantante wasn’t an excuse to ruin what seemed to be like a perfect relationship but at least it helped to clear some things up.
While you were thinking of this, Aro and Edward had some sort of argument. Of course, nobody dared to raise their voices, nor act like they were mad, but still, the desire to fight was there. Your thoughts only stopped when you heard Edward talk about the man that promised to be like a father to you and then failed.
"Carlisle outshines me in many other ways as well." He said while looking like he was containing himself.
“That’s an understatement…” You whispered softly, being rewarded by Caius hidden laugh and Marcus amused expression. Aro ignored the comment, pretending that it never happened and answered the vampire in front of him.
"I certainly never thought to see Carlisle bested for self-control of all things, but you put him to shame."
"Hardly." Edward sounded impatient. As if he were tired of the preliminaries. It made you feel excited, he was truly afraid, worried for the human by his side and scared of your magnificent kings. Noticing how Bella seemed to be afraid of the situation just made everything quite better. This little girl came to the world demanding things and doing whatever she wanted without fearing the consequences and now that everything was starting to get more real, she couldn’t help but shake like a scared runt.
"I am gratified by his success," Aro mused. "Your memories of him are quite a gift for me, though they astonish me exceedingly. I am surprised by how it... pleases me, his success in this unorthodox path he's chosen. I expected that he would waste, weaken with time. I'd scoffed at his plan to find others who would share his peculiar vision. Yet, somehow, I'm happy to be wrong… But your restraint!" Aro sighed. "I did not know such strength was possible. To inure yourself against such a siren call, not just once but again and again–if I had not felt it myself, I would not have believed."
Edward gazed back at Aro's admiration with no expression. You knew his face well enough–time and your breakup had not changed that–to guess at something seething beneath the surface. He was so tense, so worried and almost ready to run or fight, probably both.
"Just remembering how she appeals to you..." Aro chuckled. "It makes me thirsty."
And that was it. Aro threw that comment so consciously, almost waiting for a reaction. Of course, he got one. Edward tensed. By that, he revealed his real feelings and also showed us how much this human mattered to him. With that, he gave us the advantage we already had, but this time, he showed it in a way that was so obvious that even he noticed the position he put himself into.
"Don't be disturbed," Aro said, almost as if he was trying to reassure him. "I mean her no harm. But I am so curious, about one thing in particular." He eyed Bella with interest. "May I?" he asked eagerly, lifting one hand.
Oh, your king, obviously he wanted to know more about Bella’s gift. After all, if she was turned, she could be an interesting asset, even if you didn’t like her.
"Ask her," Edward suggested in a flat voice.
"Of course, how rude of me!" Aro exclaimed, faking embarrassment. "Bella," he addressed to the human directly. "I'm fascinated that you are the one exception to Edward's impressive talent–so very interesting that such a thing should occur! And I was wondering, since our talents are similar in many ways, if you would be so kind as to allow me to try–to see if you are an exception for me, as well?"
Her eyes flashed up to Edward's face in terror. Despite Aro's politeness, it was obvious that she didn't believe she had a choice. Which was totally true, she didn’t. Aro was just asking to follow a formality, but in reality, Bella had to obey. Still, even if she looked scared, her eyes were shining with some strange type of curiosity. Edward nodded towards her in encouragement, probably to calm her a bit so she followed the order as she was supposed to. The little human, trembling as a leaf, raised her hand quite slowly and showed it to Aro. Your kings’ look was so confident, and while he reached out, pressing his skin against hers -you would need to ask him to wash his hand at least five times before he tried to touch you with her smell all over his skin-. You noticed with surprise how his usual confidence wavered and became doubt and incredulity before he calmed it into a friendly -and obviously fake- expression.
Aro commented something, but you didn’t really pay attention, your eyes went directly to Edward, he was clearly trying to keep his face composed, but it was obvious that he was feeling quite proud, even smug. Then, your eyes went back to Aro, he kept a thoughtful expression on his face, and was quiet for a few seconds, looking at the group of unwelcomed vampires, then, he shook his head, and talked softly, a devilish smile hidden behind a curious expression.
I wonder if she is immune to our other talents... Jane, dear?"
A smile appeared on your face, feeling quite proud of your mate’s thinking. Of course, you were supposed to keep some imagine, so you covered your smile behind your hand. Still, the gleam in your eyes became a bit stronger when you saw Edwards reaction. For a second you thought that your smile was going to stay there for a bit longer, remembering how Bella was affected by your gift, and thinking that she probably was going to feel the pain of Jane’s, but the little human showed you wrong.
Of course, Edward tried to be the hero and put himself in the middle of Jane using his powers, so he ended up on the floor, writhing in obvious agony, while the human looked horrified by the situation. Bella then shrieked like a banshee, trying to move towards Edward and being stopped by Alice, not allowing her to move. The girl reaction seemed so unlady like, even if you thought that some costumes from before were quite archaic and stupid. Bella’s reaction, yelling while moving her hair and making a mess out of it, was so… ugly, that you couldn’t help but lament the lack of manners of the younger generations. After a few seconds, the show was over, Jane being stopped by your mate. The only noise left was the soft reassuring words that Alice was giving Bella, while Edward was still on the ground. Then he sat up, moving towards Alice and Bella and then turning around to look with a quite smug expression on his face towards Jane.
It was at the moment you realised that the room had gone still, everyone watching the group of vampires and one human with amazed disbelief, that you noticed that Jane was glaring at Bella, her jaw clenched with the intensity of her focus and her anger.
Nothing happened.
Aro started to laugh, hiding his anger for being unable to hurt at least a bit the little human. "Ha, ha. ha," he chuckled. "This is wonderful!"
Jane hissed in frustration -your poor little girl-, leaning forward like she was preparing to spring towards Bella and kill her once and for all. To be honest, you couldn’t blame her. The girl knew everything that involved you and it was quite obvious that she didn’t like Edward or Bella.
"Don't be put out, dear one," Aro said in a comforting tone, placing a powder-light hand on her shoulder. "She confounds us all." Jane's upper lip curled back her teeth as she continued to glare at her. Then, she walked towards your throne, staying behind it, but also close to your side. When she arrived, your hand went up and caressed her cheek, comforting her and also making her know that it was okay. Almost instantly she relaxed a bit. Still being on guard and ready to attack in case anybody tried to hurt you, but at least she wasn’t as angry as before.
"Ha, ha, ha," Aro chortled again. "You're very brave, Edward, to endure in silence. I asked Jane to do that to me once–just out of curiosity." He shook his head in admiration, and took a little pause while you all saw Edward disgusted and angry expression. It was after a few seconds that Aro's expression changed, to one filled with fake sorrow.
"So what do we do with you now?" Aro sighed.
Thank you baby, thank you babe
Darling don't explain, don't explain
Thank you baby, thank you babe
Darling don't explain, don't explain
Edward and Alice stiffened. This was the part they'd been waiting for, the part that everyone had been waiting for. After all, Bella was a human, a human that out of nowhere knew about the secret of your existence and that… Well, that was dangerous for the peace that vampires had. Bella began to tremble under the gaze of the kings and your own glare.
"I don't suppose there's any chance that you've changed your mind?" Aro asked Edward hopefully. "Your talent would be an excellent addition to our little company."
Edward hesitated. You knew what Aro was talking about, having Edward as one of the soldiers of the guard would be quite wonderful. A soldier to your biding. From the corner of my eye, you saw Jane grimace, Felix, in front of you, did the same. They liked the idea of having him close, of having him under them so they could teach him some manners.
Edward seemed to weigh each word before he spoke it. "I'd... rather... not."
"Alice?" Aro asked, still hopeful. Even if you didn’t like her, you knew that her gift was quite powerful. "Would you perhaps be interested in joining with us?"
"No, thank you," Alice said, nose raised like a proud little elf.
"And you, Bella?" Aro raised his eyebrows, he was getting impatient, and nobody liked it when he was impatient.
Edward hissed, quite loudly in your ears, all of this while he kept his arms around Bella. She was staring at Aro blankly, but it was obvious that she thought that he wouldn’t be able to do anything with Edward by her side. Stupid little thing. Maybe she was asking herself if Aro was joking, or if he was serious. Sadly, Aro was being serious about his offer. It was, your mighty king, Caius who broke the silence that took over the room.
"What?" he demanded of Aro; his voice, though it was no more than a whisper for a human, was flat. Still, you understood that he was angry, no… he was furious. The idea of having this human in the guard made him feel livid. He didn’t want her close, nor to his brothers and himself, and even less to you.
"Caius, surely you see the potential," Aro chided him affectionately. Of course, without losing the edge of his voice, after all, even if he supported the idea of his brothers sharing their opinions. Well, he didn’t like it when he was questioned in front of everybody. "I haven't seen a prospective talent so promising since we found Jane and Alec. Can you imagine the possibilities when she is one of us?"
Caius looked away with a caustic expression, almost giving up on trying to reason with his brother, but it was quiet obvious that it wasn’t over. Your mighty king, he was probably going to try to persuade his brother to forget about the topic and just kill the human when the time was right. Jane's eyes sparked with indignation at the comparison. Your little girl, always proud in her capabilities. It was quite obvious that being compared to a human that was part of the whole scheme that hurt you so much, wasn’t something she was happy with.
Edward fumed beside Bella. You could hear a rumble in his chest, building toward a growl. Bella seemed to notice the same thing, looking quite nervous by his side. It was obvious that if he kept showing such disrespect towards the kings, he was going to get hurt.
"No, thank you," Finally, the human spoke up. Even if it was barely more than a whisper, and her voice was breaking in fright.
In responde, Aro let out a sigh. His voice sounded quite sad. Of course, soon enough the fact that it wasn’t really a question came to light. "That's unfortunate. Such a waste."
Edward hissed, obviously furious with the situation and looked directly at you, almost as if he were asking for help. Still, you couldn’t bring yourself to care, he was the one that decided that having a human mate was worth all the trouble. "Join or die, is that it? I suspected as much when we were brought to this room. So much for your laws." He said, almost spitting the words.
Bello seemed quite surprised by his tone of voice. You weren’t. After all, you knew Edward from a long time ago, you knew him even from the time he decided that he wouldn’t follow Carlisle’s diet and went to kill humans for food. So hearing him sounding so irate, wasn’t surprising. What was a bit surprising was that he took the time to pick his words with great care. He was trying to prove a point there, and even if it wasn’t working, you had to admire his dedication to try to prove that he was always right.
"Of course not." Aro blinked, pretending to be astonished. He wanted to give them a false sense of security, to prove that he was the one in control and not the Cullens as they thought. So, killing them at the moment wouldn’t be helpful, it would be quick, but could be seen as a weakness. Attacking them while they were less and at a clear disadvantage? It could mean that the Volturi weren’t as strong and righteous as they wanted to be perceived. "We were already convened here, Edward, awaiting Heidi's return. Not for you."
Still, his words were stopped by Caius, the soft but strong voice sounding so much like a hissing sound. "Aro, the law claims them."
Edward glared at your group, but especially at Caius. "How so?" he demanded. He knew what Caius was thinking, but he seemed determined to make him speak it aloud. Maybe he was trying to prove something, but even after all the time knowing him, his actions at the moment seemed illogical. Was that being with a human so long made him lose part of his intelligence? You couldn’t know. Still, he seemed more impulsive, more reckless. He was trying to prove the kings wrong, while his Alice’s, Bella’s and his own lives were on the line.
Caius pointed a finger, almost disgusted at the human. "She knows too much. You have exposed our secrets." His voice was slow, but that didn’t mean that it was weak. Not at all, it was obvious that the law was by his side, so he was confident with his statement.
"There are a few humans in on your charade here, as well," Edward reminded him… and if this was his big move, you couldn’t be even more disappointed. It was obvious that Caius was thinking the same thing, since his gorgeous face showed a perfect and mischievous smile. Still, you wanted to make your presence known again, since it was obvious that you were being treated as a simple decoration by that point. So you put your hand on the blonde arm and looked at him, almost as if you were asking for permission to talk, even if you didn’t really need it. Caius in response nodded towards you and leaned back on his throne, wanting to see you prove a quite important point.
"Yes, that’s certainly true," you agreed. "But when they are no longer useful to us or when they make a mistake that can’t be tolerated, they will serve to sustain us. Of course, if that’s not the case, if they prove themselves to us and want to be part of us, they will be turned and considered as part of the second guard. That is not your plan for this one. f she betrays our secrets, are you prepared to destroy her? To kill her? To keep her from being a problem? We truly believe that you won’t be able to do it, for the same reason that brought you here… you are ready to die if you can’t have her by your side… but we are not ready to leave our destinies in the hands of a human… " You looked at them with cold eyes, your expression being a clear contrast from your fiery color.
"I wouldn't–," Bella began, still whispering, clearly terrified of the whole situation. Caius looked at her, silenced her with an icy look. After all, you haven’t finished your point.
"There’s another way, that is turning her into a vampire. Making sure that she can’t spill our secret by making her one of us… but you don’t intend to make her one of us. In fact, that’s one of the things that you would hate the most..." You continued. "Therefore, she is a vulnerability to us. Though it is true, for this, only her life is forfeit. You may leave if you wish… while leaving her here, for us to deal with..." A little but quite devilish smile appeared on your face, while looking at the other vampire. In response, Edward bared his teeth, ready to attack.
"That's what I thought," Caius said, with something akin to pleasure. You could see how Felix leaned forward towards the Cullens and the human, eager to receive the order to attack.
"Unless..." Aro interrupted. He looked unhappy with the way the conversation had gone. Well, you could deal with it when everyone was gone. Only some caresses in the right places and some attention from your and his brother and he would be happy again. For someone that appears to be so complicated, he enjoyed the simple things in life. "Unless you do intend to give her immortality?" He finished his question with a gleam in his eyes, looking for an opportunity.
Edward pursed his lips, hesitating for a moment before he answered. "And if I do?"
Aro smiled, happy again. "Why, then you would be free to go home and give my regards to my friend Carlisle." His expression turned more hesitant. "But I'm afraid you would have to mean it."
Aro raised his hand in front of him. Caius, who had begun to scowl furiously, relaxed, knowing that it was obvious that Edward wasn’t planning to give her the gif of immortality. In response, Edward's lips tightened into a fierce line. He stared into Bella’s eyes, and she stared back. He looked like this was some kind of punishment and she looked so hopeful that you couldn’t avoid feeling a bit sorry for her. She was clearly in love with him and he wasn’t ready to promise an eternity by her side. Was it really such a loathsome idea? Would he rather die than change her? She probably felt like she'd been kicked in the stomach. He left you, he ruined something that had lasted decades for a girl he barely knew, and still, he wasn’t ready for a commitment like the one it represented her turning into a vampire. Foolish one, so ready to throw away her life, her humanity, for a man that didn’t know if he wanted her by his side.
"Mean it," she whispered while looking at him. Even if everyone could hear it. "Please."
Edward stared down at Bella with a tortured expression. He knew that he wouldn’t mean it. He knew that if he touched Aro, everyone would know that he didn’t want her to be a vampire. He wanted for her to grow old, to die and after that… What would happen? Would he get another mate? Would he forget about her and try to be with another person? Another human? Or would it be a vampire this time?
And then Alice stepped away from them, walking forwards in Aro’s direction. They stopped looking at each other and turned to watch her. Her hand was raised like his, ready to touch him. One of your guards started to walk closer to them, ready to block her advances. Still, she didn't say anything, and Aro, noticing her intentions, waved off his anxious guard. Then, Aro started to walk, meeting her halfway, and taking her hand with an eager, acquisitive glint in his eyes. He bent his head over their touching hands, his eyes closing as he concentrated. Alice was motionless, her face blank. You heard Edward's teeth snap together, sounding quite frustrated and even angry. Bella seemed to hear it as well, since her head moved from watching Alice, to seeing Edward with a worried expression.
No one moved. Aro seemed frozen over Alice's hand. The seconds passed and it was noticeable that Bella and Edward were becoming more and more stressed. Still, it was for different reasons. It was obvious that she was worrying about not knowing what was happening, but him… He was getting stressed over what he was seeing in Alice's mind. Everyone else was silent out of respect. Not really worried over what was happening but mostly to leave Aro a calm environment to concentrate on what he was seeing. Another moment passed, and then your king’s voice broke the silence. He let out a quite charming and a bit loud laugh, his head still bent forward. He looked up slowly, his eyes bright with excitement while looking at the small group. "That was fascinating!"
Alice smiled dryly, clearly clenching her teeth with anger. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."
"To see the things you've seen–especially the ones that haven't happened yet!" He shook his head in wonder, looking at Alice like a little jem that you want to buy in a store but don’t know how to get.
"But that will," she reminded him, voice calm.
"Yes, yes, it's quite determined. Certainly there's no problem." He accepted, while Caius looked bitterly disappointed–a feeling he seemed to share with Felix and Jane. "Aro" Caius complained. At that point you put your hand on his arm, knowing that he needed something to stay grounded before he decided to throw democracy out of the window and attack the human in front of you.
"Dear Caius," Aro smiled. "Do not fret. Think of the possibilities! They do not join us today, but we can always hope for the future. Imagine the joy young Alice alone would bring to our little household... Besides, I'm so terribly curious to see how Bella turns out!"
Aro seemed convinced. Probably because even if he was aware of how subjective Alice's visions were, he would think of a way to make his desire come true. It didn’t matter how, if Aro was interested in one or two of the Cullens’ he was going to get them to join the guard.
"Then we are free to go now?" Edward asked in an even voice, even if it was obvious that he was still tense.
“Aro.” This time, you called your king, making everyone in the room look at you. Edward was furious, his eyes were quite obvious about that.
“Yes, caro mio” Aro asked while looking at you with adoring eyes. In response, you lifted your hand, not willing to reveal your plans in front of everyone but wanting to show your idea to your adoring mate. Soon enough, he grabbed your hand as if it were as delicate as a flower and taking a deep breath saw in your thoughts. It only took a few seconds before Edward tensed again and looked at you as if you had betrayed him.
“Ah, that’s right…” Aro started to talk, not leaving your hand for a moment. “Our angel just made us notice something… we can’t leave you without certain conditions…” He looked at the group. “You will have one year to change her, if you don’t do it by then, you will have to deal with the consequences” He finished talking while Caius showed a satisfied smirk thanks to his brother’s words.
It was obvious that Edward wanted to protest and Bella looked so scared that a sheet of paper would be envious of her pale colour. Still, they stayed quiet, knowing that they had tested their luck too much this day.
"Now, you may go," Aro said pleasantly. "But please visit again. It's been absolutely enthralling!" "And we will visit you as well," Caius promised while looking directly at Edward and Bella. "To be sure that you follow through on your side. Were I you, I would not delay too long. We do not offer second chances."
Edward's jaw clenched tight, but he nodded once. In responde, Caius smirked, knowing that he managed to get under Edward’ skin. It was only after a few seconds that Felix groaned, clearly frustrated with the idea of not being able to kill the little human. It was after a few formalities and fake pleasantries that they started to follow Demetri out of the throne room.
It was after a few seconds that you grew a bit tired of being in the same place that smelled so much like Edward and Bella. So, after asking Jane and Alec to keep some of the snacks for you, you decided to go out.
You were starting to walk through the hallways when you noticed Heidi walking toward the throne room with a group of tourists following her. You nodded towards the group to keep the fantasy and while doing so, signaled some of the tourists so they could be taken to another group. You were used to doing that, marking some people that you didn’t want from them to be killed. Usually they were kids, or pregnant women.
You could remember that at first, your kings weren’t happy with you making selections of the humans before they reached the throne room, but after explaining to them your views about children and babies. Well, they ended up accepting it and informed the guards to follow your lead when it came to topics like that. Heidi nodded and ducked through the door with one last respectful look towards you. Soon enough, she was making another guard take the people you selected with the excuse of a special tour, this one quite far from the throne room.
After that, you kept walking. But then stopped in the middle of the hallway when you saw Edward standing in front of you. Bella wasn’t on sight, not Alice. They probably ran away before Heidi passed by with the meal group.
“How could you?” Edward asked while looking directly at you.
We had a love devout without a shred of doubt
We never worried 'bout other people
You broke the spell and wanted something else
Well, now go fuck yourself with other people
“What?” You asked while looking at the vampire in front of you like he was a stranger.
To be honest, he was a stranger. The sweet caring man that you got to know a love so many years ago was lost inside thi jealous, dramatic and selfish being that didn’t even think once before breaking your heart and leaving you for something that he didn’t truly love. His eyes, once warm and caring, were cold and accusing while he looked at you as if you were a villain. His jaw, the same jaw you used to kiss after a night talking about plans for the future you would never get to have, was clenched and showed quite clearly his anger towards you.
“How could you do this to me? To us?” Edward asked, not yelling, but quite close to it. It was clear that he wanted to insult you, to yell at you and accuse you of being heartless.
“How could I? What? Follow the rules? The laws that prevent us from dying? Or maybe this isn’t about that…” You made a pause while smirking towards the other vampire. “No… this whole accusing act that you have going on against me is just because I’m not dying to be your human’s servant, it’s because I’m not willing to let you step on me, and act like you did nothing wrong, right?”
Edward looked at you offended, almost as if you had just insulted him. Even if you knew you hadn’t said anything that wasn’t true.
“What about you? Acting all mighty and powerful, setting rules and time limits. You came here because I found someone better than you, and probably are staying here because you are sleeping with Aro. You make me sick…” He said while looking at you with the classic superiority gleam that he always had on his eyes when he was talking to someone else.
It was only a few seconds after he finished saying those words and you could hear your guards walking towards you two. Jane and Alec were in front, ready to attack the other vampire as soon as you gave the order. Your adorable children, always ready to protect you. Slowly, you lifted your hand, stopping them before they could do anything. This wasn’t an action out of love or compassion, this was a decision based on the fact that you weren’t looking for a war. At least not at that moment. You knew that Aro had plans, and you also knew that you wanted to take some of the Cullens to your side before fighting them.
Edward looked quite confused until he could hear the other vampire's thoughts. Foolish man. Did he really think that he could insult you and act all mighty and powerful in front of you without having to face any type of consequences? He probably did. So used to you acting caring and soft around him, it was almost like he forgot how you were one of the most powerful vampires he met.
“As you can see, the guards are ready to attack you, not for insulting a nobody like you thought, no… for attacking a future king, a ruler, for attacking someone that they care about. Because Edward, unlike Bella, only has you to worry about her, I have people behind me, people that love me and will kill and die for me… not that I’ll ask them to do it, unlike you. Today, Edward, you were going to die, it didn’t matter the outcome of your little self sacrificed act or the dramatic movements and hair shaking that Bella had in front of our kings… Alice, Bella and you were going to die because even if Aro is merciful and cares about politics, he was tired of hearing about your little human pet and the kings were right by saying that she was a weakness that had to be eliminated,” you started to explain while looking at the other vampire.
Edward opened his mouth. Maybe to answer, maybe to try to insult you, or maybe he just wanted to make some mean remark to try to shift the attention from him to you. This foolish creature, hating the idea of someone seeing him as anything else that wasn’t a perfect being, always made the stupidest mistakes in his journey to self destruction.
“No, don’t talk, the adults are talking now, because, maybe you don’t remember this, but darling, I’m older than you. Anyways, it doesn’t matter now, what matters is that… maybe you hate yourself to the point you want to condemn yourself to hate and even death, but not everyone feels this way. Even if they did, dying is not something you can take so lightly. The moment you came to this place, asking to be killed was the moment you were going to die. My kings, my mates, are reasonable, so even if they couldn’t kill you without a valid reason, they could search for a reason and kill you without hesitation, so you should be aware of that,” you kept talking while noticing how Edward seemed quite surprised by your words. You weren’t sure what surprised him more, the fact that the kings were your mates, or maybe the fact that you were being so cold towards him.
“Mates?” So, it was the whole mates situation that surprised him. “Are you saying that the three kings are your mates? So that’s it? That’s why they think you are so important, because you are fucking their kings and not only Aro… ?” Edward started to say, stopping for a second when he heard Jane’s hiss. Still, he looked at you with clear arrogance. “So what? One wasn’t enough for you, so you had to go for the three, right? Well, can’t blame you, you liked to sleep around before we were together, didn’t you? It makes sense that now you can’t be satisfied with only one vampire… In fact, did you sleep around while we were together too? I mean, you never complained about me wanting to wait for our marriage so maybe that was the reason, right?”
After saying that, he moved a bit, almost avoiding Alec, since he had moved forward to attack him as soon as he heard him accusing you of cheating and of sleeping around. Thankfully, Jane stopped her brother by putting her arm in front of him, but it was clear that every guard around you was ready to rip Edward’s head apart. You couldn’t blame them, you wanted to do the same, but the idea of ruining Aro’s plan and also your own plan was enough to stop you from killing the bastard.
“No. You don’t get to do that. You don’t get to call me a whore, you don’t get to accuse me of cheating on you when the reason behind me leaving the family is because you decided to cheat on me a month before our wedding with a teenager. Yes, I used to sleep around, and you knew that, but when I met you, when I loved you, I stopped. I was done, I was ready to wait for you, to wait for the right time, to wait for the moment we made each other this life changing promise. I was done with the girls, and the boys, and the whole I won’t settle down thing. I left all those things and all the parties, because I didn’t want that anymore, it didn’t matter anymore, because I was done with it, because I was ready to make a full commitment with you…”
You make a pause, noticing how Edwards’ face changed with each word that came out of your mouth, probably seeing how much he fucked up. Of course, you didn’t hold any hope since he didn’t seem to have any type of reasoning lately, but still, there was something there.
“But you left, you left me with all the planning and all the dreaming… you left and decided that kissing and hugging and starting to dream with a teenager was way better than what we had. You chose her and by choosing her you pushed me away and made me an outsider in my own family. You chose her and not me, You decided that Bella was the one that you wanted and that I could fuck myself. So you did that, and I accepted it. I was hurt, I was tired, but I accepted it and I left. I went away, and suddenly found myself here. I was able to find these men that care for me, that love me and won’t pick someone else over me. I won’t be ashamed of it. I won’t hide nor pretend that I’m not with the three most amazing vampires that I’ve ever met, because they helped me to feel loved again. So no, you don’t get to come here, to my own home, and try to accuse me of anything. You don’t get to call me a whore, and for sure, you don’t get to accuse me of being a cheater… because if we have to accuse someone, the cheater this whole time, was you.”
Edward looked quite baffled, his mouth open and closing before looking at you with anger and turning away, walking out of the hallway and towards the crowd of people celebrating. He didn’t need to say a word, you knew he couldn’t even think of something to answer properly to what you just said. If you had to be honest, you didn’t care anymore. He was the one that left and decided to end everything between you two, you weren’t the one that made the biggest mistake of your whole life, but him. You gained an opportunity to be happy, while he had to stay with a human that -from what you saw in the throne room- he didn’t even love that much.
After a few seconds, you took Jane and Alec’s hands with your own, walking with them at each side towards the throne room. The rest of the guards were following you quite closely, ready to comfort you if they saw any sight of sadness in you. Still, that wasn’t the case. You walked through the hallways, enjoying the cold of the place while you kept moving forward, ready to be with your kings.
Soon enough, you were in the throne room. A quite elegant bottle of wine full with warm blood was waiting for you, close to it, was a glass already filled. Even if you weren’t against the idea of drinking from humans, sometimes drinking directly from them seemed quite messy and gross. So, when you were having a hard time or just wanted to be spoiled, the kings took the job of filling a couple of bottles with the blood that they had that day as a meal. Knowing that, and knowing that they did this after noticing that you weren’t happy with Edward being so close to them, made you feel warm inside. Your thoughtful and caring kings.
As you took the glass of blood and drank it in slow and relaxed sips, you heard how your kings came to your sides. As careful and elegant as ever, they leaned against you and covered your body with their smell. Aro’s lips fell on your cheek before he stayed leaning over your body. Marcus’ strong jaw stayed on your shoulder, gracing your neck with soft caresses given by the tip of his nose. Caius sat on the floor in front of your legs, letting your hands play with his blonde locks.
“We have a plan, don’t we?” You asked while looking at the glass of wine in your hand. In response, you heard a soft and quite seductive chuckle. Just after a few seconds of silence, Caius turned his head and kissed your fingers, before starting to nuzzle the skin of your wrist. Marcus stopped caressing your neck and proceeded to start kissing that part of your body and Aro started to whisper sweet nothings in your ear making you feel quite relaxed and comfortable. You were starting to get distracted with their attention and the idea of what was going to happen later in the room you shared with the three kings when Aro stopped his caring whispers and the kings said at the same time.
“Of course we have a plan…”
“Their actions won’t go unpunished,” Caius completed the idea by saying this and finished his statement by leaving another kiss on your hand.
“After all… we said that the Volturi don’t give second chances…” Marcus explained, voice even but still, you could hear the protectiveness in it.
This man, he could act like he didn’t care but nobody could ignore the fact that he was powerful and strong enough to get revenge if necessary. Aro, unlike the time he was in front of the Cullens and Bella, stayed quiet. Still, a deep and elegant chuckle escaped his mouth before turning your face and kissing you on the lips, making sure you knew that he was agreeing with his brothers. So, it seemed that with this confirmation, you could be sure that the Cullens would pay for what they did to you.
Oh, baby it's just your body
Go, lay it on everybody
They won't be there when you're sorry
Other people
Oh, baby it's just your body
Will it know that you love somebody
Who won't be there when you're sorry?
Other people
Other people
Other people
I'm still a mess, so, this is part 3.B (after more than a month of being inactive)… OK, so... I'm taking a bunch of references from the movie here, and I was seeing Grey's Anatomy when I thought of this whole thing so... Also! I'm hinting some stuff about the reader and about what's going to happen in the next parts of this series but it's hidden between a lot of texts and descriptions so maybe you won't notice it. lol... This is more than 8k words, so... now you know why I cut this part in two since together this whole thing could be like 14k words, and that's a lot (at least for me, haha) Love you all, see you in the next part (or maybe in a little bit that I'm writing as an extra from the time the reader had just found out about Edward and Bella)...
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krreader · 3 years
Text
seven sins | chapter seven.
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pairing: bts x reader ; kim taehyung x reader fandom: bts warnings: non idol!au ; historical!au ; princes!bts ; concubine!reader ; sex ; oral sex genre: smut ; fluff word count: 2.4k+ previous: 1 ; 2 ; 3 ; 4 ; 5 ; 6
summary: even in times such as yours, you still led a privileged life with nothing to ask for. that is until first your father, then your mother died and you were left to care for your two younger sisters. the position for royal physician seemed to be open and with your father having been a general and your mother having been a maid for the queen, you thought you might be able to get it.. little did you know that your visit to the palace would put a completely different offer on the table.
a/n: so, uhm... yeah... enjoy, ahem. enjoy a lot lol. 
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You didn't know what time it was, but it must have been well past midnight with the moon shining so brightly into your room. But that wasn't the reason of you not being able to fall asleep and fidgeting with your fingers as you stared at the ceiling.
Had Eun been lying?
Did she say that to give herself an excuse for falling for prince Taehyung? To say that a prince can fall in love with a concubine since it happened to you too?
But she didn't strike you as a liar. Naive and foolish, yet kind and honest.
No, she must have told the truth.
But then who was it? You hadn't spent a lot of time with the princes, the only two that you'd even consider to have feelings for you would be Yoongi and Jimin, but only because they were the only ones that you've done more than just sleep together.
As for princes Hoseok and Jeongguk.. you assumed they weren't the ones, what you have had was purely sexual.
No matter how hard you thought about it, you could not come up with an answer. Because it simply didn't make sense. None of them knew you enough to fall in love with you.. it was ridiculous. 
You let out a heavy sigh and pressed your hands onto your face, wanting to scream into them for it all suddenly being so complicated.
What happened to your mission?
It needed to be a priority from now on, you had to see the king as soon as possible or this would all escalate.
You immediately sat up when the door to your room got pushed open, your eyes wide when you saw..
“Prince Taehyung?” you got up, bowed and then furrowed your brows, “Eun's room is..-”
“I know, I've been there often enough,” he interrupted you with a half-grin, “Would you mind taking a little walk with me?”
“Now..- you mean.. right now?” your eyes fell on the darkness outside, then you looked back at him, “Really?”
“It's a full moon tonight,” he had been intimidating before, but now he wasn't like that at all. He had a kind smile on his face, that brightened when he extended his hand, “What do you say?”
“I should get changed first, this isn't the proper attire one should wear when going on a stroll with a prince.”
“Nobody will see us... and besides... you don't need clothes for what I have planned.”
Oh, wow. 
Is anyone surprised? Not you, that's for sure.
Of course he came for what everyone else came here for. Not that you were upset by this, you knew your place here and, unlike some, you didn't think of yourself as something special, not even after Eun's story.
“Well, alright then,” you didn't even grab a jacket when walking outside, but with the warm season that had finally arrived, you didn't need it anyway.
In fact, now was the perfect time to be outside.
Throughout the day, it was simply too hot to do anything, but with the darkness and the light breeze, it felt.. refreshing.
Taehyung led you through the palace grounds, not even acknowledging any of the guards that you two passed and they didn't seem to care either, only straightened their backs to show their respect.
Not even when he led you outside through a passage that you didn't know  –  but would have liked to have known, because getting in would have been a lot easier – did they care. 
“Where are you taking me?”
“Are you afraid?” he chuckled a little and stopped walking for a moment, only to turn around and hold out his hand to you once again. Only that this time, you reached for it, “Don't be. I'll protect you.”
He sure as fuck was smooth, you could see why Eun liked him so much. He was a real proper gentleman.
“Not afraid, just curious. I figured that for what you had planned, you might just take me to your rooms.”
“Is that what the rest of my brothers have done?” he snorted when you simply smirked, “Figures. They can be so boring. But no, this isn't purely about what you have in mind.”
“Oh?” that piqued your interest.
Taehyung didn't respond right away, it was as if he wanted to think about his words carefully and you were glad that he did when he said what he said, while the two of you continued wandering through the woods, the moonlight lighting your path.
“Eun is a very beautiful and kind woman. One that I've come to appreciate. Her.. interest in me, it flatters me, it really does. But she's just like all the other women that we have in court. Focused on the goal that she was tasked with.”
“Your majesty, I don't think that Eun is as power hungry as some of the others.”
“That is true, she really isn't. But her goal still is to have an heir... in her case, with me,” he looked to you, his beautiful smile back on his face, “But that isn't your goal... right, (Y/N)?”
Your mouth opened, immediately wanting to tell him that you weren’t with child yet because of his eldest brother, but it seemed as if Taehyung didn't even care about the reasoning.
Maybe he even liked that he didn't know, maybe he liked that mysterious veil that you had surrounding you. That you had an agenda and he didn't know what it was. Which should have been dangerous, but he didn't seem to look at it that way.
“Ah.. here we are.”
What you saw in front of you was like straight out of a fairy tale.
A small, but beautiful stream that led into a pond that was so clear, that you could see the moon's reflection in a way that could make someone think it was right there, ready for you to hold it in your hands and admire it from up-close. This, is what every women in your village had as her dream of a place where she'd lose her virginity. In a romantic place such as this one, with a man as beautiful and kind as Prince Taehyung. Maybe even exactly this fantasy with this prince...
“It's beautiful,” you let out a breath you had been holding, then smiled, “So... peaceful.”
“That's why it's my favorite spot. The castle grounds can be too much sometimes, so I like to come here when I need to think or just want to find inspiration.”
“For?”
“A lot of things,” Taehyung shrugged, kneeling down and holding his hand into the water, “Drawing, singing... anything that I'm in the mood for.”
You merely continued smiling, even when he got back up and walked over to you, cocking his head to the side, “It's a little cold, but... want to go for a swim?”
“Now?!”
Taehyung couldn't help but chuckle at your reaction, then took two steps back and pulled his shirt over his head, revealing his beautiful upper body to you.
His proportions were... out of this world.
“I'll keep you warm, I promise.”
It's not like you could do much, because before you knew it, he was already naked and in the water and all you could do was watch with an open mouth, before eventually taking off your clothes yourself.
You wouldn’t say no to this. 
This certainly wasn't how you had pictured this night to go, you had thought you'd sleep through the night in your warm bed, not swim naked with a prince in a pond.
But Taehyung's expression went from happy, to absolutely ecstatic when you actually did join him. Like he hadn't expected you to.
“Cold?” to your surprise, he actually kept his distance at first. You thought he'd be all over you, but no. 
Damn... no wonder Eun liked him so much.
You really had the wrong impression of him.
“A little, but... it's kind of nice with the warm air.”
It wasn't very deep, you could easily stand and keep yourself upright, but just like him, you didn't move.
“I really don't know what it is about you that makes all of us go crazy. We all try to figure you out, but nobody can. Maybe my father saw something that we couldn't see just yet.”
“Or maybe it's not that deep,” you gave him a looped smile, “I appreciate that you all see something in me, but there really isn't anything to tell that makes me any more special than any of the other girls. I am just like them, I was chosen to please you, I was chosen to help you with your heirs and that is the end of the story.”
Taehyung slowly came closer, but not close enough for you to feel his breath on your face, “Then why does it sound so unconvincing when you say that?”
You were playing a dangerous game here. The longer you spent with them, the more they figured that there was something going on with you and Taehyung seemed to have his suspicions already, even if, right now, they weren't the right ones.
You had to get him to believe that you were there for one reason and one reason only... at least for now.
So you were ultimately the one that swam closer to him, so close that you could wrap your arms and legs around him, smiling when he wrapped his arms around your body to hold you with a grin, “Why do you care so much about a concubine, my prince?”
“Because, my dear (Y/N), you are the most interesting person we've ever had at the palace,” his hands were under your ass, but he didn't grope you or anything, they literally just acted as a seat for you, “I grow tired of people real quick, of concubines in particular. But you..,” he shook his head and smiled honestly at you, “..I look into your eyes and I see a story. I want to know what it is.”
“Then maybe you should just close your eyes,” you chuckled, “I can help you with that.”
And indeed, the moment you reached in between your bodies and you grabbed his length, he closed his eyes and let out a happy sigh.
“Tell me, then, your majesty,” you leaned in closer as you began to stroke him under the water, your mouth now right in front of his, “Would you like to be inside me?”
You didn't expect him to laugh at that, but it only added to his charm, “I suppose this is the kind of talk that my brothers appreciate, hm?” when you looked taken aback, he nodded and grabbed your wrist, pulling it up and placing both of your arms over his shoulders, “I want to make you feel good, (Y/N).”
Well, this was a surprising turn of events. You had been sure that your romantic time with him would now come to an end as your hand would have guided him to your entrance in the water, but instead, Taehyung walked the short distance to shore with you, so that he could lift you up onto solid ground again and then climbed out of the water after you.
All you could do was watch with curious eyes as he pulled your legs towards him, him now on his knees, lifting one of your legs up and beginning to kiss it.
This was very... new. But you felt comfortable with him and so you let him do it, actually lied back into the grass and just relaxed.
You could feel his kisses traveling higher and higher, until he was kissing the insides of your thighs.
That was ultimately the moment that you looked down at him with shock.
Taehyung chuckled.
“Close your eyes, beautiful. I promise, you'll enjoy it.”
You had a rough guess of what he was about to do, but when his lips kissed between your legs, you still let out a surprised moan.
This was very new to you, you didn't even know that men did this or that this was pleasurable for woman. But fuck...
“I've always wanted to do this with a woman that I cared about... that I wanted to understand how beautiful and perfect she was,” he whispered and kissed your sensitive nub once again, “Tell me when something doesn't feel good. I want you to scream in pleasure tonight.”
That wasn't hard, because the moment he started sucking, you were already fisting your hands in his hair and letting out one moan after the other.
Taehyung wrapped his arms around your legs and pulled you closer to him, fully eating you out now.
For the fact that he said he did this for the first time, you had absolutely zero complains. His tongue brushing through your folds, his lips sucking on your sensitive spot... it was perfect. And despite you having enjoyed your time with his brothers, what Taehyung did right now made you feel very different.
In fact, after just a few minutes, a sensation that you had never felt before started rushing through your body and you couldn't help but moan: “Don't stop... please,” again and again, now pushing his head closer into you.
This only made Taehyung suck harder, even his teeth were now gently biting down on your sensitive nub and you finally let out a loud scream that ended up scaring a few birds away from nearby trees.
Taehyung wanted to continue, but when you began shaking, he stopped and kissed his way up your body instead.
You were completely out of breath when he was finally on your eye level.
“How'd I do?” he grinned.
You let out a laugh, a small blush spreading on your cheeks, though your face already felt flushed, so it probably didn't make a difference, “You want me to say it, don't you?”
“Absolutely.”
Your legs felt like jelly, but you still wrapped them around his body and pulled him towards you, your arms around his neck, “Then continue making me feel good, and I might.”
See, this is why he liked you so much. You were a challenge and he didn't get those very often.
Taehyung simply smirked and aligned himself with your entrance, both of you moaning loudly when he slid inside you so easily.
“What... you're so... wet.”
He made a mental note to himself here: always pleasure a woman with your tongue beforehand. You'll be a happier man afterwards, too.
And so the two of you made love in the middle of the forest, on the grass next to a pond with the moonlight shining down on you and being your light.
And it was no lie when you told him afterwards: “You've been the best lover I've ever had.”
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taeyongdoyoung · 3 years
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summary: you are a mermaid and you save a handsome man from drowning but little do you know it’s not his first rodeo when dealing with mermaids. seonghwa, a former prince, is currently hongjoong’s first mate and boyfriend. hongjoong is the captain, the pirate king of the most savage crew across the seas. and you want nothing to do with them. not because they’re pirates, but because they’re humans…
ship: mermaid!reader x prince/pirate!seonghwa x pirate!hongjoong
genre: little mermaid!au, pirate!au, angst, fantasy, romance, fluff
word count: 3.1k
chapter one ☠️ chapter two ☠️ chapter three ☠️ chapter four ☠️ chapter five ☠️chapter six ☠️ chapter seven ☠️ chapter eight ☠️ chapter nine ☠️ chapter eleven ☠️ chapter twelve ☠️ chapter thirteen ☠️ spotify playlist
During the past couple of days spent inside the comfortable pool Hongjoong had built with the help of his crewmates, you felt closer to Seonghwa than ever. He opened up more and shared things about his past you hadn't known before. He told you about his first meeting with Hongjoong and about his life as a prince. 
But the one part you couldn't stop thinking about was how Seonghwa asked a kind wizard (unlike the sea witch who had turned your poor cousin into sea foam) living in a lighthouse to transform his face into something different. So that he wouldn't be recognized by his parents who had ordered Ariel killed. You couldn't stop thinking about...if someone like that really existed, would he help you? But hope was a dangerous thing and you couldn't bring yourself to ask Seonghwa directly. You wanted to be certain your request would come true and only then, could you tell him. What good would it do to give him false hope? So, you decided to approach Wooyoung and San. Maybe they'd heard about this good-hearted wizard. Maybe they would be able to help you find him.
"Woo! San!" you whispered loud enough for only the two of them to hear you without waking Soojin from her afternoon nap.
"Are you sure you want to talk to us?" Wooyoung looked utterly confused.
"I called you by your names, didn't I?" you pointed out.
"Last time I checked, we're neither Seonghwa nor Hongjoong," San joked.
"Right! And you've been spending all your time with these two," Wooyoung observed.
"Aren't we friends?" you pouted.
"Sure, what's up?" San relented.
"Great, I need your help. And I also need your discretion. Can I count on you?"
"Oh, you've picked the wrong person," San chuckled. "Woo's the biggest gossip across all the seas."
"Hey!" Wooyoung groaned indignantly. "Don't listen to my boyfriend. You can trust us, Y/N."
"I'm starting to have second thoughts..." you admitted. "But I don't have another choice."
"How flattering," San mumbled sarcastically.
"I didn't mean it like that!" you defended yourself. "Okay, so, the thing is I want to find this wizard who lives in a lighthouse. But I can't get out of the pool and back into the sea on my own, so here we are."
"Hm, I've heard of him," Wooyoung replied. "But I don't get why not ask Seonghwa or Hongjoong to help you into the sea."
"I mentioned discretion, didn't I? The reason I need to find the wizard is of a very delicate manner so I can't let them know just yet."
"Don't tell me you want to give up being a mermaid!" San exclaimed.
"Shh! Not exactly. But I've been wondering if there is a way to...sometimes have legs, sometimes a tail. I know it sounds impossible, but I can't know for sure until I've talked to the wizard in the lighthouse. I've heard he's really good at transformations. I believe it's worth the try."
"Okay, we'll help you," Wooyoung promised. "But only if you let us come with you. Facing wizards on your own does not sound safe."
"Even if they have a reputation of being nice?" you reasoned.
"Wooyoung is right. Wizards are unpredictable, so we'll have to escort you," San insisted.
"Wouldn't Seonghwa and Hongjoong get suspicious if we're all missing at once?" you worried.
"Not if we return by morning. If things don't go according to plan, we can just tell them you wanted to go for a swim in the sea and we took the boat to go fishing or something," Wooyoung suggested cleverly.
"That doesn't sound like a bad idea," you nodded. "Let's go rightaway so that we can be back by sunrise!"
"Not so fast, sweeties," you suddenly heard Soojin's voice. You had no idea she was awake.
"Soojin!" you exclaimed in surprise. "How much of it did you hear?"
"Enough to know you'll have to take me with you. Unless you want me to tell Seonghwa where you're going."
"Are you blackmailing me?" you croaked in disbelief. "My own sister!"
"Call it what you want. I want to come with."
"To stop us or..."
"No, silly!" Soojin laughed. "If there is a way to keep my tail and have legs occasionally, I want to have that, too."
"Oh. Alright, then, shall we get going?"
"I don't see why not," San replied.
After he and Wooyoung helped you and Soojin out of the pool and back into the sea, the two pirates lowered the boat and the four of you embarked on a journey to find the mysterious good-hearted wizard living in a lighthouse. By the time you discovered the lighthouse, it was already night. You and your sister had been swimming for hours, while San and Wooyoung had been rowing the boat. You wondered if it was all a myth or if there was a grain of truth to the whole story. You would determine what it was soon enough. Approaching the lighthouse at a safe distance, you looked at your friends and sister, unsure what your next move should be.
"What do I say?"
"I don't know, Y/N, it was your idea in the first place," Wooyoung pointed out, completely unhelpful.
You rolled your eyes and decided to improvize. You'd gotten this far already, you wouldn't back out now.
"Oh, great wizard of the lighthouse, we have come to seek your assistance!" you exclaimed, a bit too melodramatically. But oh well, it was too late to change your words.
No response came. You sighed, not daring to hope for any.
"Well, we tried," you shrugged and no sooner had you done that than the door to the lighthouse opened.
Out of it, a very tall figure appeared. It was too dark to discern his features properly, but you could tell that he had quite the strong presence. However, you weren't scared of him. Rather, you felt curious to hear what he would say.
"You must new around here," he observed. "Those who've met me know there is no need for such theatrics."
"I'm sorry," you mumbled. "Wasn't sure how to address you."
"Yunho will be fine," the wizard introduced himself. "And you are?"
"Y/N and this is my sister Soojin."
"And we're Wooyoung and San," your friends added.
"What brings two mermaids and two pirates in front of my home?" Yunho asked.
"How did he know we are pirates?" San whispered in disbelief.
"He's a wizard, remember?" Wooyoung responded in a hushed tone.
Yunho chuckled, utterly amused by your and San’s clueless nature.
"Um, I was wondering if there is a way to...have legs at times but not lose my tail permanently," you admitted.
"Same here," Soojin murmured nervously.
"It won't be easy but it's not impossible," Yunho nodded thoughtfully.
"What will it cost?" you inquired. If it meant losing your voice or life like it had happened to your cousin, it wouldn't be worth it.
"What do you mean?" the wizard tilted his head in confusion.
"I mean, what do I have to give up?"
"Give up?" Yunho mimicked your voice. "You don't have to give up anything. Did you think I would take away something from you like that greedy sea witch?"
"Honestly? I wasn't even sure you're real," you confessed.
"Well, here I am," Yunho laughed.
"Is there seriously no catch?" Soojin was stunned.
"Why would you help complete strangers and get nothing in return?" you wanted to know.
"Why not?" Yunho reasoned. "And it's not nothing. If I ever need the help of a mermaid or a pirate, I'll know who to contact."
"I suppose that's sensible. But still, I'm amazed such a selfless person even exists."
"Not a person," Yunho reminded you. "But I appreciate the sentiment, nonetheless. As for the transformation spell, the only solution I can think of is to bind your human nature to the sun and your fish nature to the moon. In other words, you would have legs during the day and a tail during the night."
"Sounds pretty good to me," you cried out excitedly.
"I also think it's suitable," Soojin said.
Yunho sighed, as if disappointed by how quickly you'd agreed to it.
"Are you sure you want me to do this? Once the binding spell is complete, it will be irreversible. It is absolutely mandatory that you two are in the water whenever the sun sets and the moon lights up the night sky."
"Relax, we've survived quite some time in a fishnet without water. I'm sure we can handle anything."
"You don't understand," Yunho explained. "You would no longer be mermaids in the broad sense of the word. Such a binding spell may have unexpected side affects. During the day while the sun is out you would behave more like humans. During the night and especially during a full moon...you could be more like sirens."
"Are you saying there's a chance we could hurt the people we love?" you asked, worried that this whole thing sounded too good to be true.
"Anything is possible. Which is why you must be absolutely certain this is what you want."
You and Soojin exchanged a meaningful glance. You already knew you were on the exact same page.
"Even if it is dangerous, our decision remains the same. We will do our best not to hurt anyone and we'll warn those close to us of the possible side effects."
"I don't know you well enough, but something is telling me to trust you," Yunho admitted reluctantly.
"I could say the same thing about you," you teased. "Oh, great wizard Yunho of the lighthouse."
The tall man simply chuckled.
"Are you ready?"
"Are you?"
☠️☠️☠️
Seonghwa's POV
I woke up to Hongjoong's arms around me. Despite the foolish deal he'd made with some demon, I could understand the logic behind his decision. I probably would do the same thing if it meant saving one of our crewmates. They were all like family to me and I would rather die than let anything bad happen to them. So I was glad that Hongjoong was still here. And determined to make sure he stayed exactly where he was. I didn't care what it would take. I would face the demon myself or come up with a plan. I had finally gained so much. Hongjoong and Y/N - my two loves - were finally getting along. I would be a fool to lose it. I gave Joong a quick kiss and gently removed myself from his arms. I smiled at his sleeping figure and started dressing up for the day. The first destination I wanted to visit was Y/N and Soojin's pool. I hoped they slept comfortably and was looking forward to talking to them.
The minute I walked out onto the deck, I realized something was wrong. The pool was empty. And the whole ship was uncharacteristically quiet. I told myself not to panic but that didn't help much so I hurried towards Yeosang's room, hoping he knew what the hell was going on. I disturbed his sleep in vain, for he seemed just as clueless as I was in connection to Y/N and Soojin's current location. Which was extremely troubling, to say the least. After that, we entered Wooyoung and San's room, hoping they would have an answer. Imagine my distress when I couldn't find them either.
"Should we wake Hongjoong up?" Yeosang suggested.
"We don't seem to have a choice. Two missing mermaids and two missing pirates is quite the disaster."
"I just hope they're alive," Yeosang sighed.
"They have to be."
Once we informed Hongjoong of our disturbing discovery, we were disappointed, but not surprised to find out he also had no clue of these four's whereabouts. We were getting a little desperate, so we went to Mingi, our prisoner, to see if he'd heard anything. Being locked away had made him surprisingly cooperative and pliant so he simply replied that he wished he could help, but had unfortunately, no knowledge on the issue. Him being so nice to us was a little suspicious but we still left him some food and water. We were pirates, but not monsters, after all.
As soon as we returned to the deck again, the three of us saw that the sun had already risen. And in the middle of the sea, a small boat was advancing towards the ship. Inside, there were four figures. It was too far to tell their faces apart but something inside me ignited a flame of recognition. It was them.
"We were so worried that the four of you had disappeared without a trace," I scolded them as soon as the boat was in earshot.
"Aren't you going to congratulate me on my fresh set of legs?" Y/N exclaimed.
"Please, don't tell me what you had to give up," I sighed.
"Absolutely nothing. You'll have to thank your wizard friend for that."
"You met Yunho? Why didn't you just ask me to take you to him?"
"She wanted to surprise you, dumbass," Wooyoung interfered.
"Say another word, Woo, and I'll beat your ass!" I vowed angrily.
"Relax, honey," Hongjoong put his hand on top of mine. "The most important thing is that our friends are safe."
"You're beautiful, Soojin! With or without a tail" in the meantime, Yeosang was gushing at his girlfriend.
"So are you, Sangie! With or without a hand!"
"Ah, young love," San lamented wistfully, abandoned the boat and started climbing on the ship's ladder. "Remember when we were like that, Woo?"
"What are you talking about? We're still like that," Wooyoung pointed out, following him right behind.
"He's right," Hongjoong chuckled. "You guys are so in love it's gross."
"And if it isn't the pot calling the kettle black," San murmured.
"I will kill you both for sneaking out without telling us! We thought you got kidnapped or something!" I insisted, pointing a finger at Wooyoung and San who had just boarded the ship, while Hongjoong and Yeosang were trying their best to hold me back.
"Hey, this was Y/N's idea! Why are you attacking us for simply escorting her and Soojin?" Wooyoung complained.
"Because Hwa is a perfectly refined gentleman. He wouldn't harm a lady," Hongjoong defended me.
"Oh, so I'm a lady now?" Y/N giggled. She had just successfully made use of her legs to get on the ship. And as angry as I was, I couldn't resist the temptation and embraced her tightly.
"You're lucky you're so cute," I whispered.
"I'm sorry for worrying you, Hwa," she mumbled into my chest. "Don't get mad at Woo and San, they just did what I asked them to."
"Next time you need anything, just turn to me, okay?" I begged her. "No more surprises."
"I'll have that in mind. Speaking of, I have to tell you something."
"Shall I ask the guys to leave or...?"
"No, it's fine. Wooyoung and San already know, but I think it's sensible to tell all of you."
"Sure, what is it?"
☠️☠️☠️
Hongjoong's POV
When Y/N and Soojin were finished telling their story of their encounter with the wizard of the lighthouse, silence reigned over the deck. While I was happy that they had achieved their wish to have legs during the day and tails during the night, I wasn't very fond of the implications of such a decision. Yunho had warned them of possible side effects and they had decided to go for it anyway. Naturally, I wasn't scared for myself. I'd had my fair share of adventures and facing actual sirens was one of them. And on top of that, I had sold my soul to a demon. So, it couldn't get any worse for me, could it? But I was a bit worried of what these side effects could mean for Seonghwa and Yeosang, in particular. Wooyoung and San were perfectly immune to feminine charms. But Hwa and Sangie’s affections for the mermaids were so strong I feared they wouldn't be cautious enough around them, especially during a full moon. A siren's nature was too captivating and dangerous to control. I had grown used to Y/N and Soojin's presence, but as mermaids. I couldn't picture how they would behave as sirens. As long as I was around, I was confident I could protect my crewmates. But one day the demon would come to collect...And my friends would be on their own. I wouldn't be able to do anything to save them. And that terrified the hell out of me.
"I know what you're thinking," Y/N was the first to interrupt the silence. "But I swear, Soojin and I will learn how to control our siren nature. And if you don't trust us enough to let us remain in the pool at night or during a full moon, we will return to the sea and come back to the ship with the sunrise."
"I'm with her on that one," Soojin added. "We'll do anything to make sure you feel safe around us. The last thing we would want is for you to feel threatened."
"I trust you both," Seonghwa replied in a most serious tone. "But can he say the same?"
Without even looking up, I knew he was referring to me. It was clear that Wooyoung and San didn't worry much about these potential side effects. Yeosang hadn't spoken his mind yet, but I was fairly certain he shared Seonghwa's opinion on the matter. Which left me, of course. I had to weigh in my next words very carefully. I didn't want to put my crewmates' lives in danger. But I also didn't want to lose the fragile friendship I had somehow formed with the mermaids despite all my shortcomings. And last but certainly not least, I didn't want to do something that would mess up things between me and Seonghwa.
"Honestly? I don't even trust myself," I admitted darkly. "But we're all on the same team now. You're welcome to stay for as long as you wish. We'll deal with whatever comes our way together."
Way to go, Hongjoong. That's one hell of a speech that would undoubtedly end up in a disaster. But what was I supposed to say? It would be too cruel to kick them out considering the possible reasoning behind their decision.
To my surprise, Y/N ran towards me in gratitude, landing on my lap and attacking my neck with kisses.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you! We won't let you down," she promised.
"You gotta stop doing things like that unexpectedly," I joked, even though a small (okay, that was a lie, maybe it wasn't that small) part of me wanted her to do the exact opposite.
"You kinda like it, though," Y/N observed. And damn it, she wasn't wrong.
To be continued…
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talpup · 3 years
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Light In the Darkness
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Summary: Yami Sukehiro just wanted to join the Magic Knights and make his mentor proud.  He knew there would be trails.  He knew trouble would come his way.  Knew he would be faced with discrimination for being a foreigner and a peasant.  What he didn’t know.  Didn’t expect.  Was that literal Chaos would come his way.  That he and his mentor’s sister would be at the center of world ending trouble.  Or that he would fall in love with his mentor’s sister and face more than discrimination; but the jealously of Nozel Silva who loved the same woman he did.
Please remember this fic is rated mature and has warnings of violence, abuse, sexual tension, eventual sexual behavior, and other possible triggers.  For a full list of story tags please check the fics AO3 (link to that at the top of my tumblrs homepage).
***Note: Sorry for the late update, my Aunt passed Sunday and things have been kinda hectic.  Anyway, I hope you all enjoy.
Chapter 87
It was ten minutes to eleven on the morning of April fourth.  Despite all that happened two days ago, Yami knew Teris would try to make the meeting they had scheduled with Jon during the Star Awards Festival. It was foolish of her to think that Julius’ Vice Captain would keep such a meeting after everything.  But Teris’ insatiable curiosity would make her go just in case.
Yami stepped into the Black Bulls meeting room that Teris had claimed as a sort of office.  Leaning against the door jam he watched her close a stack of files and get to her feet.  “Where do you think you’re going?”
Even though her back was to him Teris did her best to cover her guilty expression.  “Why ask what you already know?”
Yami shook his head in half amused exasperation.  “We just escaped--”
Teris spun to face him.  “We didn’t escape.  We were freed.  Rescued. By them.  By him.”  She looked away wondering what would’ve happened to Yami if Alowishus Spade hadn’t shown up.  Would she and Nozel have cleared Rayla’s test in time?  Would she and Nozel have survived the test without the Agents of Chaos’ help?
Yami didn’t remember Alowishus showing up.  Too out of it with built up mana burning his body up, he didn’t even know what Teris and Nozel had been put through until yesterday’s group report at Headquarters.  “Jon knows we spent half a day at the Healer’s and most of yesterday at Headquarters.  He won’t be waiting at that tea shop.”
“He knows I’m not unconscious, still holed up at the healers, or barred from leaving the property.  He’ll be there.”  Teris argued.
Yami had to admit Teris had a point.  Jon was well acquainted with Julius’ obsessive nature and unquenchable curiosity, two traits Teris shared with her brother.  “Fine.  Let’s go.”
Teris looked at Yami in concern.  “No.  You don’t--”
“I said let’s go.”  Yami turned, exiting the room.
Teris frowned at Yami’s back and followed him down the hall.  Yami had been out longer than the rest of them.  Teris had sat by his bed at Healer’s Hall after she had woken up mostly recovered.  Though she hadn’t wanted to disturb Yami’s restorative rest, Yami had begun radiating intense cold in his sleep.  It was difficult to tell if he had experienced a communicative dream with the page of Chaos.  Or if everything Yami had been though was the cause of the radiating cold and his disorientation upon waking up.  But it had worried her, further worried her, given all that happened.  Even now Teris still worried for him.  Yami needed to stay home and rest, not travel to Castle City with her.  But telling him that would’ve been pointless.
“Stubborn. Pig headed.”  Teris muttered.
“I think you’re suppose to look in a mirror when you self identify.” Yami caught Teris’ scowl out of the corner of his eye and stopped walking.  Turning to face her, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close.  “Don’t look like that.  I’m letting you go, aren’t I?”
“Letting me--”
Yami’s lips silenced her.  Teris leaned into him, hands gripping his shirt. The somewhat rough kiss turned soft.
Yami pulled back.  The loving sincerity in his eyes belied his jesting tone.  “Just so you know.  That kiss with that mad woman meant nothing.”
“Don’t even play like that.  Not yet.”  Teris held him tighter.  She pressed her face into his chest, soaking in the warmth and smell of him.  She turned her head and listened to his strong steady heartbeat.
Yami held her.  His other hand smooth her hair and pet her back.  It still amazed that Teris loved and cared so much for him.  He hated that he had worried her.  That he hadn’t been strong enough to deal with his building mana.  That he hadn’t stopped their being taken in the first place.
Yami pressed his lips to the crown of her head and breathed in the scent of her.  “We made it out. More than that, we got out of whatever other hell Greywright had in store for us.”
Teris laughed softly at that.  She pulled her head back and looked up at him.  Her mind unwillingly recalled him bound, life fading as his mana built.  If it hadn’t been for Alowishus Spade and the Agents of Chaos, Yami might’ve died.  They all might’ve.
Teris reached up, caressing his cheek.  “Don’t worry me like that again.”
Yami clasped her hand and kissed the inside of her wrist. “I can’t promise you that, Ikigai.”
“Then at least tell me what that word means.” Teris bargained.
Yami smiled down at her.  One day he’d tell her what the word meant. Maybe.  He almost made her a different promise; but it would sound too sappy so he said instead.  “We’re going to be late.  Think Julius will have a problem with just the two of us going somewhere if it’s to meet someone?”
Teris was about to answer that she didn’t care what her brother had a problem with when Julius’ voice sounded.
“No. But I do have a problem with you having secret meetings with my Vice Captain.”  Julius said.
Teris and Yami turned to see Julius’ stern expression. Jon, who stood behind the Azure Deers Captain, at least had the decency to look ashamed.  Though Yami wondered if the shame was for telling Julius about the meeting or getting caught by his Captain.
Julius shook his head in disappointed censure.  “Really you two.  Going behind my back with my Vice Captain.  And after everything you went through two days ago.”
“I was only tagging along to make sure Teris was safe and didn’t get into trouble.”  Yami said.
Teris turned to Yami, eyes wide at the betrayal.
“What? It’s true.  I even tried to talk you out of it.”  Yami told her.
“Not very hard.”  Teris argued.
Yami shrugged a shoulder.  “I know when you’ve made up your mind.”
“And apparently when to bail and serve me up to my brother.”  Teris said.
“Yami, you shouldn’t have let Teris agree to such a meeting in the first place.”  Julius said.
“Let her?  Have you met your sister?  No one lets her do anything.”  Yami said.
“That’s not what you said a moment ago.”  Teris told Yami.
“Wanna work with me here?”  Yami asked Teris.
“Not after you served me up like that.”  Teris said.
“Stop. The both of you.”  Julius silenced.  “Once confronted, Jon explained everything.  His reasoning for making the meeting and what he wanted to speak, or more correctly question you about.”  He looked at Teris.
Teris looked from Julius to Jon, wondering what Jon could have wanted to ask her.
“Commander Greywright and Captain Jax are waiting inside Jax’s office.  Let’s go.”  Julius gestured down the hall in the direction of the Black Bulls Captain’s office.
Teris turned and started walking.  She looked at Julius out of the corner of her eye.  “If you knew about our meeting with Jon; and Greywright--”
“Commander.” Julius corrected, walking beside her.
“--was already here.”  Teris continued.  “Why all this?  Just looking for another reason to get after us?”
“Jax was the one certain you would try to make the meeting.  I was hoping you wouldn’t attempt to go.”  Julius said.
Teris gave a derisive snort.  “To think Jax--”
“Captain Jax.  Come on, Teris.  At least make an effort at propriety.” Julius implored.
Teris huffed.  “I thought you knew me better.”
Julius looked at his sister wondering if she was referring to her attempt at making the meeting or her disregard of proper use of titles.
Yami entered his Captain's office. “I hope there were stakes in that bet you made with Julius.”
“Don’t sound so proud.”  Jax scolded Yami.  He grinned at Julius.  “You’re covering my tab at the Boiling Brew this month.”
Julius closed the door behind Jon.  “And here I thought you’d be drinking and gaming less since you’re sending Gilly what amounts to Bronn’s pension.”
Jax’s expression sobered.  His eyes looked over the others in nervous discomfort.
Julius caught himself far too late and softly apologized to his friend. “Sorry.”
“Is Gilly having trouble?”  Teris questioned in concern.
“If it’s that hard for her why hasn’t she come back?  Healers Hall would take her back, wouldn’t they?”  Yami asked.
“She doesn’t want to come back.  And unlike retired Magic Knights and Castle Knights, or their families if a Knight dies in service; Healers, Sentries, and Investigations Mages don’t receive some sort of monthly payment.”  Jax said.
The weight Julius constantly carried on his shoulders suddenly felt heavier at the reminder of all he had to do and change once he became Wizard King if he hoped to make things better for the kingdom and those that served it.
Jax straightened in his seat, clearing his throat as he went on.  “Bronn and Gilly were counting on his pension to supplement the lack of payment for her work as a—  You know what?  I don’t have to explain myself to anyone.  It’s my money and I’m sending her some. It’s what Bronn would’ve wanted.  Expected.  And that’s all there is to it.”
“I think it’s sweet, Captain.”  Teris said.
Yami found it honorable and gave Jax a small nod of approval.  Greywright did as well.
Jax eased a bit and ordered his Vice Captain’s.  “Sit down.”
He looked at the sofa positioned across the two upholstered chairs he and Greywright sat in.  There was no way Julius, Jon, Yami, and Teris would fit comfortably on the couch.
Pointing at the chairs in front of his desk, Jax told the Azure Deers.  “Just take a pile off one of those--”  He fell silent seeing Julius grab both chairs and pass one to Jon.  “What happened to the stack of—there were—Teris.” He turned to her.  “Have you been taking piles out of my office and doing my work?”
“No... Yes.”  Teris grimaced.  “Maybe a bit.”
“Don’t scold her for doing your ignored work.”  Greywright told Jax.  He looked at Teris.  “Though I don’t think your making many friends in the file clerks office at Investigations.  Nevertheless.  Good work.  Keep it up.  At least someone’s finally getting things done around here.”
Jax eyed Teris.  “We’ll discuss how Vice Captain’s aren’t suppose to make their Captain’s look bad, later.”
“Should’ve given both of them that talk after the Star Awards.  Or better yet, before.”  Julius told Jax.  He saw Teris’ expression and said. “No.  Getting captured and experiment on by some magical scientist from the Spade Kingdom doesn’t negate the censure you and Yami should get for causing such a commotion.”
“It wasn’t just us.”  Teris reminded.
Leaning forward in his chair, Greywright told Julius. “As the one tasked by Sir Jorah with disciplining them, I say it does.  Leave them alone least I bring up past disciplinary issues we’ve have with you, Captain.”
Julius’ eyes lowered in embarrassed shame.
Teris pressed her lips together fighting a smile.  Julius was perfect. Alright, almost perfect.  Other then the incident at Magic Investigations after Yami and she got the History of Chaos, Teris couldn’t think of a single time in her brothers career as a Magic Knight that was anything but proper, honorable, and upstanding.
Jax outright laughed at the Commander’s censure of his friend.
Greywright turned his eyes on the Black Bulls Captain.  “I’ve got plenty of stories that’ll embarrass you too Jax, so shut it.”
Jax quickly sobered.
Greywright looked over the small gathering before telling Yami and Teris. “We’re here to discuss Advisor Ellara.”
Teris turned to Jon, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.  “Is that what you wanted to meet about?”
Seated beside Teris on the sofa, Yami looked at Jax.  “You’re finely going to explain like you promised.”
“I hadn’t forgotten.”  Jax told Yami, appreciating how patient Yami had been.
Teris’ eyes darted around the men in the room trying make sense of what they were saying.  “I’m missing something.”
“Let’s start at the beginning, shall we.”  Greywright said.
They started with the suspicions about Ellara that had led to Bronn being tasked with following her, and ended with Greywright telling how he knew the Ellara that came to the safe house Teris had been kept at hadn’t been the real Advisor.
Yami’s frown had grown more and more severe as Greywright, Julius, and Jax told them everything.  When they were done Yami sat back and crossed his arms.  “I could've told you that was the real Ellara without hearing the end.  There’s no way Bronn would’ve lost her.  The bastard was too good a Mage.”
“So—you’re saying that Advisor Ellara is working with the Agents of Chaos.  And that the person that who showed up to our safe house the night of the Winter Solstice wasn’t Advisor Ellara but a Transformation Mage. That Bronn, who was tasked with following Ellara, didn’t lose her but followed the real Advisor to the geyser labyrinth where he was...“  Teris’ words faded.  She hadn’t gone to the scene once Bronn’s body had been found; but she could imagine it well enough. The question she had wondered back then returned, seeming all the more important given this recent information.  Why the  geyser labyrinth?
Greywright nodded.
“And you can’t take any of this to Sir Jorah because she might be using her magic to affect him.”  Teris finished.
Greywright nodded again.
Teris looked to her brother. The fact that he didn’t look sick with distress told her Julius had suspected Ellara of using her magic on Sir Jorah for quite some time. She swallowed, mouth suddenly dry.
Yami placed a steadying hand on her knee.  With what he had overheard and sensed in their Ki when Advisor Ellara was around or they spoke of her, he had surmised some kind of trouble; but nowhere close to this extent.
Teris barely registered Yami’s touch.  Her heart banged in her chest, rushing blood roaring in her ears like a tidal wave in a storm. She recalled the last Entrance Exams when she had been lost and looking for the arena viewing room.  How Ellara had acted and asked about the communicative dreams with the page of Chaos.  How Ellara had offered to help her try and remember.  How she had asked if she could see the scars on her chest.  Wait.  Did that mean Ellara had been there during the Summer Solstice?
Teris shoved the unsettling thought away and focused on another disturbing question.  “So the reason Alowishus and his lunatic lackeys showed up at Rayla’s was because of her?  Ellara got word to him, telling what happened and where to look for us.”
“I got to the scene far too late to see anything.  The only thing I was able to tell was the way the wind was blowing.”  Julius said.
“Which was enough.”  Jax said, attempting to make Julius feel better. “From the lack of ground disturbance and signs of struggle we figured it was a passive attack.  Kess and I were able to find where they had stood, letting the toxin magic travel on the wind to where you all had been.”
Feeling like a failure, Julius sighed. “It still gave us nothing to go on.  We had no better clue who had taken you, where you were, or why you all were taken.  How Ellara could've figured it out and got word to the Agents of Chaos is a mystery. Maybe all she did was get word to them and they figured it out.  In any case when we were called into Sir Jorah’s office and told that you all had been taken…”  His eyes unfocused, remembering Ellara’s tension and expression.  “Her concern was real.”
“Just because the Agents of Chaos got us, or rather you two out of immediate danger doesn’t mean they have your interests or well being in mind.”  Greywright told Yami and Teris.
“Of course not.  They helped cause they still need us for at least one more ritual if not more.”  Yami looked at the Commander and two Captain’s seeing that they too knew that their concerns over this past winter solstice had been for not.  Sighing he confessed.  “I’ve been contacted by the page of Chaos at least twice since the solstice.”
“What about Olsen?”  Teris asked, at the same time as Yami’s admission.
Yami turned to Teris.  “What about Olsen?”
Teris stared at Yami, her concern realized.  “Why haven’t you told me!”
“First things first.”  Greywright said.  “Yam--”
“Commander Greywright.”  A voice sounded.
Greywright pulled the communication crystal from his pocket.  “I’m in a meeting.”  He said informing the person that he wasn’t alone should the message be confidential as well as not to bother him if the message could wait.
“There’s been two Wild Fire outbreaks in the Forsaken Realm.  One near Hornsby.  The other just outside of Hage.”  The voice said.
“Actual Wild Fire?”  Greywright questioned.
“Yes, sir.  Teams of Magic Knights have been dispatched but there are multiple outbreaks at both locations.”  The voice said.
Jax used his rock magic to shake the foundations of the house, signaling anyone home to gather in the great room and await orders.
“Sir Jorah wants you at Hage.  It’s the closest to the Spade Kingdom border.”  The voice went on.
“I’ll report back once I assess the situation.”  Greywright said, already rising to his feet.
Jax, Julius, Jon, Yami, and Teris were already making for the door.
Seeing them coming down the hall, Tobin questioned.  “Captain?”
“Olsen and I found a system that worked well together during the Wild Fire near Clade.”  Yami told Jax and Greywright.
“Wild Fire?”  Olsen echoed.
“You and Olsen with me.” Greywright told Yami. He glanced at Jax trusting the man to know better than he.  “I need a few to help get the people of Hage to safety.”
“Iban, Venice, Abril.  You’re with Greywright.”  Jax stepped to the Blood Mage.  “This is not the time for your games.  If I hear of one complaint you’re done.”
“Yes, sir.”  Iban smirked.
“Teris, Tobin, Gendry, Bran.  You’re with me in Hornsby.”  Jax said.
Julius stepped forward.  “Jon and I will--”
Greywright held up a hand to Julius.  “From what I understand, you used all of your mana stopping that bridge from collapsing yesterday.  You’ll be of little use out there.  Sorry, Julius.  I can’t be worrying about you.  You stay.”
“I’ll take Jon.”  Jax said, with a sympathetic look to his friend.
Julius’ hands fisted as the two groups disappeared; Greywright using a transportation crystal, Teris light traveling the others.  Proud as he was that his sister seemed to finally be getting a handle on the spell, he was disgusted with himself.  Great as it was to save several dozens of people yesterday as he single-handedly slowed an explosion and stopped a rushing river all the while halting a bridge’s collapse, what kind of Wizard King would he be if he couldn’t save people today because his efforts yesterday had taken up so much of his mana?
He simply had to get stronger.
87.2
Bran was relieved and impressed Teris had light traveled their group without leaving them with so much as a sunburn; though his vision was still a bit spotty on arrival from her magics intense light.  Still, his Vice Captain must’ve been putting in some serious time training.
As Bran’s vision cleared he looked over the area in horrored awe. “When they said multiple, they weren’t kidding.”
“Teris. Start incinerating a kilometer wide break between the flames and the town.” Jax ordered.
Teris balked.
“One strong gust and it’ll jump any smaller break.”  Jax said.
Stopping the spread and saving lives was more important than the farmlands crops that would be destroyed.  Even so, Jax hated giving the order and didn’t envy Teris the job.
Teris gave a stiff nod and disappeared, setting to work.
“Bran. Get to a safe distance and control a beast of burden that’s hitched to a wagon, take it to find anyone stuck out in the fields and get them back to town.  Jon, Tobin, Gendry.”  Jax rolled his neck.  “Let’s get to work.”
They worked well into the night.  Even with the addition of several teams of Magic Knights, they still struggled.  There were just too many fires.
Mereoleona wiped her brow.  “It’s no use, Jax.  It’s like the stuff’s been condensed, burning hotter and faster than any Wild Fire should. You were the first on the scene.  You have to call it.”
Jax ground his teeth.  To leave it and admit defeat would've meant burning everything within a two kilometer perimeter in a best case scenario.  Given the higher volatility of the Wild Fire and the seasons stronger wind gusts, it would mean doubling the firebreaks to four kilometers.  Doing so would mean taking out a quarter of Hornsby itself.  But it was either that or chance the fire jumping and losing the whole town, possibly more.
The Black Bulls Captain swallowed. “Four kilometers. Get every fire mage burning a break of four kilometers.”
Mereoleona stared.  “Including the earlier one kilometer break?”
“Burn four more kilometers.”  Jax snapped.  “I’ll send a team to oversee the evacuation of the populace from the parts of Hornsby that will be lost.”
Mereoleona growled.  While she would’ve made the same call if in Jax’s position, it didn’t make the order any easier to carry out.
“Captain!” Randall pointed.
Mereoleona and Jax turned, Mereoleona thinking she had to teach Randall how to better use his words.  She scratched that notion instantly seeing what Randall had been pointing to.  Even in the green-white smoke and flames the line of Sorcery Lances from the Spade Kingdom were clearly visible due to their numbers.  The mass was five hundred meters out at most.
“Retribution for the death of one of their leading scientist?”  Win guessed, the Green Mantis Captain coming up beside them with Jack at his side.
“They took our Commander and Knights first.”  Mereoleona sneered, wanting to kill them for taking her brother.
“You think they’ll hold off fighting so we can explain that to them?” Win wondered.
“Since they’re probably the ones that started this mess.  Doubtful.” Jax said, and muttered.  “Why did I have to be the one that showed up first?”
“Quit complaining.  I’ll take command if you want.”  Mereoleona said.
“And never live it down!  I don’t think so.”  Knowing the citizenry’s safety was of paramount importance, Jax told Mereoleona.  “Help the other fire mages create a four kilometer break that extends fifteen hundred meters to the right and left of Hornsby. Then come join the fight and push the Sorcery Lances back with utmost hostility.”
Mereoleona almost argued, wanting to stay and fight; but her oath as a Magic Knight stated the safety of the citizens came first. “Keep Randall.  He’ll be able to divert some of the Wild Fire flames with his air magic.”
“You’ll have to order someone to clear out the populace.”  Jax told her, as he’d be too busy to send a team the way he had planned.
Kess appeared at Jax’s side.
“I’m taking Neyres.”  Mereoleona told the Silver Eagles Captain.
Kess nodded.
Mereoleona turned to her brother and the other Fire Mage on her squad.  “Leon! Forte!  Four kilometer addition to the break starting with fifteen hundred meters spreading to either side of town.  Neyres!  Go with them.”
Eyes wide at the level of destruction their order entailed, the three nodded and took off.
“Big guy!”  Mereoleona called to Tobin as she passed.
Tobin turned.
“Need you to kick some people out of their homes. Carry them if you have to.”  Mereoleona said.
“I can force them out.  Make the air in their homes just noxious enough.”  Win offered.
“Your toxin magic is needed to wipe out Sorcery Lances.”  Jax told the Green Mantis Captain in between issuing his own orders.
On her way to met and help Fuegoleon, Forte, and Neyres, Mereoleona caught sight of the Azure Deers Sonic Mage battling a wall of Wild Fire.  “Emelia!  Go help Tobin.”  She pointed at the Black Bulls Giant Mage who had raced ahead of her.  “He’ll explain your orders.  Just don’t permanently deafen the citizenry unless you have to.”
Emelia blinked, perplexed, and nodded; rushing after Tobin.
“Burning down some poor peasants home after kicking them out.  Jax better save a squad of Sorcery Lances for me to beat to a pulp.”  Mereoleona muttered under her breath.
Jax scanned the field and questioned.  “Where’s my Vice Captain?”
Jack had subtlety done what he could to keep track of Teris for Yami, not that the big lug would ever ask.  Having recently found her after losing track of her for a time, Jack opened his mouth to answer.  But before he could a flash of light lit up the night making the fiery surroundings seem dim.
“Never mind.”  Jax rushed to join the fight.  The others falling in beside and behind him.
87.2.2
Nozel stood a dozen paces away from Teris leaving them both room to fight. In the heat of the surrounding Wild Fire he was having trouble keeping the density of his mercury for his mercury rain spell to be effective.  He’d have to remember to work on that during his and Fuegoleon’s training sessions.
“At least we can see the enemy this time.”  Nozel quipped to Teris.
Teris huffed, surprised that Nozel would make a jest in the middle of a battle.
Nozel hated to admit it but if the three Agents of Chaos hadn’t shown to assist them, they definitely wouldn’t have completed Rayla’s test in time to save Yami’s life.  A part of him wondered if he and Teris would've made it out of the so called test alive.  Though that didn’t speak to the greatness or superiority of the Spade Kingdoms fighting force.  If anything him and Teris holding out so long spoke of their capability given their exhaustion, wounds, and the magic dampening cuffs.
Teris saw one of the Sorcery Lances prepare to throw something.  The action notable because it didn’t look like the man was preparing for a magical assault.  She caught sight of a small jar just as it was leaving the Sorcery Lances hand.
“Nozel!” Teris light traveled to the Silver Eagle, wrapped her arms around him, and light traveled away right before Wild Fire erupted where he had stood.
Nozel blinked, sight slowly returning from the blinding light.  He looked over Teris’ shoulder at the green-white flames. “Are they crazy!”
The Wild Fire posed as much danger to the Sorcery Lances as it did to them.  As the night cooled the wind swirled, slowly changing directions.  It caused the flames to spread all the more quickly and unpredictably.
Teris growled seeing the Sorcery Lance who had thrown the jar pull out another.
Nozel reached out trying to grab her.  “Teris!”
Teris sprinted and launched herself at the man.
“Teris!” Jax yelled.
Teris and the Sorcery Lance went tumbling.  The jar broke, Wild Fire exploding around them.
Nozel made for the flames.
Reaching him, Jack and Jon held Nozel back.
Teris pushed up to her knees and away from the charred Sorcery Lance.  The Mages form crumbled into a pile dust beneath her. She clamped a hand over her mouth, stifling a shocked noise of disgust.  That’s when she noticed it.  The tell tale green-white flames of Wild Fire.  It was burning on her the same way it did on water. While it hurt and took everything she had not to writhe and scream, the flames didn’t burn her flesh.
Teris collapsed onto all fours, the pain growing.  The dim glow that had been radiating from her since the Wild Fire strike brightened. As it did so, the heat coming off her intensified.
Teris screamed.
Though not as consuming, the feeling was similar to the morning of the Summer Solstice.
Jax grimaced at his Vice Captain's agonized cry.  Teris shouldn’t be alive, but she was.  Though he didn’t have time to be grateful for that.  From the looks of it, Teris’ mana and magic was rising to somehow burn out the Wild Fire.  The deduction set his galloping heart to race even faster as another shot of adrenaline coursed through him.
“Shields!” Jax yelled, pulling up a thick wall of stone long enough to shelter those beside and just behind him.
He looked about and cursed.  There were too many Magic Knights incapable of creating the type of shield that could withstand an exploding force; and they were too spread apart to reach someone who was. After over six hours of using his magic to bury and snuff out Wild Fires, he simply didn’t have the mana store left to create numerous thick rock walls to shield everyone.
Blinking the sweat out of his eyes, Nozel gritted his teeth and created a massive curved wall of mercury that sheltered all the Magic Knight’s. It didn’t matter how tired and drained he was, he was the royal heir of House Silva.  What kind of Vice Captain would he be if he didn’t risk his own life to protect his comrades.
Seeing what the Silver Eagle was attempting, Jon used his magic to freeze the space around the liquid metal.  Thanks to the Azure Deers’ assistance Nozel was able to strengthen and thicken the shield wall.
There was a brief moment of deafening silence as if time and space itself held its breath.  Then, an explosion of light.
The banging shock wave whipped the air around in frenzied howl.  Dirt and clumps of debris rained down.
Ears ringing, Jax stood and looked over the stone wall to check on Teris. He found a lingering shield wall of mercury, so thin he could see through it.
Weak and woozy, Nozel gave Jon a clumsy nod.  There was no way his mercury would’ve withstood the blast if it weren’t for the man’s assistance.  He had barely managed to hold it as it was.
Jon gave the Silver Eagle a returning nod, knowing several Magic Knights would’ve perished if not for Nozel’s quick thinking and magical power.
The Magic Knights stood to find that the surrounding Wild Fires had been burned out by the explosion of incinerating light.
Teris slowly uncurled, the pain and searing heat subsiding.
“Impressive.” A voice said, from above her.
Teris opened her eyes and saw a Sorcery Lance standing over her.  He stepped back as she got slowly to her feet on unsteady legs.
“You took out more than half of my forces.  And that wasn’t even combining your magic with the Dark Magic User.” The man’s eyes lifted and scanned the field.  “Where is he by the way?”
“You can’t have him.”  Teris told, her growl far less threatening given her panting breath and clear fatigue.
The Sorcery Lance looked back at her.  “I have no interest in either of you, child.  My King might, once he learns what you’re capable of on your own.  We heard you were a powerful force when combined but had no idea what you were capable of alone.”
“Good luck relaying the message dead.”  Teris said.
“You don’t want to fight me.  After an release of mana like that...”  The Sorcery Lance shook his head.  “Look at you. You can barely stand.”
“Teris. Get back.”  Jax ordered making his way to her.  “This one’s mine.”
The Sorcery Lance smiled.  “Vice Captain Jax.”
“It’s Captain.”  Jax corrected.
“So the Magic Knights promotes failures?  I see why the Clover Kingdom will never be a threat to us.”  The man taunted.
Jax stepped in front of Teris.
The Colonel smirked.  “Attempting to protect yet another girl, Jax.  This one your lover too?  Looks kind of young; but who am I to judge.” He blocked Jax’s attack with a pool of lava that melted the rock.  “You’re going to have to try harder then that Captain. Unless you want to lose this girl too.”
Teris was buffeted back by a cloud of volcanic ash.  Jon grabbed her by the arm.  Not knowing who it was, Teris spun, nearly falling over in the process.
“It’s okay.”  Jon calmed.  “Let’s get you out of here.”
“No. I can still fight.” Teris said, looking back at her battling Captain.
Kess looked at Win, the Green Mantis being the senior Captain.
“I have two tones.  Scary and snide. Don’t see either one working on her. You order her back.”  Win told Kess.
Kess glared.  She stepped to Teris.  “Teris.”
Teris turned to the Silver Eagles Captain.  “I can--”
Still holding Teris steady, Jon was able to stop her fall.  He looped her arm over his shoulder and held up her unconscious body.
“Get her to safety, Vice Captain.”  Kess ordered Jon.
Not wanting to leave Kess in this mess, Jon questioned.  “Captain?”
“You heard me.”  Kess snapped, daring her boyfriend to challenge her command.
“I can take her.”  Nozel offered.
“You’re with me.”  Kess told her Vice Captain.  She gave Jon a hard look.
“Yes, sir.”  Jon submitted.  “Be careful.”
Kess turned away, ignoring his concern.  She was Captain of the Silver Eagles.  While a part of her found Jon’s care sweet, the greater part of her found it insulting.
Knowing Nozel was weakened from shielding them from the blast, Kess ordered. “Nozel, hold this line and stop any Sorcery Lances that get passed us.”  She raised her voice.  “Everyone else.  Take out or push back the Sorcery Lances still standing.”
87.2.3
“I can make it to safety.”  Teris said, having regained consciousness. “Go back and help the others.”
“You can barely stand.  What if you lose consciousness again?  I’m not--”  Jon tensed seeing a creature coming out of the smoke. “What’s an elk doing in the middle of a Wild Fire?”
Bleary eyed, Teris turned to the animal.  “Bran?”
The elks head lowered and raised in an odd nod.
“Good man.” Teris praised. To Jon she said.  “Help me up.”
Jon looked uncertain.  “Teris, I--”
“Hornsby is at least eight kilometers out.  It’ll take forever for you to get me there.  With the other Magic Knights still burning the break to protect the town, they need you fighting.”
Jon looked at her.  He could hardly argue.  It was why he had faltered at Kess’ order.  If only Teris wasn’t so weakened and could light travel to safety.
“Alright.” Jon relented.  “But you have to get to Hornsby and stay.  Swear to me, Teris.”
“I’m not stupid or have a death wish.”  Teris told.
Jon could've argued with that but didn’t.  He looked up at the elk wondering how he was going to get a mostly dead weight Teris on it when the beast laid down.  He helped Teris on and stood back.  The creature rose.  Teris began to slide off.  Jon rushed forward, reaching out.
Teris managed to hold on and right herself.  “I’m good.  I’m good.”
Jon looked at up at her thinking this a terrible idea. She would have to go through a storm of Wild Fire. What if she fell off or lost consciousness again? What if she ran into a team of Sorcery Lance’s? An eruption of lava flew into the sky.  The ash cloud ballooned out, further covering them in dust and smoke.
“Go!” Jon ordered, already rushing back to the fight.
Teris’ arms tightened around the elks neck.  The elk ran, avoiding green flames.  The beast lept over downed burning trees that had been set aflame by the Wild Fires heat.  Teris lost all sense of direction in the dense smoke.  She buried her face into the crevice of her arm and the beasts neck.  It was a battle just to hold on and stay conscious.
Teris managed to last until the end of the break.  Her arms loosened unable to hold on anymore.  She fell off the elk with a thud.
“Teris!” Bran rushed to her.
He controlled the animal long enough to trot it a safe distance so it wouldn’t trample them and released it.  The elk darted away to safety.
Bran knelt and lifted Teris up onto her knees.  He swung her arm around his neck and stood them up.  “You’re heavier than you look, Vice Captain.”
“Bran.” Teris breathed, her slow blinking eyes unfocused.  “Never tell a woman that.”
“Yes, sir.  Sorry, sir.”  Bran stumbled and they both fell over.
“Leave me and go be useful.”  Teris ordered, barely holding on to consciousness.
Bran stood them up again.
Teris frowned vision spotting.  “I said go be useful.  Don’t disobey--”
“Seeing my Vice Captain to safety is being useful.”  Bran argued.
Teris would've called him a cheeky smart-ass but her vision tunneled and she lost consciousness.
87.3
Given what Greywright had heard from Mereoleona, who had commanded Yami on two separate battlefields, the Knights Commander had expected to have trouble keeping Yami from moving too far into the enemy’s line. But that wasn’t a problem.  Greywright figured it had to do with Yami now being Vice Captain and feeling a greater sense of responsibility for the other Magic Knights.  Though that’s not to say Yami didn’t move further ahead than Greywright would’ve liked.  But the Vice Captain didn’t lose himself in the battle and always seemed to pull himself back right before Greywright felt the need to call him back.
The Magic Knights Commander hadn’t seen Yami fight since the Squad Challenge over a year and a half ago.  Yami’s growth in ability and power, both magical and physical, was impressive.  Yami’s unique, more physically fighting style meant that those facing him for the first time dealt with an adjustment period. In most cases Yami had his foe incapacitated or killed before that adjustment was realized.
The Colonel leading the Sorcery Lances called for retreat.
Yami and a few other Magic Knights made to follow.
“Let them go.”  Greywright commanded.  “We’ve still got a village to save and Wild Fires to put out.  Charlotte.  William.  Abril.  Follow the Sorcery Lances at a distance.  Make sure they cross the boarder and don’t turn back for another attack.  Yami. Olsen.  Get back and deal with the fires closest to the village.  Take three others with you.  The rest of you.  Focus on the most outer fires and work your way in.  Tryn.  Siren.  Continued working on that break. Two kilometers.”
“Venice. Alecdora.  Puli.  With me.”  Yami ordered.
Greywright watched Alecdora glare daggers at the Black Bulls Vice Captain as he followed behind Puli, Olsen, and Venice in Yami’s wake. The Golden Dawn was a noble who didn’t respect anyone that he considered socially beneath him.  It was obvious the Sand Mage wasn’t fond of having to obey a foreigner on how best to save Hage, a peasant village out in the Forsaken Realm. That said Greywright didn’t see Yami tolerating disobedience well. He just hoped Yami was capable of controlling his temper well enough not to land Alecdora in the infirmary.
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Yami pulled his hand free and leaned forward, forearms resting on his thighs. He hadn’t caught that, and understood why Teris would be upset about it.  They faced so many dangers already.  To learn that there were even more groups wanting at them only added to the danger. Yet what good would knowing do?  Greywright had known of the Spade Kingdoms interest in them and had wound up in Rayla’s lab right along with them.  They had thought they’d known the Agents of Chaos wanted them for the Winter Solstice.  Wrong as they were, the Agents of Chaos had proven they knew exactly where they had been hidden and could get to them.
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h-hewings · 3 years
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**Tearful Memories (fanfic w/headcanon)**
(Perhaps not all revenants are evil, spiteful versions if their former selves after all. Maybe they resent what they’ve become and long to be restored…)
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Being the most trusted friend and ally of Kitana, Empress of the Netherrealm, it was to nobody’s surprise as to why Jade was appointed as the leader of the Netherrealm army. She would walk onto the frontlines, flanked by thousands of demonic Onis, ranging from lumbering tanks to skilled flyers, and guiding them into battle. One of which was from a group of Outworlders, sent by Kotal Kahn, to retrieve Shinnok’s head and destroy it, preventing any possible attempts to resurrect him. The Osh-Tekk forces collided with the Netherrealm Demons, where blood and viscera painted every inch of the battlefield, with the Kastle looming in the background. And Jade was in the midst of it all, alongside Kitana and Kung Lao, using her staff to strike down any Osh-Tekk fool that dared oppose her. In addition, she also utilised her glaive, throwing it like a boomerang and managing to slice through multiple enemies at once.
The battle continued to rage on as the Netherrealm forces began to outnumber their enemies. It was then that Jade encountered a foe that made her stop dead in tracks, not because of the intimidation or their skills, but because she was curious about something. Her glaring red eyes were focused on what the male soldier wore and she made it out to be a mask of some sort, but a sort that seemed extremely peculiar. Nevertheless, she ended up dominating the foolish warrior in battle, slaying him with a decapitation, using her glaive. The head rolled off the shoulders, spurting out blood, and Jade reached down to retrieve the mask. Unfortunately, she did not have enough time to view it.
“Our enemies are getting some backup.” Kung Lao said to her. “We must be ready for them, Jade.”
“Understood.” Came the Assassin’s response, she pocketed the mask behind her chest plates and unsheathed her staff, ready to finish the job. More and more Osh-Tekk soldiers charged into battle, towards the mass of demons, and more blood was spilt, turning the scenery of the Netherrealm even redder than it was before. However, Jade’s curiosity about the mask from earlier is seemingly having an effect on her confidence in battle, as she was unintentionally letting her guard down more often. It got so bad to the point where she was knocked down and almost killed multiple times, before she had to be saved by her peers. Luckily, the Osh-Tekk forces were driven out, and were sent retreating from the realm, carrying their fallen allies with them, as the demons around them roared in triumph. Jade groggily stood up as Kabal dashed over to check on her.
“You look rough.” He pointed out, noticing a few bruises on Jade’s arms, as well as a noticeable tear on her tights.
“I’m sure I’ll be fine, Kabal.” She said back.
“What happened out there, anyways? You weren’t looking your usual self.”
Jade hesitated before answering, as she wanted to keep the mask she found hidden from the others.
“Perhaps my mind wasn’t in the right place today.” She responded.
“Ah, I see.” The speedster nodded. “I think you oughta get some rest to clear your head. Here, I’ll help you back.” And with that, he carried her in his arms and used his Nomad Dash ability to zip away from the bloodied battlefield and over to Jade’s Chamber door.
“Thank you very much.” Jade smiled under her own mask as she stood herself up.
“It was the least I could do.” Kabal returned before he dashed off, leaving Jade alone to enter her quarters. Once she was inside, she immediately locked the door and removed her own mask, showing off her ash-grey face, a mere remnant of her past, yet still just as beautiful as the day she was slain. She had a brief look around her chambers, a dark, gothic room with not much to it, apart from relics hanging on walls and shelves, from her past battles in the Netherrealm. Jade unsheathed the mask she collected earlier and sat on the floor, giving herself a chance to inspect it better.
The colours of the mask itself were not very vibrant or eye-catching, but what made it stood out the most was the shape itself, of a human face, as well as the way the green was painted onto the silver body. Jade made it out to be an old funeral mask, originally made in Edenia. They were typically worn for important events, permanent looks of gloom and melancholy as a vessel moves on to the afterlife. The fact that the mask itself was made in Edenia brought back memories from within Jade’s mind, flowing around like an old film being played on repeat. She smiled as she reminisced about the time she spent in King Jerrod’s council, and her eternal friendship with Kitana, beginning from a very young age, to the point where she knew the Edenian princess for her entire life.
However, one memory soon led to another. Jade’s mind then flashed forward to a terrible event in time, where Shao Kahn invaded and conquered Edenia, murdering Jerrod, forcing Queen Sindel to marry him and taking Kitana and Jade as his captors, where they were forced to serve him, with Kitana as his adopted daughter. The look in Jade’s eyes soon turned from wonder to sadness, remembering the carnage she saw unfolding around her, as well as the murder of her parents, as the realm was purged and left in unrecognisable ruins. Soon, the train of thought in her mind soon turned dark, as another horrific memory flowed into her mind.
And that single memory was one that she had relieved almost every day for years now.
She remembered the hand of a corrupted Sindel thrusting through her chest and ripping her heart out.
She remembered the final gasps of air leaving her lungs as the life drained out of her.
And finally, she remembered air inexplicably filling her lungs as she awoke in an evil setting. And what happened next stuck to her mind like a deadly tumour.
She remembered looking around, her mind in a complete state of panic, having died not too long ago. How was she still alive!? Suddenly, a tremendous burning pain was felt through her entire body, as she raised her hands up, seeing her mocha-brown skin decay into a zombified grey colour. Her eyes widened in horror as the pupils became colourless before flashing a dangerous shade of red. All of a sudden, she dropped to her knees, letting out a spine-chilling scream of pure agony, feeling her mind being corrupted and drained, as a result of Quan Chi’s dark magic. It was like her positive and kind-hearted feelings were being disintegrated to ashes, whilst feelings of evil, spite, negativity and malice took their place. This was a pain that Jade could never have imagined was possible and was far worse than her quicker, and even more painless death. Eventually, the pain ceased and the Emerald Assassin, Jade was no more, for a Revenant doppelganger had taken her place.
As the nightmare played out in her mind once again, Jade stared into the distance, traumatised and full of despair. Her eyes widened in stress as she heard screams of “SOMEONE HELP ME!” and “PLEASE...END THIS PAIN!” Unlike most of her fallen allies who accepted this new form, she absolutely despised it, both before and now. She did not want to be seen as a heartless monster, whose only function is to kill, as it completely went against her own morals. She felt less like a deadly assassin and more like a vessel for carnage.
Tears began to form and well up in Jade’s eyes, upon being reminded of her horrific fate, before she began weeping uncontrollably, her head lowered and her arms clutching the mask, as if it was a treasured relic. After all of the stress that has been packed onto her for years, Jade had finally reached her breaking point. Looking past the negative views on Revenants, she was still Jade by heart. A fallen hero who longs to have her life put back together again, but to the current circumstances, it was impossible. When all is said and done, she is merely the tragic heroine who just wants to go home…
Her cries were louder than usual. Typically, when she had her occasional emotional meltdowns, she would keep it quiet, smothering her noises through gritted teeth or a nearby pillow. This was because she feared that her peers would berate her for being weak. Her fears were about to come true when she heard the door creak open, and she tried to pull herself together, but she failed and continued sobbing in grief. The person at the door was Kitana, who heard her friend’s cries, but rather than admonish her for it, the Empress wore a look of concern on her face as she stepped in, closing the door behind her.
“My dear friend!” She said, her tone sounding worried. “What on earth is troubling you?”
Jade sniffled a bit and leant her head to the side, giving her a look at her broken face. Her eyelids were all swollen and puffy from crying and there were clear wet lines going down the sides of her face, from the tears. Her lower lip wavered before she resumed weeping, causing Kitana to kneel down to her level and comfort her, raising her head up and wiping away a few tears.
“It is alright to cry, Jade.” She attempted to console her closest friend. Despite being viewed as a strict, spiteful and heartless ruler, Kitana clearly showed that she still has some space left in her heart for the one person who’s been by her side her entire life. “Now, I’d really appreciate it if you speak your mind to me. I promise I will hear you out.”
After having literally all the tears drained from her eyes, all Jade could do was let out a depressed sigh.
“Everything is wrong, Kitana.” She explained, sorrowfully. “Through all of these years, I have despised what I’ve become, and not just me, but all of my friends. None of us deserved to be sanctioned to a fate far worse than death.” She looked down at her hands. Physically, they were changed to an undead grey tone, in contrast to her living dark skin, but metaphorically, she knew that they were stained with the blood of innocent people she had slayed throughout the years as a vanguard in the Netherrealm. “I know deep down, that this is not who I’m supposed to be.”
Jade shifted a bit before revealing the mask that she had retrieved from the battlefield. And immediately, Kitana noticed that is was an Edenian relic, worn by some of the maids during funerals. It was a tradition that carried over to Outworld, following the demise of Shao Kahn.
“When I found this mask,” Jade continued, “I was curious about it and had a look, reminding myself about how happier we were, before Edenia was conquered. But then those same nightmarish memories of when we became revenants filled my mind once more, something that has troubled me for years now.” Her voice began to waver off a bit as she continued to speak her mind. “Oh, Kitana. You don’t know how much I despise it here, living as an undead beast for all eternity...I- I just want to go back home!” At this point, she was close to breaking down once more but this time, she barely managed to keep control of her emotions, but not without letting a few tears loose, as Kitana comforted her, placing an arm around her shoulder. She waited until Jade faced her because she, too, had something she wanted to get off her back.
“I know the pain that you feel, Jade.” The Empress began to explain, as Jade looked into her glowing, ruby-like eyes.
“You do?”
“Indeed. I fully agree with you that none of us deserved this fate and deep down, I had even regretted my actions against innocent people. In fact, I used to gently cry myself to sleep for a few nights, whenever one of those situations occur, because I knew that the real Kitana would never mercilessly kill.” As Kitana continued to speak, Jade perked her head up, beginning to understand a bit more about her ally.
“But alas, this is what we are now.” Kitana said, solemnly. “I’m afraid that there is no possible way to restore Edenia at the moment. But this is why we need to try and resist looking at the past and towards the future. Because with enough hope and motivation, I’m sure that we will have it brighter than any moment in our past.” She leaned her body down a bit further to look directly at Jade. “And trust me when I say this, Jade. When it does happen, there will be nothing to worry about. There won’t be any reason to be ashamed of what we are, no more bloodshed to cause around us, no more nightmares about the past. In the end, it will just be the two of us…together.”
Upon hearing Kitana’s heartwarming monologue, a smile formed on Jade’s face as she leaned towards her Empress to lovingly embrace her. Kitana returned the hug, gently wrapping her arms around Jade’s body, smiling and knowing that through hell and back, there will be no separating them. Eventually, they had to split and Kitana returned to her own Chambers as Jade prepared herself for bed and laid down on the soft mattress.
Before she drifted off to sleep, she wanted to take in every word that Kitana said. She had been taught that in order to progress in life, she needed to try and not let the past haunt or shame her. She knew that eventually, the nightmare will be over and she, Kitana, Liu Kang, Kung Lao and others will be free from this curse, able to live their lives. But until then, all she can do is be hopeful, and that is more than enough to ensure herself a better future.
(Thanks for reading! Basically, my hc for Revenant Jade is similar to Kung Lao’s ending in MKX, in that she despises her life as a revenant and longs to be restored, along with her allies. I wish NRS added something like this to give the Revs more personality rather than jobber minions. I imagine Jade & Kung Lao leaving the gang and finding a way to change them back, Liu Kang embracing the evil and planning on invading Earthrealm whilst Kitana is torn between choosing her boyfriend and her best friend)
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justanotherlifeff · 3 years
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Levi Ackerman × reader
Genre: Angst, Hurt/comfort, Fluff, matured themes, slowburn
Warning: There's mentions and descriptions of underage rape and suicidal themes and self harm and other triggering stuff.
No one's POV
Levi squad was on the move from the now destroyed Reiss chapel. An injured Hanji, Eren and Historia was on a wagon while Armin was driving it. Levi, (Y/N), Mikasa, Jean, Sasha and Connie were on horseback. Far from them, travelled an enormous titan, twice the size of the colossal titan. When Levi squad was stuck in the passage, Armin discovered an opening in the wall of the passage. They heard a huge crash and a blinding yellow light when Armin discovered the opening. Someone transformed into a titan. That opening led Armin and Hanji out of the chapel into the safety due to Hanji's injury while the others went to aid Eren.
It turned out that Rod Reiss transformed into an enormous titan, the one which was travelling alongside them. As they were following Rod Reiss, Erwin's search party was spotted in a distance. When (Y/N) saw Erwin's horse trotting towards them, she felt guilty for ignoring her superior and going behind her Uncle's back. "It had to be done" she reassured herself as Erwin reached them.
"I knew it was you who stole the horse. Why didn't you follow the orders? Do you know the consequences of ignoring a direct order from the commander? And, where did you get the 3DMG from?" Erwin asked (Y/N) firmly. "I know the consequences, but, it had to be done. Without my contribution, the mission would've failed as Levi Heichou was busy with Kenny. According to the survey corps rulebook, section 27, any direct orders from superiors can be ignored without punishment if the decision of the guilty is essential for a mission. I believe my action was necessary for the mission's success. As for the 3DMG, I stole it from the supply storage, Commander." (Y/N) answered with a calm but determined expression.
"Commander, (Y/N) is right. Mikasa couldn't handle all of the anti personale squad alone. There were about 40 people. We needed (Y/N)'s strength." Armin chimed in. To that, Erwin sighed and said, "You're right. (Y/N), you do know that because of your foolishness, I still have to deal with the law of section 42, that pregnant women aren't allowed to fight...". Before Erwin could finish, (Y/N) interjected and said, " Commander, you already denied my permission to join the search party. I acted on my own. I am supposed to get the punishment for that but section 27 already vouches for it. There will be some paperwork involved but no other long term problem.".
Erwin looked at (Y/N) for a while. He was proud of the woman she became. "How did you steal the 3DMG? I sent a cadet to mention the guards of the supply storage to specifically see that you're not let in." Erwin inquired. "I knew you would do that. I sent someone else to get it for me." (Y/N) answered casually. "I see. (Y/N), did you really think everything through before making this decision?" Erwin asked, clearly impressed by how far (Y/N) thought everything through. To that question, (Y/N) looked at Erwin with a slightly amused expression and answered, "Of course I thought it through. Unlike you, I don't gamble". The last sentence gave Erwin a flash of memory
9 years ago:
" (Y/N), you really should go home now. It's just a game. We already played five times.." Erwin sighed as the 10 year old girl insisted on playing another game of chess. It was one of her off days from training with him and she discovered a chess board in his office while searching for books. Thus, he ended up in this position, playing five games of chess with her. (Y/N) was a quick learner. She was way past the basics in the first game alone. Erwin didn't expect her to win against him as he was known to be one of the greatest tacticians of all time. He knew that the girl won't give up on trying till she won at least one game, so, he went easy on her this time. "Checkmate" Erwin sighed at the end of their 6th game.
He noticed (Y/N) smile and suddenly, he noticed that (Y/N) had her knight just in position to get rid of his queen. She took the queen down and told, "checkmate" to Erwin with a sly smile. The knight was now in position to get the king and Erwin had no chess piece to get rid of it. "Good one, (Y/N). Go home now. Your parents will be worried." Erwin sighed. "Uncle Erwin, you went easy on me. I want a fair game before going home." (Y/N) demanded. By now, Erwin knew that when (Y/N) got her head into something, she never gave up. "Fine. One last game. Promise?" Erwin told (Y/N). "Promise!" (Y/N) answered in an excited voice.
Surprisingly, Erwin lost that game. This time, Erwin wasn't easy on her. The one last game went on five more times, only now, it was Erwin who insisted to have one more game. At the end, he gave all his tactician abilities but failed to win against (Y/N). "Okay. How are you winning against me?" Erwin asked in the end after loosing the sixth game. "You see Uncle Erwin, you have a pattern in playing. It was hard to figure out but you tend to loose your pawns very easily. You keep the elite pieces for the end and use them to take the enemy down.
However, when you don't have the pawns to cover for the elites, you start loosing the elites to my pawns. That's how I won. Unlike you, I don't gamble. I should go home now. Dad will be mad if I'm late." (Y/N) explained with a proud face as she went for the door, leaving a dumbfounded Erwin sitting in front of the chessboard. She just predicted his moves in actual combat scenario too.
"I won't say what you did wasn't reckless but I'm proud of you." Erwin sighed. "Thanks" (Y/N) muttered with a smile. Erwin asked Levi if everyone was okay and Levi told him about Hanji. Erwin decided that the injury wasn't too serious and can be fixed easily. Levi then mentioned to Erwin that the titan is Rod Reiss and Erwin said that they didn't have any time to waste as Rod Reiss will be heading for Orvud district.
After Erwin left, Levi looked at (Y/N) and asked, "I forgot to ask you about this but, why did you memorise the Survey Corps rulebook? Cadets or second in commands aren't required to know these.". "Well, I read those before joining the trainee corps. I found a book with the Survey Corps rules in Uncle Erwin's office and I decided to read it." (Y/N) replied. "Why would anyone want to read a rulebook?" Levi asked, completely confused. (Y/N) looked back at him with a confused face and answered, "I read it because I like reading?". Levi scoffed at this and said, "And yet, you never read a biology book.".
To that, (Y/N) made a protesting face along with a slight blush creeping up her cheek as she said, "I did read biology books! It's not my fault that you're so goddamned overprotective!" "Woah... They are acting like an old married couple..." Connie whispered to Jean as Levi 'tch'd to (Y/N)'s accusation. "Connie, no one cares" Jean grumbled, clearly being jealous. There was an awkward silence between the squad before Hanji broke it by starting to talk about the founding titan.
On the way to the wall, the possibilities of getting rid of Rod Reiss was discussed, Eren tried to stop Rod Reiss with his titan powers, calling him a little old man thus earning a glare from Levi and Historia came to terms with the fact that her father will be killed. After reaching the wall, the squad went to the regiment branch in Orvud district and a cadet notified the squad about the meeting that's about to take place in the hall. "Historia, forgot to tell you, we need you to do something" Levi said approaching Historia. "Yes?" Historia asked.
"Erwin's orders. When this battle is over, since you're the true successor to the throne, become the queen." he finished. Connie and Jean tried to say that it was unfair to put Historia in such a position out of nowhere but Historia agreed to be the queen. However, she said, "But heichou, I have one condition." "Huh?" Levi questioned her as she replied, "Since my fate is my own, I want to lay it on the line." Historia was allowed her wish. As everyone went to the meeting, (Y/N) said to her, "When you're queen, make sure to give Sasha a buffet meal at your castle. I owe her one." "When you're queen, you can punch that runt in the face." Mikasa said to Historia. Historia's body tensed at that.
(Y/N) POV
Uncle Erwin revealed the plan to us. Orvud district won't be evacuated because the damage would be far greater if Rod Reiss gets to the main wall. The plan was to blow up Rod Reiss's hands as he reached the wall and then Eren was supposed to throw explosives into his mouth. That is if the cannons don't work. As everything was being assembled, Levi came towards me and said with a monotone voice, "(Y/N), I need to talk to you in private. Come with me." I followed him to an empty hallway in the regiment branch.
When we reached, he said keeping his bored face, "(Y/N), I don't want you on front lines. I've told this to you before and you didn't listen but..." but I stopped him and said with a similar bored but determined expression, "Levi, for plan B, you need the best soldiers you've got. We both know that the nape and all the other pieces needs to be cut properly to finish Rod Reiss off for good. Our aim has to be perfect...". Levi stopped me this time. With an expression that clearly showed his annoyance because of my interjection, he said, "I know that (Y/N) but this is too dangerous. I need you and the baby to be safe..." I stopped him again and said looking down on the floor, "So you want me to act like an useless housewife? That's right, you said you hate that kind of women. Is this your way of preparing to leave me? ".
I hated it when he acted like I couldn't protect myself. "(Y/N), if I were to leave you, I wouldn't devise any bullshit plot like that. And, you're nothing near the useless housewife type. If you were anything like that, I'd not be wasting my time here. You are strong but... Well, I'll be honest with you, I could've never been ready for a family if I wasn't forced into it by circumstances. Now that I am facing circumstances like that, I don't want to loose the possibility of finding some peace. Every single person I ever cared about ended up being dead and I don't want to deal with that again.." Levi tried to explain clearly getting more frustrated before I stopped him. I understood his fears but I needed to do this.
"Levi, didn't you tell me that you're with me because I have a higher chance of survival? You have to trust me on this, Levi. I promise to stay away from the explosion but I need to be there to cut off the pieces of Rod Reiss. Just, have some faith in me. I won't die on you. Our kid won't die on you too. I'll make sure of that. I promise." I told him in a soothing voice. Levi stared at me for a moment and said, "Okay. In that case, don't die. Both of you. The others will be looking for us. Let's go." before starting to leave. I followed him.
"Levi, Jean, Sasha, Connie, see that side. (Y/N), you're helping Hanji with tying the explosives up." Uncle Erwin commanded as he was talking to Historia. We were watching how the cannons were working a while back. According to Levi, it was like insects pissing on the titan and I couldn't agree more. Eren and Armin were helping me weave the net while Mikasa was stacking up the gun powder. Eren got up suddenly and looked down from the wall.
Apparently some kids down there reminded him of himself. Armin agreed to it but said that circumstances were different now. Suddenly, Eren started punching himself and Mikasa had to stop him. "Eren! It's not time yet!" Armin shouted at him. As Eren started rambling about him beating up an useless runt, I interjected and said, "Eren, stop your bullshit. No one cares about how you feel about yourself. We don't have much time before Rod Reiss is upon us. Get your job done first." "Sorry (Y/N).." Eren muttered as like everyone, he still was scared of me to some point even if I was friendly to them.
The cannons failed at the end. Plan B was put into action. We drenched ourselves in water to minimize the heat emitted from Rod Reiss. Levi asked the garrison captain to retreat as it was time for the survey corps to take action. Eren had transformed into a titan and was already in his position as well as Armin and Sasha. Uncle Erwin held his hand up with a flare gun. He commanded to commence the mission by shooting the red smoke flare. Armin and Sasha used the manoeuvre gear attached explosives to aim at Rod Reiss's hands.
The explosions made him loose balance as planned. Uncle Erwin commanded Eren to go get the explosives in Rod Reiss's mouth. He did exactly as planned and Rod Reiss blew up. "All troops! Finish it off with your ODM gear!" He commanded as we all flew from the wall and started cutting the huge chunks of flesh out. It was planned that Historia would cut the nape. Levi and I dealt with most of the chunks before landing safely on the ground. Historia did her part as well. It was over.
Levi POV
Just as I landed, I went to check on (Y/N). I felt relieved to see that she landed safe too. "Oi (Y/N), we need to report to Erwin. Come on." I told her as I walked towards her. "Yeah.. Well, can you wait for a while? I feel like I'll puke.." (Y/N) muttered, clearly looking sick. "Okay, I'll tell Erwin that you're feeling sick. You don't have to report." I told her as she muttered a "thanks" before looking at Sasha, who was nearby and ordering her to take (Y/N) to the military quarters. I went to the scout regiment branch to Erwin's office there. He already was there when I arrived.
"Where's (Y/N)? Is she okay?" Erwin asked me with a concerned expression. "She's fine. She's getting morning sickness again. I sent her back to the quarters with Sasha." I notified him in my usual monotone voice. "Ah. I see. Before you report everything, I need you to go back to the Reiss Chapel. Take some men with you. We need to find out if anyone from the anti personale squad are alive. If they are, they could be a threat. Our job now is to officially announce Historia as the queen and eliminate all threats. The military police aren't much effective as they are all corrupted, so, we will have to take matters in our hand." Erwin explained. "Okay. I'll arrange a search party" I answered before leaving the room. I needed some tea before this new bullshit.
When I was done with my tea, I went to the canteen and chose some random survey Corp soldiers because I wasn't feeling like picking specific people and went towards the Reiss Chapel. I didn't take my own squad because they already had been through enough for the past few days and they deserved a break. We dug out all the remaining members of the anti personale squad from the ruins except Kenny. All were dead.
"Oi, search the perimeter. With those injuries, he can't go far" I commanded everyone as they went to look for him. A while later, one of them came back and informed me that he found Kenny. I followed him to the place. "Kenny" I called him out in a bored voice as I stood in front of him. "Oh gee. It's you?" he answered in an equally bored voice before coughing up some blood. "Your comrades we fought, they all ended up getting crushed. Are you the only survivor?" I asked, my voice void of any emotion. I personally was void of any emotion towards that man.
"Seems that way" he answered with a hint of remorse in his voice. I was taken slightly off guard by that. When did he start feeling remorse? "Report back. I'm fine here alone." I commanded the soldier with me. "Understood" he replied before leaving. "With those burns and that blood loss, there's no helping you now." I stated monotonously. "Yeah? I wonder.." he said with sarcasm dripping in his voice when I finally noticed the syringe beside him. The same type used to turn people into titans.
"I swiped this one right out of Rod's bag. I'm guessing, using one of these'll make me a titan. I'll be a stupid titan but it should keep me alive for a little longer... If I don't do it right, I'll probably turn out all messed up like him." he sighed weakly. "There's no way you'd sit around and wait to die. Don't you have a better excuse?" I asked. "Sure, I don't want to die and I want power. But... Oh, I think I just got it. Why he did that." he mumbled.
"Huh?" I replied, completely confused. Was he just rambling because he was dying or was it something relevant? "Every last person I've seen was the same way. Whether it was booze, women, or even God. Family, the king, dreams, children, power... They couldn't keep going unless they were drunk on something. They were all slaves to something, even him." he said before coughing up some more blood. "What are you? A hero? Stop shitting me.. Even you're drunk on something. It's that girl, (Y/N) right? She's a good one, I'll give you that. I expected better than 'she had morning sickness' though. Seems like you've grown up. Just like Kuchel.." he said with a tone of sarcasm in his voice as chuckled weakly.
"How did you know about her in the first place?" I asked him. I was curious about it for a long time. "It's not very hard to get information about you. That girl, Emilia or something, she talked. Seemed like she was ready to open her legs for any Ackerman" he chuckled. I saw the light slowly leaving his eyes. "Kenny! Tell me everything you know. Why doesn't the first king want humanity to survive?" I asked him with haste. I had to get all the information I can from him before he dies. "Like I'd know. But it's the reason we Ackermans opposed him." he replied weakly. "My last name seems to be Ackerman too. You.. What were you to my mother really?" I asked him finally. I didn't know if I wanted to know the answer. He chuckled weakly at that before saying, "You idiot, I was just her brother."
That night, when I was fucking (Y/N), my mind wasn't on her. Kenny's words were clouded in my mind. He was right, she was a huge driving factor for me. Now that she's pregnant, I had to make things official at some point. The retake of wall Maria will be planned after Historia's coronation. That means, this peace won't last for long. I also knew that (Y/N) and I couldn't possibly raise a kid in the scout regiment headquarters. I didn't bother to pull out while cumming.
I lay down beside her as she snuggled next to me. We were staying at the military quarters in Orvud district. "You were distracted the whole time." she stated. "Huh?" I asked taken slightly by surprise that she noticed. "What's wrong?" she asked as she looked up at me. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it." I answered calmly. She didn't drag the matter further. Instead, she asked, "How did searching the Reiss Chapel go?". "It was alright. Kenny was still alive when we found him. Apparently he was my uncle." I answered with a monotone voice. She didn't give me any reply for that.
I liked how she never dragged any matter that I didn't want to talk about or showed any pity towards me. I heard a soft snoring a while later. She was already asleep. She did help me with my paperwork though, so, I understood why she was tired. I looked at her calm and peaceful face and made a huge decision. I had to buy an engagement ring the next day. Even if it meant that I had to give up my guarding duties during Historia's coronation.
I woke up at dawn to find a drooling (Y/N) beside me. Tch... She drooled all over me... I got up, used a handkerchief to wipe the drool off her face, closed her mouth and went to take a shower. When I was back, I found her sitting up on the bed, yawning. "How late am I?" she grunted as she rubbed her eyes. "Not too much. If you go take a shower right now, you'll be 10 minutes late" I answered as I wore the survey corps coat.
"I guess I'll skip shower then..." she started but I interjected her to say, "You're not sleeping on my bed then.". She threw a glare at me before walking into the bathroom. I went to the canteen and found my squad there. I walked up to Mikasa and said, "Oi, you're Historia's body guard today. If Erwin asks where I went to, say him that I've got some work to do and I'll join the ceremony a bit late." " Yes heichou." she answered, clearly annoyed.
I drank my tea at a separate table before it was time to go to the capital Mitras. (Y/N) just arrived in the breakfast hall as we were leaving so she just got to take a steamed potato wrapped in a paper packet before leaving with us. Mikasa and I were in Historia's carriage. (Y/N) was with the other squad members. When we reached the capital, as we were going through the market, I told Mikasa, "I'll leave now. Don't mess this up." and got off the carriage as she was saying "Yes heichou.".
I've been to this market before to get suits for myself. I walked around the place before finding the jewellery store I was looking for. I came here with Hanji before as I usually attended military charity events with her. Hanji apparently got a great deal with some earrings or whatever and grabbed me with her to pick those up just before going to the event. I entered the store and this red headed woman sat inside. She welcomed me in a bored voice, at least until she noticed who I am. "A-are you Levi Ackerman? From the scouts?" she stammered as I walked towards her.
"Yes. That's me. Anyway, do you sell rings?" I answered in a monotone voice. Tch.. Another fan girl.. "Y-yes! Of course!" she stammered again before pulling up a box of men's rings. "The one with the grey stone will match your eye..." she said dreamily but I casually told her, "I'm sorry, I was looking for engagement rings. For women.". She looked like someone punctured her balloon full of fantasies.
"Who's the lucky woman?" she asked trying to sound interested even if her voice clearly showed disapproval. "Well, it's gonna be on newspapers soon anyway." I answered calmly. I didn't want to discuss my relationship with a random woman. She pulled out a different box, filled with women's rings. I chose a simple platinum ring with a single small diamond embedded into it. I knew it would be expensive but I wanted to do something nice for (Y/N). "That would be 500 gold coins." the woman answered. I took out my purse, and gave all the coins in it to her, she used a counting machine to count the amount of gold coins there and returned the rest of the coins. She packed the ring up into a ring box and I took it and left the shop in a hurry.
(Y/N) POV
I got down from the carriage and walked towards Historia's carriage. We were inside the military police headquarters in Capital Mitras. I knew that Levi would be with Historia there however, I didn't expect him to take Mikasa with him. I saw Mikasa and Historia get down from the carriage. There was no sign of Levi. Uncle Erwin was also there, talking to Mikasa. "That's quiet irresponsible of him.. He never did anything like that before.." I overheard uncle Erwin as I approached them.
"Good that you're here (Y/N). Did Levi mention to you about any personal work that he had to go to?" Uncle Erwin asked me as I stood infront of them. "Uh, no he didn't mention anything." I answered. That must be the reason for his disappearance. What could this personal work be? "I see.. Well, I'm sure he'll be back soon." Uncle Erwin said confidently before taking Historia to meet the other commanders and the Supreme commander. Mikasa followed them as I went back to the rest of the squad. "Where's heichou?" Sasha asked me. She mostly liked me because I always gave her some of my food. She even ate half of my steamed potato this morning. "I don't know. Apparently he had some work." I muttered.
We gathered in front of the stage before the coronation started. Mikasa near the stage. Suddenly, I saw Levi walk towards her and say something to her before she walked back towards us. While Mikasa was cussing him for being late and making her do his job, I was wondering what work he went to get done. The coronation didn't take long. Erwin called Levi to talk to him about his indiscipline and the squad was in charge of being with Historia. After Historia talked to the press, we were on our way to the scout regiment branch in the capital Mitras.
"Everything happened so fast... I'll miss you guys all a lot.." Historia sighed in the carriage. Sasha started crying and talking about how Historia gave her a bread the first time they met and how she thinks Historia is a God, Connie and Jean made some awkward attempts to say that they will miss her too. Eren said that he's happy for her. Mikasa said nothing. "Oi, Historia, I have a far important duty for you than being queen." I told her amongst all the commotion. Everyone had shut their mouths after hearing the statement for obvious reasons. They probably thought I'll say something important. "Huh?" she asked, clearly confused.
"Take care of my kid when I'm out in expeditions. You could do that right?" I asked her with a straight face. "I... Of course!" she said with a surprised expression. She didn't expect me to trust her with my kid. However, knowing the type of childhood she had, I knew she would be perfect. "Oh, and don't forget about getting Sasha that buffet meal." I added. "Huhhhh?" Sasha exclaimed. "Well, you gave me that bread remember? That day when Kenny attacked us? It's just payback." I answered breaking her confusion. Yet again, Sasha started crying, and, calling me God this time while Connie muttered an "I told you that you won't regret it" to Sasha with a grin.
It took a while for Sasha to calm down. The rest of the trip was quiet. We started talking once again when we were walking in the corridor of the scout regiment branch. We could see Levi standing far from us in the same corridor. "I'll hit him today" Historia told us seriously. "Hold on, you're seriously doing it Historia?" Eren exclaimed. "Yeah I am." Historia answered trying to hide the fear in her voice. "Mikasa was just joking about it! Right, Mikasa?" Eren said with a concerned voice, clearly trying to save Historia from the possibility of getting herself killed. I was just enjoying the show just like Mikasa, who replied,
"After you smack him, tell him this.. 'I dare you to hit me back'" with a serious tone. "Try inserting some insults there too." I added to that with an equally serious tone. I really was enjoying this. "Damn you two..." Eren told us with a disapproving look before turning back to Historia and saying, "If it's not a real grudge, just forget it.". To that, Historia replied, "If I can't do this, how can I call myself queen?". Jean caught on with the amusing side of it pretty quickly and said, "Hell yeah, Historia. That's the spirit!" with an evil smile. Before we noticed it, we were already near Levi. Levi noticed us too and moved towards us.
There was a look of pure fear on Historia's face before she gave a battle cry and charged at Levi, giving him a weak punch on his biceps. Everyone except myself and Mikasa shouted out at surprise at this. Both Mikasa and I had a grin on our faces. “How’d you like that? I'm the queen! If you got a problem..." Historia's failing attempt at sounding brave was interrupted by Levi's sudden chuckle. Everyone including myself was surprised at that. Levi never smiled in front of anyone except myself. What's gotten into him? He looked at everyone and said, "Thank you... All of you." before looking at me and saying with a grin, "(Y/N), do me a favour and go to my office. There's a box with a ring on the table. Wear that and come find me at Erwin's office. We need to tell him that we are engaged.".
With that, he walked away leaving me dumbfounded. This time, everyone looked at me with surprised expressions. "Did he just propose you?" Historia asked me, clearly confused and surprised. An uncharacteristically huge smile formed on my face. "Yeah... I suppose he did..." I muttered before running off to Levi's office. "This must be the weirdest day in human history. Historia is queen, Levi heichou smiled in front of us, (Y/N) is looking like a love sick puppy..." I could hear Connie ramble in the distance.
[AUTHOR'S NOTE: I was confused about (Y/N)'s age until recently when I planned to get her pregnant. To be clear, (Y/N) is 19 years old, she will turn 20 soon and I'll write a chapter about her birthday. Levi is 30 years old, thus making an age gap of about 11 years, which is supposed to be quiet normal inside the walls because almost everything there is like medieval ages. (Y/N) joined the trainee corps at the age of 14, while wall Maria was infiltrated when she was 12. I'll write a spinoff chapter on how she spent the two years in-between.]
To be continued...
Taglist: @reality-is-often-disappointing, @kingtamakimurder
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haru-desune · 3 years
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Grimmtober Day 23: The Seven Ravens
Then she hurried away and came to the stars, and they were friendly and good to her, each one sitting on its own little chair. When the morning star arose, it gave her a chicken bone, and said, "Without that chicken bone you cannot open the glass mountain, and your brothers are inside the glass mountain."
--
This story is an ATU type 451, and it goes as follows:
A peasant had seven sons but longed most of all for a daughter. Finally, he got his wish, but the child was very frail and needed an emergency baptism. He sent one of the boys to the well to get the water and the others went with him. But as they lowered the jug into the well, it fell in, and they all stood around not knowing what to do.
Meanwhile, the father was getting impatient, fearing that the girl would die without baptism, and was convinced that the sons had forgotten their task. He cursed aloud that he wished they would all turn into ravens. That very second he heard the flapping of wings and saw seven ravens take to the sky.
The parents were regretful but couldn't take back their wish. They were consoled, however, by the daughter who grew stronger and more beautiful each day. Her parents never mentioned her brothers, and for the longest time, she did not know of their existence. Then one day she overheard some people in town saying that she was the cause of her brothers' misfortune. So she confronted her parents, and they told her the whole story.
Once she knew the truth, she decided that she could not let things stand the way they were, and decided to go rescue her brothers. So she set off walking, with only her father's ring, a loaf of bread, and a jug of water, and kept going beyond the ends of the earth, looking for someone who could help her find her brothers. She went to the sun, but it was too hot and wicked and liked to eat up little children. She went to the moon, but it was cold and wicked, and could smell her coming a mile away. So she ran to the stars who were good and kind and welcomed her.
The morning star gave her a chicken bone and told her to keep it safe for it would be the key to the glass mountain where her brothers lived. She thanked them and set off until she reached the mountain, but when she went to unlock the door, she found the chicken bone missing. She had lost the key.
But the girl didn't fret. She took a knife and cut off her finger and used that as a key instead. When she entered the mountain a dwarf came up to her and kindly asked her what she wanted. The girl replied that she was looking for her brothers the ravens. The dwarf explained that they were out, but invited her to wait for them inside.
Inside the mountain, there was a dining room with seven plates laden with food, and seven cups filled with drink. The girl took a bite from each plate and sip from each cup, dropping her father's ring into the last brother's cup.
Suddenly she heard the flap of wings and hid out of sight. The ravens entered the dining room, and each exclaimed that a little human had eaten some of their food. Then the youngest raven found the golden ring in his cup, and they realized that it must be their sister. She revealed herself, and the ravens transform back into boys. They all reunite happily and head home.
This has a similar core theme as another Grimm story The Six Swans, where a princess' six brothers are cursed to turn into swans but can be rescued if spends six years making six shirts out of nettles without making a sound, and throws the shirt over the swans they will return to their true form. She does this, and is meanwhile pursued by a king, and marries him. The queen mother doesn't like her though, and every time she gives birth to a child, the queen mother hides it away and claims the girl has killed and eaten it. Since the girl can't speak to defend herself, she is eventually sentenced to execution by being burned at the stake. However, just as the fire is about to be lit, the six years come to an end and the six swans turn up. She throws the shirts over them and they transform fully back into princes, except for the youngest prince who's left arm remains a wing, as the sister couldn't finish the sleeve of the final shirt. Finally able to explain herself, the girl tells the full story, and the queen mother is sentenced to burn in her stead.
I have a few small thoughts on this, but nothing as deep as usual:
1. It's interesting to see a story where the family has many boys but wants a girl. It's pretty rare in folk/fairy tales, which usually revolve around the sons
2. Unlike in the Six Swans, there's less urgency to the tale. Both sisters do what they have to do to save their brothers, but while the swan sister's efforts have an element of martyrdom to them, the raven sister seemed to be a more active, adventurous force.
3. A common interpretation of type 451 tales is that it's reflective of a society where most young men were drafted into the army. This left the burden of inheritance on the daughters of the family, who could be forced into unwanted marriages to secure the family name and fortune. Some analysts see these stories as a sister's wish to bring the brothers back home and free them of this control. However, this theme feels a lot clearer in the case of the Swans than in this tale imho. Also, stories of this type exist the world over even without this social connotation so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
4. I just really like the little girl in this story, she's brave but not foolish, and she gets to have her own cool little adventure... Disney you could have done this instead of whatever happened with Brave! (Could have made that entire story without the bear transformation, just saying)
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cynicalrainbows · 4 years
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Inner Voice Chapter 6
Tw for refs to emotional abuse.
**
 She waits, biting her lip, for them to shuffle uncomfortably and exchange glances, she waits for them to widen their eyes, the ‘Ohhh yes I see it now!’ moment that she’s been dreading since she met them.
What she doesn't expect is for Cathy to give a very unqueenlike snort of laughter.
 ‘Oh my GOD!’
It’s even worse than anything she could have expected from any of them, and fresh tears sting her eyes even though she’s trying desperately hard not to be so pathetic.
Anne swats her hard. ‘Cathy! For fucks sake, don’t be such a bitch!’ She moves closer to Kitty and puts a hand on her arm as Catalina shoots Cathy a look that sobers her quickly. ‘It’s ok Kit, she doesn’t mean it like that-’
‘Oh!’ Cathy’s eyes widen. ‘Oh no I didn’t- Kitty, I wasn’t laughing AT you, I swear, just- you know-’ She waves her hands expansively. ‘Snap!’
‘What?’ She’s so confused but Anna is nodding and even Anne is looking at Cathy like she’s been placated by the explanation.
‘He said exactly the same to me- to the letter, almost,’ Cathy explains. ‘You have a cruel soul, Lady Parr-’ 
Her attempt at imitating Henry is not especially skilled but it somehow makes Kitty want to flinch back all the same, and it’s only the fact that Cathy is substituting her own name that she doesn’t. 
It’s also very odd though- because Cathy’s soul could never ever be described as anything close to cruel, she knows.
 She remembers Cathy spending a whole evening patiently hunting down a spider that had gotten itself lost in the living room, both to reassure Jane and Anne that the threat of it crawling on either of them was entirely neutralised and to save the creature from being trodden on- accidentally or not.
 (Like Anne and Jane, Catalina also dislikes spiders. Unlike them, she is not too afraid to touch them and therefore tends to do so rather firmly and suddenly.) 
She hasn't spoken much to Cathy yet, she’s still awkward when the two of them are alone together, and shy of her in company…..but she knows, perhaps more strongly in this instant than in any other, that Cathy is the very furthest thing from cruel.
‘But you’re-’ It bursts out of her, but then she falters, feeling foolish.
‘What, Kitty?’
‘But you’re- lovely-’ She feels her face get hot as she says it, and she wonders if she's embarrassed Cathy too, but when she risks looking up from her lap, the girl is smiling at her warmly. 
‘You’re very sweet.’ She shrugs. ‘It’s a shame Henry wasn’t as nice as you.’
It feels funny to hear it- the idea that she, in some ways, might have been better than Henry- head of the church, head of the country, her Lord and Master. 
That he was wrong, in one way at least. 
Perhaps even in lots of ways.
‘Did he really….say those things to you?’
Cathy's face changes, she blinks.
‘Of course.’
‘Why of course? What did you do?’
‘I didn’t do anything-’ Cathy shakes her head, almost impatiently. ‘That was just what he was like.’ 
The others are nodding; Anna hums in agreement.
She feels wrong-footed: she’d expected Cathy to list some minor faults that Henry had perhaps judged her overly harshly for. She’d been prepared to explain to Cathy the difference between them.
The others are all looking at her expectantly, as if there’s been some sort of revelation made, but she just doesn’t see it: Henry may have made similar accusations to Cathy in error but that doesn’t mean that he wasn’t right about Kitty.
Catalina leans forward.
‘Kitty, it was nothing to do with you at all. Nothing to do with what you were like or not like.’
‘But he said-’ She doesn’t want to repeat it.
‘He said all kinds of things’ Anna shrugs. ‘It doesn't make them true-’
‘But he knew me, he knew what I was like-’
She can’t explain it properly- she can’t explain that Henry really was only confirming what she and everybody else had known all along, that there was something wrong with her. 
(She’d known it, felt it, since childhood, from the moment Mannox looked over at her during their third lesson and smiled hungrily at her, his tongue whetting his lips and a sort of recognition in his eyes: ‘Did you know, you’re very different from the other girls, Katherine…’ At the time, she’d thought it to be a compliment.)
Henry hadn’t been the first to see it, merely the first to put her wrongness into words.
‘And what was he like?’
Anne’s question takes her aback.
‘Henry?’
Anne nods.
 ‘Well….he was the king. He was….clever. And….handsome-’ She’d never found him so, but she’d been reminded often, by everyone it seemed, that the King in his youth had been the golden prince of Europe. ‘And- and-’
‘Was he kind?’
‘What?’
‘Did you know him to be kind, when you knew him?’ Cathy asks gently.
‘I - I don't know.’
‘So….no.’ Anne is more blunt. ‘And was he honest?’
‘Of course.’ How could the King, chosen by God, not be honest?
‘Did you know him to be honest?’ Anna presses. ‘In his dealings with people, in what you saw of how he was?’
‘Yes- I mean no, I mean-’ She falters. ‘Its different for a king-’ She tries to remember what it was that he had told her once, back in the early days when her Uncle was pleased with her and she was England’s Rose Without A Thorn. ‘He needed to be on top of everyone to keep them in line, so sometimes he had to, to test them, to trap them-’
When he had told her, she had nodded like it made sense but now she’s the one saying it, it doesn’t sound so very-
‘He wasn’t kind, Kitty. He wasn’t honest.’ 
‘But even if- even if-’ 
Even if it’s true- that doesn’t mean he wasn’t right about her.
Anne looks at her seriously. ‘Kitty. He was a cruel old man who liked to hurt people. Liked to mess with them- with their minds. He enjoyed it. Don’t tell me you didn’t notice it.’
She thinks back to Henry’s expression when he’d scold servants for things they had or hadn’t done, change his mind in the blink of an eye and then laugh at the confusion.
‘He- he said-’ She can’t remember what he said to explain it, and she’s not even sure now if it’s because she’s forgetting or if it’s because he just never attempted to justify it to her because he saw nothing wrong with it.
‘He said cruel, awful, completely untrue things to you because he wanted to hurt you,’ Anne says flatly.
Cathy nods. ‘It was nothing to do with how you were, with anything you said or did. Don’t you see Kitty, there’s no way you could have been different.’
‘But how do you know?’ She surprises herself that she can’t bring herself to reject the theory outright- as she surely should- but she can’t fully believe it either.
‘Because he said the same things to us- to all of us. Oh, of course he changed it up a bit. He said I was committing the sin of vanity, when I was unhappy that he made mock of my age with his friends.’ 
Catalina says it lightly but there’s the faintest twist to her lips and for a moment, Kitty can see the faintest shadow of a long ago humiliation.
 She would never have been able to imagine the dauntless, self-contained woman (who can be intimidating even while wearing pajamas and fluffy slippers) being hurt by anything before but now, she actually finds herself feeling a flicker of anger, mixed with sympathy. 
Catalina’s so brave, she’s so clever- how dare anyone (even a king) make her feel lesser, Kitty thinks- how dare Henry?
(She’s never really felt anger towards him before- she hasn’t let herself.)
(The sky does not fall in.)
She doesn’t say anything but perhaps her thoughts play too plainly on her face because Catalina reaches out and squeezes her hand, as if they’re friends, as if they’re on the same side.
 It feels a bit strange but there’s a little frisson of solidarity there too, a picture growing in her head of her and Catalina and Cathy and all the others on the same side.
Allies.
In all the lonely months of her marriage, in all the terrifying months of her imprisonment, even as she tortured herself over and over again by thinking of her cousin's fate, of Anna’s abandonment, she never before considered the idea that she and the other wives (just names to her, at that point, apart from Anna) had something in common.
In her own mind, they’d always been separate. Weak.
‘Oh he was excellent at pointing out what was wrong with people-’ Anna breaks in. ‘Never quite enjoyed it so much when people did it to him though, as if we just weren't supposed to notice that he was a-’ 
She visibly bites back her next words when Jane gives her a look and changes tack. ‘He couldn't bear not being seen as he was, it was pathetic really-’
‘He was too used to his golden days’ Anne adds ‘Not that he liked being seen as anything other than perfect even then, he liked having someone to blame things on. Even tiny things, like the general mood dipping, jokes falling flat….He said it was me, that I made the room darker when I came in, spoiled things, put everybody into a bad mood…’
Anne trails off and swallows, then smiles brightly. ‘Everyone said court was duller after I…..left, even historians agree, from what I've read, so it just shows how much he knew!’
‘He said I could make a holiday into a funeral’ Anna adds. ‘He said I was too dull and stupid to enjoy things, or to let other people enjoy them. Of course, I was still learning English so he probably said worse-’
‘He said I was impossible to be around, that I was incapable of just letting things be, that everybody must dread my presence because of it’ Cathy adds. ‘He said I was manipulative, that I forced everybody into having things my way with tricks and lies-’
‘Snap!’ Anne holds up a hand- Cathy high fives her reluctantly and Catalina rolls her eyes with a small smile.
It’s the strangest thing, hearing accusations that she’d considered to be her private shame from the mouths of the others.
 Stranger still is the fact that even though hearing them being said out loud makes her want to flinch and cover her ears, she can also feel the tiniest change, the start of a slow leeching of power from the words, as if part of their strength was from their secrecy….
It’s also odd to hear that the insults that she’d always imagined as being unique to her- carefully chosen to describe her personal failings and flaws- have been flung at all the others too.
‘He really was a twat, wasn’t he?’ Anna’s bluntness draws a laugh from everyone before she makes her face serious again. ‘But just because he said all that stuff- to all of us- it doesn’t make it true.’
She’s earnestly looking at Kitty as she talks, as if she’s willing her to believe her.
‘He was an evil old man-’
‘He was a total mindfuck-’
Jane doesn’t say anything- she hasn’t said a word for a while- and Kitty wonders if it’s because it’s hard for her, to hear her husband- her reportedly adoring husband- being spoken about like this.
She wonders if Jane disagrees- and the thought feels unpleasantly sharp. She finds doesn’t want Jane to agree with her, to support her in defending Henry- she doesn’t want Jane to see bad, shameful qualities in her.
But when she twists around a bit to see her face, Jane is biting her lip, her eyes suddenly a little too shiny. She doesn’t look shocked- she looks like she understands all too well what they’ve all been talking about.
When she notices Kitty watching her, she smiles, a trifle tremulously.
Catalina catches her eye and tilts her head, a silent question, and Jane shakes her own in response and turns to face Kitty.
‘You’re a good person Kitty. You’re sweet and kind and- and you shouldn’t think any differently about yourself, not for a moment. Not for a second.’
It’s like benediction.
Part of her tells her to keep arguing- it whispers that it’s wrong, it’s all wrong, that again, somehow, she’s managed to ruin things and trick them into coddling her, cosseting her, that they’ll surely be cross when they realise…..
And then Anna gives her hand a squeeze as if cutting off the thought spiral, and she blinks. 
No manipulation, no anger being stored up for later. 
Just five very earnest looking women, doing their absolute best to make her feel better, to make her feel reassured. 
To make her feel loved.
She is loved, she realises- and for the first time, the thought doesn't bring the sick feeling of guilt, of knowledge that she’s trapping yet more unwary victims….
She looks round at the others- all on her side, all looking out for her…. 
They all look so sincere. They all look as if they care so much- and maybe they do.
Maybe she can even be worthy of them.
(Maybe, says a new voice, she already is.)
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fuwafuwamedb · 4 years
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The Plight of Sigurd (Hakuno, Sigurd, Brynhild)
Once upon a time, a warrior with the heart of a dragon lived upon the earth. The heart that pounded away in his chest was strong, stronger than anything he had ever felt or seen or held. It held so very much power and capability, enough that, when the warrior found a wee wisp of a woman, filled with pale features and smelling of wildflowers and rainfall, his dragon heart spluttered away in desire.
He had to have her. He had to woo her.
It became the very breath in his lungs and the very song in his heart. His every word was curled around thoughts of her. His very actions were always, always for her.
Sigurd, the greatest fighter in all the land, the great hero and the slayer of the fierce dragon, was deeply in love.
So too was the woman who returned his gaze.
Her hand slipped into his.
The vows he gave to her were filled with youthful ignorance and mindless depths. A love everlasting, a solitary love, leaving him cold and alone without her at his side; he promised her himself to the very last moment in all of time and space. Until all would cease to exist, that was how long he would let her possess his spirit.
She promised the same and more.
Her hands pressed to him, promising understanding and patience. Such a wise thing to say, since he was a fool. She promised him encouragement and support, things his young mind scoffed at and his older mind cherished like a solitary dying flame in the midst of an ice storm.
They lived as two fools who were young and in love lived.
Gudrun gave him the partner he needed, the time he deserved with his hotheadedness. She tempered him, cooling and folding over the recklessness until he was honed into the most magnificent form of himself. He livened her night skies. He created joy in her unlike anything she had ever experienced. He kept her strategizing, thinking. Where she gave him strength, he gave her knowledge.
Knowledge, but perhaps not wisdom.
For his dragon heart was so large, so capable, that the day his friend came to him for a favor, he could not even consider the ramifications of what would occur. He welcomed the challenge to sleep with the mighty warrior Brynhild. He rushed to Gudrun, leaving his friend and king to wait as he told his sweet love of what he would do.
It was knowledgeable to allow him to tame Brynhild in disguise, to let her fall for the king. It meant that Sigurd would spend more time home. They could begin their family finally. They could look towards having more voices in their quiet home away from the world and all its struggles.
Wisdom was knowing that such a task was dangerous, evermore so for a man whose heart bled for the tiny beasts that Gudrun welcomed into their home. The man was no heartless. He could not give any bit of himself without desiring something back.
He crossed the flames.
His disguised body lay with the great Brynhild, but not for long. She murmured the wrong name to him and Sigurd, thoughtlessly, doffed his disguise. His hands grasped at the woman’s legs, bringing the truth home.
Brynhild saw but a second of the truth, thinking it a trick of the dying light of the ring of fire.
She married herself to the king as Sigurd returned home.
Yet neither lay with their spouse.
Brynhild felt something cold in the touch of the king, luring her to rebuke him. Sigurd felt a need for more, a greed that slowly built up within him with each time that his wife came to him. He vowed himself to his wife again, his heart heavy.
“My husband is the greatest warrior,” Brynhild told Gudrun one day, surveying the laundering that the two of them needed to do. “He crossed the ring of fire to get to me. He is-“
“He is a liar,” Gudrun told her simply. “It was not him, but my husband, Sigurd, that lay with you that night.”
Knowledge, while great and powerful, was nothing compared to wisdom.
For Brynhild went to her husband and spied the warrior near him, knowing Gudrun’s words to be true. Vengeance burned in her. Her weapon came to hand.
And on his way home to his wife, Sigurd felt that blade pierce him. He felt his great heart torn from his body, the sound of his wife’s cries of shock and horror filling the air as he looked up at the woman.
“I cared for you too,” he told her with his dying breath. “I cared for you as I care for Gudrun. I had told your husband that I would not hide the truth from you. I had… wanted… to tell you… Bryn.”
The woman’s scream of outrage rang through the trees. He could see the tears flow, the knowledge of her reckless anger and her rightful actions creating chaos.
Gudrun and Brynhild.
The two loves that his great dragon heart had felt, both adoring of one another; he had lost them both through such troubles.
In another life, he would only wish for one.
For Gudrun’s warmth and Brynhild’s icy love were too powerful together. They drove him to the depths of longing, leaving him to foolish mistakes and a world filled with pain and suffering.
Never again, he begged to the universe.
The universe, in its great wisdom and ever reaching limbs of generations, spat him into the world as a simple man. Perhaps, not too simple, since the memories of it all remained well in his head. He grew, much like any other man grew: books and homework, days of lounging and nights of dreaming. He donned his glasses and sipped his coffee as he stepped forth from simple learning to complex teaching.
The world tree?
Meet the world of knowledge, of sciences and mathematics. He could see the world in a grain of sand, but he could not hold anyone.
The problem from before, with a heart too deep, now felt hollow. He pressed his hand to his chest many times, trying to feel the hole, but his heart beat away. It was not missing, but something was.
That was why, when she had appeared at one of his conferences, a small one in Fuyuki, Japan, he had gone to her.
“Go away.”
“Miss.” Sigurd sat down across from her, happy that the coffee shop was slow today. “Surely an hour of your time won’t-“
The purple haired woman narrowed her gaze on him.
She clicked her tongue.
“I see the faithlessness lingering in you, foul warrior of old. A wife who loves you dearly, yet you play with another. I have no use for a second of you.”
“Hey-“
She flashed her eyes his way. “Leave!”
“I know when I have lost.”
He stood up, but the woman stood as well.
“Yes?”
“I don’t like you.”
She moved closer though, despite her words. She pressed her hand to his cheeks and brought his face closer, promising wordlessly something he had not expected.
“…I don’t like you one bit. That is why I have to do this, for the sake of others. Perhaps maybe you’ll learn, unlike the other I know.”
He opened his eyes, only to feel a shift.
The world tilted on its axis. The room around them revolving. He fell onto all fours, looking up at the woman and growling at her.
Growling?
“A CAT!” One of the coffee shop owners screeched, waving for the others. “SOMEONE GET A BROOM! HOW DID A CAT GET IN HERE!”
The witch of a woman kicked him, sending him flying towards the door. He could see paws now. He could feel his whiskers and feel the flick and swish of his tail. The woman had changed him.
How?
Who had that woman been?
A broom was coming his way. He rushed for the door, running around the feet and running. Further and further away, he went. He ran with all his might, dodging the cars and the wild world of people.
A cat.
He could not have stayed in that coffee place or even near it. The risk was too great.
The woman had been from his hotel. He’d seen her there before. If he could find his way back to that building before the woman checked out or anything.
But even thinking that brought forth chaos. A darkness loomed over his head. A dark room swept him right off the pavement, into a wall a second before steel bars slammed shut behind him. He could only glance back to see a pair of eyes look at him.
“A runaway stray? Shall we go to the pound?”
The…
No!
He yowled. He pawed. Anything and everything that he could do, he did.
The man carried him to the back of a car and whisked him off.
Darkness and the scent of sanitizer met his senses. He could hear dozens of other cats. He could hear dogs howling and barking away. The world around him had become colder than he had ever seen before. What was the Scandinavian winters compared to steel walls and metal bars? Who could ever say that the smell of piss and the feel of threadbare fabrics was ever better than fur blankets and the smell of a good fire in a hearth?
Women were… Cruel.
His luck, albeit strong, was also in faltering.
Whoever had wronged that witch before had ended up leaving the vengeance for him to suffer. Just as his king friend had left vengeance for him to feel from Brynhild. Just as the dragon had left for him to feel by making him covet and yearn so deeply.
The time slipped away.
He saw a light overhead. It drifted across the room.
Time marched forth, indifferent to the plights of mankind. Its limbs reached out further and further, tangling away amongst other limbs and twigs. He watched so many pass through the chamber, always after kittens and old, dying beasts in this room. Their eyes drifted over him. He may as well have been décor.
A few more lights flew by as days passed.
He barely opened his eyes.
He barely did much.
“Miss,” a voice called. “You don’t want that one. He’s on his last legs.”
“Why is he so filthy?”
That voice…
Soft and sweet, it flowed like honey through his mind as he heard it. She spoke so sweetly, setting off some kind of recognition in him. The voice was so familiar. It was so very familiar…
“He doesn’t groom himself. We think it may be psychological.”
“He’s depressed then?”
The voice was closer. He could feel the bars move away from his face. A hand was stroking at him, bringing him to purr without a second thought.
“You don’t seem depressed to me,” the woman murmured, “but then, who really realizes they’re depressed when they feel depressed.”
“Miss-“
“I’ll take him!”
Sigurd felt himself lifted up, pressed against a chest that was softer than anything he’d ever felt. The faint trace of wildflowers and rainfall met his senses. There were fingers stroking at his ears and head, making his purr deepen.
The voices spoke, but he could not focus.
He couldn’t focus until he felt a warm cloth wiping at his eyes. The gunk that had accumulated was done away with. He could open his eyes and see the owner of that voice. He looked up, his gaze drifting over the wee features of the wisp of a woman.
Gudrun.
His Gudrun.
The beautiful and knowledgeable woman and love of his spirit: his everlasting Gudrun.
“Do you mind if I carry him out like this?” his sweet woman asked of the people here.
“Go ahead.”
He could not look away as they stepped out of the darkness. He couldn’t breathe as the sun poured down upon the locks of brown hair and those astounding brown eyes of hers. His Gudrun had found him, rescued him even.
Had the witch sent her here?
Had she helped him to reunite with the one he had been parted from?
“Well,” Gudrun smiled down at him. “I guess this is a good time for names while we wait for the bus, isn’t it? My name is Hakuno Kishinami. And your name… How about Sigurd? I just read about one in a book and he was something else.”
You are my Gudrun. Not Hakuno.
“Listen to you meow,” the woman laughed. “You must be a fan of the name too. Sigurd it is then.”
This time he would remain with her alone. He would make up for their last life. They would do everything that they had been unable to do before.
His Gudrun…
How much his heart lightened at the sight of her, he couldn’t dare think to leave her again.
No, he never would.
The youth of his life had spoken true.
There had never been another as perfect for him as her.
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unblot · 4 years
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@tsukimyo​​:    the pain’s excruciating & it tears his body in half, metaphorically. he’s never felt an exhaustion like this, never felt the magic wane from his body like this, in his life. it’s a different type of exhaustion, however; it’s the type that comes with the blood loss, the type that comes with using one’s unique magic enough times for a second overblot, the type where one feel like their legs could possibly give out from under them. the savanaclaw dorm head stands his ground, nonetheless, with his faith in diasomnia & savanaclaw coming back to aid them acting as his pillar.
malleus is beside him, bruised & battered just as he, but he has no time to dwell on that as a terrifying yet deafening roar nearly bursts their ear drums. the monster that they had been fighting nonstop since thirty minutes ago pressing a clawed foot down roughly enough to create severe cracks in the floor. it looks like nothing leona has ever seen, fights like nothing he has ever been prepared for. but the prince is prepared to momentarily join forces with his rival, with the person he finds warmth in. so, he protects him. “malleus!” he shouts, growls even, when he uses the last of his waning strength to shove the young lord out of the way. there are claws, razor-sharp & tinged with suspicious red liquid, swiping in their direction — there’s barely any time for panic, for distractions, so he raises his voice & shouts with all his might, despite the stinging & aching pain in his chest / despite the blood that stains & streams down his visage, pools at his sides, streaks down his legs.
“i am hunger! i a—“ but he never finishes for he fails to sidestep the heavy blow from the bright-eyed fury monster. it’s a hard hit to his ribcage, causing him to see black spots & for blood to splutter past his lips as he coughs violently ( they wrack his battered form, breathing becoming heavy for him & at this point, leona wonders still if it’s worth it ) , his entire body folding over in immense pain. leona can barely move at this point, his head throbbing as if someone is driving a sword tinged with fast-acting poison through his chest o’er & o’er again. his vision slips from him fully, pain strangling him in its vice grip, before he completely falls unconscious.
      DESPITE THE INCREDIBLY DIRE SITUATION THEY’RE IN, malleus’s composure never falters. he has no fear of injury, death & he certainly has no fear of the beast before him. there’s an undeniable arrogance in that. & if malleus were a wiser man he would consider the consequences of such dangerous levels of courage. but he’s not a wise man. with all the lord’s notably exceptional qualities, he lacks something as simple as wisdom or fear. that will likely be his downfall in the end. 
      MALLEUS’ DOWNFALL COMES IN THE SHAPE OF A MAN, a handsome man with violently green eyes that rival none but his own. there’s a fierceness in those eyes now, a kind that malleus has never seen before. even in all the antagonism & anger leona has displayed to him, malleus has never seen such savagery, such desperation in the lion’s gaze. despite the fae normally enjoying the wildness of the other man, this particular look leaves him only unsettled & maybe...worried? 
      HOWEVER MALLEUS DOESN’T GET THE CHANCE to linger on whatever odd emotion he’s feeling as leona roughly shoves him out of harms way. the gesture triggers yet another incomprehensible emotion in the fae. his chest feels tight, reptilian eyes widening as leona takes the blow in his stead. malleus cries out, his voice slightly strangled as he nearly falls to the ground. ❛    kingscholar! ---    ❜  in that moment malleus briefly wonders if this is what fear feels like. 
       THE ANSWER COMES AS SWIFTLY & INTENSELY as the question prompting it, coming forth as leona crumples to the ground before him. the next few moments seem to move in slow motion, the air still & silent as malleus’ heart drums loudly in his chest. he moves without thinking, his body practically advancing on its own as he rushes to leona’s side. lithe arms encircle the lion, a fierceness of his own overtaking malleus as he shields leona in his embrace. it’s a brief moment in which his arrogance has shifted into outright foolishness, forgetting the beast, the chaos around them & everything else except for the limp body in his arms.
      ❛    WHY? KING-- LEONA...WHY DID YOU---   ❜  malleus can’t even finish his own question, stricken with anguish, fear &...something else he can’t quite describe. in the end he knows why leona took the blow for him. after all those murmured words have not left the fae’s mind ever since the lion uttered them several months prior. malleus knows & yet...he has never understood the reason behind them. that confusion has never felt stronger than at this moment, holding his unconscious lover in his arms like the hero of an ancient tragedy. why would leona ever love him? what of malleus has ever been lovable? he cannot comprehend it. could someone really sacrifice their own life for him...simply out of love? 
      LEONA HAS ALWAYS BEEN DIFFERENT FROM THE REST. he is not bound by duty or obligation to be at malleus’ side. each moment they’ve spent together has been on their own volition. & while malleus fails to understand when lust became love, he has no doubt in his mind now that leona’s love is true. he also knows that the weight of this truth is more terrifying than the beast before them & anything else malleus has ever faced. 
      MALLEUS HAS NEVER BEEN CERTAIN OF HIS HEART. he never knew how to be. things like love have never really had the opportunity to present themselves in malleus’ life. & even after leona’s love had made itself known, the prince could never find the right descriptor for how he feels in return. therefore he hasn’t brought up leona’s confession & has since pretended he never heard it. it would be cruel to lord over something so intimate over leona’s head without having a proper answer. & malleus may enjoy teasing the other but he is not cruel & never has been. 
      BUT AS HE CLUTCHES THE FALLEN LION in his arms, tears falling from his eyes unbidden, malleus wonders. is this love? is this aching pain in his chest the result of that love? it’s unlike anything he’s ever felt before, more painful & more terrifying than any physical wound the beast could’ve inflicted on him. could this be what it feels like to have loved & lost? it can’t be. not when he hasn’t been able to tell leona, to finally accept that love that had been offered to him in the warmth of leona’s bed. he can’t lose leona yet...he won’t.
      THERE’S A FLASH OF LIGHT, AN ANIMALISTIC CRY & then the moment of grief is gone, the beast lunging forth to deal a final blow to the pair of men. however the hit never comes as malleus hands --- no, his claws reach forth & take hold of the beast in a fierce grip. the fae’s vision is blurry, a sharp pain overtaking him as his body transforms before their very eyes. malleus cannot remember the last time he’d transformed from his humanoid form. he doesn’t care for how he feels as a dragon. he cannot wholly control himself nor can he maintain the raw power of his magic when in this form. & yet it was the lack of control in itself that has him shifting into his own beast. he hasn’t lost his control like this since he was a child. 
       EVEN AS MALLEUS TRANSFORMS, his body rising in the air as his wings sprout from his back, he does not release his hold on leona. in fact his grip only tightens on the lion as they both rise higher into the air. in his beastly state malleus cannot comprehend anything save for the primal need to fight & protect, along with this boiling hot anger unlike anything he’s ever felt before. green flames erupt from the dragon’s nostrils & mouth, flying through the air until it makes its mark across the other beast’s face. 
      STILL KEEPING A TIGHT HOLD ON LEONA, the monster lunges forward with an animalistic ferocity that malleus has so desperately tried to keep a lid on all these years. he can’t speak, he can’t think, he can’t do anything save for fight onward. had malleus been fully sentient at this time he would know he should still hold back. with how powerful his magic is & how unfortunately sensitive the man often can be, malleus is almost constantly at risk of overblotting. it’s only due to decades of training & control that malleus hasn’t lost himself in his own power. & in a way he does know that the path he’s headed down now in this fight will lead him down the dark path he’s dreaded all his life. but he doesn’t care. he won’t stop, can’t stop until the beast before him is vanquished. 
      IT DOESN’T TAKE LONG FOR THE BEAST TO FALL. whether it be due to the unbridled power malleus is using or simply the raw fury in his gate they will never know. what can be known is when the beast falls the fae falls shortly after, his figure shrinking until he is once again the man & not the monster. malleus can feel himself shaking as he keeps his hold on leona steady even now. behind him he can hear the sound of rushing footsteps. no doubt it’s lilia & the others returning with reinforcements. not that it’s needed anymore. the beast has fallen, nothing but a small charcoal colored cat lying unconscious in the grass. 
     ONE PAIR OF FOOTSTEPS DRAWS NEARER. malleus does not have to turn his head to know the identity of the person approaching him. the prince has known the light but purposeful strides of lilia vanrouge for practically as long as he’s been alive. a gentle hand places itself on malleus shoulder & it’s only then does the fae realize that he’s still crying. ❛    l - lilia...he saved me. please, please get him a healer. i don’t think he has much time.    ❜ 
      NOW IN THE PRESENCE OF SOMEONE HE TRUSTS, malleus finally releases his hold on leona, letting lilia take his lover somewhere safe. in the meantime he can hear the hurried footsteps of silver & sebek reaching his side. he can hear his guards’ frantic words but only faintly, as if malleus were somewhere off in the distance & far away from anyone around him. blood & tears streak his face as his vision goes in & out. he’d managed to stop before he’d reached the point of no return...but just barely. even so he had used a great deal more of his strength than he ought to in the last several minutes. this becomes evident as his own exhaustion takes hold of malleus, collapsing into the strong arms of his brother before going completely unconscious. 
when he wakes up in the infirmary, he’s relieved to find leona sleeping soundly beside him. 
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bgn846 · 4 years
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Wonder Boy FFXV Younger Clarus, Regis, and Cor
“Will you stop doing that!” Regis hissed under his breath as they walked down the corridor.
“Doing what?” Clarus asked looking behind them once more.
“Turning to look at nothing, that’s what!”
“I’m telling you he’s following me,” Clarus spit out as he resumed his pace.
“Gods, we are back to that again,” Regis groaned. “You are seeing things, you should get your eyes’ checked, old man.”
“I’m only five years older than you, so I don’t think my eyes are the issue,” Clarus grumbled as he watched Regis wave him off with a frown. Clearly the prince wasn’t interested in his plight. He was being followed, he was sure of it. “You’ll see him one of these days and then you’ll have to admit I’m not crazy.”
“Lookit, Clarus,” Regis exclaimed, throwing his hands up in frustration, “Cor the wonder boy is not following you.”
“Yes, he is.”
Regis shouted something rude at his comment and resumed walked to their next meeting.
Turning one last time Clarus was sure he’d spotted the shadow of something moving.  Torn between wanting to check, and keeping up with his charge, Clarus decided he’d rather not get yelled at by the king for abandoning his son.  Sighing in defeat he spun on his heel and ran to catch Regis.
Despite Regis’ disinterest in the matter he decided to kill the time during the next meeting by texting him unhelpful questions.  The first message had come through as they sat around the large meeting room table being ignored. They were the two youngest members in attendance, and the council never liked hearing what their teenage prince had to say. The king had been arguing with a council member for ten minutes straight, and Regis, it seemed, thought this was the perfect cover to zone out.
Reggie 3:43pm: How do you know it’s Cor?
 Clarus 3:45pm:   I saw his little beret once.
Clarus knew he’d read the message when Regis’ barely contained snort sounded nearby. Sighing at the foolishness of it all he waited to see what the prince would say this time.
Reggie 3:50pm: The crownsguard issued beret that all cadets wear? Sure that really nails down who it was -_-
Astrals, Regis was a jerk sometimes.  Rolling his eyes Clarus typed out a response.
Clarus 3:53pm: The beret I saw was on a short person. Cor is short, he’s still practically a baby.  That is how I know!
“Is everything in order?” King Mors asked pointedly, startling Clarus.  
Curse his prince! Clarus looked up to see the king glaring at him.   Damn, that question was meant for him.  Thinking fast he nodded and managed to speak without turning beat red. “Yes majesty, I was checking on a security issue. All is well.”
“Very well, let us continue.”
Clarus pocketed his phone for the remainder of the meeting.  The next time he trained with Regis he wouldn’t go easy.
--
Regis still didn’t believe that Cor was following him, but Clarus had proof now.  He’d actually seen his face twice already.  The skittish kid had locked eyes with him only to bolt a second later.  This odd behavior had been going on for nearly two weeks now and Clarus was at his wits end. He could never catch Cor, and when he went to talk with him during training the young cadet would always find a way to slip out unnoticed.    
How someone so young could be that difficult to track was a mystery. Cor was barely thirteen and had just joined the guard.  That process alone had caused controversy.  Apparently, Cor had refused to leave the signup office until he’d been admitted. The king himself had to come and talk to the youth before he was willing to go home that day.  
However, Mors must have seen something special in the kid because when Cor came back the following day to again, demand entry into the crownsguard he was allowed.  It helped that he’d dragged his mother with him the second time.  She’d signed all the needed paperwork at the insistence of her own son.  Cor was determined, that much Clarus knew.   Aside from that, the kid was an enigma.
Even the reasoning for following him was unknown.  Clarus was not about to get outsmarted by a kid. He could stage an ambush of his own.
This was how Clarus found himself, sitting in wait, behind an enormous potted plant in the corridor.  He knew Cor had to come this way when he left training.  This time he’d be the one stalking his prey!   True to any plan, nothing went his way.  Not five minutes after stationing himself in his appointed spot, did Regis show up.
“Why in the name of the astrals are you hiding behind a pot?” Regis asked with a smirk.
“Waiting for Cor, why?”
Regis sighed loudly and rolled his eyes, “You are such a dork.  You seriously think jumping out from behind a pot will give you the upper hand?”
“I tried to talk to him before and it never works.  So I’m switching my tactics.”
“By jumping ou--.”
“Yes! Shut up!  I know it’s dumb!” he hissed. “Are you going to stand there and blow my cover or are you going to help?” The prince acted all high and mighty but he did love a good game.  Clarus watched Regis feign annoyance at the whole situation, before quickly ducking down next to him. “Good now be quiet and keep an eye out for him.”
They didn’t have to wait long before the training room doors opened and cadets began piling out.  Today was an instruction day so Clarus knew none of the trainees would go to the locker room, there was no need.  Watching as the men and women filtered past Clarus couldn’t find Cor.  Had that little stinker managed to slip away again?!
Grumbling in irritation Clarus made to stand up, “Come on I give up, I guess I’ll have a shadow tracking me for the rest of my life.”
“Is that such a bad thing?” Regis questioned with a thoughtful expression.
“Well I’d be nice to talk to the kid, otherwise, the relationship is a little one-sided.”
“So now you want to get to know him better?” teased Regis.
“From what I’ve heard he’s a very promising student.  Nothing wrong with surrounding yourself with good people Regis.”
“True, true, I could always ask dad to set up a meeting for you.  I don’t think Cor could refu--.”
“Don’t do that!” a voice from behind them blurted. “I don’t wanna make the king mad at me.”
Clarus flinched, but not before Regis yelped like a little girl.   Six, he’d be teasing him about that later. Turning quickly they spotted an alert, slightly nervous-looking young man staring at them.  Cor Leonis had managed to avoid being seen and snuck up on him instead.   Maybe Mors wasn’t nuts for letting the thirteen-year-old enroll.
“Any reason you’re trying to scare me half to death?” Clarus uttered in disbelief. “I’m old kid cut me some slack.”
“You’re only twenty-three, that’s not too old,” Cor replied with a pout.
“Gee, thanks kid,” Clarus deadpanned.
“He’s old don’t let anyone tell you anything different,” Regis quipped.
“You’re only eighteen, he could call you a kid if he wanted, just like me,” Cor replied in a flash.
“Excuse me, I’m not a kid.”
“Your dad says otherwise,” Cor shot back with a knowing look.
“Enough about me!” Regis snapped. “Why are you tormenting my shield?”
This time Cor clammed up and ducked his head.
“What, no more smart things to say?”
“Highness, be nice,” Clarus sighed. “Come on I won’t be mad, why were you following me?”
Cor shrugged but still didn’t lookup.
“He’s clearly tongue-tied let's go before he finds it again,” Regis suggested as he stepped out into the hallway and straightened his vest.
“Hey! I’m not tongue-tied. I just don’t know how to ask my question,” Cor added, looking up to glare at Regis.  
“Isn’t that the meaning of tongue-tied?”
“Shut up, you’re mean.”
Clarus had no success in suppressing his laughter at the exchange.   Cor was putting Regis through his paces and it was amusing the watch. “I don’t care how you word it, but go ahead and try asking me your question,” he interrupted in hopes Cor would speak his mind.
Cor took a deep breath and leveled a look at Regis that rivaled the most beleaguered of mothers. Finally, after a few seconds, he turned to Clarus. “I wanted to know who trained you.”
“You mean to fight?” Clarus waited for a second as Cor nodded in acknowledgment. “My father trains with me along with a few other glaives. Why?”
“Can I train with you too?”
Oh, that wasn’t what Clarus had been expecting. “Uh – don’t you have trainers already?”
“Yes, but I want to train with you. You’re the shield to the future king.  If I’m to be the best then I need to train with the best.”
Any previous feelings of doubt regarding Cor’s character melted away in that instant. The kid wanted to train with him because he was the best. How could Clarus turn down a request like that? “It won’t be easy; I get tired and worn-out too.”
“I’m committed you won’t find me lacking!” Cor exclaimed.
“Hear that Regis, the kid here wants to train with me, unlike a certain prince I know.”
“Shut up, not everyone is made to be a fighter. I’m more of a thinker.”
“Is that what you do during the meetings you go to? Think?” Cor questioned.  “Cause your dad describes it differently; he said something about you needing to take your head out of--.”
“Enough!” Regis shouted. “How do you even know all of this? Do you hang out with my dad often?”
“Yeah, he’s overseeing my progress in the crownsguard program and comes to check on me. We talk about funny things. Actually, you come up pretty often.” Cor added with a smug look.
Regis merely shook his head and started walking away grumbling about disrespect.  Clarus knew that Mors was a strict father, but he also knew he loved his son.  The king wanted Regis to become a great leader one day.  Smiling at the sight of his prince sulking away Clarus looked over to Cor once more. “So you only wanted to train with me? That’s the only reason you were trailing me?”
“Yeah, I mean it’d be cool if we could be friends too.”
Chuckling at the thought of little Cor Leonis driving Regis nuts at every turn was too good to be true.  The prince needed to be put through his paces every once and a while, maybe this little kid had a bright future after all. 
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prettywordsyouleft · 4 years
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Written In The Books
trishmarieco said:
I hope I make it! I dare you to insert Jung Hae In somewhere in either 'Overruled', 'Fly Away Home' or 'The Only Choice' worlds! Congrats again sweetie!!
Pairing: Jung Haein x reader
World: Fly Away Home (read HERE)
Genre: royal au
Warnings: none
A/N: I knew when I saw this dare, I had to go back into this world. It posed a challenge since I wrote Jongin into the first one, but I think I worked around that well enough! You could probably read this without the original story but I recommend you read the first so the interactions with some characters make more sense! I have linked Fly Away Home above.
Word count: 3000
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The news had reached his kingdom; the Princess set to marry Prince Jongin was dead. If anything, the news should have come as some sort of comfort to Jongin’s eldest brother Haein, especially after the mess Jongin had caused over the past few weeks.
But it didn’t ease him any.
He mourned for her loss of life. Although he hadn’t wanted to clean up the mess of his immature brother, Haein had prepared himself for the upcoming nuptials that would join the two kingdoms politically. And unlike his brother, Haein was aware that they had relied on such a union for future trade prosperity. He now had to concern himself over how to ensure the deals given to his father would be still met.
“Have you heard brother?!” Jongin’s voice rang through the study, the man stopping just in front of the desk Haein was working from. Haein didn’t lift his head to greet him, focusing on the ledger before him instead. His sibling chuckled. “Well, everything works out for a reason! You no longer have to marry the princess of the kingdom over. Though I don’t wish anyone to die, this is wonderful for you! And I!”
“Have you no tact?”
“Whatever do you mean? I never wanted to marry her, that’s why I rushed to marry the Countess. And you said you would cover-”
“Someone has died and all you consider is how liberating this feels for you. You have no sense of responsibility whatsoever,” Haein stated, his brother now blinking rapidly. He sighed, it wasn’t the prince’s fault he had been raised with a silver spoon firmly attached in his mouth. His mother had babied him and thus he had never felt the weight of a single consequence.
Unlike Haein.
Whilst he still had his life, he felt the years of sacrifice heavy upon his shoulders. What he had given up for this kingdom, for this family, he could no longer count upon his hands. And in the face of adversity, his immature brother had married the countess to forfeit his role of becoming the new king with the princess he was arranged to marry.
At least, this was a blessing to some. Haein had been worried about the fall of this kingdom in the hands of someone who cared so little for politics and knew his advisor would have merely made him a puppet king. In the very least, Haein would have stepped up to save the fall of his people now that his father’s health was failing.
Still, it was another sacrifice.
With a hushed apology, Jongin departed the study and Haein leaned back in the chair, removing his glasses so he could pinch the bridge of his nose and release some of the tension. Haein had no idea of what would work to tie the two kingdoms together now. They needed the support from over the border and they needed it fast.
And yet, there had only been one daughter. With her passing, there was no obvious connection to be made and the deal would fall at his feet. Haein couldn’t afford this and nor could he simply sit and wait it out either.
“Where do you plan to go?” his father inquired of his eldest son, hesitant to let him leave the kingdom right now. He had begun to rely on Haein steadily as the days went by, pulling him out of his medical studies just so he could become king.
“I will set out and speak with the King myself. Surely, we can find a way to push forward with some unification.”
“He just lost his child, do you think it’s wise?”
“Stalling will only make us forgotten, my Lord.”
The king sighed heavily before nodding once. “See that you come home with something prosperous.”
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  Haein rode out the following morning, heading along the path that the Princess would have taken. He witnessed the damage in the township where the fire had broken out and after stopping to pay his respects, Haein continued with his trip to the neighbouring kingdom.
The king greeted him halfway with his convoy, fear evident in his weathered features. “Have you seen?”
“I have, My Lord. It was burned to the ground. I am terribly sorry for your loss.”
The king shook his head. “Did you see any evidence of her?”
“Well, no but-”
“Then we must search the land around it. She may still be alive.”
Despite his concerns for the elder’s denial, Haein devoted himself to supporting the king in his search for his daughter. Days passed by and there seemed to be no true sighting of the princess.
At least, that was what Haein told the King when he returned to his side later in the evening.
“Please, do not tell him I’m still alive,” she had exclaimed when Haein stumbled across a girl hiding in the woods, watching on as a man helped with the repairs of the burned village. She was desperate, her eyes pleading with Haein to not turn her into her father. He could feel the pain of her decision and with a glance in the direction of the man her eyes followed around, Haein sighed heavily.
“You sacrifice your status for love?”
“Wouldn’t you? I’m sure you wished for me to marry you but truth be told, I am in love with another.”
“I don’t actually wish to marry you,” he told the princess and she smiled lightly. “I do however need to secure trading agreements with your father. Marrying you was meant to do just that.”
“And it is not your fault I have perished. My father is a man of his word. If he offered such an agreement for our marriage, then I believe he will have no choice but to follow through.”
“Here,” Haein offered, unhooking his pouch from the side of his horse. He smiled. “You need this more than I.”
“How will I repay you?” she asked and Haein smiled, looking towards her lover once more.
“Make your life and love worth giving everything up for. We royals sacrifice a lot for others. I’m allowing you this only because I know all too well what it’s like to give up something you cherish.”
“May you be graced with the same opportunity in your life, Prince Haein,” she offered and he merely nodded, climbing aboard his horse.
Looking down at you, he grinned. “The Princess is dead. Now you can be who you wish to be.”
“Are you sure, there was no one in the forest?”
Haein smiled weakly before shaking his head. “I’m afraid not, Your Majesty. Only a wild bird flitted about in there.”
The older man nodded slowly, rubbing at his temples. “I’m afraid I will have to let that bird fly then, won’t I?”
“It seems to like where it’s found itself, yes.”
“I suppose you feel the burdens of being unwedded?”
“I just want what we agreed upon. I am willing to work for you in whatever way we must to find a happy union.”
“Come with me for the year. Your father’s health will last that long before you are crowned King, correct?”
Haein nodded. “I believe we may have as long as that before I must return. May I ask why you are taking me in?”
“You kept her safe despite having the ability to come tell me she was alive and well. You chose to sacrifice more than you needed to for a mere stranger. I like your sense of responsibility and believe you will make a fine King. Until then, I wish to return the favour you have bestowed on my little bird.”
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  Haein enjoyed his time during the neighbouring kingdom a great deal. The king had seen to it that he was immediately put into training, furthering his understanding of international trade and developing what kind of ruler he wanted to be. His own father had waited far too long to bestow Haein with such knowledge, too focused on his many wives and concubines until he realised he was coming to an end in this lifetime. The way Haein had fished their kingdom out of troubles each time over the years had been down to sheer luck most of the time and usually with a loss on his behalf.
Now, Haein was confident he could lead his people in a way that he wouldn’t need to give up what he cherished in order to do so.
Unlike the princess, and perhaps because of his observation of his father with women over the years, Haein felt free to live his life without finding love as the main goal. He had no need for it in his plans to rule, focusing on how to strengthen his people skills than marrying for any political unification.
Yet, there was one person who caught his eye more than once over the months he had been residing in this castle.
“Astronomy today, My Lord?”
Glancing up from the book he was perusing, Haein smiled at you and nodded. “Yes, I wish to learn more of the world above us.”
“May I suggest a book then?”
“I would be delighted if you did.”
With a smile, you walked over to the wall in front of him that was lined with books from the ceiling to the floor. Back home, the royal library looked nothing as grand as this, and Haein could tell you took great pride in ensuring the books housed here were well looked after. You climbed the ladder, reaching the sixth shelf for a specific book. Watching over your efforts, Haein stood immediately when it appeared you couldn’t quite reach the book from where the ladder was situated.
He smiled as he grabbed the base of it and you looked down at him. “Would you mind taking me to the left?”
“But of course,” he offered graciously, instead wheeling you to the right.
“This is not left, My Lord!”
“Oh really?” he teased, scratching at his head briefly. “Your left or my left?”
“Well, to be fair it’s the same. Your left is mine.”
“How foolish of me,” he exclaimed playfully, wheeling you around to the farthest point the ladder could go to the right. You were giggling when it stopped, soon glancing down at the man grinning up at you.
“I believe this is the wrong way.”
“Again? Oh, let me fix that.”
Haein wheeled you back to the left, smirking when your hand reached out for the book once more. Instead of stopping he continued, both of you laughing together. And then you let out a little huff of air. “I feel you may be charmed by a minx that lives in this library. Are you feeling jubilant today?”
“I feel very satisfied, yes.”
“Because you will return home soon?” you offered, this time grabbing the book as he wheeled you back. Haein stopped with the ladder, his smile fading. You descended the ladder, taking his outstretched hand when you were close enough to do so. And then you sighed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you any.”
“I am not offended. As much as I want to lead my kingdom into greatness, I cannot help but wish there was more time to stay here. My presence and status have been validated by many around me here. Back home, it’s not quite as clear cut.”
“You’ll find a way to change that.”
“Do you believe so?”
You nodded. “For a man studying the stars, if you are that interested in what exists above us at night, then I’m sure you have a greater interest in protecting those who live below it.”
“Why are you the only person who I feel gets me?”
You blushed, the faintest of red touching your cheeks. It was a pretty shade and Haein couldn’t help but reach out to touch it himself. “I’m simply a lady who is in love with books, My Lord. I do not know how to connect with others outside of this library.”
“You connect well with me in here,” he offered, uncharacteristically eying you with renewed interest. He had always believed you to be splendid, and right now he was becoming aware of just how beautiful you were up close.
Perhaps you had been all along and through the books you had offered him over his stay, slowly he had read your pages as well. He wanted this to be the chapter where he finally confessed you were someone he thought of day and night.
Yet you placed a finger to his lips, shaking your head softly. “Do not say it, please.”
“Why not?”
“Because when you leave, I’ll be left with just these books we have read together and I do not wish to taint them any further by witnessing a short bout of passion.”
“Would you not consider another library in the future?”
“Where?”
“In my kingdom. Though, you would be shocked at the state of it,” Haein admitted and your eyes widened, blinking slowly.
“You wish to take me with you?”
“No, I wish to ask you would you like to accompany me.”
“Is that not the same thing?”
Haein smiled as he shook his head. “No. Whilst my wish is for you to join me, I do not want it to be because of just my library. Therefore, I will leave the decision in your hands.”
“I am not born of noble blood for such an offer.”
“Being a certain status in society means little when the heart calls out for the other. A little bird once taught me that you can lose all that means everything to who you are as a person as long as you have affection for your companion.”
“And you would wish to raise me to your level?”
Haein smiled, leaning in. “On the contrary, I feel I have so much more to learn from you before I can meet yours.”
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  You didn’t travel with Haein when it was time for his return to his kingdom. Though you had shared many kisses together in the library, you had decided he must travel alone.
“You have a kingdom to rebuild, is that not your goal for the near future?”
“Will you watch over my progress from afar?”
“Surely, a King will have time to write of his accomplishments to a mere librarian, at least now and then.”
He leaned in to kiss you, smiling into your lips. “If you think I will not write a letter for every day we are apart, then you are in for quite the surprise.”
Once home, Haein did have to establish several new orders in the running of the kingdom. His father had held out long enough to see of his return, eager to hear of his learnings. When he realised Haein had done all that he needed and more to prepare for his crowning, the elder gave over his title to Haein. Of course, not everyone was thrilled he was back and now the king, but Haein worked hard to resolve the resentment and build prosperity in his lands.
He also kept to his promise, writing you a letter every day for a year. Yet, he had not heard from you in response for over a week now, worry taking over his mind whenever he had time to ponder over you.
“My Lord, you have an appointment now,” his advisor announced, Haein looking up from the ledger he was working on and frowned.
“Now? I was under the impression I was not needed until four today.”
“The renovations in the royal library need your approval, sir. It cannot wait.”
“Then I must see to it,” Haein agreed, pushing back his chair as he headed for the door. He made his way along the corridor to the grand staircase, in which he descended with ease, making a left turn down another hallway until he pushed through the double doors of the library. It was empty and he frowned.
“Percy, did you not say I had someone waiting for me?” he called out, unsure if his advisor had followed him or not. Haein jumped when he heard someone move in behind him, causing him to whip around hastily.
“I hear there is a position open for a librarian?”
He merely stared back at you, emotions overwhelming him the longer he took you in. You were finally here, holding a stack of his letters nonetheless. Slowly, he grinned. “Yes, I’m looking for someone who will treat my books as if they were precious individuals.”
“That sounds awfully time-consuming. Especially with the state of this place.”
“Someone organised will no doubt find the job easy to complete.”
“Does it come with many benefits? Will it be a stable position?” you continued, walking around slowly, taking in the changes he had made. Haein followed you, his heart thumping in his chest.
“I plan to marry such a person if she sees the position fit for her.”
You finally turned around, smiling warmly up at him. “I am no Queen.”
“I feel as though you have been one in my eyes long before I became King.”
“I missed you,” you mentioned, stepping closer to him. “I couldn’t take the distance any longer.”
“We never have to be apart again, if you wish for it.”
“Then I think you might have just found your perfect librarian,” you murmured right as his lips found yours, caressing you with a longing that carried you both into further kisses. And soon, those kisses turned into oaths, your life intertwining with Haein’s through marriage and helping him rule the kingdom.
He had sacrificed so much over the years, and when the princess had died, he had never thought he would be capable of having such greatness in his life afterwards. Yet here he was now with you at his side, and your first child together growing inside you.
He knew all that he had given up had led to the greatest reward.
You.
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angelkitty54 · 4 years
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Little Mermaid AU, because of no reason in particular! Inspired by the Disney version, but with a twist!
Sooo, Prompto is a merman who is fascinated about the world above the surface, but the King has forbidden contact with humans. Maybe he has like, a rare fin colour, or is just a somewhat special type of fish-man due family genetics or something. Anyway, one night curiosity gets the better of him and he investigates a ship sailing nearby.
A party is being held on board for Prince Noctis, which is what drew Prompto’s attention in the first place. And he is amazed by the festivities, but it’s Noctis himself that captures Prompto’s attention. He is utterly enthralled by by the handsome prince and, being a hopeless romantic, believes these feelings must be love at first sight.
When an unexpected storm rolls in and in the chaos, Noctis is flung overboard, nearly drowning, Prompto disobeys every law in existence and saves his life, very nearly revealing himself in the process. Noct is left bewildering by the encounter, unsure of what he saw, while Prom is left with a strong lingering desire to be with Noctis on land.
Me thinks Cindy and Aranea are maybe Prom’s friends, either fellow mer-people or actual fish, and they are very much the voice of reason, trying to warn Prom off his foolish and dangerous behaviours.
Prom, fed up with being told he’s being naive for loving a human, and a complete stranger at that, runs away and is found by the sea witch Ardyn. He offers Prompto a deal, he’ll turn him into a human in exchange for his voice, but in order to remain human he must receive a kiss of true love within 3 days, or he’ll turn back into a merman and will then belong to Ardyn.
Blinded by his emotions, Prompto foolishly takes the deal, entirely unaware that Ardyn has given him an impossible task. Ardyn wants to use Prompto, as either an ingredient for or something, or maybe he just wants to own him because reasons (haven’t decided yet). He’s been waiting for an opportunity like this to come up, and knows for certain that Prompto will fail to get a kiss of true love, because his “prince charming” already has a true love.
The party Prom had witnessed was in fact Noct’s bachelor party and he is to marry his beloved Lunafreya in 3 days. Ardyn is fully away of these circumstances, Prompto, with his lack of knowledge on human culture and society, is completely in the dark.
Cindy and Aranea find Prom and help him to the surface. Naturally they’re worried sick and scold him for his foolishness. But seeing no way to reverse the spell, and knowing it’s unlikely Ardyn will undo it and let them go, they agree to help him as best they can.
It’s surprisingly easy to find Noctis, who recognises Prompto as the stranger who rescued him from drowning a couple of days ago. Though he could have sworn Prompto had a fish tail... it must have been his imagination after all.
Seeing as Prom is clearly in need of help, what with being naked, mute, and unable to walk properly, he takes him home. Ignis and Gladio are suspicious of Prom, but they’re trusting Noct’s judgement for now, especially since Noct isn’t one to trust easily.
Noct has been kind of a nervous wreck lately. What with being anxious over the wedding, and oh god, what if he messes everything up!? And then there’s the fact that Luna was supposed to have arrived already, but her voyage was delayed due to bad weather, and what if something bad has happened to her?
Prompto’s arrival is a welcome distraction, even if he is really weird. Like, really weird... Still Noct doesn’t have many friends his age and has a lot of fun hanging out with him, despite not knowing his name or really being able to communicate properly with.
Meanwhile, Prompto finds himself being kinda disappointed that Noct isn’t the suave prince charming character he had imagined him to be. Oh, he’s still a great guy, it’s just... he’d been picturing something else... Instead of taking this as the sign it is, he shoves down his doubt and proceeds to try and court Noctis.
Of course, merpeople and humans have different courting rituals, and Prom comes across as just a little touchy feely, and just plain strange. All of his attempts to woo Noct fly straight over everyone’s heads. But Prom misreads many situations, such as when when Prom sees people dancing and mistakes it for a courting dance, and drags Noct into dancing with him.
By the end of the second day Prompto is thinking things are going well between them, but is all too aware of the looming deadline. Whereas Noctis is totally unaware that Prompto has any romantic feelings for him whatsoever, and is just having fun hanging out with a friend in between the wedding preparations.
Me thinks a “Kiss the Girl” scene occurs where Aranea and Cindy help set the scene for Prompto to make his move and get his kiss. Except, he gets a little too excited and accidentally capsizes the boat blowing his chance. Ardyn is content to do nothing but watch as he knows that it wouldn’t have matter if Prompto got his kiss, for it wouldn’t have been the kiss of true love that Prompto needed.
Late that night while Prompto is sound asleep, Luna finally arrives safe and sound. The next morning Ignis wakes Prompto and mentions the wedding, and that Noct wants to talk to him. Though Prom doesn’t know what a wedding is, he concludes that it must be part of human courting rituals and that Noct must have been impressed by him even with yesterdays blunder!
Having hyped himself up, he rushes to meet Noct, only to find him sharing a kiss with Luna. Noct then happily introduces Luna to Prompto, who thanks him for saving her fiance’s life, and asks Prompto to attend the wedding. The couple are whisked away for final wedding preparations before Prompto can shake himself out of his shocked state.
Prompto finally realises the gravity of his decisions and is forced to face the consequences. Seeing the way Noct looks at Luna and how he has never looked at Prom that way forces him to see that he’d been mistaken this whole time. He finally understands what Cindy and Aranea were saying about how foolish he was being, claiming to be in love with someone he knew nothing about or who knew anything about him.
Cindy suggests that if all they need is a true loves kiss it doesn’t have to be Noctis, right? Problem is they don’t have enough time, with only a few hours left before he changes back and Ardyn comes to claim him. Meanwhile Noct and the others are entirely unaware of Prom’s situation, but he’s worried about how strange Prom is acting. More so than usual that is.
Though the magic of true love is beyond Prompto’s grasp, perhaps the power of friendship will prevail against Ardyn’s evil plot!
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7deadlycinderellas · 4 years
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if the summer of our lives could just come again, ch27
Ao3 link
  Winterfell
Benjen ends up back at Winterfell a week after the wedding.
His face is scarred deeply, his lips torn to bits by his brothers in black’s attempts to remove the perverse stitching job. It hurts him to talk.
The only words he gets out are “they’re coming.”
Ned shushes him.
“We know.”
Shireen pushes him a stack of papers and a pen.
“Don’t talk if it hurts.”
She sits with him for several hours, over steaming mugs of broth. She writes down near every word.
Benjen carries a letter from Stannis, calling for aid. The wall may soon be overwhelmed, he says. Wights attack day after day, night after night, piling themselves upon each other to try and break the stronghold down.
He has used one of the caches of wildfire Sansa sent. He says it lit part of the forest on fire, and kept the dead at bay for most of the next day and night.
But that was only one point in the whole wall.  
Ned called the banners, like he had said, immediately following the wedding. Representatives have appeared slowly, too slowly he thinks, but at least they’ve come.
He addresses his bannermen over a map of the north. He sighs deeply
“Each house will send aid, but most of our forces should remain in their keeps, for the time. If our intelligence is correct, and the wall falls, we will spread our forces in a straight line across the north. Right now, our immediate priority is to begin immediate evacuations.
“There is room for the listed numbers of non-combatant women on Bear Island,” Robb explains. Robb has escaped from his wedding night with only a black eye, and the Stark’s bannermen look to him as much as Ned.
Robb nods towards Maege Mormont for confirmation. The lady had arrived with her three eldest daughters; Dacey, Alysanne, Jorelle and had left the island in the hands of the younger two; Lyra and Lyanna.
“More than capable of keeping the women of the north safe,” Maege assures, with a stature imposing enough to back up her words, and question whether she would have ever needed protection herself. The arrangement had been Sansa’s suggestion, thinking that many of the women who were not willing to learn to fight in the previous years might feel more comfortable under the protection of other women.
While the decision making is going on, Benjen’s followed Shireen’s lead and ended up in the library, with her, Jon, and Bran.
He notes the sky, growing darker gray by the day, through the tiny window. He looks around, at the tall shelves and winding staircases.
“I haven’t been here in years,” he admits, “Even before I took the black, I was never one for books.”
While Shireen takes down his words, Bran lays out what he’s been doing with the ravens.
“I sent Una to Castle Black, Dosa to Eastwatch, and Tresn to the Shadow Tower. Quatri’s in the mountains to the west, Quinta to the east of the Kingsroad. Sexen I sent to King’s Landing, and Septima along with Theon to Dragonstone. When the wall falls to the dead, we’ll know. If either the Dragon queen or the Lannisters decide it would be a good idea to sneak up on us in the middle, we’ll know too.”
Benjen looks at Bran with a steady eye. True, he had known he would not find the same eager child as he had known the last time he’d visited home but…
“The story all of you have spun is unbelievable...As is the fact that you’ve spent years knowing this was coming and not having lost your minds.”
“I really do agree,” Shireen interrupts, pausing her writing. She has done her best to hold herself apart from what the others have told her of her demise. She tries to focus on the fact that she’s come past it, gone beyond it, but sometimes it still creeps back in. Sometimes in her dreams, she swears she can still smell the fire, hear the screams from her own throat.
Bran laughs to himself.
“It’s all we can do.”
He tries not to think too much of what it would have been like if this had all happened and it turned out that nothing could be changed at all. That they would have all been forced to watch as those they loved died around them regardless of their foreknowledge. Bran shudders at the thought of feeling the raven’s visions take over his mind again.
Once he’s done, he tells Benjen that Jon had wanted to meet him in the Godswood once he was free, and left for the training yard.
At some point, Sansa has left the group planning strategy in the Great Hall, and sits along one of the posts in the training yard with her bow across her lap, watching the others train in spite of the snow. Bran joins her.
Arya, Meera and Brienne are taking turns switching off with weapons. They aren’t taking up much space. Most of the yard is being taken up by Val and Ygritte running through the Free Folk women and children who have made their way to Winterfell. From children barely old enough to learn their letters, to women old enough to wed, they show what they can do with a spear or bow or axe. Val and Ygritte are rather ruthlessly tagging those who need to evacuate with the group the next morning.
“It won’t do any good if you stay if you can’t fight,” Val insists slowly, “You may think you’re being brave, but all that will happen if you die, is you’ll become one of them. A mindless, ice blooded, blue eyed abomination who could be responsible for the deaths of your friends and family.”
Ygritte doesn’t add anything, but if any of the children try to mouth off, she will go into details on the ones she picked off over the wall. How they barely even looked human anymore and seemed to be able to stand up and shake off near anything. She has lots of these stories.
“Just watching from the sidelines today?” Bran asks Sansa.
Sansa laughs softly.
“I’m going to be evacuating anyway, not right away, I’ll wait until the last group out of Winterfell...but it was foolish to think I was ever going to be a soldier.”
“No one ever thought you would be a soldier,” Bran insists, “Very few here are. But we all understood your reasons for joining with the rest of us. Human monsters are different from ones from Old Nan’s stories.”
Bran’s quiet for a moment. He watches the women spar. Meera catches his eye for a moment, and Bran feels the back of his neck go red. Sansa pretends not to notice.
“I’m not staying either,” he admits, “I’ll leave when you do. I’m a hundred times better a fighter than I was...but I can’t run away. If someone corners me, I’m a goner. Like you, I’m not a soldier.”
Sansa gazes upwards at the sky. It’s dark gray, it’s been that way for over a week now. It seems to be getting darker, like the very weather knows what’s to come. Or maybe they just weren’t paying attention the first time.
She turns her eyes back to the training yard, and squints,
“Where did Arya go?”
“Gendry came out a second ago, said something and they went back towards the smithy.”
What Gendry had come to tell her was that he’d finished with the set of chainmail he’d made for her.
“I’m going to make the other ladies at the training yard so jealous,” she tells him while pulling it into place.
“I’ve got more punched out,” he tells her, “Mail’s easier to make from approximate measurements. If there’s gaps in plate armor, it’s worthless. I’ve got another hauberk I made for Meera when I made yours, but she didn’t want it.”
“She doesn’t like mail,” Arya comments, “Says arrows can break straight through it. Prefers leather.”
“Well thankfully,” Gendry replies, patting her shoulders and planting a kiss on her, “We have most of the arrows.”
Arya’s quiet for too long, and she shakes her head, darkness behind her eyes. Gendry’s hands have moved to her cheeks, concerned, and she indulges herself by kissing him full on the mouth, tongue slipping between his lips.
This is what Sansa gets a glimpse of, before turning at the door and leaving. She can talk to Arya later.
It would be a lie to say she doesn’t feel a twist of envy in her chest. She seems to feel this twist nearly everywhere she goes now. The impending darkness is making the people of Winterfell cling to each other. Ned and Catelyn seem to have somehow, silently mended their fences. Meera had made an offhand comment that Summer wouldn’t leave her be nowadays, making her ears grow pink. Even Val seems to have settled in. Sansa had overheard her speaking to some of the other Free Folk women and had heard a snippet of ‘Didn’t know southern boys had it in ‘em!’.
She thinks to the letter she sent with Theon, and wonders if there’s any chance for her to find someone to cling to, even if it’s later, among the ashes.
When she needs a moment to distract herself, she finds herself seeking out Brienne.
“Lady Sansa” she greets her every time, even in defiance of Sansa’s laughing that it was unnecessary.
Sansa looks at her for a bit before speaking.
“You seem to be taking this all quite well.”
“All what, my lady?”
Sansa’s mouth puckers. She would think she was being mocked if that was so incredibly unlike Brienne.
“You follow us here, to a place you’ve never been before, and we’re all going on about fighting a war against the dead, and you don’t bat a single eye.”
Brienne shrugs. She’s so tall, that in armor even her shrugs have a note of intimidation, well, they would if it weren’t for the entirely innocent look on her face.
“As sworn shield, it is my duty to defend Lady Shireen, whether it be from nursery tale monsters or ordinary men. In my experience, there’s not always a difference.”
True enough. She continues,
“And it doesn’t matter much if I believe it or not. They’ll come or not regardless.”
Sansa studies Brienne. Even before, she had been the picture of loyalty, in face of incredible odds.
“Lady Shireen is quite sensible,” Sansa comments, “Protecting her shouldn’t give you too much trouble.”
She lets the silence sit between them heavy for a bit.
“You were the truest knight I ever met before,” she tells Brienne quietly.
Brienne’s response is halting,
“My lady, I-”
Sansa shushes her.
“You were. Both by the technical definition, and in every word you spoke and every step you walked. You were brave and honorable, and always defended those who needed you.”
How foolish her younger self would have thought her. Admiring a   plain faced women who wore armor and carried a sword, who was often seen in the company of Jamie Lannister at that. But Sansa has known enough false knights to know the value of a true one. Sansa’s word speaks the truth.
“And if you’re willing to stay here and fight with us, then the north will be in your debt.”
 Dragonstone
Danaerys Targaryen is an impressive figure. Head held high, surrounded by her attendants as she walks towards the castle off her dragon.
Tyrion’s heard the stories, if only second hand from Varys. Of how she walked into the fire and remained unscathed, bring forth three baby dragons. Of her purchase and freeing of the Unsullied, of her takeover of Slaver’s Bay, and renaming it.
They’re great stories.
Despite this, most of what Tyrion can think when he sees her is, “She’s barely more than a girl.”
A girl who managed all of that, though. And with the flying figures behind her on the water, makes the stories easy to believe.
Once they sit at the table and begin to talk things out, the situation grows hair.
“You’re only allies here, present company excluded,” Varys points out, “Are a population known entirely as raiders and pirates. You’re combined forces could probably take Storm’s End, and secure this keep, if nature did not decide to keep you out. But beyond these borders, you will be met with hostility and a great deal of military might.”
Hostility, Tyrion thinks, in the form of his own family. He wonders if the punishment for a traitor is as harsh as that for a kinslayer.
The arguments over the table go back and forth and Tyrion feels like he spends a part of every day glancing over his shoulder, and the horizon, for whatever is going to ambush them, and crush this whole thing in one blow.
Somehow the only thing that comes over the horizon is a merchant’s boat, carrying Theon Greyjoy.
The young man has not changed physically much since Tyrion had seen him last at Winterfell, but given that their meeting does not involve a single dwarf joke, he supposes he must have matured some.
Watching the lad reunite with his older sister is the greatest entertainment Tyrion has had in years though. Between Theon’s exclamations that Yara used to resemble a fat little boy, and that despite her age, Yara could still overpower him with an expert knuckle burn, Tyrion sips his wine and just watches. There’s shades there of his relationships with his own brother and sister, unmarred by years of bad faith.
But Theon does not just bring news of the north, nor did he come to bend the knee in their stead.
“I come to inform you,” he begins in a voice that is half dead serious, half seriously practiced, “that the north is currently in heavy preparation for an incoming invasion from the far north...of creatures from stories. Of the dead, risen from the earth at the hands of creatures like men with skin of ice.”
Yara howls from her spot at the table.
“Are there grumkins too?”
Theon looks like he’s fighting the urge to stick his tongue out at her.
“Nearly seven years ago, three of the younger Stark children...transformed. They began to speak of things that had not happened yet, including the coming of these creatures. I watched this happen, and I watched as Wildlings began to flee south of the wall in increasing numbers...and began to speak of the exact same things the Starks were.”
Tyrion’s mind begins to prickle when Theon’s story continues. It was strange enough, having the story dropped on him in the form of a rambling letter and a single personal secret, but for someone who saw the Starks everyday, it must have been so much worse.
Danaerys interrupts him for a moment,
“I’m afraid I’m not sure what your story is getting at...rather than bending the knee, the Starks are requesting my aid. If this is true, I would ask why this is a more pressing concern than retaking the throne that is my birthright.”
Theon nods, ever so slightly. He speaks a bit about the other things the younger Starks had warned them of, of the treacherous state of the politics of King’s Landing. But he ends the discussion with,
“Because if the Others get past the north, then the whole realm is in danger.”
This is completely true. Tyrion never paid the most attention to old nurse stories, but he remembered the tale of the Long Night.
Danaerys seems to be thinking about it, when Varys interrupts.
“If I may, your grace? The seven kingdoms may not be the most welcoming to a Targaryen seeking to regain her throne. But one who swooped in with three dragons during an unexpected war against beings who are- remind me Greyjoy? Vulnerable to fire-”
Theon nods.
“It may become easy to spin you as a war hero. One who returns home to Westeros after becoming known for ending slavery. These are the sorts of things the smallfolk could get behind.”
Danaerys seems to be considering this proposal. While the discussion continues, Tyrion excuses himself and finds Theon does as well.
When they are out of earshot, he hands Tyrion a thick letter.
“This was given to me under pain of death if I so much as glanced at it.”
Tyrion turns it over, finding Sansa’s neat hand on the envelope.
“To be frank,” Theon starts, “If Sansa has any goodwill towards you after her...last life, I say take it. Those years ago I watched her transform from a silly, empty headed little girl into possibly the most cynical woman I have ever met. Sometimes I-”
Theon rubs the back of his neck self-consciously.
“Sometimes I catch her, or one of the others looking at me. Sometimes they look frightened, but sometimes they look...like they’re expecting me to act a certain way, and when I don’t they’re...disappointed, but not surprised. If she still holds in any esteem, I’d count yourself lucky.”
Tyrion mulls over his words for the rest of the night, and doesn’t pull out the letter until it’s late and he’s sure he’s alone.
The handwriting is neat, and the salutation formal. After that, the tone degrades quickly.
 I’m sorry for leaving you the way we did. It was cruel to do so. Soemtimes I feel I’ve forgotten how not to be cruel.
 I suppose you’ve surmised the truth from my blathering before we parted. When I was fourteen, the two of us were forced to marry, your father’s work, in an attempt to keep hold of the north. Despite the situation, you tried so hard to never upset me, to never hurt me. You will probably insist that that’s not much, but at the time, it felt like everything. During that period of my first life, I didn’t get kindness from many people, and every little bit of it is precious to me. You would shake me off, I know. Sometimes it hurts to know how little you think of yourself.
 In the past few years, I feel like the two of us could at least call ourselves friends. Some might say that’s a poor basis for a relationship, but given the disasters I’ve seen, I think it’s better than most. I’m saying this, mostly because I think there’s a very good chance one or both of us could perish in the coming war, and I had to at least try.
 I’m not sure if I would even know what love is anymore. I’m not sure I would recognize it. But if we manage to both survive all of this, the dragons and the others and the fire and blood...then I’d like to see if we could find it. The both of us.
Tyrion stares at the paper, and then tucks it away.
The next day, Danaerys decides that she should fly north with one of her dragons, to at least see what’s happening in the north.
 The Wall
Stannis had sent for aid. He sent it to every fucking house in Westeros.
The northern houses had responded, even if in such meager numbers.
But at least they had responded.
“More are attacking the gate,” a greenboy tells him,
“Then hold it. Don’t let it fall. If it falls, this will all be for naught.”
Many at the wall have fled. Those who remain are the most devoted, or the most desperate. Those with the least hope for their lives.
Stannis can’t stop to think that they are fighting dead men. They are merely the enemy, attacking the wall that must stand. They will fight until they cannot. He spares a thought to Shireen, hoping that she is still safe in Winterfell. He does not spare one for Selyse, though he assumes the other Baratheon men must have helped her flee when he ordered them away. Perhaps that god that she's begun to speak of little more than will give her some comfort.
The sky is dark gray, carrying with it the blizzard that should slow down the impending army, but instead is just making it worse.
There’s an explosion somewhere. There is only one cache of wildfire left. As many as they seem to burn, there are always more.
“Take the last, run for the Last Hearth. Come back with anyone you can find,” Stannis orders, “The wall cannot fall.”
The sound of the flames cackling among the snow reaches his ears. The sound of screams too, human and beast both. He tightens his hand around his sword.
Stannis has spent his whole life thinking of his duty. Perhaps, in this moment, he can call upon his house’s words. Ours is the fury.
There’s thumping sounds, and metal scraping, and screaming. Stannis readies himself. He will lead his men, he will be among the first in the fray.
The nightswatchmen he sent to the Last Hearth does not desert. He gathers everyone he can find, and they race back to the Shadow Tower.
They find it fallen, the gate broken through, litrered with blood and bits of bodies, burned. And the man finds Stannis Baratheon, dutiful to his last breath. They find him at the mouth of the gate, completely still, his limbs twisted and broken. They say a blessing. And then he screams.
The fire of nightswatchman’s torch is enough this time.
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nastybuckybarnes · 5 years
Text
A Broken Fairytale  -  Four
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Pairing: Prince!Bucky x Reader AU
Summary: Sold by your mother, you work as a servant for the King and Queen of Acadia. The Prince, much to his initial dismay, takes a liking to you. When a wicked woman intervenes, your life is nothing more than a prison sentence. With a war on the horizon and a betrothal to a missing Princess that he can’t escape, Bucky is forced to be the Prince -and King- that his father wants. A pawn in a bigger game than the two of you realize.
Warnings: Angst, Language (Maybe), Fluff (Squint for it)
Word Count: 5K
A/N: Now we’re getting somewhere. Plz enjoy dis
SERIES MASTERLIST MASTERLIST UNEDITED CAUSE IM A SILLY GOOSE
~*~
“Rumour has it you’re going to the ball tomorrow night in a new fancy dress, as Prince Steve’s personal guest.” You find yourself smiling as you polish the marble floors. May stands a few feet away, cleaning the large stained-glass windows.
“He insisted. Taught me to dance too.” She laughs softly. “Mary showed me the gown. It's beautiful. I can hardly wait to see what it looks like on you.” You giggle, “she hasn’t let me allowed me near it. I can only imagine what it looks like. I’ve been dreaming about it for days.” You sigh wistfully. “You didn’t hear it from me, but Prince Steve has gotten you some jewelry and lip rouge as well. Oh, you’ll so beautiful. I just hope you and Wanda don’t get too comfortable out there with all those dukes and duchesses and princesses and princes.”
You turn to her with a soft smile, “never.”
~
“Goodness, Steven. Your skills are... incredible. Truly. This is really just... utterly exquisite,” Queen Winifred whispers. Steve chuckles nervously and scratches the nape of his neck. “Well... I’ve recently found some inspiration.” He flips to the first sketch of you and his aunt and mother both gasp.
“That’s... (Y/n). The new one. Such a beauty,” Sara whispers while admiring the detailed sketch. Steve’s managed to catch every perfection. “She’ll be my guest tomorrow night. After all the hardships she’s been forced to endure in her life, a night of the finer things is the least I can offer her. She deserves it.”
Sara smiles at her son, “do you fancy her?” He chuckles and shakes his head. “No mother. Although she’s beautiful and smart with a kind heart and a good spirit, I fancy a different dame.”
Queen Winifred laughs gently while Sara ponders something.
“What is it, mother?” She looks up then sighs. “It’s foolish, but... the princess of Corona was taken as a baby nearly nineteen years ago. (Y/n), who is quite possibly from Corona, is almost nineteen. She was adopted as an infant by a wicked and cruel woman who might even be the type to kidnap a child in order to get her way. Perhaps?” Steve’s eyes widen at his mother’s suggestion.
“You think... you think (Y/n) is the lost Princess of Corona?” Queen Winifred thinks about this for a moment. “It is a possibility, but why then would Lady Griffon willingly give her to us? That seems counter-productive. If her goal is to stop the marriage.”
“Well, she sold (Y/n) as a servant girl, giving the impression that she isn’t who she truly is?” Sara purses her lips at her son's suggestion then nods. “I don’t think we should rule out her being the lost princess. Her locket is made out of silver which is quite common amongst the wealthy and royal in Corona. And it seems to be enchanted, which isn’t uncommon in our neighbouring kingdom,” Steve says.
“I want you to find out every little thing you can about her. And this shall stay between the three of us. No one else is to hear a breath about our theories. If (Y/n) is indeed the Princess, then I fear she may be in danger even here,” the Queen says sternly.
As the other two are nodding the door to Steve’s study gets pushed open.
“There you are, Steve. Mother, Aunt Sara.” Bucky bows quickly to the two women.
“My, what have we here?” The young prince looks at the sketch, his eyebrows raising. “This is (Y/n), correct?” Steve nods. “Your skills have certainly improved, punk,” Bucky teases while looking at the other drawings of you. “You fancy her, don’t you?” Steve simply rolls his eyes. “She provided inspiration. Innocence and beauty all encompassed in one.” Bucky nods, deep in thought.8
“Well, I suppose we’ll take our leave now,” Winifred says before walking out of the room with Sara right behind her.
“These are actually magnificent, Steve. Unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Would... can...” He groans as his cousin laughs at his flustered state.
“What? Would you like one? Or two perhaps? Maybe the entire sketchbook? I thought appreciating her beauty would do no one any good or whatever stupid excuse you spewed.” Bucky punches his shoulder.
“Quit being a punk. I just want one.” Steve smirks but carefully pulls out one of the finer sketches of you and hands it to his cousin. “It’s all yours. Do with it what you’d like, just don’t tell me what you’re doing.” Bucky punches him again and Steve snickers to himself.
The brunet holds the paper with a gentle hand, admiring the way you look in the picture. Beauty and innocence, just as Steve said.
~
“Okay... almost finished... just one last finishing flower...” Mary trails off and you twiddle your thumbs nervously as Wanda continues covering your eyes while Mary pulls on the gown clinging to your figure. “Okay, I’m gonna put your mask on and a tad bit of lip rouge. Then you’ll be ready.” You fight a smile as Wanda lifts her hands, only for a smooth cool fabric to take their place.
“Oh, you look like an Angel right out of heaven! Now, a teeny tiny bit of lip rouge, not too much because we don’t want to take away from the entire ensemble. Pucker your lips a tad, darling.” You do as she asks and jump slightly as you feel something waxy on your lips.
“Alright dear. You can look now.” You snap your eyes open and spin around in your new flats.
Your jaw drops as you see yourself in the mirror.
The gown is incredible. With a dark blue-grey chest, a navy blue bow cinching your waist and making you look curvier. The skirt is made of a lovely pink fabric, covered in a navy chiffon-type fabric. It has small fabric flowers and gems decorating it, but not too many. The mask is the same pink as the gown, however, it has gold trim and some embellishments in the same colour, as well as a little bow and some lace.
You look... stunning. Like royalty.
“Wow. You look beautiful.” You look to the voice and smile. “Thank you, Pietro. You look quite handsome.” He chuckles then walks to his sister, who looks absolutely gorgeous in a floor-length, figure-hugging red velvet dress. Her mask matches her dress and her hair is flowing down her back.
“Steve asked me to escort you to the ball. He’ll meet you there for a dance.” You smile lightly. “So you’ll be escorting not one beautiful woman but two to the Queen's masquerade ball? Will you dance with us both?” Wanda teases. Her outfit matches her brothers and you can’t help but smile at that.
“I do plan on dancing with both of you at some point tonight, however, I think Steve craves the first dance with you, (Y/n).” You smile timidly and Wanda giggles, “does he fancy her, do you think?” You shake your head furiously, “Steve and I are just friends. Nothing more.” Wanda smirks deviously at you.
“You don’t fancy Steve... what about Prince James? Do you fancy him? You have been looking at him quite often ever since he ran into in the library. When the two of you talked for quite some time.” You shake your head again, “I hardly know him, Wanda. How could I possibly fancy someone I know nothing about?” She shrugs, a sly smile still plastered on her face.
“Then why are you fiddling so much? And why do you always fiddle when he comes up in conversation?” She motions to where your fingers are playing with a bead on your dress. “You like his royal stiffness? Pain-in-the-ass Prince James? Bitchy Bucky?” You glare at the twins. “No. I don’t. And even if I did, it wouldn’t be your concern and it wouldn’t matter anyway. He's royalty, and I’m not.” Pietro gingerly links his arm through yours.
“You could be a Princess. There’s something... regal and royal about you. You should be wearing a crown, not scrubbing the floors.” You smile gently up at him. “I should be here with Wanda and May. If I were born royal then I might not have met you or any of my friends. I like who I am.” He smiles and presses a kiss to your cheek.
“Now, we should be going. I can hear music and laughter already,” Wanda says while taking her brother’s other arm. Pietro escorts the two of you to the ball, smiling as he meets up with Sam, Nat, and Clint.
“I see you’ve already taken (Y/n) for yourself,” Sam says, looking you up and down. “You look like royalty. You’ll make visiting Princesses jealous.” You laugh softly, “thank you, Sam.” He smiles and offers you his arm.
After a glance to Pietro, an eye roll and a nod given, you let go of his arm and take Sam’s.
“Steve’ll be arriving shortly, along with Bucky, the King, the Queen, and Lady Sara,” Sam informs as you reach the ballroom doors. You nod, your jaw almost dropping as you enter the ballroom.
It’s filled with people -men and women- dressed to the nines in clothes that cost more than you’ll make in your entire lifetime.
“Incredible, isn’t it?” Nat asks while coming up beside you in a light green dress with a mask to match. “It’s... intimidating if I’m being honest.” Natasha rests a hand on your shoulder.
“You look like you belong here. Even if you feel like you don’t, you look like you do, so act like it. No one will know anything that’s true or not.” You smile at her words and take a big breath in. Squaring your shoulders you raise your head and walk with Sam into the room.
The people you pass stop their conversations and stare at you as Sam leads you to the centre of the room right across from a large staircase.
Conversations hardly have time to grow before a horn sounds loudly, gathering everyone’s attention.
“May I present Lady Sara, Her Majesty Queen Winifred, and his Majesty King George.” The royal family walks down the stairs as graceful as swans with their chins held up high and smiles on their faces.
“Wow. (Y/n) you look... incredible.” You smile shyly up at the man speaking, having recognized his voice. “Thank you, your highness.” Sam snickers while Steve rolls his eyes.
“Now, I must steal you from Sam. May I?” Sam places your hand in Steves and you find yourself giggling as Steve walks you deeper into the room.
“Mary absolutely outdid herself,” Steve says while admiring your gown and mask. “She did. You look rather dashing yourself.” His cheeks flush and he looks down while chuckling.
He’s wearing a well-tailored grey suit and a matching mask. The suit hugs his body perfectly and the mask brings out the vibrant blue in his eyes. And of course, there’s a lovely silver crown sitting atop his blond hair.
He smiles at you then takes a small half-step away from you as the band starts playing again.
“(Y/n), may I be the first of many men to ask tonight, if I may have the honour of this dance?” You beam up at him.”Of course, Steve.” He takes your hand in his and places his other hand on your waist. You bring your free hand up to his shoulder and start dancing with him.
People around you mumble and whisper. as Steve dances you around the floor.
“They’re wondering who you are. They know who I am, but no one knows the Princess I’m dancing with,” he whispers, the cool fabric of his mask brushing against your cheek. You look down, away from the curious and envious eyes of the upper-class men and women.
“They’re making me quite nervous,” you reply softly, grinning as he chuckles.
“Well, I doubt any of them know who you are. So what they think doesn’t matter anyway.” You nod, trying to let his words ease your nerves.
The song comes to a close and Steve sighs.
“Excuse me,” a smooth voice says, “but may I?”
You look up at the man and smile awkwardly as he takes Steve’s place. A new song starts and you dance with him, feeling exceptionally nervous.
“I don’t think I’ve ever met you,” he says after a moment, his brown eyes warm and filled with wonder. “You haven’t. This is the first ball I’ve ever attended.”  He spins you then nods. “You’re stunning. Have you any suitors? Husbands?” You shake your head no. “None at all.” He smiles, “what a shame for them. I’d like-” a hand is on his shoulder, stopping him from dancing with you.
“May I cut in?” That voice makes butterflies swarm in your stomach. “Of course, your highness.” The man disappears and Prince James takes his place, one of his hands fitting perfectly in yours while the other rests comfortably on the curve of your waist.
He starts leading you in a dance, keeping your body close to his.
“You look ravishing,” he whispers, his thumb rubbing on your hip. “Why thank you, your majesty.” He smiles, his hand slowly moving around your waist.
“Do you have a name?” You grin as you realize he doesn’t know who you are, a wave of confidence washing over you.
“I do have a name.” He chuckles and pulls you closer to his warm body. “May I be so bold as to ask what it is?” You pull your bottom lip between your teeth, trying - and failing- to contain your smile. “Maybe. But do you deserve to know?” You’re honestly not sure where this much confidence comes from, but you’re liking it more than you want to admit.
“I think I do. But let’s say, for argument's sake, that I don’t deserve to know. What could I do to change that?” You slowly look up, your eyes lingering on his pink lips before moving up to his stormy orbs.
“I suppose I’ll have to think about that,” you whisper. His eyes flash down to your lips and you can’t help but lick them/ His fingers flex on your waist and you smile, watching as his eyes meet yours again. “Please do.”
The two of you dance in silence for a few minutes before he chuckles. “What?” You ask, smiling slightly, “do I amuse you?” He shakes his head and sighs heavily.
“You’ve bewitched me. Your voice... your beauty... like nothing I’ve ever experienced in all of my years. Have you and suitors?”
You swear your jaw drops.
“Forgive me, Prince James, but are you not betrothed? To the Princess of Corona?” He shakes his head and looks deep into your eyes. “I do not wish to marry someone who I know nothing about.” You find yourself giggling softly.
“And what do you know about me?” He looks down, seemingly shy. “I know that you’re like no woman I’ve ever met before. I know that I know nothing about you when I’d really just like to know everything. I know that not a day will pass where I don’t think of you. You’ll be in my every dream ‘till the day I die.”
You can’t seem to find any words.
“I’ll ask my father and yours if I can court you. If you’d give me the opportunity, of course.” You’re shocked, to put it lightly. “I-I can’t. You’re betrothed. I couldn’t interfere with that. I’m sorry, Prince James, but I cannot.”
You break away from him and hurry out of the ballroom, desperate to breathe. You remove your mask and lean against the wall, trying desperately to catch your breath.
“You weren’t sold to go to balls and celebrations as a guest,” an all-too-familiar voice says. You straighten up and look at the woman.
“Step-mother,” you begin, “I was invited. By Prince Steve-” a slap to the face cuts you off and you gasp, tears pricking your eyes. “You won’t speak of the Princes! You are filth!” She raises her hand to strike you again and you squeeze your eyes shut, waiting for the pain.
When it never comes, you open your eyes.
Steve’s holding your step-mothers wrist and another woman is rushing over to your side, giving little thought to her expensive gown as she slides down to the floor beside you.
“Guards!” Steve calls, “escort Lady Griffon and her daughters out of here. Don’t make a scene about it either.” You watch as the woman who raised you gets escorted out of the palace that has recently become your home.
“Are you alright, child?” The woman beside you asks, her voice gentle and soft. “Yes, I-I believe I am. Thank you.” She smiles and lightly places her hand on your shoulder. “(Y/n) I’m so sorry,” Steve says. You wave off his apology and take a deep breath, trying to calm down.
“Queen Valerie, thank you for letting me know. (Y/n), this is Queen Valerie of Corona. Queen Valerie, this is (Y/n). A very close friend of mine.” You look at the woman beside you and scramble to your feet, only to bow before her. “Y-your Highness.” She shakes her head and stands up, “no need for that. You’re sure you’re alright?” You nod your head yes then clear your throat.
“I... I’m going to retire to my chambers. Thank you for inviting me, Steve. Queen Valerie, I hope you enjoy the rest of the night.” They nod and watch as you hurry up a flight of stairs.
“Where’s she from?” Queen Valerie asks while Steve’s escorting her back to the ballroom.
“We’re not sure. She was adopted by Lady Griffon as a baby. She has a locket that seems to be enchanted from Corona so we do believe she may be from there. How she ended up here, I know not. Perhaps you have an idea?” The Queen on his arm clutches her necklace tightly.
“I mustn’t let myself hope,” she whispers softly, letting go of Steve’s arm and heading back to find her husband, leaving the young prince confused out of his wits.
~
“Mother, Father, I need your help!” Bucky exclaims, walking to where his parents are seated. “What is it, my son?” Winifred asks concern lacing her voice.
“A dame, beautiful as a sunrise. I want to court her. She’s...” He trails off while looking around, trying to find you.
“My son, you know you are to be marred. There’s no way you could court her. What is her name?” Bucky stares at the door where he saw you last.
“I don’t know. But mother, her voice was that of an angel. Her eyes sparkled brighter than diamonds. Her smile... I have no words to describe her beauty.”
Winifred sighs and takes her sons hand. “If everything fails with Corona, then you may court the girl. Is she a Duchess? Or perhaps a Princess?” Bucky sighs and shrugs his shoulders.
“She was dancing with the Duke of Winchester,” King George chimes in, looking around the room.
“I’ll ask him!” Bucky practically runs through the crowd.
“You shouldn't give him hope, George. He’s betrothed. You know he’s meant to marry the Princess of Corona,” Winifred scolds. “Let the boy have his fun. He knows his responsibilities. And if we go to war with Corona, he’ll have this Duchess or Princess or whoever she is. You’ll get a grandchild or two and James will get a strong heir to the throne.” The Queen sighs at her husband and watches as her son talks to the Duke.
“I found her dancing with Prince Steve. A beautiful one, she is. I plan to court her, as soon as I figure out who her father is.” Bucky clenches his hands into fists and smiles tightly at the Duke before setting off to find his cousin.
“Steve! Who were you dancing with?” The blond looks up, slightly startled. “Who?” Bucky groans at his cousin’s response. “She was wearing pink. Her eyes, they’re beautiful and (e/c). She was... a dream.”
Steve raises his eyebrows and chuckles. “You mean (Y/n)?” Bucky freezes, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. “(Y/)? Like... servant girl (Y/n)?” Steve nods slowly and Bucky curses. “Why? Is something wrong?” Bucky pulls Steve into the hallway and looks around to make sure they’re alone, then he rips his mask off and tosses it aside.
“She’s. stunning. Beautiful and witty. I asked if I could court her. But she’s not of noble blood. Fuck. What do I do?” Steve pats his cousin's shoulder.
“Talk to her. You don’t need to formally court her. Does your mother know that you fancy her?” He asks. “Yes, but she reminded me of my betrothal when I spoke of her.” Steve snickers despite his cousin’s glare.
“Winifred knew that was (Y/n). I had her help me design the dress.” Bucky chuckles at this, his anger momentarily forgotten. “Of course she did. She enjoys seeing me in pain.” Steve sighs and looks towards the staircase where you disappeared to. “Lady Griffon was here. She got mad and struck (Y/n). I had the vile woman escorted out and (Y/n) went to her chambers. You should go check on her.” Bucky looks at his cousin as if he’d grown a second head.
“Lady Griffon Struck (Y/n)?” Steve nods, “go see if she’s alright.” I’ll cover for you.” Bucky nods before he can think too hard about it. His feet bring him through the Palace and up the stairs until he’s outside of your room.
He knocks twice then slowly pushes the door open, looking around the room for you. Humming from the bathroom gets his attention and he realizes you must be bathing.
Just as he’s about to turn and leave, you walk out of the bathroom. Bucky’s frozen, staring at you and you’re frozen, staring at him.
You're wrapped in a thin towel, water dripping down your skin and pooling at your feet.
“Your Highness. W-what are you doing in here?” He doesn’t answer, too busy staring at your body. You shift nervously and his eyes snap up to yours. “Why didn’t you tell me it was you?”
You swallow hard and hold the towel tighter around your body.
“I… I didn’t want to ruin the fantasy.”
He walks towards you and you back up, gasping as your back hits the wall.
“You’re a fantasy? A dream? No, you’re much more than that.” He cages you against the wall between his strong arms and stares in your eyes.
“W-what do you mean? What do you want from me?” He closes his eyes for a moment before cracking a half-smile. “I told you,” he whispers, “I want to court you.” You cast your eyes down, shaking your head at him.
“I met Queen Valerie. You’re betrothed to her daughter. I don’t want to interfere,” you breathe.
He carefully lifts your chin, forcing you to meet his gaze.
“Tell me you feel nothing. Tell me you don’t want me the way I want you. Tell me that honestly and I’ll leave you be.” You shake your head and close your eyes tightly.
“I’d be lying.”
Those three words are all it takes for his control to shatter.
His hands grip your waist through the towel, holding you tightly as he presses his chest against yours. You pull in a shaky breath, your palms hesitantly resting on his shoulders.
“May I touch you?” You nod breathlessly, gasping as he tugs the towel down a tad. His right-hand cups your cheek while his left ventures beneath the towel, finding your damp skin.
“Someone could come in,” you whisper, head tilting back and eyes staying closed as his lips ghost over your neck.
“Let them,” he murmurs, gently nipping your neck as his left-hand curls around your back under your towel.
You shiver, arching up into him at the foreign feeling of his warm skin on your own. “James.” Your voice is a soft whisper and the Prince grins, his right hand leaving your cheek to pull your towel down a bit more.
“I want you, (Y/n).” You whimper softly, your fingers raking through his soft brown hair. “You’re all I want. Screw my betrothal.” The mention of his betrothal brings you back to reality and you push him off of you.
“This… this isn’t right,” you whisper while pulling the towel tighter around your body.
“Yes. This is right. This is so so right.” He leans down and kisses your lips almost roughly.
“James. James stop,” you mumble against his lips.
He doesn’t stop.
“Stop! Get off of me!” You exclaim, shoving him off of you as hard as you can.
“(Y/n) I-“ “Get out. Get out!”
He looks shocked and reaches out for you.
“Get out now.”
You move under his arm and across the room, eyes staying focused on the Prince.
“(Y/n) please. Just let me-“ “No! You’re to be married and I’m of poor blood! Please, just leave.” Your hands start to tremble as anxiety floods your body.
The Prince turns and leaves without another word, his heart aching and his stomach churning.
~
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