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championofsanghelios · 4 years

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Personal AU Story - “Home”

A little story from my Sidlink archives. Again this one is set in an AU. There will be some TL:DR and notes at the end, so scroll down if you wanna understand what's going on here.

This was written by me, remember...so expect the usual errors, typos and word bugs (bzz.)

|HOME|

It was one of those rare moments where Link could be at peace. He couldn't actively recall the last time he'd been able to relax and let loose, which said a great deal for his lifestyle. Having the entirety of Time itself under ones charge tended to be a little taxing on occasion.

Whenever he had moments like this he'd come back here, to the Zora's Domain, a place he called home, a place he truly felt safe enough in to relax. Somewhere he could just be himself, no Inheritor, no grandeur, no nothing. One of his favorite things to do upon returning and catching up with everyone there was to take a swim in the thermal baths in the guards barracks. These pools were unique in that their inflow systems directly connected to the Domain's heat springs, sourced from Mount Lanayru, a network of channels that ran across the entire region, heated by the very molten innards of Solae itself.

This allowed for the installment of a vent regulator system, a small valve on the end of the pool which allow whoever was using it to adjust the heat levels from freezing cold to considerably hot. Link's personal preference was cold initially, with the gradual increase of temperature as he swam, relinquishing himself of any pent-up energy that remained in his bones.

By the end of it, he was usually exhausted to enough to retire to his room and collapse into his bed, which after the recent period away from it all, was a prospect he found too tempting to pass up on.

However as he's preparing to haul himself out of the waters and dry off, he's interrupted by the sound of the barracks door in the other room opening up. He doesn't bat an eye-lid to this, it was probably one of the Guards returning from their assigned post, or a shift-change in progress...usual business.

Which means it's no surprise...that he's surprised...when a familiar voice calls to him from the rooms entrance. So startles him does it that he lets out a near squeal, leaping up from where he is sitting and clambering to fetch the Master Sword which is laying among his personal effects.

All it takes is one glance however to realize who it is and that he really shouldn't be afraid at all. Sidon filled the opening in the door, wearing his full royal regalia, minus his crown, which according to him was "a dreadful thing, all spiky and weighted." It also had a habit of giving him headaches, something which in Zora was more pronounced and extreme than in their Hylian counterparts...something about their brains being wired differently

The King let's out a hearty laugh at the look he receives, which is one of both relief and irritation. "That has to be the best one I've heard come out of you yet."

Pushing himself away from the door frame, he walks over to him, taking in his form and scent with a deep breath through his gills. "I see you've taken a liking to this place..."

"I like the thermal regulation." Link says, placing the Master Sword down next to his armor, which had been dumped rather hap-hazard on the floor near the wall. "Loosens up the limbs...and the core."

His hand runs over his abdomen as he speaks, something that Sidon can't help but observe as well. "You've gotten thinner."

"I've always been thin." Link sighs, looking down at himself. The only thing he was wearing were his shorts, those old, but very durable shorts that clung to him tightly. "Part of the problem with having your processes time-locked is that it's difficult to put on any real weight...or bulk up or anything like that."

He looks up at the King, pointing at him. "I sometimes wish I could have muscular structure like you do...but it's far from the realms of possibility."

"Then just remove the time-lock." Sidon says, stepping closer to him, his large hand coming to rest on his arm, it left arm, it was a subconscious movement, they'd not seen each other in quite some time...it had been a couple of months for him, but Usurper knows how long it had been for Link.

He never showed any signs of age, or wear...even if it was blatantly obvious. Link was able to integrate right back into the world like he was gone. At first this was a confusing and at times infuriating quirk about their relationship...particularly for Sidon who needed him around, despite always insisting that he could come and go as he pleased...so long as he stayed alive. It was a mutual agreement.

Link would head out for a while, do his job as the Inheritor, then return to the Domain for a few weeks and just...be himself. No worries, No stresses, No nothing. It was an arrangement that, so far, worked and Sidon looked forwards to their time together increasingly each time.

Link also needed Sidon too. Life as a Time traveler was a hectic and at times hard existence. So the option of coming back to something stable, and normal was a real help. Sidon didn't know it, but Link looked forwards to these moments just as much as he did, if not more...they restored normalcy to his life and added contrast. Nothing was more relieving and cathartic than saving all of creation for the billionth time only to head home and crawl into the arms of his King, his worrisome, adorkable fish husband. It was what he lived to do.

Which is precisely why after a moments silence, the Inheritor closes the gap between them and practically jumps into his arms, wrapping his arms around him and hugging him as best he can, despite their size difference.

"Oh I've missed you..." Link says into his chest, he would have fallen asleep here if he wanted too, but he needed to get his stuff over to his room before he did that. "...you have no idea how much I've been looking forward to this."

"Me too." Sidon beams, holding onto him as if he would drop to the ground when he let go. "It's been a quiet old place without you around...most boring."

"I think I might stick around a little longer this time." Link glances up at him. "And I really mean it...I-...well I need a break."

"Give it 2 weeks, you'll be practically clawing at the walls." Sidon shakes his head with a chuckle. "Stay as long as you wish, husband...it's your choice."

SOME TIME LATER

"...and that's not discounting the Lynel ambush we had in the forests of the Central Plains." Prince Akau says with a sigh, taking a drink from his goblet. "If it hadn't been for Emmet and his quick thinking, we'd all be dead."

"You boys took on 3 Lynel?" Link raises an eyebrow across the dinner-table, currently the middle of eating a bowl of something he couldn't pronounce the name of properly, only that it was amazing and he could eat it forever. He glances at Sidon who is at the head of the table, listening intently and nursing a full belly of steamed salmon. "Seriously?"

"Yes, he has the scars on his chest to show for it." the King nods. "He left a boy and came back a man."

"Says you." Akau snorts, placing his goblet down and sitting forwards. "I still don't believe there could have been an Oktoroc that big..."

"One of these days I'll have your father take you back to that day and show you in person." Sidon let's out a quiet belch, covering his mouth with his left hand as to hide it some. "You wouldn't be so incredulous then would you?"

"We've already been back there twice." Link shakes his head. "It's unlikely I could even find us a good vantage point."

"It's amazing." Sidon can't help but smile at his current thought. "I was fighting that thing to the death, completely oblivious that my future husband and myself were watching from a distance and loving every second of it...twice might I add."

He looks at Link fondly. "To think it was you...of all the people I met."

"Ghirahim once told me that people who are destined or fated to meet, shall." Link finishes the contents of his bowl, dropping the silver spoon into it and sitting back on his chair. "I guess you could call it a matter of fate, huh?"

"The best kind of fate there is..." Sidon says, his eyes flitting over him for a second. "I can't imagine knowing you and not falling in love with you."

"I once visited a timeline where you were never born..." Link shrugs. "It was just Mipha and your Father...it just felt off, really off."

"I hope to one day travel time." Akau says across from him. "I wonder what it's like."

"It's great." Link smiles, genuinely, warmly. "It's so...wonderful and exciting..."

His smile fades however as the reality hits him. "...but it's also a terrible burden...a responsibility that if abused, could spell disaster for everyone and everything that has ever lived."

"Will I be your Inheritor?" Akau asks next, something that seems to grab the attention of the King who looked like he was about to doze off. "Will I claim that blade when you are gone?"

"I don't know..." Link shakes his head, he was being truthful when he said that. There was no way of telling who would come after him. If it would be Akau, or anyone. It wasn't his place to know. "The Sword doesn't have the final say anymore thanks to 'Dorf...I guess we'll see when I die."

"That's unlikely to happen anytime soon." Sidon shuffles on his chair.

"You never know." Link looks his way. "I could die tomorrow."

"No." Sidon shakes his head quickly. "You're not going to die before me..."

"Me too." Akau adds. "It's unlikely I'll ever see that Sword in my hand..."

"Really?" Link suddenly stands up, walking across the room to the door, which he'd left the Sword of Time sitting by, along with the Master Sword. He picks it up in it's scabbard and paces over to where he's sitting.

Turning it in his hands, he holds it out for him to take. "Let's see if it would accept you then."

"Seriously?" Akau glances at the blade, then to the King who nods his head encouragingly. Taking the scabbard from Link he places his hand around the hilt and pulls the blade out fast. It was light in his hand and seemed to resonate with his touch. "Whoa...it's lighter than it looks."

"No." Link shakes his head. "It's not light at all...it's just light for you."

"For me?" Akau looks along the length of the blade. He'd seen his Father using it before, creating portals that led to Usurper knows where, and he'd always wondered how it worked, how it charged up and what use it had outside of time-travel. "What do you mean?"

"It sees you as an ally." Link explains, gesturing to blade. "It recognizes my blood within you...and it accepts you as one of it's wielders. Just like it does Sidon, Ganondorf, Zelda...and others."

"But not it's Master...right?" Sidon asks, a knowing smile on his face. "It doesn't recognize anyone as it's Master but-"

Akau gasps as Link raises his hand, the Sword of Time flies out of his hand and he catches it by the hilt mid-way. "Good Goddess above."

"No." Link does the same with the scabbard, to Akau's increasing wonder and amusement. He slots the blade back into it's scabbard before tossing it over his shoulder onto his back. "That title is reserved for I, and I alone."

It had been too long since Link felt like this. Since he could just let go and come apart without any feeling of guilt or burden. Many of the people he'd met in his travels had commented about his inability to relax, or indulge in himself, in his own desires and needs...and they had a point...he really did find it hard, namely because he believed his job came first. He was their protector, their guardian, their servant. What he wanted and needed wasn't important when time and history itself was at stake...

...this was one of the many reasons why he looked so much forward to coming home, to spending time at the Domain with his family and his friends. He had a chance to stop playing the role of the hero, the role of the ancient traveler who stopped horrible events from claiming everything, and just be...Link.

Sidon was one of his biggest comforts. He'd always been like this, from the moment they met on that bridge so long ago to right now in this very moment. Gentle, Tender...and oh so soft.

Despite popular belief about Zora scales, Sidon wasn't nearly as tough and "sharp" as many would claim him to be. If anything he was much softer, smoother, and oh so warm. Sure he was "a fish" but he was warm-blooded, and that made snuggling such a delight.

It was a strange juxtaposition. Often it felt to Link like he was holding onto the world and everything in it, hugging it close and keeping everyone who inhabited it comforted and reassured. Telling them it would be okay, even when he wasn't sure if it would be...telling them that time moved on and losses, though not forgotten, got easier and wounds healed.

But here he was, in the worlds arms. Sidon was one of the most important things in his life, he was his world...and there weren't enough words in the common vernacular to describe just how much he adored him. He often got misty eyed just thinking about how much he cherished him, and felt cherished in return whenever he came home.

Sidon was like a love-sponge. He'd soak up all of his affection and pent-up need and become all water-logged and dredged. Only to need one squeeze, or in Link's case a cuddle, for everything to come flooding back out, but ten-fold.

He wasn't aware of what brought them together, but whatever it was, be it fate, divine intervention, coincidence or just luck, something Link rarely believed in, there was no denying that Sidon was the best thing that ever happened to him. He found a companion in him, a friend, a confidant, a lover and later...a husband and King in...he was perfect.

"...I like this." Sidon says after a long silence. "I love these moments. You and me, and the stars."

He says this as he looks out of the Kings suite onto the mountain landscapes that encompass the entire Domain. In his previous room, now Akau's, he hadn't been able to see the skies, but up here in what was originally his Father's suite, everything could be seen.

Link was laying atop him, mainly across his chest, with his head resting in the crook of his neck. This is often how their nights of reunion and love-making ended, with the two of them just laying in the water...sleeping off their exhaustion.

At some point Link would be moved, as almost every time he would awaken the next morning, he'd be in the bed just across the room. Sidon always took care of him, and preferred to tuck him where he would be warm, rather than let him catch a chill in the pool. Not that he could given just how warm they were right now.

"You said you were going to stay a little longer this time..." Sidon comments, reaching up, his large hand running through the Inheritor's hair. "Is there any particular reason why?"

"No..." Link replies, or moreover drones into his neck. He turns his head slightly opening his eyes and looking out over the balconies ahead at the starry sky above the mountains. "I just think I should stick around longer..."

"You think?" Sidon asks next, his hand slipping down to his back.

"Sometimes you just need to stop running, you know?" Link says, taking in a deep breath which turns to a yawn half-way. "...I think now would be a good time for that...I want to do it...I...I need to do it."

"It would be nice to have you back...as I've said." the King smiles at the thought, with Link around more he'd be able to involve him more in the day to day running of the Domain. "But you don't have to be bound here. It's your choice."

"No..." Link shifts a little, looking up at him. "I mean it. I want to stick around some more. Spend time with you, Akau and...everyone else."

"Okay..." Sidon's smile widens to a grin. "I'd like that, Link."

"Yeah..." Link lowers his head, kissing him on the neck. "...me too."

...

TL:DR

LINK WANTS TO TAKE A BREAK FROM BEING INHERITOR TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH HIS FAMILY BACK AT THE DOMAIN. SIDON IS VERY HAPPY ABOUT THIS, AKAU TOO.

NOTES AND OTHER STUFF

This story takes place some centuries after the birth of Prince Akau, Sidon and Link's Son, who has now, much like his Father before him, embraced and taken on the role of Crown Prince.

In this story, Sidon has been King of Zorana for a while, and he and Link are married. This takes place after a major incident in my personal story-arc called "the Resurrection". (Perhaps I'll explain later, for now just know that time has passed and things are slightly different now.)

The Sword of Time, I've mentioned this before. But to give you a basic run down of it. It's a blade that was once weilded by the Hero of Time. When Link became his Inheritor, he was given the blade, along with the responsibilities of keeping the timelines of Solae safe and protected.

Solae is the name of the world that the events of the Legend of Zelda take place on. This not an official canon, just one I made up for my own world. It gives a name to the place they inhabit, and opens the way for other worlds and such.

(Side Note: I have a map of the entire land-mass of Solae, including the Kingdoms of Hyrule, Termina, Ardenfall and others. I'll see about posting it at a later date.)

Link and Sidon HAVE DEFINITELY traveled through time in the past. I like to think they have done this several times, namely for romantic purposes.

Akau MAY or MAY NOT be Link's successor as the Inheritor of Time. It all depends on where the story goes. I've not actually written that far yet.

There's a mention of the Sword Demon Ghirahim in there at one point. He plays a key-part in my AU versions of the Linked Universe characters. (Again, I'll get to that another time.)

#sidlink #legend of zelda #botw au #prince sidon #link and sidon are married in the future #prince akau (oc)#references to other characters and ocs #family #link is a time travelling elf-boi

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hopecountysfavhoe · 3 years

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‘Cold’ Chapter 12

Word Count: 3,908

Rating: 18+

It had been hours since Jacob had shut the door to the Deputy's room and he hadn't heard a damn thing. It was like the Deputy was actually capable of being quiet. It would have been nice if it was so unsettling. Jacob left two of his hunters in charge of the room, ordering them not to open it for anybody but himself, and went back to his room for the night. He didn't sleep, he rarely does, but he did get some more work done.

The next morning when Jacob went back to the room his hunters were still standing guard. He asked them if the Deputy had tried anything but they shook their heads. "She was quiet all night sir." One of them reported and Jacob nodded.

"You can go now." He waved them off and sat down in his chair again. Quiet all night...that didn't sound like the Deputy, even if she was in pain. He tried to come up with different reasons for the Deputy's silence but couldn't settle on a satisfying answer.

Maybe she had decided to join them? It seemed unlikely but still possible. Jacob decided to go have a chat with her himself to find out. Jacob got out of his seat and walked over to the door, pausing before he twisted the handle.

When Jacob opened the door he was met with more silence. "Good morning, Deputy. Made up your mind yet?" He greeted her and closed the door again.

The Deputy didn't respond, instead staying silent. "Not that I don't enjoy the peace and quiet, but this really isn't like you." He said, trying to provoke some sort of reaction.

Nothing he did made her breath a word. Jacob walked over to her, squinting through the darkness to try and see her face. Though disfigured he could see that her eyes were closed but it didn't look like she was asleep. She still made the pained groan when she breathed, more of a reaction to her breaths than her actually saying anything.

Jacob knelt by her bedside, studying her to see if she was 'ok'. "Deputy? Can you hear me?" He asked, nudging her shoulder with his hand.

The Deputy made a strange noise, like her voice died in her throat before she could get a word out. Her head turned to the sound of his voice and her eye opened. Though her gaze was unfocused and weak she still looked into Jacob's eyes.

"...Pratt?" Her voice was barely a whisper. "Is...is that you?"

She thought Jacob was Pratt? Maybe all of that pain was messing with her head. Regardless, Jacob could use this to his advantage if he played this right.

So, with all of the Pratt-ness he could muster, Jacob leaned in closer. "Are you ok?" He asked, trying to make his voice even a little similar to Pratt's.

"He's gonna...he's gonna kill me, Staci." The Deputy let out a tear and turned her head back to the ceiling.

It had been since they were stuck in that cabin together that Jacob had remembered how sincerely scared the Deputy could sound. "He's not going to kill you, he's trying to make you strong. If you're strong then you can survive." Jacob assured her but the Deputy shook her head as gently as she could.

"He is going to...going to kill me." Her voice shook as she confided in her 'friend'. "Klaus...he told me...that he wouldn't hurt me, but he did. Jacob says he won't kill me...but he's lying. You know he's a liar, right?"

Her words washed over Jacob like a massive wave. The Deputy truly believed that he was going to kill her. Well if the past has been any sort of guide then Jacob was sure she'd think like that, but the trials are to make her strong and his men made the call to beat her, not Jacob. Still, Jacob didn't want her to think that. He was convinced that Joseph would allow him to let her go now that he knew she wouldn't join them.

Wait, let her go? What was Jacob thinking? This was the Deputy, she wouldn't let this go. She'd hunt down every last one of his hunters and kill anyone that got in her way. Maybe he should kill her, just to put her out of her misery. But if he did kill her then he'd be proving her right.

What a fucked up situation Jacob was stuck in.

"Staci you have to kill me." The Deputy said with a sudden clarity.

"What?" Jacob asked astonished.

"You have to kill me, please this pain...it's fucking with me...I can't handle this. I'm gonna...I'm gonna lose it if I stay this way. I can feel it...please. Just end it...if you're my friend then just end it." The Deputy begged, the painful inhale of her breaths sharpening from her talking.

"I'm not going to kill you." Jacob tried to mimic Pratt's voice. "I can't kill you. If you just agree to help them then Jacob will give you morphine-"

"If you won't then I will." The Deputy put a hard edge on her trembling voice.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'll handle it, just leave me something." Jacob took a step back, now he was really worried. The pain had gotten to her to the point where she would rather kill herself than let Jacob help her.

"I'm not letting you." Jacob said in his Pratt voice.

"This...this isn't me asking. This is me begging you. Please...it's just a trigger pull." The Deputy was convincing but there was no way in Hell he was going to just kill her like that.

"No."

"Maybe Jacob was right...you are strong now. You would have never...never been able to say no like that before..." The Deputy's voice faltered. Her head lulled to the side and Jacob could see her closed eyes.

"Deputy?" Jacob edged closer to her, kneeling down again. "Deputy?" He pressed his fingers into her neck to feel for a pulse. It was there but it was weak. She must have passed out from the pain.

He pulled his fingers away from her neck and studied her. Jacob had killed people before, a lot of people. Although his men did most of the killings, he was the one that ordered them to. But with the Deputy, he had no idea what was wrong with him. He hated to see her in pain, he hated to think that she hated him, he hated the idea of having to kill her. He wanted to protect her from the Collapse and from anyone that wanted to hurt her. What was so special about some angry, annoying Deputy that kept screwing with his plans?

Then it occurred to him. He'd felt this way since they got off of the mountain. He'd been paying extra attention to her and her injuries after he saw how fragile she was. That trip and those nights, they were some of the most normal nights he'd had in years. Maybe he could have gotten the Deputy to come over to their side if he hadn't of locked that goddamn door...

The Deputy was dying in front of him and everything in his body fought that. Finally he cursed and got out a medikit and pulled out the morphine. Even if she wasn't going to join them (which Jacob still thought could be possible) he'd be damned if he was just going to let her die.

He found a vein and stabbed the needle in, making sure she didn't move her arm while he gave her the painkiller. He pulled out the depleted needle and cursed himself. What he just did could have killed the Project, by not killing the Deputy he put everything at risk. But the feeling of remorse in his stomach was fading away, instead being replaced by anger towards himself.

"Fuck, why can't I just let you die?" He asked the sleeping Deputy. Then he waited, he waited for her breaths to become less laboured, waited for her to stop grimacing and groaning in pain whenever she moved. When it stopped Jacob left the room, placing his guards outside her door.

It had been hours since Jacob gave the Deputy morphine and it was time for her to take more. He directed his doctor to give her morphine at the right times and planted himself at his desk outside the room. He didn't speak a word of anything that happened in that room to anybody, not John, not Joseph, not Pratt. Nobody had a clue as to what was happening.

Then Joseph showed up out of the blue. He walked in to talk to Jacob and Jacob motioned for his guards to leave. "Hello, brother." Joseph greeted and walked over to Jacob's desk.

"Hello Joseph." Jacob replied and set down the papers he was reading.

"I heard word that you'd captured the Deputy, may I see her? I want to talk to her." Joseph asked but Jacob shook his head.

"You can see her but she ain't talking." He said and got out of his chair, he walked over to the door and opened it for Joseph to let him through.

It was immediate that Joseph saw her mangled face and weak body laying on the old bed frame. "What happened?" Joseph asked quietly.

"Perry and his men beat her, but she still ran the trial perfectly." Jacob explained, staying by the door.

"Has she said anything?" Joseph asked and walked over to her.

"No, she tried to refuse morphine but I gave it to he anyway." It was scary for Jacob to tell Joseph that but he still did. He almost felt as if when he told him that then Joseph would be able to see right through his lie, thankfully he wasn't John.

Joseph knelt down to the Deputy's level, carefully resting his palm on the crown of her head. He closed his eyes and said a prayer. "The Lord works in mysterious ways Jacob, like the way he brought me to you. He has brought us the Deputy, even if she is in pain he has brought her to us. In this moment we must show her the love of our family, not the harsh face of it." Joseph cupped the side of the Deputy's head. "She reminds me of my wife, this is what she looked like after the accident, when the doctors let me see her dead body." He spoke gently before he rose from the bed.

Joseph turned to Jacob and walked until he was almost past him. Then he paused and turned to Jacob. "You've done well Jacob, even God cannot control the wrath of men." He said and left the room. Jacob looked back at the Deputy. She sure sounded better, the pained groan of her breathing had been reduced to a slight wheeze.

Grace looked through her thermal binoculars, counting bodies surrounding the Veteran's Centre. "I've got four on the roof, seven on the grounds surrounding the building, and three by the front door." She spoke into her radio.

The sun dipped behind the mountain, casting a cold shadow over the valley. The lights around the Veterans Centre clicked on, pooling light onto the barren ground. Armed guards made their rounds by the Centre, their fingers itching to pull the triggers on their guns. Grace was hidden by a large rock in the tree line, her line of sight was perfect to look right over the large wall that closed off the front green of the Centre.

"I don't know how many are inside so be careful, I'll be watching your six." She said into the radio.

"Got it." Jess's voice crackled over the radio. Grace waited in silence, not moving a muscle.

"Make sure you hold back to see if Jacob takes the bait." Grace waited for a response.

"Hey if there's anything I can do, it's wait." Jess responded and Grace sighed.

After thirty minutes of silence, two trucks rolled out of the Veteran's Centre. "There he goes." Grace spoke into her radio and waited until the trucks were out of sight. "Ok Jess, make your move."

A silent arrow flew through the air, landing in the neck of a guard on the roof. Jess took out the other three guards on the roof and Grace picked off four guards around the walls. "I've taken out four of the guards on the ground but the other three moved out of my sights." Grace waited for the guards to walk back around the front but started getting antsy. What if Jacob realized the 'explosion' he had to go check on was a diversion and care back before they could get the Deputy out.

"I'm going in on foot, Sharky, Hurk you guys hang back until I radio you, got it?" Grace grabbed her binoculars and her gun and snuck from out behind her rock.

"Alright amigos, Hurk and Sharky are awaiting instructions!" Hurk said (not quietly) into his radio. Grace stayed quiet but in her head she was groaning.

Grace took care of the rest of the guards and moved behind a truck towards the front door. She reloaded and snuck underneath the truck to get a good shot on the guards standing on the steps.

She was quick to get rid of them so that they didn't have the chance to call for backup.

"Ok, Sharky and Hurk it's go time." Grace gave the word and crawled out from underneath the truck. She walked over to one of the dead guards and took one of their radios so that she could listen in to what Jacob was doing.

From the dark tree line, Grace saw two, no three figures running to the Centre. In a line were Sharky, Hurk, and Wheaty all holding guns. Grace looked through the front door, trying to see anymore guards.

Sharky and Hurk stopped first and Wheaty took up the rear. "How many are inside?" Sharky asked.

"I don't know, but expect it to be crawling with Peggies. And you two, you can't go in guns blazing. If they see you coming there's a good chance they'll kill the Deputy so be quiet." Grace scolded and Sharky and Hurk both nodded.

Grace gave them a nod and opened the front door. She, Sharky, Hurk, and Wheaty all went in different directions, taking out any guards or hunters they came up on.

Wheaty stumbled into a room filled with wires and electronics and found two people strapped to chairs. Neither of them were the Deputy but Wheaty was able to free them and convince them to run.

Grace took out more guards around the windows and staircases to make sure they wouldn't get busted.

Sharky and Hurk went down the stairs into what appeared to be a basement. They split off in two directions. Hurk found a creepy room filled with dead bodies, no doubt the ending of the trials. He checked to make sure there weren't any survivors and moved on. Sharky found a room with a desk and papers all over it. He considered torching them but he remembered that Grace, Pastor Jerome, Eli, Jess, Nick, basically everyone that knew about this, had said to be quiet so he didn't.

He killed two guards that were standing by some weird concrete door. Sharky didn't know what it was but since Jacob had guards in front of it then it must have been important. Surprisingly it didn't need a key, Sharky assumed that Jacob must not have thought anyone would be able to get into his fortress.

Sharky chuckled to himself at the idea of Jacob being so prideful but then remembered he was on a mission. He opened the door, hefting his gun like he was ready for an attack.

The room was dark, the only light spilling through the door from the lanterns outside it. It was pretty small with a dingy mattress and bed frame along the wall. Sharky almost turned around to leave when he heard something. It sounded almost like a whimper or a groan. He whipped back around and realized the figure on the bed wasn't a pile of blankets, it was a person!

He rushed to the person's side and tried to recognize them through their ugly, misshapen face. "Holy shit, Dep is that you?" He asked but the figure couldn't respond.

He quickly scrambled for his radio. "I found the Deputy, but she's in worse shape than we thought. I don't think she can walk out of here." He reported and waited for an answer.

"Alrighty, Imma be right there, don't you worry Deputy!" Hurk said loudly into his radio and Sharky told him how to get to the room he was in. Then Sharky turned back to look at the Deputy.

He'd never seen anyone in this bad a shape. The way her face was swollen and bruised she was almost unrecognizable. The only way he knew it was her was by her necklace, she always had on the same silver necklace with the small silver locket. He couldn't help but grimace when looking at her, it just looked so painful.

Suddenly Hurk, Grace, and Wheaty were at the door. All of them clamouring to get inside.

"We don't have much time, it won't take long for Jacob to realize it's a diversion." Grace said and looked over Sharky's shoulder.

"Is that...?" Wheaty asked quietly.

Sharky nodded. "It's her. C'mon Hurk you grab her legs, I'll get her shoulders, Wheaty you can get the butt area, but be gentle!" Sharky ordered and carefully hooked his arms underneath the Deputy's shoulders.

He made sure her head was leaning back into his chest and wasn't dangling in a weird way before he waited for Hurk and Wheaty to get in their positions.

Together they lifted the Deputy off the mattress, summoning a grunt of pain from the unconscious Deputy.

When the guys walked past Grace she got a real look at the Deputy's face. It made her shudder but she quickly tried to ignore it and stay focused.

"Ok we're about to be out of here. Jess, you make sure there isn't a single Peggie outside walking, got it?" Grace ordered into her radio.

"I've got your back. You've got the Deputy?" Jess's voice asked.

"We've got her. Tell Nick to the get van as close as he can, she's hurt really bad." Grace hooked her radio onto her vest and walked in front of the guys and the Deputy, keeping her eyes pealed for any Peggies still roaming around.

They walked past a couple of dead Peggies but then they heard it.

"It's a diversion! They're getting the Deputy!" A voice yelled into a radio somewhere in the house.

"Goddamn it! You get her to that truck I'll take care of that fucking Peggie." She grabbed her radio. "Everybody get ready for the Deputy, our cover has been blown I repeat our cover has been blown!" Grace stormed upstairs in the direction of the voice and got her gun ready. When she reached the top of the stairs there was a Peggie standing over a radio system, getting ready to call again.

Grace put a bullet through his head and ran back downstairs. The guys had gotten halfway down the front steps when a van peeled into the driveway. Virgil Minkler hopped out of the back of the van and beckoned them to bring the Deputy into the back. They all got in the van and slammed the doors shut.

Grace jumped in the front seat with Nick and stuck her gun out the window. "Go, go, go!" She shouted and Nick stepped on the gas. He sped off the road and down through the forest, heading to a hidden trail that he'd used to drive there and avoid any Peggie road blocks.

In the back of the van, everybody was hanging on. Sharky had the Deputy's head in his lap, trying to make sure she didn't slide to much. Hurk was sitting by her feet making sure they didn't move and Wheaty and Virgil were gripping their seats to try and not fall on top of the Deputy.

Sharky kept a firm grip on the Deputy's shoulders while still making sure he wasn't hurting her. Hurk kept his hand on her ankles, which doesn't seem like much but it was successful in stopping her from sliding every time the van did. Eventually the bumpy trail through the woods turned into a dirt road which turned into the asphalt road.

Virgil was attending to the Deputy's wounds, although most of them were already bandaged and taken care off. He placed chilled ice packs on the Deputy's cheeks hoping they'd help with the swelling. "I can't believe she's this hurt, I've never seen anyone survive something like this." Virgil marvelled and Wheaty threw him a look that said 'stop talking'.

Sharky and Hurk were worried to say the least. Sharky hadn't stopped brushing the Deputy's hair back with his fingers since they'd gotten on the main road and Hurk had spent the whole drive praying to the Monkey King for the Deputy to be ok. Sharky kept talking to her, telling her all about the ass-kicking he was going to give Jacob for doing this to her.

"But it's ok now, cause you're with us. And you always get better when you're with us! You'll be back to yourself in no time, I know you will Dep. Cause you're like a rubber band man, no matter how much you stretch you always bounce back. You'll bounce back, I know it." Was one of the things he mumbled on the way to the Wolf's Den.

Nick was worried too. He was glad that the raid hadn't gone south but he was still worried about the Deputy. He'd seen her when Sharky, Wheaty, and Hurk brought her out and she looked like she was in real bad shape. He was relieved that she'd be taken care of now but still, just from her face he knew she'd been through a lot. And Grace could see it too.

Nobody had seen her this beat before, most of time when anything happened the Deputy would crack a joke or make it seem like no big deal but she couldn't even do that. Part of Grace wondered if she'd ever go back to being like that.

They couldn't lose the Deputy, not just because of her efforts in helping the Resistance but also because she was the best thing to happen to most of them in a long time. She was more than a Junior Deputy, she was family to many of them. She was Carmina's godmother, her and Grace were always together, she basically adopted Jess, she was Sharky and Hurk's best friend, she and Adelaide laughed together. None of them could imagine what would happen if she died, it was to painful.

Because of this, they realized how much they really cared about her, and how much they wanted to tell her. They felt bad for leaving her alone to try and fight of Peggies and silently swore that she wouldn't be left alone anymore, not if they could help it.

#far cry 5 #jacob seed #far cry #jacob seed x deputy #jacob x deputy #female deputy #deputy oc #fem!deputy #fem deputy #jacob seed x fem deputy #jacob x fem deputy #farcry fanfic #jacob seed fanfic #far cry 5 fanfic #far cry fanfiction

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brideylee · 4 years

Text

Chateau Quarantine

Sophia Coppola smokes a cigarette while she waits for an omelette she has no intention of eating. It’s a gloomy marine layered morning, you can barely see across Sunset. She’s been in lock down for three weeks and while she normally loves the moody, brooding decadence of the Chateau Marmont, its elite solitude is giving her a bit too much time to reflect. She thinks about the concept of crying as she watches a long torso-ed model skinny dip in the pool from the penthouse. There are no rules anymore, not that there were many in the first place. The hotel was shuttered to the public as of three weeks ago, and those who were already there could stay indefinitely. Sophia lives alone in the tower suite with the three bedrooms and the wrap around porch, known by some as “the Deniro”, but Robert himself couldn’t tell you why. Any legends or gossip about the Chateau were just bread crumbs to keep the public hungry and mystified. The real Chateau for the privileged few who used it, was an unceremonious respite for excessive loneliness, addiction, and often not great sex. The Chateau had a reputation: look but don’t fuck. Everyone’s genitals were rendered useless from anti-depressants.

She thought she would be filming by now. Her cast is stranded too, with little guidance other than “we’ll wait it out.” The film she wanted to make stars Hugh Grant and Ewan McGregor as two estranged brothers coming together for their father’s funeral. Iman was set to the play the mysterious woman who shows up at the funeral who they then realize was their father’s mistress. It was going to be a slow movie about the brothers coming to terms with their father’s death and equally so falling in love with the woman he hid from them. All this would be suggested through intimate long takes, and funny, stylish, improvised montages. Always subtle and romantic without the sap, this was the tight rope Sophia liked to balance on. At the end of the movie, both brothers are mildly changed, but not entirely. She has a sweet spot for the immovability of people’s psyches, particularly men.

Sophia watches impartially, as the naked model floats on her back in the calm pool. It is so cold and early to swim, is she on drugs or is everyone at this place even more numb than they think? She wondered if her film was too male, too disembodied from her personally to mean anything. Tapping into the male gaze, was an ability she was born with. Her father’s point of view was all she interacted with as a kid, and the underside of his specialties became her focus: the lost parts of men when they are too weak to hold up the heavy crown of their egos, who they were when they could let themselves feel outside of their work. But given the state of the world, and the molasses nature of time during lock down, Sophia started to question if what she always found to be her strength was just simply trauma. Was her whole profession a way to resolve some genetic creative stifling that took place in the shadow of her dad? Surely her body of work contains more than that. It’s not all a selfish attempt at repair. Is any art not selfish? "Maybe I should make a different movie, something that everyones gonna like for once.” She thinks to herself. Thank God, her goat cheese omelette has arrived.

Later on, the gothic lobby is empty besides the cast of her film and the elegant model behind the reception desk standing like a hollow sculpture, frightened by the chaos that lurks outside. Ewan McGregor, drunk off of five Marmont Mules, is showing Hugh Grant an app that maps the stars and constellations. Ewan has gone on and on about a camping trip he took around Scotland and how amazing the stars were, but when pressed for details about where exactly he was or what he saw or what year he did this, he can’t seem to remember anything at all.But that doesn’t dampen his excitement about the app. “See, that, there is Orion’s belt!” Ewan enthusiastically points out, his cute smirk displaying his bottom row of sweet corn kernel teeth. Ewan just recently learned about the stars. Until the age of 47, Ewan had been referring to them as “night freckles.” Many think this is why he didn’t have a fun time acting in Star Wars, space simply befuddled him. Hugh and Ewan are dressed exactly the same: navy blue beanie, black jeans, a tight blue thermal, and desert boots- the actor man uniform they give you after you play opposite Nicole Kidman or Renee Zellweger.

“That’s brilliant,” says Hugh Grant completely perplexed by the app and confused at Ewan’s rambling. Hugh sticks a handkerchief up his nostril with his pointer finger and wiggles it around somewhat violently. Iman clocks this with a blink of disgust, her silk, gold blouse glistens with god-like royalty in the amber glow. “Can you turn your face away? That’s how the virus is spreading.” Her voice is deep and she rarely uses it because it changes the direction of the wind and messes with the tides. “Aw, fuck me. That’s right, isn’t it?” Hugh Grant turns away and starting blowing his nose and coughing obnoxiously. Hugh is acting like a resentful brat because he knows he wont be able to have Iman. He decides he’s gonna pick a fight with Sandra Bullock via face time later to blow off steam. Iman is thinking she was right all along, she should never have agreed to this. She was already sick of the “beanie twins”.

Hugh had been rattling on about how the movie needed a sex scene or at least a sexy scene and went on to say that Sophia had some sort of block. Iman felt that both Ewan and Hugh, however innocently, were exploiting their acting roles to gain real life experience, and there was no way in hell, she was going to kiss either of them. Her kiss would make them immortal and Iman knew their souls needed more lifetimes to grow. Plus, she liked the script the way it was- underwritten and open for interpretation. Her character is symbolic of the side of their dad they didn’t get to meet- spiritual, graceful, embodied. It was a soulful choice not to show any nudity or sex, one that could lead Americans to try to use whats left of their iPhone stolen imaginations.

Meanwhile Michael Cain, who was supposed to play the dead father, is staring at the beautiful Victorian tapestry hanging behind her. “It’s like it’s right out of the Cloister’s.” Michael says under his breath. Michael is sweet, Iman thinks as she watches him stare at the tapestry with wonder, his mouth agape, and a lil warm milk spilling out of his left eye. Iman and him have known each other for years and he always reminded her of her husband: his fierce devotion to his craft, his rigorous intellectuality that does a bad job hiding an animalistic sexuality. Both men contained so much and no one can handle a man like that besides a mystical siren like Iman.

Hugh and Ewan’s chatter dies as their drinks empty. “If I were to be honest with myself…” Hugh begins. “Better later than never…” Michael Cain interrupts without cracking a smile, a dryness a la Maggie Smith. In fact, fuck, this was Maggie Smith. No one had realized. Hugh winks at Michael/ Maggie and continues. “ I don’t think were going to be filming any time soon, folks. I think we are being held hostage a bit by Miss Coppola.” Ewan stares off with a thinking face like no one has ever had a deeper thought before. “That is interesting to think about. There is some kind of bratty assumption that all this will fade away soon enough. And we’ll be back on set. But what if it’s not for another year or so?” Ewan is really getting worked up “What if we live here for the rest of our lives!!” His eyes are big and dazzling, it’s like he’s thinking of the most ideal outcome for the rest of his life.

Suddenly, Sophia joins them at the table. “There they are, my little hunchbacks!” This is what Sophia affectionately calls her actors, the origin is unknown. Sophia has a strange new confidence around her. Usually, when she walked into places, she would feel like a Nat Sherman cigarette, like only some select tall New Yorkers in the back would still appreciate her. “Hello, love! Someone slept well.” Maggie Smith as Michael Caine chirped. Even when Maggie-Michael said something sweet, it still felt like someone was aggressively tickling your ribcage.

“I have news.” Sophia sits down, and smiled large and toothy, a stark contrast to her usual chic, despondent stare, a look only afforded to artists born with trust funds. “We’re not making the movie.” Hugh taps the table. “Well, I believe I won that bet.” Ewan’s jaw drops, destroyed. “You mean we cant live here together forever?” He runs his hands through his hair, petrified. Iman is quiet, which can mean many different things and all things at once, she is eternally the glory of God, a forgotten pyramid at the bottom of the ocean that if unearthed would explode us into 5D ascension.

“We are making a better movie! A super hero movie!!” Sophia exclaims. Sophia gets up close in the faces of her cast, pitching them on her new idea. “It’ll be a real heroes journey- good guys versus evil! Fun CGI! Sexy starlets and fun on trend jokes!” She turns to Michael Maggie, her mouth inches away from their milky eye, and says- “And much much more!” Sophia climbs up on the table now. “The adults will love it, as well as the little ones!” She does an Irish jig and starts spinning around and then poses with her arms up as though at the end of a musical. It was not fun to watch. Iman cuts her off-“I don’t trust what is happening.This is not reality. This is delusion. A karmic spell.” The power of Iman’s words blows the power out of the Chateau, pipes burst, the fire alarm goes off, and Joel Madden of Good Charlotte in room 304 stops jerking off for a second. Sophia is still catching her breath from her presentation, her sweating, arms stretched to the ceiling. She gulps as her eyes meet Iman’s. “Why don’t you just write from my character’s point of view?” Iman says as softly as she can without causing chaos. Sophia freezes. Her whole body calcifies and turns to ice, then crumbles onto the table. Ewan and Hugh watch in absolute horror as Iman drops some of the ice into her water. She knows she shouldn’t have said yes to this project and looks on lovingly at Michael/ Maggie who has dozed off.

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dottiechan · 4 years

Text

Finders Keepers Pt. 2 (A SWTOR Imperial Agent story)

Part 1 / Part 2

Wordcount: 1882

Summary: Havoc learns of the survival of SIS agent Dorathine Garza, now classified rogue due to her treasonous acts against the Republic. Months of futile investigation lead Aric Jorgan to finally stumble upon a strange clue.

Warnings: death, mentions of drinking/alcohol

Aric stalks across the ship like a ghost, starting from the ramp and arriving in the armoury without saying a word. Not a single member of Havoc squad dares ask him how his rendezvous with the SIS went – even the usually chipper and socially unaware Forex can sense the tension Jorgan’s arrival has generated, so he lets Yuun run his usual diagnostic scans on him in silence. The last time the war bot did a patriotic speech about destroying the Republic’s enemies, their commander almost put a blaster bolt between the droid’s mechanical eyes. Had it not been for Elara’s and Yuun’s joined effort to hold him back, Aric is pretty sure he would have dropped the clanker then and there. Commander Jorgan knows that it’s not that simple. It’s not the fight of light versus dark. Good versus evil. It’s a fight between one half of the Galaxy and the other, with both good and bad on both sides. And when he’s not seeing red, he knows that Forex’s simplistic patriotic programming could never understand that.

But he can’t help it. Every time Dee’s involved, he loses it.

Even now, he’s not fully himself as he inspects their weaponry that he knows he’ll find in pristine condition. Aric would like to blame it all on having to spend – and thus argue – an entire day with SIS agent Jonas Balkar, but it’s not that simple. The topic was Dee. More specifically the accusations the Republic has been pinning on her for months, now crowned with a sizeable bounty and the authorisation of lethal force should she resist arrest. “Who in their right minds wouldn’t though?” he argued back to Balkar. “Especially if said person is innocent.”

There’s undoubtedly blood on her hands now. Fifty, sixty military personnel and civvies. It’s reason enough to demand her apprehension, Aric agrees with that. But Dee cannot be doing it willingly – she must have been tortured, beaten into submission, controlled by fear. There’s got to be a reason, because the soldier he helped advance, the young woman he shaped to become who she is cannot with good conscience commit war crimes so remorselessly. Aric taught her discipline, morals, enjoying the fruit of hard labour. He never concerned himself with the wild streak in the girl, because she continuously delivered what she promised. Then one intelligence op that went a little too well, and the blasted SIS swooped in to claim her like a shyrack grabbing prey. He cannot truly vouch for who she is now, but it doesn’t lessen his responsibility – he gave her the foundations of being a loyal soldier, a military asset. If she failed, she failed because his teachings didn’t take root in her. And that is something the Cathar refuses to face. That, and the fact that he would have given her all the stars in the Galaxy had she ever thought to ask. But she never did. She never asked him for a damned thing.

Admitting that he might not have known her as well as he thought is another recognition that causes pressure right behind his eyes, and he can feel two ways this strictly ordered R&R night can go for him – either he takes a speeder to the Coruscanti army base and wrecks as many training dummies as he can, or he knocks back the rest of the booze he secretly stashes in his footlocker underneath his cot in the commander’s quarters and passes out. What he wouldn’t give for an Imperial spymaster to sink his claws into now! Maybe then this constant buzzing in his mind would finally stop. It has to. He’s been stretched out too thin lately, chasing an enemy of the Republic that seemingly does not want to be found. And he’s wearing down Havoc in the process, he knows. Quiet Elara is more elusive than ever, always locked in her coffin-sized quarters listening to medical lectures and holojournals. Yuun busies himself with the ship, and the droid. Blast, even Forex is quiet now when he enters. Only Tanno Vik seems to be taking it well, but Jorgan never liked the man. Then again, he doesn’t really trust his judgement when it comes to people anymore.

The whirring static of the holotable draws him away from his thoughts and he abandons the blasters to investigate. It’s soon plain to him – despite being quite the layman when it comes to technological equipment – that someone is trying to slice into their comm channel. Aric wants to call for Elara, but by the time he remembers she’s left not ten minutes ago, it’s too late.

She’s luminescent, blue, static and fraying. Audio a little distorted. But it’s her.

“You really need to up the security of your ship, LT.”

“It’s captain now, actually.”

“I heard. It’s just difficult to let go of old habits.”

“And what should I call you?” he asks cautiously, arms crossed over his chest, pacing up and down like a caged nexu. “Dee? Agent? Traitor?”

“I didn’t call you to trade names.”

“Then why are we talking? Surely you’re not interested in my wellbeing all of a sudden?”

“You’d be surprised... But no. I’m calling because this has to stop. Because you need to stop coming after me like that. I had a clear shot at you on Kashyyyk, but since you and I go way back, I thought I’d give you a warning first.”

...

“Are you listening, Sergeant?”

“Yes, LT. Hanging on every word.”

It’s late at night, but she’s being loaned temporarily for an intel mission in a week and Aric wastes no time to prepare one of the finest troops he had the honour of training. Such raw talent and potential, paired with such an attitude – if only she could tone it down. But she’s young, and reckless, and not broken in properly yet. The years will do that job for him, Jorgan knows. They’ll teach her what words cannot.

“Good. Then name the key infiltration points of the listening outpost.”

She lists them effortlessly, though the slight hesitation in her voice here and there gives him cause to believe that she’s guessing more than telling. He’s had to learn how to weed out the untrustworthy, deceitful candidates in the army, so he knows what it sound like when someone lies to him.

“Educated guess, but it shows your lack of preparation.”

“Did I get them right though, sir?”

She’s smirking now, leaning back, hands moving to the back of her neck to support the weight of her head. If she wasn’t wearing 30 kg of Republic issue reinforced plastoid armour, she’d look like a senator’s daughter enjoying a round of Sabacc at the Star Cluster Casino on Nar Shaddaa.

“That... is beside the point. You can’t always rely on quick wit to save you.”

“That’s why I always bring a big gun and a few thermal detonators with me.”

“I’m hoping to still be around when you realise weapons aren’t everything. That being a soldier is much more than just aiming and pulling the trigger.”

“Oh, you’ll be around, LT. Just not sure I’ll be too.”

That smirk forms on her lips again, head lolling lazily to one side. Aric feels tightness in his chest – concern over her words, and quickened heartbeat due to corners of her mouth being tugged up into a smile that is enough to make him completely unbalanced. He says a silent prayer to the GAR for keeping Dee mostly on the right path. Stars know what this young woman would turn into if she didn’t have the moral guidance of the military life. She’d waste her potential on something lowly, his rational mind tells Aric. But there’s an even bigger, more suppressed fear in the back of his head – he’s afraid she’d turn into someone he couldn’t like anymore. Someone he couldn’t respect. Someone he couldn’t love.

“Nonsense. Your mother would court martial me if I ever let anything happen to you.”

He regrets the joke as soon as it’s out, because it wipes the smile right off her face. “Or she’d give you a medal. There’s a fifty-fifty chance, if you’re brave enough to take it. Now, where were we, sir? Not five minutes ago you were like a broken reg manual spouting your military wisdom on repeat, and now somehow we’re analysing my relationship with my mother.”

“Dee... If you ever needed someone to talk to... It couldn’t have been easy, growing up in her shadow...” Aric starts cautiously, pained voice trailing off. It’s his turn to hesitate, and hers to pick it up and scorn.

“I hear the Crater is still open at this time of the night. If you want to talk family, I’ll need an optimal level of alcohol first.”

Greedy. Exploitative. Unprofessional.

Jorgan scolds himself as he agrees before they walk across the now quiet Fort Garnik, saluting the troopers on guard duty as they head over the small, dirty watering hole in the camp.

But he just cannot feel bad about it when it all feels so good.

...

The cot feels smaller and colder than usual. This solitary life is no stranger to the man, but to hear her voice again after so long is enough to make his body inject itself with more adrenalin than what it could handle. He has already submitted his request for leave – it shouldn’t surprise the higher ups, especially General Garza, that he needs some time away after learning of the GAR approved, SIS issued bounty placed on Dee’s head. By his calculations, they will accept it effective immediately, leaving him just enough time to take a shuttle to Nar Shaddaa, shed his armour and slip into something less conspicuous before heading to the rendezvous point as agreed. She knows how to pick a good spot – it’s where they ended a massive organ harvesting ring back in the days. Now, it’s nothing more than an abandoned warehouse rusting away in the slums of the Hutt-controlled world. But to them, it’s the peak of what they could achieve if they worked together.

He wants to believe that they can restore that state. That whatever it is the Empire has on her to keep her obedient can be broken by him somehow.

Just as he’s about to shift and turn onto his other side on the mattress, his datapad blinks in the dark. He reaches out and turns it on, yellow eyes skimming through the formalities of Garza’s message to get to the bottom of it. As anticipated, he is granted a leave of four days starting tomorrow. Aric switches the lights on, stretches, and abandons the datapad on the bed in favour of getting dressed. He knows he would never be able to sleep in such an ecstatic state that he finds himself in now, so he prepares, stocks up his personal supplies. He then studies the holomap of the Nar Shaddaa district while chewing on a ration bar absentmindedly. Like a soldier prepping for a battle.

To anyone else, this might sound like a brewing confrontation. But no, not to Aric. To him, it’s an extraction mission. One where he’ll use words rather than guns in the heat of the battle. One that should have happened a long time ago.

#dottiechan writes #swtor #swtor imperial agent #oc:#dorathine garza #aric jorgan #swtor fanfiction #tw: death #tw: drinking #tw: alcohol #star wars

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platonicone · 5 years

Text

Devotion - Story of the Oracle and her Shield

Chapter 3 - A False Promise

If our actions are the outcome of our own choices, then is it right to blame fate? Or is it fate that dictates our choices? I wonder.

The car, with a number plate WH-1637551, applied hard brakes and came to a screeching halt just inches before him.

“Are ya out of your mind standing in the middle of the road?” Yelled a spunky girl in a heavy southern accent, rolling down her window.

“I am sorry, we need a ride to Lestallum,” he said, looking at the girl with curly blond hair and olive-green eyes. She wore a cropped yellow jacket and a red cap with yellow outlines and a logo with the words “HAMMER HEAD” and “FULL SERVICE STATION” on it.

There was someone in the passenger seat, but he couldn’t make out much about him because of the lack of light.

“That be all? Hoop on in the back,” she said, pointing at the back of her open-air pick-up truck.

He went back to help Lunafreya. With his support, she limped all the way to the back of the car. He lifted her tenderly as to not hurt her. They both sat on the opposite end, facing each other.

“You two okay back there?” The driver asked from a small window connecting the back of the truck.

“Ya. Thanks for the ride,” said Squall.

“No sweat. Where are you two birds eloping to?” She asked.

“Running away from the Imperials and going to Lestallum,” Lunafreya replied quickly.

“Ah, so a refugee?” She asked.

“Yes.”

“There are lots of refugees now, especially after the fall of Insomia,” she added. “The name is Cindy, by the way.”

“I am Dave from Hunter HQ,” the passenger added. “What are your names?”

“Squall Leonhart,” he went first.

“And your name, young lady?” asked Dave.

“Stella Heartilly,” said Lunafreya, after a brief pause.

Squall raised an eyebrow questioningly. Lunafreya placed a finger on her lips, indicating him to stay quiet.

‘Heartilly? I know I have heard that name before. But where?’ He wondered.

The car slowly picked up the pace and they were on their way. He did not know much about this world, but a busy town usually means a hotel and comfortable bed, which would be like a heaven right now.

“I am not feeling well,” she said softly. Her words halted Squall from fantasizing about a soft bed.

It took him by a surprise as this was the first time she dropped her ‘determined’ façade and admitted her shortcoming without probing.

“You should rest, you have been through a lot,” he suggested. She nodded before leaning back and closing her eyes.

It was the first time he had the time to carefully look at the girl in front of him. She had long blond hair styled in side-swept bangs with a double braid going across her crown and the rest twisted and pinned up. She wore a necklace with half-moon as the pendant. She wore an elegant long white dress with white heels. Her dress was anything but white at this point after all the battles.

As the car’s speed picked up, the wind started blowing hard. They were still drenched from their dip in the river. He saw Lunafreya shivering as the wind got stronger. He took off his jacket and covered her as she peacefully slept.

“Tell us something about yourself. Where are you guys from? What is your story?” asked Dave, from the front seat.

Squall looked at Lunafreya for an answer, but she was fast asleep.

“We are victims of war. Homes torched, and families displaced. The same story as all other refugees,” he replied, keeping his answer vague. “So where are you guys from?” Squall asked, diverting the attention from him.

“I am from Hammerhead in Leide. I manage a garage with my paw-paw,” Cindy said.

“Must be nice to work with different types of car,” Squall added to drag the conversation.

It worked as Cindy went on and on about Hammerhead and her love for cars and hot dogs.

The car ran over a pothole as the back of the car bounced a bit, causing Lunafreya’s head to bump against the railing.

“Ouch,” she woke up, rubbing the back of her head. She was so exhausted that she quickly falls back asleep.

Once Cindy stopped talking, Squall asked the passenger, “And what about you, Dave?”

“I go wherever hunter HQ needs me. We hunters fight demons, escort citizens, and help in any capacity we can,” he too went on and on about Hunter HQ.

This was the first time in his life that Squall wanted people to talk more.

The car ran over a bump and once again Lunafreya banged her head against the side of the car.

Squall moved next to Lunafreya and she instinctively placed her head on his shoulder.

“So, can anyone become a hunter?” Squall asked, as the conversation seemed to die down. He desperately wanted to keep attention away from him. It worked as Dave passionately started talking about Hunter HQ again.

Cindy made a sharp turn which caused Lunafreya’s head to slip from Squall’s shoulder and slid into Squall’s lap. Normally, he hates when people touch him, but for some reason, he was okay with her. Something about her made him feel comfortable and at ease. There was an odd sense of familiarity about her. Something he would definitely need to address once he has more time.

Squall chimed in infrequently to keep the conversation going as he learned a few things about the world he inhabits now.

Without even realizing Squall kept stroking the head of Lunafreya as she slept peacefully.

The car slowed down as the city approached.

He tapped Lunafreya gently to wake her up. After multiple tries, she finally woke up.

“Where are we?” She asked, trying to adjust her eyes to the ambiance light.

“I believe we are in Lestallum,” he made an educated guess. “Where do we go now?”

“There is a hotel here called Leville; we can rest there,” she said, getting off the pick-up truck with Squall’s help. Instead of returning Squall’s jack, she wore it properly as if it was the most normal thing to do. Squall just looked at her dumbfounded. He had to admit; his black jacket looked nice on top of her white dress.

Cindy and Dave came out of the car to meet them.

Lunafreya immediately thanked them when she saw them approach. “I can’t thank you enough for your kindness.”

“These are dark times, we’ve gotta help each other,” Dave said.

“My be, aren’t you the Oracle?” Cindy said with awe.

“Ya now that ya mentioned it, I think I saw her on TV during the treaty signing,” Dave recalled.

“I am flattered, but I can assure you that I am no Oracle. Any resemblance I might have is purely happenstance. I believe it is disrespectful to compare someone such as I to the late Oracle, as I am no more than a refugee without a home,” Lunafreya quickly lied to conceal her identity. She was not here in her official capacity as an Oracle and would like to keep a low profile to not attract Imperial’s attention. Squall noticed how she had refused to say that she was the Oracle and wondered why.

‘It was announced on the radio that the Oracle died during the fall of Insomnia, so she can’t be her.’ Cindy justified it in her head and chose not to push the topic any further.

“You two should be safe here. There are many refugee shelters in this town,” said Dave.

“Yes, we shall seek them. Thank you for your assistance,” Lunafreya said, with a slight bow.

“Well, I’m gonna go get myself some hot dogs. Lestallum’s hot dogs are very famous. I love them,” she said, with unmatched enthusiasm in her voice.

Squall had another onset of headaches. He clutched his head as he recalled events from the past. He remembered a friend who loved repairing cars, eating hot dogs, punching things and was always full of energy. He did not recall his face or name.

Soon, the headache subsided, and he heard Cindy asking him, “You alright? Do you want some hot dogs?”

Squall was hungry, but before he could say anything Lunafreya replied, “No, we are okay, thank you so much for your offer. You have helped us enough already.”

“Hey Cindy,” someone yelled from a distance.

They all look in the direction of the sound and saw someone enthusiastically waving.

She looked like a middle-aged woman with middle-parted shoulder-length hair wearing some sort of thermal suit. She quickly made her way to them.

Cindy rushed to her and gave her a big hug. “Holly, I’ve missed you,” she claimed.

“It’s been a while, Cindy,” Holly replied with a big smile.

“Hi Dave,” Holly greeted, and he waved back in response. “Oh my god, what did you do to your hair? Why did you cut off your pigtail?”

“Thought it’d look cool,” Dave replied, with a shrug.

“I used to love your pigtail,” Cindy said with disappointment.

“You did? I guess I’d better grow it back. It will take a while, though,” Dave said, with a laugh.

‘A girl who loves hot dogs and cars and a guy with a pigtail. Seems familiar yet very odd,’ Squall thought to himself.

Holly noticed the two strangers around them. “And who do we have here?” She asked, looking at two unfamiliar figures.

“Refugees,” Lunafreya quickly replied.

“Ah, we are getting a lot of those lately. You should check out Leville hotel, they are housing all the refugees for the time being,” she said, pointing in general direction of the hotel. “If you need any help, don’t hesitate to ask me, the name is Holly, I am always by the EXINERIS.”

“Thank you, Holly, that is very kind of you,” Lunafreya replied graciously.

“Shall we go to the hotel now?” Squall asked, not wanting to get involved in another long conversation. Lunafreya looked at Squall and nodded.

“Good luck,” Cindy chirped. “See you around,” Holly added. Dave waved at them.

“Thank you all once again for all that you have done for us,” Lunafreya said once again.

She put her one arm around Squall while he supported her back with his left hand. They made their way towards the hotel slowly as Lunafreya could barely limp.

Once they crossed the road and reached the main city entrance, Lunafreya said disappointingly, “Oh God, these are lots of stairs.”

“It’s okay, take your time, we’ll go slow,” he encouraged.

After 10 minutes, they had barely climbed a few steps as she took a break after every few steps to gather strength to climb the next one. Squall was getting impatient but did not want to say anything.

After a few minutes his patience finally ran out, “Hey, I am sorry.”

It came out of the blue, so she asked, “Sorry for what?”

“For what I am about to do,” he replied.

Even before her brain had time to process or react to what he just said, she was lifted off her feet into his arms.

He effortlessly picked her up in bridal style and marched on the stairs.

Her heart was panicking. “What are you doing? Put me down.”

“At the rate at which you were climbing, we would be here till sunrise. It’s much more efficient this way,” he explained logically with a monotonous voice.

“It’s embarrassing. People are watching,” she said, blushing.

He shrugged in response. “No one knows me here anyway.”

“But lots of people might know me,” she said, emphasizing on the word lots.

“If you really insist on walking, then who am I to oppose?” He said, getting to the top of the stairs.

“No, please don’t put me down. I don’t want to walk,” she complained, as she threw her head back in resignation. “The effect of healing spell is wearing off. My entire body hurts. I feel like every bone in my body is broken.”

“Who told you to fight that Titan alone?” He retorted.

“I told you already, that was not the plan.”

He kept making small talks to keep her mind away from pain and from the fact that he was still carrying her. They reached a big building at the end of the alley with ‘Leville Hotel’ written on it.

“We are here,” he announced, as they walked through the main entrance, with him still carrying her.

He let her down as they approached the front desk.

“Welcome to hotel Leville. I am Francesco DiMarco, how may I be of service to you?” The clerk at the counter asked politely.

“We need rooms,” Squall replied briefly.

“I am sorry, Sir, we don’t have any honeymoon suite left,” Francesco apologized.

Squall was not the one to usually laugh, but even he couldn’t help but chuckle at it.

“I wonder where he got that idea from,” Lunafreya said, slowly so only Squall could hear, glaring at him. Her cheeks were red as roses now.

“Whatever. It was a practical choice,” he said, with a shrug.

“Sir, we have lots of refugees coming in lately, so we are almost full. We only have one room with single bed available,” Francesco explained.

“That will do,” Squall replied.

“No, it won’t. We need two separate rooms,” Lunafreya said in a panic, not wanting to promote this misunderstanding any further.

“He just said there is only one room available. Do you want to kick out other refugees, so you can have your own room?” He asked rhetorically.

“No, that’s not what I meant,” she said, glaring back at him. “You don’t understand, I can’t be alone in a room with someone. My reputation is at stake here. If the word gets out that I shared a room with a guy, then it would be a tabloid story,” she said, in a low voice, so only Squall could hear.

“Don’t worry about sharing the room. I am not interested in you,” he replied in a whisper.

“Ouch! That was rather mean. You would be lucky to have someone like me,” she said, glaring at him.

“Oh, what do you want me to say? That I like you and I would love to share a room with you? Would that make you more comfortable?” He retorted.

“No,” she replied, sheepishly while still blushing.

“But—�� she was about to say something when she heard the clerk laughing.

They both turned around and looked at him.

“Sorry, but I just remember how my wife and I used to fight when we were newly married too—”

“Shut up,” both of them yelled in unison.

Francesco just raised his hands in defense, still chuckling.

Lunafreya felt bad at yelling at the clerk and she immediately apologized. “I am so sorry; I did not mean to—”

She was interrupted when Squall leaned on the counter and said, “keys please.”

“Hey, at least apologize to him,” she said, condoning his behavior.

“Fine. I am sorry, now give me the keys,” he said, getting annoyed.

“Do it properly,” she said, glaring at him.

Squall sighed and said to the clerk, “I am sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled at you. It was not your fault. Now can you give me the keys, please?” He said, finishing his sentence looking at Lunafreya.

She smiles and said, “much better.”

“Oh, the young love is so much fun to watch,” Francesco said, with a smile, handing the keys to Squall.

Squall wanted to say something but choose not to. He just scowled at him instead.

“The room is on the first floor, all the way down the hall to your right,” Francesco pointed out, ignoring Squall scowl.

Squall nodded in acknowledgment.

Lunafreya looked around and said with a sigh, “No, it’s my enemy again.”

Squall quickly got on high alert and scanned the area, but he did not see any threat. “Where? I don’t see any Imperials.”

“No, not the Imperials,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s my other enemy; stairs,” she said, pointing at them.

Squall placed his hand on his forehead and shook his head slightly.

He picked her up again in his arms, and she did not resist.

“You owe me a big one for this,” he said, directly looking into her eye, as he started climbing the stairs.

“After all that you have done for me today, I’ll probably end up owing you my life,” she said, sincerely.

“You know,” he started, “You are very light.” He said, as he ascended the second set of stairs.

“Um, thanks, I guess?” She said, blushing.

He walked down the corridor and their room was the last one. There was an ice machine next to it. He let her down and opened the door with the key he got from the front desk. Once the door swung open, they noticed that it was a very small room. The floor was made up of blue tiles. There was a bed in the center of the room. Small table with the TV on it. A chair close to the sliding door and balcony behind it.

He entered and turned on the lights while she hopped on one leg and crashed on the bed.

She lay flat on the bed and claimed, “Oh, this feels like heaven.”

Squall looked like a child waiting for his turn on the ride. He too wanted to lay down on the bed, relax, and experience this heaven, but it was one bed and two of them.

He disappointingly walked up to the chair and plopped down. He took off his gloves, socks, and shoes. He leaned back in the chair and stretched his feet. “This feels like heaven-ish, I guess.”

She realized that she was occupying the bed and he too should get his share of it. But it would be awkward to share a bed with a complete stranger. She tried to get up from the bed, so he can lie down there for a bit.

He noticed her struggling to get up and understood what she was trying to do. “You take the bed; I call dibs on the shower.”

She nodded to the deal and let her body fall back on the soft bed.

He got up and made his way to the bathroom, hoping they would have hot water. He was not disappointed. After a long day, a shower with warm water was bliss like no other. The water cleansed all the dirt, but it also revealed all the bruises and scars he hadn’t noticed before. It wasn’t just a battle; he fought a war and somehow managed to walk out alive. It was an eventful day, to say the least.

He wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped out of the shower. He paused at the mirror to examine one of his scars closely. When he looked at the mirror, the reflection staring back at him scared him. His heart skipped a bit, and he wasn’t sure he trusted his eyes. He stared intently at the mirror as his reflection looked a lot older now, the late twenties if he had to guess.

‘How long was I stuck in the beyond?’ He wondered.

Gone was his boyish look as a mature person looked back in the mirror. His hair longer than he remembered. His jaw was more square-shaped, and his complexion was rough now. His beard added to his mature look.

‘I’ve gotta ask Gentiana, this doesn’t make any sense. Why do I look older now?’ He thought, still staring at the mirror.

He stepped out of the bathroom after getting ready and was surprised to see a dog sitting on the bed next to Lunafreya.

‘The room is locked so how the hell did the dog get in?’ He wondered.

It was a white dog with blue eyes with subtle gray markings on its face. It had a green bandage around its right front paw.

He noticed a sudden movement to left in his peripheral vision. He turned to look at it and found another unexpected visitor.

“Umbra?” he said out loud, looking at the familiar dog sitting on the chair. Umbra barked happily and started wagging his tail.

He noticed the dog sitting on the bed, had similar green bandages to Umbra but in the opposite direction.

“Friend of yours, I presumed?” he said, looking at the white dog next to Lunafreya. As if replying to his statement, Umbra barked in response.

“Interesting,” he said, as he moved closer to the sleeping girl.

“Hey Lunafreya, wake up,” he said, gently tapping her. “Hey, wake up now.”

From the looks of it, she was completely out cold.

‘She went through a lot today. I don’t think she is waking up any time soon. Maybe I should let her rest.’ He thought to himself.

He noticed a gash on the side of her forehead and her arm.

‘That looks nasty. It would get infected if not cleaned.’

He looked around in the room to see if there was any first aid kit available. He checked the table, drawers, bathroom, and closet, but he found nothing.

‘Maybe I should get it from the front desk.’

He left the room after making sure he had taken the key with him. He made his way down the stairs and to the front desk.

“How can I help you, Sir?” Francesco asked politely.

“Hey, do you have a first aid kit?” Squall asked.

“Oh, what a strange request. Why might you need a first aid kit on your honeymoon, I wonder,” he said, with a wink and a grin plastered on his face.

‘I so badly want to punch him and break his teeth.’

“First. Aid. Kit. Now.” He said in a tone that would send chills down the spine.

Francesco quickly grabbed a first aid kit and handed it over to Squall.

“Thank you,” he said and left quickly.

As he was climbing the stairs, he heard the clerk say in a sing-song voice, “have fun now.” As Squall stared at him, the clerk just grinned and then gave a wink.

‘One punch, I swear should be enough. Just one.’

He decided to ignore him and go back to his room. He opened the door, and everything was exactly how he left. Neither dog moved from where they were.

He opened the kit and took out all cotton swabs, antiseptic cream, cleansing wipes, crêpe rolled bandages, disposable sterile gloves, scissors, and sterile gauze dressings. He placed everything neatly on the table next to the bed.

The dog next to Lunafreya eyed him curiously.

As soldiers, they get trained in basic medical treatment. He got to work starting with her face and then moved to her arm.

‘Poor thing fell asleep even before she could take off her heels.’

He gently removed her heels and placed it next to the bed. He saw her ankle, and it was very swollen.

‘We would need a doctor for this one.’ He thought placing his hand on his forehead.

‘In this unknown town, where would I find a doctor at this hour?’ He wondered.

Much to his dismay, he called the only person who could give him this information, the front desk clerk.

“Hello, this is the front desk how may I help you?” Francesco asked in his usual polite manner.

“I need to see a doctor right now, is there a hospital or a clinic open at this hour?”

“You are quick, Sir. Do you need obstetricians or would any doctor do?” Francesco said, clearly chuckling.

Squall clutched the phone so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

‘I want to punch this guy so bad.’

“Any doctor is fine,” he said, trying his best to control his rage.

“Hold on, let me check,” Francesco said, and placed Squall on a brief hold.

After listening to annoying hold music, which felt like forever, Francesco finally spoke again. “Sir, a caravan of refugees was attacked nearby by the daemons. There are many casualties. All our available doctors and nurses are out there treating the injured. The clinic should be open tomorrow by noon,” he informed.

“Okay, thank you,” Squall said. As he was about to hang up, he heard the clerk say, “However, if you need obstetrician—” Squall slammed the phone down before he could say anything else.

‘Calm down. Just ignore him. He is just another troll.’

He saw Lunafreya peacefully sleeping and immediately calmed down.

‘Right, I need to do something about her leg. Ice should help with the swelling, but I need something to apply it with.’

After thinking for a bit, he pulled out the cover from a pillow. He stepped out of the room and filled the pillowcase with some ice from the ice machine in the hallway.

He returned and sat on the edge of the bed and started giving cold compression on her ankle.

Even though it was late at night, he could still hear bustling in the street below. He normally likes quiet places, but after all that they had been through today, he appreciated a crowded town because there is a certain safety in numbers.

He was lost in his thoughts, while absentmindedly applying cold compression to her ankle, when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a woman clad in black standing in the balcony.

‘Gentiana!’

He desperately wanted to talk to her, but at the same time did not want to abandon Lunafreya’s treatment. He grabbed another pillow and removed its cover. He used that pillowcase like a string to tie it around her feet so that the previous cover with ice in it would stay in place.

He quickly got out to the balcony and shut the sliding door behind as to not disturb Lunafreya's sleep.

“Congratulations on completing your first trial. You did well,” Gentiana said, in her usual demeanor.

“A little heads up would have been nice. You just threw me in the middle of the battle.”

“Time waits for none, you had to be there at that precise moment,” she said, politely.

His mind had a million questions he wanted to ask. Why was he here? Who is she? Why does he look older? How come he only has limited magic to use? What if he dies in this world?

All of his frustration just came out in one sentence, “Just what the hell is going on here, I don’t understand.”

“Squall, do you remember your time in the beyond?” She said, avoiding his question.

“Yes, how could I forget?”

“Tell me, what do you remember of that world?” She asked.

“It was a world without light or hope. Dark gray clouds eternally swirled above me and barren land was beneath my feet. No trace of life anywhere. Everywhere I looked I saw gray haze swirling endlessly in the atmosphere—” He narrated.

“That is the fate of this world, should the Oracle fail,” She interjected.

Squall was alarmed to hear that. He recalled Gentiana mentioning about it when they first meet, but the gravity of her words did not sink in until now.

“It will be a world filled with eternal darkness, daemons, and despair. By completing the trial of Titan, you held the hand of fate a little longer.”

“What am I to do next?” He inquired.

“Wait till the Oracle recovers, and then challenge the trial of Ramuh,” she instructed.

“Ramuh, the thunder God?” He clarified. She simply nodded in response.

“Lead her through the trials of Ramuh, and then to Altissia to the Tidemother, in their lies your liberation,” she said, with her eyes closed as usual.

“If I complete this mission, you will send me back to my world, correct?” He reiterated their earlier deal.

She had to think long and hard about how to answer his question. She finally said, “Yes, you shall find your home. That is a promise by your familiar,”

They both stood there in silence. Squall stood there like a statue with his arms folded and a frown plastered on his face. Gentiana, on the other hand, leaned against the railing with a small smile gracing her lips.

“How long was I stuck in the beyond?” Squall finally broke the silence.

“The beyond is a realm where the past, present and the future tangle endlessly.” She started.

“Time compression?” He asked.

“Yes, it is a realm where space and time are distorted. You were there for 10 years, while the world here moved on for many years.”

“That explains why I look older now,” he said, shaking his head.

Silence consumed them both, once again, as they stood side by side.

“Meeting Lunafreya, fighting Titan, meeting Cindy, and me talking to you, this all feels like a déjà vu.” Squall spoke up.

“Memories perish with the body, but the bonds of soul linger, it seems.”

“What do you mean?”

“It matters not, for all shall be revealed in due time.”

He hated this cryptic stuff. One question which bothered him more than anything else was in regards to his past. “How come I don’t have all the memories from my past?”

“Memories can be a gift or a burden. Knowing what happened in the past would do a great disservice to you on your current mission. It is better this way. It is for your best,” she said, with her eyes closed.

“And just who the hell are you to play with my memories and determined what’s best for me?” he said raising his voice.

“A friend,” she quickly cut him off before he had a chance to say anything else. “I have witnessed your journey from the very beginning. Your joys and pains, your excitement and disappointments, your happiness and suffering, and all your human emotions, I have experienced it all with you. I mean you no harm. Trust me.” She said definitively.

Squall was still processing all that when Gentiana pushed herself off the railing she was leaning on.

“I must go now, someone is waiting for me,” she announced.

“Wait, I still have many questions I need to ask,” he said.

“Not now. We shall meet again soon,” she said, and within a blink of an eye, she disappeared, leaving small ice crystals dancing in the air in her place. He stood there motionless for a few minutes.

He entered back in the room and continued tending Lunafreya’s wounds. Once he was satisfied, he went to the bathroom and removed his t-shirt and started tending to his wounds. It took him a few minutes to patch it all up.

It had been a really long day and all he wanted now was to sleep. He thought about sleeping on the chair, but he needed to lie down and stretch. He took one of the spare bed sheets and laid it on the tile floor. He grabbed one of the spare pillows and tossed it on his makeshift bed. He shut off the lights and carefully navigated to his bed and lay down. He was so tired that he did not have any strength to move a muscle.

It wasn’t until he lied down that he noticed excruciating pain radiating down his left arm. He knew he would have to get it checked as it was not normal pain. But all that can wait, as his priority right now was sleeping. As he lay there staring at the ceiling, trying to wrap his head around everything going on, he noticed Umbra had come down from the chair snuggled next to him.

‘What a strange dog.’

He closed his eyes and within minutes he drifted off to one of the best sleeps he ever had.

Author's notes

Four new FFVIII characters were revealed in this chapter, hope you caught them all. Bonus points to anyone who can tell me the significance of "Francesco DiMarco" (this is a hard one)

Please leave a comment if you've enjoyed the story so far. I would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks :)

2 notes · View notes

kaijuzilla · 5 years

Text

MOD REVIEW: Godzilla King of the Monsters (2019)

*This contain spoilers so if you want to avoid it then please do no continue reading this post.*

“Which of these Titans are here to threaten us, and which of these Titans are here to protect us...”

Where can I start.... The moment when I saw the trailer in college in spring time 2019, I was excited and hype for this film. And when me and my friend went to see it and got out:

THIS MOVIE IS AMAZING!!!

I really don’t get it whats with critics on this movie but as a fan and going all honest this movie is a good Godzilla movie! The director or the person behind this movie Mike Dougherty, took all the problems from the 2014 film, fixing it, added some awesome stuff, and this movie was born! Along with that we got Mothra who looks more insect appearance but still majestic beauty, Ghidorah who is freaking terrifying and making this the scariest and coolest Ghidorah, and Rodan who is on fire and is hot! Also he gives me a starscream vibe as well which everyone said same thing.

The plot tells that things are happening and citizens are blaming the Godzilla and Monarch for this disasters which they go on a riot to say that all of the monsters must be destroy. But Monarch refuses and wanted theses creatures to live because “they deserve the right to live” since they live here before us. Basically which one is here to live with us in harmony and which one is here to kill us. The people still think they should kill them but Serizawa still believes theses creatures are good on the inside and not monsters and wanted humans and monsters in a symbiotic relationship. Suddenly one of the scientist broke the Monarch code by releasing Ghidorah and is up to Monarch and Godzilla to stop the Monsters from creating disaster.

I also think the humans are actually alright in this movie than the 2014. But the 2014 film has one great actor who delivers it well but die later which kind of lost the character knowing them well because he’s like the most recognizable character and so does Serizawa. But this movie we learn about (some) of the characters more! Yes there are alot of characters in this movie and I think they’re all alright.

There’s also this Eco-terrorist group who wanted to free all these monsters from their cages and take their DNA for black market like those people from Pacific Rim. Also their goal got to success t release them all when Ghidorah calls all of them when crowned himself king. TBH do they even think that when these monsters are destroying every humanity they are gonna be kill too? Like really Ghidorah is the one that causes the planet Venus lifeless and you’re it’s next target.

One thing that got me like shock is that Serizawa assistants just die early int he film which just shock me alot. I kind of wanted to know about her character and why and how she became Serizawa assistant.

I’m also glad Mark Russell who is played by Kyle Chandler, who is a zoologist gets a character development in the film because from the beginning he hated Godzilla because he lost his son in the disaster of 2014 if San Francisco from the MUTOs (I’m not only one who notice those red military light guys falling from the sky from the beginning of the movie right?). Which close to end of the movie he learned that Godzilla is good and began to accept him. (Also makes me learn how alpha or hunting packs work)

Dr Emma Russel who played by Vera Farmiga, where her character is she is good (1) but she thinks she’s doing a good which made her the villian (2) thing but turns out bad so go back to being good (3). (1) she made this ORCA where it help control the titan by doing an alpha frequency thing which works on Mothra and Rodan and Ghidorah, (2) when she was caught by the Eco terrorist and see that releasing titans and radioactivity in San Francisco making plant life grow back which see human are infection decided to release and try release all titans to help restore balance to humanity and think this is what her son wanted (Ghidorah was second), (3) Ghidorah turns out to release all titans and controlling them all to destroy everything and learn that this isn’t good and Madison (her daughter) straight her out that this isn’t what will bring harmony or give what her dead son want to the world.

Did I mention there’s a prequel of this movie before it was released and it’s a comic? This is a same thing like Godzilla Awakening which we learn that Godzilla is an ancient apex predator that loves for many years that went to the center of the earth for radiation because the radiation on the surface of Earth is low. BUT THIS MOVIE TELLS US THERE ARE 17 TITANS/KAIJUS AROUND THE WORLD!!! They also involved in histories like mythology creatures (because they’re named after them or some) where it’s goes to saying that people sees them as gods. And this is reveled when Godzilla is laying to rest in this underwater city which is probably Atlantis? Where it show that people back then sees them as gods which is really cool and i want to know more about this. TBH if this happens in real life this could possibly happen in the past if these monsters exist.

One thing it’s very strange we see a bigger hunch spiky back Femuto again. It’s because we thought those babies and the two MUTOS are last of their kind from the 2014 film, and the Prime was killed in the comics as well. And this one isn’t pregnant which also bow down to Godzilla too. But I will say out of all Kaiju the Behemoth is the strange but one of my favorite kaiju design. Maybe because it’s a mammal and it’s so rare to see a mammal kaiju since it’s mostly Insects, Aliens, Amphibians, Birds, Fish, and Reptiles. We do see some on screen but in the novel tells us what the other titans are doing around the world. Surprising fact the Leviathan outpost in in Loch Ness meaning that Nessie is a kaiju or something!?

One thing that make the monsters amazing by their designs but also their facial expression which gives them more life and not Disney Lion King live action movie lifeless expression. We understand their emotion by their facial expression and not their voice.

We see Godzilla just showing intimidation to people and King Ghidorah who they both showing high level of intimidation! Also Ghidorah head that represent their personality are good and there’s reason why Kevin is the dumb one. Because the heart is on the right side of the body the right and middle get more blood to their brains while the left side aka Kevin get less blood in his brain (My friend explain this after the movie). And when Rodan got stab by Mothra stinger (which my friend also explain that Moths do have stingers IRL but never uses them because they don’t harm any creature and are like butterflies and bee hybrid like insects) he was showing that “anime pain gasp shock eye facial expression” because DAM right into the shoulder!!! Which then when he tries to challenge Godzilla for the throne he was like “aw hell sorry my king please forgive me I Starscream knee before you Megaton!!!”

Before I close to finish it off I want to say again Ghidorah in this film is the most scariest and terrifying monster of all time! The moment he survive the oxygen destroyer was so suprise he survive and Godzilla has a heart attack. The moment when Kevin head grows back after ripped off was just horrifying and just HOLY SHIT moment. Even seeing him as he crown himself the king now as he roar so lod showing the church is like we’re seeing the Devil begin the end life on Earth! Even when his history was meant to be erase and forgotten in the past is a surprising. Just glad they stick to alien and not bio genetic creature from the future that makes him look like a vampire furby baby face (I will admit the Dorats look cute).

Also one question....how dafug did the government military manage to make the Oxygen Destroyer. Yes it’s a prototype but if this is a prototype does this mean the perfect Oxygen Destroyer become Destroyah later on. Also you think the monster causes problem, that bomb kill alot of fish population right there! But during the film Serizawa sacrifice himself to save Godzilla by bringing the atomic nuclear bomb to blow up to help recharge his nuclear energy aka giving him some juice to make him stronger.

What make this movie fun is jsut there’s so many easter eggs in this movie! I spotted some but i bet there’s more somewhere that youtube explained see: Roidan is making nest at MT Fuji (Rodan movie), Twins and Infant Island (Mothra), Kong is poted and mention alot in the film which also leading to Kong vs Godzilla, Monster Zero, (again) The Leviathan is Nessie from Loch Ness, Mecha Kevin, 2014 sky falling scene, Mothra wing represent Godzilla eyes, Mothra egg after she die but chances maybe minilla or junior, A mysterious skeleton at Godzilla lair. That’s all i got so far. but idk if the sphinx would count because that is actually like a cancel 1998 Godzilla aka Zilla movie sequel.

What also surprising is that Godzilla and Mothra are actually a thing together! And tbh for the longest time I ship theses two (haven’t ship for a long LONG time)! it explain it’s a “symbiotic” relationship but still it’s cute.

Ok now the probably the best part of the movie is the monster fight scene. It’ss just so amazing what theses things can actually do on screens. Just when Godzilla and Ghidorah fight the third time they just charged to each other causing this huge shockwave boom that shook the sky! Rodan just peck the HELL out at Ghidorah when they first met! Mothra (again) Stab Rodan giving him the worst pain of his life on his shoulder! Kevin head ripped off! (Kevin nooooo), and the final part of the movie. Mothra Die from Ghidorah when protecting her Lamp Husband!

But the part when Godzilla when thermal nuclear aka BURNING GODZILLA!!! HE FUCKING BURNS THE WINGS ON GHIDORAHS WINGS LEAVING NOTHING BUT IT’S FINGERS THINGS!!! GHIDORAH TRY TO FIGHT BACK BUT IT’S NOT WORKING AND GODZILLA PULSES AGAIN DISINTEGRATE KEVIN AND RIGHT HEAD LEAVING THE ALPHA HEAD ALONE AND JUST CRUSH IT’S CHEST OPEN KILLING IT AND CREATE HUGE A EXPLOSION!!!!!!

Ok we’re at the ending a- OMG HE SURVIVED!? NOPE!!! GODZILLA RIP THE HEAD OFF AND SMACKING IT DOWN AS IT STILL ALIVE WHICH HE IS EATING THE NECK! TO FINISH IT OFF IT CHARGES IT’S ATOMIC BREATH AND SHOOT THE HEAD TO THE SKY!!!!

THIS IS WHY GODZILLA IS THE TRUE KING OF THE MONSTERS!

He fought something that could out class him and dominates it, No matter how must of a pain he’s in he still stands tall, he continues fighting and not retreat and rematch again (Gamera)!

That is the coolest death kill ever and turns out the spark from the mouth was actually a burp which is funny. Don’t believe me? go to Mike Dougherty twitter he tells everything about the movie.

Now the one part that makes me want to react with the other titans too which i feel like all Godzilla fans did too in the theaters because i got the same feeling to just wanting to bow down to Godzilla for some reason? Just when Madison (Mark and Emma daughter who is Millie Brown from Stranger Thing as Eleven) uses the ORCA to bring all titans to Boston. They all arrive seeing their king to be dead by Godzilla which looks liek they’re all about to challenge him, even Rodan look piss off for he want to fight for his fallen king death. He tells them to back the fuck down which Rodan being the Starscream dude he is bows down before his true king and so does (mostly) everyone, even the Femuto who is the natural enemies to his species bows before him! This turned all the titans good and help bring amazing impact around the world: Amazon Rainforests that was wiped out are growing back, endanger animals are off the endanger list, stabilized world sea levels from Antarctica, fish population rises too, etc...

Then there is the after credit where the leader of the Eco terrorist finds Kevin and is going to take his head. And also show many hits saying seismic activity at Skull Island and show cave painting of Kong and Godzilla fighting each other!

This is what “which titans is here to threaten us, and which titans are here to protect us.” from the beginning. There are two kings and one of the is a false king who call himself king and wants to bring destruction to everything it sees. Godzilla job as an apex predator is to bring balance to nature and humanity as a True King to the throne. If any one of them go out of Godzilla rules then they will be slap to their head.

So then that is King of the Monsters and it still a great film! I still can’t believe critics say “too much monster fight scene” and blah blah blah they don’t know what a Godzilla film actually is tbh! This movie did amazing and even thought there’s some problems it still make a good movie. I will give it an:

8 or 7 out of 10

If you want to watch this I would recommend watching old godzilla films which also count kong, mothra, and rodan before you see this film but for a quickie i would recommend Godzilla Awakening, Godzilla (2014), Skull Island: Birth of Kong, Kong Skull Island, and Godzilla Aftershock to get to know the movie and the Monsterverse. There’s also the novel too which holds more information that didn’t get on screen and it’s low price and it’s good. I really wanted to get off my chest and it just so good! i think next review I might do Endgame maybe?

#Godzilla King of the Monsters #Godzilla #kaiju #mod #mod review

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sabraeal · 6 years

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Seven Suitors Universe prompt: Obi holding the twins and midnight talks with Haki in Lyrias? And Haki teasing Obi for the mark Shirayuki left on his neck that his scarf is covering?

Set during Seven Suitors, Chapter Six; the night after Shirayuki arrives

There’s nothing so clear as a Lyrias night.

Obi tips back his head, eyes adjusting to the dark. Stars and galaxies swirl across his vision, rising up like embroidery against the tapestry of the night sky. They’re like little stitches from where he stands, a hand as steady as any of Haki’s ladies’ picking them out in luminescent thread. It doesn’t look like this in Wistal, the lights of the city drowning out anything but the moon and the brightest stars.

He’s missed it.

A wind whips down the mountains, fresh from Tanbarun, cutting right through his jacket and sending shivers down to the bone. There’s other things he hasn’t missed, too. The cold is one of them.

“The south thinned your blood?” Jirou laughs, swaggering across the wall. His eyes mark the snuffed torches, but he doesn’t say anything, just adds with a grin, “Weren’t you the one who sat out that entire storm –”

“I’d appreciate it if you’d forget that, thanks,” Obi drawls, rounding his shoulders against the chill. “Especially in front of Miss.”

White teeth flash in the dark, but Jirou only says, “His Lordship says your shift is over, if you need to go get warm.”

“Good,” he huffs, breath forming like a ghost between them. “He’s kept me from my bed enough lately.”

“Hmm,”There’s enough suggestion in his tone to make Obi struggle against the blush trying to creep up his neck. He’s been away a year, but a single sound and he can tell just whose bed Jirou thinks he’s being kept from tonight.

“Which is where I’m going,” he presses. “Not anywhere else.”

“‘Course not,” Jirou agrees, turning his back. “Wouldn’t imagine you anywhere else, sir. I’ll make sure the next boy gets these lit when he comes out.”

Jirou gives the torches a good tap, sauntering back towards the watch house, back toward the light, toward something approaching warmth.

Which is where Obi should be going, if he doesn’t want to become a new gargoyle for the wall until summer.

His feet follow the familiar path without thought; a good thing, since his mind is currently occupied with other things, like what Miss would look like wrapped up in sleep, back in her own bed, or –

Or the look she gave him when he said I won’t be able to go much of anywhere tonight. The way the heat had been so steady in her eyes, the hope of – of – later fresh in them.

It’s late. She’d had a long ride. He shouldn’t.

…But he could.

He could go to her now, and he know she’d welcome him, know she’d help off his boots and cloak and clothes until he was down to just his thermals and skin, maybe even –

Obi grinds that thought to a halt. He could. But he shouldn’t. This is – it isn’t how he wants it to go. Not with her.

Not when he could have more, maybe even – even –

Forever. If only he can muster up the patience.

He tears his hat from his head, a hand raggedly dragging through his hair. He needs to – to cool down. To try to forget what it felt like to have her hand in his, to have her breath in his lungs, as if they were one person –

He drags his eyes somewhere – anywhere – to distract himself, and –

The lights are on in Her Majesty’s room. His mouth curls, a different sort of warmth unfurling in his chest.

There are other people he’s missed these scant weeks too.

It’s nothing to slip down the stones, to come hang at her window – he’d complain to His Lordship about security, if he didn’t know it would please him, make him think he had finally won him around – and he finds it latched tight against the cold, as well as wayward guards.

Still, he’s not so easily deterred.

He swings to the next window – her parlor by the look of it – and presses his face to the glass. It’s dimmer in here, but he can make out her fair head tossed back against the back of a chair, a bundle swaddled in her arms, held up to breast –

He taps, grinning when she startles. He knows the exact moment she catches sight of him, because she mouths a word he’s sure His Majesty would find shocking to be said in front of his heir.

“Obi!” she gasps, pushing open the window. “What are you thinking?”

He grins down at her from the ledge. “I thought Her Majesty could use some company.”

“I have a door,” she tells him crossly. “You could fall.”

He slips in, shutting the window behind him. “I wonder.”

“Dexterous is not the same thing as invincible.” Her hands flutter, flustered, between them. “In case you’ve forgotten.”

He only offers her a grin, sauntering further into her quarters, over to where a small sling wiggles enticingly.

“Is this one of them?” he asks, hesitantly plucking at the cloth.

Her Majesty softens, her brow smoothing and mouth curving into a smile. “Yes. The last. The one you helped to birth.”

He peers over, and in the dimness, he sees the shape of a ruddy, chubby face, screwed up into an expression of malcontent. “Looks about right.”

“Would you like to hold him?”

His hand clenches on the cloth. “W-what?”

Her Majesty sweeps up beside him, taking the sleeping child into her arms. He’s bigger than Obi remembers, though still impossibly small. Maybe he’d take after his uncle, in that.

“Is that – that –?” He doesn’t know how to make words, or even what he means to ask. He’s good with children, with small little humans, not – not precious, fragile things.

He’s not gentle.

“I’m his mother,” she says simple, tucking the boy into his arms. “And a queen.”

He’s so light, like he’s holding nothing more than the cloth he’s wrapped in. Obi can’t shake the thought that he’ll forget he’s holding him, that he’ll just let him go crashing to the floor and –

“Breathe, Obi,” Her Majesty laughs gently, rubbing a hand down his arm. “If he survived his birth, he’ll survive you.”

He lets his body relax, lets his hold grow looser, less hunched. The child rolls his head, tucking it tightly against his body and –

And snores.

“How regal,” he deadpans, lifting a hand to brush back the dark gold curls dusting his head. “Does he have a name?”

“Not yet,” she sighs, swaying over to a set of more sturdy bassinets. “Babes aren’t supposed to be given a name until a month after their birth, at least here in the North. It’s tradition, and you know how my brother feels about tradition.”

Obi’s breath hisses between his teeth. Does he.

“This is the other,” she says, lifting another child into her arms. “The first.”

The heir. The next king of Clarines. He’s every inch his father’s child, save for the nearly white fuzz that sweeps over his crown. His eyes are closed, but he wonders at them opening, if he’ll see the familiar blue of his Master.

“So what do you call them?” he asks. “You can’t just be calling them One and Two. Or Heir and Not-Heir.”

“Of course not,” Her Majesty agrees. “It’s Prince One and Prince Two.”

He grins.

“To be honest, I haven’t been calling them much of anything,” she admits. “Just – the hungry one. Whichever one needs to sleep.”

In his arms, the second prince grunts in his sleep, small fists flailing. His face wrinkles, like an apple drying in the sun, and –

His wail is piercing.

“I think His Fussiness wants his mother,” he laughs, holding him out. “Trade me His Chubbiness, and I’ll put him down.”

“His Fussiness,” Haki laughs. “If that isn’t apt.”

“I have a gift,” he tells her, laying the sleeping heir back in his bassinet. “Feel free to use my services at any time.”

“Speaking of services,” she says, suddenly sly. “Did Shirayuki enjoy yours, back at the inn?”

He nearly chokes.

“I did find her in your bed, after all.” Her eyebrow arches. “Did she get lost during the night?”

“MY,” he says, staring at the clock on the mantle. “IS THAT THE TIME?”

Haki’s mouth quirks. “Are you keeping your mistress waiting?”

It had been easier before, when it was all just – talk. A joke, a jest never to be made real. But now he’s heard the soft stutter of her breath, knows how she would melt beneath his touch –

“Have to be going!” he blurts out, throwing out the window. “Got – duty – morning –”

“I won’t forgot, you know,” she tells him archly. “I know what I saw –”

“GOOD NIGHT!” The shutter adds a good punctuation to the conversation, an ending –

One he knows won’t last. Her Majesty is not one for giving up the last word, and that she has ceded this one –

The queen consort does not believe the conversation over.

#Anonymous #seven suitors #obiyuki #akagami no shirayukihime #my fic #ans #nonnie you will get that second request as well!#i just wanted to do this one first #before haki has some EVIDENCE to work with #and I'm always glad to have the excuse to write these two together #Obi holds his own so well #but you know he just could NOT if there was any TRUTH to the teasing about Shirayuki

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tatooedlaura-blog · 6 years

Text

Fuzzy Fleece Pants and Creamsicles

This third series reads as follows:

Shattered … Desolation … Determination … Us and Ours … Ratty Towels … The Sleepover … Skinner and the Punch … Oregon … Impossibilities … Something from Nothing … Out of the Car … Partners … News … Never Replace You … The Chip … Date Night … Evidence of Things Unseen … Maggie’s Walter … Glasses … Maggie’s Truth ... Waiting Words

First series … Second series

*********************

No sooner had they finished the dishes and left the kitchen that Skinner, moving perceptively slower due to battering bruises and strained ribs, sought out Maggie, who was 2.4 seconds away from nodding off, stress still tightening muscles and making bones ache. Wondering if he’d be able to kneel, he managed one knee, using the other bent for balance, hand on Maggie’s leg, all pretense of lead-in gone as a giddy feeling made his head spin.

Mulder, who had just hit the fifth step down on the staircase, stopped rubbing his newly showered hair dry, momentum nearly carrying him headfirst down the rest. Scully stayed back in the kitchen doorway, not sure the squeezing in her throat was happiness or panic.

Maggie, awake fully in an instant, tilted her head to the slight angle of ‘you are adorable to me’ as he began speaking, “Will you marry me? Today? Tonight? Tomorrow? Sooner rather than later?”

She’d wondered if this would happen tonight, given the bedroom conversation vibe from earlier and Walter cornering Dana in the kitchen under the demands of dirty dishes. Knowing, understanding, mouth tugging into the beginnings of a smile, “why sooner rather than later?”

“Because I want us to spend the rest of our lives being scared together and I think today is as good a time as any to start.”

Feeling from the bottom of her soul and the bottom of her toes what her answer would be, she moved her hands from his neck to delicately cup both ears, moving him closer to kiss both eyebrows, favorite spots, soft lips against untamed rough, “I would love to marry you sooner rather than later as well.”

His grin hurt but grin he did, “I’ll need to get you a ring first.”

“I don’t need a ring but I would like to have the rest of the family here for it.” Tiredness receding to the background for the moment, “unless we want to call them all up right now, get them over here?”

“Maybe we wait a few days? I don’t want to scare the little ones with,” indicating up and down his face with swollen knuckles, “this.”

About to speak, Maggie caught sight of Scully over Skinner’s shoulder and with a motherly silent question of ‘do you need me to come over there?’, “are you all right?”

Deciding it was happiness instead of panic, she swiped the tears obeying gravity and smiled at her mother, “yeah, just …,” by now near laughing at the strangeness of her life, “I’m just happy.”

“Sure?”

“Very sure.”

Mulder came down then, prospect of boss as his woman’s stepfather made his brain bubble slightly, punchy-weird rush of amused confusion ringing his ears. Moving first to Scully, then pulling her forward towards the newly engaged couple, “come on. Gotta congratulate a man willingly entering the fray that is Scully.”

“We’re a fray?”

“Of the grandest kind.”

&&&&&&&&&

Heading home a little while later, Mulder reached across the dark car, gloved hand finding cold thigh, “so, how’s peanut doing?”

“Peanut is about the length of a banana at this point.”

“That’s a damn big peanut then.” Her face didn’t turn up in amusement as he’d hoped but he couldn’t tell her emotions in the dark so he took a stab, rubbing her leg a few times, friction for warmth in the world of physics, “how’s peanut’s mom doing with the whole impending stepfather thing?”

“If I say ‘I’m fine’, you’re going to keep bothering me, aren’t you?”

The ground unsteadied in a heartbeat, Mulder wondering if he should wait or wade in, unpadded and unprepared, “possibly, unless you say you will tell me what’s bothering you soon, just not this very moment.”

“Can I have until we get home and I can get this damn bra off and put on a pair of pants that haven’t been slept in … or actually, a pair of pants meant to be slept in?”

He knew what she needed at this point and quieting, he navigated home, stopping for gas and Creamsicle pushups for late night snacking. Handing her the bag when he got back in, “don’t let those melt. Hang out the window if you have to.”

“I don’t need ice cream, Mulder. It’s freezing out.”

“I need ice cream, though and you know when I start to eat mine, you’ll get all friendly and rub up on me and give me that look and I’ll give you a lick of my pushup and you’ll take a really big lick and I’ll enjoy the tongue action and let you have another lick and soon we’ll be naked and sweaty and the pushup will have melted all over the couch and given that happened last time I got ice cream and you said you didn’t want any, you can’t deny it will totally happen again so I got extra.”

The bursting guffaw from her side of the Jeep told him she was feeling more open to confessions and he wouldn’t have to psychologize it out of her in the dark, which he hated but would do if absolutely necessary.

He gave it another five minutes, just as they were turning into their complex, before, “so, the ice cream still frozen?”

Leaning forward, she squeezed the bag she’d set on the dash by the window, feeling it still solid, “yes, Mulder, your ice cream is still in its native form.”

“Sweet.” The finger poke to his cheek told him volumes and soon, they were upstairs, bra removed, fleece-fuzzy pants on, extra blankets piled as they worked their way through four Creamsicles, Mulder’s hand on her knee, “so, what’s wrong?”

She knew she couldn’t fight him, sitting warm under the influence of home and Mulder, “my first thought when he asked if it would be all right to marry her was, now when we run, she’ll have someone to take care of her.” Eyes tearing immediately, she took a few more licks to gather her nerves, “not if, Mulder, but when. I thought when we have to run. Fuck,” angrily swiping at her cheeks, “fuck fuck fuck fuck … when, Mulder … I thought God-damned when!!”

He did not see that coming.

Processing took a beat or two but before she could start in on another run of flowing expletive, he asked her across the quiet, “you think it’s inevitable?”

Scully stood, took the popsicle right out of his hand and detouring to the kitchen, popped everything in the freezer before returning, crawling on his lap, resting against his chest, cheek to thermal heartbeat, belly creating issues but not negating ones, “I love that Skinner wants to marry my mother and I love that Mom wants to marry Skinner but all it does it make it easier for us to leave.”

Mulder spoke into the crown of her head, hoping words penetrated the fearful recesses of her mind, hoping it wasn’t a lie vibrating his voice, hoping he believed it himself, “we aren’t going anywhere. Peanut upgraded to banana is going to know his grandma and his Uncle Skimmer and all the rest of the fray we talked about earlier.”

Snuggling further in, keeping the beasts at bay with closed eyes and tightened arms, she felt Mulder throw a thick quilted/crocheted/flannelled monstrosity they unanimously believed to be their favorite thing in the universe, over them both, the space around warming as any space between disappeared, “thank you for not promising me anything.”

With a kiss or two, he slid his hands up the back of her shirt, warm ribs bumping fingers, “are you feeling better?”

“No idea but this is nice and I like it here.” Finally looking up at him, kissing his chin, “although I won’t be able to do this much longer. Upgrade is getting bigger by the minute.”

Moving hands down to just below the waist of her pants, “we will figure something else out then but right now, I am enjoying this.”

Scully let out a sigh, “so am I.”

#msr #walternmaggie #bean to peanut to banana #I will never get the drawing of Scully sleeping against Mulder out of my head #xf fanfic #xfiles fanfic #my writing #Life part 3 series

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wdwqrfawes · 3 years

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They come at dusk and roost all night

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littleredroseonthevalley · 6 years

Text

Red Rose - Chapter 5

Prologue Ch. 1 Ch. 2 Ch. 3 Ch. 4 CH. 5 Ch. 6 Ch. 7 Ch. 8 Ch. 9 Ch. 10 Ch. 11 Ch. 12 Ch. 13 Ch. 14 Ch. 15 Ch. 16

Summary: It is finally the day of the Derby, and an unfortuitous meeting sends Riley to the edge.

Rating: T - Content not suitable for children. Suitable for teens, 13 years and older, with minor suggestive adult themes.

Notes: And we’re back on track! My beta is back from their extended medical leave and we’re coming back with full force. BTW, when I was researching for stills for this cover, I saw Daniel diTommaso’s butt. I’ll leave it at that. Who’s Alexander? And his wife? Any guesses? I’d love to hear them!

Hippodrome Colline de Miel, Phoenike, Cordonia, Fall 2015

After a three-hour car trip through a sinuous, unkempt road up the mountains, the Beaumont family finally arrived to Phoenike, a town some forty kilometers off the border with Greece.

Again, Riley was impressed by the thermal shock of Cordonian weather. Halfway through the journey, while they were passing through Argyrocastron, it was snowing softly, while in the racetrack the women were fanning themselves to relieve the suffocating heat.

Over there, aside from the ruins of an ancient Epirote city, there was the biggest and most traditional race track in the country. The Colline de Miel was off an apple orchard, an Art Deco with a glistening white façade, with great glass windows and marble interior. The place was 600.000 sq. mts., and the main race was to be disputed on a two and a half kilometers sand track.

Still in the car, Maxwell was revising her etiquette. “At the cocktail,” He says. “You’ll have to eat with perfect civility.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’ve got this, Maxwell. I won’t stuff my mouth, pick my teeth or stab Drake with a fork.” She says. “As much as the last one might tempt me.”

“Right.” Maxwell says. “Bertrand said I should go over everything. Speaking of which, how would you address Bertrand?”

“He’s a Duke. He’s supposed to be addressed as ‘Your Grace’.”

“Right!” He celebrated. “And, just in case it comes up, his full title is Duke Bertrand Beaumont of Ramsford.”

They parked off the main building, and Bertrand, insisting on traveling alone, entered the car.

“Maxwell,” He greeted. “How’s progress?”

“As planned!” Maxwell was overjoyed. “Riley and I were just about to review her entrance to the Derby and how to get out of the car without flashing the press.”

“Adjust skirts before moving and keep your knees and feet together while swiveling out.” She recited, beaming.

Bertrand, however, is less than impressed. “Anyone who can run an internet search can spout off that kind of protocol. We’re asking you to be a lady. Maxwell, I hope you don’t mind if I take the liberty of testing Riley myself.”

“Pretty sure it doesn’t actually matter whether I mind or not…”

“Indeed.” The older gentleman smiled wolfly. As he turns to the woman. “Riley, let us pretend I’m meeting you for the first time.”

“Will you demean my profession again?” Riley asked, snarky.

“Just play along, girl!” Bertrand chastised. “Hello. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Flowers.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Duke Ramsford.” She says, as she curtsies. The man takes her left hand with his right hand and kissed it.

“Now, what I did wrong?” Bertrand asks.

“You used the wrong hand.” She said, defying him. “You should have taken my hand with your left hand, otherwise it is an insult.”

“Very observant of you.” He commended.

“And there you were, thinking I wasn’t listening to you.” She says, smug.

“Don’t get too complacent.” Bertrand warns. “You’re only ever one mistake away of a scandal.”

“Gee, Your Grace, can you be a little less alarming?”

“Nothing but the truth.” He shrugged. “Now, as I’ve mentioned earlier, how you come across the Cordonian people is very important, and the press can make it or break it with you.”

“It is a sad day to western society when the future of a nation is decided on the yellow press.” Riley thought, acidic.

She tried to pay attention to the Duke. “If the people love you, then it’ll be easy to convince them you deserve their Prince.”

“So, you’ve got to impress the press!” Maxwell beamed. “You’ll be surrounded by them as soon as we pull up to the Downs.”

“All right!” Riley said, excitedly. “Let’s get the show started!”

“I hope your confidence won’t be your downfall.” Bertrand sneered.

“Well,” Maxwell tried to be supportive. “I believe in you!”

“Thanks, dearest!” She squeezed his hand, pulled the door open and gracefully got out of the car.

In the glass entrance of the downs, under a brass insignia of an Apollonian horse, the only breed indigenous to Cordonia, she remembered, and a Merovingian bee, a symbol of the Bonapartist royal rule; the social press of the realm convened, battling for a photo or a statement.

In fact, Riley barely puts her two feet on the concreted walk before a swarm of microphones and a sunshine of camera flashes hit her straight on the face.

“Over here! Donald Brine from the Cordonia Broadcasting Center! We’ve heard about the new lady on the social scene! What’s your name?”

She flashes a smile. “Lady Riley Flowers of House Beaumont.”

“Our viewers care about getting the real story. Tell us about yourself!” Another one said, in the back.

Her smile didn’t betray her thoughts. “Real story. Riiiiight.”

“I’m just that, a mystery!”

Some of the buzz dies down, in confusion. “Most of the ladies can’t wait to talk our ears off.”

“Well, I’m not like everyone else.”

The reporters seemed dazzled. “A fascinating spin…” One said.

“Lady Flowers! Lady Flowers! We heard you were Prince Liam’s favorite. What do you think makes you stand out?”

“I believe he enjoys my company because he can’t figure me out.”

“Lady Flowers, a photo, please!”

She made her best impression of Queen of England, which seemed to please the photographers. “Wonderful, wonderful! You are very photogenic.”

“Lady Flowers, Ana de Luca on behalf of Trend. Your dress is truly spectacular.”

“Thank you!” She beamed.

“Lady Flowers, as an outsider, what do you think of Cordonia?”

“It is a country full of charm and wonder.”

“Our readers will be most pleased with this! Lady Flowers, what qualities make you fit to rule Cordonia?”

“The people can trust me to look out for them and to keep a cool head in times of crisis. I also consider myself brave, caring and honest.”

“How would you handle a low crop yields from the Cordonian apple orchards?”

“I believe a statement should, hypothetically, be issued right away, as in to assure the people of the security of the country’s agrarian policies. The apples are an important part of Cordonia’s culture and economy and deserve a serious answer of the Crown. Beforehand, of course, is the job of the monarchs to charge their government the responsibility to promote actions which protect the poorer farmers and the solvency of the economy.”

The social columnist seemed baffled by the answer, not sure how to retort. In her silence, Riley could hear voices shouting in Greek from the back of the crowd.

“Madam, madam, please, for Dēmokratía!” He shouted. “What do you think of the Cabinet’s proposal to privatize the port of Avlonas?”

Riley was momentarily taken aback with the question. It was a tricky one. “The Cabinet is concerned with the improvement of the infrastructure, but there must be provisions as in to protect the jobs of the people in the capital and surrounding towns as well as the environment, especially around Sason Island.” She said in Greek, as well.

Not the best, most specific answer, but it was an answer. As not to let the reporter ask yet another question, she slipped into the venue.

Inside the opulent and air-conditioned building, the European aristocracy is convened. The Derby is part of a continental championship, and the athletes, the sponsors and wealthy fans of the sport, or of the gambling involved, were mingling amongst themselves, drinking champagne and eating fancy hors d’oeuvres. The ladies vying for the Crown also were around, scouting either support or a fallback plan, together with models, social-climbers and bookies.

As she roamed around, looking for a familiar face, she did find one, though none that she would like to meet.

“Crap.” She thought. “Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap.”

Riley did not think she was seen right away, but she needed an escape plan right away. She looked around the hall and suddenly she was hit with an idea.

The black-haired walked discreetly, though hurriedly to the doors to the stands by the tracks. They were open, with only a velvet rope and a sign: “Fermé. Prochaine Course 14:00”.

Turning her head left and right, Riley tried to determine if she was being watched. As the coast seemed clear, she jumped over the sign and went down the bleachers, trying to find somewhere more out of view. As she was running down the bleachers, she heard two men talking in the distance. It was Drake and Liam.

If they saw her, they surely would ask what she was doing, something she wasn’t willing to share. As the voices were coming from behind the wooden structure, and they seemed to be coming closer, she jumped the orlop into the tracks.

Crouched, she started run as fast as possible to the stables, where she believed to be the safest. The horses are supposed to be all in their pens, ready for the racing, so the grooms would either be at lunch or at the tracks.

A bell rung on the distance. According to her wristwatch, it was two in the afternoon, time for the races. The attendees are starting to fill up the bleachers. Riley couldn’t see the person she was running away from, so she felt more at ease.

She opened the door to one of the stables, going silently in. Most of the pens, as she expected, were empty, except for one. The occupant retreated further, as she approached.

“Hello?” Riley asked, out loud, as to check if she was actually alone.

Nothing answered her but a gust of wind. It, however, shut suddenly the door to the stables, scaring the horse.

As it was natural, it started neighing and kicking. One of its kicks blew the door to its pen off the hinges.

Seeing a way out, the horse started running to her general direction. Riley tried to calm down the horse, but, as it doesn’t know her, it only picks up speed. She started running herself, but she was too slow.

Riley tripped near the door to the stable. She screamed and closed her eyes, sure it was her end.

Theodora loved the Downs.

The horses were most beautiful, running in the tracks. They were exhilarating! And she quite enjoyed going back to the stables to pet the animals.

Between the end of the races and the time her father would take her to the stables, however, was very boring. Her parents were some feet over, talking to yet another boring adult about things she neither understand, nor care to understand.

Needless to say, she was very bored. There weren’t other children around, and her siblings were off somewhere she did not know.

Done with waiting, Theodora decided to go herself to the stalls.

A few wrong turns later, she could find her way to the stables. It was completely devoid of humans, though filled to the brim with horses. Some of them neighed happily with the company, others seemed to look suspiciously at the intruder, and the rest hadn’t acknowledged the stranger, as the day has been long and tiring.

There was one horse that was particularly likable, its stall close to the door. Theodora approached it and started talking to it, as if it was an old friend. She also managed to find the treats hidden in some armoire.

Between talking, petting and feeding the horse, Theodora hadn’t noticed how late it has gotten, nor whether her parents would worry or not.

Imagine her surprise when her mother came after her at the stables. “Theodora? Are you there? Oh, Lord, why must they like horses? Couldn’t it be cats?”

“Mother?” She responded.

“Good grief, Theodora! Can you imagine how worried I was about you?! Don’t run off like that!”

The girl looked down, ashamed. “I’m sorry, mother. It’s just that I was too bored to wait for father to bring me, so I came alone, I know the way.”

Her mother sighed. “I see, sweetheart. But let’s go, your father is worried about you too.”

“Okay, mother, just let me say goodbye to the horses.”

She smiled uneasily. “I’ll be waiting outside. Be quick.”

Hippodrome Colline de Miel, Phoenike, Cordonia, Fall 2015

She screamed and closed her eyes, sure it was her end.

She waited for the impact. That never came.

Confused, Riley opened slowly one of her eyes, trying to see what happened.

“Whoa, there! Whoa!”

Her eyes widened to the sight of the person helping her. Drake tangled his fingers in the horse’s mane and gently pulls its head down, as in to see him eye to eye.

“Nothin’ to worry about, big fella.” He said, soothingly. “I’ll get this girl outta here for you.”

Drake leads the horse to a stall, and then turns to Riley.

“You okay?” He asks.

“Drake?!” She was still very shaken. “You saved me!”

“Really? I thought I was saving this horse… these Derby runners are like athletes. Can’t risk an injury tripping over a stray human.”

“Oh, charming!” She demeaned. “Did the horse knock your manners out or have you ever been this sweet?”

“Nah… I’ve got out without a scratch.”

“Shut up and give me a hand to get up.” She lifted her hand.

“Get up yourself.” He shrugged.

She moaned. “It’s hard to walk on those shoes, okay?! Please, give me a hand before I rip my skirt.”

“Why haven’t you said so?” He laughed but gave her a hand.

“Thanks.” She sneered. “Why are you even doing here?!”

He passes a hand through his hair. “Look… I…” He sighed. “The truth is, Liam told me to keep an eye on you and make sure you don’t end up in the wrong place… Exactly like now.”

“That must what they were talking a little earlier.” She thought. “He asked you that?” Riley asked, meekly.

“Yeah, good thing I followed his instructions, huh?”

She huffed.

Drake went on: “Speaking of which, you should go back to the racetrack and your adoring fans…” He spat the last word.

“I’d love to, but I’m lost!” She moaned, trying to play the stupid girl card. “Maxwell told me to look for some tents.”

“Noble people would never sit on the grass.” Drake snorted “You’re supposed to wait at the cocktail, then go to the bleachers. How the Hell did you get here in the first place?”

“There were some stairs, I went down. I couldn’t find anyone, so I kept walking. I thought somebody was bound to be looking after the horses. I guess I was wrong.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter now. Anyways, the races are about to start, just walk to the bleachers, can’t miss them. Bye.” He was exceeding unpleasant, while walked to the door.

“Wait!” Riley called after him. “Aren’t you supposed to go that way too?”

“No.” He said, smugly. “I’m due to meet Liam. The royal family has their own booth at the tracks.”

“Careful, Drake, you seem to be looking forward to schmooze with royalty.”

“Har-har.” He was ironic. “But you’re right. Me and Liam usually just hang out there and get some drinks, watch the ceremonies, place our bets on the horses… It is pretty sweet.”

Riley quickly formulated a plan. “In that case, I’m going with you.”

“What?!” He exclaimed, outraged.

“It sounds more fun where you’re going.” She said, simplistic. “Take me with you.”

“I don’t think you’re supposed to…”

“Boo-hoo.” Riley mocked. “What are they going to do? Throw me in Princess Jail?”

She marched to the door. As she noticed Drake wasn’t following her, she looked back and said: “Chop-chop, let’s go.”

He shook his head and went after her.

As they arrived at the entrance of the booth, a tall, strong man from the Guard motioned to her and said, “Invited only.”

“Let me handle this,” Drake said, pointedly. Then, in Greek, full of innuendo, he told the man: “Please, Prince Liam asked for her.”

The man widened his eyes and let them pass. When they were out of earshot, Riley elbowed him. “You had to tell him that?”

Drake smirked. “You’re the one who wanted to tag along.” He pointed to the refreshment table. “You go ahead, I’m going to get some beers.”

As he left, Riley calls him back. “Hey, Drake?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks,” She told him with a smile. “I’d be positively miserable over there with Olivia.”

“Don’t mention it.” And with that, he left.

Over at the railing, Liam was staring intently at the tracks. Riley had a wicked idea. She puts her hands over his eyes, saying softly: “Guess who?”

He tenses at the loss of his sight, but relaxes and smiles to the sound of her voice.

“There’s only one person who could sneak here and sneak up on me.”

“Which is?” She laughed.

“Riley.” He said, softly.

She took her hands from his eyes. “Correct!”

“However in the world did you manage to get in here?!” He asked her.

“Drake was kind enough to get me in.” She said, and then frowned. “Even if he might have suggested to the bouncer over there I was some kind of courtesan.”

Liam seemed extremely displeased with her statement. “Riley, as much as I am glad for you to be here, I am really sorry that you had to go through this. I’ll see to Drake doesn’t…”

She cut him off: “Would the guy let me through had Drake told him the truth?”

“No,” Liam conceded. “But…”

“But nothing, the important thing is that I got in, not how I got in.”

“I… suppose. But you shouldn’t have to go through this kind of embarrassment.”

“I was a waitress, Liam.” She laughed, dismissively. “That was nothing.”

The prince was feeling more at ease with the situation, even if it was aggressive to his morals.

“Speaking of Drake,” Riley continued. “I had a funny conversation with him about you telling him to look out for me.”

“Ah… right. I guess you caught me.” He didn’t seem much repentant. “I did say that to him.”

“Liam,” She said, rather sternly. “I understand you did this out of care, and I do appreciate it, but don’t you trust me to take care of myself?”

“Honestly, you seem the one of the most capable people I’ve ever met.” He says, with that kind of shyness reserved to the guilty. “It is only that I know these events can be chaotic, intimidating. I hate the thought of you feeling lost when I can’t be there with you. I hope you’re not terribly offended.”

“Look, Liam, I know what I’ve said at the night of the Masquerade, about me feeling overwhelmed, and I get your point of view, but if I thought it was too much for me to handle, I’d had left a long time ago.” She took his hand. “I can do this, don’t worry so much about me.”

She kissed his cheek, as in a way to put him at ease. His face, however, tinted in a deep scarlet.

As to change the subject as quickly as possible, he pointed at the gates. “Look, they’re leading the horses to the start already.” He smiled softly. “I love watching the horses.”

“They are majestic creatures, indeed.” She said. “But, especially with those race horses, I can’t shake the idea of them feeling trapped. Here we have the fastest ones in the world, but there they are, running in circles, just to return to small, uncomfortable pens at night.”

“I… never thought that way before. If it is of any consolation to you, I’ve visited where some of these horses spend their days, and the fields are magnificent.”

“That’s something, I suppose.”

“Nothing like a little gilding to make a cage bearable.” He said, with some assertiveness.

Riley rose an eyebrow and seemed ready to ask something, but just then she was interrupted by Drake letting himself into the booth, holding three glasses of beer.

“Hope I’m not interrupting anything.” Drake says, as he handles a glass to Riley.

“You were.” She said, playfully. “But I’m glad to see you anyways.”

“You are?”

“Why would I lie?” She asked.

“And you’re just in time!” Liam told Drake excitedly. “The last race is about to start! I say Twilight-Dash takes the crown.”

“That’s not a bad prediction,” Drake concedes. “But I’ve been studying the stats. My money’s on Mirabelle’s Dream.”

“Want to bet on that, Drake?” Liam challenged.

“Sure. The usual?”

“What’s the usual?” Riley pondered.

“Ever since Drake and I were kids, we’d bet each other push-ups.” Liam told her.

“Not just any push-ups.”

“Yes. Push-ups while the other person sits on your back.”

“That’s so cute!” Riley exclaimed.

“It’s not ‘cute’. It’s rugged. And manly.” Drake, revolted, retorted.

“‘Homoerotic’ might be the word you are looking for.” She showed him her tongue.

Liam laughed, and said: “So, Drake, do we have a bet?”

“You’re on.”

“Except perhaps one change to the usual.” Liam proposed. “I think we’d be incredibly rude to leave out Riley. Maybe she should be the one to sit on the loser’s back.”

“Riley Flowers, gym weight extraordinaire.” She smiled.

“There we have, then.” Liam said.

“Drake,” Riley asked. “Which horse is which?”

“The 8 is Twilight-Dash and the 12 is Mirabelle’s Dream.” He provided.

She looked at the horses and had a cold dread fall upon her stomach. “Who’s… Who’s the man riding the 12?”

“Alexander Rosenberg. He’s an Austrian rider and nobleman. If I recall correctly, he’s the Marquess of Krumau. Mirabelle’s Dream is probably his horse, he is racing this afternoon.” Liam said.

“And the woman?” Her lip trembled.

“It must be his wife. He married recently.” The blond shrugged and then wondered: “Why do you ask?”

“No…” She said. “Nothing important. I just thought I knew him. It must be a mistake.”

Riley receded into her thoughts, coming back to reality when the shot signaling the opening of the gates. The two men leaned forward in anticipation to the winner.

Despite of herself, Riley was rooting for the midnight-black horse. And, as a prophecy, Mirabelle’s Dream, despite tough competition, wins the race and is taken to the side and covered in roses.

“Liam,” Said Drake, smugly. “I believe you’re up.”

“Well, here we go…” He said. “If you excuse me, I can’t get those clothes dirty and sweaty.”

As he takes off his shirt and blazer, Riley takes off her hat and her heels, as in not to lose balance.

“Riley,” The prince called. “I believe I need your assistance here.”

“I’m on it.” She smiled and propped herself down.

“Is that all?” He said. “I barely feel a thing.”

“Keep telling girls that and they’ll line up to date you.” Riley said. “On a second thought, haven’t they done such thing already?”

As soon as she finished talking, Liam started his push-ups.

“Oof!” Riley almost, comically, fell from his back with the first sudden upward movement.

“Too easy!” Drake mocked.

“Thank you, Drake. That’s the kindest thing you told me this week.” Riley said.

“…And ten.” Liam laid on the floor. “Done.”

Riley gets off him and he stands up. Already dressed, he said: “And it shall never be said I back off bets.”

“And you lose all the time, so that’s really saying something.” Drake teased.

“I must’ve done something very wrong at some point for you to be my best friend.” Liam teased.

“Amen to that.” Riley agreed.

“I think it’s part of my job to keep you humble. Hard to do that with all those gorgeous women chasing after you.”

“Speaking of which, now that the races are over, it’s probably time to go back to the social barrage. I should go down and congratulate the winner of the Derby.”

At the mention of the marquess, she felt her face go blank. She should get out of there as fast as she could.

Luckily, her appearance played right into her hand when Drake looked at her and said: “Hey, are you alright? You seem awfully pale.”

“No, I feel a little dizzy…” She said.

Liam tensed at that. “What happened?” He asked, in half desperation.

“I don’t know!” Drake exclaimed. “She just got white suddenly.”

“Go fetch Maxwell!” The blond commanded, and the brunet disappeared through the door.

“I really shouldn’t, but it has to be done.” She thought. “Okay. One, two, three, now!”

She faked a faint.

Palace of the Brigades, Avlona, Cordonia, Fall 2015

After Riley faked her fainting, Maxwell came running with the car to take them back to the Palace. Lucky for her, Phoenike wasn’t much of a big city and they couldn’t find a trustful doctor who could attend to her right away.

Halfway there, she ‘woke up’ from her faint, faking confusion. Maxwell was alone with her in the car. She was informed Drake went on ahead to alert the royal physician, while Liam was kept behind by protocol.

As they arrived at her room, the doctor examined her and said her ‘fainting spell’ was more likely a result of exhaustion, bad nourishment and a climate which she was not used to. She was prescribed bedrest for a few days.

As Maxwell lead the doctor away, Drake kept her company for a few more moments.

“Hey, Drake.” She called.

“Yes?”

“Thank you. For the books, for the booth, for getting me a doctor and for the horse.”

“I know I’m a jerk, but I’d have to be a really low-life to let a horse trample a girl.”

“Either way, thanks.” She said, sincere.

Maxwell let himself in again. “Okay, Riley. You heard the doctor. Try to have a good night’s sleep.”

“If only that was the answer to all there’s wrong with the world!” She exclaimed, teasingly. “Good night, Maxwell, Drake.”

“’Night, Flowers.” Drake said as they left the room and closed the door.

As soon as she was alone, she jumped out of the bed and went to her trunk.

Behind her, a voice tutted: “Leaving so soon? After so much they’ve done for you? How nasty!”

Riley froze at the sound.

“No greetings? Well, I suppose we are past that, though I would like at least a hello. After all, we’ve been apart for so long, and we were so close.” They teased.

“Wh-what are you doing in here?!” Riley stuttered.

“No clue?” They smiled, wickedly. “I’ve come to fetch you! They’ll be so happy to see you again!”

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#red rose #the royal romance

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ilovereadingandilovebreathing · 6 years

Note

Soul Eater SoMa for 6! "Things you said under the stars in the grass"

For those of you who don’t know or are reading this in the future, today is Valentine’s Day, and the precious human who sent this request is one of my favorite people on the planet. He’s an incredible friend, and I’m blessed to call him my platonic valentine this year. I’ve had this little diddy simmering in my inbox for weeks, but I decided today was as good of a day as any to FINISH this sucker. Also sorry not sorry that I cheated because no grass. *shrugs* Hope you like it, friendo. ♥

Summary: Soul’s still on a mission to get his promised date with Maka, even if they have to lose a few degrees to do it.

Word Count: 3,470

Characters/Pairings: Soul “Eater” Evans, Maka Albarn; SoulxMaka

Genres: Fluff, romance, with a splash of angst; College!AU

Warnings: divorce, bickering (let me know if there are others)

“Good Morning!” Maka breezed up to their usual table in the Commons, a light grin on her lips.

“’Mornin’,” Soul replied between forkfuls of scrambled eggs.

“As suave as ever, I see.” Maka rolled her eyes good-naturedly, shrieking when the youth flicked said breakfast food in her direction. “Rude.”

“You started it,”the blond breathed out after taking a huge gulp of orange juice.

Maka merely grunted in return, setting off to get her food. When she returned, her table partner snagged a piece of bacon off her tray before she could protest. “Excuse you.” She swiped a slice of apple off of his plate.

Soul chuckled. “Take it.” He slid the bowl of fruit toward her. “ I hate fruit, anyway.”

“Fruit’s good for you, Soul, and you need to eat healthier after that nasty sinus infection you had.” Maka glared when she realized he was mocking her, his hand poised like a hand puppet mouth. “Fine, ignore me, but don’t blame me-”

“What’s got you so high-strung this morning?” Soul interrupted, brow quirked.

“What? Nothing. I’m fine. Why would you say that?”

He just hummed in reply, choosing to let this battle die before it was fought. “Here’s a better question:”

“Hmm?”

“Am I ever gonna get that date?” Soul asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

“You got your date, multiple times!” Maka replied, huffing and sending her bangs flying with a puff of air.

“What, being sick and going to Waffle House in the middle of the night count as dates?”

“I mean they might as well these days, right?”

“True…Well….What have you never done before? What’s something you’ve always wanted to do?”

“Mmmmm….” Maka sucked in her cheeks.

“What? What is it?”

“You’re gonna think it’s dumb.”

“No I won’t; tell me!”

She fiddled with her fork, staring at her plate. “….I’ve never been stargazing before.”

“Really?…” He mused, suddenly contemplative. “You know, I don’t think I have, either. We should definitely do that, then! When are you free?”

“Soul, we’re in the middle of a cold snap in winter; it’s too cold to go out at night!”

“We’ll be fiiiine! We can just bundle up in as many clothes as we can, hats and scarves, the whole nine, and get some blankets and stuff. I’ll figure it out. It’ll be great.”

“Soul-”

“Pleeeeease, Makaaaa? I’ll take care of everything; I promise!”

“….Fine.”

“Yes!” He grinned in triumph. “So when are you free?”

That Saturday night found her sitting on her couch bundled up in long johns, leggings, ski pants, 2 pairs of socks, boots, a long-sleeved thermal shirt, a sweater, a coat, a scarf, ear muffs, two pair of technology gloves, and a hat, waiting for him to text her that he had arrived.

Her phone finally lit up with the contact photo she’d assigned him (one of him giving her a pointed look when she tried to sneak a picture of him reading), and she swiftly swiped into the call.

“Hey, Soul. You here?”

“Yup, just pulled up. Sorry I’m late; took longer than I expected.”

“‘S fine.” Maka pushed herself up. “Took a little while to get layered up.” She quickly locked her door and set off down the stairs, giving him a wave when she eyed him on the way down. “See you in a sec.” She hung up and slid the phone in her pocket, a grin sliding across her lips. She couldn’t believed she’d let him convince her to do this. He might get sick all over again, or she might catch something, but….the allure of going stargazing, and on a perfectly clear winter night, was too tempting to pass up. “So,” she asked as she threw her leg over the motorbike. “Where we headed?”

“Little area right outside of town; no streetlights and lighter car traffic.”

“Sounds good.” She held on tight as they sped of into the frosty night.

—–

“What’s that over there?” Maka pointed to a strange orange glow a couple hundred yards away. “Not a fire I hope?!”

“How stupid do you think I am?” HSoulcalled back. “It’s a portable heater. I set it in front of our blankets to get them nice and toasty for us.”

They pulled up to their spot, and Maka couldn’t hold in a grin. There was a single, huge air mattress on the ground, blown up to capacity, and a huge stack of blankets sat next to it.

“Wow…” She let Soul take her hand and lead her over to their setup, too enthralled to notice the blush on his cheeks. Once they were settled, he handed her a thermos.

“Hot cocoa.” He explained, popping open his own container to sip at the still-steaming liquid.

“Oh, but-”

“I know, no milk. Just water. I got you covered.” Soul grinned proudly as she smiled back and took a satisfied sip, humming with happiness from the warmth.

“Thank you.” Maka shivered as a breeze passed over them and reached for a blanket, cocooning herself in warmth. “Oooh…this is a nice blanket!” She rubbed her arms absently, looking at what designs she could see with the light of the space heater. Little foxes, it looked like.

“My Granny made it.” Soul smiled, but Maka detected just a hint of sadness in his tone as she looked over at him. Sure enough, though his lips were spread, his eyes were downturned at the edges.

“Oh, is she-”

“No, she’s alive,” Soul reassured her. “Just far away. She’s my favorite person in the whole world. Leaving her was the hardest part about coming to college, but….she wanted me to.”

“She sounds like a good person.” Maka tenderly placed a hand on his arm.

“She is.” Soul agreed, absently placing his own hand over hers as he stared into the space heater. “Anyway, she made that for me when I was little; I’ve had it for as long as I can remember.”

“Oh, well then, here-”

“No, it’s fine-”

Maka sighed not unkindly and threw the blanket over the both of them, taking another from the stack to wrap around her shoulders. “There.” She grinned up at him cheekily, and he stuck his tongue out, blowing a small raspberry. “You’re such a child.” She mumbled under her breath.

“Quit lookin’ at me, then, and look at the stars.” Soul jested, pointing upward as he laid down on the mattress.

Maka complied, staring up from her hunched position beneath the blankets, and she was glad she did. Thousands upon thousands, possibly millions of pinpricks of light hung above their heads, some large and glittering and some small and stable. The sun had just set, so traces of purples intermingled with the blacks and browns of the night sky, leaving tasteful streaks between patches of stars.

From there,Maka could swear she could see whole star systems, though astronomy was not her subject, so she couldn’t tell you which ones. She sighed, watching the bitter air curl before her like smoke, and soaked in the glory of galaxies. Suddenly, another gust of wind swept through the landscape, and she curled into herself, teeth chattering.

“Here.” Maka looked over, and Soul had his arm outstretched toward her, his eyes screwed up toward the stars. Without hesitation, she scooted next to him and snuggled into his side, her thermos cradled between her palms. He pulled her in close, giving her a squeeze before placing a firm, loving kiss on the crown of her head.

And then she froze.

Soul felt her muscles physically stiffen next to him, and he was at a loss for words. “Maka? You okay?”

“Y-yeah, I’m fine.” He felt her wiggle away from him a bit, placing the drink container between them, and he brought his arm back into his lap.

They sat in silence for a full minute

“I’m sorry if I….if that was too fast.” Soul muttered, his voice low.

Maka inhaled through her nostrils, unwilling to take her eyes from the sky to meet his.

“Maka, I’m sorry; it’s just….we’ve been hanging out for months…a lot….I dunno, I just thought…”

“You thought wrong.” She bit back, still not looking at him, and that comeback broke his resolve.

“Look.” He sat up, turning fully toward her. “You’ve been making weird comments all week. What’s your beef? Did I piss you off again?”

Silence.

“Maka-

“No. It’s not you. It’s….”

Soul waited patiently for her to continue, staring at her for a moment then up at the stars splayed above them.

Maka sat up and sighed shakily beside him. “It’s the anniversary of my parents’ divorce.” She grumbled, pulling the blankets tighter around her. “My mom always tries to send me a present to make me feel better. My dad used to, but now he just gets hammered and drunk FaceTimes me.” She chuckled harshly, bringing her thermos up to her face. “I know it’s stupid, but I just….I can’t help remembering. How they pretended they were okay even though I heard them arguing constantly. They tried so hard to pretend for me, and I just…I don’t know. It makes me cynical, I guess. Wonder if I’ll ever find someone, and if I do, will I be able to keep a relationship alive.”

“Maka…”

“But it’s nothing. Stupid. Just the whiny grumblings of a child of divorce.”

“Hey, it’s not nothing. It’s not stupid. You’re allowed to be upset about it, Maka. It’s a crummy thing to put your kid through.”

“No. Staying married would’ve been crummier. They hate each other.” Maka bit her lip. “They only got married because of circumstance. It seemed like the right place at the right time, and they thought they were in love. It was this whole movie-esque tornado of events. So I just…I don’t know. I’m afraid of things moving too fast. It sucks because I’ve met some really amazing guys, but they all wanted to get serious so quickly and it was just way too much. I’m scared of moving too fast, if I’m being honest with myself. I’m scared that I’ll meet someone great and think I’ve fallen in love really fast and it’ll all just happen so quickly and in some kind of whirlwind but one day I could wake up and realize that I’m not in love anymore. Or that I never even was. Like, how much would that s-su-uck?” She hadn’t realized she was crying until her voice broke, and a chill went up her spine as her felt the tears trailing down her cheeks. She hugged her shins, resting her chin on her knees, and she squeezed her eyes shut as fat droplets squeezed from between her eyelids.

“Maka, I’m so sorry.” Soul’s voice was choked, and her eyes snapped open in alarm. She glanced over and found that his eyes were gleaming dangerously. “I didn’t realize I was pushing things along so quickly or that I seemed like I was coming on too strong. The fact of the matter is…’ He swallowed. “I like you a lot, Maka. I really do, but I want you to be comfortable in all of this. I don’t want you to feel pressured into something you don’t want to be apart of. If you don’t feel that way about me, it’s fine, we can still be friends because I love being around you-”

“Soul.” She cut him off. “O-of course I like you.” Her voice was barely more than a whisper. “Why else would I be so worked up about all of this right now?”

“Besides the anniversary?”

“That’s….an excuse, really. Like I said, they’re better apart. It’s just…the implications of it all that get to me sometimes. I guess that’s why it upset me…I…like you a lot, too, Soul, but I guess I just….I don’t know, with the anniversary thoughts and how often we’ve been together I guess I just freaked out. I don’t want to hurt you, Soul. Not like my parents hurt each other.”

“You won’t.” Soul murmured, inhaling deeply with his gaze fixed on the orange glow of their heater.

“How do you know, though?” Maka asked, so softly that the words fairly trailed along her breath.

“Because you’re better than them.” Soul deadpanned, looking her straight in the eye now. The conviction in his features nearly stole her breath. “Because you’ve actually thought about this stuff, and you’re more aware than they were. So what if your parents marriage fell apart? I mean that sucks and all, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be happy one day.”

“You’re really passionate about this, huh?” Maka sniffed and wiped at her eyes.

“I mean….I dunno, I get it in a way. My parents are still together, but only because a divorce would look bad in their social circles. They hate each other, and always have, so it’s not like I had a great representation of what love is, either, growing up.” Soul shrugged, turning back to the starlit sky. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t figure this stuff out for ourselves. I mean, we’ve made it this far in life, and I think we’re pretty damn smart, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Maka giggled.

“So we’ll be fine.” Soul smiled warmly, but it melted into a complacent line too quickly. “Plus, it’s not like I proposed to you or anything. We’re not even really a couple, so no worries.”

“Hey!”

He lifted a brow and peered over at her sudden outburst.

“I never said I didn’t want to be with you.” Maka continued, suddenly shy. “I love our time together. I just…slapping labels on things makes it complicated. Can we just…I dunno, let it be an unspoken agreement?”

“Works for me.” Soul folded his hands behind his head and laid back on the plastic mattress.

“Um, so…”

“Yeah?”

“Since we’re unofficially official….we can still cuddle.” Maka’s cheeks were blazing pink. “But ask me before you do anything, okay? And I’ll…be better about communicating my feelings. Deal?”

“Deal.” That warm smile was back, and she gave him one in return as she settled down next to him. A moment passed before she reached around and guided his arm around her, snuggling in close to his side with a final sigh of contentment.

“Thanks for this, Soul.” She whispered as they stared up at the stars together.

“Only for you, Maka.” He replied before suddenly jerking in realization. “Oh yeah! I have this really cool app that will show us what stars are above us! Hold on-” He pulled out his phone and thrust it toward the night sky, and they both stared intently as the device found their location.

“All those stars, and they can still be identified, one by one. Amazing.” Maka commented as they scrolled through their findings.

“Kinda like the odds of us finding each other, huh?”

“You’re such a sap.” She joked, nudging him lightly before settling her head on his chest, tucking herself in.

“I was thinking clever, but I guess that works, too.” He snarked back.

“Oooh look, those stars in a row there, is that one of the dippers?”

“Nah, I think it’s Orion, the hunter constellation…”

“But that doesn’t look right….what does the app say?”

“I dunno, it’s taking ten years to load things because the signal sucks out here.”

“Well, shoulda thought that one through-”

“Hey, I was trying to do something cool for us-”

“Chill. Kidding.” Maka screeched when he tried to pinch her side, and she aimed to pinch him back, though neither were successful with layers of cloth over their fingers. Nevertheless, Soul’s phone was abandoned in favor of defending himself against an onslaught of tickling, though he soon discovered he could easily trap Maka’s arms in a tight bear hug. “Sooooouuuuullll let GO!” She shrieked, trying to wiggle out of his hold while suppressing giggles.

“Mmmmm, nah.” Soul rolled both of them over, Maka now snuggled against him like a teddy bear. “I wanna sleep, and you’re the perfect snuggle buddy.” He nestled his nose between her head and the mattress and promptly faked snoring.

“Sooouuulll not funny, let me go! My arms are gonna fall asleep.”

“You’ll be fine. I’m not that strong.” He mumbled, burying his face further into warmth.

“Sooouulllll-” Maka whined.

“Fine, you’re no fun.” Soul released her and rolled onto his back.

“I am so fun. You’re the one who wants to be a pain.” Maka reached across him and grabbed his phone, handing it back to him. “Now tell me more about the stars. It’s getting really cold, and I want to go home soon.”

“Fine.” The backlight of his phone revealed the grin on Soul’s cheeks, and Maka smiled to herself. She searched for a moment, quickly finding his gloved hand before holding it in hers. She laid back down against him, head on his chest and watching as he scrolled through the list of stars above them. “See that really bright bluish one? That’s Uranus! The only planet clearly visible from here right now.”

“Whoa,” She stared intently where his finger pointed, nodding in recognition before snickering a bit. “I had a science teacher who tried to convince us that it’s pronounced “ur-in-is” so people would stop laughing about it.”

‘Well that’s dumb. That only makes people talk about it more.”

“I know, but what can you do with middle schoolers?”

“Ugh, true.” Soul continued scrolling. “I think that’s the North Star, there…but I’m not quite sure…”

“Or there?” Maka pointed to the left of his initial guess.

“Oh crap! I totally forgot-” Soul reached off the side of the mattress, feeling around for a small bag. “I brought a small telescope.” He carefully brought up the drawstring bag and opened it, bringing out a foot-long silver tube. “My Grandpa gave it to me.” He explained fondly. “He loved this kinda stuff. Bird-watching, star-gazing, anything he could do from his balcony. I used to go out there with him, and he got me this when I graduated high school. He said it would let us keep star-gazing together, even though we’re far apart.”

“That’s so sweet. You have great grandparents, Soul.”

“Yeah…I’m sure they’d love to meet you.” Soul’s breath hitched.

“….That would be nice.”

They both relaxed against each other, and Soul picked up the telescope. “Let’s see….ah crap, there’s a cloud in the way now…stupid desert clouds….”

“Point it at Uranus; I want to see its rings.” Soul handed over the telescope, and Maka gasped. “It’s not an incredibly clear image, obviously, but…wow….that’s a whole other planet. It’s nuts.” She swung the lens between planetary bodies, gasping louder each time he told her what it was. “This is so cool…”

“Yeah…” He gazed at her fondly, soaking in the pure childlike wonder and fascination exuding from her voice, her eyes, her posture, and the undisputed joy when she turned back to face him.

“This has been a great time, Soul…Everything included.” Maka squeezed his hand. “But it really is cold out here, and I can’t feel my nose anymore.” She grinned sheepishly, handing him the telescope with trembling fingers. “We should totally do this again, but like, when it’s warmer.”

“Agreed.” He chuckled and sat up, sliding the telescope back into its bag as Maka slowly shed her layers of warmth. “Let’s get you home before you freeze, huh?”

Maka nodded and rose, stretching her limbs before plodding over to his motorcycle and swinging her leg over. Soul followed right behind and sat himself in front of her, revving the engine with an uncontrollable smile when she squeezed him in a hug before settling in.

The drive back was brisk but short. When they arrived outside of her apartment, Maka quickly swung herself off of the bike and stood beside him, waiting expectantly. Soul raised a brow, and the girl huffed in return, holding out her arms.

“Ooooohhhh.” He grinned widely, pulling her against him in a side-hug, and she groaned into his shoulder.

“Noooo a real hug, you doofus.” She yanked him off the bike, nearly sending all three of them toppling over, and they held each other close, holding on for as long as they each dared before letting go.

“Really, this was fun…and good.” Maka smiled, leaning up to place a peck on his jaw before turning on her heel and speeding up the stairs to her apartment. “Good night!” She stage-whispered, waving to him before vanishing into her apartment and leaving a still stunned Soul leaning against his idling motorcycle.

His hand slowly rose to where her lips had grazed his face, and he felt his heart stutter just a bit.

There was really hope for them after all.

With a final triumphant grin, Soul swung himself back onto his bike and sped back toward their date site, hoping that the cleanup would be faster than the setup.

#soul ea #soul eater fanfi #soul eater fic #soma fanfic #soma fic #mine #sefanfics #soma #soulxmaka #asks #replies #itsthatonepunnyguy

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notebookqueenofnarnia · 7 years

Text

The Just Jedi (Narnian Star Wars Story Part Four)

Parts One Two Three

This part is actually really exciting and really fun to write.

Summary: Edmund forces himself to distance himself from emotions, but that might be hard when his whole family is in danger.

“These are not the guests I was expecting,” Susan muttered to Edmund as they sat down for dinner. Edmund was thinking the same thing; Lord Miraz’s company for the weekend including some nobles from neighboring planets and systems. Edmund recognized them instantly. It was the group of guests, none of them human, closest to Miraz that he didn’t know. He asked Trickfoot.

“They are from the Trade Federation, Your Highness. “

The Trade Federation. Edmund remembered hearing rumors in the Senate of the Federation gaining too much power, but thought nothing of it. Narnia had only a small trading network, especially compared to other planets and systems, as the planet was quite self-sufficient. Good relations with Archenland and its moons were all Narnia needed.

Edmund surveyed the room. Lucy and (Y/N) were at the opposite end of the table, near Peter. Edmund forced himself to drag his eyes away from (Y/N), who was absolutely glowing in a green gown with Susan’s matching jewels. The High King was in conversation with the monarch of Onderon. Senator Organa sat beside Susan, chatting about his wife. Miraz stood and began his speech. Edmund felt unease the moment he saw Miraz’s sinister smile.

“Greetings, Your Majesties and Honored Guests. We are incredibly honored by your acceptance of our humble invitations. I hope, over the course of the next few days, we can build great relations amongst us that will benefit all parties. I sincerely believe we can overcome statuses and formalities to make this gathering a profitable one.”

Susan glanced at Edmund. He nodded slightly; Miraz’s true meaning did not pass him. King Caspian did not know of this gathering.

Dinner was served. A traditional Telmarine meal with more meat served in one course than is served in a month on Narnia. Edmund spent the entire time wishing he could have been sneaking around the castle with his network, gathering information about Lord Miraz. Instead, he was stuck listening to a young prince from the Inner Rim complain about his family’s insistence he marry his squinty-eyed third cousin. Edmund was one of the first ones to leave the table when the meal ended. Susan linked her arm in his when they entered the ballroom.

“Would you care to dance, sister?” He asked her. Susan smiled mischievously.

“Actually, I think you should ask (Y/N). She is-”

Edmund tried very hard to not look at the girl. But, she was smiling radiantly as she chatted with Peter and Lucy. He turned away just as a young man asked her dance. He sighed heavily. "No."

“What? Edmund, you have to be at least a little hospitable. And she is-” But, Susan was interrupted by Senator Organa. He introduced Susan to the young prince that had sat next to Edmund, and the two left to dance. Susan looked at her brother over her shoulder, gesturing towards (Y/N). He ignored her.

“King Edmund, I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Senator Organa began with a smile. “How did you convince the Jedi Masters to allow you to continue on Narnia? I was under the impression all Jedis were to remain at the Temple.”

Emotions swam through Edmund’s head as he tried to compose his answer. No one save his siblings and the Masters knew he had abandoned the Jedi for Narnia. No one save his siblings understood. He was saved an explanation, though, as Tumnus flagged him down from the doorway just then. He excused himself from the Senator’s company.

“Pardon the interruption, Your Highness,” Tumnus began. “But, we have finally heard from Captain Elidor.” Edmund exited the ballroom. “Oh, Your Highness, there’s no need to-”

“My chambers, Tumnus.” Edmund answered. He glanced only once more at (Y/N) and berated himself for doing so.

Peter came in the room quite late at night. His face was stoic until he closed the door. Then, a smile burst upon his face. His blonde hair was a mess and his crown was crooked. Edmund looked up from the transmission readout he was reviewing and smirked. “Have fun?”

“Don’t you start...” The High King crashed upon his bed. “I was trying to get information.”

“Oh yeah? Did you ever get her name?”

Peter narrowed his eyes. “Listen, just because you become a stuttering mess whenever there’s a pretty girl around-”

“I do not!”

It was Peter’s turn to smirk. “Truly? What about (Y/N)?”

Edmund studied the transmission harder. “What about her?”

“Oh, come on, Ed. You literally fell head over heels for her the moment you met.”

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”

“Alright, alright, but you have to admit...she is something else. I mean, she’s beautiful, of course, but there’s just...something in her eyes, you know?” Edmund knew. “In fact, no less than three men wouldn’t leave her side the entire night.” Peter studied his brother’s stone face. “I danced with her too. She asked about you. She thinks you- hey what’s that?”

“Captain Elidor’s report. And before you ask why I didn’t report to you, it simply says that they arrived at the last known location of the Telmarine ship and found nothing there. They are now searching the neighboring planets for any information. But, that could take quite some time.” Peter aggressively fluffed his pillow in response. “There’s nothing more we can do now. A good night sleep would do us well. I understand Miraz arranged a tournament during the gathering.”

The two kings turned in. Their beds were small, but that didn’t bother Edmund half as much as Peter’s snoring. It had been years since they’d shared a room. He managed to fall asleep, but then was restlessly lost in a dream.

Lord Miraz was seated in High King Peter’s throne, looking down at the Narnian royals who were bound and kneeling before him. His sinister smile made Edmund’s skin crawl. “Let us see,” he said, stroking his beard. “The auction of Queen Lucy would be an excellent way to revive the slave trade.” He waved his hand and Edmund’s sister was taken away screaming and crying. He felt his heart shatter. “Hmm...Prince Rabadash of Calormen will award me handsomely upon the delivery of Queen Susan.” She was taken out of the room, maintaining her grace and posture, but tears silently escaped her eyes. “King Peter will obviously be executed alongside young Caspian, but as for this one...the Just King...the Jedi...”

“Give him to me.” A voice called out. Edmund froze; his whole body felt like ice. He didn’t need to look up to know who it was. Queen Jadis stepped out from behind Miraz’s throne. “All traitors belong to me.”

Edmund tried to cry out that he was no traitor, that he had amended his sins. But, a hand caught him by the throat and he couldn’t speak, couldn’t breath.

Edmund woke with a jolt. He always struggled to catch his breath after a nightmare, but no air even entered his throat. Two hands squeezed around his neck.

He retrieved his lightsaber beneath his pillow, and in an instant, he sliced off the hands of his attacker. The man screamed for only second before Edmund knocked him unconscious with the hilt of his lightsaber. He fell to the ground. Edmund leapt over him, the lightsaber’s green light revealing Peter’s own struggle with another attacker. Edmund drove his lightsaber through his center and the man fell backwards, towards the door. He pulled out a blaster and fired at Peter. But the king had recovered and was brandishing his sword, Rhindon, which had been engineered with a thermal shield. It deflected the blasts. Edmund threw his lightsaber. It dealt a deadly blow to the attacker and returned to his hand. The kings breathed for a moment.

“You alright?” Peter asked.

“The girls!” Edmund exclaimed. The brothers clamored across the hall. Peter crashed through the unlocked door, brandishing his sword. Edmund heard two shots from a blaster pistol and screaming as he followed his brother in. The Just King’s jaw dropped at the scene illuminated by his lightsaber.

The would-be murderers lay dead on the floor, each with a smoking blaster wound. Susan and Lucy were huddled together on one bed, Lucy holding her dagger. Susan’s hand was only inches from her bow. (Y/N) stood in the center of the room, a plaster pistol pointed straight at Peter and Edmund. Her eyes were stony, but still had a spark in them. No one spoke.

Edmund didn’t know if he should revere (Y/N) or fear her.

#narnia #star wars #edmund pevensie x reader #star wars crossover #narnia au #starwarsinnarnia #edmund pevensie #edmund pevensie imagine #peter pevensie #susan pevensie #lucy pevensie #caspian #star wars au #narnia fanfiction #justjedi

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