#Edmund is going to therapy

[smilesrobotlover]

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Chapter 7- The Meeting

The letter from Link has been haunting Zelda since she’s read it. She had planned to meet with the resistance in two days, and even moved her schedule around for it, but Link was demanding to meet with them now. It seemed that they would be here tonight, but Zelda was struggling to make time to meet them.

During the many meetings, it was all she could think about. How she was going to get to Telma’s bar, how she was going to disguise herself as Sheik, what she was going to say to Edmund and Amber. She was probably going to miss supper for this, but it was fine, this was more important than supper. She just wished that it hadn’t happened so last minute.

Goddesses, why couldn’t they wait two more days?

She didn’t pay attention to any of the meetings, anxious to get them done and to leave to get to the next one. She’d nearly fallen asleep countless times, and Edmund would discreetly wake her back up so she wouldn’t humiliate herself—which she was grateful for. She really wasn’t fit for any of this queen business at the moment, but there was so much to do, such little time.

As soon as the current meeting ended, Zelda found herself sitting in her chair, staring blankly at the wall instead of rushing to get to lunch. This was her only break, and she didn’t have the energy to move. Edmund didn’t move either, and he spoke to the nobles and representatives for Zelda as she stared. Soon the room was empty, and the two were left alone.

“Zelda,” Edmund started softly.

“It’s fine, Edmund. I just need a moment.”

Edmund stared at her. “You weren’t at breakfast.”

“No I was not.”

“You’ve missed breakfast these past few days.”

“I have.”

“And you’re about to miss lunch.”

“That’s fine.”

“And you look like death.”

Zelda gave Edmund an annoyed look and he leaned forward. “Zelda, you’re killing yourself. Why don’t you tell me everything that’s happening? Why don’t you let me help?”

Zelda continued to stare silently, not in the mood to argue.

“Look, I’m worried about you. I do… care about you. We were good friends as kids, and those memories I can’t forget. I want you to be taken care of, is that so wrong?”

Zelda stayed silent.

“You’re exhausted and you’re hungry,” Edmund continued when she said nothing, “I don’t want to think about how dehydrated you are. Just, come to lunch, take a break, and take care of yourself.”

“I can’t take a break whenever I want, I have too much to do—“

“Oh my Labryn, Zelda, the nobles can wait! They can wait for you! You need to take care of yourself first!”

Zelda sighed and stood up. “I’m not in the mood for this right now, Edmund.”

“When will you be in the mood? When you’re on your deathbed? I’m not wanting to wait until then!”

The queen didn’t respond and went to walk away. It was childish to not say anything, but she was too tired to argue. Too tired to think of something to say. She was just… so tired…

She reached the door and leaned against the wall, holding her aching head. She suddenly felt lightheaded and sick to her stomach. She heard footsteps approach her from behind and she gave Edmund a glare.

“Zelda?”

She huffed and reached for the door, but black dots appeared in her vision, and she felt herself begin to stagger.

“Zelda!”

Her stomach did somersaults as she began to fall, and soon she was surrounded by darkness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sun was beginning to set as Rusl and Link arrived at castle town. They moved quickly through the field, and Link could tell Epona was enjoying the free movement. She had become just as stir-crazy as he did after his adventure, so when she had a chance to move around outside of Ordon, she clearly enjoyed herself. When they arrived, they quickly got off their horses and headed into the town, trying not to take up too much space with their large animals. Normally, Link would let Epona roam free in the field while he did his errands in town, but after what he’s found out, he decided against it. It took a while to get to the bar; surprisingly the town was busy despite the day coming to an end, and people were always blocking their way, causing the horses to grow upset with the small space. Rusl and Link finally were able to tie their horses to a post near Telma’s bar where less people were at, and they hopped down the stairs and entered it. The bar was relatively empty, save for a few patrons who were quietly drinking by themselves. As usual, the place was dark and was only lit up by torches and candles scattered throughout. In the back, Telma and Auru were chatting at the table they all normally sat at, and Telma’s face lit up when she saw the two men, quickly burying them both in a hug when they got close.

“Link! Rusl! It’s so good to see you two!” She exclaimed, giving their shoulders a firm pat when she pulled away. Link smiled politely and let her lead the two men to the back table, where Auru was smiling.

“I figured you’d both be here tonight,” Auru said, ruffling Rusl’s hair as he sat down. “So what’s going on?”

“I’ll explain everything after Ashei and Shad get here,” Rusl said simply, fixing his ruffled hair.

“Hm, we sure they’ll be here tonight? This was pretty last minute.” Auru asked, leaning forward to look at both Rusl and Link.

“I know, I know it’s inconvenient but… it’s important,” Rusl frowned as Telma set down a mug of ginger ale in front of him, which he began to pick at mindlessly. “Me and Link found what’s been causing these disappearances, there’s no need to waste time anymore.”

Auru raised his eyebrows and he nodded knowingly. “Well then, that is quite important.”

Link nodded, staring at the milk in front of him—neither him nor his father bothered to drink anything. It was silent for a moment until Rusl awkwardly cleared his throat, catching Link and Auru’s attention.

“Well, we’re lucky you’re here, we won’t have to wait for you. You’re a lot harder to get a hold of than the others,” Rusl stated with a smile, and Auru gave a hearty laugh.

“Oh, my boy, I haven’t left castle town in weeks.”

“Did Sheik send you a letter?”

“He did. He told me to ask around castle town to gather information. It’s the only thing I’m capable of doing now,” Auru leaned back in his chair and stretched slowly, a pained expression on his face. “I’m getting too old for all this action.”

Rusl frowned and went back to staring at his drink. Link studied his father’s face, but it remained blank. When he really wanted to be, he was a master at hiding his emotions. There was a moment of silence again, being interrupted by Telma coming by to bring food for the two men, and Link couldn’t help but cheer softly.

“Oh goddesses, thank you Telma,” he said, already digging in, “I’m starvin’.”

Telma laughed and patted his shoulder. “I figured you’d both be hungry from the journey!”

“Aw, you didn’t have to do that, Telma,” Rusl chuckled slightly, and Telma lightly punched his shoulder.

“Oh, you hush, it’s the least I can do for my friends! Now eat up while we wait for the lovebirds to arrive!”

Link stared at Telma as she walked away, and he turned to look at Auru. “Are Ashei and Shad—“

“Engaged.”

Link’s mouth dropped. “Engaged? When did this happen?”

“A couple of weeks ago.”

Rusl and Link both glanced at each other in shock. Link knew that there was something going on between them, but after ten years, he figured that it was nothing.

“How did you know about this?” Link asked.

“They announced it when they stopped by,” Auru explained, gesturing with his hands. “I hang around here most of the time so me and Telma got to hear about it.”

“It’s about time,” Rusl scoffed, a teasing smile on his lips. “Those two were drivin’ me crazy!”

“No kidding! It’s a little late though. I doubt Ashei would be able to have kids at her age.”

Rusl’s face scrunched up. “What are you talkin’ about? She’s barely thirty! And you’re a fool if you think that Ashei and Shad would even want kids.”

“Oh come now, they’re good with kids!”

Rusl gave Link a look and he snorted. They both knew that they were terrible with kids. They could keep them alive, but they couldn’t keep them from crying. Auru rolled his eyes and waved his hand away.

“I just think it’s a waste to get married and then not have kids.”

“That’s an old way of thinking, Auru,” Rusl said, finally taking a sip of his ginger ale. “Some people don’t need to have kids. It ain’t our business what they want to do anyways.”

Auru scoffed slightly, but he didn’t continue. Link continued to eat in silence, not realizing how sloppy he was being. He was ravenous. He felt Auru watching him and he looked up.

“What?”

“You’re eating like a growing teenage boy. When was the last time you ate?” Auru teased slightly, and Link scratched the back of his head.

“It’s… actually been less than two days,” he muttered, giving Rusl a look. Neither of them ate dinner before searching the woods. They spent the next day sleeping and then the whole day traveling. Auru’s eyes widened when Rusl and Link remained silent, both having guilty looks on their faces.

“Neither of you have eaten in two days?” He asked, shocked.

“Maybe a bit longer than that–” Link muttered, and Rusl jabbed at him lightly.

“It’s fine—“ Rusl quickly said, but Auru shook his head.

“Eat that food Telma gave you, boy!” He commanded in a stern tone. Rusl quickly turned to the food and started eating it, looking like a guilty kid. Link snorted slightly and his pa glared him down. Auru patted his back with a satisfied look and leaned back.

“Must’ve been a crazy few days. What did Sheik have you do?”

“He wanted us to investigate a missing woman and Goron from Kakariko,” Link answered since Rusl’s mouth was full of bread.

“Ah, so that’s how you found it.”

Link glanced at Rusl who went back to staring blankly at the food. Auru picked up on the mood change and frowned.

“What is it?”

“We’ll explain when Shad and Ashei get here,” Rusl said quietly. Auru looked between the two and frowned.

“Alright,” he said, a worried look on his face as he stared at Rusl. It grew silent at the table again and the old man glanced up, his face lighting up. “Speaking of…”

Link turned around and saw Ashei and Shad walking to the group. Ashei looked annoyed while Shad smiled at the group. Rusl turned as well and shot up from his seat, marching towards the two.

“Hey! You two jerks!” He shouted, pulling them both into a hug. “You can’t just get engaged and not tell me!”

“Well next time, be here when we visit!” Shad teased, hugging him back. Ashei smiled slightly and gave Link a nod as he walked up to the two.

“When’s the wedding?” Rusl asked, his hands on the two’s arms.

“Don’t know yet, we’re just playing it by ear,” Shad answered, looking at Ashei who nodded.

“We’re in no rush,” she added.

“Well, you better have me as your best man, alright?” Rusl said with a smirk.

“My dear Rusl, I wouldn’t have it any other way!” Shad laughed. He glanced at Link and walked towards him. “And how are you doing, old boy?”

Link chuckled and gave him a side hug. “I’m doin’ fine. I’m happy for y’all!”

“Oh thank you,” Shad glanced at Ashei who was chatting with Rusl, a happy expression on his face. “I wouldn’t have imagined being with her, but here we are.”

“Love is a fickle thing, isn’t it?”

“Indeed it is.”

Rusl and Ashei walked up to the two. “Let’s sit down and talk, yeah?” Ashei started, “I want to know why you both were so intent on meeting today.”

“We can’t, not without Sheik,” Rusl sighed, sitting down. “He’s not here yet.”

“This has been eating me up inside, and you’re saying I have to wait longer?” Shad said lightheartedly.

Ashei pulled Shad down in the seat next to hers and gave him a look. “Sheik may be busy, this was pretty last minute, yeah?”

“So I’ve been told,” Rusl grumbled. Auru patted him on the shoulder with a chuckle, and the group started to lightly poke fun at Rusl. Telma came by with food and drinks for the couple that arrived, and she closed the curtains to give them privacy.

“Tell me when you start talking about what happened,” she said, “I still have work to do, but I’ll be sure to kick everyone out.”

“Sure thing Telma,” Link said with a nod, and the curtains were fully closed, leaving the group isolated from the drunkards that came to the bar.

“So… what did Sheik have you two do?” Link asked the couple, and they glanced at each other.

“Sheik told us to help investigate the disappearances with a captain named Hoz,” Ashei answered. “We really weren’t finding anything of importance though.”

“Ah, did you come here with him?”

“No, he was quite intent on continuing the investigations,” Shad jumped in, pushing his glasses up his nose. “That was the most focused soldier of Hyrule I’ve ever met.”

“It’s good, Hyrule needs more men like him,” Ashei said, staring at her drink.

“Though he was sort of a pain to work with,” Shad mumbled.

Ashei snorted. “He was. Everything needed to go his way otherwise he would implode.”

“... Does Hyrule still need more men like him?” Auru asked cheekily, and Ashei glared at him.

“Yes.”

Shad laughed slightly and sat up straight. “Yes yes, he was still good to work with. I’m glad that some soldiers are still trying to do their jobs.”

Ashei gave a knowing nod and took a sip of her drink as the others mumbled in agreement. The group started to chat about mundane things, how they were doing, how the families were doing, and what they had planned afterwards. Link was constantly looking over his shoulder, expecting Sheik to suddenly appear (which he did every time they met up), yet there was no sign of him. Rusl was getting more anxious as the evening went on, constantly fidgeting with his hands or pacing the small room, pretending to be observing the wall. Soon it became too late–the bar was fully empty as Telma closed it down and kicked out angry drunks, and the only area lit up was the back room where the resistance sat. Yet no sign of Sheik, and Auru finally let out a loud sigh.

“I don’t think Sheik is coming.”

“We just need to be patient,” Ashei said, “she’s a busy person.”

Auru frowned. “‘She?’ You think Sheik’s a woman?”

Ashei’s eyes widened for a moment, but she quickly recovered. “W-well, Sheik is just a mysterious person, that’s all. I uh… say she could be a woman… or… something.”

The group stared at Ashei who stared hard at her drink.

“And what makes you think they’re a woman?” Auru pressed, a teasing smile on his lips.

“What makes you think they’re a man?” Ashei snapped back, getting angry. Auru raised his hands defensively.

“I’m just teasing you. You just never get flustered like that!”

Ashei glared at him and started cursing under her breath in frustration. Shad cleared his throat, wrapping an arm around her.

“Well, it doesn’t matter if Sheik is a man or a woman, what matters is that they’re not here right now.” He glanced up at Rusl who was still pacing back and forth near a corner. “We should start without them.”

Ashei sighed and nodded, a defeated look on her face. Auru nodded as well and stood up to drag Rusl back to the table. Link stared worriedly at his pa as he sat down, his face drained of all blood as he stared blankly at the table.

“Goddesses, are you alright?” Shad asked, and Rusl waved his concern away.

“‘M fine,” he mumbled. The group didn’t seem convinced by that answer, but they didn’t say anything else.

“Well, Link, Rusl,” Auru started, “tell us what happened. What is taking these missing people?”

Link glanced at Rusl who was still staring at the table, and he stood up, deciding to lead the conversation.

“Do you guys remember the shadow beasts?”

The group all froze, staring at Link with wide eyes.

“Shadow beasts? You mean those horrible black creatures that plagued all of Hyrule during the Twilight invasion?” Shad asked, and Link nodded.

“Yes, I… me and my pa found one in the woods… two nights ago,” Link frowned for a moment, that night feeling ages ago. He continued, “I think it’s a shadow beast that’s gotten stronger for the past ten years. It’s what’s been taking these people.”

“Oh… Labryn…” Ashei muttered under her breath.

“How do you know it’s the cause of all these disappearances?” Auru asked.

“We–uh—” Link glanced at Rusl who was still unmoving. “We sorta… found out the hard way…”

“Oh no… did someone–?” Shad started, but Link quickly stopped him.

“No, no it’s ok. I was able to stop the abduction but… I think it’s pretty obvious that this… mutated shadow beast is what’s causing all the disappearances.”

“Ok,” Ashei breathed out, “so it’s one of those shadow beasts, a little mutated, but we know what it is now. We should go out looking for it, yeah?”

Link pursed his lips. “Yes, but… be warned. I fought so many of those things by myself back then–”

“Yes you did! You were marvelous with the way you slashed them with your sword!” Shad exclaimed, swinging his arm around as if he had a weapon. Link smiled but it quickly went away.

“Yeah, well… I fought this one, and it didn’t die no matter what I did, so… I think we should be careful. We can’t underestimate this thing.”

The group nodded.

“Alright, well, thank you for telling us Link,” Auru said. “No one in Castle Town described anything like that.”

“No kidding,” Ashei replied and Link nodded glumly. This wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t let such a thing live, he couldn’t help but feel guilty over it.

“Well, it’s late, we can discuss plans tomorrow, but in the meantime, I think we should all get some rest,” Auru stared sternly at Rusl and Link, “you two especially. I can tell you need it.”

Link smiled slightly and Rusl got up quietly, leaving the room in an instant. The group stared in shock as he disappeared behind the curtain. Auru looked at Link and pointed at where Rusl left.

“Is he alright?”

“I… I don’t know…” Link looked down, debating on whether he should tell them the details of what happened, but he really didn’t want to, and he didn’t know if Rusl would want him to. “He’s probably just tired… the uh… the shadow beast was… aggressive to say the least. I’m gonna go talk to him real quick.”

He felt everyone’s eyes on him as he left, and he glanced at Telma who looked worried, but she forced a smile when she saw Link.

“Did you all start the conversation without me?”

“Oh— goddesses Telma I’m so sorry—“

Telma waved his apology away. “I’ll make the others tell me. Rusl went upstairs, sweet pea.”

Link nodded and slowly walked up the stairs, his entire body suddenly feeling heavy. He glanced around at the secret upstairs inn, trying to remember which one was normally reserved for him and Rusl. He poked his head in the first room, finding Rusl laying on one of the beds, his hands resting on his face. Rusl flinched when he sensed another person near him, but he quickly relaxed when it was Link.

“Spirits, Link,” he chuckled, lying back down. Link smiled and sat down on the other bed across from him.

“Pa… are you…?” He started, but he stopped when Rusl glanced at him. Rusl’s face didn’t hold any annoyance, but instead guilt. He sat up and sighed.

“I’m ok, Link. I’m… sorry for how I was acting down there… I just…” Rusl paused for a moment before sighing again, resting against the wall. Link tilted his head

“What?”

“Oh… it’s not your burden to bear.”

“Well… I kinda already know why you’re upset so… hiding it from me is a fruitless effort.”

Rusl grinned slightly. “I suppose so… I just…. Ever since that night I’ve been feeling so… terrified every waking moment—no—even when I’m trying to sleep I’m terrified, I just—“ he stopped himself and rubbed his face. “I don’t know.”

Link frowned. “I know the shadow beasts would turn people into other shadow beasts, maybe you’re still feeling the effects from that?”

Rusl shrugged, a disturbed look on his face.

“You… also were almost eaten,” Link chuckled darkly, “that would traumatize anyone.”

Rusl smirked slightly, but it quickly went away, so Link continued.

“I mean… I know I’ve nearly been eaten myself. So many times. By giant plants, and a giant eel, and wolfos trying to tear me to pieces, and spiders, and I guess smaller plants too, plus another giant spider, and possibly a lot of other things and—“

Rusl’s face had grown more concerned the longer Link rambled, and he quickly tried to recover.

“I-I mean, I turned out fine! Maybe? I mean maybe I haven’t turned out fine but—but it’s fine! I’ve kinda gotten used to it, everything trying to eat me. Heh, it makes me wonder if I taste good. I mean Midna will definitely say that I taste good but, you know—“

“Link, I don’t need to know this,” Rusl interrupted him, though he almost seemed amused. Link blushed slightly and scratched the back of his head.

“S-sorry, that kinda came out.”

Rusl chuckled slightly, which made Link feel a little better. He observed his father’s tired face and frowned.

“Pa… you should get some rest.”

Rusl raised an eyebrow. “Doting and worrying is supposed to be my job Link, not yours.”

“Well, who did I get it from?” Link rebutted, and Rusl laughed.

“Correction then: doting is a parent’s job.”

“But I am a parent.”

“Not my parent!”

Link snorted and Rusl joined him in his laughter. It felt good to laugh after these past few days. Link sniffed and sighed, staring at Rusl’s bed.

“You should get some rest though, Pa.”

“You should get some rest too, Link.”

Link pursed his lips and looked down, shifting uncomfortably.

“Not as much as you.”

Rusl raised an eyebrow. “How much sleep have you gotten in the past forty-eight hours?”

Link clamped his mouth shut. “I… um… like… four…. hours…?”

Rusl smirked and gestured for him to come over. Link sighed and trudged over to him, the lack of sleep catching up to him. He rested against Rusl’s side while he wrapped his arm around him, and Link finally relaxed. It always felt good to be held by one of his parents. Being an adult, it didn’t happen as often compared to when he was a kid. Rusl started playing with the tip of his ear and he lightly kissed his forehead.

“I’m proud of you, Link,” he said softly.

“For what?”

“For becoming the man you are today. You’re a good person, determined, and kind. And I’m proud of you for it.”

Link smiled slightly. “But you and ma raised me to be that way.”

“Oh, we were only trying to nudge you kids in the right direction. Ultimately, it was you who chose to become a good person. Give yourself more credit.”

Link sighed and drowsiness began to get the better of him.

“Thanks. I love you pa.”

Sleep began to take over him as he heard his pa say one last thing.

“I love you too, my son.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zelda awoke with a jolt. She was in her bed, her heavy dress was replaced with a lighter one, and her daughter was reading a book by her side. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, startling Amber.

“Mother! You’re awake!” She exclaimed, closing her book. “We were so worried!”

Zelda looked around the room, confused. How long has she been out?

“Father came to me and asked me to stay by your side! I hadn’t left once!” Amber continued. “I’ve just been reading this book about birds, I’m hoping to find one to match the birds Hylians used to ride, but so far none of them have been big enough…”

“Amber,” Zelda rubbed her eyes, still feeling exhausted. “Where’s your father?”

“He’s in meetings right now, he said he’ll come by to see if you’re awake!”

Zelda groaned and rubbed her face. What had been happening while she was out? She hated not being in control of everything.

“I hope you’re alright,” Amber added quietly, and Zelda glanced over at her. She had a worried look on her face, and she couldn’t help but smile.

“I’m fine, thank you for watching over me,” Zelda said with a smile, and Amber beamed at the praise.

“I’m so glad mother! Do you want me to fetch you some supper? It’s a little late but—“

“Wait, how long have I been asleep?”

“Oh! Um… a few hours.”

Zelda tried to hide her frustration, and she turned away as she groaned. She didn’t have time for this. She still needed to meet with the resistance! If she didn’t leave now…

Amber gasped as Zelda started to get out of bed, ignoring the vertigo that assaulted her.

“Um… mother? Father told me to make sure you stayed in bed a-and—“

“I’ll be fine, Amber,” Zelda grumbled, but she knew she wouldn’t be. It didn’t matter though, she needed to be somewhere.

“But… father said…” Amber’s voice trailed off, and Zelda heard another person enter the room.

“Zelda,” Edmund’s voice called out, and she sighed. Great.

“Father!” Amber hopped up and ran to him. “Mother’s awake! Do you want me to get a meal for her?”

“No, I already sent a maid to do that, my dear. You go get yourself to bed.”

Amber nodded and looked back at Zelda. “Goodnight mother.”

Zelda smiled slightly. “Goodnight Amber.”

She lingered for a moment, her mouth agape, but she finally turned away and left the room. Edmund and Zelda remained silent, both staring intensely at each other. Finally, Edmund let out a huff and started to walk forward.

“I’m glad you’re awake,” he said, “I brought you something.”

Zelda frowned. “What is it?”

Edmund sat down on the bed with her and handed her a little box. She carefully opened it to reveal a chocolate orange. She blinked several times, wondering if the lack of sleep had finally caught up to her and that she was hallucinating it. But the smell hit her nostrils, and she lightly traced the chocolatey edges.

“I remember you loved these things as a kid,” Edmund muttered, a nostalgic smile on his face. “I always hated them, but I did enjoy eating one slice with you whenever you had them.”

Zelda couldn’t help but smile as she grabbed a slice of the chocolate. She glanced at Edmund and her smile dropped slightly.

“How do you know I still love these?” She asked, and Edmund took in a quiet, deep breath.

“Do you?”

Zelda looked down and put one in her mouth. The chocolate instantly melted as it hit her tongue, the sweet flavor mixing with the tanginess of the orange rewarding her taste buds, and she couldn’t help but close her eyes in satisfaction. She hasn’t had one of these in years.

“It seems you still like it,” Edmund chuckled. Zelda opened her eyes and turned away, embarrassed.

“Yes,” she mumbled. Edmund hummed and leaned back, resting on his hands.

“I’m glad.”

Zelda turned to look at him, his mustache lifted up with his smile. “Why’d you bring this to me?” She asked.

“Oh, I figured you’d need an energy boost. Chocolate does wonders for that,” Edmund reached for a slice. “May I?”

Zelda nodded and offered one to him. He took a slice and bit into half of it. His face scrunched up in disgust and he covered his mouth. “Eugh, I still don’t like it.”

Zelda smiled and almost let out a giggle. “That’s quite a shame, they’re so delightful.”

Edmund grinned and stared at the uneaten slice. “I probably should’ve put the full thing in my mouth, now what will I do with this?”

Zelda stared at it for a moment, and before she could even think, she plucked it out of his hand.

“Can’t let it go to waste,” she said before putting the rest of the slice in her mouth. Edmund looked surprised but his expression softened into a pleasant smile. Zelda looked away, her face flushing slightly, and she picked at the remaining chocolates. “Thank you for this Edmund, that was very thoughtful of you.”

Edmund nodded. “Of course. I… I just want to help out.”

It grew silent between the two—any feeling of contentment was gone in an instant. Edmund picked up on Zelda’s discomfort and he let out a sigh.

“Why won’t you accept my help?”

Zelda glanced up at him. Where an accusatory and bitter tone normally was, this time, there was just curiosity. He was trying, it was only fair that Zelda tried as well.

But could she trust him?

It was kind of him to try to help her, but was he trying to manipulate her into trusting him? She remembered her father always showering her mother with gifts whenever he did something to upset her. It was always a way to regain her trust. Was Edmund trying to do the same?

“Listen, becoming the king of Hyrule hasn’t been an easy transition for me,” Edmund started, his back turned to Zelda, “Labrynna gives its power to the king, but here in Hyrule, all of the power goes to the queen.” He let out a breath while Zelda remained silent. He’s never told her this before. “I admit I’ve felt…. Emasculated as a result, and I’ve been acting childish because of it. For that I am sorry.” He glanced back at Zelda, an almost worried expression on his face, but Zelda stayed quiet. “But, I feel useless. I feel like I’m being used for my connection to my family, and that I’m nothing more than an object to your people and… I suppose that’s why I’ve been… frustrated about you keeping things to yourself. But… looking at you now, I’ve grown more worried than upset. You’ve overworked yourself so much to the point that you collapsed. That’s not a good thing. I suppose I… I just want to know why you’re so intent on doing everything yourself, when I’m here to… help you.”

Zelda stared at him for a moment, his emerald green eyes never leaving hers. For once, Zelda couldn’t find her words. She knew she should try to communicate with him—he was being so open with her, but why? Was he trying to worm his way into her life? Or was he being genuine? He’s never taken the time to sit down and talk to her about things, but then again, Zelda never gave him the chance. Did he deserve her to try to be open as well? She turned away, emotions running rampant. She couldn’t cry, it wasn’t queenly to do so, but she was so tired. She took a deep breath to control herself.

“I… I don’t know if I can trust you,” she finally said softly. She felt Edmund shift beside her.

“Why?”

“I–I’ve watched my father strip my mother of all her power. He took everything away from her, ruled Hyrule as a tyrant, and took control of every aspect of my life. It doesn’t matter if Hyrule gives the power to the queen, the king can take over and I can’t let that happen again. It’s happened to me twice now and… I just… I–” She hiccuped slightly and she rubbed her exhausted eyes. It was quiet as she once again tried to take control of her emotions, and she glanced up at Edmund, who looked horrified.

“I had no idea,” he finally said. “I always– I know we didn’t see each other a lot but… I didn’t know…”

Zelda sniffed and sat up straight. “My father did a good job at hiding it. And he made sure I hid it as well.”

Edmund gave her a sad look. “I’m so sorry. I…” He grew silent for a moment. “... thank you for telling me. I’ll leave you be. A maid should come by with food for you.”

“I-I can’t stay I need to–”

“Zelda.” Edmund gave her a firm look. “I…I ask that you give yourself rest and proper nourishment, please.”

Zelda stared for a moment, remembering the resistance. “I can’t. I still need to meet up with—“ she stopped herself and Edmund raised an eyebrow.

“With… your friends that are taking care of the disappearances?”

Zelda pursed her lips. “Yes.”

“Perhaps I can meet with them in your stead.”

She shook her head quickly. “No I—“ they didn’t know that she was the queen; if Edmund came instead, they would figure it out, even if one already knew about it. And she certainly couldn’t tell Edmund about Sheik. Frustration was apparent on Edmund’s face, and he sucked in a sharp breath and stood up.

“So are you just going to keep pushing yourself until you die? Sure, you may not trust me, I understand that. But you have representatives, diplomats, nobles, even guards that could go in your stead! Why can’t you utilize them?”

“Edmund. I. Can’t. A-at least…” Zelda looked down, her eyes going back and forth between the chocolate orange, the bed, and Edmund. He did have a point; she couldn’t keep going on like this. She really could end up dying from her neglect, which would be an awful thing for Amber and for the resistance. But she knew no one could help the resistance with the disappearances. She had to take care of that herself. But… perhaps with everything else…. Goddesses, she hoped she wasn’t making a mistake. “Could you… just take care of the meetings tomorrow? I must deal with these disappearances on my own.”

Edmund’s expression softened and he nodded. “I’ll take care of them.”

Zelda smiled. “Thank you.”

“Will you… visit Amber before you leave anywhere?”

Her lips parted and she nodded. Edmund nodded back, and for the first time in years, there was a mutual understanding between them. Edmund hesitated for a moment before finally turning to leave. Zelda was left alone, and she contemplated everything that had just happened.

She collapsed after a meeting and slept through the entire day. Her daughter stayed by her side while Edmund took care of the rest of the day. He brought her chocolates and they had a conversation that didn’t result in them fighting. They opened up to each other… and now…

She sighed. She needed to meet with the resistance, that was her first priority. Hopefully it wasn’t too late.

She wasted no time to get into her disguise, despite her exhausted body and rumbling stomach. Just as she was about to sneak out, she remembered what Edmund asked of her.

“Will you… visit Amber before you leave anywhere?”

She sighed. She’s been a terrible mother to her own daughter, not spending any time with her despite Amber desperately wanting to. If the resistance needing to meet up tonight hadn’t been about the missing people, she probably would have been tempted to stay. Maybe spend time with her family, her daughter, and try to be the mother Amber deserved. But she knew this was important; it had better be important. She needed to take care of this, and she needed to find the missing people so that Hyrule would be safe for Amber. If the resistance found out important information about the disappearances—like where the missing people were—she would personally go to rescue them herself and eradicate any threat that came in her way. This threat would come to an end, Zelda would make sure of it.

But it meant she would be gone for a while. So she didn’t know when she would see Amber again.

Zelda quietly snuck into Amber’s room, her daughter curled up in her bed, clutching a bird stuffed animal to her chest. She brought her mask down and walked up to her daughter, emotions going through her once again. Her sweet little Amber, growing up before her very eyes, and she was missing all of it.

Her hand brushed against Amber’s temple and she began to stir. She looked up at her mother and furrowed her brow.

“Mother?”

Zelda’s breath hitched and she helped Amber sit up.

“Amber,” she started, “I know… I know I haven’t been the best mother, but I want you to know that I love you with every fiber of my being.” Zelda pulled Amber close and hugged her. “I love you so much.”

She rocked her back and forth, Amber clinging to her tightly. Despite her dry eyes, Zelda found tears forming, and she had to choke back a sob. Amber however wasn’t hiding her crying, and she felt her tears soaking into her clothes. She finally pulled back, wiping away a tear on Amber’s cheek and rested her forehead against hers.

“I promise I’ll try to be better,” Zelda whispered, pecking her on the forehead, and she stood up, walking towards the door.

“M-mother?” Amber called out.

“I’ll be back,” Zelda promised. “Just stay here with your father and focus on your studies. I… I love you.”

“I love you too…”

Zelda’s heart hurt more than her aching body as she turned away. How many times has she turned her own daughter away? How many times has she brushed her off when Amber reached out? She ran out, her frustrations over herself giving her the energy she needed to escape the castle. How will Amber view her when she grew older? Would she resent her the same way Zelda resented her father? Would she feel unloved by her own mother? She stopped as she reached the entrance to the courtyard, looking back at the castle. She was panting heavily, sad and angry tears finally pouring down her face.

It didn’t matter what her father tried to do to her, Zelda never felt worthy of being queen. She didn’t feel worthy of anything in her life. Especially her own daughter.

Amber deserved a better mother.

For a moment as she stared at her castle, she thought she saw Edmund watching her, but his supposed silhouette went away in an instant. She turned away, her head hanging, and finally marched to Telma’s bar.

It was late, she didn’t know how late it was, but it was late enough for no one to be out in the streets save for a few guards. Sheik’s stomach was cramping terribly, and her throat and tongue felt like sandpaper. She almost wished she stayed behind to eat the food Edmund got for her, but she knew she couldn’t let the resistance down. She leaned against a wall catching her breath, her hand rubbing against a box in her pouch. She didn’t know why she grabbed the chocolate orange Edmund gave her; she supposed she couldn’t leave it behind. She continued onward to Telma’s bar, feeling that it was a much longer walk than what she remembered. She normally went through the dungeons to reach Telma’s bar, but from how she was feeling, she didn’t have the strength to go that way. As if to prove her right, her knees nearly buckled as she went down the stairs, causing her to stumble into the door. She pulled back and blinked harshly trying to clear her head. She took a deep breath to calm herself and she went inside. The bell rang loudly through the empty bar, announcing her presence.

“Sorry, we’re closed right now,” she heard Telma call out from the back. The barmaid poked her head from the curtains and her face lit up. “Sheik! Well, it’s about time you got here, honey!”

Sheik awkwardly shuffled forward, allowing herself to be hugged by Telma.

“S-sorry I’m late,” she mumbled, not caring if Telma heard her or not.

“Oh… it’s not me you should apologize to. The others have already gone to bed, save for Ashei and Shad— well… actually it’s just Ashei,” Telma laughed slightly. Sheik was disappointed that the others had already gone to sleep, it was much later than what she hoped for, but she was slightly relieved that Ashei was the only one awake save for Telma. Though Sheik had tried to keep her Royal identity a secret, Ashei had found out about it. She had to admit, it was nice not having to hide everything from one person. She could at least confide in her with everything that has been happening.

“My, you look terrible,” Telma continued, eyeing Sheik worriedly. “Here, let me whip you up something real quick—“

“Oh, no you don’t have to do that—“ a loud grumble from her stomach interrupted her and Telma raised an eyebrow. Sheik looked down, embarrassed. “Apologies.”

“You’re alright sweetheart, just head to the back and I’ll get you some soup.”

Sheik nodded and walked to the back where she saw Ashei and Shad sitting next to each other. Shad was asleep, his head against Ashei’s shoulder, while Ashei had her arm wrapped around him. She had a pleasant smile on her lips as she watched him, until she looked up, spotting Sheik.

“Are you going to sit down, or are you going to keep watching us like a creep?” She asked, and Sheik straightened.

“A-apologies… I didn’t mean to stare.”

“Don’t worry about it, yeah?” Ashei glanced at Shad, then back at her. “I wanted to stay up to wait for you. I knew you’d get here eventually. He was intent on staying up with me, but I guess he couldn’t do it.”

Sheik smiled despite Ashei not being able to see it. “I’m sorry I came so late.”

“You’re fine, but what happened? Why did it take so long for you to get here?”

“I…” Sheik didn’t want to talk about her fainting today, nor about her lack of sleep, food, and water. “I’ve just been very busy.”

Ashei studied her for a moment. “Are you alright?”

Sheik looked up at her, and simply shook her head. “I’ve been very busy,” she repeated.

“Labryn… Zel—Sheik, you can leave this to the rest of us. You don’t have to help us every second, yeah?”

“I know, but I’m tired of sitting here not knowing what’s going on. Not actively trying to better my kingdom.”

Ashei shook her head. “You can’t do everything by yourself. That’s why the resistance is here, to help Hyrule.”

“I know… I know… I just…” Sheik sighed. Goddesses she was exhausted. The two grew silent until Telma came in with a bowl.

“I could only make some broth, I hope that’s ok, sweet pea.”

Sheik felt herself beginning to drool and she gratefully took the bowl. “This is wonderful, thank you, Telma,” she said. Telma gave her a soft smile.

“Of course honey! That’s why I’m here, to take care of my friends.”

The word “friends” stuck with Sheik, and she looked down at the bowl, her emotions running rampant once again, though her eyes were finally too dry to cry again.

“Now, if you two will excuse me, I’m going to head to bed myself.” Telma turned to Ashei with a teasing smile. “Unless you need me to carry him to bed of course.”

Ashei gave her an annoyed smirk. “I can do that myself. Thank you though.”

The barmaid gave a hearty laugh. “Alright, good night you too. And Sheik? I have some water on the table for you. Take care.”

Sheik glanced at the cup on the table, her thirst becoming unbearable.

“Thank you,” she said again, and Telma turned away, leaving the two women alone. Sheik glanced around, eyeing Shad cautiously, and Ashei caught on.

“Don’t worry, he’s out like a light.”

“But what if he wakes up and sees me without my mask?”

“Then I’ll knock him back out, yeah?”

Sheik chuckled softly and pulled her mask down. Though it wasn’t filling, the broth was amazing, and the water made her feel much better than before. She sighed as she drank the broth, feeling relief run through her body as she finally got nutrients in her body. She glanced at Ashei who watched her worriedly, and she looked down.

“How was Hoz?” Sheik asked.

“Oh, he was fine. Quite determined to find the missing people. He’s a good man.”

Sheik smiled slightly. “Indeed, he is. What did Link and Rusl need?”

Ashei’s breath hitched. “They found what’s been causing these disappearances.”

Sheik gasped and nearly dropped her bowl. Though it was exactly what she had hoped for, she was still surprised that it actually happened. “What is it? What’s causing it?”

“Link thinks it’s a shadow beast.”

Dread instantly filled Sheik’s body. Memories of the beasts breaking through her castle and slaughtering the guards came in at once, and she clenched her fists. How…?

“We hope to make a plan to hunt and kill it, but according to Link, it’s gotten powerful over the past ten years, and it won’t die so easily.”

Sheik swallowed hard and nodded. “I see… any… any news on the people?”

Ashei shook her head sadly. “No, they only mentioned the beast I’m afraid.”

Sheik slumped slightly. If it was a shadow beast taking these people then… they probably weren’t alive anymore. She remembered watching Zant turn her guards into shadow beasts before her eyes, even those who weren’t personally cursed turned when beside them. Even her own parents turned into creatures of darkness…

Were the people dead? Or had they turned into shadow beasts, doomed to be mindless monsters until they’re put out of their misery? Sheik didn’t know. But if that were the case, wouldn’t they have known about the resurgence of shadow beasts? Either way, Sheik was having a hard time being hopeful about the fate of the missing people.

“We’re going to be doing a lot of planning tomorrow,” Ashei continued, “I don’t know when we’ll head out, but if you’re wanting to come with us, I suggest you get some rest, yeah?”

Sheik looked up at Ashei who had a firm expression on her face. Sheik had grown tired of everyone telling her to rest, but with the food and water in her system, she couldn’t fight back the sleepiness.

“Alright,” she mumbled before standing up, staring at her empty bowl confused.

“I can take care of that,” Ashei said, and Sheik set it down awkwardly. “We can talk more tomorrow, yeah?”

Sheik nodded and dragged herself up the stairs where several rooms were hidden. Her eyes were barely open as she tried to find a room to go in. She typically took the first room, so she opened the door and threw her head cover and mask off, closing the door behind her which left the room in total darkness. She stumbled over to the bed closest to her and fell asleep before her head could even hit the pillow.

[darkbluekies]

Can I request your OC’s with a darling who has an accent? Like they grew up in speech therapy and they get made fun of for it sometimes and that causes them to not like their voice and stay quiet?

-🦇

[I kinda want to make Hedwig's and Jerry's ones oneshots. They're my favorite :>]

Warnings: violence, threats of cutting of tongues, genitalia, fingers and heads, arson, knives,

Silas:

You don't talk often and when you do, you only talk to him. Silas adores your voice. He encourages you to speak everytime you're together. He loves everything about it — everything from how you stutter slightly to how you pronounce your words. When you gather enough courage to tell you about the kids that used to make fun of you in your past, you can tell that something in his demenour shifts.

"Those little fuckers. Y/N, you're going to tell me their names with that wonderful, sweet little voice of yours and I'll pay them all a personal visit. I'll cut their tongues out, see how they feel about not being able to speak 'correctly'. Or better yet, I'll make them never be able to talk again."

Dr Kry:

As your personal doctor, Dr Kry has taken it upon himself to become your speech therapist as well (even if he doesn't have the license). He sits with you everyday and comforts himself with the thought that it's only him you actually talk to when he doesn't get many words out of you. He often compliments your voice and when you let him know that he seems to be the only one who likes it and that others have said something else ... he scoffs.

"Those kids were childish. You'll never have to speak with them again — you'll never have to speak to anyone again. If you really don't feel comfortable with your speech, I'll do it for you. I'll take every conversation ... if you just talk to me. I adore your voice. I love to hear it. I'll never mock you, okay?"

King Edmund:

There's much he doesn't know about you, but you know all about him. He wants to learn more about you, but you never open your mouth. It pains him like knives through his heart. He wants to talk to you more than anything. He wants to learn about your childhood, your family, your interests and where you're from — because he's noticed the accent, but he can't tell where it originates from. But when you do open up and he gets to know the horrors you've been through, he suddenly stops you.

"They'll pay. I'll tell my secretary to fix a public behading! Their heads are going to roll to my feet and I'll cut their tongues and grill them for supper! Don't worry, my queen, they'll never hurt you again, not as long as I'm here."

Jerry:

She doesn't pressure you to talk. When you're ready, you'll talk. She has looked up your personal information, but e few pieces of paper can't tell her everything. She wants to know more. One night when you're lying in her bed, skin touching and breaths trying to calm down you take the opportunity to tell her what she wants to hear now that you feel so warm. Jerry has placed your head on her bare chest and runs her fingers through your hair. Her acrylic nails feels like heaven. You can feel her tense.

"Who are these lowlives, hm? Tell me their names. Come on, baby, I'll revenge you. What should I do to them? Cut of their fingers? Their dicks, maybe? Why don't you want to tell me? Use your pretty, little voice and tell me. Don't protect them, they don't deserve it." As soon as you've told her, she gets up from the bed and starts dressing herself. "Don't stay up, I won't be back for quite a while. I'll give them what they deserve. Fuck, how much I love you. I'm the only one allowed to mock you."

Hedwig:

Hedwig takes care of everything for you. You don't want to talk? No problem. She'll talk for you. You'll whisper what you want to be said in her ear and she'll say it out loud! She's waiting for you to finish your sentences while you stutter and talks back to the teacher when they ask you to answer a question. When you one day tell him why you're so quiet and why you switched school ... she explodes. She forces you to tell her the names. While you're sleeping, she calls her private hitman and asks him to help her. Just a few hours later, five houses are set aflame and Hedwig's standing on the road with a smile on her face.

"That's what you deserve. That's what you all deserve. I'll never let anyone hurt my sweetheart."

[rinadragomir]

a lot of people have theorized for "the last shadowhunter" and all those other titles that the shadow world kinda goes away,, demons are sealed off from the world and so shadowhunters aren't needed anymore, but if you ask me, I feel like that ending is kind of redundant. like, ending everything. because there's so much history, and so many characters are who they are because they are shadowhunters, with what comes with the experiences and shit, so if you were to just drop kick the demons away, they wouldn't know what to do 💀 not to mention the other downworlders,, and the faeries?? fuckin shit. there's so much history Cassie has implemented and it's built *on* the shadow world, Jess's/Wessas story, Clary's, Magnus', literally everyone — so for her to potentially take that all away seems so backwards to me (this is just a theory I've seen a bunch of people say!! nothing confirmed, at all) unless it's like, end all this, or else *this* will happen, and like, ok, plausible ending, but other than that, it just... doesn't seem fitting 😭

I SO agree with you. I remember this theory, it was quite popular in our fandom for a while. But you know that Cassie LOVES ending things unpredictably, so let's discuss it🌝

First of all, like YEAH OKAY the "LAST SHADOWHUNTER" title is... slightly terrifying. As if it's a confirmation of our "Lucifer dies, demons disappear, Shadowhunters live as normal people" theory. And it almost sounds fine yeah? Shadowhunters' life was all about war, they never had a chance to experience other aspects of this life. Living as a human, not a bad ending huh?🤗

BUT NO NO NO, IT'S LIKE A FUCKING HELL, THE WORST CASE POSSIBLE, IF IT HAPPENS 70% OF NEPHILIM POPULATION WILL KILL THEMSELVES NO JOKE🙅🏼‍♀️

1) Yeah, we have Jem's example of "normal human life", but this man has been living in a cave for decades, any life is better than this, it doesn't count.

2) We have another example of "Retirement": Edmund Herondale. And that man drank himself to the point where his family had nowhere to live. Great example of "if you were raised to do a certain thing, if doing this thing has become not only your whole life but also your whole personality personality, then no love will be enough for you to heal when this thing is gone."💁🏼‍♀️

3) When Julian was thinking about leaving Shadowhunters with Emma so they can be together he immediately thought that it would kill her. No matter how great their love was, taking this life away from Emma would only mean endless suffering and years of therapy.

4) For all Shadowhunters "mark stripping" is LITERALLY THE WORST PUNISHMENT🤌🏻 It doesn't matter that the process is painful. To stop being a shadowhunter means stop being yourself. They all occasionally think about "what would it be like to live a normal life" but never further than that. Even imagining living like a mundane is pretty hard. Being Nephilim means being a pride of the angel himself, being the chosen one since birth. Damn it, they even built a whole religion around all of this.

For them fighting demons is not only about wounds, wars and losing loved ones. It's also a great adventure, a feeling that you're doing sth good, that you're important, that you're a part of the greatest community.

Imagine losing it all so you can go to Walmart whenever you want.

[to-the-western-wood]

therapist: i'm going to be honest i don't know what to do with that

edmund: that sounds like i just won therapy

[newtonsheffield]

Kate imagining anthony's baby 😭😭 soo cute

Kate's already imagining her and anthony's babies, look how far we've come

In Kate's defence: She sees Anthony with babies a lot.

She sits with him and watches him weigh and measure babies and give them little high fives when they've grown an inch and it's adorable. She caught him signing at a deaf baby the other day.

"What did you say to him?"

Anthony had shrugged, "Good job, Champ."

And it makes her fall a little deeper in love with him, the way he sighs when a patient goes home with their new baby.

"God, I just fucking love babies! I absolutely can't wait to be a Dad one day."

She's had plenty of time to imagine her future with and without Anthony these last few months, as she's sat in therapy and torn open every painful wound in her life again and again. But Kate's thankful for it. She's thankful she has because it's shown her exactly why she's doing this work, because she wants a future with Anthony.

The future she wants is one where they go home together and wake up together and do stupid mundane chores like laundry together. And sure, she's imagined what it would be like to have a tiny boy who looked like Anthony, with tiny little glasses. She's imagined a little girl with Anthony's smile and her curly hair and when she does there's an ache in her chest that she can't quite control, but it feels a lot like longing.

It's all she can think about when Edmund Apollo Bridgerton is placed in her arms for the very first time and he frowns up at her, the little crease between his brows so much like Anthony's already she could cry. Anthony already is crying, even as he delivers the after birth, his shoulders heaving as tears run down his cheeks.

"Sorry, I'm happy. I'm happy, he's just so beautiful."

"Yeah, he's absolutely beautiful." Kate can hardly breathe, "Just like his Papa."

[bridgertonbabe]

Okay so I’m watching friends and it’s the one with the prom video…

And the ending when Monica is watching it and it turns into a porno of her parents…

Who does that happen to? And is it Violet and Edmund where they accidentally find it or is it like one of the spouses parents??

What if Violet was watching some old home videos, feeling all warm and nostalgic as she reminisces on the happy childhood her father provided her with as she watches a clip where she's dancing on his feet at some family party - only for the video to suddenly cut to a bed, a bed she recognises as her parents from her childhood home, and on that bed her dad is rolling around with, not her mother, but with Agatha Danbury.

"Hey, dad?" Daphne quietly addresses her father a week later. "What's going on with mum?" she enquires and the pair of them glance down to the other end of the dining table where Violet is sloppily wine-drunk again for the seventh consecutive day in a row.

"Yeah, do we need to stage an intervention or something?" Colin raises a concerned brow.

"No, no, no." Edmund shakes his head. "Well, not just yet anyway. She just... had a little shock, is all."

"What happened?" Eloise frowns, all the while Violet continues to slosh her glass of wine about carelessly, splashing it on Hyacinth three seats away from her after already previously spilling it on Benedict, Sophie, Francesca, and Gregory in closer proximity to her.

"Ah you know, just something that came to light that she previously wasn't aware of."

"Like what?" Colin asks. "Did you get a call from the hospital saying there was an accidental baby swap with Eloise and that you missed out on raising a perfectly lovely child all these years?"

Edmund paid no mind as Eloise and Colin began squabbling and childishly throwing food at each other, opting instead to lean towards his son-in-law.

"Si, I don't suppose I could get the number of your therapist?"

The therapist's business card was whipped out instantly, with Simon barely looking up from his glass as he handed the number over to Edmund.

"Finally opening the family group therapy door then?" Simon asks.

"No, just getting some help for Violet to talk things through." Edmund replies, and then after a moment of contemplation he turns to his son-in-law and asks, "Why? Do you think we need it?"

Simon stared blankly at his father-in-law, allowing the drawn out silence to do the talking before knocking back the rest of his wine.

[fitrahgolden]

Lilies and Soap: Chapter 5 - A Good Hurt

[NOTE: I was going to write a few lyrics for “A Good Hurt,” Anthony’s song for Violet, but it’s literally just “Upward Over the Mountain” by Iron & Wine. Ya’ll, it’s the perfect song for them. Also, it’s one of my favourite songs of all time. The lyrics will be at the end.

An additional note: This is the last of the “once a day” updates. I immediately fell in love with this story and have been compulsively writing it all week. But, unfortunately (for me, anyway), the updates are gonna slow way down, more to a “once a week” type frequency.]

“Mum?”

Anthony was happy to find his mother alone in the drawing room of her house. He didn't want an audience for this.

“Anthony, Dear. I didn’t know you were coming by.”

“Yeah, just for a bit. I can’t stay for dinner, but I need to talk to you.”

Concern coloured Violet’s face. “Of course. Is everything alright?”

“Oh, yes. Sorry, yeah. Everything’s fine. Actually, I wanted to play you something.”

He moved to sit at the grand piano situated by one of the room’s large windows and scooted to one side.

“Do you mind sitting with me?”

Violet smiled curiously as she sat next to her eldest son. “Oh, am I getting a preview of the next album?”

Anthony laughed gently. “No. It’s not going to be on the next album, but I would like your permission to consider it for the one after that.”

“Permission?” She raised her eyebrows.

“Yes. I wrote a song about you. Well, about us, for you. And I didn’t want to spring on you. It means a lot to me that you be the first one to hear it in private, and that I have your blessing to share it.”

Anthony wasn’t surprised when tears already started to form in his mother’s eyes.

“Go on, then,” she whispered. “Let’s hear it.”

Anthony began to play the opening notes of a song he’d titled “A Good Hurt.”

After his father died when he was eighteen, Anthony’s relationship with his mother became rather volatile. For the first year, Violet was all but completely absent from the family, including Hyacinth, who was born shortly after Edmund Bridgerton’s death. Anthony became a caretaker to his mother and a surrogate father to his seven siblings overnight. Once Violet recovered, she and Anthony never quite found their footing when it came to each other and their roles as heads of their family.

A couple of years ago, things came to a head, and Violet and Anthony decided that it would be in their best interest, and the best interest of the whole family, if the two of them went to therapy, separately as well as together. As part of his healing journey, Anthony’s therapist encouraged him to lean into his music, to use the tools he already had at his disposal to process the things they were working on in therapy. “A Good Hurt” was one of the results of that labour. Anthony was proud of it, of what it did for him, and hoped it would communicate to his mum everything he’d felt in the past, what he felt now, and what he hoped for their future. 

Violet was silent for a few minutes after the final notes resounded in the air before dissipating.. He wasn’t sure what to expect, so he just sat silently with her.

“Anthony,” she finally said, “I… hardly even know what to say.” She put a hand on one of his and squeezed. “Thank you. It's beautiful. Thank you… so much.”

Anthony had some tears of his own in his eyes as he squeezed Violet’s hand in return. “You’re welcome, Mum. And thank you.” He handed her a folded piece of paper, filled with his handwriting. “It’s the lyrics. I want you to have them. And there’s no pressure to let me record it. I understand if you want to keep it private.”

Violet nodded and pressed the paper against her chest. “May I think about it?”

“Of course, Mum. Take all the time you need.”

The two sat at the piano together for a while, talking and playing a few songs together. Eventually, Anthony stood.

“I’m sorry I can’t stay and eat with you guys. I have plans tonight.”

Violet stood as well and patted his cheek. “Oh, that’s fine, Dear. Anything fun? Are you seeing Kate?”

Anthony furrowed his brows a bit at the assumption. Not because it was unreasonable. It wasn’t. He often spent his evenings with Kate. He simply felt an unfamiliar feeling in his chest. It was as if he felt sorry that the answer to his mum’s question was no, he wasn’t seeing Kate tonight. He shook the thought out of his head and smiled. “No, not tonight. I have a date, is all.”

Violet gave a half smile and nodded. “Right. Well, have a good time.”

Anthony nodded curtly and turned to leave when Violet stopped him.

“And, um, thank you, again. I’m so proud of you. you know that, right? Of what you’re making of your life, sharing your talents with the world. Your father would be, too.”

—

Anthony met Siena outside of the restaurant she’d picked out. She greeted him with a kiss on the cheek before they headed inside. They were each recognised exactly once before they were seated and laughed about it while they looked at their menus.

The food was delicious and the conversation was easy. It was mostly more of the same as their lunch meeting, talking about their time at the Royal College of Music and the careers that followed.

"Oh, I had a question," Siena said after taking a sip of her wine.

“Alright, here we go. Should I be scared?” Anthony joked.

“No. Believe me, Bridgerton, you’ll know when I start grilling you. It’s just that I noticed at our meeting the other day that you still call Kate Lamb. After all these years. It always got my attention when I would hang out with you guys. How did that come about?"

Anthony sat back and smiled softly at the memory. A few seconds passed. He saw Siena looking at him expectantly and realised he hadn’t actually started responding to her yet. "Oh. Well, we were in one of the practice halls. It was the first time we collaborated. The first thing she did at the piano was play  'Mary Had a Little Lamb.' Completely serious, totally committed to singing and playing each note. And I just…burst out laughing. After she threw a pencil at me, she explained it was a part of her vocal warm up when she first started music lessons when she was six. She liked that it was her stepmum's name, so she stuck with it from that point on. I had to respect that. She's been my la–  She's been 'Lamb' to me ever since."

Siena nodded, her expression hard to read, and quietly said, “Ah.” She quickly moved on to other topics, and the rest of the meal was perfectly… nice.

After dinner, the pair decided it was too pleasant of a night to not take a walk in the nearby park. Siena looped an arm around Anthony’s and they strolled along the paved trail, avoiding the evening runners. During a lull in the conversation, Anthony slowed to a stop and turned Siena towards him. Her hand slid down his arm to take his hand.

“I’m having a really nice time, Siena.”

“Me, too.” She smiled up at him dreamily.

“Are we… Um, do you want to call it a night, or…”

Siena raised an eyebrow as she got on her tiptoes to kiss him. As soon as Anthony closed his eyes, he saw Kate. The same Kate he’d imagined while watching her record “Perpetual Commotion.” The Kate that was brand new to him, while somehow at the same time also feeling intimately familiar. The sudden vision made him falter, and when he and Siena pulled apart, he opened his eyes to find her frowning at him in a sad, oddly understanding way. She shook her head slowly as she looked down for a moment. Then she kissed his cheek and finally answered.

“Yeah, Anthony. I think we should call it a night.”

They hugged and parted on a friendly note, speaking genuinely about how much they were looking forward to working with each other on Siena’s album and exchanging "see you soon"s. Once she left in the taxi that Anthony had flagged down for her, he walked around the park for another hour on his own. His mind was whirring, and he’d hoped the walk would help slow everything down. No such luck. So, he went home and did what he always did when he needed to sort out his thoughts.

He started writing.

—

The words were pouring out of him faster than he could even think about what he was writing. He eventually stopped to read the stream of consciousness that filled the pages of his notebook.

Kate, Kate, Kate.

The melodies, the imagery, the metaphors. He was writing about Kate and didn't even realise it.

Kate, Kate, Kate. 

It was all there, in the span of ten minutes, the entity, the woman, the person. His person in more ways than he had been aware of.

Kathani, Kate, Lamb. 

He felt lightheaded, looking back at the last few years with all the filters removed, finally seeing everything for what it truly was.

He laughed to save from crying, to stave off the pity and frustration and…anger he knew he would be directing at himself soon enough.

So much wasted time.

Well, he couldn't get that time back. He could only attempt one hell of a course correction.

Mine, mine, mine.

Hers, hers, hers.

It was a wish, a prayer, a vision of his future–of their future. 

Ours, ours, ours.

He stared at the pages again. He needed to find a way to distil them down into… something. He didn’t know what.

Something worthy of her. 

Kate, Kate, Kate. 

[NOTE:

“Mother, don't worry, I killed the last snake that lived in the creek bed

Mother, don't worry, I've got some money I saved for the weekend

Mother, remember being so stern with that girl who was with me?

Mother, remember the blink of an eye when I breathed through your body?

So may the sunrise bring hope where it once was forgotten

Sons are like birds, flying upward over the mountain

Mother, I made it up from the bruise on the floor of this prison

Mother, I lost it, all of the fear of the Lord I was given

Mother, forget me now that the creek drank the cradle you sang to

Mother, forgive me, I sold your car for the shoes that I gave you

So may the sunrise bring hope where it once was forgotten

Sons could be birds, taken broken up to the mountain

Mother, don't worry, I've got a coat and some friends on the corner

Mother, don't worry, she's got a garden we're planting together

Mother, remember the night that the dog had her pups in the pantry?

Blood on the floor, fleas on their paws, and you cried 'til the morning

So may the sunrise bring hope where it once was forgotten

Sons are like birds, flying always over the mountain”

“Upward Over the Mountain” by Iron & Wine.

Lyrics by Sam Beam.]

[vinegar-on-main]

HII VINNY

Either Castti works at the hospital Godot gets autopsy reports from and they're besties both before and after his coma, or we somehow find a way to get him into Solistia.

There's also the option of them being in the same therapy group but that one's just sad.

Option 1:

Diego and Castti would just do small talk whenever he went to get autopsy reports or went to the hospital for any reason and realized they had a lot in common. Diego has to help Castti confess to Malaya cause she's too scared to do it. Castti didn't know Mia very well but they become friends cause they talk whenever Mia visits Diego in the hospital when he's in the coma. They'd sit down together and talk about him to just deal with how much the situation just absolutely sucks. Cause Trousseau definitely could not do that stuff irl then I'm thinking Castti just hits her head really bad which causes the amnesia, idk if Malaya would even die. Mia gets scared because Castti stops talking to her, then Malaya reaches out and explains everything and they joke about their miserable situations then cry together. Malaya and Mia would support each other through everything and become such good friends. When Diego wakes up, his best friend doesn't remember him and ough. It'd suck. And Mia is dead too!! He can't even talk to his best friend about it because only a shell of her remains.

Option 2:

When Godot wakes up from the coma, he doesn't know what to do with his life and just stays in that town. He becomes besties with all of Eir's apothecaries because they visit often and he gets his painkillers from them. One day, Castti comes alone and says she has no memories. Because he somewhat knew her before, he agrees to travel with her. Along the way, they learn about all the stuff Morgan has planned and also pull off the bridge to the turnabout stuff before acting like nothing happened and then going to Healeaks or smth.

Godot also gets to throw a cup of coffee at Edmund

Both options are good… but I think I like 1 better because either Castti gets hit with the Double Whumptacular Combo Deluxe Meal in Malaya and Mia dying, but also Godot gets Extra Sadness because of the amnesia.

Castti drinks tea, and takes psychic damage from the 17 cups of coffee comment.

[barbiewritesstuff]

Chapter 2: Easy Peasy

-- Trigger warning for mentions/plans of suicide, and depression. I hate sad Hangman but I really wanted to write a part 2 and @because-edmund requested it (kind of?) So here it is. --

Jake hated grocery shopping. 

So many people around him just doing life, picking vegetables while he was breaking out in cold sweat just thinking about food.

Well, it wasn't about food.

It was about planning. 

Jake had been doing some thinking and he'd decided that maybe death wasn't a good idea. Maybe. 

And that freaked him out, because now he had to plan. Jake had lost the ability to plan for a future approximately 0.10 seconds after The Incident.

Wednesdays were his only plans because those were therapy group days. He'd wake up at 4am, work out, feed the cat, have cereal, drink coffee, work, have lunch, work, feed cat, therapy group, starbucks, go to bed.

If Jake still had the ability to feel, he might have felt sad for himself.

And that was the entire problem. Killing himself was supposed to be a reprive of the grand old empty feeling in his chest, that sinking pit of nothingness. The festering pile of dead emotions. But, he'd realised, killing himself wouldn't even solve that. Because death, despite his want for a heaven or a hell to exist, was just more of the fucking same, he'd realised.

He hadn't set his heart on it yet, if only to avoid the planning, but he allowed himself some small bits of practice in case he did decide to live.

So, meal planning was first on the list. He hadn't gone all out but at least it wasn't all frozen. Just a decent chicken, rice and brocolli, and fruit on the side. He hadn't had fruit in years, it was a miracle he hadn't gotten scurvy yet. 

The queues at the tills weren't too bad, but not nearly long enough for Jake to psych himself up for the interraction with the cashier, but he did it anyway. Pay, smile, say goodbye and leave.

Easy fucking Peasy.

He took his phone out in his car and checked it off of the list. 

He'd learned it from a guy at his group therapy and thought it was a good idea. The idea was to make a list of what he did in a day and progressively check them off of the list as the day went on, it was supposed to keep him from falling off the wagon any further than he already had.

Next up was going home. Most of the time he went home to just sit on the sofa in front of the tv and pet the cat. Usually, he didn't even botger turning the tv on. Jake hated his days off. 

Before starting his car he checked facebook. Y/n hadn't seen his message yet but that wasn't all that surprising. She could have been anywhere. But if she saw and if she replied, maybe Jake could have a friend. A reason to stay. Or just someone to call the ambulance. It all depended on what he decided.

Instead of Y/n, Phoenix had texted. Hard Deck at 9pm. He really didn't want to, because whenever he saw a uniform they somehow managed to congratulate him on The Incident, some even looked impressed.

He was going to fucking puke. 

But, if he didn't show they might get worried and check up on him. He couldn't let them know how he lived. 

The flat wasn't bad per se, but he had progressively gotten rid of more and more furniture. It looked barren and bleak, the only colour coming from the cat stuff. 

The nausea had worn off and he was good to drive home.

He opened the front door and walked in. The upside to living in a barren wasteland was that it never looked messy.

9pm came and went, and Jake couldn't find it in him to move. Or eat. He hadn't eaten since his cereal. Shit. Out came the survival list again and he looked at how much he had missed. Pretty much everything since 11am. 

He felt a panic attack coming up and Jake stood uo to move and shake himself out of it. Maybe a run would help?

Then, he realised, maybe the panic was good. The list kept him from getting worse. He didn't want to get worse. Which meant that possibly, he wanted to get better. Better was living. Better was good.

Better was being alive for when Y/n texted.

Jake fell asleep, curled up on the sofa.

The alarm rang and the list came out again. Wake up, tick. Shower, tick. Workout, tick. Feed cat, tick. Eat cereal, tick. Drink coffee, tick. Go to work, tick.

Easy fucking Peasy.

Work was boring. He found himself taking out his phone every few minutes to check up on his message to you. Nothing yet.

And then, at 11am, suddenly there was something. 

"Sorry, just got home! I would live to catch up, maybe we could meet in person for a coffee or something?"

Jake's breath faltered for a second. Planning.

"Free whenever you are"

Great, now he just had to keep on living till next Tuesday.

[suitsusboth]

So I haven't read the book that Love Light Gleams is based off of, so maybe this would be a spoiler otherwise, but is there going to be a discussion about something else that Anthony went through? Something that explains the scars and the physical therapy?

The fic is very loosely based off the books, so what i have imagined for anthony in this fic does not happen in the books at all. if you do read the books you’d probably pick up on some easter eggs and references but basically they’re just surly farmers with tattoos. Anthony’s backstory is completely different from his “counterpart” Beckett.

But yes, we will touch on the whole scars/PT thing. It has to do with what happened to Edmund (I’m sure you can guess a little now). Someone else did ask me if he was self harming and I want to assure people it is not that at all. I perhaps did not explain is well and may need to revise it but basically Anthony suffered injuries at some point. He’s doing fine now though. 🩵

[sappholovell]

Maven Calore, Edmund Gloucester, and Edmund Pevensie should start going to group therapy together. I think that would have solved 90% of all of their personal issues.

[penig]

The conference was neither so short nor so conclusive as the lady had designed. The gentleman was not so easily satisfied. He had all the disposition to persevere that Sir Thomas could wish him. He had vanity, which strongly inclined him in the first place to think she did love him, though she might not know it herself; and which, secondly, when constrained at last to admit that she did know her own present feelings, convinced him that he should be able in time to make those feelings what he wished.

He was in love, very much in love; and it was a love which, operating on an active, sanguine spirit, of more warmth than delicacy, made her affection appear of greater consequence because it was withheld, and determined him to have the glory, as well as the felicity, of forcing her to love him.

He would not despair: he would not desist. He had every well-grounded reason for solid attachment; he knew her to have all the worth that could justify the warmest hopes of lasting happiness with her; her conduct at this very time, by speaking the disinterestedness and delicacy of her character (qualities which he believed most rare indeed), was of a sort to heighten all his wishes, and confirm all his resolutions. He knew not that he had a pre-engaged heart to attack. Of that he had no suspicion. He considered her rather as one who had never thought on the subject enough to be in danger; who had been guarded by youth, a youth of mind as lovely as of person; whose modesty had prevented her from understanding his attentions, and who was still overpowered by the suddenness of addresses so wholly unexpected, and the novelty of a situation which her fancy had never taken into account.

Must it not follow of course, that, when he was understood, he should succeed? He believed it fully. Love such as his, in a man like himself, must with perseverance secure a return, and at no great distance; and he had so much delight in the idea of obliging her to love him in a very short time, that her not loving him now was scarcely regretted. A little difficulty to be overcome was no evil to Henry Crawford. He rather derived spirits from it. He had been apt to gain hearts too easily. His situation was new and animating.

To Fanny, however, who had known too much opposition all her life to find any charm in it, all this was unintelligible.

I haven’t ever been in academia, or in what may be called the modern Jane Austen fandom, but I used to do a fair amount of random reading of criticism when I was young and there was no internet in which to seek out kindred spirits to discuss books no one else I knew was reading, and I distinctly recall indications of a sizable body of opinion that Mansfield Park would have ended better if Henry had resisted the temptation to run off with Maria and eventually Fanny had married him and Edmund had married Mary. Because Fanny and Edmund are unattractive prigs and need livening up, basically.

If any such readers still exist, I recommend to their consideration this opening passage from Chapter 34, and also to contrast it with Mr. Darcy’s reception of Elizabeth Bennet’s rejection.

Edmund and Fanny, of course, are prigs, particularly by modern standards. Many of their scruples, values, and mannerisms invite us to consider things like how therapy might have helped them vs. the degree to which they just needed to lighten up and be less judgy. This view of them merits examination, not going to lie.

But Henry’s courtship of Fanny is a horror show. She says no not once, but repeatedly, and not one person takes her no seriously. As far as everyone around her is concerned, she is young and timid and doesn’t know her own mind or her own best interest and fortunately Henry’s persistence will wear her down all right in the end. Even the author gives somewhat of the appearance of victim-blaming a few paragraphs later on, when she admits that Fanny’s shyness and sense of her own unworth makes her refusals sound less firm than she intended, and that if she hadn’t already been in love with Edmund Henry probably would have manipulated and pressured her into loving, or believing she loved, him in the end. (If only she’d had the confidence to be as rude to him as Lizzie was to Darcy!) But Austen is herself in no doubt that this would have been a bad thing and Henry would have made her miserable; probably more miserable, if she had fallen in love with him, than if she merely took him on out of desire for financial and social security and the approval of her family.

This guy makes my flesh creep. He’s worse than Mr. Collins and I don’t know what I can say, stronger than that. But her moral and social authority Sir Thomas is on his side; Mrs Norris is only horrified that Fanny got an offer instead of Julia; Lady Bertram, on whose indolent dependence Fanny so relied, actually says she could spare her company with as good a cause as that; Fanny even finds some of her own moral principles lining up against her, urging her to be grateful for his help in getting her brother William promoted - ugh! Fanny needs all her judginess and hidebound morality to support her revulsion of him and survive this assault, and it’s only beginning in this chapter.

[sea-owl]

Waaitt waait wait speaking of spoilers I am DYING to find out the reason behind the headaches and I'm making a guess here so feel free to correct me but you mentioned in a spoiler a while back that since the 3 domains originally belonged to Edmund and when he died, ABC divided it among themselves (or at least this is what I understood) and the Underworl chose Pen so does that mean the girls getting their headaches are the domains trying to lire the girls in to their rightful places as queens and unite their powers so that it finally belongs to the present rulers and not to Edmund's? Lmao I hope this is intelligible cuz I dont know where I went with this

Again, spoilers for Spring's Rebirth, so read at your own risk.

Yeah, that's pretty much it. Immortals are connected to their domains on a spiritual level, and domains can transfer should something happen to the old one, like Edmund dying. With a transfer of power, the domain will adapt to the new immortal.

That's what happened when ABC divided their father's vast domain into 3 parts. The three domains adapted to their new kings and was like hey something is missing/not quiet right, aka the Bridgertons refusing to go see the god of therapy. Also the fact that ABC aren't Edmund, they are their own persons. So the domains basically searched out what will make them and their kings whole again.

Enter the future queens. Now, they don't know that any of this is going on. They have no idea the domains are trying to connect with them. Kate's a nymph, she just needs her personal lily. Sophie is a demigod, and they don't get domains they get sent on quests. Penelope has basically been in the wrong place to where her domain can't connect with her despite its attempts to lure her home. Safe to say the domains are getting a little annoyed.

I know I haven't gone too much into the magic of the domains, but I am trying to keep the reader knowing what Penelope knows. Penelope doesn't know yet how deep the spiritual bond goes, she has only had a taste of it when she rejuvenates the plants.

[findusinaweek]

10 Characters, 10 media, (not) 10 tags

Was tagged by @brasideios, was very excited, made a google doc and reworked this way too many times for something not important nor serious.  Favorite 10 characters from ten different medias!  1) Akito Sohma - Fruits Basket manga/reboot anime (one half of my questionable otp, queer (gender?) awakening) 2) Brasidas - AC Odyssey (he’s perf, my therapist knows him by name, I survived covid twice with him by my side so one of us gotta keep going) 3) Erwin Smith -  Attack on Titan (Commander Eyebrows/the first man I cried profusely over for days.) 4) Handsome Jack - Borderlands Series (I think he’s neat. Please don’t make me analyze.) 5) Villanelle - Killing Eve (iconic)  6) Elliot Waugh - The Magicians (iconic but sliding to a different side of the iconic scale) 7) Robert Small - Dream Daddy (I once built his house in the sims 3 for like half a year and then my game got corrupted and I lost it all anyways I hope he gets therapy and like...not Joseph) 8) Steve Harrington - Stranger Things (I hated him but then everyone said he’s bi so. Here we are. Also I understand the concussions, buddy) 9) Edmund Pevensie - Chronicles of Narnia (informed my fashion senses, is a little shit, my first cringey fave) 10) Anna Karenina - Anna Karenina 2012 (I just like Kiera Knightley in historical dresses/dramas) 

Uhhh @frog-sims, @aeide, I have no one else to tag but porn-bots so enjoy folks! 

[locria-writes]

"excuse me, i have a personality disorder so appreciate my tiddies" gang:

edmund, except he's actually really well-adjusted and has just been gaslit into thinking he has something wrong with him :c

val

lothar

scumbag tuko'er

launcelin, except he doesn't want you to appreciate his tiddies, and better yet, please don't look at him at all and leave him be

symphora, my poor little meow meow who actually really does have a personality disorder and should use some of her trust fund money to get therapy like g i r l you can afford it and therapists exist please use them

regulus, who also wants you to appreciate his ass and his horrible personality and really should also go to therapy because something ain't right with that boy

[newtonsheffield]

Also, also. I'm imagining their kids listening to their dad's albums, but once they get to Pray, the swear off Anthony's music forever and demand he starts a fund of their therapy.

Oh their kids absolutely do not understand that Anthony is an international superstar. They don't get why. It's just their dad. He sings all the time. Why on earth would anyone pay for that?

But imagine Edmund, being about fourteen and listening to that sing when it comes on randomly and suddenly he realises what it's about.

"Dad?!"

"Yes, Sprout?"

"Is this song about you and mum... doing stuff?!"

And Anthony pauses, for far too long and Edmund knows what he's going to say before he does. "Yes, Neddy, it is."

"People can hear that! And that's my mum!"

"Well, before she was your Mum, she was my girlfriend buddy, and this is from a critically acclaimed album, by the way!"

"People had bad taste in the dark ages!"

"That's the most hurtful thing you've ever said to me!"