#I even made fae added spells they could use...

[floof-of-the-mind-variety]

Ace attorney DND game

I'm going to be running an ace attorney dnd game soon, I have most of it planned out, but does any other person have some experience they could oh so kindly share?

[thebestofoneshots]

Gilded Constellations | (wolfstar x reader)

Series Masterlist | Previous episode

Pairing: Wolfstar x Reader Word Count: 7.6 K Warnings: ANGST w/ comfort (but also not?) Prompt: At the Potter's. This IS a Wolfstar x reader fic, but it's incredibly slow burn. They won't start all dating each other until we're very deep into the story, but I promise the long wait will be worth it. Proofread by lovely: @aremuslupinsimp

Chapter 49: High Hopes

January, 3rd, 1977

“Kids, come eat something before you leave,” Hope called from the dining room. You were just finishing up packing, Remus had borrowed you his wand and you were putting everything in place (including a mild arrangement of his room that had been evidently changed since you got there) and he had also allowed you to gemino some of the pictures he had in his wall. 

You had picked one with the four Marauders, one of 11 year old Remus and Sirius smiling at the camera, one of James and Sirius when they got on the quidditch team, one of Peter working on the map, the one of Sirius you thought was adorable the first time you saw it, one with Lily and Remus doing a presentation and a few others with Sirius and Remus in which you thought they looked adorable or that you could use to tease them later (Hope had given you a few of Rem that were basically gold). 

“Coming,” you said as you grabbed the pictures and started arranging them back onto his wall with a flick of his wand. Thankfully Remus’ wand seemed to like you since every time you used it she would respond and do exactly what you’d intended. “Rem, I’m leaving your wand on the desk,” you said after closing the suitcase and taking it in your hands as you stepped out. 

“Sweetheart, let me help you with that,” Hope said as she saw you walk with your suitcase in hand and was surprised when she pulled on it and it shot upwards pretty fast. You managed to catch it and her before she tripped backwards. “Levitation spell,” you said with an apologetic smile. 

“Sometimes I forget how many useful spells you wizards have for things like this,” she said with a smile and carefully took the suitcase from your hands and sat it in a corner of the room. “Could you add a spell like that to my suitcases, honey?” she asked as she turned to Lyall who nodded in return. “I don’t get why he didn’t tell me about those earlier,” she added as she shook her head. “I’ve got some fruit in the fridge, could you help me get it?” she asked you. 

You nodded and followed, this time the fae had sent her an assortment of tropical fruits, everything from bananas to watermelons and dragonfruit. You weren’t sure how they managed to get such a harvest in the middle of winter, but it probably had to do a lot with fae magic that you didn’t yet understand.

Remus was out of his room with a band shirt and a pair of light-wash jeans. He had one of his jumpers in his hands, but his house was warm enough for him to only wear his shirt and clearly he was confident enough to not wear thousands of layers at home. He didn’t mind if you or his parents saw the scars on his arms, you all knew he was a werewolf, and while he was sometimes self-conscious about you seeing them, you had made it clear –on countless occasions– that you would never be repulsed by them. 

So when you saw him, with his sweater casually crumpled up in his hand, you couldn’t help but smile. Hope was looking at you attentively, and she was even more confident about her initial thoughts now than she had been by everything she’d gotten from the letters, she just hoped Remus would understand the reference she had given him so she wouldn’t have to be blunt about it.

“What are Sex Pistols?” Lyall asked in a judgeful manner as he stared at Remus’ shirt with a frown.

You laughed because that was the exact reaction you expected a wizard to have after seeing the shirt and Hope was the one to answer, “A muggle band, you’ve heard them!” She said and then she started singing “Now I’ve got a reason, now I’ve got a reason…” Lyall seemed as puzzled as before and Hope just sighed in defeat, “He’s truly hopeless.” 

You refrained from making the “Well he has a Hope” pun since it didn’t seem proper to make puns with the names of your friend’s parents. Although, a big part of you thought Hope wouldn’t really mind. 

“I thought you said she was a drummer when she was in a band,” you said, turning to Remus with a gasp. 

“I was,” she said with a shrug. 

“But your singing is fantastic!” 

She smiled. “Someone appreciates it,” she added in an exaggerated tone and walked your way, placed her hands on your back and motioned for you to sit on the table. “Come, darling, you can have all the strawberries left.”

“Mum!” Remus complained. 

“You’ve never told me I sing nice, Beag Gille. Suck it up, as you kids would say.” 

You had to hold back the giggle that threatened to escape your mouth as you sat down next to Hope. She had prepared some toast for jam. Of course, it wouldn’t be just any bread –this was Hope Lupin we were talking about– it was sourdough with dried cranberries and spices. You were going to eat it with butter and jam (that she had made with fae fruit, obviously) and even cream cheese (that one she bought on the muggle market a few miles from the cliffs, she was extra, but she wasn’t that extra). 

Hope really had served all the leftover berries on your plate, and she wouldn’t let you offer them to the boys. “They can eat them whenever they’re here, who knows when you’ll come back,” she explained and told you to ignore their pretty puppy eyes. 

At least you weren’t the only one who thought Remus had pretty puppy eyes. 

You nodded and continued eating, although you slipped two of them under the table in a very muggle magician kind of way, and nudged Remus’ leg with your own. He looked at you confused and you merely nodded downwards as you brought a piece of bread to your mouth. He looked down and instantly noticed your closed fist. 

You nodded again and he pulled his hand down in a casual sort of way, brushing his fingers over your hand to let you know he was there since you were telling Hope something about the floating spell. Eventually, he pulled his palm down underneath your fist and you turned your wrist over to let the berries fall on his hand. He allowed his hand to linger just a little bit more, enjoying the fact that he could touch you, and pulled away eventually. Grinning as he brought a piece of bread with peanut butter to his mouth. 

After breakfast, you waved your goodbyes to Remus’ parents. Lyall gave you a quick friendly hug and told you to take care and stay out of trouble while Hope embraced you for at least a minute, pulling you close to her as she did and squeezing you tightly. 

“Take care, all right? Cailín álainn?” 

You recognised one of those words, It’s what Remus had called you and Sirius once. But why would his mother call you “shit”?

“Álainn?” you asked. 

“My beautiful girl, of course,” she added and pressed a kiss to your hair. 

What did she say? Beautiful girl?!? But wasn’t that–

 “Off you go,” she added after finally separating from the embrace. “To have fun and all of that.” 

“But not too much fun,” Lyall added with an accusing finger directed towards Remus, but Hope was quick enough to push that finger out of the way and sigh at her husband.

“All the fun you want,” she said and took a small box from the mantel and opened it, revealing the very classic green of the floo powder. 

Remus took a handful and you did the same afterwards. “I’ll go first,” he said and threw the powder on the chimney as he said, “Potter’s Manor,” in a very clear voice. 

You were about to do the same when Hope pressed a hand on your shoulder. “You are a very strong woman,” she said as she stared at you directly. “A true hero.” You frowned, ready to refute her when she shook her head. “Take care of my Remus, will you? I know he’ll be taking care of you. You’re very dear to him.”

“Always,” you replied, without family left, your friends had become their equal and you would defend them with all your might if the situation needed it. Something like Christmas could not happen again. You refused to lose any more of your people. 

Hope smiled and pulled you into a quick hug, before turning you around with her hands and pushing you towards the chimney, “All right, Cailín álainn, no stalling, there are handsome men waiting for you on the other side.” You threw the powder into the fire. “Oh, and write me, darling. I want to hear all of your misadventures!” she said as you murmured the words and disappeared into the fireplace. 

Remus was on the other side, dusting off some remnant ashes from his pants as he looked around the living room, it seemed empty, he had already put on his sweater since the living room was chillier than his house, he was probably also being careful, in case there was anyone other than the Potters in the house. 

“Did we arrive at the right time?” you asked with a frown as you too dusted off your shoulder. 

“Yeah, they said about 10,” Remus replied as he checked his watch. It was 10:15, not English punctuality but that had been on his mum stalling the two of you.

Then you felt a hand gripping you from behind and pulling you upwards from the waist, you would have panicked, if you hadn’t instantly known it was Sirius. The invisibility cloak he had been wearing slipped from him as he buried his head on your neck. You had talked to Sirius and James every day, but that didn’t stop him from clinging to you the minute he spotted you. 

“How are you?” He whispered into your neck. 

“Kinda constrained,” you replied as you nodded towards his caging hands. 

“You know what I meant.” 

You swallowed, not quite sure if you were ready to talk about it all again. Thankfully, Prongs was there to save you. He took off the cloak with a rather exasperated sigh. “Pads! We were supposed to get them at the same time!” 

“Sorry,” Sirius mumbled in the least apologetic tone you’d heard. 

James shook his head and then pulled Moony into a short hug, “Merry Christmas, mate,” he said and then quite literally ripped you from Sirius’ grasp to give you a bear hug. 

“James, James, James,” you said as he overdid it with the squeezing. 

“Sorry,” he said as he pulled apart and you just shook your head with a smile in return. Sirius had pulled Remus into a similar hug, and he was still hugging the taller boy when James let go of you. You smiled when you saw how cosy they looked against each other and James placed his arm around your shoulder. 

“We’ve been waiting for you,” James said with a smile. “We need to discuss Marauder’s business.”

“But Peter’s not here,” you said. Sirius pulled apart from Remus who looked a little phased, took your suitcase and placed it on the table before plopping down on the sofa. 

“He’s on a family trip in Italy, he won’t be back ‘til after vacation, but we’ll write him the details,” Sirius said and then opened his arms and looked at you. “Come?” 

You rolled your eyes but did as told, secretly enjoying how clingy Sirius was, and sat on his lap like you often did. James sat on the table in front of you and pulled Moony by the arm so he would sit on the right in front of him,  next to you and Sirius. 

“We were thinking about a small little prank,” he said, “to mark our coming back to school and all that.”

“Yeah?” You asked, reclining onto Sirius and getting a little more comfortable. Remus, who had had you all to himself for more than a week, was having a rather hard time coping with the sudden space between the two of you. He was tempted to place his hand around Sirius’s shoulders and bring both of you closer to him, but he knew it wasn’t possible. 

“So Sirius and I were talking about the time you used the swamp bomb and how we had accidentally trapped a creature inside of it.” 

“And,” Sirius started from behind you. “We thought it was really interesting how the creature quite literally busted out the minute you exploded the bomb.” 

“It was not interesting,” Remus said almost bitterly. They hadn’t seen you fall, they hadn’t seen you in the water and they hadn’t smelled your fear as you stepped away from the murky water and frosted the lake. 

“From an impartial point of view,” you added with a shrug, clearly trying to excuse the boys’ words, you wouldn’t have used interesting to describe it either, but you kind of got what they meant by it. Remus had to hold back a scoff. He was having a hard time tolerating the bursting of the comfortable bubble you had both been immersed in. 

“Sorry Vix,” Sirius said with an apologetic look. “But hear us out. What if we put not one, but several creatures inside of a swamp bomb.” 

“Define creatures…” 

“Tadpoles,” Sirius said from behind, a small smirk playing on his lips. 

“You want them to turn into toads,” Remus said as he looked at the two boys, now a bit more invested in the prank. “Why?” 

“Because we want to infest Hogwarts with Toads,” James said with a satisfied smile. Sirius pulled a small crystal ball from his pocket and handed it over to you. Very condensed inside it, there was thick murky water. 

You took a look, “How many of them did you put in here?” you asked as you handed the ball to Remus, he pulled his hand faster than he normally would from yours, which made you frown. What’s with him? 

“About 17 dozen, Peter found a spawning bed filled with hundreds of them and the idea just came to us in an instant.” 

“We’ve been flying through the grounds to find some more, but most of them are frozen due to the snow.” 

“How many have you made?” You asked. 

James smiled, pulled a handful from his pocket, and placed it between your hands. Then he pulled another one and left it in Remus' hands. “Peter will be getting more in Italy, he promised.” 

“So we’ll have at least a hundred of these?” Remus asked. Sirius nodded. “How are you planning to explode them all at the same time?” 

“That’s why you two are here. You’re good with this kind of thing.” 

You scoffed with a smile, “You left us the hardest part!” 

“Try finding spawning beds and catching them in spheres, Vix,” Prongs retorted with a daring kind of face and stuck out your tongue to him. He gasped as he pulled back and played offended. 

“We could time-set them?” Remus offered. 

“Yeah, but what kind of charm would do that?” You asked. “A freezing charm, hiding them in the corner of classrooms and having them fall during first period?” 

“Told you they would figure it out,” Sirius said as he looked at the two of you with a proud smile and side eyes James who had a small frown and pursed lips. 

“Oh, that could actually work, but we’d have to perfect the charm so they all fall at the same time, if not they could figure it out and stop them from exploding,” Remus responded to you. 

“Does that mean one person would have to charm all of them? There’s no way in hell we’d have enough time.” 

“Not if we make the spell and teach the others how to do it,” he retorted. “Maybe we can run some tests… with toadless swamp bombs.” 

“Got some of those?” you asked James. 

“We can make them,” he responded with a shrug. 

And that’s how you set yourself up for the task, while Remus and you figured out how to deal with the spell, James and Sirius went out to make some toadless swamp bombs for you to test them. You didn’t see the Potters until it was dinner time. 

Effie was more than thrilled over the fact that you were staying at her house and she asked Mellie and Picksie to prepare some treats for you and Remus while Monty cooked dinner. “Boys, we’re talking girls stuff,” she announced after setting the table and pulled you to the side. You looked at them with a worried expression and Sirius shrugged, while James gave you a teasing thumbs up. 

Effie took you to a room filled with books and looked at you with a small frown. “You’ve already talked to Dumbledore?” 

It might have been toned like a question, but it sounded a lot more like a statement. “Yes.” 

She nodded and placed her hand on your shoulder, she had a sad sort of look on her face that made you feel like you were being pitied, which had you shift uncomfortably. It was completely different to the way she had looked at you back at the train station when you first met her, and you felt like the memories were flooding back. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” She asked simply. “Have you talked about it to someone?” 

You hesitated to answer. “I don’t,” you said honestly. “I’d rather not think about it altogether.” 

She sighed and then nodded, as if she both knew it was a bad idea to suck it all up, and understood exactly where you were coming from. “You should process it, not now–” she added when she saw the deepening of your frown. “But you should eventually talk about it, even if it’s just to yourself.” 

You nodded to her words, “Now… since you’ll be staying with the boys and I know you’re dating Sirius, I’ve brought you this,” she said, handing you a crystal bottle with greenish liquid inside.

You knew well what it was since McGonagall had shown you an identical potion back in her special class. 

“Monty has already talked to the boys, but I wanted to make sure you were also taking care of yourself. Especially now that–” She didn’t finish, but you knew exactly what she meant. 

Especially now that you don’t have a mum.

“Thank you, Effie,” you said honestly, and she instantly pulled you into a hug. 

“I’m really sorry for everything you’ve gone through. I’ll work even harder so these kinds of things don’t happen again.”  You didn’t say anything, and she continued. “You were incredibly brave,” she added, “defending a friend against them, it must have been a tough call to make.” 

That had been the easiest part. You had never hesitated on whether to try to save Nina and your mother. The hard part was failing and having to live with it. 

“Thank you,” she said. “Thank you for showing them that we aren’t all on their side and that we won’t stand down to their bigotry.” 

You didn’t speak much, but Effie continued to give you praises for a couple of minutes, and then she told you a bit about the order and gave you a small keychain with a protean charm that would allow you to call her in case you ever needed her help. After that, she gave you a small pat on the back and told you dinner was ready. 

You were still a little shaken by the time you stepped out of the room and Remus was struggling not to wrap you in his arms and pull you into a tight hug. But it was Sirius the one who did it, he pressed a bunch of kisses to your face and then one on your lips. It was quick, and it had been a second, but it was enough to have James grumble something about being forgotten because you were around, and complaining to Moony when Sirius had you sit next to him, on his usual spot. 

Even though the talk with Effie had shaken you again, you were quick to let yourself be drowned by the merry atmosphere, James and Sirius complaining and somehow managed to flip the switch, leaving the problems at the back of your mind and actually enjoying the dinner and conversation even if the words wouldn’t quite reach your mind. 

Anything to avoid, anything to forget, even if only for a minute. 

Remus had been looking at you attentively throughout the dinner, the way Sirius was being extra touchy with you, he had probably noticed how upset you were too. Sirius wasn’t stupid. But he was waiting for the right time to talk to you. He was giving you space, but holding you close while at it. It was sweet, the two of you were a really sweet match, one made in heaven. And he was nothing more than a serpent, a tempting –or perhaps tempted– serpent that had fallen in love. 

He would have to put up some space, he would have to step away, because if any of you had a taste of his apple then that beautiful relationship, that made him feel so many things at once, would crumble, and he would be to blame. 

But how could he step away? You had been through hell and back and you needed your friends, even if you didn’t want to admit it to yourself, you needed them. And he was your best friend, for fucks sake. How could he prioritise his feelings over yours? Remus started to feel like a monster again, and it was not because he was a werewolf. But rather because he had allowed himself to bask on the idea of being with you and seeing you with Sirius, how close you were to each other, it just reminded him that it wasn’t possible. It wasn’t possible to have either of you. 

You might have allowed the conversation to swallow you, but you weren’t blind, you could tell there was something going on with Rem, he was different, he had been different the instant you appeared in Potter’s manor. And while at first, you thought it might have been because he was in a different house, it was like you could almost see the inner conflict inside his eyes. It was something similar to what you saw when you looked in the mirror, but at the same time, it was vastly different. 

Whatever it was that was troubling Remus, wasn’t related to what had happened that night, even if he had cried for Nina when you told him the story, even if he had been sad about your mother and had hugged you until you stopped crying, Remus’ mind was plagued with a different feeling, you weren’t sure why, but you knew. 

“That was delicious,” you said with a polite smile. “Thank you, Monty.” 

Monty beamed at your praise and sent you a very James Potter-like wink, “You’re welcome darling, you may dine here whenever you want. And I mean it, I don’t care if James and Sirius are busy, you’re family now.” 

It had been a short, almost throw-away comment, but you felt your heart swell with warmth when he said it. You had lost your parents, but you had gained Hope and you had gained Effie and Monty. You might have felt lonely, but you wouldn’t be alone. 

“That’s right,” James said as he placed his hands around your shoulder. “She’s like the sister I never got, isn’t she boys?” 

“Well she’s not like a sister to me,” Sirius said and sent you a wink that pulled a small chuckle from you. 

Remus didn’t respond. 

And again, you noticed. It was like you were noticing many things and a lot of them had to do with Remus. Like that one thing that you had seen hints of in the past was finally revealing itself and you weren’t sure exactly what it was, but you had the feeling that you’d be able to tell soon enough.

“Gross,” James said and pulled you closer to him. 

“You’ll take her to her room?” Effie asked. 

“Indeed,” he responded as he dragged you up their stairwell, “I’ll even give her a short tour.” 

“Aha?” you asked. 

He nodded in return and stepped right in front of you when you reached the end of the stairwell. “So, that way we have the office, the library and my parent’s room,” he said and moved to the other side of the hallway and pointed at a door. “This is mine and Sirius’ room, Mum and Dad used an extending charm to make you a room and Rem will stay with us.” 

“You shouldn’t have gone through the trouble…” 

“Because you always end up sleeping all together?” James teased. “Mum is open-minded but not that open-minded.” 

You gasped and punched James on the shoulder, “Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome.” He replied. “I believe Mellie and Picksie have already taken your stuff there, so you should be set to sleep if that’s what you want. You have your own bathroom, although there is also one at the end of the hall, you already know the one that’s downstairs, yeah?” 

You nodded in response. 

“Good, any questions?” 

“Nope.” 

“Excellent. Now, it’s not that late, and we’re planning to play a muggle board game Sirius got sent by Andromeda. It’s called Monopoly.” 

“Oh, I know how to play,” Remus said casually. 

“Meet you in our room?” James asked. 

“Yeah,” you said with a nod and walked inside yours. 

You took a quick shower and changed into a pair of comfortable pyjamas. With a towel still around your shoulders to catch the wetness of your hair, you knocked on their door. James was setting up the game and Sirius looked confused as Remus tried to explain the instructions to him, the three were sitting on the floor. You approached them and after sitting down, you carefully took the instructions from Remus’ hand. Again, he was quick to pull away from you and you tried to ignore the feeling as you sank into your seat and started to read through them. You were also slightly confused. The whole “put houses and hotels” was a concept you weren’t really familiar with, it was nothing like Wizard’s Chess! 

“So, you got it?” Remus asked.

“I have to pay if I fall on your property? But why? You would never charge me, we’re friends,” Sirius said. 

“Yes, but it’s the game’s rule. If he doesn’t charge you because you’re friends then he wouldn’t charge any of us and he would lose the game,” you explained.

“And what’s with this money?” he added as he took one of the bills from the game. “It looks so weird. But muggles also use paper, I remember that. How do they protect against falsification, like gemino and muggle forgers?”

“Sirius! You’re not thinking of using magic while playing, are you?” You said as you threw him a look.

“Is it against the rules? It’s not in here,” he added as he took the paper from your hands and showed it. 

“Of course, it isn’t,” you said as you took it from his hands. “It’s a muggle game Sirius, they don’t add ‘Spells are forbidden’ in the rules like we do.” 

“So that means no magic?” he asked. 

“No,” Remus and you said at the same time. 

“And no duplicating the money if you ran out either,” James warned. 

“I’m just saying, it wouldn’t be against the rules.”

You gave Sirius a stern look and turned to Remus, it was as if he instantly knew what you wanted since he handed over his wand. “Accio pencil.” 

A pencil flew from James’ desk and towards your hand. You caught it with ease and wrote down two new rules on the paper. 

THE USE OF ANY KIND OF MAGIC IS FORBIDDEN 

FORGING THE MONEY (BE IT BY MUGGLE MEANS OR WIZARDING ONES) IS ALSO FORBIDDEN.

“Now it’s against the rules.” 

“I’ve always found it fascinating how Moony’s wand just works when you use it,” James said as he looked at the item in question in disbelief. 

“You’re just jealous you can’t use it,” Sirius said as he took Remus’ wand and effortlessly levitated the pencil back to the desk. 

“I’m sure I can if I try hard enough,” James said, taking the wand in his hands and flicking it about. Nothing happened. He flicked it again and still nothing. He did again, with more force, and the pencil flicked from the spot and launched towards him. You were quick enough to move the game board over his face and the pencil’s tip crashed against it. 

“Shit, it made a dent,” you said as you pulled the board down and looked at the place that the pencil had, pretty much stabbed into. Right above the Angel of Islington, there was a dent in the shape of the pencil, the graphite tip had broken and was now stuck in the cardboard. 

“That would have been your face, mate,” Sirius said while James took Moony’s wand between his thumb and index fingers –as if it had been a bomb– and placed it in front of Remus’ crossed feet. 

Remus rolled his eyes and took his wand, he flicked in the air and both the chipped pencil and the gameboard were repaired, he didn’t even have to say a word. 

“Yeah, thanks Vix,” He said as he turned to you. You just shrugged in response. It had been almost instinctive, you didn’t even think before acting, you saw the pencil shake and you knew something bad might have happened. “Be my team.” 

“There are no teams in Monopoly,” Remus said with a sigh. 

“Well we could change that,” James said with a shrug. 

“If they didn’t change the rules for me to forge money, then they’re not gonna change them for you to steal my girlfriend.”

“How about we just start playing instead?” you offered, and in between you and Remus started distributing the money and placing things on the board. 

“I’ll be the dog,” Sirius said, instantly taking the small metal dog from Remus’ hands. 

“I’ll take the car,” James said. 

“And you, Little Witch?” 

“You pick first,” you said simply, and Remus stared at the pieces left in his hand like he wasn’t sure which one to take, and eventually he took the thimble. Pushing the rest of the pieces your way. 

You took the small battleship and placed it on “Go”. The rest of the boys did the same. 

“Hey Moons, can I have my £200?” James said.

“It’s only after the first round,” he explained. 

“It’s on the rules Prongs, didn’t you read them?” Sirius added as he handed him the paper and James scoffed at his hypocrisy. 

You laughed at their interaction and took the dice in your hands before shaking them and throwing them on the board, “Seven? Alright you go,” you said as you handed them to Remus who got a 10. James got an eight and Sirius got a 3.

“Good, so I start,” Remus said and threw the dice again, moving towards the spot marked on the board. 

The first couple of rounds were uneventful. You were all just playing around, and it wasn’t until at least 40 minutes later that things started to get a little more complicated. 

James had gotten possession of all the orange properties after making a deal with Sirius to exchange an orange for the last railroad that he needed to complete the set. Remus had somehow managed to get the entirety of the 3rd line and while you had 3 houses on Park Lane, no one had fallen even close to either of them in the last two rounds. 

“Remus please,” Sirius pleaded. “Please, please, let me go, just this once, I’ll pay you as soon as someone falls on Kings Cross. James is super close, look.” 

Remus shook his head. “I’m sorry Pads, rules are rules.” 

“But you let Vix go a couple of rounds ago.” 

“She gave me her get-out-of-jail card in exchange, and I’ve fallen there twice already. What would you give me in exchange?” 

“Moony!” Sirius whined. James had already taken his pink cards a round earlier when he fell and also had no money to pay for it. He would have to mortgage his properties to pay off, and James had already done it once and he had been terribly upset over just getting half of the money he paid for it.

You sighed, you didn’t want Sirius to lose, but you didn’t want him to be kicked out of the game so suddenly either. “How much do you have?” 

“£100.” 

You nodded and checked your money. You weren’t much better either but you had a bit of a cushion so you pulled the £150 he needed from your bill stack and handed it over. 

James gasped, “That’s so not fair! You made me mortgage White Chapel Rode to pay off my debt!” 

“I want it back with a 20% over the total when you have capital. And I will not be charged if I fall on your properties until you’ve paid up the debt.” 

“Never mind,” James said, swallowing his own words. “Not even because he’s your boyfriend. I mean he would have been better off getting a mortgage.” 

“No,” Remus said, charging the money Sirius owed and placing it on his own stack of bills. He currently had the thickest stack and the most properties. Unless there was a massive turn of events, he would win, and you definitely did not need him keeping Sirius’ properties. “Sirius would have had to mortgage at least four properties to get enough money to pay, that would mean he’d have to sell one of his railroads and therefore he would have lost his set, decreasing the total amount of profit he’d get if one of us fell on it. He would have also had to sell the houses in Islington and sell one of his blue afterwards. And only for half the money he spent on them initially. Besides, even if she won’t get charged, we will, so he has a 2/3 chance of getting the money to pay her back. If any of us fall on Kings Cross –and we’re both close– he’ll have enough to pay Vix back and he wouldn’t have sold off any of his properties. 

“But only to pay back, and then he’ll be broke again.” 

“He’s close to ‘Go’, he’ll capitalise then, and he’ll manage to survive for at least a few more turns. She’s actually saving his ass.” 

“That’s because she’s the best,” Sirius said and placed a kiss on your cheek before handing the dice to Remus and he threw them, falling on Park Lane and finally giving you enough money to continue with the next round without major issues. 

Sirius and James survived for a couple more rounds, but eventually, they both went bankrupt, James couldn’t pay a debt to the bank and he had to give all his properties back, and since you and Remus had enough money, you had to fight it out to get them on an auction. Sirius lost to Remus later, but this time around he didn’t even ask for a waiver. 

“Here, take it all Moony, I cannot fight against your economic skills,” he said dramatically and handed his leftover money and properties to Remus. 

James had pulled a pillow from the bed and was soundly sleeping beside you and Sirius, who had pulled you onto his lap shortly after he lost the game and was paying close attention to everything you did within the game. Then you fell into the dеathtrap that Remus had designed on Fleet Street and Picadilly. Losing most of your money after two rolls of the dice. Luckily he fell on Mayfair and Parklane afterwards and you managed to get back most of what you’d lost. 

A few more rounds went on and Sirius yawned. Pulling you closer to him. “Just give up, neither of you it’s going to win this one. Moony allowed you to pay half the debt last time you fell on Coventry and you let it slip when he fell on Kings Cross because he promised to do your Herbology homework. At this point, you owe more favours to each other than money.”  

“But you can’t give up on this game.” 

“Then be ruthless to each other and have one of the two go bankrupt.” 

You pouted, and James mumbled something in his sleep, “Moony, no. Let me keep my deed card, please…” The three of you laughed and you leaned down to place a deed card on his hand. He was quick to grip it and smiled. 

“How about a truce?” Sirius offered. “I really want to go to bed.” 

“Well then go,” Remus said with a shrug.

“I meant all of us to go to bed,” he said nonchalantly. “We haven’t cuddled in a while.” 

Remus swallowed, so much for space. “You mean– we’re still doing the cuddle thing?” 

“Just in case,” you said, “Moony took Vixen in, but we don’t know if it was just a one-time thing or not.” 

Remus knew. Moony had accepted Vixen already, he wasn’t gonna try and eat or chase her unless it was a game. He could just tell you and be done with it. No more Sirius on top of him in the mornings, no more you laying your head on his shoulder before you turned into Vixen. Just him and his own bed. The idea sounded like a nightmare.

“Yeah, of course,” he said, agreeing. “We shouldn’t let our guard down. Just in case.” 

“So, shake hands, kiss kiss, and you both win,” Sirius said as he placed his hands on your shoulder and shook them a little. 

You laughed and extended your hand for Remus to shake, “Truce?” 

“Truce,” he replied with a nod. 

“Let’s go then,” Sirius said as he patted your leg and pushed you to stand. 

“I’ll go wash my teeth,” you said as you waved at the boys and exited their room. 

“How is she?” Sirius asked the instant he was alone with Moony. Well, technically Prongs was there too but he slept like a log, so he might as well be in Narnia altogether. 

“You’ve seen her.” 

“Yeah, I can tell she’s shaken. Heck, I am shaken and I barely knew the girl. You knew Nina better, didn’t you?” 

“Vixen said she was crushing on me after the first study club, remember?” 

“That was Nina?” Sirius asked, shocked as he took a deep breath. “Anyway, how is she?” 

“Quiet,” Remus admitted. “She prefers avoiding the subject entirely. She only told me what happened the day after it happened and then one time when I found her crying outside, she mentioned how she felt. I think it’s much better not to pressure her to talk about it.” 

 “I assumed as much,” Sirius said with a sigh. “But I’m worried, her smile it… it barely reaches her eyes now.” 

Remus had noticed that too. The façade you had created was not enough to hide how you truly felt from either of the two, “I know.” 

“How can we change that?” 

“We can’t. We can only support her until she feels better.” 

“It’s agonising,” Sirius breathed and hid his face in between his hands. And he hasn’t even seen her cry, Remus thought. “You know the way Nina diеd–” Sirius started and looked up, his eyes were glassy with tears. “Vix was trying so hard to defend her, so hard to escape and then she– it was a split second Moony, barely a minute, she was trying to repair the path to continue and they sent a course her way, Nina stepped in, she took the blow instead because she new Vix was already rather weak…. Nina saved her.” 

“I know,” Remus said. 

“You know what’s the last thing Nina told her?” Remus shook his head. “That she was pleased Vix was the last thing she got to see. She thanked her for saving her, even if she didn’t…” Sirius stopped and wiped his eyes. Witnessing the entire thing in first person had taken a toll on him too, Remus could tell. Sirius wasn’t only suffering for you, but with you as well. He felt tempted to bring Sirius into a hug, even more when he wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. 

Sirius didn’t feel worthy of crying, albeit he had done it more than once when he was alone, he thought that he didn’t have the right. It had been your mother and your close friend, he had been merely a spectator. What Sirius didn’t understand was that pain wasn’t something to be measured and weighed, it was not something to compare and pin against each other, you can’t say “I don’t deserve to cry” just because someone else has it a lot worse. Your feelings, no matter where they stem from, are valid since they are true for you. 

“She stayed there, she was crying on top of Nina, that was the last thing I saw. I– I didn’t think she would move.” 

“She wasn’t going to,” Remus said. You had never said that explicitly, but it had been obvious from the way things happened. “She would have kept trying if it hadn’t been for Barty.” 

“Barty, of all people,” Sirius said in disbelief. There was a second of quiet and then Sirius turned to look at Remus. He was as beautiful as he remembered, he hadn’t quite realised how much closer he’d veered to him while they talked but they were now much closer, his knees brushing against each other and he was close enough to get a whiff off Remus’ chocolaty scent, he smelled of you too.

Then the knob twisted and the door opened, Remus pulled back hastily and Sirius turned into Padfoot before you noticed he’d been crying. “Everything all right?” you asked with a frown when you felt the tense atmosphere. 

You looked at Remus but Padfoot was quicker and ran your way, jumping and placing his paws on your shoulders, his size made you stagger back a little and you laughed when he started to lick your face. Remus stared for a second and then flicked his wand so the game would go back to the box and then took it in his hand to place it on the table, avoiding the sight of the two of you almost entirely. 

“I missed you too, big boy,” you said as you brushed your hand over the back of Padfoot’s head, he barked softly in return and then dug his snout into your neck in the same way he did to Remus when you cuddled. You were petting him as Remus finished setting the bed.

The second Remus sat on the bed, Padfoot barked again, softer than he had earlier.

“Go ahead,” you said. “He’s better at petting you than I am anyway.” 

Padfoot gave you another short lick and jumped from you and towards Remus, throwing himself over in the same way he had with you, although Remus hadn’t even staggered. You smiled when you saw them.

Sirius was just happy he could hug Rem more now that he was Padfoot and was bossing him around so he would lay on the bed properly by biting his shirt and trying to pull him back. “Oi, Pads, I’m coming,” he said as he carefully unclasped his watch to set it on the night table. Padfoot barked again to hurry him. 

“You know Rem,” you said with a sneaky little smile. He hummed in return. “I think Sirius missed us more.” Padfoot’s face changed and he turned to you instantly, barking in retort. “I mean he was calling us often, he had me on his lap whenever he could, and I’m sure he would have asked me to play with his hair if it hadn’t been that we were so busy with the prank.” 

Remus smirked. “Oh, he definitely missed you more.” Padfoot now turned his head to him and barked. 

“I suppose I win the bet then,” you said with a smile and Padfoot barked one more time before running your way, but you were quicker and turned into Vixen before he placed his paws on your shoulders, sneaking in between his legs as he fell again, slightly startled. 

You ran under the bed and crossed the entire thing before jumping over and climbing onto Remus’ lap who was still sitting. He laughed as you brushed your head to his stomach and Padfoot barked at you for being so sneaky. You must have been saying something to each other –since you kept barking– but Remus was clueless as to what that might have been, so he just carefully raised you up and accommodated, allowing enough space for Padfoot to climb into and get comfortable himself.

“Didn’t you say you were tired?” he said with eyebrows raised at Padfoot who had now rested his snout on Remus’ shoulder. “Stop arguing with Vixen and sleep then.” Padfoot lifted his head and barked in return. “If not, we might as well finish the game.” 

The dog whined and sank back into Remus’ shoulder. After that, it didn’t take much for Remus soft and purposeful petting, for both you and Pads to fall asleep. Sirius now much calmer, he had both you and Remus around.

Series Masterlist | Next Chapter

TAGLIST: @rayrlupin @callmelovergirl @warcelia @ireneop @endversewinchester @moonyunebi @smuttysluttybitch @mazzymoons @drugs-for-memes @sofiacblair @vmpir3lvr @remuslupinisbae @rabluver @willgrahamisalesbi4n @thatobsessedreader  @itskailey24 @hell0-kittie @belovedmoony @blacksgarden @loving-and-dreaming @cassie-love20 @starchaser-lily @zucchini-queenie @springflwer07 @sseleniaa @cometsghost @orkwardx0 @imdoingbetternow  @sbrewer21 @remuslupinsbae @maxinehufflepuffprincess @wifiatthetrainstation @unstablereader @msblacklupin @simpkingollie @jaylienpotter @remussbitch @hermionelove @izuoyarmin @themarauderswife7 @keira-kaz2y5 @lampthemacarenagod @bugg06 @a-n-1-m-3-f-r-3-4-k @darlingeels @kissmeunicornbaobei @xluansstuff @boo8008 @angelmixer @voteforintensedreams @allons-y-molly @aremuslupinsimp @imaginexred @writingshae @nyanwyn @poetrypirate @crazyhorseforgot @saturnhas82moons @ryeyeyer @mothraantics @maqqiekwon @desikudisworld @pastelorangeskies

Leave a comment telling me if you wanna be tagged on Gilded Constellations

Want to support me? Like and reblog this post (reblogs are extra nice since they help me get my work to more people), also guys, I absolutely love reading your comments, so do throw them my way if you have any!

A/N: Remus noooooo!!!!!

Read more Marauders Fiction

[mcuamerica]

The Shadowsinger: Twenty-Two

Warnings: 18+. Minors DNI. Healing wounds, ACOTAR series spoilers. If I forgot anything, please let me know!

Pairing: Azriel x Fem!Reader

Summary: You heal with Azriel by your side after the Blood Rite.

Disclaimer: I do not own SJM’s characters or plot lines, only the ones I create for the purpose of this story. This is a work of fiction. I do not give permission to repost my work on any other platform or medium. Please be respectful.

My graphics are my own. If you wish to use them, please give credit!

Series Masterlist

Seventeen - Eighteen - Nineteen - Twenty - Twenty-One

She’s your mate. 

It was the only consistent thing that flowed through Azriel’s mind the entire week. It snapped the moment you were winnowed away for the Rite. They never do it the same week of the year, never start it on the same day. And he felt it, saw a glimmer of gold in your eyes just for a moment before you were gone.

It took everything in him to not disturb the Rite. Rhys practically had to use his High Lord’s voice. He was waiting for his own mate to open up to him. But at least Feyre was safe. She wasn’t in the middle of the deadliest challenge for any Illyrian. Any Fae. Cassian, Rhys, and him barely survived it and they were the deadliest warriors alive. 

But he knew you were alive. Even if the bond was buried because of the spells surrounding the Rite. He knew that if you died, he would feel it. Feel the emptiness. He kept his faith in you. Cassian and him trained you. Well. He tested you in the mountains. He watched you complete the qualifying course. Witnessed as you took down male after male in sparring challenges. You would be fine. He repeated the two things you promised him. 

She will survive. She will reach the mountain.

He added a third thing, for himself. 

She’s my mate.

It turned into a mantra in his head. To be able to sit and wait. And do absolutely nothing else. 

Survive. Mountain. Mate. 

Azriel stared down at your body as it twitched unconsciously from the wounds. So many broken bones. You wouldn’t fly for a month. If… if your wings weren’t broken beyond repair. His shadows told him the broken wings were recent. He could have sworn one of your tendons was cut. Just as the Rite came to an end. There were three males that were sneering with laughter at your state. They didn’t stay alive long when Rhys heard them. They were nothing but red dust two seconds later. 

And then there was your brother, Varyn. He was about a finger’s length away from touching the monolith atop Ramiel. But he held back because he wouldn’t have made it because of you. And if you weren’t going to be crowned Carynthian, neither was he. 

Azriel fell to his knees beside you, involuntary tears falling from his cheeks. He reached down, wanting to heal everything but not knowing where to start. His shadows swirled around your wounds, his Siphon patching up small cuts. He didn’t even tell or try to do any of it. You were unconscious. And he bet you wouldn’t be awake for a while. He prayed to the Mother that you would wake up at all. 

Rhys kneeled on the other side of you. “We’ll take her to the town home.” He said. “Madja will take care of her. Az…” 

Azriel told the rest of the Inner Circle the day after you were taken. He had been agitated and ready to go fight for his life. For your life. Be sentenced to death just to take you out of the wretched ritual. 

“Az… she’s breathing. Her heart is beating. She will be okay.” Rhysand said, reached out to hold his brother’s shoulder, and took your hand as he winnowed to the town home. 

You awoke to a blinding pain. In every single spot of your body. It was too much, too much to bear. Someone was patching your wounds. Magic was patching your wounds. You heard your mate’s voice, soothing you through it. That was the only thing you continued to hear as you fell unconscious again. 

Azriel sat at your bedside for the entire week. Missing the visit with the queens where Rhys showed them Velaris. You only awoke to writhe in pain every now and then. Madja was doing everything she could to keep you sedated. Your wounds were healing but it was slower than normal. You were basically a human when they were inflicted, and the process of healing was different because of it. Not to mention the odd herbs that the three males drugged you with that were still in your system when the wounds were inflicted. Madja knew they were also slowing the healing down. 

Azriel only left the town home to defend the city when it was attacked. And to go to Hybern to infiltrate it. Feyre was taken to the Spring Court. His High Lady. His brother’s mate. And his own mate couldn’t even open her eyes because of the pain she was in. Rhys brought in another bed just so Azriel could heal with you after Hybern tore his wings. 

Each of the Inner Circle took turns watching the two of you, trying to get Azriel to get up to eat, or to rest. He needed to heal from Hybern’s destruction of his wings, but he wouldn’t leave your side. 

Rhys even allowed Varyn to come visit when his wound healed within a few days. He only stayed long enough to learn that you were getting better. Then he returned to Valorworth for training. 

Azriel didn’t leave the room once Feyre was gone… And when he was healed, Rhys needed him on missions. But, Az was too distracted with your healing to do any real work, so his shadows took his place.  

Another thing that Azriel couldn’t wrap his head around. Your shadows were gone. There were none swirling around you, none comforting your wounds with their cool touch. He wondered if the spell from the Rite worked too well and kept them away. But his came back the second it ended. Were you no longer a Shadowsinger? Or did you no longer need the shadows to survive? Questions swirled in his brain, every second he sat by your side, waiting for you to wake up. Not in pain. Or long enough for him to hold you and declare you his mate. When the spell from the Rite ended at dawn, it became so strong he knew you felt it too. It was still buried, and wouldn’t take full effect until both of you accepted it, but it was there. 

Feyre had been in the Spring Court for two weeks when you finally woke up. 

Azriel was sleeping in what looked to be a very uncomfortable position while Cassian was sharpening a blade beside him. You jolted up at the sound of the blade against the sharpener, eyes wide. The last thing you remembered was the pure agony you were in. And then a terrible dream about Azriel’s wings shredding. Was that on top of Ramiel? Was it somewhere else? Was it even real?

Cassian hit Azriel’s arm, so hard that the former growled as he shifted. He was about to tell his brother off when he saw you were awake. And you looked terrified. 

Azriel said your name once as he got up, moving closer to you. His wings were still scarred from healing. You must have not heard him because your eyes were glued to the blade that Cassian was holding. Cassian noticed your gaze and quickly put the blade into its sheath. 

You flinched when you felt a hand on your shoulder, backing into the bed as much as you could. Until your eyes met the hazel ones you had been so deeply dreaming of. Your mate’s eyes. Azriel’s eyes. 

“Azriel…” you whispered. The small, gentle smile on his face broke you. You let out a sob, wrapping your arms around his waist and burying your head into his chest as you cried. You let out wail after wail, muttering everything that happened when you were in the Rite. The males you killed. Your brother. Your wounds. He could barely understand all of it, but his shadows translated for him. You sobbed into his chest until you had fallen back asleep. He had laid down beside you, holding you. He didn’t want you waking up again without knowing you were safe. In Velaris. With him. 

Your wounds were mostly healed by that morning when you woke up. All but your leg and your wing. You were in no more physical pain. But you knew that the past four weeks of you sleeping would be the most you’d get in a while. You curled into Azriel’s side, breathing in his scent. It was enough to bring tears to your eyes again. You had been through so much, and yet all you wanted to do was lay with Azriel and give him a cookie. A biscuit. Anything so you could declare your love and your acceptance.

Azriel felt you shift, leaning his head down to look at you. There was no terror in your eyes this time. It was only what he knew to be love. “Hi sweetheart.” He whispered, moving some hair from your face. “How are you feeling?” He asked. 

You moved your wings, wincing as your left wing shuttered from the stretch. “Like a whole female.” You half joked, a small smile coming to your lips. “I have something to tell you.” You whispered. You couldn’t wait longer to say it. Azriel responded with a hum of anticipation. “Azriel… I love you.” You whispered. 

His smile grew, lighting up those gorgeous hazel eyes. You could’ve sworn you saw a golden hue flash through them. “I love you, sweetheart.” He whispered. 

“And…” you said, sitting up ever so slightly so you could fully see him. “You are my mate.” 

His smile was the biggest you’d ever seen. “And you’re mine.”

A/N: We are wrapping things up! I have a few more chapters left (as indicated on the masterlist). I'm thinking of either a second series or a few sequel drabbles...

Comments/Request Here

Series Masterlist

Join the taglist here

Tagging (thank you to everyone who is keeping up with this story! Let me know your thoughts so far!)

@cherry-cin @cleverzonkwombatsludge @nickishadow139 @mybestfriendmademe @atomolvnar @complete-randomness-blog @lilah-asteria @tele86 @mariahoedt @6v6babycheese @secretsthathauntus @krowiathemythologynerd @fightmedraco @he6rtshaker @kayla-rose15 @aelincaddel

@mfri06 @hauntedstudentobservationus @brieflyclassymortal @read-write-sleep-startover @krowiathemythologynerd @chxosangxl @ialwayscryatendings @tanyaherondale @randombibitch @plants-w0rld @etsukomoonbeam @riorgail

@herondale-lightworm

[merymoonbeam]

Book of Breathings - Elain - Ankh Symbol

First of all this is tied to my "a tool of creation" theory so you can read that first if you want.

We first learned about book of breathings in acomaf. To nullify the Cauldron.

“When the Cauldron was made,” the carver interrupted, “its dark maker used the last of the molten ore to forge a book. The Book of Breathings. In it, written between the carved words, are the spells to negate the Cauldron’s power—or control it wholly. But after the War, it was split into two pieces. One went to the Fae, one to the six human queens. It was part of the Treaty, purely symbolic, as the Cauldron had been lost for millennia and considered mere myth. The Book was believed harmless, because like calls to like—and only that which was Made can speak those spells and summon its power. No creature born of the earth may wield it, so the High Lords and humans dismissed it as little more than a historical heirloom, but if the Book were in the hands of something reforged … You would have to test such a theory, of course—but … it might be possible.” (acomaf)

And as the books went on...we got the two half of the books and finally the book is somehow in cc world.

So lets start with this theory post.

The name of the book comes from Egyptian Mythology

The Books of Breathing (Arabic: كتاب التنفس Kitāb al-Tanafus) are several ancient Egyptian funerary texts, intended to enable deceased people to continue existing in the afterlife. The earliest known copy dates to circa 350 BC.[1] Other copies come from the Ptolemaic Kingdom and Roman Egypt, as late as the 2nd century AD.[2] It is a simplified form of the Book of the Dead

This information will be important for later. And in the meantime I made a post about koshei's onyx box connecting to this if you wanna read it.

Okay moving on...

I was looking at acotar coloring book pages and book of breathings drawing is... interesting.

Side not: sarah got the deals for the acotar books and then worked on the coloring book so I think this is important to add bc she LOVES to add hints as little things and whats better to add than a coloring book?

The circles of silver, gold and bronz.

It had been formed of dark metal plates bound on three rings of gold, silver, and bronze, each word carved with painstaking precision, in an alphabet I could not recognize. Yes, it indeed turned out my reading lessons were unnecessary.

I think these might be related to the book names of the new acotar books.

Silver flames

Gold(en) XX

Bronz XX (for vassa maybe? Bc she is a bird of flame...flame and bronze???)

Okay back to the other things.

The star(sun?) in the middle. When you first look at it it is like a sun but when you take into account that the asteri made this book and there is the starborn symbol of 8pointed star...its probably an eight pointed star.

She stared and stared at the Book—as if it were a ghost, as if it were a miracle—and said, “It is the Leshon Hakodesh. The Holy Tongue.” Those quicksilver eyes shifted to Rhysand, and I realized she’d understood, too, why she’d gone. Rhysand said, “I heard a legend that it was written in a tongue of mighty beings who feared the Cauldron’s power and made the Book to combat it. Mighty beings who were here … and then vanished. You are the only one who can uncode it.” (acomaf)

Amren turned to Rhysand and said in that new, strange language—their language: “The glowing letters inked on her back … they’re the same as those in the Book of Breathings.” (hofas)

“I can teach you things you’ve never even dreamed of,” Rigelus promised. “The language inked on your back—it is our language. From our home world. I can teach you how to wield it. Any world might be open to you, Bryce Quinlan. Name the world, and it shall be yours.”(hofas)

Also in the coloring book the ships of the papa archeron have these on them.

Feyre: moon and stars

Nesta: sun?

Elain: eight pointed star 👀

So for feyre it checks out. For nesta...why sun? When she had eight pointed star tattoed on her back(tho now it is gone after the deal with cassian is done) I thought what could the sun mean? The cover of acosf.

That's a sun. Also it is interesting that the High Lord of Day had such a negative reaction to the mask...🤔

And now... eight pointed star for elain? That remains to be seen what it could mean...👀

So thats out of the way and now we will look into the symbol at the bottom and top which I found out is the symbol of Ankh...from Egyptian Mythology.

The ankh or key of life is an ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol used to represent the word for "life" and, by extension, as a symbol of life itself.

The ankh has a T-shape topped by a droplet-shaped loop. It was used in writing as a triliteral sign, representing a sequence of three consonants, Ꜥ-n-ḫ. This sequence was found in several Egyptian words, including the terms for "mirror", "floral bouquet", and "life". The symbol often appeared in Egyptian art as a physical object representing either life or related life-giving substances such as air or water. Commonly depicted in the hands of ancient Egyptian deities, sometimes being given by them to the pharaoh, it represents their power to sustain life and to revive human souls in the afterlife.

Life...soul? We always say how Nesta is death and Elain got the life. Maybe it is more correct than we had thought???

And now the bird on the cover. There is no mention of bird symbol being on the cover of the book.(Im pretty sure of this but if Im wrong...it still stand that the only quote the book of breathings has said with bird is this) So why add bird? The only time Book of Breathings is connected with a bird is this quote:

The other one, the Book hissed. Bring the other one … let us be joined, let us be free. I slid the Book from my pocket, tucking it into the crook of my arm as I tugged the second half free. Lovely girl, beautiful bird—so sweet, so generous … Together together together

Which I totally think it is about Elain and Vassa.

Lovely girl? Elain. There is SO MANY quotes with elain and lovely.

Beautiful bird? Vassa...bird of flame.

And I made a bigger post about this(the other one) if you wanna read it.

So maybe we really need to get the book of breathings back? And Elain will use it to control cauldron?

[invisibleanonymousmonsters]

chapter xv - gust & flame

Eris Vanserra x Reader

Eris Vanserra has been a prisoner in his own home since the day he was born. He has done what he had to in order to survive and protect the few he loves. And he is playing the long game. Waiting, waiting, and waiting for the right time to make his move, to usurp his wicked father and become High Lord of Autumn Court. But things become even more complicated when a human girl drops into his life. Perhaps Eris can wait no longer to take his throne.

Word Count: 4,300+

Warnings: violence, suggestions of sexual assault

masterlist

Feyre watched her boys from across their breakfast nook. Nyx was babbling happily in his father’s arms. His wings were now strong enough to reflect his emotions. They flapped lightly when he was happy – like now. They sagged when he was sad or tired. And they folded tight against his back when he was angry. 

Rhys was feeding him patiently as he tried to also read reports that Azriel had dropped off late last night. 

She should’ve known something was going to ruin their peaceful morning. 

The front door being thrown open was so loud that they didn’t even need their fae hearing to catch it. 

Cassian, Feyre and Rhysand both said into each other’s minds, while also sharing a look. Only the giant Illyrian would be so noticeably loud with his entrance. 

They heard every one of his steps as he marched his way towards them. 

To their surprise, Cassian opened the door to show that Azriel had been right on his heels.

“What is it?” Rhys asked seriously, knowing from their expressions alone that something was very wrong. 

“Y/N is gone,” Cassian answered hurriedly. 

“Gone?” Feyre repeated. She and Rhys both stood from their seats. 

Nyx eyes sensed his parent’s tension and whined in his father’s arms, eyes filling with crocodile tears.

“Her room was empty when I went to escort her to her shop this morning,” Cassian explained. “Drawers were left open and her belongings were strewn about. She packed lightly, left almost everything behind.” 

“Her shop hadn’t been opened for the day. Her scent was nowhere to be found there,” Azriel chimed in. 

“We’ve searched all of Velaris,” Cassian added.

Rhys turned his attention to his Spymaster. “Azriel, I thought you had your shadows following her…” 

Azriel bowed his head with shame. “It’s as though she…vanished. She must have cast some sort of cloaking spell.” 

“Brother, can you hear her?” Cassian asked Rhys and then looked to Feyre for help on the matter as well. 

But Rhys shook his head before the question was even finished. “Once she understood our daemati abilities, I believe she created an amulet to block us.” He shrugged, “Evidently, it made her uncomfortable.” 

Cassian cleared his throat and took a step forward. “There’s something else you should know. But you must promise to control yourself.” 

Feyre took their son from her mate. 

Rhysand’s gaze darkened. “What happened?” 

But Cassian stood his ground. “Promise me.” 

“Fine,” Rhys cooly. “I promise.”

“Last night, Nesta told Y/N the truth about Eris.”

Feyre closed her eyes and let out a long, frustrated sigh. 

Nyx let out another whine, earning him a gentle kiss from his mother. 

“Did she tell her about the deal?” Rhys asked. 

Cassian shook his head. 

“But we should assume she still knows – with her ability to find out information the way that she does,” Azriel commented darkly. 

“Does my sister not understand the risk she took?” Feyre asked exasperated. “If something happens to Y/N while she is still within the border of Night Court, the blood oath could finally claim what its owed!” 

But to everyone’s surprise, Rhysand comforted his mate. “Y/N deserved to know the truth, Feyre darling.” 

“She most likely left last night,” Azriel added. “Which means she’s probably halfway to Day Court as we speak.” 

“She wouldn’t try the mountains,” Cassian thought aloud. “Probably stuck to the coast this entire time. Y/N would know that’s the safest route.” 

“Both of you, search the eastern shores,” Rhysand ordered. 

Suddenly, Nesta burst into the room, breathing heavily. “She bought two horses. A stableboy in the city told me she was there late last night and paid him in fine jewelry.” 

The males all shared a look. “If she’s on horseback, she is already in Day Court,” Cassian explained. 

Feyre let out a breath of relief. Fae bonds were specific and rigid things. Rhys had promised Y/N’s safety to Eris as long as she resided in Night Court.

But that didn’t mean Feyre was done worrying about Y/N.

“How do we know she’s heading south?” Nesta challenged. 

“The Mortal Lands are the only home she knows. That is where she will go,” Azriel explained quietly. 

Nesta’s gaze narrowed. “But what if she is going to Eris?” 

Feyre was the one who answered. “I don’t think she is, Nesta.” 

Nesta exhaled, knowing her sister was most likely right. To mortals, the mating bonds of fae felt…overwhelming and somewhat terrifying. All Y/N knew was that Eris felt something toward her, something that she was completely oblivious to. It could all be so confusing.  

“But what do we tell him?” Nesta asked. “What do we tell Eris?”

“We tell him nothing,” Rhysand answered curtly. “At least, not yet. We must search for her first. Otherwise, Eris could possibly lose all reason, and his father will surely be suspicious then.” 

“I’m going with Azriel and Cassian,” Feyre announced. 

“Elain and I will stay with Nyx,” Nesta announced. 

“I will send word to Helion,” Rhysand nodded. “He be wary that we are asking about a mortal. And he will annoy me with far too many questions. But we must risk it.” 

Everyone started to take their leave. 

Feyre slowly handed her son to Nesta. “For what it’s worth, I believe you did the right thing telling her. I just wish you would have come to us first.”

Nesta scoffed. “All of you would have only tried to stop me.” 

And perhaps she was right. 

“Now, go and help them find her.” Nesta nodded towards the front door that her mate and Azriel had just left through. 

But once she was alone with her nephew, Nesta began to wonder: what would they do once they found Y/N? Drag her back to Night Court? Clearly, Y/N had no desire to be here any longer. So, would they force her back? Truly make her a prisoner? 

Cauldron, what must Y/N think of all of them now?

–🍁–🍁–🍁–

One Week Later…

Eris had felt a weight in his stomach that had been making him nauseous for nearly a week now. 

Something wasn’t right. His heart told him it was Y/N. 

Eris noticed his mother’s concerned looks during the few times he’d been in the same room as her.

But his father had been keeping him so busy with last-minute commands that there was no way for Eris to sneak off to the Night Court to check on Y/N or even speak to his mother. 

Now he found himself in a rare moment alone in his chambers. And he couldn’t even find the patience to sit.

Instead, he paced back and forth beside the giant fireplace. 

It was storming outside, a common occurrence in Autumn Court. But as the night went on, the lightning and thunder became more frequent, more aggressive. What was it leading to? 

Eris tried to think of way to sneak off without Beron or his spies noticing. Dare he even risk such a thing when his father seemed hidebound on keeping him close. 

There was a tension beneath his skin, scrapping against bone and muscle. It left him restless. It left him aching. 

Something was coming – whether it was coming for him, Eris did not know. 

But he was pulled form him inner turmoil when a letter appeared out of nowhere and floated down, right before his very eyes. 

Eris swore his heart stopped. 

Surely whatever Rhysand had to say would answer this gnawing feeling Eris could not get rid of. Had Y/N been attacked again? Was she hurt? Had that bastard shadowsinger made her cry again?

Eris held his breath as he opened the letter from the High Lord. 

She knows. She knows who you really are to her. And she ran when she found out. We have been looking for her for a week. She must be cloaking herself. We expect that she is heading for the Mortal Realm. Eris, we need your help. She needs your help. 

Eris swore he saw red. 

Y/N knew. She knew and she ran. Why would she do such a foolish thing? She was safe in the Night Court. 

“Fools,” Eris hissed to himself as he scrunched up the paper in his fist and then lit it aflame, not releasing his grip until it was only ash. 

All of them were fools. 

What had they said o make her flee? She’d built a life for herself in Night Court. And she had abandoned it so swiftly. Was the thought of being his mate so horrific? Did Y/N think all of them would eventually force her to be with him? 

Eris’ mind raced with hundreds of questions. 

He had to join the search – immediately. 

Suddenly, someone knocked on his door. 

“Leave me be!” Eris growled. 

But they knocked again, even harder this time. 

Eris marched to the door, preparing to harm whoever dared disturb him. 

When he threw open the door, one of Beron’s most loyal advisors stood before him.

“What?” Eris hissed. 

“The High Lord requests your presence in the throne room, my lord.” 

“I must decline,” Eris forced the words out. 

To ignore his father’s request was to play a most dangerous game. 

“The High Lord will not except a declination.”

It was a warning. Eris understood that. 

What he was trying to figure out was how much he cared at this moment, when Y/N was treading through the most dangerous territory in the Fae Realms - alone! 

Eris snarled before physically shoving past the advisor so harshly that he almost knocked the male off his feet. 

Eris didn’t wait for his escort as he stomped to the throne room. 

Whatever his father wanted, hopefully it wouldn’t take long. Then Eris could flee and find Y/n. 

——

“Why do you act as if you are scared?” Amren asked Rhysand. 

The letter was sent. 

Soon Eris would know what became of his mate. 

And the Court of Dreams stood in the foyer of the River House, wracked with guilt and worry. 

“I do not fear Eris,” Rhysand corrected. “But you do not understand what this will do to him: to lose one’s mate. I only fear what this will do to him.”

“She isn’t dead,” Nesta corrected him harshly, her arms crossed. 

“We cannot be sure,” Feyre sighed shakily. 

“Y/N is not some weakly!” Nesta defended. “She survived on her own out there years before we ever met her. She’s a Valkyrie.” 

Feyre was wise enough to look guilty. She should’ve never doubted Y/N’s survival. 

“Will he come here? Eris?” Cassian asked. “Or will he go on his own hunt for her?” 

But before anyone could answer, all windows were thrown open. 

And a tornado flew in from outside. 

Rhysand went to stand beside Feyre. Cassian rushed to Nesta, blocking her from any attack. Amren and Azriel unsheathed hidden weapons. 

But no one stood before them. Only wind that roared so loudly, they were all forced to cover their ears.

It screeched so harshly, that all of them fell to their knees in pain. 

“Y/N NEEDS YOUR HELP! SHE IS IN GRAVE DANGER! GO! NOW! TO THE AUTUMN COURT! TO THE FOREST HOUSE!”

–––

Eris hid his surprise when he found that the throne room was filled with courtiers. It was far too late in the night for them to be in attendance. 

Then he caught sight of his three brothers. They all sneered at him, proving that they knew something he did not.

Now Eris understood his father planned to make a spectacle of him if his brothers had dropped their duties just to witness whatever this was. 

Everyone else refused to look him in the eyes as he arrived. They feared him nearly as much as they feared their High Lord. 

The High Lord who sat upon his throne with a wicked smile. 

Eris stepped forward, only stopping until he reached the bottom of the stairs that led to his father. He kneeled, and kneeled deeply. He had been whipped for less. 

It wasn’t until Eris peaked and saw his mother’s expression that he knew something terrible had happened. 

She knew how to school her features in front of Beron. She played her role well, and left nothing for others to be able to decipher. 

Eris rose from his bow. “You wished to see me, High Lord.”

Beron tilted his head to the side as he looked down at his eldest son. “You are in charge of guarding this court’s borders, are you not?”

Eris nodded, “I am, High Lord.” 

“Then why was it I who found a witch wandering through our woods?”

Eris swore his fire blood turned to ice. 

There were other witches in Prythian. It could be someone else. Please, let it be someone – anyone – other than her. 

“Witches are cunning creatures,” Eris began cooly. “It is not surprising that one could pass through Autumn Court undetected.”

Beron seemed amused by his son’s response. 

The High Lord snapped his fingers. 

As if on cue, lightning and thunder struck just a second after. 

And a door behind the throne opened. 

Eris had to stop himself from becoming feral when he saw her. 

Y/N was dripping wet, being dragged by two men as both her hands and feet were secured with iron chains that scrapped across the wooden floors. 

There were bloodied scrapes and cuts across her skin, right alongside dozens of bruises. And Eris could see all of them due to the fact that Y/N was only wearing a sheer, white slip. And it was just as drenched as the rest of her, making it completely transparent and practically exposing her nudity to the entire hall. 

If Eris unclenched the fists at his side, everyone would see that he was trembling with rage. 

The males dragged Y/N until she was also at the bottom of the stairs of Beron’s throne. And half a dozen surrounded her with their weapons drawn, showing that they all saw her as a threat. Then one kicked at the back of Y/N’s legs, forcing her to fall onto her knees and face all of Autumn Court. 

Y/N was now mere feet away from Eris. 

When she finally found the strength to raise her head, she locked eyes with her mate. She schooled her features well, not even slightly looking at Eris with any recognition. But he wondered if it was because she was in so much pain. 

Both nostrils of her nose were still bleeding. The right side of her lip was swollen and split. Her left eye was almost black and bruised. And there was a cut on the right side of her forehead that drew a line of bright red blood down the side of her face. 

Y/N had put up a fight, that much was clear. 

“Do you know what makes a witch powerless?” Beron asked casually. “Iron. Many have forgotten this weakness. But witches are powerless, unable to cast – so long as they are shackled with iron.”  

Eris’ jaw was clenched tightly to stop himself from saying anything at all. 

“Yes, it is been quite some time since I have fallen upon a witch,” Beron continued as he stood from his throne and stepped down. He didn’t stop until he was directly behind Y/N. 

Eris wanted to lunge forward when Beron took Y/N’s wet hair and pulled it behind her, exposing her shoulders and neck. 

Beron hand ghosted over Y/N’s neck and then he roughly gripped her chin from behind her. Y/N winced and closed her eyes. 

Eris could clearly see that she was shaking.

“Our ancestors once kept witches as their slaves. High Lords would use them for coitus rituals, on display for all the court to see. I have heard the power these High Lords felt from it was…euphoric.” 

Beron walked around so that he was in front of Y/N, blocking Eris’ view of her. 

“But this one…has already put up quite the fight. She took out ten of my company before they were able to finally seize her.” 

Beron was bating Eris. That was obvious. Which meant he had to know who Y/N was to him, what she meant. But Eris was still figuring out how. Surely his scent wasn’t on her. He hadn’t see in her weeks. 

Eris didn’t move a muscle and composed his face to remain neutral. But on the inside, a war was raging. His instincts were screaming at him to attack, to protect his mate and rip her far, far away from his treacherous father. 

But that was clearly what Beron wanted. 

And Eris refused to give it to him. Not like this. 

Beron walked around Y/N again until he was behind her. Gripping her right arm, he jerked Y/N to her feet, exposing her entire body that showed through her wet and thin underdress. 

“But she is rather stunning, is she not?” Beron asked as his hand gripped her bottom harshly. 

Y/N hissed and tried to lurch away, but Beron’s other hand choked her neck. 

Eris watched as Y/N’s eyes filled with tears. 

“Perhaps we should renew our ancestors practices,” Beron whispered into Y/N’s ear. 

“Beron, that is enough!”

Everyone’s eyes whipped to their Lady of Autumn. The woman who had become more and more broken the longer she stayed in this court. The woman who submitted to her husband and never spoke out of turn. 

Eris tried to give his mother a warning look, but she wasn’t looking at him. No, she was glaring at her husband. 

But Y/N saw this as a moment of distraction.

She brought Beron’s hand that rested around her neck to her mouth and bit – hard. Until she tasted blood. 

Beron howled in with fury and pain. 

Y/N whipped around and lifted her knee to his groin – despite her ankles being chained. Her strike had the High Lord keeled over. But only for a moment. 

“You stupid bitch!” And Beron backhanded her so hard that Y/N flew to the ground. 

But it got her away from him, and Eris had his window. 

Moving his hands, he gathered a ball of flame and threw it, knocking Beron yards back. When he landed, his head slammed back against the floor. 

But when Beron rose to his feet, he was laughing. “You were always pathetic.” The High Lord immersed his entire body in flames. “Do you really believe you stand a chance against me, boy?” 

Eris said nothing as he drew the sword at his side and it too ignited in flames. 

With the wave of his arm, Beron unleashed a monster from his flames – a dragon, made entirely of fire. It lunged for Eris with its jaw open. 

Now the courtiers wailed in fear, knowing their High Lord cared not for their lives and was more than willing to risk them as collateral damage. 

Eris sliced the fire dragon’s neck with his sword. 

But then a whip of fire wrapped around Eris’ throat, scorching the delicate skin. Out of instinct, he tried to rip it from his throat, which only resulted in burning his hands. 

Beron pulled the whip toward himself, forcing Eris onto his knees. 

“Do you wish to know how I realized that she meant something to you?” Beron spit as he leaned towards his son. 

One of his guards dropped a bundle on the floor to the right of Eris. It was the bow and knife Eris had gifted Y/N. But the thing that surprised Eris was his cloak, the one he had thrown over her shoulders that night he’d found her crying. She had been traveling with it? 

Beron leaned even closer. “Did you truly believe I would not recognize the work of our royal blacksmith?”

Eris roared as he unleashed a wave of his own power, breaking the fire whip his father controlled. It knocked Beron back far enough for Eris to regain his footing. 

Beron cackled as he brushed off the attack. “Tell me, boy. Is she your lover? Or did you plan on using the witch to usurp me?” 

Eris only glared, refusing to feed this taunting with any response. 

Beron stood straighter and opened his arms. “Go on. Try your best.” 

But before Eris could do so, the throne room was thrown into shadow. 

The courtiers wailed in fear:

“I can’t see!” 

“What is happening?” 

A second later the shadows dispersed to reveal that all of Beron’s guards who were guarding the exit had been slaughtered. 

And the High Lord’s evil smirk was finally wiped from his face. 

Eris turned to find Azriel, Cassian, Nesta, Vassa, Jurian, and his youngest brother, Lucien. 

With the understanding that he was no longer alone, Eris had a newfound strength. Even if he fell, they would get Y/N out of here. His life no longer mattered. Eris would either take out his father or distract him long enough to save his mate. 

Eris roared as he sent a wall of flames at Beron. 

Azriel shot for Y/N, taking out any guard that stood between them. When he reached her, his shadows made work of her shackles and broke her free. 

“Can you stand?” He rushed. 

“I can do more than stand,” Y/N growled, and she rushed for the weapons that had been stolen from her. 

She started firing arrow after arrow, killing all the males that had attacked her and dragged her here. 

Then she took in her chaotic surroundings to find Lucien, Vassa, and Jurian holding back the three other Vanserra brothers. Cassian and Nesta were back to back, taking out any soldiers loyal to Beron. Azriel was close to Y/N, covering her back as she had fired off her arrows. 

But then Y/N caught another head of red hair. A beautiful, female High Fae who was throwing flames at anyone that tried to help Beron take on Eris.

His mother. It must have been Eris’ mother. 

All of her allies allowed Y/N to turn her full attention to Eris who was fighting his father with his all power. But he still wasn’t strong enough. Beron was a High Lord and had all the ancient magic of Autumn Court behind him. 

With swipe of both Beron’s hands, a wall of fire smacked into Eris, who didn’t have time to block it. And he was knocked onto his back. 

The sight infuriated Y/N. 

And something deep within her, that she didn’t recognize, rose up to the surface. 

Before she even knew what she was doing, Y/N had sprinted forward and put herself between Eris and Beron. 

“No! Run! Get out of here!” Eris yelled out – no, he begged her – as he struggled to get back to his feet. 

But Y/N ignored him. Because something was taking her over. 

Y/N’s hands reached out to the side. 

She started chanting words that no mortal or fae would ever understand. 

Beron stood and watched, about to laugh at whatever sad attempt this witch had at taking him down. 

But Y/N’s words grew louder, stronger. 

And that’s when the wind rushed into throne room. 

It shattered the every single window with it’s arrival. It caused more screams from the courtiers who failed to flee.

Y/N’s eyes were no longer her own, but covered in white and glowing as if there were two moons.

Her arms raised higher. 

The wind carried the shattered glass from the windows and pelted Beron like tiny they were tiny knives. 

The High Lord underestimated her so much that he hadn’t been prepared to block such an attack.

He hissed in pain as the glass cut across his entire torso. 

But Y/N wasn’t finished. Her chanting turned into a bellow. The words and rhythm had changed into something else. 

In response, the wind now circled around Beron, capturing him in a tornado. But it wasn’t just keeping him in place, it was sucking the air from his lungs as if he was caught in a vacuum. 

Beron gasped for breath, clutching at his neck as if it would help. As he failed, he fell to his knees. 

And while Y/N attacked the High Lord, Eris, Lucien, and their mother had formed a wall behind her, waiting for the moment when Y/N would need backup. 

“NOW!” Eris bellowed. 

Together, the three of them stepped in front of Y/N and heaved fire onto Beron. It all entered the tornado of wind, keeping it contained and concentrated.  

Beron’s cries filled the hall, loud enough to be heard over the wind and tornado. Despite being a wielder of flame himself, it burned him. 

Yet Y/N was growing weaker, she had never tapped into this much power and it was starting to take a toll on her body. 

The other three didn’t see as Y/N’s arms dropped and her eyes rolled back. She collapsed. 

Azriel rushed forward, catching Y/N’s body only a moment before her head could slam to the ground. 

Eris roared as he threw even more fire at his father, stepping even closer to Beron than Lucien and his mother. 

Beron’s skin was scorched to black, half his clothes burnt right from his body. 

Lucien and their mother paused their attack, as Eris marched to his weakened father as he unsheathed a hidden knife. 

Not underestimating Beron or his power, Eris immediately grabbed his father by the neck and pulled him up. 

Eris put his mouth close to his ear and whispered, “Her name is Y/N, and she is my mate.” 

And he drove the knife into his father’s heart. 

Eris then ripped it from Beron’s chest. And with one fluid swing, sliced off Beron’s head completely.

Only mere seconds after the decapitated head hit the floor, raw power filled the throne room. So potent that all fighting ceased. No one could ignore its feeling. 

Beron’s loyal soldiers finally realized their High Lord had been killed. 

And all that power moved to the heir of Autumn. 

The impact of it brought Eris to his knees. He groaned as he felt it take over him entirely and then fell to his hands. 

No one so much as breathed as they saw their new High Lord take over the throne. 

When the power finally stopped transferring, Eris slowly lifted his head. 

His eyes widened. “Y/N!”

And he whipped around to see his mate unconscious and beaten, in the arms of the shadowsinger. 

-----

I have had a really terrible last couple of weeks at work. And then I got really sick, which is how I had time to write this. But most importantly, I worked extremely hard on this chapter. So please, please, please write a comment. Or, as I always say, write me a book report. 🙏

Chapter XVI

[angelthefandomobsessed]

Through a Gaze So Very Fractured

Diasomnia Fic - A young Silver begins to question his place in the world. Sebek makes things worse, but it's not his fault - he's eight here, he won't get character development for almost a decade. (Lilia's here to win dad of the year, luckily).

༺═────────────═༻

Silver had always hated mirrors. His father had only one mirror, with a cracked surface and a rickety old frame that lurked behind stacks of books. So, while Silver found that he despised the thing, he managed to go through his early years without paying it much mind. 

Lilia had never paid it any heed either. It had once been useful for relaying messages, but a mark of a well-lived fae was their desire to live unbothered. Chucking his axe at the centre of the glass had taken better care of his bothersome ex-colleagues than any spell could have. Disposing of it had never crossed Lilia’s mind, so he left it in the corner, where it became a passive observer to their peaceful lives.

Every so often, when the boy was sneezing just a tad too much, he would hand Silver a dustcloth and ask him to clean everything he could reach. Cleaning without magic built character, so he said.

When Silver agreed and went to the mirror, Lilia always failed to notice the way his son fixed his eyes on the wall behind the object as he cleaned it.

It wasn’t until Silver was nine that he became cognizant of his aversion to not just mirrors, but to most reflective surfaces.

It began to bother him in a way that he couldn’t seem to shake off, not even when he was out exploring the woodlands surrounding Lilia’s cottage. While he and Sebek sat, feet dangling in the nearby creek, wooden swords cast aside by the treeline, Silver lowered his voice and asked, “Do all children look like their parents?”

Sebek stared at Silver for a moment, his green eyes narrowed. Being a naturally quiet child, Silver hadn’t minded the silence. He took the time to listen to the birdsong; it was nearing dinner time, and the birds that nested by his bedroom window were chirping to each other, warning of the impending darkness. A warning meant for him too, he understood, in a way that nobody else seemed to.

“Of course children look like their parents. That’s obvious,” Sebek finally replied, voice loud and clear, as though he was the sole authority on the matter.

Silver leaned forward and looked into the creek. His reflection was a slippery thing. Round ears occasionally stretching out, reaching for wherever it was that the water was trying to go.

“I don’t think I look much like father.”

Sebek made a sound - something between a chuckle or a scoff - and shook his head. “You’re right, you look nothing like Sir Vanrouge. How could you? You’re only a human. You have no right to resemble a fae as great as him!”

At that, Silver frowned and turned over Sebek’s words. He was often told not to listen to everything Sebek said - that he was taking after his grandfather in the worst possible ways.

But Silver was a human. That much was true.

“Does that mean that I look like my…” Silver struggled to recall the word. It was one he rarely heard spoken aloud. “My mother?”

Sebek shrugged. “How should I know? You were found in the woods. That’s what my grandfather said. He also said that lesser beasts abandon weak children to the wild and that a noble fae shouldn’t tarnish themselves to pick up after them.”

“He said all that to you?” Silver asked, puzzled by the strange, buzzing feeling unfurling in his stomach.

The other boy seemed to bristle and flush at that. “W-Well, not to me, but I heard him talking to someone about it.” He paused before adding, “It was another adult! From the palace!”

“I see…” Silver said. 

While Sebek regaled the tale of the powerful, striking, unmistakably fae guard that had conversed with his grandfather, Silver listened to the birds once more.

Your father and his liege are almost done talking, a bird called down from its branch. Run along now. To higher ground with you.

“-and he must have been a powerful mage too, because-”

“We should go now,” Silver told him, standing up.

“Oi, Silver! I wasn’t done speaking to you!” Sebek scrambled to his feet, nearly falling flat on his face. “Get back here!”

The creek was surrounded by a high lip, taller than both of the boys. Silver didn’t have to think about his movements, though. He climbed the short, jagged rocks with the expertise of a mountain goat. Sebek was far less graceful as he followed Silver, but the two had retrieved their practice swords and were on their way back in no time flat.

“What’s the big rush?” Sebek grumbled.

“Lord Malleus and father are finished talking. They will worry if we aren’t back before dusk,” he replied in his typical, straightforward way of speaking.

The mention of the fae prince, predictably, perked Sebek up. “Why didn’t you just say so? I would have sprinted back if I knew Lord Malleus was waiting! Hurry up, human!”

While Sebek began to run back to the cottage, Silver slowed to a stop. It was that word again. The thing that he was, so unlike everyone else in his life. Sebek’s father was human, but he was fully grown and smart. He had his uses.

But the way Sebek had said it - human - was different from every other time he had heard it. Silver didn’t much like it. He could feel his dislike for the word growing in his stomach, feeding those strange feelings from earlier.

Human.

He didn’t want to be that.

A gentle green light floated past Silver’s peripheral vision. He blinked and looked forward, noticing a trail of green lights weaving leisurely through the trees. Silver followed them without question.

When he arrived at the cottage, an impossibly tall, ethereal figure awaited him. “Silver,” Malleus greeted. “It seems that Sebek is the winner of this race. An unexpected turn of events, I must confess.”

“We weren’t racing,” Silver protested without thinking. “He ran off when I mentioned you were finished speaking with father.”

“Oh?” Malleus smiled in a flash of sharp teeth. “And how did you know that our business was done?”

“The birds told me,” Silver reported before pressing forward. Behind him, Malleus chuckled and caught up to him in a single stride.

“I see,” was all he said.

“Did Sebek run past you?” Silver asked.

“No. I saw him charging out of the trees without you, so I decided to ensure your safe return.”

“I would have made it back by myself,” Silver told him. “Sebek will be disappointed that you walked me back and not him.”

Silver looked up at Malleus and caught him with that face. The one he wore when he didn’t quite understand something - when he was worried about it. Whenever Silver woke up after a sudden bout of exhaustion, both Lilia and Malleus would look at him like that. Silver wasn’t sure how he should feel about it.

“He would be even more disappointed if something had happened to you,” Malleus pointed out.

“Would he be?” Silver wondered aloud. 

He regretted his loose tongue when Malleus stopped dead in his tracks.

“Of course he would,” the fae prince said slowly. “What has he said to make you question that?”

Silver felt another twist in his stomach.

“Nothing. I… didn’t mean what I said. Let’s go home,” he said before remembering himself. “Please, Lord Malleus.”

The fae prince regarded him for one painful, seemingly everlasting moment before giving a short nod. “Very well.”

Silver wasn’t sure how he felt about their silent walk back to the cottage. He was glad that the conversation was over. But the silence felt heavier than the pile of firewood his father would hand to him every morning was. He had done something wrong - he just knew it.

So, when they returned and Sebek made a fuss about how strong he was, Silver kept his head down and stood back. He wondered if this is how the forest creatures, always lingering at least an arm’s length away from regular people, saw the world. If it was, how could they stomach it? Silver couldn’t.

Silver gasped when he felt a weight on his shoulder. He turned on his heel and saw his father.

“You are not looking very well,” Lilia observed, features woven with concern. He pressed a cold hand to Silver’s forehead, frown deepening. “You don’t feel feverish… Is your stomac hurting? Did you eat anything raw off the forest floor?”

“N-No father.” Lilia’s brows raised ever so slightly at the stutter. It was rare for Silver to speak without conviction - he was such a serious child.

“I should return to the castle,” Malleus announced. Not even the crown prince himself could break Lilia’s concentration from his son. “Sebek. I will take you home promptly… We would not want to trouble Lilia for dinner, after all.”

At the mention of a meal prepared by Lilia, Sebek’s face managed to pale beyond his typical fair complexion.

“Of course, Lord Malleus! But you have no need to escort me home! I can make the journey by myself.”

The sight of the small, round eared Sebek declaring himself fit to wander through the forest and back to the heart of Briar Valley made Lilia chuckle. “Just accept the privilege,” Lilia urged with a wry smirk. “It is not every day that Malleus makes an offer so generous.”

“Lilia,” warned Malleus, face shifting from serene to something a little more dangerous.

“Yes, yes, I know.” Silver did not know what it was that Lilia knew, but he was discovering that he didn’t know much, so this did not surprise him. “Away with you now. Go on, before your grandmother starts a wildfire with that lightning of hers.”

“Farewell, Lilia.” Malleus’ bright, gem-like eyes glittered toward Silver. “Silver,” he said with a nod. “I hope that you feel well again soon.”

Silver managed a weak smile and bid them, “Safe travels.”

Once they had vanished in a flash of green, Lilia let out a huff. He then advanced faster than Silver could react, hoisting the young boy over his shoulder.

The child let out a cross between a ‘Huh?’, and an indignant, ‘Hey!”

“I am quite positive that there is something wrong with you, and I will find out what it is, young man,” Lilia declared.

“I’m fine!”

“Tell it to your face and to your posture. And to Malleus, for that matter. I could tell he was worried about you the second the two of you walked through the door.” Lilia paused to gently shift and deposit Silver onto his bed. “Please, Silver, tell me what the matter is. I can tell when you’re hiding something.”

Silver bit down on his lip and watched Lilia’s stern, unmoving face. All he could say was, “I’m sorry, father.”

“What for?” pressed Lilia.

“For being weak and human.”

When he said ‘human’, he said it the same way that Sebek had. Like it was something dirty. Something that should never be uttered.

That broke Lilia. Silver saw the immediate shift; the shock that seemed to physically strike Lilia, the way his stance opened and shrank back, the falling of his features. The sight of his father, who always stood strong and cheerful, taken aback by something Silver had said, broke Silver in turn. Silver could not see the ways that it changed himself, though - all he knew was that he was crying.

And that Lilia was holding him before he could let out his first full sob.

“You are not weak,” Lilia insisted. His sonorous voice was so much louder when it was right next to Silver’s head. It was impossible not to hear - impossible not to feel. “You are a human, but that is no fault. That is simply what is.”

Silver couldn’t respond. All he could do was whimper pathetically while he tried to hide his face in the front of his father’s shirt.

“Whatever it was that Sebek said to you - and I have no doubt it was him that started this - it is not the whole truth. Some people have a way of seeing the world that is fractured. A broken perception, so sharp that it can hurt people. I have seen it all across Twisted Wonderland.”

“It wasn’t Sebek’s fault,” Silver weakly insisted. He tried to sniffle discreetly, but only succeeded in drawing the embarrassing sound out further. “I-I know I don’t look like you. I’ve seen it in the sitting room mirror.”

Lilia was quiet for a moment. And for that moment, Silver wondered if he was right all along, and that he was an unworthy son to Lilia. “I suppose that this is my fault, then. I should have spoken to you before this. It’s just…” The fae sighed. “I did not want you to grow up too fast. But it seems you are as wise as you are kind. Two admirable qualities. Fae-like qualities, once upon a time.”

Silver pulled back and rubbed at his eyes, wincing at the tears that wet his hands. “Gross,” he lamented, the seriousness of his face drawing a laugh from Lilia. Once he had wiped down his hands, he asked, “Once upon a time?”

The bat fae readjusted his legs, gave a toothy smile and clasped his hands on his lap. “They say that qualities such as kindness and wisdom were valued by all at one point. And now they say that those qualities are rare… But I disagree. Some people choose to see the world as a dark place, while some choose to see it as a bright and hopeful place.”

“Which of them is right?”

“Neither. The world is what it is. When people - be they fae, human or beastman - start to fracture their way of seeing the world through hatred or ignorance, they stop being able to see it for what it is. The same goes for those that choose to view it through blind faith.”

“And… what is it? The world, I mean,” Silver asked with the same wide, bright eyes that had changed Lilia’s life.

“Only you can decide. If I told you what to see, then you wouldn’t see what is truly there. You would be seeing my perception of it.”

“I see…”

“Precisely!” Lilia ruffled Silver’s hair, pushing it back so that he could get a good look at his eyes. “I used to look at the world through a gaze so very fractured. But when I first laid eyes on you, a mere babe, I felt my viewpoint fixing itself.”

“So you were…” Silver tried to recall the words from earlier. “Ignorant?”

“You always cut right to the heart of the matter… Yes, I was very ignorant. And hateful, too. Humans have caused a great deal of harm to this land.” When Silver’s face fell, Lilia gave him a playful tap of the forehead. “Try not to look so glum, child. When I looked at you, so full of innocence, I realised that you were not responsible for all that had happened before you even graced this soil. And that if I continued to do ignorant, hateful things because of what those before you did, children like you would grow up to be as ignorant and hateful as I was.”

“So you… changed?” Silver asked.

“I did. I took you in not only to teach you the ways of the world, but so that you could teach me too.”

The way that Lilia looked at Silver bordered on reverant, like Silver was a miracle of some sort. It was… reassuring, the boy found.

He gave his father a small, bashful smile. “Am I a good teacher?”

“The best,” Lilia said with a grin. “You, Sebek and Malleus keep me young, you know. I learn so much from all of you.”

“That’s good, father. I feel a lot better now. But I feel so…”

Before he could give his warning, Silver’s eyes grew heavy and he slumped forward. Lilia caught him and laid him down properly. Children really were a whirlwind - even quiet, oddly well-mannered ones like his Silver. Before he left him for the night, he sat at the edge of the bed and watched him. His cheeks were tear-streaked and red, and his nose needed a good wiping, but he seemed at peace now.

Lilia pressed a kiss to Silver’s forehead and fetched a handkerchief to wipe his face with. Though Silver was now dead to the world, Lilia still filled the room with the words, “I love you,” before he left him to sleep.

First things first; that wretched mirror had to go, so it seemed he had a bonfire to build. Sebek would need to be reprimanded for adopting all of Baur’s views, but that would wait until the morrow. For now, Lilia would have some pine needle tea, as well as a flip through that parenting book that Sebek’s father had given him. Though, he had a feeling that there were some problems that no amount of books could prepare him for…

As that feeling passed through him, he realised that the stew he had been preparing was thoroughly burnt. Oh well… At least he knew it was cooked properly! He would treat Silver to it when he woke up. 

༺═────────────═༻

I started writing this in January and it's now August. Whoops.

[ramonag-if]

I was going through some old game files for The Hedge Witch and stumbled across a hedge witch guide and recipes that I created which was originally going to be used in the Choice Script version of the game 😅 I thought I'd share them with you, considering they won't be added to the Twine version. Yes, I had way too much time on my hands when I wrote these 😂

I've added the deleted scenes under the cut because it is quite a long read. Please do not try the recipes - they are all made up and will probably poison you.

An Introduction to Hedge Magic Welcome young hedge witch to the 4th edition of A Hedge Witch's Encyclopaedic Guide to Magic. In this book, you'll learn the basic concepts of casting your spells, making those herby potions and hexing those who displease you. Remember, hexing is reserved for those that are very dastardly. Any abuse of hexing should be reported to your local hedge witch society.

Spellcasting: Spellcasting is necessary when you decide to become a hedge witch. Every good hedge witch should know a few basic spells, including the all important healing spell. When casting your spells, make sure to use the exact measurements for ingredients. Anything more or less or even using the wrong ingredients can result in catastrophic results. Pronunciation of incantations are of utmost importance. If a syllable is stressed for too long, it will affect the nature of your spells. Particularly strong hedge witches do not need to incant spells when spellcasting. Never cast a spell if you're unsure in your abilities as a spellcaster. A good hedge witch knows not to cast a spell without proper preparation and knowledge. Always ask your mentor for help if you're ever in doubt!

Potions: Potions are the very reason that we, hedge witches, exist. From herbal tinctures to soothe nausea to bitter concoctions to cure the cold, potions are one of the oldest form of a hedge witch's magic. When creating potions, always make sure to have a clean workspace and that all ingredients and properly prepared. Using a dried out herb when a recipe calls for fresh herbs could result in incurable illness, vomiting and even death. If you suspect a hedge witch of making sub-par potions, it is your duty to report them to your local hedge witch society!

Hexes: Hexing another requires a strong mind of a hedge witch. While not illegal, hexing by a hedge witch is limited to extreme cases including hexing to stop disaster, hexing to stop death and hexing to stop anyone standing in the way of the greater good. All hedge witches that wish to hex freely must be authorised to do so by their local hedge witch society. Hexing for entertainment purposes, for laughs or just out of sheer boredom is forbidden and any hedge witch caught violating this rule will have their powers revoked.

Recipes from your Mentor: Dear Apprentice, as promised, here is a list of fun recipes that I picked up along my travels. Some are strictly for your familiar - use them at your own risk! My personal favourite is a Seelie dish called honeyed truffles. Make sure to feed yourself every now and then, even a hedge witch needs to eat.

Honeyed truffles: Honeyed truffles are a delicacy favoured by the Seelie Court. Both sweet and meaty, this dish serves as an excellent starter or appetiser at fae gatherings. It takes no more than a sun's wink to cook and it'll boost your reputation as a great cook! To make this dish, you will need the following ingredients: 2 cups of finely diced pixie truffles. 50ml of Seelie bee honey. 80g of holly leaves. 1 tsp of selkie salt. 5g of star anise. Method: Lightly fry the pixie truffles in a wide pan. Once the truffles have been evenly fried, add in the Seelie bee honey and mix together until the truffles are completely coated. Fry the mixture for around 5 minutes to let the honey seep into the truffles. Lastly, add selkie salt for taste and both the holly leaves and star anise to give your truffles an extra kick to it. Braise your truffles until the mixture is thick and gooey. Once done, enjoy it with a cup of tea!

Spiced Snow: Spiced snow is a popular dish in the Unseelie Court that has recently risen to popularity in the Seelie Court. A spicy bite, this treat is excellent to serve on a hot, summer's day or for dessert. This dish takes at least half a day to make, so make sure you're fully prepared for the hard work and patience you will need to make this dish. To make this dish, you will need the following ingredients: 150ml of spring water. 2 tsp of dragon fire. 1 bottle of a freeze-now potion. 3 tsp of toad slime. 20g of sparrow tongue or sugared ginger. Method: Mix the dragon fire into the spring water until the water turns a dark shade of red. Depending on the dragon fire you use, shades of red will vary from mixture to mixture. Once fully diluted, add the toad slime to give the mixture a thicker consistency. Stir it until you're happy with the consistency. The more you stir, the thinner the consistency will be. If you prefer thicker spiced snow, stir in the toad slime only until it's diluted partially. Once the ingredients are mixed, use the freeze-now potion to instantly freeze the mixture. The spiced snow is now ready to eat! For an extra crunch, you can add in lightly fried sparrow tongue or sugared ginger to the top of your serving.

Fae Wine: Fae wine is a type of drink that is consumed by both fae and mortal alike! While toxic in large quantities to many mortals, fae wine is still a sought after drink in the mortal realm. Fae wine is a great drink to bring when you're attending a faery ring soiree, just make sure to drink it in moderation! Fae wine takes at least seven moons to properly brew, but you can skip this wait by enlisting the aid of a mortal-portal to distort time. You will need the following ingredients: 500l of juniper berry juice. 250ml of poison ivy juice. 250ml of goblin spittle. 300ml of asrais essence. 50g of black cherries. Method: Pour in juniper berry juice into a large pitcher and slowly stir in the poison ivy juice until fully diluted. Once diluted, let the mixture set for two sleeps of a pixie's flutter. The mixture should now be a deep red and have a strong, acidic aroma. Now, add in the goblin spittle, making sure to stir it until the mixture has thickened slightly. Lastly, add in asrais essence. Once everything is mixed, put your pitcher in an ice bank or river to set for seven moons. You can skip this if you make use of a mortal-portal. Holding the pitcher, walk through the portal for seven times until your mixture is a deep red and the texture is runny and thin. You can now add in your black cherries for an extra garnish. Your fae wine is now ready to drink! Remember to drink responsibly.

Sabbath Stew: It's always time for Sabbath stew in any fae home. A popular dish especially in those winter months, Sabbath stew will offer you the heartiness of the nutritions you need to keep you strong on those cold nights. Sabbath stew is fairly simple to make and takes no more than a flower's bloom to make. And the best part? You can add in as many ingredients as you want. For this recipe, we'll provide you with a base recipe which you can tweak to your liking. You will need the following ingredients: 750ml of spiced broth. 50g of redcap mushrooms. 50g of starchy potatoes. 100g of pickled yams. 2 tsp of wart's eye. 8g of garlic cloves. Method: First, pour in the spiced broth into a large cauldron. Make sure to heat your fire until the spiced broth is bubbling. You can find spiced broth in your local fae bazaar or you can make your own by adding cinnamon, chilli and pepper to 750ml of spring water. Once your broth is bubbling, you can start adding in your vegetables. Let them simmer for a few minutes and when the vegetables are partially cooked, start adding in your wart's eye and garlic cloves. Remember, you can add in more vegetables if you want and even add in some meaty ingredients if you're so inclined! Let the stew broil until the broth has reduced into a thick mixture. It's now ready to eat!

Familiar's Lunch: Do you have a familiar? Are you planning on getting a familiar? Then this recipe is for you! Familiar's lunch is a chef-made dish that was requested by the Seelie Queen herself for her very own familiar. Created to strengthen the bonds between an owner and familiar, Familiar's Lunch contains all the goodness to replenish your familiar's essence and takes as long as a hop in the woods to make. You will need the following ingredients: 10g of hound fur. 3 tsp of eye of newt. 2 sphinx claws. 5g of crushed alder. 20g roasted almonds. 500ml kelpie water. 1 tsp of sea salt. Method: Lightly fry the eye of newt and crushed alder together. Once it reaches a light golden hue, add in the almonds and kelpie water and simmer for a few minutes. Gently, add in and stir the hound fur to the pan. Make sure to stir thoroughly so that the hound fur dissolves properly. Add in the salt and sphinx claws for seasoning and bring the mixture to a slow simmer. Once all ingredients have been cooked, you can serve Familiar's Lunch as a side to your familiar's regular lunch or as a gravy.

[thegatesofinfinitespace]

you. grabs you. popular/staple dishes and/or cuisines in Soul-Bound. how do these vary by region? what about culture? what about class/status -- is there a difference? what is considered a delicacy or luxury food item?

DISHES ASDASDSADASDASAAA

Okay! So,,, to start: the current timeline of Soul-Bound is a lot like that of our modern-times, but with magical elements added in. That means you see a lot of the same foods and meals that we do in our own world and countries (ex: Vesper is technically Welsh, on his mother's side, so he enjoys those kinds of dishes).

The cultural system is similar, with minor differences in how society treats itself more than the foods they eat. I'd say that this concept is common with most of the works Kara and I make, since we'd prefer writing societies where social concepts like queerness doesn't really get mistreatment and confusion, it's just a staple of life and thus does not matter to the environment as a whole. Being a shapeshifter and being trans is like. Basic. There's no hate against whether you like the same gender or something else, gender is a loose concept anyways, you get the idea.

Tangent aside, random foods from pizza, ramen, beef wellington, pasta, to salsa and chips, brownies and cake-- all these things still exist and are still made regularly, but! The biodiversity is what has changed. The ingredients are more diverse. There are plants and animals that may have gone extinct or don't exist in reality, that still exist in Soul-Bound.

So while the recipes and foods conceptually are very similar to the foods here per region, what goes into them may change more so than their general makeup. For instance, a meatloaf, but one of the meats is ground griffon meat compared to simply beef may occur due to a population of said creatures nearby.

(I only recently got into Dungeon Meshi, but I'd say that what ingredients are used in that series are very comparable to Soul-Bound. Things like regular iceberg lettuce exist and can be used towards food, but you could also say, use mandrakes to make up your salad too. As Kara puts it, "You make a familiar recipe with unfamiliar ingredients.")

As for what cuisines are considered delicacies versus normal, that absolutely matters on your species. I'd say humans are the most adventurous in terms of eating odd foods, but demons will eat anything yet absolutely adore things that have an insane level of magical potential in their makeup (souls, being the most obvious thing here, but eating the spells from a grimoire is equally something appetizing for them).

Cannibalism is also, a thing too in terms of like, not everyone has the response humans do to eating their own kind. Some are like snakes and don't think twice about eating other snakes, a demon sure doesn't care about eating other demons. Mers will eat fish despite being half fish. It's also abhorrent to do this with some species and totally fine to others, even varying on the individual level.

Eating another intelligent species sometimes doesn't matter; though it can become dangerous depending on the properties. Something can still be toxic to one species but not to another, and sometimes there are bonuses to eating certain cuisines. A human eating a mermaid's flesh could achieve immortality, but also said human could turn into a grotesque undying monster that lives forever in eternal agony! :) You never know!

Class and status affecting foods also depends entirely on the species too. Centaurs, being larger creatures, may have trouble traversing cities, and thus 'richer' centaurs may value such casual things as human street foods as something that could belong in a high end restaurant. Mermaids may like sushi and land-based meats because how the hell do you get beef in the ocean??? Fae may only enjoy fruits grown from trees that have only been watered using the most purified of water, and the most natural of soil (or they may only like soil that has been using compost from demon remains. crazy stuff).

[jasmariswonderland]

Shining Hearts Chapter 10 ~ Metamorphosis

Chapter 1 |  Chapter 2 |  Chapter 3  |  Chapter 4  |  Chapter 5  |

Chapter 6 |  Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 |  Chapter 9

Chapter Summary: After coming together to rescue one of their own, Danica wonders if her team can come together once again to do the unthinkable. 

Warnings For This Chapter: Violence, kidnapping, slight blood and mentions of Vidaria’s less than stellar past.

~~~

The evening descended into an unexpected veil of eerie fog. So thick that it was difficult for the girls to make their way through the forest. But Iman explained that this was a tact of fae native to Vidaria’s homeland, a kingdom which itself was cloaked in mists that kept it hidden from the rest of the world. And they had planned accordingly, Yuulan and Taima ventured deeper into the misty forest, with the latter using her unique magic to clear the fog for as long as they could. They also possessed the most skill in physical combat and, along with Grim, would confront Vidaria’s assailants head-on if needed.

Iman, Danica, and Ione each went in separate directions to ensure they could maintain deniability if they ran into any students or faculty. Before setting off, the girls had visited Sam’s shop to pick up something that would come in handy for their plans. Back in October, Ione and Taima had learned of a special mirror pendant that could show the wearer anything they wished to see and could be used as a means of communication.

They didn’t want to risk the sound of phones tipping off the mist fae, and of course, Sam had multiples of these pendants in stock. Iman purchased one for each of them, including Grim, along with several vials of potions, a panacea tablet, and three daggers, one made of steel and the other two crafted of iron. The latter of these items raised the concern of the normally laid-back shopkeeper.

“I’m not going to ask questions since I know you five tend to stay outta trouble,” he said as he packed up the items. “But what I will say is whatever is going on, please be careful. Don’t go getting involved in something way over your heads!”

Sir, we are about to go on a rescue mission which very likely will involve fighting fae! I think it’s a little too late for those kinds of warnings! These were Yuulan’s thoughts, but she didn’t voice them. Instead, she promised Sam that they would be safe, and while these purchases seemed suspicious, they planned to use them with only the purest intentions.

“We’ll be fine, Sam! We promise!” Taima grinned. “don’t worry about us!”

“And don’t forget, charge my personal account for this stuff!” Iman added. “I don’t want my parents to know about this, ‘kay?”

~~~

Meanwhile, four male fae dragged their royal captive deeper through the forest, her hands bound in front of her as she was dragged like a dog on a leash. Her voice was under the influence of a powerful silence spell. They made their way to the cliffs, where Vidaria knew there was a checkpoint to a portal that would take them directly across the sea, back to the Land of Mists. Her heart was pounding, and tears streamed down her face. Unfortunately, for all her crying, she knew no one could hear her.

How many times would she have to endure this? How many times did she have to escape them before she would cease being tormented? By her own people no less. Whatever the circumstances that brought her into the possession of the Draconias, Vidaria had accepted her fate. All returning her home would do is exacerbate a violent situation long pacified by her consent to marry Malleus, risking further bloodshed between both of their kingdoms. Was freedom truly worth such a thing?

Her back tingled with a burning sensation that was her instincts telling her to try and flee before they took her to a place she wouldn’t be able to easily return from. A place where Iman wouldn’t be able to easily find her. Vidaria didn’t know why she was thinking about this; the last time she attempted to use this escape attempt, it had gone horrifically wrong and had decades-long ramifications. Still, it was the only thing she could think of. Closing her eyes, she paused and focused all of her energy on her back and felt the sensation burn with more intensity, exactly what she was hoping for. Her captors noticed she had stopped moving and yanked on the rope binding her.

“Keep moving, Your Highness!” one of them barked at her. “There’s no one here to help you, so make things easy on us, and yourself, and just…wha…WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

He turned around and realized why Vidaria had stopped moving when he saw how her body radiated with a golden glow, bright enough to cut through the mists. A second captor quickly planted his foot into her back, roughly knocking the wind out of her lungs and forcing her to her knees. She fell face-first to the ground, the golden glow vanishing from her body.

“Stubborn girl, but clever no doubt!”

“How dare you?! We were told not to harm her!”

“She was summoning her wings, idiot!” The second captor grabbed her by her ponytail, dragging her back to her feet with one hand and taking the rope binding her with the other. “I told you we should have knocked her out!”

“She’s a daughter of the house of Cherith!” said a third captor. “And the only hope for the Land of Mists! Don’t you think the Draconias have traumatized her enough?!”

Then what the hell do you call this?!

Vidaria suddenly felt a surge of anger rushing like fire through her veins. With all the strength she possessed, she shook her body out of her captor’s grasp. And when he used the rope to yank her back, she sank her fangs as deep as she could into his arm, piercing through his clothing and tearing into his skin. The sudden taste of blood filled her mouth as he shrieked and released the rope in a moment of agony. She spat into the ground to show her contempt as well as to get the bloody taste out of her mouth.

“Your Highness, please!” the fourth captor tried to plead with her. We don’t wish to hurt you; we are trying to save you! You and our kingdom from Draconia tyranny!”

“Fuck being nice! We have a job to do!” The second captor had enough of Vidaria’s resistance and was ready to take a more violent route to achieve their goals. “If she won’t accept her fate, we must force her to!”

With gloved hands, he brandished a pair of large iron chains and lashed them at her, his fatal error. Vidaria jumped back and dodged them with ease, but the sight of the chains caused all the color to train from her face. No, she had seen chains like that before; she could never forget them. In an instant, a flood of horrid memories seized her. Nightmares about a similar encounter in a forest not so unlike this one. A visceral nightmare from her childhood that she wished she could forget and bury in the past forever.

This captor had just signed his death warrant.

She took several steps back and stamped on the ground with all the force her body could muster, the earth responding to her call with intense ferocity. Her captors tried to get closer to her, but she stamped the ground again to increase the magnitude of her quaking spell. Such was the force of her magic that the ground beneath them began to crack.

Her voice was still gone but the fire in her eyes told her captors all they needed to know. The earth fractured and large pieces dropped and crashed along the rocks along the sea. The second captor who had pulled out the iron chains was the first to meet his demise under the crumbling earth, and while his comrades were preoccupied trying to save him while trying not to fall themselves, Vidaria sprinted off in the opposite direction. Back into the forest and back towards NRC.

~~~

Even from several meters away, the girls felt the after-tremors of Vidaria’s seismic magic. Yuulan and Taima quickly ducked under bushes, and once the ground settled, Taima pulled out her mirror pendant to contact Iman and the others.

“Did you feel that?!” She asked. “The Isle of Sages never gets earthquakes!”

“I know, me, Dani, and Ione felt it too!” replied Iman. “That’s Vidi’s magic at work!”

“Does that mean she’s still in this area?” Yuulan asked.

“It must mean that, you guys keep searching on your own. We’ll meet up with you soon!”

Just as Iman said this, she saw a bright golden light cut through that heavy fog. Blinking like a beacon, guiding their way. A surge of hope caused Iman’s heart to jump. She grabbed Ione’s hand, pulling her in the direction of the light as Danica followed them.

“She’s here! She’s still here!”

“What a relief!” Ione sighed happily.

“Once we find her, we’ll bring her back to Pomefiore,” said Danica. “Vil thinks we’re rehearsing there late, so no one will know about this.”

Vidaria’s guiding light slowly faded and soon vanished altogether, but they continued to follow its direction. The sky was quickly getting darker but the fog had begun to dissipate, making it a little easier to see where they were going. A loud rustling sound forced them to stop, followed by voices that sounded nearby. They didn’t recognize the voices, nor understand the language they were speaking, but Iman heard Vidaria’s name called and quickly ran ahead.

“Show me Vidi. Where is she?”

Iman whispered to the mirror in her hand. Immediately she was shown an image of her friend cowering in a bunch of bushes, biting at the rope binding her hands. She had a burning feeling that she was nearby and as soon as the thought passed her mind, she heard another rustling sound.

“I feel like she’s close,” Iman communicated to everyone else through the pendant. “Everyone, stay sharp! If she’s really here, that means the mist fae are close too!”

Danica and Ione followed Iman and saw as she crouched into the bushes ahead of them. When Iman didn’t emerge right away, they knew what it meant. Ione came a little closer and in the darkness, could see two shadows in the bushes. They had found their companion.

“Oh, thank Sevens!”

Iman breathed a sigh of relief as she took one of the daggers and cut through the ropes binding her friend. Vidaria smiled but made several wide motions with her mouth. Iman understood and felt around in her pocket before finding the small red panacea tablet and slipped it into her mouth.

“Don’t worry, this will bring your voice back!”

Vidaria swallowed the tablet and wasted no words. “They’re still pursuing me! Please tell me you’re not alone!”

“I’m not. The other swans are with me, Yuulan, too. We’ll get you out of here, so don’t…”

Vidaria quickly shushed her friend by pressing her hands to her mouth. They were close; she could sense them. From the place where they hid, she and Iman could see two figures coming towards them. Her heart stopped, but she gave a silent sigh of relief when she realized it was just Danica and Ione. Iman was about to call them over, but Vidaria's grip tightened on her arm, directing her attention elsewhere.

Danica and Ione stayed close, frequently brushing hands against each other so neither would get lost. Ione thought she heard Iman’s voice, but before she could act on it, she felt someone tap on her shoulder. And the quick squeeze Danica gave her hand told Ione that it wasn’t her.

That’s when her eyes immediately locked with Iman’s, seeing through her and Vidaria’s hiding spot. Ione swallowed a gasp as Iman’s eyes warned her of a presence lingering just beyond her peripheral vision. She silently begged her not to accidentally betray them. And whatever courage she had gained during the training camp, she would need every ounce of it now.

“Who are you?” Ione turned to the fae towering above them, already knowing the answer. Her voice was shaky as she tried to take on an imperious air similar to Iman. “You aren’t a faculty member. What are you doing on school grounds?”

“Greetings, humans,” he replied with an air of nonchalance.  “I am searching for someone, and my search has brought me…”

“That doesn’t answer my question!” Ione cut him off. “Who are you? And how did you get past the school gates?”

“I came through the school gates the same way you two did,” he replied, forcing a smile.

“You came through the gates?” Ione raised her eyebrow, “In spite of the fact that the gates leading into NRC are protected by magic?”

“ Magic known only to our headmage? ” Danica added, joining in on the ruse. “We take it Crowley is aware of your presence then?”

“Ah, yes, Dire Crowley!” The fae grinned. “Indeed I am…visiting him. We are old friends.”

“Hmph, well, in that case, you have no reason to be wandering the woods like you are.” Ione asserted, though her nerves tingled with anticipation.

“And what about you, humans?” The fae asked slyly. “Are you not doing the same? What are two hapless humans like yourselves doing all alone on a winter evening like this?” He looked around them, noticing how Ione and Danica’s eyes kept shifting to the bushes where their companions hid. "Hmm, perhaps 'alone' isn't the most accurate term..."

“Uhhh…I…we…ummm,” Ione suddenly hesitated. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Iman and Vidaria slowly moving out of their hiding place. She took a deep breath; she only had to continue this charade a few moments longer. “Sir, we are NRC students. We are far from hapless! And unlike you, we actually belong here!”

“But you’re right about it being cold,” said Danica. “We’ll take you to the headmage now if you wish.”

“After all, for someone claiming to be visiting him, you’re pretty far from his office!”

Ione did not wait for him to reply before boldly grabbing his hand to pull him away from the bushes. The fae humored her and allowed her to lead him further away but his senses remained locked onto the bushes, looking for any hint that something might be amiss.

“He’s still looking this way,” Iman whispered to Vidaria. “We might have no choice but to bolt.”

“But Sister…”

“It’s four of us and one of him, and Yuulan and Taima are around here too!”

“Yeah! You guys can’t hide here forever!”

Grim emerged from behind them, scaring them both. His loud tone more frightening than the fact he had snuck up on them. He would surely give them away if he didn’t lower it.

“Hush, you blasted cat!” Iman hissed. “We’re hiding from Vidaria’s kidnappers! Why isn’t Yuulan with you?!”

“I told you I’m not a cat!”

“GRIM!!”

“I knew you were hiding something from me!”

They had been discovered. And just like that, the two other fae suddenly emerged, one from the bushes and another from up in the trees. This had been a trap all along. The one following Ione yanked her away from him but Ione, in a fit of boldness, jumped in front of him. He smacked her to the ground but she quickly got back up, summoning her pen.

“How dare you?!” Ione ran after him.

“Out of my way, human!”

He chased Iman and Vidaria, but they had begun running off in the opposite direction. Grim was lagging behind them and tried to create a diversion by summoning a wall of blue flames. His fiery magic separated the girls from the fae but also encircled them and prevented further running. They screamed.

“Ha! Try getting through that?!”  The cat smirked with satisfaction.

“Damnit Grim! We’re trapped!” shouted Vidaria.

“Yeah, but he mist fae can’t get to you now! And…MYRAH?! What the…”

“Hmph, pathetic.” The fae sneered when he made the flames vanish with the wave of his hand. Grim’s smug look quickly melted. “Such unrefined magic.”

“And such futile efforts,” as the flames faded, the other two fae appeared and one grabbed Vidaria’s arm. “Playtime is over, Your Highness! You’re coming with us now!”

“I think not!”

With the force of a strong and violent gale, Taima and Yuulan arrived on the scene, ready to defend their friends. Ione and Danica had caught up to them as well, and Iman and Vidaria took the opportunity to run back toward the campus. One of the fae gave chase to them, but Grim jumped up on his head and began viciously biting at his face.

“Uh…at least he’s enthusiastic.”

Yuulan couldn’t help but giggle at her feline companion’s antics, even as her heart trembled at the sight of the imposing second fae in front of her, Danica and Ione. She took a deep breath and, for good measure, retrieved the dagger concealed in her jacket pocket.

“I don’t know what you want with Vidaria and frankly I don’t even care!”

“Don’t make her use that!" Danica warned. “Cause what happens next will be on you!”

“You wanna take Vidaria, you’ll have to walk over our coffins first!” Added Ione.

“Damn, Ione, that’s pretty hardcore!” Yuulan grinned.

“Uhh, not really. I just thought you guys sounded cool and I wanted to sound cool too,”  Ione admitted with a sheepish smile.

“Silence! We’ve had enough of this!” The second fae pulled out a large magipen of the likes neither had seen before. “As for walking over your coffins, keep standing in our way, and there won’t be anything left of you to bury!”

The girls squeezed hands, and Ione and Danica put themselves in front of Yuulan, the only magic users of the three. With one fae occupied with Grim and the other fighting Yuulan, Ione, Danica, Iman, and Vidaria watched from a distance. Vidaria wanted to help them, but one look at her very blotted magipen quickly made her forget that idea. She was already very distressed and didn’t want her unstable magic to cause unintended damage.

They decided to run back to campus as soon as they could, but when they finally decided to make a run for it, the third of the fae tried to block them. Taima immediately came to their aid, grabbing him by the waist. Despite being much taller than her, she was able to quickly drag him to the ground, a useful skill from her martial arts training. He engaged with her but called out a warning to his comrades.

“Don’t let Princess Vidaria escape!” Getting back on his feet and glaring down at Taima. “And you! Stay out of our way, and you won’t be hurt!”

“Ha! Implying you can hurt me!”

She cloaked herself in a protective whirlwind that prevented the fae from getting too close to her. As they fought, she held in her hand one of the iron daggers. When her shield began to fade, he grabbed her by one of her pigtails, and she immediately slashed at his arm. He jumped back, grabbing his arm, and Taima took advantage of his current state to deliver another kick to his skull, leaving him sprawled on the forest floor.  

“Now, Dani! While they’re all occupied! Use your unique magic!”

Danica closed her eyes and sang out an incantation that, if done correctly, would render the fae unconscious and stripped of magic.

“Silenced to my whim, enchanted to your ruin. A cursed serenade, my beloved…”

The fae fighting Grim finally managed to yank him off her face, throwing him against a nearby tree and knocking him out. He grabbed Danica by her hair, throwing her against a tree before she could finish her spell.      

Yuulan screamed and went to pick Grim up and make sure he was alright. Holding his unconscious body and seeing the fae approach Danica while she was struggling to stand enraged her. She quickly got back up.

“Ione, hold Grim, give him a potion to help him wake up,” she said before taking out her dagger again and calling out to Taima. “Get him!”

At once, they charged him, sinking their daggers into his back. He screeched loudly, loud enough to deafen them, and turned to Yuulan, smacking her to the ground.

“Feckless, human bitch!” His grip tightened around her neck. “Your end is here!”

Taima helped Danica up, and they tried to help her, but the other two fae blocked them. Yuulan tried her best to break free, but she quickly became lightheaded as she struggled for air. Her eyes became heavy, and soon, she couldn’t feel anything as her vision went black.

“MYRAH?! Oh no!” Grim had regained consciousness and gasped at what he saw. “Yuulan! No! He’s going to kill her! Ione, we gotta do something!”

But Ione stood frozen, terrified at what she was seeing. She knew fighting fae would be far from simple, but it astonished her how quickly everything was going wrong. Their magic was on a whole different level, even compared to the third-year students, and she briefly wondered if she could ever acquire enough magical skills to be even half as proficient. Looking around her, she saw that Iman and Vidaria were nowhere to be seen, and she prayed that they had somehow made it to safety.

Yuulan…he’s choking…no! He’s going to kill Yuulan! But what can I do? I can’t fight him! I’m not strong enough! No! I’m never strong enough! Worthless weed! Worthless weed!

“No…”

Ione was weak, she was awkward, and her existence in this world had only ever brought others misery or cruel amusement. She was the weakest member of Danica’s VDC team and she had been powerless all of her life. She wasn’t like the others, she wasn’t stylish and she wasn’t cool and she certainly wasn’t strong. And on top of all of that, she was apparently stupid because here she was, watching one of her classmates being choked out and all she was doing was standing there, stupefied and afraid.

“No!”

Yuulan is going to die! Worthless weed! Worthless weed!

She squeezed her eyes shut as they overflowed with frightened, angry tears. No, she couldn’t let this happen. She wouldn’t let this happen. Ione refused to be a worthless weed any longer.

Worthless weed! Worthless…

“NO!!!”

She screamed, dropping Grim, as her entire body felt as if it were ablaze. Something strong and powerful was coursing through her, magical energy unlike any she had ever felt before. It was pulsing and relentless, demanding she act on it.

“LEAVE US ALONE!!!”

Several large roots unearthed themselves as she spoke these words, grabbing Yuulan’s assailant and his companions. Yuulan was released and she immediately began gasping for air as Grim gaped at her and Ione.

“Ione! How are you doing that?!”

“I don’t know!”

“What?! What’s this?!” The fae seemed just as shocked and confused by Ione’s sudden newfound sorcery as Ione was summoning it. “Unhand us! Vile roots!”

But the roots would not relent and Ione quickly abandoned her shock at what she had done and began using it to her advantage. She pointed at the fae with murderous intent and more roots answered her call, coiling around them like large snakes.

I don’t know how I’m doing this, but it doesn’t matter now!

With her fears melted away and her confidence in full bloom, Ione directed the roots around their necks. And with incredible force, the roots dragged the fae screaming and thrashing, squeezing tighter around them. They would soon get a taste of what they had just put Yuulan through.

“Choke them! Strangle them! See to it that they never try to harm Vidaria again!” Ione spoke to the roots, demanding them to destroy the fae, and giggled as she saw them fall under the influence of her new, spectacular magic. The others watched her with equal parts surprise and awe. “I told you to leave us alone! What happens next is wholly on you!”

Soon enough, the fae were rendered unconscious and the roots released them, leaving them on the ground lifeless and limp. Grim cautiously threaded over to them, smacking them with his tail to ensure they were not responsive, and grinned when he realized they weren’t.

“That was awesome!” He shrieked. “So, awesome! Ione! I never knew you had magic like that!”

“N…neither did I…” Ione replied, down from her powerful high and gazing at the result of her magic. “What…how did I…”

“You can contemplate that later!”

Iman and Vidaria had stayed close to keep the fae away from the campus. Now they reappeared to reunite with their friends.

“That was amazing!” Vidaria smiled. “Thank you, Ione. Whatever magic you now have at your disposal, at that moment, it was our salvation.”

“Never in my life did I imagine you’d have it in you, Wallflower!” Iman grinned. “And the way you spoke to them! That was so courageous! I told you, you have a lot more to give and for once, you gave a thousand percent to this situation!”

“Come on, guys!” Danica started heading toward the campus, looking over her shoulder at everyone else. “Let’s get out of here before they regain consciousness—if they regain consciousness!”

“She’s right,” Taima said, following behind her. The others soon followed suit. “Let’s get back to Pomefiore.”

~~~

Danica brewed some of the herbal tea Violetta had given her and offered it to Vidaria. She drank it slowly, breathing deeply in and out as her mind and body left survivor mode and she realized that she was truly out of danger. Soon enough, the blots on her green magestone faded, and they would all be safe.

“I’m sorry, everyone,” she said. “Forgive me for putting you all in such a harrowing situation. It was bad enough that Iman had to endure that over winter break. But to involve you all… no one should have to face what I've endured.”

“You’re talking about this like this was your fault,” replied Taima. “From what Iman told us, you’ve been dealing with terrorists from your homeland for years.”

“It’s my fault for trying to come back to Ramshackle on my own,” Vidaria shook her head. “I went back to Diasomnia with no trouble, but Malleus…he…we got in a quarrel with Lilia because I gave my VDC passes to Silver and not him. Malleus also wasn’t too keen on me being in the VDC either so this just made him even more upset and in a fit of frustration, I ran out of the dorm and wasn’t even thinking! I just wanted to get out of there! I wasn’t thinking, I wasn’t thinking at all!”

“Vidi…”

Iman could see the tears coming, and she placed her arm around her friend. It was all too much for Vidaria, and she quickly buried her face in Iman’s chest, weeping as Iman stroked her hair.

“It’s alright, Vidi. Everything’s alright. You’re safe now.”

“No! I’m not! This is only going to continue until I marry him!” she looked up at her friend with glittering eyes. “And who knows? This may even continue well until our coronation! I’ll never be safe! Never!”

“Vidaria,” Ione cautiously spoke up. “Why would those fae not want you to marry Malleus Draconia? I thought he was crazy-powerful. Wouldn’t it be good for your kingdom too to have a…”

“Ione, hush!” Iman hissed, not wanting to see her friend further distressed. But Vidaria gazed at Ione with sympathy.

“It’s a very long story, but the short version is this: a long time ago, our kingdoms were at war. But once they came to a stalemate, it was decided that the eldest princess of one of the kingdoms would marry the eldest prince of the other, thus uniting them. And that prince and princess are…”

“You and Malleus…” Danica sighed. “Yes, we understand now.”

“But there are some in my kingdom who reject peace. They think they can still defeat the Draconias, and so every few months, they try to use me as leverage to end the current ceasefire. I have to be under constant guard because of it! I can never be alone, I can never travel without escorts, I can never be normal!”

“So that’s why Lilia wanted the Diasomnia students to stay here,” Taima said. “To protect Vidaria.”

“It gets so tiring!” Vidaria suddenly exclaimed with fresh new tears. “For as long as I can remember, I’ve been trapped in this arrangement with Malleus, unable to do anything about it lest more blood be shed between our nations! I wanted to join the VDC because I thought it would be fun and maybe, just maybe, I could have the experience of a normal girl! But I couldn’t even have that without them targeting me! It’s a nightmare I’ll never wake from and what’s worse, there’s another person I want to marry, and guess what? It’s not Malleus Draconia!”

“WHAT?!” Iman gazed at her friend with shock. “Vidi! You never told me…”

“What is there to tell? It doesn’t matter anyway! He’s a human, for one, and whatever my feelings are on the matter, I have to marry Malleus to keep peace between the fae nations! The fact that I’m in love with another counts for nothing!”

“But what about Malleus?” Yuulan asked. “It might be possible that Malleus loves someone else too. Couldn’t your two kingdoms come to some kind of understanding that doesn’t involve a marriage of state?”

“I don’t know what is in Malleus’ heart,” said Vidaria. “But he is not in mine, and sadly, this situation is past the negotiation point. I will be the next queen of Briar Valley, and I am powerless to change that.”

“Powerless…”

Danica had been listening to Vidaria’s lament but had little to say. Instead, she listened and began to wonder why Sidonie hated her so much. Vidaria was in a remarkable situation that she probably did not ask for, and she couldn’t help but feel sympathetic. Her admission of feeling powerless made Danica further wonder if they were really so different after all.

“You’ve gone through so much,” she went on. “But the fact that you are still here is a testament to your strength, Vidaira. You’re far from powerless.”

“I wish I could believe that,” Vidaria sniffed, wiping her face with her sleeve. “I gave up believing I was strong a long time ago. What I am is stubborn. I don't want to die. I still wish to live even when it’s painful. That’s not strength.”

“Yes it is!” Taima said. “Cause it means you haven’t been broken yet! It means you can’t be broken!”

“For once, I agree with Taima,” Iman nodded, giving Vidaria another hug. “Vidi, you are one of the strongest beings I’ve ever known, person or fae. And you can’t let those bastards take that from you.”

“We shouldn’t let anyone take that from us,” Danica sighed. “You aren’t powerless, Vidaria; none of us are. We all worked together to help you, and Ione realized her UM. We aren’t powerless.”

“My UM?” Ione looked up at Danica. “UM? You mean…my…my…unique…”

“It’s the only thing that it could be,” Danica replied with a little smile. “Congratulations, Ione. You’ve found your unique magic!”

“WHAT?!” Ione’s jaw dropped, looking at her magipen and then at her companions. “My unique magic?! Really?! I…I…”

“Yeah!” Iman grinned. “Way to go, Wallflower! You’re already ahead of more than half of the freshman!”

“And even some of the sophomores,” Vidaria smiled in spite of herself. “I haven’t discovered my unique magic yet either.”

“I can’t believe it!” In an excited fit of frenzy, Ione began jumping up and down, saying it over and over again. “My unique magic! My unique magic!”

The others congratulated Ione and for the first time since they began the VDC training camp weeks ago, Danica could see true camaraderie between her teammates. They had come together to help Vidaria, set aside their differences, and now they were truly getting along. Even with all that happened that day between her and Vil, she couldn’t help but feel a giddy sense of joy. And at that moment, she was feeling extremely bold.

“We can come together when we need to,” she said. “And when we do, we can do incredible things.”

“We are all pretty incredible. Aren’t we?” Taima smiled. “All of us, even Iman!”

“What’s THAT supposed to mean?!” Iman asked, laughing.

“But we should all be as incredible as we can possibly be,” Danica continued, with a little sigh. “And we shouldn’t have to hold back how incredible we are, not for anything, or…anyone.”

“Hmmm?” Taima noticed the look in her friends’ eyes and her interest was piqued. “What do you mean, Dani?”

“I’m done hiding, no more hiding!” With new confidence, she stood up and called for everyone’s attention. “Guys, there is something important I need to tell you all. It’s about our performance for the VDC.”

“We’re listening, Danica,” said Ione.

“First, I want to apologize to Iman. She was right when she implied I wrote our song because of Vil-san. I did, and the lyrics reflected how I felt about him at the time.”

“No need to apologize, Danica,” Iman smiled. “It’s been two years now, I’m sure your feelings have matured. Now that you’re older and you know him personally.”

“Were, not are,” Danica admitted somberly. “What my feelings were. But after today, after several weeks, I don’t know if I can honestly say I still have those feelings anymore.”

“Vil-san has been pretty hard on you,” Taima said. “And half of the time, he’s mean to you for things that aren’t even your fault. I feel like if he knew how deeply you cared for him, he would try to be nicer.”

“Weather he would or not is no longer relevant,” shaking her head. “Whatever you guys think of Sidonie, she has been my biggest support in Pomefiore. Forcing her off the team was the final straw for me. I can’t abide by his wishes anymore in good conscious.”

“What were his wishes?” Iman asked.

Danica hesitated. She felt her heart beginning to race as she thought about how to answer. She was standing at a crossroads now and very close to a point she would not be able to return from. The river’s current was flowing fast and unrelenting, and what she said next could very well determine whether she would find her way to safety or drown altogether.

You cannot fight the current, cherie. And you cannot fight what you truly know in your heart to be right.

What I know in my heart to be right…yes…what I know to be right…

“I…I’m not sure I can explain this in words,” she said at last. “I think it’s better if I just show you, and then you guys can decide if you agree with me.”

~~~

Thankfully, Farron was still awake and was more than happy to let Danica into his studio so she could retrieve what she was looking for and make quick alterations.

“Farron, before you return to your room, do you mind coming into the ballroom with me? I want you to be there when I show this to the others, but I also want to ask you something afterward.”

“Oh? Is it something you can’t ask me right now?” He asked as he removed the last few pins.

“No, but you’ll understand when we go to the ballroom.”

Farron thought this odd, but cheerfully took Danica’s hand as they walked back to the ballroom where Yuulan, Grim, and her four remaining teammates were waiting for her. Immediately, Iman gasped as her eyes took in the stunning black stage outfit Danica was wearing. Taima squealed with delight, reaching out to touch the black feathers adorning the bodice, and Vidaria and Ione also made their approval very clear.

“Such a beautiful dress,” said Vidaria. “Elegant and sleek, I love it!”

“Me too!” added Ione. “I’m not sure I would be able to wear something like that, but it suits you very well, Danica!”

“See? Why can’t we wear something like this for the VDC?” Iman asked. “I love this a thousand times more than what we’re currently wearing!”

“Farron is an amazing tailor, no doubt!” Vidaria agreed, “But I feel like that is more suited to our style. Our song, maybe not, but if we were…”

“That’s the point!” Danica cut her off.

“Originally, Danica had a whole different song in mind for the VDC,” Farron explained, smoothing out the fabric of her skirt. “And together, we designed this outfit to match.”

“Well okay then!” Iman nodded. “Why couldn’t we do that song?”

Danica sighed, her face flushing warm with a mix of embarrassment and fear.

“For that song, Taima and I also created choreography to accompany it. I showed some of it to Vil-san, and he hated it. Well, hate might be too strong a word, but he certainly disapproved. He said it was too sexy, and he didn’t want me to be provocative on stage.”

“Seriously?! So that’s why we’re stuck with what we have now?! Because Vil-san was afraid of OTHERS slut-shaming us?! What you’re wearing is not even all that racy!”

“It’s more flirtatious than provocative!” added Vidaria. “But flirtatious doesn’t always mean trashy!”

“He didn’t even want us to be flirtatious!” Danica sighed. “He compared this situation to the black and white swan and how I needed to remain a white one. He said we should all be sweet and graceful white swans instead of alluring and bold black swans. He’s worried if we…no…if I were too provocative, public perception of me would vilify me as a black swan forever. And I would never be able to break from that role or be anything else.”

“Oh, Cygnet…”

This was the first time Farron heard any of this. While it initially surprised him when Vil told him to design a whole new outfit for Danica, he had no idea how deeply this all ran. In her eyes, he saw sadness and the inner conflict of someone creative being forced to be something they weren’t—a conflict he knew all too well. He softly placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her while the others listened. But Iman let out a loud scoff.

“Merciful sands, I thought we as a society had progressed past such ideas!” she said.

“What do you mean?” Danica asked.

“Where I’m from, the only people who still cling to such backward ideas are bitter old men way past their glory days!” she went on. “I’ve heard some of the things Vil has said about gender, so I thought he’d be above such ideas too!”

“It does seem a tad unfair,” Ione admitted. “Even though I like our song and costumes, it seems hypocritical considering the boys definitely look sexy when they perform together.”

“It IS unfair!” Taima added. “And it IS hypocritical! No one is gonna bat an eye at what our boys do! Hell, no one bats an eye at what other boy groups do on stage either, and sometimes they can get very raunchy!”

“But sevens forbid we want to be a little coquettish,” Vidaria rolled her eyes. Humans never cease to amuse me with their stupidity sometimes. Why should we have to tailor ourselves based on what stupid people think?!”

“YES! RIGHT ON THE NOSE!” Danica jumped. “That’s EXACTLY what I’ve been thinking since we’ve begun this training camp! I knew from the beginning what I wanted for us! I trust Vil-san, I listen to him for the most part, but this never sat right with me! You know, in ballet, the white and black swans are usually danced by the SAME woman! Why should I have to be one or the other?!”

“You SHOULDN’T have to!” Iman affirmed. “That’s the point!”

“None of you have a say over what you’re doing, what you’re singing, or even what you’re wearing!” Yuulan shook her head. “If you ask me, that is true powerlessness.”

“Well, I’m sick of it! I’ve done everything Vil-san has asked of me, but he still doesn’t see how hard I’m working! He doesn’t understand! And even if…” Danica stopped herself to bite back a few tears. “Even if my feelings were recuperated, it wouldn’t matter because in the end, the black swan is the villainous foil to the white one. And only a white swan is worthy of the love of a prince.”

“I don’t believe that,” Taima said. “And if you ask me, Vil-san has been far from princely! You clearly care about him and yet he can’t even trust you to give the performance you want! You deserve better than this, Dani!”

“The more you all talk, the more I’m inclined to think we should change our VDC performance to be more like what we ALL really want!” Iman replied.

“There is just one issue,” Danica sighed. “We have literally eleven days before the VDC and if learning new lyrics and choreography weren’t enough…” She turned to Farron, who was looking at her with concern. “We wouldn’t be the only ones who would have to work together on this. So sadly, I don’t think…”

“I’m going to stop you right there, Cygnet,” Farron said, taking her hand. “Let me tell you something that Vil said to me during my freshman year. He told me, when something calls to you, you can never forget it. No matter how hard you try, you will be compelled to answer that call sooner or later.”

He gently squeezed her hand. “You are an amazing performer; you have a clear vision of what you need to do to win the VDC. Vil means well, but this time, he’s clearly in the wrong, and I can’t ignore how unfair he’s been to you. I will help you in whatever way I can.”

“But Farron…”

“All my work for the film research club is finished for the time being and anything that comes up, I can just give it to the other freshman.”

“And I’ll help him!” Yuulan stood up. “My sewing skills still need work, but Farron has been helping me improve so it’s only right I return the favor!”

“Thank you, Yuulan,” Farron smiled. “See, Cygnet? Yuulan and I will create new outfits for your black swan quintet. Outfits that will be just as gorgeous as yours!”

“Black Swan Quintet…” Danica smiled. Yes, it was a fitting name. She couldn’t have thought of a better one herself. “Yes, Black Swan Quintet! That’s what we’ll be from now on!”

“So…does this mean what I think it means?” Ione asked.

“Yes, Ione,” Danica grinned, her power having returned at long last.

“We are changing our performance! We aren’t even going to tell Vil-san about it! He will find out the day of, and by then, it will be too late to turn back! We’re still going to win the VDC, but we’re going to win on my own terms! In my own way!”

~~~

It had been an eventful day, far more than any of the girls had anticipated. They returned to Ramshakle with exhaustion weighing on them like heavy cloaks. As Danica reached the door of her room, a familiar presence stopped her. She turned to Vil, an unreadable expression etched across his fair features.

“Where have you been?” he asked, in a tone more concerned than irritated. Still, Danica fought the learned urge to flinch under his scrutiny.

“Look, I’m sorry we came back late,” she said. “But we were…”

“Late?” Vil interjected. “More than late; it’s nearly midnight! I tried calling you several times but received no answer!”

“I’m sorry. My phone must have died. But we had to rehearse late. After all,” Danica had been avoiding his gaze but now looked up at him with weary indignation. “Our performance for the headmage was lackluster today, as you put it.”

Vil recalled his words and felt a sharp pang of guilt. Such harshness was unnecessary, and he acknowledged it to himself. Even if he remained as stoic as ever. He signed.

“Well, the boys have already eaten and gone to bed. You should have been back earlier. Proper rest and sustenance are as crucial to rehearsing as rehearsing itself.”

Danica swallowed her frustration, nodding in agreement. But she noticed how his reprimand lacked its usual sharpness, a subtle indication of his underlying concern. She silently acknowledged it, but her pride prevented her from commenting. Instead, she turned away from him. But as she turned the knob of her door, Vil stopped her again, gently tapping on the side of her forehead.

“What’s this?” he asked, referring to a scratch on her forehead, an injury sustained during Vidaria’s rescue. This time, his concern was evident in his tone, but Danica brushed it off with another lie.

“It’s just a scratch. I wasn’t paying attention and bumped into a sharp branch. It will be gone by the VDC.”

Vil sensed there was more to the story, but he chose not to press further. He could feel the chill in her tone, a reflection of his own coldness towards her.

“I shouldn’t have yelled at you earlier,” he said. “I realize Sidonie’s sudden departure fractured your progress today. That wasn’t your fault, and I shouldn’t have…”

“Then you should have thought about that before getting rid of her!” Danica retorted sharply. Despite her exhaustion, her anger was evident, and Vil knew he had no right to defend himself. Not yet, anyway.

“We’ll discuss this further after your final evaluation,” was all that he said in response, his tone softer than ever. “Goodnight, Danica. Try to get some rest.”

She did not respond with words, merely nodding as she closed the door behind her. Despite the thaw in Vil’s demeanor, she remained unmoved. And she greatly looked forward to unveiling the Black Swan Quintet at the VDC,  eager to see Vil’s reaction to her newfound power.

In truth, Vil was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to really give any extra to what was quickly happening right under his nose. About an hour later, Danica sent out a text to her teammates, beckoning her to come to her room. Once they were all gathered, she played Guilty Kiss for them for the first time. If they had been eager for change before, they were positively ecstatic now, enthralled by the infectious electro beat and profound lyrics.

“I’m going to change a few of the lyrics around, but the melody will stay mostly the same," she explained. I wrote this song during winter break when I was…feeling guilty about feeling attracted to someone.” A soft red tint came to her face. “Someone I felt guilty about desiring.”

“Ohhhh?”

Iman's teasing glance prompted a blush from Danica. “Not about Vil,” she clarified. “But I think this will be about Vil now, the lyrics, I mean. Before, this song was about guilty physical attraction. Now it will be about guilty love. Caring for someone who continues to hurt you over and over again.”

“Oh, Dani…” Taima sighed sadly.

“Guilty feelings,” mused Ione.

“A guilty heart,” Vidaria added.

“Guilty heart…” Danica repeated Vidaria’s words, a new grin spreading across her face. “Yes! Perfect! Guilty Heart! That will be the new title!”

The following morning, after the boys left for rehearsal and they were alone, Danica showed off some of the dance moves she and Taima had come up with for the song. Iman was thrilled. Vidaria and Ione on the other hand were warier but Danica assured them that she would tailor their performance to suit each of them and that they would mostly have to focus on singing.

“I believe Iman, Taima, and I are the best dancers in our group anyway,” she told them. “So I think we will have the most intense choreography and what I give you guys to do will still be lovely but not as involved.”

After weeks of dancing and learning to dance, it was surprisingly easy for everyone to shift to the new choreography Danica made for them. And there was something to be said about how their new enthusiasm made learning their new performance all the easier. For the first time in weeks, Danica was beginning to truly feel confident again in what she was doing.

Meanwhile, Farron and Yuulan worked on the new costumes. It was easier to do this since Farron’s studio was off-limits to most other students, and Vil was out of the dorm most of the day except for rehearsal with the NRC Tribe. And when Vil was around, they simply placed their work back in the closet away from sight, going right back to their work the second he was gone.

“Such a shame, though,” Farron said to Danica one day during a fitting for Vidaria’s costume. “I do like the white costumes I made, even if you guys don’t end up using them.”

“Honestly, I like them too,” Danica admitted. “I just don’t like what they’ve come to represent. But maybe once this is all over and done with, we can find a use for them. Maybe for next year’s VDC if we decide on a sweeter performance concept.” She giggled. “Wouldn’t that be rather ironic?”

“I think as long as it’s something you actually want, it shouldn’t matter what your concept is.” Yuulan chimed in. “Who cares if it’s ironic?”

“Well said, Yuulan.” Vidaria smiled, looking at herself in the full mirror and admiring her new costume. “But I really love this dress, and I hope…” quietly. I hope he likes how I look, too.”

“Oh?” Danica looked up at her. “Who? You don’t mean Malleus-sama do you?”

“I don’t,” Vidaria winked. “But that’s a secret only for me!”

The hardest part of this transition was that they were still expected to continue practicing their original performance. Since Vil still had no idea of what was going on, and Danica wished to keep him in the dark, they still devoted time to perfecting their original performance. Even if they practiced Guilty Heart for two hours, they still devoted at least the same amount of time to Our Happily Ever After . This was especially important since Vil would soon be giving them one final evaluation before the VDC, and a lot was riding on this one. If Vil could be satisfied with their performance, then it was likely he would let Danica off the hook and no longer be as involved in their progress. Making their ruse easier to pull off.

That evaluation finally came a few days later when Vil gathered the girls in the Pomefiore ballroom to see their progress. They were fully dressed in their white costumes and in spite of practicing two very different songs at the same time, they were determined to pass their final evaluation. And Danica was determined that after today, she would never sing Our Happily Ever After again.

~~~

[rosie-b]

How Marinette Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Ball

Chapter 3: The Heirs' Ball (Links to Ch. 1, Ch. 2)

Summary: Marinette crosses into the fairy realm for the first time and attends the heirs' ball, where the prince's soulmate will be announced.

As always, you can read the whole chapter below or on AO3 using the links above!

On the evening of the ball, Marinette spent about two minutes getting dressed and ready. 

It would have taken her even less time, but the instructions written on the tiny acorn she’d gotten in the mail were a bit hard to decipher, and Marinette wanted to make she didn’t say the wrong thing and accidentally tamper with the premade spell’s effect on her outfit, so she spent a minute and a half checking to make sure she had all the words right.

Standing in front of her mirror and wearing only what she wanted underneath the gown, Marinette took a deep breath and pictured her hopes for the dress one more time. With a single whispered sentence, she unlocked the enchantment in the acorn, and as Marinette held it, it began to grow, stretching out to become a long bolt of red fabric, which wrapped around Marinette and began to shape itself into an elegant gown. On Marinette’s feet, two slippers formed, and when she looked in the mirror, she saw that they were made from a red-hued crystal, strong and unbreakable but comfortable to wear. Marinette allowed herself a private smile. She knew getting an outfit from the fae would be exciting!

The fabric continued to shape itself around Marinette, spreading out into a sleeveless A-line gown with a Queen Anne neckline. The bodice was made of a red silk taffeta with black diamonds sewn in it, reminiscent of the ladybug-inspired dress Marinette had designed all those years ago, the first time she met Chat Noir. As the taffeta ruffled out and ended just past Marinette’s hips, a black tulle layer formed under it, creating the base of the full skirt. To finish, a golden glow of magic rushed up past Marinette’s shoulders, twisting her black hair into a low inverted bun and adding a thin layer of makeup to her face. The magic tucked a golden flower pin into her hair, and then it rushed down again to Marinette’s hands, manifesting as a thin card with her name on it. Marinette knew from the second letter she’d gotten from the castle, after she sent a letter accepting her invitation, that this card was to be presented at the main fairy gate, where she’d meet her assigned Seelie guard and cross into the fae realm for the very first time in her life.

Marinette felt a thrill race through her as she thought about it. For all her years interacting with Chat Noir, Alya, and various other fairies or mixies, Marinette had never yet had the chance to visit their home realm. 

There’s nothing that special about it, Marinette told herself. It’s just that everyone there has magic, and you might finally get to meet the real Chat Noir, who you are in love with, and his family after you leave the ball. Yeah. No big deal.

Brushing an imaginary speck of dust from her dress, Marinette headed downstairs, where her parents were waiting to see their little girl off.

“Marinette! That must be the dress they sent you, isn’t it?” Marinette nodded shyly at her papa’s question. “I had trouble believing that an outfit could grow from that acorn, but here the proof is in front of my own eyes! You look so grown-up,” Tom said, wiping a tear from his eye.

Nodding her head in agreement, Sabine pulled her daughter into a short embrace, pulling back and resting her hand on Marinette’s cheek. “You look simply beautiful, Marinette. I’m so proud of you,” she said.

Cheeks turning a light pink, Marinette looked down at her mother with a smile. 

“All I did was get a random invitation, Mama,” she insisted. “I didn’t even have to do anything but accept it.”

“Maybe, but the fact that you might be the prince’s soulmate speaks for itself!” Tom boomed excitedly. “I’m sure he’ll fall in love as soon as he sees you. But you don’t have to marry him, sweetie,” Tom said earnestly. “If he turns out to be a jerk like Chloe, dump him and come straight home. Okay?”

“Okay, Papa.” Marinette said, turning to give him a hug too before she left.

“Ah-ah! Hold on, Marinette, we need a picture before you leave! That dress is absolutely stunning, and you look gorgeous in it,” Sabine said, walking over to grab the camera from off the table.

“Mama,” Marinette protested, but she stood still for the pictures anyway, a radiant smile on her face. Afterwards, both her parents encased her in another warm hug, offering to walk with her to the gate and making sure she had a ride home after the ball, since they both had to go to bed soon after she left so that they could the bakery on time the next day.

Finally, Marinette was on her way to the fairy gate. A collection of about a dozen or so girls was already gathered by the gate, some of whom she recognized and most of whom she did not. One blond girl with a pixie stood out from the crowd, though.

“Rose?” Marinette asked when she drew close enough to confirm her suspicions. “You got invited, too? I thought you were dating Juleka.”

Rose turned to face Marinette, a bright smile on her face. “Marinette! You look gorgeous,” she exclaimed, running her eyes over the details in the red dress. “I am dating Juleka, so we both figured that I’m not the prince’s soulmate. Even if I do turn out to be his soulmate, I’d obviously choose Juleka over him anyway. I’m just here for the ball,” Rose laughed. “There are going to be so many pretty dresses to admire, and I’ve heard the palace ballroom is full of famous art. I promised Juleka I’d take pictures.”

“That was nice of you,” Marinette smiled. “I have to admit, I’m mostly here for the dresses, too. Although, I have a friend in the fae realm I’d like to meet when all of this is done,” she admitted.

“Oh, that’s right! Alya Cesaire, the mixie you introduced me to! She made me a potion for my throat after it got sore from practice once.”

“That’s her,” Marinette said, unsure if she wanted to keep up this facade or not. Technically, it wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth. “She promised to guide me back from the fae realm, actually.”

“That’s so sweet of her,” Rose cooed. “Oh! Marinette, you have to meet Celestine; she came all the way from Duxford, England when she got her invitation. There are girls here from all over the world!”

“Hello, Celestine,” Marinette said, offering the redhead a hand to shake.

“Pleased to meet you,” Celestine said, taking the proffered hand. “I was really excited to get the chance to come here. Even if I don’t turn out to be the prince’s soulmate, this is still a great chance to see the fae realm! Parisians are so used to having their own fairy gate, but the rest of the world has to wait for the fae to visit them, or come here if they want to cross realms. I’m thrilled to be offered this chance.”

“I’ve never crossed realms before, either,” Marinette said. “It can be dangerous without a Seelie guide. It’s true that Parisians have it easier than most, but we’re all very lucky to have this opportunity!”

As the town square’s clock struck seven, the Seelie guides arrived through the gate, finding the girl they were assigned to escort and crossing with them to the fairy realm.

“Celestine?” a dark haired guide called. Celestine raised her hand, and the guard stepped over, checked her name card, and bowed, offering an elbow for Celestine to hold as they crossed realms. As they headed through the gate, another guard appeared by Marinette, tapping her shoulder to get her attention.

“Hello?” Marinette asked, turning around to see who it was.

“Hello, Marinette,” a voice belonging to a boy who looked to be about her age. Greeting her with a warm smile, the guide held out his hand, waiting for Marinette’s card. She handed it to him, eyes searching the guide’s hazel eyes as she wondered how he already knew her name. “Alya told me all about you, but I don’t think she’s mentioned me by name to you yet. I’m Nino Lahiffe, guard to the prince, Seelie guide on the weekends, and recently promoted to being Alya’s boyfriend.”

Marinette’s eyes widened as Nino briefly checked the card over and released the spell on it, leaving a magicless acorn in his hands. The dress remained on Marinette, a permanent gift from the Seelie rulers.

“Oh, that’s how you knew my name! Alya did mention you to me, but she refused to tell me who her new beau was until after the first date. Did you have fun together?”

Nino smiled, tucking the acorn into his pocket with a far-off look on his face. 

“I think we did,” he said wistfully. “She agreed to meet me again on Tuesday for coffee, so it can’t have been a bad date, right?”

“I don’t think Alya would have agreed to another date with you if it was,” Marinette laughed. Taking Nino’s elbow, the two of them stepped through the fairy gate, and the human realm vanished behind Marinette as she entered the fairy realm for the first time.

The gate stood in a park near the Seelie palace, partially to show the humans’ acknowledgement of the fairies’ right to rule the realm and partially to cut down on the number of Unseelies that came through the gate. Not many of them fancied going near the Seelie palace, but sometimes one or two would pass through to the human realm and cause some mischief. A misplaced wallet here, a possessed goat there, the damage was recorded and undone by the Seelies as soon as it was caught, but the gate’s placement helped to cut down on the frequency of these incidents. Since the palace was so close to the gate, the girls’ guides were really only a formality. Still, you never know when an Unseelie will pop up, so it is best that we stay on the safe side, Marinette mused.

Stepping through the elaborate gardens that made up the south part of the park, Marinette admired the different kinds of flowers and shrubs that were carefully trimmed and kept by magic. All kinds of songbirds made their homes in the arboretum nearby, their songs filling Marinette’s ears with sweet music. 

This is definitely more impressive than the human side of the gate, she thought with a trace of embarrassment. Maybe she could bring the issue up to the mayor sometime and try to convince him to improve the town square a little to show more respect for the alliance.

As Nino and Marinette left the park and approached the palace itself, she stared unabashedly at its size and grandeur. The white brick walls were decorated with gold designs, and the doors were made of a strong mahogany. Several turrets stood on the outer walls of the palace, and Marinette walked by a large fountain near the front gate of the palace. Nino opened the door for her, and she took a step inside, but before her slipper could touch the soft carpet on the floor, Nino pulled her back. 

“Wait,” he said. “There’s a quicker way to get to the ballroom.” Touching the doorframe, Nino closed his eyes and concentrated, and a green glow surrounded the pair. 

“There,” Nino said, brushing off his hands. “Now, when we step through, we’ll transport right to the ballroom. After that, you’re free to enjoy the ball. Alya’s mom was in charge of catering, so you’ll get a chance to try some of her special recipes while you’re here”

Marinette cautiously stepped over the glowing threshold with Nino, marveling as the scenery around her changed once again to a large ballroom with violet-painted walls and fine art.

“Woah,” she whispered, turning to admire the room. “This place is gorgeous!”

Nino smiled at her tourist-like wonder. “It is a pretty cool palace,” he said in agreement. “Hey, if you get bored during the party, you can come find me and Alya; we were invited as guests since we work here. Just don’t forget to meet the prince before you leave the ball,” Nino said with a wink. “I have to get back to the gate now; there are a few other girls I’ve been assigned to guide over. Enjoy the party!”

Marinette smiled. “Thank you,” she said, eyes shining in the candlelight of the ballroom. “I think I will.”

Nino turned to leave, and Marinette walked over to say hi to some of the other guests she knew. The music hadn’t started yet, since Marinette was one of the first guests to arrive and was technically early. The refreshment table was already set up, so after Marinette greeted Alix, who was wearing a suit and had somehow influenced the magic to give her shoes with collapsible roller blades, she wandered over to try the crudités. Oh, they have asparagus! Marinette noted. It’s out of season in Paris right now, but I guess with magic, they can grow it whenever they want.

As Marinette sampled the various appetizers and mini foods, the rest of the guests arrived, and the band finished tuning their instruments, beginning to play a soft waltz as the guests mingled and waited for the prince and his parents, the queen and king, to have their grand entrance. As the guides and other guests arrived, a few couples began to dance, Alya and Nino being one of them.

Eventually, a swell in the music signaled that the royals were arriving, first the king in purple robes, then the queen in an elegant blue feathered gown that swept down to the floor, and last of all, the prince, all announced by a fairy who stood by the band and used magic rather than a microphone to make their voice carry across the room. Though Marinette was already in love with Chat Noir, she had to admit that the prince was handsome. His bright golden hair was swept back in gentle waves, and the green accents in his black suit complemented the grass green of his eyes. His gaze swept over the crowd as he made his way to the small dais in the far corner of the room, and as his eyes seemed to catch and linger on Marinette, a radiant smile spread over his face, leaving a gentle pink blush on his cheeks. Marinette fought the shivers running down her spine and furiously reminded her treacherous heart that she was already in love with one boy, and that was hard enough for her to deal with, thank you very much.

“Each invited guest will have the opportunity to meet the prince in turn, one by one, until Prince Adrien’s soulmate bond forms and the conditions of the kwamis’ blessing are fulfilled,” the announcing fairy boomed. “This Heirs’ Ball, you will be going in alphabetical order. Because there are so many of you here, we ask that you please wait to join the line by the dais until there are only a maximum of five girls ahead of you. To aid with this, I will cast a spell which will allow you to see your place in the queue written over the back of your left hand. As the queue moves along, the number will change accordingly. While you are waiting, we have a table with refreshments set up by the west side of the room, and of course, you are more than welcome to dance along with the music provided by our talented band! I hope you all enjoy the rest of the ball!”

Breaking off the spell that had allowed her to increase her voice’s volume, the fairy spoke another spell, and Marinette turned her left hand over to see a golden ‘9’ appear over it, like a tattoo in a fancy font. It seemed Marinette didn’t have long to wait until she got the chance to meet the prince.

She’d played down her excitement in front of Chat Noir when he talked about it, and certainly she didn’t care about the possibility — which was really no possibility, Marinette thought — that she was the prince’s soulmate. But Marinette couldn’t deny that it was exciting to meet the future ruler of the fairy kingdom. Prince Adrien Agreste was not very well known in the human realm, and he’d only visited Paris twice in all his eighteen years, once last summer, and once the winter before, on diplomatic meetings with his mother. Queen Emilie was a more familiar face to the humans, and she met frequently with the rulers of the human world. Her taste in fashion was impeccable, and Marinette had always looked up to the designs she wore. Marinette had heard a rumor that King Gabriel, her husband, had designed them all, but she didn’t know if it was true or not.

Marinette finished her cup of sparkling lemonade and returned the glass to a waiter, smiling her ‘thank you’ to them. As the number on her hand switched to an eight and then a seven a few minutes later, Marinette felt grateful that she had an early place in the queue. It meant she would get to sneak out sooner to find Chat Noir. The last time they’d talked, he’d seemed tenser than usual, especially when she insisted that she’d rather spend time with him than stay to talk with the prince for longer. She’d managed to get him to agree to meet her in the main courtyard sometime past eight, but now she was feeling nervous. What if he couldn’t slip away from his father? Or worse, what if he didn’t want Marinette to meet him at all while he wasn’t disguised as a cat? What if he was embarrassed to be friends with someone like Marinette, who didn’t want to fall in love with the prince?

Marinette stole a glance at him over the heads of those dancing in the middle of the ballroom. He seemed nice enough, but a bit distracted. As the girl he’d been chatting with bowed and walked away, a sad look on her face, Prince Adrien’s eyes lifted, and happened to meet Marinette’s. Shocked, Marinette’s face turned red as she realized she’d been caught staring, but the prince quickly recovered from his surprise. Raising one of his brows at her, his mouth twisted into a smirk. Marinette’s mouth fell open at his audacity, but then a pair of dancing girls whirled past her, obscuring her view. Marinette took advantage of them and disappeared into the crowd. A few minutes later, the number on her hand shrunk into a five.

On the other side of the ballroom, Alya and Nino were keeping an eye on both Adrien and Marinette as they danced across the wood floor in a style that theoretically resembled a waltz. 

“Do you think he’s going to tell her?” Nino asked, his voice a whisper against Alya’s ear.

“Oh, he definitely will,” she said, lifting her arm to let Nino know to twirl her around. “They’re both smitten,” she remarked after her skirts had finished flaring out and back down again. “Adrien isn’t even trying to hide it. He’s taking as little time to meet with the other girls as possible, and his father is starting to catch on. He won’t last a minute without telling her,” she laughed.

“Hopefully he won’t need that long,” Nino said. “Once their soulmate bond forms, she’ll have to figure it out, right? I’m still new to this star-crossed romance of theirs, but I think that telepathy would be a fitting bond for them to have.”

“That way, he can tell her everything without his father’s influence, before she panics and has the chance to run away,” Alya mused. “Not a bad idea, Lahiffe!”

“Alya, we are literally dating,” Nino said with a roll of his eyes. “Are you really going to keep using my last name?”

Alya grinned. “Yes,” she said with a mischievous glint in her eye.

The pair waltzed past Marinette as she looked down at the three on her hand, working up the courage to go over and join the short line of girls by the prince. It’s okay, you’re still being loyal to Chat, she told herself. You’ll be able to look into those emerald eyes and smile and not fall in love. Easily.

Taking a deep breath, Marinette walked over to stand in front of the dais, waiting nervously behind the only other girl in line. As soon as Marinette took her place, three other girls walked up behind her, making Marinette blush as she realized she’d forced them to wait longer than they’d wanted to to join the queue.

 Soon enough, the fairy in front of Marinette was walking up to greet the prince, who was standing on the first step of the dais, his parents watching from their thrones on the top level. The girl bent into a deep curtsy and waited for the queen’s signal to rise. When Emilie raised her hand, the girl straightened and stepped closer to the prince, taking his hand in hers to kiss his signet ring, a silver band bearing the crest of the Agrestes. 

The announcer, who was standing to the left of the dais, motioned for the girl to introduce herself, and she gave her name to the prince— Victoria Dubreuil, daughter of Eloise and Maël Dubreuil from the Southern province.

The prince greeted her politely, and Marinette realized she was close enough to hear their conversation, though she tried to tune it out in politeness. She supposed it was too late to move the entire line back now. That probably meant the girl behind her would be hearing her conversation with the prince, too, Marinette thought in mild panic. Everyone would be able to know if she slipped up! She should have studied fae etiquette more carefully before the ball.

Overwhelmed by her anxious thoughts, Marinette nearly missed the end of Victoria and the prince’s meeting. As Victoria left, a bit disappointed by how rushed the conversation had felt, the king motioned to the announcer, who motioned to Marinette that she should move forward. Catching her signal, Marinette took a lurching step forward, her heel catching on her long skirt as she moved. Eyes widening as she pinwheeled her arms in a desperate attempt to regain her balance, Marinette realized that she was going to fall, here at the dais, in front of everyone… including the king and queen! And the prince!

But Marinette didn’t fall very far before she was saved from hitting the floor. 

“Falling for me already, Princess?”

Marinette’s head snapped up as she looked around for the source of the familiar nickname. But the only person in front of her was Prince Adrien Agreste, smirk back on his face as he supported her with both hands on her upper waist. He’d stepped forward to catch her, resulting in Marinette falling with her hands squarely on his chest. She stammered an apology as she pushed herself off of him, face turning red as she realized that this was much, much closer than she’d ever thought she’d be to the fairy prince.

“You’re sorry, I mean I’m sorry, Your Highness! It’s chest— just! I’m so clumsy, oh kwamis, I am so sorry—”

Adrien chuckled, a warm, deep sound that sent a thrill through Marinette. “It’s all right,” he said. Reaching down, he gently took her right hand and raised it to his lips. “I’m pleased to officially meet you,” he murmured as his lips brushed over her skin.

“Guh,” Marinette said intelligently, staring down at her hand. Where Adrien’s lips had been, a dark mark was beginning to form, and Marinette scrunched her brows together as she looked at it. Was it some sort of magical sign, to say stay away from this girl and do not let her into the fairy realm ever again, she committed crimes of klutziness against the crown prince ? Marinette shuddered at the thought of being tossed out of the fairy kingdom, a dark stain against her reputation literally on her hand for the world to see. What would she tell Chat?

Then the dark swirl on her hand began to clear, and Marinette blinked. It wasn’t a sign, after all! There were no words forming on her skin, only a silver tree with rust marking the edges of its boughs. A silver fairy gate, like the one hidden in the woods.

“W-what?” Marinette breathed, pulling her hand out of Adrien’s to look at it more closely. Sure enough, there was the secret gate, down to the rusted keyhole in the center! “What is this, what does it mean?”

Brushing his hand against hers, Adrien locked their fingers together, looking down at Marinette with a reverent expression.

“It means we’re soulmates, Marinette,” he said. 

Marinette’s mind went blank. Stepping away, she pulled her hand out of his, hardly sparing a cursory glance at the prince, who looked like a kicked puppy. 

Flexing her right hand, Marinette looked down at her mark again, her hand shaking slightly as she stared at it.

“We can’t be soulmates,” she whispered. “How could we be soulmates? Unless…” The mark on her skin had to mean something. Why would a picture of a rusting old gate make the prince think he was her soulmate?

“Princess,” floated through her mind. Adrien had called her Princess when he caught her. But that didn’t make sense. Only one person called her that!

“Marinette,” the prince said again, his voice soft and tentative. And that was wrong, too, she hadn’t had the chance to introduce herself! He shouldn’t know who she was yet… but he did.

Marinette paused, looking up at the prince’s open expression, his green eyes that seemed to be familiar, somehow, echoing the expression Marinette often saw on Chat when he talked about his hope for the future; how fragile it was. She looked behind the prince, at his parents, responsible for raising and protecting the country’s only heir. Wouldn’t they want to keep him where they could know he was safe at all times? Inside the palace, where the secret gate’s entrance was, hidden in one of the courtyards. Marinette inhaled sharply, peering closely at the prince, her lips forming a question she already knew the answer to.

“Chat Noir?”

Adrien’s face brightened suddenly, smiling hopefully as he looked at Marinette.

“Yes, Princess?” 

There was no doubt about it now. The prince’s cadence was just like Chat Noir’s, every inflection was exactly the same. 

“Oh, kwamis,” Marinette breathed. “It’s really you!”

Adrien laughed, glancing back at his mother, who was leaning forward in her chair with a hand on her chin, intrigued by their meeting. “Is that a bad thing?” he asked, a flash of uncertainty showing through the smile glued to his face.

Marinette stared at him. “No, but there go all my plans for the evening,” she said, trying to wrap her brain around the fact that for over six years, the crown prince of the fae realm had followed her around Paris and pretended to be her pet cat. He purred , she realized. Prince Adrien Agreste purred.

“Well, I think that we can make accommodations for whatever it is you wanted,” the queen said, rising up from her throne. Giving her husband a poke in the shoulder, she urged him to get up and meet their son’s soulmate. “Adrien, darling, could you remind us of your sweetheart’s last name again?”

“Dupain-Cheng,” Adrien said with a smile. “One member of the best family of bakers I’ve ever met. No offense, Marlena,” he said, and the woman, who’d come closer to the dais with the rest of the crowd, smiled and waved a hand dismissively.

“None taken,” she said with a laugh. “I know where my strengths lie. And I’m still the best chef this country’s seen.”

“That’s the truth,” Queen Emilie said with a laugh. “Now, Marinette,” she said, her voice falling to a lower volume, “About those plans of yours? We won’t take up much of your time with formalities tonight, though in the future you can expect a good deal more of them if you agree to marry my son. I’ve gone through this too, you know, I’m not planning to overwhelm you with duties. What was it you were hoping to do tonight?”

Marinette swallowed. “Um. I-I was going to steal your son away,” she said sheepishly.

Standing by Emilie’s side, King Gabriel looked taken aback. “What?”

Marinette smiled awkwardly. “I didn’t know who he was then,” she said, as if that explained everything.

“Because you wouldn’t let me tell her,” Adrien said, slinging his arm around Marinette’s back as they faced his parents together.

Emilie sighed. “You have to admit that it was for a good reason, son,” she said. “At first, at least, when we didn’t know much about the strange girl you’d met in the forest. And then, our rule was necessary to hold you back. Your soulmate bond hadn’t formed yet, but that extra distance between you and Marinette, your secret identity, was the only thing keeping you from throwing three thousand years of tradition away for the chance to date a human girl. Not that we hold it against you, dear,” she said, turning to Marinette. “We don’t have any problems with you being human, either. My son is just a little impatient sometimes, and it is our duty to make sure the kingdom survives.”

Marinette pursed her lips. “I see,” she said simply. “You’re talking about the kwamis’ blessing, aren’t you?”

The queen nodded. “It can feel like a curse sometimes,” she said, ”but it keeps our country strong. I apologize for any strife it has caused you and my son.”

Marinette bobbed her head in a jerky nod of acknowledgment, aware of the crowd’s stares like daggers at her back. She wasn’t sure how to feel about the way his parents had gone about it, but it was obvious that they thought they were doing what was best for Chat Noir. For Adrien.

Finding his hand by her side, Marinette took it in her own and squeezed it tightly. “So, now we know what my soulmark is,” she said, turning to look up at Adrien (and not down at Chat Noir. This was weird.) “But what about yours?”

“My guess is that it looks just like yours,” Adrien said, raising their joined hands to kiss hers once again. “But it hasn’t shown up yet, which means ours is probably a kiss-triggered bond. Wherever you kiss me for the first time is where my mark will show up.”

Marinette blushed. “Oh,” she said, feeling her cheeks become flaming hot. “W-well, where do you want it, then, kitty?” Marinette realized too late that that was probably an inappropriate nickname for the crown prince, but if the smile on his face was anything to go by, he didn’t mind it at all.

“In the same place as yours,” he said softly. “That way, anytime I look down to sign a paper or reach for another bite at dinner, I’ll be reminded of you.”

“You’ll carry me with you wherever you go,” Marinette said, heart pounding in her chest.

Adrien smiled warmly at her. “I already do,” he said, his gentle voice soothing the last of Marinette’s fears away.

“Silly kitty,” she said as her blush deepened again. “Just give me your hand.”

“In marriage? Gladly,” he grinned, presenting her with his right hand. Behind them, a few coos rose from the crowd as they watched.

Taking Adrien’s hand in hers, Marinette pressed a quick kiss to it, marveling as the silvery mark appeared over his skin.

“We really are soulmates,” she breathed.

“We are,” Adrien said, sounding immensely happy and a little relieved as he clasped both of Marinette’s hands in his and looked into her eyes.

Emilie stepped over to the two heirs, placing one hand on either of their shoulders. “Are you ready?” she asked with a smile. Adrien nodded, and Marinette decided to trust him, giving his hand a squeeze as she agreed. Loosening his hold on one of her hands, Adrien turned with Marinette to face the crowd as Emilie stood beside them, raising her hand to show them off in a grand gesture.

“Fairies and humans, I present to you the kingdom’s heirs!” she said in a strong voice. “Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng. May the kwamis’ blessing keep them strong, and may this kingdom continue to know peace and stability into the future.” 

A healthy round of applause rose from the crowd, and Marinette blushed again at the attention, wanting to hide her face in Adrien’s shoulder. At the front of the crowd, Alya and Nino were cheering the loudest of anyone, and Alix caught Marinette’s eye to give her a grin and a double thumb’s up. Standing beside her, Rose had to pause her clapping to wipe a tear from her eye as she smiled for her friend. I just love romance, she thought happily.

Adrien bent down to press a kiss against Marinette’s cheek, and a smile spread over her face. She pulled him back down for a second kiss, her lips brushing against the edge of his mouth. They stared happily into each other’s eyes as someone in the crowd started a second round of applause and the king came down to stand on the other side of his son. Emilie gave him an approving smile as cameras and magic began to flash, capturing the image for future years.

The realm’s future was in good hands.

__*__*__*__*__

Several years in the future, Adrien sat on a velvet couch in his room with Marinette. She rested halfway across his lap, hands caressing her belly as they took advantage of the first calm moment they’d had since announcing to the kingdom that they were expecting a child.

“What do you think you’ll name them?” Adrien asked, pressing a kiss to Marinette’s cheek.

Marinette turned her face to her husband, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. “I suppose it depends,” she said. “Your grandparents got rid of the old naming conventions, so there aren’t any rules for us to follow. Now, there are almost too many options for us to choose from,” she said with a laugh.

“I have to admit, though,” she said slowly, her hand over Adrien’s as it rested on top of her barely-there baby bump, “When I was younger, I had three names picked out for kids, in case I married you.”

Adrien grinned. “You did? Princess, that’s adorable,” he cooed, pulling his wife close as she struggled in protest. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“It’s embarrassing,” she groaned. “And I knew you would tease me about it.”

Adrien gasped. “I would never make fun of my wife,” he said in false outrage. “That would make me nothing but a royal pain!”

Marinette giggled. “That wasn’t even good,” she said, poking Adrien’s arm.

“What do you mean?” Adrien asked, grinning up at Marinette. “That pun was my crowning achievement!” At Marinette’s unimpressed look, Adrien chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, loosening his grip on his wife as she slowly pushed herself off his lap.

“If you’d rather keep punning than listen to my name ideas you seemed so interested in, I can just go,” she said teasingly, making as if to leave the room.

“Nooo, Princess, come back,” Adrien whined, dragging her back down onto his lap. “I want to hear all about the names you came up with for our babies!”

Marinette smirked as she let her husband fold her tightly in his arms. “It’s just that there are so many of your ancestors with this name already,” she said with a sigh. “I never knew it was so popular. Seventy-four rulers named some variant of Louis in just over a hundred generations? You have to admit that’s a little ridiculous.”

Beneath her, Adrien froze, his arms loosening their grasp around her. “You were thinking of naming our daughter Louisa?” he asked, green eyes fixed on Marinette’s.

Marinette frowned. “We don’t know their gender yet,” she said. “But yes. If it was a boy, I wanted to name my firstborn Louis, and either Louise or Louisa if they were a girl. But I won’t be doing that now.”

“Princess, I’m telling you it’s going to be a girl,” Adrien said confidently. “I might not be able to see the future, but I can feel it in my bones. Comes with being a cat for so long, you know. And I think Louisa is a fine name,” he said. “It is a little weird that it’s popped up so often in our history, but it’s a good name. I had a theory about it as a kid.”

Marinette raised her eyebrow, settling herself into a more comfortable position on her husband’s lap. “Really?” she asked. “A theory? I want to know all about it.”

Adrien blushed. “It wasn’t a very detailed theory,” he said. “It was just, in history class we kept learning about all these Louis figures, and I figured it must have something to do with the kwamis’ blessing. They made the deal with the very first Queen Louisa,” he said. “Maybe that’s why so many of the heirs they secure are named in a similar fashion. The magic still recognizes who the original pact was with, so it influences the king and queen’s minds so that they’re more likely to choose Louisa for a name. If it’s a boy, then the name becomes Louis, and if it’s a girl but the parents want to follow Parisian naming trends, they’ll choose Louise as a name, instead.”

“Really,” Marinette said, pursing her lips as she considered the possibility. “Well, I guess there’s no point in trying to change my mind, then,” she remarked. “This poor baby was doomed to be named Louis since the magic influenced my name choices in collège.”

Adrien smirked. “You had their name planned since collège, you say?” he asked, nuzzling his nose against Marinette’s. “We were still so young and you already wanted to have a family with me! You’re right, that’s embarrassing,” he said, a teasing lift to his voice.

Marinette scowled and pushed his face away. “See, I knew you’d tease me about it,” she said with a huff. “Although, do I need to remind you that you’re the one who fell in love with me first? You weren’t even a teenager yet,” she said with a grin on her face. “ That’s embarrassing.”

“How is falling in love with your soulmate embarrassing?” Adrien asked with a laugh. “I’m just lucky that you fell in love with me right back. You know, I dreamed of having a family with you, too,” he said, lashes tickling Marinette’s cheek as he pressed a kiss to her jaw. “I wanted four kids, all with gorgeous blue eyes and dark hair like yours. That way, they’d be as pretty as you are.”

“Flatterer,” Marinette said, tilting her head back to give Adrien better access as he trailed kisses down her neck.

“An honest one,” Adrien murmured as a rumble like a purr started up in his chest. He kissed the hollow of Marinette’s shoulder. “And only for you.”

Lifting his head back up, Adrien pressed a lingering kiss to Marinette’s lips, smiling as she eagerly deepened it. 

“I love you,” he said breathlessly, after she eventually pulled back.

Marinette smiled, looking radiant in the light from the afternoon sun as it streamed through the window in the room.

“I love you, too,” she said. “And… I think that four kids sounds like a lovely idea.”

Adrien’s eyes widened in shock. “Really?”

A smile tugged at Marinette’s lips. “Really,” she said. “But first, we have to see how raising Louisa goes. You have to prove that you’re a good father.”

“I’ll be an amazing father,” Adrien said, cupping his right hand over her cheek. “I’ll even let my kids jump down a well, like I did. As long as I’m there to catch them.”

Marinette laughed. “They’d be hard-pressed to find a well to jump down,” she said. “Your father closed off the old gate for good, remember? Now all that’s left of it is a pile of magic dust.”

“And our soulmarks,” Adrien said, holding Marinette’s hand out so that the light shone on the image of the gate.

“Yeah,” Marinette said wistfully. “We do have our soulmarks.” She watched as Adrien pressed a kiss against her hand, smiling.

“When I ran off from the palace all those years ago,” he said, “I wasn’t expecting my little escape attempt to work. I didn’t even know the gate existed; I just remembered about the old well and decided it would be a good place to hide from my guards. But they were starting to check the courtyards, and I knew my cat disguise wouldn’t fool them for long, so I took a chance and tried the gate to see if it would work. And, Marinette,” he said, “I’m so glad I did. I know I would have met you anyway because of the kwamis’ blessing, but spending those six years alone, waiting for a soulmate and hoping that they’d be easy to love, instead of seeing you every weekend and falling more in love with you each time, like I got to do? It’s unimaginable.”

“I’m glad you found the gate, too,” Marinette said, brushing a kiss against her husband’s lips. “Looking forward to seeing you every Saturday was the highlight of my teen years.”

“Really?” Adrien asked. “Because you have a very impressive résumé from those years. Designing for Jagged Stone, interning at Style Queen’s Paris location, starting your own online boutique… you have quite a lot to be proud of. I’m honestly surprised I was able to convince you to marry me,” he laughed.

“Adrien, I’ve been in love with you since we were fourteen and you know it,” Marinette said with a smirk. “I’m only surprised it took you so long to propose.”

“Well, everything had to be perfect,” Adrien defended himself. “And I wanted to make sure you were comfortable enough with where your career was going first.”

“I have to admit, becoming co-ruler of the fae kingdom was never on my list of dream jobs as a kid,” Marinette agreed with a laugh. “I’m happy I was able to keep designing on the side.”

“Me too,” Adrien murmured. “I’m glad you have a job that makes you happy.”

“You make me happy,” Marinette said, smirking as she looked deep into Adrien’s eyes and lazily traced his chest with one hand. She leaned in for another kiss, the golden sunlight from the window bathing the couple in its warm rays.

Adrien closed his eyes and wrapped his arms tight around Marinette, unwilling to let go of this perfect moment. It had taken over a decade of dreaming and hoping, but against all odds, he had this happily-ever-after with the woman he loved. It was better than anything he could have imagined, Adrien thought, and he tilted his head to deepen the kiss.

[honeybeewhereartthee]

Crystal Hearts

Previous || chapter seventeen || Next

»»————-　i love candies　————-««

»»————-　**6*　————-««

Your head hurts. You don't know what's going on at all. It seems you keep forgetting something important everytime you wake up.

"Haku-tan..."

"Kokoko, It's hanii. Omae" Kohaku corrected you. As he flick your forehead but not that hash but a playful one.

"...I think I'm forgetting about something, hanii." You giggle as you follow what he wish to be called.

He held your hand as the two of your walks around the garden of his family estate.

"Hmm? If you forget about it, then it's not worth remembering ~" he added. The two of you went to the pond and he step on one of the rocks and guide you to follow after him, to go to the middle of the pond with him.

You follow his steps on the slippery rocks. Almost slipping if not for him holding on to you and his great balance.

"be careful, omae~ " he says before he thought about it.

"Ahaha~ your so clumsy~ I'll carry you instead~ it's more safe that way ~" sweeping you off your feet to his arms, he skip on the remaining rocks to the middle small island with a small Sakura tree planted.

"This world is beautiful isn't it, omae?" He ask you suddenly as he and you seat beside the tree. He made you seat in his lap as he circle his arms around your waist. Leaning his head on your right shoulder, he secure his hold on you.

"H-hey what are you doing?" You were picking on the flowers when he suddenly nom on your shoulder blade. "D-did you just bi..." you were flabbergasted when you felt sharp pain for a moment when he bite down. "Geez. I don't know your a vampire..." You chuckle not knowing what to say about what he just did.

He chuckle when he heard what you says,

" I'm either a spider, or a bee. Or what that emperor-han says-- a hornet.

[ I injected sweet, sweet poison~] " he ended with a singing tone... As if casting a spell. But why would you think that?? Spell... How could that be real??? Isn't kohaku a human... Like you...??? Why... Is there other beings...???

[ In this mad dream, let's enjoy it~]

Not remembering many things, looking at kohaku eyes that glows a dark purple ring and his right eyes show mark of chaos but not able to gaze it anymore as he lean in to give you a sweet, sweet kiss. Closing your eyes, you slowly forget all your worries and things you use to remember.

In this mad dream~ where only the two of you~ where his not a fae nor your one. No burden to handle ~

The moment he gain seed of chaos and claiming the ability of Helter spider and borrowing certain doll one.

His purple eyes gaze at certain three people in the sideline, inside one of the room of the estate. His orbs meet with three set of eyes of certain other bees.

'Love-han... Bees work as a colony...' he thought as he lean away and stare at your sleeping form. "Omae. You been through a lot. I will erase your burden away. This time... Even in the after the end. I will accompany you." Kissing your forehead, he happily hugs you.

.

.

.

" Over and over again. We will have our love story. In all genre you want in this world. After all, in this domain... This [ mad dream ]... I will never let you escape."

.

.

.

»»————-　YOU PEST!! HOW DARE YOU!?　————-««

.

.

.

"The screens is cracking..." Hiiro mumble as he saw the screen of phone cracks as bunny ears appear on top of Aira's head. His avatar outfit seems to change as well.

"H-how cute..." Chaos commented while being locked by Tatsumi with binding spell. "E-eh..?? Why am I handicapped??" He shrieks in realization.

" For your crime of course~" (tatsumi) " began fiend..." He then proceed to spray holy water to Mayoi who shrieks in pain. "HICCCCCC!!??? SSSSORRRYUU!!"

(( That... Sly... Bug... ))

Sweet, sweet murderous voice of a mad rabbit says.

" Aira ???" The alkaloid leader ask in worry but the phone start to burn, burning in intense heat that made him drop it to the floor, the moment it landed to the distorted world and the screen fully crack, the spell that bind him in the cage dispel, soon the unlucky rabbit stand beside them. Holding a huge mallet, he proceeded to swing it back and smash it to the distorted world.

"I really... Need to go back... Shall we proceed to the last destination~?"

The distorted world start to shake uncontrollably, soon a hole appear below them. Soon they all come falling to the new au.

"How L-O-V-E-L-Y~!" The mad rabbit giggle with his emerald embrace the symbol of eternity and chaos.

"Oh my... It seems this is two trouble in our hand." Tatsumi can't help but chuckle as he realize what comes over their dear friend.

"Ah? Chaos butterfly-san...??" As they fall, he notice chaos disappear from the bind spell and no where to be seen.

"Over there!" Hiiro point out the fast falling mayoi toward the green house.

" I'll be going there, to make sure nothing bad happened to people of this world..." Tatsumi followed the direction where the chaos went.

" You should go and see what Aira is up too, hiiro-kun. A lone rabbit prone to self destruction you see~" soon the stigma of diamond disappear from the view. Hiiro free fall toward the same direction where aira went to.

...

"Your full of shit. Kohakuchi Oukawachi" Hiiro heard Aira cursing as he press a screen in front of him while his other hand is crushing bees and his feet stomping on spiders.

He watch him in worry as aira proceed to destroy a beehive and throwing the hive after getting one bee out. To the wall, crushing it to pieces.

"Aira, that's animal abuse..." The young Amagi commented after long silence. Aira's fluffy ears stand up from the sound of hiiro voice but he don't turn to look at him.

"Hiirochi... If I were not to take my anger out of those bees. I will take it out to this world." The mad rabbit mumble almost inaudible to Hiiro of how low he spoke those.

"... You can tell me again, if something bothering you."

"Amagi Hiiro. You see." Certain fae stared at his direction with deranged smile. "I don't care about the multiverse~ I only did my task because I am trusted by my mc. The world around mine could fall to chaos to it's despair... It doesn't matter to me. " Putting his hand over his waistline after dusting himself from innards of bugs and honey that went to his clothes. His chaos emerald orbs stare at his blue one.

"I seen the world fall over and over again. It's a norm to me now~! I even have fair share of it's destruction--"

Hiiro punch aira face when he heard it, it was auto reflect when he thought his seeing the chaos butterfly in place of aira

"..." Holding his painful cheeks, aira takes time to process what hiiro just did.

" Aira-- I'm sorry! I don't mean too!" He quickly apologize for his action. " Let me heal--"

*Smack.

" I don't care." Aira slap his hand away as he stare at him dead in the eye. "A punch won't change anything." He rolled his eyes and turn his back to Hiiro. "You should try hitting me with all you got. After all, for what I did to you. This pain.. won't bring me back to my sanity..."

"A hole will be made from the dead plains and corrupted files will take over this world." He told him what is to come to this world. "Amagi Hiiro (hero) since you want to revive your dead world. You should prevent the deleted files to be deleted again. Your dear oniichan will parish. As double deletion means gone for good." He chuckle before he walk away as he said that the sky start to crack.

"The mc of this world. This au. Can delete things you see? with a woosh~ A perfect match for our dear monarch~" he chuckle as he says that fact.

"AIRA!! COME BACK HERE!" he worriedly wanted to ask more but his eyes widen as he realizing something is falling from the sky. Endless dots... Those are corrupted files.

"NIISAN!!" he sense his dead brother and the people from his au and quickly went to that direction. Giving one look to where Aira went, he decide he would check on him later as Aira could handle himself with that attitude of his.

»»————-　note　————-««

(1) if you notice the nickname mc use. It show which personality is up with aira. Or how mad the person is. Hint: when kohaku call you MC-Han, it's like his kokoko laugh :p since he would usually call you more close pet names for spouses. So in a sense even if he don't remember anything before he gain sentient, his instinct says otherwise.

(2) this new au theres a reason why the ability of the mc of the world is like that btw. (if want to be tagged pls comment or Send mail) Tag List : @valeriele3 @yinenovica

[maskedemerald]

Worldbuilding Music and Magic

There is a certain magic in live music, last week I got the chance to see Final Symphony and it was amazing. On the way home my mind started thinking about music and how it might work in my worlds where magic is involved. Specifically in A Curiosity Piqued and Magic Act. Magic Act for a series of chapters involving a ball and for A Curiosity Piqued well world building whatever I feel like is kind of the point.

!! Music in A Curiosity Piqued A Curiosity Piqued is an alternate magic as a science version of our world so from a sound perspective the types of music are probably very similar to our world. No matter the world people are going to be creative, music is going to happen, the question becomes how is music made different by magic. At the most basic most of what we do for music with technology would probably be done with magic. Getting a bit more complicated however what about…

!!! Music as Magical Language In A Curiosity Piqued magic use is triggered by language and intention, language without intention does nothing under normal circumstances. Something I've been thinking about is the flexibility of that rule. What constitutes language essentially. Spoken, written, and even sign languages already count but what about music. Music with lyrics can definitely be used to invoke magic but I think some especially clever composers could get the playing of instruments to count as language. With a whole orchestra of people powering whatever spell it could be quite powerful and cast without them knowing what they are casting… damn okay… I guess I'm going to be drabbling that this week. Orchestra mystery is happening. Look out for that on Sunday probably.

!! Music in Magic Act !!! So Magic Act, the big question is really what makes fae music different? A little bit of background first, Magic Act's main setting is a pocket dimension home to fae and other folklore creatures. Their interactions with human society have been low since the 1800s. Both of these things are going to impact what music sounds like. The sound I'm thinking of is classical music however with an eerie off tune but strangely still aesthetically pleasing. Its not a sound I've encountered often but I have heard it be done a couple of times. Its rather fitting for the rather eldritch and unsettling horror kind of fae and folklore I am going for.

However we haven't added magic to it yet. How does the music feel? Are there any fae rules for our protagonist Magician to navigate? I think music would have more than just sound, in the same way as the foods in the story are already described to have more than just taste. A visible light and a pressure on the skin. Then come the rules, with fae music there is a compulsion to keep time. Dancers flow around keeping time and moving to the influences of the music. Rather than music being up to interpretation it gives of a specific emotion that can influence the behavior of people. Basically the audience is as much a part of the art as the music itself, they may be set to a certain timing, dance, mood or even in case of songs with story they may even act out the steps. In the same way as food though all of these fae rules can be gone if the performer or creator wants that.

Feel free to send me things to ramble through the world building of in any story I have that is relevant and if you liked this consider hoping over to my patreon where you can find more sneak peeks at Magic Act, A Curiosity Piqued and anything else I'm working on.

[zeydaan-isabella]

Zeydaan and Isabella in the Boiling Isles - The Titan's Champion

Personal piece based on Luz's excellent design in the finale of the owl house. One of my favourite shows from recent years. With a story from Metroid711.

The human world is such a vast and well recognized place, although it contains a secret hidden in the forests of an unspecified part of the US. An old house renovated, with a recently updated ‘For Sale’ sign, would sit in this part of the forest, sporting a bright red door with a large star glowing on the front. When one opens it, a child-like voice exclaims: “Welcome to the Boiling Isles! Watch your step! ~” And stepping through would reveal an entire new world, the world of Owl House, more specifically the Boiling Isles. It was the corpse of a mystical and powerful creature known as a Titan, where an entire civilization of magical beings of all shapes and sizes made it their home.  This was what Isabella had recognized on their trip to this vibrant new world that had only very recently been opened up to the public. The fae-dragon had earlier that week found the door and entered it into what many called the Owl House, or the place where they taught “Wild Magic.” They ended up meeting a colorful cast of characters, getting to know a few of them, especially the two most interesting to them. The headmaster of the magic college being the first; an eccentric, vibrant, one-armed woman who was very interested in how Izy looked given the humanoid animals were rare even in this oddity of a dimension. Besides her, the most interesting creature Izy had met was a tiny little furry monster called King. After being explained what the Boiling Isles exactly were, they’d be surprised to find that King was the baby of the titan that made up the island. A baby of exponentially off-the-charts magical energy and the most adorable thing Izy had ever seen. The more they talked with the two, the more they learned just how fascinating this world was, and most importantly about Luz Noceda. After some time exploring the world and learning from the inhabitants, Eda and King approached Izy with an offer. “So, with King’s powers and magical language getting stronger, we’ve been tryin’ to test out some different glyphs to help teach the school em.” The owl woman would state, albeit a bit nonchalantly.  “And for Luz to try out when she visits, nyeh!” King would end up adding, hopping up and down excitedly at the prospect. Izy would chuckle as they walked with them into a larger portion of the magic college,  “Well I wouldn’t mind helping if I can, yall have been so kind to me since I got here, couldn’t hurt to return the favor.” King would end up clapping his little clawed hands in excitement as Eda clarified,  “the spell itself is a full magic transfer, it’s supposed to allow someone to use a particular magic for a small period of time.” King would look to the side a little sheepishly, twiddling his small claws, “Sooooo, I haven’t done many full magic transfers before…” Izy would peer down at him with a raised brow, staring around the building further as the trio walked outside to the front lawn.  “Then I’m the guinea pig?” King would blankly stare at them for a moment, stating somewhat bluntly,  “I don’t know what that is.”  Izy couldn’t help but snicker and shrug, paying attention once more as he continued: “But it makes sense, right? You’re a shapeshifter! So any reaction could be reversed, yknow, in case you end up a bit too Titan over Titan-powered.” Izy would be clued in now, he was going to try and replicate his abilities through their form, although Eda looked to the side a bit concerned.  “Yeahhhhh…that happened last time we tried this, let’s not repeat that.”  Izy could only imagine what she’d be referring to, but the fae-dragon would smile and stand still as they looked over the two. “I mean, I’ve been through a lot worse, and have handled just as bad, sooo I’m sure it’ll go alright!”  King would be in the process of drawing some sort of large glyph in the dirt around the anthro dragon, and once he was done, he would give her a clawed thumbs up to signify he was ready. “Okay…hit me with it!” Izy would exclaim, fingers curled in a meditation-like pose, as King would lift his small bapper up and smack it down on the circle.  “Then accept the Demon King’s noble power! Weh!” He always made that cute noise whenever he did something magic based. Izy didn’t know why, but before they could think about it further, they would feel the sensations of intense magical energy flowing like a conduit up their left leg. That of which would instantly flourish under the energy as their fur and toeless socks would instantly smooth away and vanish in place of blackened sleek hardened skin. With their paws and toes all pushing together like clay into a set of two large claws. Although they were more like hooves in shape, with bone-like armor they were comprised of wrapping and forming out of their ankle and calves. With the black skin traveling up their leg, they would close their eyes to keep focus. Izy would feel the magic trail up their body as the magical lines from the glyph swam up their form. They soon poured into their eyes as the fingertips that were curled into the expression of focus started to shift. Their once black claws would soon extend further into a set of brown ones, as the black smoothed skin would take them over, with Izy attempting to focus further as the power grew. “That’s…. a lot. But it feels … it feels … WOAH!” Almost like a firework of magical energy had gone off in their body, Izy’s eyes would shoot open, their once red and white coloration of their eyes had completely flipped. The whites had darkened into a pitch black, as their reds had taken on a bright sensational yellow color. Already besides this they felt the magical effects molding their very head and face, with the spots under their eyes and over their cheeks flattening down. The fur in those spaces melted away to reveal soft tanned human skin, as they felt their sharpened canines jut out even further. The spiked choker they wore would snap and almost disintegrate into nothing. Izy ended up breaking the position their hands were in as this explosion of magical changes occurred, especially as their hair began to get poofier and more unkempt, expanding out from their already messy style. As this happened, a mix of dark purple and blinding lightning-yellow energy would flow and swirl in front of Izy, King looking a little embarrassed as he poked his claws together. “Ah shucks..looks like yer turnin’ into Luz. It’s still a little too transform-y I guess, specially’ since I had her on the mind. Ya wanna call it a day and try tomorrow?” Izy considered it for a moment, but their curiosity on this process was far too strong to just end it here now. As they held their hands up, the smooth black skin now getting bushier and fluffing out into a thick coat of black fur that was swallowing and replacing their own. Out of sight, their expanding hair would be getting a gradual tone change. From the roots of their hairdo, a royal purple color was quickly spreading and overtaking it follicle by follicle. And with a slight pinch, they would feel the sensation of their horns beginning to shift around on their head. They felt their lashes flutter and get slightly longer as their eyes would round and grow a bit more human-like in shape. This was followed up by the soft and tan skin pouring from below their eyes down their neck, rapidly swallowing up and smoothing away any fur they had. But Izy would be quick to react to his statement: “Are you kidding King? Cmooon we’re pioneers! So what if I go a lil’ Luz? Pump up the juice and hit me with all ya got! I have to see where this goes. ~” And their wish would begin to be granted as they lifted their changing hangs up, the dark and light magic flowing from them like ink from a pen. Their clawed fingers now hardening and smoothing as they became more Titan-like, segmented like bone with a smooth greyness to them. The fur would only thicken around their arms as it crawled up them, shortening them a tad as the soft, tan skin crawled up more of the sides of their face and head. The fur it replaced being completely removed as their hair was growing further pats their shoulders, the purple only extending. It would be apparent as well, as the tan skin crawled closer to where their ears would be, Izy’s simple reptilian ones would rapidly begin to grow, though still be covered by the ocean of purple hair they were obtaining, with their horns growing sharper and taller. Along with this, their legs had fully hardened over into the mix of fur and bone, acting like natural boots and armor, with their thighs smoothed over into what seemed to be a light purple spandex almost. They felt their spine tingling as their tail was shrinking into their rear. They would notice the sensation of their shrinking height as well, not by much but enough to be noticeable. Around their hips, instead of the fur smoothing over, it would almost shudder and flourish out, like a flower in bloom. A set of cape-like tassels flickering out, attached to their hips and merged up their torso. They looked like clothing, but they felt like natural fur, with them being a smoother texture, but black just like the rest. The edges being a silvery pale color would make it more thematic and stylized overall, especially as Izy felt something pushing out the top of their head. They clenched their eyes and grit their sharpened teeth as parts of the hair were detaching around the horns and flowing out into a pastel purple and black furred mix. The shape it was taking on was that of a witch’s hat, with its long brim that took on a full circle, although it had bits of fluff around the edges to signify its natural part of Izy’s body. They felt their eyebrows take on the purple color as they smoothed over, tilting their head down as they felt the tan and soft human skin slowly inching down their face towards the last dragon part of them, their snout. The rest of their torso and body would soon be covered by the thick black fur, around their waist they’d have more of the bone armor, in the shape of a set of ribs somewhat.  Izy held their breath as the skin would swallow up their muzzle, with it rapidly flattening and sinking into their face, nose detaching from their mouth and becoming small and rounded in the middle of their face. Their cheek bones shifting to a human skull shape, as they would let out a loud gasp, cupping their face as it would fully shift into that of none other than Luz the Human, eyebrow scar included. As the magical rune would form over their chest, smaller ones dancing in the palms of their furry hands and bony fingers, Izy couldn’t help but feel the urge to say a cool one liner. “I … am Isabella Jem! And I am adopting the mantle of the Good Witch Luz, Chosen Champion of- …” And Izy would open their … or rather her yellow and black eyes. Her mouth curled into a sharp-fanged smirk. “ -The Titan King!” And she felt all that magic practically flow through her body like natural, holding out her hand as a copy of Luz’s Palisman staff took shape. She would squeeze her fingers around it as she tipped her fluffy hat. King couldn’t help but pump his little fists in the air, despite it not being what was supposed to happen, he was excited to see this form of Luz’s again with him exclaiming a little, “That’s me!” on Izy naming herself in his favor. Even her voice was a perfect mimic of Luz’s, as she twirled the staff around, dark magic flowing behind it, she would strike a confident pose.  “Now then, my adorable Lord of the Boiling Isles, let’s see what your magic can really do!”

[eyyawe]

Chapter Six

Embers

Smiling softly, she turned her head away from him instinctively. He approached the pot to where his face was extremely close to her.

"I don't think I've seen anything like it. The rare times I have seen a fae, even they couldn't control powers like that. Why didn't you use it before to escape?" He asked.

She peaked her head out of the flora, looking into his eyes. "I'm sick." She said it plainly. There wasn't anything else to it.

"Oh, so it's temporary? That has to be pretty bad timing, then." He laughed.

"No, no,  it's always going to be like that. It happened when I had my run-in with a god. I didn't know how to use my powers anyways."  Her hair had gotten impressively longer, and her skin had completely healed. That was the magic of water with the nymphs. Aconite found it strange that she was conforming to him. This was always such a personal subject she never usually talked about, except with Tara. Even then, she couldn't explain it all to Tara. By some weird spell, she always feared Apophis would return to take her. That he could hear her every word, and her power "illness" was a secret.

"A god? Wow, I thought nymphs were supposed to stay far away from them. I mean- what you did to them and what they did to you. Isn't that a good reason to stay away?"

"I didn't do anything." She hissed. "That was a long time ago. Thousands of years ago." She released that she was barking at this giant being- in her eyes and quickly stopped.

"Guess you are right. But there are still cases of the nymphs doing it. I-"

"P-Please, sir, I don't want to talk about this."

He sighed. "Apologies." He rocked back and forth. Everything he had been taught about nymphs was awful. In his bedtime tales, they were ruthless beings who killed the mighty gods who didn't deserve it. Not like Whiro Colossus, the god of chaos and destruction, it was gods and goddesses who brought light to the world, in some cases, literally. Some sillier tales of lesser importance described nymphs as tiny thieves who stole gifts from children and chalked the moth-bitten holes in clothing down to them robbing the fabric. Whether these were real or not, the damage had already been done.

Aconite crawled out of the pot and let her long hair drape behind her. For a long second, she stared into his pools of green. His eyes reminded her of the mossy ponds and the green grass. They were beautiful to her. After an awkward second of staring, she shook her head and turned around. "I-If you don't mind. Could I see the window?"

    Tilting his head, he nodded. "Of course, do you not believe me?" She didn't respond. Instead, she lowered herself down the counter using some drawers that had been left open. "Wait, wait! I can take you there!" He ran around the side and watched her climbing. He reached out his hand to grab her.

    "No, no. Please. I have got this." She barked.

    Florian didn't complain. Besides, if she would be a temporary guest here for quite some time, she would have to get used to it. He stepped back, allowing her to continue. Whether he knew it or not, he made so much noise to Aconite. The slightest step caused the floorboards to wine under the weight, and the slightest tapping sounded like a drum. Aconite thought about it, adding to her view of him.

    "So oblivious." She thought to herself. She had finally managed to make it onto the floor. His figure stood like a mountain in front of her. She walked around his legs and over to the wall where the window was. Maybe there was no way up without his help. He crouched down beside her, smiling,

    "Need some help there?" He teased.

    "No..." She trailed, huffing.

    "Then how will you get up? Or would you prefer to watch the window from here?" He placed his hand beside her. "You chariot, m'lady." Aconite glanced at his hand. She saw it as some evil trick. He hadn't asked her this before; it was unwillingly. Apart of her saw the excitement in it. Defying fear. Taking risks. All of it excited her. She looked at him. Had she not noticed what he had even looked like before? He had auburn hair and a freckled face with round glasses on his nose. To her, he didn't look hostile at all. His face was inviting and soft compared to the harshness she had seen before. She even considered him handsome. The way he talked was charming too. He made little jokes but didn't overstep his boundaries.

    "Hmm?" He sounded. Aconite carefully crawled onto his hand. It was soft and warm, like a lovely bed. Her feet felt like a butterfly's on his palm, delicate and light. She worriedly grabbed onto his thumb for support. It was almost as long as her.

    "Be careful, please you-"

    Florian interjected, "I know. I hurt you. I won't do that ever again. I promise." He gently raised her to the windowsill, tipping it to let her off. She graciously accepted and walked to the glass, shocked by the sight of a raging winter storm.     "But spring was supposed to be coming soon!" She cried. "Oh, my gods-"

    "I'm sorry. I know you think this is awful, and you have every right to believe that, but I will try to make you as comfortable as possible."         A rush of cold air hit Aconite from the window, and she shivered. She sat next to the wall, hugging her knees, and began sobbing. Guilt rushed over her. Tara was probably worried about where she was and had sent people to look for her. She just wanted to return to her home with Tara and the village. The tears started to consume her, and she couldn't stop them until suddenly, she felt a warm embrace. Florian's hands gently cupped around her, providing warmth, but they didn't touch her.

    "The heat doesn't reach right there. You looked cold." He didn't comment on her crying. He figured his "scariness" could make it worse. "I could set you by the fire unless you want to look outside some more." His voice was gentle and soothing. Aconite turned to him.

"Could you? Please?" She wiped the tears from her eyes. He set his hand down again, and she climbed on, taking in the warmth.  He stepped carefully toward the fireplace where he had placed her near. "I'm going to read. Let me know if you need anything." His steps were softer now. Still loud, but like he had taken some care into thinking about it. He sat down and began reading a hard-covered book.

After some time, he fell inevitably asleep. The winter cold had made Florian's home cozy and perfect for sleeping, although it wasn't even near nighttime. It was that the events of yesterday had caused him to become tired. Aconite didn't sleep; instead, she nervously watched the fire embers, thinking about everything she had done. Behind her, something fell to the floor. It was Florian's glasses. They had slipped from his bridge as he read and, consequently, on the floor. She would have left him but seeing how clumsy he was, she didn't think it was a good idea. She walked over to the glasses and began to move them. His legs were positioned so she could drag them onto his lap, so at least there they would be near his hands on a blanket. It took her a while to get to his lap, but eventually, she did it.  Warmth radiated from his body onto her, and she decided to stay; she couldn't watch the embers forever. His chest moved up and down steadily, and his breathing was slow like faint waves. It comforted her, and she needed someone right now. It wasn't just this situation that put her in such a distraught state of mind. She sat down and rested her head. She tried to match her breathing to his, lowering her anxiety. Eventually, her eyes heavied, and she fell into a deep slumber.

Outside, the storm raged on, covering the land in mass amounts of snow. It had brought them together as a curse, but maybe it would be a blessing...

[hoarding-books]

Book Review- Faeries, Elves & goblins The Old Stories

By Rosalind Kerven

I picked this one up knowing faery stories date back centuries, that there were probably stories from all over Britain, but I'd only ever read anything about them in children's and YA fiction- there may have been more lore in Melissa Marr's series than Julie Kagawa's, but they still include a couple of things mentioned in the stories in what will be referred to, from here on, as simply 'Faeries'.

The book itself contains 25 individual stories, generally between 6-8 pages long, split into 5 sections ('Of Faeries, Elves and Goblins', 'Sightings', 'Some Faery Tribes', 'Dealings Between Faeries and Mortals' and 'Spells') accompanied by illustrations. Besides this, there are 39 pages of notes on the stories themselves, 6 of sources/consulted works, and obviously picture credits

The stories themselves were pretty short and interesting, even if a few felt pretty similar, but it didn't feel like there was much point to dividing them into sections, besides maybe adding a more comprehensive summary of lore and variations, and some of the introductions to each section felt a bit tedious to read

In addition, I didn't always feel like the illustrations, beautiful though some may be (and ugly when the sprites were) actually fit the tales they were paired with

Overall, though, this was a pretty pleasant reading experience, and I managed to finish it within a month- start to finish. It's one of those books where, once you've read through the sections at least once, you can just pick it up, open to a random story, and that's it

I will say, however, that certain tales directly reference abductions, an almost-execution, child abuse (beating one for losing his sister to the faeries') and other violence (non-descript, but apparently some of the mortals in the stories aren't against treating the Fae roughly to try and get what they want and underage drinking. There's also mentions of slavery, mostly in terms of the Fair Folk claiming mortals as such, along with a woman being pressured into sex, so I would personally be wary about the idea of reading very many of the tales to very young children, no matter how whimsical the cover*

Overall, certainly not a bad book. It was interesting enough, and if you're bored of the same old myths, wanting to branch out into something more like folklore, it could be a good starting point (Kerner is said to have published plenty of other books, including one on Arthurian legends, in the Author's summary)

*Edit made the morning after: This is totally up to any parents, but there is rarely a 'happy' ending, end no-one is really depicted as a 'good' guy, but maybe I'm underestimating these things, considering there used to be nursery rhymes about serial killers, or how the rumours about the origins started circulating around the schoolyard when I was maybe 7, at most. Or Hansel and Gretel, in general. Children can still like darker stories, as fairy tales show. Besides, according to the notes, there are variations of some of these stories dating back to the middle ages- even to Celtic mythology, supposedly. Just bear in mind how children love copying things

[the-scribe-and-her-scribbles]

iwcb | chapter 11. it's almost time to let go

it will come back | chapter 11 | fae!prussia x reader

it will come back Masterlist and Summary

chapter summary: Gilbert isn't telling you everything.

word count: 3.8k

content warnings: mild swearing, making out, angst, YEARNING

(if you want to be added to the tagging list, please reply to the pic or message me)

ch 11. it's almost time to let go

Gilbert hasn’t been to the western edge of his woods in years, even before he was locked away. The time he spent with Antonio and Francis was something he looked back on fondly. He had met them years ago, when he was young and wild, and a lot more stupid. 

Gilbert was driving out invaders at the time and had met Antonio and Francis when they were doing the same. They ended up getting along, and an alliance between the three of them formed. Toni and Francis became some of his closest advisors, and he respected what they had to say. It was them who’d suggested he try the Find Soulmate spell and when it came up blank, and when Gilbert spiralled, they had tried to keep his head on his shoulders. 

(“What are you doing?” Toni had said. 

Gilbert rubs his eyes, bleary and barely awake. He hadn’t slept well that night. “I’m trying to focus, for fuck sakes.” He mutters. “I can’t think with you two babying me.” 

Francis stands not too far behind them. “You shouldn’t be doing this right now, mon ami.”

“And what should I do instead?” he bites out.

“Take a moment to process, to think.” Antonio sighs and Gilbert rolls his eyes. 

“There’s nothing to think about. I tried the spell, but it didn’t work. There’s no point in dwelling on it.”

“Ancients! Nothing to dwell on? Can you even hear yourself? This is your soulmate!”

Gilbert barks out a laugh. “The problem is the lack of soulmate, Francis.”

Francis growls. “I could punch you right now.”

“What do you want from me? To weep like a little kid? To wallow in self-pity?”

“I want you to admit that you’re disappointed. That maybe, somewhere in that black heart of yours, you wanted to find your mate so that you could be with them! Not just use them as some cheap spell charm!”

“Well, you always were a romantic.” He sneers.

“You know what? Fine. You want to be an imbecile. You want to rush into the fire without taking a second to fucking think? That’s fine, but I’m not gonna watch you bring yourself to ruin. Go ahead, try to take on Arthur’s court, try standing to the North Islands’ raiders. See how well it ends for you!” Francis bites out, before turning in a swish of his expensive blue shirt and storming out of the war room.)

Gilbert tries not to wallow in the past. He makes his choices and doesn’t look back to wonder what he would have done differently, or whether he made the right choice. He dug his grave and he’d lie in it. But as he leads you out of his woods and through the familiar grassy plains of his friend’s homeland, he can’t help but think of all the mistakes he made at the end. 

He sounds like one of those philosophers you study. The withering old humans who sit and ponder things like fate, chance and how small decisions trickle into overwhelming consequences. 

Francis was right back then. He should have taken a moment, listened to him and Antonio, Elizabeta and Roderich, and even his own brother, Ludwig. Maybe he could have held off Arthur with empty treaties and diplomacy long enough to find another way. Maybe he would have never been locked away in the the first place, never had to pull you into this mess. 

Maybe he never would have gotten the chance to meet you. 

Gilbert watched you weave through the tall grass, the seeds and pollen sticking to your skirts and hair. You look at him. You’re slightly breathless and you’re skin glows in the warmth of the setting sun. 

“You know,” you say to him. “I’m getting really tired of all this fucking walking. Characters in books make this shit look easy! My feet kill!”

Gilbert snorts. Maybe it’s good that he doesn’t dwell on the ‘what ifs’. 

I'm somewhere outside my life, babe

I keep scratching 

but somehow I can't get in

Francis has a villa close to the border of The Woods. Gilbert remembers Francis moving to it every year in late Autumn.  The two of you follow a dirt road around the outskirts of a small town, that cuts through the fields and farmland all around you. It's dark now and you walk, and up ahead, Gilbert sees the fight light of lanterns hanging from a rod-iron gate. 

You reach the entrance and try to push open the gate.

“Don’t bother, it’s locked,” Gilbert says. He moves Gil-bird from one arm to another before pulling off one of his gloves with his teeth. He places his hand on one of the bars. His fingers turn soot-black with magic. The gate hums before a resounding click unlocks the gate and it swings open with a creak. 

“M’lady,” he gestures as you walk in first. 

Despite the sun setting nearly an hour ago, Gilbert can see clearly that Francis hasn’t changed the place at all. The courtyard is still lush and opulent, with perfectly manicures flower beds and walking paths. Lamps light up the main path towards the house, and faerie glamour makes the red and white roses grow even as the first frosts of winter approach. 

You go to walk up a set of wide, marble steps to what looks to be a front door, but Gilbert stops you.

“Here, this way.” 

He leads you towards a section of brick where the ivy shimmers slightly out of focus, nearly unnoticeable to anyone who didn’t know what they were to look for. 

“That’s a wall,” you whisper behind him. 

“Just watch.” He reaches through the illusion, his fingers staining the tips of his fingers with inky black, as he swipes at the bricks with a little bit of magic. The black spreads out, like ink droplets onto cloth, slowly eating away at the illusion to reveal large oak doors. 

“Oh, that’s cool,” you whisper, your mouth shaped into an ‘o’ and your eyes wide. 

The door opens, and Gilbert swallows. Gilbert feels the nerves build in his stomach. He knows how badly he left things seventy-five years ago. So much for not wallowing in the past. He pushes the door open to see a figure standing on the top of the grand staircase. 

Francis hasn’t changed much either. The blond man’s wearing an expensive white shirt and black trousers. He stands completely still for a moment, looking down at Gilbert with his mouth pressed into to thin line. 

“Hey, Fran.”

He doesn’t say anything. That’s not good. Francis normally never stops speaking. Francis descends the steps and Gilbert tries to get a read on his old friend. 

“I’m not gonna apologize,” Gilbert continues. “You’ve known me long enough to know that..”

Francis continues to close the distance between them. As Francis takes the last, long strides before reaching him, Gilbert braces for impact.

Instead, the blond’s arms wrap around him in a tight hug, a hand patting him on the shoulder. 

“I’m glad you’re ok,”  Francis mutters as he pulls away, and the tension in Gilbert’s chest releases. “Toni! Get down here!” 

Antonio pokes his head out from around a corner and a grin splits his face. He lets out a jovial laugh and all but leaps down the stairs. 

“Took you long enough!” He says clapping Gilbert on the shoulder with maybe a little too much strength but Gilbert can’t find it in himself to care too much.

“Do you guys…like…need a minute?” You pipe up from behind. Antonio and Francis perk up to look at you, a pretty girl, a human, that they’ve never seen before. “Because I can wait outside, it’s no big deal.” 

And tell me if somehow some of it remained

How long you would wait for me?

How long I've been away?

Francis immediately enters host mode. Food and drinks are brought out by unseen servants and you and Gilbert are guided to a back sitting room while you’re grilled about your journey so far. Gilbert lets you tell your version of events, letting himself watch as you pull your feet under you on your half of the couch with a small cake, while you go over all you’ve been through in the past five days. 

Time is a strange concept for the Fae. It moves faster when you’re facing down eternity, he supposes. Days and weeks pass with the swiftness of rushing water. Five days ago he met you and you’ve trekked around most of the Wandering woods with him. Five days ago you crashed into his life and as he watches you chat with his old friends, laughing and drinking as Francis and Toni fight for your attention, you look time you’ve known them for years. Gilbert realizes that despite only knowing you for less than a week, it feels like you’ve always been there.  

That’s horrifying. 

It scares him to realize that you’ve taken the swift passage of time and slowed it down so significantly. That you’ve made 5 days with you feel like a blissful life of knowing you. 

“So all we have to get is one more thing of the West side of the woods, and then I’ll be headed home.”

Gilbert comes back out of his thoughts to catch the last bit of what you’re saying. 

“You’re heading back to the Mortal Realm? You must be excited?” Toni says. 

You nod, “I left kind of suddenly, so I’ll have a lot of explaining to do.” 

Gilbert watches as your face takes on a more serious look, and tries to avoid the confused look that Francis shoots him. He fails, and shoots Francis a look that says “drop it.” 

“But it will be nice to get back to my house, sleep in my bed, go back to class. I’m probably behind in most of them.”

“You go to a university, what do you study?” Francis takes over the conversation. He’s thankful for that because suddenly, Gilbert needs to excuse himself for some air, maybe a drink. 

He slips out of the room. The halls are quiet, with no one in them to see him realize that this is almost over. Gilbert had told you that first night together that if you helped him, he’d send you back. And now, with only one of Gilbert’s tokens left to retrieve, your time together is coming to an end. 

That thought makes his stomach sink. 

Gilbert hears footsteps behind him and turns around. Francis has snuck up behind him in the hallway. Gilbert nods to him, swallowing as Fran faces him with a stern gaze. 

“What did you do?” He says with a sign, and Gilbert tells him everything.

I can hope how this will end

With every line a comedy

That we can learn to love without demand

But with unreserved honesty.

Francis shakes his head. “Ancients, Gilbert. What you thinking.”

He groans. He honestly couldn’t tell him. Maybe he thought that he’s been able to keep his distance, but that plan went out the window the moment he kissed you in his prison. “I know,’ he says. “I know, I wasn’t thinking but I didn’t know what else to do.”

“You can’t keep this hidden from her.”

“If I tell her now, she’ll never forgive me. She’ll get scared and she’ll leave as soon as she gets the chance.” 

Francis gives him a stern look. “She has every right to.”

Those words settle in Gilbert's chest and trigger something to rise in him. It’s something feral and desperate and ugly. It claws at his chest with dirty claws, It howls and paces around his heart. 

“I just…” he takes a deep breath, pinning the hungry, possessive creature inside him under his imaginary boot. “I’m not ready yet. I need more time.” 

If he was a good person, he would tell you this. He’d tell you everything, damn the consequences. But Gilbert isn’t a good person, even by fey standards.  He’s arrogant and cruel, and he is selfish and determined and a down-right bastard. 

 You, on the other hand, are kind and good and so incredibly clever, and he’s in love with you, Gilbert finally admits to himself. 

He resigns himself to that fact. Despite his best efforts, he loved you the moment you fell into his prison, the moment you looked at him in the cool eerie light of that hell-hole, the moment you smiled at him and laughed at something he said. 

He was an idiot for thinking that he wouldn’t fall in love with you, his curse-breaker, his soulmate.

Gilbert’s craves you. He wants you. He’s desperately, completely obsessed with you and this is terrible. It’s terrible because Gilbert’s a fae, and when the fair-folk loves someone, it consumes them. 

 Gilbert loves you, and he knows in his soul that he can’t let you go yet, and soon enough, he’ll be forced to. 

As Gilbert stands in the hallway with one of his oldest friends, he is unable to come to terms with that fact yet. He looks back to the room where he left you and notices it’s now quiet. 

“Where is she?” He asks Francis. 

“Toni was taking her to look around the library when I left.”

“He’s alone with her?”

“Don’t start that with me, Beilschmidt. I could have been the one to give her the tour.” 

And Gilbert doesn’t know which one of those options was worse. He thinks that any scenario where you’re off on your own where he can’t see you is torturous. He shakes his head. 

“I should go find her,” he nods to himself. 

“To tell her the truth?” 

Gilbert looks at the blond fey and Francis pinches his brow in frustration. He sighs. “I need a drink.”

Cause I can see how this will end

In all its bitter tragedy

I'll give you all I have to spend

And you'll give nothing back to me.

Francis had left Gilbert behind to go get something to calm his nerves, leaving Gilbert alone in the halls of his villa. Gilbert can feel the tension that’s settled in him but didn’t take up Francis’s offer to drown it in expensive wine. He has the sneaking suspicion that alcohol won’t be able to soothe him anymore. 

Gilbert walks down the hallway until he reaches the doors to the house’s library. It’s dimly lit by glamour-powered lamps that hang off the walls. He pushed open the door a crack and looks in. 

A lantern sits on a table in the centre of a semi-circle of couches, and to the side, you and Antoni talk while you walk along the tall bookcases. He can only see the back of you from where he’s standing but Toni notices him come in right away. 

While you’re distracted with your browsing, Antoni wiggles his eyebrows at him and leans just a bit too close to you. Gilbert glares and motions his head towards the door.  Go!

Toni rolls his eyes and shoots him a look that says, “don’t be so jealous,” before he leans towards you and whispers his goodbyes. You nod and whisper a thank you, and Toni quietly walks away. 

 “She nice,” he whispers to Gilbert as he slips out the door. “She’ll be good for you.”

The door closes behind him with an audible click you turn from the shelf to notice his arrival. 

“Where did you run off too?” You ask him. 

He’s fae, so he’s forced to tell you at least part of the truth. “Just into the hallway. Francis and I talked.”

“Well, sorry I didn’t wait for you. Toni didn’t give me a chance to tell you where we were headed before he dragged me to see this place.” 

You continue browsing through the aisles, getting lost in your thoughts. The lantern gives you a faint orange glow as you shuffle along the bookshelf with your back turned to him again. It gives him the chance to look at you more, a pastime he can’t stop doing the longer he spends with you. 

“You don’t have to stay here, you know.” You say softly. “I’m sure you’d rather be drinking with your friends, catching up.”

There’s no way he could do that. 

When Gilbert looks at you, his heart aches. He feels like he felt when he was locked in his prison. Hungry, ravenous for any bit of you that he can get. His nerves feel like they’re set on fire.

Gilbert feels himself step closer to you. His shoulder leans against the bookshelf, his slim figure loom just beside you. 

“Do you not want company?” 

“It’s not that..” 

You look up at him through your lashes and his mouth goes dry. That thing in him stirs. He itches to just grab you. He imagines tangling his hands into your hair, pulling you close, and never letting you go. You pause and swallow something in your throat. “What are you doing, Gil?” You whisper. 

Gilbert’s found himself leaning closer to you, crowding you. he tries to pull away. He can’t quite bring himself to do it. 

He clears his throat. “Tomorrow we’ll take the Standing Stones to the other side of the Woods. We’re almost done.” 

You nod slowly, your brows pulled up into a soft, worried expression. “I know.”

Gilbert swallows, and can’t stop his next words from leaving his mouth. “When this is over, you’d be welcome to stay.”

“I’m sorry?”

“You could stay here,” he repeats, more firm before quieting down to add, “if you’d like.” 

A soft breath leaves you and you purse your lips. “You know I can’t do that,” you say, so softy his ears barely hear it. You back away and turn down another aisle of shelves. Gilbert follows after you. 

“You could.” He leans in. Your eyes shine in the dim candlelight of the library, your features only slightly illuminated in this tucked-away area of the room. It's quiet. It’s so quiet that Gilbert can hear your breath catch.

“What do you want from me, Gil?” Your eyes drift from his, down his face and then back up. 

You said that to him before once, that first night you met him. Inside his prison, under cold, blue light instead of this warm orange, you had asked him what he wanted from you and you told him what you had wanted in return. In the rows of bookshelves inside his prison, similar to the scene playing out now, the two of you made your deal, and to seal it, he’d kissed you. 

And now, history’s going to repeat itself. 

“Gil?” He leans in more, and you are backed into the shelf behind you. Your eyes droop and you lick your lips. “This is a bad idea.” You say. 

“Then tell me to stop.” 

Tell me to go and I will. Tell me you don’t want this. Tell me you don’t feel this pull like I do.

You tilt your head up to him. Your throat bobs. “Gil-“

He kisses you. He brings both hands up to cup your face and he kisses you as he did all those days ago. You make some delicious noise and he can feel your hands slide up his chest and around his neck. When that makes him breathe out just a little too heavy, he can’t bother being embarrassed. He couldn't care if he was panting and moaning like a virgin. He can feel you touching him and he can feel his soul sing, the magic that flows through him hum. Why the fuck didn’t he do this sooner?

One of his hands trails down your back and settles firmly on your waist. Your breaths mingle together, his teeth catching at your bottom lip. His hands rove over your hips and squeeze into your thighs before he lifts you and wraps them around his waist. Suddenly, you’re spinning around and he sets you on a small table in the corner. 

Your teeth clink together, and your taste permeates him. Gilbert’s starting to think that your kisses could make him drunk. His fingers thread through your hair and he tugs your head back, exposing the smooth skin of your neck. 

You gasp. “Gil-“

He trails down your kissing some spots and nipping others. He feels your hands trail into his white hair. You grab the strands and pull his face back up. 

 “Gil!” 

He can’t even think about that. He kisses you again, your lips are swollen but you still kiss him back, and it’s so good and sweet and lovely. So lovely and beautiful that he can’t stop mumbling those things under his breath in between the kisses. 

He breaths, the fevered pace he’s set slows down until his mouth is far more gentle, and he leans is slower and softer, and your hands are still tangled in his silver hair. 

“Gilbert.” He pulls away, one final time. A string of saliva connects the two of you and all the two of you can hear is the gasping for breath in the dim corner of the library. 

“We can’t do this.” You whisper. 

He presses his forehead to yours. 

“Yes, we can.” He says. “You can. Stay, please.”

“I can’t. I have people waiting for me. I have a life. I might not be magic, or fae, or a warrior but I have things, people waiting for me in the Mortal World. I have to get back to them.” You place the palm of your hand and push his way. It’s gentle, not harsh or cruel, just the firm decision of someone who’s always done the right thing, always followed her mind instead of her soul.

You push yourself off the table where Gilbert had placed you, and walk towards the door. He reaches to stop you from leaving you. He can’t help himself. He has to try. His pale hand wraps around your forearm.

“Don’t.” You look back at him and your eyes are watering.

“I’m sorry.” Gilbert let’s go. He doesn’t want you to cry.

“It’s okay, really. I’m not mad. I just…” you sigh. “Tell everyone I’ve headed to bed, okay?” 

You turn away and scurry out the door, disappearing into the hallway. Gilbert is left in the library alone. He bends down and leans on the table. He rubs his face and left out a sigh. He feels like kicking himself. 

Why the fuck did he do that?

Everything I’ve ever let go of 

Has claw marks on it

author's notes

I am so sorry for this. This chapter wasn't beta-read so im sorry that it's probably not very good. Also this was my first make out scene I’ve every written so I hope it was okay!

Weeee! I did it! I am so sorry that my writing is so slow, but I’m glad I got this done!

quotes

1. Sedated by Hozier

2.As It Was by Hozier

3. This Will End by The Oh Hellos

4. This Will End by The Oh Hellos

5. Quote by David Foster Wallace

tagging list: @jtownraindancer, @redrosesociety1, @xxruinaxx