#Kazan Smedry

[dragoneyes618]

It's easy to forget that Kaz and Attica are brothers up until this part. 

[marenwithanm]

"Okay then..." I said slowly. "We'll sneak past the guards in the dark, and we'll do it while quoting Hamlet." -Alcatraz Smedry

That scene was so good lol.

Kaz: idk Alcatraz, sneaking past the guards is a little boring. Where's your pizazz?

Alcatraz: ok... we'll do it while... Quoting... Hamlet???

Kaz: truly, an inspired idea. How do you come up with such amazing plans?

Alcatraz: -_-

[moonzie-writes-stuff]

(Idea by @thesmileystudio but with the singular change of nOBODY ON THE SHIP KNOWING ABOUT IT)

So there I was, being rudely interrupted from my first dreamless sleep since the Highbrary by a frantic Bastille.

One thing we need to clarify. Don’t wake people up to help them after getting sick. I mean really, that’s extremely counterproductive to everything that any foster parents (or other Smedrys) have ever told me. (Surely there’s no oddly backwards Free Kingdomer logic about THAT, right?)

Of course, this situation might have possibly been different, since usually sickness isn’t caused by proximity to an acclaimed Hushlands landmark.

(No, I’m not kidding. In hindsight, why else would anyone build a giant metal arch in the middle of nowhere? For the “aesthetic?” Yeah, right.)

I’m going to assume you guys need context. I’m also going to assume I’m going to have to be the one to give it.

Fine. Here we go again.

“Why are we flying this way to Nalhalla? Isn’t it the other way?” I asked.

Kaz nodded. “We’re picking up Aydee on the way. I’m sorry, kid, but we’ve got to tell her the news about Attica.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

Silence filled the aircraft after that.

For those of you reading this WITHOUT having read the last five books of my autobiography and Bastille’s sixth installment first of all, why? Why are you here? You don’t even know my name, do you? Those of you in the Hushlands are probably questioning why a prison in France is shaking me awake, aren’t you? Read the other books first, you sicko. Secondly, since of course you’re probably still here despite my admonishing, accept this recap.

My name is Alcatraz Smedry. My family is known for having Talents for stuff like breaking things (me), getting lost (Kaz), and being bad at math (Aydee). Or at least that’s how things used to go, until I accidentally released the Dark Talent upon the world and broke the talents. (You know, as one does under pressure.)

The Librarians control the Hushlands. (lands such as the United States or China) and hide that fact from everyone who’s not in their cult while simultaneously trying to take over the free kingdoms (lands such as Nalhalla, Mokia, etc.) and incorporate them into their ever-growing empire.

The last volume I wrote detailed our infiltration into the Highbrary (Or as Hushlanders might know it, the U.S. Library of Congress) and introduced “Cousin Dif,” aka Biblioden, aka the Scrivener, aka the original head of the Librarians who was supposed to be dead years ago.

He betrayed us all when we least expected it, then sacrificed my father on an altar and shot my grandfather, leaving me the last surviving member of the true Smedry line of Oculators, who can use special glasses to do cool stuff.

So, basically, we failed completely.

Or so I thought.

Bastille’s recently released installment covered a LOT of happenings, including but not limited to Grandpa Smedry somehow managing to get his talent back in time to save his life, (He’s still arriving late to his bullet wound to this day.) gravity breaking across the entire world, (I plead the fifth on that one.) a diplomatic discussion with the Dark Talent itself that ended in the other talents coming back, and me having no choice but to give a little bit of Smedry Talent to everyone in the world.

So if you ever find yourself waking up looking uglier than usual, or tripping over nothing, or putting something in one place and coming back to find it gone, that was probably my fault.

Sorry about that.

“Hey, Kaz? Can we stop for food somewhere?”

“Sure, kid. We’re coming up on St. Louis, so we can find a place there if anyone has any Hushlander currency.”

I had, in fact, procured some from the Highbrary, and I told Kaz so.

“Alright! Lemme just set the detour real quick,” Australia said.

“Nice, I’ve always wanted to see the Gateway Arch,” I said, sitting in the nearest empty chair.

Bastille scoffed. “I don’t understand Hushlanders. Lots of gates have arches. Why is this one so special?”

I shrugged. “Mostly because it’s big and metal, and I think you can go inside it, but that might be a different landmark. I guess we don’t have to see it.”

“Well, if we’re gonna be there anyway, I suppose we can stop by it for a few minutes,” Bastille said, rolling her eyes.

“Actually, if you’re in full armor and the rest of us minus Kaz are in formalwear… if we go somewhere that public, we’re definitely going to attract unwanted attention. We probably shouldn’t stop in a city that big at all,” I rationalized.

Bastille rolled her eyes. “There are extra clothes on this thing for a reason, Smedry. We can make something work.”

“Alright, then. Australia, I’m afraid you’re going to have to hover and let whoever’s coming with me down on the ladder. A giant penguin landing in the middle of the city would be way too noticeable. Speaking of which, who’s coming with me?”

Bastille, Sing, and Kaz volunteered.

“Alrighty, then. I’m going to need some way to keep contact with you guys. Australia, how do you feel about Courier’s Lenses?”

“Um… better than the first time the two of us used them?”

“That’ll work. Australia, you’re gonna have to take everyone’s orders and pass them onto me through the lenses. Can you do that?”

“Um… maybe? Do we have a backup plan?”

I shrugged. “Only if Kaz still has his cell phone.”

Kaz gave me a thumbs up. “Yup! Sure do!”

“Leave it with Australia and there’s our backup plan. Now, I’m still going to be at least acting like I’m using the phone. Hushlanders aren’t exactly… used to lenses, so don’t freak out when you see me on the phone. It’s purely for aesthetic purposes.”

“Okay.”

“Bastille, Sing, and Kaz, you go change into T-shirts and shorts. I’ll be doing the same. I’ll tell you if they’re on wrong when you’re done.”

And so began a somewhat infiltration into St. Louis.

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

When we came back together, we found out that Sing had no taste in clothes. At all.

At least Bastille had chosen a fairly normal-looking black tee-shirt with some sarcastic comment on it and a pair of bermuda shorts.

And it turns out Kaz looks pretty good in a sweater vest. (Who knew?)

Sing, however… Well, some things are better illustrated in pictures.

I looked at Sing. “Okay, you know what? Sing, can you just find a plain, white shirt?”

Sing nodded. “Alright!” he said, already running (tripping once) to the room he’d claimed on Penguinator.

“Bastille, that’s perfect. Great job.”

Bastille smirked. “Thanks, Smedry. You don’t look to bad yourself.”

(A/N: If you’re wondering what he’s wearing)

I blushed, quickly changing the subject when Sing came back, wearing, as I’d asked, a white t-shirt.

“Alright, Australia, drop us down there. We can walk from here.”

It was true. There was a Steak ’n’ Shake not too far from the edge of town we were approaching, so I told everyone ahead of time what their options were.

Australia dropped us off, and I put on my Courier’s Lenses as we walked to the Steak ’n’ Shake.

“Alrighty, guys. Check out the menu while I call Australia.” I said, pulling out the cell phone and acting like I was putting in a phone number.

“Hi!” Australia gasped. “OH MY GOSH ITS WORKING SO WELL??? WOW!”

I winced at her volume. “Okay, Australia. Ask everyone whether they want chicken tenders or a burger, and write it down so you can tell me.”

“You got it!” the Courier’s Lenses blinked out as Australia took them off.

Kaz grinned. “The cheeseburger looks pretty good. Also, what are milkshakes?”

I gasped, faux offendedly. “Okay yeah we have to introduce everyone to milkshakes. Wait, Kaz, do you know if anyone with us is lactose intolerant?”

Kaz shook his head. “Nope, nobody on Penguinator is lactose intolerant.”

“Great! Now I just have to-” at that precise moment, Australia’s Couriers Lenses were turned back on. “Nice! Australia, ask around for milkshake orders. They’ve got Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, Banana, Oreo Cookies 'n Cream, Mint Oreo, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Birthday Cake, Cotton Candy, M&M's, Reese's peanut butter cup, Reese's peanut butter, Reese’s chocolate peanut butter, Nutella, Butterfinger, Kit-Kat, and Snickers.”

(A/N: yes I did have to copy and paste the shake menu and delete the calories and ingredient information this hurt me)

Australia dutifully wrote down each flavor and made a saluting motion before turning off her lenses again.

“Alright, guys! Any minute now and we’ll be able to order.”

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

About half an hour later, the four of us returned to Penguinator with plenty of fast food for the others before immediately going back down to see the Gateway Arch.

A few minutes in, Sing tripped.

Of course, we made nothing of it.

A few minutes later, the milkshake started to disagree with me.

“Oof. I should NOT have gotten a large.”

Bastille scoffed. “Obviously.”

We came within sight of the arch, and my head began to pound.

Well, that’s not the milkshake, is it, I thought.

My stomach turned as we walked closer, and I found myself suddenly drained of all energy. Where before I’d had the quickest strides out of the team, now I was lagging about two feet behind Kaz, very much in last place.

Needless to say, Bastille noticed. Also needless to say, she decided to make fun of me for it. “You’d better not be falling asleep back there, Smedry,”

“No, m’fine,” I said, although I definitely was feeling a little sleepy.

We were so close; I couldn’t give up now. Bastille was gonna lose her mind when she found out we could, in fact, go inside the thing, up all the way to the top. There were windows up there, I was pretty sure.

She wanted to make fun of me for lagging behind? Well, we’d see how she felt about going ahead of everyone else when we were up six hundred thirty feet in the air.

The world seemed to spin all of a sudden, but on the bright side, we were almost to the ticket center.

“Hey guys! We can go inside it! Let’s go!” Sing exclaimed, pointing at a sign.

Kaz hung back. “I don’t know, guys. Are you sure you wanna go in? I mean, think about Bastille, that’s pretty high up…”

Bastille shuddered. “Don’t remind me.”

I gave a small smile that probably looked like a grimace.* “That’s the idea. It’s time I get some teasing ammunition for once.”

Kaz looked at me. “Al, you’re not lookin’ to good. I don’t know if you’d survive up there without passing out.”

“M’fine, Kaz. C’mon, let’s get our tickets.”

We waited in line at the ticket center for what felt like hours but was probably only a few minutes. My legs felt like gelatin, but Sing looked so excited, and I sure as heck wasn’t gonna be the one to rob him of this experience.

I inhaled sharply. White-hot pain stabbed through my head, uncannily reminiscent of the headaches I’d get as a child. (I now knew they were a result of Oculatory power building up in me at unhealthy levels.)

“You alright, Smedry? We can’t have you fainting away on us.” Bastille snarked.

“Fine, fine. Just a headache.”

“Drama queen.”

“Okay, Bastille.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Guys! The line’s moved!” Sing said, effectively finishing the argument for us.

I hobbled forward, swaying like one of those inflatable tube men you see in the Hushlands sometimes. (For you Free Kingdomers reading this, think holding a singular cooked noodle vertically and moving your hand back and forth slightly, but upside down and with two smaller noodles attached to the first one.)

Bastille steadied me. “Whoa, there. Don’t go fainting away on me, Smedry.”

I tried to think of a good comeback, but my mind wasn’t working and my vision was fuzzy and when I looked back at Bastille all that came out was, “S’rry.” (Brain-clouding radiation. Obviously.)

I don’t really remember what happened after that, but I woke up an indeterminate amount of time later, perfectly fine, with Bastille shaking me like a child rolling out play-doh.

“Bastille, stop, I’m awake!” I got up and looked around, taking in my surroundings, which seemed to be some sort of makeshift infirmary. “How and when did we get back here?”

“I carried you, idiot.”

“Oh.” I could feel my cheeks reddening at the implication that Bastille had been lugging me around like a sack of potatoes back to Penguinator.

I looked back up at Bastille, and immediately received a smack to the face as a reward for my eye contact.

“Ow… what the heck?”

Bastille then proceeded to tackle-hug me back onto the bed. I stiffened.

This is once again a time to tell the women reading this to please give us men a warning before you hug us. We need warning. (You know what, just everyone give people warning in general it doesn’t matter the gender.)

“Alcatraz, please NEVER do that again; Sing said he could feel your pulse slowing down. You could’ve died, Smedry. I…” Bastille got up and paced around the room, stopping at a window. “I can’t lose you.”

I blinked stupidly. “You can’t lose me?” What on earth was that supposed to mean?

Bastille looked down, and I wasn’t sure if it was the lighting or if her cheeks were genuinely as red as mine. “For one, your entire family would kill me, and for two, the knights would kill me again.”

“So, purely diplomatic, then,” I said, not sure why I was feeling strangely disappointed.

“That, yeah.”

I looked down at the ground, trying to hide the fact that my face was probably tomato red. We were flying closer to St. Louis, and as we approached, I could feel a headache flaring up again. I wobbled back to my bed as spots swam in my vision, and the last thing I remember before passing out was seeing the top of the Gateway Arch through the floor.

I woke up with Australia on the bed next to me, trying to calm down a panicked Sing.

“It’s fine, Sing. It was just a little headache.”

Sing raised an eyebrow. “You said you were really dizzy.”

Australia looked at me and slowly shook her head. “You should be worried about Alcatraz; he passed out again, but he’s awake now. Go interrogate him.”

With my luck, that did the trick, and Sing immediately ran over to (for some bizarre reason) check my vitals.

“Sing, I’m fine now. I don’t know what came over me.”

Sing looked about to cry. “You said you were fine last time and look what happened!”

“Yeah, why are we suddenly fine now?” Australia wondered. “Like, I was REALLY dizzy. Sing, you saw it. I almost fell over.”

“I don’t know, but I think I passed out again when we were over the arch.”

Australia nodded. “Yeah, the thing was, like, wiggling and stretching through my lenses. I got a headache just looking at it through them, but when I took ‘em off, it just went away.”

“Huh.”

“I might be crazy, but I think it’s the arch.”

“But if it’s the arch, why were only the two of us affected?”

“Good question.”

We sat there in silence, thinking about why the arch would give an adverse reaction to the two of us specifically.

“Oh,” Australia said, tapping her head like she’d just found out that the most obvious answer was, in fact, the right one.

“What?”

“I think it’s an Oculator thing.”

“Then why would I have passed out while you didn’t?”

“By the first sands, Smedry, isn’t it obvious?” Bastille’s voice came from behind me and I started. I’d forgotten she was there.

“Bastille, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there are three different Smedrys in the room right now, so you’re gonna have to learn everyone’s first names at some point.”

“Shut up.”

“No.”

“Alcatraz…”

“What?”

Bastille then made a noise that sounded uncannily like a horse muffled into a pillow.

“Okay, what’s so obvious, then?”

“It’s because you’re so shattering powerful. I mean, have you ever seen Australia use Courier’s lenses from halfway across the country? On instinct?”

“Uh… no.”

Australia nodded. “Yeah, I can confirm I could NEVER.”

“Oh.”

*I know EXACTLY what a good number of the Hushlanders are probably thinking, and you’re thinking of the wrong fast food chain. Go smell some grass, or whatever it is the Hushlands kids say nowadays.

[thesmileystudio]

Headcanons:

Kazan is claustrophobic but since he is short it didn't get triggered yet

Yet... 💀

[inprogress-predicament]

Incorrect Alcatraz Smedry Quotes

Kaz, to the Council of Kings: Don't beat yourself up over this. No, Pop's hoodwinked the the Knights and his own family on several occasions. How's the saying go?

Kaz: Fool me once, shame on me.

Kaz: Fool me twice, won't get fooled again.

Brig: *starts realizing this was a terrible idea*

Kaz: Fool me a third time, and well, the second time didn't really count cause I mean..MAN! Didn't he look dead?

Brig: Lord Kazan, that's not remotely how the saying goes

[im-a-ramblr]

Day 18, Things left unsaid

Attica Smedry was a charming, smart, handsome man. He was well-liked, and everyone wanted to spend time with him, inviting him to parties and meetings of all kinds. He admired by everyone. At least that’s how it seemed to everyone else. The truth was Attica could never seem to get the admiration from the people who he really wanted it from. His wife’s and his son’s.

But that was fine. He’d accepted that Shasta wasn’t going to be easy re-woo, they were both too determined to be right. He’d have to prove her wrong than help mend her ego for a while before things when back to how they use to be. But Alcatraz? Attica had no idea what he was supposed to do about that. He’d thought he’d had it; the boy had seemed so pleased to see him in the Library of Alexandria. But then it hadn’t gone anywhere.

Deep down, a part of him knew why that was. Jut like the with the press and reputations, you had to put time into a relationship. If he ignored the outside world too long because of his research they’d stop loving him. Thankfully, that took much longer for the press to stop supporting him than it did for relationships, so the city still loved him. Especially after the stunt, he pulled where he vanished without a trace, only to return 13 years later with a ton of knowledge and his son.

His son, who was currently sitting across from him, poking his food with his fork. He didn’t seem to be any happier to be here than his father. Attica stifled a sigh and glanced around the table. His father had insisted they all eat together as a family. How he’d gotten everyone to agree was a mystery.

Pattywagon was talking to Millhaven’s children, including a little girl who Attica didn’t know. They were easily the loudest part of the table. Quentin was seated across from Kazan and was listening to Kazen and Folsom ranked places the former had gotten lost in. Occasionally he’d make comments or look at a dark-skinned woman next to Folsom. Attica truly had no idea who she was. She and Alcatraz would sometimes share looks, or she’d urge him to eat in a soft voice. She and Leavenworth seem to be the only ones beside him to notice the boy’s nearly full plate.

“Ah, but dear Himilaya is from the hushlands!” Patty said suddenly. “And so is Alcatraz! Couldn’t you just ask them?”

Attica looked towards her; eyebrow raised. She was speaking to Sing and pointing down the table to the woman and Alcatraz. Folsom tensed, but Alcatraz peered around to look at the large Mokian man.

Sing blushed. “I could but I was not sure it was polite to ask.”

“Ask what?” Alcatraz asked, still looking down the table.

“Ah, just some research on Hushland history. Nothing very important.” Sing assured him.

Alcatraz bit his lip, a terrible habit to have Attica mentally noted, and then blurted out. “I could help.” He then turned red. “If you wanted me to of course. I didn’t have a normal time growing up there, but I still absorbed the culture. Well, parts of it.”

“Would you?” Sing brightened. “You did not seem terribly pleased last time I asked. Before the infiltration of the downtown library.”

“Oh!” the teenager shook his head. “No that was- I mean- uh. Yes! I want to help. Sorry for coming across as unwilling last time. I- I was struggling to grasp everything. I mean, I had just learned my whole life was a lie, so I was processing.”

The other Smedrys nodded in understanding. “It must have been hard.” Quentin acknowledged. “Finding out there was a whole other half the world you didn’t know existed.”

“And that you had living family who wanted you,” Leavenworth added, reaching to rest a hand on Alcatraz’s shoulder.  “Both of which are vital truths you deserved to know the whole time.”

Attica frowned at that. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but what are you talking about?” He looked around, feeling lost, and out of the loop. He didn’t like it. Alcatraz’s smiled dropped and he turned back to stare at his food.

Silence.

“This is ridiculous.” Kazen sighed. “Trying to navigate this family worse than trying to work my talent!”

“I agree.” Folsom nodded. “2 out of 10 for communication. We can do better.”

Attica opened his mouth to protest, but his son let out a breathy laugh. That made the youngest of his nieces laugh. After a few moments, Alcatraz burrows his face in his hand and took several deep breaths. “I’m sorry Folsom, you too Kazan. It just- communication issues isn’t something I think about when I think about you guys. So the fact that all of us being together, makes us all so bad at it is funny.”

“It’s okay. It is kind of funny. And I’d rather make you laugh than cry. 10 of 10.” Folsom grinned.

The youth gave his uncle a soft, kind of tired, smile. “So how do we get better at it? Communication, I mean.”

“You start by talking.” Patty grinned.

“And I think, the first topic should be the story of how we got Alcatraz,” Leavenworth said, looking at Attic. “And then we should do yours.”

Attica nodded, unsure how else to respond. “Alcatraz? Would you tell us how it went?” It felt odd to ask to learn something from someone else.

Alcatraz's head snapped in his father’s direction, mouth opened slightly. “You want me to tell it?”

Attica shifted, trying to ignore the voice in his head that was screaming that asking had been a very big mistake. He nodded.

His son’s eyes went wide, before narrowing. He studies his father for a moment the looked at his grandfather, who nodded.

“Well, it started on my thirteenth birthday….” Attica forced himself to listen intently and didn’t let his mind drift to various theories and questions the story brought up. He could ask wonder about those later. He needed this information because it would be important for him to know for later. He needed these things as a base for how to get his family back after his project was finished. He listened and watched his son explained everything he’d missed, and then some, as his cousins convinced him to tell them about his first impressions of the Freelands.

Attica couldn’t help a grin when Patty pressed the boy to reveal that he too had made the connection between normal sands and Oculatory sands. The same one he had made. He wanted to say something. You should read my paper on that and discuss it with me. I’m proud of you. What other things have you noticed with your fresh eyes? I love you, I missed you, I promise I have a plan to make things better.

He said nothing. He knew the importance of well-timed reveals and keeping certain things unsaid until the right moment. So he opting to merely listen and learn. He could say all those things later when he had something to show for all the missed time. He would say all the things he felt, but only when they would truly matter. He could go unspoken for a little while longer. He was so close to finishing everything anyway. Yes, things were looking up.

[doe-in-headlights]

Concilliabule for whatever strikes your fancy. (I'm thinking either for your good good boi Dipper or for Magica Madoka. Or for the Alcatraz and the Librarians series. God I hope I spelled that second one right.)

You spelled it right! The Alcatraz suggestion gave me an idea (and I’ll take any excuse to write about them honestly) so I think I’m gonna go with that!

Concilliabule - “A secret meeting of people who are hatching a plot.”

“Are you sure he really asked her out?”

Kaz nodded. “Would I ever lie to you?”

“How did she respond?” Australia chimed in as she leaned in to listen.

Kaz paused to think. “She didn’t really seem to know what a movie is.”

“But did she say yes or no?”

“Neither.”

“Really?” Australia’s eyes widened. “Not even a hint?”

“Not even a hint.” Kaz sighed as he leaned back in his seat. “Honestly, those two are going to be married and living together before they realize they like each other.”

“These things take time, you know,” added another Smedry. “You can’t force it.”

“Come on, Himalaya! It’s one thing to leave things alone, but those two really have something going there!”

Murmurs of agreement came from the various Smedrys came from all corners of the room. While the scene was a typical Smedry family meeting, the topic of choice was causing quite a bit of frustration. 

(It should be noted that one key Smedry had not been notified of the meeting: one Alcatraz Smedry. It should also be noted that Bastille Dartmoor, knight of Alcatraz Smedry, was not present in any form either.)

“Let’s think about this; are we sure they have something going there?” Folsom asked. “What’s he like when she’s around?”

“They bicker somewhat,” Sing added. “But I haven’t been around them for too long since the Downtown Library invasion.”

“My boy, it’s clear he cares about her!” Leavenworth added. “You can see it in his eyes. There’s definitely something there.”

“And he gets all red-faced when she gets close to him!” Australia laughed.

“He does? When did you see that?”

“In the Library of Alexandria. He gets this dazed look on his face; it’s like he forgot how to think!”

“Well, how does she act around him?”

“I really don’t know how to read her,” Kaz sighed. “Pops?”

Leavenworth paused to think. “She’s definitely different. You can tell when she cares about something, really cares, and she cares more about him than she’d like to admit.”

“Then why does she insult him all the time?” Folsom asked.

Kaz shrugged. “Denial, maybe. Himalaya?”

“Could mean anything. Maybe it’s her way of trying to tell him she likes him?”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Sing said.

Leavenworth sighed with false exhaustion. “What are we going to do about these two?”

Folsom nodded. “I’d give their chemistry a four-and-a-half out of five; it’d be perfect if it had a payoff.”

A long pause settled the room into silence; then a wry smile settled across Kaz’s face as he spoke up again. “What if we gave them a payoff?”

Leavenworth raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, let’s give them….y’know, a little nudge.”

“Are you sure that’ll work?” Himalaya asked. “Like I said, forcing things isn’t a good call.”

“He asked her own on his own, and she would have responded if she knew what he was asking. I’d say they just need an icebreaker.”

“Alright, alright,” Himalaya smiled. “I’m on board.”

“Me too!” Australia chirped.

Folsom leaned forward in interest. “A solid idea, Kaz. What do you have in mind?”

***

“What kind of training did you say this was again?” Alcatraz asked as Grandpa Smedry led him through the halls of Keep Smedry. “I already had additional weapons training yesterday.”

“Not weapons training, lad!” Grandpa Smedry didn’t slow down, even as he turned corner after seemingly random corner. “Formal events training!”

“Formal what?”

“Ah, here we are.” Grandpa Smedry came to a stop in front of a massive door. “Althought we gave up the title, we Smedrys are still considered a royal family, remember? You’ll be getting invited to a lot of formal events, especially as you get older, and you need to know what to do should anything arise!”

Alcatraz raised an eyebrow. “This seems awfully short-notice. And weirdly specific. Besides, didn’t I do fine at the party on the day I arrived?”

“Ah, but that party didn’t have any formal dancing!”

“Formal dancing?” Alcatraz could barely open his mouth for another question when Grandpa Smedry pushed him through the massive doors.

“Enjoy yourself, lad!”

Alcatraz stumbled forward, and found himself in a stunning ballroom. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, glass glittering in all colors of the rainbow. The floor sparkled with other, more opaque pieces of glass, set in a mosaic design. Himalaya and Folsom stood at the center of the room, with Kazan leaning against the far wall.

“What’s this about?” Alcatraz quirked an eyebrow.

“Exactly what he told you,” Kazan smiled coyly. “Himalaya and Folsom are going to teach you how to waltz.”

“Then why are you here?”

“I’m chaperoning.”

Alcatraz paused. “Like a school dance?”

“Exactly.”

He shook his head. “Fine, fine. What exactly do I have to do?”

Half an hour later, Alcatraz felt like he had some grip on waltzing. He copied Folsom’s movements as he and Himalaya spun circles around the room, with Alcatraz following behind by himself. There was no music (couldn’t risk setting off either of their Talents); instead, Himalaya kept time by counting out loud. It seemed rather pointless; but then again, didn’t a lot of this training feel pointless?

In fact, Alcatraz was rather proud of himself for being able to pick up any of the steps at all. Grace was not your strong suit when you naturally broke things at every turn, so any success was an achievement to him. When they finished with a final turn and bow, he felt he had done quite well for the day.

“Alright, now that you understand all the steps, we’ll have you do it with music,” Himalaya said as she and Folsom began to leave the room. “We won’t be here to help, but you understand.”

Alcatraz nodded, then turned to find the starting spot in the room.

“Oh! And you’ll have a partner,” Folsom added, just before they disappeared out of sight.

 “I-What?” Alcatraz turned around to see Bastille entering the ballroom.

“Don’t be rude, Smedry. I can dance just fine.”

“But….um….” Alcatraz tried not to admit to himself that he really would like to dance with Bastille. “Don’t you need the training too?”

“I already know how to waltz.”

“How?”

Bastille raised an eyebrow. “I’m a princess, remember?”

“Oh, right!” Alcatraz quickly tried to look somewhat nice, running a hand through his hair and dusting off his jacket. “Well then, um….” He shakily extended a hand to Bastille.

She took his hand, her arms falling almost automatically into the proper positions, and looked at him skeptically. “Why are you so nervous?”

“Nervous? I’m not nervous!” Alcatraz tried and failed to distract himself from the fact that she had a hand on his shoulder, and that his hand had now moved to rest against her back. He smiled sheepishly. “What makes you think I’m nervous?”

“Well, you’re shaking slightly, and you’re sweating quite a lot.”

The boy tried to come up with a response, but paused as he heard voices from just outside the room. “Australia! The lights!”

“Right!”

“Did you hea-” Before he could finish, the lights had suddenly dimmed. The chandelier now seemed to shimmer, letting off small flecks of pink and gold.

“Alcatraz, are you alright?” There was a genuine note of concern in Bastille’s voice.

“Me?” Alcatraz focused back in Bastille. Sands, she was close, and she seemed to carry all the grace and poise that he was lacking. She smelled like soap-she always did, so why did it still make him feel so dizzy?-and in the low light her silver hair seemed to shine like silk. He wasn’t sure if his legs would be able to carry him enough to dance. “I mean, uh, I’m fine!” Hopefully she couldn’t tell that the sound of his heartbeat was pounding in his ears.

The slow music began to quietly ring throughout the room (if his heartbeat hadn’t been so loud, Alcatraz might have heard someone cue Sing to start the music), and the two began to drift around the room together. As they danced, Alcatraz found himself transfixed by Bastille’s eyes; he had never truly noticed it before, but they were a pale blue, like crystals reflecting the sky. The gold flecks of the chandelier shifted in and out of her gaze. They were, in a word….

“Beautiful.”

“What?”

“Gak!” Alcatraz squeaked slightly as he realized that he had finished his train of thought out loud. “I mean, uh….” Brain-clouding radiation strikes again!

“Did you call me beautiful?”

“Well, I….”

Bastille glared at him, and Alcatraz scrambled to recover. “I, uh, I was looking at, um….” He managed to choke it out. “Your eyes.”

She paused. “My eyes?”

“Yeah, um….”

“That’s….” She paused, seemingly surprised. “That’s really sweet, Smedry.”

He blushed, glancing down. Had he really just told her that? “Thanks.”

As Alcatraz raised his head to refocus on the dance, he briefly paused; a crack of light was entering the ballroom, caused by Kazan opening the door. It was clear he was on his way out. “Kaz?”

Kaz only turned back, paused, then winked at Alcatraz before leaving. Alcatraz sighed.

“What is it?” Bastille tried to look behind herself while still dancing.

“Uh, nothing!” Alcatraz turned his attention back to her as the realization dawned on him: they were alone.

There was a long, silent pause as he tried to work out what he wanted to say. When he finally spoke up, his voice seemed weaker than it ever had before. “Bastille, what I was trying to say before in Mokia….”

“Yes?”

“When I said we should catch a movie, I, uh…..I meant that, um…..I mean…..” Bastille only stared back at him. 

“Ilikeyoualot.” The words came out in a jumble, and Alcatraz winced, bracing for impact. 

“I know.”

He looked up at her. “You do?”

“I like you a lot too.”

“You do?”

She smiled. “You idiot.”

Alcatraz slowly carried out the final steps of the dance in shocked silence. She likes me? She likes me a lot? She really really likes me?

As the final chords played, she smiled as he stared blankly at her. “If that’s what catching a movie means, then I’d love to.” Instead of bowing to each other, when the dance ended, she stepped closer to him, laughing at his expression. “You nerd,” she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear.

With that, she walked out through the giant doors. When they shut behind her, Alcatraz’s legs officially stopped being able to support him.

***

“What did she say? I couldn’t hear her!”

“Who cares?” Kaz grinned. “We have a genuine confession!”

“I guess Alcatraz has a date, then.” Himalaya laughed. “I didn’t think that would actually work.”

“I knew they could do it!” Australia cheered.

“Yes, I’d give that a 10 out of 10 in terms of romance,” Folsom added.

Laughing, Leavenworth enveloped the other Smedrys in a massive hug. “Kazan, go get my grandson up off the floor! He has a very important date to prepare for!”

[cxnfractus]

Sorry these took a bit!!! But......here are some Alcatraz and Bastille proposal/wedding headcanons!!!

(Tagging @companionwolf, @spacescullly, and @tamaraniac since you guys were interested ^^)

Proposal:

-Alcatraz is the one who proposed; they had talked about getting married before but at some point it just hit him, and he knew he wanted to propose to her -However, Alcatraz did not have an idea of how to propose at all -He bought a ring and ended up carrying it everywhere because he wasn’t sure when a good opportunity was going to come up -Finally one day they were together talking on the balcony of one of the castles, and it was all very pretty, and Alcatraz suddenly realized that it was time -He started making this long, emotional speech about how much he loved her; it was very honest and vulnerable and his voice kept cracking -“Smedry, are you proposing to me?” “....Yes, I am.”       -Alcatraz was worried she asked because he was doing a bad job, but Bastille was really genuinely happy -Afterwards he told her about how he had been trying to propose but couldn’t find the right time -”How long had you been carrying this around?” “3 months.” Bastille laughs. “You idiot, I love you.”

Wedding:

-Kazan is the best man -Alcatraz’s groomsmen are pretty much the family members he knows -Angola is the maid of honor (technically matron of honor since she’s married) -Himalaya is one of Bastille’s bridesmaids but she also kinda becomes Angola’s second-in-command -Basically the two of them are an unstoppable organizing force and they make sure the wedding is incredibly well planned -Aydee is the flower girl -Alcatraz has a tuxedo specially tailored for him; it’s made out of different fabric and is fitted differently so that it doesn’t feel like a typical tuxedo (since the feeling of wearing a tuxedo brings up memories of the Highbrary) -He also has an emerald green tie -Angola does Bastille’s hair so that it’s half up, half down; the part that’s up is braided -I have two different ideas of what Bastille wears and I can’t decide which one I like better so have them both:       -Bastille isn’t keen on dress shopping but she ends up finding a dress that   she really likes; it’s not poofy or restricting and she feels really comfortable in it (and it secretly has pockets); when she walks down the aisle everyone is silent with absolute awe because it’s so perfectly her       -Everyone turns around to see Bastille enter and she’s wearing a tailored white suit. She looks so happy and it looks absolutely killer and it’s perfect in every way and just.....Bastille!!!! In a white suit!!!! -ALCATRAZ 100% CRIES WHEN HE SEES BASTILLE WALKING DOWN THE AISLE -They wrote their own vows and now everyone else is crying too -Since Bastille is a knight, at the end of the ceremony the other knights make an archway out of their Crystin blades for them to exit through (it’s traditional) -For some of the wedding pictures they go to Crystallia, it’s around the time the sun is setting so there’s beautiful light and colors being reflected through the glass and it’s absolutely stunning -They take some serious pictures and a lot of silly pictures -There’s one picture of Bastille lifting Alcatraz with ease -There’s also definitely one like this with Bastille in the middle and all the Smedrys popping out around her -In a similar vein, there’s also one of Alcatraz and the other Smedrys like this, and also one like this -Part of the reception involves a ceremony that’s traditional at Smedry weddings where the non-Smedry spouse uses their spouse’s talent for the first time; they bring out a little vase and Bastille puts her hand on it and it shatters and everybody cheers -One of the entrees served for dinner at the reception is mac and cheese; granted, it’s fancy mac and cheese with a five cheese blend and breadcrumbs and all that but.....it’s still mac and cheese and it was Alcatraz’s choice -Part of Kaz’s best man speech involves telling everybody the story of how Alcatraz accidentally asked Bastille on their first date, which Kaz was there to witness -Both Alcatraz and Bastille agreed that they should definitely cut the wedding cake with a sword, but Bastille said they shouldn’t use her Crystin blade because it would be considered disrespectful, so they bought a sword specifically for cutting the cake, and there’s a picture of Alcatraz lifting it like Brandon Sanderson himself -Bastille has the realization during the reception that she can’t call Alcatraz “Smedry” anymore because she is now, in fact, also a Smedry, a realization which causes her to completely freeze for a solid minute -There’s a lot of silly dancing and laughing and smiling and it’s a fun time had by everyone -After the wedding they look back on the photos, and their favorite one is a candid one; Bastille is laughing and Alcatraz is looking at her like she’s the most beautiful thing in the world and you can tell that they’re so in love -They’re so in love and so happy and it’s so beautiful

[incorrectalcatrazquotes]

Alcatraz: Bastille.

Bastille: Alcatraz.

Australia: Kazan.

Kazan: Australia.

Aydee: Aydee!

Alcatraz: Okay, you just said your own name.

Aydee: It was the only one left!

[incorrectalcatrazquotes]

Bastille: You know you shouldn't insult people that are bigger than you are.

Kaz: Then I wouldn't get to insult anyone.

[incorrectalcatrazquotes]

Alcatraz: You’re… um…

Kaz: Intimidating? Awe-inspiring?

Alcatraz: Tiny.

Kaz: Of course. I’m travel-size for your convenience. If I was my real size, your princess here would die of fright.

Bastille: [attempts to go at him while Alcatraz holds her back]

[incorrectalcatrazquotes]

Sing: I have faith.

Kaz: As do I.

Alcatraz: So you think the plan will work?

Kaz: Sands, no.

Sing: Sorry, Al.

[incorrectalcatrazquotes]

I’m not that short

Kazan Smedry