#Scaly Secrets au

[analog-cottage-gore]

Hey I saw you were looking for questions about your Wtd aus? Well i couldn't pick one so here's a question for all of them!

Hazelnut tree: What's the alison in this au like? I would love to see his dynamic with more characters and we know he ends up with hazel. I wonder what his rule following personality would look like next to winnies moral roulette wheel.

Scaly secrets: You said some of the cast were dragons? Which ones!? And what colors. Are they all the same kinda dragon or different styles?

Cryptic Dreams: Is everyone a cryptid or are some of them hunters? What are some ways they avoid the hunters using their cryptid abblites?

Superhero: what are their powers? Understandable if you haven't got that all figured out yet. Superheroes are hard. So i'm also going to ask are they all heroes or are some of them villains and vigilantes. 

Post cannon au: Who shares rooms? How many bunk beds? Or do they all get their own room?

Mixed marriages: Where did you get the idea for the kingdom names you wrote about in the snippet you posted?

Robotic fantasy (I LOVE EXTRA ANGST): I noticed we are in a lot of the same fandoms so what other fandoms exactly are being thrown into the mix here? And what's your favorite duo of a WTD character partnered with a non WTD character?

I'm sorry if it's a lot of questions I have a lot to ask! Hearing about cool stuff like this always inspires me! Gets me thinking you know? They just all sound so cool! Hope you don't mind the length!

Salty I am so fucking happy you don't even know, this is my favorite ask ever I couldn't even imagine this!!!!!! I don't mind the length the length lets me ramble about my ideas which I need to do!!!!!!

Hazelnut tree: Allison would probably secretly tag along with Hazel and Night Light, and therefore ends up talking to the whole little group that's building. Allison would hate Winnie before his redemption due to helping Litho so much. After Win's redemption though? They'd probably get along relatively well, helped by the fact that I'm pretty sure their related, and at the very least they are in HNT.

Scaly Secrets: Currently the dragons consist of; Sara, Wiatt, Carly, Mike, The Triplets, and Winnie! Sara is dark pink, Wiatt is blue, Carly is light pink, Mike is orange, the Triplets are their respective animatron main colors, and Winnie is purple. Kept the color choices simple. Currently I don't have any great ideas on designs/abilities for the dragons, but I'm working on it! (They're all technically dragon shifters btw)

Cryptic Dreams: The cryptids are all the animatronic possessers (minus Eric who has a different deal going on) and Sara and the Twins. The main plot revolves around Wiatt, Damian, Celio, and Oliver thinking all tge cryptids have been taken by cryptids since they don't know they are the cryptids. So they team up with actual cryptid hunters to find them. Carly is also in the team to try and keep everyone from finding out about the cryptids while also stopping them from getting hurt. They use their abilities in a lot of ways, mainly to trap the hunters.

Superheros: Decided to answer both at once with a list, not everyone had powers decided on yet. A lot of them use the animatronic names as alter egos, and those who don't have. Kinda bad names lol.

Heros: Starlight (Lewis)* [????? And Specialized Telekinesis], Glory (Alyssa) [Water Manipulation and Siren Song], Rex (Mike), Ribbon Dancer (Ribbion Dancer)

Vigilantes: ???? (Wiatt) [Tech Manipulation], Detective (Damian) [Power Sight], The Triplets (The Triplets), Cheer (Carly) [Super Speed]

Villains: Shadina (Sara) [Shadow Powers and Specilized Telekinesis], Tela (Oliver)* [Tech Manipulation and Specilized Telekinesis], Winnie (Carlos/Winnie), Litho (Litho) [Shadow Powers], Lolli (Liz)*, Pop (Ben)*

(*depends on where in the plot they are)

Post Canon: As a general rule, all couples and young siblings share a room. So we got:

Lewis/Wiatt

Mike/Alyssa

Oliver/Damian

Liz/Ben

Mascarade/Melody/Mimic

Eric(/Ribbion Dancer technically)

Carly

Sara

Celio (maybe, idk if they're gonna live with everyone else)

Fun fact, the house they live in is the mansion Wiatt was implied to have lived in during highschool!

Mixed Marriages: The kingdom names cam from me translating a word relating to the character who's a royal in that kingdom into Spanish and Russian before mushing them together and making it look and sound like a kingdom name.

Robotic Fantasy: Pretty much all of them. We got:

WTDW

SAMS

FNAF SB in general

ESMP

MCYT in general

Maybe some of my oc's???

Personally I like Lewis, Moon, and Pearl's dynamic. They go through some shit together.

Also!!! Bonus new AU:

Mcyt (mainly empires) and Wtdw popstar AU has been circling in my head recently, so add it to tge list of AU's

[onedivinemisfit]

Jarl’s wife by day, sea witch by night

AnS (c) Akizuki Sorata

Art: Me

[meowsgirldrawing]

Obey Me Next Generation Idea(aka-My au)

What about poly Au with the bros? I assume with demon culture, MC having kids and the bros all being the dad wouldn't be too surprising as I think monogamous relationships are seen just the same as polyamorous. Like neither really matter honestly in a "oh this is a big deal/drama!" Sense.

Plus its the 7 lords, they can do whatever the fuck they want

I know MC is mostly human but I think having kids is still possible as they got magic plus their pacts with the bros might make them stronger. Plus, historically, woman have been able to have multiple pregnancies, like more than 4 at least, so still- not impossible.

Just let me have my next gen shenanigans

ONTO THE KIDS PLEASE AND THANK YOU

Varya (1st Born) (she/her)-25

Daughter of Mammon

Is more demon than human, possibly the most demon out of the kids.

Holds a very smiley but deadly aura around her.

Seems the opposite of Mammon in behavior but you can tell by her subtle acts towards her family, shes his kid alright.

Is the type of person to shake a person's hand but hold a knife in the other.

"Looks like a cinnamon roll, can kill you"

Lights up at the mentions of crocheting, dogs, and weird but oddly alluring creatures around Devildom.

She does have a small habit of gambling when out with Mammon, but is actually able to keep her wins because no one expects it through her gold-winning smile.

Mess with her family and its on sight.

Lilith the 2nd (3rd born-1st triplet) (she/her)-21

I headcannon Lucifer to at least be the only one to name their daughter after their sister. Not to replace, never, but to honor her.

Is in a strange middle between Half demon-mostly demon

Sweetheart by default

That big sister you can always talk to and she wont judge.

Will make passive agressive remarks when peeved off.

Definitely denies acting like Lucifer yet can do the stance-arms crossed and glare- exactly like him.

Even does the whole hand chest like him too. Shocked look and all.

Calls all the brothers papa but Lucifer father, not as a distance way but thats just how she's always been.

Theatre kid- almost always lead.

Anna from Frozen vibes at times.

Hopeless romantic too.

Basically Lucifer if he actually showed more emotions.

Daddy's girl 100%

May or may not be in a secret relationship with Diavolo's heir👀

Rhomb(2nd Born) (he/him)-23

Son of Leviathan

Named after the Loch ness Monster

A nice balance between human and demon

But has "mutations" that make him have scaly patches on his body, his tail out almost 24/7, and bad eyesight.

Stern attitude most of the time.

Big bro protector

Tallest of all the kids

Softer on the younger kids but will smack a bitch if they act up.

Cant play video games much cause eyes so turns to more physical games that include puzzles.

Likes games with strategy to follow like War tanks, or chess. Is the type to make a DnD game the best cause he makes amazing stories too despite not reading much.

Likes mystery shows too and tries to figure it out before the answer is revealed, could go on rants about why. Gets it right 11/10 times.

If Leviathan wasnt his biological dad, people would believe he was Satan's kid.

Doesnt like cats tho.

Quinn (4th Born- 2nd Triplet) (He/they/doesnt care) (21)

Asmo just thought Quinn was a pretty name so picked it lol.

Also a nice balance between human/demon. Tho his wings stay out constantly.

Very much vibes from that yellow bird in Rio.

Laid back personality but is an outgoing dude.

Also very protective of their siblings, and will not hesitate to cut a bitch.

Isnt as flamboyant as Asmo but does have a just as great fashion sense.

Has a hard time dating as people automatically assume hes just like Asmo so will try to date him for that reason only.

Love his dad but hates the reputation he gets because of being said son.

So he resorts to just sticking to his siblings or the few friends he trusts.

Besides MC, is the second most popular face to pop up on Asmo's Devilgram

Fucking adores axolotls for no particular reason, just loves them to no end which Asmo makes sure to get many axolotl themed plushes, shirts, etc. for him.

Libbey(Liberty) (5th Born- 3rd triplet)(she/her)-21

Another balance between human/demon, maybe a tad more on the demon side.

Tho, also has "mutations" like very enhanced hearing.

Bookworm to the max

Loves reading dramas and fantasies, but seems to enjoy multiseries more than stand alone.

Very quiet and shy kid of the group.

Sometimes cant even talk so signs instead because earaches or headaches.

Likes cats but perfers reptiles more.

Has a small turtle in her room from the human realm, set it up beside her bed and everything. Their name is Casey after one of her favorite human novels she read.

But despite all this, isnt called the daughter of wrath just for nothing beside biology reasons.

Is like Satan 2.0 when pissed, she wont yell or scream but you can just tell from the drop of room temperature and the subtle tilt of her head.

Her eyes glow an electric green when shes pissed.

Had more anger issues when younger, but cause Satan knew how to handle his better now, taught her how to aswell.

Satan is probably the main one to understand her issues with such a problem, despite being more mellowed out now that shes older.

Is definitely a cryer when really angry tho.

Ryder(6th Born) (1st twin)- 19

Ngl, everyone was surprised that they had twins. Including Belphie himself.

But then again, they did have triplets before them so....eh?

Ryder is a tad more human than demon, but still powerful enough to have his own demon form like his older siblings.

His tail is seen smaller than Belphie's, and a bit thinner too.

The sloth genes affact him only so much, making him more likely just want to procrastinate then outright not do anything.

He honestly enjoys the human world more than Devildom, mainly cause everything is less..hectic per say.

Hes the type of brother/older friend that will cover for ya if you have to hide something but will subtly suggest how to fix whatever their doing.

Like one time Quinn came home slightly tipsy and past curfew, and he snuck them into his room. Though he scolded them in the morning, he covered for Quinn at breakfast, saying they ate too much sugar last night, thats why hes queasy and has a headache.

Quinn did fix that habit up quick after Ryder threatened to leave him on his own next time it happened.

Calls everyone bro or dude, no matter their gender.

Gen z vibes too in most areas.

Has a fixation with cow bells for some reason, likes the noise is all he can say.

If he were told what Belphie did to their mom/human parent way before they were born, he says "Cowabummer" while screaming inside.

River(7th born-2nd twin)(they/them)-19

How is this Belphie's kid?

Too hyper, tad crazy

Probably has ADHD, who knows.

While Ryder is the slightly responsible twin, their the reason why Ryder needs to be said twin.

Their just about the same range of human/demon as Ryder, can have a demon form, but only uses it to fuck with people than to actually be scary with it.

They may have alot of power, but their personality alone can kill people.

Is the type of kid to crawl on the ceiling when they were 2.

Is also the type to hop outta window to get to the lower floor faster. Thank Belphie for their demon powers otherwise we'd have another Lillith situation.

Has scared even Lucifer at one point, has made him yelp out of surprise. Will not go on how, no matter how much Papa Satan and Belphie ask them. Just has a toothy grin when they ask.

When calm, is actually a pretty chill dude. They like odd patterns and get fixated on the most random things.

MC gave them one of those sand timers that you flip to restart and when she came down to tell them food was done about 2 hours later, she found them sitting on the table, holding it while watching the sand go down. They use it now to relax and focus on when overstimultated or just having too much of a fuzzy head.

Has spent nearly a how week with Leviathan because they got hooked on one anime with him. Now has frequent solo movie nights with him cause.

"They're tad confused, but got the spirit"

Literally had to have someone (Rhomb) explain to them what the LGBTQ+ letters meant. Legit thought it was just new alphabet pattern, was still happy to find out what it all means.

If you told them what Belphie did to their mom before they were born, they'd think it as a joke. Dont tell them otherwise or they will cry.

Frankie(8th Born)(She/her)-16

Everyone thought that she would be the biggest child when MC was pregnant with her, since y'know, it was confirmed Beel's kid.

Yeah, she came out small. Like scary small for a baby.

It was then everyone knew she would be the most human. Has a little demon in her, but clearly not enough to have a demon form nor mark.

Lucifer's wallet cried in relief.

She does eat a good bit more than the average human but overall, nothing compared to Beel.

She does adore sweets to the max, especially gummies. Give her some and she'll love you forever.

Sweetest little sunshine in the world, everyone adores her. If they dont, then they will soon.

Shes like Mirabel in encanto, kinda wishes she had more demon powers but is still overall happy with who she is.

When her a Beel are with each other- OH MY DIAVOLO, THE CAVITIES PEOPLE GET- TOO DAMN SWEET AND PURE

Like big papa Beel and his sweet little girl all smiley and pure. Best father-daughter relationship out of all the siblings and fathers.

Shes kinda like pinkie pie from MLP but like more hyper as fuck. Can and will speak so fast when excited that it just comes out as squeaks at that point.

Since her more human side, shes more likely to stay in human world when their mom is on Buisness there, so she has alot of human friends.

Shes in gymnastics, which definitely helps keep her figure more smaller despite all the sweets she eats. Does work out with Beel too.

Mess with her and you have a whole army on yer ass.

"Bounce to the beat of my own drum!"

You can just tell how much I love this dear. HA

[ghoulette-knell]

Ghost B.C Kinktober:

October 3rd 🎃🔞

Prompt: Monster AU

Warnings: Siren song attraction; Dom!Rain; virgin(reader); friends to lovers; oral (f receiving); fingering; delayed penetration (sequel chapter down the line??? I think so).

Rain

Fem!Reader

🔞 MDNI 🔞

Word Count: 2,189

The ministry had a very secluded spot. A very beautiful spot. A spot that only you and Rain knew about. You had had a very hard day in particular, and decided to go to this secluded spot to unwind.

The secluded spot was yours and Rain’s haven. The two of you would often come to this place and spill all of your problems out to one another to vent, spend time together, and create an everlasting friendship with the man who means the most to you.

You have always had feelings for Rain, that would never change. You were too much of a coward to tell him how you felt, and you knew Rain was too shy to tell you how he felt. You weren’t stupid— you knew you had Rain wrapped around your little finger just as much as he had you wrapped around his.

You had gone to this secret place today alone, and you hadn’t anticipated Rain to be there already when you pushed past the hanging vines that blocked the walkway. As you dipped further into the safe haven from the ministry, something caught your eye.

In yours and Rain’s space, there was a lovely pond, untouched by humanity. The two of you would often go swimming after hard days of practice with the ministry’s band, Ghost. The water would always soothe your over-used muscles. In this pond however, you saw someone, or something that you didn’t recognize.

“How did you find this place?” you hissed while walking up to the unknown creature… which was when you realized the ‘person’ you were talking to wasn’t a person at all.

The moon illuminated down into the water, and you began shaking from fear. There was some kind of aquatic monster swimming in your pond… a siren!

You backed away, a small scream leaving your mouth as the creature frantically tried to climb on shore, “(Y/N)! Calm down! I won’t hurt you, I promise! It’s Rain!”

You felt the creatures claws grip your arm as it struggled to climb on land. Another scream left your mouth as blood began to cloud your vision.

‘This was it!’ your mind was telling you, ‘This is where I die!’

“It’s Rain,” the creature said with a calmer tone as it noticed how deathly afraid of it I was, “(Y/N), listen to me. I’m Rain. I won’t hurt you.”

That was when you noticed how gentle the siren was being while holding your arm. It’s claws weren’t digging into your skin; forcing you to stay. It’s touch was loving.

“R-Rain?” you asked slowly while looking up into the siren’s eyes, “What do you mean you’re Rain? Rain is my best friend. He would tell me if he was a… a monster! This is one of your siren song tricks to get me to stay with you!”

Your fear enveloped into anger as you yanked your arm from the apparent Rain’s hands while backing away.

“(Y/N),” the beast said while taking a cautious step backwards, “I know things about you that someone who had never spoken to you before wouldn’t know. I know you love to make me flower crowns when we sit here on nice summer days. I know your most favourite food is fried eggs with toast, but only if it’s me who’s cooked them for you. You hate eggs otherwise.”

He takes a deep breath and continues. For some reason, you’re beginning to believe him.

“I know, although you’re a demon from Hell, you’re terribly afraid of the dark. I know you love to listen to classical music while you do house chores. I also know I won’t be able to live with myself if you walk away from me right now. Please, (Y/N). Believe me.”

Tears pooled in your eyes as you took a step closer to the siren… to Rain. Your hand reached out and touched his scaly cheek; him leaning into the touch.

“You should also know how much I love you,” you whispered while wrapping him into a hug, “Why didn’t you tell me about this? You know I would still be your friend and love you all the same.”

Rain shuddered as a sob threatened to leave his mouth. You shushed him and pressed a reassuring kiss to his cheek.

“You’re so important to me,” the water ghoul whispered while slowly leaving the hug, “I couldn’t risk losing our friendship. I was worried you wouldn’t understand my transformations. If I could control them, I would. I’m so sorry.”

You sighed lovingly and pressed your lips against his. You didn’t expect yourself to do something like this, but you knew Rain needed you right now.

“Please don’t apologize,” you whispered while wrapping your arms around his neck, “You’re still my Rain.”

His scaly arms cupped your face and suddenly kissed you. You squeaked from surprise, but you didn’t struggle. You drifted deeper into the kiss; your eyes fluttering closed as you felt the water ghoul begin to ravenously make love to your lips.

“I’m so pleased that my secret won’t ruin our friendship,” the man whispered while sinking back down into the fresh, clean pond. His hand was clasped to yours as he carefully brought you into the water with him.

Rain looked elegant as he was fully submerged in water. His scales glowed brightly against the water which caused a smile to flow to your lips.

You held your arms out to him and motioned for him to come over to you. He did as requested; splashing over and into your arms.

“I meant what I said earlier, you know? About how I love you,” you whispered while pressing your lips to Rain’s once more, “This whole siren thing has made me realize it, and it made me realize how much I love you no matter what you are or what you do. Rain, please love me the way I want to love you.”

The siren grinned a fanged smirk and pressed his lips hungrily to yours, “I’ve always loved you, (Y/N). I can’t put into words how much you mean to me, and how much it means to me that you love me back… that you love me for who I am.”

Rain’s webbed hands made their way up and under your soaked shirt. Your eyes filled with nervousness as he did this, which caused the water ghoul to hesitate.

“Is this okay?” he asked carefully while removing his hands from your shirt.

You inhaled slightly, took a few seconds, then nodded, “Of course, Rain. I’ve… Ive just never done anything like this before.”

Shock and disbelief washed over Rain’s face as he registered what you were insinuated, “You’re a virgin?” he whispered as a small smile rose to his lips.

You blushed from embarrassment, “Yes. I’ve never met anyone who I was willing to give something as special as my purity to. That is, until I met you.”

Now it was the siren’s turn to blush. His scaly hands returned to your stomach as he rubbed your soft skin carefully.

“I’ll take good care of you, princess.”

You knew he would. The water ghoul slowly began allowing his hands to head under your shirt; his fingers grazing lovingly against your soft skin before settling firmly against your breasts.

You squeaked suddenly at the new sensations that were flowing through you. Rain’s careful fingers were softly massaging your hardening nipples; his teeth softly nibbling against your skin as goosebumps began to appear.

Although you were submerged in the pond up to your chest, you could feel yourself getting wet. It wasn’t just the pond water— it was arousal.

“R-Rain,” you whispered while kissing down his jawline. You were a little embarrassed to ask Rain this impending question.

The ghoul cupped your face lovingly; his amber eyes gazing into yours, “Yes, my love?”

A blush appeared on your cheeks at the pet name. You nervously grabbed Rain’s hand, suddenly bashful. You cleared your throat, “Is it bad to say that I really want you right now. I want everything of yours.”

Your eyes pointed down at his soaked pants. You wanted his everything. His love, and ultimately, his cock.

A devious smile appeared on Rain’s lips as he realized what you meant. The ghoul nodded and kissed you deeply, “There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m absolutely honoured you’re willing to allow me to be your first time.”

Rain gripped your hand lovingly and began leading you towards the shore. You were confused by this for a moment, that was until you realized his intentions. The ghoul was eyeing a flat rock on the shore; the perfect place to breed someone who can’t breathe underwater, unlike himself.

“The rock should be warm. The sun just sat,” Rain whispered quietly while helping you sit up on the rock, “It won’t be too cold on your bare skin.”

You pressed your lips to Rain’s once more. He was truly the sweetest man; always worried about your comfort levels.

“Thank you, sweetheart. This is perfect.”

Without another word, you slowly began to slip your soaked t-shirt over your head. Rain’s eyes bulged out of his head as he saw your hardening nipples through the soaked fabric of your bra. The eager ghoul began pawing at his sex from underneath the water.

“You’re so perfect. So gorgeous.”

You blushed wildly while removing your bra. Rain quickly swam over and began attacking your breasts with loving kissed, bites, and sucks.

You let Rain completely take control. You’d never seen this side of the ghoul before, and you actually enjoyed it. Rain was usually shy and rarely even spoke. There was no way you could’ve ever guessed that Rain would be as dominant and confident in himself as he actually was.

“S-Shit,” you mumbled out while beginning to lay down on the rock; the siren climbing up to meet you as you did so.

His sharpened fangs began to draw a little blood from your sensitive breasts, but you didn’t mind. This actually made the whole act all that sexier.

As Rain continued to kiss and pleasure your breasts, one of his scaled hands made their way down and into your pants.

You hissed in pleasure as one of his webbed hands gracefully brushed your swollen clit; a hand going up to your mouth to silence yourself.

“Feels good?” Rain questioned against your supple skin as he continued to pleasure your clit and breasts both.

You mumbled incoherently into your hand that covered your mouth. Rain just snickered, knowing that was a ‘yes.’

You began to feel a slight pain in your abdomen; an unorthodox pain. It was pleasurable and painful.

Rain smirked in understanding as saw your face begin to contort into multiple different emotions. He decided to speed up the process as he realized you were about to experience your first orgasm from another person.

His webbed fingers dipped into your willing pussy and turned up, causing a scream of pleasure to leave your covered mouth. The siren giggled against your tits as his tongue flicked eagerly over your hard nipple.

“You’re so tight around my fingers, baby. I don’t know if you could handle my cock just yet.”

You groaned in annoyance at that, “I could absolutely take you.”

As you began to talk back, the siren added another finger into your swollen sex, causing your eyes to roll into the back of your head. He then began to thrust his fingers rhythmically into your cunt,

“Don’t talk back to me. I know what’s best for my princess.”

You just nodded your head as wave after wave of pleasure wracked your body. Rain had his pointer, middle, and ring finger inside of your swollen sex. He continued to pump them eagerly inside of you as his thumb made its way up to your clit. He multitasked between massaging your eager clit and thrusting inside of you.

“F-F-Fuck!” you hissed, slamming your eyes shut from Rain’s incredible power over you. You were putty when you were with the ghoul, and he knew it.

“Cum for me, baby,” he hissed while bringing his lips back to yours, “I want to make you feel good. Cum for me.”

Your eyes rolled into the back of your head as the siren gave you permission to experience an orgasm. It was heavenly. Your whole body shook from head to toe, as if all of the muscles in your body decided to seize all at once.

A loud, pornographic moan left your swollen lips. Rain immediately placed his fanged mouth over yours; absorbing your screams into his mouth.

As you came down from your high, Rain couldn’t help but lick your slick off his hands in a very slow, seductive manner; his eyes never leaving yours.

“That was amazing,” you whispered while bringing your lips to his. You could taste your juices on his lips, which made everything so much hotter.

Rain smiled softly and laid down on the rock beside you, “I’m glad you enjoyed, princess. Next time we meet, you get to pleasure me. You had your fun.”

You giggled and curled up into his side, pressing a kiss to his cheek, “Fine by me. I’m getting your cock inside of me next time. There’s no debate.”

“I won’t argue with that.”

[msweebyness]

Akuma AU- Stormy Nights

Here’s the fourth edition of my Myvan May content! A little snippet of my up and coming Akuma AU! Keep an eye out for the character post, which will come out soon! @artzychic27 @imsparky2002

A large bolt of lightning cracked across the sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder, and with it came the frightened squeak of a petite girl with patches of hot pink scales on her skin, three bright yellow eyes, and thick blue hair. With a violent tremble, Horrificator pulled the thick, wooly blanket she was clutching onto tighter over head, trying to drown out the noise.

It was something she wasn’t proud of, this little secret of hers. What would people say if they were to find out that the Queen of Terror herself was frightened by something so juvenile? No one would ever take her seriously again, her credibility as a villain would be completely ruined!

As another crack of thunder sounded, Horrificator let out a soft whimper as she covered up her head with the thick wooly blanket. However, the soft material did little to dim the petrifying noise. But, it was then that she heard familiar, heavy footsteps, a sound like boulders falling in the Alps, and a large figure settled down next to her.

“Not doing so well with the storm, little nightmare?”, asked the rumbling and low voice of her beloved, and she just so slightly peeked her head out from under the blanket. She was met by Stoneheart’s bright chartreuse eyes, full of a softness as he looked down at her that made her fear already begin to fade.

“I…I guess I was…a little scared.”, the petite monstrous akuma admitted, subtly edging towards her boyfriend with a squeak as rumbles began to sound in the distance once more. Stoneheart, being extra careful with his immense strength, reached down and picked her up, gently tucking her against his chest.

“Don’t worry, love, it won’t last forever. Storms always pass.”, he soothed, almost cradling Horrificator as she nuzzled into the fabric of his black shirt, hearing the deep, resounding echo of his heartbeat through the stone of his broad chest.

“I know…it’s just-“, the scaly pink villain began, only to cut herself off with a shriek and hide her face in his chest as a massive rip of thunder rattled the room. Whatever she had been about to say dissolved into small whimpers as she shook.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’ve got you.”, Stoneheart said softly, his voice gaining a comforting cadence like falling pebbles as he lifted her up to kiss her forehead, just over her tightly shut third eye as he gently stroked her back, “You know I won’t let anything or anyone hurt you.”

“Of course I know that, my gem. You’re my knight in sedimentary armor.”, she said with a soft laugh, lightly skittering up to bury her face in his neck with a soft purr.

The storm continued to rage on outside, but Horrificator hardly noticed as she drifted off in her boyfriend’s massive arms. Even the Lady of all Frights herself could fall to fear every once in a while, but at least her beloved would always be there to pick her up.

A little fluffy moment between a wholesome akuma couple! Leave your thoughts in the comments and reveling!

[jessicas-pi]

So, you have chosen the HTTYD Rebels AU...

“Wolf! Wolf, get up, we have to go now!”

Wolf’s scaly black head raised instantly, and Ezra heard him whine in anxiety as he saw the limp body that Ezra was half-carrying, half-dragging across the pebbly shore.

In half a second, the dragon was beside Ezra, crouching low so he could climb up, struggling to pull Sabine with him.

“Fly!”

Wolf whimpered again, looking at Sabine.

“She’s okay, she’s just—not awake! Go!” 

At that second, three of the biggest dragons chasing them burst out of the tunnel onto the beach with a spitting bellow of fire, their bulging eyes wide with rage. Wolf didn’t hesitate in taking to the skies, flapping away from the island as Ezra held desperately on, practically pinning Sabine between himself and Wolf so she wouldn't fall.

Ezra watched behind him, but the dragons stopped on the beach; they didn’t follow, and slowly, Wolf leveled out, circling in the thick clouds, giving Ezra a moment to think.

His first thought was that if Sabine woke up now, she'd probably smack him. Or else shove him away, making one or both of them fall off the dragon, likely to their deaths.

Straightening up, he cautiously arranged her so she was sitting in front of him—much better—and then took stock of the situation.

Conclusion? Not good.

Sabine knew about Wolf—that wasn’t bad, because she seemed to like their ride earlier and he knew she wouldn’t tell his secret—but anyone who knew was still a risk.

Then there was the island.

Ezra hadn’t exactly seen a sign put up saying Welcome to Mustafar, but he’d heard enough from Kanan to recognize the place that the swarm of dragons had taken them.

Kanan told him that Mustafar was where dragonriders went to die—where their dragons turned against them.

Besides Kanan, Ezra—and Sabine, if she counted—might well be the only dragonriders to leave that island alive.

It was obvious what he had to do—he had to talk to Kanan and Hera. They would know more than he did about this, and Ezra needed to tell someone about what he learned.

The only problem was Sabine.

Maybe he could trust her with the secret of one dragon. His dragon.

But the only way he could trust her with the location of the village, and the people and the families and the dragons there, was if he told her everything, and Ezra wasn’t ready for that.

He didn’t have a choice, though, did he?

“Here goes nothing,” Ezra muttered to himself, and nudged Wolf towards the Dragonrider village.

[e-wills-afterhours]

Vetrnaetr, Chapter 7

A/N: Another new chapter of Vetrnaetr! Sure, it's been like...a year. That's fine. It's fine. Everything is fine. I feel like I've lost my touch a little--but it is fine.

Chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Rating: 18+

Pairing: Hiccstrid, Affairs AU

Start from the very beginning here.

-----

Of all the wild animals one could domesticate, dragons had to rank among the best in terms of versatility, companionship, and absolute undeniable badassery. The near-exclusiveness Berk enjoyed with the beasts was a thing of envy--and a secret closely guarded lest they welcomed war upon their island. A small, rather reclusive tribe of Norsemen with an army of obedient dragons at their disposal would raise a few eyebrows and undermine regional stability. They would be a threat to squash. Berk's greatest asset could easily be its undoing, should it inspire a covetousness in their enemies and fair-weather allies--and Chief Stoick considered all their alliances to be tenuous and conditional at best.

Astrid was glad that the threads of fate sought fit to place her on Berk. Her life, a mess though it was at the moment, was made rich by Hooligan culture now steeped in a fierce love of dragons. Once, the flapping of great, leathery wings and overhead shadows brought fear and death. Now, she hardly noticed a low-flying Gronckle, and dodged the Terrible Terrors that scurried underfoot with practiced ease. Berk used to be a place painted with ash and flames--but as the sun rose high over the island, her village seemed vibrant with colorful dragons at every turn.

Stormfly's unwavering loyalty was a great comfort amid the chaos of holiday busyness and faltering relationships. Astrid could not imagine life without her dragon, though such a life was all she had known a few short years ago.

But that was a whole different world that was slipping from memory, like the last vestiges of a nightmare broken up by the bright, new day.

Morning flights, evening flights. They still cleansed the soul, a respite for the mentally and emotionally laden.

The chill in the air, high among the clouds, was nearly intolerable. Astrid's teeth chattered and she shivered beneath her thick layers of wool and furs. Her fingers were numb in seconds, but her dragon's cries of delight were worth it as they took to the sky. Stormfly was nearly sing-song as she rolled over the waves and glided on the air currents, spotted wings outstretched like a great, scaly gull. In a couple of months, the dragons would leave Berk during their annual migration to warmer climates to breed. Astrid could not blame them. When winter was in full swing, she wished to join them. Instead, she counted down the days until they returned.

Astrid closed her eyes, breathing deeply, lungs filling up with icy salt air. It stung a little, but it was more freeing than the smoke from the hearth and sewing by firelight under her mother's critical eye. Indeed, flying in the bitter cold and biting wind was preferable to cooking under scrutiny, hoping to earn passable marks and an afternoon's reprieve from mandatory lessons in domesticity. For some reason, her mother seemed to suffer the delusion that she could fix her relationship woes with a hearty stew and needlepoint. Maybe perfecting her homemaking to the same degree as her combat skills would make her irresistible--a wife to be desired.

How laughable, when she did not want to be solely valued for such things.

"Go, Stormfly! Go!" she shouted, nudging her dragon into a sharp dive., the rush of frigid wind drowning out her thoughts.

Thunderdrums could be seen just below the surface, their spots peeking in and out of the tide, drawing ever closer. Such reckless flight and freedom sustained the troubled heart--Hiccup has shown her that. Astrid whooped, tears streaming from wind-battered eyes as they rushed toward the waves below.

Sometimes, she wondered what might happen if her dragon did not pull up at the last moment, skimming the white caps with her claws. If they kept diving, plunging into the depths, might they puncture the veil and end up somewhere else; a place where she could chart her own future without everyone else's input? She supposed such a place was for dreams: the impractical desires of youth that eventually crossed over into fond memories of a still wild and untamed imagination, before things like responsibility and duty beat it into submission.

She closed her eyes, sitting up in the saddle. With outstretched arms, it felt like she was flying, fast and low, and far away.

Peace. Finally, she was at some small semblance of peace...

"HELP!" came a scream over the roar of the ocean, piercing her reverie.

Astrid pulled back on her dragon's reins, and Stormfly came to an abrupt stop, hovering in midair as she glanced around wildly.

"HELLO?" she called back, reaching for her axe. Maybe, just maybe, she could put it to use for the first time in ages.

But she saw no one else among the stacks, other than the plump grey seals sunning themselves on the rocks scattered at the bases. The only answer she received was the squawk of the coastal birds going about their business, riding the air currents.

To her right was an inlet, cliffs sharply rising on either side of the mouth Agmundr's Sound. She and her father would take many camping trips there in her childhood, where she first learned to fish and to sail. Now it was a popular location for Berk's youth to spend an afternoon on the beach, away from their parents and responsibilities. It was also a fine place to strip down to one's undergarments and ride the Scauldrons that nested there in the summer, when the water was warmer, and the days were long.

The desperate scream echoed through the air once more, and this time, Astrid was certain the source was somewhere inside Agmundr's Sound.

She steered her dragon into the deep, broad divide that Odin cleaved out of Ymir when he fashioned Berk and all the world to his liking. Stormfly flew low as they searched the length of the sound, her reflection keeping pace on the gentler waters below. Fir trees lined the cliffside, but nothing stood out. All she could hear in the distance was the call of Berk's resident Timberjacks.

Maybe she had imagined someone calling for help? Perhaps stress was getting to her? She was about to call off her search, resigned to the notion she had misheard--when there, on the shore where the two cliffs diminished into rolling hills and met, she saw a great scar in the earth. At its end, was a familiar black dragon--and Astrid's heart skipped a beat. Toothless stirred up all kind of feelings by association, and she could not leave him in distress.

Stormfly landed gracefully on the beach, taking care to avoid the deep trench that had been gouged there from a rough landing. The black dragon's rider--the mystery screamer--also became apparent. Fishlegs sputtered, brushing the cold, damp sand from his cloak while Toothless growled at him--one did not need to speak dragon to understand the gist of the Night Fury's frustrations, and what he wished to communicate.

"I'm sorry!" Fishlegs pleaded with the dragon. Toothless was not the least bit sympathetic, turning his back to him in an indignant huff.

"Are you alright?" Astrid asked, dismounting.

Fishlegs gave a start. He had been too busy arguing with the disgruntled Night Fury to notice her arrival.

"Astrid!" he exclaimed, face brightening at once.

He trudged over to her, trying to shake the remaining sand from his clothes.

"Maybe you can talk some sense into him," Fishlegs whispered, jerking his thumb in Toothless's direction.

Astrid surveyed the scene: filthy clothes, a great plowing of the earth, and one bent tailfin.

"Did you crash?" she asked, though it was plain.

"It's not my fault!" Fishlegs cried. He hurried over to the Night Fury and pointed emphatically at the complex flying apparatus. "I mean, what?"

Astrid folded her arms beneath her cloak. "Didn't Hiccup leave you instructions on how to work it?"

"He did," Fishlegs replied, pouting. "They made a lot more sense on paper."

Astrid frowned and walked around Toothless, examining the intricate feat of seemingly impossible engineering that Hiccup made appear effortless. Toothless flashed her a gummy smile, tongue lolling out the side of his wide mouth. He began to wiggle with anticipation as she circled him.

"I don't think you've busted it beyond repair," she said, and Fishlegs breathed an audible sigh of relief. "But I'm not the expert in these things," she added.

His face faltered. "You're not going to tell Hiccup, are you? He'll be so mad!"

Astrid crouched down to hold up the tail fin, the most medial piece of ribbing bent at an odd angle. "Somehow, I think he'll notice," she replied flatly.

Fishlegs groaned, gripping his short, choppy hair. "He's never going to trust me with Toothless again!"

Astrid stood up, hands on her hips. "Don't take it personally. He doesn't trust anybody with Toothless. Not really."

"He trusts you."

Astrid remembered the days when Hiccup was still healing from his duel with Stefnir, arm in a sling. He offered her his good hand and brought her over to an impatient Night Fury in his complete rig. She had been confused; Hiccup had agreed not to fly until he was sufficiently mended--but he stepped aside so she could climb into the saddle instead. With patience and calm, he taught her each position of the tailfin until she could shift gears fluidly.

Then, he took large steps back as Toothless unfurled his wings, and said, "I trust you."

It must have been killing him inside to let go and grant her access to the final, most personal part of himself--but he exuded nothing but warmth, looking at her astride his dragon like she held his world together.

"He did trust me," she muttered to Fishlegs.

"He does," he corrected with an encouraging smile.

Outside of Toothless and Astrid, Fishlegs was Hiccup's closest friend. Perhaps he had found time to confide in the other boy between talk of dragons.

Astrid shook her head, heavy with self-pity. "Well, I've gone a made a mess of things, haven't I?"

Fishlegs was nodding along until pinned in her gaze. His eyes widened, and shifting awkwardly he said, "Oh! That wasn't rhetorical?"

She sighed. "Never mind. It's not anything I don't already know."

They stood in a heavy silence with the dragons considering them. puzzled. Fishlegs looked pained, like he had something to say, burning his throat, but something held it in. Or he wanted to vomit. Honestly, the expression was about the same.

Astrid waved her hand, dismissing the thought on the tip of his tongue. If some secret lingered there, entrusted to him by Hiccup, then she did not want him to be tempted into betraying that trust. Fishlegs was a good friend, but it did not take much to pry confessions from him--and Hiccup was already frustrated with her, plenty enough.

"Tell you what: I think Toothless can still manage to get home, though it won't be fast or with flourish. I will fly him for you, if you agree to fly Stormfly back to Berk for me," she said, patting the Night Fury.

"Thank you!" he practically cried with relief.

Even Toothless perked up at the prospect of flying with someone competent.

Stormfly crouched down and Fishlegs clambered up into the saddle. He struggled for only a moment, used to a dragon much closer to the ground. Astrid mounted Toothless and hooked her foot beneath the connecting peg for Hiccup's prosthesis. While it was built for him alone to operate smoothly, she could manage by flexing her foot to pull the peg up into position or rest her foot atop it to press it down. By no means was it a fluid process. She could not shift gears in that seamless way only Hiccup could--but she managed. At any rate, she was adept enough to fly Toothless safely home from Agmundr's Sound.

Stromfly stretched out her wings, ready to push off from the beach, but Fishlegs hesitated.

"For what it's worth," he began, "I've never known Hiccup to be happier than when you two are together. And--"

"Thank you, Fishlegs," Astrid interjected, "But you don't have to--"

"It will work out for you. It has to." He paused for a beat, then added, "I think he loves you too much. He doesn't talk about anyone else the same way."

Astrid did not say anything. Her eyes stung, and she told herself it was simply the cold wind channeled through the sound that also tossed her loose hair about. Fishlegs smiled, looking pleased with himself, as if his words alone would set things right.

"Just put Stormfly back in her stall, please."

"You got it!" Fishlegs replied, and Astrid watched him take off above the frosted trees.

She did not think it possible, but her heart ached all the more.

------

Hiccup was overjoyed to be leaving Helgafell at last. He had grown weary of snow, rock, and bare trees. As miserable as the journey home would be, captive on a boat with nothing to look at but his burly tribesmen and a vast expanse of rolling gray sea, each hour would bring him closer to home, to his own bed, belongings, to Toothless--and to Astrid.

The words of her letter, and that implicit ultimatum of hers, were branded on the forefront of his mind. He was a flurry of emotion to match the winter storm that blew in that morning as they packed up. No one asked, but he had to seem more distracted than usual. As he helped load their ship, he was equal part angry, anxious, and lovesick. He wanted to see Astrid, but dreaded the confrontation it would bring. He wanted to resolve their issues, but feared the implosion of their relationship if he said the wrong thing--and lately, it seemed every word he uttered was the wrong thing. He wanted to make her happy, get back what they had worked so hard for, but he did not know how to be anything other than himself; it was quite the conundrum.

"That's the last of it," Stoick declared, as the small crate of their rations was carried onboard. "Are you ready?"

Hiccup nodded, stepping onto the gently rocking ship.

As the rest of the crew followed behind him, he took one last glance out at Helgafell. The frosted temple towered above the dwindling tents. With camps being dismantled left and right, the island looked even smaller than it had before. The mysterious volva wandered among the stragglers, offering them any herbs and psychedelic fungi that might make the journey home more bearable.

Hiccup would've purchased the bunch if it could erase his memory the trip and the things he had learned. He could still smell the blood of the sacrificial animals and hear the resigned groan of dragon before it died. The distant stare of the volva haunted him when he closed his eyes.

They shoved off, and he felt a weight lifted. From the moment he had set foot on Helgafell, there had been an oppressive and ominous energy, as if he was one faux pas, one misstep from bringing hostilities on Berk. He played his part, the dutiful heir. While the island began to fade in the distance, shrouded again in fog and snow, Hiccup's heart was burdened by the realization that he would continue to play the part until it became the reality of him.

He sighed, leaning on his elbows set upon the starboard gunwale. Their ship ploughed through the waves, and he watched the sea ebb and flow, beating against the hull before exploding into briny mist. The deck creaked beneath familiar footfalls approaching him from behind, trying to be softer than their capacity.

Stoick cleared his throat, but it was unnecessary.

"With the wind on our side, we might see Berk half-a-day earlier than planned," he said, large hands coming to rest on the same faded red gunwale supporting his son in his best attempt to appear casual.

"That would be nice. Lots to do before Vetrnaetr kicks off, I guess?" Hiccup replied.

He pretended it was not so amusing to see his father's impressive red beard dancing about in the wind, catching snowflakes.

"There is, but I suppose Spitelout has seen to most of the preparations."

Hiccup nodded and the two of them gazed out at the ocean, churning and reflecting the dreary sky as if one might bleed into the other. His father was watching him out of the corner of his eye as he so often did.

"I know you did not enjoy the trip," Stoick spoke up after a very pregnant pause.

"Maybe it was all the talk of funding wars through trade or watching that dragon die such a pointless death for the sake of a man's ego that did it."

"I hope you realize how important it was all the same."

Hiccup straightened up, wrapping his cloak more tightly around his body.

He merely answered, "Yeah."

'"The world is a lot bigger and more complicated than you realize," Stoick said, patting him. on the shoulder.

Hiccup scoffed. "Bigger, I knew. Complicated? I think I already knew that too. But I didn't know how ugly 'complicated' could be. I am naiver than I thought. Or maybe I just convinced myself it would always be someone else's problem."

Stoick considered him, brow heavy with pity. "There is more to being the chief and keeping your people safe and provided for than what can be taught on Berk alone."

Hiccup sighed, and gave another, "Yeah."

Stoick gripped his shoulder turning him until they made eye contact. "You are the future, Hiccup. All of Berk's hopes rest on you. I know that you are up for the task."

Hiccup only ever shrank under his father's lofty expectations. That unearned, unrelenting pride shone down upon him was uncomfortable, and he was meant to carry it without complaint, without faltering. He could not meet his father's glowing stare.

Glancing down at the deck, he muttered. "I wish I was as sure as you."

Stoick did not waver. "There will come a day when you will be."

Hiccup had to turn away, and gaze back out at the ocean. he assumed his previous position, leaning thoughtfully against the gunwale.

He responded with a noncommittal, "Mm."

As Stoick walked away, satisfied with his final word on the matter, Hiccup reached into his cloak and took out the pendant he bought on Helgafell. He turned the cold metal over in his hands, studying the dragon there. The more he looked it over, the more he was certain the extra set of wings was not just the error of an unskilled craftsman.

"What kind of dragon are you?" he murmured, tracing over the image with his thumb.

-----

Sneaky returned home in the middle of the night. He was unscathed, as Astrid knew he would be. Hiccup would never have let any harm befall the little blue dragon, no matter how hostile toward dragons Helagfell might be. Perhaps it was a good thing she was only half awake to greet Sneaky, or the full weight of the notion that her lover had read her letter would have crushed her. She fell back asleep, Terrible Terror curled against her side, while vaguely aware of the uncomfortable squirm in her gut.

The next morning brought with it the full realization that an argument was heading her way, sailing home in two days' time. She tried to stay busy to stifle the dread. Maybe there would come the favorable resolution Fishlegs promised--but she did not want to suffer the heartache and pain to earn it. Hiccup was not often angry. Even rarer still was his fleeting foul moods directed at her. She's rather take a dozen blows to the gut than see those green eyes of his glare back at her with bitterness.

The prospect was enough to drive her mad, and she needed a steady stream of distraction.

She spent the next couple of days alternating between flying Stormfly in the mornings and flying Toothless in the evenings; Gobber straightened out the bent metal rod of Toothless's fin in no time at all. She did not mind caring for the two dragons, because it was a valid excuse to keep her out of the house, her mind of more pleasant things. Nobody questioned her with the Night Fury. In fact, the whispers and sidelong glances decreased when she was with her boyfriend's dragon. Astrid caring for Toothless seemed to be more right with the world than leaving him in the care of Fishlegs. To be close to the Night Fury was to be as close to Hiccup as she could get in his absence. Toothless also seemed fond of the arrangement, nothing but smiles and boundless energy for her. She wondered if he would put in a good word for her with Hiccup.

But alas, when she was not with a dragon, her mother kept her occupied with chores. That afternoon, she was hanging the laundry in near the hearth to dry as her mother boiled carrots, potatoes, and onions for the lamb her father was roasting over the fire behind the house. Meat could not be left unattended for long, lest Terrible Terrors make off with it. Sneaky was particularly skilled in this brand of thievery. Her father always had some choice words.

She had just poked her head outside to check on the lamb roast at her mother's behest, when a long, low, horn bellowed over the village.

"Chief Stoick is back!" she heard people call out. "They've all come back from Helgafell!"

Astrid froze. She met her father's eye. He stared back at her, knowingly.

With a small nod of his head, he told her, "Go on."

She spun on her heel and took off toward the docks, heart racing. Her cloak was left hanging on its peg by the door, but she did not notice the cold. People stood, waving at the ship as it pulled in, and Astrid weaved around them. She stopped short of running out ahead, slowing down to remain among the first row of onlookers.

Spitelout was there to catch the thick ropes thrown over the side. He and Silent Sven worked together to secure the mooring. Gobber and a couple of other able-bodied men received the items that were being unloaded and handed off to them: tents and the remaining rations, most likely. Perhaps even some exotic goods procured by trade?

Astrid imagined what might be found at Helgafell frozen shores: furs, metals, weapons, and wines--all things could promise a fun time during a harsh Norse winter.

Then Stoick disembarked, followed by Hiccup, and all daydreaming evaporated. Spitelout and Gobber pushed themselves to the forefront of the crowd and engaged the Chief in talk of festival preparations at once--what had already been accomplished and what was left to do. Hiccup had barely taken a step before he was rushed by a group of children: the newest of dragon-riders from that year's Selection ceremony--all excitedly shouting over each other about tricks they had learned, and new skills acquired. Hiccup smiled as they tugged on his cloak and his hands, all vying for his attention.

"Wow, really?" he said above the noise, to no particular child. "You'll have to show me."

The gaggle of his adoring, miniature fans all continued to talk at him unintelligibly, until someone called out," Night Fury!"

The mob of small dragon riders scattered with shrieks as a big black, scaly mass tackled Hiccup flat, onto the dock. Stoick, Spitelout, and Gobber reflexively stepped aside without as much as a hitch in their conversation. Toothless was all wiggles and aggressive nuzzling as Hiccup tried to sit up and catch the breath knocked out of him.

"Toothless! Toothless! Stop!" he insisted between laughs, trying to push the enthusiastic dragon out of his face, if only for a moment to collect himself. "For Odin's sake!"

As he sat up, the dragon let out a groan and rolled onto his back, exposing his belly. The children giggled at his antics.

"Oh! Is this why you missed me?" Hiccup teased, scratching Toothless's throat before moving over his chest. He adopted a tone reminiscent of how one might speak to a baby. "This is really why you missed me, huh?"

Toothless's tongue flopped out of the corner of his mouth and one of his hind legs kicked in delight.

"He really did miss you," Astrid spoke up, finally. She smiled despite their fighting. Her boyfriend's relationship with his dragon was endearing and infectious.

Hiccup glanced up, startled. His face faltered, and he scrambled to his feet. "Astrid! I, uh...I didn't see you there."

"Well, it is kind of hard to see anything else when Toothless demands attention."

He wouldn't meet her gaze. "Yeah. Right."

The uncomfortable silence that settled between them was disturbed only by a few sparse snow flurries, and the creak of the dock beneath Toothless as the dragon rolled onto his feet.

"I got your letter." Hiccup said, and Astrid felt the anxious twist in her gut. His Night Fury nudged him in the elbow, demanding his attention.

Facing him had not been so agonizing since that night on Dragon Island when they both were at their limit and had nothing to lose--that argument had a desirable ending. Perhaps, with the proper time and free of distractions, they might go two-for-two.

"Look," she began; and now she was the one who could not quite look him in the eye, "We need to talk. Badly. We've been open with each other before, and--"

"Are you guys fighting?" one of the children spoke up, loud and insistent.

Astrid gave a small start; she forgot they were there and desperately wished they weren't. Now, she was all too aware of the many eyes on them both, with rapt attention for a conflict they could not possibly understand. She frowned, and seized the rude child's helmet from his head, flinging it down the dock so he had to chase after it.

"Heeey!" some of the other kids obnoxiously cried.

When Astrid turned back to Hiccup, smug, he had already climbed into his saddle. Toothless unfurled his wings.

"Hiccup, wait!" she pleaded.

But he either had not heard her over the rush of his dragon taking flight, or at that moment, mending the hurt was not his priority. Either possibility left her standing there, watching her boyfriend and his dragon disappear into the low-hanging, dreary clouds as if she had not sought him out at all. The children wandered off, disappointed and suddenly uninterested in whatever transpired between lovers--boring and unknown things the future held for them too, but far beyond their capacity to care.

The wind picked up and the delicate snowflakes tumbled and twirled with renewed fervor. A shiver rattled Astrid down to her bones, and she held tightly to herself, painfully aware of just had cold it had become.

[cadmusfly]

Who Is A Dragon In Marshalate Dragons AU Because Making All The Infantry Marshals Dragons Is Too Much Scales

Post 1

Post 2

Marshals

Dragons: Berthier, Lannes, Soult, Masséna, Lefebvre, Mortier, Oudinot, St Cyr

Humans: Bernadotte, Augereau, Brune, Moncey, Perignon, Serurier, MacDonald, Poniatowski, Jourdan, Murat, Ney, Davout, Kellerman, Suchet, Victor, Marmont, Grouchy

Not A Secret Dragon Totally: Bessieres

Non marshals

Dragons: Junot, Desiree Clary, Bernadotte’s minister Magnus Brahe oh my god, either Trobriand or Morand, either Wellington or Picton, maybe Desaix

Sea Serpents: Villeneuve, Cochrane (and babby Marryat), maybe Dadmiral Pellew

Definitely Human: Napoleon, Joséphine, most noble/royalty, Talleyrand lol, most of the wives of people I turned into dragons

Contemplating having Ida St Elme be a dragon shapeshifter because of that historical fantasy series based on her having her be a Special Magic Person and I’m not sure her relationship with Ney works if she’s scaly all the time

This is partially informed by a desire to have interesting characters as dragons but also wanting to keep some interesting characters as still human, the underlying metaphor of monstrous draconic avarice as linked to greed and plundering but also some humans should also just be like that, and also vibes and who would be funnier as a dragon

Anyone can write fic or be inspired or steal my ideas or write stuff based on anyone being a dragon idk I’m just addicted to worldbuilding I need to finish a few other projects before thinking about if I want to write a proper fic or drawing for this, might post snippets if they emerge into my mind though

I am open to suggestions and arguments as well

Under the cut is some thoughts inspired by @impetuous-impulse about arranged dragon marriages and in universe cultural stuff

The legend of St Martha taming the tarasque

is slightly different in this world - after the tarasque is tamed, it is not killed by the people with spears. The same is with St George and the Dragon, where the dragon is tamed and not killed as a demonstration of Christianity's might.

I'm not going to go as far as to say Jesus was a dragon, but from chatting to Impulse and thinking about it, and also that I turned a bunch of military nobility into dragons

In this world there's a cultural Thing around the idea of an ingenue* woman - or man sometimes - being known as a "dragon-wife", a representative and rider, tamer of the monstrous beast, offered to sate the dragon's greed

This overlaps with the idea of a dragon's "favoured person", a person they grow so close to that the dragon-stupour that they fall into when exhausted is lessened and shortened by the presence of that person, and also there might be something about a dragon being able to telepathically talk to them over larger distances, being able to share emotions and senses

People know that the dragon-wife/dragon-rider is not necessarily a dragon's bonded/favored person, but it's better if they are. It's a very political thing for dragons with high titles and high ranks, to be accompanied by a charming maiden.

But of course, these maidens often aren't allowed to have any power or prowess! Though some do carve it out, and some by virtue of having a giant reptilian beast on their side do end up in interesting and exciting places.

Think of it like a beauty and a beast thing.

*ingenue was attested in 1848, too late for the time period damn

also i would like to have more dragons who identify as ladies, dragons do not have physical sex in this setting but they do identify as gender - i doubt explicitly nonbinary dragons will be popping up for a while though and the focus of this is the land with the very gendered language so they just default to unfortunate il

[gt-lover]

ruikasa mermaid au where rui transforms into a 30ft mermaid when he touches water and he's attempting to hide the secret from tsukasa

oooo yes!

imagine mer!rui who is seemingly a normal human but is not. he came to land out of curiosity of humans, with the condition that if he touches water, he returns to his usual form

rui manages to meet tsukasa and the rest of wxs, and they're all so fascinating that he's immediately convinced to stay with all of them. (i also personally like the thought of mer!nene who's doing the same thing that rui is <3)

tsukasa never really catches anything is amiss, though he's not entirely sure why rui insists on being away from water. he brushes it off as a fear of water though, which tsukasa understands

rui was honestly fine for a while, until a trip to the beach was planned. then, all of a sudden, he found himself right by the water, and he couldn't control the strength of the waves, and now he's back in his mermaid form and is panicking

tsukasa was playing in the sand when there was a sudden shadow, and when he looked up, he found rui lurking above him, his legs replaced for a mermaid tail. he could barely speak before the giant mer started rambling, begging him not to tell anyone with tears in his big eyes

rui is mid ramble when a familiar hand, now way smaller than his own, rests on one of his fingers. he blinks, looking down at the human before him who does nothing but smile and rub his now scaly skin.

"rui, it's alright."

and then rui is crying, tears flooding from his eyes as he keeps tsukasa tucked against him in his arms, hugging the human to him who simply comforts him for the rest of the night.

[celestiall0tus]

Miraculous AU - Chapter 30 - Push

Beginning || Previous || Next

            Souris sat on a rooftop that overlooked her home. She used Perception to look within. She saw Luka as he paced about in his room. He let out a howl of frustration before he collapsed onto his bed. The sleep deprivation claimed him before long.

            “Mullo, quiet down.”

            Mullo appeared from the pendant and transformed Souris back.

            Juleka pulled out a bag of trail mix and opened it for Mullo. “Eat up. I need you at full strength.”

            “You’re planning something. What is it?”

            “I’m going to push Luka over the edge.”

            Mullo gasped. “Are you crazy? He’ll transform for sure.”

            “I know. That’s the plan.”

            “But we just need the snake. The snake will help him.”

            “But what if he becomes infested again? What if he never gets over his obsessive need to protect me?”

            Mullo fell silent.

            “It’s dangerous. I could be making a massive mistake, but I can’t keep watching him suffer. He’s not eating properly. He can’t sleep unless he just collapses from sheer exhaustion. He’s always watching me and sabotaging us. Something has to give. Either we watch him suffer, or we step in and put an end to it.”

            “I see. So, what’s the plan?”

            “I create a hallucination of all the worst things that could possibly happen. While he experiences that, I leave a note that I’ve run away. That I couldn’t handle what Luka has become. This should be enough to drive him over the edge. Have you noticed anything that might help with this?”

            Mullo sighed. “He seems to hate Chat. I’m not sure why, but he’s made no secret of it.”

            “Right.” Juleka held up the bag.

            Mullo sat in it and munched on the mix. Her ears twitched as she ate. She frowned as she focused on the noise she heard. It sounded like scales slithering accompanied by a low hiss. Her eyes widened and she jumped up.

            “Sass!”

            “Sass?”

            “I hear you. You can’t hide from me you scaly so and so!”

            Juleka heard a sigh, then saw a snake kwami appear.

            Mullo turned. “Sass! It’s about time! Where have you been?”

            “Contemplating if I wanted to join you all.”

            “Sass, we need you this time. The butterfly holder is ruthless. Most of his creations are willing to kill.”

            “If they are going for the kill, why would you need me?”

            “What about for the holders? Louve Grise was struck by lightning while she defended Chat Noir. Louve was also transformed into a wolf creature during this afternoon’s attack. Alix, the horse holder, was poisoned before she became the holder by a monster with freaky nightshade poison.”

            Sass considered. “I can see in that case. However, I have seen the boy and that he is infested.”

            Juleka smiled when Sass spoke with the long “s” sound. It reminded her of snakes in cartoons.

            “What?”

            “Sorry. Just the hissing of your s’s. It’s cute.”

            Sass sighed. “Right, moving on.”

            “Hold a moment. When did you have a chance to see Luka? I would have heard you. If not me, then Fang would have heard and seen you.”

            “I caught a glimpse when you were all out fighting earlier. The dragon and I were looking at the group that were socializing with the ladybug and black cat holders. I saw that the guitar boy and the artist boy were infested.”

            “Well, yes, but you can help him. You can clear the infestation.”

            Sass ignored Mullo and turned to Juleka. “You plan to help him move on from this, yes? To ensure he won’t be infested again?”

            “I will.”

            “How?”

            “Once he’s transformed, I will be the one to quell him. I will use my powers to put him in a hallucination of a time when we were equals. When we watched out for each other, not just him watching over me. But, more importantly, show that I can protect him, and he doesn’t always have to be strong.”

            “Is it really protecting if you’re causing it?”

            “Sometimes you need to fall before you can get back up.”

            “Right you are. Are you sure about this? It could fail.”

            “I have to do something. If I don’t, he’ll just suffer. And if he’s doomed to suffer anyway, I don’t want it to be like this. Mullo, are you ready?”

            Mullo nodded.

            Juleka inhaled. She put the bag in her vest pocket. “Mullo, get squeaky.”

            Mullo disappeared into the pendant and transformed Juleka.

            Souris jumped from the building over to her home. She crept inside into Luka’s room. She placed a hand over his head and used Bend. For three minutes, he’d live through his worst nightmares. His inability to protect her. Her rejection of his protection as she turned to Chat Noir for safety. Her vanishing from his life, leaving him alone. Her death due to being a superhero.

            Souris stepped back as these hallucinations would play on repeat. She watched as Luka twitched and writhed in his sleep as the visions plagued him. She stepped out into her room. She wrote a quick note that she was running away because she couldn’t stand being near Luka anymore. She placed it on her pillow and ran out. She ran into Anarka on the way.

            “Juleka? Are you ok? Where are you going?”

            “Mom, when Luka wakes up, you tell him you never saw me. Once you tell him that, get somewhere safe.”

            “Juleka, what are you doing?”

            “Saving my brother. Trust me.”

            Anarka nodded. She hugged Juleka and let her go. She took a steadying breath and set down her bag. She carried on in uneasy silence until she heard Luka scream. She rushed to his door as he came barreling out.

            Anarka grabbed Luka. “Sweetie, what’s going on? What happened?”

            “Juleka. Where’s Juleka?”

            “I don’t know. I just got home.”

            Luka tore himself from Anarka’s embrace. He burst into Juleka’s room and flipped on the lights. He gasped when he didn’t see her, only the note she left. He snatched up and read it over. Tears fell from his eyes as he shook his head.

            Anarka reached for Luka. “Honey, please, calm down. If she’s missing, we’ll find her. I promise you that.”

            Luka pushed away Anarka’s hand. He threw the note away and ran outside. He headed up the ramp to the sidewalk but tripped and fell. He screamed and hit the wall.

            Why did Juleka have to leave? Why did she have to abandon him? She was going to get herself killed and it would be all because of that stupid cat. He’d lose her good and then there’d be nothing left to him. Without her, he didn’t have a reason to be. He was her protector, her guardian. It was his job to keep his twin safe and he couldn’t even do that anymore.

            Luka curled into a ball. He dug his nails into his shoulder. His heart raced and his breath came in short, shallow bursts. A pain pricked at his neck. He reached up and clawed his neck.

            A voice whispered: “How could she do this to you?”

            “Shut it. Maybe instead of haunting my every hour, why don’t you leave me alone?” Luka roared.

            "But I can offer you the power to keep you sister safe no matter what. And if comes with showing that cat who the real top cat is.”

            Luka gritted his teeth. He wanted it. He wanted it so bad. If he accepted, he’d become a monster, wouldn’t he? Did that really matter though? Did any of it matter when he could accomplish what he wanted? He could keep Juleka safe. He would never have to worry about losing her.

            “Do it.”

            Souris’ ears twitched when Luka said that. “Mullo, quiet down.”

            Mullow appeared from the pendant and changed Souris back.

            Juleka pulled out the bag. “Eat fast.”

            Mullo nodded and inhaled the mix.

            “You’re really doing this. You don’t know what he’ll do,” Sass said.

            “Maybe, but I’ll try to stop him before he does something drastic.”

            “Done!” Mullo shouted.

            Juleka put the bag away. “Mullo, get squeaky.”

            Mullo vanished into the pendant and transformed Juleka.

            Souris kept her eyes on Luka. Her ears twitched as Sass spoke.

            “Why not just let him go? Wouldn’t that be easier?”

            “He’s my brother. I would never abandon him. Especially now. He needs me, and I’ll be there for him.”

            “What if he gets away before you can quell him? What if something happens that changes your course of action?”

            “Then I adapt, work with whatever is thrown at me.”

            “And what if he’s lost?”

            Souris’ ears twitched. She heard the flapping of butterfly wings. She watched as a bright green and black butterfly landed on one of Luka’s bracelets.

            “Then I will live with what I’ve done.”

            Shadow enveloped Luka. Souris moved to him but paused when she felt something heavy on her left wrist. She looked down and saw a black metal bracelet.

            “Is this?”

            Sass nodded. “I’m counting on you. Heal my future holder and make sure he gets it.”

            “I won’t fail. You, me, or him.”

            “Good. I will be around. Should Luka be injured, share with him my activation phrase: ‘Sass, scales slither.’ Any physical injuries he sustains will be healed upon transforming, but he’ll sustain scars.”

            “Understood. Let’s go.”

            Sass nodded and vanished into the Unseen. Souris leapt from the building towards Luka. Her breath caught as he jumped from the ramp onto the bridge. She gulped when she saw he was dressed in a full black cat suit with a tail and ears. His sea green hair turned black with lime green tips. A black mask covered part of his face and his eyes were exactly like Chat Noir’s. She shrunk back as she felt an intimidating aura from him.

            Souris took a deep breath. “Luka!”

            Luka turned to Souris. “There you are. Is this all it takes to bring you home?”

            “Please, Luka. You don’t have to be like this. Let me help.”

            “Help? You caused all this. Your disregard for your life, rejecting my help, everything. This is all because of you.”

            Souris jumped onto the bridge with Luka. “I know, but I’m here to help. Just talk to me.”

            Luka shook his head. “The time for talking is over.”

            Souris crept closer with her hand outstretched. “Please. Let me help.”

            Luka snarled and swiped at Souris. She leapt back. She pulled out her whip and readied it.

            “Luka, please! Let me help you.”

            “No. Now, stand aside.”

            “I won’t.”

            Luka growled and lunged. Souris jumped and cracked her whip at him. He dodged and caught it. She pulled it, but he resisted. He pulled back and sent her flying. She landed with a thud as her whip flew from her hand. He grabbed the whip, then pulled her up by her neck.

            “Face it, Juleka, you’re not strong enough to be the protector.”

            “Luka, it isn’t just about brute strength! There’s more than just that.”

            “What do you know?”

            Souris reached for Luka. “I can show you. You just have to let me help.”

            Luka pulled back as he squeezed Souris’ throat. She flinched at the pain.

            “Luka, don’t do this. You’re a good person. You’re not a monster.”

            “I will be a good person again. I just need to play the monster for a little while longer.”

            “Luka?”

            Luka hurled Souris into the air. She tumbled around as she plummeted into the Seine. She swam back to the riverbank and hoisted herself up. She turned to the bridge to see Luka was gone.

            Souris gritted her teeth. She had to move. She had to track him down. She didn’t trust him alone in this state. She shook herself dry and used Perception to find Luka. Once she pinpointed him, she pursued.

[10blue10]

The Witch’s Son and his Dragon

(Toothcup ‘FebrAUry’ Week - Fantasy AU) 

Once upon a time, in a tall tower on a tall cliff, there lived a mysterious yet benevolent sorceress. She lived with her only son, teaching him the ways of the witches. The boys’ father, and her true love, had been a mighty warrior. He had sadly perished holding off a mob so that she and her son could escape.

The locals feared what they did not understand. They feared her because she could do magic, and communed with dragons. Even her familiar was a dragon, although he could transform into an owl whenever he wanted or needed to.

One moonlit, wind scoured night, her son Hiccup couldn’t sleep. He tossed and turned, and finally got out of bed. Perhaps some reading would help clear his mind. He held his hand over the candles on his desk and said “Brenna.” Burn.

The wicks burst into flame. By their light, Hiccup opened a tome and began to read the tale inside. It was about a young maiden who was kidnapped by a dragon, which they never actually did, and taken to its lair. The dragon told her he would spare her life if she kissed him on his scaly lips to break a curse.

He’d just gotten to the part where the dragon turned out to be a prince, blah blah blah, when something warm and furry rubbed up against his legs. “Can’t you sleep either?” he asked the black, green eyed cat that had jumped up on the table. Hiccup stroked his familiar with one hand, keeping the book open with the other. “I thought reading something boring would help me sleep.”  

Toothless looked inquisitively at an upside down page. “It’s a fairytale. You know, the dumb one. Where a beautiful young maiden gets kidnapped by a dragon and kisses it, and then it turns out to be a cursed prince,” he explained.

Hiccup had no idea how a cat could look exasperated, but Toothless could. Then again, he was pretty good at looking exasperated in his dragon form too. “Exactly. I mean, don’t get me wrong. It’s not the kissing part that I think it’s dumb. It’s the turning into a human afterwards part. She could have been a prince married to a prince of dragons! That would be awesome, wouldn’t it?”

The only response was a soft rasping sound as Toothless groomed himself. “Greiða, bursta Tannlaus,” said Hiccup. Comb, brush Toothless. His comb sprang to life and began running through Toothless’ fur. The cat hissed and leapt off the table. The comb chased him around the room. Hiccup giggled.

It didn’t take long for Toothless to get tired of this ‘game’ and transformed back into his dragon form. Then he bit the comb in half. “Oh, come on! You didn’t have to do that,” Hiccup protested. Toothless snorted pointedly. “Yes, I know I can just magic it fixed, but it’s the principle of the matter,” he said.

Then he picked the two pieces of the comb up and said firmly, “verða heill.”

Become whole. The pieces fixed instantly. As his mother had taught him, the secret to magic was confidence. “You have to be certain you can make things happen with one word of the Old Tongue, no matter how impossible it may seem. Always remember, son. You are a witch and can do the impossible.”  

Toothless made a noise that usually meant ‘what now?’

Hiccup shrugged, and yawned. “I guess I should try and get some sleep…” A thought occurred to him. “Hey, Toothless. Wouldn’t it be funny if I gave you a kiss and you turned into a handsome prince,” he grinned. Toothless stared at him. “What? I can do magic. You turn into a cat whenever you like. Changing into a prince because of a kiss isn’t outside the realm of possibility, is it?”

The unimpressed stare continued. Complete with raised brow. “I’m not looking for an excuse to kiss you. I just thought it would be funny. Ugh, you know what, never mind. I’m going back to sleep.” Hiccup climbed back into bed and waved a hand at the candles burning on his desk. “Dúsa.” Douse. They went out.

He lay down and closed his eyes. Moments later, there was a huff of warm breath on his face. Toothless was standing over him. “What? Do you want a kiss now?” he asked sarcastically. Toothless nodded. Hiccup blinked. “Really? I was kidding… but I mean, if you want to… just one kiss, okay,” he insisted.

Toothless gave another nod and closed his eyes. Hiccup sat up and placed his hands on either side of the dragon’s head. He hesitated. Was it weird to kiss one’s familiar? He decided to just do it before he lost the nerve. So he closed his eyes, leaned in and pressed his lips against Toothless’, and kissed him.  

It was warm. It tasted of salt and smoke. It made his lips tingle and sent a shiver down his spine. He pulled away and looked at Toothless, who was still the dragon he knew and loved. “So… that didn’t work,” he remarked bluntly.

*Obviously* said Toothless.

Hiccup’s jaw dropped. “You - you just talked!”

*What?* Toothless cocked his head to the side.

“Just now, you talked. You said ‘obviously’. And also ‘what’.”

*So?*

“So I actually heard you.”

Toothless blinked. *Wait… you heard me say words?*

“Yeah.”

*You didn’t just know what I meant?*

“Exactly.”

…. *That’s new* Toothless remarked. *I’m not gonna turn into a human am I?*

“No? I don’t think so. I wasn’t casting a spell or anything,” Hiccup replied. “We should probably ask my mum. She’ll know what’s going on,” he declared.

*But it’s the middle of the night.*

“Since when does that bother you?”

*Good point.* Toothless gestured with his snout at the balcony. *Are we flying to her room or walking?* he asked. Hiccup hesitated. On the one hand it was cold outside; on the other hand, a brief flight meant not going up the stairs.

Then he remembered he was a witch. “I have a better idea. Komdu til mín,” (Come to me) he said, pointing at his dressing gown. It flew off its hook towards him and smacked him in the face. He still needed to work on that. Hiccup shrugged it on, then waved a hand at the door. “Opið.” Open. 

Nearby, Toothless morphed into his cat form, and they stepped out of the room, then onto the first step of the staircase leading up to his mother’s room. Hiccup looked down at the stone step. “Byrjaðu að flytja.” Start moving.

With a rumbling, grinding sound, the step began to move upwards and forwards. It carried Hiccup and Toothless all the way to the landing outside Valka’s room at the top of the tower. He knocked on the door. Toothless helped by miaowing loudly. After a few moments it swung open to let them inside.

His mother was sitting up in bed, yawning. “Hiccup? Sweetie, what’s wrong?”

“Hey, mum. Sorry for waking you up, it’s just - something weird happened.”

“It must be weird, if it bothers my little witchling so much. What happened?”

Hiccup suddenly felt embarrassed. “I couldn’t sleep, so I tried reading a book, and I read that story where a maiden kisses a dragon and it turns into a prince, and then I said it’d be funny if I kissed Toothless and he turned into a prince but I was just joking but then he wanted a kiss so I did and now he can talk.”

Valka blinked at him. “So you kissed him… and he spoke?”

“Yeah. I mean, I can always understand him. He’s my familiar. But now I can hear actual words, instead of just, well, knowing what he’s trying to say.”

Her face cleared. “Oh. That’s normal.”

“It is?”

“Indeed. It happens to all familiars and their witches sooner or later.”

“It does?”

She chuckled and patted the bed. They both came to sit on it. “I should have explained this sooner, really. As you know, familiars are called that because the more, well, familiar you become with them, the more you understand them, and vice versa. It’s a form of magic deeper and older than the one we practise.

“Once you have a strong bond with your familiar, sharing some kind of intimate moment with them sort of… gives that old magic a surge of power. You would have begun hearing words from Toothless eventually; you just did it a bit early.”

Hiccup asked “did that happen to you and Cloudjumper? Did you kiss him?”

She tapped him on the nose and winked. “That’s a secret.”

“Aww, come on. I won’t tell him you told me.”

His mother chuckled. “I think you should be going back to bed, darling.”

He sighed and made to get down, then hesitated. “Mum? Is it… okay that I kissed Toothless?” he asked shyly. Is it okay that I kind of want to do it again?

Valka reached out and stroked his cheek, smiling. “Every witch’s relationship with their familiar is different. If you both think it’s okay, then it’s okay. Okay?”

Hiccup giggled. “Okay, mum. Thanks. Goodnight.” He gave her a hug, and Toothless rubbed up against her in cat form. Then they both went downstairs. Hiccup crawled into bed, but before he went to sleep, he asked “Toothless? Did you, um - I won’t be upset if you say no, but did you err, like the kiss?”

Toothless’ currently feline gaze was inscrutable. Then he purred. *It was nice.*

Reassured, Hiccup lay down and dozed off, with Toothless’ warm fur under his hand, and the feeling of kissing his beloved familiar still lingering on his lips.

[analog-cottage-gore]

SHIT LAST POST DIDN'T INCLUDE ALL MY AU'S.

smaller poll

[therisingphoenixden]

Prompt #6: A Promise and a Truce

Prompt: Onerous

Characters: Berude Eijin, Urianger

Content Warnings: some ARR and HW msq and patch quest spoilers

Berude Eijin had seen and done her fair share of tedious tasks during her time as an adventurer. Attempting to collect on a debt from an unscrupulous lalafell or the time she had to carry a rather large pumpkin halfway across central Thanalan. This, however…

This was beyond anything she was prepared for.

Tataru had gotten it into her head that the Rising Stones and the Waking Sands were in dire need of a good and thorough cleaning after their sudden exile to Coerthas and/or scattering across the realm. F’lahminn had returned to the Rising Stones and set about delegating tasks under Tataru’s supervision. Even Y’shtola’s sister had come to lend a hand. Between the pair, they had the Rising Stones well in hand.

Which left Berude the unenviable task of cleaning the Waking Sands on her own. 

Well, not entirely alone. All seemed quiet on the Ascian front, so Urianger had resumed his duties as the Sands’ caretaker once more. 

It was the smaller of the two facilities, both women had reasoned, needing only a hand or two to whip it into shape as it had a dedicated caretaker during the exile after the bloody banquet. And they were probably right. Still, it stung to be left with Urianger after everything he had hidden from the group.

Perhaps this was meant to be his atonement, spending quality time with the fiery Warrior of Light whose convictions nearly rivaled his own.

If that was how it was going to be, she could live with that.

What she couldn’t live with, however, were the upper shelves in the Solar. Almost all of the furniture had been packed and moved with the Scions’ relocation to Mor Dhona but the bare shelves remained, taunting her just out of reach. With an angry huff and an irritated flick of her scaly tail, she abandoned the shelves for the armoire nearby. 

A loud crash sounded as soon as she opened the doors and she found herself on the floor, tail pinched under her at an awkward angle. “SEVEN HELLS!”

The last thing Urianger had anticipated during Tataru’s mandatory cleaning session of Scion bases was a loud crash and muffled shouting. He raced from the research library to the Solar, where he found one very irritated Berude pinned at an awkward angle under a large chocobo saddle and surrounded by a near-mountain of discarded weapons and armor, growling under her breath in her native tongue. Nearly tripping over a single discarded pugilist hora and an abandoned thaumaturge staff, he made his way to the au ra and hoisted the saddle off of her. 

“Berude,” he extended a hand to help her up. She ignored his aid and tried to stand amid the tidal wave of abandoned junk.

“I’m all right,” she growled, pointedly ignoring him to try massaging the twinge from her tail. But her suppressed cry of pain as she touched the appendage betrayed her lie. “Fine. I am not all right.”

“Might I?” He kept his hand raised to offer a healing spell to soothe her. 

After a long pause, Berude nodded her consent and quietly gasped when he channeled his aether toward her. It was calm and soothing, like a warm blanket in front of a fire during the colder days in the Steppe, and she found herself rejuvenated. Even the twinge from her pinched tail had faded. But all too soon, the spell ended and it kept all of her control to keep her aether from chasing his.

It was nearly enough to cause her to forget she was angry at him for keeping secrets, even if it led to victory for their cause. Her breath caught when she saw he wasn’t wearing that popato sack of a robe or goggles for once, clad in a worn tunic, plain breeches, and simple boots. Perhaps this was his own way of trying to rebuild the bridge of trust with her? Or had he been expecting to be alone in cleaning the Sands?

“My thanks, Urianger,” she murmured, catching his gaze before he could avert them to the mess from the armoire. “And…I apologize.” She took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. “I let my anger get the better of me.” “After I had bargained with the Ascian Emissary behind thine back. Thou were correct in directing thine ire toward me.” He knelt down and began busying himself with sorting through the junk from the armoire.

She blinked in surprise. “Still, it isn’t right to take all of my anger out on you when it was the Ascians trying to manufacture a rejoining.” She walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. “So how about a truce? No more lies between us unless the fate of the Star hangs in the balance.”

“Aye,” he murmured, absently covering her hand with one of his and squeezing to seal the promise.

Pleased, Berude knelt nearby and began helping him sort through the junk from the armoire of doom. Perhaps this task wasn’t nearly as trying as she had initially anticipated, and she had a sneaking feeling that this new truce between them was Tataru’s plan all along.

[the-final-sif]

i just read every post in the convict child care au and it is my new favorite thing ever but i do have some questions

1) did Michael have the live chicken before and if he did, is the real one of the toy Dream made him his favorite?

2) what's Michael's favorite story that Dream told him?

3) The most important question. does Michael actually know what a dragon is or does he just think that Dream is a big scaly chicken. is Dream ever shifted and Michael just points at him and confidently says "chicken".

1) In this AU, Michael didn't have a chicken in the nether, but c!Tubbo and c!Ranboo have a small flock of chickens that they raise. Michael loved to help feed them, and they're his favorite animal. He was very good about being soft and slow with them so as to not scare the chickens. c!Dream just picked a chicken for the toy because Michael liked to draw them.

2) Michael's favorite story is a retelling of one of Dream's manhunts that he edited to include c!Techno helping him out in secret as he escaped from the scary hunters to beat the dragon. His second favorite is a silly story Dream made up about Techno getting sent on a wild goose chase to find a magical talking chicken and coming back with c!Phil instead.

3) So, this gets a little harder. Michael does not know the word or sign for 'Dragon' because Dream purposefully does not teach him. He's not trying to get snitched on here. Dream never defines himself as anything in particular to Michael. Michael has also never encountered the idea of a dragon before.

Despite this, he doesn't see Dream as a bird, because Dream lacks feathers and he doesn't see Dream's wings as wings because Michael never sees him fly in the cell.

Instead, Dream is a defining creature in his head. When he first encounters a vaguely dragon looking lizard, he calls it a 'Dream-night-self'. Because it reminds of what Dream looked like on special nights.

[wee-chlo]

Very random idea I had for an AU for OFMD, which I have never seen and know about primarily through cultural osmosis but that isn't going to stop me because I can't read:

A mark of a very good captain, or at least a captain that's earned the approval of the Powers That Be, is Calypso's Blessing. Some people call them sirens, others call them furies, but ultimately they're feminine nature spirits that give the captain, crew and/or ship various boons. There's no hard or fast rules as to what a captain has to do to earn Calypso's Blessing, but earning it is a Big Deal.

Ed's persona as the Kraken is in no small part due to his siren, a water spirit that takes the form of a whale-sized mermaid when in open sea, and a normal little mermaid when on the ship. Since she's a water spirit she's always gotta be in water, so on the ship she's either in a tub in Ed's cabin or sometimes carried around in a bucket. She can purify salt water into fresh water, helps the ship move swiftly and silently, scares off predators, and has capsized ships before. She looks like a feral little water goblin, with scaly bluish skin and lank hair and sharp little teeth, but Ed thinks she's absolutely adorable.

Stede doesn't have one initially, which isn't great for his authority. But when his blood hits the ship after his duel with Izzy, it awakens the Blessing in the form of a spirit of the ship itself. She usually manifests as a very well-dressed noble lady at first, though she doesn't have to to be able to hear and see everything on the ship. Between her and Ed's siren, the ship moves insanely fast. Cannon fire tends to bounce off the hull, and the ship always looks excellent. Boarding parties tend to find it rather difficult to get on because everything's always just a little tilted or slippery, but the crew never seems to slip and fall.

She's also got all that hot hot goss because she's literally the ship so there are no secrets on the ship. She and Lucius get along like a house on fire.

The sirens are linked to their captains. As Ed opens up and becomes more vulnerable and attached to Stede, his siren becomes more gentle and personable, and when he regresses into the Kraken she becomes monstrous and unmanageable. As Stede becomes more confident, and especially once he realizes he's in love with Ed, his siren shifts from a noblewoman to a woman in an outfit reminiscent of Ed's leathers, much more confident and capable.

Also they're as gay for each other as their captains.

Other captains have different sirens as well: some have wind spirits who fill the sails and redirect storms. Some have fire spirits that keep flames safely contained on board and wild and unmanageable on enemy ships. Water spirits are somewhat rarer, which adds to Blackbeard's mystique.

[themurphyzone]

PatB Oneshot: Where Your Treasure Is

Dragon AU for my Secret Santa’s gift to @wimsiecal . Based off their lovely art here and here, also inspired by @thecutiewhoyaksandsnacks (sorry if you have a new tumblr blog cause I don’t know the name) art here.  

Summary: Dragon AU. In a faraway kingdom, the alchemists of ACME Guild have been tasked by the king to transform common metals into gold to expand the royal treasury and increase the king’s personal wealth, at the expense of the commoners and dragonkind.

Pinkhart is a young dragon who’s been sold to a noblewoman, and though he tries to make the most of his situation after being separated from his mother too early, it’s a lonely existence when he’s a status symbol and nothing more.

But when he meets a dragon from ACME Guild, maybe that will start to change. And maybe he can find a treasure to truly call his own.

AO3 Link

 “Protect your treasure with all your heart and soul. That’s what truly makes us dragons,” Mama said, and she curled her tail around Pinkhart, bundling him in a fluffy blanket of fur against her scaly belly. She blew a stream of golden fire onto Pinkhart’s muzzle, and he trilled happily as the heat hit his face. 

It felt like being struck with a beam of warm sunlight as it broke through a cloudy sky, and Pinkhart basked within the flickering flames for as long as he could. 

“What about me, Mama?” Pinkhart squeaked, his wings flaring out as he pushed against her cheek. “Am I your treasure?” 

Mama chuckled. “Yes, my little heart. You’re my treasure.” 

“Papa and Sis too?” Pinkhart asked. 

Papa had been sold to a faraway land in the east before Pinkhart hatched, and he’d never met him before. According to Mama, he warmed Pinkhart and Sis when they were eggs in the nest, and had been so excited for fatherhood that he fell off a cliff when she explained that she was expecting children. 

But Sis never hatched from her egg, so it was just him and Mama. 

“Yes,” Mama breathed, a little misty-eyed. “Papa and Sis are my treasures too.” 

“Narf! And all of you are my treasure!” Pinkhart exclaimed. 

Mama just nuzzled him in return, and he fell asleep against the sound of her beating heart, buried in the warmth of her fur and scales. 

o-o-o-o-o 

When he awoke the next morning, his owner and a fancy looking lady were standing over him and saying lots of things he didn’t understand. A not-so-funny feeling settled into his stomach as they pointed at him, and not in the way people did when they called him cute. 

“Mama?” Pinkhart whispered, pawing at his mother’s muzzle. “Who’s that lady? What’s going on?” 

But Mama’s ears didn’t move, nor did her eyes open. No part of her body stirred, no matter how hard he tried to push against her. 

She must’ve been having a deep sleep then. It would be good for her. She normally slept so lightly. 

Pinkhart had grown used to the way her tail would tighten around him at the slightest noise during the night. 

Pinkhart nestled beneath a front limb and her shoulder, curling up as tight as he could. He didn’t know what was happening, but Mama’s warmth made him feel much safer. 

“This hatchling will do, Damos,” the fancy lady sniffed. “Fluffy dragons are all the rage now. Why, a few more months with this one and it will be no trouble to win His Grace’s favor over the so-called Lady Lazuli..”  

“As you wish, my fair Lady Sapphira,” Damos replied. 

A pair of rough hands snatched Pinkhart’s tail, and though he tried to squeak and wriggle under his mother, it was no use. 

He was held in the air by the back of his neck, and Damos snapped a metal band around his legs, binding all four to each other. It dug into Pinkhart’s flesh and hurt so much, but they ignored his cries for help. Then he was dropped onto a table, and a dark cloth fell across his eyes. 

His heart pounded as he heard the dull clink of metal and felt a sharp blade at the base of his wings. 

Mama? I’m your treasure, right? You said you’d protect me! 

No matter how much he squeaked and pled for her to help, she wouldn’t move. He gasped for breath, hot tears trailing down his muzzle and turning into steam.   

“What on earth are you doing now?” Lady Sapphira snapped. “I have more important things than being in your backwater shop.”   

“Cutting off his wings,” Damos grunted. “Standard practice with captive dragons, my lady. Cutting the wings lessens the chance of escape.” 

“Heavens, no!” Lady Sapphira cried, and there was an outraged jingling sound from the countless golden bangles around her wrists. “Do what you must with other dragons, but should you mutilate my ticket to the court’s favor, I shall withdraw my offer and take my business elsewhere!”

Light flooded Pinkhart’s vision as the cloth was lifted off his face. 

“Humph, well I can’t have that, my lady. Especially when you offered even more than what this one’s worth,” Damos said, once again lifting Pinkhart by the back of the neck. With a harsh snap, he pulled off the metal band around Pinkhart’s legs. As soon as it was off, Pinkhart tried to scamper back to his mother, but he couldn’t free himself from Damos’ grip.

With one hand, Damos brought out a metal cage and dropped Pinkhart inside. Pinkhart threw himself at the door, but it was quickly latched shut and though he scrabbled at the bars, he couldn’t get out. 

“Mama!” Pinkhart cried, but she still wasn’t responding. Why wouldn’t she get up? 

Wasn’t he still her treasure? Unless…he did something so bad that he wasn’t her treasure anymore. 

“I’m sorry, Mama…” Pinkhart whimpered. “I’m so sorry…” 

He buried his head between his paws, part of him still hoping that she would wake up and get him out of this cage. 

They could go find Papa. He had to be out there in this world, somewhere. 

And they’d all fly free as a family, in that big and beautiful sky.  

Lady Sapphira’s shrill voice pierced the air. “She won’t try to attack me, will she?” 

“No, my lady. Put a few drops of nightshade extract in her water last night myself as preparation for your arrival. More peaceful sell that way, and with less damaged property,” Damos replied. 

“...I see. It’s a shame you had to waste her.” 

Damos shrugged. “I’ll have somebody pick her up. She’s still fresh, and might as well make use of her body while we can.” 

“Have it your way, Damos. Carry my new dragon to the carriage, will you? I don’t want its slobber all over my new dress.” 

“Of course, my lady.” 

I don’t wanna go with this lady! I wanna stay with you! 

Pinkhart begged, but nobody heard his cries. Why wasn’t she coming for him? Could someone please bring her to him if she couldn’t do it on her own? 

Somebody? Anybody…please…

But nobody came. The carriage door slammed shut, bathing him in darkness. 

And he was all alone. 

o-o-o-o-o

Pinkhart had never been inside a palace before. Everything was enormous, from the giant windows that offered a view of the nearby lake to the diamond chandelier that hung above their heads. Pinkhart's wings flapped at the sight of the diamonds that sparkled in the light and shone with every color of the rainbow. 

So shiny! He wanted to touch one of the diamonds so much, but the servant girl who carried his cage scolded him for flapping his wings, and he retreated to the back of the cage in defeat. 

Someday, Pinkhart vowed. I'll touch those sparkly diamonds. 

If Mama were with him, she'd love those diamonds too. She'd let Pinkhart climb up her head and let him touch a diamond, maybe even taste one too. 

Silver and gold laid on every table surface. Rubies and citrine jewels outlined the fireplace. An enormous archway was adorned with amethysts. 

The palace was pretty with all its golden walls and jewel-lined furniture, but it just wasn't the same without Mama. 

Lady Sapphira walked ahead of the servant girl, her jewelry clinking as she wrapped her ermine coat around herself and turned her nose up at a young maid who passed 

The maid shrank away without speaking, passing by with several heavy loads of laundry in her arms. 

Her glittering heels clicked with every step on the golden floor, a sapphire hairpin sparkling in her dark hair as the light caught each facet. 

After so many twists and turns that Pinkhart couldn’t even begin to memorize, Lady Sapphira came to a halt in front of a pair of the most ginormous doors he’d ever seen. They spanned from the floor all the way to the ceiling, a pair of fearsome golden dragon heads protruding from the metal, their teeth bared and horns sharp. 

The royal crest, a coiled dragon protecting a crown with a diamond on top, was imprinted onto the door. It was a marking that Mama always taught him to respect and fear. 

Lady Sapphira stopped in front of the door, where a pair of doormen were on standby. They bowed to Lady Sapphira as she sneered at them. 

“Open the doors,” she said haughtily. “I have an important audience with his royal majesty and I refuse to delay for another moment.” 

One of the doormen straightened up, his eyes wide and fearful. “My lady, I mean no disrespect, but King Diamante is currently having an audience with the leaders of the ACME Guild. This could impact-” 

“-your livelihood, family, and what little future opportunities you have if you do not open that door for me right now, servant,” Lady Sapphira spat. 

Though the scolding wasn’t directed at him, Pinkhart shrank to the back of his cage, and the servant girl looked as though she’d rather be anywhere else but here. 

The doorman gulped, nodded to his co-worker, and together they reluctantly seized hold of the golden dragon heads and pulled them apart. 

Light flooded Pinkhart’s vision as the doors opened, revealing a gold and white throne room with a red carpet running down the center. A pair of torches burned on each side of the door, and Pinkhart tried to touch the golden flames, wanting to feel their heat in the coldness of this palace. But he couldn’t reach, not even with the tip of his tail. 

Stained glass windows that pictured past kings and queens of the kingdom surrounded the walls of the room. They caught the light and spread it across the golden floor in a beautiful rainbow. 

A group of commoners in simple white robes knelt before the stairsteps that led to the throne, carved in a mixture of gold and diamond.

Two enormous dragons sat behind the throne with their wings unfurled. To the left was a golden dragon whose scales shone as bright as the sun. To the right, a dragon with scales as silvery and shimmery as the moon was completely silent. 

They were the most lifelike statues of dragons Pinkhart had ever seen. 

Then he looked more closely at them, and their wings and chests moved a little with every breath they took. 

So they weren’t statues. They were real dragons. 

Pinkhart pulled his ears and stuck his tongue out, trying to get their attention by being silly, but it was no use. Their eyes remained closed. 

And on the throne was a regal old man with a short, pointed white beard that reminded Pinkhart of a diamond’s tip. His eyes were cold as ice, his face weathered with age. He was clad in white robes outlined in gold, wielding a scepter tipped with a large jewel. Two diamonds, one gold and one silver, were pinned to his chest. A large crown rested upon his brow, decorated in jewels of many colors. 

“Sapphira,” the old king said wearily, rubbing his temple as if he didn’t really want to see her. The commoners he was seeing hastily scrambled out of Sapphira’s way as she went up to the steps and knelt before him. “Whatever you have to say, make it brief. My patience wears thin.” 

“King Diamante, your Excellency, your Grace, your Majesty-” 

“Are you deaf, madam?” King Diamante snapped. “Make it brief or I shall have you removed from this room by force. And in the future, you would do well to remember that I hardly tolerate interruptions.” 

Sapphira stood up and snapped her fingers at the servant girl, who stepped forward and set Pinkhart’s cage before the king. 

Pinkhart wagged his tail and gave the king his best smile. Maybe if he made a good first impression now, the king would help bring Mama to the palace and they’d live happily ever after! 

But the king’s face was impassive. 

“You interrupted my alchemists’ proposal to expand my treasury by transforming common metals into gold, just to present me with a hatchling?” King Diamante hissed vehemently, flicking his hand in a clear dismissal. “Aurum and Argentum perform their royal duties well, and I will not stand for this insult against the dragons of the crown! If you wish to keep that hatchling as a personal pet, so be it, but leave my sight at once! Guards, escort them out. The alchemists may stay and continue their business with me.” 

So he wasn’t going to help. 

Would it be hard for a king to help reunite him with his mother? Probably. Maybe he was asking for too much. 

Was that being greedy? He didn’t want to be greedy. 

A pair of knights armed with diamond-tipped spears approached the servant girl, who trembled from head to toe at the sight of their weapons. She dropped into a polite curtsey, then grabbed Pinkhart’s cage, accidentally slamming him against the bars in her haste to not be on the receiving end of those spears. 

The alchemists just watched in silence, not daring to speak. 

With an annoyed huff, Lady Sapphira stormed out of the room. The servant girl followed a few paces behind her. 

“That king! Treasure this and treasure that with him!” Lady Sapphira snarled, and everyone scrambled out of her way as she stomped down the hall. “When a rebellion is brewing on the horizon! Doesn’t he realize we must quash those fools where they stand?” 

Neither Pinkhart nor the servant girl made a sound, unwilling to invoke her wrath.

Lady Sapphira led them to a set of heavy metal doors, several corridors away from the throne room. She stopped in front of a heavy metal wheel that opened the door and pulled a golden necklace with an embedded blue sapphire from the folds of her dress. 

“Release the hatchling and leave us,” Lady Sapphira commanded.  

The servant girl set the cage down and undid the lock. Pinkhart pushed against the cage door and slowly crawled out. The servant girl quickly took her leave, unable to disguise the look of relief on her face from having to wait on Lady Sapphira. 

Pinkhart didn’t want her to go though. She seemed nice enough. 

But as he turned to follow the servant girl, a pair of arms suddenly snatched him by the neck. And it hurt! 

The arms were not the gentle wings of his mother, nor did they make him feel warm and safe. They were icy cold, rough, and not very nice at all. 

The necklace choked him as it wrapped around his neck, tightening as he tried to wriggle out of it. The sapphire on the necklace glowed harshly, the metal cold and chafing.   

“You shall have free reign during the day. I don’t care what you do, so long as you don’t bother me. At night, I shall summon you with my sapphire, and you shall guard the royal treasury with your life,” Lady Sapphira declared. Her icy blue eyes watched Pinkhart with disdain. “It is the least you could do after I spent twenty thousand units to save you from a life with the peasantry.”

Pinkhart whimpered at the pain around the base of his neck. Though his wings weren’t cut off, the necklace chained him to the palace anyway. It wasn’t much better. 

Then she revealed a sapphire that matched the jewel on his neck. 

“You shall not harm me now or in the future,” Lady Sapphira said, and the sapphire in her hand glowed, a stream of blue mist flowing into his own jewel. “Every night, you shall remain within the treasury to surprise any cunning thief who dares try and rob this palace of its hard-earned wealth. Now, dragon, you shall begin your first night of guarding our treasure.” 

The metal door opened wide, and inside lay an enormous horde of gold coins, countless treasure chests full of sparkling pearls, glittering emeralds, and so many other precious stones he didn’t recognize. So much that he couldn’t see the floor and if he stepped on it, he was sure he’d drown in gold. 

“Inside,” Lady Sapphira said. The sapphire around Pinkhart’s neck glowed, and his legs moved on their own, marching his body inside the treasury until he was seated atop a mountain of gold. 

Then the door slammed shut, and the only light sources were the dim flicker of torches on the wall.  

He was bathed in darkness again. He missed being bathed in the golden light of his mother’s fire. 

Pinkhart let his tears fall. There was no one to scold nor soothe him, no one to wipe away his tears with a gentle smile and a friendly joke. No one to cuddle against and sharing their warmth wholeheartedly. No wings to enfold and protect him from harm. 

And most of all, no weary but loving voice to tell him that he was her treasure. 

Tears slid down his face as he nestled in a bed of gold. But the gold poked his belly and got between his claws. It wasn’t a very comfortable bed. He wanted to rest against his mother’s scaly belly as she breathed in and out gently more than anything in the whole wide world. 

Nobody was going to come for him. Maybe…he angered Mama somehow. And now she didn’t want to see him again in a million years. 

Among the golden jewelry, the jewel-encrusted crowns, and the precious metals, he cried alone. 

o-o-o-o-o

Two years had passed since Pinkhart had come to live at the palace. He had grown much taller and stronger since then. His horns had grown in, long and curly, and while he loved getting the features of adult dragons, the horns tended to get caught on anything low-hanging. But he was happy to let the birds come and rest on his head whenever he wandered through the palace gardens during the daytime. 

His ivory fur was much fluffier now, and he’d long given up on trying to tame the messy tuft on his head. 

Dropping into a crouch, he spread his enormous wings, counted to narf, and flapped as hard as he could. 

Normally, dragon parents would teach their children to fly. But Pinkhart’s mother never had the opportunity, so he had to learn for himself. And while the other palace dragons kept their wings, they were always either extended for show or folded at their sides, but never used for flight. 

He was never sure what to make of the other palace dragons. Sometimes, it felt like they were barely dragons at all. 

They didn’t soar through the skies, have friendly competitions with each other, or breathe fire. Nor did they cuddle up with each other after a long day, or huff fire into each other’s faces to let them know how loved they were. 

Pinkhart had tried that once, when he first came to the palace and tried to get to know the other dragons owned by royalty. But Aurum and Argentum might as well have been statues, and everyone else was either too intimidated by Lady Sapphira or fearful of what would happen to them if they didn’t act how they were trained to act that they never returned Pinkhart’s invitation to be friends. 

Firebreathing could only happen when they were commanded to breath fire, and any fire outside of an order was frowned upon.  

It was unusual for him to have this much freedom as a palace dragon, he knew. He saw the looks of disdain from both dragons and humans alike. 

But they couldn’t touch him, for everyone knew not to cross Lady Sapphira even when her choices were strange to the rest of them. 

And he didn’t really mind that he only saw Lady Sapphira for a minute or two in the evening, when she’d stand by the entrance to the royal treasury and summon him with her magic sapphire. Her duties included making sure the treasure was protected and guarded at night, so that she could prove how loyal she was to her king by making sure his wealth never fell into rebel hands. 

And his duty was to remain within the dark treasury until dawn, as payment for being able to live a luxurious life in the palace. 

Pinkhart shot up into the sky, the wind rippling past his fur. Then he performed a loop-de-loop, laughing as the cold breeze went up his nose when he was upside down and turned right side up too quickly. He flew backwards and forwards, zigzagged left and right, and skimmed the enormous pond within the royal garden. Several frogs croaked as they quickly leapt into the water from their lily pads, startled by his sudden approach. 

“Sorry!” Pinkhart called to them as he flew past, his claws trailing the water and creating beautiful ripples that skipped along the surface to the shoreline. 

Once he’d gained enough height, he inhaled deeply and shot a stream of pink fire into the sky. It was the only way he could let out his inner fire. He remembered how his mother’s golden fire was full of warmth and light and love, and someday he wanted to reach that level too.

Even when there was no one to share his fire with. 

His fire blended with the soft pinks and purples of the twilight sky, clouds drifting aimlessly as the sun disappeared over the horizon. Tall, dark mountains surrounded the kingdom on all sides, forming a background of mysterious blue hues. 

The golden palace was directly below him, its tall towers with jeweled windows standing proud and strong. So very different from the barren fields and gray villages that dotted the kingdom. 

He was sure the fields must’ve been full of beautiful wildflowers, filled with rabbits and deer and butterflies at some point. 

But they were gone now. 

He lived in the last patch of beauty in the kingdom, where they could afford to maintain a gorgeous garden and glittering palace. 

But it had cost the land and its people so much. 

He’d heard the talks, from the few peasants who’d tried to plead their case, to the nobles who questioned how long they could maintain their lifestyle with a smaller amount of resources, and the advisors who suggested ways to improve their situation. 

But King Diamante refused to change how he ran the kingdom.  

That’s why there were whispers of a great rebellion brewing on the horizon. 

The sapphire on his chest glowed, and his body was slowly pulled toward the palace. With a last look into the unknown lands he would never get to explore, he landed on the ground and folded his wings. 

The golden necklace was designed to expand in size as he grew, and he’d barely remembered a time in life when it wasn’t there. During the daytime, he could ignore the chafing metal. But at night, it was awfully hard to sleep when it constantly dug into his chest and choked him. 

Guard the royal treasure with your life. 

A dragon must always guard their treasure with all their heart and soul. That’s what Mama always said. 

And he tried. Oh, how he tried to guard the treasure, trying to pour everything he had into defending the king’s wealth even though he didn’t see what was so valuable about the pile of gold and jewelry. 

Coins that were hidden away from the world. Jewelry that could never be worn. Metals that would never see the light of the sun. 

He couldn’t dedicate his heart and soul into guarding the treasure. Not when it was so lifeless and empty. 

Though he had a habit of getting lost within the palace walls, the sapphire guided him towards the treasury anyway. He bowed his head, allowing the jewel to lead him into his prison. 

He turned the corner, about to pass the throne room on his way to the treasury. Then his ears pricked at the sound of a bloodcurdling scream. 

“Please, your Majesty!” a man in rags screamed as he was dragged from the throne room. King Diamante stared impassively at him as the heavy doors slammed shut. “I have three children and another on the way! I can’t go to prison when my family needs me to pull in money for bread!” 

“Should’ve thought of that before you went into debt,” one of the knights scoffed, and his armor gave a high-pitched creak as he ripped away a tiny brown bag that hung from the poor man’s belt loop. 

The man trembled all over as the knight reached into the bag and pulled out a single gold coin. 

“Well…I suppose we can convince the warden to grant you some leniency,” the knight replied, lifting his visor and giving the poor man a joyless smirk as he casually tossed the coin in one hand. “At least give you a pillow or something.” 

“You can’t take that!” the man cried in desperation. “That’s…that’s all I have. Just enough for half a ration. Please…” 

Pinkhart tried to stop walking, tried to move toward the man to see if there was something he could do to help, but his body would not obey. The jewel forced him to continue marching towards the treasury. 

The man was far from the first commoner he’d seen who’d come begging to the king, only to be dragged out of the palace while still asking for help. 

But there was nothing he could do, despite his heart screaming at him to help these poor men and women. He knew it was wrong, so why not do something about it?

Except…he couldn’t. 

Not with the sapphire around his neck. 

Lady Sapphira stood in front of the royal treasury, her eyes cold as ice. She held her own sapphire in the palm of her hand, its aura blue and cold. 

“Guard the treasury with your life, dragon,” Lady Sapphira said. It was a phrase she said every night to remind him of his duties to the king. 

She never called him by the name his mother had chosen. Nobody did, though some of the servants named him Ivory for the color of his fur. While he didn’t mind being called Ivory, sometimes he wished someone would call him Pinkhart once again. 

It was a name that had been given and spoken with love at its core, and he missed it so much.

Pinkhart obeyed the lady’s command and stepped into the treasury, gold coins clinking underfoot. 

The door was shut once again, locking him away from the world, and the familiar ache of loneliness returned anew. 

Though surrounded by great wealth and beauty, he could not muster up the strength to protect them with all his heart and soul. 

o-o-o-o-o 

Pinkhart didn’t know how long he’d been lying on top of his gold mound, whether for seconds, minutes, or days, but he just couldn’t sleep that night. 

He was used to sleepless nights, when it was too cold and all he could do was tuck himself into a tight ball and keep himself warm as best he could. The gold underneath him shifted and several coins fell to the bottom, along with a heavy crown. 

Pinkhart tried to keep his weight centered in the middle, biting his lip as he tried not to tumble over. The gold never felt stable beneath his feet. One wrong move and he’d get buried in a pile of precious metal, never to come out again. 

If he were a duck, he’d be able to swim through gold. Maybe even swim froggy-style. 

But he wasn’t a duck or a frog. He was a dragon, and dragons were heavy. 

His ears pricked at the sound of an odd creak. 

His heart raced. He didn’t like unexpected noises at night. 

Not when there was no one to latch onto and tell him everything was alright. 

He didn’t want to be out in the open if something or somebody crawled in through that door. But he fought the urge to hide, for that wasn’t what Lady Sapphira asked of him. 

Guard the treasure at all costs, even if it costs him his life. 

Slowly, he flared his wings just as the door slid open.  

And a dragon with glowing pink eyes poked his small, pointed muzzle inside. His fur was dull white, with pink scales along the underside of his short neck. A pair of zigzagged horns adorned his head, while his long, pointed ears flicked around to check for danger. 

The newcomer was pretty tiny for a dragon. It was kinda cute, actually. 

“Yes!” the dragon exclaimed, in a surprisingly deep voice for such a tiny dragon. “I’ve found the treasury at last! They’ll have to hail me as their new ruler now!” 

As he tried to move further into the treasury, the door suddenly swung shut on his round belly, trapping his front half in the treasury and his back half in the hallway. With a grunt, the dragon tried to free himself, but only succeeded in clearing the coins around him in a wide arc. 

“Blasted door,” the dragon muttered, losing balance as he tried to free himself and smacking his chin against the floor. 

Well, he really did seem stuck. And nobody in the palace would take kindly to an outside dragon, especially one that was discovered in the treasury. 

Best to just let him inside. Pinkhart was curious, for none of the palace dragons had ever broken into the royal treasury before. 

And despite being trapped, a fire burned within the dragon’s rose-pink eyes. That fire was either completely gone or shrinking to dim embers within the palace dragons. 

Pinkhart leapt from the top of his gold pile, spreading his wings to slow his landing. The other dragon looked up just as Pinkhart’s shadow fell across him, his eyes widening until they were round as saucers. Blue flames curled around the edges of his mouth in warning, even as he scrunched up as close to the door as he could. 

But the dragon couldn’t get inside, nor could he back out into the hall. He growled as Pinkhart approached him, warily eyeing that enormous wingspan. 

Pinkhart folded his wings at his sides, remembering how scared he felt around the king’s dragons when they flared their wings. 

“Sorry for scaring you,” Pinkhart told the dragon lying at his feet. “I wouldn’t be a very good host if I scared company away. Poit.” 

“I didn’t come here to keep you company!” the dragon snarled, his fur bristling. “I’m here to claim the king’s treasure and his throne!”  

Pinkhart shoved the door open with his front claws, releasing the dragon from the unexpected trap. The snarl suddenly cut off, and the dragon’s expression was more surprised than angry. 

“Um…thanks,” the dragon mumbled. There was no bite in his voice as he stood up, staring at Pinkhart like he’d grown two heads. 

Oh dear, he hoped he didn’t sprout a second head. Mealtimes would get rather messy. 

“Sure thing. Why are you after the treasure anyway?” Pinkhart asked. He circled his new friend curiously. There were a pair of strange nubs at his sides, and he hadn’t noticed before that his friend was completely wingless. “Are you playing pirate? Can I play? I wanna be the parrot!” 

He’d been practicing his animal noises, just to kill the boredom when he was locked in the treasury at night. And he could make a really good squeaking noise for the parrot! 

His new friend glared at him, pink eyes burning into his own. “This isn’t a game. I’m taking charge because your king is running everything into the ground with his demands for gold. He actually believes you can transform lead into gold with dragonfire as a conduit! A fool like him doesn’t deserve his crown. He’ll have no choice but to surrender everything he owns to me once he sees that I have all his treasure. And it won’t be long before everybody knows the name of King Brainfyre!” 

He climbed to the top of the highest gold mountain, surprisingly fast even without wings, and puffed out his chest proudly. 

“Brainfyre? Your name is Brainfyre?” Pinkhart asked, flying up to the peak of the golden mountain to join Brainfyre. “Egad, that’s such a cool name!” 

“Y-you really think so?” Brainfyre stammered, like he wasn’t used to anyone considering his name cool. Maybe he wasn’t. He nearly slipped off the peak before catching himself, lifting his head with a smirk that showed off his fangs. “I mean, of course it’s a cool name. I came up with it on my own, after all.” 

Pinkhart clapped his hands, applauding the creativity. Brainfyre ate up all the praise, posing at the top of the golden mountain with pride. 

“I don’t think I could ever name myself,” Pinkhart admitted. “There’s just so many names to choose from! Like Mandingo or Cabbage or Boris…well, I’m glad my mom called me Pinkhart. I’d drive myself silly if I had to come up with something on my own!” 

Brainfyre just stared at him. 

What, did he have something on his face? 

Pinkhart licked his lips, trying to see if his dinner was still somewhere on his face again. He had wild boar earlier. It was a little on the messy side. 

“Did I get it off?” Pinkhart asked, wiping his face with one of his front limbs just in case. 

Brainfyre ignored the question. “There’s nothing on your face. I was just…surprised you had a dragon’s name. Every other dragon belonging to the nobility usually has a gemstone or expensive objects as their moniker.” 

“Well, Lady Sapphira never really named me…usually doesn’t want anything to do with me until it’s time to guard the treasure. But some of the servants call me Ivory. I don’t mind, but…I can’t really tell them that my name is the only thing I have left from my mom. And nobody’s called me Pinkhart since the day I was bought.”

Now he was Ivory to the servants, a dragon who could be seen but not heard or touched. He was a guard to the treasure, who could neither feel nor see. He was an accessory to Lady Sapphira, with his golden collar and deep-set sapphire in his chest.

“Ivory sounds more like an elephant’s name,” Brainfyre sighed. “As it stands, it appears I have no alternative but to make you my first subject, Pinkhart. You’re simple enough, at least.” 

Brainfyre said a lot of ginormous words, but there was only one that Pinkhart heard. 

Brainfyre called him Pinkhart, a name that had never been spoken out loud since the day he was taken. 

“Y-you called me Pinkhart,” he whispered, and he allowed the happy tears to flow from his eyes. 

“Obviously, I have to call you something!” Brainfyre snapped. “Don’t make it weird!” 

Pinkhart couldn’t help this light feeling in his chest, the lightest he’d ever had in his life. Like walking through air, and all because Brainfyre said his name! 

“It’s not weird, Brainfyre! I’m just so happy! Narf!” Pinkhart exclaimed, and to release some of his energy, he zipped around the limited airspace as fast as he could, pulling his turns tightly to avoid knocking into the jeweled pillars that held up the treasury. 

And feeling a little mischievous, Pinkhart barreled straight into Brainfyre, who couldn’t do anything about Pinkhart’s approach when he had no wings and the only way off the peak of the gold mountain was down. Brainfyre yelled in shock as Pinkhart wrapped him in a tight hug, the force of which knocked them down the mountain of coins. Gold and silver scattered everywhere as the two dragons tumbled heads over tails down the steep slope. 

Pinkhart laughed. He was just like a tumbleweed! An extra big tumbleweed who was hugging a smaller tumbleweed! 

Brainfyre gasped, pink eyes wide as he found himself pinned underneath Pinkhart. Clarity quickly returned, and he scrambled out from underneath Pinkhart. 

“How can you be happy?” Brainfyre spat, drawing himself up to full height. Which wasn’t really that much, since he was much tinier than Pinkhart. “You’re wearing a collar! You’re enslaved to a bunch of hedonistic royals! What is there to be happy about?” 

Pinkhart smiled and sat on his haunches, balancing with his tail as he pulled Brainfyre into a hug. Brainfyre protested loudly and squirmed in his arms, blue fire curling in the corners of his mouth. 

“Cause I met a new friend, that’s why,” Pinkhart declared. 

Brainfyre stopped trying to break free at once. His body had gone completely still, just like Aurum and Argentum in the king’s court. 

“Kings don’t have friends,” he murmured, his claws gripping Pinkhart’s arm just a little tighter. “Only allies, courtiers, subjects, and enemies.” 

“Well, I’m your subject, so that makes me your friend too,” Pinkhart declared. 

“Doesn’t work that way,” Brainfyre grumbled, and he broke free of Pinkhart’s hug. He moved towards the heavy door that marked the exit of the treasury. “Tonight was just a scouting mission. Tomorrow night I will come back to claim the treasure for myself.” 

Right. Brainfyre couldn’t stay long, no matter how much Pinkhart wished him to. It was nice to have company, but sneaking into the treasury was a huge risk. And he definitely didn’t want Lady Sapphira finding out. 

And Brainfyre didn’t seem to think of him as a friend anyway. 

“Hey, Brainfyre?” Pinkhart called, and the smaller dragon paused on his way out the door, his head bowed for some reason. Strange, when there was plenty of clearance between his horns and the doorframe. He didn’t turn around. “I-I just wanted you to know…that even if you don’t want me for a friend…you made me happy just by coming here.” 

Pinkhart’s tears evaporated into steam as they leaked out. And when his vision cleared, he spotted Brainfyre just a few inches away from him, though he quickly backed away.  

“Acquaintances,” Brainfyre said softly, looking away with an expression of guilt. “We can be acquaintances. Good night, Pinkhart.” 

Just hearing his name spoken was comforting enough. 

And Brainfyre was gone before Pinkhart could wish him good night and happy dreams. 

But Pinkhart knew he’d see him again tomorrow night. And for once, the treasury of gold wasn’t as lonely. 

o-o-o-o-o

Brainfyre visited every night without fail after that, always claiming that he was either gathering information about the palace or here to take some of the treasure for his own horde. Brainfyre never took more than what he could carry without attracting attention, or objects that were harder to hide in a location he wouldn’t disclose to Pinkhart. 

Even after a month, the treasury was still as full as ever. Nobody missed the stolen objects at all. 

Pinkhart had been against this at first, because stealing was wrong and a dragon oughta grow their horde fairly. But Brainfyre argued that all the valuable objects were locked away in a dark room without a purpose, and their value was wasted if they weren’t being used. 

And Pinkhart had to admit that Brainhart had a point. 

The golden coins and sparkling jewelry deserved a chance to shine in the sun, to be worn, or passed from hand to hand. 

And it was fun to share all the ongoing things in the palace, cause boy there was more drama here than llamas in pajamas. 

“-and that’s why Lady Sapphira and Lady Lazuli are enemies!” Pinkhart finished. “And why she has issues with Lord Rubino, and King Diamante himself, and Steve!” 

“Steve,” Brainfyre said in disbelief, raising a fluffy brow. 

Pinkfyre nodded. “Narf! I know it’s such a weird name. He’s from some faraway land called…uh, what was it now? Connect-the-cut, I think. And then there’s-oh, the priest accidentally dropped Lady Crystal’s baby into the holy water during the baptism ceremony. Her husband’s still trying to convince her it was an accident and not cause the priest was possessed by the devil.” 

One of Brainfyre’s ears swiveled towards Pinky as he turned to his reflection in a nearby trophy, adjusting the golden crown upon his head. It had a fluffy lining with amethyst jewels embedded around the rim. Pinkhart had found it buried underneath a sea of silver a few days ago, presenting it to his friend as soon as he could. 

It was the first time he’d seen Brainfyre smile, and he would hold onto that memory forever. 

Brainfyre had taken to wearing that crown while he was in the treasury with Pinkhart, only removing it when he had to leave. 

It was nice to make his friend so happy, because Brainfyre often looked like he needed a little bit of joy in his life. He was always serious, grumpy, or sad, sometimes all three at once. 

And while Pinkhart was more than happy to tell Brainfyre anything he wanted to know, Brainfyre was always so evasive about any personal questions. Especially ones that related to his missing wings. 

Brainfyre had tried to claim he was from a flightless species at first, but the nubs at his sides were so obviously leftover wingstumps that Pinkhart hadn’t believed him for a second. 

He wasn’t a very good liar, cause his ears always drooped when he tried. 

Usually, Brainfyre would be proclaiming all the laws he’d enact as ruler from the top of a golden peak. Pinkhart loved listening to all his laws and trying to carry them out. It was good for Brainfyre to practice for the kingship before he was crowned for real. 

But he was quieter tonight, letting Pinkhart talk about everything he’d heard in the palace even though he didn’t seem too interested, or just had trouble following along. 

“-and then Lady Crystal started chasing her husband and the priest with a stick while carrying the baby on her back! So then the maids were all ‘should we stop her?’ and then the other ladies-” 

A front foot pressed down on Pinkhart’s muzzle before he could continue his story.  

“Pinkhart,” Brainfyre said, digging his front foot into the fur on Pinkhart’s muzzle. Pinkhart laughed. His foot was so ticklish! “You will cease your babble at once and come with me. There’s something I wish to show you.” 

Brainfyre released Pinkhart, then took off his crown, carefully setting it next to a treasure chest. 

And Brainfyre never took off the crown while he was in the treasury. 

Then Brainfyre pressed an ear against the door, carefully listening for any sounds on the other side. “Hallways are clear,” he announced. “If we hurry, we can leave undetected.” 

“But Brainfyre, I can’t just leave the treasury unguarded!” Pinkhart protested. “Lady Sapphira will be super mad!” 

He couldn’t just break the rules. He promised to guard the treasury with his life! 

Brainfyre released the heavy lock on the door, letting it swing open. He ignored Pinkhart’s protests and gestured for him to follow. 

Pinkhart dug his claws in. He wouldn’t do it.

“You’re under my command now,” Brainfyre said. “Not that cold and blue-blooded Lady Sapphira’s. And after one month here with you, I’ve concluded that this treasury is rather stifling on both of us. Besides, it’s…better if I show you what awaits out there. I’m afraid trying to explain it all verbally is…well, it’s difficult.” 

He trailed off and looked away, and Pinkhart realized that no, Brainfyre wasn’t trying to get him to break rules just because. 

There was something he desperately wanted to tell him, but the only way to find out was to venture out of the treasury and into the night. 

And Pinkhart had never really seen the nighttime for himself. Was it as dark as the treasury, or was it a lighter shade? 

Maybe…the treasury could wait. 

There was something that was just super exciting about sneaking around. One that chased away any fears he had. 

And most importantly, he was with Brainfyre. He wouldn’t be alone. 

“I’ll go with you, Brainfyre,” Pinkhart promised. 

Brainfyre couldn’t disguise the relief written all over his face, though it quickly faded back into a stoic expression. He picked up several shiny coins that lay near the entrance, dropping them into a small brown pouch. With the pouch’s strings dangling from his mouth, he poked his head out into the hallway and slowly exited the treasury. 

Pinkhart followed him into the darkened halls. Only the dying embers of torchlight remained, and there wasn’t a soul to be seen. 

“Brainfyre, what’s the pouch fo-” Pinkhart tried to ask, but Brainfyre growled at him to be quiet unless he wanted to be discovered, so Pinkhart hushed up. 

Two years in the palace, and Pinkhart had never seen the palace at night before. He was so used to the hustle and bustle of nobles, knights, and peasants that he never knew just how quiet and still these halls could be when there was nobody else. 

It was kinda creepy though. Pinkhart shivered and tried to walk closer to Brainfyre. A growl rose in his throat, but he never pushed Pinkhart away either, and his presence helped against the ghosts and shadows of the palace. 

Their fur brushed against each other as Brainfyre slunk past Pinkhart while changing directions, and Pinkhart felt all the tenseness in Brainfyre’s body, saw the way his ears constantly flicked to pick up the sounds of anyone who might walk in on them. 

Maybe…Brainfyre was just as scared of the dark, only he was better at hiding it. 

Slowly, Pinkhart unfurled his right wing and let it hang over Brainfyre as they moved through the palace. Luckily, the hallways they used were large enough to accommodate dragon wingspans. 

Brainfyre glanced up at the wing, his ears falling back a little. He didn’t look happy, well, he rarely looked happy, but he never said anything against having the wing above him either, so Pinkhart figured it was okay. 

His ears stopped twitching so much, so maybe he was a little more at ease. 

After several minutes of twists and turns that Pinkhart would’ve surely gotten lost navigating if he’d been alone, they finally arrived at the palace entrance. 

But their path was blocked by two knights with diamond tipped spears. Both knights had their backs turned to the dragons, and they quietly stood guard at their posts. 

Like statues. 

There were a lot of statues that weren’t statues in this palace. 

Pinkhart and Brainfyre moved behind a pillar, creeping as close to the guards as they could without being spotted. Then Brainfyre reared back, throwing the coin-filled bag outside, where it sailed over the guards’ heads and landed in some nearby bushes with a loud jingling noise. 

The guards immediately ran towards the bag, leaving the entrance wide open. 

“Now, Pinkhart!” Brainfyre urged, and together they ran out of the palace and into the nearby forest.   

Egad, this was so thrilling! The cool night air whistled through his ears as he ran for cover behind the trees, the dirt slipping and sliding beneath his claws. The chorus of the night surrounded him, with all its chirping crickets, hooting owls, and a distant wolf’s howl. 

The moon was so big and pretty and full and looked like a big piece of cheese! Pinkhart licked his lips. Was it possible to taste the moon? Cause if it looked like cheese, then it had to taste like cheese too! 

But the prettiest things were the twinkling stars, like diamonds in the sky. Only these were even lovelier than the diamonds within the palace. 

“I’ve never seen so many stars before,” Pinkhart breathed, craning his neck to take in all the starlight that surrounded him. 

Brainfyre bumped Pinkhart’s side with his head, pushing him further into the woods. 

“Focus, Pinkhart,” Brainfyre said. “We aren’t here to admire the stars. Not paying attention to your surroundings can be costly, especially in this current climate. If we don’t tread carefully, then we’re easy targets for dragon poachers. And they’ll either sell us to the highest bidder, mutilate our body parts to be sold in quack medicine, or just kill us because they can. And none of those options are desirable to us.” 

Pinky tilted his head. “They sell medicine to ducks?” 

Brainfyre sighed. “No, Pinkhart. They sell to humans.” 

“Oh, gotcha. Zort! So they sell medicine to ducks who sell the medicine to humans!” 

Brainfyre rolled his eyes with a cute grumpy sigh, then he bumped his head against Pinkhart’s side, pushing him further into the forest until Pinkhart started walking for himself. 

In the dense forest, full of thick tangles and thorny briars, the stars were soon swallowed up by the twisted branches which seemed to weave together in one large black shadow. 

Pinkhart had to keep his head low and his wings folded, and the branches still caught on his horns and ripped clumps of fur out.

It barely seemed to faze Brainfyre, who was small enough to avoid the worst of it, though he grumbled every now and then when his fur caught on a thorn.

He seemed to know every little twist and turn in the forest, and though Pinkhart got separated from him twice due to the thick tree coverage, Brainfyre backtracked both times and told him to keep up and pay attention to where he was going. 

It was nice to know that Brainfyre would come for him if they got separated.   

A little strange, but nice. 

“This forest has been my refuge ever since I escaped my captors,” Brainfyre said quietly, and Pinkhart had to strain his ears just to hear him. Brainfyre’s rose-pink eyes were downcast, a hidden pain from deep within coming to the surface. His ears drooped, hanging limp against his head. “It’s not the most ideal, but most people won’t venture this deeply into the forest. I’m left alone for the most part.” 

Brainfyre’s voice was steady, but in the forced way when one wanted to stay calm and was trying to control their voice way too hard. 

He led Pinkhart down a dirt path, and soon they reached a clearing where the stars shone above them once again. 

In front of them was an enormous rocky cliff with a hollow cave at the bottom. The cave wasn’t too deep, but it was large enough to fit several dragons inside. Only a handful of gold coins laid along the back wall. 

Compared to the enormous horde Pinkhart guarded every night, those coins were barely worth noting for any royal. 

Brainfyre didn’t make eye contact with Pinkhart. He was aware of this too. 

“What was I thinking?” Brainfyre murmured, his claws scratching the ground nervously. “I’m a fool for bringing you out here. I…I thought it would be easier to talk here, but-” 

He always had a tough time when it came to emotions. Sometimes it frustrated Pinkhart, even when he tried to be patient and let him talk at his own pace. 

But this wasn’t Brainfyre being stubborn, as it sometimes was. Pinkhart could tell he was genuinely trying to say what he wanted to say, but couldn’t cause whatever he wanted to say hurt too much. 

Slowly, Pinkhart unfurled his wings and surrounded Brainfyre with them, encasing their upper bodies within a protective cocoon. Brainfyre blinked, jaw moving but unable to form any words.

“It’s okay,” Pinkhart murmured. “You’re safe with me.” 

They were so close in this limited space that Pinkhart could feel the hot embers on Brainfyre’s breath. He was breathing rapidly, and Pinkhart felt every puff of air that came out of his friend’s muzzle. 

“...I hatched in the volcanic region to the west,” Brainfyre finally said, his tone short and clipped. “I strayed too far from the nesting grounds and got captured by poachers. And t-they…they cut off my wings and sold me to ACME Guild. The alchemists wanted me to convert lead to gold with my dragonfire. They whipped any dragon who couldn’t produce results. It was…a common occurrence.” 

Pinky shifted so that Brainfyre’s head rested on his chest, right next to the sapphire necklace. 

Brainfyre’s entire body trembled with fear, unused to contact where he wouldn’t be hurt. 

“I’m sorry, Pinkhart,” Brainfyre whispered. “I don’t know why you’d put up with a dragon with no horde and no wings. Without those, I’m a failure to our kind.” 

Pinkhart longed to whisper words of comfort, something that would make Brainfyre feel better, but he came up short. 

He didn’t want his best friend, his only friend in the whole kingdom, to feel so sad that he thought he was a failure. 

But what could he do? 

Pinkhart tried to think and focus, and with Brainfyre around, it was much easier. 

And a long buried memory rose to the surface. 

There’d been a raging thunderstorm, one with howling winds and heavy rains that threatened to collapse the roof. He was just a hatchling then, two or three weeks old, and he was afraid of the deafening booms and too-bright flashes of blue that lit up the dark nursery. 

His mother had laid next to him, letting him curl against her warm, scaly side. A wing shielded him from the worst of the lightning, a long tail dangling just above his reach to distract him from the thunder. 

And there was the fire, beautiful golden fire that warmed him from nose to tail like he was bathed in the warm rays of the sun. 

His mother’s fire always made him feel safe and loved. 

Maybe that’s what Brainfyre needed. 

Pinkhart inhaled, then released a tiny stream of fire, gently guiding it to Brainfyre’s muzzle. As soon as the pink flames touched him, Brainfyre recoiled immediately, an unsure growl building in his throat. Pinkhart added a little more fire, just to make his message clear. 

You’re my best friend, and I care about you so much.  

The flames licked Brainfyre’s muzzle and throat, and he tensed up, his pink eyes illuminated with worry and fear, before giving way to wonder and curiosity. His body relaxed, and he shyly stuck his nose into the flames, breathing in their warm, smoky scent. 

The wingstumps against Brainfyre’s sides quivered as Pinkhart’s wings brushed them, and Pinkhart latched onto another fleeting thought. 

Brainfyre had never been in the sky before, had he? He was missing out on some wonderful sights, and it was completely unfair that somebody decided to cut off his wings before he got the chance to see them. 

But…maybe there was something Pinkhart could do. 

He spread his wings to their full length, pulled Brainfyre close, and flapped his wings until their legs left the ground. 

“Pinkhart, what are you-NYAHHHHHH!” Brainfyre screamed as they shot up into the gorgeous night sky, nearly tumbling out of Pinkhart’s grasp. Brainfyre thrashed, trying to free himself, but Pinkhart tightened his grip, stopping his ascent so Brainfyre would be more comfortable before they continued. 

“You never got to fly, Brainfyre,” Pinkhart said, sending a wisp of pink flames into Brainfyre’s face. The wisps illuminated Brainfyre’s wide, round eyes. “So let me be your wings.” 

Brainfyre said nothing, just sat there in Pinkhart’s arms. Then he looked at Pinkhart’s strong, flapping wings, took in all the stars above them, and the forest below. 

“You won’t let me fall?” Brainfyre asked hesitantly, his claws still curled into Pinkhart’s fur. 

“Cross my heart and hope to poit,” Pinkhart replied, though he couldn’t cross his heart while holding Brainfyre. 

Brainfyre stared at him for a long time, and for a brief moment, Pinkhart thought Brainfyre would refuse. A light blush coated Brainfyre’s cheeks.

“Okay,” he whispered. 

“Really? Hooray!” Pinkhart gasped. Brainfyre would let him be his wings after all! He twirled in the air in delight, spinning round and round and gaining even more height than before. 

Brainfyre yelled in surprise, his front limbs wrapping around Pinkhart’s neck, nearly choking him with their tight grip. 

“But not if you insist on performing aerial maneuvers like that!” Brainfyre protested once he finally caught his breath. 

“Sorry, Brainfyre,” Pinkhart giggled. “I can’t help going all twirly-whirly when I’m happy!” 

“Well, have some regard for those of us who aren’t used to being…twirly-whirled or whatever you want to call it,” Brainfyre muttered. 

“Sorry, Brainfyre,” Pinkhart said, his ears drooping a little. He didn’t mean to distress his friend. He was just so happy that Brainfyre was with him for this flight. “No more twirly-whirlies when I’m holding you.” 

Still, Brainfyre was letting himself be held for this long, so high above the ground. 

“It’s fine,” Brainfyre sighed. “But I assume you didn’t bring me all the way up here just to sit still in mid-air, correct?” 

And with that permission given, Pinkhart soared through the skies. He didn’t have any direction in mind and flew alongside the wind currents, allowing them to help bear his weight. This way, he only had to flap his wings every once in a while. 

Brainfyre’s claws pricked him every now and again as he squirmed in Pinkhart’s front limbs, craning his neck every now and again to catch a glimpse of the stars and features of the land from high above. 

The silver moonlight was reflected in Brainfyre’s eyes, lighting them up in so many pretty colors. 

Pinkhart flew through a lone cloud that drifted by, laughing as the vapor hit his muzzle and sprayed him with cool mist. Brainfyre made a surprised noise, unused to the coolness of flying through clouds, but he stretched out to touch the next cloud that drifted by. It turned into mist between his claws. 

“I never knew clouds felt like that,” Brainfyre admitted. 

Pinkhart grinned. “Neither did I! They’re not fluffy like sheep’s wool at all!” 

The stars above shone more brightly than they ever did on the ground, surrounding them in twinkling lights. Pinkhart wanted to touch one, but they were too far away.

Then Pinkhart descended towards the earth, and together they skimmed over the middle of a beautiful blue lake that reflected the moon and stars on its surface. Brainfyre’s claws trailed in the water, breaking their image into tiny, rippling waves. 

Brainfyre even laughed, and it was a beautiful sound. 

Never before had he felt such things on a flight above the earth. Before, flying was something he always did when he was bored and lonely. In the sky, he was still alone, but there were so many beautiful places he could imagine himself flying to, and nothing but the wind and clouds and occasional flock of birds. 

And now there were so many wonders beyond the palace grounds, from the moon in the lake to the tallest mountains on the horizon to Brainfyre’s beautiful rose-pink eyes. 

He didn’t feel the weight of the sapphire. 

They were free up here, where no worries could ever reach them.

It was tempting to stay in the sky forever, and Pinkhart wanted nothing more than to gather a bunch of clouds and make their home in the sky, where they could hang a bunch of birdfeeders and little wooden houses and give a helping hand to doves, sparrows, and chickadees who wanted to rest and eat as they flew. 

Somewhere below them, a rooster crowed to herald the coming dawn. 

Pinkhart forgot to flap, startled by the sound. He and Brainfyre looked at each other, and he knew that Brainfyre was thinking the exact same thing. 

Time had flown alongside them, and in their fun and freedom in the skies, they’d forgotten Pinkhart had to be back in the treasury by dawn.

Below, doors and windows began to open. Candles were lit, and people stumbled out of their houses as they prepared to tend to their daily chores. 

Quickly, he landed on the outskirts of the village, next to the dense forest so Brainfyre could make his own escape before anyone saw him. 

“Hurry back to the palace, Pinkhart,” Brainfyre urged as he was set down. “You don’t have much time.” 

Though Pinkhart knew he couldn’t waste time, he still wanted to stay with Brainfyre, just wanted to delay his return to the lonely treasury for a little longer. Why could they only meet at night? Why couldn’t they have some time in the sunshine too? 

“Will I see you tonight, Brainfyre?” Pinkhart whispered. 

Brainfyre hesitated for a moment, then reared up on his hind legs, bringing Pinkhart’s head down with his front limbs until they were touching foreheads. Brainfyre’s large noggin was very warm and fuzzy, and Pinkhart purred at the warmth it gave. 

“You will. I promise,” Brainfyre murmured, and Pinkhart knew he meant it. Brainfyre was never one to break promises. 

How could he have ever doubted Brainfyre for a moment? 

Pinkhart’s chest filled with warmth, and he savored the moment for as long as he could. 

Brainfyre didn’t let go either. 

I know you don’t want me to go either. I’ll stay for you. 

Pinkhart’s eyes closed, and he just focused on that warm sensation of foreheads touching, the claws that threaded into his fur, the burning hot sapphire against his chest-

Suddenly, the sapphire scorched him with its heat, and Pinkhart cried out in surprise, accidentally shoving Brainfyre to the ground as he reared back.

It wasn’t the tingly, fun fun silly-willy pain at all! It was burning, aching, and choking all at once and he just wanted the agony to end! 

He heard a voice, faraway and yet so close, call his name. And in the haze of pain, he could only make out a pair of pink eyes watching him with a mixture of horror and confusion. 

Pinkhart froze, and that’s all it took for the sapphire to seize control over his body. But it only ever happened in the evening, when Lady Sapphira summoned him to guard the treasury before she retired for the night. 

And it never hurt this much before, though his necklace chafed whenever the loneliness welled up. 

COME TO THE TREASURY AT ONCE. 

The order seared itself into his mind. 

And with an agonizing roar, Pinkhart left Brainfyre behind without another word. 

o-o-o-o-o

There was a large group of royals and servants gathered outside the treasury, King Diamante and Lady Sapphira standing at the forefront. Between them, the treasury door was wide open, a trail of coins scattered haphazardly around their feet. 

And though Pinkhart’s mind was clouded by some painful haze, he realized they’d forgotten to close the door when they snuck out.

They were so happy sneaking out that they’d forgotten to be careful. 

“The evidence is right before your eyes, your Excellency,” Lady Sapphira said coldly. The control sapphire in her hand was overtaken by a black, crystalline substance.

And the sapphire on his chest turned as cold as ice, the chill seeping into his scales and creeping towards his heart, numbing him to the core. The sapphire around his neck was also swallowed up by black, crystalline ice. 

“The rebels have stolen our wealth. They have kidnapped my guard dragon, and it’s only thanks to my foresight in using this gem that we have it back at all,” Lady Sapphira said, much to the whispers of the other nobles around her. She turned to King Diamante. “My King, we cannot allow this madness and revolution to continue. We must show the peasants their place in this world. We must attack swiftly, or they shall grow more emboldened over time and destroy what we have worked hard to build.” 

The other nobles shouted their support for the plan to attack, the palace dragons behind them flaring out their wings, the gems around their necks swallowed in black ice.

King Diamante held up a stern, commanding hand. All who were present fell silent. 

“We cannot allow the peasantry to threaten our way of life,” he declared. Aurum and Argentum spread their glorious wingspan to their full length, nearly covering the entire room. “We shall attack immediately and show them our might. Only then can we quell this foolish uprising and show them their duty is to serve us.” 

Aurum and Argentum’s diamonds were soon swallowed by the black ice. 

Pinkhart tried to latch onto the fleeting memories of his mother’s golden fire and Brainfyre’s voice, but their trails were out of his reach. 

The ice spread over his heart, turning his fire into a powerful chill. 

I’m sorry, was the last thought that was truly his own. 

A tear slipped down his cheek and froze as it dropped to the ground with a heavy thud. 

And he knew no more. 

o-o-o-o-o

Burn the forest around the village. Block anyone who tries to escape. Show them our wrath. 

The Lady’s Will must be obeyed. 

The forest was in flames, smoke rising into the sky. Trees and houses burst into black flames that consumed everything in their path. 

Distant screams. People’s wails. Crackling embers. 

He ignored it. 

Aurum burned the mayor’s house. Argentum crushed a chicken coop underfoot. The other  palace dragons razed and burned everything around them. 

Dragon sent a pillar of flames into the sky. It was black, cold, and dark as night. 

The Lady called him Dragon, for that’s what he was and that would never change. 

A group of wingless dragons clawed and bit at the palace dragons in an attempt to defend their home, but without their wings, they were at a disadvantage. 

Someone shouted in the distance. A group of men with swords in one hand and shields in the other joined the fray. They gestured for the women to take their children and flee while they held the royal dragons off. 

The rebels have been lured out. Bring them to us alive where they shall await trial for treason against the crown. 

Capture the rebels. They have betrayed their king and must face the consequences. 

One of the rebels, a lanky young man with red hair and freckles, trembled as he approached Dragon. He waved a sword that was far too big for him, and a shield that would barely protect his vital regions. His expression was one of nervous determination. 

Dragon swung his tail, and the young man’s eyes widened in fear. He dropped his sword and shield, screaming for help as he ran away with tears in his eyes.

He paid the young man no mind. He had a mission to complete. 

Atop a nearby hill, a large man with a bushy beard swung his sword at Aurum, who returned the blow in kind with a powerful swing of his claws. 

The leader of the rebels. 

Capture him, and the entire rebellion would fall apart.

“Pinkhart!” 

It was a familiar voice who called an odd name. One he’d heard so long ago yet so recently too. 

“Pinkhart, cease this madness at once!” the voice commanded, and a small dragon with rose-pink eyes stepped out from behind the devastated underbrush. Despite his authoritative tone, his long ears were pinned back, his eyes wide in apprehension.   

Only the Lady could give Dragon commands. That’s the way things were done around here. So who did this dragon think he was? 

“...Pinkhart?” the dragon breathed, stopping just a short distance away. 

The two dragons stared each other down, the battle raging on around them. 

Dragon…no, wait…Dragon wasn’t his name. 

It was Pinkhart. 

His mother had given him that name, and Brainfyre was the only other being in his life who ever used it. 

Brainfyre’s eyes shone with worry, and Pinkhart looked away, unable to take that sad gaze. 

The ice that forcefully gripped his heart in a tight vise melted away, and Pinkhart could only stare out at the devastation he’d caused. 

I did this, Pinkhart thought as black fire swirled around him and destroyed the forest. Half his tears evaporated into steam, the other froze and fell to the ground as icy teardrops. His body trembled, his heart plagued by guilt. This is my fault. It’s all my fault. 

Brainfyre’s short snout was just inches away from Pinkhart, and Pinkhart instinctively reached out to nuzzle the soft fur. 

And a harsh, icy voice cut through his mind just as soft fur touched his muzzle, and he recoiled in agony as his body trembled uncontrollably. 

What are you doing? Show no mercy to anyone who stands in your way! 

Though he tried to fight off the Lady’s voice, it was too powerful. His legs swung out, catching Brainfyre by surprise and pinning him to the ground. 

He only caught Brainfyre’s surprised expression, followed by fear once he was pinned to the ground before he was blinded by his own tears. Brainfyre squirmed under his claws, but couldn’t free himself. 

“Pinkhart?” Brainfyre choked, his voice cutting off as Pinkhart’s claws pressed against a vulnerable spot on his neck. 

I’m sorry, Pinkhart wanted to say, but he could only growl and push against Brainfyre’s throat. 

The Lady’s hold was just too strong. He couldn’t fight her off. She and the other royals would have power over his life forever. There was no escape. 

He didn’t want to kill his best and only friend in the world. The one who’d shared his joy in the open sky, the one who risked discovery every night just to keep him company in an endless ocean of silver and gold and other cold, unfeeling treasures. 

Pinkhart felt every choked breath, every strand of fur and soft scale underneath him. 

His claws pushed, deeper and deeper-

And there was a blue glow in his vision, the only warning he had before warm, azure flames engulfed him.

And within those flames, a barrage of emotions flowed, erasing his master’s cruel commands. 

Raw anger that burned away the ice that threatened to surround his heart forever. Sorrow that greed had robbed Pinkhart of the happy life he should’ve had. The fear of losing a friend. 

Deeper still, there was happiness from the times they’d shared. The joys of flight and being together, though they were bound to the roles the kingdom placed upon them. 

And there was a loneliness within the flames, that blue was the lone color without anything else to support it. 

Every one of those emotions formed the most magical and wonderful feeling of all. 

Love. 

Was his neck lighter than before? Less burdened and cold? 

It was thanks to the flames that he felt light, like a feather drifting in the wind. 

The cruel voice was gone. The pressure disappeared. 

When he looked down, he found the remains of a necklace with a sapphire in the middle. It was broken, just a skeleton of a treasure now.   

He rubbed his neck where the necklace had once been. There was nothing there. 

He was free. 

The flames died away, revealing Brainfyre, whose maw still burned a bright blue. Pinkhart released him and looked away in shame. He wouldn’t blame Brainfyre if he didn’t want to be friends after this. 

He’d done too much damage. 

Pinkhart froze as Brainfyre approached, laying his head on Pinkhart’s chest, right where the sapphire used to be. But instead of the suffocating pressure of the necklace, this was gentle and warm. Tears splashed down his front before evaporating. 

“...welcome back,” Brainfyre whispered. 

 Pinkhart nuzzled him on top of his head, gently breathing his own flames onto Brainfyre. He was relieved to see his flames were pink once more. 

“Thank you,” Pinkhart replied, his voice barely audible above the sounds of battle around them. 

Dragons roared and weapons clashed as black fire ravaged the forest. Royalty commanded from the sidelines, too fearful to risk their own lives for the kingdom. Lady Sapphira was on the ground, screaming as she tried to gather the shattered pieces of the jewel she’d once used to control Pinkhart. 

Brainfyre watched her with smug satisfaction. 

But Pinkhart’s attention was focused on the dragons of the kingdom. All of them, regardless if they were royal or wingless, were suffering so much. 

From their physical injuries, to the few times they were shown love in their lives. 

Pinkhart nudged Brainfyre, who gave one last snarl in Lady Sapphira’s direction and stood protectively in front of Pinkhart. 

“Brainfyre, let’s share our flames with the other dragons,” Pinkhart whispered, and Brainfyre gave him an odd look. “Like you did with me. And…and what my mother did with me. Cause there was love in those flames. Love melted the ice that’s around their hearts!” 

“Don’t be silly, Pinkhart. It’s the extreme heat of dragonfire that caused the metal and jewelry to melt,” Brainfyre mused, a slight blush on his fur. “But it’s not a bad idea either.” 

And together, they approached the fighting dragons, rebels, and knights, while civilians fled around them. 

Pinkhart’s fire was a passionate pink, Brainfyre’s a burning blue. Their flames combined into a blazing, violet fire that engulfed the entire battlefield. 

But it didn’t set the field aflame. 

Dragonfire wasn’t meant to be a tool for utility, neither was it a tool for destruction. 

His mother had told him that fire was a gift to dragonkind because they loved so strongly, so passionately. 

It was a way to show love. 

It was a shame the humans ran screaming from the flames. They didn’t understand how dragons showed love. 

Every dragon, wingless and royal alike, were caught in the violet flames. The royals held up their jewels and shouted their dragons’ names in an attempt to control them, but the jewels shattered into pieces. 

Melted necklaces and shattered pieces of gemstones dropped to the ground one by one, and each freed dragon felt their necks, where the chains that bound them were no longer there.

Pinkhart even spotted Aurum and Argentum nuzzling and breathing fire into each other’s faces. 

It was sweet. 

The rebels didn’t attack the royal dragons, for they found them to be kindred spirits who were bound to people against their will. 

Pinkhart nuzzled Brainfyre, who simply let his head rest against Pinkhart’s chest, against his heart. 

But the happiness was short-lived. 

King Diamante’s eyes were as hard as diamonds and cold as ice. He raised one hand authoritatively. 

“From this day forward,” King Diamante decreed in cold fury. “All dragons are hereby banished from the Diamond Kingdom. If any dragon, regardless of species, is found within our borders, they shall be killed immediately. Hatchlings and eggs are not exempt from this law. Anyone caught smuggling dragons into our borders shall be arrested and placed on trial. And as the final authority over this land, I declare the dragons’ exile to be written among our laws immediately.” 

“Kill them!” Lady Sapphira roared, her hair askew, a crazed look in her eyes. “I want their heads mounted and stuffed on my wall!” 

The rebels threw down their weapons. Even the knights hesitated at her orders. 

And all the dragons used their chance to take to the skies, the winged dragons carrying their wingless cousins to safety. Soon they were out of reach for any spear, collar, or cannon. 

Brainfyre showed no signs of fear this time. His front limbs cradled Pinkhart’s neck, warm breath next to his ear. 

And like everyone else before him, Pinkhart spread his wings and shot into the clouds above. Where they were going, they didn’t know. 

But they were together, and that’s all Pinkhart could ever hope for.

o-o-o-o-o

They came to rest for the night inside a dark cave, within a mountain range north of the kingdom they’d hailed from. 

It was safe here. Secluded from the world that tried to hurt them in horrible ways. Pinkhart knew they couldn’t hide out forever here. Sooner or later they would have to confront the world, whether they wanted to or not. 

But it was okay. He could handle it, cause Brainfyre was here. 

A blue fire crackled in the middle of their cave, surrounded by pointy stalactites and stalagmites. Oh, he never could remember which was which. 

Brainfyre was sitting at the entrance of the cave, his back turned to Pinkhart as he watched the sunset’s beautiful colors. It must’ve been a very serious pondering, for Brainfyre’s ears were drooped over his back. 

Pinkhart sat next to him, opening his wing and enveloping Brainfyre in a hug. Brainfyre closed his eyes, his head resting against Pinkhart’s neck. 

Together they watched the clouds curl around the valleys below them, keeping them safe from any harm. 

“We’re exiles, Pinkhart,” Brainfyre said once night fell and the first stars peeked from the sky. “We’re free from those insipid slavedrivers, but…” 

His voice trailed off. 

It was going to be an adjustment, Pinkhart knew. Sometimes he had trouble believing that there was no jewel to command him, or that he didn’t have an uncomfortable bed of silver and gold to lay on within a dark treasury. 

And neither of them knew what lay beyond the kingdom, or what the world had in store for them in the future. 

Well, maybe that wasn’t completely true. 

He was just happy to be with Brainfyre. He blew a little fire into Brainfyre’s face, just to tell him just how much he loved him. 

“And…that’s not my only pondering tonight,” Brainfyre blushed as the flames hit his muzzle. “When I first came up with the plan to raid the royal treasury, all I wanted was the silver and gold that laid within it. Those were the only things that mattered to me back then. But…then I met you, quite unexpectedly. And over time, I came to realize…there was a different sort of treasure hidden from the world.”

Brainfyre buried his face into Pinkhart’s fur, embarrassed of his confession. 

“…you.”  

And in that moment, a hatchling memory emerged. One where golden fire warmed him, a wing draped protectively over him as he rested against a warm, scaly belly. 

A memory in which his mother had called him a treasure. 

Brainfyre blew a tiny blue flame into Pinkhart’s face. Though small, the love it radiated was intense and enormous. 

“You’re my treasure too, Brainfyre,” Pinkhart whispered, and how he loved Brainfyre’s blush. 

The stars and moon shone above them, an endless sky awaiting them in the morning. And there was only one thing from their future that remained clear, the rest a jumbled blur. 

They were each other’s treasure, to cherish and protect with all their hearts and souls for as long as they lived.